Survival, Field Trip

I survived the week. Had an an appointment on Wednesday that I had forgotten about, but my Monday appointment made my Friday appointment unnecessary, so I keep the vet one and canceled that one. Friday, Joe and I ended up walking to the vet to pick up fluids for the cat. Dave was going to do it, but decided at he last minute that he couldn't make it(surprise) so Joe and I went. But, backing out of the driveway, the Contour brakes sounded so bad I decided not to drive it, so we walked. Well, I walked, but Joe rode his scooter. It was a nice outing for him, and I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so tired.

The field trip Thursday was fun. We went to La Petit Trianon in San Jose. It's a hall set up for chamber music. We saw five musicians playing brass, with one percussionist. They played each instrument separately so we could hear the sound, and then played pieces ranging from Bach to Swing.
Whe we were getting ready to go from the parking garage to the theater, the kids were playing and I notice Jeremy appeared to be eating dental floss. I asked him what he was doing and he said floss was good. Are you eating it? No, he wasn't, he said, but Jospeh swallowed his. Not knowing the extent of my authority, I told the teacher what was going on and she confiscated two packs of floss.

Yesterday, Joe's Cub Scout Den went to the Haunted Miaze at Ardenwood Farms. It's a huge maze in a corn field. We did it in the dark. There were employees dressed in scary costumes who would surprise you as you walked through. http://www.hauntedbay.com/reviews/ardenwoodmaize2004.shtml

Neither of my auctions on eBay got any bids this time. I relisted the window stars. I'll relist the stuffed stars tonight.

What a Week!

I really do try to keep things manageable, but sometimes it's impossible. Today I see a new Dr. in Walnut Creek, about 1 hr away. I can't pick up my son after school or take him to our regular McDonald's Monday that we have done for 5 years now. It's a tradition. My Appointment is at 2:00. If I need tests, I hope I can do it today while I am there.
We had to move out of our tack boxes and into the new smaller ones this weekend. We have until Friday, but Dave can only help on weekends and he wants to salvage the old one, since I own it. Everything is a mess. I have to organize.
Tuesday the horseshoer comes. Janow needs shoes badly because I could not even squeeze in a phone call to the shoer who is not the regular one. The regular one is layed up with a broken arm. He could have shod Janow on Saturday, but the vet was comming and I had to rush from Joseph's Faith Formation class to the barn to meet the vet! So Janow is being shod on Tuesday. The vet wanted to float Janow's teeth but didn't have time, how about Monday? Nope, Dr. When will I be done with that? Well, without my book, I can't even remember what time I'm supposed to be there. Tuesday? Horseshoer. Hope isn't not the orthodontist too. I'll have to cancel if it is. Wednesday, Dr Chakravorty. Thursday I am driveing Joseph's class on a field trip. Friday? OK, vet on Friday. But I have another appointment then. I am trying to call and find out if I can move it. The right person is not there. They can't call back and leave a message other than "call me back." Cell phone doesnt work at the barn and I can't have it on in a med facility where I will be this afternoon. I don't like to talk on the phone and drive at the same time.
Our cat is still sick. We will have to put him to sleep. Ift the small animal vet will not give us the injection to do it at home, the horse vet will. I won't take him to the vet again, he hates it. He has been a good cat, he deserves to go at home. That is why I have to move a Dr. appointment Friday instead of the vet appointment.
I have a sinus infection. It gives me a headache.
Oh yeah, laundry, vaccuming, cooking, grocery shopping and two listing on eBay.

Crocodile Card

Here is an art card I recieved as a gift. I love t and wuld have paid money to own it. Lucky me! The artist, James Kelley, is young, but old enough to have outgrown imagination and courage in art. Most young children have these qualities, but most lose them as they grow up. James hasn't, and that is both wise and lucky.
Here is what he writes about his card:
"Meet little Cruncher....a rather harmless looking, dapper Crocodile. Sure he is. Yet he has an odd secret. Cruncher once had an old granny name "Great Granny Sue", the biggest gator in all of the swamp. Unfortunately, Granny passed away a few months ago, leaving all her possessions to Cruncher. Cruncher was depressed at the death of his Granny, and wanted a way to remember her. Then he had the thought, "Why let such great leather go to waste?" Cruncher now has a new pair of alligator leather shoes and briefcase to go with them."
James occaisionally sells his art on eBay using his family's seller name Raskelley, and in Folk-of-Art under the name Hand-Me-Downz.
The link to Folk-of-Art is here in this blog.

Lulu Loved The Moon

Here is an art card I want to share. I took a picture of it in full on sunlight. Art cards are difficult to photograph. I have my best luck outdoors in the sun. Mid day is best, but I went out at about 8:30am and the sun was at an angle. This card made shadows, so I moved it into the shadow of my house and took additional pictures. The shade one is a good picture, but the sunlight one has the light hitting the faux gem. Which do you like!

I won this card on eBay from the seller My_enchanted_expressions. That turns out to be two people. I realized, in my meager collection, that I did not have any collage. I've never been a big collage fan. I guess that goes back to the olden days when Ggirl Scout leaders couldn't think of anything else so they gave us all Elmer's Glue and construction paper, and some beans.

Woopy.

Surprising because I like quilts and those are collage. I guess I have some aversion to the word 'collage.' Maybe it's too much like college.

But when this card came, and I opened it, I was very happy! The contrast in visual textures is amazing! Here she has created depth, not by colors and values and shapes and prints, as quilters try to do in quilts, but by glueing actual bumpy stuff on. I never would have thought of that, which is funny in retrospect. Of course, it's not really recomended for a bed cover that you want to sleep under and launder.

