We're Off ...

We're out the door tomorrow at 4:45 am to catch our flight to Providence, leaving at 6:50 am. Ohhhhhhhh...... Just finishing up some household stuff and final packing before I get to bed. We'll be on vacation on Cape Cod with Jim's brother and sister-in-law Donna for a week. I'll catch up my blog when we return. Lots to fill in ....

Learning from a Pro

I had another haircut today. I like my new hairdresser. She's warm and friendly and is good at what she does. I'm trying to grow out the top part of my hair while keeping the back and sides short. It's a good haircut for me, and is a good style for the wavy hair I now have.

Cathy offered to help me today with the printing of my watercolor pictures to mount on greeting cards. She's amazing. She uses Photoshop to set things up for printing, and works so quickly I can hardly keep up. One thing is that instead of using a computer mouse, she uses a Wacum digitizer stylus pen. I learn so much sitting with her at her computer. She made templates in different sizes for me and put them on a CD so that I can print my own at home as I need them. What I intend to do is to cut the photos out and center them on a black mat, then mount them on blank greeting cards.

I learned why the paper is important when printing - the various manufacturers of printers put a proprietary coating on their paper to work specifically with their printers - and the evidence was just discernible when we used 2 different papers on the same printer. Not a great difference, but a slight variation in the color. Interesting. She worked with me for over 2 hours on this project, and I was very grateful. At a later point, when I don't need the end product for a deadline as I do for this Red Hat event on Sunday, I'd love to spend some more time learning Photoshop. It's amazing what you can do with it. Cathy has been using Photoshop for years. She's had it since it first came out, and I believe it's now in its 9th upgrade. She teaches Photoshop at the local community college.

I was very excited to see my own watercolor paintings printed out. It makes a lot of sense to print them, as Cathy suggested. That way, I still retain my original painting to do with as I want, and I can make more of the same paintings.

PHOTO: Ming Poo, looking very sleepy. I love the sleek shine of her fur.

Back Again

I took a break yesterday from my blog. I didn't post one, as I've decided to back off some from my daily blogging.

Had an appointment with my radiation doctor today. All is well - this was just a check up to see how I'm doing. The radiation burn left a tanned area behind, which should continue to fade over time. I'm also supposed to take vitamin E and another prescription drug to help with the softening of the skin and underlying scar tissue. He said I should be taking those for a year post radiation.

While in town, I made a few stops and did some shopping at Kohl's. I found several things I can use this summer and for our trip to the Cape next week. There was a big sale going on, and some clearance clothing that I poured over. Found some nice things. I really dislike clothes shopping - for one thing, trying stuff on. As a result, I don't clothes shop very often. Also, I have to go on my own. I know that a lot of women like to shop together, but for clothing, I want to go by myself. I've lost some weight, so clothes are looking better on me now than before.

I also picked up some note cards and photo paper. I'm going to print out copies of some of my watercolors to mat and mount on blank cards to sell on Sunday at my vendor table at the Red Hat event. I planned to do some of it tonight, but had to leave it in frustration. The scanner we have has an attitude, and every so often insists the software needs to be loaded. It's already loaded, and the proof is that it does scan - sometimes. Earlier I scanned a picture and had it on my computer, testing it out in various sizes. Now I can't locate the picture in my computer under the HP gallery. It's very strange. There's definitely something going on with the software that's really frustrating. The thing is, I've worked with the scanner and the gallery quite a bit, and now I'm unable to get anything to work. Naturally, since I need the computer's cooperation to get these cards printed.

PHOTO: One of the watercolors I think I'll use on my greeting cards.

Jim's Trip

There are loudenboomers going on outside right now, and flashes of lightening. The storm has passed by our house, but it's still nearby. The plants needed a drink tonight, and I thought it probably wouldn't rain, so I was out there this evening with the hose and watering can giving everybody a drink. Now they had a pretty good soaking from the rain.

I've been working upstairs in my craft room for several hours today. Went up again after dinner and listened to an audio book while I worked. I have to watch myself, because I often find myself dropping what I'm doing and sitting back and listening. I had kitty company as well, and they seemed to be lulled by the Scottish accent female voice, as I was.

Jim kept a low profile today after his busy weekend in Richmond. He stayed inside and read quietly most of the day - all his literature he brought back with him. The wood turners symposium was a huge success, with thousands of people from all over the world in attendance; classes, demonstrations, vendors, and tons of information to soak up. He was very impressed with it. There were people famous in the wood turning world - craftsmen, inventors, artisans, and authors who were mingling with the attendees. Some of them Jim has seen on DVD videos or read their books. His brain was on stimulation overload, and he was pretty exhausted when he got home. He brought home a couple of pieces of special wood and a turning tool that he was able to try on a lathe. He also learned about some dangerous or toxic woods that can cause various reactions, some severe.

He stayed at the Marriott right next to the convention center. Turns out we had enough Marriott points that he was able to pay for his 2 nights with points. For a nice hotel, he thought there were quite a few chintzy aspects to it. For example, although there were newspapers outside the doors of other guests doors in the mornings, none was delivered to him. Also, no water fountains in the hotel - only bottled water sold for $1.75 each. Parking was $14.00 a day, and extra if you removed your car from the lot and came back. And no TV without paying for it. If you wanted to catch the news or just a program, you had to pay for 24 hours and it was $12.00 a day. Who ever heard of a hotel without free TV? I know some charge for "adult" programming, but I've always seen free TV in the rooms. It makes me wonder if those who are paying with points are in some rooms without normal amenities, TV and newspapers. It seems as if good service isn't something we can expect in a quality establishment any more, and that's too bad.

