tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25768575472103659772024-03-12T23:43:34.449-05:00Deb's Cup of TeaRandom musings on anything, just the right length to go with a cup of tea.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2611125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-85461729972711243992020-10-15T11:48:00.000-05:002020-10-15T11:48:05.927-05:00I was Saturday years old<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq9WmnbGCeMAbUey-UKSTJm-5g1_zqiw2hasdCNYYy0U1flFAJ8_EAB_fJb1iEqc9aARsGaNh5qjfBWRyyS1bg8Vd54WHZ0WtMZ_DucK-rtCehZu39aw-elRAr3-Jh4Zr-eBKGhAAkF8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1042" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq9WmnbGCeMAbUey-UKSTJm-5g1_zqiw2hasdCNYYy0U1flFAJ8_EAB_fJb1iEqc9aARsGaNh5qjfBWRyyS1bg8Vd54WHZ0WtMZ_DucK-rtCehZu39aw-elRAr3-Jh4Zr-eBKGhAAkF8/" width="262" /></a></div><p>Finished reading a book, "Committed to Memory: 100 Best Poems to Memorize". Way too heavy on the 17th and 18th century male writers so I can't really recommend it. It's going in the give away box. </p><p>However, a poem at the beginning struck me. </p><p>Not like the brazen giant of Greek,<br />With conquering limbs astride from land to land;<br />Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand<br />A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame<br />Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name<br />Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand<br />Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command<br />The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.<br />"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she. <br />With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,<br />Your huddle masses yearning to breathe free,<br />The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.<br />Sen these, the homeless, tempest-post to me,<br />I life my lamp beside the golden door!"</p><p>Here I thought those words were at the beginning of a poem or perhaps the entirety of the poem. Emma Lazarus, <i>The New Colossus</i>. </p><p>Beverage: Dark Chocolate Cocoa</p><p>Deb</p> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-55200710366405000382020-10-12T17:54:00.003-05:002020-10-12T17:54:16.269-05:00The Official End of Summer<p> I brought in the geraniums today. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie46tsaSIiLVQXr418v_sMtohT9u9TyFj8OkV-ptlwYyDEGGPh8p3tFfvehxJCwgSRnJkW3EPgvzWg7XnZNZETYs941Xx9LfwSrmLYY4Qx_SJEkxipXyHUjSdnnRErarJUBsggp-MfXIU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1936" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie46tsaSIiLVQXr418v_sMtohT9u9TyFj8OkV-ptlwYyDEGGPh8p3tFfvehxJCwgSRnJkW3EPgvzWg7XnZNZETYs941Xx9LfwSrmLYY4Qx_SJEkxipXyHUjSdnnRErarJUBsggp-MfXIU/w395-h417/IMG_2516.jpeg" width="395" /></a></div><p></p><p>No, I don't remember what colors are here. The one at the back has buds so I'll know when it blooms. </p><p>I adore geraniums because they are incredibly sturdy plants. They come in such a wide variety of colors, too. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45Jy5zDt9HIdUUAa6wCCa_uSg1pvOX3taiPyFqxmoDXNKndIdtadrtpLi7l_KhX93Jhbir8ZO-Qx-uwOH1x6nTQLov8dpnFHZbaLPcT0fDNCFvethpXhvm9YFVglYfig0hHvuMRnKdHs/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1865" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45Jy5zDt9HIdUUAa6wCCa_uSg1pvOX3taiPyFqxmoDXNKndIdtadrtpLi7l_KhX93Jhbir8ZO-Qx-uwOH1x6nTQLov8dpnFHZbaLPcT0fDNCFvethpXhvm9YFVglYfig0hHvuMRnKdHs/w362-h397/IMG_2515.jpeg" width="362" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This pink one has been coming in and going out for at least five years; probably longer because I can't exactly remember when I got it. It's quite leggy and is in desperate need of a pruning. I'm going to let it get acclimated to being inside and then I will slowly trim the bracts in half. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Growing up, my dad's father had this red geranium which was six FEET across. It sat in the window seat in his living room, which was a south window. He covered the windows with white gauzy curtains so the light was diffused. That had to help the geranium deal with direct summer sun. It was too big to haul in and out. He just left it there and would water it twice a week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After he died, my aunts took cuttings and it was tossed out. I can't imagine a geranium would last a long time but we didn't have a place for something that big or I think mom would have claimed it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, summer is officially over. We have two more 70 degree days and then it tanks and I will have to wear layers. I was ready to bring the geraniums inside. The morning and most of the afternoon was rainy so they got a good soaking before coming inside. In this dumpster fire of a year, they are a nice reminder that there is beauty if you look. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beverage: water</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Deb</div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-20718803503048393082020-10-11T18:07:00.005-05:002020-10-11T18:07:43.485-05:00Things We Don't See in Chicagoland<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWzZOxIZoaE7CSjCYtQ0MHPOfBqlFCCgmk_BeNxDWFRflWJkrrnbKXxnJ0801WIE9wXrjSxQXFMPo4rABIyNN3tbY15hyphenhyphenIt7TSXmrRNgx1bqCmmdZlmgkvbZ7xEAy-7PondOScaIAgKo/s2048/IMG_2473.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWzZOxIZoaE7CSjCYtQ0MHPOfBqlFCCgmk_BeNxDWFRflWJkrrnbKXxnJ0801WIE9wXrjSxQXFMPo4rABIyNN3tbY15hyphenhyphenIt7TSXmrRNgx1bqCmmdZlmgkvbZ7xEAy-7PondOScaIAgKo/s320/IMG_2473.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Let's just say this is normal in Iowa this time of year if you're out and about outside of a major city. </p><p>Beverage: Dr Pepper</p><p>Deb</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-25811249316005584522020-10-11T17:51:00.000-05:002020-10-11T17:51:44.359-05:00Hmmmmmmmm<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF9EGzwD-CBe3m6unv-IBGQp_thoj_FmrBjiId2wKrGiO8zhrC-obyEur4mBmG4_wqx2EGIL2uiYwX1s2EUv1YgFhPqkQHCLYHWPHCIKoaKplR-xYUniGgamUf9sptUVR8REqfhmcte0/s2048/IMG_2485.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF9EGzwD-CBe3m6unv-IBGQp_thoj_FmrBjiId2wKrGiO8zhrC-obyEur4mBmG4_wqx2EGIL2uiYwX1s2EUv1YgFhPqkQHCLYHWPHCIKoaKplR-xYUniGgamUf9sptUVR8REqfhmcte0/s320/IMG_2485.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A long, long time ago</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can still remember </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How I used to come here to post in style.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I knew when I had my chance</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That sometimes my wording would enhance</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your day and give you a smile. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But life got in the way and it was only because a Twitter friend, Goblin Katie, mentioned how she wanted to be told ghost stories that I came here to get the link to my grand <a href="http://www.debscupoftea.com/2016/09/a-place-of-repose-and-ghost.html" target="_blank">ghost story</a> of July 2016. "Oh yeah," I recalled. "I used to write here, a lot." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Much has happened in the three years since I last posted. I always meant, throughout 2017, to get this caught up, but busyness doesn't always translate into productivity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I still own this domain so no one else can take this and run with it. I'm still writing. There are a number of irons in the proverbial fire, at the moment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This morning, I was in Iowa, helping my mother fix a log-in issue with her computer. I was out there for less than 20 hours. It seems somewhat dumb to drive that far to fix her computer, but there was more at stake than the computer. I hadn't seen her since June of 2018. Again, there's that life getting in the way of things. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was the perfect time to travel. The days were warm and sunny. This morning, the smell on the breeze. You know how some candle companies have what they call "Fall" or "Harvest"? Nope. There is a smell I cannot adequately describe on the breezes in October in Iowa. There is the aroma of ripe corn and soybeans waiting to be harvested. There is the smell of earth. And there is an indescribable smell of clean. You can't get this in a candle. I stood there, as I loaded the car, just breathing in the air. I could stand there for hours just smelling that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm back home, preparing for the week ahead. It will be busy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Perhaps I shouldn't be such a stranger to my own blog. Perhaps I should take my own advice and write. Perhaps you shall see me more often. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have stories to tell. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beverage: Dr Pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Deb</div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-8323207314024719912017-08-19T15:16:00.000-05:002017-08-19T15:16:34.501-05:00It's Not a GameCharlottesville.<br />
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I've been there. It was back in 2001. Carole and I traveled to various Civil War battlefields the month she graduated from high school. We made a grand sweeping tour; visiting Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, Chancellorsville, Antietam, and Richmond. (It's quite ironic to us that she now lives in the area where we probably drove through so long ago.) On the way back to Illinois, we stayed the night in Charlottesville because we wanted to see Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.<br />
