this is bad even for me

well you all know how much i HATE to clean
ok that isn't exactly right
i hate to declutter
i LOVE to clean grout with a toothbrush
but i hate to declutter

i am doing the porcelain end of the studio
i swear there is dust there from the pharaohs
inches and feets worth of it too

in one box i found the following....:(will someone tell me what it MEANS?)
christmas cards
a sewing button hole placement tool
glue
a pair of pliers
dollhouse miniature making supplies
finished product
soap
a tin of hand balm
a charcoal pencil
pink pearls
fabric dye

i think it was supposed to be all dollhouse miniature supplies
i wouldn't have been surprised to see jimmy hoffa surface in that box,
or an orangutan

and all THAT was under about 6 inches of dust bunnies......
now i realize that those dust bunnies are that large only since we got long haired cats
(they don't 'shed' my assets.......... they shed two cats worth a day)

i was properly grossed out and seriously ashamed
now while i was hanging my head in shame
i found a really cool decorative edge scissor i didn't remember i had
hahahahaha
i wouldn't have found it if i HADN'T been hanging my head in shame


maybe this was meant to be????


now in the continuing saga of duckie dilemmas...........

i put momma in the A frame today, after she spent the night solo in her own crate
put a heaping bowl of food in there
full bucket of water
she had sun, she had shade, she had more worms then any duckie could possibly eat in one day
i put the other girls in the day pen by the house and falstaff in the old duck pen

i came in and struggled with dust bunnies bigger then me

at 5pm more or less, i went out to bring everyone in as we had to go out tonight

imagine my surprise when i opened the door and there was momma!!!!!!!!!!

she was so grateful to see me she came running over!!!!

MOMMA DUCK RAN OVER TO ME BY HER OWN FREE WILL!!!!!

i asked her how she'd gotten out
she didn't say ( she was too tramatized, and besides, she isn't as chattery as my other girls are..... the other girls after all had a jersey girl for a mom and a jersey boy for a dad.... us jersey folk.....we TALK)

i went down to her pen to see how much food she'd eatten out of her bowl, as that would be a good indication of how long she'd been out

apparently since the second i shut the door behind me
not one crumb of food was touched
oye

i had no choice but to put everyone to bed
but tomorrow she stays in this pen here
the other two girls go into the a frame
and falstaff does his falstaff thing out back

and speaking of that damn drake
good thing i have the VIDEO of him bathing
as i can NOT get his feathered butt back into the ponds

oye

it's not easy being a duck mom

til next time

vi

hope you guys saw the videos

if not just check back through the archives

meanwhile we had to take momma away from the girls
they pecked her wing bloody
so she is quarantined poor thing
right now she's in with the chickens
and today is going into the A frame

i am going to start looking for seperate night crates, heaven help me

bernie worked half day yesterday then we went to ac moore

oye
i got a ton of stuff on sale for the studio
including a 'craft table' for 40.00
on wheels
i couldn't get the makings for this table for less
so we didn't plan on it but we got it

i got some magnetic tins with clear windows
i am thinking one is good for pins but what else should i use them for ? they are HUGE like 3-4 inches across and about 3/4-1 inch deep for .75 cents each and i got 4

i got these little fiberboard 'cd' boxes they are white with a silver metal label holder
5. for 10.00 or 2 bucks each so we got the 5
i did finally get my goo gone and cleaned up the little plastic box bernie gave me
it had a huge label on it i couldn't get off
other little odds and ends
saral paper to transfer my roughs to the bristol boards

bernie scored some stuff too in the .75 cent bin
break off knives
some tiny storage boxes ( i got them too a set of 4 for .75)

and two 50% off coupons for next saturday
hmmmmm
probably brushes i think no?

maybe a bird house to paint

oye
ok i got to go
ducks need to be shifted
i gotta go to the store for 1.69 a pound angus
and then i have icecream to make and drawings to get back to

til next time

vi

morning everyone

bernie is working half a day today
meanwhile i am listening to 'yes songs' on youtube
hahahaha

i have another video for you all

happy birthday dear kitties......

today is thaddeaus and his sister calpurrnia's 6th birthday

hahahaha
they spent the day getting into trouble and sleeping

they interchanged it
oye

but anyway
i love you all dearly
as who else would put up with your tuna breath in their face at two am???
as you stand on my stomach and meow into my nose?

oye

love mom

video of the ducks

please excuse the mess that is the back driveway, as it is the ONLY level part of our land
so that's where i put the duck ponds most often

sometimes one is just not enough

if you are talking about ponds, and you happen to be a duckie

yesterday, i put up both ponds and filled them to the top with fresh water ( yes i fill ponds every day but normally only one)
later on in the afternoon, i took the ducks out for walksies and a bath
i put phoebe in the purple pond and lilli in the blue one
as in the morning they were all in the blue one and biting each other on the wing and neck.....(think sibling rivelry not actual fights)
so i figured that this was better to seperate them
besides phoebe always prefers to bath by herself.........(she doesn't like it when the others poop in the pond, but it's ok if she does it)
i picked momma up and put her in with phoebe, which momma doesn't really care for either but i figured it was better then in with lilli who was a bit pms-y yesterday

lilli got out of the blue pond, and came over to me to preen
phoebe saw lilli out of the blue pond and IMMEDIATELY jumped out of the purple pond and ran over to jump in the blue pond

however in doing so she startled herself and the other ducks......... who then ALL ran flapping down the hill

i couldn't stop laughing

hahahahaha
i finally called them all back up

i told them that it was ok and they could go back into the ponds
phoebe RAN to the blue pond, momma RAN to the purple pond
both jumped in at the same time, and continued to splash happily for hours

ducks
they do a body good, although they will make you a bit damp and soggy........


til next time
vi
who is finishing the peaches today

ball's NEW blue book is yellow!

http://theconsumerlink.com/product_detail.asp?BID=FreshPreserving&T1=TCL+14400214001&navStart=14&.

with peaches on the cover

i am typing this while waiting for my blueberries to finish processing..they are in the canner
i did this batch as a blueberrie syrup for topping cheesecake or for adding to icecream (with cheese cake chunks in it)

today is still tuesday, but i didn't want to forget so i started tomorrow' post today
meanwhile, back at the studio,

i am sorta booking along......if you could call slower then a snail booking along
i started to prime and spray paint one of the 10 stacking green/blue drawers.........
and i screwed it up
wouldn't you know it
it CRACKLED........which would be wonderful if that was what i was going for......but i was aiming for a smooth even glossy coat like on the web site
can we say 'spray paint impared' ????
so what do i do now?
i got the rest of the draw thingies.......and each one is in TWO PARTS
oye
decoupage is looking better and better..........
now i started tonights supper (that would be LAST night's supper if you are reading this tomorrow...... ah, i mean wenesday)

ravoili
chicken
hard boiled eggies
salad greens
tomatoes
shaved onions
cucumbers
olives
red sweet pepper
green sweet pepper
purple cabbage
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded ham
croutons
and
ta da.........salad dressing!!!!
that is tonights supper in a big salad bowl
one for each of us

i wish i had shrimpies though
i would love to put shrimp in there instead of the chicken
or maybe in ADDITION?

hmmmm
i wonder what else i can put in
yellow and green squash?
mmmm

ok well i think for right now........that's all she wrote

til next time

vi

shhhhhh, don't tell mother nature

i got another arco box spray painted and the first of two (formerly black) cubes
i have i think three more arco boxes and another black cube to paint cream
then it's on to the drawers and then the BIG STUFF
desk
shelf
tv cart
file cabinets
maybe the drafting table ( maybe i should paint that purple?)
and the mahogany tables (sorry mom, but i HATE dark wood)
i keep listing them cause i have to keep reminding me

i will tell you that the one or two coat spray paints don't work all that well
maybe it's me
i used the krylon fusion and the rustoleum for plastic
they say one or two coats
hahahahaha
try i gotta do about 5
or maybe that was one or two over white plastic, and over black it's more?