PHOTO: Moss-covered stump in Youghiogheny State Park, MD.

Forget the St. Bernards - Sharon to the Rescue!

Boy, did I get myself in a fix this morning. I saw in the classified ads that 5 yard sales were being held today, and decided to go check them out. By Sunday, most people are sick of their stuff and slash and burn the prices just to get rid of everything. I went off by myself, and actually found several really good things. At the last one, a cul-de-sac with 3 families participating, I left my purse in the car rather than carry it with me. My car (Christine) is a Cadillac that has a keyless entry, and as long as the key fob is in the car, it doesn't lock. I know this because I do it all the time.

Well, except for today. Today when I returned to my car after the yard sale and pulled on the door handle, instead of opening up, it was locked! I was in disbelief. This has never happened before. Often when I'm unloading the car in the garage, my purse is on the seat, and I can get in and out of the car without any problem. If I try to open the car and don't have the key fob with me, I go in the house, grab my purse, wave it at the car, and it opens. It's designed to open as long as the key fob is within 3 feet of the door, ergo, with the purse on the seat, it remains open.

I was dumbstruck, and couldn't think what I could do. Jim wasn't home - he wasn't expected until 5:00 tonight. Even if I could get a ride to my house, I was still in deep doo-doo because my house key is also in the purse, and our garage door keypad entry hasn't been working. Jim recently changed the battery, and it didn't fix the problem. We don't have a key to the house hidden outside. No neighbor has a key. I thought perhaps I had given a key to Sharon, because I have one to her house for taking care of her dog when she's gone. If I could get inside my house, I could get the duplicate key fob and open it with that.

The woman whose house I was parked in front of was very nice and tried to help. She offered her cell phone for me to make a call, but I don't know anybody's phone number - they're all programed in my cell phone, and I didn't have it with me. I couldn't call AAA - my membership card was inside my purse. I decided to take a chance and call Sharon, if her phone number was in the phone book, which the woman went in and got for me. Thank goodness, the number was listed. Being a nice day, I expected her to be outside gardening and her answering machine to pick up. I was amazed when she answered.

I told her I was in trouble and needed help, explained the situation, and asked if she had my house key. No, she doesn't. She offered to call AAA for me. She lives within a couple of miles from where I was, and said she'd be there in 10 minutes or so - once she got dressed. I was lucky with the timing of my call, as she was just about to jump in the shower and wouldn't have heard the phone. She soon arrived, and said she had already called Cathy for Greg's advice - yes, call AAA, and give them Sharon's membership number. We did, and since she was there to verify using her card number, it all worked out. I told the dispatcher that I had a keyless entry, and would the driver be able to open the car without doing damage to it? He assured me that the driver did have the proper tool, and would alert him that I have a keyless entry system to make sure he came equipped. With AAA on the problem, we decided to pass the time shopping, and Sharon managed to score several good buys from the yard sales.

After about an hour and a half, the truck arrived, and within 5 minutes he had the car open. We were amazed at how he did it. He inserted an inflatable pouch through the crack in the door, and filled it with air. The pressure eased the door open about 1/2 -3/4 of an inch, then he slid a rubber-coated steel rod through the opening. The rod had a hook on the end of it. First he tried to catch the door handle. That didn't work. He asked where the key fob was, and I told him in the purse. He proceeded to lift the purse up by the handle, and then slid open the zipper! That was spooky. I don't know how he thought that would do any good, dumping the purse upside down to fish out the fob. Maybe he would have poked the unlock button on the fob. Anyway, I asked him to try again to lift the handle, which he did, and this time it worked! It popped the handle up, and with it the door opened. Christine's alarm started screaming and I rushed to grab the purse, locate the fob, and shut the car off. We had silence. I signed the form, and he was off.

I can't say why the door locked this time, but when I started up the car, Christine told me that 1) there had been a theft attempt and 2) the trunk lid was ajar. I checked the trunk lid, and sure enough, it was ajar, and I closed it. I'm thinking that perhaps the trunk being open somehow messed up the computer's logic sequence. Either that or Christine was being vindictive because I recently changed the GPS voice from a female to a proper British male, and was calling him Jeeves. That's Sharon's theory. I think I agree with her.

I again thanked the woman who helped me out and apologized for all the screaming racket, and she assured me that she had been entertained with all that was going on. Sharon and I parted company, and she warned me against trying to yard sale on my own again. Point taken. I'm going to make some changes around here to make sure I never have to deal with this nightmare again. I think I may have also added a little excitement to Cathy and Greg's otherwise ordinary day. Cathy called me after I arrived home to find out if I had been able to get home, and for a rundown on the fiasco. We enjoyed some good laughs over my now hilarious predicament. Thank goodness for friends you can call in a crisis!

PHOTO: Weathervane on the horse barn/stable across the road.

Yard Sailing is More Fun that Holding Your Own

The day started earlier than I would have liked, but I was still late getting to our yard sale this morning. Sharon and Ron were out at 6:00 setting up. I wasn't there until after 8:00. I unloaded my car and set things out. Sharon had already unloaded her car full of things from my house that we packed up yesterday afternoon. The 3 of us sat under a canopy all day - great shade from the hot sun. The temperature was in the high 80's. We packed up around 1:30. What didn't sell or wasn't wanted by any of us ended up in Ron's van, and he took it to The Mission Store as a donation. We saved out a few things, not much at all - I didn't want the things back in the house again. I tried to entice people by telling them everything was 50% off the prices marked, but that didn't seem to make much of an impression.

This is it. After doing 3 yard sales this spring, we've had it. No more. Way too much work for a pittance of a return.

