It is a beautiful Sunday. The weather is clear, crisp and still warm enough to work outside in shirtsleeves.
To get into the mood and ready for a leisurely Sunday drive this afternoon to view the magnificent colors
....A little Nat King Cole.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Apples and Plums ...Oh My! Plus the spiritual side of life.
Apples? Oh YEAH we have apples this year. Previously I made and froze apple pie filling for 12 pies. Now neatly wrapped and stacked in the shop freezer. A friend, who is also up to her eyeballs in apples and pears, gave me a super recipe for crockpot apple butter. Fabulous!. Easy peasy!! No standing and stirring and stirring over a hot pot. Just put the peeled cored and chopped apples in the crockpot with the sugar and spices and go about your merry way.
Recipes for both are posted at my recipe blog RecipeJunkie in this post.
So....What did I do today?
Finished up canning the apple butter which had been cooking in the crock pot since yesterday. Canned the plum sauce. All the while, listening to Cole Train, Ella Fitzgerald and Delbert McClinton. While waiting for the product to cool enough to handle, decided all that was left for the early afternoon was to get some crackers, brie cheese, apple slices (did I mention we have a LOT of apples) and some wine so that I could sit on the deck in the magnificent Indian Summer sunshine and read a book for a while.
 |
| Apple Butter and Chinese Plum Sauce |
On another blog a commenter made reference to how blessed and fortunate we, in the United States, actually are. His comment was in reference to the Occupy [insert your city] movement that seems to be stressing how disadvantage the 99% (whatever) is and how oppressed we must be by the 1% who control all the wealth. First of all.....none of that is true but I won't get into the political part of that.
It is the spiritual part that is of interest to me. We have freedoms that are unheard of in other countries. Freedom of movement. Freedom of thought. Freedom to chose all sorts of life paths that we might take. Do we always make the right choices? Probably not. But, we have the ability to chose.
With that freedom also comes responsibility. When you choose badly, as I have often done in my younger years, you either learn from those bad choices and make better choices in the future....or you just keep repeating the same mistakes.
We also live in a society that is caring. Some will say that isn't so because every problem, every person isn't taken care of from cradle to grave. Caring also means sometimes saying "NO". Charities and personal help for those in need are abundant. No matter how bad things get, there IS someone somewhere who is willing to give you a hand up. To help those willing to better themselves and who want to be helped, lift themselves out of the darkness. Hand up is not the same as a hand out. Entitlements and demands to take from others is a perversion of charity.
Looking at my life now, I am grateful for every moment. Even these moments of what others would think of as drudgery (canning, cleaning, harvesting) are to me a blessing and a joy. I have the ability, the skill and the drive to create. Apple butter from raw apples. Knitted hats for friends from balls of yarn. Clothing from cloth. Those moments of leisure following the drudgery: sitting on the deck with a glass of wine are also a blessing. The drudgery and the leisure....they go hand in hand. You can't appreciate one without the other.
Those in the Occupy everywhere contingent who are focusing on the negatives, on money, on possessions and ignoring the blessed life and the opportunties that they have been given, compared to much of the rest of the world, are ignoring the spiritual side of life. They are starving their souls and screaming into the void.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Bigfoot of Cats
(Post written by my husband the Dumbplumber)
The tenth anniversary of finishing our new home also marks the arrival of a tiny kitten. Wifey and I have made a profound discovery. Many have been to our home, but other than ourselves less than five other people have ever seen our cat, our neighbor excluded. (He caught her twice in a live trap)
We don’t have a lot of visitors, but those that do come by only hear stories about the schizophrenic cat because she never reveals herself to others. And of those that have seen her, none have ever touched her or been within reach to do so. We did have one visitor about five years ago, my former grade school teacher, that actually had dinner with us and watched the cat casually stroll across the living room. We would like to use his confirmation as evidence of her existence , however, he took his testimony to the grave two years after his visit. It has become such a joke over the last ten years: Fewer people have seen our cat than have seen Bigfoot.
When we say it’s our cat, we really don’t mean it. She trained us to feed her ten years ago, never left, and has taught us to do many more things for her since. We actually thought about posting a story about the cat on our blogs with photos of the cat’s favorite resting spots, one near the dining table window, another near the office window, another on the railing sheltered by a wild plum tree and of course the one on the bed. However, these photos would be much like those of the places Bigfoot was spotted, but instead of footprints, we only have cat hair to mark as evidence.
We could also do a time lapse photo of her food bowl, slowly diminishing, but you would be confused that the water does not. That is because she prefers either the toilet bowl or her favorite larva infested stagnant pool outside in the garden bowls left for our local birds and other wildlife.
And speaking of birds, we are left with much evidence of breakfast birds, lunch birds and the occasional afternoon ‘snack’ bird parts littering our yard and deck area. No, she is not a neat cat.
However an argument can be made that it is the local foxes leaving their calling cards. But I maintain that foxes do not do their bird hunting during the daylight hours and they certainly don’t drag their feasts near our house for devouring. No, it’s the cat. It is our policy (due to the many predators here ‘bouts) that we leave the cat indoors when we leave overnight. We joke that she is stationed as a ‘guard cat’, and I must report that, over the past decade, nothing has gone missing with her on duty.
About our only complaint is that we receive little in return for providing food, water, shelter and security from the cat. Her interaction with us is minimal at best. She sleeps on the wife’s side of the bed, she allows very little petting (preferring to present her tail for stroking), passes infrequently over the sofa for the cursory touch, only lounges outside on the deck when we are there, as guards, and spends the entire day lurking outside, scouting hidey holes and available critters.
She will not come when called and prefers showing up for her four o’clock treat, somewhere between 3 and 5, depending on the time of year and accuracy of her fur covered kitty clock. Timing has never been her strong suit. But she is given credit for never having clawed, chewed or shredded the furniture. That, she saves for her personal pedestal which has been fashioned into an homage to Edgar Winter.
Overall I should not complain. Having never been a cat-person, I do appreciate her low maintenance, but live in wonder at how many 50lb bags of cat food has been consumed by our 4lb cat over the years. About the only thing she demands of me (since I refuse to acknowledge that she is my cat) is to open the back door, then close it, then open it, then close it, then open it, then…well, you get the idea.
