FLAMINGO PINK WITH A TWIST OF GRAPE, BABY!

For several days I've been working like a madwoman on a going away for the summer gifty for a darling hoot of a lady I met a year back at Barnes & Noble. B. Ann is NOT a spring chicken, but her spirit is about 16! I just love her. She makes me laugh all the time. The other three ladies - also seniors - who meet her there daily for a half hour to an hour of coffee and chit-chat are long-time friends. WONDERFUL people, all 4. Well, each year B. Ann goes out of state with her hubby to their summer home from May 1 till the day after Labor Day. I'm REALLY going to miss her 'cause she's a character! But I learned of her passion for - of all things - FLAMINGOS. Had to make her one. And let me tell you, this was a pain in the booty. Not hard, just extremely awkward to hold as I worked. The muscles & joints in my hands are PAYING for this. But, as much as I am NOT a fan of flamingos, I rather like this odd critter in her bikini, sandals, sunglasses, and sun hat. LOL! Here she is, plopped unceremoniously in my office chair. Hope B. Ann likes her. Do you think she will?


CHECK OUT THESE LOOOOOOOONG SKINNY LEGS!


HMMMM ... SHE APPEARS TO BE RIGHT AT HOME IN MY CHAIR!

HOW ABOUT THAT FRONT VIEW? THE DARK SUNGLASSES KEEP HER INCOGNITO SO THE PAPARAZZI WON'T TAIL HER!

A CLOSE-UP SIDE VIEW OF THE HAT THAT EXTENDS TO HER NECK. HEY! I JUST MADE HER THE WAY THE PATTERN DICTATED.

I still have a crochet project in the works, but it's considerably easier AND there's not a deadline so I can relax and enjoy it! Think I may wait a day or two ... all of a sudden I have the urge to slather on a lil' sunblock, grab a lemonade, and head for the beach.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7!

I was tagged today by a new blogging buddy, Maria, of http://agreatdealofnothing.blogspot.com/ who said those tagged should tell seven things about themselves; things you don't know! I am TAKING the challenge, but you all know a LOT about me because I am pretty doggoned open! However, let's see if I can come up with things you may NOT yet know.
I LOATHE, HATE, DESPISE, DEPLORE TALKING ON THE PHONE. Really! I'd rather be punched in the head!

One of my favorite foods (tho' I can no longer digest them - sigh) is oxtails. I used to wish my name was Aubrey. Tho' I STILL love the name, I don't know what I was thinking. How many Comanche AUBREYS do you know?

I adore Silverbacked Mountain gorillas, and wish I could watch them up close for hours and hours!

If I suddenly had a million dollars all to myself, the only thing I'd IMMEDIATELY do is get all my teeth yanked out (some meds I had to take in the early 90s destroyed my teeth) and have implanted choppers! LOL!

I have four finished novels, multiple short stories, and 2 plays in my file cabinet. I think I will be like Emily Dickinson & leave them to be found when I croak. That way, if no one likes them, I won't KNOW!

AND ...

I have a totally warped sense of humor & when I meet someone who 'gets' me - which, believe me, is SUPER rare - we ALWAYS end up being close, long-time friends.



Now, aren't you all just thrilled? Bwahahahahaha ... I'm pretty boring, huh? So I will just tag a few of YOU and let's see what we can learn in YOUR seven things people don't know about you! If you want to, you can post your answers on my comments section OR, of course, on your own blog!

Susan

Viv

Courtney

Angie

Chirp

Anita

and ANYONE ELSE WHO IS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE!

AND SO, MY DEAR BLOGGER FRIENDS, THIS POST HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NUMBER SEVEN!

BLOOM, BLOOM, BLOOM ...

WHAT??? Two posts in one DAY? Yes! I'm just SO HAPPY today. It's 82 degrees (anything over 50 degrees is WAY too hot for MY taste) but it's really beautiful despite that. I made a confetti cake and have a casserole ready to heat later. Went outside - my faithful sort-of kitty, Shadow, close behind - and picked some of the ripe fruits from the tree below. Now I must confess that I have NO idea what they are. They look like lemons but they aren't. You peel them quite easily & they have 4 large flat brown seeds inside. The flesh is lovely and tart but not TOO tart. I could eat them forever!

Then kitty and I went to the back yard in the garden where I took pictures of the veggies. I forgot to take a photo of the tomatoes. We have two large ones ripening & three smaller ones so far. Here are some peas. Can you see them?

