Article on Felted Animals by Kevin Chai, Feltify.com
Monthly Archives: June 2024
Cute Felted Wool Animals
Filed under Embroidery/Sewing Art, Felted Wool Art
‘Puffy’ 3-D Embroidery
I love all embroidery, and was dazzled by the ribbon embroidery that I found awhile back. Now it seems embroidery is going to another level with what I call ‘puffy’ embroidery or 3-D embroidery, that REALLY jumps off the background fabric.
Filed under Embroidery/Sewing Art
Celebrating David Zinn
Filed under David Zinn - Street Artist, drawings
55 Years
In 1961 we fell in love. In 1969 we made it official. Today we celebrate 55 years of sharing our lives. I just got off of an online chat with our son, our greatest achievement. He is such an interesting man with a challenging, full life, doing what he wants to do. There are simply no words to describe how happy I am for him.
It’s hard enough to imagine that I could be ’55 years old,’ much less that we have been MARRIED for 55 years now.
As any real person knows, marriage is one of the hardest things there is. You make a commitment with stars in your eyes and then real life begins. I think one of the reasons that there are so many failed marriages is that people go into it thinking it will be all stars and moonbeams. It isn’t about the other person making you ‘happy.’ It’s about sharing lives. Sometimes your heart melts. Sometimes the guy with the bulldozer who will dig a hole in the backyard for your significant other can’t come fast enough. That’s real.
My personal commitment includes making it a point to keep falling in love over and over – if I don’t have the bulldozer guy on speed dial – realizing how much we’ve shared over the past 55 years. I was pregnant 5 times. We had two live children, a boy and a girl, and lost our girl to SIDS when she was 2 months old. We both bust our buttons with pride at the man our son has become, creative, confident, caring – carving out a wonderful, satisfying life. We share both sad and beautiful memories that will always be with us.
As we age, our life becomes looking to see the humor in situations, a day-to-day overcoming of obstacles, enjoying the beautiful things around us, spending time doing fun things together, enjoying the peace and quiet of being alone (even if it’s just in another room or out in the yard) – striving not to kill the other because of annoyance and frustration. Sharing lives is not for sissies. It means another person knows exactly what buttons to push to get you to react the most strongly. The ones you love can also hurt you the most, make you grind your teeth, cry, maybe even scream, and wonder why you stay – then say or do something to melt your heart again.
I love this quote on marriage by Nora Roberts in Blood Brothers – “Learn to laugh, otherwise, you’ll beat them to death with a hammer first chance.”
My husband said this morning, “We have a good start now.”
Filed under Cause for Celebration, love, marriage
Integrity
We have had our insurance coverage with Shelter Insurance for many years, absolutely loving its agent, Phil Hicks. Phil retired – I guess about a year ago now – and we were really upset.
We got invoices for our policies and paid them. I saw the picture of the new agent, Jason Hill, and signed up for an ‘account’ on the website, since it looked as if it would be an easier way to handle things. We hadn’t bothered to go to meet Jason.
My husband bought another gun and we needed to add the information to our gun policy. Jason was very nice, but was unable to read the CD my husband had made with the gun info on it. (We are definitely older than dirt :0) ) We emailed him the information, he processed it, sent me an email saying the invoice for the extra amount we owed was on the website, and I paid it.
My husband was still uneasy about how coverage was determined for our house, how they figured contents coverage, what the procedure was for handling a loss should we have one.
We called about going to see him yesterday, but he was on his way out the door to meet with another client. I talked to my husband today and he had decided we didn’t really need to talk to Jason.
When I went back in our office, the phone was ringing. It was Jason! He had made a note that we might be coming in today to talk with him and wanted to be sure he would be there when we came. We ended up talking on the phone, instead, about my husband’s concerns. Jason patiently answered all of my questions, acting as if he had all the time in the world. I now feel I am in control, and I know what to expect if we ever have to file a huge claim. I felt valued as a customer.
I relayed the information Jason gave me to my husband, so my husband’s concerns have been settled now, too. Our contents records are updated now, and we will take the records to the bank and put them into our safe deposit box, ready if we ever need them.