i can't wait to start the green drawers, as over the years they have turned a hideous shade of yellowed out browned over green and a sort of greened over blue
they will all be cream when i get done with them
which is going to be a HUGE relief
the more light colors i get in here i think the better off i will be
(and i am eyeing the computer tower.......which is currently black, AND the stove pipe)

i am also thinking of eventually getting a tiny bistro table in metal for in the studio
although i will most likely rig a table with a skirt out of something around here without spending the money
i want something very light weight to move around

in doing this (oh so very slowly..........)
i realized i sure could use an addition just for books
endless walls of bookcases.......

anyway, i have come to the conclusion that the shakers were so right, built in's or wheels are the way to go
and pegs on the walls to hang chairs etc out of the way
i am coming more and more to appreciate shaker interiors
and workshops
but that whole celibacy thing.......nope that's got to go

so peaches and blueberries call my name
what is on everyone's agenda for today??????

til next time

vi

today......... rain? sun? clouds?

who knows

mother nature is got a bit of pms going on

as have my duckies

who btw are not talking to me again......don't you love it when a duck gets pissy?

today, in between working on peaches and blueberries
i will be working (oh man forever it feels like now) on the studio
especially since last night, the CATS murdered a mouse
by asphyxiation with a plastic bag
i am sure it was an accident, as these cats don't seem to intentionally be able to actually KILL a mouse.
if the mouse somehow dies while they are all engaged, believe me it's an accident
mice LAUGH at my cats
maybe this mouse was trying to stop hyperventilating from laughing at these cats and used the plastic bag?
where upon my boy......... THADDEAUS, sat on him
it was all very accidental i know
as i know these cats

i said to bernie,
WHAT is that NOISE??????????

he said (in alarm) 'put on the big light
HURRY........'

and yup it was a mouse in the bag
(which is sorta like a jack in the box, except no jack and no box)

meanwhile if you all could SEE my studio..... well actually it's such a nightmare you really can't see it at all
that's the problem............oye

it does look like a nice day out though
maybe i can get some of the other stuff out and spray painted?
i have a list of plastic stuff to do
arco boxes
plastic green drawers ( ewwww the green is hidious)
vinyl coated tv cart which SHALL be cream
metal file cabinets
old icky bookcase
desk
old child bookcase
mommy's mahogany tables ( all three, i NEVER liked those dark colors)
anything that doesn't move fast enough.....
i am again on a mission, which has been delayed by mother nature

oh btw
i got them slitted cutter thingies
thank you everyone
i got them at staples...... 2-2.99 but i had to order them on the website! and have them delivered (free) to the store

now my NEXT quest is for 18'' wide either fabric or heavy vinyl wallpaper (scrubable but NOT prepasted) to line the shelves of my studio with
the problem is
i can't make up my mind!
do i get a stripe or toile or a nice english country cottage print
maybe with flowers?
and the color?
i kept thinking black and cream toile
but really i am not sure
i also love clear colors...... the house is in a raspberrie sherbert ( living room)
orange creamcyle (halls) with lemon sherbert and eggnog trim
( and navy blue lamps which really does make it look good, and not as airy and fairy princessy as it sounds......actually it LOOKS gutsy and men even like it)
so
do i use those colors in here
( the walls will be whitewashed with the eggnog color)
or do i go with something totally different
or do i sorta coordinate but change
oye
i guess the thing will end up with
whatever is cheapest and on sale no?
so cream will be all over
creamy colored cheapo fabric drop cloths
hahahaha
and if i get a 'fabric'
it may end up cottagey simple cause i will get one fabric here and one there and sort of patch them all together
but i really wish i had the actual colors figured
cause i want to paint the file cabinets and some other stuff in a 'color' not cream
and i don't know what 'color' that should be
although probably magenta and lighter would be right on for me

btw
as a funny aside
i have definate 'favorite' colors and shades
yesterday we ran down to easton and also stopped at the hobby shop for bernie
i was wearing a sort of violet/purple/ rosey purple color and white striped seersucker blouse
i had to get a new exacto knife for me
they had one purple one............ yup you guessed it
the EXACT COLOR of the purple in my shirt
i really do like what i like and that is that

til next time

vi

no bagels today

cause we don't have cash in the house
sniff
i am not supposed to have them anyway
but i WANTED THEM


in the studio, bernie suggested that i clear out the porcelain area......
possibly to move it
well i will consent to redo
not move
and i am going to be losing one of my shelves
which i am not totally ok with
(my shelf..MINE.........no touch)

but i am going to clear out the area as a nod to marital harmony........
however i didn't go so far as to agree to move it out of the studio

if anyone saw that magazine file i posted the picture of the other day
i have to make a few more
unfortunately i recycled the other priority mail boxes i had gotten ( with yarn purchases.......mmmmm but i don't NEED any yarn right now, i have no where to PUT it at the moment)
so i have to wait until i get a few more things in priority boxes to finish the set
but i think after i get all the brown paper ones done i am going to do some with toile fabric
i was thinking black and cream, but maybe i should go with cream and blue?
oye

anyway
i am still (FREEKEN STILL...............) working on the studio
however last night i found two ( count em.........uno dos!!!) rolls of self stick pure copper foil
now normal folk use that for stained glass right
ha
what do they know
that is actually MINIATURE bird house roofs cleverly disguised as stained glass foil..........

see what i mean???

i joined a scrapbook studio organizing list........ not that i scrapbook cause i don't
thankfully..... cause them folks got more stuff then i got......

but for the organizing ideas
i use a LOT of stuff other folks use, but i use it in totally odd ways
anyway
i hope to clear out that area today and tomorrow
cause i got to get this studio moving
i need it workable again
and it isn't right now for anything but drawing

oye
anyone wanna help?????

any OCD organizers out there who love and understand artists?

oye again and again

til next time

vi

love is all around you

if you are bernie.........
this morning he had me, fawn, and calpurrnia all surrounding him
i was leaning on him and talking to him
the girls were laying on him and purring
LOUDLY

only the boy was missing.......he no doubt was stuffing his little belly at the kibble bowl

i know if the ducks and chickens could have gotten upstairs
they would have been doing their little duckie and cluckie way to show him they love him too

the ducks meanwhile are thinking of having pms
the girls are cheeping at me and starting to run away

HOWEVER

momma duck is starting to let me pick her up and not struggling when i do

she still is pretty spookie when i go to pick her up

i sort of have to corner her BUT
she doesn't get frantic anymore
progress is apparently........ being made
and i ain't too dumb......i pick her up and put her in the pond.....so it's a nice association (mom picks me up=nice happy splashy splashy)

now speaking of duckie kins

lillianna got the gate between the girls and falstaff open
and went running and squeaking down the hill
meanwhile falstaff....... EVER THE BRIGHTEST DUCK IN THE SKY

didn't realize the girls were out
i did
and when i started after them
he finally figured it out~
but by then it was too late as i rounded him up and stuck him temporarily in the girls pen
rounding the girls up to the house

i got it all sorted out
but lilli did get grabbed by falstaff (by the neck no less) briefly

now the clucks..........
dulcette is laying eggies again at her ripe old age of 4
she went broody for a bit but has recovered and started to lay again
so we are getting 4 chicken eggs and 3 duck eggies a day
i miss my marguerite so bad though
the other chickens are friendly but not like my marguerite was

yes i am making frozen custard often

ok i ment to take a short video or some stills of the girls splashing in the pond in the sun
that ain't going to happen today i think
bernie is taking the webbed ones out for me this morning
if it doesn't rain maybe i can catch them splashing later

and i would like a good video of lilli making a break for it squeaking down the hill

that cracks me up
she is making a break for it
but squeaks so loudly that i know she is going
hahahahaha
she wants to go down back but with the silver fox around i don't want them that far back
if we cut back some of the underbrush maybe

who ever said being a duck mom was easy
or a chicken mom
or a cat mom

or actually a human mom

let's face it
being a mom is the hardest job in the universe
no?

