Learning to let go is not going to be that easy.

I have been active all my life so letting go is not going to be easy.  I live in a 2400 square foot house, and trust me, every inch of it is in use.  Most of it is used for "stuff" setting around full of more "stuff" or with stuff on top of it.  I am contemplating moving into a smaller place, but that means I have to leave some of the "stuff" behind, or give it away, or burn it, or sell it.  Now some of my "stuff" is good stuff.

So some one told me I should hold an item in my hands for 20 seconds and if it does not make me happy, throw it out.  I guess I will try that.  First I am going to pick up those 2 little toys on the computer desk and then go put them in the Jiraiya toy box because I know he is happy having them there.  My biggest problem seems to be in just deciding where to begin.  I could start on this desk, but that is not going to work because this is all important stuff.  Most important is that damned cat laying in the middle of everything.  But you must understand, she loves me and wants to be a part of everything I do.  She also likes to go way up high and bat stuff off onto the floor.

I could go start at the front door.  First we have a bag of clothes for Sister Nancy.  Then a small table that holds 6 egg cartons for Penny, mail I will probably never read and a bag of crochet that I carry when I go sit with someone.  Next is 4 milk crates of books that belong to PFLAG which will go to thier new home soon.  Very soon.  I have a card table, and a drafting table and 2 sewing machines in the corner.......

The point is, it is not just a matter of holding it for 20 seconds.  It is a matter of which part of my life is that item going to be used as a vital part later on today.  I should go down stairs and start digging there.  I have a box of basket weaving stuff that I absolutely had to have and then never touched after I bought it.  I want to give that to Erica, but first I have to find it.  I have giant gourds that I have had for most of my adult life that I am going to do something with any minute.  And if I can just find that box containing every Workbasket magazine ever published, I can put it on ebay and retire on the profits.  

I am sorry.  The 20 second second  rule is just not going to work for me.  I have a second plan that will no doubt be more condusive to my way of life.  I am going to get old and die.  The kids can come in here and do the 20 second thing and I am sure they are not connected to this shit like I am.  But then again, there is the possibility that they may actually see a use for all this stuff and they can take it home.  Course I am not sure any of them have room for 2 floor looms, 4 sergers, 5 sewing machines, a 6 needle embroidery machine, 7,000 bolts of fabric and 11, 426 spools of thread.  But I could be wrong.  

So here is the plan.  I am going to publish this blog and if I have anything you are interested in, give me a call.  Otherwise, I will be setting right in the middle of the whole mess wondering just where my things took possession of me rather than me possessing them.  

So having once more foiled myself in my desire to empty out this house and move into an efficiency  apartment in town, I will go have a Happy Valentine's Day coffee at Starbucks with my friend Nancy and buy 3 bags of goose food for the 8 geese out back that would never fit in the kitchen in town.  Oh, and the dog and cat seem to be at home here.  

But maybe some day.  Just not going to happen today.

This is my helper and this is why I can not get anything done!

This is Icarus and Icarus helps me with everything I do.  Here you see that I am working on a mat for the homeless, but she thinks she can do a better job, so she just plants herself on the work and tells me to go do something else.

Now if you are wondering if Icarus is a boy or girl, she is a girl  When I got her I was dating a guy and he said "Let's name her Icarus!  That is a very good name."  I explained to him that Icarus was a boys name and I reminded him that he was the boy with wax wings that flew to close to the sun and his wings melted and he fell to earth.  He patiently pointed out to me that no one remembered that stuff and Icarus was a good name, so Icarus she became and while he is no longer with me, Icarus is.

And her she is thinking she might be able to grab that shuttle, but will have no idea what to do with it when she gets it.  She just wants to get it away from me!

Here she has a different perscpective from the other side of the loom.  She would like to be able to crawl across the harnesses, but she is pretty sure I move them with my feet and she can not control my hands and feet at the same time.

Well, there you go!  I am completely shut down at this point!  You do realize that this also occurs when I am on the computer, don't you?  Naps are out of the question because she like to set on my head when I kick back in the recliner.  And if I protest too much, she has been known to bite.  Where did I get the idea that I wanted a cat?  Oh, I remember, it was so keep the dogs company.  So here I set with an cat that thinks it is a dog, and dogs that tolerate her because she is a bitch.  

I do not know where she is right now and it is scaring me!  Usually when this happens I end up chasing a mouse around the kitchen.  Crap!  Better go find her.  Better go take care of my remaing geese.  Probably ought to just go to bed and call it a day.

