Rainy Day Yardsailing

What a day. If it's Saturday, it must be yard sailing. Seasoned pros as we are - Sharon, Cathy, Carolyn and myself - we took off with umbrellas at the ready, since the weather was supposed to have on and off showers. There were several large community yard sales, and we had lots of things to choose from. A couple of people had their prices extremely low, anticipating the rain. I mean prices like 5 cents and 10 cents. I snagged a plastic divider box that is perfect for storing beads - 50 cents. A solid oak plant stand - $5.00. Several colored glass jars with lids - 5 cents each. And a variety of other things I can't remember right now. But all good! Carolyn found a great glass head that will end up in her garden, probably wearing shades and a variety of hats.

At one house there was a great glider for $15 that Cathy decided to buy for her yard. Very comfortable. Her husband really likes gliders, and she thinks he may end up putting it on the deck instead, but it will be well loved, wherever. Her van is nice and big, but the glider was still too large to fit, so Sharon called her husband to come with the pickup and get it. While we waited, the rain began, and we felt sorry for the woman holding the yard sale. We helped her and her husband bring things inside, and by the time Nolan arrived with the truck, it was really raining. A good stopping point for lunch.

The rain kept up through lunch, and afterwards, instead of giving up for the day like normal people would, we decided to check out a couple of "rain or shine" ads. No luck, so we ended up at our "fall back" shop - the consignment shop. Sharon has had her eye on a set of three solid oak tables, and by the time the discounts were taken and money was used from her account, she ended up with all the tables for only $21, and was thrilled. They really will be beautiful in her family room.

We were nearly back home when we spotted another yard sale near Sharon's house, with the rain pouring down on everything. She was convinced we should get out and look. Here we were, umbrellas overhead, pawing through leftover stuff on the tables, pouring out rainwater from the dishes and cups. It was totally crazy! But the kicker was that we heard the bullhorn from the Strawberry Festival at the fire station down the street, so off we went. There were still some die hards at the booths and people still playing the games and buying food. Since we were there and soaked anyway, I decided to pick up some strawberries for Jim. Three different vendors pointed to 3 different places where they were supposedly selling the berries, but no luck. By this time it was a real downpour. I went back to the first vendor and managed to buy a big container of already sliced and juiced berries for shortcake, so it was worth it. He said it would be $5.00. In the spirit of haggling, and considering the rain, I offered $3, but he wouldn't bargain. He said it was for the church, so I paid full price. I even tried to get him to allow buy-one-get-one-free, but he wouldn't bite. That was finally it, and we left for home. When we got back to Sharon's, it was raining so hard Sharon and I both left all our things in Cathy's car to collect another day, rather than sort it all out in the rain.

This has to be a day we won't easily forget, or live down. But we had such fun, laughed so much throughout the day, and just enjoyed being together. Yes, we were crazy, but who cares. My pants were soaked up to my knees, my shirt was clammy and my shoes were squishy. The umbrella was practically useless. But we all found really wonderful treasures for little money, and the memories were all free. Great friends!

PHOTO: Lila and Joe's sweet old pussy cat, wearing a sweater to keep warm.

Garden Party

It's been a couple of weeks since my friends and I have been together. Family obligations and other plans have been in the way of our Friday afternoon crafting events. We were planning to do our crafting today, but I suggested a change in plans that worked out very well. Cathy, Carolyn and Sharon arrived here at 1:00, where we had an afternoon tea on the patio. We had a variety of desserts - a pecan tart, a German chocolate cake, poppy seed muffins, cranberry and white chocolate scones, and some fruits - watermelon Cathy brought and some cherries. Since it was quite warm, we drank iced tea instead of hot tea.

Afterwards we went on garden tour of Lila and Joe's property. They live on 4.5 acres, and much of it has been turned into perennial gardens. Everyone was as delighted as I thought they'd be arriving at their house. It's such an unexpected floral oasis, almost a fairyland, with terraced gardens, gazebos and arbors, a large koi pond filled with blooming water lilies, garden statuary angels, walkways and benches, small buildings, bridges, bird houses and nesting boxes, large trees and a profusion of color everywhere you turn. It's incredible that just 2 people have created this amazing parklike space and been able to maintain it in such an orderly way on such a large scale. It has been the setting for 2 weddings and they have given many garden tours over the years. Because they are very environmentally conscious, they have many birds and wildlife who call their land home. All kinds of birds come to their feeders, including a Pileated Woodpecker, the kind that the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker was modeled after. He was spotted today.

Some of their property is wooded, and we were shown 2 enormous oak trees that are amazing. They each have to be a couple of hundred years old, at least. The trunks are huge in girth, and they have dozens of branches the size of large tree trunks. After our leisurely tour, we ended up on their deck overlooking many of the gardens and were treated to delicious and homemade refreshments! A frosted cake, a fresh fruit bowl with some strawberries picked from their own garden, cheese and crackers, and cold drinks. It was perfect. I had no idea when I called to ask if I could bring my friends to see their property that Lila and Joe would extend such warm hospitality to us. We had a wonderful time getting to know them, sharing stories and laughs. It appears that we all have a lot in common, and I'm sure we'll be getting together again soon. For instance, Joe and Lila have never been to Surreybrooke in Frederick, and I know they'd love seeing that beautiful nursery. It's a family owned business that has been designed and planted from an open farmer's field, in much the same fashion as Joe and Lila have done, creating multiple gardens that are awe inspiring. Frankly though, Joe and Lila's gardens are more beautiful!

PHOTOS: From our tour today.

Now This is a Tool!

Joe arrived promptly at 10:00 to split wood. Jim was amazed at the wood splitter. He thought it would be like other wood splitters he's seen that are horizontal and the wood has to be lifted up and placed onto a tray. He was thinking when he woke up this morning that he'd end up today with a hernia. But this one, as you can see from the photos, tips upright, and the logs can be rolled up to it. The splitter worked beautifully and efficiently, ripping through those oak logs like a hot knife through butter. It requires less physical work, although "less" is a relative term. They still worked from 10 until about 3:30, rolling the logs to the splitter, holding them in place, tossing the split pieces aside, and loading them onto Joe's truck. It took 2 trips with Joe's truck. It was an interesting process, and Jim is pleased that the project is basically finished. At least all the wood is off the neighbor's property, which was his main concern. There is still some brush and dead wood left, not much at all, and that can be taken care of separately. The wood should last Joe and Lila for quite a while in their wood burning stove this winter.

We were both disgusted yesterday when the trash pickup truck came by. There are always 2 trucks, the trash truck and the recycle pickup truck. We are very aware of all recyclables, making sure everything that gets thrown away is properly disposed of - cans are washed out, and all paper, cardboard, plastics and bottles are recycled. It ends up being quite a bit every week, and it takes time and effort, which we gladly do to help out. Well, yesterday Jim watched as the trash pickup truck emptied our trash barrel and the recycling all in the same truck. So much for going Green.

I had my Drawing and Painting class again this afternoon. We continued mixing our own colors, making color charts, learning about colors. These techniques will serve us well when painting, as we can create exactly what we want in a color, instead of having to buy colors. The class is more casual now, and everyone was having a good time. It was a lot of fun, and I feel as if I'm learning quite a bit.

PHOTOS: Joe showing Jim some pointers on log splitting. A testosterone party! Click to enlarge photos.