And on this tenth anniversary of her arrival, I would be less than honest if I didn’t confess that on more than one occasion I have dreamt of the day when we would be cat-free. No cleaning the litter box, no vacuuming the cat hair, no lugging 40 lb. bags of Cat Chow out of Costco, no listening to the wifey’s daily, screeching/calling of the cat, which no doubt is enjoyed by neighbors on both sides. But on the bright side, her going missing, or worse, could be assuaged by popping the cork on a new bottle of 25 year old Single Malt and hailing a toast to one of the least troublesome intrusions ever into our lives.
The tenth anniversary of finishing our new home also marks the arrival of a tiny kitten. Wifey and I have made a profound discovery. Many have been to our home, but other than ourselves less than five other people have ever seen our cat, our neighbor excluded. (He caught her twice in a live trap)
We don’t have a lot of visitors, but those that do come by only hear stories about the schizophrenic cat because she never reveals herself to others. And of those that have seen her, none have ever touched her or been within reach to do so. We did have one visitor about five years ago, my former grade school teacher, that actually had dinner with us and watched the cat casually stroll across the living room. We would like to use his confirmation as evidence of her existence , however, he took his testimony to the grave two years after his visit. It has become such a joke over the last ten years: Fewer people have seen our cat than have seen Bigfoot.
When we say it’s our cat, we really don’t mean it. She trained us to feed her ten years ago, never left, and has taught us to do many more things for her since. We actually thought about posting a story about the cat on our blogs with photos of the cat’s favorite resting spots, one near the dining table window, another near the office window, another on the railing sheltered by a wild plum tree and of course the one on the bed. However, these photos would be much like those of the places Bigfoot was spotted, but instead of footprints, we only have cat hair to mark as evidence.
 |
| Office window spying on the quail. |
We could also do a time lapse photo of her food bowl, slowly diminishing, but you would be confused that the water does not. That is because she prefers either the toilet bowl or her favorite larva infested stagnant pool outside in the garden bowls left for our local birds and other wildlife.
 | |
| Sparky's afghan on the bed |
However an argument can be made that it is the local foxes leaving their calling cards. But I maintain that foxes do not do their bird hunting during the daylight hours and they certainly don’t drag their feasts near our house for devouring. No, it’s the cat. It is our policy (due to the many predators here ‘bouts) that we leave the cat indoors when we leave overnight. We joke that she is stationed as a ‘guard cat’, and I must report that, over the past decade, nothing has gone missing with her on duty.
About our only complaint is that we receive little in return for providing food, water, shelter and security from the cat. Her interaction with us is minimal at best. She sleeps on the wife’s side of the bed, she allows very little petting (preferring to present her tail for stroking), passes infrequently over the sofa for the cursory touch, only lounges outside on the deck when we are there, as guards, and spends the entire day lurking outside, scouting hidey holes and available critters.
 | |
| Favorite railing sunning spot |
She will not come when called and prefers showing up for her four o’clock treat, somewhere between 3 and 5, depending on the time of year and accuracy of her fur covered kitty clock. Timing has never been her strong suit. But she is given credit for never having clawed, chewed or shredded the furniture. That, she saves for her personal pedestal which has been fashioned into an homage to Edgar Winter.
 |
| Shredded cat perch. |
And on this tenth anniversary of her arrival, I would be less than honest if I didn’t confess that on more than one occasion I have dreamt of the day when we would be cat-free. No cleaning the litter box, no vacuuming the cat hair, no lugging 40 lb. bags of Cat Chow out of Costco, no listening to the wifey’s daily, screeching/calling of the cat, which no doubt is enjoyed by neighbors on both sides. But on the bright side, her going missing, or worse, could be assuaged by popping the cork on a new bottle of 25 year old Single Malt and hailing a toast to one of the least troublesome intrusions ever into our lives.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Kindle Conundrum
A Kindle (or other E-book tablet) seems like a great idea. It can hold thousands of books, easily transportable, inexpensive downloading and instant gratification. No more piles of books cluttering up the area. What's not to love? I WANT one and will probably buy myself one for Christmas.
However, I think there is a dangerous dark side to the electronic book movement and the electronic photos that we rely on. Who takes a photograph from a negative and has prints made anymore? All of our current memories are digitized.
Our culture is being digitized. We live in an era where we are losing connection with our own history as a society and with the history of civilization. Schools no longer teach history. Facts, dates, relationships between events and how those long ago events have shaped our present. Not taught. Ask a child in elementary or even high school why we have Thanksgiving. Where did the holiday come from and why do we celebrate and I bet you will find that hardly any child can tell you about the history behind it. Sure they might be able to spout something about Pilgrims and Indians and how the eveeel white people destroyed the Indians yada yada yada , the politicized version, but the real history......not.
We live in a throw away society. We live in a society where technological advances are coming at us at a fast and furious pace. Things that just a few years ago seemed miraculous are now obsolete or quaint. Commodore Vic 20 anyone? Items that are broken are not repaired but are just thrown out, because after all, we can just buy the newest latest thing and it was old anyway.
History that our parents and grandparents have lived through is sometimes relayed in family stories. Personal stories of the Great Depression, World War I and World War II. If we don't have those family stories, we can go back to books and photos that were taken at the time. Photos and stories that show us the lives that people led. How they dressed, lived and what they thought about at the time. Without those books and photos and films we gradually lose contact with our own personal pasts and with what society was like.
We can go back even further and read literature and articles written during remote times and remote eras. The Crusades. Marco Polo explorations. The first people to meet with the Mayans. Even further back the Mayan's own writings. Our historical record consists of stone carvings, clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, velum books, handwritten and printed books. We have a tactile history. We can touch it and see it.
What would happen to our own current history when the digitized versions of our culture have been erased from the hard drives of the future, either on purpose or through some disaster. Our books, our photos, our writings all erased. Vanished in an electronic storm or at the push of a button.
Without 'real' books and hard copies, it may be in the future as if we never existed. Without historical records, history can be twisted to be anything that you want. History can be warped to benefit the latest government, the powers that be. We have always been at war with East Asia.
Pooof. Gone. Vanished.
Those who have not learned history are doomed to repeat it.