Jim will be coming home tomorrow around 5 pm from his wood turning symposium in Virginia. He called late this afternoon, but I was napping and groggy, and I don't remember much of what we said. I know he called David and talked to him for a while. He sat in on classes and demos and seemed to be enjoying the whole experience. It will be good to have him back safe at home. Oh, I did get pizza for dinner tonight - I brought home an individual one from the nearby Pizza Hut. Yum!

PHOTO: Beaver Run, a stream near our house.

Playing Bachelorette

Jim just called. He's in Richmond attending a symposium put on by the American Wood Turner's Association at the Convention Center. He's enjoying it so far. There are people in attendance from all over the world. Every year it's held in a different place. Last year it was Portland, Oregon. It's fortunate for him that this year's event is relatively close by - a 3-hour drive from our house. It's a 2 1/2 day event with demonstrations, classes, vendors, and lots of wood of different types. He's picking up lots of literature, for David and himself, to digest after he comes home. What he's seen so far has made him even more pleased with the lathe he bought. For one thing, it's a very good one, and the price he paid is cheaper than the "show special" price for the same lathe at the symposium. He thinks they jack up the price, then give a show discount, to make the customer feel like he's getting a good deal.

With Jim gone, I decided to make something from the freezer that Jim would never eat but I enjoy - Trader Joe's Tortellini with Pesto Sauce. It was delicious, and just enough for a single serving. I had a craving for pizza and thought of going to Pizza Hut, but stayed home and saved my money. I may still get that pizza tomorrow night. Haven't had one in forever.

I've been working pretty hard on my crafts that I plan to sell at a Red Hat Extravaganza on June 29th. I'm combining various crafts I do - crocheted wire jewelry, watercolor paintings, greeting cards, and bookmarks embellished with painting and stampings, beading, ribbon, and charms. There will be over 200 women at this event and 9 vendors. I believe the vendors will be selling various Red Hat clothing, hats, and accessories, so my items may be unique. I do have some bookmarks that are Red Hat themed. I asked my friends to help me in pricing the bookmarks today, and the overall consensus is that I can only ask about $4 or $5 each. They thought that even though it's original art, people just won't pay $8 or $10 for a bookmark, which is what I was hoping I could charge. Maybe I will be able to make it up selling the jewelry. My next step will be to see about selling them on Etsy.com, a website for people to buy and sell all kinds of original handmade things.

PHOTO: Yellow.

Perfect Summer Day

Today was a great mowing day. The temperature was very mild, skies clear. As I mowed, swallows were swooping down in front and behind me, catching the insects that were tossed up by the mower. There were probably a dozen of them, some coming pretty close to me. Jim mowed the last bit on the side of the driveway for me.

He was really busy today. He's nearly finished putting the solar reflective blanket in the attic. He's been going up every morning and spending an hour or two up there before the attic temperature gets too hot. It's also limiting because he has to get into contorted positions on his knees, on his back, on his side, balancing on the rafters. He's ended up battered and bruised, but he's conquered it. We're expecting to see the effects of this material immediately in lower energy bills and a more constant household temperature. We're looking forward to a cooler second floor in summer and more even temperatures throughout in the winter. Jim also set up our rain barrel today, although it isn't hooked up to the downspout yet.

We have some beautiful lilies in bloom now. They're a soft pink color. The blooms are on top-heavy stems, and some of them have fallen over. I probably should be staking them for support. The tomatoes are really taking off, and so is the yellow squash and pepper plant. Little flowers are showing up on the plants. I need to get out there tomorrow and attack the weeds again. You wouldn't know I weeded it a week ago.

PHOTO: Beautiful stained glass, Murano, Italy

Hold the Herceptin

Before I went to my Herceptin appointment in Towson this morning, I decided to call first and see if the MUGA scan results would allow me to continue with my treatments. As it turns out, the answer was no, so I saved a trip. My oncologist told the receptionist to tell me that he wants to wait another month, and have another MUGA just before coming in again. Sigh ... For those who don't know what this is all about, a MUGA scan measures the efficiency of the ventricular heart valve as it pumps blood through the heart. It's called the EF or ejection fraction. A side effect of Herceptin is that it can cause a lowering of the EF, having the potential to cause congestive heart failure. Some people have no reaction to Herceptin, but I am one who does, so I've had a lot of these MUGA scans. My doctor took me off Herceptin for 3 months from December until February to allow the EF to rise again, which it did, but apparently it's now down again, therefore the month wait.

I spent the day instead working in my craft room. Things were going along swimmingly, until I managed to dump an entire organizer box of beads upside down. Thousands of beads - all mixed together in a mess on the carpeting. It took me an hour and a half to get them all picked up and resorted. Paddle helped. She watched me the whole time from her perch on the chair.

PHOTO: Pig racing at the Maryland State Fair last summer.

Long Day

I went in for my MUGA scan today, but I didn't get the results while there. My Herceptin appointment is tomorrow, so I'll find out then if I've lost any ground with the heart efficiency. This time I had it at another facility - Westminster - instead of the place I usually go, and I took advantage of being in town to run a marathon of errands. Knowing I'd be there, I plotted myself a map from my errand list, and it worked out very efficiently. I took care of several things I've been putting off for months, like getting my ring checked at the jeweler's to make sure the diamonds were secure. It's my 20th anniversary ring, and less than a year after Jim gave it to me, one of the side diamonds fell out. I was very upset about that, but they won't guarantee it unless you come in every 6 months to have it inspected. So now I try to keep on top of it. I also took back something to Wal-Mart's that I bought months ago. Lost the sales slip, so I thought I'd have to keep it, but Sharon told me you can return up to 3 things a year without a sales slip. It worked!