Book Talk

I had an appointment today to go in to St. Joseph's for another Herceptin treatment. Number 6 of 9 treatments. I nearly missed it, since I had forgotten all about it, and just happened to look at my calendar last night and saw that I had it scheduled. I go in every 3 weeks and then it slips my mind until the next time. I enjoyed seeing my nurse friends again. Cathy, my nurse today, told me about 2 books she's read recently that blew her away, and I will definitely check them out. The first is "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I had heard of it. Same author as "The Kite Runner." It takes place in Afghanistan. Cathy said she was overwhelmed by the plight of women in Afghanistan, poor, uneducated women enduring the hardships of life, the disrespectful treatment by men, the disdain of society. She said it had a powerful impact on her and made her take stock of her own life and all the freedoms and opportunities we have here and to appreciate them all over again.

The second book she read had been recommended to her by an elderly woman, and she initially thought she would have no common interest with her, but was happily surprised that it was so good. It's called "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. It's a true adventure story of a man who failed in his attempt to climb K2 in the Pakistan Himalaya's in 1993. He was injured and became lost, and was found and nursed back to health by people from an impoverished Pakistani village. In return, he promised to return one day and build them a school. He did return, and built the school, facing the anger and threats of the Taliban. The book is the story of his struggles and adventures under extreme conditions, a kidnapping, and repeated death threats. But he went on, and to date he has built 55 schools in Central Asia. It sounds like a wonderfully inspirational story of what one person can do to change the world.

On the way home, I stopped at Trader Joe's and did a little shopping. One thing I bought was a package of cut up vegetables for grilling. It had quite a variety of fresh veggies - red and green peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant, onion, zucchini, and sweet potato - all sliced and ready for the grill. I cut them up a little more, added some olive oil and spices, and cooked half of them on the Weber. They were perfect, and I still have the other half to do tomorrow night. What a great way to get a variety without having too much of anything. The whole package was only $2.69.

PHOTO: Our lazy old Pong cat lying on the patio, soaking up the heat.

Paul Bunyan Days

I hear some thunder rumbling outside, and see flashes of lightening. No surprise there, as it's been hot and humid all day. This is the first really humid day since last fall. It made working outside today draining for Jim. He and a friend, Joe, started out by cutting down some saplings so they could get Joe's truck up into our woods. They cut up our red oak tree with a chain saw, and it was a lot of hard work. Just moving the log pieces around was difficult, with the weight and mass. I think they really had a good time, regardless. It's a manly thing, you know. Cutting down trees. There's something about a chain saw that gets the testosterone pumping. Not much different than when women talk about sales or chocolate desserts. It's a womanly thing.

Anyway, the guys finished up by filling Joe's truck with the smaller logs and loaded Jim's truck with a full bed of brush to go to the recycling center. There's still at least a whole load of brush left to take tomorrow, and Thursday Joe will come with a log splitter. This is quite a project. But it's getting done, and that's a good thing. Joe left, and Jim and I drove to the recycling center, dropped off the brush, and got a load of mulch. The truck is still sitting with the full load. It can wait until tomorrow to get unloaded.

Tomorrow Jim's lathe is arriving. That's another saga. This is the second lathe. The first one ended up being defective and after many calls, emails, and frustration, it was shipped back to the manufacturer. He received full credit for it, and now the second one is arriving - different manufacturer. David already bought one like Jim's new one, and it's working like a dream, so Jim shouldn't have problems. He'll have many enjoyable woodturning hours ahead of him.

PHOTO: To give you an idea of the size of this red oak tree ... click to enlarge.

Being Neighborly

The end of a beautiful weekend. We just heard fireworks at the Gamber Fire Department, and I assume it's the kick-off for summer. We were supposed to get some rain, but it's held off and at least didn't spoil anyone's holiday plans. I went for a nice walk this afternoon and took my camera with me, in case I saw something interesting. I took a few shots, but nothing to write home about.

We met a couple last weekend who live close to us. They are very pleasant, and it turns out that they would like to take the extra wood we have from our red oak that was taken down. Joe has a log splitter, and will chop up the wood and haul it away in his truck to use in their wood burning fireplace. That is fine with Jim, who wants to have it removed from our land. Originally, the guys who cut down the tree said they were returning in a week to take it away, and then in another week, but that was ages ago and we never heard from them again. Jim made a path through our woods to get a truck in, but when Joe tried to drive through this evening, there were still about 3 small trees that will have to come down, so he volunteered to come tomorrow morning and take them down, then get on with cutting up the wood. I think it's great when people can swap things without money changing hands - one person has something he doesn't need, and another person needs what he has. Problem solved, no waste, everybody wins - kind of like the barter system.

Being in a semi-rural community helps. It just seems that people are friendlier and more open. Just today, Tom, our neighbor across the street, cut our steep frontage grass for us. He has a 4-wheel drive tractor mower because his own property has a lot of steep hills beside the road. When we first moved in, he offered to cut our hill for us because our own mower will tip over going sideways, and it's not powerful enough to go up and down. It only takes a short time if you have the right mower. So every couple of weeks he cuts it for us, without our asking. In return, Jim brings over a case of his favorite beer to show our appreciation. Last week Tom needed a board but to size, and Jim did it for him on his table saw. Maybe that's why he mowed a little extra today - all underneath our willow tree where where I couldn't get to today. I mowed all the rest of the grass, except on the side of the house, and it took 3 hours. Jim finished up in about 10 minutes.

PHOTO: A little bird having a bath in our waterfall today. He was having a great time and got thoroughly soaked. Click picture to enlarge.

Memorial Day Sunday

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It was gorgeous. David, Karen and the boys came over for a visit and a cookout and just left a little bit ago. Alex and Chris seemed to have a great time playing outside in our woods, while their Dad and Jim used a chain saw to cut up pieces of the downed red oak on our property. Jim was disappointed in the chain saw, which was new, because it kept quitting. It may have been that the wood was just too dense or too wet. David is involved in lathe wood turning now as well as Jim, and he brought over some pieces he's made. They were really nice, especially the colors in the grain. This is a nice hobby that both guys can enjoy together. Karen found a beautiful piece of wood and asked if David could have it. The people were glad he could use it, as they were going to have to take it to the dump. It turns out that there are thin, black lines that run throughout, and it will produce some beautiful pieces. The lines may have to do with the drying or aging of the log. I'm sure there's a technical wood-turning term for it.

The cookout turned out well. We had a variety - hot dogs, cheeseburgers, chicken, ribs, potato salad, (homemade) cole slaw, and deviled eggs. The only problem we have is that our patio table is too small when we have company. We've decided that this will be the final year for this set, one we've had since 2000. At the end of the summer season we'll look for another set for next year. The set we have is comfortable and isn't too bad, but it is starting to look shabby and faded - and small!

Alex and Chris were all excited because they're going to sleep outside tonight in their clubhouse. David will fill the air mattresses and they'll use their sleeping bags. Another time they'll put up a tent, but for now it will be warmer in the clubhouse. I wonder if they'll actually spend the whole night outside. I kind of doubt it, but who knows? Whatever, it will be a great adventure.

PHOTO: Alex and Chris, taken in January 2008.

Sustainable Living Fair

There's a book out called 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall, and a blogger has compiled an Excel spread sheet of the list.

Here's the website if you'd be interested in looking at it and downloading it.

