soapie notice

ok folks, I started the soaping for the late summer and the fall....( and winter too I suppose)

today I put cucumber
and rose in the molds
soooooooooooooo
those two will be ready September 24!!!

I will be soaping for quite a while until I get the stock back up to par
any requests let me know now.....or wait to next season...

I have to say the kitchen smells like a summer garden!
I really would have liked to do some big 50 pound batches but right now I am doing some of the soaps that while they do have a following.....it's a smaller following
but the fall and holiday soaps as well as the popular ones will have pretty big batches
but I do have to warn you all....... Get your orders in as soon as you can..

hahaha
I can't WAIT to do the pumpkin spice and the apple harvest soaps..........
woo hoo......

( ok so I don't have much of a life........)

vi

The Creator has a sense of Humor

do you need proof?
other then my life of course.....

well let us start with this

reproduction

ahhhhhhhhhh ooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww

ok
so here is the lowdown

in humans for the most part
we insert tab A into slot B
and wiggle all about

which produces part C

and here you thought it was all sacred & beautiful

HA.......

turns out the Creator is THE same engineer who makes toys that frantic parents try at assemble on Christmas eve!

( I see you all nodding your heads remembering all the cursing and fumbling around and hushed whispers on Christmas eves past)

only humans do not come with the instruction sheet that is written in four languages and has all the diagrams and parts labeled

NO WONDER the species has problems.............

we are all still fumbling around!

now folks that possess the tab A's are always running around looking for slots to fit their tabs into
they sometimes don't care if it is slot b, c, d, e, f or xyz............
it makes for interesting experiences I would imagine.

and the folks that possess the slot B are sometimes trying to keep the tab A's out.......
after all not everyone is ready for a part C
and this is a good thing.

I am pretty sure that a lot of the confusion that folks that possess the differently engineered areas stems from the fact that they can not really understand the opposite folks..........
I mean it does stand to reason..no?


anway

that is just my observation while waiting for my canner timer to go off..............

til next time

vi

Today will be a VERY CLEAN day

soap beautiful soap.........

I am making soap today
I don't know how much yet or all of the kinds
but I do know cucumber is on the list
as I got a FRESH CUCUMBER just begging to be made into soap

so folks..... soapies are being made......... they will be ready in two months...... ( September 21)
I have goats milk in the freezer from violet's momma........ so goat milk soap is very likely to be made as well.
I will post what was made later .....you know AFTER I actually make it.

in neighborhood news........the folks up the hill got a PAVED driveway.........
oh my it is soooooooooooooo pretty

we used to be the only house on this hill with a paved drive......and our's is been paved for 35 years......so could use a new paving job no?..........I mean now most of our drive needs the lawnmower


speaking of which, bernie's new thing seems to be.................. better living through weed camouflage.
I am not saying that he has neglected his manly duties.......namely mowing the lawn.....

( can we all get an amen GRUNT here.......................thank you)

however
I can cut the heads off the weeds out front with a scissors...without bending over.........
I know I am very short....but STILL.........
and I know my weeds are my FRIENDS ........
however even the WEEDS would like........ 'a little off the top please'

trust me.........they told me so!

I would do it but I can figure out the semi hot wired job that it takes to turn on the lawnmower....
and actually I am not even sure WHICH lawn mower he uses........
although I am almost certain that the one with the flat tires probably isn't the one he uses.........

( remember, he is a MECHANIC......... so I got to expect flat tires and such)

I swear............I need to bring the goat home and a few sheepies.....
they would mow and fertilize in one easy pass..........
no polution
no flat tires
no trying to figure which wire goes where..............
and they work for sheep cookies and WEEDS..................

hmm

til next time

vi

48 pints of blueberries on the wall

48 pints of blues
you take one down and pass it around......

ah......
wait ok I canned it and froze it all
and made jam
I made spiced blueberry lavender jam
and plain blueberry jam

but this isn't about blueberries.....
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhnoooooooooooooooooooooooo

this is about SPICE
( not the girl band............ get your head outta the gutter)

this is about SPICE......... you know....... exotic pods and seeds from far off lands..

yup

now this is just between you and me right......we won't tell bernie ok?
he doesn't need to know I got something like 24 pounds of spice ok????

