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Friday, May 30, 2008

Spindles and More Spindles


I painted a few of my spindles the other day. When I began to spin the hand painted roving on my spinning wheel I realized that it would not spin as small as I wanted to spin it. It was then that I decided to do it on my spindles.
The only problem was that I needed more than the one spindle I had to do it on. (My Bosworth is in use with some white Corriedale roving...) So I set about making several more, with 3 approximately the same size... 2" whorl, 8 1/2" shaft and weighing 0.75 ounces. They absolutely work like a charm.

The spindle lying on the table with the white mixed wool is my first efforts at "Ply on the Fly" spinning...I love it. When all done with the spinning, I will also be done with the plying and will have totally finished wool yarn to take off the spindle (except for the water bath finishing, of course).

The long spindle with the brown horse on the whorl is actually a metal door pull that we found at a local farmer's market..(no farmers showed up .. !!). I bought it for a $1.50, brought it home, put a shaft on it and boy did it go! lol Have to say I was not surprised that it worked...but very surprised that it worked so well.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

The Truth

Senator Paul Kanjorski in a town hall meeting discussing the Democrats policies in the fight to win back the Congress:

This is telling me that this video is no longer available...but if you go to YouTube and type in Senator Kanjorski it will take you to this video. But just in case it is removed... this is what he says...verbatim...



"I'll tell you my impression. We really in this last election, when I say we...the democrats, I think pushed it as far as we can to the end of the fleet, didn't say it, but we implied it. That if we won the Congressional elections, we could stop the war. Now anybody was a good student of Government would know that wasn't true. But you know, the temptation to want to win back the Congress, we sort of stretched the facts...and people ate it up."


- Representative Paul Kanjorski on August 28, 2007


Friday, May 23, 2008

60

I've been 60 for a whole week now and I finally will admit that I don't feel any different than I did a week ago... or a month ago...



It was a lovely birthday.. with cards and calls from all the kids. Isn't this rose lovely? My wonderful DH has given me roses for my birthday every year we have been married.













This year he decided I needed a "Just Because" bouquet...beautiful.. These lilies just kept on opening and stayed lovely for a long time.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Scarborough Renaissance Festival

After 20 years of wishing, I was given the extraordinary Mother's Day gift of a day not only at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, but with the sons and grandsons... wow...


And what a day... My senses just couldn't take it all in. I took so many pictures that my battery just about gave up the ghost and flitted away in front of my eyes...


These two young ladies have been playing their harps at Scarborough Faire for at least 16 years. Our son bought one of their CDs 16 years ago... I bought one last Saturday.. And what beautiful music!


I had in mind looking for a spindle, nalbinding, or spinning wheel shop.. alas, there were none. I did find (after we left..boo hoo) there is a bookbinding shop there. There are shops everywhere.. everything from Renaissance clothes to blacksmiths to sword making to flutes...and on and on.... And everyone in period costume... and wait until you see the jousts! And the troubadours!


The jousts were fun... Of course it was all choreographed, but if the real thing was anything at all like it, I can only imagine the excitement they caused. And the skill of the participants... amazing..





If you ever have an opportunity to go to a Renaissance Faire, do yourself a favor and go. There are only limited utilities in this location, so it is not hard at all to envision how it would have been back in the 1300 to 1600s.. As a result they close at 7:00pm...there are no lights.


There is a parade 2 or 3 times a day... Wow...They will definitely toast "Hail and Hearty" to anyone in the crowd who approaches with a tankard..lol This young man even stopped and posed for me...

What a great day! Home too tired for words...but so pleased...

Saturday, May 10, 2008

"Everything I Hate About Myself I See In Hillary" by Judy Bachrach


I found a website this morning that is actually a blog with many authors...Whoopi Goldberg, Leslie Stahl, Liz Smith, Marlo Thomas...and more. It's called WOW-O-WOW. I will be returning there...:0) The article by Judy Bachrach made me laugh... I think all women find themselves in this position at least once... Have a look..



I have to say that I lean a bit more to the right than the left..grin My son states unequivocally that I am the most conservative person on the planet....oh well... it only goes to show that a little more discussion might be in order...lol Anyway...on the other hand, he may be right!

Now...having said that. I personally would love to see a woman in the White House. But not Hillary. Some would say that I am not supportive of "Women's Rights" and the "Women's Liberation" movement... All I can say is that the afore mentioned movements are all about a woman being and working in equality with men... doing as good or better at anything they try to do and being equally paid for it... Having a mind of their own and being able to not only use it themselves, but to work toward changing the circumstances of the day so other women can do the same.

This is not the same thing as voting for a woman just because she's a woman...