It’s wonderful to know that we have once again lucked out and have a man who takes his responsibilities seriously, values us as clients, and who will handle our needs with care.
Thursday 6-13-2024
I’ve read that the 2nd Sunday in June is officially Children’s Day, but I think every day should be. I just LOVE this by Greg Catarino.
Summer is truly coming to Arkansas now. The incredible rains seem to be past us and the high temperatures are pouring in with accompanying heat indices. Yesterday I think the heat index must have said, “Suitable for frying.”
The “Hot Man” mailbox decoration we made above could be up the rest of the summer.
I weeded three flower planters yesterday. I would have stayed out longer, but the sun was shining VERY hard and my skin just couldn’t handle it. I’m hoping to get back out today to continue getting the weeds under control. We’ll see how long I last.
I wish you a happy day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
For the Love of a Cat
“You had me at meow.”
“Home is where the meow is.”
“Live, laugh, meow.”
“No meowing around.”
“You’ve cat to be kitten me.”
“More meow.”
“Just one cat short of crazy.”
“Puurfect just the way you are.”
Quotes by Kristen of Dream Dash Journal.
Filed under Amazing Animals
3-D Butterfly Tattoos!
I have come to really like some tattoos. I’ve seen some I really envy lately in our own small town. I stopped a young woman at Walmart the last time we were there because she had a tattoo that ran all the way down the outside of one of her legs that looked terrific. She seemed pleased that I told her how great I thought it looked.
The newest style I’m really impressed with is a 3-D butterfly. Some are so well done the butterfly seems to be ready to fly away. I think they are wonderful.
I like colorful tattoos the best, but I’m also impressed when men have a whole ‘sleeve’ of tattoos on one arm.
I wish I were younger with nice, tight skin so I could get one of these 3-D butterflies.
Amazing.
Filed under Tattoos!
Wednesday 6-12-2024
We got up early (for us) this morning, did not pass “GO,” and went directly to the local clinic for me to get a follow up blood test to see if my new thyroid hormone dosage is correct now. (I had my thyroid radiated/killed several years ago due to Grave’s Disease, so my thyroid dosage is important, and the level was too low.) I’m actually hoping that my doctor will decide to raise the dosage again, based on my energy level and some other things. I should know in a couple of days.
We always reward ourselves after we have blood work done by enjoying a delicious breakfast at our favorite local restaurant, The Dari. I felt very pampered (and full!) when we finished. :0)
We’re home for the rest of the day. I’m going to try to get the weeds in my flower plants under control today. I’ll also check to see if we have any ripe tomatoes to harvest. Yesterday my husband fixed a break in a hose connected to our irrigation system. I’ll test the system to see if it’s working or needs more soon, since the daily rains SEEM to have stopped.
We just had our quarterly pest spray on the 21st, but we had to catch a LIVE scorpion off the ceiling in our foyer last night. oooooh. I just called our company and asked what could be done. They are sending our guy out again for a respray at no charge on Friday afternoon. You can’t ask for better service than that.
I wish you a very enjoyable day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Poohism
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Poohisms
Wood Sculpture
Filed under When Wood Comes Alive
Thoughts on a Tuesday 6-11-2024
Things will hopefully be quiet around here today. We have some errands, but I’m hoping to spend a good amount of time in the yard weeding the flower planters today. We’re having a nice day, with sunshine, and the high temperature today only in the mid 80’s and kinder level of humidity. We have the doors open now, with a nice breeze coming through. :0)
___________
We had a demonstration yesterday of how we are, indeed, older than dirt. We went to meet our new insurance agent. We took a CD with information we needed added to one of our policies. Our agent was a nice man with a very appealing smile and good manner. When we gave him the CD, he looked flustered for a minute and then said he had no way to read what was on the CD. Technology has once again bypassed us. We have some thumb drives, but none large enough to handle all the data we have on a DVD of info and pics about house items in our safe deposit box. Thankfully, my SIL sent me a URL to data storage options, so we’ll research that and decide what we need to do.
Meanwhile, we came home, gathered the little bit of information we needed to give the new agent and emailed it to him. At least we were able to do that.
