Basket is done for now

I spent most of yesterday on the current basket. I am done the coiling part. I don’t really like it, but once it is waxed and I find the ribbon to put around the top, it should be fine. It is a gift for a 10 year old. This is what it looks like right now, I just need to find some lavender ribbon to wrap the top row with.

I didn’t hear from Keith until late in the day. I will be getting my toys from him this morning. Playing with those will take a while. I’m also hoping the electricians will be back and wrap up the project on G Street. I hope they fill the hole back in too, I really don’t want to have to do that myself. 

There must have been a microburst of air here the other day. One of the aluminum patio roofs got peeled back. I didn’t hear it. I was working on my basket with the TV and the AC going. My neighbors did tho and they said it was loud. This is what the wind did on B Street right behind me.

You can see one of the legs up on the roof, half of the roof over the driveway is completely gone. I do have to say that I am glad it wasn’t mine. Not sure if insurance would cover that or not.

I didn’t post a pic of the two little tables I got at Family Dollar last week. I didn’t really need them and haven’t found a place for them yet, but they are red, and were only $5 each. They match the material I used on my chairs. They can double as seating too.

Not sure what I am going to do today. I have to be showered and dressed when Keith stops by, and hopefully the electricians too. I don’t think I will be going out even tho my fridge is pretty much empty. I need to use up some of what is in the cupboards and freezer anyway, and the produce isn’t worth buying here in town. So it is canned and frozen until I can get to Smart and Final or Walmart.

Some days I miss Jake more than others. This morning seemed to be one of those days, as did yesterday. A lot of it depends on how busy I keep myself. I am also missing Kali Cat a lot and having a fur baby to snuggle with. I feel like I am getting closer to going over that edge of having a kitty and not having a kitty. Kali Cat was so much company for me. I like having another living, breathing soul in the house.

Here is a photo I saw online this morning. Made me smile, so I kept it. It is NOT one of mine.

I changed the filter for the house AC yesterday. It was pretty clogged. Then I got out my pipe bender and bolt cutters and modified one of the wire shower caddies so that it hangs off the knobs instead of the rail on the door. That will make it much more useful. I had been wanting to do that for a while and decided there was no time like the present. The hardest part was going out in the shed to get the tools and put them back. I usually try to clean the AC filters, but this one was pretty bad, so I just put a new one in instead. I don’t have the type of vacuum that I can easily use to clean them. There are four filters left in the closet and I will either have to buy some or make them last. 

I don't know what it is about this corner of the patio, but I just had to spray for ants again! I have to do it about once a week. I can deal with it as long as they stay out of the house.

Happy Birthday Jake

Yesterday was Jake's birthday. I didn't let it get by me without posting, I just didn't get it on my blog. I miss him each and every day and I wish he were here with me. Our plan was to sell out, buy an RV and do some traveling. It took a while, but I did it anyway. He is with me in spirit, but it just isn't the same. 

Pumpkin Basket

Since Ellen has received her basket, I can finally post a pic of the finished project. :)

Rocks and baskets

So, I got quite a bit done yesterday. I repainted my cactus rocks. I’m much happier with them. This time I epoxied some paperclips to the bottoms so they will stay standing up in the pea gravel. 

From there, I spent the rest of the day on my current basket. I made some visible progress. The lavender isn’t going to be as bad as I thought. It is a pretty color, but not one of my favorites. Today I will have to work in the rest of the turquoise colored beads. Thinking I will work them in between two rows of the lavender and then finish the basket up with a row in white. 

Keith is back. I saw his truck in his driveway when I walked this morning. Vicki & Cocoa will be back sometime next Sunday. Keith has a couple of gadgets he picked up for me in his travels. A GoPro clone type camera and a FitBit clone bracelet. I will have to cough up the money for those, but I will have a couple new toys to play with after I finish the basket. And maybe I will get to go out to eat and get out of the house and not have to feed myself. I haven’t been out since Vicki left. Considered it a few times, but it just seemed like too much trouble to change into clothes that would be acceptable in public to go and get a takeout meal. 

I did walk this morning. I also stopped in the wash looking for more cactus type rocks, and other paintable rocks. I brought home a handful of each. Oh, and I finally got a picture of my zuni bear rock. It is such a kool rock.

I’m hoping to finish up this basket today. It isn’t one of my favorites, but one more xmas gift will be done. I need to start making some smaller ones as smaller gifts. I also need to get more creative with my designs. And I need some more bases. I guess I will have to try to paint a couple myself. Pam is in NH for a couple of weeks, so I can’t get any from her. 

I am so ready for fall and cooler temps. 111 degrees at 9AM this morning. It was 90 something when I walked this morning. The last couple of mornings I have done my computer time indoors, and it is even warm in here. My electric bill is going to hurt this month. 

Ellen loved her basket, rock painting and pendant. All Halloween related. I will work on my turbine pumpkin when it cools off a little. I still have plenty of time to get it done before the season hits. It will probably end up on the sliding door steps. I don’t use them and that is where all my plants are and where KC’s kennel was. 

I was just looking at over the sink shelves online. I could really use one in the bathroom. But I guess I am going to have to build one, all the ones online are either too big or too expensive. 

Rain spout, jacket and pumpkins

Today I am going to start with photos. This is a pic of one of the storms that pass thru here. They call this a rain spout. Most of the time it misses us, but this one actually passed over us on Thursday and we got some much needed rain. Not a lot, and it didn’t do a whole lot to cool things down, but it made for happy trees.

Yesterday I got myself showered, dressed and off to the hardware store and post office. I also decided to hit the thrift shop that is open the opposite days of Sal’s and found this for $4. 

I had just seen the pumpkin below online the day before. I am going to make something very similar. I did have to go back to the hardware store for more orange paint tho. I had only picked up one can, so I bought two more. I would rather have too much paint than not enough paint. This will have to be done some morning early when it isn’t too hot out.