After going through the entire list, (they're all novels) I find I've read about 61, or 6% of that goal. There are quite a few that I haven't read, but saw the movie, such as Out of Africa. And others are missing that I might have included, like A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - although the list does include Irving's The World According to Garp. Others sound really familiar, and I think I've read part way through them, while still others, quite a few in fact, remain to be read on our book shelves at home. Some, Dracula, for instance, aren't my cup of tea. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is the current book being read by our book club. I've started it and I'm about 45 pages through. I'm keeping an open mind, since I've been told it's a great book, and I'm hoping to get to that point soon. It's well over 500 pages.

I think it's a great list to use as a guide, and would certainly keep anyone busy for the rest of their lives, but I also read a lot of non-fiction that takes up a lot of time. I guess the key is to always have a book at hand and another waiting in the wings. And, of course, always have an audio book in the car! I really do like book recommendations, and find some of my best reads that way. Here's one of mine: The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty. You won't be disappointed.

Jim and I attended a Sustainable Living Fair today at the Carroll County Farm Museum. It was a huge success, with vendors, educational programs, activities, demonstrations, entertainment and organic foods. We were interested in sitting in on classes about "Composting," "Rain Barrels and Watershed-Wise Gardens," and "Finding and Fixing a Home's Hidden Energy Leaks." One interesting demonstration was building a Straw Bale Construction house. I had never even heard of it before, although Jim was familiar with the concept. The demonstrator had bales of straw that he was smearing with mud. Apparently after 3 coats are applied, it would be perfectly smooth and you would not be able to tell it had been applied to bales of straw. He talked about Straw Bale construction compared to Stick construction, and I couldn't help thinking about the story of the Three Little Pigs.

We learned a lot in the classes we sat through, including making a worm box for composting. Remarkably, there is no odor from the worm compost. If anything, it had a pleasant smell like cider. The worms are not your garden variety earth worms, rather they are called red worms, and are smaller than earthworms.

Both of us had a great time, and Jim ran into several friends he knows from his time spent on the Environmental Advisory Council and other committees. He was pleased to see how well attended the fair was. One of his friends from The Sierra Club had attended a Sustainable Living Fair in Maine a couple of years ago, and was so impressed with the event that he spent the past two years, and much of his own money, organizing a Sustainable Living Fair here in Carroll County MD. Today's fair was a one-day event, but if it proved successful enough, I wouldn't be surprised to see it expanded next year over a whole weekend.

PHOTO: From last year's Maryland State Fair, the ever popular Pig Races!

Cooking with Gas

I have to brag about the babyback ribs I made for dinner tonight, so bear with me. They were so good! I waited too long to put them in for a long, slow bake, so they went in at 4:11 at 350°, and they were perfect out of the oven at 6:30. Falling off the bone! All I did before putting them in the oven was to sprinkle them with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, then wrapped them up tightly in foil and put them in a shallow pan to bake. When they came out, I slathered them with Masterpiece barbecue sauce and put them on the grill for a few minutes. Delicious! Since they were just as good as slow baking them, I was wondering which is more energy efficient (propane gas) - 6 hours at 200° or about 2 1/4 hours at 350° ? I really don't know, but I should find out. I find myself obsessed these days with how much things cost, with all our country is experiencing with inflation - across the board. I'm in sticker shock.

This was my first usage of our new oven, and it worked like a charm. I assume it's calibrated, but with what I made today, it's hard to tell. I would be able to tell better if it were something like a cake or cookies or something that requires precision in baking. I had a neighbor in California who was a very good cook, but I felt badly for her because her oven was too hot, and many of the things she baked ended up dark or burned on the bottom. I know it's either a matter of just an adjustment or perhaps she needed a new oven, but it would be very frustrating for me to put effort into baking and have to fight with the oven.

I'll have to give it another try this weekend. There are some poppy seed muffins I'd love to make, but I'll have to freeze most of them. Jim isn't eating anything like that these days. He's on a self-imposed diet restricting carbs, and it's worked wonders for him. He's lost 24 pounds over the past 4 months or so. He feels a lot better and is very active, so he's pleased with the results. He's extremely disciplined, and it shows! Good for him!!

PHOTO: Ming Poo up to no good, having jumped up on this narrow clock on the wall. She's so cute you can't be mad at her. This was quite a while ago.

Learning to Mix Colors

It was kind of cool today - jacket weather, but sunny. It warmed up eventually and no rain. I still have some planting to do of perennials that were given to me a week ago. Cathy said there was no rush on getting them into the ground, but I'd still like to get it done tomorrow. I think I'll probably be back on the mower again as well.

We had our first color theory study in my Drawing and Painting class today. Using the 3 primary colors - red, yellow, and blue - we created 24 colors. We also used white to make "tints" or pastels. Our color wheel had the primary colors in the center, then secondary colors (orange, green, and violet) and tertiary colors (red orange, yellow orange, yellow green, blue green, blue violet and red violet.) The rest were the tints or pastels of each one. We enjoyed the exercise and it was good to see that indeed we could make all our own colors. Tonight when I was watercolor painting I created my own green using blue and yellow, and it was very satisfying. I like the shade I created. I began playing around with brush strokes and had moderate success. I made a greeting card that turned out well using chisel brush strokes.

No crafting tomorrow - my friends have other commitments. I think I'll do some cooking since I'll have the time. We have a rack of spare ribs in the freezer that I've been planning to slow bake, and that will make a great meal. Not the healthiest, by any means, but we've been eating healthily pretty regularly at home, so this will be our treat.

PHOTO: Wild violets.

Senior Hookers, a.k.a. Red Hat Society Women

On the third Wednesday of every month our Red Hat Society chapter has an event, usually lunch at a nice restaurant, and today was the day for this month. We went to a restaurant called Trapeze in Fulton, near Columbia, MD. Sharon and I drove together. I intended to use my car's GPS, but it stubbornly refused to recognize the address. That happens occasionally if I put in Rd instead of Dr, for example, or some other nit picky detail. It's very frustrating. We had written directions, so we had no problem getting there, but regardless - that's what the GPS is supposed to do! The food was quite good and the company was as well. We've been together now nearly 5 years, so although there have been people who have left and others who have joined, for the most part the same people belong, and it's nice to see them every month.

I've been painting and listening to an audio book. I started out redoing the lighthouse bookmark I had done yesterday that I smugly said I'd do again. Well, easier said than done. I retried it 3 times, and finally set it aside and made some flowered bookmarks. I thought I'd be able to recreate it easily, and instead I made a mess of it. Whereas yesterday I had the centering, proportions, and details down with the first sketch, today I spent most of the time erasing everything I drew. The scale was off, it was wider on one side than the other, it was first too tall, then too narrow, then lopsided. Finally I got the drawing right, masked off the white area, and proceeded to ruin it by painting the sky in a dark, streaky thick mess. That did it. I was done and on to bluebells, which turned out fine. I also started making some stems of lavender which I nearly finished, but realized I should put away until tomorrow so that I could write my blog.

Jim has been busy putting in some wiring for an electrical receptacle in the garage. He's nearly done with it. When he's finished it will have a switch and 2 outlets. He's amazingly handy with all kinds of household maintenance and construction. I'm really glad he enjoys doing those various things - plumbing, electrical wiring, pouring concrete, clearing brush, etc. His next project is attaching a new rain barrel to the drain pipe at the side of the house. It will sit next to our composter that I feed every day.