Happy New Year! Or it might be subtitled "Here's hoping!"

So here I am in another year.  Who would have thought this would keep happening to me?  I am recalling a time when when the kids were little and I had a moment of clarity and purchased a life insurance policy so when I bit the big one there would be money to finish raising them.  Nice thought at the time.  So for a few years I made my payments and then seeing that I was still pretty much alive, I cancelled it, but they sent me a term life paid up till 1979.  I was pretty sure that would cover me until I met an untimely death in what ever manner it could be.  You must know that I have not always been this sweet little old lady you see before you and I have also not had much of a filter on my mouth especially when I was upset.
But, to make a long story short, I outlived that policy and several more after that.  Finally gave up on term life insurance as a bad bet on my time here on this big green/blue ball.  And now, rather then making a list of all the wonderful things I am going to do in the new year and all the bad things I am going to quit doing, I am keeping a score card!  Now, even that is a waste of time because I do not remember what I did last year so what am I going to compare it to this year?  So, I am going to just tell you a few of the improvements I have made in my life over the last ...well since I came to Colorado.
Having dropped out of school my senior year, I went to college and received a degree in accounting.
I became proficient on the computer.
I opened a store on ebay and maintain 100% feedback after 6 years.
I started attending church regularly.
I learned to weave and spin.
I quit smoking.
I volunteer my time for others through SCAP, Sangre de Cristo Hospice, Los Pobres, and anyone else who needs me.
I wrote a book and published it.
My blog is successful.
I do a little hiking in the mountains, but not alone because I am afraid of bears.
So, I am guessing I am in better shape this year then I have been a lot of years before.  And I can see a bright future ahead if I just keep my eye on the prize.  Just gotta say it though....

HAPPY NEW YEAR...2015!!

  

Lou's sweat shop

There is a first time for everything and boredom got the better of me tonight, so I made this slide show and uploaded it to youtube.  Hell, I may be in the movie business as soon as I figure out how to get sounds on here!

The May meeting of the Handweavers Guild of Pueblo!

I you click on the square in the lower left corner, the captions will show up.

Kind of amazing, this little slide show.  First you see the orchid Bret and Amanda gave me for Mother's Day.  Isn't that pretty?  And all I have to do is put 3 ice cubes per week in the pot.  I can put an extra one in sometimes if I feel like it.

Then it was off to the monthly Handweavers Guild meeting.  Dona Marie had give me the teal scarf for Mother's Day and I was wearing it for a belt.  No, that would not do.  Joanne Caldwell and Carol Salas ( Yes!  I used their full names.  They are the culprits.)  decided that it should be on my head because that is where the hippies wore them.  As I recall the "Flappers" also wore things like that, so I thought, "What the hey!"  So Joanne tied it on my head and Carol took the pictures.  Then I decided everyone else should be on camera too. 

So enjoy the little slide show.  See you in a few!

The upper room at the Vail sale!! (poetry)

This is the slide show for the work that goes on at the sale that no one sees, but everyone appreciates because that is where our paychecks come from. 
I have very carefully put the caption under these and I hope they are still there.  Let me know if they are not and I will spend hours and hours correcting that little chore.
Today the sale is ending and we are picking our stuff up at 5:30.  If anyone can help Susan on Sunday with the loading out, she would be most grateful.  I am churching, then PFLAGing and then they will be done.  If I get a minute I will zip by and see if I can help.

What a lovely day I had and got a lot accomplished!

Dan showed up bright and early to load the car!  It is drop off day for the annual Handweavers Guild of Pueblo sale at the Vail Hotel.  First weekend of November every year, just like clockwork.  Drop off day is always a hoot.  Being the competitive person that I am I always have to be first in line.  Dan had my 208 items inside when the key hit the door.  Dayle MacCormack was the lucky check in lady who got me.  We were both absolutely amazed that not only were my 5 big boxes labeled correctly, but they were in a semblance of order.
The guild always amazes me at how well organized they are.  It took them 3 years to convince me that the inventory and the codes and the items numbers all had a relevancy.  The first year I sat on the floor with Terri Rostad and wrote my initials, item #, code #, and price on 200 items on a little tag 1" x 3/4".  But not this year!  Hooray!  I printed the sticky labels up on tiny labels on my computer and stuck them to the little tags.  Well, I had one tiny glitch and that was the computer refused to print the item # so I left that blank and did it by hand.  Thank you ladies for your patience and I will see you on Friday which is opening day, when I bring in my cookies.
You people have got to check this sale out.  November 2- November 10, 10 AM -6:00 PM at the Vail Hotel.  I work Sunday, Monday and Thursday. 

