Fun to have with a carrot on a snowy day.

Well, a bag of carrots, a couple Llama's, lot of snow, and a vegetarian dog makes for a fun slide show.  No animals were harmed in the making of this slide show.

I went to Safeway's and got a bag of carrots along with a lot of other stuff and when I got home and opened the carrots I found they had roots and greenery.  Sorry, not my idea of fresh.  I will not buy a bag next time that I can not see through.  So I figured this was my fault.  Since I live in the County it would have taken more gas to return them then they cost.  Once more, one of the lessons I have learned.

So I took my bag of carrots and my trusty camera and went to the side fence and called to the Llama's.  Of course they came.  I stuck the carrots in the fence to free my hands and then we talked.  Yes, they do like carrots and they do not mind that they are not crisp and crunchy.  They were most agreeable to have their pictures taken and I do think they posed for me a little bit.  Now I have heard and actually seen Llama's that spit, but these do not seem to have that habit.  For that I am grateful.

When I turned to come back to the house, the Daisy dog shot past me.  Seems she thought she would like a carrot.  She also knew she was not supposed to have it.  That is why I got very good pictures of the Llama's and Daisy ran from me.  Hope she enjoyed her carrot.  And I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Lunch with Grandma Lou!

Isn't it amazing that when you think there is no way to go but down,  life has a way of shaking you right out of that funk?  So I had company for lunch and when lunch was over, I had a nap.  There is nothing to perk an old lady up like a one year old, a 1 1/2 year old and a big old 6 year old.   Especially if I have ice cream and peaches to go with hamburgers.

The weight of the world equates to....nothing.

I remember when I was a kid I would see pictures of Atlas with the world on his shoulders.  Things like that stick with kids.  At that time I thought the world was very big and very heavy and the man that held the world was very strong.  I have since learned that such is not the case.

In the first place, there is no way a mere mortal could even get the world on his shoulders and if he did, where would he stand to hold it? I also remember my mother saying she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.  I thought she must be  a very strong woman.  Funny how a kid's mind will work.

And now that I am older, I get it.  Or at least I think I do.  Usually I am a rather upbeat person and can handle what ever the world throws at me, but then there are times when the powers of the Universe conspire against me and the weight of the world begins to pile on my shoulders.  This also gives credence to another saying, "It never rains, but what it pours." 

My world was on it's axis and spinning right along yesterday afternoon until early evening.  At that time I got the phone call that we had lost a client.  This one was totally unexpected.  A young woman with a small son and a bright and shining future.  She was engaged and life was good.  Right up till that last moment.  Then I had a phone call about a problem involving ego's and power struggles that are always unsolvable and just take up time.  Little weight of the world on my shoulders, but not really bad at all.  Got my new blog up and running and feeling good.

Then came the bright part of my day when my computer lit up with my friend and confidant.  And from there it was all down hill.  Cyber space is not all it cracked up to be.  Things said in jest can not be interpurted as such in black and white.  Emails do not always end up where they were sent and in some cases may be who knows where.  Or maybe they are just ignored in favor of something better?

Suffice it to say when the downward spiral begins there is not an easy fix, so by bedtime I was rethinking this whole life thing.  It seems that life actually can be equated  to doing the Texas Two Step on the way to the grave.  You know, the old two steps forward and one step back?  And  if you turn around and look backwards you are just liable to back right into the open grave. 

My nights get very long when I try to solve the world's problems.  I tried putting all my thoughts in piles and labeling them.  Pile number one was things I could do nothing about.... Egypt, Mubarac, the weather, death of a client went in one pile.  Things I could do something about in another pile...problems at church,  burned out ballast in the kitchen light, hole in the dining room carpet, the new blog went in another pile.  Then came the insurmountable problem of misunderstanding with a friend.  Personal relationships have always been hard ones for me.  And the sad part is that they still are and sometimes I just walk away when I think I am right.  Does not mean I am right or wrong, only means that is how I deal with life when it is more than I can understand.

God grant me the power to accept the things I can not change,  change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.  or something like that.

I am going to show you me in action!

Now, you should know that the first picture up there is the purse I am making all cut out and sewn onto the batting.  The next step in this little process was to trim the pieces and then turn them right side out.  Then I edge stitched and started the assembly.  Last pictures shows, voila!  I am finished and have a new purse.

Now I realize that anyone who does not sew will think I have created a master piece.  Let me tell you what I think is a masterpiece and that is that slide show running up there.  That is the miracle on this page.  Now the purse is really nice, but you people know how girlie I am not so what am I going to do with it now that I have it?  That is neither here nor there.  I am here to discuss this technology business.