PHOTO: Me, at our first Red Hat luncheon 5 years ago.

Tuesday at Home

When I drove over the reservoir yesterday, I noticed that it was basically full. And today we had quite a bit more rain. After a 3-year drought, it looks like perhaps we may be ok this year. I know our rainfall for the month is already about 6-7 inches above normal. Thank goodness! The cats were rather glum about all that rain. At one point it had stopped and I let them out. Next thing I knew it was pouring, and they were huddled next to the house under the overhang. Oops!

We had a beef stew for dinner, and it simmered all afternoon, making the house smell homey. It turned out really good. We were both pleased to see that the simmer burner on our new stove works. The oven on our old stove died about a month ago, and we ended up buying a new GE gas range. We always had a problem trying to keep the flame low on the previous stove - it would typically burn sauces and stews on the bottom because it couldn't be lowered enough. Well, I used a heavy enamel pot and the simmer setting today, and it was perfect. No sticking. I have yet to try out the oven. I know that the first couple of times I do it will smell and I'm not looking forward to that. I have a rack of ribs in the freezer, so I'll try out the oven on Friday.

I've been painting tonight. One thing was the Cape Hatteras lighthouse on a bookmark. I think it turned out well, but I think I'll do it again and make some changes. I'm getting to the point where I feel relaxed when I paint and I enjoy it. When I first started out, I found myself holding my breath as I'd paint. Now I have an idea how to approach what I'm after, and it generally works out. If it doesn't, I try to make a correction, but if I botch it - it can be pitched. I'm not working on any large paintings, so it's no great loss. Besides, I'm just learning and trying my hand at various techniques, so I expect to end up with a lot of junk. I'm pleased with my drawings, though. For instance, the lighthouse - it looked just like the photo. I'm pleasantly surprised so far that my drawing ability has improved so much after just 6 lessons. It's very encouraging. Who knew!

PHOTO: A threesome of cozy kitties - Ball, Paddle, and Ming Poo. My red-eye correction isn't working in my software program, so Ball looks like a devil cat!

A Social Monday

Just got back a while ago from my watercolor painting class. It was a good one tonight. First, Carolyn, our instructor, set up a still life of colored bottles in various sizes and shapes, and we were to draw the arrangement, mask out the highlights, then paint the picture. One aim was to maintain the transparency of the glass, and another was to capture the reflection of light on the bottles.

The second thing we did was to draw a self portrait. Carolyn handed out stand-up mirrors to all of us and gave a demonstration of placement of the features, just as we learned in my drawing class. I struggled over and over with that one, drawing and erasing, drawing and erasing, and ended up with a pretty good likeness, according to some in the class. It's interesting to me that although I see myself in the mirror every day, the image I see doesn't fit the mental image I have of myself. I'm always surprised to see photos of myself, for example, because that person in the photo doesn't match what I think I look like. The class ended and I had to pack up before I had actually finished. We are supposed to bring our drawings back next time and paint them.

Earlier, our book club met at Sharon's house at 12:30, and it was nearly 4:30 before we all left. It was a really great get together, although one member, Pat, had a last minute change of plans and wasn't able to join us. Sharon made a delicious chicken salad and fresh fruit plate for us that was just beautiful. She served brownies with ice cream, whipped cream and cherries for dessert, plus lemon squares. We were all stuffed but couldn't stop picking even after we were through eating - we went back to the appetizers and started again! It's such a great group of women, and we all seem to have so much in common. It's wonderful to share our lives and concerns and funny happenings. Great chemistry! Talking about the book often seems like an afterthought - it's more an excuse to get together, eat, drink, laugh, and bond.

PHOTO: C'est Moi! Curly me, hair growing every which way with cowlicks. I don't mind. It's easy to take care of and now it's dark in back and gray in front.

Sharing Surgery Stories

I just finished burning some music for a friend, and I'm listening to Il Divo, a quartet of Italian men with wonderful voices. The bright, nearly full moon is shining through the trees into the front window, and all is well with the (my) world.

Today I spoke with my friend who underwent a mastectomy on Tuesday. My own was nearly 5 months ago, and yet it seems so much longer ago than that. Hearing how she's doing and what she's experiencing right now brings back those memories of the first week or so after my own surgery. She's hurting and uncomfortable, having difficulty sleeping, and finding what she can and cannot do right now. Whereas mine was on the left side, hers is on the right side. She talked about not being able to use the lever on her recliner chairs - something I never even gave a thought to until she mentioned it. How true! Also, she can't lift her arm above her shoulder, and they don't want her to. I was fortunate in that I was able to lift my arm straight over my head from the first day. Each of us is different and the surgeons work differently. She's dealing right now with the discomfort of having the drains, which was a miserable part of the process for me. She is able to take showers, which is different than for me. I wasn't allowed to shower until the drains were out, and then once they were out, I had a fluid buildup and had to have one reinserted about 4 days later. Again, no showering until that final one was removed. She's hoping to go to a Red Hat Society function on Wednesday, and I hope she will. It will do her a lot of good to see all her friends again.

One of our neighbors came over Saturday wearing a velcro boot. When we asked what had happened, he told us about having had an accident with his riding mower. It could have been considerably worse than it actually was, although still it was bad enough. He broke his toes in a couple of places and ripped off the whole toenail, but the blade actually went through his shoe just under his foot. It's amazing that he didn't lose his toes or his foot, for that matter. I don't really know just how it happened, but I'm sure whatever he did, he won't do that again. It was good to see that he is walking, although it obviously hurts him right now. It sure gives us all a wake-up call about the dangers of those mowers. I have always had a healthy respect for ours.

PHOTO: Our irises this spring season. I don't know why, but there have been only these few blooms on all those iris plants. The leaves seem healthy, but no flowers to speak of! Wish I knew what's going on.

Touch the Sound

Tonight Jim and I went to a film at the Carroll Arts Center called Touch the Sound - A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie. It was a remarkable film, because this concert percussionist has been profoundly deaf - meaning that she has some very limited hearing, just a few frequencies – since age 12. Although she cannot hear with her ears, she has trained herself to hear with her entire body, experiencing sound vibrations through her feet, her hands, arms, skull, chest, everything. She reads lips and and uses a translator to use the telephone. I had not heard of her before, but she performs all over the world. In the film she plays in Germany, New York, Santa Cruz, Scotland, and Japan. She plays numerous percussion instruments - drums, marimba, about 60 in all - and much of her performance in the film was improvisational. At a bar in Japan, she entertained the crowd with a pair of chopsticks, a bottle, a can, a glass, and a plate. She is also a motivational speaker and a teacher. The film was quite interesting and beautifully produced. I'm very glad we went to see it. A You-Tube clip of her performance with Fred Frith from Touch the Sound playing 'A Little Prayer' can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhgOZlRvZXs

Sharon and I had our yard sale today, and we did well. It was a beautiful day with no rain, and lots of people were out sailing. It did wear me out, especially clearing away afterwards, and I'm going to head off to bed now. Hope you will watch the YouTube video. I think it's quite lovely.

