1:21 am and look where i am

i can't sleep
this one's bad
bad enough for me to be downstairs
i don't have time for this no sleep thing
tomorrow i have a ton of stuff today
or should i say later today

colleen my tx sister in law called
thank goodness
i miss her so much
she may come back in october
i hope so

that's not why i can't sleep

i also cleaned the kitchen today ( ok so yesterday i suppose)
not all of it
but i got the stove under control at least
that's what i get for not canning all summer
a filthy stove

i always clean the stove twice a day while canning
and this year i didn't

i finished spray painting yet another arco box
i have i think two left to do
one huge one and one really old metal one
then a paper thingie
then the rest of the plastic stacking drawers

the progress is extremely slow
bernie is getting concerned
frankly i am also
i thought we'd get some more heavy bulky stuff moved while he was home on vacation but that didn't happen

i did however get the laundry all done and DRIED....... which is usually a saturday thing but i got it done early

how do people do it?
how do they keep their places so spotless and organized
i think i am genetically defective in that way
but my ducks are normally very very clean
as are the chickens and the cats
oye

maybe i should have lived in a barn.........?
i certainly prefer being in barns to any place else on earth

anyway
here i am again
up late and downstairs

oye

my cousin and the tired amish horse

i went out with my cousin's wife yesterday again
she took me to lunch and we also went to a bird store

i had her laughing a lot
(and later when i dropped in at their house i had him laughing too)

during the time out
i kept telling her that basically i aspire to be amish
or
that i am almost amish
(and folks who read this blog know what i am talking about)

i kept saying
'gimme my horse, i already got the hat'

we decided that the horse was in the back of the van
AND
that he was tired and sleeping it off back there

maybe you had to be there
but it got her laughing
ALOT
hahahaha

i explained about 'fat assets' which cracked her up too
i swear i love seeing people laugh

anyway we had fun, but as you all know....... i am not used to such an exciting life

ok today
i have the studio to do and outside pens
and the last of the laundry i did yesterday to hang (and a load to take in)
then there is the kitchen

i saw my chicken breasts on sale for 1.69 a pound for a case
i need to can chicken desperately
i would like 80 pounds in jars before winter and at least 40 pounds breaded and stashed in the freezer
so i may go friday to get chicken

depending
but that means canning all weekend

no pens ( although i have to go to get my kitchen aide saturday)

i need two of me this week, and some extra money to be in three places at once and to pay for some of this no?

oye

til next time

vi

was gone yesterday

and will be part of today
but after that i can't go anywhere until the studio is done
it's currently 46 blessed and wonderful degrees out

i can actually work outside without too much sweating
so i want to muck day pens
and finish the molds in the studio

i am taking my cousin's wife to town for her doctor as their car is broken and waiting for their son to come fix it
her and i went out yesterday to walmart, (her favorite store, and she knows everyone there)

i started a hat from the malabrigio that susan sent me
(last night)
i think i may have to rip it back and cast on a few more
(not that i counted how many i cast on or anything............. oye)

i am doing k2p2 and random color changes
without any reguards to rows or anything
when the little balls run out i switch to the opposite color and keep going
the colors are amazing
the yarn is very soft, it's a single and feels slightly felted in a good soft way
i don't know how it would wear as a glove or mitten or such
but i think it will be ok as a hat

i have to block the sisik scarf as soon as i am home to do it

and after this hat i think i better do a scarf for my sister in law colleen
and then start that lace for me in the pink from spirit trail

i did get four of the 5 scented geraniums potted up
i need to get a pot for the begonias
the colus
the other scented geranium and the two flowering maples
as well as the old rosemary that absolutely MUST be moved on

and the berries STILL haven't been planted out in the back
oye

ok i have to drink the coffee now
and get dressed and see if i can't get something done in the studio

the weather appears to have turned!

yesterday was remarkably cooler
a bit nippy even when i took the ducks out
today i was cool even over night
no more hot flashes and night sweats?

could it be?

i potted up some scented geraniums and will be potting up some flowering maples, begonias and a few coleus as well as the older rosemarys to take in for fall
and i am thinking that planting a bit more chard would be nice as well as some fall/winter lettuces

i finished the blue tweed sisik scarf..........now i have to figure some other car/waiting room knitting
i don't know if i want to make a silk cowl or some hats or what next
but i need to get a project started this afternoon

i may need some warm stuff for the winter
and i have yet to replace that one needle for socks
no i can't knit on four needles
i have to have the fifth one or i don't enjoy it and can't maneuver it right

i most likely will cast on a hat out of the malabrigio that susan sent me ( thank you again susan)
and i will make it just plain ribbing and stripped!
i've never knit with the malabrigio, i have some friends who just adore it so i am about to see what all the fuss is about

and purples and orangy yellows........... they ARE my colors so here goes

ok i am i think going to town today
so i will report back either later or most likely tomorrow

and all the duck ponds are clean
crates are clean
ducks are clean but pmsing
and they missed me so very much while bernie took care of them for 5 days

i missed them too
lilli demanded i hold her and cuddle her
and i happily obliged

monday

bernie's back at work
i screwed up my morning coffee
and it looks to be a nice day today

i have laundry
ducks
dishes
and studio to do

i am almost done with my sisik scarf
i think will end up at approximately 350 rows
maybe i should make it 400?

and i just realized
the entire time bernie was home i forgot to take my thyroid meds
that will explain the slowdown around here by saturday and sunday

we did go to petsmart
we saw two parakeets that we liked one was white
and one was blue
we also saw a yellow one that was considered
we didn't get any as at the moment we didn't have the flights up and cleaned
we also didn't have any place for them to go

we also looked at the fish tanks
as i kept threatening to put the tank in the center of the living room
we have a 33 half hex that i got after my mom died
i needed something alive
we set that up in the bedroom and used it as a night light
our angel fish would breed every sunday morning and eat the eggs every sunday afternoon
we next set it up here
with guppies for dad to watch
then i put goldfish in it

this time i think just a few schools of small fish
most likely zebra danios
or a rasbora
something silvery and small
i had such a peaceful time watching the schooling fish at the camden aquarium

i had been planning on putting the tank up again when the studio was done
with either a mixed tank from the amazon river basin
or fancy goldfish which i also adore

now i am thinking just one or two schooling species

although bernie likes the aquadic frogs (we've had them a few times as well)

no more work on the pens
rain didn't help
and that is about it right now

we still have a clothes line

although it's been raining

i do have well rinsed clothes on it

the good news

it's going to sag enough so i can take the splice out of it

the bad news

the clothes are so wet that i may have to run them through the spin cycle on the washer again



however i see light outside

so maybe it won't rain today?



i am about 90 rows off from the end of the scarf i am knitting

then comes.......

something in lace!

i ordered that silk yarn from Spirit Trail fiberworks
in THE most amazing shade of rose pink fuschia
just amazing and glowing
it arrived and now i am to decide what to make from it
do i do something huge?
or a few little things?
( i got a couple skeins)
do i bead it?
indecision is going to be the death of me i swear

well today is bernie's last day of vacation

and as to him not wanting me to make dolls
he doesn't really
it isn't that he doesn't want me to do it
but not in the house
porcelain and doll making does make for a big mess
(huge)
he also would rather i not make miniatures, soap or even can in the house
the house you see is very very small
REALLY SMALL
with no closets and no storage space
the basement has a partial dirt floor
and is DAMP
i could very very easily grow mushrooms there
(actually there are some growing down there already)

i been thinking.......after having run up to georgie up the hill to look at their new chicken plucker (i found it online for them used at a very good price)
and looking in their workshop
i am thinking...........it would be a very very good thing to move some of my work out of the house
no?

now
how to afford a nice big heated and plumbed workshop?

oye

vi

studio progress

i got the shelf out that held my molds and porcelain tools

i miss it!
but it was time to get it out
it's now in the attic
and i have the porcelain workbench to move out now
it's a mess too
bernie is going to take it apart
dad nailed it to the floor
oye

i am thinking
it would be easier to just lift it onto casters after getting the nails out
i think bernie wants to take it apart as he doesn't want me making porcelain dolls anymore
so if he does........ we ALL know i won't be getting it back
that's why dad helped me with it and nailed it to the floor in the first place

i am also thinking of reupholstering my chesterfield love seats
which are now in a schumocker (sp?) cotton velvet in a deep cranberry
i am thinking.... toile?
or should i go with a solid color as they ARE button tuffed....
and then do a toile slipcover and maybe also a summer canvas one


today we are also going to put up the new clothesline and hopefully the squirrel from hell will leave it alone?

anyone for squirrel stew?