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I don't remember the statue in question. I remember how the town was stuffed around the hills and valleys. There's the University of Virginia and a large hospital complex and the myriad of one-way streets had us locked in a bit of a circle until we figured out we could go straight through one intersection and get back to the main road and supper and our hotel. Our visit was about Jefferson. Statuary was not involved.<br />
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I passed through Chancellorsville three years ago, while driving from Warrenton, where Carole and Larry had just married, to Roanoke, where a friend lived. I remember the intersection between whatever road I was following and the Interstate, but that's about all I remember. But I can say I've been there. It looks nice from the road.<br />
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Like you, I followed and have followed, events unfolding during and after the protest. A tsunami of words have flowed in analysis; some of it thoughtful; some head-scratchingly tone deaf. If you have not seen the <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/08/17/the_viral_vice_documentary_was_the_perfect_rebuke_to_trump_s_charlottesville.html">Vice News segment</a> on the march, you need to watch it. It's tough to sit through. There were several times I felt like turning it off. I don't want to watch this. The attitudes expressed here are beyond horrible. Indeed, I have no word to categorize how bad this is. But part of citizenry is to know, even if I don't understand. I admire the reporter and camera person's guts; to be where they were not welcome. Watch the 6 minute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnY4jhgypTU">interview</a> between reporter Elle Reeve and Anderson Cooper of CNN. She adds information on what she experienced directly.<br />
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All of this is sickening. I heard a couple of people wonder how we got to this point in our history. I would argue, as have many others, we've never left this point. Since the founding of this country, we have always had a group of people for whom blacks are a subspecies. We are very good at covering this up.<br />
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One thing that struck me in the aftermath was somewhat a unified comment these white men have made when exposed as being at the march. "I'm not a racist." Some people in the video openly declare they are even if they don't use the word. But many, when confronted as being at the march say, "I'm not a racist. Ask anyone who knows me. I'm not racist." They never seem to get that association with white separatists is endorsing racism. The biggest facepalm moment was the guy who said, "I've got black friends. I'm not racist."<br />
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That one comment, out of the reams and reams of comments I've read, made me the angriest. Having a friend in a marginalized group does not give you a "Get Out of Racism Free" card. It simply means you have someone in your life who maybe overlooks your racism because you both play Settlers of Cataan, or like to discuss the chances of the New York Jets not being in the bottom of the league. Having a black friend does not mean you're not racist.<br />
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Replace the letters across the top of a Bingo card with the letters LGBTQ. I have lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer friends. BINGO! What do I win? I honestly don't see them as their labels. I see them as the people they are and I knew and liked them before they came out. The label is, for me, the same as saying they are Scottish or German or Indian. It's just another part of who they are. You don't get to "win" or have your racist, homophobic, or derogatory views unchallenged just because you happen to know someone in the very group you denounce.<br />
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There is no "white culture". This purity supremacists want to preserve is an amalgam of cultures from thousands of years of migration. We humans have been mixing up our genes since we were in Africa. I laugh way too hard at the stories now circulating that have white supremacists doing DNA testing only to find out they aren't what they think they are.<br />
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I have been reading, reading, reading. My historical assumptions have been challenged. I was taught the "myth" of State's Rights. I read, but now can't find it, of course, an article critical of Ken Burns' <i>The Civil War </i>mini-series; saying he presented a "white washed" (words intended) view of the conflict. He has yet to answer this critique. I've had one friend; Southern boy to the core; renounce the flag he defended earlier this year when New Orleans took down their statues. It was his culture and we were erasing it. He has come to realize it was about slavery, not culture.<br />
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I don't have black friends. I used to, but in the grand journey that is life, we drifted apart. I wouldn't say it was because I was racist in an earlier time. I wasn't raised that way and I don't think any of my life actions could be called racist. People wander into and out of your life just as a matter of course and that's what happened to us. I don't know any Latino people. I have Asian friends. Again, none of this is to "win" a column on a game board. I would hope, as I continue to wander this life, people would be my friend because we share interests, not because they need to tick off "Scottish female" on some internal scorecard.<br />
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This is not a game. If ever you find yourself saying, "I'm not racist" or "I'm not homophobic" or "I'm not anti-Semitic" or "I'm not [insert group]", you are. Plain and simple. If you have to qualify your actions or speech with any of this, you are what you say you aren't. Look at why you believe what you do. How are your words or actions marginalizing someone? Toss out the scorecard and like people for who they are.<br />
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Beverage: Coca-Cola<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-91587592290554235652017-08-13T22:13:00.000-05:002017-08-13T22:13:56.903-05:00One YearJuly came and went, all to quickly, it feels like. A year ago, mid-July, I was at my daughter's for a visit and the annual Spectacular Death meet-up. If you remember, I returned home with memories and a new fur baby.<br />
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How could it be a year now, that Hamlet's lived with us? I almost don't remember what it was like to have only 2 cats. He plays chase with Pilchard and, occasionally, Mija. He's a fount of energy. He's adapted to life with us or maybe we've adapted to him; who really knows.<br />
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The big change is Hamlet himself.<br />
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He takes up a lot more real estate than in July 2016.<br />
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I also note that, because he's more of a lover than the other two ever were, they are starting to demand lap time to curl up and sleep. Pilchard used to sit, for at least 2 hours or until the feeling started leaving my knees and I'd have to move her. Then, with Hamlet demanding attention, she quit sitting in my lap. She's back to that now, although not as long as before he came here. Mija just recently started wanting my lap when I'm sitting down with my feet up.<br />
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And there's the lying on mom when she's trying to sleep. I get that he was probably dumped too soon and I'm mom cat, but 1:30 in morning is not a good time to climb up my chest and lie down. Because he does it, Mija's been doing it. I don't want to have to shut them out of the bedroom, but I need a full night's sleep.<br />
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I'm trying an experiment this month with Feliway. Around the 10th of every month, I've been replacing the bottle because it's run out and I notice more antagonism between the cats. This month, things seems to be quieter so I have not replaced the empty bottle with fresh. So far, knock on wood, we are doing okay. I'd rather they just learned to live together and not have to rely on pheromones to do so. Maybe we've reached that point. We'll see.<br />
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Love my boy. I still call him "kitten britches", although he's hardly a kitten anymore. I was worried about adding another cat into the household, but rescue makes you do strange things, like rub the belly of a lap sleeping cat because, at 15 pounds, he's slowly cutting off the circulation to my feet.<br />
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Beverage: Water<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-29304426921473163102017-08-13T21:42:00.000-05:002017-08-13T21:42:46.087-05:00Guilty PleasurePeanut butter cookie dough ice cream.<br />
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Be still my heart.<br />