If you like it, search the seller My_enchanted_expressions on eBay. You can have a groovy thing too!

B Swap Art Trading Card

I participated in an art card swap. We had a B theme. All cards had to be B stuff. Each person who signed up made a card for the person who signed up right before them and received a card from the person who signed up right after them.

This is the one I received, called Beta Pair Courting. I like it because it shows something other than the solitary life in a tiny bowl that I see in aquarium shops. The ardor of the pair makes the water electric.

Maybe I should buy a fish.

This artist sells on eBay under the seller name Jedikn1. May the Force be with you.

Squirrel Fest

Seeking Peace

This picture is a peaceful one. It is to me anyway. This is my horse, Janow, eating.

After these past couple of weeks, I need peace. The craft fair, two quilts in Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, two trips to the dentist, beloved Ferm in the vet hosptial for 5 days, an MRI and blood test way up in Walnut Creek, Buying hay in Concord (each place a one hour drive).

My husband announced Friday afternoon that he needed to get a birthday gift for his mother. Friday evening he said it had to be mailed no later than Monday. I said, OK, it has to be mailed on Monday. He replied no, no later than Monday but it could be sooner. Well, since we don't have the gift and the post office is only open in the morning on Saturday and closed Sunday, it can't be earlier. Oh. He always waits 'til the last minute but he's in denial. I'll get her something very nice at the trade fair when I go to the quilt show on Sunday.

I've applied to join the artist co-op Folk of Art. See my favorite links.

Art Trading Card

This is another art card in my collection. It was a gift from the artist, Erin. This is what she says about the card-Ardie Anteater....exterminator. Got Bugs? Call Ardie! This guy doesn't need any special equipment, no toxic chemicals, no muss, no fuss...With a quick swoop of his tongue, Ardie can clear your house of any creeping, crawling pest...and get a FREE LUNCH at the same time!
Personally, I like his the tongue!

Check out other stuff from her family: search ebay seller Raskelley, or http://www.hand-me-downz.com/

Quilt Card

Here are two more art cards from my growing collection. They are both by Katriona, and I received them as gifts. Can you believe the detail on the one she called Baby Feet? Wow.
Being a quilter, I especially like Love because it is "patchwork" and has visual texture just for the sake of texture.
If you want great cards like this, search eBay seller art_katrionag

Halloween Art Cards

These art collector cards are all 2.5x3.5 inches. THey are fixed to heavy watercolor paper and plasticized, so they are about as hefty as a credit card.

Halloween picture

Here is a halloween batik I made. This is how it looks when it is in a window, lit from behind. If the lights were on at night, this is how it would look from outside. During the day, it would look like this from inside.

The other picture on the right shows how it looks with normal light from in front.

It's called Stack O' Jacks.

I will have itm and the other one, at Indian Hill on the 8th, but I wont sell it there because I put it up for auction on ebay. The auction ends Saturday, October 8th, at 6:00pm PDT. You can find it by searching FOAF. (It's item 7354894474)

You can also find some batik Jack O' Lantern art cards by searching FOAF, or ACEO. They end this weekend too.

Halloween Picture

Here is a batik I made for Halloween. There are two pictures of it here. The one on the bottom shows how it looks with normal lighting. The top one shows how it looks in a window with light comming from behind. If you had it in your window at night, this is what trick-or-treaters would see. I love it, but I put it up for auction on ebay.

It's called Candlestick Jack.

The auction ends Sunday, October 9th, at 5:30 PDT. Item 7355197546, or search FOAF

Middle of Nowhere

Here is one of my Art Cards. I have recently begun collecting these as well as making some. They are 2.5x3.5, like a basaeball card or a Pokemon card. This one is original, done by hand.

The reason I like it is that it says so much. This is how it feels to be lost, physically, emotionally. I think anyone who looks at this card will remember a time when they, too, were lost. If you've been stood up for a cup of coffee and chat at a cafe, or a hot date. If the teacher has explained a math problem and it doesn't make sense. If you've been reading up on mutual funds........

The amazing thing is, this artist, Amy, is only 13!

Her mom has an ebay store:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Art-Katriona

and regular auctions with the seller name art_katrionag

Patch Bun

Also at Indian Hill on the 8th of October:

This bun is made from flannel, foundation pieced onto cotton. She is stuffed with polyfil, not stuffed hard, so she is nice and floppy. Her eyes are made of ribbon stitched on so that a small button shape won't come off in and choke the curious. Machine washable, tumble dry for a clean and upstanding lifestyle. She comes from a rather large clan of brothers, sisters and cousins.

Merry Horses Quilt

This quilt is 71 inces square. (Six feet is 72 inches.) This is one of te things you can see at Indian Hill, on October 8th.
The back is white, quilted in red thread. Very striking.

This is Fermi

This is Fermi. AKA Ferm The Germ.

It doesn't look comfy here, but from this vantage he has a good view of his food dish, in case anything lands in it, as well as any surrounding activity.

Today, he is at the vet for teeth cleaning. That means he couldn't eat breakfast. He has had some bad reactions to either teeth cleaning or annual vaccinations or both. We are a little bit concerned. I can pick him up at 5:00.

He's been a good cat for thirteen years so far.

I made pumkins!

Here are some of the pumpkins I made from a pattern I got from my friend Mary. She lives in the desert and says this is the only kind of vegetables she can grow!
You can see these at Indian Hill on te 8th.
I had a great time making these and learning about needle sculpting. One of the things I learned is that it gives you calluses on your fingertips.
If you want to try this pattern yourself, it is called Grubby Pumpkins 2. Mary sells it at her ebay store:
http://stores.ebay.com/AntyMs-Garden