Keep your books.....they may come in handy even if the Kindle is convenient.....for now.
However, I think there is a dangerous dark side to the electronic book movement and the electronic photos that we rely on. Who takes a photograph from a negative and has prints made anymore? All of our current memories are digitized.
Our culture is being digitized. We live in an era where we are losing connection with our own history as a society and with the history of civilization. Schools no longer teach history. Facts, dates, relationships between events and how those long ago events have shaped our present. Not taught. Ask a child in elementary or even high school why we have Thanksgiving. Where did the holiday come from and why do we celebrate and I bet you will find that hardly any child can tell you about the history behind it. Sure they might be able to spout something about Pilgrims and Indians and how the eveeel white people destroyed the Indians yada yada yada , the politicized version, but the real history......not.
We live in a throw away society. We live in a society where technological advances are coming at us at a fast and furious pace. Things that just a few years ago seemed miraculous are now obsolete or quaint. Commodore Vic 20 anyone? Items that are broken are not repaired but are just thrown out, because after all, we can just buy the newest latest thing and it was old anyway.
History that our parents and grandparents have lived through is sometimes relayed in family stories. Personal stories of the Great Depression, World War I and World War II. If we don't have those family stories, we can go back to books and photos that were taken at the time. Photos and stories that show us the lives that people led. How they dressed, lived and what they thought about at the time. Without those books and photos and films we gradually lose contact with our own personal pasts and with what society was like.
We can go back even further and read literature and articles written during remote times and remote eras. The Crusades. Marco Polo explorations. The first people to meet with the Mayans. Even further back the Mayan's own writings. Our historical record consists of stone carvings, clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, velum books, handwritten and printed books. We have a tactile history. We can touch it and see it.
What would happen to our own current history when the digitized versions of our culture have been erased from the hard drives of the future, either on purpose or through some disaster. Our books, our photos, our writings all erased. Vanished in an electronic storm or at the push of a button.
Without 'real' books and hard copies, it may be in the future as if we never existed. Without historical records, history can be twisted to be anything that you want. History can be warped to benefit the latest government, the powers that be. We have always been at war with East Asia.
Pooof. Gone. Vanished.
Those who have not learned history are doomed to repeat it.
Keep your books.....they may come in handy even if the Kindle is convenient.....for now.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Naked Knitting
So the other day, I'm finishing up this hat for the Dumbplumber and expounding to him on how to make decreases and why the colors seem to line up in these nifty stripes.
His response......"You know, husbands might be more interested in knitting if you did it naked ....Nekid Knitting.....Just saying."
All righty then. The Bare Nekid Ladies Knitting Club.!!! I think it could take off and become a national movement.
And while I'm at it.
Awwww. Wasn't he cute. Still has that same sunny disposition (mostly) and sense of humor.
His response......"You know, husbands might be more interested in knitting if you did it naked ....Nekid Knitting.....Just saying."
All righty then. The Bare Nekid Ladies Knitting Club.!!! I think it could take off and become a national movement.
And while I'm at it.
The Dumbplumber's baby photo
Awwww. Wasn't he cute. Still has that same sunny disposition (mostly) and sense of humor.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Young and Stupid
Young and Stupid. Is this any way to go through life?
Unfortunately.....it seems so.
Coddled children who have never been told NO. Everyone gets a trophy, just for breathing. We wouldn't want to hurt their little "feelers" now would we? Every widdle kiddie is equal and gets praised for doing basic acts of life like taking a poop.
Mommy and Daddy give them everything with no questions asked. No chores, no responsibilities, no pressure. Life is a bowl of cherries.
No ability to reason about anything. No critical thinking skills. Life is just a bowl of delicious cherries.
THEN.....wham. The real world strikes where we are not your Mommy and Daddy and really don't need your useless whiny ass dragging us down. You suddenly have responsibilities, have to pay back your loans, take the consequences for your stupid choices. Waaaaahhhh!!
Now....throw a giant tantrum in NYC and elsewhere. Kick your feet. Hold your breath. Demand that we all give you things. Give you money that we worked for so you don't have to.
This is what it is. A giant tantrum by spoiled children who have been raised by spoiled children.
What society needs is good enema.
Unfortunately.....it seems so.
Coddled children who have never been told NO. Everyone gets a trophy, just for breathing. We wouldn't want to hurt their little "feelers" now would we? Every widdle kiddie is equal and gets praised for doing basic acts of life like taking a poop.
Mommy and Daddy give them everything with no questions asked. No chores, no responsibilities, no pressure. Life is a bowl of cherries.
No ability to reason about anything. No critical thinking skills. Life is just a bowl of delicious cherries.
THEN.....wham. The real world strikes where we are not your Mommy and Daddy and really don't need your useless whiny ass dragging us down. You suddenly have responsibilities, have to pay back your loans, take the consequences for your stupid choices. Waaaaahhhh!!
Now....throw a giant tantrum in NYC and elsewhere. Kick your feet. Hold your breath. Demand that we all give you things. Give you money that we worked for so you don't have to.
This is what it is. A giant tantrum by spoiled children who have been raised by spoiled children.
What society needs is good enema.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Forest Gump of Plums
I am the Forest Gump of plums. Last year it was cherries. This year plums.
This year all of our plum trees have gone into overdrive producing. So many plums. So many types. I feel like Forest Gump
Wild plums, Italian plums, Santa Rosa plums.
Plum jam, plum jelly, plum pulp frozen to make more plum jam and jelly, plum bread, plum cookies, plum crisp, plum tortes, plum pies, plum sauce, dried plums, frozen plums, canned plums, fresh plums.
FREE plums. Please take some of these plums. Begging people to come an pick them before our deck is totally spotted with rotten plums dropping off of the tree.
I can't stand to see the fruit go to waste so I spend my time preserving, cooking, freezing and drying.
Here is a recipe that freezes well. The bread is better after sitting and 'aging' for several days, otherwise, it is cakelike, crumbly and doesn't cut well. The Italian plums are a pleasing blend of sweet and tart that doesn't make the bread gooey.
This year all of our plum trees have gone into overdrive producing. So many plums. So many types. I feel like Forest Gump
Wild plums, Italian plums, Santa Rosa plums.
