Finally Made IT.....Yeah

2011 is almost over, and I can come out of hiding.....Tomorrow.

I will not miss 2011, it was a terrible year for us...it started out with losing one kitty and by Oct we had lost 3.  Rest in Peace, Sally, Ada Jane and Shadow.

A treasured friend died this year also and I am so tired of death.

For the past 18 months Al and I have dealt with death so much it is hard to think in a positive way.  It started with my mother's death in July of 2010, with Al's mom in Oct 2010, and it did not stop.  We attended many funerals for veterans and active duty military in the past year, and feel honored to have stood flag line, but saddened to have to be there.

After the hellacious term Al had in college this Fall, and struggling with health issues, I decided that after Christmas Day I was taking refuge in the house till the New Year.  I have not even poked my nose outside since then.  I didn't feel safe enough to push my luck this last week.  All I can say is that I am so lucky to have Al as my backup. 


I hope that everyone out there has a Safe, Healthy and Happy New Year and that 2012 will be positive for all.


Megan, Al and Gabrielle

Christmas Eve

Mom and Dad 1958

Christmas Eve is always a bittersweet night for me since 1977. 

I used to love Christmas Eve especially after 1960. In 1960 we were waiting for Santa with bated breath. It had gotten dark early that night, and my little brothers and sister were getting excited because Santa was due. He was really coming to our house.  We were all a little sad though, because Mommy and Daddy were not there.  Mommy had gone to the hospital to have a baby on the 19th.  Robert Paul was born, yet back then ( I know, the way back machine, women were allowed to stay in the hospital for about a week after having a baby)  Mommy was not going to be home for Christmas... at least that is what I thought.

There was a knock on the door, and when my brother opened it up, we had the delight of our lives. In walked Santa!  But the biggest surprise was when Santa walked over to me and handed me my Christmas present first.  Wrapped up in a Christmas stocking with a little cap was a beautiful doll, or so I thought at first.  It sure was a doll, a living doll, because Santa gave me a real baby, Robert Paul by name.  I looked into that beautiful face and fell madly in love ... and stayed that way forever.  I ran into my bedroom with him in my arms, and got out my doll crib to see if he would fit. He did.  Well I figured my Christmas was as perfect as it could be.  But it wasn't over yet.

Santa was being jolly and giving out presents to my other little brothers and sister, when there was another knock on the door.  The kids were so excited they fell over themselves to get to the door and were screaming with delight because in walked Mommy and Daddy.  As far as we were concerned we were in nirvana.  After we hugged and kissed them, Mommy asked where the baby was, and I asked her what baby? She said the baby, Robert Paul, that Santa had brought in to surprise us with.  I said you mean the beautiful living doll that was given to me for Christmas?  She said yes.  I told her I had put him down in my doll crib to nap while all the excitement was going on.  Mommy looked rather shocked and looked at Daddy who broke out in hysterical laughter.  Santa was cracking up too.  The little kids had no idea what was going on, just that everyone was happy.  Daddy asked if he could see my new doll and I told him if he was quiet he could see him.  He went to the bedroom and cracked up, Robert Paul was sound asleep in my doll crib (which was a handmade wooden crib that my grandfather had made me the year before, it was built like a rock).  Daddy asked if he could pick the "doll" up and I told how to do it safely, (support the head and put him in the "roock" of your arm).  My father had a wonderful sense of humor and humored me and walked into the living room with my "doll".

My father walked into the living room and started to give the baby to my mother, but stopped short and asked me if it was okay for Mommy to hold my "doll".  I told daddy "Don't be silly Daddy, Mommy made him for me."  I am not sure who laughed the hardest, Santa or my parents.  After some questioning my parents realized that I *believed* Santa when he said that the baby was my Christmas present.  After this realization they had to have Santa find my "real" gift, which was a baton, which I had wanted, *BEFORE* Santa gave me my "living doll".  I relented and let Mommy have the baby, on the condition she would share him, which she did till 1977.

Bobby 1966

Christmas 1966

On Nov. 2, 1977, my living doll, Bobby was killed in a car accident on the way home from school......I will never stop loving him and seem to always shed some tears on Christmas Eve for him,  My Mother told me that each Christmas Eve she would remember the lovely story of how Bobby came home.  She told me before she died, it was one of the most cherished moments in her life, because after all I was only 10 and trusted Santa and my parents, so believed anything they told me.  Mother said that the man who played Santa was a member of our American Legion and would tell the story for years afterwards.


Bobby loved his first Christmas story ....and so do I, even if it is bittersweet.  Bobby would curl up in the rocker with me and ask me to tell him the story every year...it was our special story.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas Eve story for themselves.

Fun Days

As I am downsizing all my things so we can move into assisted living, I came across an old photo album and started to scan some pictures in. 

Back in the days.....now I do sound old, don't I?  Back in the 70's I had a Girl Scout Troop, #185 to be exact, and had 25 wonderful little girls that I got to play with.  I was their leader with my friend Izzy, from Juniors till Seniors. You don't know PMS till you have 25 at the same time.

One time in 1980 Izzy and I decided to take the whole troop, family and some friends to the Detroit Zoo.  Now I know, "What the "H" were we thinking?"  So besides the troop of girls, we had a passel of others to go with us.  BUT, Izzy and I figured, there would be other adults along. How bad could it be?....Again, I know, "What?"  So youth has it's advantages, you think you can do anything.

