POST BY A GHOST

   Yes, it HAS been a while since I posted. And it isn't really KAI posting right now. It's - for lack of a better description - the GHOST of Kai. I loathe being 'droopy' and as I look back at some recent posts, I have been EXACTLY that. Forgive me. Please. A lot has happened. Little, annoying things. Bigger, troubling things. HUGE, painful things. I have, since Thursday of last week, lost 3 very dear and special friends. First my friend Laura, one of the 4 senior coffee club ladies who met at Barnes and Noble daily. I have seen and interacted with all 4 every Thursday for the past 3 years. Laura had been feeling ill for about 2 weeks but thought it was a 'bug'. It was a very fast growing cancer, and now she's gone. Yesterday, I got a call from Mavis, one of the three senior ladies I 'adopted' last November from 2 nursing facilities to share Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those 2 holidays turned into pretty much every other weekend. What characters - wonderful, funny, loving characters. Mavis called to let me know that Rosa died suddenly - a heart attack, the doctor said - at 9 A.M. Two hours later, Martha tripped going to the communal room and somehow managed to hit her head really hard. They took her to the hospital immediately, but she was in a coma. The doctors don't REALLY know why, but when they took her off the machines at about 12:45, thinking she was lucid, she went into cardiac arrest and died. Two unrelated heart attacks. Two precious ladies, close as blood family, gone in a blink. I am SO beyond sad. My first thought was that, despite being pretty depleted right now (I'm having a bad Lupus flare brought on AND made worse by all the other stuff that's been going on) Mavis was going to need me right now. But she said she is going to visit a friend of hers in New Mexico. It had already been arranged. Didn't even know she HAD a friend there. I checked with the nursing home to be certain that was true (I was worried that she may not want to burden me right now) and it IS. Apparently Mavis goes there EVERY summer. So, I am going to de-stress the only way I know how. I'm leaving for Oklahoma to stay on the rez with my great aunt. Will go Friday morning and return September 11th. Truth is, I'd LIKE to stay longer, but I'll have editing coming in on the 13th (an unwanted but needed birthday present - whee) so I have to come back then. My great aunt has no internet (almost NO one there has it) and no phone. I'll have to go to the tribal council building to call and check on my housemate twice a week. I hope this will calm me enough that I can return in just under 17 days with a genuine smile, a sense of peace, and a plan to continue unstressed. Lupus and stress are NOT a healthy combo. I wish each of you a wonderful couple of weeks, and I will miss you!     

GIVING AND RECEIVING: IT'S A GOOD THING!

Recently, between my already pretty busy daily routine and the unusual chaos around here (nothing major - just a lot of STUFF) I haven't been able to create a lot. Now, for those of you who DO create things, you KNOW that can dampen spirits. We HAVE to get some 'play' time! So I thought I'd at least make a small gift for a friend's birthday. My friend Lee, one of the senior Coffee Club Ladies who meet at Barnes and Noble 7 days a week for a chat over coffee, is going to celebrate her 80th birthday on August 25th. I happen to know she LOVES knitted and crocheted things, and collects scarves. Sooooo ... because she's an absolute doll, I took a deep breath, pulled out the yarn, and dealt with the misery of hot yarn on my lap as I crocheted  her the scarf below. She prefers white, so I'm afraid it doesn't show up as well as I'd like. It's a mesh pattern, quite long, and has ruffles along one side and roses scattered halfway down. The roses are made and added after the scarf is completed. I know she will look lovely with it and will take a photo of her for posting if she chooses to open it at Barnes and Noble while I'm there on the 25th! Below are a few pictures of it rather scrunched up around the unattractive white head. NOTE: There IS no blue in it - just the bad lighting.

But what I REALLY want to spotlight is the AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS Goth doll I received yesterday from my swap partner, Kathie. OMG! I wish soooo much you could all see her up close! The detail work on this lovely lady is stunning! Kathie named her Ciera, Gaelic for 'Dark', and said she is a Shadow Walker who roams the night in quest of catching nightmares! Over her left hand (check out those fabulous FINGERNAILS, please!) she carries a dreamcatcher. And her companion? He's a fox who is also her spirit guide. Sionnach, she told me, is Gaelic for 'fox'. What she DIDN'T know is this: My sister's name was Shoshobi. In my language, that means 'Fox Child', and I believe Kathie has channeled my sister's spirit into this piece, making it EXTRA special to me. If you look carefully through the photos below, you will see that Ciera's cloak is reversible! The black side, worn during the evening has moon dust. The purple side she wears to blend in as she sleeps among purple flowers in the daytime. I love her story so very much! And this beautiful, beautiful doll is going to have a very special place in my house where I can see her ALL the time! What I love the MOST is the care and kindness and thought that went into creating her! Kathie, if you are reading this, a HUGE private thank you is coming as SOON as the electrician leaves later this morning! But I wanted to post this early because I'm just so thrilled to be able to spotlight Ciera AND Kathie's talent! In a word: WOW!