Does anyone remember way back when you would take pictures and then you took the film out and and took it to some place and got your pictures developed?  I can remember when color first came to pictures.  Oh, and the Polaroid Land Camera that developed the picture while you waited.  I remember the first camera I ever owned was a Brownie that my brother brought me home from Germany.  Used to hold it down about my waist and look down into the view finder until I got zeroed in and then click and when the roll was taken, off we went to get it developed.  As I recall it was about 6" x 6".  Very ugly black thing.

Well, now I have this little green thing that is about ½" thick.  I point and shoot and there is no focusing or any of that stuff going on.  When I have what I want I pull out the card and slip it in the slot in the computer or plug in my cord and the pictures pop up for my approval.  If I do not like one I delete it.  I can type in what they are and the date is automatic.  Then I click on a few more things and have this slide show for you.  Time expired maybe 2 minutes.  I can take a picture of a crying baby and send the picture to its mother and she will see it before the tears are dry.  Technology.

And do you want to know something else?  I have friends who think I am a genius!  Well, maybe I will just let them think that.  Going to send my sister a link on her email and she can read this and watch the slide show and she will think I am smart.  Or not.  See my location down there?  Takes me 48 seconds to find it and post it.  I have links on the side to other blogs.  Course I never get any house work done, my butt is as wide as the chair, and my social life is in the crapper, but I am a genius!!  LOL

Fun Places to Go!

http://www.pueblopflag.blogspot.com/

See if this works!

Pueblo Community College has a state of the art Learning Center.

December 1, 2010 when we were at the Pueblo Community College I sat for hours and watched students go down one hallway and come out another.  I thought maybe there was something to eat down there cause it seemed to be a very popular place.  And then along came Ross and he gave me the grand tour!

This is the door to the inner sanctum at Pueblo Community College.  I had done some embroidery work for Ross who runs the Learning Center, but I had no idea what the place actually entailed.  When we were at the college for World AIDS Day I got a chance to see and I was very impressed.  This program takes up the whole bottom floor of the building we were in and it is always busy.  Let me just shoot through here and point out a few things, then we will talk!

This is Ross's office.  It is very nice and he has lots of little momento's setting and hanging here and there.  He is into Rainbow's which are also a weakness of mine.  He has way more then me though.  I just keep buying rainbow fabric and not using it.  You know me well!  His office is in the center of the commons area.  He has windows on three sides so he can keep an eye on day to day operations.  Guess he never stopped to think, they can keep an eye on him also!

This is the commons area of the Learning Center. There are computers every where and they are there for the students to use. There are also little rooms here and there for different things that the students need.  There are computers in those rooms as well.

A little further down you will see a girl at a computer. She is not just any girl, she is the one who makes the media for special needs, such as braille.

Now, I forgot who this is, but he is a reception area person and I am sure he is very important since every one in the place seems to have a job that is thier job and they do it very well.  Ross is a very good task master!

 Ah!  Here we are entering what is known as the Disability Resources Center.  This is where the special stuff is made that people who need it, get it!

 And here is the girl I told you that does it.  She is a very nice girl and I wish I knew where I wrote her name down.  I am sure when I hit the publish button it will come to me.  She is a very nice girl and we chatted amicably about her role in preparing media for special needs.  This is a very vital part of what goes on in this place!

And here is my little Ross!  He is an amazing creature!  He actually rides his bike to work and drinks lots of water.  I could go on for days about the virtues of this man, but he would just roll his eyes so I am not going there.  Anyone who has ever dealt with Ross Barnhart has nothing but praise for him both as a professional and as a human being.  I am included in his fan club.

I attended a two year college and I am sure there were resources that I could have accessed, but nothing like this operation!  I can attest by sheer virtue of watching how many students accessed this area that it is a vital part of an education at PCC.  And with Ross at the helm this place can do nothing but thrive and grow!

You have met Ross Barnhart, the academia person, but this was my first encounter with that side of Ross.  I have known him for many, many years.  I knew him when he lived in Seattle.  Well, we are not that old so it was not that long ago, it just sounds like it.  Actually, I have known his mother, Nancy Martin, for about 20 years, but they were very short years!  OK, there is a point here!

If you think Ross, the professional is a wonderful man, you should meet Ross the philanthropist and activist.  My kind of man!  This article was to acquaint you with the Learning Center.  I will do an article on Ross Barnhart that will make the world stand up and take notice.  I think he would make a wonderful President!  We could write him on the ballot!