And then it was off to Beulah and the Stompin' Grounds to visit my friend Jan.  It was Halloween so she was dressed up like robin Hood.  I thought she was a brownie, then I thought she was Peter Pan, then I thought she must be a Pixie, but she told me she was Robin Hood, so I know that is right!  We had a lovely visit.  I have not been up there for a while so that made it even better.  I met a guy there named Russ and sold him one of my books.  He and Dan had a nice visit and I think Dan may rent a house he has over near his home for his mother.  His mother and brother are moving here after the first of the year from Fayetville, Arkansas.  That will be nice.  His mom is named Nancy and she is a lovely woman.  I think the brother is just named Brother.  I am looking forward to meeting him.
After I had what I like to call a "Cappachino Blaster" we took our leave of Jan after promising that I would bring soap, lotion and body butter to sell in her area for Christmas.  I told her I would be back next week.  Hope that works.
Dan is quite the hiker and back packs a lot so I took him to the Rocky Mountain Park just up the road a ways and he located several trail heads.  Now a little interjection here...I do not do this.  As I understand he takes his little back pack and walks off into the wilderness and usually spends the night.  I saw no signs of running water, heat, memory foam mattress, bathroom facilities and sure no stove to cook my daily meals on.  What I did see was a poster telling about the wild animals in the forest and what to do if I encounter one.  No, no, no.  Not for me.  So little Dan, with his dreams of a trip into the forest giving a happy glint to his eyes and me, sorely in need of a nap, started back down the mountain and home.

Upon arrival I decided to whip up a bunch  of cream puffs.  See, Dan wants to start his catering business and he is fascinated with my kitchen, so it is sort of a match made in heaven.  Ater we ate our fill of cream puffs with French Silk filling, all made in my kitchen, Dan departed.
I spent a little time downstairs sewing and then it was off to the Chiropractor for an appointment at 6:30.  Dr. Walters jerked, poked, massaged and manipulated my poor bones until I think she finally cracked a rib.  I made it home at 8:15 and the geese were anxious to go into thier house.  I was in bed by 9 and this is the first night I have slept all night since the back went south back in August.  What a relief that was. 
So, now it is the next day and I am full of piss and vinegar, I tell you.  I am off to Canon City for a meeting, then stop by Sprinkles to see how they are doing for the Anita Goodesign show they are having at a church on the south side Friday and Saturday.  So you have a good day and try to stay out of trouble.

 

************************************************************************
This is the novel I have for sale. You can buy it by simple clicking the Buy Now button.  This will take you to an invoice.   Do not be confused by the title. Chapter One simply means this is my first book. There may never be another, or there may be many more. I am very proud of this endeavor and guarantee you will enjoy the book in it's enirety. Lou Mercer

From the back cover

Chapter One...Loose Ends
Lou Mercer

Meg Parker led a simple life.  She was a widow of three years and lived on a chicken farm at the foot of the mighty Rockie Mountains.  Life was good and her little store on eBay made her extra spending money.  But snow and wildlife were not the only things lurking in the forest above her house.  Nor did it stay in the forest for long.

Marshall Purcell came home a wounded veteran from vietnam.  He still had his dreams, but they were of an incestuous past that threatened to consume him.

When Meg and Marshall met it seemed an inconsequential meeting, but it changed both their lives forever.  And change is not always a good thing.

This is adult fiction at its best without all the sex.  Well, maybe just a little bit. 

About the author.  Lou Mercer was born in Nickerson, Kansas. She came to Pueblo, Colorado in 1977 and is now a product of the majestic Rockie Mountains

Wanna buy a perpetual calendar?

After the completion of a Bonnie Inouye Exploring Multi-shaft Design study,
six weavers from within the Handweavers Guild of Pueblo created a
delightful perpetual calendar for keeping a record of special birthdates,
anniversaries, etc., using their designs and woven samples.
Each month's design includes the threading, treadling and tie up along with
the actual woven sample. The front and back of the weave can be viewed in
it's own window.
Calendars measure 5 1/2" X 11" and have a spiral binding.
The price is $28.00 with delivery at Colorado Weavers Day Conference in
Golden on May 19. CWD committee has given their okay for distribution of
pre- ordered calendars at the end of the Conference. If you prefer having
your calendar mailed directly to you there will be a $5. charge for postage.
To preorder your calendar please contact:
*E-mail Orders*: Joanne Caldwell *caldwelltheweaver@gmail.com
*
*Phone orders*: Cathy Coatney 719.251.2959

Click here to view

Well, the Arse is now on hold!

