are very productive days for me...I've cleaned, strung, packaged and shipped the beads from Round 2...you shoulda received an email w/ a tracking number from me...i'm heading to the PO right now...
The kiln is fired up, and I think I'm gonna play today...I stopped by BlueMoon yesterday after getting the windows tinted and picked up a variety of tools and trinkets...I've found some tools in my studio that have been 'missing' for years (literally) because once I bought them, I never used them...(specific tweezers, picks, pokers, mashers, wire)...so, I have no idea what i'm gonna do, probably just make a massive mess, but it'll be fun to just goof around for a bit...
The birds eat all the seeds in two of my three feeders every day...I need to go refill, or they won't come around and squawk...mostly house finches, with some cardinals, titmouse, chickadees and a dove or two...the nuthatches only seem to eat bugs, as do the mockingbirds...good thing we have plenty of bugs...the cats find the birds hours of endless entertainment, and that keeps them from bothering me for attention...you'd think we never petted these cats, they way they beg for love...
I've finished watching John Adams, I think I need to start listening to my books on CD cause I have three books here, backed up and ready to be listened to...and Netflix movies...hop to it...
I should know that on Tuesdays, my day is pretty much spent...I have an appt in Austin, and so on those days, i make other appts to get as much done at one time as I can...today, I had the tint replaced on my car windows...only two of them, but they have been needing a retint job for about 3 years now...I finally peeled a massive piece of film off the other day and then, couldn't see out of the window properly because it was all smeary...d'oh...so today was the day...already I'm happier with the look of the car, it doesn't look so beat up w/ the shiny new black windows...I've noticed some cracking in the top, tho, and I should have the breaks and clutch looked at...the car has only recently rolled over to 37K miles, but its 9.5 years old and has never been garaged, so the weather has taken it's toll...
I'd like to get it repainted in a new color, I think...I love black cars, but they are hard to keep clean, and now that we live on a dirt road, forget it...maybe something red, or white...my last vehicle was white, and Brian's car is white, and its a popular color down here, and I like a nice bright white car w/ black trim...plus, it hides dirt really well...and it just looks happy...I'm gonna take it into my favorite auto shop (where they specialize in Miata's, so they know their stuff) and have them give it a once-over for what they think should be fixed...the driver's window has just recently decided to jump off track, so that needs fixing...I just had a nice overhaul on the engine, so big dollars don't need to be spent there...but I've never had the clutch looked at, or the brakes, and its not so much the miles, but the years that I'm more concerned about...maybe they are fine maybe they need replacing, who knows...I'll find out, tho...
We took a test drive in a smart car over the weekend...what a hoot...I love little cars, and it doesn't get much more little than this...the interior is actually rather spacious - mostly because that's the entire car - just the front seats...but unlike my Miata, in the smart car, you sit up higher, and the seats move back further and actually recline just a smidge...the transmission is either automatic, or clutchless manual, and you can shift via the shifter, or paddles on the steering wheel...it was crazy fun zipping around in it, and Brian said he spotted one in Austin today...the dealer said they've delivered about 60 since January, and there's a 12 month wait list for a new one...folks are buying them and listing them on eBay for a hefty profit...speaking of which, Brian's hybrid would fetch a handsome price right about now, but we aren't in the market to sell...I'm glad we bought it (nearly 3 years ago now) when we did, cause he gets about 42 mpg, and that's pretty decent, I must say...the Vampyre gets about 28...I'm ready for an electric car that I can plug into the extension cord...no more gas...this is ridiculous...didn't we learn anything from 1973???????
I forgot - while watching the nest for babies last night, standing still on the porch, I spotted a male ruby-throated hummingbird taking long important drinks from the new buddleia (butterfly bush) and salvia greggii that's in bloom...this is the first hummer I've seen all year...our firecracker plant is just now coming into bloom, they really enjoyed it last year, so I was pleased to see them in the other plants...my concern is - the cats in the yard...i think we're gonna have to re-think feeding them in the front yard, and try to keep them in the back...
We hadn't heard anything in the nest of late, and we a bit concerned...after visiting a home nearby, we saw loads of birds nests and heard lots of little ones squawking, so we knew something should be going on...then, all of a sudden, we started hearing an small, unfamiliar sound in the nest...so yesterday, Brian grabbed the camera and took a few shots before the parents came back...we have at least one baby in there, out of five eggs...perhaps the others are there, perhaps they are gone, we aren't sure...but at least we have the one little one to listen to...
I figured out the birds that are living in my geranium - they are nuthatches! I kept looking and looking and finally found what they are...I think they are the white-chest variety, they are white and yellow on their bodies, w/ striped heads...we don't know if they have any young in their nest, but they both grab lotsa bugs and keep visiting the nest, so we can hope...
The storms are gone, its cool and sunny here...I spent yesterday indoors- working! It was great...I needed more days to work, so i told Brian I had to work at least one weekend day, and since it stormed and rained like mad yesterday, that was it...I watched a lot of Heroes and made a lot of beads...I'm nearly finished with my Round 2 orders, and after that I think I'm gonna take a break from orders until after B&B (June)...I'll just make whatever I want for May, and post them for ya'll...I am still waiting to pull out the stuff from my class and goof around with that...before I accidentally put all the tools away and can't find them...I'm already wondering where I put the tungsten poker, I haven't seen it in ages...I think its in a box in my drawer...I'll go hunting for it...
