Fitting In

          Sometimes the fit just isn't quite right, but I feel compelled to keep trying. That seems to apply to everyone, including cats.
          Mary Shelley has haunted the garage by day for a long time. She has had certain spots for hiding and sleeping. There has just been a major re-org in there, and her usual spots are gone or changed. She hasn't found new ones yet. She is out of sorts, but at least she hasn't bitten me about it.
          I have been out of sorts too. My web site is not doing well. Dave uses the computer to do actual work that has real income during most of the day, so my time is limited, as is my time to work uninterrupted. Nothing sells on eBay. The boutique at the quilt show was not successfull for me. I have looked into festivals, but the cost is so high that even if I had a good day, I would break even.
         I have to find a way to sell art where I am the one making the money. There are lots of ways to sell it where someone ese makes the money and I break even if luck is in the wind.
          The rain lasted longer this year, I have not started to batik, and with the garage re-org, I have to find the stuff first. I am way behind. The camp-outs and other activities are not helping, nor is the ability to work at home uninterrupted.
If I could just sell something, I could buy a laptop to load my software into and actually work, if I could work someplace else. Caffe Romeo closed and sold. It will re-open as The Litte Table some time in the future.
          My friend D is also out of sorts. I don't know how to help her. Maybe I feel that if I helped her, it would help me too.
          Yesterday, I put new link pictures on my site. I took out the buttons and put faces. Do you like it?

click here to go there

A little goes a long way.....

This swallow was sitting, but the camera scared her away. I think this is the female. I suppose I could look it up and find out.
Five eggs is a pretty good number. The nest is so close to the ceiling that I can't see in except to take a picture and look at it.

You can tell a lot about something from it's smell. Like if you can eat it.

D was at the indoor arena banding a horse for a show. She has braided for dressage, but this was different, for western pleasure competition. She had a mouth full of Braid Binders (that's what it says on the package). They are little rubber bands that come in different colors for different colored horses. I just needed to talk a bit after trying to ride Janow in the indoor arena.

He had so much energy that it was impossible. There were two beginners in the ring, so the outer edge by the fence was unavailable to use as a brake, and I couldn't ride him in a straight line because he would have just taken off, so I did lateral work and 10 and 8 meter circles and transitions. After a brief demo of how a dressage horse should NOT go, I decided to leave before I endangered the beginners. The beginners didn't seem to know enough of be afraid of us. I had gotten a round of applause from someone who hadn't had her first lesson yet and thought we were wonderful. That's OK, everybody starts there.

C was just finishing tacking up when I walked in after putting Janow away with his beet pulp and mucking out. I told D I had given up, Janow was just too pugnacious to ride. D was trying to talk, but had put too many Braid Binders in her mouth. It's the easiest place to put them because you don't have to reach or look for them when you have a teeny handful of hair attached to a figgity horse. C said "Be careful, don't swallow them! They're very.........non-nutritious? What's the word?"
"They're binding." I supplied. D tried to laugh around the rubber bands. C just gave me a blank look. So I just looked back. She finally figured it out. I don't know if she didn't laugh because she was embarrassed that she didn't get it right away, or embarrassed because it was SO OBVIOUS and she hadn't thought of it first. Or maybe she had but was too tactful to say it. I decided it didn't matter.
She rode up to me the next day and asked me "What was that word you used yesterday?"
All I could think of was 'binding' but she's a nurse and should be familiar with the term, so I just looked at her.
"You used it to describe your horse....pugnacious? Does that mean cheeky?"
I smiled and said it does. She smiled back.



One thing you learn with chickens as pets...a little regularity goes a long way. That's Chica Chicken in front, Paula Pullet in back. Sometimes they sit quietly for petting. Getting them both to do it at the same time is a little tricky. The amazing thing is that they like people.

The Sleepover

The 10th Birthday Party Sleepover was Friday night. It was pretty successfully. This is a Cub Scout Den that has been together for meetings and activities for years, so the group dynamics are pretty well established.

Seven boys came, but two could only stay for the evening, then go home. Memorial Day long weekend has family plans.

They played so hard. Everyone asked me what activities I was planning, but Joseph said they didn't get enough time to just play. At the Den Meetings, all the activities are planned and organized. So at the party, I just planned on letting them play. They had to be called to dinner many times, and came reluctantly. It was Round Table Pizza, which is generally a favorite.
A mom and a grandma stayed for dinner. Each guest was invited to bring a chaperone, in case parents wanted to become familiar with the house before leaving their child overnight, or in case they wanted to drop off a sibling and have a quiet evening alone.