This is what is going on in my kitchen this morning.  Absolutely nothing.  See I invented this wonderful face cream with the main ingredient of Hemp Butter.  I mean this stuff is great and I have testimonials if you want to read them. "Lou, this is great!  I wear it under my make up and no grease.  Will be back for more."  That from one of my eBay customers.  Send some to a friend in New York and told him to let his girlfriend try it.  Told him it made my face as soft as a babies butt.  He had the brilliant idea to name it "Arse Lookin' at You!"  Course he loves it and is not sharing with the girlfriend.  says she can just buy her own.
Then he came up with the brilliant idea to put it in black or camoflague tubs and market it to men with the slogan "Every man needs a little Arse!"  I have not gone there yet, nor have I needed too.
So I made a bunch of this and slapped the Arse label on half and Hemp Butter on the other half.  Between the church and the weavers sale I sold every bit of it. So yesterday I got out all my ingredients, the scales, the tubs, and the cooking pan and stick blender.  What I did not get out was the key ingredient, because I am out of that.  Seems I got busy making stuff up for the sales and neglected to order a tub of Hemp Butter.  So I got on my trusty sight and ordered 5 pounds of it.  Checked 3 day ground because the "I forgot to order and need this bad so please rush it to me" method of shipment would have added an extra $126 to the price.  Now even I am smart enough to know that if I want to make money I have to keep my cost low.  So here I set, telling you about it instead of making it.
Now I do have some in the refrigerator, but it is for eating.  It is not refined and has seeds in it.  I put it on toast in the morning with just a little jelly cause it is just like peanut butter only different.

So now I measured everything out so all I have to do is put the Hemp Seed Butter in and finish the job.  I can put all this stuff away and get busy and make something like this:

See I have a little friend coming up from Florida to spend a few days and she has a sweet tooth that will not quit.  I just wanted to let all you people out there who think I am infallible know that such is not the case.  In my defense, however, I worked very hard getting ready for the Church sale and the weavers sale, but this Jingle Bell just snuck right up on me.  Think I have plenty of other stuff, just the Arse is missing.  Should pull it on eBay but I am sure my stuff will get her quickly.  Those people in Utah are nothing if not speedy.

Hopefully tomorrow I am going to have the pictures of the towels my friend Alex sent me from Wales.  Got to frame them because it would be a sin to actually use them!

Until tomorrow then,  

May the good Lord take a liken' to you!

Donna Graham, like the cracker!

Drum roll, please!!!!  This is Donna Graham from Walsenburg, Colorado.  She is standing beside her art work that was actually in a New York Gallery.  Oh, I am hobnobbing with the big girls now!  I am so honored.  She explained to me that these three items are actual things she crocheted, knitted or wove and then saturated with something ( big words and my mind closed up ) and then draped them on somthing else.  See, the best part about art is that you actually have to see it and touch it.  I seen this and touched it and I was impressed.  She may be an artist and hang her work in New York, but she is still a Colorado girl!

And here is a close up of the art work as well as the tattoo she got so long ago that it had to be redone.  Seems like the original one she gave to herself when she was bored in Biology class.  Got to tell you, I have never been that bored!  Never poked myself and never let anyone else come at me with a needle either.  But as far as photography goes, I would say this picture is worth a thousand words.  We have the art work, which is absolutely mesmerizing and then we have the hand in front of it that belongs to the artist and lets us know that she is a real human.  The card from the New York Gallery which shows success.  Full Circle is what I will call it.
This is a little number that Donna knitted but first she spun the yarn.  Oh, I do envy this girl her patience.  Bet she makes Apple Pies also!                                                                                            I think this is a shawl.  I could be wrong.  Would not be the first time.  Let me go check the album captions.  Well, that was not much help because I apparently did  not know when I put the captions on the pictures.  But I will say it is Donna's until some one corrects me!
Now, I recall Donna telling me she lives in WalVeta.  That means it is the same distance from her house to Walsenburg as it is to LaVeta.  I am going to go see her next summer and hike in her mountains. She can carry a shotgun and make sure a bear does not get me!
Donna was also on the board that put this sale together.  They mostly stayed up in the inner sanctum and ran figures through the computers.  Last year they gave me an award for shutting down the computer the most times.  They gave me a pink sheep with holes all over it.  Elvira   thinks it is hers and shakes it.  The stuffing is all gone now.  I do want to commend all the ladies who made this years sale such a success.  And these are in no particular order.  Oh, wait!  They are in alphabetical order!!  Hats off to :