Clementine has been zipping out the back door, and I need to make sure she doesn't stay out too long, or one of the hawks out here might think they found a giant mouse...I heard about a bird carrying a small dog out of a backyard the other day...I think in Florida...it does happen, and I'm not taking any chances...!
It is pouring rain right behind me, we have the glass door open and can feel the splashing of the water...the dog is DYING to go OUTSIDE for some unknown reason...I think she's discovered a special smell out there, cause she insisted on going out at 11:00pm last night...and Brian brought her in, only to let her back out in the middle of the night...she's been rained on, and is indoors now, and STILL wants to go out, in the pouring rain...what a nut...she doesn't like when i use the watering wand in the garden, but she's ready to run out in a drenching rain...thunder and lightning are all over, we're in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, and I suspect we might be losing power for a little while at least...so I'm updating while the candles are still lit...
so much for working in the yard...we bought a buddleia yesterday and I found some tall verbena, they all need to go in, but not right now...
Its getting ugly out, I'm gonna jump off before my computer explodes...hope you have a more quiet day...i'm hearing its been hailing in the western part of Austin, but I don't see it over here...thank goodness..we've already had our hail damage, it can really shred a garden in no time, and I don't want to lose any plants, or have any car damage...and the dog is still asking to go out...gah...
I have volunteer sunflowers all over the yard, from the birds and squirrels dropping the seeds...they look great and are loaded with big ugly bugs (that I think are beneficial because I imagine something eats them, right? lunch?)...anyway, the heads of the flowers get so big and heavy, they all face the ground...so I found a pic on the web to 'represent' my flowers...heh...you get the idea, tho, right? pretty, yellow, enjoyable...I, myself, enjoyed the large scary bugs (leaf-footed bugs, I believe), but I doubt you would, so i didn't snap any shots of them...I like when a cluster of the same bug all converge on a plant, I can't tell if they were hatched there, they are using the plant as shelter or food, or why they all congregate there...
Lots of rain and scary thunderboomers last night, cats and dog scurrying...I haven't walked the yard to see if there's any damage or fallen limbs...no tornadoes, just wind and rain...we can always use the rain - especially right after I used my submatic!...still, I don't trust the weathermen, typically they are right about 20% of the time and if we get rain, well, all the better...typically they say it'll rain, then it doesn't, and my plants all dry up...I've learned...I've been burned by listening to them too many times...like when i left the top down on the car, and it rained all over my car, even tho the forecast called for no rain...
sorry, i have no entertaining bon mots to offer today...no funny pictures or videos, no funny circumstances have occurred here lately..I did sit on the porch late last night, and I guess there was a musician playing in the town park, cause I could hear the sounds coming thru...at first I thought it was my neighbor, playing really good music, but the I realized it was live...so, while battling june bugs (they hatch early!) and petting Jack and Chloe outside, it was a good night...I shoulda taken my knitting outside, as I haven't touched it in at least 2 weeks, but there's always tonight or this weekend...I think I'm gonna go run our newly-burried submatic watering system on the garden this morning, even tho the weather dudes keep saying its supposed to rain...so far, it hasn't rained and the plants are hurtin'...
I've completed all the black and white beads from the round 2 orders, and have some of the colored beads made, so now I am going back to finish the rest of the colors...which sounds like fun after 3 days of black and white...I'm ready for some color...and I am DYING to get on the torch and play, but I haven't had time...I will complete the orders before doing anything else, so its good incentive to keep me going...and I've been happy with the beads I've been making, so its all good times...
ok then, time to go turn on the watering and watch it work its magic...the strangest things make me happy...like underground watering systems...but if you had to get out in 90 degree heat w/ 85% humidity, you'd be grateful for someone else doing the work for you...hello submatic, you are my friend!!! yeehaw...
I bought some envirosax from Delight a few months ago and we use them to haul our groceries home...there are new styles/colors coming out, larger bags, etc. that you might enjoy...who else hates the plastic bags from the grocery, especially when the gallons of milk tear the handles...I recommend these Delight bags whole heartedly...go green...no guilt...
I worked until after 11:00pm last night...haven't done that in a while, but I had to because I didn't get enough work done during the day, due to the cats driving me bonkers...I have a temporary pet-gate that I setup to keep them out of the kitchen, but then they cry/whine at the gate...so I try to placate them, but they won't stop...some knock down the gate, others jump over it...not all the cats are dangerous, some like Amelie will sleep on the corner of my table and not cause any problems, but Clementine likes to spring in my lap and I can't take that chance...so it was a lot of back and forth yesterday, and the time starts to add up...so, since I'm such a night owl, working till 11:00 really wasn't a problem at all...and then the alarm went off at 5:00am this morning and now I'm groggy...I think I shall unplug it tonight, so I don't forget...I really enjoy our local morning show, so waking up at 6:00 to listen to them is always fun, but I wasn't ready this morning...
I heard the weatherman mention that it'll be 90 today...and boy, did that make me happy...sigh..