We realize that we’re no spring chickens, but it’s a bit demoralizing to be hit with how very OLD we’re getting when stuff like this hits us right in the nose…
Filed under aging, Challenges, Changes
Wonderful Watercolor
Filed under Watercolors I Love
Tomatoes and Elephant Ears
Since it’s not supposed to rain today (Yippeeeeee!) I’m planning to finish the weed whacking I started yesterday plus do some serious weeding. It’s only supposed to get into the high 80s today with lower humidity, so it should be MUCH better than it was yesterday where the heat index was 100+.
The tomato plants don’t look ‘neat,’ but they are full of green tomatoes. I fertilized them yesterday, so hopefully they will stay happy.
We have a break in our hose setup for the irrigation system, and I’m hoping my husband will try to fix the break we know about soon, now that the lawn is mowed.
This is bulb #1 of my new elephant ear plants. The bulbs were huge, so I planted the three of them in three different planters, hoping to get the elephant ears all around the yard. This is the largest one so far.
The second bulb is in a tall planter beside the front porch. As you can see, we have small leaves unfurling!
This is bulb # 3, in a planter to the east side of the civilized part of our yard. It’s the smallest, but it looks like it will make it.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Lucky, Lucky, Lucky
We were extremely lucky that this was merely scary, rather than resulting in real damage. I’m HOPING it got my husband’s attention and it results in him making SURE the water hose is working before he burns trash again.
You can’t see in this picture, but the flames were active all along the side of the shop and then down the hill. (This is also where the NEW working hose wouldn’t reach. We had to stomp the flames and I grabbed Amber’s water jugs from the shop to douse the flames before we could get the spray attachment on the new hose.
It’s on my list to weed whack the remaining greenery from around the trash barrel ASAP.
Filed under Challenges
Window of Opportunity
Yesterday it rained about 9am (after raining overnight) so our plans to mow and weed whack had to be delayed – hopefully to be done today before we’re due for more rain this afternoon into the evening. It’s still too wet to mow or weed whack, but there are other things that can be done.
I’ve just come in from checking on our tomato plants. I had to prop up some plants, wire some others, harvested some ripe tomatoes, watered with fertilizer, and then sprayed the plants with EIGHT, since there were tiny grasshoppers on some of them. Hopefully the spray will have a chance to work before the rain today.
Here is today’s harvest. I had to throw one tomato away because the grasshoppers had gotten to it, but I’m pleased I could bring these in.
Guess what will be part of our dinner tonight! :0)
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Sweet Felted Wool Animals
Felted Animals – article by Kevin Chai, Feltify.com
Filed under Embroidery/Sewing Art, Felted Wool Art
Too Much Excitement
Yesterday my husband yelled at me. “Linda. I have a problem!” I went running all over the house, trying to FIND him, upstairs, all around the first floor, then down in the basement, then yelled out the front door, then out the back door. Finally I went outside onto the driveway pad and saw him kneeling down out by the shop. The grass was on fire!!!!
He was trying to get it out, but the hose we have out there wasn’t working. He was trying to hook up another one. Part of the fire was right beside the shop. He had been burning trash. One of the pieces of trash came out of the barrel, fell down onto the ground, and WOOOSH! He finally got the hose hooked up and I used my thumb to spray it everywhere there were flames as much as possible. The flow wouldn’t reach the farthest flames, so he went out and stomped them while I ran to the shop to get some water jugs we keep for Amber in the shop. We used those to dampen things down. I went and got the sprayer attachment off the hose that wasn’t working and we got it on the replacement hose and I sprayed everything down again.
We are both okay and, other than the burned out grass, no damage.
He is NOW agreeing to check to make sure the water hose and sprayer are working BEFORE he tries to burn trash again. He also agreed to try to let me know where he IS the next time he yells for help. He did NOT agree to let me know when he decides to burn trash. ARRRRGH! I can’t rest for 5 seconds without him deciding to DO something.
Filed under Challenges
Disdainful Detente
Jet likes the old woven bread basket I put on the countertop beside my computer. She jumps up on me, walks over my keyboard, and either settles down to sleep in the basket, or goes the other way to simply sprawl in the corner between my part of the L-shaped office counter or my husband’s.
