So, to keep from tensing up to much on my drive home, I made a weather/season inspired song. I only have the first verse and chorus, but I think it will be a big hit this year! (Sung to the tune of Oh Christmas Tree) "Oh Wintertime Oh Wintertime You make Springs' mud seem so divine Oh Wintertime Oh Wintertime You make Springs' mud seem so divine You really blow-, and not just snow. My visibil- ity's zero. Oh Wintertime Oh Wintertime You make Springs' mud seem so divine" So, that's all I got, but not bad for creating between "oh shit"s and "where the hell did the road go???!!'s. This was my visibility (yeah, I drove AND took pictures in this shit. I am in New York. It's what we do) This is what I looked like after I got home. Fun times, fun times!

The Best. Song. Ever!

What more can I say?

So, this happened yesterday;

As I sit here this morning and watch the sun come up on the first snow of the year, I discover I am alright with it. I am relieved. It's been a busy year, and now Old Man Winter is stepping up behind me, laying a hand on my shoulder, and saying, "You've done well, you've done what you should, and what you can. Now come, sit with me." I am happy to spend time with my old friend and watch the this year ebb into next.

And Fall it is!

Well, Fall is here. I have been in deep denial, and the weather has helped some with that. We have had a few stretches of unseasonably warm days, but this last week has had the cold, hard bite of pre-winter. The leaves are almost all off the trees, thanks to the huffing and puffing of the wind, and the kitties are even spending shorter stretches of time outside, and longer ones inside. I walked down to the Purple Pirate (the shop in Henderson that sells my crafts) and kicked up huge sprays of gold leaves in front of me, just like a kid would. I love doing that! I have been quiet here because I have had my head down, working and crafting and sorting some issues out in my brain. I am almost done with Christmas stuff-cards and gifts, and really hope to wrap that up in the next week because I really want to relax this holiday as much as possible and only have to do things for me. Diana and I want to make ornaments for our tree this year, and I think that will be fun, but I want it to also be non-stressful. Thus, one of the reason I have really pushed to get all my Christmas stuff finished. Diana and I are planning a 2 day trip south-west of here to Eden and Laroy. There are 2 museums there I want to see, and they are open til some time in December. One is The Jello Museum, and the other is The Kazoo Museum. They are small, but unique and tiny, and bonus is we have to drive through Rochester to see them, and that means a 2 story Barnes and Knoble. w00t w00t!

This is the newest member of our family. We have been at 5 cats since we put Mama Kitty down earlier this year. This guy has been hanging around since Spring, and finally started coming close enough to get lovings. His name is Grey, and he is a sweet stray of about 8 years of age. He is loving his squishy bed on the heater in front of the window, and that he is feeling better due to a few not-so-fun trips to the vet. He will get neutered this month, and Micro chipped, and then it will be officially offical. Back up to 6 cats, and wishing we could take in the last 2 that seem homeless. Alas, all I can do is keep them feed and try to get them through the winter months ahead. As you can see, my computer Guru, Jason, fixed my 'puter up and now I can post pictures! SO, I will leave you with these. Toodles for now!

Whew!

Well, animal control came and took the Sheppard mix momma dog from down the street. I thought it had already happened, but she showed up on our doorstep Saturday morning, hoovering out the food dish. That she could even walk was amazing to me. I thought she was starved before...I called animal control and left a message, and then called them twice today to try and find out the scoop. Legally, they can't tell you anything about the case, but I told the person on the phone that all I wanted to know was if the dog was gone, or if I still needed to put food out for it. The response was that animal control had gone out and picked 'them' up. I assume from the wording that the6 puppies (who supposedly had homes and were to be gone by the end of last month) were still there and taken as well. Now, if there was only a way to keep them from ever getting animals again. Or having any more kids.