PHOTO: Old farmhouse in Italy.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Tomorrow is Yard Sale Day here again. Last Saturday we did well in selling our things, but there were so many to sell, and the weather was so rainy, and since everything is already in the garage and priced that we decided it didn't make any sense not to give it another go. We had some really good signs. All that was needed was for Jim to repair a couple of them that were damaged by the wind, and to change the date from 10 to 17. While I was getting dinner ready, Jim went out and pounded them into the ground, so that's all set. In the morning he'll drive our cars onto the grass. Sharon will be over at 7:30 and it all starts again. It's raining right now, but the forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be cool and windy but dry. Whatever is left at the end of the day will be going to charity.

At our crafting day today, we made clocks. Carolyn supplied us all with materials she had on hand and a design sample. I made mine for Jim, and he really liked it. The clock front is covered with scrap-booking paper - a photo of antique golf clubs lying on grass. It's glued to a piece of foam board. The face of the clock is a coordinate paper of a photo of sand - as if it were a sand trap - glued to the front of an old CD. The back is also the sand photo paper. For the 2 clock hands, Jim will cut a golf tee in half. He's also going to cut a golf ball in half to glue on the front to add a little 3-dimensional look. The clock-face numbers are black press ons. Battery operated clock works will go on the back. It will either be hung on the wall or stand up. I know it sounds corny, but it makes a really nice clock. Cathy did this herself in the past - made a clock using one of her garden photos as the clock face. It's totally unique and very pretty. They would make nice gifts.

PHOTO: Blackberry flowers in bloom.

Scruffy No More

I've been doing some watercolor painting this evening - trying my hand at a pot of blooming African Violets. I decided to just go ahead and do my own drawing then painting, instead of looking for a photo or demo beforehand. It's coming along fairly well, but needs a lot more work and frankly, I'm not in the mood any more. I started the project late, and that's not a good idea. Tomorrow I'll go back to it and see if it's worth finishing. I made it on a greeting card made of watercolor stock, with the intention of reproducing it on our printer if it turns out well. After I was nearly done, I realized I had painted it upside down on the card. Doesn't matter if it goes through the printer, but I can't send it out that way!

My Drawing Class was really good today. We did some very quick drawings, timed by the instructor at 30 second intervals. First, we folded our papers into eighths, then at the signal, we flipped open a magazine and drew the first thing we saw for 30 seconds, stopped, turned the page, and began again. We did this for 16 drawings, just making quick sketches and trying to capture the essence of the subject. It was a really good exercise, and all of us did pretty well. We also did some still life drawing, using various shading techniques - hatching, cross hatch, scribbling, dots, line patterns, etc. This is the last time we'll do any drawing. Starting next week, it's on to acrylic painting and color theory. I'm very pleased with how much I've learned in 6 weeks. I'm no longer convinced I can't draw.

jim spent the whole day in the yard cutting around the trees, using the push mower, fertilizing, and clearing the brush around the downed tree in back. The yard looks very nice after all that work. He was pretty tired tonight and his back was bothering him, so he went to bed early.

I got another haircut today. Made an appointment over the phone with someone I hadn't met before, and was pleased with her skill. My hair had gotten to the point where it had a mind of its own and was sticking out at odd angles, besides being kind of frizzy. I was starting to look pretty scruffy. The cut Tracy gave me is very chic and stylish. I enjoyed her as a person as well as the way she handled my unruly hair. Also appreciated the tips she gave me on how to work with it. I'm new to this wavy, cowlicky hair I have post chemotherapy. I don't know if it's going to stay this way or if it will go back to being fine and straight, but after all those months without any hair at all, either way - I'm not complaining!

PHOTO: One of the backyard critters having lunch on the patio.

Another Good Day!

What a good mowing day. The weather was perfect - not too hot, just right. The grass really needed to be cut after all the rain. The cats spent a lot of time outside today, sleeping on the chair cushions. Even Paddle enjoyed being outside. Ordinarily, she doesn't want to be outside at all, but she wanted to go out today. Usually, the slightest breeze or chilly air and she's looking at the door wanting to come in. She's a real houseplant.

Jim had an early woodworker's meeting tonight, so I spread my paints out on the table, turned on my audio book, and did some sketching and painting. I had a new pack of blank cards and envelopes for crafters, and sketched some autumn leaves and berries to paint on one card. I was really pleased with the way the sketch turned out, then started painting. Well, wouldn't you know it - the paper that the cards are made of is totally unsuitable for painting. It soaked right through. I looked at the package, and it says good for rubber stamping. Well, phooey! I pulled out a piece of watercolor paper, cut and folded it, redid the sketch, and painted it. I think it turned out fairly well. At least it's finished.

I'm taking the price of gasoline seriously now. I'm staying home more and trying to do all my errands in one trip. Tomorrow I plan to get my hair cut, take books back to the library, make a return to Michael's, pick up some groceries, all before going to my Drawing Class at 1:30. All the stops are in and around the same area, so it works out well. Jim is also trying to be frugal with his trips.

PHOTO: My greeting card I painted tonight.

Playing with Podcasts

We're back to good weather again, and apparently our drought is over, thanks to the inches of rain from the last couple of storms. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice again, and I'll be back on the lawn tractor. It would have been too wet to mow today.

I practiced some drawing tonight, and I did pretty well. I can see that I've learned a lot in the 5 weeks of class so far, compared to Day 1. Thursday's class will be the last one devoted to drawing, and then it's on to color theory. We've been encouraged to practice drawing every day for 10 or 15 minutes, but I'm way behind. Tonight I drew a jug or pitcher, then I drew Paddle sleeping on Jim's legs. The drawing of Paddle turned out really well, I think. The fact that she was asleep made it a lot easier. Trying to capture the cats in action would be futile. Ming just now started a typical fight with Pong on the couch. He's quietly snuggling up to take a nap next to a pillow. She gets into her Ninja Kitty pose, one paw raised up and her head at an angle, and Pong has this "Oh, no, here she comes!" look in his eyes, and she pounces. There's a howl of indignation from Pong, general hissing and growling, a brief tussle, and he gives up and jumps down. She almost always wins these "King of the Mountain" games, but on rare occasions he wins. Mostly, he doesn't want to be bothered and would rather give in than fight. She really needs someone her own age to play with. These old fogey cats are too lazy to match her energy level. She's 3 and the other 3 cats are 12 and 11.

Have you ever checked out the Podcasts on iTunes? I'm not sure if that's Mac only software or if anyone can access it. Anyway, I was checking out the daily free Podcasts available by subscription, and found that there are all kinds of language lessons you can download - for free. I selected Italian. There were about 5 different Podcasts in Italian, and after checking them all out, I selected one. It has all the lessons listed, and a brief description of what is covered in each. Last night I listened to the initial one, and found there is a website that goes along with it that has the lessons written out so that you can follow along with the spoken lesson. You can either listen to Podcasts on your computer or download them onto an iPod. I was also interested in all the National Public Radio programs that you can subscribe to. What's nice about the Podcasts is that you can listen to your favorite radio programs when you want to instead of only when it's broadcast. There are hundreds of these programs to choose from. I selected 5, and sometimes enjoy listening to them on my iPod when I go to bed. One Podcast program is called Classic Tales, and is everything from Woodhouse to Poe to Hawthorne, and the list goes on. I think these Podcasts are a wonderful use of iPods and computers. There certainly is a lot to choose from. I've chosen different ones, tried them, decided I did or didn't want to continue, and eliminated the ones I no longer wanted. The problem is narrowing down the choices!

PHOTO: A nice one of Jim.

