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The weekend was every bit as busy as I thought it would be, but it was not without pleasurable moments. The simple feeling of accomplishment was, in itself, quite enjoyable, and I accomplished a lot! Aside from my usual chores I trimmed every shrub and tree in the yard and pulled every weed; it is as close to pristine as it gets (albeit a tad brown). I also sat down with four pair of pants for one of my technicians and hemmed them. This is normally not a big deal for someone that sews, but I am severely challenged when it comes to hems. These came out so perfect my shoulder is still sore from patting myself on the back. Truthfully, the ‘hidden hem’ presser foot and stitch on my sewing machine were doing all the work, but I was driving, so it counts...right?
As promised I did take photos of the Halloween decorations, you can see them here. It all looks better after dark of course, but I needed daylight to take the photos. Though busy, it was actually a very relaxing weekend.
I’m at work right now, trying desperately to get a little caught up, but this day is just not cooperating with me. I stopped at Home Depot on the way in and picked up the items I needed to install a new, industrial strength mailbox on our existing post. The new box weighs about 25 lbs (no, really!) and that pitiful post is rated for about two, lol. That side trip went pretty well, then there was the ‘sticker shock’ of filling a 30 gallon tank - YOWZA! I’m glad it wasn’t my credit card. But, when I arrived at the office, before I had even pulled into the driveway, that my shop keys were ... wait for it ... IN THE SHOP. So, rather than give up, I drove to my dad’s house to pick up a spare set and returned to the shop fully two hours later than I had originally planned. I jumped right on the mailbox project and about 20 minutes into it the front door chimed. Total panic on my part, I though I’d locked the damn thing! I considered grabbing a big wrench before going up front and finding the ladies who clean the office peering around with big eyes. I think we gave each other a little fright - heh. We made our introductions (I rarely see them) and then went on with our separate projects. So, why, you ask am I blogging and not working. Because Rose and Ilia are putting on a show in the kitchen and it is cracking me up. They are prattling away a hundred words a minute in mix of Portuguese and Spanish (I asked) and laughing. Rose is particularly funny, mopping in her pristine tight white crop pants and mile high open toe wedges. Her cell phone is pressed firmly to one ear and she is clearly speaking both to Ilia and the person on the other end of the line. The office is filling with the smell of clean, and though I am not getting much done, it is a rather pleasant way to spend the morning.
Wow, this week has really gotten away from me. Monday and Tuesday were consumed by computer viruses at work, four machines of six were affected. Oddly enough all four use the same virus protection (the other two do not). As it turned out the virus company sent out a ‘bad update’ and that caused all the problems. Wednesday I made the tinesty of dents in my normal work, before traipsing out to pick up a new van for the office. I’ve been driving ’the bus‘ every since, and though I’m no ‘ride’ conniseur, I can honestly say this thing is a tank. Backing out of a parking space consists of saying a little prayer, touching the gas, and hoping folks either get the heck out of the way or let you know you’re back there. Thursday was more catching up, but not nearly enough. Today, a bigger dent in the pile on my desk, and then the afternoon spent jockying vehicles around to repair shops, and running parts to techs. Still, dent and all, I really should go in tomorrow and get entirely caught up. Next week is not only ‘end of the month’ it is also when I leave for KC. A recipe for being deeply behind!
So I guess it’s another weekend at work, plus the usual chores and all the additional crud I heap on myself when I’m going out of town. What is it with travel that demands new clothes, a sparkling house, and as many loose ends tied up as possible. Or, am I the only one that does that?
Things are in a whirlwind around here trying to get everything done before I leave for the great white north. I did manage to send off a ‘promise’ and a ‘swap’ today, a full day before my self appointed deadline, and I’m feeling pretty good about that. I’d like to get one more done, and another ‘well on the way’ before we go but such things are not at the top of the list right now. We’ve added another family crisis to our list, as my grandmother (mom’s side) has just discovered she likely has colon cancer. Once we are through the memorial for my grandfather (her husband) I expect we’ll learn more. In any case I am emotionally exhausted, and as a diversion have forged ahead with my Halloween decoration, knowing full well it is really for no one but me.