Random thoughts on Tiny Homes

I have been doing a lot of research on Tiny Homes and trailer living. I miss my small spaces, and really enjoyed living in one. I am curious as to how small I could actually go, and I really believe that nothing smaller than 200 sq ft would work for me. I have some things I am sentimentally attached to, and I do like decorating a little for the seasons, which means I would need storage. I need my books, or at least a small space for keepers and a space for rotators. And at this point, I would want a home I could travel with. However, I am not sure how travel-worthy Tiny Homes are. They are definitely not very arrow-dynamic, so hauling them down a road long distances might be worse gas mileage wise than a trailer. I don't know. Haven't looked into the details yet. I am enjoying pinning ideas and pictures on my Tiny Home board on Pintrest. Lots of great ideas even for everyday rooms. I loved the size of my 244 sq ft apartment in Snoqualmie. The thing I didn't like about it was that it had only one window, so I could not get a through breeze. I loved the high ceilings, and those allowed me to do a lot more with the space, making it very livable. My 350 sq ft apartment in Vernonia was like a mansion, and I would never need any more space than that. Especially if I designed the interior to fit my needs. That would be fabulous! Something else I have been wondering about is why trailers are so much more expensive than tiny homes, and why the people who design them have not caught onto the tiny home idea for interior design. What do I mean? Well, simply every RV and Trailer I have looked like is tacky colors and patterns. It's like something my grandma's mom would have loved, but not someone like me. Big, cheesy mauve and grey fabric with matching wall boarders and ugly draw pulls? No, thank you. Anyways, just something I have been thinking about.

When life gives you lemons...

Or children. Take them, because, hey! Free! I have to say that living with Sece is an experience, and as I have stated in Facebook, an experience that is reaffirming the correctness of my choice to never, ever, ever have one of those of my very own. Ever. Never. She is a watercolor of sound, an oil painting of emotions, a sculpture of habits (mostly annoying and bad because she's 12). She is smart and brilliant when you put a pencil and piece of paper in front of her and let her draw. She would be the first to die in even a semi-apocalyptic event. I would almost think she would walk right into the first round of horrifying death, simply because she refuses to condition and comb the mop of nappy, crazy hair out of her eyes. She is dumber than a door knob when it comes to street smarts, and is so afraid of everything- or pretending to be so afraid of everything because it is funny- that she is actually a danger to herself while standing still in a room made of pillow. So, she makes me laugh, and her Mom loves her. I had respect for parents before. I knew it was a hard, merciless, spirit-breaking job that I never wanted. I have an even more acute respect and awareness now. Lets take example A: pan burns on the counter. If you make eggs, you do not set a hot pan on the counter to load your plate. You take the plate to the pan. Unless you are Sece. Then you burn the counter 'cuz hot pans only stay hot when on the stove. They instantly get cold when you take them off the stove. *headdesk* Example B: For 3 weeks you are told multiple times a day to not kick your shoes off into the middle of the entryway when you come in. People will trip on them. People will hurt themselves. You explain this multiple times, show her 2 corners she can kick them into, and give her a shelf to put them on in the shoe rack. You start yelling when she does it. Then, one day, you simply take them. She can't find her shoes. When she figures it out, she learns she will need to earn them back(That was my brilliant idea(. What better way to get her to understand to respect her stuff and others, right? So, to earn them back she has to load up a pile of branches that had been cut a few days before, and unload them at the dump. At most, going slow, this should only have taken an hour. 2 hours later, I am helping her finish up because I have better things to do with my time, because I have been up in hot and humid conditions since 3am doing hard physical labor, and because she is the biggest whiner ever. And I mean ever. I can't help but wish it was winter, and that I had a chipper, and that I lived in Fargo. I kid you not(hahaha); 10 minutes into this she wants to know when we are breaking for lunch cuz she is hunger. She had an hour before we started to get ready. She could have eaten then. I point it out, and tell her I can cut her up some cheese and salami to tide her over. Nope. Not good enough. She wants something specific. I tell her tough shit then, let me know when you change your mind. There are many other versions of trying to get out of The Punishment during those few hours. I hold fast. I think of chippers, of hog boiling time, of bigger, prettier rosebushes. Finally we are done, and a few hours later I hear her talking to her mom about how making her do that made no sense because it had nothing to do with shoes, and she will never remember. THAT was pretty infuriating to hear, but I am willing to bet if she has to do more stuff like that to earn her shit back, she will make the association. I just don't know if I can do it. There have been many little trials and issues since she moved in. She is spoiled in the way that kids get when one parent is tired of trying to do it all themselves. Mary's husband was not a constant when it came to teaching and helping. Mary is all over it with Diana and I backing her up, though. However, there are 12 years of whining and laziness to overcome if she is going to live here with us. Fingers are crossed.