All told, I was gone from the house for nearly 8 hours, and I was pooped! Everything is done, though, and that's good.

PHOTO: Iris in our garden. This year, however, lots of flags or leaves but hardly any flowers, and none this color. Perhaps from overcrowding. I need to divide them up and see if that will help next year.

Little P

For the second day in a row, Penelope has brought her new little fawn to our back yard. The fact that she seems so comfortable here with her baby makes me think she is proud of her and wants to show her off. This morning Jim saw Penelope standing up on the hill behind the house, keeping an eye on Little P (as Jim has named her - or him) as the fawn sniffed all around and frolicked at the edge of the woods. They stayed around long enough for Jim to grab his camera and take a couple of shots through the glass in the door. (That was his plan, however I found when uploading the camera that the setting was in movie mode instead of picture mode, so I don't have a photo to put on the blog.) Penelope watched Jim, but apparently didn't feel worried. I think it made him feel good that she recognizes that he isn't a threat - she has seen him often as he brought grain up to the feeder bowl. He hasn't been feeding the deer recently. For one thing the cost is getting prohibitive, and for another, there's plenty for them to eat in the woods now. Jim said Ball was outside when the deer came up, and slunk along on the patio to get away. Imagine, being afraid of a fawn. What a wus!

We had our monthly book club lunch today at Betty's. It was great - although we missed Sharon being with us because of a doctor's appointment. Geneva came in her place. I loved seeing Geneva again - haven't seen her for a while. I think she'll be 84 soon, and she's very active and engaged in lots of activities. Geneva goes to water aerobics 3 times a week, goes out to dinner, shopping or movies with friends. She's one of the women who were scheduled for a balloon ride a week or so ago, but it was postponed twice now because of inclement weather. Now it's rescheduled for the fall.

The book for this month was Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. I didn't care for the book and didn't read the whole thing. Actually, I stopped about 75 pages into it. It was quite a lengthy novel - over 550 pages. I think the other women found it to be way too long and jumped back and forth, making it difficult to follow. Although they read it,they didn't care too much for it. Carolyn did like it a lot, and had read it a year or so ago. She said you have to read it like a Greek tragedy, which it is. We did spend more than our usual amount of time discussing the book, so it was given its fair share.

I have lots of errands and appointments tomorrow, starting with a MUGA scan at 8:15. Being a night owl, that's a little early for me to be out and about, but I'll be there. Creative erranding - all in keeping with gas usage economy and combining car trips.

PHOTO: A bouquet of tulips Jim bought for me a while back. I love tulips.

Happy Father's Day

We just returned a little bit ago from David and Karen's where we spent a great day with the family. The weather was perfect for an outdoor meal, and it was really delicious - rib eye steaks and barbecued shrimp on the grill, with all the trimmings. Loved it. David has been doing some beautiful bowl turning, and showed us his lathe set up and his work shop. He and his Dad now have matching lathes, and compare notes on chucks and gouges and finishes. It's a great hobby that they're both learning about at the same time. The kids are both out of school now, and gearing up for summer activities - Lacrosse camp for Chris, Scout camp for Alex, swimming lessons, and tennis. Sounds like a lot of fun. It was great to catch up on family happenings, and the guys watched the U. S. Open Golf Tournament. It was an exciting ending, with Tiger Woods pulling off a tie on the last putt, resulting in another 18-hole playoff tomorrow with Rocco Mediate. Doesn't get better than that.

We had a special treat this morning. Penelope showed up behind the house, and scampering behind her was a new spotted fawn! We were thrilled to see them. I'm guessing it was Penelope, she seemed so tame, although we may have been mistaken. The fawn couldn't have been more than a week or so old, it was so tiny. That's the second fawn I've seen in 2 days. No time to grab the camera, they were gone in a few seconds.

PHOTO: One of the ornamental trees in our front yard this spring, with a bee pollinating it.

New Tea Room

Four of us went yard sailing today, this time with Shirley and without Carolyn, who wasn't able to come. I can't say what it is about yard sailing that is such a hit, but it sure is. Rain or shine, it's fun. While we were driving along, several men were cutting broken limbs from a damaged maple tree. We pulled over, I got out, and asked if I could have a log for my husband, who has a wood lathe and does wood turning. They were happy to oblige, and asked which piece I'd like to take. I made a selection, the chain saw was fired up, the piece was cut, and hand carried to the back of the van for me. They were so nice. We're always on the lookout for wood now, as well as yard sale signs. Jim's acquiring a stockpile.

We went to Beck's for a good lunch, then made a stop at a new tea shop in town. Today was the grand opening of the Sweet Simplici-Tea tea room in historic Sykesville, and what a treat. Two sisters have opened this shop, which had previously been a very sorry lunch place. It's been completely redecorated in a Victorian style, with lovely old furniture, curtains, and tea ware everywhere. They have seating for 25 people. The decor is just lovely, mauve walls and floral wallpaper. Even the bathroom is charming. The tea room also has a gift shop with beautiful handmade items from local artisans. All the food was free of charge today. We were served a delicious pot of White Apple Tea, with a lovely plate of fruits and sweets to sample along with our tea. The place was filled with customers all the while we were there, and from what the sisters said, it had been like that all day. They seemed to be thrilled with the response from everyone who came in, and I just know it will be a big hit. They deserve a lot of credit for all the hard work and planning they've obviously put into making their business successful. The local Red Hat Society chapters alone should keep them busy. I know we'll be back ourselves.

I wonder if there's a full moon tonight. The cats are racing around acting crazy. Ming Poo has been tearing around the house, growling in her tough girl voice, and Paddle is running around too. They seem to have some extra energy to burn off. Paddle is willing to play with Ming Poo tonight. Pong is pretending he doesn't know either of them, lying on the floor in his aloof sphinx posture. Ball is pretending to sleep on the the rocking chair pillow, his back to everyone.