Its time for pickin'...i wanna go to the farm on Friday, but I probably wont..maybe Saturday...i just bought a buncha store strawberries, but its so much more fun to pick them yourself...plus, there's lots of wildlife and bugs in the field...speaking of which, on the way home yesterday, I spotted a scissortail flycatcher...he/she had flown onto the yard, gathering up bugs...I didn't realize the underbelly area is a bright peach color...we have large open fields out here, and get to see hawks, eagles, vultures and other field birds not typically spotted in town...the 'cow birds' are out in force now, large white egrets that hang around horses and cows, nabbing the bugs on them...what a great symbiotic system...
Speaking of bugs, I gave flea medicine to everyone last night..that's always an interesting time around here, once I get a tube of Advantage out of its packaging, the cats scatter...I managed to get them all, except Amelie...she's laying here next to me on the table, unsuspecting...I am going to saunter over to the last remaining tube of meds and get her...and she ain't gonna like it...but it hasta be done...
I've been making lists of things to do, and I am already behind this morning, at 8:11...gee...I guess I best get going...the yard isn't gonna feed itself...
2:00pm Hey, I think i finally fixed the right column spacing issue...it looks 'back to normal' on my machine, I hope it does on yours as well...(I'm viewing in Firefox, I don't have IE on this machine, so I can't tell what it looks like on there...looks fine on Netscape, but I know most of ya'll don't use that! heh)...
I had to swing by the vet's office to pick up some low PH food for Amelie - it keeps her from getting the sludge in her bladder - and while I was there, a vet tech brought out a newborn pup to show it's owner...so cute...i think they said there were 5 more pups, but this on was the only 'red' one...it was red/white mighta been a spaniel of some type...who doesn't like fresh pup, tho...making little squeaking noises, and man, you forget just how tiny newborn pups and kittens really are...it was no bigger than my iPhone...
The beads from yesterday look pretty good...i always like starting with the 'easy' stuff first - I can get a lot of it made in one day, so i feel like I've accomplished something...today I move onto more complicated beads, which take time, and if one little thing goes wrong - start over...d'oh!
But still, its not even noon yet, I'm back from my jaunt out and around town, and I'm ready to load up some Memoirs of a Geisha on my audio books...I didn't see the movie, it really did no business, did it...was it bad?...i dunno...i hear the book is good, tho...we'll see...
the humidity has moved into the region, its too humid to leave the back door open any longer..maybe we'll get a reprieve, but I think summer is nearly here...80's all this week, 70's for overnight lows...sticky...not as hot as 95, but not as nice as 65...summer comes back every year and we dread it...still, I see places that have just received SNOW and I'm glad to have the garden, butterflies, bees and flowers right now...I'll just turn the fan on when i go outside...and work indoors in the a/c...what else can i do...hey, i just turned around, looked out the backdoor and saw an Eastern Swallowtail on the rose out back...see, its all worth it...we need 80 degree days in order for the butterflies to get warm enough to come visit us...nature rules...
Something weird is happening to my internet connection...sometimes I can connect to a site, other times it takes forever and then bombs out...so I think i'll not be surfing much today...too much to do anyway...I've been looking forward to this week, it feels like I've been gone from the house for ages, and its time to get back to work...I have a buncha stuff packaged and ready to go to the PO, Clementine really needs a bath, so I've drawn some water in the sink, gathered a towel and some shampoo...I just need to gather her now...here kitty kitty...
The male cardinal has been visiting the nest quite a bit, he brought something bright green and fat the other day...a tasty bug? I also noticed the male sparrow is now visiting the female in the geranium, I actually saw him feed her just before they both flew onto the ground to get some good grub...
Brian spotted at least one of the monarch caterpillars who has turned into a green chrysalis, so hopefully we'll have one monarch hatching this year...I'm sure there are others inside the garden, its like looking for Easter Eggs when they turn...sweet...
The past few weeks/months, we've been working outside...this weekend, we moved inside the house...after buying the pet door to keep the cats out of the bedroom (and off our heads while we slept) and buying the ionizer to help remove pollens from the room (Brian is allergic to everything, including air, water, clouds, sun, moon, stars and rainbows), we knew we needed to complete the process and vacuum the room silly...so we did..and I mean silly...vacuumed under the bed, in the closets, behind and under the dressers, on top of the curtain rods, the ceiling fan, the windows and blinds...everything...I was even vaccuming parts of the sheets near the headboard, and that Dyson does wonders...it removes any cathair that comes near it...the room is fresh and clean...and last night, Amelie jumped the pet gate and slept at the foot of the bed...ha...
Still they are out of the room 99% of the time and I hope it makes a difference...I did wake up at 4:20am on 4/20 which I guess might mean something to a numerologist...weird, huh...maybe there weren't enough cats at my head and I wasn't used to sleeping like a normal human being...
I'm still working indoors while Brian takes the outside projects - changing lightbulbs in the porch fan, burying the submatic system so I can water the plants this week...the temps are getting higher and I don't want the sun to bake/break the plastic tubing after all the work we've done...
I would really like to get on the torch today, but I have resigned myself that it'll happen tomorrow...I have LOTS of stuff to package and get ready to be mailed, so that's my next indoor task...maybe after I slice the strawberries...
I was hoping to sleep late, but the cats were singing at the door..they hate it when they are denied access to places, so they just yodel and make noise instead...8:00 isn't early, I've been up for awhile...
I have to go BACK to Austin yet again today...5 days in a row...that's like a record for me...I hope I don't have to stay long, there's a lot of stuff I need to do here...