I hope to have a Flickr slide show to share by the 31st. There will be much cleaning and yard work this weekend, so that there will be little when I get back. The house being clean will make me far more likely to share photos of my decorations. Mostly it is just a collection nick-knacks that I like to spread around the house, but if I had my way (and the funds) it would be decorated like an old boarded up house. I’d board the windows, drape the furniture in drop cloths and string spider web everywhere. “Slim”*, our medical skeleton, would be tucked in a closet somewhere - ‘cause I love a good Halloween pun. And I buy the stores out of the feathered crows and bats, I think they are too cool!
We also have a ‘bag of bones’ for the same reason we have ‘Slim’ and they are scattered through out the house, tucked in little secret places that might elicit surprise if stumbled on. I’m the type of person who fills the medicine cabinet full of ping pong balls, just to see who’s peeking. There’s always one spider on a string somewhere, or some other ‘gag’ and oodles of candles. It’s really not horror movies and gore for me, it’s the trick and the treat, a touch of spooky and mostly fun.
*D, is fascinated with the mechanics of the human body, when Martha Stewart magazine mentioned that full sized, resin, medical skeletons were available for around $100 he didn’t even slow down on his way to the computer. And that is why we have a full sized skeleton, and yes, every year he has a different costume for Halloween. For the last party we put him in the bath tub, filled it with Styrofoam peanuts, slapped a shower cap on his head and the shower curtain in his hand as though he’d been caught ‘en flagrante’!
Over the weekend I had a couple of nice notes from the members of “Twigs and Berry Blossom Buddies”, the makers of my aunt’s quilt. Deb, their moderator, says everyone in the group is talented, many in more ways than one. Well, I should say so, if the quilt they sent for my aunt wasn’t gorgeous enough, have a peek at the one on their home page. Again ladies, thank-you! Oh, and be sure to visit the comments on the “Beautiful Reminder” post for a note from my cousin, Carla’s daughter, especially for you.
My trip to the KC area has been solidified, arriving on the 3rd, grandpa’s funeral on the 5th and returning on the 8th. There was some difficulty getting a room on the first night, for a minute there I figured we’d just turn up on ‘The Husband’s’ doorstep. My, wouldn’t he be surprised? We ended up with one out near the airport, and with luck (and maybe a little arm twisting) Rox may be able to meet us for dinner that evening.
This schedule not only helped us find cheaper air fare, but allowed me time to go buy a suit. What I wanted was dress slacks, and a boucle, or similar, jacket that would also pair with jeans. What I ended up with was a plain black suit that I really don’t like. I hate clothes shopping under duress, but at least its mostly done.
Sunday was all about getting done with swaps and promises. Currently I have three swaps, and four promises. Some aren’t due until the end of November, but with all the upcoming ‘out-of-town time’ I’d like to have as many done before I go as possible. One, in fact, has got to get out the door by the end of the week! Yikes! I did make a pretty good dent, and I also took some time to put a new project up at Dragonfly Designs. Can you believe I’ve let six months go by since the last one? I was stunned! From here on out I’m going to post at least one a month (and yeah, I might have my fingers crossed behind my back).
* MildChild’s husband.
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
~William Wordsworth
Though Wordsworth was speaking specifically of being too caught up in life to notice the wonders of nature I believe the poem can also apply to modern man’s ability to not notice each other. Every day we encounter people who are solely concerned with their selves. They butt into the grocery line, cut others off with their cars, leave people waiting while they carry on cell phone conversations and a myriad of other offences that shout of their disregard for others.
And yet, there are still folks out there that have room in their hearts not only extend kindness to those around them, but to strangers half a world away. There is a group of crafty ladies called Twigs & Blossoms. I believe that, like The Tribe, they are scattered across the world A member of this group was a friend of my aunt’s and she organized these fine folks to make a beautiful group quilt to comfort her. Sadly, she was too ill at its completion to receive it, but I know it is something she would have cherished for many years to come.
I would like to extend a warm ‘thank-you’ on behalf of my family to these wonderful people who took time away from their lives and families to comfort a stranger. It is wonderful to be reminded in such a pretty way that there is still good in the world.
About the quilt: It’s a great size for snuggling up on the sofa, light weight but warm; which my uncle will appreciate as his blood has thinned considerably since moving to Florida - heh. And as seems to be their tradition, the word ‘Twigs’ is hidden in the quilting.