Another Friend has Breast Cancer

It's still raining. I hear it should be nice tomorrow, which will be a welcome change. I hope my tomatoes haven't drowned. When the sun comes out, things are going to grow really fast.

One of my good friends told me today that she will be having a mastectomy tomorrow at Mercy Hospital. This is a recurrence of breast cancer she had some years ago. At the time, she was treated with a lumpectomy and radiation, but this time - after the mastectomy - radiation is no longer an option. Once you've been treated with radiation, it can't be given again to the same area. I don't know the reason, but I'm guessing that the risks outweigh the benefits. I feel badly about her news. I know a couple of years ago she mentioned her fear of cancer coming back, and here it is. I think the good news is that in the time since her first cancer experience, many advancements have been made in treatment, and they know so much more about breast cancer now.

Her tumor was discovered in February through a mammogram. She had a mammogram a year prior, but it wasn't there then. The tumor she has is very small - 1.6 cm, I believe, so hopefully it hasn't gone outside the breast tissue into the lymph nodes. She will be staying overnight in the hospital, then will go home. Her husband is going to stay there with her. The hospital will set up a cot for him, which I think is wonderful. She'll be in a private room with him, and that should make her feel less alone. She said she has never stayed in a hospital before, except for when she delivered her babies.

She has a wonderful surgeon that she feels very confident in, and she seems to be in good spirits. Today she was out doing errands, getting everything under control before tomorrow, so being busy may have helped to take her mind off the surgery. I hope I will be able to help her through this, and I'll be keeping in close touch to see how I can.

I'm discouraged to hear how many women are affected with this disease. Just the people I personally know who have had it is a huge number. I can think of at least a dozen. And that's just the breast cancer people, not other cancers!

PHOTO: Near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Filling the Reservoir

Well, for all the local mothers, it was a pretty soggy Mother's Day. Too bad, although it's good to get the rain to make up for our deficit. I hope it didn't ruin peoples' plans. It was a steady soaking rain most of the day. Earlier, Jim and I went to pick out some tomatoes and herbs to put in the garden. We got a couple of heirloom ones at a local farm that specializes in "plants with a past". We also picked a couple of ordinary tomatoes at Lowe's. I put them in as soon as we got home before it rained.

I've been working on my checkbook for quite a while, trying to balance it. I think I see where the error is, but I'm going to put it aside for now. I've paid a couple of things twice. Now I'll have to call or write to them and show the overpayment. I'm not concerned about having the issues taken care of, it's just a nuisance to have it resolved. Of course, they never bring it up to the customer.

The garage sale yesterday went fairly well, considering that it rained most of the day. The sun finally came out about 2:00, once it was finished. Still, there were quite a few people out yard sailing. At one point I counted 8 people in the garage besides Sharon and myself. Since it rained and we didn't get the traffic we could have had, and since the tables are all set up, and everything is already priced, we decided to go ahead and do it again next Saturday. It's not the way we want to spend another Saturday, but before we haul all the leftovers to local charities, we'll give it one more shot. It means another week of parking our vehicles out in the driveway, but that's not too big a deal, at least to me. I'm setting the proceeds aside towards the Italy trip in October.

PHOTO: Youghiogheny Grove near Deep Creek Maryland.

Blogging For A Year Now

I just realized that I passed one full year of writing my blog this week. I looked back in the archives, and my first blog was posted on May 6th, 2007, and here it is May 10th, 2008. I should have thrown confetti, or something, to mark the occasion, but the truth is, I just forgot. I'm pleased that I fulfilled my commitment to myself to write this blog on a daily basis. I don't know how long I will continue - as long as I feel like it, I would imagine. Initially, when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, things were happening so quickly - so many tests, appointments, procedures - that I felt the need to write down all that was happening to better understand it myself and to pass along the information to friends and family. Over time, other people happened onto my blog, and I felt as if others going through the same experience might find some useful information or be able to relate to what I went through. As time passed and I finished treatment - except for the Herceptin that will continue on until August, then reconstruction surgery in the fall - it's become more about daily life, and more a journal.

I really don't like to dwell on the negatives of being a cancer patient or even being a cancer survivor. I don't like being defined by having had the disease. I feel as though it's behind me now. It will always be a part of who I am, just as I have blue eyes, or freckles, but it's just one part, it's not my whole self. I had measles, I had chicken pox, I had cancer. One thing I am very grateful to my friends for is that they continued to treat me as they always had, they didn't shy away or show pity. I wanted to be treated the same, and that's what they did. I was more tired, and they took that into consideration, but we did the same things we always had, went everywhere, and continued to enjoy life.

I won't pretend I wasn't initially stunned by my diagnosis. I had that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach for the first week or so, but once I got used to the idea and had the positive reassurances from my doctor and his staff, I believed that this was "treatable and curable," as they repeatedly told me. Losing my sense of taste was a drag, but it did return. Losing my hair was a bummer, but it's coming back in - wavy! Chemo was tiring, but totally manageable, and I didn't have the nausea and vomiting that some people experience, so it wasn't too bad. When I was tired, I napped - a privilege that working people probably don't have. The mastectomy surgery wasn't bad, but the drains were a pain - literally! Daily radiation wasn't much initially, but the burn towards the end was pretty nasty. Jim helped out with the household, taking over many chores for me. We fell into a routine, and life went on. The blog went on, every day except one when the internet access was out.

So here I am, a year later, with a mastectomy scar and short, gray hair. It's been quite a year, but I can say in complete honesty that I'm grateful for having had this cancer experience. I've heard people say that myself, and listened with a raised eyebrow, but it's true. Having a catastrophic illness shakes you out of your languor. Life becomes more special, you discover things about yourself and your family and friends that you didn't know, or took for granted, or forgot. You find a new appreciation for everyday things and events. You meet people whom you would otherwise never have met. I've met so many new people who have become really important to me, and the people I already knew have become even greater friends. My husband and I are much closer now than we were before.

It's been a terrific year!

PHOTO: What Cancer Cannot Do, photo uploaded from us2nomads on Flickr.

A Rain Day

We had quite a bit of rain today, and the forecast for tomorrow is for probably more rain in the afternoon. Today was the set-up day for Sharon's and my yard sale that is scheduled from 8 to 2 tomorrow. Well, not much we can do about that. Thank goodness we have a double garage, and so if necessary, it can all fit inside the garage. We had hoped to have a lot of things outside on the driveway or grass, but ... we'll see. We're ready now. Let's hope it's a great success.

Think I'll hit the feathers early tonight. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I can definitely say - it's a lot more fun to go yard sailing than putting on one of your own!

Getting Into the Meat of Drawing

Had a great Drawing class today. I was able to reschedule my doctor's appointment for another time, so I didn't have to miss any of my class. I accidentally scheduled the doctor's appointment during my class time, but it all worked out. In class, we worked on perspective drawings, then we learned how to draw a portrait of a human face. This involves the placement of eyes, nose, mouth, and ears on the head in a specific ratio. It's remarkable, but with these ratios, you can make a recognizable human face. The placement of the basic features is the same in all people. First we did it straight on, then in profile. I took a lot of notes so that I can work on my own. It's like using a formula, and I feel better knowing how artists approach making a portrait. Takes some of the mystery out of it.