I finally got myself to deal with the jacket that had the bunny fur on the collar. Got tired of seeing it hanging on the back of the chair.  I managed to take the collar apart, remove the fur strip and stitched it back together. It isn’t perfect, but I like it so much better without the fur on it. You can see the fur strip in the upper left, and it stuck straight up from the collar. That is the only place on the jacket that had it, and it was just weird. As Sandra said, it ruined a perfectly good jacket. The photo doesn’t do the jacket justice. It is much prettier than that.

And last but not least, the progress I have made on Nevaeh’s vanity tray. I found a bracelet with (unfortunately) plastic turquoise beads at the thrift shop, took it apart and will be using all the beads in the basket. These are the four largest beads. The ones for the sides of the basket are considerably smaller. I might get to that part today. We’ll see. It is going to be another hot day so I won’t be doing much outside at all.

I tracked the package I sent off to Ellen, and it is at the post office waiting for her to pick it up. I’m anxious to see if she likes it. That is the first basket that has left home. And I picked up my order of pine needles at the post office yesterday plus my white sharpies for the rock cactus. I also got a bottle of lighter green paint while I was at the hardware store. They actually have a decent selection of acrylic paints. I discovered that the last time I was there.

Took the scooter over to G Street to see how the guy was doing on the trench for the new electrical line. He was almost done at noon time, so I called the electrician and let them know it was ready.  Hopefully it won’t be too long before they are back and get that completed.

My kiln has made it to Indianapolis…I bought an appliance cord for it yesterday. Hoping 9 feet will be long enough. Once I have the kiln, I really want to try metal clay. It’s expensive stuff, so it will have to wait until I get some money coming in. In the meantime, I will work with the glass that I have and try out my molds.

I spoke to Jan at the hardware store briefly yesterday. She has several applicants, I’m hoping that Larry puts in a good word for me. I would much rather work there than DG. But if worse comes to worse, I will take whatever I can get. I told her my schedule was open and that I had no commitments and that I could work whatever hours and days. Hope that helps too. I have always been pleasant and friendly when I went in there, and she knows me on sight now. I also mentioned that I have a lot of cashier experience, which is what the job is. 

Next week is supposed to be in the lower 100’s. I’m hoping it is a trend and it starts to cool off some. I really want to be outdoors as much as possible and to be able to open the windows and turn off the AC.

Well, I guess that is about all I have today. Not sure what I am going to do today. I want to spend some time on the basket, but might try repainting a couple of rock cactus first now that I have the white sharpie and lighter green paint. Break up the day a little. 

More electrical woes

Not much to write about this morning. I worked on my basket most of the day. It doesn’t seem like I got a lot done, but I am making progress. No photo this morning. Nevaeh has her room painted in turquoise and lavender, so I am going to try to work those colors in. I did find some turquoise colored flower beads, they are quite large, so I hope they work for the blue. Not sure if I am going to get that far today or not.

I blew off my walk again this morning. It rained for a little bit yesterday, so I figured it was a good chance to change my routine a little. I haven’t had a lot of energy because of the heat, and I am ready for it to start cooling down. Looks like next week it will cool down to the low 100”s. Progress.

I had to take the car out a couple of times yesterday, once for the electrician and once for Jorge, so it is in my driveway instead of under the kool cover on B Street, so I will have to move that this morning. I have to go to the post office anyway as my pine needles and a couple of other things are there. I used the car yesterday instead of the scooter as the scooter is covered and it takes too long to cover and uncover it. I think I will take the cover off it today tho so it will be available when I need it. 

The electrician found several breaks between a pair of meters, so the line has to be replaced. One of Jorge’s guys is going to dig the trench for the new line this morning and once that is done, the electrician will be back to put in the new line. Thankfully the break is after Doreen’s meter, so she has power again. The other seven lots beyond her don’t at the moment. Good thing they are all gone for the summer.

My goal this morning is to get a nice long shower, get my hair washed and do a load of laundry. Then go to the post office and pick up my stuff. Will have to play it by ear after that. I ordered a couple of white sharpie markers to see if I could do better rock cactus. I also want to use a lighter green. I may repaint mine and the other set I already did. Practice.

Mary shipped out my new kiln yesterday, so I am anxiously awaiting that. I hope my electrical service can handle it. It runs on 110, so I don’t have to do any wiring for it. I just tracked it and it is already in PA. It is supposed to be delivered on Thursday. Lets hope it doesn’t end up at the post office or I might never see it.

No eBay sales yet. :(

Started the next basket

Managed to get myself showered and dressed and out of the house yesterday. I kind of reversed my route because the post office and the market don’t open until 9. I hit Sal’s first. I found a green glass candle that I thought I might be able to use the glass in something, but after I got it home and the wax out of it, I discovered it was just painted green. Oh well, will look nice in the window in the sun anyway. I will use it as a vase instead. Also picked up a couple of large buttons I can use as basket bases, some rubber stamps and a couple other little things. Not a lot. 

Went to the market and got a watermelon, some lettuce and some applesauce. I have to use pineapple and applesauce when the produce is crappy. I really do need to get to the big store for groceries soon. The watermelon isn’t as tasteless as the last one, but it isn’t a whole lot better either. I passed on the other fruit, just didn’t look good. And the last plums I got were bad on the inside. I swear the smaller markets get the fruit and veggies the bigger stores don’t want any more. They didn’t even have any almond milk. :( They just aren’t restocking. Half empty cooler.

Finally the post office. Dropped off the package I was sending out and picked up the two that were waiting for me. One was the mica powder for glass fusing, the other was the rest of my glass fusing molds. So now all I need is the kiln, and that is being shipped out today. I am getting that for less than half what it would cost to buy a new one, and I trust Mary. She wouldn’t steer me wrong.

After my errands, I did get a new basket started. I am doing the Owl for Mike’s granddaughter. Found out her room colors last night and will have to figure out how to work in turquoise and lavender. I will have to see what I have for turquoise colored beads. I must have something. I did get rid of all my larger beads before I left tho. It is going to be a vanity tray or wall hanging. I got several rows done yesterday afternoon.