til next time

vi

duckie dilemmas

(picture is of my magazine file that i just made, i still need brass brads to hold the label on and finish it off)

yesterday, i was out with the duckies.......
they were in a good mood
it wasn't raining
the sun was out
their pond was full with fresh clean sparkling water
three little duckies jumped in the pool

poor phoebe is now the smallest duckie
with momma and lillianna in there it gets a bit crowded
especially when the girls are washing wings

which by the way is a glorious sight............. wings going a mile a minute with water splashing UP and out over 10 feet and sparkling in the sunlight

well anyway back to phoebe
she was standing in the pool squished against the edge while the other two splashed
water was dripping off her beak

i got the old pond out and filled it a bit, as there is a hole we need to fix in it so i can't fill it full

phoebe JUMPED out of the crowded pond and RAN over to jump into the older pond
then happily proceeded to splash for all she was worth

PHOEBE! why did you come out of the full pond???

'i had to mom, i had no room in there..... and besides, lilli pooped in the water'

ok phoebe, but remember i can't fill this pond up cause of the hole......

'it's ok mom, i'm not that big and it's got enough water for just me'

after about 45 minutes of splashing happy duckies, a totally drenched driveway and surroundings (including me)

three duckies stood on the driveway in the sun preening feathers
even phoebe
i was so proud of her, she preened every single wing feather and put them all in their place

it's amazing what a little space of your own will do
take a lesson from a smart little duckie
and find some space of your own

rain free? is this a trend?

now watch
august is going to be so dry that the ground will crack

we have a new bug out in the garden, it is a very large either millipede or centipede
it's black and yellow
the ducks ate one
that was the last one they ate
these things are pretty big........ about 2'' long!
and about 1/2 inch at the widest part of them
they are all over the place out there too

ewwww
i really hate bugs

i canned the cherries....... out of 12 half pints......... three didn't seal
hmmmmmmm
i can tell you the cherries are GOOD.....hmmmm

yup they are
and the other two jars are going into icecream
hahahahaha

i finished the magazine file, it's been sealed with a mat acrylic sealer and a label applied
i need to get a picture for you all
cause i am impressed
and i don't get impressed often
i may need something called a 'brad' to make sure that the label stays on, right now it's spot glued
i filled the manila envelopes with some patterns and put them in this file which was made for them
yes i can see me making quite a few more of these, some that match exactly and some that coordinate......... i liked it!

on the drawing board is a series of paper dolls i am drawing
they are softly inked of normal sized little girls
NOT skinny minny anorexic kids
just pretty little girls with average sized bodies ( think average from the 40's and 50's when it was ok to be normal sized, and not a lot of folks were obese...... not like today, where a lot are obese and yet the ideal is anorexic)

i am going to do the clothes soon as well, they currently are dressed in slips, or what could be ballet class clothes

while i wait to be able to draw ducks, this and halloween stuff is the stuff i been drawing
and i am enjoying the drawing and painting
so i am continuing to do it

bernie's foot is healing or healed.......... he said it's ok and not hurting him anymore
thank you everyone that's been asking

i had a nightmare that he went to texas to see colleen but instead ended up at his step-monster's house
oye

ohohoho i did the weirest and yet in a way the coolest thing yesterday ( and boy it sure doesn't take much for me does it.....?)

i put my rolled up tape measure in a dixie cup and it not only FIT, but it won't unroll, and it also fits in the drawer!
amazing this organization thing
ok, so i need a life...........so what else is new

last night for supper we had one of my big supper salads
loose leaf red lettuce, shaved onion, green pepper, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, olives, shredded cheese, mini raviolis, shredded chicken breast, croutons, and dressing

normally i like more veggies in there, but with the garden a bust, even the deck garden there just isn't
my snow peas i got ONE ......i planted three times on the deck
i got ONE
the summer greens are up but not 'cuttable' yet

i could eat one of these supper salads every night for weeks
a pint of my canned chicken, and a bag of frozen mini raviolis last the two of us a WEEK in these salads
cause you don't put much of any one thing in them, rather, a little bit of EVERYTHING
and every bite tastes different
i had some Caesar dressing on mine
bernie had vadalia onion on his

i am hoping this weekend to have the hot open faced sandwitches that i topped with my vinegar veggies which are sort of the counter point to these salads

btw, still no new mixer
i do have a number to call to see about getting this one repaired......
if it's too much money, then i have no choice
i have to get another stand mixer
i have a bosch for big batches
but need a daily mixer that will take what i throw at it
i need a tilt head, and i need a work horse
i would LOVE a 5 quart holbart
but who's got a spare 2 grand laying around
however not having a stand mixer is really getting to be a problem around here
when i do cookies........i cream the butter for about 7 minutes on low in the standmixer
just put it in and let it go
i swear that is the secret to my success at cookies
anyway, i can't make my oatmeal cookies (and i been saving dried cranberries for them too)
or the coconut chocolate malted chip oatmeal cookies for bernie
and I been craving cupcakes all of a sudden, lemon ones with lemon frosting (whats up with that?)
and i would LOVE a nice pink strawberry cake with boiled white icing
huh?
when did i begin to channel donna reed?
what's next? aprons and pearls?
HEELS? (heaven help my back)

and i am starting to clean............
oh my
quick someone get a thermometer, cause i am sure i am sick
after all i don't CLEAN

and i am way too old to be pregnant and nesting

so i have to have some sort of disease, or condition
no?

now this blog is late-ish today because thaddeaus peabody decided that he had to absolutely sit on his mommy
and purr
really really loud
while his tail smacked her in the back of the head
and she held his front end up in her arms and kissed his little fuzzy head

i don't know why

ask him.............
but remember.... even though he doesn't realize it
and most often doesn't act like it
he is after all a CAT
who knows what half baked idea was kicking around in his fuzzy little brain

so now that he's left ( gone but not forgotten as i got a wad of his angora like fur up my nose)
i will finish this post

til next time

vi

cherries in the canner and other diverse topics

morning folks, i am typing this tuesday night
by the time you all read this
i hope to have the cherries in the canner
i pitted 6.67 pounds and then put them up in sugar to macerate them

after 24 hours i dumped them and a bit of lemon into a pot and simmered
listen if you folks are serious about your jams and preserves
get mes confitures
that is a fantastic book and changed the way i think about preserved fruits
(not like the home canned peaches i adore, but preserves for toppings and toast)

now did anyone watch the michael jackson memorial? (cnn had a livestream, as we don't have tv)
i did
i am not a fan of michael jackson but his songs did form part of the soundtrack of my youth
as they did for a lot of folks
he was a year younger then me
i feel for his mother and children
i hope that now that he's in heaven, he will get some peace in his soul

brook shields, (jersey girl that she is) said 'what's up with the glove'?
that cracked me up
but i cried for her while she cried
i cried for his children as well

at the end i did feel closure and i felt that his soul was indeed ready to go home