Jet, and Amber, our 95 pound yellow lab are not babies. We adopted Jet recently. The only thing we know about her is that she is about 14 months old and had a litter of kittens. Amber is now 7 years old.
So they each have a history and have taken the better part of a month to achieve disdainful detente in the house. They can both be in the same room now without hissing or spitting (unless Jet is startled for some reason). I even found them yesterday both sleeping in the doorway on the tiles by the back door to the porch! I tried to get a picture, but Jet tends to jump up and follow me around, so I need to learn to sneak around a bit.
The cat door latch has saved my sanity. This ingenious piece of heavy plastic goes over the door knob on one end and has a screw-in metal piece in the selected hole on the other end, allowing Jet to go in and out freely, giving her access to her food, water, and kitty litter (plus a safe space if needed) while keeping Amber out. This is working really well. I still close the door completely any time Amber – or we – are eating, and at night.
Our previous sweet cat, Abby, liked to be outdoors. She was very happy with a cat cube on top of the woodpile in the garage for sleeping. We fed her out there, too, plus had a water dish. We have a cat door in the overhead garage door, so she could go in and out of the garage as she wished. We let her in the house and she stayed with us inside as long as she wanted, but was ready to go out at night and much of the day. My husband would like us to ease Jet into this, as well. I’m happy with things as they are. Since I’m the one doing all the extra work on this, I’m HOPING that I can be the one doing the deciding…
Jet initially was really unhappy when I turned on the hair dryer in her bathroom several days ago. Today she actually came in and started rubbing against my legs as I used the dryer. She is definitely adapting. :0)
Detente is a beautiful thing.
Filed under Challenges, Family
Another Dream Place
I would love to walk and dream here. We can be there vicariously, though, just by sharing this image, closing our eyes, and…
Filed under Dreams
Excellent Embroidery
Filed under Embroidery/Sewing Art
Saturday 6-8-2024
My husband got the generator to work yesterday manually, but there still seems to be a problem on communication between the generator and the house on starting automatically. The electric company is sending someone out Monday to take a look at things. Hopefully, the tech and my husband can figure out what needs to be done.
Today the heat index is supposed to be 104 here. UGH. I need to do weed whacking all around the yard, so will need to do MANY short sessions.
I’m also doing several loads of laundry today, so maybe I’ll climb in with the last load – :0)
I hope you have a wonderful Saturday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Sarah Rogers Art
Filed under animal paintings, Sarah Rogers Art
Power Problems
All of a sudden yesterday our power went off. It wasn’t storming. The sun was shining. No power. Our generator is wired to come on automatically when the public power goes off, but it DIDN’T. (It runs everything in the house EXCEPT heat and A/C.)
5 hours later (the public power was back on) but we couldn’t get the generator to work. We went to town, bought a solenoid and installed it. The generator still didn’t work.
This morning we bought another battery. We will wait until after lunch – when the generator is in the shade – to work on it again. Fingers crossed the new battery solves the problem. If not, I’m not sure what comes next.
Filed under Challenges
Is This OUR Driveway?
We have had to wait so long to have our driveway repaired that we got USED to bumping up and down, trying to drive around the worst spots, etc. We also got USED to the greenery almost forming a tunnel overhead, scraping the sides of the truck as we went up or down. The driveway was getting narrower by the day. We finally saved up the money to get the repair done, and then couldn’t find anyone to DO it! :0(
“Big Joe” and “Little Joe” Comer work together in Greenwood and the surrounding area and have for years. Our friend Bud Nelson recommended them and they did a fine job, even having to work around Mother Nature, who was constantly bringing not only rain, but severe weather. We now have a really good base of the chat the city uses on the streets.
When we got that done, Little Joe told us about a man who works with them, Johnny, who calls himself “The Tree Man,” who could help us with all the greenery that was trying to bury us. He came, gave us an estimate, and was here the next morning working. He brought another man the second day (yesterday) and they finished.
I can’t believe this is OUR driveway. It looks so civilized! You simply drive down or up without bumping or being jostled from side to side. There is nothing scraping the truck on the sides or on the top. HOOORAY!
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance
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