Plum jam, plum jelly, plum pulp frozen to make more plum jam and jelly, plum bread, plum cookies, plum crisp, plum tortes, plum pies, plum sauce, dried plums, frozen plums, canned plums, fresh plums.
FREE plums. Please take some of these plums. Begging people to come an pick them before our deck is totally spotted with rotten plums dropping off of the tree.
I can't stand to see the fruit go to waste so I spend my time preserving, cooking, freezing and drying.
Here is a recipe that freezes well. The bread is better after sitting and 'aging' for several days, otherwise, it is cakelike, crumbly and doesn't cut well. The Italian plums are a pleasing blend of sweet and tart that doesn't make the bread gooey.
Tax Time In October
Yuck! It's tax time!!
I know it's only October, but since this is the first year filing as a corporation we have lots of things to clarify with our CPA before the end of the year. Better get a jump on it early.
Yes. We are eeeeevviiiil corporate owners. How soon will the hippies be descending upon our corporate headquarters (aka...the workshop) demanding that we provide jobs, benefits and ham sandwiches? The first one of these useless dregs that volunteers to jump into a knee deep septic tank or crawl under a flooded crawl space with partially decomposed cats to re-plumb a leaking pipe, might get a job. I feel pretty secure that we will continue to not have employees.
Here I thought I was done with financial planning. Guess not. Items to consider:
- Are our lease agreements between us personally and the corporation legally constructed for
- Equipment
- Property
- Vehicles
- How much does the corporation owe us personally as a share of utilities,internet and phone since these items are not physically separated and are too expensive to separate.
- Payroll from the corporation to us personally as W2 employees of the corporation.
- Did we pay ourselves enough to satisfy the IRS that the wages are 'real'
- Have we paid our payroll tax liability properly and on time. Previously as sole proprietors we never had to worry about that: just pay the quarterlies.
- Tax treatment of the leases.
- Do we have the expenses in the correct catagories. Cost of Sales, Capital Purchases, .
- Are our depreciable items being correctly treated or should we just expense.
- Have we adequately separated personal use items from business use items.
- Have we structured everything to comply with the IRS rules, and California Corporate tax codes so as to minimize the taxes the corporation pays and minimize the income taxes we pay for W2 wages versus income that is treated differently (leases, reimbursement for expenses, investment income)
- How soon will the Dumbplumber go nuts thinking about all this stuff. Actually, that is my job.... to keep him from going ballistic and not sputter like an angry Daffy Duck.
- Do we have enough personal liability insurance, property, vehicle. Tax treatment of the premiums on the vehicles.
- What about sales tax on items sold versus items used in contracting jobs.
- Do I have any idea how to use my computerized accounting program or have I totally screwed it up. Probably. Maybe I should just go back to using a spreadsheet like in the dark ages of my bookkeeping experiences.
- And on and on and on
The Dumbplumber is invited, by me to stay away from this meeting. It is WAY too early for our annual tax time arguments.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Combining The Blogs
I have decided to combine my two blogs now that my focus in life has changed.
Dust Bunnies of the Mind and Recipe Junkie will be merged. Recipe Junkie will still be up, and I will crosspost those articles that have recipe blog relevance. I expect to be tweaking the format of this blog as well.
I'll still occasionally bloviate on line about random thoughts and my pet peeves and try to avoid political brain farts.
Dust Bunnies of the Mind and Recipe Junkie will be merged. Recipe Junkie will still be up, and I will crosspost those articles that have recipe blog relevance. I expect to be tweaking the format of this blog as well.
I'll still occasionally bloviate on line about random thoughts and my pet peeves and try to avoid political brain farts.
What Did I Do Today
Dear Diary
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Chemo Hat
I have a dear friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a terrible thing. OK...all cancer is a terrible thing. Breast cancer is especially terrible. First, you have your breasts amputated. For many women (and their husbands) breasts are a part of your sexuality and a source of sexual pleasure. Part of the image of who you are as a woman.
Next. A year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to try to kill the rest of the cancer. As a result my friend will lose her hair. Fortunately, she is a strong willed person with a positive attitude and has a supportive and loving husband. I feel confident that she will make it through this and pray for her recovery.
To help in a tangible way (as prayers are intangible), I have made a hat for her. Chemo hats need to be soft and without seams.
I used the pattern from this web site: Confessions of a Maniacal Thrower
Made with a soft merino, cashmere blend from Cascade Yarns. Cash Vero. It was a pleasure to knit with. Soft and buttery. And ended up with a lovely hat.
Breast cancer is a terrible thing. OK...all cancer is a terrible thing. Breast cancer is especially terrible. First, you have your breasts amputated. For many women (and their husbands) breasts are a part of your sexuality and a source of sexual pleasure. Part of the image of who you are as a woman.
Next. A year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to try to kill the rest of the cancer. As a result my friend will lose her hair. Fortunately, she is a strong willed person with a positive attitude and has a supportive and loving husband. I feel confident that she will make it through this and pray for her recovery.
To help in a tangible way (as prayers are intangible), I have made a hat for her. Chemo hats need to be soft and without seams.
I used the pattern from this web site: Confessions of a Maniacal Thrower
Made with a soft merino, cashmere blend from Cascade Yarns. Cash Vero. It was a pleasure to knit with. Soft and buttery. And ended up with a lovely hat.
Everything Old is New Again
UPDATE: January 18/2015
Sue Doran has given us a link in the comments to where the pattern for the shawl shown below can be obtained. https://www.etsy.com/listing/125740185/pdf-crochet-pattern-vintage-70s-piano?ref=market
She is our hero. I've looked and looked and decided that my pattern must have been one lost in a flood a few years ago and where my boxes of patterns got soaked. Check out the link on Etsy. We bow to Sue
Knitting has suddenly become a revived craft. Everywhere you go, you see women and young girls knitting. Scarves, fingerless gloves, hats, sweaters. Knitting has become a cool and hip thing to do.
Well, it seems that everything old is new again. We are going through a resurgence of crafting. Knitting, sewing, quilting. Just look at the magazines and see the numbers of specialty publications
I credit the economy. When times are hard, people become thrifty and resourceful. Reviewing my collection of craft magazines from the 60's through the 90's, I can see that everything old IS new again.