We have peas - both regular English peas & sugar snaps all OVER the garden. Also lots of cucumbers which haven't QUITE flowered yet. Here are some of the English peas. Green beans flowering now! YUM!



And one of 6 heads of lettuce we've been eating from since - get this - NOVEMBER! They withstood even the SNOW. I'd say THAT'S a hardy variety of lettuce! Tastes good, too!
Now I think I'll go create a bit. I want to keep the spirit of this joyful day alive as long as possible! Happy Sunday, everyone!

GRANDMA KAI GOT A WONDERFUL GIFT!

What a glorious thing to find when I opened my email this morning! MY GRANDSON IS HOME FROM IRAQ! I realize these photos are really not in the correct order, but that's okay. HE'S HOME, SAFE, AND WITH (MOST OF) THE FAMILY NOW! Actually, I understand yesterday was CRAZY for my daughter, her fiance, my granddaughters, and Lil' Man! They were told to be at the airport by 11:30 A.M. for his 1:30 arrival. They, and all the other military familes, were going to be allowed to go out on the runway to greet the soldiers. They got there at 11:15. The plane arrived at 11:30 P.M.!!!! What a looooong 12 hours that HAD to have been!And the irony IS, after seeing their families there at the airport for only 1 hour, the soldiers were whisked away to the base (2 hours from there) for 3-5 days of debriefing. THEN they will REALLY be home! My daughter said it was MORE than worth it. One hour after a year's absence is HEAVEN. Here are the photos taken from her phone by Aaron, Leah's fiance.


Jake meets his nephew! I think they LIKE each other, don't you?





More bonding with Lil' Man!

This is my fave photo because my daughter is sooooo exhausted yet happy!

Not quite sure about this expression - LOL - but I could hug that boy to pieces!

The family: Jessica, Megan, Jake with Lil' Man, and Leah

I think Aaron must have taken this first & decided to get a better expression on Jake's face!

Told you these were not in order! This was of Lil' Man when they were waiting on the plane to arrive!

I'm so grateful today that my only grandson (and soooo many other sons, grandsons, fathers, husbands, wives, daughters, mothers, granddaughters) are back home. I hope they never have to leave again! And in JULY, I get to SEE them ALL - MY ENTIRE FAMILY - for the first time in 6 years. Yep, Kai is one DELIGHTED grandma this morning!

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED TODAY

Last night and into this morning, we here in Houston were supposed to have TERRIBLE storms. So said the meteorologists. We had NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH except for a mild cool front which pushed through early and took with it yesterday's oppressive humidity. I learned that meteorologists are, I'm sure, quite educated. So are their 'guesses' re: the weather - educated guesses, that is. Hmmm. (Note: In this case, I'm GLAD they were incorrect.)

Saturday is my house-scrubbing day. I cleaned every INCH of this house especially well because both my housemate and I have finally finished with that virus/cold/and in my case, walking pneumonia nonsense, so I wanted EVERYTHING disinfected. I learned that having the house scrubbed and shiny makes me a great deal happier than actually DOING the scrubbing. But it was well-worth the effort. Smells and looks GOOD in here!

I was going through the Sunday paper just awhile ago (Ray buys it on Saturday mornings) and, in hurrying through it, ALMOST missed something that would really have upset me to miss. It was an ad for the May 4th performance here by The Gipsy Kings. Those of you who even REMOTELY know me are aware of my love affair with Gypsy music. The Kings got me started on that love affair. I am GOING. Ahhhhh! It will be my first time to see them live. I learned that if you try to rush through life (or ANYTHING) sooner or later you are going to miss something wonderful.

I made Ray a bologney sandwich & chips for his lunch. I have NEVER liked bologney or salami. But I thought, "Well, maybe I will like it NOW. So I made myself a HALF sandwich with just a bit of mustard. It was GROSS. MYSELF had said, "You KNOW you HATE this stuff. So why are you making you a sandwich, dummy?" I learned to LISTEN to myself.