JANET ANZLOVAR ........DEMONSTRATIONS              

JOAN ARCHULETA.........CASHIER TEAM                  

INA BERNARD.................ADVERTISING

MARJORIE BRATZLER...REFRESHMENTS         

LYNNE GNAIZDA............ADVERTISING

DONNA GRAHAM............CASHIER TEAM-INVENTORY & INVITED ITEMS

MARILYN HOISINGTON.STANDARDS & CHECK-IN

BETTY KOCHEVAR.........PROPS & SET UP

TARA MATTHEWS...........SCHEDULING

JUDI PATTERSON.............GUILD PRESIDENT-EX-OFFICIO

TERRI ROSTAD.................GUEST ARTISTS

KAREN SMITH..................STANDARDS AND CHECK IN

COLETTE WRIGHT...........CO-CHAIR & CASHIER TEAM-TREASURER

DONNA GOWER................CHAIR & CASHIER TEAM-HEAD CASHIER

CAROLE SNOW.................SCHEDULING

CAROL SALAS...................STANDARDS & CHECK IN

                       Tomorrow I will post just a slide show of the closing day of the Handwoven Holiday Sale!  Watch for it!

Tara Matthews is showing off her wares today.

I would like you to meet Tara Matthews.  She is showing off a something or other here that you pull over your head.  She told me what the name of this is but the vacuum between my ears was so loud I missed it.  I think it is like a shawl kind of.  I do know it was very pretty and very soft.  She did a very good job, but then she does very good work.

Now this is a very lovely scarf.  Tara likes to makes scarves and I like to buy them so we have a lot in common there!  Tara has been with the Guild off and on, sometimes here and sometimes moved a way  for about 15 years.  Oh, I like her fingernails!  I usually dine on mine.

When the elections are held next month, I think, Tara will be our second vice president.  First we have a president, then a vice president and then a second vice president.  I think that is how it goes.

Can you see that purse back there?  I did not get a very good picture of it, I am sorry to say. The colors in it are abosolutely vibrant.  Now, what else did you make Tara?

"Oh, let me see!  Hmmm.....I forgot."  I know that feeling Tara, so don't feel bad!  I have never seen so many handwoven pieces in one room before.  I do not even know where mine are.  So I want to thank Tara Matthews for being my subject for today.  And a very good subject she was!

OK, I am going to call it a night and hit the sack.  Remember to set your clocks back an hour.  One year I set them the wrong way and I was two hours early for church.  Course I had 3 grandkids with me and they were little and just figured I was old and addled so I just let them think that.  But now that I am old and addled I have to act like I am not or they will revoke my park pass!!

Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow when I once more go the Vail Hotel and run down some innocent little Guild member and embarrass her to tears.  I am so worthless!

High Tea at Yumiko's house and it was fantastic!

