Little Fish

Just a comment on these little fish....Don't you just love them? I LOVE them! If you wiggle your arrow near them, they'll follow you and if you click on the pond you can feed them. Genius!

The Fairy Files

After deleting the fairy diary, I discovered that I could start a new blog dedicated just to that story as long as I keep up with Miss Ingu and Mr. Beachy to keep the peace here. That might be hard because I've been so scattered lately. Besides feeling very ADHD, I am revisiting the questions that come along in the teenage years. For example, I have just too many things going at once; yet I can't just do one thing at a time. Right now I have several sewing projects going - a baby quilt, a pillow cover, plus a pair of blue jeans and a sweat shirt to mend. I'm working on a family tree and a painting for a friend. And my kitchen table is full of Christmas cards to answer. There's also nursing CEUs to complete and a ballot to fill out for voting. Not to mention the LEGO galactic bases to be made and battles to be fought and a new little wee person to hold......The questions are those age old ones of what is important, what to do with my life, and how much is important and what is just straw. They are the kind of questions that you have to be very quiet and very still to answer.

Inanimate Companions

Every family has them. Items that are seemingly insignifigant, that could be replaced, but because of everyday use over time become our friends. An example: I started using a clear plastic measuring cup to rinse my contact lenses. I was 16. It went to college with me, and along on any trip I ever took for lots of years. I don't wear the lenses anymore, and the cup has a crack so it can't hold liquids. It still sits on the shelf with the dishes. I can't throw it away.

Another: There's one fork that I like to eat with that makes everything just taste better. It's history began before my wedding. These were the days you could do your weekly grocery shopping and pick a reward according to how much you spent - like a dish or a piece of silverware. When I got married my Dad gave me a full set of silverware that he had been saving for me. Over the years, bit by bit, pieces got lost. Several disappeared after a Drop Inn Center Pot Luck. One got lost under a bed for a long time. A spoon got run over and flattened by my car. (That happened the afternoon I let SIE eat a bowl of Cheerios while sitting on the hood of the jeep. Later that day as I drove down the road I saw the bowl riding on the hood and wondered how far I could get with it remaining on the hood. My fault! I forgot about the spoon! It fell out at the first stop sign and was as flat as the gravel of the road when I found it) One lonely fork remains. My favorite.

Another companion is "The French Glass". This is a glass our family found under the cushion of our new used car one summer day between 1977 and 1984. You know how most glasses have a life expectancy and break after a couple years? This one has never broken. It is the best glass for Coke or vanilla milkshakes or ice water. When this glass finally breaks it will be a significant omen.

My last example is the reason I'm writing this blog entry. One day long ago, I was walking with a baby in a stroller. I think it was kaliedoscope girl. We used to do a lot of strolling and "window shopping" when she was little in OTR. On this day I saw a tiny sterling silver rosary in a pawn shop window. The next day we went in and asked how much it cost. Ten dollars, a lot for me to spend. A couple days later we went back and bought it and everyday since then I've kept it in my pocket. At night I usually pop it on my next day clothes or on the sink. It's gone through the washer and lost beads. I've repaired the links many times. This week the rosary slipped as I was putting it on the sink and it went down the drain. I was torn - too tired to fish it out of the drain, but fearing this would be the demise of a dear companion.time. I couldn't deal with it. I rattled the drain plug to see if it had gotten hooked. Then thinking it might stay in the drain loop under the sink if I didn't run the water, I went to bed hoping I wouldn't forget. Such drama. The next day the plumbing operation was successful. The rosary has returned to my pocket. Phew!

I want to know - what objects are companions for you?

Christmas Craft

I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this gift, but thought I'd pass along the idea so anyone who wants can try it out. It's not my own idea, but I think it's great. I saw it some time ago on Martha Stewart and had fun walking around looking for letters and taking pictures.

The idea is to find the alphabet in nature, or in architecture, or anywhere (found art) and use the photos to spell out someone's name. Once you start looking for letters you'll see them everywhere. The plan is to use a long frame and frame a name, matting each letter seperately. The letters can be in color or black and white. I still have a few letters to find. Can you see the ABCs in these photos?