as to the wood being rained on in my driveway
bernie wants to do a shaker round stack for the wood pile
i agree
(as he doesn't listen to me normally and the woodpile is rotting away under a shrub and some trees.......... there are FROGS spawning in the woodpile........ THAT's how wet it is...... but he knows better then me)

anyway he is going to put the pile in the center of the driveway
yup
where all the water runs down
oh man
i told him to keep it at least 6 inches off the ground then

heaven help me


vi

wth?

something ate my CLOTHES LINE!!!
bernie found it in pieces on the driveway
HUH?

there was no food on it
no oil
nothing
so wtf?

i suspect a squirrel but why?
it doesn't make sense to me
so he's all like 'i am going out NOW in the rain to put it up'

and i am all like ' you can't, cause first off it's RAINING..........and second we have to buy a new line........that one is chewed in pieces remember?'

oye

ok the aquarium
well it wasn't worth 50 bucks to get in.......with 10 bucks parking
and one little hamburger, a cup of fries, a cup of fruit salad, a water and an apple juice should NOT be 19.00

nope

now as to the exhibits
the best one was the deep sea tank
there was a HUGE and umungus clear windown into the tank
pretty much from top to bottom
with seats to sit and watch
and we sat and we watched
that was amazing
there were shark, and rays, and i think tuna
and a hammerhead
and a ton of other stuff in there


now a couple of bad things did happen
i forgot the map
i forgot my regular glasses and had to wear my sunglasses
i forgot the camera

and a couple of bad things about the aquarium
in the deep sea tank there was one fish that looked like it had swim bladder issues
and always was on it's side.........since it was one of the schooling fish....NONE of whom were swimming sidesways.....we think there was a problem

the penguins were just sitting in the sun

the harbor seal was alone and just swimming around

the hippo's looked to me cramped and crowded

the other cool things were the Bahamian pintailed ducks
I LOVED THEM

and the reef tanks

LOVED THEM TOO

the people that worked at the aquarium seems bored teenagers hired for the summer
no one was really friendly or informative
we got the impression that they'd rather we not be there

they didn't seem all that concerned about the animals.....nor were they knowledgeable

some of the hands on exhibits (non animal ones) were broken
and some areas of the decor was worn and stained and shabby

which upset me

i couldn't see the frogs well as they were at my knee level
i could understand the kids being happy but couldn't they have had stuff also at adult eye level?

in the rotunda there was a great fish mobile that was moving
it was wonderful, but had a few broken areas

and it is also in a very bad area of camden
however the waterfront complex itself is not bad
and a lot of police visible there

we saw a 4 masted sailing ship across the harbor in philly
we wanted to go there

now i realize that camden isn't sea world
but the shark tunnel could have been a bit longer.......

if they had a picnic area allowed/encouraged it would have been better
and if they would clean the dust off the pipes it would have been better

i would also have loved to see one huge reef set up as well
cause the deep sea tank was great
and they needed that shark tank so they could do the shark tunnel

but in addition a very large central reef tank with the smaller reef tanks would have put that habitat in context

the ducks were THE BEST
(i got splashed by fishies in that tank and was wet all the way home)

so it was ok but it was not as good as i hoped

and bernie was pissed off all the way home cause i forgot the map

i liked the sitting by the deep sea window
really i would go back i think off season for that

cause ........ i won't BE here in the morning

we are going to the aquarium
i got a seat now in bernie's van
a REAL live seat
that is a bit too small for my fat assets
but it isn't a bench in the back sideways anymore
and i can point the SUPER cold ac right on my hot flashed infused little round face

take THAT night sweats and personal summers

ha
we are talking icycle cold here
if he put in a portapotty and a computer hook up
i would LIVE in his van
(but it does smell bad.......we got fabressssss)

oye

ok i am booking along on the tweed scarf
(sisik in navy...... way discontinued but still my favorite yarn for scarves)
i got 150 rows done
and i am thinking about 340 should do it
maybe
i am hoping that two and a half balls so that i can have some for a hat maybe
and maybe..... mittens?

we are packing a picnic lunch tomorrow
just in case
either way we'll eat it
if we don't eat it there
we'll eat it for supper

i will of course worry about the ducks
oye

ok folks ttyl

a bad start to the morning

i had to deal with red tape
first thing at 8am

normally i don't have a problem with the ezpass people
they are NORMALLY a pleasure to talk to
they are normally polite, efficient and so very helpful

not today

the girl wouldn't talk to me!
thank goodness bernie was home
i don't know when they switched the ezpass to his name
it used to be in mine
i couldn't get on the website
and the girl was giving me a hard time
she refused to talk to me until bernie gave her permission

i asked when it had switched as i hadn't switched it from me to him
huh?
i don't like that first thing in the morning
oye

now we have to go get a base for the seat

heaven help me

oye

did i say oye yet...........?

and tomorrow is vacation

for bernie!
i slept good last night, still draining the sinus' though

i hope it's ok today cause sinus headache really suck
meanwhile i sat and knitted a tweed scarf

poor bernie got home last night and i was so sick, he was on his own for supper

todays is better
let's hope it stays that way

in duckie doings
phoebe is broody
and bit momma
why do they always bite momma?

i gave falstaff a bath yesterday morning btw,
i caught him trying to get romantic with momma by the pond and chased him up and down the hill spraying him with the hose
he was so wet
he voluntarily hopped into the little pond
when he was done about 30 minutes later..........he was white and the pond water was dark brown and very cloudy
(and when they are molting the pond water turns WHITE...........)
when i went out later to put them away he actually glowed!
i am so sure he felt better too

anyway phoebe is broody so is in the main basement with the chickens
neither phoebe nor the chickens are happy
so they need to go out EARLY today
gee the first couple of years with ducks was easy
this whole pms broody thing........
not so easy
i almost feel as if i need a seperate pen for each duck!

i got the laundry dried yesterday.......amazingly
and even got a shirt hand washed
i have a few more to hand wash this week
i need to iron then
i also need a new iron.............. as my old ones are all full of yuck
and one doesn't actually heat up all the time
(after all they are only 30 year old irons............ still a lot of life in them yet no?)

i got the iron cleaner so i should try that first
but i did see a pretty purple iron, which would be perfect to keep just for clothing........not for crafts no?

and yes i do iron when i have to
normally clothes
not stuff like sheets etc......... mom used to make me iron dad's hankerchiefs
no i don't do that
and bernie doesn't use them anyway
although i've been known to

oh man

tmi

vi

ever have a day........

that you SWEAR you were on another planet for?

today
that would be it for me

what the hell happened to today?
i got up
read email and drank coffee as usual
knitted a bit
put the ducks out
fed the chickens
hung laundry
folded dry laundry
hand washed a shirt
and boom it was 6pm!

huh?
what the hell happened to the day

really i need to get a handle on the time

i didn't get anything done in the studio either

(in a small aside, i have the sinus headache from hell.......but still)

oh man

vi

morning all

amazingly right at this moment
it isn't raining!

i started a new scarf last night
for 'waiting room/car knitting
it's a variation of that palindrome scarf pattern

i added a garter stitch border
this one is in navy blue sisik ( discontinued by dale........and my very favorite yarn...i do love me some tweed)

i have five skeins and intend on using it all up on this
i wish i had another few in the navy as i would make a hat and mittens to match
but i only have these five and needed car knitting

i am thinking that the next scarf i make in going to be in linen stitich
and in silk
knit lengthways...that's the ONLY way i seem to get enough length on a scarf

i hope it isn't too hot today so i finish the nasty part of the porcelain workbench
i really want this studio just done now
it's dragged on all summer and now weighs on my head

oye

anyone want to help?

til next time

vi
who's going to drink coffee and knit a spell then do the duckies

new cousins

wow we had a blast last night meeting one of my distant cousins
we closed down perkins!
hahahaha
(some folks close down bars huh?)

we laughed so hard for so long

this cousin is related on my father's mother's side
and get this
he's got birds too
ducks, chickens and finches!!!
his wife (who is just as wonderful as he is) had parrots and doggies

what's not to love
italian cousins with a love of animals, food and laughter?

now in duckie news, we didn't get to do the pen yesterday cause of the weather
we are hoping to get some done today

we did go to shoprite yesterday so i got the porkchops and sausage on sale and vac sealed that for the freezer
i NEED to can chicken breast
so i need a good sale on at least 80 pounds

that really is about it
we had such a blast with my new found cousin
and stayed up and OUT
WAY WAY past my bedtime
thaddeaus was so concerned he slept on my pillow all night
thumping his fuzzy tail on my head to remind me that i had abandoned him home!

so we slept (hahahaha...... yeah right with the three cats all over us jumping around) IN this morning

yup yup

i am half asleep

vi

to rain or not to rain

is it better to have rained?

to paraphrase shakespeare..................