I will be heading to Boston Tuesday evening to spend a few days with the lovely Beth, dashing David, and Merry Madeline. She is attending some classes at MIT as a summer camp program, and while she is in class, the three of us are going to check out the sight. JB Monkey will be joining me, so watch for another Facebook album of his adventures!

I decided to paint the two mud colored walls in my room a nice white. Although the mud color certainly wasn't horrible, it really was not that nice, either. It will make it a little brighter in winter, and make it feel a little bigger. Of course, if I got rid of some stuff, it would feel bigger too. It SHOULD have been quick and simple, but when removing the corner shelves I put up a year ago, the dark blue peeled up. When the wall paper had been put down, the adhesive had not been primed over, so the paint came off like big blisters. Hmm... okay. I have a little of that paint left, so I will see if I can make it work without having to empty my entire room and repaint the other two walls as well. I guess this will be a good time to start another round of "Should It Stay or Should It Go". Le sigh. The yard has geared down from Spring flowers and exploded into the summer décor. The tea roses are out in full force, which means I have a small ocean of them along the front drive. The day lilies are now blooming, and the California poppies are up and waving their pretty orange selves around. My garden in in for the year. It is small, but I am watching to see how things do so I have a better idea of where to put them next year, and maybe what needs to be done to the soil. I also have mentally wandered around the outside of the house, making not of the little projects I need to finish up, and which I can do alone, and which will take a day visit from my friend Tom. Now that the garden is in, I need other things to work on so I don't get fat and lazy. Hahaha! Mom and Dad came a-visiting the last 2 weeks of May. It was wonderful fun to show them where I hang out, and explore the state with them a little. Dad and mom both helped with projects that needed doing, and it was nice to get and give hugs and kisses every morning! We are already planning next years' trip. I also figured out why I can no longer post pictures here. I would need to load another browser because Google has decided that explorer 11 will only be good for everything BUT loading pictures. So, you will be picture less here until either A. They get their act together and do an update or B. I get frustrated enough to upload Chrome. I am betting they can out wait me, but I am going to give them a run for their money. My photos are on Facebook if ya wanna see them. I have been letting Faith outside for supervised visits. She is one of our two blind cats, and it is hilarious to watch her outdoors! I am trying to establish the boundaries of her new realm in the same way I let her know her boundaries inside her old realm. She gets the loud "Nuh HUH" voice when she tries to go to close to the street, and a happy "Good Girrrl" when she immediately changes direction when hearing the Nuh huh. Lately she has been making me laugh at just how much like a child she is. She heads off and tries to cross the boundary I have set. I say 'Nuh HUH' and she either immediately lays down and whines like a 3 year old, or drops into low rider position, speeds up, starts her 3year old whining, and goes for it into Unallowed Territory. This gets her caught, scolded, and put back in the house (all the while I am laughing on the inside because it is so damn cute). Today she did great, though. A couple of Nuh HUHs made her drop to the ground and whine, and then she would flop over and 'stare' at me for a bit. Then up she would get, and start exploring in the correct direction. She even went back up to the house and in all by herself. What a wonderful, silly, funny little girl she is! Mamma Kitty was put down a week ago. She was in the last stages of kidney failure. She had been going thorough phases of eta/don't eat for a while, but the last round was turning into the whole 'I want to eat, I am hungry, but nothing you put in front of me will taste good' thing. Then she started having seizures. We made the appointment as soon as we could get one, and she is happily resting by Misty in the back of the shed, covered in Lily of the Valley. So, we are down to 5 cats again. Since 6 seems to be the magic average for this home, I am wondering what Mother god will deposit on our doorstep next. I know I already know which one I want, but hey, they are all kitties, and I want them all!

It rained yesterday. A beautiful long soak. Several, actually. We were really starting to need them, too. We had a tiny bit of lightning and thunder, too. What I like about the thunderstorms here are the long rolls. Last night, each roll of thunder was about 45 seconds to one minute long. You hear them move across the sky like a big truck. It's amazing!

I am sitting here, doing my normal morning routine. Get up, let in/out various kitties, check email and Facebook while being interrupted by various kitties for pets and loves, and then get suited up for work and head downstairs for the downstairs portion. It is time to suit up, and I don't wanna, Not because I don't wanna go to work. I am actually looking forward to that. I don't wanna because it's so freaking stuffy in the building that it is miserable. I need to read the dress code and see if I can come in with peddle pushers on that are made of jeans material. If so, I might convert a pair of pants so I can be a little cooler. Now that I am not management, I am enjoying my job again. Just wish I could get more hours every week. Le Sigh. I see the last post I made was before the parents showed up. I need to finish the photo editing portion of their visit and bore ya all with pictures!