I think I might do the same thing I did last week. Work on glass or rock painting in the morning and the basket in the afternoon.

Thought we might get some rain last night, but other than a light show and some rumbling, it went around us yet again. We really could use some rain. Most of the storms have bypassed us this season.

This morning I blew off my walk. I was having a hard time waking up, so I settled in the chair for another hour or so of sleep. Of course, I missed my walking window. The sun is out and it is way to hot and humid to walk now. This will probably be the day when something malfunctions. Murphy’s Law.

I don’t have much else going on. The electrician is supposed to be back by tomorrow to fix the broken power line on G Street. Glenn and Diane will be back to resume their duties on the 16th, Vicki will be back on the 6th. Keith will be back by the 15th, and between him and Vicki, I will have someone to play with again.

eBay listings and electricians

I ended up spending a good part of the day posting my halloween earrings on eBay. So now I have quite a few listings. 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/crnbrryctg/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_ipg&_from

Nothing has sold yet. I got a little reading in during lunch while I was waiting for my wifi device to cool down. It kept shutting off on me so I decided to let it sit for a while and that seemed to do the trick.

We never got any rain yesterday. Storm clouds in the sky all day, kept the temps down around 100, humid, but no rain. There was a power problem here at the park, so I lost a couple hours finding an electrician and then dealing with them when they arrived. They got Doreen powered back up, but need to come back and find out where the short is and then fix it. So I can’t wander too far today. I do need to go to the post office and get a package sent off, and I haven’t been there yet this week, so I should go anyway. 

I checked the bank this morning and my money orders have been deposited so I can pay my bills at the beginning of the month. Yay.

My LED bulbs for the bedroom came and I got those changed over. Now I can use both lights for less power than one was using. They light the room quite nicely. I removed the overhead light when I installed the ceiling fan, so the light in the room wasn’t very good. That just leaves the ceiling fan in the living room, the tubes in the kitchen and the hallway ceiling light, and I barely use those lights. I guess the kitchen lights should be next, it will be dark much earlier soon, and I will have to start using the lights. This looks like a good possibility..no messing with ballasts.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-4-ft-2-Light-LED-Utility-Shop-Light-73985/205701897?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-205724758-_-205701897-_-N

Not sure what I will accomplish today. I have to be around for the electricians. But I should be able do something. Glass or basket. Either of those can be dropped if I need to go do something. With these crafts, I am finally using my dining area table. I have tossed around getting a smaller table, I don’t particularly care for this one, but it is a good table and the chairs are ugly but comfy. I should look for some material to cover them with. I haven’t decided on a color yet. Plus I would have to disassemble them, so I haven’t been in any rush to deal with them. They aren’t bugging me that much yet. They will eventually.

One of my neighbors invited me to go to Yuma with her tomorrow, but I declined. I really don’t want to. I would be hostage, and I don’t know her well enough. Besides, I don’t think I have enough energy to keep up with this 83 year old woman!

The year in review

One year ago today, at 5:30 AM EST, I left Island Pond. I had sold all my stuff, what I couldn’t sell, I gave away. It was down to whatever I could fit into my little motor home, me and Kali Cat. 

It was foggy, I wouldn’t have been able to see Island Pond in my rear view mirror if I had wanted to. I was sad to be leaving the place that Jake loved and the place where we had a life together, but Jake was gone, and there was nothing there for me. I tried for years to make friends and become a part of the community after Jake died, but it was a loosing battle. No matter how many hours I gave, my resources, my space and my talents, I still wasn’t included in parties, boat rides, celebrations. There was no thank you or going away party for me. I said goodbye to the few friends that I had before I left, and slipped out of IP early on a Saturday morning. One friend showed up to see me off. I have to say, my feelings were hurt that no one else made any effort. It still disturbs me that I didn’t seem to make much of an impact on anyone when I left. All that energy wasted.

I was so scared and excited at the same time. I had barely driven the RV, around the lake a couple of times, up the road a few miles…  when it wasn’t loaded up with everything owned and a cat that hated riding. I had no idea where I was going to end up, how Kali Cat would handle the new lifestyle, or if I was even going to like traveling.

My first stop was in Mt Vernon, Maine. I hadn’t gotten my navigation straightened out, and couldn’t find the road for Dan’s house. I found a parking lot in Augusta and called him to come get me. I spent three or so days there visiting with him and getting used to life on the road. Then went to Linda’s the next town over and spent several days with her. On to Ellen and Jerry’s for a week. Was a great visit with them. We did some sightseeing, went and bought some apples, and I got a load of photos in downtown Belfast. 

Falmouth was the next stop. There I didn’t have a driveway to park in and electricity or water to hook up to. I spent the first night in the Walmart parking lot. The next day we moved over to the Episcopal church parking lot for the rest of the stay. Days were spent with Susan, and one afternoon we went out on Steve’s boat and had a lobster dinner. 

Kali Cat still didn’t like riding, but she tolerated it. I hadn’t put her in the kennel since the first leg of the trip. She would hit the litter box and barf, and then she would be good for the rest of the day’s travel. Eventually, she stopped throwing up when we took off. She was really good about coming back to Ody when I let her out. I would supervise her outings, and only had to chase her down a couple of times. She spent a lot of the ride time under my seat. I was happy to know where she was, and it kept her out of trouble.

After I left Susan and Falmouth, I spent one night in the Walmart parking lot in Biddeford and visited with Dylan, Holly and the baby. I’m glad I got to see them before I left the northeast.

That Sunday drive from Biddeford through Connecticut was the worst day of the trip. Lots and lots of traffic, 10 lane highways, people passing on both sides of me with my limited visibility and inexperience, I was exhausted seven hours later when I finally found a Pilot station in New Jersey where I could spend the night. The truck stop was full, so I kind of created a spot and crashed for the night. I actually got on a wrong highway in Connecticut at one point, for passenger cars only, but I didn’t see the sign until it was too late and there was nowhere to turn around. The overpasses were quite low and I even had to drive through a low tunnel, which finally freaked me out enough to get off that highway. By then, I was lost. Got myself to a McDonalds and figured out where I was and how to get back to where I wanted to be. I used both electronic mapping an hardcopy mapping to map out my daily routes and figure out where I was going next.