And last night I wrote a quick email to my friend, Lucia - the author I was telling you about in the last post. I wanted her to know I am SOOOOOO excited that my books (two of her new one - a copy for me and one for my daughter) will be here at the end of this week. She wrote back and said she wanted to send me nameplates with her signature for them or I could send my copies & she'd sign them. I will write to her after while & tell her her writing is enough to make me happy; that her name on the book jacket alone thrills me because I KNOW how well she writes. There was a time I was so starstruck by the idea that LUCIA ST. CLAIR ROBSON was writing to ME, I didn't know what to DO with myself. I'm still HONORED that she writes to me. But WAY more than THAT, over the last 6 years, I've come to know her as a person, and consider her a friend. I adore her mommy (who's a doll) and hope Lucia & I eventually get to meet. I think we will! I learned that CARING about someone is infinitely more rewarding that having them on a pedestal.

About an hour ago our next door neighbor, Ricardo, was mowing his lawn. He and Ray always talk, I talk with him & his wife, Maria Elena a lot, and I am in love with their two sweet sons - both young men with the NICEST manners. They have fruit trees and insist we help ourselves to the luscious ripe fruits. We take them fresh lettuce from the garden, and if I make extra Spanish rice, I share so Maria Elena can just make the meat & tortillas for her meal. I took the boys cookies awhile back and made an extra unpeeled apple cake (my specialty) for the family. Anyway, I looked outside to see Ricardo cutting OUR grass! Ray went outside to tell him he didn't have to do that, and he said, "Our yards are small. It's good exercise." I learned a good neighbor is truly something to be grateful for.

Finally, I got brave (stupid) and decided to try a new endeavor. A friend's daughter recently had a birthday. She - the daughter - has a huge variety of interests & I wanted to send her something pertinent to those interests. So I bought her a number of lil' things that correlate with what she enjoys. I also decided to draw her (I have a photo) and incorporate her likes into the picture. I learned - okay, I already KNEW - but the drawing reiterated to me, that I CANNOT DRAW WORTH BEANS. I'll still send her my poor attempt. She's a sweet girl & I strongly believe she will forgive Aunty Kai's lack of artistic talent.

You know, although Martha Stewart really HAS taught me an abundance of things over the years, I have to confess I'm not a huge fan of hers. I've just seen her treat people in a condescending way far too often & that bugs me. But her catch phrase was always, "Learn something new everyday." Well, Martha, I still can't do a millionth of the things YOU can do, but I'd say I've learned a lot today. So there!

HOW DID I DOOOOO THAT?

Seems I'm forever buying books. I LOVE books - the weight of them, the cover designs, the smell of paper and print, the endorsements by authors and publishers, the familiarity of revisiting a much-read author via his or her newest book or the anticipation of 'meeting' a new writer, and most of all, of course, the thrill of what their contents will bring to me. So when people - even booksellers - tease me about my ... ummm ... prolific buying, I don't feel ANGER or EMBARRASMENT! No way! I feel smug. LOL! I always want to reply, "Yes, and for every book I buy & read, there's a teeny bit MORE knowledge and understanding that sticks to this old brain. For every book I buy, there's the possibility of a new FRIEND (character) who may stay in my head and heart. For every story about a place or time or situation I'm unfamiliar with, I will LEARN. And THAT gives me the desire to learn MORE. I love books. Not LIKE books. LOVE them. So this morning when I added my 'old buddy', Adriana Trigiani's latest novel to the ever-growing stack of books I read these past 3 months (I box them after 3 months because they have new designations and because - well - they FALL if I don't!) I had to stare at that tall stack! It's my height EXACTLY. 5'4". Since the first of February, I've read my height in books. Yes, that IS an odd way of seeing it. But it's accurate. Because I work for myself, I don't have nearly the time I'd like to have for reading & creating. I do my reading at night. And I dream of the time when I can stop editing, stop doing housework, stop cooking, and divide my days and nights equally between making things and reading books. Yes, I know that isn't likely to happen EVER. But you just never know. If I can read my height in books on budgeted time, I say ANYTHING is possible. How 'tall' is YOUR reading?

P.S. Please, note the photo of the book at the beginning of this post! My favorite author and cherished friend, Lucia, has written a new book which will be out at the end of this month. I've read ALL of Lucia's books and I've NEVER known a better writer or storyteller! I hope all of you will check it out either online or next time you're at a bookstore. Trust me, you won't be sorry!

MAKE NEW FRIENDS & KEEP THE OLD. ONE IS SILVER & THE OTHER GOLD!