again with the freeken rain
it's getting old believe me

we WERE to work on duck pens
hahahaha
rain and bob took care of that (hurricane bob or bill or whatever the hell the newest hurricane is called)

it's so wet out that slugs are climbing the windows

morning all

in fiber stuffs around here, i had to stop my sock
i am a bit annoyed about that as it is due to losing a needle
i knit on size 1 bamboos these are 'meimei' needles
i lost one
and don't have another size 1 available in six inch
so i am at a standstill until i either get a new set or find that needle i lost

so i cast on some yellow laceweight i got at spirit trail fiberworks in october at rhinebeck
i am doing a 52 plus 2 stitch ostrich plume right now
i may do the body in various laces but the ends are that ostrick plume

has anyone tried the new acrylic interchangable circulars from knitpicks?
they are mighty tempting to me
mmmmmmmmmm?

as i love my denise needles
and of course i lust after those wooden harmony needles

oh man

now yesterday i went to town
i did something i have never in my lifetime ever done
shhhhhhhhh
don't tell anyone

i stopped at gertrude hawk for an icecream!
all by myself
and i ate it there too!
all by myself
!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i never do that
but boy it was good

the heat had gotten me sick in the morning and i had to get to town, so i hadn't eatten
and i lost any thing in my stomach prior
the icecream did cool me off
and it made me feel better
even the coating of milk chocolate
(i don't really like chocolate much either)

it is still amazing to me


in duckie doings....... lillianna was a mess when i went to put the girls away
i tossed her in the little pond
which was overflowing from the rain
she had a blast splashing around
i had to put her to bed wet though as every time i tried to get her out to dry off
she ran right back to the pond

and momma bit phoebe on the wing
sooooooooooo
it may end up with momma in with falstaff and lil back with phoebe
which should make lil happy
momma unhappy and phoebe still the same

DUCKS DRIVE YOU CRAZY

believe me
and it's not such a long trip with me

momma meanwhile is getting extremely tame
she is starting to ask to be picked up occationally
w0w
how far she's come!

paying bills

oye

i am juggling again

why you ask?
(duh isn't everyone?)
actually i accidently paid a bit more on the mortgage this month
sort of shorted us a bit for other stuff

cause i got wood to buy if the guy ever calls me back
(called him twice.......still no call back)

today i am to go to town
oh man i don't WANT to go to town
feed and grain and AC Moore
i should stay away from AC Moore..........
but i need to get cat food, and wire and all sorts of goodies
and some small plastic cases at ac moore
i forgot about the wire
damn
make that double behind this month

anyway
i really should not be lingering over coffee
but in a bit of defence, while drinking coffee......i HAVE been paying bills online
i LOVE the online thing
i hate paying bills but at least this way.....it's not as hard
and we do save stamps etc

next week bernie and i are to go to the camden aquarium
which i also forgot about before i started to pay the bills
oye
damn............. i paid a couple early cause i forgot about we were going to camden

we don't go on a real vacation
and never go out to eat or such (tomorrow night is a huge rarity for us)
so we decided we wanted to go see the fishies..........
we've wanted to go for years.....since it opened
now we decided we are going to go!
it costs a fortune though
i will get the tickets online ahead of time
but we will need cash for the parking and meals...... they don't let you picnic like Longwood does

too bad

i will bring the camera and fresh batteries and two cf cards
just in case

with luck the duck pens will be finished and i won't have to worry about getting home before dark?

oh man

i wish i could keep all this in the front of my head.....but i forget so much lately

vi

my mom

a million years ago this huh?

hopefully not as hot today and studio work

will get done

the workbench has to get finished NOW

ok in other news
our uphill neighbor called me yesterday
they are having a 50th anniversary party saturday
we're invited
i wish we'd known that a few weeks ago
but we'll stop in fast
as we have dinner plans with a 42-1/2 once removed cousin

ok now onto a couple of news things
first up for the knitters
jen at spirit trail fiberworks is having a sale
i got some silk laceweight in red
i also lusted after some in redwood/mahogany but did enough damage to the pocketbook with the red

bernie got his review at work yesterday and it was good
i am so happy for him
as the person who gave him his review is one of the two people in that company who he would do anything for
he just respects them that much
( i like this person very much as well, so i am happy for bernie)

i would like to remind everyone about that book 'the pantry' (see the link at the right about it)
i adore that book, and i would hate for folks who would also love it to miss out

another book i discovered i loved is
Organizing Your Craft Space by Jo Packham

this book is one i keep reading as i go along
over and over
i thought at first it wasn't much help
but now i found that for me it was

armed with that and a few magazines on studio organization this is helping get through this endless studio reorganization


btw, i am almost ready to close the toe on the sock i'm knitting, so i can cast on for the second sock probably tonight
then i have a scarf to do
another one with danglies on the ends
(love them danglies, this one i want to have beads and buttons maybe)

then the cowl for colleen
oh and that red silk laceweight for me huh?
probably something out of 'victorian lace today'


now i think that is about it for today

and just in case anyone wondered, i use this blog as a sort of daily diary for me
i post stuff for some of the folks that read here
and i also post a lot of stuff so i remember things
some stuff may be boring to you all ( sorry about that)
if so then that is probably the stuff i am trying to remind myself of
or have a record of
i am not one to physically WRITE in a diary
this online thing somehow works for me
i don't know why
i could just as easily take the blog private and i will still write every day
(mostly)

however i will tell you folks, i do like comments
i feel like i am talking to friends over coffee then

ok
time to start the day
morning everyone

ttyl

vi

my tiny corner of the world

one shelf in my studio.....it's organized! amazing huh?

in my tiny corner of the world,
there are white feathers in the yard
golden feathers in the house
and curly cats all over the place

there are all sorts of wild birds in the trees
along with a ton of other little furry, scaley, and possibly amphibious creatures

now will someone explain to me
why i love animals so very much
(typed with 'help' from one such furry curly headed little guy, who's sitting on the back of my chair thumping my head with his tail)

they make a mess
they cost money
they worry you to DEATH
they cost money.......did i mention that?
a LOT of money
they barf in your shoe
they sleep on your head
occationally they shit on your lap

but for some really odd reason i just love them
did i mention they are a LOT of work too
really
a lot
tons even

and the one cat hides stuff
usually my stuff

when he isn't hiding it, he's either chewing it to bits or stuffing it in his food bowl
i caught him just before he stuffed one of my BRAS in his food bowl
WTF is up with that?

now fawn sleeps on my head most nights
she is VERY VERY FURRY
curly fur
LONG curly fur
she sleeps on my head with her belly pressed up against it
did i mention hot flashes?
night sweats?
she loves them
i, on the other hand......understandably HATE THEM

i never met a hot flash i liked
really

add that to an inefficent (but brand new) ac unit..........and you got a recipe for no sleep

yup
that's me
and i am allowed to DRIVE at will...........

oye

ok this will post in the morning more or less
i probably will add to it
so if this is pretty much it.....give it a few hours and check back.....seriously
i may even say something brilliant ( although i doubt it)
or funny even
(which could be more likely)

so until then
night all

ok it's morning now
it rained all night
so much for doing the last bit of doll molds

does anyone who may read this blog do 'eft'?
it is a tapping thing

just wondering

it's dark and dismal again today in the studio
i can't wait now to get the workbenchs moved and the windows all opened up and uncovered
not to mention whitewashing the walls
i would LOVE to do a real lime whitewash
but since the walls are wood 'paneling' i doubt that they would hold up to the traditional lime whitewash
too bad

bernie looked at that end of the studio and said to me

'you are going to need lighting'

yup i have needed lighting there for 22 years....
i am thinking tracklights
i am also thinking of a couple of swing arms and a table lamp or two

i also am going to need electrical outlets
i could see the wheels turning in his head so i think i will be GETTING electrical outlets

ok now this is really the end of this post
i got coffee to drink
and my thyroid meds to find

til next time
vi

another shelf bites the dust

literally

i got another shelf of my molds cleared off
they are dusted out and wrapped and moved to the other side of the room

i did it yesterday in all that heat and humidity (out on the deck......can't dust that stuff in here)

i am thinking..........i can almost see an end to the clearing out of that corner
it must have been at least since 89 that i haven't moved that workbench
i have however cleaned it since then
i used to clean it after every run of dolls
i am however not entirely sure what i will find BEHIND that work bench
oye


the plan is to move it out and put it on the other side of the room, on wheels
with wheeled carts under it
then move my little desk (which i want to paint cream) into that corner
the new shelves and new work table will also go over there as will my drafting table and chair

i have an 18' wall and part of the 23' wall to play with
but only part on the 23' due to the woodstove and the clearances for that
i am thinking....i get about 7 feet on the 23' wall on each end