PHOTO: Taken a couple of weeks ago. Our favorite doe, Penelope, who comes often to visit. Jim walked up to the shed today to bring Pong inside, since he'd been out all day and it was getting pretty hot. He was standing there looking into the woods as Jim was petting him. Jim looked up to see what Pong was staring at, and there was Penelope a short distance from them, watching Jim and Pong. Then she scampered away. On our way home this afternoon, my friends and I saw a spotted fawn peeking out from the woods on the edge of the road. I saw her mother going into the woods just before I saw the fawn.

Friday the 13th

I was just looking through my blog, and see that yesterday's blog was number 400. Wow! I knew I was chatty, but that surprises me. Now it's a habit, and even though I don't often have special news to report, it's become a daily journal, and I sometimes refer back to remember when something happened or just to reread what I wrote. I'm glad to have it as a resource to look back on, and as time passes, it will serve when my memory doesn't.

I went in to Towson today and was fitted with a silicone prosthesis and mastectomy bras. My reconstruction surgery won't be until near the end of the year, so I'll have this to use for the next 5 or 6 months. Luckily, my insurance company pays for the prosthesis and 4 bras, since they are expensive. The bras each have a pocket on either side so that the prosthesis can be slipped inside where needed. There were two professional fitters who helped me to get an accurate fit. Very nice women and quite helpful. I'm pleased with the natural look of my new bust line. The prosthesis is weighted so that it fits naturally. It's comfortable and feels fine. I was a little surprised at the heft of it when I removed it.

Cathy and I went to Carolyn's for crafting today. Sharon is visiting with out of town relatives today and couldn't join in. The three of us worked with polymer clay, making some clay box lids that we stamped and then baked. Mine was a tea cup and saucer that I will paint now that it's baked. Carolyn has an enormous number of crafting materials in her studio, and we were like kids in a candy shop with too many choices. It was a lot of fun. We snacked on fresh strawberries, apples with caramel, nuts, cheese and crackers, Rice Krispie treats, jellied candies - and cold drinks. We had a lot of room in her studio to spread out and work. Carolyn's whole career has been in teaching art, so we were in good hands. She works quickly and efficiently, has all the necessary tools, and knows what she's doing. How can we go wrong?

I was very saddened today to hear that Tim Russert, the Washington Bureau Chief of NBC news and moderator of Meet the Press, died suddenly today of a heart attack. He was only 58 years old. I thought he was an excellent journalist, thorough but fair, and obviously well respected by his peers and fellow journalists and throughout the world. I spent some time listening to the tributes offered up by his colleagues, who seem bereft and shocked, knowing they have lost a very special and talented friend.

PHOTO: My African Violets in our kitchen window. Taken before Ming Poo knocked off the taller crackled glass vase and broke it. Now it's less cluttered, which is probably what she had in mind when she knocked it off. Click photo to enlarge.

My Glass Jaw

Ow, ow ow ... Have you ever had TMJ? It stands for Temporo-mandibular joint disorder, and it's a problem where the jaw joint locks or is out of sync. I had a slightly uneven opening of the jaw for years, most of my adult life. It didn't hurt, but it would click. One day I bit down wrong on a nut or something, and that did it. I couldn't open my mouth fully, and when I did, it was uneven. I had to have oral surgery to correct it. After the procedure, it was lots better, but not 100%, and over the years it gets better or not as good, and recently it's been bothering me quite a bit. The more it seemed out of place, the more I would try to get it back, and I irritated it, I think. Now it's achy. The past couple of days I haven't been able to bite or chew normally because of the discomfort. Forget about taking a bite out of an apple. Impossible, and I've always been able to do that. I've made a dental appointment to have my dentist check it out and refer me to someone local who can take care of it. In the meantime, eating is difficult, and for someone who really enjoys eating, it's a major issue!

I had my last Drawing and Painting class today, and it was a great class. We used all the techniques and skills we had learned and painted a still life in acrylics. It was a brown jug, a cut orange on a plate, the knife, all sitting on a blue cloth. The arrangement was nice, and we started in with some small, quick sketches for composition, selected one and made it full sized, then went on to canvas paper and painted. No pencil on the canvas, that was a no-no. Our instructor said that would be like paint by number. We had to refer to our drawing, then draw with the paint brush. We were all intimidated initially, but dove in, and everyone ended up with a believable and fairly good painting. The other thing is that all the colors - orange, brown, background neutral, blue - had to be created from 3 primary colors (red, yellow, blue) and white. That's one thing I seem to be able to do pretty well. We didn't have enough time to finish or do the details, but we all got the basic painting done, and we were feeling pretty good about it. I'm going to take the next course this summer that begins in July.

Today was the day for the cats to be "slimed" with Frontline. I have to put it at the base of their necks and they hate it. It must be the smell they detest, although I hardly smell anything. They run when they see it in my hand. Ming Poo was performing such acrobatics trying to lick the back of her own neck that Jim said she'd be good in The Exorcist for the scene where the girl's head turns all the way around. I hope they don't think I'm dong this to torture them. Poor little things. At least it keeps them flea and tick free. I put it on Ming Poo even though she doesn't go outside, just in case she picked one up that dropped off one of the other cats. That's my rationale, but I really don't know if I need to slime her or not. I should check with the vet, I guess. Or Google.

PHOTO: My Sweeties!