I'm sorry about the right column spacing, when I put the rose pic in the page, it was too large, and threw off the spacing...i've tried to resize the column and it won't budge...I'm seriously thinking of an ovehaul of the page, letting someone else do the work, but I'm afraid I won't be able to edit it the way I'm used to..perhaps i should just overhaul the index page myself...make it a little less busy...it needs a facelift...
And here we go with the pics of what I've been doing the past two days...if you have any questions, and I'm able to answer, gimme a shout...Hope you enjoy them...now I get to clean them...ha!
This has been a long week, cause its been non-stop...I didn't get home till almost 10:00pm last night, but it was all good...we went out for dinner with Andrea after class, and I hope she made it to her plane on time this morning...I really enjoyed class, it was a bunch of really nice folks and Andrea is always a hoot - if you are a beadmaker, you need to take a class from her...she's great...
I am heading out yet again this morning, but I hope to be back fairly soon...Its haircuttin time and I'm gonna swing by Bluemoon to pick up yesterday's beads...this afternoon looks like a LOT of shipping of beads and bracelets...at least its cool and sunny out, a great day for a convertible...my drivers side window has jumped the track, so somedays it rolls all the way down, other days it goes just 1/3...you know, after 10 years, my car needs some love...poor thing...
As I suspected it would be...day one was yesterday, I get to see the disasters i made...I always make yucky beads in class, then I come home and practice and they get better...we were using enamels, silver mesh, doing off-mandrel techniques, clipping the glass w/ shears - all stuff I don't usually do, and it'll show...but that's what learnin' is all about...today's class will be a little more comfortable, its stuff I've done when I took my first Andrea class three years ago...NOT that I'm any GOOD at the beads we make today, its still doing stuff I don't typically do, like fuming, working with large amts of glass, etc.etc...Andrea brought a tool that I must have one of, it makes silver-coring beads a breeze...(you know, the silver insides of beads that you see on that Troll/Pandora beads)...typically you have to cut silver tubing, then flip the bead back and forth, tapping away w/ hammer to flare the silver tubing...this tool does it all in one simple step...yeehaw...
Its kinda funny to be in the 'last' class, we were TOLD by a little birdy that we would be the 'best' class, but you know that each class is told that...ha! I think its cause most of us are pretty quiet, we don't whine and aren't high maintenance...I've been in classes where just ONE person completely monopolizes the instructor, and you don't get any help at all...its apparent when someone is in over their heads and can't keep up (like folks who aren't able to get glass on the mandrel - if that's the case, you need to spend more time practicing at home, in my opinion)...but i've seen pics of the other classes and they looked to have great students in them as well, so I'm sure its been a good time had by all...
Needless to say, have I had a chance to get any of Round 2 made yet? no...have I had a chance to mail any beads from Etsy yet? no...things will open up tomorrow afternoon, after I get home from my haircut...thanks for waiting, its just been a bit of a black-hole this week, but I'll be back on track shortly...
Pics of class beads to come...If you wanna see GOOD versions of these beads, go see Andrea's Gallery...this is what they SHOULD look like...
http://www.andreaguarino.com/beads.html
I had a nice little entry typed here, then Amelie walked across the keyboard and it all went away...she pretty much goes where she wants, when she wants and we are just in her way...
So, I'm heading to class the next two days...i'll show my work when I return...I think I need to go get a hot chocolate for the ride into town...
Etsy is loaded w/ goods, its times like these when I like having it to handle all my transactions while I'm gone...
And there you have it...rock and roll...
You know, we all pay our taxes, and I woudln't mind so much if I felt like we were getting a good return on our money...with all the waste (not just the war, but that's a big one), it just makes me furious...I think watching John Adams on HBO and seeing how peeved they were about being taxed to death is just lighting my fire even more...we're paying our tax today, and filing an extension cause our CPA thinks we have more deductions to claim...so, we'll pay what we owe and then try to recoup...better than not paying at all- I was there once, 4 years my ex went w/out paying or letting me get ahold of the taxes ('they owe us money', he'd say...guess what, I'd say - they're gonna come get us one day)...at least its not that bad, we are on time, and current, even tho the amt we are paying is criminal...good thing I set aside money each month just to cover taxes...geez...
I've been sitting on some bracelets for sale, that I've been contemplating taking with me to B&B, but I realized - what if I get there and no one wants to buy anything from me...I don't have a booth, I don't have a neon arrow pointing at my head flashing 'Blackberrybeads', so the general public won't know who I am...friends will know, but I can't sell them everything, can I? I doubt it...so, since today is so pretty out, and I'm in the mood to share, I do believe I will be shooting pics and posting later (much later, I have to make my first of many treks to Austin today)on Etsy...I will send an email to the mailing list letting ya'll know, if you're interested...some squeeze, some rounds from the Catalina Island series, brights, black and whites, its a symphony of joy...heh...
I had to feed all the plants this morning, as I missed out yesterday...so everyone has their feeding of molasses, seaweed, and other minerals/nutrients...grow grow grow...the porch is so clean and pretty with the new box, all the ugly bottles of plant food, bags of rocks, tools and fire ant killer are safely hidden away...it looks like a real house again...