HIS death in a big way was senseless
but yet
in a weird way it was fitting for his life

meanwhile throughout the entire memorial, it stormed and rained on and off
HUGE rumbles of thunder as well
before and after no
during......yes

and now...... sharp left turn into............ the STUDIO
i am still plugging away in the studio
i am working on a gift wrap cart, because i started to run across the stuff i use to do the gift baskets etc
the cart that i am repurposing, HAD wheels.
now if i can just FIND them again i would be ok
it's got three drawers, and i am going to attach something on either side to hold rolls
then probably put a fold out board for a top

i am still at a semi impass in the studio as i need to take stuff out and spray paint it
however the weather hasn't cooperated these many months

i finished decoupaging that BIG flat box i am going to use for uncut paper
i need a closure and a hanger or handle for it
most likely a hanger for the back
i am going to hang it off the back of my desk
maybe thaddeaus won't eat it?
or should i have added dental floss or something to the decoupage for him to floss his teeth after he eats my box?
actually now i am thinking of a string and toggle closure like a coat for that box
then i have to make a few more magazine files
i am looking around for more boxes

now again
this will post tomorrow morning
hopefully i will have a quiet canning day

i wish the same for you all as well

vi

thank yous, nightsweats and noseeums

thank you everyone that told me where they got their paper/envelope slitters, apparently STAPLES also carries them ( aren't you all proud of me, that one i found on my own after you folks told me what these things were called, cause 'coupon cutter' didn't get me anywhere)
i intend on getting a few of them

i also intend on putting a few in a small gift wrap center i want to make, as i am always having issues with wrapping cookie trays and gift bags/boxes for bernie to take to work
(and i used to have tons of problems when i was packaging product for my soap/toiletries company)

i intend on this to fit right behind the slip of wall in the living room/kitchen area, and i intend that it rolls so i can bring it into the studio or kitchen when i need to
if thaddeaus wasn't so into cardboard as a cat snack i would make it out of that and cover it with fabric or something
i got spare wheels all over the house
but since he thinks cardboard IS cat popcorn, i have to either use plastic or metal

now nightsweats and noseeums they just both gotta go

picture it
2am
covered in bites, even my EARS
sweating like a fire hose was on me
my head so hot i SWEAR i could fry eggs

not a pretty picture

it wasn't any where NEAR as much fun as it sounds like either

you know
i am beginning to really really hate summer
really

HATE

SUMMER


also last night, bernie lost the screw to the side of his glasses, so today i am going to order him another pair as back up
he DID fix them
didn't FIND the original screw but he should be ok
meanwhile i am going to order him another pair or two
( at those online prices, he can have two)

oye
meanwhile
all this without benefit of coffee
which should be ready now
i think after all the blood i lost last night
i need extra fluids today

i hate summer

vi

does ANYONE know what this is called?????

it has a cutting blade in it and it is the BEST for cutting in the fold of paper
i absolutely love it
i cut watercolor paper with it, and gift wrap paper and i would like a few more of them
so does anyone know what it's called....? or where to pick a couple of them up
i got this as a freebie when i bought fixed oils for soapmaking

noseeums

and midges

i just read up a bit about them
see i am still getting BITTEN
it IS cause of the rain

you all should see ME
i actually saw a noseeum trying to land on me last night
out on the deck and i tried to show bernie
he couldn't see it

duh

that's why the name

and to make things worse, there are tons of little spots of blood on the sheets etc


what to do?

well repellents work to a certain extent
there is a machine that works http://www.mosquitomagnet.com/
hmmmmmmm
anyone got a spare 400 bucks

between the bites and the fungus, i am about over this 'rain daily' thing

other then that we had a nice weekend
didn't get anything done around the house
had to listen to very loud kabooms from all the neighbors
had some nice cubed steak for supper last night

you know............ lazy!

oh bernie did put up my second shelf for me
it takes me all day
took him 15 minutes cause he's tall enough to put the upper shelves on without a ladder
now if i could absolutely find labeled places for everything..........
i could get used to this whole organizing thing

oh and katherine, i did go and look at that box
that is cool
i don't know if it would work for me, as i am not someone that would remember to USE that thing
but it's a cute idea and i am so glad i am not alone in this


vi

lavender

i can smell it in the studio
no doubt that the cats have done something and i will find it some time in the future

however i can't track the source of the lavender
but i can smell it
i bet thaddeaus found one of my lavender bags
the ones filled with the dried flowers....... as it is sweet as only the natural lavender flowers can be

i will say that i love lavender
sweet violets are my favorite flower
lavender is my favorite scent
the fresh scent from the plant
i so would love a lavender walk, and lavender planted outside all my windows

i like the scent of violets as well, but the scent does something to your nose.....it makes you NOT able to smell violets for a bit
then you can then you can't
part no doubt of the origin of the 'shy violet' thing
that and their growth habit
but what can i say.......?
i love them

i fell back to sleep this morning after bernie got up
fawn got concerned so she licked my nose
then got in my face
i dreamt of fuzzy fogs

it was fawn's fuzzy face
when i finally got up
(she was frantic to get me up, as i never sleep that late)
i took my shower, with the accompaniment of two OTHER fuzzy cats.....

'mom, you in there?'

yes thaddeaus, i am taking a shower..........

'mom can i come in there too?'

no thaddeaus i don't want cat hair on my legs

'mom?, it's me calpurrnia, can I COME IN THERE?' (she sticks her tongue out at her brother)

no calpurrnia, you can't either

'ok mom, we'll sit here and wait for you then.......and bat at each other through the shower curtain'
(said by BOTH of them-heaven help me)

ever try taking a shower with that going on?
or better yet
trying to GET out of the shower with the two of them sitting on the edge of the tub and batting at each other

oye

for THIS fawn woke me up??

late blight comes to the east coast

and is affecting tomatoes and potatoes

and apparently FEET

oye
i coulda told them that


meanwhile today is fourth of july
happy birthday america
happy birthday to us all

today we are going to muck chicken pens
and bbq
and walk ducks

and feed cats
and run some errands
oye

to the studio news
i am decoupaging that big box for paper and illustration board in the studio
i am about done
i got bored and added some random peices of orange and purple tissue paper and a silk maple leaf
i just got the front and most of the sides done and i have to finish the back now
then wax it nice, seal it an put the velcro closure dots and a handle or something
this will help me a LOT in the studio
it won't solve all my problems in there but it will solve another biggie on my list

i got fiber and yarn storage issues too
and where do i put my swift and ball winder?


we just learned ( once we got the bag FINISHED) that our cat food had been recalled
so we're looking around for other options
i want to feed them raw
bernie isn't too happy with that idea
i had gotten them evo but bernie wasn't thrilled with it
however i am going to get them moved over to the evo
and i think a raw food diet with the suppliments
enough of the recalls on cat food
i don't trust these companies anymore
maybe i should just squish a few mice for them?

i think amber lived as long as she did because she would kill and eat mice
too bad my laperms won't
i wouldn't have to worry about mouse traps
even the CHICKENS will eat a mouse if they can catch one

ok now i have to get dressed
my sun screen is dried
so am i from my morning shower
it's time to get going for the day
have a wonderful fourth everyone

vi

do you scrap?

i don't but i joined a scrapbook list for organizing studios

some of them don't know what to do with me.... they keep forgetting i don't scrap

although i look at the studio's and rooms they do it in
and man they got a TON of stuff
much more then i got (and i got a TON of stuff)

there are whole FURNITURE lines devoted to STORAGE of scrapbooking supplies

wow
what a market share!!!!!!!!!!

ok anyway.......that being remarked upon, i will tell you they have given me some great ideas for how to store my stuff
although i don't have ink pads, stamps, or punches
and i don't have acres of 12''sq paper and card stock

i DO have 22X30 water color papers and illustration boards
i DO have bottles of inks, rapidograph and india, and also INKTENSE which are ink pencils and my new love
( i am lusting after the set of 72...... absolutely lusting)

so far i been cutting up the new water color paper, spliting the sheets into quarters and storing THEM in clamshells
i could use two more clam shells
so i can put the finished drawings in until i figure my book out again
plus i need to scan them as well

ok back to the scrap book rooms and what i can adapt to MY insanely disorganized studio

i realized i need a couple of rolling work surfaces and i need them NOW
i have come to an impass, which is...........
i have a revolving paint holder, and some tool trays that are lazy susans, plus cutting mats
i need a work surface to put them on
i have a drop leaf rolling cutting table for sewing but i need crafting surfaces
that right now is holding up clearing off the 7' standing workbench
which i am going to store fleece and fiber UNDER
and assorted supplies over in old repurposed kitchen cabinets, that will have to SIT on the work surface as i have no wall space

meanwhile due to the endless and seriously excessive rain the cabinets are growing fuzzy green stuff on them
no i am not kidding

oye

anyway
i just had to comment on the scrapbooking rooms
they are amazing, but i am going to resist as i simply do not have the room for any of that
i got enough stuff already
oye
BUT they are eye candy for sure

vi

balance

and how to find it?