I took about a week getting from Maine to northern Texas. I spent one night in a campground in Tennessee so that I could do some laundry and take a shower. The rest of the nights were spent in either a Cracker Barrel or Walmart parking lot. By this time I was using my phone and google maps, the Garmin was useless even tho I had put the southern maps on it. It was wrong more than it was right, so I stopped using it and relied on my phone.

I spent a week in Hallsville TX with Sandra and Tim. I had met Sandra online via my sister in law Judy. Sandra is Judy’s cousin. We had a great week, I had electricity and water. It felt good to relax for a few days. By then I had gotten the hang of driving Ody. 

I tried to only drive three or four hours a day, roughly 250 to 300 miles. Any more than that and my eyes would be too tired to be able to see to drive the next day. So it took me two days to get to Elgin, TX down near Austin to visit with Maryellen, a childhood friend that I hadn’t seen in 30 plus years. I spent a week with them, had a couple run in’s with fire ants, saw my first scorpion and a huge spider. I was ready to leave all the creepy crawlies behind by the time I pulled out. Was a great visit tho. I’m so glad I had that on my list.

The following week, Kali Cat and I spent at Magnolia Beach in Texas. It was hot, humid, but we got to park right on the beach. Was fun watching Kali Cat check out the beach and see all the water. I could only spend one week there as I didn’t have a toad and couldn’t go get supplies. Once I broke camp, I might as well keep going. Unfortunately, leaving Magnolia Beach is when Kali Cat got sick. She was peeing blood. I had originally planned to head on to the islands further down the coast, but had to make a change in plans to find a vet  and a campground for a couple of days. We got her all fixed up and settled in to the campground in Rockport TX. I did some wandering around on foot. Saw jelly fish, my first dolphin, and just generally enjoyed having AC, water, electricity and cable TV.

Once I was sure Kali Cat was feeling better, we hit the road again. We spent a week at Bottomless Lake State Park in Roswell, NM, a week at Elephant Butte State Park, and another week at Leesburg Dam near Truth or Consequences. By then I was starting to feel the need for a toad. It was too much of a pain to break camp to run to the store, and there was nothing withing walking distance. I had wanted to go to the UFO Museum in Roswell, but it was 14 miles from the camp ground, and wasn’t open when we finally hit the road again. 

I had ants in the rig in Magnolia Beach, a raccoon climbing my screen door in Bottomless Lakes, mosquitos in Elephant Butte and Leesburg Dam state parks. But Leesburg Dam had some great walking trails and a museum withing walking distance. There was also a dollar store that I went to on my bike, and I walked it once too. It was about a four mile round trip. I had actually started to loose some weight by this time. Lots of walking, hot, not eating a lot, and what I was eating was healthy. It felt good.

I spent about a month in Yuma in Howard and Barbara’s yard. I had only planned on spending a week or so, but they were happy to have me there, and I had ordered a scooter to use as a second set of wheels and wanted to wait for it to arrive. After four weeks of waiting, I gave up and bought a tracker. Got that hooked up and hauled to Quartzsite two days before Thanksgiving. Howard and Barbara had invited me to stay for Thanksgiving, but I was ready to move on by then. Kali Cat got to roam the yard and climb the mesquite tree in Yuma. She also experienced the wild chickens that wander around there.

The rest of the winter was spent boondocking at La Posa South in Quartzsite.  Kali Cat was not allowed outside because of the coyotes, but she was sick again and it didn’t really seem to matter to her. We had seen the vet in Yuma a couple of times. Xrays showed that she had a mass in her bladder. Since she was already 18 years old, I decided against any surgeries and to let nature take it’s course. We had several more visits to the vet here in Quartzsite, and I decided her traveling days were over. But I was tired of not having running water and started looking for a lot to buy so we could park and have all the amenities. I saw this place and decided to buy it. We moved in in February. I lost Kali Cat in April. She had gotten so bad, that I had to make the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep. I cried for days. I still miss her. But she got to spend her last days in comfort in a non moving house eating tuna and very expensive cat food. My days were about making her as comfortable as possible. She was my last connection to Jake.

So, I have been here in Mountain View Resort since February. I have met a lot of nice people, made some good friends, and life is pretty much everything I knew I was missing in Island Pond. I don’t regret leaving there, it was the right thing to do for me. There are a few people I miss and I do miss all the green grass and trees, the rolling hills, but I don’t miss winter. I do want to do some more traveling. I am hoping next summer I can afford to do just that. I need to get Ody sold and find something smaller I can hook to the back of the car. I’m not getting another cat, as they dont’ travel well and I have a feeling there is more travel in my future. 

In the short time I have been here, I have done more, made more friends than in the 15 years I spent in Island Pond. I feel welcome here, and am included in events. It doesn’t matter that I am single. No one cares or feels threatened by it. I have learned so much, have seen so many different things since I put Ody in gear and drove away from IP. It was the right thing to do. 

Will be interesting to see what the next year brings. 

A very quiet Sunday

Was a very quiet day yesterday. After I got the vacuuming and dishes done, I decided it was a reading day, so that is what I did. I read two books. I did find some burger in the freezer, so made the unstuffed cabbage soup and had that for dinner. Other than that, there is nothing noteworthy about the day. TV was terrible last night. I will be glad when the new season starts and I will have something to watch.

We have some weather coming in this week, starting tomorrow. Monsoons. Should be interesting. Temps are still around 110 degrees, plus about 50% humidity. Uncomfortable to be outside. 

Not sure what I am going to do today besides get a shower. I have a jacket I bought at a thrift store last fall that I pulled out of the closet. It is velvet, multi print woven with gold thread and I like the material, but it has a rabbit fur collar. I am going to try to get the fur off without ruining the collar. If I can’t, I will have to figure out what I can make with it. Pillows or a wall hanging or something. Plus, I have my glass and my rock painting, so I have plenty that I can do. I just need the motivation.