How exciting is it to have a clatch of cardinal eggs in the rose arch..pretty sweet, indeed...We are careful not to disturb the female, but she does come and go as she pleases..she also sings from the nest, which is fun...yesterday we spent time building a new porch box to hold all our plant food (seaweed is your friend), tools, gloves, sprayers, etc...so we were able to enjoy the garden and birds...Brian built the box, I coated it w/ some glaze to weatherize it, and took apart all the mess on the porch, swept away the cobwebs, knocked down the wasp nests and now the porch looks so inviting...we even ate BBQ ribs outside last night cause it was so pleasant...what a great weekend...
Its gonna be a long, busy week..not that that's a bad thing, mind you, but i won't be home much...tomorrow is April 15, I think I may have to go get our tax returns from the accountant, and its a 1.45hr drive one way...its pretty countryside, but I was hoping they could mail it back to us, but alas, no...class is Wed/Thur and then a haircut on Friday...the only day I wont be in Austin is today..and I'm grateful for that...
Things are getting underway this morning, I need to go give everyone some seaweed for breakfast and get going...i think its time for inside chores - vacuuming, laundry, and then making beads...rev up the merry-go-round, I'm jumping on...!
We've been in the garden since early this morning, it was 45 last night and we wanted to take advantage of the cool temps before it got too hot...Brian is putting the finishing touches on the submatic watering system that we cut and placed last week...all that needs done now is the little emmiters punched in, and then bury all the hoses under the mulch...
While he was in the yard, I was knitting on the porch and listening to the local gardening show (wow, do we sound like old fogeys or what), and the female cardinal sang a few times in her nest...then, without warning , she took off, and we became a crazed pit crew in Indy - Go, Go, hurry hurry, before she gets back! I grabbed my pruners and took out some long unweildy vines on the rose arch and Brian grabbed a step stool and took pics of inside the nest...FIVE EGGS! We are so excited...We hurried to put everything back and go back to our spots, like nothing happened...the bird flew back a few minutes later, and was none-the-wiser (or so we think -she probably watched us the whole time)...Still, it was fun, and we now know what is hiding in the nest..
Apparently the eggs should hatch about 10 days after being layed, so we ought to have little peeps coming from the arch soon...I dunno if she can handle 5 chicks, tho, that's a lot (normal broods are 3-4 eggs)...She may have another 2-3 sets of eggs thru the year before its all done...we are enjoying everything about it..and I haven't sprayed the sparrow today either, she's been allowed to stay dry, although I'm guessing she's probably out hunting for bugs right about now..
We managed to walk thru the local nursery and not buy anything at all...nothing...I do need some red annuals to replace some that have gone bad in my little bowl, but I might do that some time next week...
Everything is growing like mad in the yard, I think the weekly doses of seaweed are making everyone happy...all the plants I planted yesterday (and watered) are standing upright and are ready to go...so no loss there...once the emmiters are poked into the tubing, the watering of the right side of the yard will be pretty painless...the other side still needs some work, but we'll get there...the submatic kit has been sitting outside for the past YEAR in a cardboard box, falling apart around it...so if it takes another month or two to get it setup, I think we'll be fine...we bought this system for the Austin house and never got it setup there...I'm glad we waited, cause its gonna make my life so much easier, especially in the upcoming heat we're expecting...neato...
I've got a little local show that I've signed up for, the local Art Walk is the second Saturday of every month (except July/August)..I'll be at the local flower shop tonight w/ my small stash of bracelets...seems appropriate, huh...
2:45pm I've been outside planting since 11:00am...i've got 17 containers of verbena in the ground, 20 containers of Gregg's mist (monarchs love this stuff)in the ground, along w/ the three milkweed to handle the overflow of monarch caterpillars...I had to water everything in, of course, as they were dry and needing some love...so, after watering everyone in the front yard, I moved to the back to water the geranium hanging from the tree, and low and behold there's a swamp sparrow living in it! Man, was she mad when I sprayed her...she flew to the chair and yelled at me, then onto the fence w/ more yelling, then into the tree...I sat and waited for her to calm down and come back - she was mad for a good solid 5 minutes...but i watched her fly back and settle back into her nest...so now, what do I do...there's a bird living in my geranium, how do I water that thing w/out getting yelled at everytime? This will be interesting...
9:38am A cool front has blown thru, its now 63 out and I'm loving every minute of it...I have plants to get in the ground, I have a dog to walk, and some hot chocolate to go get at the local drive thru coffee bar...(no Starbucks out here)...I've completed the last of the massive orders and today i'm gonna work on some fun things before beginning round 2...which begins on Monday...
So, I don't have anything else to say, except did you see MILF Island last night? I swear, 30 Rock gets funnier every week we watch it...I love it when the show is mostly about Jack and Liz Lemon...so brilliant...The Office was back and hilarious as well...love that show too...you can buy Jan's Serenity candles if you need some stress relief...some of her flavors are 'bottled water', and 'new milk'...crazy good stuff...
The 50 greatest Greatest Comedy Sketches of all time...I started you on the top 10, but click thru the links and watch all 50...Cowbell is there...Jeopardy! is there...I love some of the old SNL bits like the synchronized swimming and the Bag of Glass...and of course Python, my favorite...priceless...