at this end ( i am sitting at the other end of the studio on the computer)
i figure i will reorganize the computer area, put in some sort of soft seating (probably one of our matching love seats with slip covers)
and give bernie a tv area, as he still watches movies
i am still holding out on having cable so we still won't have tv.........which is fine by me as i hate tv

i am thinking i better start getting him some dvd's for his christmas stocking
no?
i would also like to get him some books on furniture building ( and kitchen cabinets)
and some wood saws for christmas.......hahahahah
oye

oh i am almost done with the lastest sock i am knitting, the first one of the pair
has anyone knitted that 'flat feet' yarn yet and worn it?
i am knitting flat feet yarn
i am knitting it on size 1 needles (or it may be on size 0 but i can't see)
they call for size 3...........hahaha it's pretty obvious that a real sockknitter didn't write those instructions
anyway i was wondering if anyone knows how well it wears

this one is oranges, magentas, pinks and peaches
a bit of yellow thrown in
in other words........irresistible colors for me

well soon i hope to take pictures of the studio
i may even put up a seperate blog to show the progress
i know while i was planning this i went nuts trying to look at studio pictures to see how folks were storing some of the same stuff i have to deal with
it did help

ok i have to start my day folks

til next time
everyone stay cool, stay hydrated and stay safe

vi

another week

bernie helped me in the studio doing some moving of stuff too heavy for me to move
i can (weather dependent) move molds out and brush them off, band them and store them on the other shelves

soon i can get the porcelain workbench out of that corner
i am wondering if i should use that bench for something else and make a new workbench for the porcelain?

either way everything
EVERYTHING is going up on wheels
i want to also think about a seperate studio for porcelain

i actually got into the corner and measured
i am thinking that i can get the that corner fixed up soon and it will work very well for me
everything will fit in that corner except the porcelain bench and knitting storage
(even some sewing stuff will be in there)

as soon as it isn't too incriminating i will post pictures
right now i swear that corner is a nightmare so i won't post a picture
but i can see the light there so to speak

we had a quiet and peaceful weekend
it was very hot so we hibernated with the AC and harry potter
i continued to knit socks
(next i think is a scarf)
next week i believe bernie has vacation........we are off to the aquarium in camden i think

stay cool everyone

vi

the egg picture

that huge egg is the egg momma laid
it's the size of a turkey egg

the brown egg is a normal orpington egg

and the other a normal duck egg

we got eggs you know
we do

we got eggs

now
yesterday, i ran up to georgie's up the hill
we'd split a mail order and it had arrived so i went up to get my half
when i got home a tiny baby squirrel had (again) fallen out of the big pine by the front door
he was covered in flies
bernie got a bird cage and we fed him
but he was bleeding pretty bad from the nose

he died over night

these damn baby squirrels just break my heart

bernie is working today, he had a CC unit that needed attention
and since he was out a day and a half with heat exhaustion,
he went in
he got that unit figured out and ordered the parts

meanwhile today is two weeks that my kitchen aide is in the shop
i need my mixer
oye

i got me some new extracts to play with
orange and lemon ( next is hazelnut and lime and raspberry)
i need to make cookies or cupcakes or icing or something
it ain't happening without my mixer

oh and i got parsley in my coffee cup
serves me right for putting dried parsley in mason jars while trying to fix my morning coffee
it would have been better maybe if it had been the basil.............no?

i didn't sleep last night, so today is in reverse for me
i was down here for about 3 hours
i don't know why, could be worry over that baby squirrel
he died anyway
but i am not all here now

so until i am

vi

eggs compared

again with the mud........

ahem........

facial?

on my assets?

i fell again, thank goodness bernie was home recovering from heat exhaustion, as he had to come pick me up

it was raining so bad, and i had to take the ducks out
without realizing how unstable the slope was down to the back pen, i went down on my right side
slamming into a fence post and sliding down the slope
i couldn't get back up
he had to come get me
and even he couldn't quite get me up

i was covered in mud
my butt and right side
so i guess a mud pack 'facial' it was
funny my skin on my butt doesn't feel any softer...
i also fell on a worm
BIG WORM........night crawler worm

both of us were surprised believe me

i spent most of the rest of the day knitting

can you blame me?

oye

vi

i thought we had DUCKS?

i mean they sorta look like a muscovy duck
even though technically they aren't ducks but 'duck like waterfowl'

ok
so what's with the turkey egg momma laid yesterday?

i got to get pictures of the eggs to show you all
but she laid a whopper of an egg
almost twice the size of her normal egg

she tried to take over lillianna's crate to do it in as well


bernie is home sick today
he had what looks like heat exhaustion yesterday at work, throwing up and sweating even in the AC
he came home from work early
which with bernie means he's almost dead
i actually feared for him driving home

i tried to get the doctor yesterday but she wasn't in
so i am calling her today
he's arguing with me
but he's going
meanwhile i am making him drink gatoraide
cool showers and eat well but lightly

he didn't drink his gatoraide like i told him
it was in the 80's and 90's down there with very high humidity
and he works outside mostly over very HOT diesel engines
he only drank water, but that isn't enough in this kind of heat
and strenuous excersize isn't good either

but being a MAN he of course doesn't listen

so now he gets to listen to me
it isn't as pleasant as it sounds either

he was so sick last night he didn't even want icecream
he wasn't hungry
he better not be dying is all i can say to him


meanwhile it's almost 8 am and dark as hell here, good thing i didn't do the laundry again
it rained overnight
and is to rain today
so what else is new?

oye

vi

nightmares and laundry

i been going through a rash of nightmares again
one was that bernie was giving flowers to someone else ( and they were nice flowers too, in pretty pink paper)
another was that i was in the army, and killing the enemy and then got captured and the enemy was about to retaliate

then there is the laundry
that it never dries................

wait that last one is real life not a dream

oh man

did i mention i can't reach the stuff at the bottom of the washer?
i'm too short

yesterday i used a pair of pliers to get the last pair of undies out

i almost fell in to the washer head first
the chickens were laughing

it's pretty bad when a CHICKEN laughs at you

oye

now in fiber news, i have just turned the heel of the first sock and am now going around picking up stitches to do the gusset decreases
i did a french round heel on this one
i think i am going to do a dutch square heel on the next one
i want to try a few different heels on the socks this year
and i need more patons kroy sock yarn as it is almost indestructible

ok in studio news, bernie is going to help me move some stuff out of the studio so i can finish getting molds moved out and over
i still don't have a home for the molds to live on when the old shelf is moved out
and he isn't figuring on something to help me with either yet
so this is going to be interesting
they may end up on the white metal shelves for a bit, which isn't good as the moisture will rust the shelves and ruin the molds
but maybe for a short time
he informs me that he is going to 'take apart' my porcelain workbench
i am concerned that this is code for 'take it apart and get it out of the studio'

he won't like the consequences if that happens, cause i will start to pour molds and make molds on HIS table
and let's just say...........
it's FILTHY
plaster and slip are a nightmare to clean up after
rough cleaning greenware is just as bad

but i also can't wait to get to that part of the studio, as i haven't touched that back wall in years.......... like 20 years!
the porcelain workbench is HUGE, dad helped me put it together, and he nailed it to the floor!
it is rocky but needs to rock a bit to help degass the plaster in the mold forms
and it's tall......higher then my waist
i need to stand while working at it
because i need to have leverage when filling the cracks in a mold form with clay
and i need to be able to see down into the mold form and watch how it is coming along
plus i need to stand to pour so it's at a height that worked for me
i got partly under there and found a few #50 clay boxes, porcelain clay that i sculpt in
cheap clay that i use for sealing mold forms
and a stoneware that i use for sculpting flat stuff in
i think there are a few cases of porcelain slip back in there as well
i saw the big S for seeley on a box so that is slip, as i only use seeley
( bell slip smells funny to me)
there should be about 6 cases of slip under there
and at least 100# of pottery plaster

i have decided to paint the metal worktable legs
i am first going to paint it cream, then add black stripes
and then i think glaze it with an umber so it looks oldish

i am going to put a surface protector of sorts on it
maybe a self healing mat
i don't know if i should do a complete self sealing cover like on my drafting table or just a smallish one to work on
i think the complete ones are probably better, they come in a reversible cream/green or gray
and two sides so you can and should eventually reverse them
and if you shop around you can find them for like 40$

now i will add that i have one on my drafting table that was bought in 1983
it's still on there
still works great, and i haven't ever turned it over ( cause i don't like the green side- but the option is there)

so if you do the math........ $40 is cheap in this instance

now duckie news......
momma let me pick her up and hold her on her back and rub her belly for quite a while
so that is huge news
i let them out last night for a swim and a snack of juicey worms
lilli got her bath first
then momma and phoebe
falstaff is due one and not bathing

things have been going something like this

LILLI stop biting momma

'but i'm not doing anything mom'