Seven more days!!!

Yeah, I am counting. No, I don't care that I am counting. Mom and Dad arrive at The Crazy Cat Ladies House on the very late, late eve on the 18th, and I am counting. Wait a few more days, and you will probably get hours and minutes added to that. I'll spare you the seconds count, cuz I just can't type fast enough to keep that accurate.

Is that spring I see?

Spring had a hard time of it this year. Winter wanted to hog the stage as long as possible, and did. we had snow through the beginning of April. Yuck! However, it seems we are finally past that, and am I ever glad! I want to get out and do All The Things. Diana and I have made a super friend! Her name is Mary, and she has a hilarious daughter o f 12 years named Cese. They have been visiting us a few time a week, and it has been wonderful fun! It looks like I found a friend for hiking and exploring, and that makes me very happy! I just finished repainting the Dining room. It was a barn red color, and although it wasn't horrible, it wasn't what Diana and I wanted. It is now a fabulous cobalt blue, thanks to the help of Mary and Diana. There was a bit of concern that it would make the room dark, but it didn't. Next we will repaint the kitchen, but that will be a while. Mom and Dad are coming for a visit in May! I am so excited! This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing them, and even though we talk online many times a week, there is just no substitute for hugs and kisses. The are as excited as I am to come visit, and I have lots of places close by to show them and explore with them. It is going to be a wonderful 2 weeks! All the kitties are doing well. They are soooo glad to be able to go outside. Sad Faced Kitty, Smudge, and Pug head out in the morning and only come back in for a bite to eat. Then they are back out and exploring the world. I have been escorting Faith outside. Her lack of eyesight doesn't stop her from poking around, and she has grown quite fond of the outdoors. We have a kennel we bought at a garage sale last year that will get set up so we can put her and Justice outside and not have to worry about them wandering off. That should be exciting for all of us. As always, I am keeping busy. My list of 'Things to do in the yard and house' has grown from 3 things to many, many things. I am already tackling them, and hope to get most of them finished this year. We will see. Diana and I have another set of friends we spend time with and enjoy. The Horths. Jim, Kathy and Molly. We met them in the North Country Crafters Group over a year ago, and recently started spending Sunday afternoons together, crafting, eating and chatting. They are hilarious and fun, and also love exploring. So, I have another group to go play with, and plan on doing just that! I spent 3 days in New York City with a friend from High School. She goes on vacation there ever so often, and this time she spent a few days at my house, and then we took the train to Manhattan and explored. I walked my fee off, but had the best time! I would definitely go back with here, and hope I gat to next time she comes to the state for a vacation. I took JB Monkey with me, and had fun taking pictures of his silly adventures in The Big Apple. I want to add pictures, but BlogSpot is acting up, so I will try again later. Toodles!