i am an 'all or nothing' sort of person

either i give it my all or i give it nothing
i am not good at doing a little bit of time here and a bit of time there
i prefer working on a prodject TO THE EXCLUSION of all else until it's done
if i have to break for any reason, i loose my momentum and my focus

over the years however, i learned that i could adjust things seasonally and sometimes weekly
but really it is much better for me to start something and see it though to the end

this is what is trying to happen with the studio reorganization
but i got stopped in my tracks by a need for a few things and not enough money to pick them up

so i am doing other things on the studio list like those file boxes
(btw, katherine, air the soap boxes out with coffee in them or unscented cat litter, or use a heavy cardboard carton cut down)

i can't do the pocketed curtain for the front of one workbench unfortunately until i unearth the actual workbench............then there is the little matter of.....i don't have the fabric yet either
(but cream and black toile, unbleached muslem and ticking stripes fortunately are rarely out of production)

so i am still sorting and labeling
but i can't get back on the drafting table......( i almost can't get to the drafting table at all)
this weekend we are to put the second shelf up which is also on wheels so even though i have no place to put them right now
i WILL have more space to put things out
and the envelopes to put my homemade patterns in ........ THAT is what i made that file box for

so it will continue
i hope that the weather will stop with the rain already
i have a few things to paint and now the weather is holding me up a bit

so what did i come downstairs to this morning????

RAIN

so what else is new

i gotta fungus again
damn rain

lookie lookie!!!

i am so excited
i made a magazine file out of a used priority mail box
(i had gotten yarn in it and it wasn't squished)
i crumbled brown craft paper and glued it on the cutdown box, and then waxed over with a mahagony wax
i am going to go over it again with a natural wax in a few days

also i am organizing
hahaha
well ok so i'm trying
i printed some cool labels
and some labels are just me writing on them ( they sorta suck, i like the printed ones)

but i got my glues almost all together
AND i found one hot glue gun so i put it in with my hot glue sticks under the basket of adhesives
how cool is that???

(way cool i tell you....THIS part is fun)

anyway, i read somewhere that it should take about three months to redo a studio
well i don't know about that
it's taking me years and years and years
right now however i am finding all sorts of cool stuff
like the colored pencils i didn't realize i had
today it was that flash of AH HA with the glue basket and hot glue box

and my magazine file
now as i get used boxes i am going to make more of them
i need 5 to start
and then a place to put them
but i think i may have that place

cool huh.........?

maybe just maybe this time i will actually get this finished??

the 'joys' of organization

ha

have i ever mentioned i hate housework

really
i would rather muck a barn then pick up stuff off the floor or vacuum
i would also like to mention
that it's way overwhelming
especially the studio

now logic tells me that if i do it even one square INCH at a time eventually it will all be done

ha again

all i see is piles and piles and elephants and banannas

some folks have nightmares about scary movies etc
my worst nightmare appears to be cleaning and organizing the house

i know people who are BORN ORGANIZED
they don't get me
(that's ok i don't get them either, but i am rather tolerant of their defects)

they don't understand
1) how i can live this way
2) why i can't seem to ever really get it all done
3) why i can't just DO IT

i know part of my problem is lack of closets
lack of kitchen cabinets and lack of counter space
not to mention lack of workbench space right now in the studio

the other part of my problem is lack of the organizational gene it would appear

maybe i do have it
i do lists
i make plans and i can carry out some stuff
like if i have to can a years worth
i did the planning and then worked the plan

for some really warped reason however it doesn't appear to work for organization

or housework

i used to have a card written out, step by step how to clean the bathroom
and i followed it for YEARS

i bought all the organization books
i tried to follow them

somehow i think i am organizationally impared

or something

ok
so

i could use some help here

HELP

oye

vi

icecream

ok we got a new icecream maker
Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Qu... $31.99
we got it from amazon with the free shipping

today we made the vanilla recipe in their book
it's similar to mine
it's a cooked recipe with eggies..... 6 eggies
but we got eggies you know...... we do we got eggies

i like this new machine, as it holds more then our old one
about double what our old one held

i will be tweeking the recipes

what i don't like about it is that you let it run until you hear strain on the motor
that worried me and bernie

but the icecream seems ok
it's in the freezer tempering now

(btw, you will be reading this in the morning......actually it's sunday night)

we did plain vanilla as bernie said 'let's try it first before you get creative'

so i am hoping to 'get creative'
every week
hahahahaha
i do so love my icecream you all know

now we had it churning on the deck but brought it in as it looked ( looks) like it's going to storm, and since it isn't even 7pm and it's BLACK out
i am assuming that those heavy dark clouds mean business

meanwhile i started to sort and label stuff in my studio
i am still not back to drawing ducks
but i did some halloween stuff
if i like them when all is finished, i am going to print them up and sell them on etsy
however in the meantime, until i can face ducks without cleo
and chickens without my marguerite.........it's halloween stuff and studio cleaning

oh and bernie's pitchforked foot appears to be healing

take good care you folks
vi

no rain?

are you sure?
better check twice..........

you know it's bad when slugs are climbing up the side of the house

colleen, my sister in law, said that before hurricane IKE hit galveston, the slugs were climbing up sides of buildings....her husband noticed it
they were up higher then he is tall and he's over 6 feet tall

now we got slugs up here

however the GOOD news is
the ducks only have to stick a bit of their beak in the very soft ground and they come up with a huge mouthful of worms

it makes them happy

happy ducks make me happy as well
it's like dominoes

so i guess it isn't all bad

bernie had to weed wack the weeds....... the lawnmower still isn't working
and besides the weeds were over my head
(ok so i am not very tall but still........)

today, in addition to ducks
i am going to make icecream
wish me luck

it makes a gallon at a time
hmmmmmmm
maybe cheesecake and mixed berry icecream???

i really got nothing to say

dead is all around

seems like that sometimes
truly death is all around
but we aren't usually that aware of it unless we are hospice workers,
soldiers,
morticians or goth
(or mass murderers, i suppose)

and all attempts at freezing time do not appear to work for very long

for taking a moment and saying 'this is perfect, let me stay here for a while'

i guess when we are in perfect moments, we feel they won't ever stop
isn't that part of the definition of perfect?

and now with the deaths of icons from the seventies, we all in our middle years
will admit our youth is gone

aging has always been surprising to me
i suppose with the arrogance of youth i felt that somehow i would not age
but at the same time, acting old
and feeling oh so old

the paradox of youth no?


i don't know about this summer, so far it's not a good one

something is biting me

i get these tiny little bumps
and they are sort of hard
if i scratch them
they pop!
and a tiny little hole is under them
that bleeds
it's a tiny drop of blood but it continues for a bit
and then they itch

now it is NOT CHIGGERS
we live up north
and there aren't any tunnels under the skin

but whatever it IS

it really really likes me

i am almost completely covered on my arms and now on my legs
and a bit on my torso

now maybe it's a good thing that this year my garden is non exhistant
as vicki called last night and told me that their garden is finished!
the rain did it in
the tomatoes all died of water logged wilts
(and they have elevated beds in the sun without trees within 200 feet of the garden)
the weeds in my garden are still doing well, in case anyone is interested
and we put a ton of manure all over the garden to help smother
next year it should be great huh?
i needed great this year


i don't like my new doctor
she wants me to lose weight but yet wants to put me on actos
i said i didn't trust actos due to the heart problems for side effects
she informed me it was benefical to heart patients ( i looked on the actos website and that's not what the manufacterer said)
she told me the only side effect was......... weight gain
hahahahaha
she wants me to lose weight but will put me on a drug that is known to cause weight gain and congestive heart failure.........

