Let's Try Again.....

OK, I'll tell ya where to go!

No, really. Rachel has a great site called One Pretty Thing that I go to daily. It is full of interesting links to projects on other sites. That means by going there you can "visit" many other sites in one go. Pick the ones you wish to get more information on and give them a visit. She includes sites with projects on sewing, crafting, web business and DYI. One Pretty Thing is like skimming the best of the crafters' internet.

Ireland is another place I recommend you visit. This time it's a physical trip. This plaque is what I made at Christi Friesen's workshop in Mulranny, County Cook. I had a lovely week with great people, wonderful hospitality at the Essence of Mulranny craft center and lots of creativity. This is the piece before it had a patina applied so it is a little too "bright and shinny" but photographed well.

I'm looking forward to the Paradise Clay Cruse in September!

I have Returned

My last post was October 19. Paul died on October 31. After spending 43 years together, this event really blew my mind. We came home from Summer vacation. He started teaching. Dr John, our looooong time doctor in California had suggested that Paul follow up with a blood test he had because John wasn't happy with the results. Paul did. He got the results back, started chem the next day and died four weeks later.

(I'm hitting my poor computer keys really hard as I type this and I'm getting really teary.)

Paul did not suffer and he kept working up until the October school break. His last night he got up early. I noticed and got up. He told me to go back to sleep since I didn't have to get up. When I got up later he was dead on the hall floor.....Sorry but I'll be back later.

I'll Ask Them Myself!

Bogs seem to be fulled with question that the writers are answering for other people. I think it might be more interesting to answer my own questions. I might learn more.

1. What books are the first you remember reading?
I must have been reading before these but I remember reading Greek and Roman myths in the fourth grade. Our teacher read them to us during "Story Time" and I got hooked. By seventh grade I'd read most of the myths from Greece and Rome. I worked in the library during my study hall. I asked the librarian if she could recommend any to me. I'd read all she could think of including the Iliad and the Odyssey. She finally came up with The Golden Bough which I had to admit to her that I'd tried to read but found it a little too complicated.

This fourth grade Storytime led me to think I wanted to be a philosophy major at university. Nope. Only disagreements there. So I changed to psychology. Rat with wires in their heads didn't interest me at all. Finally I ended up a Social Psychology/ Cultural Anthropology major. Yep! Bingo! It seems I wanted to know why people acted the way they do.

2. What kid dreams did I have? I always left my window open at least a crack so Peter Pan could get in. The idea of flying off to Never Neverland seemed like a wonderful adventure to have. I probably thought it would be much more fun and less dangerous than running from my genetic father.

I am learning! The answer to number 1 leads to the reason much of my art and poetry has mythological elements. Number 2 might have something....or lots...to do with why the color of the sky where I live is so different from most people's sky color.

Here' a poem that shows my love of myths:




Medusa’s Eyes

What did she feel, she who dared
compare herself to others,
who risked the wrath of Aphrodite,
challenging Beauty herself?
and Beauty’s insecurity responded,
changing her enchantment
into a different kind.
Medusa’s tresses began
to writhe upon her brow
shadowing her bewitching eyes.
Were Medusa’s eyes brown or blue or green?
When she saw the men who once adored her,
whose hearts she filled with warmth and joy,
turn into cold, gray stone,
what did she feel?
Were there tears in Medusa’s eyes?

Friday Quesrions

I found a blog that has Friday Questions. I though that might get me thinking.......and I just keep thinking as that is what I'm good at!

1. I have a history of depression and post traumatic stress syndrome. Before I went college, I frightened people with my vocabulary and ideas. I had no idea. When I started university I became very popular. That’s when I first had to go on medication for depression. You cannot be depressed on speed! I realized I was becoming addicted and stopped cold turkey…. didn’t know that was dangerous. The second time was when I got a teaching job that did not challenge me. It was fun but not demanding of my talents nor required any learning or growth on my part.

2. I wish I knew whether people wanted to me with me or not.

3. I'm eating (or recently ate) a pretty healthy diet. Need to cut down on calories and want to go out to dinner to a good place to eat.

4. I love to listen to the noise that drifts through my window from what is happening on the road.

5. So that's it, that's what I want to do. My art has become very important to me.

6. Everything (good, bad or indifferent) is better than nothing!

7. One week ago I was apprehensive about some medical news. I don’t want to share it now as I’m superstitious about talking about future happenings that might turn out negatively.

8. I lived in fear when I was young. I was afraid my genetic father might locate us again; none of my peers accepted me; I might be crazy because of my ability to disassociate from what was happening to me. I’d never heard of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

9. Mama told me nothing about her marriage to my genetic father or that our life had not been in any way abnormal.

10. Someone needs to give comfort to you and me.

11. Take your time, stop and look, listen and think.

12. My recent fear will pass! It will become meaningless, manageable or appropriate. I hope for meaningless.

13. I'm looking forward to completing the Halloween necklace, soon. My plans also include making the tiny haunted house and working more on my studio.

Health and Wealth

Places to Go; Sites to See

UFOs are easy to spot in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Just go to the places marked on the map to see the homes of Urban Fairies. Aside from a tendency to copy the styles of the facades of the human habitats they abut, the fae folk show amazing skill in carpentry and architecture. You’ll find the Urban Fairy Organization Here.


When Geeks get Bored they often find some delightful ways to entertain themselves. They also put it on a web site for the rest of us to enjoy. Some terrific photography, wacky pics and the really, truly best animal photos can be found by swinging over to here.

Sorry! Can't add photos now. Bad blog! Bad blog!

Grammar Gripes
Often people use too many question marks for my personal comfort. Don’t they???? However, often it isn’t too many Os in the word meaning also but not enough. Does that bother you too? Too has two Os unless you’re going to use it as a preposition. I’m a petty, pretentious, pedantic grammarian who can’t spell without a dictionary or a spell checker.

Good Health
I’m tired of hearing politicians and ordinary Americans denigrating universal health care. Not only do statistics show that American health care, in general, is horrendous, but my personal experience with health care in Norway, Holland and American is the opposite of those who are making untrue claims in their comparisons.

Granted, I’ve not heard anything good about British health services, but that is Britain, a country that still doesn’t use the Euro nor recognize European Union id cards.

And doctors are similar to any other profession; some are excellent and others suck. However, these are usually the general practitioners/family doctors. In both countries excellent specialist care is available. The difference is the availability of this care.

In Holland, everyone is treated with much equality. The health care is quickly available to everyone. When I contracted a staph infection that permeated by entire body, I spent two months in the hospital. I shared a room with three others because we all needed similar special care.

One woman was a 92 year old whose family showed all the signs of being very well off, well educated and caring. Another woman was an ill-mannered slob whose family was numerous, thoughtless and loud. Both were treated the same even though the nurses thought less of the second woman because of how she treated them. (Being in their care for eight weeks meant the staff and I got to informal relationships that allowed me to share their feelings rather well.)

The entire stay cost me a total of less than 200 Euros and included a CAT scan, two MRIs, an endoscopy, solar gram, a bone scan and visits from many different specialists. The cost was for my private TV and phone! And now my medication is also totally free. When I needed some renewals while traveling in the States this summer, I was shocked at how expensive my medication was. It amounts to hundreds of dollars/Euros a month.

Now my husband faces some test and possible health related care. I’ll let you know how I feel about his treatment. Sometimes when it is someone special and not yourself you see events differently. We’ll see.

Quote Quip
When the external begins to define the internal instead of the internal defining the external, one begins living as a mortal rather than as the being you really are.