See my post title? Do you remember that from your childhood? We sang it in Brownies, and I never forgot it because it's so true! Another truth reveals that some people come into our lives for a very brief time - never intended to stay around - but always making an impact because there ARE no accidental meetings. Some people come and stay awhile but eventually leave. Yet they never leave our memories. Others come and stay, becoming those we cherish and depend on. I've been VERY open about the fact that I don't believe we have to meet a person face-to-face to become true friends. My closest, dearest, most beloved & NECESSARY friend is someone I've NEVER sat with in person. Maybe I never WILL get to - tho' we both hope it happens! I met Jan Demetralis through 2 doll groups in 2004. From the minute we emailed, we both knew there was a special friendship waiting to happen. And it DID. We write to each other daily unless one of us is away or very ill. Even then, we send hugs and love multiple times & we both FEEL them! I TRUST Jan 100% with my deepest secrets, my feelings about everything. And here's a secret - well, it WAS a secret - most of you probably wouldn't guess about me - I don't trust easily. Been hurt WAY too often. But I trust HER! We share family stuff & KNOW each other's families! I LOVE Jan! I KNOW she loves ME! There are other friends I'm very close to - those I'd do anything for - ones of you I met through blogging. I suspect many of you have also experienced that with at least someone online. Today a NEW person commented on my blog. I followed her link & read HER blog. Her name is Maria, and I think we have a lot in common. Both of us are what some people call dreamers or, in MY case, sappy. LOL! I LIKE Maria. Check out the graphic at the top of my blog. That's something I copied from HER blog on a post about giving compliments to people. I hope you go and read it because I think it's wonderful! Her link is: http://agreatdealofnothing.blogspot.com/ and I will say right upfront that I don't think it's 'nothing' in the least. What a nice treat to 'meet' such a giving person! Made my day! Okay! I figure some of you may be wondering if I've just discovered marijuana or something (LOL!) after reading my last 2 posts, but the answer is a definitive NO. Trust me - I'm totally nutty enough without ANY HELP! I just feel happy when I read something that makes me understand I'm NOT the only one out here who sees people as I do. Now if only I could sing Kumbaya & cause the impending heat & humidity that's invaded Houston to turn into lovely cold again. Guess wishing doesn't make EVERYTHING so, huh? Well, that's okay. A girl's gotta try, you know!

HOUSTON TO NEW YORK TO EVERYWHERE AND BACK

Today I am promoting a friend's endeavor. Rebecca is a long-time blogging buddy and she has just begun writing a series of articles on budget crafting for The Examiner. The link directly TO it is longer than my arm, so I think I will give you her blog link and have you check out what I'm referring to. I read her article, subscribed to read her upcoming articles, got a lovely free crocheted scarf pattern with a simple & ingenious presentation, AND will be entered in Rebecca's giveaway! And for every reader/subscriber she gets, she ALSO gets PAID! That's a VERY good thing! LOL! But all those things are NOT the reasons I read it nor are they the reasons I am hoping all of you will go to her blog & follow the post to her article. I DID it because I really believe we should support each other as friends, as fellow bloggers, as crafters/artists. With all that said, here is Rebecca's blog link: http://thriftygoodness.blogspot.com/ . Go check her out! She's adorable and smart and funny (and her sister, Mandi, is pretty MUCH as goofy as I am! She blogs, too. Sometimes. When she THINKS about it. LOL!) BIG OL' HUGS to all of you today!

KAI HAS A NEW DOLLY! MEET MISS BETTY!

LOOK WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY! This lil' sweetheart was designed and made by my sweet friend, Angie Heldenbrand of Angie's Raggedy Patch! I saw her the very day Ang posted her and KNEW I had to have her! Isn't she Prim Perfection? You know, I want to BRAG on Angie because not only does she make the sweetest little Prim people, she is a VERY good business person! She is FAST, her items are absolute top quality, she prices things very reasonably, and she always adds a lil' extra - be it a sweet note or a smaller goody. I met Ang through the adorable Cindy Owens over at Thimbleprims Studio when she matched us for a Frog Doll Swap. Angie & I have SO MUCH in common it's almost eerie! But WONDERFULLY so, and I just love her! At any rate, I had to show you how RIGHT Miss Betty looks sitting on my shelf! Hope you'll go visit her blog & website soon! Even if you are not 'into' prims, you'll definitely get a smile from both her adorable creations AND her sweet & cheerful way of writing things! And, no! She has no idea that I'm writing this! This is NOT a 'paid advertisement' - LOL! - only praise for a truly nice friend and dollmaker!

MORE FUZZY SWEETNESS!