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Where can you get this? Well, you have to go to an <a href="https://www.oberweis.com/">Oberweis</a> Dairy store. It's not available from home delivery. I went to Oberweis to get a gift card for some friends who were going through a spate of bad luck. You can get it in quarts. They have to hand pack it in the store. It's not in the ice cream cooler. They also offer chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but one taste of this and it's just...oh my. They quit making my all-time favorite, banana chocolate fudge walnut, so I've been forced; forced, I tell you; to figure out what my new all-time favorite is. That's incredibly hard because there are so many good flavors. If I could get this home delivered, this would be it, hands down.<br />
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I know peanut butter is an acquired taste. I've met a number of people who don't like peanut butter. To each his own. It just means there's more for me.<br />
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Two spoons way up for this flavor.<br />
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Beverage: Coca-Cola<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-50063300150037569642017-08-13T21:31:00.001-05:002017-08-13T21:31:15.216-05:00Building a Better BagBack at the end of May, I got a new bag for the Disney World trip upcoming in October. (Is it time to panic, yet? How about now?) I settled on a very steampunk-ish looking bag I found on Etsy.<br />
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I felt everything I would want to carry on a trip to a park would fit inside the bag. I loved the look and how a Dungeons and Dragons pin a friend sent me fit wonderfully on the cross-body strap.<br />
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I took the bag to the June Highland Festival I attended and, quickly, it became obvious this was NOT a bag which would be useful for Disney. I lost 2 of the 3 bottles on the front. I thought they were in their straps tightly. They weren't. I couldn't get a bottle of water in the bag, along with the phone charger. There are other things which need to be in the bag while I roam. I was rather disappointed.<br />
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So, I started looking around for another bag, a bigger bag. I'm inclined to think Disney has a listening device in my house because, at the end of June, they had a sale and, viola, there was a bigger bag.<br />
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Well, of course I'd buy one with the Cheshire cat on it.<br />
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How could I resist this? It's "leather", although I think it's the imitation kind. It's deep with interior pockets.<br />
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The pocket on the right doesn't close while the pocket on the left zips shut. Anything I might want to carry should easily fit in this bag. The only issue is that the straps are not cross-body. They are short enough to make the bag sit right under the armpit, but long enough that I could access the bag reasonably quickly. But, I really wanted cross-body functionality. My RA can make my shoulder muscles tense and even paring down what I need/want to carry, was going to mean the bag would weigh on my shoulders by the end of the day. The ability to keep my hands and arms free would make the vacation better. What to do?<br />
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A trip to JoAnn Fabrics provided a solution. The inside is lined with a heavy silk material. I bought a length of pink canvas trim. It's an inch wide. I got a little more than I needed because, at the time, I didn't have the bag to measure. Once I figured out the proper length for the bag to hang where I wanted it to, I pinned the edges to the liner and cut the trim.<br />
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Then, I hand stitched the trim to the liner.<br />
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The trim is attached at the liner side seams. I could feel the fabric of the seams and tried to stitch the trim into that seam for added support. It was the perfect day to sit on the deck and stitch. When finished this is the result.<br />
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I'll be able to sling this across my body, keeping my hands and arms free, but having access to the bag. The handles are kind of stiff and I'm going to have an issue with them popping out of the bag at first. But I think, with use, and being anchored by things inside the purse, they will stay down when I want to use this cross-body. Plus, the trim goes neatly into the bag if I don't want to mess with it.<br />
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I moved the D&D pin to this strap and added a couple more.<br />
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I'll be able to add more pins to the strap, although I'm not a pin collector as such. My friend, Liz, sent me a link to all the exclusive souvenirs offered during the Food and Wine Festival and the Halloween party. There are pins. I will need to get pins for the strap.<br />
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After Disney, I can see this being a shopping tote for me. I'm going to keep the steampunk bag and try to find replacement bottles for the front. In some situations, the steampunk bag will be nice. It just doesn't work as I thought it would, for the Disney vacation.<br />
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Beverage: Coca-Cola<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-88019277927260198042017-08-13T20:50:00.000-05:002017-08-13T20:50:21.637-05:00Let's See Those LettersThe third month's package of stickers from Pipsticks arrived.<br />
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I find myself looking in the mailbox around the 15th of every month, wondering if my package has come.<br />
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July's theme was, of course, summer.<br />
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And the obligatory postcard meant I had to think of who would get it.<br />
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I enjoy this so much. I think the sparkly stickers, of which the pineapples at the lower left represent, are my current favorites. There are monthly "boxes" for every type of interest. This truly is a gift I enjoy.<br />
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Beverage: Hot spiced cider<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-85636331979141589262017-08-02T15:13:00.000-05:002017-08-02T15:13:32.072-05:00First PickThe peppers have yielded their first fruit.<br />
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No, this isn't the long, bell-shaped pepper you're used to seeing.<br />
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The pepper had nice, thick walls, but was spicier than I expected. Orange peppers are usually sweeter than all the others. Still, it was a nice addition to my lunch when sliced.<br />
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I noticed I have three others which need harvesting. I didn't think the plants were producing well, but I just needed to be patient. August has arrived and the usual heat of the middle of summer makes it perfect pepper time. We have had adequate rainfall, too.<br />
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I eat them raw. I'm very much a slice and eat person. Most of the time, I don't dip them in anything, just eat them as is. If these continue to be spicier than I expect, I think the addition of a dip would be good. We'll see.<br />
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Beverage: English Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-8791751400081358902017-08-02T15:04:00.000-05:002017-08-02T15:04:27.166-05:00OpportunisticThe lawn gets mowed every other week. I probably could have mowed it last week, but I did other things.<br />
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I still don't know where I'm going to, ultimately, put the recycling, garbage, and yard waste cans. To mow the lawn, I moved the garbage can up by the AC unit, to get it out of the way.<br />
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Forty-five minutes later, when I finish mowing the lawn, I see this.<br />
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I mean, 45 minutes is all it took for this spider to spin a web between the deck and the garbage can. I am impressed. I was going to move the can away from the AC but decided to just leave it after seeing this. The web was gone in 3 days and I've since moved the can, but the ingenuousness of spiders is quite astonishing.<br />
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Beverage: English Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-11808178210626002782017-08-02T14:57:00.000-05:002017-08-02T14:57:04.860-05:00Costuming I don't get invited to parties. That's not an "Oh woe is me" statement. I'm always uncomfortable at a party, anyway, unless I know people willing to let me hang around with them. I don't do the wander up and commence speaking very well. I can hold my own in a conversation, but initiating it is not something I'm remotely comfortable doing. Plus, as I've aged, the idea of a party where the entertainment is standing around talking while eating and drinking, is not appealing. I far prefer parties where we play games. And, I don't have friends in the area who do parties where I feel comfortable.<br />
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So, I read of others' Halloween parties and am happy for them it was well attended and happy for me that I stayed home. But, I'm going to Disney World in October and part of the trip is to attend <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/">Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party</a>. I'm looking forward to it.<br />