that's a doctor?


anyone know of a GOOD endocronologist in the vacinity of monroe county pa
the one guy in allentown is an ass
and this new one is in denville but apparently is not wrapped too tight...

my doctor who was good, suddenly closed her office
with no warning and no explanation

i would even go to philly i think 4 times a year if i had to
just to find a decent endo
with some brains and common sense

vi

i miss my girls so much

the ducks however do seem to be adjusting to momma duck being their 'third'

lillianna has some scabs on her beak that are peeling off
phoebe is being a brat

i keep looking for cleo and marguerite

falstaff wants to be with the girls....he's not allowed naturally
not without a fence in between them

i found out i am finally FINALLY almost over the perimenopause and will be post menopausal very shortly
which means chin hair to my toes right?

bernie is working on his injured foot
he's got it all swollen
it's not infected though thank goodness and he does have that tetnus shot now
he's good to go until 2019 now

and i'm good to go until 2018

the rains have apparently stopped for the moment
which is good as i am slowly being eatten by mosquitos and these tiny tiny teeny little black bugs
about 1/84" of an inch long ( no kidding they are that small)
the tiny microscopic ones pack the biggest wallop
and leave the largest and most itchy welts


i need icecream

bernie's foot

he went to work, and worked a full day
he's all swollen and in pain
(dumb ass man)

if upper management had realized they would have sent him home
(the upper management in this company is wonderful, they really are)

he's limping around and not elevating

i am going to appoligize to everyone for not really responding much to comments or even to emails

losing my two favorite girls and then bernie getting hurt knocked me for a loop
even lillianna decided to stop yelling at me and was sweet, coming up and asking for a neck rub

i miss cleo and marguerite so bad i can't believe it
i got so used to always checking where cleo was as she was the weakest of the ducklings.
and marguerite, i had a special treat for her all the time, she'd be waiting for me every morning at the end of her pen for a pet and wattle rub and her treat
i could kiss her little beak and pet her soft feathers
(duck feathers aren't soft at all but orpington chicken feathers are)

fawn has been sleeping on my head now and licking my arm most of the night
she knows something is up
even thaddeaus and calpurrnia are aware that something isn't right in our little family

meanwhile momma has been accepted into the little duck group
they do nip at her neck but i realized it's more like sibling rivelry then actual agression
she's coming around slowly
i don't know if i will ever get her to come and ask to be held like cleo and lilli do
(did?)
even phoebe sometimes asks to be held so maybe
i do know that momma doesn't really care for falstaff much so i won't be putting her in with him again unless i see her express an interest
she won't even go over to greet him when the girls do
poor falstaff
he's lonely again
i need to find him a few ducks that won't mind him

ok
back to the drawing board
i had to put aside the duck drawings for the moment
i can't bear to look at the pictures right now when little cleo was alive and well and running around

new week....better luck?

bernie went to work, inspite of the pitchfork wound in his foot
i told him let the paramedics look at it
he won't

stubborn man

momma duck is starting to fit in with lillianna and phoebe
although the girls are still biting her a bit
i don't really think that it's a mean thing
but more like a bit of sibling rivalry

i picked up momma yesterday (prior to bernie impaling himself)
and she did settle a bit
her heart stopped pounding so hard after a few minutes
she is a nicely solid duck
i think bigger even then lilli

i miss cleo and marguerite terrible
their loss is really huge for me
i am always looking for cleo to see if she needs help
and calling marguerite without thinking
seeing their absence stops me dead in my tracks

all the pens outside are cleaned for the summer
the ducks are not happy as we got not only all the winter bedding out
but the worms too
tons of HUGE fat nightcrawlers
they gorged themselves silly on those worms

well again
i am hoping this is it for the bad luck for a while
i hope no one else dies on me
no one else gets hurt

and life is quiet and happy

but i miss my girls


vi

back from the hosptial

it's quite deep but no broken bones
he's got antibotics
didn't want pain meds
is on aspirin
and is supposed to be resting with the leg elevated

so what is he doing?

baking a potato..............


heaven help me
i just may have to kill him today


vi
who is now very very tired

off to the hospital

bernie impaled himself with a rusty pitch fork

so off we go to the hostipal

i told him not to do that duck pen that i would do it tomorrow

it hasn't been a good week

losing marguerite and cleo this week within two days of each other was bad
cleo i always figured would not last long,
she was always so weak compared to her sisters

marguerite was old
this strain of chicken doesn't seem to live too long
sharon died a while back of retained eggs
we just thought she was broody
but this strain doesn't live too long
their brother larry died at about 4 months old
most likely of heart failure, as he like marguerite died in his sleep

i am grateful for that

just like little cleo dying in her sleep as well

i put momma duck in with phoebe and lillianna now
she's getting along with them more or less
the girls are bullying her a bit
i told her to bite them back.....after all she is WAY bigger then they are

i been spending a lot of time with them
i've been having them out to graze and bath
momma learned how to climb in and out of the small baby wading pond
she is learning to follow the girls
and that if i call them over, normally i have a treat for them
blueberries or worms

i am cleaning pens
i got part of the close to the house pen done
it was loaded with worms under the hay
they ate a LOT while i was mucking it

i'll most likely finish it today
then i will be doing the day pen out back
all the wet hay is going to go in the garden to smother weeds


i have to say
this is not only a bad week here
but losing two of my favorite birds in two days shouldn't be allowed
it's just not right

vi

in loving memory yet another one

marguerite the chicken november 2005- june 19 2009

there was never a more personable chicken
she made friends every where she went

they say these things come in threes.............
i've had two now this week
marguerite was age related
her strain doesn't seem to live long

cleo

may 19, 2008-june 17-2009


i will miss you so very much my tiny little baby duckie
your little duck hugs,
your sweet little twitter
your splashing and playing in the pond

why is it that

every time i try and sleep in
a very furry cat walks back and forth across my head?????

i have some sinus stuff going on.......... bernie does too
his are draining and driving him nuts
mine aren't draining and driving me nuts

so i decide since my head feels like it's been stabbed with red hot pokers
i would stay in bed a bit
after all i went to the lab YESTERDAY for the vampire doctor and left 9 viles of the good stuff
i deserve a bit of a break no?
i finished canning the blueberries
i wrangled ducks
i gathered eggs
washed clothes and dishes
cooked pork loin

i did work yesterday

try telling THAT to a fuzzy cat

fawn decided it was time for me to get UP

it wasn't that they didn't have food or anything, it was just that mom doesn't normally stay in bed until 7am
i think she was concerned
so naturally she needed to assure herself and me by walking repeatedly over my head
back and forth
did i mention the sinus thing?
it hurts
did i mention the repeatedly furry cat back and forth thing?
it didn't help as much as it sounds like it should

really
it didn't


and you can't get the good stuff anymore, tylanol severe or extreme sinus
they don't make it anymore cause of the freeken meth labs
that one was the only one that worked for me

apparently with all the rain
i got algae in my nose too

i wouldn't be surprised

vi

blueberrie conserve

9 pints of blueberries
8 cups sugar
zest of three oranges then the pulp and juice
zest of three lemons then the pulp and juice
1.5 cups of raisins ( i used dark cause i had them, but i prefer light)