OK I can see this is going to be tricky since the computer freezes up every time it saves and that slide show takes time to save.  But I shall persevere!  First I want to tell you how this slide show can be viewed best.  Take your cursor to the bottom left of the slide show and click on that little note just this side of the little people form.  That will turn on the captions and you can see what I have written about each picture.  Oh and there is a lot more you can do, but I will let you experiment!
Yesterday I was invited along with several other members of the Weaver's Guild to a High Tea at Yumiko's house.  And I am so happy I went!  To those of you who know Yumiko, you know what a joy she is!  To those of you who do not, I want to share with you that she is one of the most unique individuals I have ever had the pleasure of encountering.  My first glimpse of Yumiko was at a Guild meeting when she did a presentation on recycled weaving.  She explained how she haunts the Goodwill and other places in search of garments that can be unraveled and then knitted, crocheted or woven back together.  I was aghast!  This seemed way beyond recycle mania to me.  Then she explained.
She does not just unravel anything.  It has to meet certain critera, ie. silk, wool, cashmere....Ah now, I get the picture!  For  $2 or $3 she can get stuff I am paying an arm and a leg to buy.  Clever woman! Since she lives in another town, my only encounters with her have been at the guild meetings.  So when this opportunity arose I jumped at it. 
Yumiko is always impeccably dressed and when I comment she points at her sleeve and says "Goodwill", the bodice and says "ARC" and her hat and says "Garage Sale.  Most of her garments have been purchased, unraveled and reworked, but the hats are another story.  I think she buys them, and she always has one on! You have to get up pretty early to get the bargain before she has it snatched up!
Her home is a work of art in itself.  When we pulled up out front the whole yard is a profusion of color.  The Peonies on the right side of the drive were as big as dinner plates and every bud was open.  The Clematis were to die for and the Poppies, well what can I say.  the woman has lavender Poppies!  The yard was just the prelude to a wonderland inside.  First the display case with a million puppies in it and I swear they were all the same color.  Two looms  in that room, sort of a sun room.  Then into her studio where there was another loom and a stash of thread and yarn to rival mine.  Think she has me beat.
Between the sun room and the studio is a short hall and that is where the Kimono or what ever that is hangs.  I tried to give closeups of this stuff, but no camera could ever do justice to this stuff.  All the wood carvings were made by her mother. They are so intricate!  Just every where I looked there was more to see.  My brain almost exploded!
We finished in the living area where we met "Monica".  Monica is a mannequin that is older than I am.  Very stern looking woman.  Yumiko  changes Monica's clothes for the seasons and sometimes just for the fun of it.  And see the 2 pictures of Yumiko and me in front of Monica?  I did that so a certain someone who shall remain nameless can see that this is another person I am taller than.
 And be sure and check out the banquet.  I show only the dessert table.  The Ginger Chicken Salad, some sort of chutney,  and the most wonderful Squash Soup with Coconut Cream I have ever had the distinct pleasure of ingesting in my entire life  was not on the camera.  But I can see it in my mind's eye.  Oh, and the Naam bread. That woman can cook!!
I could go on all day about my afternoon, but I have other obligations.  Suffice it to say, I will be making a run to the mountain community soon, cause I know she has leftovers. That and there is a great Goodwill up there and she is going to teach me the fine art of unraveling.  So stay close and I will share with you.  For now, just enjoy the slide show and leave me a comment or two that I can share with Yumiko.  You can remain anonymous if you like, but I would love to have your name.
So, from this little member of the  Handweavers Guild of Pueblo, remember this.  If you are not naked you can thank a weaver somewhere!

I wove a basket!

Well, here is the basket that I wove on Saturday at my class at Colorado Fiber Arts, 121 Broadway Ave., Pueblo, Colorado.  719-543-1161. It is a neat place for knitting, crochet, felting, all kinds of fiber stuff. But I would rather you pop in and see Karen and learn for yourself, because I want to tell you about my basket weaving thing here!

I took my class from a lovely girl named Simone Soucy. She went out and cut these willow switches for us to weave. Last time I cut a switch it was not to weave and it included my mother and I think a canary (or lack of one), a cat and a pile of feathers! But, I do digress.

This basket is made of fresh willow sticks and I had quite the little time. It is fun to make this stuff out of natures bounty and then be able to use it in our home. But there were 5 or six of us setting around a round table flipping these baskets around and trying to get them whipped into some sort of shape that would hold something! Now Simone did tell us the Native Americans could weave them tight enough to hold water. I rather thought I would use mine to seine fish. It will be for big fish because the little ones will slide out the holes. I figure one or  2 pounders!

Simone taught us how to harvest the willow to get the best "bang for our buck" but I have not gotten that far in my quest. I have to be careful about the venturing in where spiders and snakes reign supreme. Creepy crawlies scare the bejiggers out of me.

So, just wanted to show you the basket. Now I have to go make some Kimchi cause I found a buyer for that. Dollar here, dollar there and pretty soon I have enough to do something.

Have a good one and may the Good Lord take a like'n to you!!

Here is the hot pink blanket!

Well, I finally got the hot pink blanket finished! As with anything that is handmade, this one has several mistakes. The mistakes are not readily visible, but I know they are in there and I can find them if I need to. Course that is the beauty of anything hand made, it is different. You always know that nowhere in the whole world is there another blanket exactly like this one. So there you have this one. Hope you enjoyed the peek at my latest handwoven project. I think I am going to auction this one off on eBay! Can not list it for a few days though.

This is made with 8/2 cotton, which is the white part and some kind of wool that I bought from Joanne. I love this pattern and that is the reason I also wove a blue and white one right before I wove this one. They are both 51" x 41" which is smaller than I like, but it is a little bit late to be worrying about what size they should have been. I just did the pattern 2 across and 2 long. Will do something different next time.

Think I will go downstairs and see what other ornery stuff I can get into today! If you are thinking of starting a new hobby and weaving looks fun to you, contact me. If I can weave, anyone can weave!!