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One of the things you can do is come in costume. That's something of a conundrum for me. I did a <a href="http://www.debscupoftea.com/2013/10/halloween-2013.html">minion costume</a> years ago because I had a rheumatology appointment on Halloween, but I haven't dressed up since. I still have all the pieces to do that costume. Then, my friend, Meredith sent me to JoAnn Fabrics by showing me pajamas in minion designs at Wal*Mart. <a href="http://www.debscupoftea.com/2017/07/sewing.html">Remember</a>, I came home with two fabrics and a pattern for a shirt. I could wear the minion hat and one of the two shirts I intend to make, maybe get some white gloves. I could keep a crib sheet with me which has "minion speak" on it and reply to comments with minion-ese. All it would cost is the money and time to make the shirts.<br />
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In order to get to the shirts, I needed to finish the jacket I cut out last year but never sewed. I'm notorious for grand ideas which never get finished, but I've simply told myself no minion shirt until the jacket is done. I've actually made steady progress on the jacket. I have help.<br />
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Every outfit must have cat hair on it.<br />
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It goes together fairly quickly, with long seams joining front to back.<br />
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The hard part is the trim. It's a wide band which can be in the same color, but is shown with a different color. I decided on black satin. I'm very pleased with the result.<br />
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The trim has to be lined. I am used to fusible interfacing; which is easy to apply. But I worried satin wouldn't take very well to the heat and steam needed to properly fuse the interfacing to the stain. I worried that I'd wind up with very distinct iron imprints in the satin. A friend who actually makes costumes said that wouldn't be the main problem. Satin would pucker as the interfacing cooled. So, it was sew-in interfacing.<br />
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This brought up another issue. Did I have any? I pulled out the box marked "Interfacing and sewing assists". There was a bit on top in the box, but not nearly enough to put interfacing in all the trim you see. Then, I spied a bag on the floor of the closet. Inside was more interfacing than I needed for a dozen jackets, including sew-in. I'd purchased interfacing to go with the minion shirts, but that's going at the bottom of the pile. I need to use up some of the other pieces I have. Oh the problem of accumulation in the life of a sewer. Do I or don't have have enough interfacing or the right color of thread. Better buy some just in case. I have to stop "just in casing".<br />
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I encountered an issue at the neck. I don't know if I didn't cut the right pattern piece or what, but the trim band at the neck was not large enough to go around the neck without making pleats in the jacket neckline. I dug out the pattern and I seem to have cut out the right piece. I tried pinning several different ways, but none of them worked. I decided I needed to cut a rectangle piece to pin across the back of the neck. Digging out the leftover satin, I discovered someone had peed on it. I have no idea when, but the odor was unmistakable. I cut two squares, tossed the rest in the wash, and hand washed the pieces I needed. I sliced the neck piece in half, sewed this extension into the trim and finished pinning the trim to the jacket. The other piece went into the facing of the trim since you use the same pieces for the facing. It fit fine with an additional 3 inches of fabric. With this being black satin, you won't suspect this piece wasn't supposed to be there to begin with.<br />
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The next step was to prepare the facing. I did the same thing with the facing as I did with the trim; added the additional 3 inches. I'm sitting in the recliner, Mija purring next to me, and I'm having problems getting the facing to match around the bottom of the jacket. Something is off. I unpin the facing and lay it flat on the table.<br />
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When I was pinning the facing pieces together, I twisted one side of the bottom facing when sewing the pieces together. I was quite frustrated and had to set the project aside. How could I have missed this? Taking a seam apart is a problem, but doing it on satin was double trouble. It's easy to make the satin look awful when you have to remove seams. I couldn't cut another piece because the fabric was in the middle of the laundry chute and I really don't know if I can adequately remove the smell. I'm hopeful because there's enough satin to do something else with if I can salvage it. What to do. What to do.<br />
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I finally decided to use fusible interfacing to save the piece. This is the facing. It won't be primarily visible. This is also along the bottom inside of the jacket. I'm not going for a prize here. I'm going for having it done. So, I cut the facing apart, took a hunk of fusible interfacing and "fused" the two pieces together, after making sure I had them untwisted. The fused pieces didn't pucker as much as I was expecting, thankfully, so they pinned nicely onto the trim.<br />
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Once the facing and the trim were sewn together, you need to understitch the facing to make sure it doesn't roll forward. I remember, from my high school sewing days, that understitching was recommended for all facings but you rarely see it in the instructions. This jacket has that step. I clipped the curves and decided the best thing to do would be to pin the facing to the seam to make understitching easier.<br />
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In doing this, I encountered another problem, my RA. July was a tough month for me. There were bouts of achy joints. I haven't had it cause problems with my cross-stitch or sewing until now. I would hold the facing to the left, smooth it, and with the right hand, pin it in the direction I was going to sew. The holding and smoothing put more stress on my left wrist than I was expecting. After pinning half of the facing, I couldn't do anymore. The pain was too great. I wound up pinning the rest of the facing over two days and understitching last night.<br />
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This is where the jacket is today.<br />
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I need to press the facing to the inside. I'm going to add gold braid at the junction of the trim and the jacket, because, why not. That will pick up the gold in the bow ties of the cats. I should be able to stitch down the facing at the same time I attach the braid. The hem on the sleeves is just a simple 5/8 inch hem, but I'm thinking of looking through my trim box to see if I have any black seam binding. I think that would look great. I need to sew a "Made by" label on the neck facing, too.<br />
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There's hard pinning upcoming with attaching the braid so I have to be mindful of how my wrists and fingers feel. I really wanted gold piping but that's not made anymore, at least JoAnn Fabrics didn't have gold piping. I didn't want to spend $20 in gas searching for something which didn't exist. I probably could have found it on the Internet, and given how long it's taken me to get this far, I wouldn't have been waiting on something to complete the jacket, but what I got is distinctive.<br />
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So now my costume for Mickey's party has changed. I was going to bring this jacket to Disney anyway. I could put a pink shirt under it and wear it with black jeans, which I was planning on packing anyway. Then, I could get black cat ears on a headband. The Halloween costume stores which spring up around the holiday should be opening soon and I'm positive I can get black cat ears.<br />
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I don't know what to do. Minion or black cat. Minion or black cat. I guess I see how quickly the minion shirt goes together and how it looks.<br />
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Almost done.<br />
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Beverage: English Breakfast tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-28190545719807133372017-08-01T15:29:00.001-05:002017-08-01T15:29:17.943-05:00It's Not IKEAI think it was four years ago now, Carole and Larry gave me a cat tree they had which wasn't useful. The girls were, at first, intimidated by it, but Pilchard, in particular, grew fond of it. Then, one day, I was in my office and I heard a horrible crash in the living room. Racing there, I expected to find someone injured. Instead, I found two cowering cats and the top of the tower on the floor. Pilchard had tried to climb up onto that rung and the connection between it and the rung below, snapped.<br />
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It couldn't take the force of her jumping up onto the platform.<br />
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I couldn't see a way to fix it so I kept the top, as it had a dangle ball which was enticing, affixed to it.<br />