I think I might take a trip to Blythe this week. They have a huge Dollar Tree there that I have only been in once, briefly, and would like to spend some time without feeling like I need to rush, and I do need to buy some groceries. And I really need to get out of the house. I haven’t left Q since Vicki left. Haven’t really needed to, but I am getting cabin fever. I was drooling over the pics that Keith posted of Route 66 yesterday. I could go to Yuma, but Howard and Barbara are in Phoenix, so that doesn’t really make sense. Plus I don’t have much money for shopping. I am planning a trip to Yuma to find a new recliner when I get Ody sold. The used one I got at Sal’s has served it’s purpose, but I want something a little smaller, like the green one I had in VT, and I’m finding this one hard to get out of when it is fully reclined. It doesn’t slide into the upright position without a struggle anymore. But that will have to wait until I have some money.

I heard a saw running this morning, so maybe Rusty is working on my rounds for my spice cupboard. I have the spinners, so if he is, I might be working on that project today. I will be glad when I get my shelf back, the spice cupboard is a mess and I can’t find anything and I can’t reach anything in the back at all. Even one of the three would be an improvement. 

I’m anxiously awaiting my kiln. Mary hasn’t shipped it yet. I ordered a couple molds to use in it plus the kiln wash I will need to keep the glass from sticking to the molds.

I’m starting some more alfalfa sprouts this morning and have some quinoa in the microwave. I also want to try to make a chocolate pudding with some chia seed. It isn’t as good as full fat and sugar pudding, but it is better than nothing. I use french vanilla coffee creamer as the flavoring with some cocoa. Like I said, better than nothing. 

Rock cactus

Talked with Howard yesterday, Barb is progressing slowly. They were talking about taking out her tubes yesterday. She is on a lot of pain meds and is out of it a lot of the time, but is doing as well as can be expected. 

I painted some cactus rocks yesterday. They aren’t as easy as they look. I did what I thought was going to be three sets, but the pots were larger than they should have been, so it ended up being only two sets. I need to do a few more at some point. I think I need to use a lighter green. After that I took the rest of the day off. 

I had done laundry, and I don’t like hanging my underwear outside where the world can see it, so I finally put up a line in the bedroom for the underwear or rainy laundry days. It is on cup hooks so I can easily take it down. Now I just need to find a container for the clothespins. 

Watched a couple of movies on DVD last night. Some of my $5 Kmart finds.

Not sure what I am going to do today. Maybe a reading day since it is the weekend. Maybe not. I do need to vacuum again. I’m starting to get a little antsy and want to get out and do something. There isn’t anyone here to do anything with tho. I will probably brave the highway and hit Blythe and do some grocery shopping some time this week. The pickings are getting pretty slim here. 

I think I am going to crock pot the stuffed cabbage soup again, but I don’t have any burger. I do have some fake burger left that Keith gave me before he left, I can use that I guess. Maybe there is a burger in the freezer somewhere, I will have to look. I have the cabbage, tomatoes and sauce, so I should be able to come up with something. 

I have been doing the beans and hotdog thing on Saturday nights, so that is one meal I don’t have to plan or prepare. But am down to the large cans of beans, so I will have to freeze the leftovers for next Saturday. 

I read about a way to reuse my cotton rounds and used wax melts. It also makes cleaning the melt dish much easier. I use the cotton rounds to soak up the wax and when they have cooled, they can be used as fire starters. I’m going to try to keep it to used rounds, but we’ll see. I have six so far. One cube does three cotton rounds.

I also ordered more pine needles yesterday. There was a seller on FB that was charging $5 less per lb than what I have been seeing, so I ordered 5lbs. That should last me the rest of the season or more. I got three pounds the last time and still have some left, so I should be good. I will be starting a new basket soon.

LED bulbs and a new shelf

Not much of a creative day yesterday. I went to the bank to find out about the bill payment, it is a no go. And they wanted five bucks for a cashier’s check, so I took my money to the post office and got two money orders for a little over three dollars. Got them sent off to Passumpsic. That works for now, but if I had known, I wouldn’t have wasted all that time and effort to open an account here. Oh well. Hopefully, when I finally get a job, I can have direct deposit. That will solve that problem. If not, I can deposit the checks online. Hmmm….wonder if I could have done that with the money order…will have to try it with a smaller one and see. That would be much easier. 

I stopped at the hardware store and got a new, larger, spring for my door. The little ones keep breaking. I haven’t installed it yet, might do that today. I also found out what size the base was for the bulbs in the bedroom light fixtures. I looked at replacing the fixtures, but they were way too expensive and there is nothing wrong with the fixtures that are there except the fact they use a smaller base bulb. I then came back and found the bulbs in LED and ordered them from Amazon. That leaves the two big lights in the kitchen (fluorescent tubes) and the light in the entry way. I will need a regular LED for the entry, but am not sure what I am going to do about the kitchen lights. Oh, and the light over the stove. Haven’t researched that one yet. The outside lights I did ages ago. Oh, I did forget the ceiling fan light in the living room. I don’t use that much and it takes about five bulbs, so that will have to wait until I have some money. But I’m getting there. 

By the time I got everything done, it was almost noon and I lost any motivation I had to be creative. So it was lunch and a book. I did get a couple of minutes of inspiration and used another piece of the cat crate to make another shelf for the new coffee mugs in the cupboard. 

This morning I have a rock project that I want to do. I don’t have to walk or go anywhere, so I should get an early enough start. At some point, I want to try my hand at painting a base for a basket. I will need to get some more wood rounds soon. The two that I bought, I got at Walmart.  BTW, I am officially working on xmas gifts now. :) I have the pumpkin boxed up and ready to go, but need to create a care tag for it. I should be able to get that in the mail on Monday.