When it started to get darkish, we went inside for cake and presents and goody bags. The presents included two Nerf shooters, and with the shooters Joe already has, there were enough shooters that everyone could have a shooter, so there was war. Yelling, screaming, running from room to room, and it went on and on and on. At 10:30 or so I got them to lay out the sleeping bags and I put in a Goosebumps DVD about a haunted house. I made popcorn. They were settling down. Then Dave put on a Halloween mask and shroud and wandered around the back yard in the dark. They saw him through the glass door and screamed like girls!
G kept saying "This is the best seep over ever!"

They tried to stay up as late as possible. Whenever someone fell asleep, they bugged him. Joe said B snored, so they shot him in the neck with Nerf bullets until he stopped, then he started right back up again. When G fell asleep, they took turns standing on him and doing the Macarena. He didn't wake up.

When I got up at 5:00, three boys were asleep sitting on the couch, never willing to fall asleep at all but unable to stay awake. We had pancakes and sausage with orange juice for breakfast. They were an interesting bunch to watch. R had speared a whole pancake on his fork and was eating it like a cave man. I said "R, would your mom let you eat like that?" (R and Joseph were in playgroup together when they were 2 yrs old, they know their moms know each other.) R said "Yes...........but she wouldn't like it." N would wipe his mouth all over the back of his hand, and then wipe his hand all over his clothes. I asked: "N, do you need a napkin?" "No." He did the wiping thing again and I said "N, you really should have a napkin." So he got one. He still wiped his mouth all over his hand but used the napkin to clean his hand.

B very methodically picked every stray crumb from his placemat and discreetly put it on the floor.
G cut his pancakes into teen tiny bits with his fork, then picked each on up with his fingers to eat it and wiped his fingers on his pants. He was sitting on the sofa later, picking his nose, and I said "G, do you need a Kleenex?"
"No." but he was looking at a booker in his fingers. So I asked "Are you sure you don't need a Kleenex?"
"I'm sure." I don't know if the booger eventually went on his pants or on my couch. I don't want to know.

It was sad when the first parent came at 10:00 for pick up.

Well, that's a deep subject.

Walking out the church doors today, Joseph announced: "Well, we got THAT out of the way!"

Horsin Around With Hoof Art Theme: Foals

Here is a vest I made for the Horsin Around With Hoof Art Theme. I haven't participated a lot in this group. I think they do a new theme every week! That's too much for me. But this one seemed like fun and I had an idea.


I made the vest and then added the collage. It's a size large. Machine washable.



The vest is made of all new fabric, the collage is a blend of new and vintage,some knit and home dec, and some ribbon and beads.




The fabrics are all sewn together securely by machine.

Most of this group are painters, so this project is different from theirs. I haven't quilt found out where I fit yet. My projects are always different from everybody else's






It's listed on ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZdoublecatbatik

The listing has a link to other items from the same challenge

Gobble

Finally caught two guys in the spring mating dance. They had quite a rivalry going! I didn't see any hens around, I think they got bored and left!They were making a lot of noise too, it's very loud "gobble gobble gobble!"
The funny part of the whole display to me is that this is a spring display. It started a little while ago and is almost done for the year. It is exactly OPPOSITE of Fall when all the school kids will drawing pictures of turkeys looking like this.

Now I have to go finsh my May Theme week project! We are supposed to list on ebay today! I dont know if I'll make it.

Hunt and Peck

These pictures are from May 2, they are growing so fast! I need to take new pictures, but I am a little bit behind. They have become very friendly, Paula especially. If I set her on my lap and pet her, she will sit down and just look around. Joseph usually holds Chica and he is not as patient with just petting, so Chica isn't either. I need to hold her more.

I am working on two challenges. One is for Horsin Around with Hoof Art and the theme is Foals. They don't call it a challenge, they call it theme week. Most of them work faster than I do. Most of them paint. I'm not a painter. It's pretty interesting, I'll put a picture if it in progress tomorrow, I hope.
The other is for Folk-of-Art-friends. Everyone is supposed to use the same doll pattern to make a project. Most of them are doll makers. I'm not, so my project is not really a doll. That should be interesting.



I also got involved with Cedara who is reading a book on handwritten correspondence and started a snail mail project on the FOAF forum. She said she'd put tips in her blog. I sent 11 snail mails already but am still waiting for the tips!

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.blogspot.com
Go here and see if she posted her tips yet!

Egg?