LILLI i SAW you bite momma on the wing

'i don't like her mom'

why on EARTH do you not like momma, she doesn't bother you at all

'i don't know mom, i got pms, and i just don't like momma's face'

LILLI, in the back...........NOW......................

and that is the daily arguement from the duckies
but they are all in the molt so i am waiting to see

meanwhile

HELP i am drowning in a sea of supplies

i could really use a pair of hands that know how to organizse

oye

vi

and now ........ the baking

mother nature is got pms and hot flashes
i can sympathize
now she is dumping hot flashes all over us
in addition to texas and africa
only ours come with humidity

oye

i am going to attempt to do the last part of the laundry
i did colored over the weekend and got the last of it dry more or less yesterday
now it's whites
although i still got some laundry drying on the inside line

as to studio progress
just some sorting yesterday

i made sauce for supper with sausage and meat then raviolis
yes in all that heat
bernie wanted that for supper
it was over 90 down where he works in jersey yesterday
he forgot his gatoraide
he works not only outside IN THE SUN
but
over HOT diesel ambulance engines
that are like 500 degrees under the hood
but his fleet has to roll
so that when someone needs an ambulance...... there is one for them

he loves his job, he loves his company, and he loves the management there
i worry about the heat and the cold and the weather and the danger
but he loves what he does

today he has his gatoraide
i made sure

now as far as on the board
right now is nothing
i finished the doggie treat cups ( need to do the doggie house treat cups yet)

i also need to do a few color illustrations of the duckies
but am having a bit of a problem with that end of the studio

i need a place to move all that part out to so i can get it straightened out
and the drafting table set up there

i was sorta doing some research, and i told bernie, 'all we need to do really, in the kitchen is to get the corner base cabinet custom made'
it will actually SAVE money in the long run
even if it costs us about 1000, it will in the end save money and space

what we have now is a corner base with a lazy susan
it wastes space and it is inefficent
we store pots and pans cause it's next to the stove
(point of first use no?)
if we get something with a sturdier design we won't have the issues we have now with the whole 'pots falling behind the lazy susan' thing we got now

and i want new pots
no more non stick ......i hate that stuff

i also been thinking..............
in the one corner where there is a copper pipe for the upstairs shower/tub.......
we can box that in with a moveable little cabinet
that would make a huge amount of space that we didn't think we had
it would do for some storage of stuff such as plastic refridge containers
(although i want to go to all glass with that as well)

in fiber news here, i am working on my socks, but i realized i need to do a shawl for my favorite and beloved sister in law
who lives in texas
galveston
( and STILL doesn't have the house raised on pilings..... due to a STUPID morgage company that won't release the insurance money to allow them to RAISE THE HOUSE)
she is a true girly girl
and i am thinking kidsilk haze..........she loves pink and blue
but i am leaning to something maybe cream so she can wear it all the time
she needs it for at work
the AC is seriously cold there due to them trying to stop the mold problem

maybe a few sparkles of beads here and there

whatcha think?


ok i know i am a bit behind on picture posting

i will get around to it

til next time

vi

dear mother nature

can we talk about balance

i know you pretty much know what you're doing........
and that left to your own devices you will get it all straightened out

however
there is a small problem i am having that you can help a bit

could you PLEASE share some of this rain with that part of texas that is in the really bad drought?

i got clothes on the line that get almost dry.........and then rains come

i am sooooo trying to be as 'green' as possible
but i didn't expect that to mean mold and moss growing on my dainties.......

or on bernie's tee shirts
please

we've had it up to HERE
and it's moldy

your friend
vi


well it rained again sunday
and so on and so forth
we went to get tomatoes, as our garden never happened due to my throwing my back out in the spring
something bit bernie on the neck
BAD
HUGE welts
i made him take benedryl it was so bad
my laundry which i forgot over saturday night on the line, and which was DRY saturday
is now drenched again and dripping

we couldn't do any more on the pens, but bernie did clean the chickens inside pens
and the ducks inside crates
while i packed meats for the freezer

i got a decent deal on chopmeat and on chicken
and it's safely squirreled away now
i still need to can 80 pounds of chicken breast, which i am waiting for a good sale to pick up

no wood yet delivered for winter
i am hoping that august dries up and we can take delivery of at least 4 cords
the more it rains......the more cords i think i am going to need as the old stuff is just rotting i think

i started knitting for fall
first up
booty socks for me
i have to do a plum and black hat/mittens/scarf set for me next
to match my new last winter, winter coat
then a scarf for colleen
then the endless round of mittens and socks for winter
i need to get some lopi for the mittens
that stuff wears like iron
i want a nice rose color and some purple and a charcoal gray
for some odd reason i need a number of pairs of mittens for over the winter

and probably a few more color knit hats as well

i should most likely knit sweaters again
with the current size of my little round body, a simple sweater will take me all winter
oye
and use pounds of yarn

i actually may knit me a bulky pull over if i can find a sturdy blend that includes mohair
that will be really warm when i do ducks during the BAD weather of jan/feb

now today
let's see
if the rains stop
i got laundry to finish, and molds to continue to clean
and two more blinds from upstairs to wash ( the bathroom blind will finally get a totally though cleaning.......not the 'best i can do' one it has been getting)

oh i found something totally cool

fix a windshield .....it's a crack and chip repair system for glass
i have a china closet that needs a glass fixed
i can't just replace it as you see it's a very large peice of half round hand blown glass
from a victorian half round china closet
so i figured
if i can just glue the crack to stabilize it
i can paint the cabinet and boom..........new doll cabinet for my finished peices!

now before you all freak out
mom had dad stain this gorgeous golden oak half round.......... BLACK
ewwwww
sorry
but ewwwwww
i thought they were nuts then
and i am still certain of them being nuts now

so paint it is
cream paint to be exact

and it will hold my work
we'll move it from where it is now
and put it somewhere that is 'display area'

how about that


as to the base/legs of the new work table
thanks to everyone that answered
i am thinking of paint as well now
i am thinking of using blue tape and doing the two color paint job
so it would be either black and white
or
magenta and lemon?

maybe the black and white would be a better idea.........as it would go with more stuff
and i wouldn't have to repaint too often huh?

vi

rain rain go to texas to kacey please

as you have now resaturated my laundry, my almost built duck pen
my almost built chicken pen
and my hopes of finishing them up today

yesterday was majorly productive
bernie got one duck pen almost done, and fixed the hoses on the washer, ran and got mail and bird food and hay

i got the living room mini blinds scrubbed, the windows clean, laundry washed and hung
lunch and supper made
food shopping ( we both went)
and i got a bargin on beads at ac moore
plus (with the 40% off coupon) the latest 'where women create'
it's ridiculously expensive and i would have preferred the 50% off coupon for it
but it's a real treat

and today i have to run for bacon, at 1.99 a pound
15 pounds should be enough
caluclated at about 1/2 pound per week and not every week

maybe i better get 20?

i got ten more pounds of butter, it will go on sale again and next time i'll get 15
plus whatever i get at sam's to freeze
and the stuff i have canned

since bernie's cholesterol is fine and mine is actually a bit too low
we are ok with the bacon

now this rain is going to put the stop on the porcelain end of things as i can't bring the molds out and brush them/clean them out
nor can i wrap them with all this moisture

i have to find another area to work on

now i have a question for you all

i got a new workbench for the doll dressing/general crafts/miniature making
it's got gray (ewwwwwwww) metal legs

i am debating on the following



vi's new work table
which one should i do
skirting the table
painting the legs either a cool girlie color, or black and white checkerboard
decoupaging roses on them
hand painting some funky swirly thingies



now remember i am going to end up with toile one way or another in part of the studio
most likely in reholstered chairs and pillows for them
possibly also a lead edge on some drop cloth drapes

so i could use some votes for this ok?

edited to add

btw
on the way home last night
we almost HIT a trio of deer

two BUCKS (about 4 pointers ) and a spotted fawn!
no does!

shocked us silly

slowly.......... slowly

i am doing the studio
bernie is concerned that i am not going fast enough
i am going as fast as i can right now
even working all day, i don't get a lot done because i am finding spaces for stuff as i go
and i am cleaning, destashing etc as i go

take yesterday,

as you all know i make original porcelain dolls, starting from a lump of clay, with a bunch of stuff inbetween that lump and the finished doll.
part of the process involves me making my own molds to pour the porcelain in
those molds are dusty
( oh BOY are they dusty)
and i found one that a mouse had been using for a pantry,
with MY cat food in there!
what a mess
so i am taking them outside
brushing them off with a soft brush inside and out then wrapping them in a cling sort of band
and moving them to another area
stacking them up carefully so i can get rid of their very nice wire shelf that they lived (and BREATHED ) on

i worked most of the day, intersparced with duck baths
supper
washing mini blinds
picking up cat puke
feeding and watering everyone
and breakfast for me which i remembered to eat around 2 pm

other then that i worked all day on the molds
i got half of two shelves cleared and a stack that was on my workbench
no not a lot
maybe 20 molds ( remember i make my own everything here, so 20 molds is just a bit of work, not the 2000 or so dollars it would be if i bought them)

i have maybe 100 more
givertake

now according to my hazy little plan that is sort of on paper and sort of in my befuddled head........
when the wire rack is out of the studio........ some sort of rolling ventilated shelf system will slide in and out of under the porcelain workbench
and now i am thinking............. maybe i don't have the space for it?