a teaspoon of butter

add everything bring to a simmer/low boil
boil about 1/2 an hour
can in jellie jars in boiling water bath about 12 minutes
so you don't have to sterilize the jars

this is much better if you put it up and let it set for a year
it mellows into an amazing conserve


vi

momma isn't a momma after all

it was pretty sad but i took momma off the nest yesterday

actually i took her in the crate with the nest out to the upper pen
with fresh water in the little pond
she got out and took a bath
while she was out
i took the crate and the nest away
the eggs weren't going to hatch as it was already 4 days over their time

good thing too
because the person who had originally asked me to SET that nest had decided he didn't want them, but never bothered to tell me!
i would have had 15 new ducks to hand raise and either eat or find homes for

i still feel bad about the nest however
but it is ok
i am going to think about setting momma up again later, but probably not until next year maybe
i will however get her used to the girls and put her in with them
falstaff won't like it
but it makes for easier duck chores for me
and less injured female duckies as well
he's sorta rough with the girls

i am however truly annoyed with that person who emailed ME to ask for 12 ducklings
and then had the gonads to inform me, he had purchased three females near him ( and i remember when he did that, as i got momma from the same place at the same time)
he never bothered to inform me however that he no longer WANTED the ducks from me
i emailed him to say that momma was finally setting eggs

i let a duck set for 35 days for this idiot...........
she could have been made non broody and we could have had fresh eggs for table for that 35 days
i get a better price for the eggs too compared to duckling prices
she also could have been grazing on juicey worms out with the others
happily bathing in the ponds instead of sitting on a nest

i am so mad

ok

i am going to get my blood work done today ( it's only a week late.......i had the plague remember)
and then finish canning the blueberries
then start the peaches and mangos
THEN i can start to work on the studio again

although i should do some laundry and hang it on the inside line as well
oye

ok
off i go now
i need this to get done today

take good care and i will be over the mad in a few hours
vi

blueberries and strawberries

today i will can my blues
the strawberries will be sugared down and i will get to them tomorrow

i have mangos and peaches ripening
for grilling sauces

as of last night........still no ducklings
i hope this nest isn't a dud
but if no babies by thursday
bye bye stinky eggies
hello other duckies

now that my beloved and much missed sister in law is back in texas
we've finally recovered from her lovely parting gift ( the plague)
and taken the bed down in the studio
so now i can start back again with organizing this room
i am putting all the little things in containers as i go along

i also got some odds and ends to make me summer fun earrings ( i still need some rose, lt rose and fushia swavarski crystals for one pair)
as well as a small set of 24 inktense ink pencils from derwerts

i would also like the set of 72, maybe if michaels has them and a 50% off coupon?
i worked on a halloween treat cup illustration yesterday with them and LOVED THEM
they will do some of what i want them to do so i would like the complete range

ok off i go as i got strawberries and duckies calling me

300 thread count my assets.....

we got new sheets
30 BUCKS
300 thread count
they are like laying on a tissue

what ever happened to wonderfully crisp sheets like my old laura ashley's?

what ever happened to sheets that are so nicely woven that they resist wrinkles simply because they are so tightly woven

?????

they are however a delightful shade of a coral/rose
and with the contast of some eggnog colored pillow cases as well as the matching ones......
they look nice
but
for 30 bucks, i expected a much higher quality

and don't get me started on the construction

oye


vi
still no ducklings

we are giving her until thursday, then taking and dumping the eggies

good morning drier air

Dear Mother Nature,

it's me, your good daughter vi
you remember me right?
fought that lawsuit to protect the old trees

the one overrun with slugs
( yeah thanks for that, as i got the ONLY ducks in the world that prefer worms to slugs, and i got the damn ducks for the slugs in the FIRST place)

yup.......... that's the one..... me, vi

listen, with all respect, i gotta ask............
WHY all this rain
i got algae growing between my toes
i SWEAR THEY ARE GREEN
i saw moss on the GLASS picnic table
and a bit of mold on my laundry that is still hanging limp and soaking wet on the line
actually it's wetter NOW then when i first hung it out..........a WEEK AGO

and mom, what's up with that roundup stuff.......?
we sprayed the poison ivy but it acted like super heavy duty poison ivy FERTILIZER
that shit is some SUPER terminator poison ivy out there
it shot UP the side of the house after we sprayed it

also mom, do me a favor ok?
can you light a fire or something under the township
as the road drains down my driveway and it's totally eroded now
i guess that was their cost saving anti sewer thing huh?
drain down through our driveway and they didn't need to put in sewers?

thanks mom, for listening to me
i have to get the ungrateful ducks out now
oh and mom, one more thing.............. can you help them ducklings hatch TODAY?
so the guy can come and get them tomorrow
and i can clean the pen?
it smells really BAD in that pen
cause she won't let us clean it

thanks mom........ did you get the flowers i sent for mothers day?



love
vi

there is a strange light in the east

oh my GOODNESS

it is the

SUN!!!!!!!!!

the old april showers.... have shifted through may to

june

it POURED last night
i am just going to have a fast cuppa and then go and see if the chickens and ducks are floating
at one point, it rained so hard that bernie thought that our patio umbrella flew away

we checked
it was still there

we aren't so sure about the chickens and ducks

i dreamt of an old friend of mine that i lost touch with
and even in the dream i lost touch with her!
then when i ran into her in the dream, just as i was leaving.........
she said.........'come to a party tomorrow night, it's in your honor'

which i really couldn't go to
then she said

'i wore a grey sweater just like you always did'
which is sorta true
one of my staple winter colors while working 'in the field' was grey
in all the shades
and a lot of tweedy flannelly heathery greys

what an odd dream, which i swear was brought on by the rain pounding down


ducklings.......... we aren't sure if they have arrived yet
another reason i am up a bit early
i have to go and see
they are/were spoken for

but the guy hasn't returned my emails
and i have at last 'figure' 13 give or take cause she tossed two eggs out
great
a coven of ducklings
just what everyone needs

i agreed to this setting only because the guy said he'd take ALL of them, as he has a farm
he wanted 12 so one more won't be an issue he told me
although if there WERE more i would keep back a girl or two for eggs
anyway
if there are babies...and they WERE due yesterday, so there should be
in addition to the rain
i will be fighting with a duck
oye
and babies will be in the laundry basket
AGAIN

meanwhile a very soggy sodden vi bides you adieu

ps: SEND THE ARK NOW

oh and buy that pantry book

i wish i could stop sweating alllllllllllll night

night sweats are the pits
seriously
so is coughing from this plague
then fawn decides to 'comfort' me by sleeping on my head

i love that little cat..........
and those of you who may remember when she first came here.........

wow what a difference!
we did compromise
she could sleep on my pillow on the side of me
i got some sleep at about 6am this morning
that's why i'm late with the blog
late with the coffee
late with the duckies
and still haven't gotten to the lab for the extended bloodwork

night sweats
blame mother nature

ok

just a reminder about the PANTRY book....... check out that link on the right
and when you read this book
(i hope you all love it as much as i did)
drop the author a line, she is a very nice lady
who has put up with me almost stalking her as i do love this book so much
it was a most satisfiying read and i have hopes that someday she will write the companions to The Pantry,
which should be 'summer kitchens' and preserving

she needs a new publisher i think


and to the next thing
the rain
i swear mold is growing in my ears
and speaking of moldy ears ( don't ask)

i need a bit of help
i am thinking of opening an etsy store
to sell my handmade miniatures and dolls, halloween stuff, soaps etc..........and probably greeting cards with my drawings etc

i am in need of a name!
my sister in law wanted 'things for all seasons'
it's been taken already
i was thinking of some of the following

necessary indulgences
repository of dreams ( but it may not be me if you know what i mean)
lifes little luxuries
seasonal delights

anyway i am pretty much stuck
so i could use some help


oh and i have ducklings due to hatch today
that just reminded me
oye


HELP!!!!!!!!!!!