Well, after the fallen nest problem, I was concerned. I had to go on the camp-out with Den 2 and I worried about the swallows. Tuseday, it looked like they were sitting, so I brought my camera and took a picture. The nest is so high up it was easier to just hold the camera up high and then see what I got.
As you can see, they have one egg. It looks huge for such small birds!
"Oh, so your finally done?
It's my turn now.
What have you got to eat?"
A swallow came in to sit, so I had to take one more picture.

Camping Out

The Cub Scout Webelos camp-out at Fremont Peak started with a hike.

A steep hike. With lots of switchbacks.

Some people made it to the top.













Then we went back down and pitched camp at Doe Flats.

These guys are Jeremy, Neil and Joseph. I don't think they got much sleep. I had allergies and took Benedryl, so I slept fine.

They cooked breakfast on Mother's Day. The pancakes were for the scouts, the parents had bagels.

Many of the scouts wanted bagels instead. Safer, maybe. They earned actitvity badge credit for making the pancakes, not for eating them. That was good because there were enough pancakes left for the parents who wanted them, like me. I put cream cheese on mine.

The campout was really great. It was far enough out that we could not run into a town or zip back home for what we forgot, so there was a lot of sharing and loaning. I borrowed a walking stick and needed help with precarious footing on the hike. Having a spinal cord injury and a left leg that is asleep is normal for me, but a major liability in some situations. I loaned a flashlight because I had two and somebody forgot to bring even one. I gave Benedryl to another parent who would otherwise have had to go home.



Tomorrow, I start adding some new things!

Growing

This picture was taken last Sunday. They are interesting pets. Really getting tame. If you dit them on your lap they will sit while you pet them, and shrip quietly. But...they have to BOTH be there. You can't separate them!


They are kind of like the Wal*Mart version of parrots. "Rolling back the prices" Parrots, $1.50

Webelos Campout at Fremont Peak starts this morning. We are there until tomorrow at about 11:00 am. Only one paretn may go, but I parent must go. That is me. I'm not taking a project to work on. I'm hoping my roll will be primarily ornamental.

Swallow disaster yesterday. I was ready to cry. I was riding Janow, and came back to see the nest on the ground and the parents screeching. I untacked quickly and then gently put the nest back up, with a wad of duct tape betweent the nest and the platform. It wasn't down for long because it was intact when I left on my ride---maybe gone 40 miutes or so.

The parents flew away, but eventually came back. One was in the nest fixing the linning, the other was looking on.

No eggs yet, at least. It was lined with dark horse hair-so not Janow's, and feathers of larger birds.

Nesting

I took these pictures in Janow's stall yesterday morning. The two were flying in and out a lot, taking turns and making a lot of noise. I think the mud phase is finished and now they are lining it. Janow is shedding like crazy, so there is planty of material to line it with.

There was another pair that picked a spot along the same wall, but I think there were territorial problems and they left to find another spot.

Denise says she has a pair nesting in Dodger's trailer. I hope Dodger doesn't have to go anywhere until the babies are out!

more shirts

Here are more shirts in progress, these were not done yet when these photos were taken.

Design wall

Here are some of the sweatshirts I am working on for the Country Store at the Legacies of Love Quilt Show in May.

My neck feels better today. Sunday, I was tying blocks of wood near the ceiling in Janow's stall for swallows to nest on. Last fall, all the stalls were rebuilt and the new ones don't have any ledges for swallows to nest on, but the same swallows came back to nest in the same place they always have.

They seemed pretty upset, so I scrounged some wood pieces to hang as nesting ledges. Tying them up near the ceiling just about killed my neck, but I got three up. Yesterday, the birds were definitely checking them out, though I could not see any nest building evidence. I will keep watch.


Chica and Paula are growing fast! They hate to be out of site of one another. Chica, the Brahma, is supposed to be the better breed for human freindship, but, while she began as the easiest one to handle, she hasnt inproved much. Paula, the Plymouth Rock, has changed a lot. I can hold her surrounded by my hands and she will fall asleep, all the while Chica chirping fantically. Chica is a real chatterbox.

Paula Pullet and Chica Chicken

Here they are.

They are growing fast. We are holding them as much as possible so that they will be easy to handle. Maybe. Jospeh is helping a lot.

I am hoping they will be more effective than pesticides in the garden, or insecticidal soap that makes the vegetables taste soapy. We have snails, earwigs, cabbage worms and tomato worms.

Right now we have a crop of mosquitos that is phenomenal. I have to look over the fence and see if the nieghbors pool cover is full of water. If it is, I have to walk around and talk to them, or call the West Nile Virus authorities. Mosquitos are usually not so prevalent in Milpitas!

I am working on Primiitve sweatshirts for the Country Store at Legacies of Love Quilt Show. I ordered frames for many of my batiks too. And I'm trying to learn GIMP.