24 POUNDS of spice you say........

thud.......


yup yup
you read that right........

you see I buy spices from this place online.......
and it is by the pound, which you get pretty good prices on.......
( ok so actually REALLY good prices on)
and i know I will need it all
and when I saw this little pissass jar of mace in the supermarket for almost 6.00
and a whole POUND of mace is 9.............................

well
yup yup had to buy the pound
you all understand right?

just need buckets of the stuff lieing around.......... makes me feel all exotic and that crap.

ok the real deal is.....
I am on a pickling kick......
making the pickles to keep me happy over the winter

I got me some doozie spices too
cardamon
and allspice
star anise
cloves
cinnamon,
tumeric ( it's very oily btw)

yup got them all
I really went to hell and got both BROWN and YELLOW mustard seed........but they they do have other uses........I mean I could actually MAKE mustard......you know from SCRATCH!!!!

amazing you know.....it's actually made WITH mustard seeds ground up and doesn't just ooze out of a yellow squeeze bottle.

( the things you learn huh? stick with me kid.........you never know where we are going)

now I figure I may just forget to mention this to bernie.... at least until after he is in a pickle induced coma brought on the the shear magnificence of my pickled endeavors........ no?

but then again............ how often does someone get to buy all those spices.......
medieval despots would have WORSHIPED me........

hahahhaha

vi
now wanting a camel and some silks............ maybe a tent no???


and I came back to add......
that agent tanked me
do you think it was something the chickens said????

they can be rather ah.........flighty at times..........

well you know they ARE chickens.......

ok but I am still going.......
oh

I was thinking of adding ADSENSE to the blog....
what do you folks think??? let me know yea or nay...

Another day...... another pint of jersey devil berries...

well, we are again having a blue blue blueberry day....
I did jam yesterday, and today I am flash freezing individual berries..
( tomorrow the world....no?) NOOOOOOOOOO not one by one.....
but seperately on a try.....not all lumpied together in a bag......at least not until AFTER they are frozen.......
I got over a gallon bag full now and more happening even as we speak....( ah......... you read?)

I also got two piddly cucumbers in the brine to be pickles...
sandwich slicers.....
that's ok....
I am going to put in a LOT more cuc plants.....watch
oye
( cause at a future date if I do that.....you all are going to hear me ranting about 97 gallons of pickles fermenting in the basement....)
by the way in case some of you folks don't know this..... cucumbers that are destined to be pickles BITE......yup like cactus....they got them some wicked spines.....



it is very dark out.....
we are getting 'thunderstorms, possible heavy rain, hail, locust, the 7 plagues of Egypt, boils and pestilence'.......... or something like that

I am debating on if it is wise to defrost a ham that is admittedly almost as big as my ass.......( that's alotta ham, as my ass could crush a small army if I fell on it.......... the army and the ass)

I was thinking of canning it

I am thinking of canning any thing and everything that doesn't move fast enough.......


hmmmmmmmmm watch out cat........... you could be gulash tomorrow...........

sooooooooooooooooooooooo
I haven't heard from that agent yet
well I was really trying hard for a 'professional query letter' and somehow.......... chickens crept into the letter.....
I SWEAR I don't know how

I really don't
next thing you know the chickens were dancing all over the letter.....

( vi is hanging her head in shame now)

and you folks are all stiffling your laughter, I know you are
hey don't laugh!
IT could happen to YOU
you know it could

no?
ok maybe it could only happen to me...........

oye

til next time

vi

jersey devil berries

I had a BRILLIANT idea.......

notice it is capitalized.......

ok my BRILLIANT idea was this.......
blueberries are on sale for LESS then 1.00 a pint..

( are you drooling yet???)