Wow. What a winter! We have had a massive snow storm that closed the city of Watertown down for most of a day, as well as just the regular yearly snow. We have had an ice storm that knocked out power for days to thousands of people, weeks of below 0 temperature that has both delayed and closed schools because it was just to cold for people to expose any amount of skin to for any amount of time. We adopted two neighborhood cats. One had to be put down because he had feline aids and could no longer fight the own bacteria his body produced. The other had major mouth issues, but with some massive and expensive dental care (thanks to my lovely roommate), has recovered nicely, and melds in with our other fur babies quite well. Christmas was quiet and uneventful. To uneventful. Diana and I both decided that next year we need to start creating some holiday traditions, so that the passage of time can be marked a little better. Days and seasons tend to blur when you don't do anything to notice them. I finally got Diana to try Lord of the Rings Online, and now Mom, Dad, she and I play together. The cats are an endless source of hilarity and annoyance, and all of us cannot wait until it is warm enough to kick them all the hell OUTSIDE! God lord! They can drive a girl to insanity and back in about 2.3 seconds! Oh, and we had the house wired for internet. Just internet. Why is this important? I can now stream Netflix. OH. The. Bliss! I have been spending my January doing what I always spend my January doing: reflecting on the previous year and figuring out what I want to change this year. The people here in the North Country are friendly, but it's very hard to actually make friends. Sounds a bit contradictory, but it is true. I need some friends. I don't need a lot, but I need a small handful to explore this new place around me with. What works in the PNW does NOT work here. I have decided that I will combine my friend-making search with some volunteer work. If I can do things I like, I will meet some peeps that have similar interests, and maybe that will kick things off. If not, at least I will have some fun things to do. I don't plan on flying home to visit this year. I simply don't have the money for that. Mom and Dad are talking about coming out here for a visit, and I am now hunting around for things to discover with them. Like wine slushies. And Maybe the Cream Cheese Festival. who knows. With the help of the local friendlies and the internet, I should be able to come up with a fine selection. I might also get a chance to see Dave, Beth and Madeline this year. There is talk about a visit to MIT and other things. We will work it out as we go. I did finish my sketchbook for Project Sketchbook, and mailed it in. I will be doing another this year. I kinda want to do 2, but I don't want to over extend myself. I made a lot of my Christmas gifts for this last season, and plan on doing it again. It was fun, and challenging, and fun. Really fun. I'd love to encourage everyone to buy local and make gifts. Why? Because it's fun. What better reason? I don't have much planned in the way of home projects this year. I have some rock steps I almost finished last year that I will finish in the spring, but other than that, and retouching the paint on the porches, I plan on starting my garden this year. Growing here should be a challenge. The soil is shallow and mostly clay. I have been composting, but there is a lot of work to be done. I have a feeling it will be a very small garden this year. However, ya gotta start somewhere! Diana and I might get a canner. There is a lot of fresh fruits and veggie to be had, and I would love to have them for the winter. Off to start the day!

The first real snow of the year.

We had the first true snow of the year. It was about 3 and a half inches, and I fell asleep to the sound of snow plows. Thus starts the song of winter here.

I love taking pictures. I go through phases where I can't put my camera down. I love sharing what I feel is the everyday wonder and beauty of the things that surround me every day. Stunning mountain views and action shots are great, but the things that make each one of us who we are- the support structure of the things around where we live- THAT'S the stuff real life is made of, and we all see something different.

Fall is fallin'.

I rolled out of bed about 6:30am this morning, and feed the hungry passel of cats, made coffee and watched the sky lighten. It's a cold morning, but no frost is on the car windows. We have had our first snow already. It was a week ago, and it was more hail-ish then snow, but it made white patches on the ground. I will be getting my car winterized Monday, and then I can just settle in and enjoy the ride. The last 2 days have been rain, rain, rain. It's like being back home. My cat, Smudge, is stubbornly denying the change in weather. She insist on being out. I have created 3 insulated shelters. around the house for her to snuggle up in, and am trying to let her enjoy the outside as long as the weather permits. I am a nervous cat mom. Lesseee...what else? Oh! They started playing Christmas music in the store on November 1st. Pleh! It is officially full-blown Christmas in retail land. I will also be selling a few of my crafts this November and December in an indoor site at a friends home. They are open every weekend from Thanksgiving thru Christmas, and I will help out where I can. I don't have to, but figure that since they are providing the space, why not? They apparently get quite the turn out every year, so I might have found my first outlet for disposing of the things I like to make. We will see how it goes. Work hours are finally going up. It feels weird knowing I won't be home for Christmas this year. last year, with all the 'new' it was okay. now I am settled in a bit more, and it already feels a little off. Not bad, just off. I have a feeling I shall spend my tax return on a ticket home next year. Maybe have Christmas in March. LOL! I added a couple of shelves in my bedroom next to my bed to accommodate my every expanding stack-o-library books. I am also starting to get back into books on cd, so I can work on stuff without 'missing' anything like I do when watching DVDs. Well, off to start on the day. But first, a pretty pic of the fall here for you. Almost all the leaves are gone. The wind around here doesn't allow them to show off for long, but it's is very pretty while it lasts.

In my wanderings about the internet tonight, I followed a trail to Stephen Fry's official blog site. I read this entry: In it he says, "It’s not that I want a sexual partner, a long-term partner, someone to share a bed and a snuggle on the sofa with – although perhaps I do and in the past I have had and it has been joyful. But the fact is I value my privacy too. It’s a lose-lose matter. I don’t want to be alone, but I want to be left alone." THIS is how I have always felt. I understand exactly what he is saying. I feel the words from the inside out. It is a frustrating place to be, but I cannot be anywhere else because it makes me miserable. Thank you, Mr. Fry, for putting it together so simply and clearly for me.