I learned to knit from my Grandmother back in the early 60's as a pre-teen. The Hippie culture (n which I was briefly immersed) prized homemade and handicrafts. The Carter years brought austerity, stagflation, unemployment, high costs and crafting became even more mainstream. Of course all the Grannies who learned to be thrifty during the Great Depression already had the skills. Nothing new for them however, the young generation during the Carter Recession relearned the crafts. Now.....during this current Great Recession, yet another generation is taking up the sword...I mean the knitting needles. Everything old is new yet again.
I've started scanning the clippings,craft books from my collection. Scanning some of the sketches from my own designs that I've kept forever. First of all to have better organization and access to the patterns and ideas. However, the main reason is that some of those older magazines have become fragile and are literally falling apart.
Really dated ideas that just SCREAM 60's hippie stuff.
Others are just interesting (to me anyway) because they are ideas, colors, techniques potential for other projects.
And some things are just timeless.
I'm making this one for myself now.
Sue Doran has given us a link in the comments to where the pattern for the shawl shown below can be obtained. https://www.etsy.com/listing/125740185/pdf-crochet-pattern-vintage-70s-piano?ref=market
She is our hero. I've looked and looked and decided that my pattern must have been one lost in a flood a few years ago and where my boxes of patterns got soaked. Check out the link on Etsy. We bow to Sue
Knitting has suddenly become a revived craft. Everywhere you go, you see women and young girls knitting. Scarves, fingerless gloves, hats, sweaters. Knitting has become a cool and hip thing to do.
Well, it seems that everything old is new again. We are going through a resurgence of crafting. Knitting, sewing, quilting. Just look at the magazines and see the numbers of specialty publications
I credit the economy. When times are hard, people become thrifty and resourceful. Reviewing my collection of craft magazines from the 60's through the 90's, I can see that everything old IS new again.
I learned to knit from my Grandmother back in the early 60's as a pre-teen. The Hippie culture (n which I was briefly immersed) prized homemade and handicrafts. The Carter years brought austerity, stagflation, unemployment, high costs and crafting became even more mainstream. Of course all the Grannies who learned to be thrifty during the Great Depression already had the skills. Nothing new for them however, the young generation during the Carter Recession relearned the crafts. Now.....during this current Great Recession, yet another generation is taking up the sword...I mean the knitting needles. Everything old is new yet again.
I've started scanning the clippings,craft books from my collection. Scanning some of the sketches from my own designs that I've kept forever. First of all to have better organization and access to the patterns and ideas. However, the main reason is that some of those older magazines have become fragile and are literally falling apart.
Really dated ideas that just SCREAM 60's hippie stuff.
Others are just interesting (to me anyway) because they are ideas, colors, techniques potential for other projects.
And some things are just timeless.
I'm making this one for myself now.
Monday, September 05, 2011
House Cleaning Music
Today when I was rocking around the house, dancing......cleaning, dusting and messing around in the kitchen, it struck me that there are just some songs and music that make the work go faster and make it FUN.
Tell me you can't work faster when you listen to this.
Rock on!!
I think I'll make a clean the house CD....turn up the bass and crank up the volume.
Anything Robert Palmer.
Ace of Base.
Nothing like that pulsing beat to keep you motivated.
Hot CHA!!
What's on your "working it out" CD?
Tell me you can't work faster when you listen to this.
Rock on!!
I think I'll make a clean the house CD....turn up the bass and crank up the volume.
Anything Robert Palmer.
Ace of Base.
Nothing like that pulsing beat to keep you motivated.
Hot CHA!!
What's on your "working it out" CD?
Catching Up
Wow. Long time no post.
Has it really been 8 months since I retired? Time has just zipped by. People keep asking me if I'm bored or miss my work. Like I said in my Every Day is Saturday post.....are they NUTS? No way. I have more to do than ever and the bonus is that it is things that I want to do.
Having worked since the age of 15 and with the exception of a few months of maternity leave 33 years ago and a 5 month stretch of unemployment, when the government regulated my job out of existence, I have worked straight through for 47 years. 47 years of working for other people and for myself. 47 years of structuring my life around other people's work schedule, other people's demands and trying to squeeze in the fun things, recreation and the necessary household chores that keep the house from crumbling around you into big dust bunny piles.
So to recap....what have I been doing and what has been happening in the last 8 months in no particular order
1.This one IS the most important however. I became a grandmother to the most adorable, gorgeous, smart,talented etc etc grandson. I've been able to see him once. But now that my daughter and family are moving back to the Bay Area....I will be able to visit more often.
2. Yes. We did get a refrigerator. And we are keeping the little fridge on the deck for beer and wine.
3. Started knitting again and made a pair of nice wool socks to wear around the house.
I plan to make many more pairs for myself and for the Dumbplumber so that when winter comes our feet won't have popcicle toes. Also some hats for a dear friend who is going to have chemo treatments soon and will be hairless.
4. BIG PROJECT!! Went through my craft magazines and clippings that I have been collecting since the early 1960's. Organized them by publisher and by date and put them into containers that can be stood upright on the shelving in my personal (not work) office. Now in the process of scanning the projects that I want to start on and categorizing by type. Knitting: hats, scarves, sweaters. Sewing: toys, aprons, decorative. Weaving. etc etc etc. This is a project for the winter months.
5. Gardening. This is something I rarely had time for and this year I was able to really utilize the raised beds and realized that the deer are eating up all of my hard work. It is WAR!! Oh YEAH its on. Next year......a fence around the garden. Maybe something like THIS.....
Ok....dream on.
6. Speaking of office. When I closed my financial planning practice, we transfered all of the furniture upstairs into my husband's, and now my office, for his business. In addition to all of the fun stuff, I am also the bookkeeper, record clerk, ordering clerk, banker and bill collector.
Part of office set up before decorating.
Our next goal for the office is to find a neat art deco style buffet to turn into a wet bar where we can display our collection of crystal decanters and have a cocktail at the end of the day.
Cooking, organizing recipes (another collection years in the making), canning fruit, sewing aprons, making stuffed toys, cleaning. I know, most of those things sound like work and not all that much fun, especially the cleaning, but when you have never been able to really get to it.....it is satisfying to accomplish that closet cleaning and pruning that hasn't been done for years.