When we were doing perspective drawing, I had a lot of trouble with the angles and the relationship between length and width. We were drawing a table with 3 styrofoam cups on it, front, middle and back. I really struggled with the cups, because, as I learned, I didn't have the table done properly, so I would never have been able to make the cups in their true relationship. Once the table was corrected, the cups fell in line easily. What I need to do is use a device that I can hold up to what I am drawing to see what the angle is, then reproduce that angle on my paper. A protractor or a compass would also work. My instructor said that's fine to get the hang of it, but not to let it become a crutch. I can understand how that would happen.

The time flies by in that class. Before I know it, 2 1/2 hours has gone by and it's time to go home. We have one more drawing instruction class, then we'll spend the last four classes painting and learning about color mixing, using acrylic paints. I think I've already made quite a bit of progress with drawing from the first day, but in order to get better, I should take time every day to practice. Just like anything else, practice is really important. Thank goodness it's a fun thing to do!

PHOTO: An interestingly shaped barn near Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland. I think this would make an interesting watercolor painting. I'd like to try drawing then painting it sometime.

Barnum and Bailey

You should see our garage. It's like the whole basement threw up. Between all our ...ahem ... "stuff" on 3 tables in one half of the garage and Sharon's 3 tables supporting heavy ominous-looking giant Rubbermaid tubs, and several other large boxes in the other half of the garage, along with Carolyn's 3 big tubs full of dishes and her sofa-sized framed watercolor painting, this is going to be a whopper of a yard/garage sale. Another new friend is also bringing some of her things left from her own yard sale. I'm thinking I might hire a clown with a balloon bouquet and a big arrow sign to dance on the corner of Rt. 91 and wave the people in. Let's see, we can sell haircuts and give 10-minute chair massages, a lemonade stand and Eskimo Pies straight from the garage freezer. Maybe I can get Jim to fire up the gas grill and throw on some hot dogs. Oh, wait, we need a fortune teller! What a hoot!

... Maybe I was out in the sun too long today, or the heat in the garage is getting to me. I think I'm going a little over the edge.

Jim and I went out to dinner tonight. We were invited to listen to a presentation about an energy-saving business that installs mylar and aluminum sheeting over the insulation in the attic to prevent the insulation from absorbing heat from the sun on the roof in the warm months and prevent loss of heat during the colder months. It's the same sheeting that fire fighters use to insulate themselves in an emergency if they are caught in a wild fire; a product developed by NASA to protect astronauts and space equipment. Very interesting. It saves on energy costs. We'll hear more about it next week.

I'm usually pretty vigilant about keeping my appointments and schedules on my calendar, but I messed up for tomorrow. I have a Drawing class and a doctor's appointment overlapping. Rats! I tried to call the doctor's office to reschedule, but they had already closed. It's a follow-up doctor appointment with the Radiation Oncologist, just to see how I'm doing, so I think it could be rescheduled. That is, unless letting them know on the same day would pose a problem. If I call right at 9:00, maybe it will be ok. Otherwise, I'll have to leave my class early. As it is, I'm meeting another student 45 minutes before class to fill her in on what she missed last week.

Um, do I sound as scattered to you as I do to myself tonight?

PHOTO: From photographer P. S. Zollo on Flickr: "Billy Beck In January - 'The legendary Billy Beck,
 featured profusely in my 
photostream here, pictured 
in the clown guise he hadn't
 donned since about 1959,
 when he moved to Los 
Angeles from Paris
 to act in movies 
and in TV. 
Taken in his 
Silverlake backyard. Uploaded by P.S.Zollo on 5 Jan 08, 12.11PM EDT.' "

Back to the Oncology Office

I had an appointment today for my 5th Herceptin infusion. I get one every 3 weeks. It was great to see my nurses again. I enjoy them so much. Lisa was in the process of flushing out my port - the first thing that happens when I'm getting a treatment - when LaDonna alerted Lisa that one of her patients, who had just started her chemo drip, was having an allergic reaction. The woman was flushed. She became very warm and looked uncomfortable. They quickly brought out oxygen canisters, removed her IV drip, took her blood pressure and pulse, and alerted her doctor. No chemo for her today. Within a few minutes she was better and they were able to resume their previous duties. Lisa came back and went ahead with my infusion.

Across from me, a woman named Bonnie sat next to her husband. She was knitting a beautiful scarf. She was very pleasant, and I learned that today was her first weekly chemo treatment. She's also undergoing daily radiation treatments. She said she had been diagnosed with lung cancer - and neither she nor her husband had ever smoked. She had a port implanted a few days ago, and Cathy hooked her up to her initial IV bag of pre-meds. As we talked, I noticed that quite a puddle was forming beneath her pole, and told LaDonna that it looked as if the tubing was leaking. It sure was, and as the nurses cleaned up the puddle, they said this had never happened before - that the tubing had a hole in it. It wasn't the chemo liquid, just the saline and pre-meds, but they ended up having to throw away the bag of solution and tubing, and start Bonnie's treatment all over again.

Well, would you believe, the next tubing also had a hole in it? As I looked down a couple of minutes after the second tubing was inserted, it was dripping again. Lisa said it was the remainder from the first bag, but I told her they had used a towel to wipe it up, and it was all wet again. Sure enough, they found another hole. How strange is that? It never happened before, then twice in one day - to the same patient! I felt badly for Bonnie, who must have been nervous on her first day, and to have to keep starting over and over again only prolonged her initial treatment. First chemo treatments are always longer than those following - the drip is set slowly - so that they can watch the patient for allergic reactions.

I hope all went well with her after I left a few minutes later. I think I'll be seeing her again on Saturday. I was talking to LaDonna about our yard sale this coming weekend, and Bonnie asked for directions to our house. I have a feeling that we'll become friends. It's amazing how easy it is to connect with other cancer patients. I've made quite a number of friends during treatment or through other connections. How sad to think that so many people all around us are touched by cancer.

PHOTO: Grape Hyacinths. We have a number of them that pop up in early spring in the lawn and in front of the house.

My Flapping Bird Flopped

I got home about an hour ago from my watercolor class. Our assignment was to bring in a picture of an animal of some kind, which we would paint using a masking technique. Of 13 women, more than half brought in pictures of cats or dogs to paint. One had a squirrel, and I had a bird. Carolyn painted a parrot. I don't know what the others were. My bird was an action shot with the wings spread out as it was making a landing. It was a great photo - a winning one, I think, and I started off with a pretty good drawing of it. I also did well masking off the areas I would keep white or tint. Then I began painting, and did pretty well, but things went down hill quickly after that. The photo had a black background and I thought I could do the same. Well, it's looking pretty scary now. This one may have to get "lost." We're supposed to work on it again next time, then we'll do another painting with Tempura paint, a thicker paint than our transparent watercolor paints, and we're also supposed to bring in a glass container to learn to paint glass. We did one of those in the Basic Watercolor class, but some of the women in this class haven't tried that technique yet. I have a wavy 3-sided jar with a cork top that I would like to try.

We got a call that our new stove is being delivered tomorrow morning. Yay! I hope they can get it through the door ok. Jim says it'll fit.

Jim and I worked together cleaning out the garage today. It took us about 4 hours. It's the first time it's ever had a thorough cleaning, and now it's so much better. I even used the Shop-Vac and vacuumed the floor. The workbench that Jim had built for it when we first moved in is actually usable now. We organized like things together, lots of other things were taken to the shed, some to the basement, and quite a bit will go into our yard sale Saturday. Sharon and I will be doing it together. She's also bringing things to sell, and another friend is bringing things over tomorrow that she wants to sell. Wow! This is going to be one humungous sale! I still have a lot to do to get ready for it. For example - all the pricing. And wouldn't you know it - lots going on this week, so I'm going to be really busy.