I must be honest and say I know very little about the group, I don’t even know if they keep a web site or blog as we do with The Tribe. So, if you are visiting from Twigs and Blossoms, please leave a comment and introduce yourself or send me an e-mail, I’d love to hear from you. The link you were e-mailed is specific to this post, click the ‘home’ button (up on left) to visit the rest of the site, and again, Thank You!
My grandfather passed away last night, and though my information is third hand, I am told that it was peaceful. That is, at least, something good. There will be a memorial, either next weekend or the following, either way I’ve cancelled my vacation next week and the bathroom remodel is shelved for a later date as I need those days and the money for the trip. I am not usually a superstitious person, but the whole ‘things happen in threes’ idea has me waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- Reading Kim’s blog last week I discovered that she collects life masks. Interestingly enough, D, the artist of the house, moved in with box upon box of plaster masks he had made of a friend. Each of these he then painted to look like different materials such as lapis, rusted metal, tarnish copper, wood, hematite, etc. The result was a large, roughly four foot square, shadow box filled with sixteen faces. I thought you, and especially Kim, might enjoy seeing what hangs in my front hall.
- A friend of my aunt’s belongs to an online craft / gift group and the women of that group each supplied a quilt square which resulted in a lap quilt for my aunt. Sadly she passed away before she could see it. My uncle has asked if I would do a post about the quilt, and thank those ladies for the generosity they showed a stranger. I will need some help creating a permalink for that post ... any volunteers? Holy cow, I fixed it!!!
- D and I are on vacation next week. The plan is to rip out the master bath shower, and replace it as well as the doors. I’d also like to take down the hideous wallpaper border and repaint the bathroom. Oh, and rebuild the sprinkler system manifold (the right way, I did it without couplings the first time - duh!), clear out the raised beds, re-mulch everything, repair the drywall in the laundry room and garage, and have a family get together on the 29th .... do you think I’m aiming a little too high?
- In the land of coincidence, my uncle told me today that he called the cell phone company to find out when my aunt’s contract on her phone expired. It expired the 10th ... the day she passed away...cue spooky music.
- Finally my Sunday Target trip included a visit to the Halloween section, where I picked up a garland and some place mats. I am positively tickled with both, and really had to restrain myself from purchasing two of the garlands! I cannot find either online to give you a link but I will post photos once the decoration is done. The placemats are black with three skeletons embroidered in their centers. The garland is hand sized faux-chain links, and is just too cool! I may just find my Halloween spirit yet!
I spent yesterday at work and running errands. By the time I got home I was too lazy to start anything big so instead puttered about, and made some lengthy phone calls to family members. My grandfather, by the way, is still ticking along. He is one tough bird. I made zero effort for dinner, instead I gave D a bag of chips, a jar of salsa, and some hot sauce. Luckily he’d never complain about having to eat chips and salsa. I even slept somewhat better last night. I still woke up at three - my internal alarm clock is off, but instead of staying up I managed to sneak in about another hour of z’s. This morning dawned cool and clear, perfect for spending some time with my truck. Don’t laugh, a single minded job was what I needed and washing, polishing and waxing the truck was as good a choice as any. With the added benefit that you can take silly, fun-house photos of yourself in the shine when you’re done.
When I came back into the house I found that D had done the housekeeping and bathed the dog. “There,” he said, “now you can spend the rest of the day sewing, or reading, or whatever you want.” He may not have a romantic bone in his body but he does know how to be nice. There is still laundry, and sweeping the porches, grocery shopping and a trip to Target, but I can knock that out pretty quickly. I have two swaps, one gift, and a promise to work on, but I may put it all aside one more day and try my hand at crewel. I suppose it will technically be embroidery because I was unable to find crewel wool locally. Still, I figured I could practice with cotton instead and picked up some pretty fall colors to play with.
I spent a little time in the yard to see what is blooming, and was happily surprise to find several things were.