vi

the pantry book and todays work

check out the link at the right....... please do yourself a favor and don't miss out on this book
i am not affiliated in any way but i adore this book
if you are a foodie and like putting up stuff you will too

if the description of mole's pantry from wind in the willows did it for you......... BUY THIS BOOK


ok
on to today's work
more studio clearing
dishes, and duckies

and still wet clothes hanging on the lines
oye
ok so i should actually get the thermal fuse for the dryer huh?
but i have enjoyed these past few years without it
i know it's only about 20 bucks
yes i know
ok
ok
i'll try and remember it

i am as some of you may remember
organizing the studio and drawing duckie pictures
i have run into a smallish problem
ok not so smallish
ok more like a large problem............. almost huge

it's the BOOKS
i gots them
tons of them
thousands and thousands of them
i never (almost) met a book i didn't like
i am the last home of unwanted books
i never willingly give them up
if i buy you a book.........i most likely will also buy me the same one at the same time
unless i already have read it
i don't have enough space in this house for my books
THAT alone is a good reason to move
but moving at the moment with this economy is out of the question
so i got book issues
they fill the dining room
climb the stairs
wander over mantels, chests of drawers, tables
pile on the floor
pile on the work benches
lean on walls
cover floors and sofa's
are tucked in here and there.........

a bibliophile's dream....
and there are books on almost every subject you can imagine
and some you may not be able to
in addition to history and literature, science, and how to's
are things such as 'naughty victorian pop up books' (not as bad as it sounds.........and quite cute)
books about collecting books
art books, cook books, knitting books, garden books, sci-fi, biographies, commentaries, green books, fairy tales, religions, art, art history, archeology, anthropology, forensics, etc etc etc......
i am if anything a truly eclectic reader
and i like to learn new things about ever 6 months or so
and along with that comes more books
numerous ones on the subject i am learning
plus adjacent subjects....... ( such as spinning, and raising sheep)
big books
little books
oversized books
sideways books

now i refuse to have a book sale
as matter of fact
the annual library book sale is going on right now .............. and i am being good and NOT going
although i really need a new copy of little big by crowley as mine wore out and fell apart

so that actually brings me to

book storage
i need some unique and original ideas
that don't take wall space
which i don't have

i could sooooooooooo use some ideas

(just throwing that out there.........in case someone has a brilliant one)


ok now that i whined about books
i need another cup of coffee

remember you all
that pantry book
i probably should get a second one to put away for when they are 200. each at the out of print and rare book websites

vi

falstaff in the morning

The Pantry this is the BEST book

thanks to 'sayingthings' (http://sayingthings.wordpress.com/) for the heads up

i have been telling folks for a while about a book i just love
it's called the pantry and i have had it for a while
i was just alerted to the fact that it's gone out of print and the remainders are available from the author

The Pantry

anyone who is interested in food, as well as preserving or even the history of houses NEEDS this book
i love my copy

i almost stalked this poor woman as i loved this book so much
i would have loved to see her do a book on summer kitchens and preserving

please tell your friends, and buy one of these for yourself
before you get to the point where the only copies will be over 200. on the rare book market

they just don't make plagues like they used to

(images are longwood, one color, one black and white of the same tree.......to see the values)

thank goodness

i think we are over the worst of it...........actually while i did sleep in

i am doing pretty good so far

of course i am not totally awake yet

but

i think i will live.................

we still haven't knocked down the antique cherry bed that we slept on while colleen was here,

it was my grandmothers, and my parents, now i have it

most likely i was conceived on that bed (different matteress however, i got this new one in 1993 for dad)

it's a 3/4 size

so smaller then full sized

we actually are quite comfortable in it

inspite of three curly cats that insisted on laying all over our heads and feet in this bed

today's agenda:

1. studio organizing
2. dishes
3. duckies
4. laundry

more or less in that order, as while colleen was here everything stopped of course.

and due to the excessive rain while she was here......... gee thanks mother nature

i have weeds as tall as i am in the garden

and still no cuc's or beans

as i had badly thrown out my back during that time

and then colleen came

so sometime this week is weedwacking the garden

followed by planting and prayers

i also have to go to the lab for tests again

the new endo found some nodes and what she thinks is a fluid filled cyst on my thryoid

plus she wants to see better fasting blood sugar levels

mine which has been going steadily down....... (january's was 84) shot up to 104

which may have been due to this cold or something

but i was very upset friday after the doctor

so i decided since i sorta felt like crap, i would wait a few more days to have the new levels taken

if it went down then she can't put me on the insulin sensitizers like she wants to

and i would prefer to avoid

well that's about most of the news, of course if i remember something i will let you all know
oh and colleen finally called us yesterday
she'd put the wrong phone number in her phone............so couldn't reach us until she found her address book
i told her next time to call bernie's phone
just so we knew

ok i have to start my day

ttyl
i will try for duckie pictures as well
dirty duckies but duckies all the same

gone but so not forgotten

colleen left us a lovely parting gift........(no not the building...although it would have been nice)

the plague from the pits of hell

and she's my FAVORITE herron family member

we are sniffling, coughing, aching and just miserable

ok let's see

what we did

bought me clothes for the summer which i needed desperately

got 6 tops and two jeans

got more storage for the studio

went to the art supply store

went to the outlets and went book shopping

got me underwear...........(that's become a tradition when she visits, we go shopping for underwear)

went to longwood

went to parts of longwood i'd never seen before!

had a few suppers on the deck.........mostly we dealt with rain so didn't do half what we'd planned

i was going to teach her to knit, can, and make soap

she learned to knit

she was too sick to can or make soap

she was too sick to help me in the garden, since she wanted to learn herbs and veggie plants

she liked the ducks

they cracked her up

oh and big news

the OLD chickens are laying again, dulcette and henrietta

not marguerite yet

and the new girls are mostly laying

so we are getting eggs again

usually 3-4 a day from them

and two a day mostly from the ducks

i have been accumulating art supplies but did no productive drawing while she was here

i did get some wonderful storage things

and i also got a couple of studio magazines, 'where woman create' and

'studio'

so i gleaned some ideas from them

due to the rain colleen didn't get to help her brother build a duck pen........which is what she was looking forward to doing

she got sick last week and was coughing, and sneezing and miserable the whole rest of the week so we didn't do much

she did go to the new endocronologist with me

where we discovered i have new nods on my thyroid since the last scan

that's about it

i am sneezing and coughing and have a very sore throat right now

oh and i discovered that 'inktense' pencils are incredible and i want the full set
so i have to find a discount coupon for them
no?

baby ducklings are due the 11 ( and due to leave on the 12)

colleen leaves today

and i am heartbroken

colleen's longwood pictures

part of the set colleen took when we were down at longwood

my sister in law is leaving tomorrow,

a day early as my nephew forgot to tell her that his graduation is tomorrow

she'll get in just in time to get there

i am going to miss her so very much i can't even tell you all

i had such a wonderful time with her

she is like the sister i should have had but didn't

we laugh, and joke around

give each other advise

confide in each other

this trip, bernie didn't get any time really with her

normally they take a few days and do something together,

last time they built the duck pen

i sort of stay out of their way so they have some time together that they were cheated out of when they were kids

(talk about screwed up families.........their parents took the cake)

he didn't get time this time, they had planned on the new duck pen, but it rained .........a LOT

she also got a bad cold which she still has

she sounds terrible

she just got over asthmatic bronchitis right before she came, so i am very worried that it would be that again

anyway

that's where i've been

soaking up the family time with my sister in law

i will miss her so much when she goes back

i want them to move here

away from galveston and hurricanes

vi

a bit more longwood

a taste of longwood

there are THREE treehouses...........cool huh?

pictures!