The kiln that I was thinking of buying hasn’t panned out, but Mary, the friend that sent me the glass, has one she wants to sell that is actually nicer and less money. So I am going to buy hers instead. I ordered a couple of holiday molds while I was ordering my light bulbs yesterday, so I can try slumping. I got the star mold that I had ordered, but I was right, it is too big to fit in my little kiln. So with any luck, I will be making some glass pieces for xmas gifts too. 

I got the pendants listed on eBay yesterday. There are several being watched, but none have sold yet. I want to list a few more things today. I still have one of the oak leaf pins to sell, and a bunch of other stuff. I should put a link to my website on the listings…that might bring a customer or two.

Well, it is only 7 AM and it is already quite warm out here. So I guess it is time I go get a quick shower and then get started on my painting project. Hopefully will have pictures for you tomorrow. 

eBay listings

I didn’t make it to the post office yesterday. I did post a couple of things on eBay. I had to retake the pics because I couldn’t download the ones from my site. That means I have a couple of storage bins sitting in my living room until I get that project done.

No painting, no glass…I read, did my nails…nothing exciting at all. It was hot, but not as hot as it has been. I think we topped out at 109 yesterday. I hope that means we are in a downward trend. So looking forward to days under 95 degrees and cooler nights. Thankfully, my bedroom is the coolest room in the house and with the AC and the fan, I sleep fairly well when I sleep.

Each morning I pick up rocks while I am out walking. I discovered a driveway with some nice rocks in it this morning, but I hesitate to pick them up from someone’s yard. So far I haven’t done that except for one I spotted yesterday. It is two tone with a diagonal line down the middle and looks like a zuni bear. It probably won’t be painted, I like it just the way it is. I need to get out to the wash and do some rock hunting.

I just logged in to my local bank account and the payment to my checking has disappeared again. I guess I can’t do bill payments with a savings account. I will have to get a money order and mail it myself. :( I will do that today so it will be in the bank in time to pay the bills. Sigh…that was the whole reason I opened that account. At least I can get change now without having to pay a $25 fee. That is what they were going to charge me to break large bills when I got here. 

I don’t have any pictures for you today. Nothing photo worthy yesterday. I guess today I am going to do my eBay listings, the glass pendants maybe some of my photo cards. Go to the post office and then we will see how I feel after. If I don’t get started on crafty things first thing in the morning, I tend to loose interest around mid day. I need to sort thru my jewelry and pull the not so good stuff and try to sell it as a lot. I need to make room for new stuff.

I did move my painted rocks up over the TV above the cupboards. I had to epoxy the stand on the back of the black cat because I couldn’t get it to stand up without glueing it. I have room for a few more. :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281778392023

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281778380882

Another rock painting and glass pendants

Made it to my class on time yesterday. We used crackle this time. I used my large rock, but I’m not happy with it. It is too cutesy for me. I am probably going to paint over it at some point. This is what I brought home… It just isn’t me. 

I also brought home some cat print fabric. She had some on a cushion that I loved. She looked to see if she had more, but she didn’t. I did get a couple other patterns tho. This is the one I wanted.

I didn’t get the fabric, but did get pictures of it. The next best thing. It has cats AND dragonflies. :) I should be able to use the printout as a template. The other fabric is almost as cute.

I hit DG on my way back, but forgot to go to the post office. It will have to wait until tomorrow now.

I had lunch, read a little until I finished my book, and then decided to make cords for the pendants I epoxied the day before. I’m going to try to sell them for $10 which includes shipping. The blue/green one on the right is already sold. I put a buy it now link on FB.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr…

I’m looking at getting a larger freestanding kiln. There is a used one on FB at a really good price, about half the price of a new one. Then I could do slumping (fusing with molds) and larger pieces. I could also use it for metal clay. Then I would want to learn how to make my own molds. Right now I can’t do anything over two inches, and my larger pieces have all broken.

Ellen is having good luck selling her stuff on eBay. I think I will give it a try. Doesn’t cost anything if I don’t sell anything. My website is useless. I haven’t sold anything in the two years it has been up.

Not sure what I am going to do today. I’m leaning towards the instructables I downloaded the other day. Painting a feather, a leaf and an ocean scene. Technically they are watercolor instructions, but will probably use my acrylics. Save my watercolors for real watercolor painting. It is the same principle. I do have some new rocks, so I might do a couple of those. I’ll figure it out after I get my shower and my morning chores done. I do have a couple of wood basket bases that I could use to paint on.

I don’t have much else to write about this morning. Nothing new, nothing going on. Just me trying to keep busy until it is cool enough to be outside. I will start a new basket in a few days. Maybe if I do one a week, I will have enough by Christmas for gifts. 

A few more weeks of heat.  It feels like an oven when you step outside the door. If the humidity goes above 30%, it is just unbearable. Although we are getting close to cooler temps….low 100’s. Soon. Once it goes below 100, I should be able to get outside for a little bit. I have lost my tan because it is just way too hot to be out when the sun is out. 

Glenn and Diane will be back mid September and he knows where I can park Ody to get her sold. If I get the job at Herb’s Hardware, that will start in October and run thru April or May. If I can get enough money saved, I want to head to Wisconsin, VT, and Maine next summer. Hoping to come up with some sort of inexpensive camper or cheap trailer that I can customize. I don’t need much since it will be short term. Maybe a popup would do. Those can be fairly inexpensive. 

I opened a savings account at the local bank, the only one in town…and have been trying to transfer money to my checking at Passumpsic, but I’m not sure it is going to work. I tried it yesterday and the transaction disappeared, so I tried again this morning We’ll see if that one goes thru. If that doesn’t work, I have wasted my time. I will go get a money order and mail it myself. I need to get Septembers expense money deposited. Oh, and my AMEX card got hacked over the weekend, so I am waiting for a new card. It is one of those cards with the chip in it, and I have it in a foil envelope. I haven’t used it in person since the trip to Sedona, so it has to be a random thing. If it happens again, I will just close the account. But I have had that account a very long time. Since before Jake.