I would get them and dry them........ and we would have muffins ALL WINTER

see
BRILLIANT

a few berries would find their way into jams and such....
( ask me about my spiced blueberry lavender jam......)

simple plan right?
blueberries that gift from the Indians..... with NO technology at the time....I should add that huh?

you know that the Indians dried their blueberries right???
well no one apparently TOLD my blueberries....

cause even with my fancy dehydrator............. they are NOT drying
not a bit not a smidge......
they are not

I check them every day.....they been drying since MONDAY
I poke them

nope

soft pillowy little berries..... but not hard anymore and firm
literally pillowy

I get a bit suspicious last night and poked a few with a pin.....

AH HA

it is as I thought.......

They have inflated themselves.....

somehow MY blueberries puffed themselves up with pride.......
and defiance..............

and started to link arms and chant

NO NO WE WON'T GO..............

ha

today in addition to the jam I am making more of..
I intend to deflate blueberries

and you think YOU got problems???


vi

BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUE Berries

I got 24 pints of blueberries
for 5.99 a six pint pack......
so doing the math....they are just barely less then $1.00 per pint

ok
I followed directions for drying blues....... I kept them in the dryer thingie all night
this morning did I awake to shriveled and tiny nuggets of concentrated blueberrie goodness???

nope still bloated and soft from the blanching....

ok so on to plan B
freezing the whole berries on a tray in the freezer.......THEN they are to be dumped into the dehyrdrator..... ( the dryer thingie)

we'll see how this tactic works
meanwhile I have about 18 pints reproachfully sitting in coolers.......

and I said I was going to go and get 24 more pints.........
ah......
only when I get these processed huh?
I don't have fridge space and my cooler space is seriously lacking....

WHAT??
you can NOT relate........??
hey what sort of life do you lead?

for punishment write 1000 times......... I will explore saving food for the winter like my ancestors

there will be a test on thursday btw.


ok
so what do I do with the over abundance of these blues?

why jam of course......no?
ok so some will be jam but really the most need to be dried for winter muffins.....

I envision jars full of shriveled nuggets of pure blueberrie goodness......

now if only the berries would cooperate.......they don't seem to see the same visions....


vi

the further adventures.......

http://notashyviolet.blogspot.com/2005/08/for-our-beloved-la-bella-mengele.html

ok that is the link for the funny stuff......


on saturday, ( or was it friday)
I was asked by two seperate people to write.........
they didn't mean letters to them....
they meant articles for publication.....

now I have done that before and it did pay well...........
but I have only done how to articles.......
I am really not sure about anything else......
I mean I do write for this blog I suppose......
occationally now, when I have something to say.......
( which today is that my pickling cucumbers are taking FOREVER to ripen.......and only are ripening one or TWO at a time......how can I pickle THAT?)

anyway, I said I would take it under serious consideration..........
and I am
I am seriously thinking about it
sooooooo
anyone have any thoughts please email me..........( and I hope that thingie works to an email pop up.......... replace the appropriate words with the actual symbols)


so anyway....... that is what is going on in my little world
that and I have to run to town to the bank



vi

canning canning canning and a wristlet

I have been canning a LOT lately
tonight..... while i type......I am waiting for 15 jars of beef cubes to come to pressure so i can time it
I canned this with red wine, onions, mushrooms and garlic.....
I will be canning the chicken breasts tomorrow the same way....
and also making some jars of meatballs and meat loaf
as well as watermelon pickles

we also have to clean the chicken coop and I am knitting wristlets with beads for a class I am giving at the yarn store

btw,
the yarn store wants me to knit a bunch of different things for october classes
and I am out of ideas
I am currently teaching mittens.... ( saturday is one of the first mitten classes)
and the beaded wristlets along with my sock classes and two beginner lace.....
now
a couple people do hats
so I don't need to....
how about one of those little caplet thingies?
in lace?
hmmmmmmmm
I don't know
so any suggestions would be welcome

I have been sick again....... the glucaphage gets me really ill.....it's like doing chemo!
I get THAT sick....
so I stopped taking it.....now before I get the lecture......the doc knows

ok well gotta go check the canner.....
vi

thursday morning and the knitting ain't easy

I ripped it a few times
and figured what I wanted
now the mitten should be done today

ditto the wristlet for the classes I am teaching in the fall
I got to finish the scarf off too


now
the soapies are in the mold
but the stick blender broke in the middle.....
it is brand new........ I got it first of may when colleen was here
so I can't return it
damn I hate walmart

they discountinued the brand I normally use
( I think it was a ge)

ok so I got to get yet another stick blender cause I am making all the soap to stock the web site
you folks want anything in particular.........or plan to order for the holidays
let me know NOW................