Focusing on the little things has helped make me feel more like me. All that’s left for today is a fine steak dinner and a glass of wine, on the lanai at sunset. If that doesn’t do wonders for me, well then I’m guessing I’m past saving-heh. Thank you all again for the support and kind thoughts, they have all been greatly appreciated, and it has been very nice to know that I’m being thought of. I expect it will get harder before it gets easier, but life without challenge would be a little boring. All these things, good and bad make up who I am, and who I become. Its up to me to find the balance of it all, with the help of friends, of course.
This chick has had enough, but thanks all the same.
My grandfather was admitted to the hospital yesterday with pneumonia and while there suffered a heart attack. At this time all that can really be done is make him comfortable, which they are doing. Should I disappear for a few days it only means I’m heading north to Kansas City for another memorial. I have mixed feelings about doing so, the expense on such short notice will consume everything I’ve laid aside for the bathroom remodel and my trip to Atlanta, plus some. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Papa and I will miss him. But, truth be told, I have missed him for sometime now. When I was in college he had a stroke. Over the years there have been many others that have rendered him mostly unable to speak. He is, I believe, still in there, locked up in a body that no longer does his bidding, and my proof to that is him singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” during my last visit. It is hard not to believe that him fighting the medical staff, ripping out IV’s and refusing to swallow, isn’t his way of saying ‘let me go, its time’. But, I am not there, and I am no longer among those that know him best so that is simply conjecture on my part. The one thing I know for sure is that I am tired, terribly, terribly tired.
The memorial for my aunt is tomorrow afternoon. There will be no flowers, because much like my grandmother, she didn’t want flowers she couldn’t enjoy. My uncle said he wished he’d sent her more over the years; he was afraid he hadn’t done a good job. Sad. With this in mind I’m going to ask you all to do something nice today for someone you love. Something that makes you both smile.
In lieu of flowers we will be making a donation to the cancer society in her name, especially since her daughter is now considered at ‘high risk’ for the same cancer.
I may have to work this weekend, just to get caught up—I am terribly behind, and have made some terrifically stupid mistakes this week that need to be sorted out and fixed. My brain is a little scattered. But, whatever time I do get to myself this weekend, I intend to make it ‘me-time’. I know I cannot ‘find center’ again in such a short time, and I really don’t have aspirations to do so. Instead, I hope to find a single minded job, that will give me a sense of accomplishment when done. Something that benefits no one but myself.
I got a call on the way to work this morning saying my aunt had passed away during the night. Thank you all for your kind comments, I have passed them all on to my uncle and cousin.
I got to spend about 20 minutes feeding, burping and rocking my new nephew to sleep this afternoon. At just four days old he is the newest baby I’ve ever held. For such a tiny person he did a great deal to lighten my heavy heart.
It’s 5:30 am, and I’ve been staring at this monitor since a little after three. The dog woke me, growling and twitching in her sleep, no doubt dreaming of chasing the squirrel we saw in the yard last night; and once up my brain will not let me rest. My cousin called last night to say that she thinks the doctors will speak to her father today about reducing the medications that my aunt is receiving, and taking her off of the respirator. She is losing the fight, and everything seems rather futile to me just now.
It has been a rather tense day around here, not that those are uncommon lately. Today the worry over my aunt was balanced against the arrival of a new baby boy ... I’m an aunt. Ok, just sort of, Jacob, 7lbs 15oz, was born to my step brother and his wife today a little after 2pm. Welcome Jacob! And with Jacob’s arrival, there is also some slight improvement with my aunt as her white cell count continues to fall, suggesting that her body may be getting ahead of the infection. My uncle sat down with all of her physicians today and basically let them know that they damn sure shouldn’t be giving up, and if another doctor, hospital, or drug was the possible answer then they’d better ‘hop to’. As a result, one of the physicians contacted another physician (who does not have privileges at the hospital she is in) who specialized in treating infectious diseases and he suggested two new antibiotics. She is on them now, and we continue to wait and hope.
On a totally unrelated note, my clutter reduction has finally led me to my cameras. To be honest it has been so long since I used a film camera I had forgotten how many I actually had. The two 35mm’s will be going on Ebay, as there still appears to be a market for them (albeit small), the Olympus Stylus however needs a home. If you would like a good quality, all weather, snap shot style camera drop me a line and its yours. I’d rather give it away and throw it away, so don’t be shy ... speak up!