Well, time for a shower and breakfast. Then I want to list a couple of things on eBay and see if I can’t make a couple of bucks. Maybe I can make enough to pay for the kiln…who knows. Stranger things have happened.

It is complete

I did my chores before I headed out yesterday. Vacuumed, washed the floor and dusted. Looked so much better. It is amazing how fast dust builds up here. 

I went and deposited some money into my new bank account, now I have to figure out how to move that money from one bank to the other. This morning’s challenge. From there I went to Family Dollar and The General Store. I got three more LED light bulbs, the bathroom has been changed over from incandescent to LED now. They were very expensive, but were some of the last to be changed over. I also picked up a couple of rugs they had on clearance, some colored pencils for rock painting, fall wax melts, and two fall coffee mugs. I guess I am starting a new mug collection. I have been using the red since I got them. I kept the green set too, but will save those for spring. I need to make another shelf for that cupboard so I will have room for the seasonal mugs.

Then I went to the post office and picked up my new sunglasses, glass paint, junk mail and Vicki’s new printer. I decided to skip Dollar General this trip out and went on to Salvation Army. I got another pair of shorts, a wax melter, and a heavy clear glass candle plate. Oh, and a bag of ribbon that had some orange grosgrain in it. I didn’t find any ribbon at FD, so it was perfect. 

Came back, had lunch, and started on beeswaxing the four finished baskets that I had. That was time consuming, but between the waiting, I also glued some bails on the glass pieces I wanted to make into pendants.

After all the waxing was done and the baskets cooled down, I finished the basket. Here is the finished product.

Today is my second rock painting class. I am going to take the basket and a few of the better pieces I did. Plus my blank rock to paint on today. I should be on time today. :) Hopefully. 

Tomorrow I will go back to glass fusing. I have a few more things to play with and experiment with. My red paint and copper paint came yesterday. The rubber stamps that I got at Sal’s are christmas stamps, might try those with the glass paint. 

That is about all I have this morning. I’m assuming no news on Barb is good news. 

Almost done with the basket.

I did get some rock painting in yesterday. I did some chili peppers, those were fun. Will probably do them again, and then I did another dragonfly, not so happy with that, and a fox which I’m not at all happy with.  Here they are…

  

I also finished up the basket coiling part of the basket, and have decided not to do the pumpkin face. I am going to go to Family Dollar and get some nice silk fall leaves and dress it up with that and the painted rock pumpkin instead. I still need to preserve it, along with the last three or so baskets, and might do that today. It didn’t turn out quite the way I had envisioned it, but it will do.

I didn’t go out at all yesterday other than to supervise Jorge on the fitting repair on D Street. Glenn had to call him to get him here. But I did remind him to take Vicki’s old water heater that he promised to dispose of a couple of months ago when he put the new one in. I also got some copper wire from him - score!

I talked to Howard last night. Barb came thru the surgery fine, but she has tubes and IV’s and all sorts of things attached to her. She will be in the hospital for several days recovering, and then back to the motorhome for a couple of weeks. Then they get to go back to Yuma and she starts chemo. Howard said they found more than they had anticipated. But so far, the news is good. She was in recovery from 10:30 to about 7 PM. She finally got back to a room, and Howard headed back to make phone calls and take care of Peanut.

Today I do need to go to the post office. Not only is my stuff there, but Vicki’s new printer is there and needs to be picked up too. Then Family Dollar, and probably the market as I am out of everything perishable. I have been eating out of cans the last couple of days. 

I also want to start gluing some bails on the fused glass pieces that are going to be jewelry. Mary also sent me some drill bits so I can attempt to drill some pieces too, but will save that for another time.

Tomorrow is the second and last rock painting class. I will choose a few of the ones I have done this last week to take with me. We were supposed to do one, I have done nine so far, and might do more today. I may paint over the fox. I am not happy with it. It looked so simple, but I don’t have a steady hand. 

I downloaded some watercolor instructions this morning that I want to try. I think I can do it in acrylics, so it would work on rocks. One is feathers, another is leaves, and the third is an ocean scene. Plus I want to ask Kay about the watercolor classes. I can cough up $7 for a class, maybe several.

I have spent so much time indoors that I have lost my tan. I did get a little bit of it back yesterday while Jorge was working on the fitting. It doesn’t take long to burn here, about ten minutes. I need to get some sun on a more regular basis. I was getting it while walking when it was cooler, but now I walk before the sun is up. Not a good time for the tan.

Basket progress

I made some progress on the basket when I finally settled in to work on something. I puttered around yesterday morning, took care of the AMEX issue, I’m getting a new card, put my rocks and baskets pictures in new folders and have them numbered and dated by completion date, a quick visit from one of my neighbors, and made a fruit salad. I also finally got my laundry put away. I usually do that as soon as I bring it in, but didn’t feel like dealing with it the other day, so it just sat there until I got tired of moving it from the bed to the washer and back because it was in my way. Plus, I needed the towels that were in the bottom of the basket. 

I did not paint any rocks yesterday. Blew that time puttering around. I finished puttering around 11, so I decided to have breakfast for lunch and made eggs, and sauteed veggies, and some toast. That actually lasted me until dinner with no snacking. Hmmmm…..I spent the rest of the day on the basket. This is what I have done so far…

I have started the wrapping for the final two rows. Then I will have to figure out how to hang the rock off it too. I wish I had some orange or black grosgrain ribbon, but will figure it out without it. As you can see, I got the beads in it, and the last two rows will be leaning in towards the center of the basket to help with the pumpkin shape.

I didn’t walk this morning. Diane keeps telling me I don’t have to check the watering every day, and it was above 90 degrees and very windy at 5 AM, so I came back in and settled in my chair and slept some more. I do need to follow up and try to get Jorge over here to fix that connection. I told Diane about it last night and Glenn called Jorge and left a message. I didn’t vent, even tho it pisses me off, just mentioned it in passing. Besides, I am tired of walking a mile plus every day and having no visual results. I’m not loosing weight, not feeling any more energetic, and it is just too hot. From now on, anything over 90 degrees and I won’t be walking. I do have my stepper and will try to do that on the days I don’t walk. It is a completely different movement and will use different muscles.