SO much to to. SO much fun. Everyday seems like Saturday.
Retirement IS everything it was cracked up to be.
Has it really been 8 months since I retired? Time has just zipped by. People keep asking me if I'm bored or miss my work. Like I said in my Every Day is Saturday post.....are they NUTS? No way. I have more to do than ever and the bonus is that it is things that I want to do.
Having worked since the age of 15 and with the exception of a few months of maternity leave 33 years ago and a 5 month stretch of unemployment, when the government regulated my job out of existence, I have worked straight through for 47 years. 47 years of working for other people and for myself. 47 years of structuring my life around other people's work schedule, other people's demands and trying to squeeze in the fun things, recreation and the necessary household chores that keep the house from crumbling around you into big dust bunny piles.
So to recap....what have I been doing and what has been happening in the last 8 months in no particular order
1.This one IS the most important however. I became a grandmother to the most adorable, gorgeous, smart,talented etc etc grandson. I've been able to see him once. But now that my daughter and family are moving back to the Bay Area....I will be able to visit more often.
2. Yes. We did get a refrigerator. And we are keeping the little fridge on the deck for beer and wine.
3. Started knitting again and made a pair of nice wool socks to wear around the house.
I plan to make many more pairs for myself and for the Dumbplumber so that when winter comes our feet won't have popcicle toes. Also some hats for a dear friend who is going to have chemo treatments soon and will be hairless.4. BIG PROJECT!! Went through my craft magazines and clippings that I have been collecting since the early 1960's. Organized them by publisher and by date and put them into containers that can be stood upright on the shelving in my personal (not work) office. Now in the process of scanning the projects that I want to start on and categorizing by type. Knitting: hats, scarves, sweaters. Sewing: toys, aprons, decorative. Weaving. etc etc etc. This is a project for the winter months.
5. Gardening. This is something I rarely had time for and this year I was able to really utilize the raised beds and realized that the deer are eating up all of my hard work. It is WAR!! Oh YEAH its on. Next year......a fence around the garden. Maybe something like THIS.....
Ok....dream on.
6. Speaking of office. When I closed my financial planning practice, we transfered all of the furniture upstairs into my husband's, and now my office, for his business. In addition to all of the fun stuff, I am also the bookkeeper, record clerk, ordering clerk, banker and bill collector.
Part of office set up before decorating.
Our next goal for the office is to find a neat art deco style buffet to turn into a wet bar where we can display our collection of crystal decanters and have a cocktail at the end of the day.
Cooking, organizing recipes (another collection years in the making), canning fruit, sewing aprons, making stuffed toys, cleaning. I know, most of those things sound like work and not all that much fun, especially the cleaning, but when you have never been able to really get to it.....it is satisfying to accomplish that closet cleaning and pruning that hasn't been done for years.
SO much to to. SO much fun. Everyday seems like Saturday.
Retirement IS everything it was cracked up to be.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Camping out at home
Yesterday, the refrigerator died. It wasn't a sudden death. It had been ailing and giving us warnings for about a month, which we hopefully and delusionally ignored. "Maybe it is just a glitch?....Maybe it will get better if we just crank the dial to the coldest setting."
The first warning signs were the juice bars becoming a bit slushy. Or maybe the ice in the icemaker periodically slightly melting and reforming into a block of ice. The ice cream was soft....but .....hey.... I kind of like my ice cream soft.
Well, all the ignoring and pretending has brought us to this. We are camping out in our house for the next couple of weeks, until we can get to an appliance store or get the repairman to come up from the 'big city'.
After The Dumbplumber determined that the compressor was dead, dead, double dead, we had to move all items from the freezer to the big freezer in the shop and from the refrigerator side to the small refrigerator in the shop. Thank God we have backups. Once of which is an almost 40 year old Montgomery Wards upright freezer that hasn't missed a beat since it was plugged in. So much for our new and improved Energy Star pieces of crap that the government insists we have to purchase. Progress......my......ass.
In a way it was like an embarrassing archeological dig. "Wow....I didn't know we had THREE half filled jars of grated horseradish and two opened bottles of sweet pickle relish. And how old IS this cheese.???"
I guess this is one way to completely clean the refrigerator, however.....I can think of more preferred (and less expensive) ways than having my refrigerator die.
Because these next 12 days are completely booked with business trips and my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party in Oregon and the closest appliance store is about 90 miles away, we are just going to have to make do with ice chests on the back deck for items we need immediately and the back up appliances in the shop.
No more automatic ice maker for now, so we break out the trusty vintage West Bend Penguin Hot Cold ice bucket (also good for keeping biscuits hot.......how do it know!?!?) and fill it full of ice from the chest so we can still be civilized and have our cocktails.
Just like the good old days when all people had was an ice box.....with nothing but ice to keep things cool. When you lose an amenity like refrigeration, electricity or hot water on demand for a while, you do appreciate just how much we have in our lives. The luxuries that were unthinkable just a generation ago that we take so much for granted. Luxuries that are really quite fragile. We should be more grateful for our lives.
The first warning signs were the juice bars becoming a bit slushy. Or maybe the ice in the icemaker periodically slightly melting and reforming into a block of ice. The ice cream was soft....but .....hey.... I kind of like my ice cream soft.
Well, all the ignoring and pretending has brought us to this. We are camping out in our house for the next couple of weeks, until we can get to an appliance store or get the repairman to come up from the 'big city'.
After The Dumbplumber determined that the compressor was dead, dead, double dead, we had to move all items from the freezer to the big freezer in the shop and from the refrigerator side to the small refrigerator in the shop. Thank God we have backups. Once of which is an almost 40 year old Montgomery Wards upright freezer that hasn't missed a beat since it was plugged in. So much for our new and improved Energy Star pieces of crap that the government insists we have to purchase. Progress......my......ass.
In a way it was like an embarrassing archeological dig. "Wow....I didn't know we had THREE half filled jars of grated horseradish and two opened bottles of sweet pickle relish. And how old IS this cheese.???"
I guess this is one way to completely clean the refrigerator, however.....I can think of more preferred (and less expensive) ways than having my refrigerator die.