Don't know if you can see it, but the fox has a leash so Ciera can connect to him.



VIVIAN ROCKS!

LOOOOOOOOK at this!!!! Amazing or WHAT? Yep! Amazing!!! I received this wonderful swap package from my friend, Viv, in yesterday's mail, and despite having a broken A/C in 102 degrees, it made my day! Viv wrote me the sweetest message saying she knows I'm not a beachy, outdoorsy kinda girl, but she thought she would entice me to the beach via her Vacation in a Matchbox swap goodies! And she DID! I mean, REALLY? All these fun things for me? Kai is smiling big time! Just check out all the thoughtfulness & fun she packed into the box! WOW! Viv, you are the ULTIMATE sweetheart, and I am having the best time playing with all these goodies! THANK YOU TIMES A MILLION! LOVE YOU BIG OLD BUNCHES!

Box is beautifully decorated with pretty paper, a pink flower & shells, and a gossamer ribbon. It's filled to the brim with lovely seashells! Then there's the card (which I cherish because of what she wrote to me) a COOOOOOLIO notepad, pen, & note cards in beach theme, a BEACH BALL - yes! How fun is THAT? Also the cutest pin cushion you could ever imagine in seawater blue, with a pink flamingo & seashell pins! And - try not to be tooooo jealous - LOL! - raspberry lemonade mix with a whisk AND ... get ready ... TAFFY! Yummylicious! I adore, adore, adore taffy! Below, you will find close-ups of everything! ENJOY!!! 

YAWWWWWWNNNNNNNN!

Today is Thursday, but it FEELS like it should be AT LEAST Sunday! LOL! It's been a VERY busy week, and one with a whole BUNCH of extra have-to-do stuff. Yesterday, I had to accompany my housemate to a late-afternoon appointment with the eye specialist because I knew they would dilate his eyes, and I figured I'd better be available to help him get home in the rush hour traffic. The heat - it was well over 100 - was NOT our friend in that unairconditioned car, and by the time we got home after 6, we were both about half sick from it. Good side of that - neither of us even CONSIDERED eating, so no cooking! YAY! At any rate, today I'm PDT! (Pretty darned tired!) Soooooo ... I am planning to indulge in ... well ... a little self indulgence! HAHAHAHA! I'm telling you this because, altho' I caught up with ALL my emails last night, including those from clients, I JUST finished scrubbing the house up one side and down the other, and came to cool down while I checked the computer. Eeeeeks! I think my email EXPLODED overnight because I was STUNNED to find exactly 81 NEW emails in my box - all asking me at least 1 question. So here's what I am going to do. I HAVE to answer clients (23 of the emails) and I will (OF COURSE) respond to my best friend because she's still grieving and needs me right now. To all others who read this and may have asked me something, I would like to beg your forgiveness because I am going to give myself a break and - unless there's a question that really NEEDS answering asap (and I didn't see any but I'll check once more) I'm going to delete them. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by life and need to play. I think a LOT of that has to do with the fact that my housemate is retired & underfoot 24/7. Even after 3 years of BEING retired, he has ZERO idea how to entertain himself. Don't get me wrong - Ray is the sweetest guy ever, and I'm GLAD he got to retire!!! Sadly, I'm NOT retired and I work at home (editing) often for up to 14-plus hours a day. So I have to be on the computer a lot. And most of you know, I have a real problem sleeping. At any rate, I'm just saying that if I fail to answer someone and you REALLLLLLLLLY need an answer, write again, and I will reply! Otherwise, I've decided that until - well, until you SEE me in your inbox - LOL - I'm here, checking blogs (and commenting) and being a bum. My editing IS caught up and I won't get any new 'scripts until Monday (YAY!) so here's my plan:  finish crocheting a cotton cover-up sweater for one of the coffee club ladies at Barnes and Noble who will turn 80 on the 25th of this month, read, read, read some more, catch up on some of the umpteen tv shows I've recorded but not yet had a chance to watch, work on family cookbooks for my sweet new granddaughter-in-law AND my older granddaughter who's getting married in December, and NAP whenever I WANT to. Lazy, huh? But the truth is, usually when I 'take a break' of sorts, it's to go somewhere where I'm needed for some reason, or to concentrate on editing. I SAY it's to rest, but I rarely end up resting. This time, I AM going to! I have to. I've been passing out quite a bit lately. Okay. More than quite a bit. Lack of sleep - HEAT! Now I think I'll go check some blogs because I have FINALLY cooled off after the cleaning marathon! Again - forgive me if yours is one of the emails I don't answer. I waited to do this until all my swaps were done and I was sure everyone was going to GET a swap box. I WILL ask my Goth swappers to remember and send me photos of their dolls (Chirp and Jen already did) so I can PROUDLY post them on my 'picture parade' next Friday the 12th! And with all that said, I will leave you with this link (below) to a video which had me laughing so hard! I hope for those of you who haven't yet seen it, it will crack you up, too! BIG HUGS FROM THIS TIRED OLD COMANCHE!     


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RP4abiHdQpc