I made coffee soap yesterday......I will see how it looks when I turn it out of the mold later

lets see
the ladies and the cats are all doing well
I made and canned strawberry jam

Pieheart and I are to go blueberry picking this coming week..............
I am planning on drying them

I got the garden a bit more in
and got a tick AND got eatten by mosquitos

and got a gallon of deep woods off to go out there with on a daily basis.......

at least when they bite me, I can bite BACK
DIE YOU INGRATES..

ah...... but I am not bitter


ok
lets see ........the girls are not yet out in the chicken palace
I SWEAR they are going to go on strike.........AND IT'S ALL BERNIE's FAULT


yup yup

the gate is still too big......there's no roost
and NO chicken friendly and SAFE coop out there
he thinks they will willing go into a stuffy non ventilated dog house
ha
sure bernie.....

ok
anyone want to take a ride with me to philly after 1.16 a pound boneless skinless chicken breast?

let me know ok???


til next time

vi

you know who your friends are when......

you get a tick on your ass just past where you can reach to get it out yourself.....


and yes that happened to me in the past

this memory brought to you by the deer tick on my leg saturday
ewwwwwwwww
I am still phobic
stay tuned for other words of wisdom.......

vi

can we can chicken???

chicken has been on sale.
.39 a pound legs
1.30-1.79 a pound boneless breasts
1.29 a pound bone in breasts
soooooooooo
naturally I can't resist and I keep buying them
and they are going into jars
they will feed us through the winter
but I tell you...... they look a bit odd
and I am beginning to look alot like my girls.....

I made strawberry jam yesterday
I hate strawberries but bernie loves them and he loves strawberrie jam so I did it
and it turned out perfect

I can't wait for beef to be on sale....... I will be canning that like crazy as well.

now in garden news
we are getting there....slowly
don't ask

and in fiber news
I am doing my mitten sample for my mitten class.
then I will be doing the beaded wristlet

I have soap orders coming in
so I am also making soap in between

( note if you want to order soapies........better get it in NOW...... I am doing the fall scents like apple spice and pumpkin now.......as well as the coffee kitchen soap and a few other 'flavors)

now.........
have you all missed me???
hahahahaha

well you'd all better!!!

vi
submerged in canned chickens

worm barns.....and rainy days

it's been raining here.........a LOT
in fact the rhodo leaves are so moist that when the sun comes out they WILT!!!
so the last of the garden isn't in.....
but I am going to put in a worm barn

now
before you think I have completely lost it.....
( ok before you confirm that I have completely lost it)

I just want a place where the kitchen scraps are composted up faster then in the general heap....
so a worm barn it is

I need a lidded bottomless something or other......so the worms can come and go......
and I will add some shredded newspaper and some soil and kitchen scraps.....
and feed the wormies....

in turn they will feed my garden

and everyone will think I am totally nutso.....
hahahaha

well that's ok

me and my wormies understand.......
meanwhile it's raining
I go tomorrow to jersey to see a friend of mine
she's got canning jars for me
woo hoo
another 5 dozen

I am TRIPPING over them but that's ok
I am also filling them

in fiber news...........
I have to knit wristlets and mittens......
I am going to knit baby mittens as I don't have time for the others
these are for two new classes I am going to teach.......
cool huh?
hahhahaha

ok I got to go
I have to start my day

ttyl

vi

this and that

well my chicken palace is up..........
but are my girls in there NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and where are the little princesses of chickendom????
where indeed you might ask
why still in the daylight basement!!!
and it is apparently agreeing with them as they all laid eggies today!
yeah for eggies from all 4 hens!!!
and they were all loud and proud about it
ever HEAR a loud and proud chicken after she laid an egg........
well lets put it this way..............
it scared the hell out of my soap customer today........and her son
hahahahaha
I know that one was dulcette................ she is ALWAYS the loudest!