maybe it's time to give up porcelain as a medium and go to resin or 'cold cast' porcelain?

the molds for that are normally silicone

i think that maybe i can then do away with the upteen molds for one porcelain doll as i scuplt HUGE and then repeatedly cast, refine, fire, and SHRINK the dolls by making molds around the fired and refined bisque until they are the sizes i want
i like that i can refine them and resculpt them along the way, that helps a LOT
i like that i can sculpt HUGE and get all that detail in
and then shrink the detail down

i hate that i have about 6 molds of each doll head in 6 different sizes
i wouldn't mind if i had a seperate building or area for it
(and a seperate building or area for soap making as well)

keeping only 'clean' stuff in this studio
such as painting, drawing, design work.........sewing
stuff like that

really the dolls and other parts of my small businesses have outgrown the studio space
some stuff i can let go
but a lot i can't

i don't know what to do about it all

i know we have plenty of land to put outbuilding, but with the criminal neighbors next door, i worry about theft and vandalism
as i don't think they've reformed any
and they've been guilty ( and on TV) for theft and vandalism before.........

anyway
this is where i am at this morning
but i keep plugging away

today after i wash two more mini blinds
i am going to do more of the molds

then i think i am going to take my fabrics out on the deck to sort
btw
the hoses to the washer broke during the week
so today bernie is going to fix that
good thing too
as i have found a mouse got into my fabric stash

and we paid a mouse exterminator for 6 YEARS to come quarterly to get the mice
i think it was a waste
don't you?

you just have to love antique stone houses in the woods

vi

my cousin emailed

and said that aunt elsie looked so peaceful
and that only a very small handful of neices and nephews were there
and that the flowers we sent were beautiful and they are covering her grave now

i still feel bad i wasn't there
patricia understands
aunt elsie probably as well, as i am more then sure she is too busy partying with my family to mind

bernie felt bad we weren't there as then entire jersey bunch of relatives didn't bother to go
but i told bernie
that they may not know......or if they do they probably don't care

it's sad for me to think that

i spent the day thinking of my aunt and cleaning the studio
it's slow progress here but it is progress none the less

if i had a place to put my porcelain supplies, i would have made HUGE progress
but it's too wet out to put anything out even under a tarp
or i would have put it on the deck until i got the space cleared

we may have to put stuff in the bedroom for a bit

i did get another arco cabinet spray painted white, and after sunday i will spray it with the cream color
i have done three arco cabinets and have three more to do
one is HUGE
one is tiny
i am sorting and tossing as i go so that also takes time

i am also making those file boxes as i go, the next batch is going to be covered with the wrapping brown paper from my arches water color paper
so the paper actually says 'arches' on it

talk about recycling
it was too cool a wrapper to toss, and after all it IS in an artist's studio right?
what better idea?
i am thinking of doing just the spine for the magazine files and then saving the paper for some other coverings

these magazine file boxes make me feel so good
recycled boxes, recycled coverings
and then useful items at the end
i like that idea

i am leaning more and more to a buff, cream, red and black idea for the studio
and toile
i love toile
i love the fabrics that go with it
checks, stripes and dots
if i can find a magenta and buff or cream toile for the 'red'
that's good
and while i am not crazy about black........and i prefer navy blue as a 'black'
if i have to go with the black i will be ok more or less

i want to also replace the ceiling fan, as bernie knocked into it a few times and now it wobbles as the blades are off balance
if we do, i want NO lights on it
i hate ceiling lights
i hate them, they make glare on my glasses and i can't see then

besides light shouldn't come from the center of the ceiling, it makes for dark corners and odd shadows

i do however LOVE uplit corners in a room, with hidden uplights,
i love table lamps, (with red shades.........perferably in cranberry glass that is lined in white glass)
and i love shades on chandeliers
cream silk in rooms that have an eastern exposure and dark with gold lining in 'night' rooms
and old fashioned as it is
i love brass chandeliers - 6 arms are nice
i remember when i finally got my brass 6 arm
wow, it was about 1982 and we paid 125.00 for it
then i went and got the shades and put the chandelier on a dimmer
i love chandeliers on a dimmer too
and hung lower over the table
i think mine was 30 inches from the top of the table.......maybe 32 inches
(i also love round tables with skirts to the floor and over skirts, but with the cats and bernie i don't do that much anymore)

so that's where i am more or less in here
today i need to get to the feed and grain
and to ac moore for more of them divided plastic boxes, and a few other smallish odds and ends

if the rain will hold off a few more days, i can finish some more spray painting
i am going to do my mom's china closet too
that will hold finished dolls
and the file cabinets too........... i need them done so i can actually LOOK at them again
(and emptied.......i need to empty them as well)

as i am going along i am making notes to myself,
'refurbish the shoe ''kit'' with the stuff for shoes, polish, laces, wax, glue, etc........if it's for shoes'

make a household tool kit for picture, curtain, misc hangins and small repairs
use PINK tools so bernie won't take them to the basement
hammer, screw drivers, plyers hooks and such

do an ironing station somewhere..... for the iron and such
near where the sewing machine is or will be
i can iron clothes there and it would help
i need a new iron too........mine are from sometime in 78 or 79
i have matching ones...mine and my mom's
and both are sorta crappy, but good for crafts

i need a spot for the swift and ball winder too
oye

is this all EVER going to get done?

are you sure?

in MY lifetime?

anyone want to help

oh and btw, the cats wish to inform you all that there is a mouse under the sink
and another mouse in the corner of the studio.............


vi

my last remaining aunt died saturday

i found out last night
my aunt elsie riccardi
she was 97
she was the tiniest little thing
shorter even then me

she had so much love packed into that tiny frail little body, it's amazing
her husband, uncle lou died a few years back, he was as tall as she was tiny

my aunt angie died shortly after my uncle lou, aunt angie was aunt elsie's sister
and her husband uncle eddie died about 5 months ago
aunt angie came to get him 'eddie, when are you coming home from work'

they are all together now, along with my folks

i haven't seen her in a while due to her not knowing me
it would just kill me
i know that really isn't any excuse
i did however email and call her daughter in law and her son regularly
and patricia emailed me last night to tell me

even though she had been 'gone' for years
i still felt like there was family here for me
now that's gone with her
and i am now one of 'the old people' in the family
i know i'm kinda young but there you have it

i am going to miss the knowing that she was still here

but really she is now with everyone, surrounded by so much love that i am so happy for her
even though i am going to miss her so much

vi

it's raining again

ha
there is a shocker huh?
it's almost 9am and we have to have LIGHTS on in the house cause we can't see for shit
it's that dark

naturally it is raining
we hung laundry
so it will be exceedingly well rinsed no?

oye


yesterday we brought my poor broken and battered kitchen aide to nj to the kichenaide doctor
the bench fee is 10.00
we'll see how much he wants to fix it
the lady cautioned me that it isn't easy working on kitchenaides
i am in a muddle now
i need that mixer
i got the bosch for big stuff but that is the every day mixer, cream the butter for the cookies... do the egg whites for the boiled icing mixer

after the jersey trip we stopped at ac moore
i had 2 50% off coupons so we got a pumpkin welcome flag for the house
and a gallon of white glue
( really i am running through glue like crazy lately)
a stop at the dollar store for black crows ( three of them)
and then milk and bread and back home for a bit
finally a run to get pavers for the duck pens

i am looking at the yet to be built pens..........and i am thinking......
they are way too small.....
WAY
TOO
SMALL

even double...........they would be too small
i probably need something more like 10 by 18
or even 9X18

and the other duck pen........turns out bernie decided it is a chicken coop
ok that is the right size for now 5 chickens ( and just think........a few months ago i had 10 chickens)

i suppose we can add run to the duck pen but with lillianna so bitchy ( and MOLTING LIKE CRAZY) i think i need a whole second seperate bitchy duck pen

and a pen to set eggies

if we do get the pens done
i am going to consider putting a small bird aviary up as well
it's been so long since i have had my beloved finches and canaries, and parakeets
the longest lived and healthiest canary i ever had was bred and raised in an unheated outdoor aviary in oakland nj
the guy who raised him had tons of birds sitting in the sun on snow covered branches when i went to see my bird
and they were healthy and singing
i don't know what or how he did it
but he did
i wish i hadn't lost track of him.........he was a friend of bernie's

oh and my reward for whenever i get the studio finished........ i am getting a fish
probably a betta but maybe a goldfish
we'll see