Good Weather to be Outside

Came back a while ago from a nice evening walk. I was enjoying the mild temperature and low humidity after several days where it was miserable outside, with temperatures in the 90's and high humidity. We had quite a thunder and lightening storm last night, and I saw evidence of lots of damage to trees near my house. Some large limbs down, and a couple of whole trees. Jim and I spent a couple of hours this morning cleaning up our own property of leaves, limbs, small twigs and broken branches. Jim hauled our large wheeled barrel around the yard and we filled it three times. He stayed out longer than I did, finishing up. Pong was meowing around us to be let in for his breakfast, so that was my excuse.

Later I tackled the weeds in my tomato patch. All this heat and watering has made the weeds take off. I got rid of them with a hoe. I also found half a dozen small tomato plant volunteers that have sprouted. The seeds are there from when I had planted tomatoes 2 years ago or prior, from fruit that had fallen from the plants. It's also interesting because the whole area was thoroughly rototilled before I put this years' plants in. I have the room, so I saved one - the heartiest and biggest one, all of about 4 inches - and transplanted it to a better spot with a little more room. I'll be curious to see what type this one is. I've had a few different ones over the years, and who knows how old this little seed was that finally came up. With the latest tomato salmonella problem, I'd like to have as many of my own as possible.

Jim is visiting a wood turner's meeting tonight. This one is called the Baltimore Woodturners and meets in Towson. He's been going to several of the local groups, looking to see what fits for him before joining a group. I hope he has a good time.

PHOTO: An open, ancient shed on an Irish Sheep Farm. That round, brown ball near the edge of the old wagon is a chicken.

Lights Out

It's 6:20 am, we're sitting here having coffee, and I'm writing last night's blog. Why? Because after some powerful storms with high winds and flickering lights in the early evening, our power went out for good about 7:45 pm. At first, it wasn't too bad, since it was still light outside, and we could still see to read. When it got darker, I got out the candles. We went to bed about 9 o'clock, instead of sitting here in the dark, and I took a flashlight with me to read for a while. The lights came back on before 11, but by that time we'd already been asleep for a couple of hours.

The storm didn't do much damage, it just made a mess of the patio and yard with leaves and small twigs and branches. We needed the rain, and boy we got it. It also gave us a break in the heat wave we've had over the past 3 days. Right now, it's in the 60's outside and very pleasant, but it will still get pretty warm as the day progresses. I spent a lot of yesterday taking care of filing and paperwork - a good day for it. I'll save the rest for the afternoon, and when I finish writing this, I want to get outside and enjoy the fresh air for a while.

PHOTO: I found a great oak plant stand at a yard sale for $5.00, and Jim refinished the top of it for me. The previous owner had definitely used it for plants, and there was some water damage to it. I love it, and the newly refinished top makes it good as new. It's in our entry near the Grandfather Clock, also in oak. Ming Toy was a kitten when she climbed into the clock while Jim was winding it one day. He didn't know she was in there, and we couldn't figure out where she was, but we could hear her meowing. Had to grab the camera before we let her out. That was prior to painting the walls gold in the foyer. I like it more now than the contractor's white.

Classy Lady

I was driving to my Watercolor class tonight - the last one - looked down and saw that I was wearing bedroom slippers instead of shoes. Oh, brother. Does that qualify as a senior moment, or was it just plain sloppiness? Not that anyone is likely to notice - they're Hush Puppies and look like shoes, but I was disgusted with myself. I wasn't even in a rush leaving the house. Oh well ...

For the last class, we could do whatever we wanted to. I had brought in several items for a still life, and got right to work sketching it out. It was a wooden candlestick, a primitive picture in a frame, a wooden red apple, and an ostrich feather from South Africa. I wasn't able to finish the picture, but that doesn't matter. I was pleased with the picture as far as I got. Some parts of it were really good, others passable.

Our heat wave continues. It was 96° for the high, I think. The humidity is up there as well, so it's been impossible outside. I don't think the temperatures will drop by much until Friday. It's after 10 pm now and the temperature is still 87°. Tomorrow will be another day taking care of things inside the house where it's cooler. The tomato plants seem to be enjoying this heat. They're really getting bigger. I was planning to water them when I got home tonight, but Jim had just finished watering them himself. What a guy! Tomorrow morning first thing I want to take a look around and water other plants that may be stressed. Prior to this heat wave, we had quite a bit of rain, so at least they had a good soaking to start with, but they still need a nice long drink.

PHOTO: Lilies of the Valley

Thank Goodness for Air Conditioning

I've been working upstairs in my craft room, and even though I've had the ceiling fan going, it's really hot. That's enough for tonight. Our house is air conditioned, but it's still warmer upstairs. Neither Jim nor I spent any time to speak of outside today. It was in the mid-90's, and the humidity, although lower than yesterday, was still pretty high. A good day to stay inside.

While working upstairs, I was listening to another audio book by Amy Tan. This one, called "The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings" is not a novel. It's a collection of stories and essays about her real life and family. She reads it herself. I've always enjoyed her books, and this one is equally interesting to me. Her real mother was as neurotic and demanding as her fictional Chinese mothers, and apparently gave her plenty of material for her writings. Other events in her life are equally full of drama, emotion, and weird happenings, and I can see how she was inspired to become a writer.

I'm considering sleeping downstairs on the couch tonight where it's cooler. The only problem with that is that the cats would be all over me and I wouldn't get any sleep. They don't sleep in our bedroom, so they would be thrilled to have me camp out with them. On second thought, I think I'll forget that idea.

PHOTO: A vignette from the Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme was new Orleans.