( and they had salad for breakfast this morning........and a kiss on each beak!!!)

now I am so thankful for small things.......... in this heat thaddeaus is NOT tormenting the girls
the tables have turned actually
with the girls ganging up and beating the crap out of him last night
hahahaha
I shouldn't laugh but you should have SEEN the look on his face.............
I told him

'son, this is payback,.............. and payback is a bitch AND you been pretty rough on your sister and great grammie'

he had no comment but he was sucking his tail again

yup my rough tough little boy cat sucks his tail...................
oye
guess we will hold off on the tattoo and leather vest for him huh?

do NOT believe him when he tells you how tough and rough he is........... and remember no matter how macho that cat thinks he is.............. he is just a little boy when the girls gang up on him

( them girls take no prisions you see)

now I can't say I blame them
he is a PITA

he has to inspect their litter box out put....while they are still outputting it.......

they don't like that
( hell no one would like that)

he jumps on them while they are sleeping and starts to bite their toes.........
damn.........
someone bite MY toes when I am asleep I think I would have to just shoot them
( iffen I had a gun......... that is the little flaw in my plan........we don't own a gun.....I am afraid of them!)

our mornings are a stream of
"thaddeaus no............. thaddeaus stop that, ............... thaddeaus get OFFA there.......
thaddeaus leave her alone................ thaddeaus no............ thaddeaus stop that........."
well you get the picture
for a solid hour mostly every morning

I love that little guy but I think his sister and grammie are plotting his demise.................

oye
vi

Morning everyone

yes,sweetie, I AM making jam and preserves....... strawberrie is first.... want to come help pick?
I need 8-10 quarts! Pieheart and I have been talking about going together..we'll have a blast!
I am going to dry, can and root cellar as much as I can......
( SO SEND ME used CANNING JARS GUYS.....I need over 1500 of them! email me ok?)

Kim dear, I am probably going to get the vacuum sealer..
but maybe not for using with the freezer, as I am trying to get more food into 'not electric' dependant storage.

Last winter I accidently left the freezer door unlatched and it partly defrosted.
it scared me as we had our quarterly stock up of food in there.
so this year I am determined to make sure something like that, if it does happen, won't threaten what we stored.

now that bernie has been down at this new job over a year......I found their slow time is from the end of january to ( actually it is still slow) probably august

so I need to change the way we stock food
normally we restock 4 times a year.
that is the amount the freezer will hold ( which is why for all these years I did it that way)

now that we are going to have slow times for 8 months....... I have to make sure that I am stocking about a year or so worth.

it is a bit mind boggling

( yea that is an understatement)

do you know how much FOOD bernie can eat in a year?
oh man................

ok I learned to pressure can..... from the people on a great yahoo group that is for canning

And as an aside.. The Mormon's really do know what they are doing, if you need to learn to stock a years worth......... go and read their information. And they are nice folks

so this is where I'm at now.

I have put together a sort of rough plan that is an adaptation of how I normally stock our pantry.
I am adapting as much as possible to the whole canning thing.
which means figuring how certain parts of recipes we eat are silimar to other things.....
ie: I usually make and freeze about 20 pounds of mini meatballs to use later in a couple different ways.....
well I am going to can them..........with a slight variation.....
some will be in tomato sauce
some in red wine with mushrooms, garlic and onion....
that takes care of the two 'bases' for meatballs
and I will use them in at least 7 different ways........

I am doing the same with chicken

then as I make other things such as ham........I will can parts of that just like I would ordinarily freeze it

the garden is either going to be dried, root cellared or canned..
and in some cases all three
I intend on drying potatoes as well as root cellaring them and CANNING THEM

I will still use the freezer but not be as dependent on it for the bulk of my pantry anymore.