We've been anticipating this weekend since January, and then it snuck up on us...its time for the Masters! I should remember that its the second weekend of April, but then I'm not a golfer, I don't really pay attention to golf at any time of year except this time...there's nothing like watching the Masters on a huge plasma television and soak in all the beautiful green grass, bright pink azaleas and see some exciting shots...I'm lookin forward to sneaking in a few hours here and there...
AND, this is what i'm REALLY excited about...I found this quite by accident the other day, while poking around the CBS website...the original Star Trek series is available to watch for free! That is exciting news, indeed...I was contemplating buying the entire series on iTunes, but now I don't need to...if you like Kirk and the gang, go watch some truly great television...all three seasons are there...I know what i'm gonna be watching while making beads today...
I guess that's all I have to tell you about today...but isn't that enough??? If i find anything else out there in the internets, I'll be sure and post it...and if YOU find anything, tell me about it...
you know what? I need to stop using the (!) so much...i'm going to work on that...I sound like I'm yelling about everything I type...time to bring the hype down a bit...sheesh...
its 1:37cst based on my computer, and I've had to close the Round 2 orders for now...if you missed out, do not fret, I will have beads for sale via Etsy as I make extras...I already have a small stash of extras and have already built some bracelets, but have been wearing them myself and they have my cooties on them...
12:30 CST - I'm closing orders in an hour...technically, I should close them right now, but I'll give you 60 minutes to get me your request...technically, you should already have your order ready to go and just email it to me when you see the 'open' sign go up, but most folks don't do that, and I understand...tick tock, zoinks...
I've had a few questions about if i'll be offering bracelets (squeeze and other kinds) and the answer is YES I most certainly will...! yeehaw...I've got some out of town time coming up in May/June, so working in a Round 3 will be difficult for me...therefore, my plan is to complete Round 2, and then work on bracelet beads from the Catalina Island (and maybe other) color schemes and post them on Etsy (Etsy does a good job of keeping track and marking things 'sold' when I'm away from my computer)...
The cats have taken complete control of the bedroom...i wake up and they are sleeping on my back, I wake up and they've overtaken my pillow, they make breathing difficult for Brian, they fight with each other for space and they bite my toes when I move...while i love them, we've come to realize that they need to stay out of the bedroom...So, I bought a nice attractive babygate and Brian installed it in the doorway...I bought an air ionizer to help Brian sleep better...he installed it while I walked the dog (she's out of the bedroom as well, we were tripping on her, she's a big dog), and everything was great...we slept thru the night w/ no kitties...and then, this morning, as I'm waking up, I am acosted by Clementine...!?!?!? She's managed to squeeze thru the bars in the gate...she's so small (5lb) and her little head is like a round apple, not pointy, so she figured out how to become the Terminator and walk thru the bars...wow...she's the one who commandeers my pillow, she's the one who sleeps on my back, and there she is...I'm not sure what our next move is, she's got us CheckMated at the moment...smooth move, Clementine...we'll meet again...
I have been in Austin ALL DAY and I hate it when an entire day is blown outta the water...geez...
On my way to the car, I stopped and looked at the wee monarch caterpillars we spotted over the weekend...they aren't wee anymore! they are all rather large...I stopped counting at 37...yes, that's right..37 caterpillars are eating all the milkweed they can find...(that's just the ones I spotted, who knows how many there really are)...I stopped and bought 3 large milkweeds at the nursery, but I think I'm gonna contact a local elementary to see if they'd be interested in taking some off my hands...I might just take some with me into Austin to the butterfly garden and release them there as well...we just don't have enough plant material to handle over 37 caterpillars right now...they eat nonstop, all day...
I don't anticipate the same crush of orders as I had in Round 1, but then I don't know what to expect...I'm ready to take your order, bring it on!!!!
I'm still listening to 1776 on CD and its so great...its the kind of thing that we shoulda been taught in school about the revolutionary war, but we aren't...we have to seek this on our own..thank goodness people write books about what really happened so we know the rest of the story...like Ken Burns and his movies about the Civil War on PBS...fascinating stuff to learn how this country was built, what people went thru, how hard decisions were and just how amazingly LUCKY we were with so much of it...the weather worked in our favor just when we needed it, Washington was an awesomely smart general, as well as flawed, we didn't run over the British, they kicked our butts a few times, we kicked them a few times, and mostly you must stay clean and washed or dysentery will kill more soldiers than any fighting will...
I am not a historian, I enjoy history, but haven't done a lot of independent study on the subject...I enjoy learning about the 17th Century because I am interested in the needlework of that time, and therefore the way of life of the girls/women who were doing the needlework and what their status in life was...that segues into the 18th Century America and what it was like living in the new world, how difficult it was to get supplies to stitch, where the supplies came from (linen from Ireland, silk from China)how the supply channels worked, the cost for the goods, and as you can see I get wrapped up in it all...so this is good stuff...I need to listen to more historical information, as long as David McCullough reads them all...he's got the best voice out there...
I have pics of the garden, but I have to unload them on the PC because i don't have the memory stick reader for the Mac yet...so much to do...so I'll get them downloaded and posted soon...I will...maybe i'll take some new shots, I took them in the sunny part of the day and they are a bit bright...
Are you a worry wort? well, stop it...here's a boatload of reasons why you're not gonna die or lose your eyesight, at least not today...