This morning my housemate, Ray, went out to water his plants and INSTANTLY Shadow started making himself known from outside the gate. Why, you may ask, didn't he just climb the fence & come on in the backyard like any OTHER cat would? Well ... uhhhh ... he doesn't DO climbing. For real. This cat is SO laid back it's crazy. I got my camera & we had us a good old photo shoot. Shadow was VERY cooperative. Of course, it helped that he was given a bowl of chow & a lil' can of Fancy Feast to appease him for all the aggravation the paparazzi caused. Here's the new love of my life! NOTE THE LAST PICTURE. He leaned back on Ray's garden shoes & shortly after I took this shot, zzzzzzzzz! Now I'M going to get aome zzzzzs 'cause while I am MUCH better, the cough is still bad enough to wear me out. Nighty-night all!

OHHHHHH, THE POSSIBILITIES!

YARN! How I DO love yarn! I bought this bunch of yarn a couple of weeks ago before I got really sick, and haven't felt like doing ANYTHING, much less creating. But this afternoon I am at least showing you all what I found that will (hopefully) soon be crocheted into various items. I know some of you can look at fabric and SEE it made up into a specific thing. Some of you can look at a piece of clay and visualize a finished object. I look at YARN and see it worked into things. Sooooo many possibilities! These particular yarns are intended for VERY specific projects. And the MINUTE I'm feeling semi-human again, my crochet hooks are going to be working overtime! I'm just curious - what do YOU see these being made into?

SOMETHING FUZZY, SOMETHING FLOURISHING & SOMETHING FUNNY!

It's Saturday & I had HOPED I'd be at least ALMOST well by today. HA! Well, okay! I am better! But it's been years since I had walking pneumonia and while I HADN'T forgotten the initial pain it causes before the congestion begins to break up, I HAD forgotten the horrible coughing (and subsequent misery) that comes with the getting better part. Arrrrrgggghhh! Can you tell I'm frustrated? I HATE, HATE, HATE being ill! Oh, I'm USED to Lupus & Fibromyalgia with all THEIR lil' tricks. Used to this shattered kneecap, too. Don't LIKE 'em, but I understand how to deal with them. But I REALLY don't desire any EXTRA aches & pains to go WITH them, so I'm a proper GRUMP.
On the UP side, I have some photos for you. Ray, my housemate, took all except the last one. Thought I'd share. Remember the little kitty we were feeding for awhile? The black one? Well, thanks to a strange turn of events, he's no longer around (nothing WE did - he had a serious disposition arrangement thanks to a neighbor boy who mistreated him.) So once again, we had no kitty to pet. As I've said, our landlady, sweetest lil' person ever, made it TOTALLY clear we are NOT allowed ANY kind of pet, inside OR outside. But we can't HELP it, now can we, if kitty-people come through our back yard & require a pat or two? This is Shadow. I call him that because that's JUST what he is! He follows Ray around the garden and even went WALKING with him one morning! He's LITERALLY the most laid-back, good-natured cat I've ever encountered. I LOVE him. So does Ray. He doesn't stay here (tho' we WISH he could) but he stays around the neighborhood and we - uh - sorta feed him.


That was the 'something furry' portion. Now for the 'something flourishing' part. Here's the rose bush, doing VERY nicely after a cold winter!

Beans, peas, cucumbers, radishes, and various herbs are coming along beautifully! You can't see it, but the ginger I planted last summer has lost its mind & grown so well! I don't think I'll EVER need to buy anymore!More plants!
Check out this lettuce! It's the REST of what we ate ALL WINTER LONG! It lived through the snow - TWICE - and several freezes. AND it's delicious! That's some seriously hardy lettuce!

I couldn't fail to add the tomatoes just starting to appear. Ray got a bit close with the camera so they look a bit blurry, but they SMELL great!

Finally, the funny part. I haven't felt like eating ANYTHING for DAYS. Hot tea and water are just about all I can handle. Well, Ray decided to be nice yesterday & NOT expect me to cook for HIM. (NOTE: THAT happened after I mumbled rather audibly about some people not having any consideration for the sick. LOL!) He went to a Chinese buffet - his favorite place - and brought me a fortune cookie. I couldn't eat the cookie, but I slid the fortune out. I nearly coughed myself silly when I read it! Here it is!

Now I'm off to fold some clothes - about the extent of my Saturday plans. Hope all of you are well, having a wonderful beginning to your weekend, and finding reasons to laugh!