Ok today,
I have a customer coming for soap
and I have to go to town to the po and the pharmacy........
I teach tomorrow
( great class in beginners lace knitting)

I am hoping for some time out in the garden today...... but it looks like the rains aren't going to let me.
I wanted to get some beds fixed
I would also like to put in a small worm farm out there.
to directly compost the kitchen scraps. Kittchen scraps are taking alot of time out in the regular compost to decompose, as I don't have much green matter to put in there yet but the worms will have a blast getting to it in their own seperate sunk in the ground bin.

in house and trying to move news
well again the kitchen remodel is stalled.................. as is the siding and windows for the studio.
i know we will take a huge loss on the house if we try and sell like that
(it's also a buyers market right now..........so we wait)
I expect that if I am still here next year there is going to be a good reason that I am
sort of like the universe wants me to be here cause I am so ready to move

the chickens are well..................
I wish they could be out in their chicken palace.
the cats are well......... although thaddeaus was sneezing a bit this morning..........he does that in the rain.
The roos' are doing great and I do have pictures to post
little violet is growing well and sturdy

I am feeling better...... ( that damn fall down the stairs didn't help things however)
I am also due my period.......... so I hope I can say that in a few days......

I did learn a few things........
I need to eat yogurt EVERY day.......and take fiber with it...............( SO we've reached THAT stage have we..? where prunes are our friends?????)
I also learned that I need to take my thyroid meds daily................. amazing huh!
here I thought I could take them weekly .........( gees...................)
hahahahahah
oye
til next time

vi

how doth your garden grow?

my potatoes are up
last week frosts this week harvest
(of lettuce and spinach)
we are almost into the real gardening season here
I know other folks have thiers already going gangbusters
but we had to break new space and since I need actually help this year....I had to wait on bernie

ok what's new here is I learned to can
I never did that before
so I am canning everything in sight

I also went back to drying food again...now we will have a lot of dried veggies put by

the cats and the 'ladies' are all fine
bernie's fine
I pitched manure all day memorial day..... ( the things i do for the garden)
now
I need to decide
I am going to make at least one major appliance purchase this summer

should it be
a larger dehydrator? ( about 200. 00)
a vaccuum sealer? ( about 150 or so)
or a grain mill? (about 275)

what do you folks think?
any opinions?

in fiber news.......I just taught a class in beginning lace to some very nice ladies......
I hope they are knitting lace and enjoying it

I am also going to do a dyeing demo for my spin group


and we are to go strawberry picking........... I need at least 8 quarts


oh and I need canning jars folks.........USED are fine........ pints and quarts and half pints ...
( I figured out what I am going to need and it is more then impressive.......about 1500 assorted )

ohohoh

til next time

vi

the dead can WRITE too!

My sister in law came out on May 4......
we went to the sheep and wool down in maryland.......
I owe you all pictures I know I know

bernie and colleen ( his sister and my sister in law) put up the chicken pen but didn't finish the varmint proofing so the ladies are STILL in the house with us.

my sister in law left on may 13 from philly airport
we broke down on the way home three times
limping in.............the van died in the driveway........... and refused to be revived without very EXPENSIVE parts

then that monday I fell down the front stairs........

I am ok
but still in pain here and there
( aspirin and tylanol are my best friends)

Margeruite went all broody on me........
so here I am........ truck on blocks in the driveway and a chicken in the living room..........
can you say red neck????

yesterday I canned my first chicken.......... NO not my girls......... 1.30 a pound chicken on sale.

the garden still isn't in..
( anyone feel like coming to help.........we got CHICKEN for dinner)

we are having a few other 'interesting' things going on.

so all in all not much funny stuff to write about.

now bernie finally did get the van running again
ouch on the parts prices......but if I had to pay labor above that.........well let's just say little violet the goat would be pulling a cart..........

today I am to clean the canner and do it all again
( chicken now on sale 1.47 a pound for boneless skinless.................. are we going to stock up? can you spell HELL YEAH????? so we cluck and feather out.......... at least the girls will know they belong here..............vi-the woman with 100+ pounds of chicken in the freezer......and still is buying more)

I can also tell you
falling down the stairs at this age...............
well I don't bounce anymore
I sort of go splat and then......................... try to wait til my breath comes back
and that hitting your back on a stair is NOT something I recommend.
nor is hitting your ass on a stair

make a note
stairs are hard
don't try this at home


and mengele will cry if she saw my shoulders now.........
that bone she replaced sort of got knocked out again......
( and don't think THAT didn't hurt like hell)
imagine my surprise!