Winter activities made of squee.

I need to try this!

I am getting ready to go for my morning walk-a-bout in the yard with my kitty friends, but just wanted to say MY PARENTS COME HOME TODAY!!!!! Okay, so I may be way far away from them, but we call and kill monsters on a regularly, and I have missed them much! They have been living it up is Europe, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary for 5 weeks, and having a blast. I have gotten postcards, emails and a phone call, but it's not the same as talking about Burger Master visits while slaying Goblins. Just sayin'.

I am sitting on the sun porch, enjoying the cool early morning air, and the gunshots for the hunters. It's Fall, folks, and I have to say, that for the first time, I feel jilted because it is already here. This summer started late in the North Country, and I can feel it still in my souls battery. I am not ready to 'wind down' for the long, cold winter ahead. I just ain't. But, you deal with it. I have been spending almost all my free time on the crappy days holed up in my room doing art, watching West Wing, and reading. Today is going to be beautiful, so Diana and I will be doing the garage/shed shuffle. The summer stuff will be moved out of the garage, and the winter stuff in- like the snow blower, which I guess I will have to learn to use this year, since I will be the only one getting up early in the mornings. I am not fond of the snow blower. Maybe that will change. Who knows. I have finished everything I wanted to do to the yard this year. I am thrilled, because for a while it was looking dicey. Weather rarely changes softly here. It's usually a pretty quick and violent thing. The last few weeks summer has been wrestling with fall. Every now and again I hear fall screaming "Just give it up already! Jeeeez!!!", and summer grunting, huffing and struggling to get out from under fall's bulk and dish him out some serious whoop ass. Or maybe that's just me. So, I cherish every damn sunny day I get, and find some excuse to be outside for at least some of it. My entourage of kitties follows me around the yard, keeping me out of trouble and stopping with me to pay respects to Misty, who is quietly resting in the back yard in the cool shade of Autumn. Soon the snow will keep me from wandering, and I will plug in the treadmill and look out the window at the birds at the feeder. Till then, I will suck up every little bit I can.

I won! I won!!!!

So, Henderson had a logo contest. I was made aware of it by the lovely Ms. Diana, and I submitted an entry- WHICH WON!!!! Of course, it is a tiny-weenie town I live in, so I only won bragging rights, fame, and $100 to the local restaurant of my choice. However, it sounds like someday there will be mugs and t-shirts, so if they print 'em before Christmas, don't bother sending me a wish list, ya know what I mean?!!

I do believe summer has stomped on us but good!

Well, it's 8:30am and almost 80 F. The humidity is also very high. You can see the moisture in the air all day. It's like having dirty glasses, but no matter how much you wipe them clean, everything is still a little hazy. I finally found someone who is willing to help me with my yard work in exchange for help in his. I went over and helped him mow his lawn. This meant I got to ride around on a lawn mower really, really fast. I love me a riding lawn mower! We took a walk around his yard, and he chatted about the things he needs to do. This will mostly involve hooking trees and shrubs to the tractor and pulling them out, filling the hole with dirt, and reseeding. So, I will get to play with a tractor, too! In exchange, he is helping me with my projects. He brought his trailer over the other day, and we went to The Big Rock Pile and filed it up. My rock work is now finished! One load and it is done. The amount of work he has saved me is amazing!. He also brought his chain saw, and we finished cutting tree stumps out of the lilacs, and removing the dead branches. At this point I only have 2 big projects left; power wash and paint the 3 entryways into the house, and finish weeding the garden. The rest is maintenance. At least for this year. I want to live with what I have done and do a few tiny things, and call it a summer. It looks really sharp out in the yard now. I am extremely happy. I went to Boldt Castle a few weeks ago with people from the Henderson Historical Society. That was fun! Very different from the castles and fancy houses I have seen in Switzerland. Boldt Castle is a self guided tour, and I might just go back for a day and hang out on the grounds. Nothing like enjoying the wealth of others! Henderson is having a contest for a new town logo. I submitted an entry, and once they have voted, I will post a picture of it here(you all need to remind me, please). Diana pointed out the contest, and I thought it looked like fun. On todays agenda; I am heading North about an hour to Tom and Dawn's house. Tom is going to teach me to weld. I have a project picked out, and am excited! I have wanted to try my hand at welding for a long time, and he has the set up. He is also a blacksmith, so I will get to try my hand at that, too! Yeah! Other than that, nothing much is going on. We have heat, my plants are growing, and I am being all domestic. The summer is here, and we are staying cool with fans and ice cream. Life is good!