A Scorcher

Oy! This was a hot one! It was just oppressive with the heat and humidity, and I expect it to start storming any time now. We've already had thunder and lightening. We've been home for about a half hour after meeting Cathy and Greg, Sharon and Nolan at Beck's, a favorite restaurant in Sykesville to help S & N celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. At the time of their 25th, they had lots going on in the family, got mixed up, and somehow thought that their actual 25th was their 24th, so they missed that celebration altogether. This time they wanted to make sure it didn't go by without partying, and it certainly didn't. We all had a great time together, as we always do. The food at Beck's is great. While we were eating, the Belmont horse race happened, and it was a sad day in Mudville for Big Brown, the hoped for Triple Crown winner, who actually ended up coming in last place. I'm sure we'll hear more tomorrow as to what happened.

Earlier, all of us women folk were yard sailing, and then had lunch at a new Mexican restaurant. Of course, we all found treasures, which made getting in and out of the car bearable, even with the heat. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the people who had planned their yard sales for today.

PHOTO: Here's the clock I made for Jim, sitting on the Clavinova (digital piano.) Jim made a block to slip the clock into. The golf ball and tee are 3-dimensional, since he used an actual Nike golf ball and cut a slice from it. Same for the golf tee. The golf tee says "Doral," a course in Florida. They were glued on. The "antique golf clubs" paper is from a book of scrapbooking papers, and the coordinating "sand trap" clock face paper (as well as the reverse side of the clock) is from the same book. The clock face is a CD that was covered with paper. The clock works hold a battery, and it keeps accurate time. Cool, huh?

Summer's Arrived

Following a very warm afternoon, the temperature was pretty mild after dinner. We decided to spend some time together outside. Jim sat down on the glider, and I plopped down on the new lounger. Splat! It was soaking wet, and so was I. I didn't realize it was still wet from all the rain we'd had, but it sure was. Since I was already wet, I sat there until Jim decided to cut the grass with the push mower that I couldn't get to today with the riding mower. It's not much, but there are some areas that the riding mower just can't get close enough to, and Jim can quickly take care of these. Did a little weed pulling, but I was so uncomfortable I ended up coming in and changing into jammies. Well, at least I'm dry now.

Today was another crafting afternoon at Cathy's. I completed a handsome clock for Jim that turned out really well. Now it's his turn. He's going to cut a golf ball in half, or at least cut a flat side off, as well as a golf tee, and these will be glued onto the face of the clock. When it's finished, I'll put a photo of it on my blog. It's really unique.

Tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to be in the nineties, with the heat index at 110°. Yikes! We're supposed to go yard sailing, so we may end up pretty wilted. I feel sorry for the people who have to be outside. The kitties will have to stay in, and they aren't going to understand. They'll be pouting and meowing up a storm.

PHOTO: I think this is a Rhododendron, but I'm not sure. The center resembles an orchid. It looks like it should be in Hawaii, but it's growing in Joe and Lila's ornamental garden.

Catching Up

I got an email today from a friend I met during chemotherapy, checking in to see how I'm doing. We had the same surgeon, Dr. Schultz, same chemotherapy doctor, Dr. Silva, and same radiation doctor, Dr. Salinger. She and I were having much the same treatment for breast cancer, and although initially she only had a lumpectomy, when the pathology report came back after her surgery, Dr. Schultz found hers was more extensive than he originally thought. She ended up with a mastectomy as well, about a month later. She's doing well and feeling good, and I'm so glad. I was really pleased to hear from her, as I think about her now and again, wondering how she's making out. We haven't communicated since the first part of April.

Janet's hair is coming in curly now, as is mine. Well, mine isn't really curly, it's more wavy. Hers is brown, and mine's gray. Prior to the chemo, both of us had fine, straight hair. I've heard the curl doesn't last, but it would be nice if it did. One woman I know said hers stayed curly for about a year, then went back to it's previous straight behavior.

We live in the same general area, and both of us ended up getting our radiation at the local cancer clinic, where we would run into each other at our treatments. It's a strange sorority we breast cancer females belong to. I'm just amazed at how many of us there are.

PHOTO: Morning shadows.

If the Cats Need Frontline, It Must Be Grape

Well this was a soggy day. A real storm came through this afternoon, wind, thunder and lightening, taking out power lines, but not ours. We didn't realize until it was all over, but Pong was outside during the storm. When Jim saw him on the step, he was wet, but not soaked through to the skin. He must have huddled under the house overhang. Poor kitty! Jim dried him off with some paper towels. He was hungry, and when he came in, that was his main concern, getting something to eat. Then he disappeared for the rest of the day, taking a well-deserved nap.

Penelope was out in back of our house again today, munching on tree leaves when we saw her. She seems so tame, relatively speaking. I waved at her from the house, and she seemed to see me. She was by herself again.

I checked out the summer adult education classes at the Community College tonight. There is a 10-week course that continues my Drawing and Painting class, and I think I'd like to take it. Another class I'd like to enroll in is called Drawing from Nature. That one is 4 sessions long, and Cathy told me yesterday that she'll be taking it. Sounds great to me! Both of the classes are just $25 apiece, so it's not a large investment, and I've certainly gotten my money's worth from the one's I've taken so far.

My computer uses iCal as the calendar program. I've been using it for years, but I actually took the time a few days ago to check out the multitude of features it offers. I was pleasantly surprised to learn lots of things about it I didn't know were offered, as well as tips and shortcuts. Now I've set it up for multiple overlapping calendars, (all events displayed together) but all differently color coded with these luscious crayon names, so that I can keep track of household reminders (grape), appointments (salmon), my activities (turquoise), Jim's activities (fern), birthdays (strawberry), and holidays (blueberry.) I even have one setting for our daily dinner menu, (mocha) so I will be able to keep track of our eating patterns -are we eating enough fish? - and what's left the freezer. It's very colorful and efficient looking. And, if I want to change my mind on any of the calendar colors, it's just a click away.