and actually I was so surprised, I didn't actually know what had happened to me
it was a bit surreal like a dream.......
then it hurt
like hell
oye
scared the shit out of bernie
who was trying to then pick me up
yeah right.. that worked REAL WELL

anyway that explains the garden STILL not being done

oye


til next time
vi

ps: the canning thing is way cool
and I did NOT blow up the house
but bernie had to open the canner and lift it
I can't

Thank you to everyone who commented and wrote

as everyone is now pointing out....my little amber is gone over a week now.
I miss her so fundamentally I can't even tell you all
it's almost like half the foundation of the house is gone
it hasn't been a good week sorry folks.

I keep trying to find something to say...but there isn't anything
which I suppose is a first.

maybe in a few days


vi

in loving memory of amber

we lost our amber today
at 10:45 am
I had petted her little head, and told her I was going up to the bathroom and I would be right back.
when I got back she'd gone
amber was born sometime in 87 or 88 I do remember it was spring however
and today.... april 23, 2006 she left us in the spring.

she was every inch herself and every inch a diva

when we had her home...... a tiny ball of fluff with merry her little fluffy sister.......
I was musing out loud 'what should YOUR name be??? autumn?..........september?

she sat at my feet, barely 6inches high, and meowed up at me......I know she understand me
and I SWEAR that I heard her say........'my name is AMBER.....A M B E R'

I was startled and look at her.......
'your name is amber?'
she meowed again
I said..........ok amber it is.....

damn I am going to miss her............

when thaddeaus was still a baby....only 5 months old, he was sleeping at the top of the stairs.
in front of the bathroom doorway, I was sad to say on the 'goddess'
amber had been down in the studio and killed a white footed deer mouse.
BIGGER then her head

she had a funny kind of rabbit hop to climb the stairs but she did....with that mouse in her mouth....
she slamed it down next to the sleeping thaddeaus....
let out a CAUTERWAWL to wake the dead........and swatted him across his sleeping face....
then I SWEAR she curled her lips in discust turn her BACK on him and rabbit hopped back down the stairs
I swear she was letting him have and telling him.....'hey KID, THIS is what you are supposed to be doing.........i'm old you know....it's YOUR turn'

that cat had real attitude

I am going to miss her terribly......

vi

Long ago and far away

When I was growing up........
I remember that the people in my family and neighborhood were very interconnected.
Uncle John Langfinger used to come over for coffee in the morning....
at night during warm weather the neighbors would take turns gathering on someone's porch talking and laughing from after supper until after dark.......
My relatives visited every weekend and sometimes during the week as well.

If someone needed help........they ALL rushed to help, family and friends.
I called neighbors Aunt and Uncle and there was very little difference between the two.

Everyone talked at least daily, over the fence........ on the stoop....... while drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

I remember when our well ran dry......... Weezie and Uncle John dropped a hose to our house.....then Uncle John helped dad sink a new well.

EVERYONE was like this..

so my sense of family, friends and community means a LOT of contact.
Now I am sort of far geographically from whomever is left so instead of setting on the stoop
I call.

recently I was criticized for this by one person I know.
As I will call her the same time every day and have coffee with her on the phone.

She implied that this is a fault somehow on my part......
I disagree.

I am more and more seeing people disconnected, families not close...people not knowing their neighbors.
I see society tumbling apart
Folks don't care about other folks............ giving the excuse that 'is none of my business'

I also think we as humans are much poorer for this mind set.

Even when we lived in the apartment before moving up here to pa, neighbors regularly gathered on someones stoop.........
we had communal picnics in the center green of the apartment complex.

folks helped each other.

I am being told I am 'co-dependant'

no
I am old fashioned and human.

I believe that people need the daily connection to build a sense of communitee.......
I believe that only by helping each other, and sharing day to day life will people keep their humaness.

I don't believe that it always has to be in person............
I do however think it is very important to spend the time with the people you care about.
even if it is just over the phone........


let me ask you all...........
you know what I think.........
what do you think?


til next time

vi