Quilt show info is on my web page, the first page, as well as pictures of my entries. Four quilts and a 'doll'. ust click on the red-yellow-orangy DOUBLECATBATIK banner, it's a link.

Chicken!

I got "Key Search" done just in time, stitching the sleeve down at about 6:30am. Then I put the paper label for the quilt show on it. Those labels come one to a page, with a reciept for the quilt that is signed by the quilt show official who takes your quilt. I had misplaced the receipt for "June Four Patch," but I figured I could Xerox a new one, if I could find a blank one to copy. It's one of those little things that you count on being easy to resolve at the crucial time.
So on I went, to sew the label onto "Sue Crack's Up." I thought I had done it already, but there was the label, filled out and ready to sew on. But....There WAS a label on "Sue," it was the "Coniferous Child" Label. So I took it off and sewed the "Sue" label on "Sue." Then I took the "Coniferous" label to sew onto the "Coniferous" quilt.......That's tight, you guessed. There it was, the RECEIPT for "June Four Patch" sewn on in place of the "June" label. I got it all straightened out, but I think I had to remove and re-apply nearly every label.

The turn-in location for south Fremont was Sisters 'n' Stiches quilt shop, which I had looked for twice but never found. It's a new shop. I didn't have a lot of faith. It is in a sort-of-rebuilt werehouse. I found it this time. It is very small, packed with fabric. A very sood selection of the lighter values, which the much closer Fabrics 'n' Fun is lacking. So, of course, I bought fabric. But I only bought for the Charm Square Exchange whcich was comming up and I ended up playing hooky on it anyway.

Now I have a lot of work to do getting ready for the Country Store at the quilt show. I Downlaoded The Gimp Photo Editor Freeware and got a new printer and some photo quality blank greeting cards with envelopes. Now I have to learn that.

Yeaterday, there was sun, so I went to Concord to get hay for Noble Steed. An hour away, remember? And can't go in the rain becuase the hay will get wet and then mold. Well.......They had chicks there, cheeping and scratching under the heat lamps, so I got two pullets. and some starter scratch, and a water reservoir. Not to mention three kinds of horse wormer and another box of Rounders Horse Treats. And a few cans of cat food that Mr.Picky Eater has never seen and so has never rejected.

I am hoping that my 9 year old son's friend calls today. He has had the whole week off school but has not been able to get together with any of his friends. Many of them go to different schools that do not get his week off for Spring Break, they got last week. People are really bad about getting back to kids or making commitments and following through. Grown ups seem to have no problem standing up little kids. Of course, that teaches their own kids a great lesson too. A promise is only good until something better comes along. Grrr.

Closer Still

Just finished putting on binding at 6:57am. Now I have to sew down the sleeve by hand, and snip loose threads. There are a lot of loose threads! I think I'll make it...........maybe............

Down to the Wire

Yet another photo of Key Search in progress. The deadline for this quilt to be done for the show is April 13th. It's already entered and the paperwork submitted, but I am still quilting the top, and haven't even cut the binding or the sleeve! Will I make it?

The quilting pattern and colors are very interesting. I'm glad I picked white for the backing. I backed Merry Horses in white, with red quilting, and it was very striking. It was up in Ohlone Arts during the Misson San Jose Outdoor Quilt Show last year. Flipping it around to the back surprised everyone who saw it.
(You can see it on my website. Just click here On the picture of it)



Key Search has the quilted image of five antique keys hidden in it. My intention was to sell this quilt, but the more I work on it, the more I like it. I think I will keep it for my own bed......

Ring Bling

My friend Chris sent me this website. This is something I never thought of! It's worth checking out.


CJs
Phone
Jewelry

Horse of a Different Color

Janow slept in poop. Horses do that. Since he is white, the poop left some very visible green stains. I showed the stains to Jay, saying "Someone swapped my Lipizzan for an appaloosa!"
Jay replied: "That's not an appaloosa, that's a crapaloosa!"
He has three white horses, he should know.

Lost

I had battery problems in the car this week. I had to drive a bit to increase the charge. We, 9yr old Joseph and I, started at the library. We took Calaveras to 880 North, exited Dixon Lanidng and went East. Passing Mill Creek Apartments, we turned left on Milmot. We passed the park with tennis courts and playground, the into some new attractive single family homes with zero lot lines, over an aquaduct and into a business park. Huge square builings, combo office space/wearhouse/R&D, all uniformly landscaped. I said, "Wow, look at this! I didn't even know it was here!"
Jospeh replied "I did. Denise got lost here."