What happened to the "You put me down simply because I am a woman"?... It seems to me it has just been changed to "Vote for me simply because I am a woman"... sigh (This is not to say that Hillary is not talented. This is saying the reason many women voters are giving for their Hillary vote is they feel this will be the only chance in our lifetime women will be given this opportunity.)

This is the most powerful position on earth right now... that could change...but for now it is reality. In my humble opinion, that position should be filled by someone who is voted into office because of their merits... not their gender...

Just my 2 cents...

Friday, May 09, 2008

Girl's Retreat 2008

Time for another Girl's Retreat has rolled around, come and gone... woo hoo! It was off to Pappy's Paradise Bed & Breakfast on Lake Texoma this time around.

We definitely decided that the mountain of food we took last time was just not a happenin' thing this go 'round and lo and behold...when we got there a lovely quiche was prepared and in the fridge (ready to pop in the oven), some scrumptious home made brownies were on the cabinet and a wonderful bundt banana bread was on the cake stand... all just waiting for us...


The cabin was cozy and filled with antiques, quilts, washer/dryer and a lovely screened in porch with a ..ta da.. porch swing...! We took walks, so enjoyed the pond, splurged at Olive Garden and had terrific Mexican food at a place in Denison that I cannot remember the name of.


We did not..not...repeat not... fish. There are some lovely, very large fish in the pond. It is stocked for fishing, but not by us...lol We also did not use the paddle boat. But it was fun to watch the grandson of the owners paddling around.


The wood stove inside was loaded with wood and ready to start...firestarter was provided..lol Even the outside fireplaces were loaded with wood...which we did light and try to enjoy. As it turned out, the wind popped up about dusk and talk about cold! We lasted just long enough for me to get the blanket I wrapped up in totally filthy and for both of us to have clothes full of smoke and plenty smelly...

The cell phones worked... most of the time...but the pc was just blitzed. She was going to give me free lessons in the uses and abuses of ebay, but alas...the signal was not strong enough...

We are packed and almost ready to leave in the pic, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to hurry for the check out. We had been assured that since no one was scheduled in after us, we didn't have to worry about check out time... so we didn't...lol

What fun... waiting now for next time...

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

See My Tree!


My cousin was here the other day and was adventurous enough to stand in my oak tree so I could photograph it. I love my tree... it had to have been here when the Spanish were trekking around looking for the Fountain of Youth..grin If it could only talk...Imagine all the history it could tell a person about this area of Texas. I can just see Indians camping under it as a young tree.. or cowboys tying their horses to it while they got water from our creek out back. Maybe some night I will sit out under the stars and listen to it... you never know...


And isn't she amazing... looks in her 40s...

Oatmeal...On The Face???



I have known for years that oatmeal is really good for your skin... very gentle cleanser that helps the skin hydrate itself. Well... I will be 60 this next week... and my skin has decided to do the "old folks thing" and dry up like a pond in a drought. I've tried most everything. So a week or so ago, I dug the container of ground up oatmeal that I had stashed in the drawer a couple of years ago out and started again...


I grind the oatmeal in a coffee bean grinder or my blender. This time it was in my blender. I put a small amount in the paper cup, add about a teaspoon of lemon juice and another teaspoon (or the amt. needed to make a thin but not watery mixture), stir with whatever you would like.. (I use my finger), then wait a minute or two for it to gel a bit. This is where I usually brush my teeth...yada yada.. When it is ready, I smear it all over my face and neck... Be prepared for bits of oatmeal to be sticking to your face (unless you have ground the oatmeal into a flour). Let dry completely. Rinse off or use very wet washcloth to remove... your face will immediately feel softer. In my case, I have to also use a moisturizing cream.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Rain, Rain....



It began to rain yesterday and is continuing today... I love the soft sounds of the rain on the roof. It was pretty to watch this morning on the roof of the shop while listening to songs of the birds. Have I said I love spring???... I tried to get a pic of the splashes that were so vivid on the shop roof...it came out so-so... if you click on the pic you can see a couple of splashes and the bubbles...


This has been a week of some very good ups and some very terrible downs... "Life is what happens when you are making other plans"...ughhh I've always found that John Lennon line somewhat comforting... It always seemed to remind me that there is a randomness of events in a person's life... along with a randomness of whether it is good or bad... Well..today I don't like it...



Remember my first hand weaving that was done with my hand spun Icelandic wool...Well here it is after being made into a small change purse. It was hand sewn with needle & thread. I had to make the pattern myself since I bought the clasp at least a year ago and it didn't have a pattern with it.
I have some cotton thread ... larger than #10, but came from a thrift store, so no info attached with it.. It is a bit more difficult to weave, but is coming along great. Who knew that green thread is self striping???