PHOTO: Sheep in the meadow, Ireland.

Yard Work Sunday

We had another beautiful spring day here. First thing this morning I got on the lawn tractor, and didn't get off again until I was finished. It took 2 and 3/4 hours. I ran out of gas at the end, and Jim put in more gas and then did the last side strip. He had gone to the gas station with 2 plastic gas tanks while I was mowing. He filled up the two 5-gallon containers and his own truck, and the total for all was $94.00. Unreal. The gas was $3.539/gallon. I can't imagine how we as a country are going to be able to get through this. I feel so badly for people who have to do a lot of traveling in their jobs or to their jobs. Where will it all end? I know between the two of us, we've been trying to conserve where we can by consolidating errands into fewer trips. I limit the times I go into town as much as I can, because neither of our vehicles is very economical on gas.

While I was finishing up the mowing, Jim rototilled the soil in our tomato garden. We have a small hand operated Ryobi that's good for the tomato patch, which is only about 5' by 10' total. It works well, but spits oil, so Jim draped a bag over the front of it to keep the oil off his legs. The patch is now all loose and raked and ready for plants. We have a compost barrel that he emptied and added to the garden soil, so it should be nice and rich now. One thing we learned is that egg shells don't decompose very well. They were mostly in tact. I've started dumping our kitchen vegetable waste into the barrel again to get the next batch going. There's something very satisfying about making compost.

Jim cleared off the patio, got out the cushions and cleaned off the table. After some more yard work, we sat outside and enjoyed the day. This is such a great time of year, before the heat and bugs take over.

PHOTO: Lilies of the Valley, growing in the front of our house.

Non Parlo Italiano

It was gray, cool, and damp for most of the day, and I expect we'll end up with rain overnight. At least it didn't rain during the day, and our Saturday yard sailing was saved. We went to the Sykesville Fire Department's event, where a hundred vendors awaited us. It was fun, but there weren't a lot of things we couldn't live without. We left there and scouted out a few yard sales listed in the paper, then broke for lunch. I had a delicious chicken salad fruit plate. All in all, a fun day and some good deals for everyone. At one of the yard sales, I bought 5 different Italian books to prepare for our Italy trip - dictionary, phrase books, grammar, traveler's guide - all for 75 cents. They will be helpful, along with my Italian language CD's, in learning some of the language before we go on our trip to Italy in October. I really love the sound of the Italian language. When I was in junior high and high school, I took French, and it came fairly easily to me. Not so easy now that I'm older. I'm going to have to concentrate a lot harder, but it would be nice to be able to speak some Italian on our trip.

After meeting up with us at the Fire Department sale to check out the tools, Jim spent the afternoon and early evening helping David put in a 220-volt electric line for his new lathe. I think it was a good opportunity for some male bonding. Jim said things could have gone more smoothly, but the job is done, and that's what counts. The lathe Jim bought had to be sent back to the company that sold it to him - in California. After many problems with the set up, operation, and things breaking, he had enough, packed it up, and shipped it off. It never got up and running at all, and was very disappointing, as you can imagine. The company tried sending new parts and communicated with him, but in the end, they agreed to take it back. It was a nightmare for Jim, since it had to be shipped back in the original wooden crate, sort of like putting a puzzle together. It had to be secured with metal strapping tape, but Jim did a great job. He'll be getting a different make and model sometime soon. He has everything he needs now except for the lathe. Even the wood!

PHOTO: Lilacs in bloom in our yard.

It's Friday Again!

I was all set to mow today, but Jim said it was going to rain and it could wait. Well, turns out the weather couldn't have been nicer. I ended up working outside, but not on the lawn. I'll probably end up doing it Sunday instead.

Today was another crafting get together. I did some more watercolor painting, making a variety of bookmarks to sell at my vendor table in June at the Red Hat Extravaganza. Carolyn worked on an album for a friend's birthday. It turned out really great. Cathy helped her by taking 2 different photographs and Photoshopping them together so that it looks as if all three friends were in the original picture together. Cathy's a whiz at Photoshop. She actually teaches it, which gives you an idea of her level of proficiency. I'm always amazed at her ability to take her photos and create works of art with them. Sharon designed a handmade hard-covered book with blank lavender-colored pages. It turned out really pretty.

We also exchanged more plants, which I think is a great way of expanding on the variety of perennials in our gardens without any of us spending money. Today I dug up some of our Periwinkle ground cover for my friends. Another name for it is Creeping Myrtle, and the Latin name is Vinca minor. Anyway, it's a really nice ground cover - shiny dark green leaves with blue flowers. In turn, I received Yellow Lilies and Yellow Corydalis, which I've never heard of before.

I'm yawning and can't think straight right now, so I'm off to bed. We'll be off bright and early tomorrow Yard Sailing!

PHOTO: A flowering Pink Dogwood tree in our yard. It's gorgeous.

New Perspectives

I was back outside again today raking leaves, down where the road and our driveway intersects. Yesterday I was out there taking photos, and noticed how shabby the azaleas looked because the leaves hadn't been raked away. The flowers are too nice to be neglected like that, so I decided to do some raking before my drawing class this afternoon. I did as much as I could and Jim finished up after me. We hauled out 2 barrels full of leaves. It looks so much nicer now. The slope still has leaves that need raking between the juniper ground cover plants, but that can wait. Tomorrow I need to mow again. With all the rain we had this past week, the lawn really needs it.

My drawing class was very interesting and I'm learning more with each class. We started out by drawing a folding peg rack, lying on its side, but we were to draw only the negative spaces. "Draw the nothing, not the something." If we were drawing the rack itself, (the something) we would be drawing the positive spaces, but we were to draw the white spaces (the nothing) surrounding the rack, and if we did it correctly, by the time we finished drawing all the negative spaces, the rack itself would appear. More right brain stuff. Mine turned out pretty well on 3 sides, but it got messed up connecting the 4th side. But I did understand the concept this time, and if I did the drawing over again, I think it would have been better. Amazingly though, it wasn't too bad.

We also worked on perspective. We drew the corner of the room where the 2 walls meet the ceiling to see how closely we were able to come to the angles. After we finished our drawing, we held up a clear viewfinder and used a marker to make the actual angles, then put the viewfinder on top of our drawings to see how closely they matched. Mine was pretty close. Then we drew the door at the other end of the room, with the corners of the wall and ceiling, the window on the door, the exit sign, etc. Once again, we marked the actual angles. This time, I was way off. I drew the angles much flatter than they actually were. It's really interesting, because you look with your eyes, and think you know what you're seeing, only to find out you were wrong. The class meets for 2 1/2 hours, so we actually cover quite a bit of material, but I won't go into all the details.

This weekend I want to spend some time practicing and also reading the book (Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) to reinforce the concepts. This instructor takes her lessons right from the book, chapter by chapter, so in a sense, it should be easier to learn to draw with all I have to reference. I can tell after just 4 lessons that my drawing has improved quite a bit. Except when I drew Jim reading in his chair last night, and he ended up looking remarkably like Homer Simpson.

PHOTO: Pong's close-up, taken with the new camera. I think he looks very handsome. What a sweetie!