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This has served us well for some time.<br />
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Ironically, it's just the right height for me to lean on while sitting in my chair. It was close to the height of the table so a cat could walk across the table (in front of me, naturally), and take up a spot on the top of the tree; perfect height for ear scratches.<br />
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But, this year, it started getting wobbly. It looks sturdy, but when Pilchard would jump to the top shelf, the thing would wobble. Increasingly, I was worried she'd topple it and get injured. Flipping the thing over, I discovered this.<br />
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No wonder it was wobbly. I checked all my parts and bits and collected things and I had nothing to make this secure. I had been giving some thought to a new cat tree anyway. After a trip to the hardware store and coming home with a nut bolt combination which didn't work, I decided a new tree was in order. For the record, I was out 57 cents for the nut and bolt I bought. I've added them to the collection I maintain in the basement. You never know.<br />
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I ordered from Jet.com because I had a coupon. They bill themselves as an Amazon wanna-be. They don't have the huge inventory Amazon does, but their prices are reasonably competitive. I looked at my local pet store, as bringing it home same day is very appealing. But they didn't have the size I wanted for the price I could pay. Even with shipping, online was cheaper. So, I got one online.<br />
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It was a rather big box, since this is 28 inches tall, and there was assembly required.<br />
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Unlike the birdbath I assembled in May, all the companion pieces were in a bag I could clearly see.<br />
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Oh joy. Yet another hex key.<br />
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I should collect all of these just to see how many I have. They must be ridiculously easy to manufacture, since everything I've purchased which needs assembly, has one and doesn't assume you have the right size.<br />
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I sorted everything out and pulled out the instructions.<br />
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There's no "Step 1: Affix column A to slot A using the bolts marked 1." I had to figure out which column was A, B, C, and which platforms were D, E and F. The short column connectors were reasonably easy to discern from the bolts. Bolts were all the same size, thankfully. I dived in.<br />
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It assembled fairly easily.<br />
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The problem was, without a corresponding mark on the bottom platform, I got posts in the wrong place, which I didn't find out until I was ready to assemble the middle platform.<br />
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I had to disassemble what I'd completed and put the posts in the right places, which weren't completely clear. The hex screws did make taking the thing apart easier, I have to grant that. I have much more leverage to make sure they are screwed in tightly, so important to prevent posts from loosening with repeated jumping on by cats.<br />
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I liked this tree because of the sisal insert. An added benefit is the soft carpet on the levels. The posts are all covered with sisal.<br />
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This lone upright post holds a bed which is, realistically, too small for anyone to be comfortable for any length of time. Pilchard has started to use it when she sits next to me if I'm on the computer. The top level is the same height as the old tree, so it sits next to my chair and I rest my elbow on it when I'm gaming. It's the same height as the table so, when I'm paying bills, I use it for sorting.<br />
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I removed the ball from the old tree and stapled it to the top edge of this one. No one seems to care. I took the other tree out to the street, thinking someone might be willing to cannibalize it for parts for their cats. If no one took it, I'd just toss it in my garbage. I saw several people slow down to look at it, but they all moved on and I wound up tossing it.<br />
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Mija and Hamlet don't lie on this at all. Pilchard, on the other hand, is thrilled.<br />
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It had been up 24 hours and I came into the living room to see her climbing all over the thing and attacking the posts. She climbs the levels to sit beside me for scratches. I'm a touch disappointed the other two aren't interested, but Pilchard's use makes this a good buy. The stability is wonderful and, for me, the ease of assembly was a great plus. I feel we'll get quite a few years worth of use out of this.<br />
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Beverage: Dr Pepper<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-73876137792809240452017-07-18T12:11:00.000-05:002017-07-18T12:11:08.590-05:00Deck WatcherA couple years ago, I gave one of these to my sister for Christmas.<br />
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I've wanted one for myself ever since.<br />
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Back in May, I stumbled across a sale on collegiate merchandise at a fan site I've frequented in the past. This guy, usually $24.99, was on sale for $10. I also got another Hawkeye tee shirt because I realized all the shirts I have are from bowl games. I didn't have a shirt which just said "Hawkeyes". As shipping was a flat rate, I got a shirt.<br />
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He's happily amongst the flower pots on the deck.<br />
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Come winter, I'll bring him in and find a place in the living room. Makes me happy to come out here and sit.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-76083658011812914512017-07-18T10:02:00.000-05:002017-07-18T10:02:22.627-05:00Stampity Stamp StampIf you don't write many letters or send out any bills, preferring to pay them online, you may not be aware of a new stamp issued last month. It honors the upcoming total eclipse, which will extend from Oregon to South Carolina next month.<br />
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These stamps are way cool because they are heat sensitive. When you touch them, the black of the sun turns into the full of the moon.<br />
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The technology is the same as those changeable mugs you often see where the addition of hot water makes the image change. I was so excited, I had my niece, who works for the post office in Wisconsin, get me three sheets.<br />
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The stamps are available with a protective sleeve. It costs a quarter.<br />
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And the sheet back shows the route of the eclipse.<br />
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I don't know how well they are selling but if you want a memento of this stellar (see what I did there?) event, this is a good thing to have. I will be using at least one sheet of the stamps for letters.<br />
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I've been told there's not much of a market anymore for stamps. Even when I was actively collecting, I only purchased those stamps I liked. Over the years, the stamp binder became a nuisance and I wound up using 95% of the stamps I'd collected. They just didn't mean anything to me. Now, I don't collect to save so much as I buy to use. This sheet I will save simply because this is truly a once in a lifetime event. I have photos from the last eclipse to affect the US so I'll need to get those out and compare the lighting.<br />
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The post office also issued round stamps. These are neat.<br />
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I got a sheet of these simply because they are different. All these stamps bring up a question. The post office has been issuing stamps commemorating the Chinese New Year for a very long time. This year is the Year of the Rooster. Chickens! I love the look of the chicken stamps.<br />
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There is something intrinsically satisfying about sticking a chicken stamp on a bill. Looking at what is slated to come out, next week, there will be sharks.<br />
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I will have to get sheets of shark stamps. Dear readers, I will be doing custom Christmas cards again this year owing to the Disney trip in October. Do I put chickens or sharks on my Christmas cards? Released this week was Disney Villains.<br />
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I will get a sheet of these but I am not called to use these for my Christmas cards. I cannot decide, though, about sharks or chickens. Therefore, I'm turning to my readers, the few of you who there are, and asking, "Chickens or sharks on Christmas cards?"<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-65673309834113591762017-07-17T15:59:00.001-05:002017-07-17T15:59:20.601-05:00So You Don't Have ToThere was a hullabaloo (talk about an archaic word, but there you have it) at the middle of April when Oreos announced a new flavor.<br />