Here's your notice, get your orders/reorders ready...I'm gonna start taking orders for Round 2 tomorrow...as a note, I have a 2 day class next week that I'll be tied up in, so that'll delay the beads a few days, so if you're cool with that, I'm cool with it...I don't think it'll affect too much, but I thought you should be aware...It'll be a good class, its Andrea Guarino (again) and I'm gonna learn new stuff (which is cool)...I don't take classes from many folks again, cause most of them teach the same thing, and while I'm certainly no expert in what folks teach, I feel guilty taking spots in classes when other folks haven't had a chance to take it even once...people tell me that's weird, I guess, but if it were ME who wanted to get into a class and I knew someone was in it who'd already taken it, I'd be disappointed...sometimes I ask to be on waitlists, in case someone drops at the last minute...its not like I've taken classes from everyone, I pick and choose whose work I'm interested in, or sometimes I'm booked with other responsibilities and am unable to take a class...
I signed up for this one last year, tho, and it was supposed to take place in October, but was post poned to now due to Andrea having surgery on her hand...so with the date quickly approaching, I'm getting excited...I always enjoy seeing Andrea, we have a good time together...I'm heading up to her area this December to spend some time with her and learn some other new stuff, but that's not for awhile, so we'll just not think about that right now...
We finally found the tall (brazilian) verbena that I've been looking for for weeks...it was in a location at the nursery that we didn't expect to find it, which is probably why there was 17 containers of it...we bought it all...and now I get to plant it all...but I'm excited to have it...
While watering the garden late yesterday, I peeked into the arch and was lucky enough to spy a small red beak inside...so I was very careful not to get too close with my watering wand...I stood back and reached out slowly to water the rose while she slept, so spied me carefully, I'm not sure which...
Alrighty...I think I need to vacuum and change the litter boxes...such an exotic life I lead...
We worked a lot in the yard yesterday...so much so that we were both french fried by 5:00...we ended up falling asleep by 9:30 and I slept about 11 hours...apparently we were tired...
So today is a little more leisurely...we're heading out for breakfast, then to look for some toad houses so I can remove some of the weed spots where the toads hang out...if I'm gonna take their weeds, I should at least give them something to hide out in, right?
Here's a pic of our super secret Cardinal nest...the rose has grown so much in the past few days since the pic was taken, that we cannot see the female when she's in there...I feel like taking pics today, I think I'll have some new ones to post here...we spotted the teeny tiny monarch caterpillars yesterday, they were so small it was like looking at them thru the wrong end of binoculars...about 5mm in length and about 1mm in width...i think they are twice that size this morning...they eat like crazy...there are about 12 out there, possibly more...i'm glad to see them...
It is a GORgeous day today, truly...cool, windy, sunny, no humidity, we are in the yard yard yard...we've already planted the bronze fennel, basil, dill, pineapple sage and some volunteer dutch pipevine this morning...Brian just fired up the lawnmower and took out most of the backyard, which is all weeds for the most part, and they were tall and scary...I've already been scratched by the roses (deadheading), stepped in an anthill (fire ants, they bite and bite and bite) while weeding, have been bit by flying bugs, and have a rash on my right lower arm...Its Spring and we are dirty and having fun!!!! The female cardinal has been visiting her nest in the rose arch, we accidentally spook her out when we get too close..she's so quiet and hidden that we never know if she's in there unless we see her fly in...but at least she keeps coming back...
The cats and dog have been having fun in the yard, its just a great day...especially when I hear tales that it'll be close to 90 on Monday...Noooo!!! i'm not ready..I have a whole flat of gregg's mist to plant...I best get back out there w/ the water bottles and see what else needs to be done...go have fun yourselves, get off the computer and go do something...!
You know that adage of 'do it now, cause you may never get a chance to do it again'...I dunno if that's an official adage, but I find its completely true...when folks see a bracelet or strand of beads they want, and then don't buy it, then regret it later...when you spot an awesome pair of shoes and you think about them all day, and when you go back, your size is gone (or the one pair that's left is too tight)...anyway, you probably get the idea of what i'm trying to say...so yesterday I thought 'i'll take pics of the blooming roses and wildflowers tomorrow and post them for all to see'...and that was a good idea, except I was working at the torch all day and figured I had today to shoot those pics...well, a wonderful spring shower has just rolled thru, getting everything soaked to the gills and knocking off lots of the pretty rose petals to the ground...
now it looks like a royal family member was walking thru my garden, stepping only where the flower petals landed...the roses are heavy with rain and drooping toward the ground...the ground is wet and squishy, so I can't walk around and shoot pics w/out falling 4 feet into the soft ground...i'm thrilled that its rained, but my plans to shoot shots for you all has been rained on...for now...but i hear tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and wonderful, so we'll see what happens...the rose arch is starting to open up and I need shots of that...
I had a great time watching Sweeney Todd, Heroes, Larry Sanders and South Park yesterday...I love this computer and its little remote control feature where I can just work and watch whatever is on...I think I need to load more DVDs on here so I have more to choose from...I forget just how funny Larry Sanders is, I was rolling with laughter...
I love working on days like this when its dark, cool and wet...the doors and windows are open and I'm enjoying it...