Well hello there! How are you? Fantastic!!! Just want to catch ya'all up a bit on the happenings here in Upstate New York. Spring has finally sprung. Only about 2 weeks ago. Plant life has greened up and fluffed out, flowers have splashed their colors around, and the sun has warmed the place up. Mostly. We went through a few days of 80 degree weather, then down to the 40s. Then up to 80s again, then down to 50s. It is still cold out today, but not as damp as the last 2 days. Maybe things will dry out enough so I can continue my yard work. We shall see. I have been wandering around the house almost daily, seeing what is growing, and thinking about how much yard work I really want to do. I was going to plant a garden this year, but I am going to wait. I want to take care of the yard around the house first. If I can get that down to low maintenance, then I can play in a garden next year. That also gives me a year to compost. The soil here isn't bad, but it could use some help. Cutting back on the 'needs to be weeded all the time' space is my main goal. So, I am cleaning up the left and right sides of the house, putting weed block paper down, and rocking over it. The rocks are free, but I have to drive to one of 2 places to get them, load up clothe bags, and then haul them to my trunk. When I get home it is the same thing, but backwards. Hard work, but worth it. Looks much nicer. Diana's mom started the process when she lived here, but she used edging stones and bark dust. Not a fan of bark dust, since fleas love it. It also puts slivers in my delicate little feet, and that makes me all 'Princess and the Pea' about life. Diana doesn't deserve that. I have been able to start getting out and exploring, an got my hands on a super atlas map of New York! Yeah! I drove to the Adirondacks last weekend- on accident. Really. I was looking for someplace else, got lost, and that was the end result. Had no idea where I had gone wrong until I got this atlas at a really neato general store that was the size of a small planet. Now I am informed and can go to the original destination soon. Yeah for maps! Dora and I have something in common! Diana is officially open for tourist season. We have the sign out now. Picked it up on Friday, and it looks pretty awesome. Soon we will be overrun with people who want to spend their money on high quality, original design jewelry! Three cheers for tourists!

I drove to Rochester yesterday, which is about 2.5 hours south east of Henderson. I drove along the lake because it is way prettier than doing I-81 (the equivalent of I-5 in Washington/Oregon). What a glorious day for it, too! Sunny and 58F. It felt like spring, and was just what my little brain needed. I went to Monroe Community College to see The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library. My friend, Shawn, turned me onto this organization a few years ago, but until this trip, I really didn't 'get it' as much as I could have. I guess I am one of those people who needs to feel something in her hands to truly understand it. Tactile learning anyone? So, this is a mobile library that travels the U.S., sharing sketchbooks made by people from around the world. They can use any medium, do any theme, make them as simple or complex as they want, and then send them in to be shown in that library. Brooklyn is the home of the entire collection, and the mobile trailer showcases only the books from the past year. I spent over 4 hours pouring over creations from all over the world, by people with zero to tons of art skills, in every medium imaginable. It. Was. Amazing. I walked away with a recharged creative battery, and a sketchbook of my own to do that will travel in next years tour. Of course, I want to make everyone I know do one now, too, but most of those people would be to afraid. They would think they were not good enough. But THAT is the beauty of this project. NO ONE is rejected, and NO ONE is judged, and there is always SOMEONE who will see what you have done and be inspired/touched/encouraged. I laughed. I cried. I even thought 'WTH???' a few times, but just seeing that anyone was willing to put whatever they wanted into these pages was enough to get respect and attention from me. In one book, the pages were filled with the same pattern, drawn in ink, but done in different colors. One was an elaborate art journal in bright colors and collage. One was a huge fold-out on a handmade paper, with seven continuous line drawings of what that person ate every day for seven days. The ideas were endless. I could go on and on. How this sort of thing makes me feel when I can actually touch it is harder to explain. When I went to Switzerland for the first time as a willing adult, I had the same two feelings. Both were unexpected. The first was a feeling of 'coming home'. This knocked me off my feet, since I had never, in any way, entertained the idea that anywhere but the USA could ever be 'home'. I don't know why I had it. I just felt so comfortable there; like I fit, even though I couldn't speak the language. The second was a feeling of awe that I have never gotten from any thing else except nature. That deep feeling of history; of meaning and life and purpose and stories. I really have no better way to explain it. Touching the side of a 1000 year old church, or hearing the church bells ring in a village that had been ringing for hundreds of years, and thinking, 'How many people, just like me, have stood here and heard this exact same sound or felt this exact same spot on this wall?' The sensation created through touch and sound made a deep connection to history that I had never felt in school, and never would have been able to feel because it is simply not taught. I found a connection through the thought of everyday people, doing everyday things in the same world I was now in. I guess what I found was wonder. Anyhow, I felt this again yesterday. I am going to post a few pictures, but they are flat compared to the 3-d experience I had. However, I encourage all of my reader to check out The Sketchbook Project website. They have great ideas everyone can participate in, and it really is a great organization with a great idea of community art. http://www.sketchbookproject.com/ And now for pictures. Just a couple or three.