Because these next 12 days are completely booked with business trips and my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party in Oregon and the closest appliance store is about 90 miles away, we are just going to have to make do with ice chests on the back deck for items we need immediately and the back up appliances in the shop.
No more automatic ice maker for now, so we break out the trusty vintage West Bend Penguin Hot Cold ice bucket (also good for keeping biscuits hot.......how do it know!?!?) and fill it full of ice from the chest so we can still be civilized and have our cocktails.
Just like the good old days when all people had was an ice box.....with nothing but ice to keep things cool. When you lose an amenity like refrigeration, electricity or hot water on demand for a while, you do appreciate just how much we have in our lives. The luxuries that were unthinkable just a generation ago that we take so much for granted. Luxuries that are really quite fragile. We should be more grateful for our lives.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Shutting Down the Government.....Meh
Since our brilliant efficient (sarcasm) elected leaders in Washington haven't seen fit to make a budget, something that every business and private household has to struggle with, they are threatening to ......ominous music inserted here......SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT!!!!.
In addition to neglecting to create a budget for the Federal Government, they are also putting their heads "where the sun don't shine" and refusing to deal with the excessive spending on entitlements that is guaranteed to doom us into bankruptcy and permanent serfdom.
Their way of dealing with the ginormous deficits that are extending into Infinity and Beyond!!! is to borrow more money from China and other countries that really don't like us much.
Instead of dealing with unpleasant reality, they want to threaten us with a Government shut down.
Oooooh.....really? Is this a threat? Really?
Remember when you were a teenager or if/when you were a parent of an unruly defiant teenager? Making threats to get discipline sometimes just backfired. You have to make a threat that means something and that you are going really carry through. "If you don't clean your room, I'm going to shut down the television for a week!!". All the time you and your teen know this is an empty threat. You aren't going to deprive yourself of your favorite shows. Result. The room doesn't get clean and you are shown to your teen to be a weak sister.
The other thing that can backfire in making a threat to withhold something, take something away, is that suddenly....you realize that you didn't need that something so much anyway or you can make alternative plans. Like the wife who is spitefully withholding sex....guess what, the husband will find another way. Maybe even a BETTER way.
So, let's shut down the government. I think we will find that, other than some essential services, we won't miss it so much. I've thought about it in regards to the State of California going bankrupt.
There are many things that the Government does that we won't miss or that are so intrusive in our lives it would be a relief if it were to go away.
SHUT 'ER DOWN.
In addition to neglecting to create a budget for the Federal Government, they are also putting their heads "where the sun don't shine" and refusing to deal with the excessive spending on entitlements that is guaranteed to doom us into bankruptcy and permanent serfdom.
Their way of dealing with the ginormous deficits that are extending into Infinity and Beyond!!! is to borrow more money from China and other countries that really don't like us much.
Instead of dealing with unpleasant reality, they want to threaten us with a Government shut down.
Oooooh.....really? Is this a threat? Really?
Remember when you were a teenager or if/when you were a parent of an unruly defiant teenager? Making threats to get discipline sometimes just backfired. You have to make a threat that means something and that you are going really carry through. "If you don't clean your room, I'm going to shut down the television for a week!!". All the time you and your teen know this is an empty threat. You aren't going to deprive yourself of your favorite shows. Result. The room doesn't get clean and you are shown to your teen to be a weak sister.
The other thing that can backfire in making a threat to withhold something, take something away, is that suddenly....you realize that you didn't need that something so much anyway or you can make alternative plans. Like the wife who is spitefully withholding sex....guess what, the husband will find another way. Maybe even a BETTER way.
So, let's shut down the government. I think we will find that, other than some essential services, we won't miss it so much. I've thought about it in regards to the State of California going bankrupt.
There are many things that the Government does that we won't miss or that are so intrusive in our lives it would be a relief if it were to go away.
SHUT 'ER DOWN.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Demented Robin of Spring
Aaah.... Spring. After a long cold winter, and this one has been particularly long, wet, snowy and cold, who doesn't look forward to those first harbringers of Spring?
The daffodills and crocus bravely poking their heads above the melting snow. Those rare days of warm breezes and dappled sunshine that tease us with the promise of more to come. The feeling of renewal as we watch the trees bud out and bring the hope of a crop of apples, prunes, quinces, cherries.
And who can forget The Demented Robin of Spring.
(cue scary Chuckie movie music)
The daffodills and crocus bravely poking their heads above the melting snow. Those rare days of warm breezes and dappled sunshine that tease us with the promise of more to come. The feeling of renewal as we watch the trees bud out and bring the hope of a crop of apples, prunes, quinces, cherries.
And who can forget The Demented Robin of Spring.
(cue scary Chuckie movie music)
For the past few years The Demented Robin has plagued us. He sits on the tree that is just a few feet from my office window. Peers into the house, looking for the cat, and flings himself over and over and over at the window. He goes from window to window around the house in his never ending search to seek and destroy the cat.
Hmmm.....He seems to be holding quite a grudge against the cat. Perhaps this has something to do with her goal of eating his babies?
Later in the Spring and Summer, while we are lazing on the deck on a sunny afternoon, cocktails in hand, The Demented Robin will search for the cat while threateningly brandishing a wad of worms or bugs in his beak, all puffed up and chirping at her.
Hopping after her while she is trying to nap (between searching for her latest outdoor snack). We imagine him saying: "LOOK AT ME!!!.. I have worms. And you don't. Big juicy worms. Bwhahahahah!!"
Meanwhile: The cat heaves a big sigh and goes to her favorite hidey hole under the deck.
We are easily amused.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Every Day is Saturday
I've just figured out what is so great about being retired.
Every day feels like it is Saturday.
Work is behind me because it isn't Friday....it feels like a perpetual Saturday.
No stress about having to rush get things done on one of only two days off like before. It used to be that because tomorrow will be Sunday: and we all know that Sunday is the day before Monday and THEN ......back to work......the weekends were full of work. Different work than the weekdays at the office, but still work.
NOW.....every day is Saturday with a long endless string of Sundays to follow.