April is a great month in Central Texas...while I prefer March for the cooler temps, April is when all the wildflowers are on full display...and out where we live, there is a thick abundance of them everywhere...its so pretty...we didn't get much rain thru the winter, that's what really makes the Spring flowers go crazy, but out here in the country, we got more than most folks (we really like living where things grow, vs. the hard rocky terrain in the other parts of Austin) and our flower display is rather wonderful...I walk the dog out by the highschool, which is built in the middle of a field, and there are wildflowers popping up that I never knew were out there...some funny little birds also live in the field, and when Lady comes thru, they all fly away, squawking...I feel a little guilty, but figure not much disturbs them on a daily basis, so a few minutes of 'dog' time probably isn't gonna hurt them...
While walking her on Tuesday we found 3 huge birds circling over us, trying their best to navigate a very windy day...I'm not sure what they were, hawks perhaps...we have vultures out here, they are magnificent, but they are much darker than these birds were...when the fields are low, the birds hunt for critters and its fun to see them...when the fields are high, the birds sit on the powerlines, looking for lunch in the fields...I grew up in the suburbs which had plenty of wildlife and nature, we used to see red foxes in the woods in Illinois, large birds of prey, snakes coiled in the road to get warm, I've always lived near lots of woods, water, trees, close enough to the city, but always where I could play in the dirt...Its cool to see people riding their horses down main street (which does happen, and not just on parade days), watch huge birds land in your pecan trees, spy snakes in the yard (large and small), and see wisteria grow 20 ft into the tree across the street...if we had room, I'd have a horse, some sheep, some goats, chickens (which may be coming eventually), who knows what else..probably not pigs, they are hard to maneuver...
I got everyone's beads shipped yesterday...it took me ALL day to get them done, but they were dropped off at 4:00pm to the post office and you should start seeing packages soon... I still haven't planted the herbs we bought on Sunday and I need to do it before they dry up...we've killed so many plants by not getting them in the ground right away...I feel so guilty...time to go dig...
I've pretty much started calling everything a 'doodle'...do you haz a doodle? just love this little squirrel and his cheez powdered nose and feet...yeah, I eat dinner at 4:00pm and enjoy pudding, so what? are you saying that i'm old and senile? boy howdy and twenty-three skidoo!
Brian brought me home the special ed of Sweeney Todd and so yesterday was officially Sweeney Todd day...I listened to the soundtrack in the morning, then watched behind the scenes while making the last of the Catalina beads last night...If you haven't seen Sweeney, I think you should...just close your eyes during the gore part, but you'll see that its more theatrical blood, not realistic...its bright orangey-red and it gushes like a garden hose whose nozzle isn't attached tight enough...I just love this movie, the songs, the melodies, the lyrics, the look, Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, you can't go wrong...seriously...
Brian also brought me a new toy for my new laptop...a bluetooth wireless keyboard...I'm using it right now and its so much better to type on than the keyboard...its slightly slanted so my hands rest more comfortably and the button reaction is quicker, so I have less typos and can type quicker...
Last night our house was a House of Horrors for All Moths...as I opened the backdoor, the moths would flood into the house...and the cats were chasing them all over...Amelie caught a massively big one and laid waste to it...there are sets of wings, carapaces and schmutz on the wall...there were many sets of bright eyes, much chirping, zipping down the hall, and jumping on tables...I do enjoy bugtime...
I have some work to do...time to clean the beads, string the beads, package and ship the beads...i live for the beads...
I like playing jokes and kidding around w/ folks...but every year when April Fool's rolls around, I think I'm gonna play a joke here on my site and then I never do...I think its cause I'm afraid ya'll would believe my lie/joke and then I'd feel bad for fooling you...ya'll are a nice bunch and I don't want to make you mad...so, instead, I give you silly links and stories to visit throughout the year and try not to give you heart attacks...sometimes pranks back fire and its hard to get out of the mess you made...I'm gonna steer clear of that this year and not mess with your minds...instead, you are welcome to play pranks on your family and friends and I'll spend my day having fun in other ways...
Ha! All the 'featured videos' on You Tube Rickroll you...now that's funny!!
A cool front has just blown through and now its officially 'gorgeous' outside...yesterday was hot and humid, today is sunny, windy and cool...I must plant my herbs before they dry up and blow away...
I fed the garden seaweed yesterday, everyone got a cupful mixed with a gallon of water...the roses drink it up and 'splode into magic...i must get pics, its pretty impressive...the climbing rose on the arch is loaded with tiny peach buds that i hope will burst at the same time...I'm going to make the seaweed feeding a weekly event...I'm great at watering, and mulching and composting, but I still need to get into the habit of feeding the soil on a more regular basis, especially during the Spring when everybody is putting on their best show...seaweed is mostly nitrogen, and plants love it...it doesn't add bad things to the soil like many processed plant foods do (they add salts that the earth cannot get rid of easily, and they build up - the Scott's brands are some of the worst, that 'Weed and Feed' stuff they sell is terrible for your trees and lawns /rant off)...I think I'm gonna go thru a lot of bottles of seaweed, compost tea and other rich soil ammenders this year...this weekend we must install our drip irrigation system, our summer is going to be hot and dry and I don't want to be out there every morning in the sun trying to water the garden before the day...you'd think it'd be pleasant, but no, its typically hot, humid and exhausting, even at 7:00am...so, we're gonna automate and its gonna be gooooood....
Happy April Fool's Day everyone...go be silly...