Where exactly is the pink Llama?

I had Kiadan over the other day. He is 5 years old. Very impressionable age, I might add. I took him out to see the Llama's in the field by my house. He commented that they were very furry, but he did not want to get close enough to be spit on by them.  I saw a learning experience here!

I took him inside and down to the weaving room where I also have a spinning wheel  (exactly like the one in the link over there!) and raw wool. I showed him the wheel and then explained to him how it was made into spun thread after combing and that. He wanted to know what it looked like when it was done, so I showed him a cone of pink wool since that is what I had out. He was facinated!

But then he wanted to go back out and look at the Llama's some more because he wanted to see the pink one! Makes me wonder if we ever actually get kids taught all they need to know before they enter the world of video games and Mountain Dew?

Our Weavers Guild does a thing at El Pueblo Museum covers all of the process from shearing, dyeing, spinning and then weaving on little wooden looms. Kids are fascinated with this process. Want to know what else? We do the drop spindle and the boys catch on to that much quicker than the girls! Boys do a very good job. That surprised me!

The Llama might be getting ready to be sheared, or not!

The Llama's over in the field are getting very hairy! I'm thinking it might be getting close to shearing time, but think about that! It is just now the first week in February and some of our biggest snows are ahead of us. I remember one May we got 18 inches on like the 4th and then 4 days later we got 14 inches. Course it was warm enough between them to melt or we would still be digging out.
The point here is this: I would hate to have someone rip my fur coat off and leave me outside this time of year. It is still freezing at night and the daytime temperature hasn't had me breaking a sweat yet! Any way, I have one friend who makes her sheep wear coats to keep the fleece cleaner. I think that might be a good idea, but the fellows/girls in the field don't look all that bad. Well, yeh, they have longer legs than a sheep! DUH!!
Seeing them makes me remember, I bought some dyed wool from Joanne Caldwell and I need to get it washed and dried. If it was just a matter of throwing it in the washer that would be simple. Ever throw wool in the washer? This is loose fleece so I expect it would wind up a very tight ball. I know how to do this, I think.
I need to fill something with cool water and add Dawn dishwashing soap to it. Then very gently work it around and then drain it and rinse it. I need to do that several times until the rinse water is clear. Then I have to lay it out to dry. Then I will need to hand card it. That is work!! Then I need to spin it on the spinning wheel.  All this is assuming it has not got moths in it while waiting for me.
Hey, you spinners out there! If this is not how to do it, you better get ahold of me because I will be doing this surely in the next few years.
You know, I go back and read my posts and have I ever finished one that matches my title with the title? Seems I am a clear definition of the saying "Her mind has taken a turn!" My mind is probably what is known as a Whirling Dervish!
But you gotta' love me!!

It is my nap time and your point exactly?

Yesterday I missed my nap! I was very busy since I had to take my 90+ friend to the doctor. She does not drive any more. Well, personally I am rather glad about that. Hope I can give up my license long before that. Actually, I could throw that sucker in the pile right now and we would probably all be better off, but maybe not.

Back to the crux of this blog today. When the clock starts pointing to 1:30 or 2:00 o'clock, my little mind starts looking for a place to lay the body down for just a few minutes. Just a short nap, you know. Nothing that drags on, that is called bedtime and that lasts for 8 hours. I figure it this way:

I am pushing 70 and I am not going to miss out on much if I have a short nappy poo. I just lay there on the bed with the telephone right beside me, because we all know if I don't it will ring, but if I do it won't. That is called Karma! I work hard when I am awake, so after this many years, if I selfishly want to take 30 or 40 minutes for myself in the middle of the day, I think I have earned that right.

Now I know realistically I am wasting time. I have been doing the nap thing for probably 6 years. At 30 minutes a day for 6 years that comes to 65,700 minutes which becomes 1,095 hours which becomes 45.625 days, which becomes 6.52 weeks. You know, now that I figure this out logically, I am wasting a lot ot time laying on my duff!

I could get a lot done in 1,095 hours. And sometimes the nap is a little longer. OMG! Talk about wasting time! I could get a lot of weaving done. I could cover this house in blankets. Ok, here is what I will do; I am going to start taking a nap every other day. I will nap on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. That will free me up to hit the garage sales on Friday and Saturday!

You know, I am kind of glad we had this little talk! Wait, we did not have a talk. I am talking to myself! That is what a blog is, I think. They call it journaling, but it is basically talking to myself! So if I give up the napping, I will have more time to talk to myself. I sure feel better about life now!