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Of course, when I saw them in the store, I had to try them. It's a public service I provide, you know.<br />
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Ah Pop Rocks. I remember you from the early 1990's. They were mildly amusing then. Carole didn't like them. She wasn't thrilled with stuff exploding in your mouth. Let's see how the combination of Oreos and Pop Rocks goes.<br />
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Meh. I was expecting more of an explosion. There wasn't much taste to Pop Rocks, if I'm remembering them correctly. My memory leaves me with the impression that the smell upon opening the bag was more pronounced than the actual flavor. This was the same impression with Oreos. You had your typical Oreo cookie taste with an occasional pop when a fleck hit your tongue. Those pops were few, at least in my bag of cookies.<br />
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Sigh. I just don't see that Oreo is losing market share to anyone. So, I'm really not certain why they feel the need to do something like this. It was underwhelming. Supposedly, there is or was, a waffles and maple syrup version of Oreos out there. I haven't seen those to try them. I'm intrigued, but, again, why mess with the greatness that is chocolate wafers with white stuff in the middle of them?<br />
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I'm not sure you can find these anymore. I think they were out for Memorial Day and have disappeared from shelves. If, by chance, your retailer has a stash and puts them out for sale, save your pennies. These aren't worth it at any price.<br />
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Beverage: Water<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-32253544453511670342017-07-17T15:45:00.000-05:002017-07-17T15:45:07.273-05:00Weekend WarriorIt was time to do battle with the weeds around the air conditioner. This is a long-term war. It's going to take many battles to win. I needed a reasonably decent day to start the war, one not overly hot and humid.<br />
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Step 1: I need to clear around the unit again.<br />
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I had cleared this out at the end of May, but, as weeds do, more filled in. With the heavy rains last week, the ground was soft and pulling was much easier. Plus, with all the foliage, the ground was shaded and retained moisture, helping the uprooting process.<br />
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After 40 minutes, the area around the unit looked like this.<br />
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I had to cut back several small trees and sprayed them with Round-Up in the hopes that kills them. I found four milkweed plants. There has been one monarch in the back yard so I was loathe to pull any milkweeds. But my assessment of the area deemed two of them in the way so I removed them. I'm not sure about the tiger lilies on the south side of the unit. They are blooming so I didn't pull them, but I pulled most of the other ones I found. The clippings pile was fairly big.<br />
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At this point, I took a break. I have to watch myself and not overstretch my stamina. I figured I'd leave this pile and deal with it the next day if necessary. But after a 20 minute rest, I (Step 2) cleared the pile into yard waste containers ready to be put out on Wednesday evening. That feels like a success.<br />
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Step 3: Time to lay the landscape fabric.<br />
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The most important place is in front of the unit. That needs to be clear for air circulation. It took two rows of fabric to cover the area. I've not worked with this before. It's very lightweight and easily blows in any kind of breeze. It also stuck to the bottom of my shoes so smoothing it was a problem. I finally gave up and left the bulges.<br />
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Step 4: Mulch.<br />
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I bought two colors, black and red. This mulch also comes in a light and dark brown. The black went down first. It didn't cover as much as I hoped it would. I laid another section of fabric and broke up the red bag.<br />
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In the clearing of the weeds, I liberated a brick and a couple of rocks. I'm calling them my "strategic" rocks. I probably won't move them. They helped hold down the fabric while I spread the mulch.<br />
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I think the red bag went farther than the black bag. I'm fairly certain I spread them to an equal depth. Maybe I didn't.<br />
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This was all I could do on Saturday. I only had two bags of mulch and I filled all my yard waste containers. I don't have funds to buy more mulch right now, but this coming weekend, I possibly could pull and cut back the rest of this patch. Then I could spray the small trees in the patch in preparation for covering them with fabric. I know there are more stones and bricks in here. If there are enough, I could put down the fabric, weighing down the corners with stones. At least that would be done. I'm still going to go with the black and red color scheme. I like the blocks of color.<br />
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This took two hours to do. I went inside, took a shower and then took a 2 hour nap.<br />
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So, I'm not sure what to do with the garbage, recycling and yard waste containers which I've usually lined up here along the edge. To the right of this photo is a very overgrown area adjacent to the shed with the lawnmower. I've given consideration to having the tree service come out, after we get our bonuses, and assuming the bonus is sufficient, and remove all these overgrown trees from this area, grind out the stumps and rake it smooth. Then, I could put the cans over there in the spring, summer and fall, moving them in November near the house where it will be easier to have access to them. I'm thinking, next year, I can put pots of flowers here, or get another raise bed and put the peppers, which aren't doing as well as I'd hoped, over here. Decisions. Decisions. At least this project is started and will be finished this year.<br />
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Beverage: Water<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-69972729480325253332017-07-16T23:48:00.000-05:002017-07-16T23:48:06.960-05:00Amazing FeetsI said, back after Christmas, I didn't need more socks. I have not posted the photos of the socks I received from Carole and Larry for Christmas. I'm getting there. Other photos demand attention.<br />
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The sock drawer is quite crammed but I can't go anywhere without seeing socks I NEED. Well, "need" is, really, too strong of a word, but "want" doesn't quite cover it. I found these and they made their way into my sock drawer.<br />
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I had no Easter socks.<br />
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I'm also on the look-out, next year, for some with colored eggs on them. The dark pink bow on the rabbit has sparkly bits.<br />
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Then, I stumbled upon these in a notice from one of the booksellers whose catalogue I get.<br />
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Library card socks. I could get them in light blue or yellow. The yellow tugged at my nostalgia. They were $2.50 a pair. How could I resist? (I also bought some fun Christmas cards from this retailer because the handling charge tripled the cost of the socks. It's not a deal if you wind up paying $9.00 for handling.)<br />
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I have this weakness. Is there a Sock-aholics Anonymous? Or maybe I simply need a bigger drawer?<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-4026721032491888582017-07-16T23:36:00.001-05:002017-07-16T23:36:04.432-05:00Cold TurkeyIn my office, I have a crate in which I put recycling. Everything from frozen food meal trays to paper to plastic gets tossed into the crate. When it gets full, I bring the crate home and empty it into my recycling bin. Nice and efficient.<br />
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Toward the end of March, after picking up breakfast at Dunkin', I removed the tea bags and prepared to toss the styrofoam cup into the crate. There was a slight problem.<br />
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The crate was full and most of it was Dunkin' styrofoam cups. I smushed these down to make room for another and, that night, took the crate home for recycling.<br />
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Dunkin' is quick and easy, but not the healthiest of breakfasts. I looked at this and was kind of floored by what this represented. There were 2.5 weeks of Dunkin' cups in here. Those you can't see are under the paper and plastic miscellany added to the crate. I can't keep eating donuts for breakfast. That's not, at all, healthy. And, in reality, stuffing the money for this habit onto my Dunkin' card is not good for the budget, either. I would have to start making plans to get up in time to make myself breakfast AND have the food on hand to make that breakfast.<br />