I'm feeling awfully smug.

PHOTO: Another kitty nap, all wrapped up in a throw.

Tuesday Night Out

Crafting tonight at Carolyn's house. There were about 12 or 13 of us, and it was a nice group. The craft we worked on was either painting on glass or etching glass. We each brought a glass container to work on, and it was a great experience. I chose painting my container. It started out looking a little shabby, but the final outcome was pretty nice. I painted a strawberry design on my jar. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards, Sharon drove me home, and we sat together talking and having some snacks, when Jim arrived home and joined in. Then all 3 of us sat and chatted for a while.

Jim was out this evening as well. He went to a wood turning meeting in Frederick, the first time he's ever gone. It wasn't as organized as he might have liked, since the regular people in charge weren't there tonight. He's looking for a group that has "show and tell" - but also demonstrations and lessons for the members. There are still a couple more he wants to attend.

Jim and I worked outside today. Jim loaded up the truck with brush, and we went to the recycling center, where we picked up another load of mulch. This was the 5th truckload so far. We spread some around one of the large trees out front so that I can enlarge the flower bed, and around another planting area in front. It looks real nice, and now that we've had some rain tonight, it should tamp down. We still have some left, and we'll put the rest down tomorrow, but we still need even more.

PHOTO: Penelope, who came back today to graze in our yard. She hung around for a couple of hours, munching. She's quite tame, and didn't run off even when Jim and I were out on the patio. She looked at us and stayed there for several minutes, then meandered off. She's 2 years old now. A very sweet deer.

Ready for Your Close-up?

What a glorious day it was today. Sunny, warm, and the humidity wasn't bad. I worked outside for some time, pulling weeds, putting down mulch, and transplanting some Hostas. We had one growing right next to the house, completely hidden by overgrown shrubs. I don't know why it was put there in the first place. It was huge - about 3 feet across. I decided to divide it into two plants. After struggling for a while with it, I separated it, and now the two are transplanted. They look pretty good, I think. At least now they can be seen.

Over the weekend Jim surprised me with an outdoor chair for the area next to the patio under our red maple tree. I had shown him how nice and cool it is in that area. It's shady and I mentioned how nice it would be to have a chair or a hammock there. So he picked one up on Friday. Well, there isn't any way to hang a hammock, but the lounge chair works beautifully. This afternoon I brought out a magazine, a pear, my water and just enjoyed the birds, the sound of the waterfall, and spent a lazy afternoon out there. After reading for a while, I was sleepy, laid the chair down, and fell asleep. It was heaven.

Speaking of pears, I find them the most annoying of all fruit. They're hard as rocks, then after waiting days for them to ripen, they're finally ready to eat, and you have about 47 minutes until they're overripe, getting mushy and spotty. I hate that.

My Watercolor Class was tonight. We finished our self-portraits. Boy, was that hard. We sat in front of a mirror and sketched and painted. Because we were all looking at ourselves in the mirror, each of us ended up with a portrait in which we were unsmiling and starring straight ahead. One woman's eyes ended up cross-eyed in the portrait, and when it was mentioned by the instructor, she didn't even notice that the eyes were cross-eyed. I think she was near-sighted and painted what she saw. She tried fixing it, but it didn't help much. I had the hardest time with my mouth. I must have sketched and erased it about 10 times, and it still didn't turn out right. Other aspects of the face looked better. I did get the flesh tones right, the shading, and the eyes were pretty good. The proportions were all correct. All in all, it wasn't too bad. I showed it to Jim, and he said it was good - definitely looked like a person. Just not really too much like me. For the first attempt at a portrait, I am fairly well satisfied. If I do it again, I'll smile though. This one is too somber looking. Like a mug shot!

PHOTO: Joe's roses.

Same Ole, Same Ole ...

Nothing much is new here today. I worked outside for a while transplanting and weeding, until a sudden storm blew in. I barely had time to get the tools inside before it really began to rain. Then it rained on and off several times over the course of the day, and gave a good soaking to the plants. I didn't get what I was doing finished - I meant to put down some mulch, but that will have to wait. The kitties also got caught twice in the rain, but they are getting smarter. They hide under the house overhang and stay dry that way until we let them inside.

Jim's new lathe is in place, assembled, and today was the first day he actually got into some wood turning. He's using the red oak wood from our tree, and it's proving to be pretty tough going. The wood is very dense, so it's a challenge. He's enjoying it, and that's the main thing. He's pleased and impressed with the lathe's smooth operation. He says it's a well-made piece of equipment - glides easily. That's really good, since he had nothing but grief with the other one that was sent back. He has a dust collector hooked up, and he's finding that it captures the fine particles, but the larger chips fly everywhere. As he makes more and more chips, he'll add them to our mulch, so it won't go to waste. He's been doing quite a bit of reading to become familiar with different woods and techniques, watching DVD's, and learning lathe turning via YouTube. There are quite a few lathe videos posted. It's good there are so many resources available, since he's basically teaching himself how to turn wood. Since David is learning at the same time, they both have someone to share ideas and lessons with.

Time to get back to my reading. I think all together I have 4 books ongoing, 2 on CD's and the others regular books. Those are the fictions books. I've also been reading some watercolor books and a couple of magazines. Nothing flighty about me, right? Well, see it depends on my mood at the time, what I decide to pick up, and how much time I have to spend.

PHOTO: Our St. Francis of Assisi statue, which Jim has dubbed "Frank," next to the waterfall. I like it very much. He's standing next to some Hostas, in a strawberry patch. Click to enlarge.