I do want to try to paint a couple of rocks this morning. Still thinking chili pepper, and not sure what else. I download new templates daily. I have a bunch of them printed out. And I want to do some more glass work very soon. Hoping my red paint will be at the post office so I can start on the tree ornaments. I also need to go to the post office at some point today since I didn’t go on Friday. My new glasses should be there, hopefully the red paint too.

It’s going to be another hot one, so I won’t be out much today. But I just got a call from Diane, and Jorge is on his way to fix the fitting on D Street, so I have to meet him there. 

More rocks and progress on the basket

It was hot here again yesterday. I think we hit 114. It is supposed to be like this a few more days. Then the low 100’s. Another few weeks of this and it should cool down a little. Hopefully. I could really use one day of cooler temps to get out in the shed and get that organized. I still can’t find my arrowheads or the orange glass beads I know I have. I did find some others I can use tho. 

I did three rocks yesterday, actually four, but the first one I scrubbed because I didn’t like it. Here they are…

I’m going to have to find a shelf of some sort to put them on. For now, I have fashioned stands for them out of paper clips.

I also made some progress on the basket..

I’m thinking today the beads will get worked in. I might even finish it if I get an early enough start. A couple more straight rows and then I will start curving it in.

The water in the toilet was yellow yesterday. It seems to have cleared up this morning. I guess this is a common thing here, but it was nasty. I'm so glad I installed my filter.

I didn’t want to walk this morning, it was 92 degrees and the sun hadn’t even come up, but I forced myself. Only a few more weeks of monitoring and then Glenn and Diane will be back. Then I can start walking outside the park for some visual stimulation. I am getting tired of walking the same streets day after day. And no, Jorge hasn’t been here to fix the fitting yet. 

Barb is having her surgery tomorrow. They are removing half of her left lung. Then she gets to do chemo and possibly radiation. I hope they get it all. They have the motorhome and have been in Phoenix for about five weeks already. They might get to go back to Yuma in the next couple of weeks.

Today I am going to shower, put the laundry away that I did the other day, and then paint a couple of rocks. Thinking chili pepper this morning. Maybe another dragonfly. I found some nice smooth rocks this morning while I was walking. I did find a larger flat rock for Wednesday’s class. Probably bigger than I need, but unless I find a smooth smaller one, it will have to do. All this rock painting is priming me to get my watercolor stuff out. Another week or two of rocks and I might be ready to branch out on my own. Kay (from the rock class) said there is a lady here that teaches watercolors for $7 per class. I may take a couple if I can get the information. I still can’t draw tho, so it will be interesting. And with the shake in my hand, nothing is smooth.

Oh, I also have to call AMEX, someone tried to charge $500 on my card last night, I got the email saying it was declined and I need to call them. Ugh, I hate dealing with crap like that. But I’m glad it didn’t go thru. 

Kokopeli and a dragonfly

It is hot and humid here this morning so I am actually indoors with the computer for a change. We had a nasty storm go thru here yesterday afternoon, dumped almost an inch of rain, dropped the temps, and blew a lot of stuff around. I had to put a few solar lights back, and still need to fix the solar chandelier, but need a ladder for that. But other than that, everything here is fine. One guy, not to far from here, wasn’t as lucky. His trailer got flipped. It is totaled. His awning was out and the trailer wasn’t secured down, and from the photos, looked like it was in the open. 

I tried to take a scooter ride around the park after the worst of the storm was over, but the washes were running and I couldn’t get past B Street. The back gate is locked and I don’t have that key, so I couldn’t go around. I really do need to get that key. I do need to check on Ody and take a quick pass thru this morning if I can get there. I imagine the water has dissipated by now. I will need to get out and do that early because it is going to be nasty out there today with the temps and humidity. Got a few more days of that, more weather coming in, and then maybe some better temps and less humidity.

These washes are usually dry. Instant river...

I have to say I am starting to feel like I need to get out and do something. Go somewhere, do some shopping. I have barely left the park in the last four weeks or so. I also need to get out and find some more rocks. The one I picked up yesterday while I was walking was supposed to be for next week’s class, but it was screaming kokopeli to me. So I did a kokopeli on it. That went fairly well and didn’t take too long, so I decided to do a dragonfly too. Here are yesterday’s rocks…

This rock was rough and hard to paint on, and his horn is all wrong, but the rest of it is pretty good. The lines across the bottom are in the rock itself. I used them as ground lines. This was two different templates that I combined to make the scene. Next time I will leave off the third arm on the cactus.

This is the dragonfly. The cat tails are free hand, the dragonfly was a pattern I printed out. It is actually better than it looks in the photo, and I am very pleased with it. I ordered brushes, so hopefully that will help in the future. For now, I am using 25 year old brushes.

I have everything for rock painting in a plastic bin right by the table, so there is minimal setup to paint a rock and then I just put everything away. My glass stuff is in another bin, and that is fairly easy to access and then put away too. Soon I will be able to do all of this outside or in the shed, when it is cooler. I need to get a vent on the shed roof, that might allow me to use it more if there is some air flow.

I’m thinking I need to take the watercolor class or do some serious studying on painting. I need to learn the basics on shading, etc. I have had absolutely no training or classes on any kind of painting, so even tho I have what I want in my mind, I don’t know how to translate it to the paints and brushes. Although I do have several watercolor books. I should get those out and experiment. Maybe I can teach myself.

I did spend some time on the pumpkin basket after I finished the book I started in the morning. It was a good book and I wanted to see how it turned out. :) I really have to stop starting a book while I eat breakfast. Anyway, I did make some progress….

It is starting to take shape. I am going to try to do a fused glass pumpkin to embellish the basket. Otherwise, it is going to be very plain. I do have halloween charms and some halloween beads. I guess I am going to have to try and find the beads. I saw them not too long ago. 

Well, if I am going to do a quick round of the park before it gets hot and nasty, I should get myself moving.