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I didn't realize how difficult this would be for me. Then, the Dunkin' I frequent made it easy. The owner of that store sold the franchise to another couple. All the people I knew in the store were let go. I walked in and the coloring contest, the balloons, the merchandise had been replaced. The people behind the counter were efficient, but they were not nearly as friendly. It was "get us in and out as quickly as possible" mode.<br />
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This made cutting back, way back, on Dunkin' for breakfast, much easier. There are two Dunkin' on the way to the office. I thought I would see how friendly they were. Not any better. They are bigger stores than the one by me, but the whole tone of these places, the whole atmosphere, is one of "get people out as quickly as possible". I added more money to my Dunkin' card back at the beginning of June. Normally, I would add something every month, but I have not had to add anything in July. I don't see I will use up what's on my card before next month. I have no desire to.<br />
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Part of me is sad. One of the reasons I had this habit was that I was recognized at the local Dunkin'. They took the time to get to know me, know what I liked. Yes, they did things as fast as possible, but a testament to a place is the line out the front door. Since the change in ownership, I haven't been to this place when there has been a line, even at the most popular times.<br />
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I needed to cut back on my habit. It was a crutch. I didn't have to get up with any speed because I could swing by Dunkin' to get breakfast. But, this was not a healthy obsession to have. While I could afford it, my budget is better off not spending $15-$30 per month on donuts. I miss the camaraderie with the people who used to work there. A friendly, "Hello" on a morning when I stumble in at 5:45 because I have to be somewhere by 7:00, always started my day off right. It's certainly not what I experience now when I choose to go there.<br />
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What's the aphorism? "The only constant is change."<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-55860025121424661912017-07-16T22:40:00.000-05:002017-07-16T22:40:10.554-05:00Now I WaitI put up the hummingbird feeder last week.<br />
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I had to get a new feeder because the one I have, of this design, had broken.<br />
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I'm getting a lot of traffic at the tube feeder. The last week has seen squirrels climb the crook and then feed, upside down, from the tube. That is not a positive, but there is an inexpensive way to stop that. The next time I fill the feeder, I need to dump in with the seed, half a container of cayenne pepper. It has no effect on the birds, but the squirrels? Oh yeah. They will quickly learn this feed is not for them.<br />
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I've had chickadees and a couple finches at the north window feeder. Goldfinches and chickadees have also discovered the feeder here on the east window. I have mourning doves and rabbits eating the seed flung out to the ground so I've been sprinkling seed on the ground specifically for them. The squirrels love it too, but they don't seem to be cleaning everything up which is good for ground feeding birds. I have to decide what, if anything, I'm going to do for them in the winter.<br />
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This morning, I saw a female hummingbird flitting amongst the flowers of the hosta in the back. This year, they bloomed profusely, more than I have seen in a long time. Not sure why that is, but it's lovely. My hope is now that the hummingbird will find the nectar in the front. Some of it is gone in the week intervening, since I set this up. I don't know if that can be attributed to evaporation or if birds are feeding when I'm not watching.<br />
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I'm happy with this. The last step is to right the birdbath I purchased and get that weighted so I can fill it. I need to do some weeding. That's always the case, but this has turned out nice. I am thinking I may get a suet feeder to replace the hummer feeder come November.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-24164234717577828812017-07-16T18:43:00.000-05:002017-07-16T18:43:47.154-05:00VulturesThis is what happens when I go to Subway on a weekend. They start circling.<br />
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I don't know what it is about Subway's turkey but the kids love it. The deli turkey I bring home from the store doesn't have the same appeal. I'm a creature of habit with my Subway sandwiches; turkey and provolone, topped with lettuce, spinach and green pepper. Add a line of yellow mustard and I'm good.<br />
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Hamlet will try anything I have, but Mija and Pilchard are more picky. I'm very okay with picky. Yet bring in a Subway sandwich and I have to share my turkey.<br />
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Vultures.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-62410124149219153272017-07-13T15:27:00.001-05:002017-07-13T15:27:54.662-05:00They Oughtta Fix ThisYesterday, we had several lines of heavy thunderstorms roll through the area. The sky was ominous on the way to work.<br />
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No that's not worrying at all. Why do you ask? It took, roughly 15 minutes for the first line to rumble by the office. It got dark.<br />
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This photo doesn't convey just how dark it was. The streetlights and parking lot lights were on as the first line started to come through.<br />
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One of the only detriments to this building is that drainage behind us is not very good. The overnight storms had dumped quite a bit of water, water which doesn't drain well from the area behind the building.<br />
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This is looking northwest. The ramp in the foreground goes into our back door.<br />
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We jokingly refer to this as "the lake". You can see how dark it got because you can see into the packaging company across the lake. Normally, even when they have doors open, we can't see into the warehouse.<br />
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The water extends south to the entry into the delivery area. It's important to note where the water is, in relation to the cars parked back here. Gene and Matt will park up next to the stairs because their offices are close to our rear door. I didn't get it on camera but Gene came down here and decided, because he saw Matt and I on the back steps, to drive through the edge of the water. He lifted up a nice plume. He said there was no way he was driving in the middle of the water. It was, at 8 am, too deep for his car. We were all rueing the loss of my Jeep. I'd have driven through this, really fast. That was one thing I loved to do on the Jeep; drive through water puddles. I still do, but you could go into deeper water and get higher side plumes with the Jeep.<br />
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It rained; really, really, rained; hard, pounding rain; off and on all morning. My phone camera couldn't capture the rain. It was coming down so hard, you couldn't see across the street. It was a curtain of gray. We have a skylight in the main area and it sounded like someone was on the roof tossing rocks on the skylight, it was raining so hard. We would go into the main area and check the corners of the skylight. The company who did our remodel did a good job sealing the skylight. We have no leaks.<br />
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About noon, Gene looked out his office window which overlooks the parking lot. He'd been doing a lot of reports and hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to outside. It's raining. There's water in the back. Okay. We are all, pretty much, minding our own business. We hear, "Holy shit! You guys gotta come see this!" We go to the warehouse, where Gene opens the ramp door.<br />
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The water which had been right at the foot of the ramp this morning, is a "wee bit" deeper at noon. Yes, it was still raining, although not as hard.<br />
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The water laps at the top of the bottom step of the steps up to the back door.<br />
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We stood there and the boss, in a quite bemused tone of voice said, "You know, they really oughtta fix this." Meanwhile, Tara goes into the front closet and gets the Wellies. We have three pair of boots in the office available for people to use when you find yourself in soggy surroundings. She put on the boots and decided to walk across the back lot.<br />
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She's at what is probably the deepest point. The lot slopes from both buildings to the middle, where she's standing. The water came up to within one inch of the top of the boots. Notice the cars behind her and then scroll up to the same cars this morning. We got a little bit of water.<br />