( see what happens when i don't get to raise babies during the summer............)

oye again
anyway
have a nice rest of weekend everyone

vi

i want a climbing pink rose

for over the front windows
and i would like a few apricot shrub roses out near the street

as some of you may remember, we live in a tiny ( really tiny) stone cottage in the woods
there are much less woods now as there are 'luxury townhouses' build on the ridge behind us
but never the less we are still more woody then not

anyway back to the roses
i want a climbing pink rose over the front window
i would love it over the hood of the front door but i would settle for over the window

when i was growing up we had a climbing 'peace' rose
it was often neglected, and it climbed up to my upstairs windows, and flowered like nothing you have ever seen before
i adored it
even though it had wicked wicked thorns
and heavy thick canes
it is still my very favorite rose
but i still want a climbing pink

now i don't know a whole hell of a lot about roses, i suppose i know more then the average person.
i know they come in florabundas ( they flower more or less all season)
hybrid teas (they are the hot house beauties)
climbers, shrubs
antiques
ramblers and of course my beloved MINI roses ( them i used to grow by the hundreds)

it's that whole spray thing that's gotten me
i don't remember us doing anything at all to our roses as a kid
and it would have ended up being my job to deal with it
so no sprays, no dead heading, no fertilizing
just cutting sprays of roses and bringing them in and plopping them in water
(in mom's cornflower blue vase)

any dedicated rose growers out there?

i am thinking, if we do eventually get my climber, i can always do a mix of clematis over the front door..........
right?

oye

vi

flash flood watch

for this area

what with all the rain, what could we expect?
and our chances of forest fire?
not a snowballs chance in hell i would imagine
meanwhile
it's 6am
and very dark out
foggy too cause of the humidity
i want it to dry up a bit as i need to take delivery of our winter wood
and until it's stacked............. it will sit in the driveway, which is down hill
the entire property is downhill

oye

i found a box of teddy bears in the studio yesterday, gifts from bernie over the years
they are small ones, and all blond teddy bears, in all sorts of materials, one even being in corduroy!
i know i have some furniture for them as well
as they are part of our christmas decorations for the mantel

i did make a tiny bit of head way into the studio again
i am about to start moving more furniture
i need to get the mold storage out of the way or i am not going to get any further in the studio
right now
everything hinges on dealing with them

i got falstaff in the bath again yesterday, i chased him all over the place and finally cornered him and hosed him off enough so that he got the hint
and then STILL had to chase him up and down the hill until he got in the bath
he stayed about an hour
Lillianna is molting
there are FEATHERS all over the freeken place
enough to build two whole other ducks
!!!!!!!!!!!!

phoebe was a bit ago
no one however has molted out primaries so i don't have to clip wings yet
lilli and phoebe still have the clipped wings i did last year!
i expect however to have to clip before winter

momma still hasn't started her molt.

she is getting a bit tamer, as there are occations when i can pet her
and she isn't too bad really about me picking her up
i do occationally have to corner her however, but she realizes that normally it's to put her in the pond, which she likes so that's ok with her

lilli is still bitchy
she loves her momma again, but still hates momma (the duck momma)
oye

meanwhile ducette and the other chickens are doing well, ducette was broody but is now running around the basement. we'll put her back in with henrietta probably sunday

ok i have to reboot this vista yet AGAIN
I hate vista, have i mentioned that?
i HATE VISTA
it makes my very FAST computer run like a brick
oye
vi

we had a tornado yesterday

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090730/NEWS/907300311

this is a few miles away from me about......5 or so (giver take a mile)
then it veered through a tiny corner of my township

i went out early to get the ducks in, about 2 pm
i discovered that the pens were flooded
so i never took them back out again after the storms passed

bernie ran into all sorts of problems on the way home

today it looks green and peaceful out
so i will be taking duckiekins out shortly
(and i hope lilli's bad mood is almost over with the passing of the storm)

in studio news
i have reluctantly agreed to give up the shelf that i keep my handmade doll molds on
as well as possibly ( i am out of my mind here)
a 7' workbench........but i am not entirely sure about the workbench
one small shelf is coming out, and may be altered a bit to serve as a hutch top
bins of fiber have already come out
and three white metal shelves will be switched with a big pantry shelf
bernie gets the pantry shelf
the pantry gets the three white metal shelves
and i get to figure out where to put the stuff stored on the white shelves

i didn't get a lot done in here yesterday, as it was so dark and i didn't want too many lights on with the storms
but i did get some paperwork up and filed
and a few things put up
i also found and labeled a box for wigging fibers
so that is a plus when i go to empty one of the storage thingies under the 7' workbench
as i know there is a box under there full of viscose wigging fibers

today i think (in addition to finishing dishes that i was afraid to yesterday.......there was a LOT of water going in the cess pool simply from the rain)
i think i am going to pull some of the paper that is strewn around out
and i am going to see about moving my winter clothes storage container ( i didn't finish filling it, i got side tracked)
i may also make another file box as the three i have now are getting full

in looking around i realized that i still have the sorting boxes in the studio from trying to sort out the paper work i been sitting on for years, i started right before trish died, and haven't been able to go back to it
i need to move it out of the studio
and when the studio is done
GO BACK AND DO IT
only instead of shredding
i think we are going to have a bonfire

with those boxes out i can reach the rest of the doll dressing supplies
and that will go a LONG way to making headway in that end

of course there is still the porcelain end of the studio

optimally if i could move that out of the main studio, it would be good
i would like it in an attached outbuilding but it needs to be kept from freezing
putting the kilns in there would be good as well


well anyway
the ultimate goal is, getting everything up on wheels, organized and workable
so that when we finally get to do the windows/walls in here
it's a simple matter of moving everything to the center of the room to work on the walls without too much major disruption of our life (or as little disruption as possible during renovations)

ok well there you have it
i am thinking out loud

it is of course subject to change
if we figure something that works better

vi

what's next? plagues of locust?

so after the nearly endless rain,
now we got the famous jersey humidity?
doesn't mother nature know we live in pa now?

we aren't sleeping either
the ac keeps freezing up, so it gets hot up there

supper is salads of one sort of another

egg salad
chicken salad
green salad

due to the weather i am sort of hibernating
so yesterday i stayed with sorting in the studio
it looks worse now then it did before
and i am running into blocks again
however i did find 5 sheets of arches #140 hot press water color paper!
i knew i had it, i just didn't know WHERE i had it
i will be cutting it up today i think
( and the 10 OTHER sheets of paper sitting here waiting to be cut up)

i am looking through boxes and wondering if i should let my dollhouse furniture go,
and my dollhouses
some (most) are still in boxes or again in boxes
there isn't any room here for them
the funny thing is
i have always wanted a dollhouse
i have built numerous ones for clients and a few for gifts and a few for me
not one of mine however ever got finished
i make dollhouse miniatures
i have made dollhouse minitures for SALE since i was 16 ( we won't go into how many years THAT is.........but it is getting on the 1/2 century mark now)

and i am thinking of letting them go
because i am thinking that if i am not going to use them, maybe it's better to get them out of my life and studio
i am going to think about this a bit more
however, i am leaning to selling them

well today is supposed to have t-storms again, it's almost 9am and still 6 am dark out
i just realized how late it is
(i was doing some research online so am late to post)
i have to get the ducks out

anyway, i expect that today again is going to be spent trying to make sense of this studio
i probably should think about doing some of the FABRIC as well
maybe a box labeled 'doll fabric'
?

oye

vi

today is still monday but this should post tomorrow

i pulled that shelf out of the studio that i cleared off
and made another magazine file

i found a stash of soon to be recycled priority mail boxes so instead of ending in recycling
they are now covered in wrinkled brown paper and have a pretty label on their spine
i want to make some other that coordinate maybe with fabric?
i cleared a couple of small drawers, washed them and replaced them in the little chest (they are still empty, but they won't be for long

bernie thinks i need to do the porcelain end of the room, and while i agree it would help
i don't have the dolly i need for the cases of clay, porcelain, plaster, etc
what do i do with all that until i get dollys?
they have got to roll out from under the bench or i can't REACH THEM

oh man
anyway


today i think i got a small amount finished
but any amount is still more then yesterday right?

it is now tuesday morning, after we didn't sleep all night, someone called us a bit after midnight. I *69 and found out it was a friend of ours that was attempting to retrieve messages from her new computer phone. thankfully it wasn't an emergency.