Sign my widget over there so you can be a follower. I might actually say something some day and you wouldn't want to miss it, would you? I want to have at least 11 followers by the time I croak! And remember, There is a big difference between a follower and a stalker!

The hoarders club does not include me! I'm different.

I saw something the other day that made my blood run cold. It was during day time television. Not the soap opera's. Lord, I have seen snippets of them and that is a whole 'nother blog. This was on the Oprah show. It comes on sometime in the afternoon and apparently is quite popular. I want to go on record right now as saying I do not watch television as a rule, but I do watch the news and sometimes neglect to turn it off when I go downstairs, so there it is when I come upstairs to rest my eyes a minute. (Some people call it napping.)

So back to the topic. There were pictures of houses with stuff piled everywhere and women and children sobbing because the mother had let the shopping and hoarding get out of hand and the kids had to eat on the bed because it was the only flat surface. Kids were embarrassed to bring friends home because, frankly, there was no where to set. I gathered from the snippets of conversation and the Psychiatrist in residence that this was indeed a mental problem.

Ok, to make a long story short, I looked around at my house. Now maybe it is getting a bit out of hand, but here is the scoop. I sell on Ebay for other people and so that stuff is setting over there in the corner, both on and under the table. Some of it has spilled around the corner into my bedroom and then there is that pile in the closet. I am trying to run a store out of this office (and bedroom and closet).

I see how you are rolling your eyes! Maybe the weaving has gotten a little out of control what with 3 looms, a spinning wheel, wool to weave someday, a truckload of thread, every book I ever bought, but that is what that room down there is for. That is why it is called the "Weaving Room." The next room down there is for sewing. When you have a machine quilter, 2 sergers, a heavy duty machine, 2 sewing machines, a mangle and tons of scraps and books, you need a "Sewing Room." The third room down there is called the "Embroidery Room" because it has my big embroidery machine in it along with 4 pickup loads of thread, 2 freezers, quilt batting, a train set....

Ok! So maybe I have a small problem. But it is just that, a small problem. Not nearly big enough to be considered MENTAL! I could sort right through this stuff and have it all organized in nothing flat. Let's just start right here in front of me on the desk. Here are three pencil holders full of pencils and pens. Maybe that is a tad excessive, I will give you that. Let's just sort this one. Two eversharps. Those need lead. Maybe I will pick up lead today. 3 pens. Two don't work. Maybe they are just a little dry. Pair of scissors, crochet hook, glue stick., magic marker. Looks like pretty good stuff to me. I will just leave that right there.

Ok! So I have a small problem. I am going to work on that. May have to get more advice from Oprah. Right now I have to go into town. I will start this when I get back. You all have a good day and take a look around. Bet you have a junk drawer, a corner where you put the stuff you need to do something with later. Have a good day and:

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!!

The Baby Llama is holding still for me!

This is the baby llama I been telling you about. This thing is the most beautiful chocolate color I have ever seen. If I could just catch it and get that wool I could spin it and weave it into something and all my weaving friends would be so jealous! That is the mother in the background and I think she may be stomping over this way to spit on me! I have heard they do that, and in fact, seen it happen one time years ago. Have pretty well given them a very wide birth since than.

This is mother and Llamette approaching the chocolate adult. Hey! Maybe that is the daddy! "Hello, Father, may I come into your area of the field?" In order to establish paternity here I am going to need to get a lot closer then I am willing to do. Oh, but I just remembered, I am the writer here and I can tell you anything and unless one of you calls me to task, if it is true in my mind, it will be true in yours. Let me see; do I want to compromise my immortal soul over the sex of a Llama that I barely know? I am thinking that is a big "NO". (Well, I see my picture is now miraculously over there on the left. This blog is way smarter than I am!) This is the whole herd. This chain link fence is 4 feet high so that gives you some idea of how big they are. I love the tail on that baby!

I just wanted to show you the pictures of the baby Llama. Please do not look at the area near the camera where the remenants of last years garden are awaiting my able hand. Lord, I am glad it is below zero and there is nothing I can do about that mess. Those wretched geese and ducks are supposed to help me out on this.

Ok, you have seen the herd next door, the mess in my garden area and listened to my ramblings, so now we can both go get busy. I have 33 shirts to embroider for the Kearny County Library and laundry piled over my head. Also today the new dog gets beautiful and I see nap time will come early today!

Take care and God Bless. Oh, that made me think of Red Skelton! Remember him?