Well, what have I been up to? Lessee... Not much, I guess. The weather has been snowy and cold for the most part. And by that I mean 99% of the time. Spring is apparently saying our neck of the woods for last. To busy everywhere else making her presence known. Since she is a big show-off, she will eventually have to mosey our way. So, I wait, like an antsy little kid trapped in that horrible place between after-service and being home. Com'on, Dad! Get the car already and lets get out of here! So, here is a great shot of the first day of spring. Glorious, right? People keep laughing and telling me we can get snow up through Mothers day- like that is even funny! Spring is going to have to put on one helluva speed performance if she keeps putting things off. Just saying. Diana and I have been concentrating on her shop. Here is a picture of the shelving assembled, and filled with pretties. The soft opening is April 20th, and she will open for summer business mid May. Should be fun! Lessee...I am up to the usual shenanigans and tomfoolery. Nothing new or exciting in my life, really. Probably why you don't hear from me much. I should have a burst of posting goodness when spring rears her pretty little head and gives me glorious things to take pictures of. Until then, I give you a picture of a cat. Note how The Queen of All That is Hers (Which is Everything) reclines on her pillow while snuggled up to her favorite heat source; the gas fireplace. No, the pillow doesn't get hot. Yes, she has melted the hair on her tail a few times getting comfy. But only a little.

Nothing much going on.

Not much going on other than wacky weather. Went through a spell of negative numbers, down into the teens. Because I am not used to this, I forgot to leave water running, and we had a small section of pipe freeze. No bursting that we can see. So, instead of a boring update about cats and toe lint, I bring you some cool pics of the freeze. A few shots of the lovely Lake Ontario. Shots were taken after I walked out on it about 30 feet. Guess I can scratch 'Walk on water' off my Bucket List!

This is one of the radiators in Dianas house. I do not know why, but I am in love visually with these things, and take lots of pictures which I do not torture you with. Your welcome.

A few days after my last post we had a warm spell. The snow melted quickly, and it was in the mid 40s to mid 50s for a while. It was strange to see grass again. Today it started snowing, and now it is white and beautiful out. We were not supposed to get an accumulation of the white stuff, but throw a lake into the mix and you never really know what is going to happen. Diana has moved her bedroom upstairs and the shop is taking shape. She has decided to go with her business full time, so her last day at work will be in April. We are working to get a shop/teaching space created and ready to roll by then. It's proving to be a lot of work, but it's gonna look sooooooo nice! Our bathroom is finally finished, as well.

It was ripped up for 5 weeks, and we are still making muppet arms every time we go into the finished space. Having Ugly Bathroom Syndrome sucks! I have decided that this month will be full of crafty goodness and fun. Beth found a great art gift for me. It's a book called "Wreck This Journal" and each page tells you something different you must do to it. I convinced my friend Sandra to get the same one, and we are doing it together and sending the pages to each other. Fun! I have another friend doing a 30 day photo challenge. one picture posted every day of something in the house. Just for fun. It is always fun to see how other view their environment. Not much going on other than that, but I think that is more than enough for the first month of 2013, hmmmm?

Drove along lake Ontario on the way home yesterday, through Henderson Bay so I could snap pictures of the lake frozen over.

My friend Patric is moving to Washington today. Go figure! I took a picnic to him yesterday, and we enjoyed an all to brief visit and goodbye. Gone is he, but forgotten not, hmmmmmm?