today i am going to pull the tower of green shelves out of the corner i think, those are the shelves i want to spray paint cream (did one, and it looks great, so much better then that icky puke green that is partly turning brownish yellow in spots)

but i am really thinking i need to get into the 7' bench, as that has a ton of stuff i think i can get up on the new shelves. i also need to do a bonfire of old stuff that normal folks would shred.

if i get too wrapped up, it's going to be egg or chicken salad suppers, but i am hoping not to get too wrapped up.

i am also hoping to get at least one more file box completed today, with luck.

it's supposed to be in the low 90's today, and humid and muggy, and well............like jersey, so i am going to try to hibernate in the studio with the AC on

til later gator

vi

i got a shelf cleaned off in the studio

which doesn't sound huge ( and the shelf is the smallest one i have)
but for me it's huge

see i am finding a place for stuff as i clear
sounds nuts but see i have no room
it's either find a place or don't clean
there isn't anywhere to put anything

there is no place to put all the stuff out of a room and start with the room empty
which would be great
and with the rain we've been having again
even a tent would not work

so it's
'take a box out, empty one thing at a time and find it's spot, then go back for the next thing'

ok so it isn't the fastest but it is working (abet slowly) for me

now that this shelf is cleared
i am in to the porcelain workbench area
i am not really happy about having to do that area
but there you have it

meanwhile
over the weekend, due to the shitty weather,
we did nothing much
i did the studio and finished some drawings
bernie did dishes and baked himself brownies
he also did the cooking sunday
(i did saturday)
the laundry apparently is going to spend the week on the clothes line getting rerinsed hourly.......

lillianna is still totally bitchy
like you haven't SEEN before
we haven't anyway
bernie is even getting annoyed with her
and dulcette is running around on the basement floor as SHE is broody
(soon to be WAS broody........she'll come out of it soon)

so now
i think next after the porcelain area is the back 7' workbench
which actually is partly done already!!!

oh and i found my glassine bags i use for product packaging for soaps and that
and boxed them, labeled them,...........and without even REALIZING IT, stuck them under the box of plastic bags i package the miniature ouija boards and tarot cards in!
oh man

and it turns out
BERNIE CAN ORGANIZE
now how he somehow hid this from me actually isn't hard to understand
i want pretty and organized
he wants HIDDEN

i need to see it
or i don't know i have it

he needs to hide it and he keeps the map in his head ( no wonder he forgets everything but work and his models)

oye

ok up shortly
i need ideas for a computer desk and office in a sort of box
i think we are going to build something

that's it for now, unless i remember something else

vi

on solitude

i find lately, my world is shrinking
but instead of it being a bad thing it is a wonderful thing
i guess going back to my roots was the right thing at the right time

i am relishing the time with my drawings, and my drafting table
i sit and go to the place where i am alone with myself
i remember when i was in art school, i would go to that place while drawing in studio classes

time had no meaning there

it was a sort of dreamy half hypnotic sleep state that always refreshed my soul in ways i had forgotten until now

in the very daily-ness of life and living, i had gotten away from going to that place.

i picked it up again while sculpting dolls, but had to again drop it for a while

i don't intend on dropping it again

i find myself wandering over to the drafting table for a piece of time here and there
in between dishes, and duckies
dinner and dusting
i sit and work
then get up
leave the ink washes i have just laid down to dry
while i do other things and let the images run through the back of my mind

some folks have seen the drawings that are coming off of my drafting table now

i am putting them away as it truly does look like i will have enough for a book
and i would like to look at them in the future with a fresh eye

other interesting things have been coming out of this as well
old wounds are being healed while i draw
i had been told by another friend who is an artist
that part of the tension in my life was that i was NOT doing what i was born to do
that no matter what else i did in my daily life,

(although i do write daily)

i needed to draw and design somehow

i took that advise

and i am so very glad i did

i truly am coming full circle

and it seems that the best is yet to come

possessed duckies from HELL

as anyone who follows this blog knows
i am dealing with ducks with hormonal mood swings.........

i THOUGHT lillianna was getting over her snit
ha
she LIED

she was out of the pen and telling me that she loved her momma bestest of all

and the next thing i knew....she was running away from me squeaking like the hounds of hell were on her feathered little butt

i figured a nice COLD bath/shower would mellow her out
right?
doesn't that usually calm down irate ducks?

WRONG

she bite momma on the wing that is just starting to heal
so i chased lil around as she ran away from me
squeaking
until i finally got her cornered
(damn that waddley little duck is FAST.......... my old lady gigily body can NOT keep up, since my legs are only maybe three inches longer then duck legs)

i pick her up and she was instantly docile and loving her momma

INSTANTLY

see what i mean?
them damn ducks are possessed

i am expecting pea soup to issue forth at any minute
and for their heads to start spinning

so now i am soaking wet
between wet duck
and sweating from running all over the back yard after this duck
in THIS HUMIDITY.......( think warm wet washcloth in your lungs.........)

oh man
and yet somehow, i haven't ever learned to DRINK

i wonder why not?


oye


ok this will post in the AM
as i intend on sleeping IN
let bernie handle the females
i will handle the pillows

i have been thinking........

about change

and how comfortable or uncomfortable i am with it

some change i like, such as when the studio is finished
i will love that
or when we (if ever at this point) settle on a farm
although the changes from moving won't be pleasant
such as packing, house hunting etc

losing friends is a huge change
i am not comfortable with the changes from that

thinking back on 'how it was' to 'what it is'
most of the time if that sort of change didn't thankfully happen over time,
i think a lot of us would go out of our minds

when i honestly think back without the rosey glow of nostalgia,
i realize that there were a LOT of things during my lifetime that needed to change

womens rights ( hard one battle still going on)
integration

those two are the biggies i remember

this morning, i was wondering and thinking about intentional change as opposed to imposed on change

such as say, weight lose from a diet plan as compared to something such as a natural disaster

i wonder if it truely is all in how you chose to think about it

if so
then is that the real lessons we are here to learn.......
chosing to think about things?
living with a deliberate intent?

or is that another choice?

vi

ps: the rains are getting to the slugs even
guess there is no danger here of forest fire
or even bbq fire
everything is again
too damp

and yesterday,

i drew


i didn't clean except one load of dishes

i did however wrangle pissy duckies


lillianna is the worst
she is the one that beat up momma
so she is by herself in a crate and momma is in with phoebe

no matter what i did with lil yesterday she remained pissy
i miss my sweet loving duckie

it is a pms sort of broody thing with them
it isn't like with dogs or cats, that they need the vet
it's hormonal
sometime with chickens you cool off their bodies and it breaks the broody thing
i am still learning what works with ducks

sometimes it is simply a matter of change in their sleeping arrangement
which i did last night
i penned lil seperately
finally in desperation i put her in with falstaff, as sometimes having a randy male will stop that hormonal swing

i tried numerous baths

so we'll see how my lil is today
i swear she is jekyl and hyde duck lately

but this too will pass...............
not soon enough, but eventually......

if i survive it

the studio organizing is again at a stand still cause i don't know what to do

this snail pace thing is going to continue
cause it's me doing it

most normal folks would see the studio
would then dig in and in a few hours
it'd be shining and organized and all that good stuff

not me
what's it now? 4 months? three months?

oye
i WANT shiny clean organized but i am not quite sure how to get from here to there

someone told me to empty the room
hahahahaha
after i stopped laughing my assets off

i realized while it would be best to do it that way
as we all know
my little stone cottage in the woods is tiny

dog houses are bigger
seriously

so i am having to sort of work around everything

maybe i need a tent?

vi

the whales have arrived

i finally finished the killer whale drawing
after struggling with the layout for a while

i was supposed to get to that drawing the week cleo and marguerite died but understandably couldn't face duckie drawings
so i drew halloween
and little witches
and paper dolls

for the past week or so i have been laying out the whales
and yesterday basically did the drawing

i asked bernie to look at it
he laughed which is what i wanted a first reaction to be
and then he LOOKED
which i also wanted as a second reaction

after i finished it
i draw a little vintage halloween witch on a hang tag
i am going to add some antiquing to her today
then clear out a bit more of the studio

in actual live duck news as well as chicken news
EVERYONE is got pms

i didn't expect that from chickens and ducks
dulcette was fighting with henrietta
and we all know that lillianna and phoebe are collectively in the 'dog' house for beating up on momma
momma btw, is fine and a bit lonely
but if lil and phoebe's tempers improve she'll be back in with them soon
i am going to try getting them out early today
maybe that will help
but then we have the 'retrival of the egg' problem..........which means the little bitches bury the damn things under a foot of hay

the raccoons seem to have no problem finding the eggs
me
not as easy

so anyway
any organizing tips for me in the studio?

besides.........."HIRE SOMEONE"

which probably would be best if i could afford it
oye

later gator

vi