An afternoon nap is perfectly fine: in fact almost mandatory. Lazing and finishing that book that I never had time to finish before. A little afternoon 'delight' whenever possible. Perhaps bake a cake or try out a new recipe. Maybe start that quilt project which I have been putting off for years..... Ho hum. When the spring and summer comes, an afternoon glass of wine on the deck curled up in the dappled sunlight with a good book on the chaise listening to my collection of jazz recordings on the wireless speakers.
People ask if I'm bored. Are they nuts?
Every day is Saturday!
Every day feels like it is Saturday.
Work is behind me because it isn't Friday....it feels like a perpetual Saturday.
No stress about having to rush get things done on one of only two days off like before. It used to be that because tomorrow will be Sunday: and we all know that Sunday is the day before Monday and THEN ......back to work......the weekends were full of work. Different work than the weekdays at the office, but still work.
NOW.....every day is Saturday with a long endless string of Sundays to follow.
An afternoon nap is perfectly fine: in fact almost mandatory. Lazing and finishing that book that I never had time to finish before. A little afternoon 'delight' whenever possible. Perhaps bake a cake or try out a new recipe. Maybe start that quilt project which I have been putting off for years..... Ho hum. When the spring and summer comes, an afternoon glass of wine on the deck curled up in the dappled sunlight with a good book on the chaise listening to my collection of jazz recordings on the wireless speakers.
People ask if I'm bored. Are they nuts?
Every day is Saturday!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How Quickly It Turns
Just a few weeks ago, I was reveling in the beautiful warm weather. Ah...how quickly things can turn around.
Snow...snow..and more snow.
The "yard art" garden chairs look like they have snow people sitting casually in the corner. Yard art is the term that we use for the old stuff that we leave outside to weather and serve as background for plants and flowers.
After the snow, cold and clear with not a stirring of wind. The breathtakingly blue skies show off the snow that covers the trees.
And from my office desk, I have a lovely view of a wooded area just outside the window. We feed the quail and other birds daily in the winter. They are just feet away from my chair and provide endless hours of amusement. Little bird dramas every day when the several separate quail coveys descend on the grain. A wonderful window into nature.
With the snowy weather, we have been visited more frequently over this last year by a small deer family who must feel safe on our property. A doe and her two children, one of whom is a runt. Unlike the quail, we do not feed the deer. Not only because it is illegal to do so, but because I don't want to encourage them to be near the highway. However, they seem to have decided that our yard is a smorgasboard and are awaiting, eagerly, the garden that I plant in the spring.
Here they are checking out the Dumbplumber's truck coming down the driveway, deciding whether to run away or continue pruning the bushes. Deer butts right out my window.
Even though we have gone from a false Spring to real Winter in just a few weeks, it is all worth it. When Spring comes to stay and the trees bud out and the busy bees buzz over the blossoms creating fruit that we will harvest in the summer, it is always a miracle. I love the seasons and changing from Winter to Spring to Summer to Fall. It always makes me think about the fragility of life, the incredible variety of life on Earth and how amazing it is that we exist at all.
How boring it must be to live in a place that doesn't have the Seasons that go round and round.
Snow...snow..and more snow.
The "yard art" garden chairs look like they have snow people sitting casually in the corner. Yard art is the term that we use for the old stuff that we leave outside to weather and serve as background for plants and flowers.
After the snow, cold and clear with not a stirring of wind. The breathtakingly blue skies show off the snow that covers the trees.
And from my office desk, I have a lovely view of a wooded area just outside the window. We feed the quail and other birds daily in the winter. They are just feet away from my chair and provide endless hours of amusement. Little bird dramas every day when the several separate quail coveys descend on the grain. A wonderful window into nature.
With the snowy weather, we have been visited more frequently over this last year by a small deer family who must feel safe on our property. A doe and her two children, one of whom is a runt. Unlike the quail, we do not feed the deer. Not only because it is illegal to do so, but because I don't want to encourage them to be near the highway. However, they seem to have decided that our yard is a smorgasboard and are awaiting, eagerly, the garden that I plant in the spring.
Here they are checking out the Dumbplumber's truck coming down the driveway, deciding whether to run away or continue pruning the bushes. Deer butts right out my window.
Even though we have gone from a false Spring to real Winter in just a few weeks, it is all worth it. When Spring comes to stay and the trees bud out and the busy bees buzz over the blossoms creating fruit that we will harvest in the summer, it is always a miracle. I love the seasons and changing from Winter to Spring to Summer to Fall. It always makes me think about the fragility of life, the incredible variety of life on Earth and how amazing it is that we exist at all.
How boring it must be to live in a place that doesn't have the Seasons that go round and round.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
California Dreaming
While the rest of the country is snowed in and paving the way for the latest Ice Age, in California, we have been having phenomenal weather.
Looking at the weather forcast I decided it was a good time to visit with family in Pacific Grove.Warmer than usual, clear skies, balmy breezes. If you have never been to Pacific Grove, Carmel, Big Sur.....don't miss it. One of the most beautiful places in the world.
We stood on the beach and watched the waves eroding the coastline. The winds felt like being in Hawaii.
Marveled at a bridge that was built in 1932.
With all of the EPA rules, prevailing wage requirements, engineering studies needed, governmental hoops to jump through, red tape we could never accomplish this today. This project put people to work in the Depression and created a bridge of lasting beauty and usefulness. Unfortunately, the ability to create and build has been smothered.
We laughed at a cheeky bird standing on one leg.
Admired the strength and beauty of the trees that withstand the punishing waves at high tide and the salty winds that bend and twist.
Looking at the weather forcast I decided it was a good time to visit with family in Pacific Grove.Warmer than usual, clear skies, balmy breezes. If you have never been to Pacific Grove, Carmel, Big Sur.....don't miss it. One of the most beautiful places in the world.
We stood on the beach and watched the waves eroding the coastline. The winds felt like being in Hawaii.
Marveled at a bridge that was built in 1932.
With all of the EPA rules, prevailing wage requirements, engineering studies needed, governmental hoops to jump through, red tape we could never accomplish this today. This project put people to work in the Depression and created a bridge of lasting beauty and usefulness. Unfortunately, the ability to create and build has been smothered.
We laughed at a cheeky bird standing on one leg.
Admired the strength and beauty of the trees that withstand the punishing waves at high tide and the salty winds that bend and twist.
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