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This morning, there was still water in the back lot. It had gone down to yesterday morning's levels. By noon, it had drained away, which was good because Matt needed to load his car for a trip to service equipment tomorrow. We don't have a basement so it doesn't impact us, other than being unable to pull a car into the warehouse to load. But companies north and south of us get larger deliveries. There is no way a delivery company could come back here. Semis wouldn't be affected at the warehouse, but you have to worry, just a bit, about your car when you see all this water.<br />
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It's supposed to be dry now until next week. Yeah, they really do need to fix this.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-3434249242400934002017-07-11T14:14:00.000-05:002017-07-11T14:14:55.968-05:00A GiftRunning a World of Warcraft guild can be a thankless job. As any manager of people can attest, you have a wide variety of personalities all thrown together. And while we don't have a product to offer, as would be the case of a work place, we have goals. Achieving said goals means working together and that can be tough when Brenda is having a panic attack, Rob's girlfriend dumped him, Mona's dog is throwing up all over the living room carpet, and Derrick's mother is yelling at him to take out the garbage and help her move a table. You become confidante, counselor, and crisis manager. Still, I wouldn't disband my guild for anything because, in spite of all of this, many of us are, deep down, friends. We've bonded over pixels on a computer screen and have extended that bond into our real lives.<br />
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There are some people I don't know very well. They are names on the screen; avatars in a group; there, but not extraordinarily present. I don't know their lives. They come on, do their thing, and log off. They are happy to be in a guild with lower pressure to play. I never know if they are happy or just don't want the hassle of trying to find another guild. And then I get asked for my name and address because, "I have something to send to you."<br />
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Ordinarily, my real self isn't available to people I don't know. But guild members who have hung around for at least 8 months, even if they rarely talk in chat, can "break that 4th wall", if you will. So, I gave Kacy my name and address. I really didn't have a gut feeling she would abuse it.<br />
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Last month, I got a slim, small, packet in the mail.<br />
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There was a pin depicting mages, one of the classes you can play, and a green mesh bag with something inside it.<br />
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It's a silver necklace with the guild icon in it. I was, and still am, blown away by this kindness. I'm not one for jewelry anymore, but I will wear this every day during the guild's trip to Disney World in October.<br />
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People surprise me in very meaningful ways. All I need to do, when I'm feeling oppressed about dealing with people, is to look at this and remember, everyone has bad days and how I lead is important. I guess I'm doing something right.<br />
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Beverage: Dr Pepper<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-48819205358593974192017-07-10T13:06:00.000-05:002017-07-10T13:06:49.856-05:00SewingI'm "blaming" my friend, Meredith Carney, for a spur-of-the moment purchase at the beginning of the month. In case you don't know, the movie "Despicable Me 3" is now in movie theaters. The minions are back and with them, product tie-ins, of course. She was shopping at Wal*Mart, a place I won't go, and sent me photos of some minion clothing. "Hmmmm," thinks I. "Is there minion fabric?" Well duh.<br />
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JoAnn Fabrics might have just a few choices. There are also some prints available online only, but I need to see the fabric to decide what print to get and then, what to make of said print.<br />
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Yes, yes. I know what's going through your head. We will not talk about the boxes of fabric in the closet. We will agree to just nod in that general direction. Look! Minions! I did not have to go to JoAnn Fabrics for anything. I went because of minions and Meredith showing me clothing at Wal*Mart. What's the aphorism? "I can resist anything except temptation"?<br />
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I came home with these.<br />
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The Disney World trip is less than 100 days away now. I was going to do something crazy and make capes for all the guild members, and family members, attending the event. But, about April, I realized I'd bitten off way more than I could chew so I abandoned that before I spent $$$ on fabric I won't get fashioned into things. But I could get a shirt done before October.<br />
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I opted to buy a new pattern. I usually don't buy Vogue patterns because they assume you are more than an intermediate sewer, but I like this one and it's fairly simple. I'm going to make the shirt at the lower right corner. It's two fabrics. I will make a mostly yellow with a white block and then a mostly white with a yellow block. The shirt has a 9 inch zipper in the front to facilitate putting it on. It's stitched in the "invisible zipper" style, something I haven't done in a very long time. We'll see. Since this is a strictly humorous shirt, I don't, necessarily, care if it's visible or invisible. The zipper is not the point of the shirt.<br />
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I get these home and feel the desire to sew rising. In order to do that, I had to clear a path to the ironing board and deal with the stuff I had stacked on the ironing board. Then, I've spent the last week clearing off the kitchen table. I'm so bad about just dropping stuff there in the "I'll deal with it later" mode, and there it sits. The urge to just move stuff to another pile was strong, but I resisted and actually cleared off the table, putting things away, dealing with them.<br />
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In the process of cleaning, I found the pieces to a lightweight jacket I was going to make last year, to wear to Carole's for my birthday.<br />
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(There's the cape pattern I bought. Not sure what I'll do with it now, but you never know when a pattern will come in handy.)<br />
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The jacket is not complicated.<br />
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I cut out the pattern back in early October of last year.<br />
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And then it sat. I got busy and just lost the desire to work on it, even with a self-imposed deadline. When the table was cleared and all the pieces liberated, I felt like I couldn't sew the two shirts without finishing this jacket. I didn't have, handy, thread matching the pink. I have, instead, a dark mauve-ish color which actually works better. One day's worth of sewing and viola.<br />
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The next step is to prepare the trim. I'm using a black satin for the trim around the jacket and sleeves. I bought more interfacing for the shirts, which was a good thing because it appears I never cut interfacing for the trim. But I got to thinking. I haven't sewn satin in years and I have concerns about fusing interfacing to satin. Would the iron leave marks as I was fusing? Asking my seamstress friends, they said to use sew-in interfacing because satin will pucker with fusible. Hadn't thought about puckering. The next issue is, do I have enough non-fusible interfacing? I haven't a clue, so I will have to find the box with the interfacing, and, tonight, take a look. At least there is still a sale at JoAnn's so if I need interfacing, it will be on sale. I don't use non-fusible if I can help it, but I know I have a stash, just how much is the question.<br />
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So, here we go. Once the interfacing issue is resolved, this will go together very quickly. Then I can work on the minion shirts. Sewing makes me feel good. Finishing projects makes me feel double good. It's win/win. And, my "helper" likes to supervise when I sit in the recliner as I pin seams.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2576857547210365977.post-54741085976170268762017-07-10T12:09:00.000-05:002017-07-10T12:09:35.900-05:00Things I SeeI had to inspect an apartment complex in May. They had this on the wall outside the gym.<br />
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It's a fish made of silver colored fish sculptures. It was so cool.<br />
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I see things like this and want them for my walls. It would probably be easy to obtain the fish and the bubbles, but I don't have the wall space for them. I never did get around to painting the bathroom. It's still on the "to do" list. Makes me kind of embarrassed to admit it's yet another project I haven't completed when I see awesome stuff like this.<br />
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Beverage: Scottish Breakfast Tea<br />
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DebUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0