So, we get to the Detroit Zoo, unloaded about 45 people, and started to break them into workable groups...but none of the girls wanted to go with their OWN parents, they wanted to be with Izzy and me....joy.  So we moved in mass, sort of like a large amoeba.  Then after we got part way through the zoo, the heavens opened up and dumped a deluge of rain on us.  Okay, so you would think we were going to turn around and go back home...No way, Izzy said, we can just go from one covered building to another.  We are "Girl Scouts", so we can handle this with ease.  Not sure at this point who might have wanted to kill her more, the wet parents or the girls. After looking at these pictures,  I am not so sure.  In fact, Izzy isn't looking too happy, as we found cover in the bird aviary and no one wanted to leave.


I so loved being a Girl Scout leader and have some very special memories with a lot of little girls I came to love very much.  They are all grown, many with kids of their own and a couple are already early grandmas...time sure marches on.

The one thing I will cherish more than anything is that in the picture is my beautiful sister Rose, my beautiful nieces Marlene and Michelle from Oklahoma, and my lovely, sweet and beautiful nieces, Nancy, Brenda and Becky. Plus my dear friend Izzy, with the clipboard survived the trip.

After the last few weeks I am so pleased to have come across these and many more pictures and will enjoy scanning them in to forward to the girls.

honor

Today Al and I were honored to stand flag line for SSgt. Vincent Bell at the funeral home.  It was a cold crisp day but we felt lucky we could honor this hero.  Tomorrow his memorial service will be at 11 am at the Renaissance Unity Church in Warren, MI.  Unfortunately it will be too cold for me to be outside tomorrow, so we were glad to be able to go today.

The United States Flag will be lowered to half-staff in honor of U.S.
Marine Staff Sergeant Vincent J. Bell on Monday, 12 December 2011. Flags should be returned to full-staff on Tuesday, 13 December 2011.

Bell, 28, of Detroit, Michigan died 30 November 2011 in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan while conducting combat operations.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Pendleton in California.

Bell joined the Marines in 2001 and was serving his second deployment.
He was a two-time recipient of the Purple Heart, awarded twice the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Commendation, three Marine Corp Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, three Iraqi Campaign Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

A wake will be held on Sunday, 11 December 2011, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the United Memorial Funeral Home in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, 12 December 2011, at the Renaissance Unity Church in Warren, Michigan.

        GOD Bless and Semper Fi!!!!! 


Some of the men and women that also stood for him...
Thank you all.

Rest in Peace SSgt. Vincent Bell and Thank you.

Shadow Rex Bouchard RIP

Today had turned out to be so sad.  Our beloved little boy, Shadow Rex, who was too sweet to describe, had to be ut to rest today.  Shadow was 18 years old and a beautiful Blue Maine Coon that we rescued from the street.  He had been on the street through two winters when we had moved in and he took a liking to me right away, the trouble was we already had two cats.  Al's mother decided to take him in and had him for a couple of years, but when she moved to a senior complex she only took one of her cats, Sally, because she was declawed.  We took Shadow in when we moved again.  He had been part of the our family for over 10 years.  The vet told us when he was first brought in that he was in pretty good health but don't expect him to last long, that was 12 years ago.

Our beautiful boy was starting to fail the last few weeks and even though we hated to make the decision, he had made a turn for the worse this morning.  We have always promised our animals we would not let them suffer just so we may spend more time with them.  When we adopted our babies we promised them to protect and love them and give them a kind life.  I hope we have stuck to our promise despite the heartache we feel.

I don't know why humans feel the need to have pets, and who figured out which of the animals would become man's pets, but I have always had one and thus have always had to make the hard decision as to when.

I have decided that being an adult is over rated and that I am sick of having to make decisions, and yes, I understand if I don't make the decision, someone else will and then I am stuck with the decision.  In less than 18 months Al and I have buried both our mothers and three of our cats, we are so done with death.  Plus we had a dear friend die.  We are so burned out we barely function at times, yet we try to help others.


I will miss my little boy, he always cuddled up with me for my naps and before bedtime.  Rest in Peace Shadow Rex Bouchard...................

A Beautiful Day

I woke up today breathing and on the blade side of the grass, so I know it is a beautiful day.
My hope is that everyone has a beautiful day today....

Enjoy.....


http://player.vimeo.com/video/27920977?title=0&%3bbyline=0&%3bportrait=0href= 

My Angel

Well this day started out to be so horrible that I was not sure I would make it. 

I woke up at 3am gasping for air, my bi-pap had stopped working.  My heart was racing as I was struggling to get some air.  My oxygen concentrator was plugged in so I could get my oxygen level up, but it was not working right.  Things were going downhill so rapid we did not know if I would live the next few hours.  My pulse ox had dropped to 82 and my heart rate was at 156, things were just horrible.  We think there might have been a brownout that blew my fuse.  I have been struggling for the past few days because of the exposure to carbon monoxide from the furnace, so did not need this bs.

I have a portable oxygen concentrator but it was acting up because it could not go to the 4 liters I was needing.  I just hoped we could find someone to fix my large machine.  That did not happen, my machine is over 10 years old.  
I was gasping for air till 10am and we managed to get me to up to 90 on my pulse ox, I told Al he could go to school and if I needed him I would call him.

Needless to say, our wake up was bad, high adrenaline to say the least. Poor Al was woke up with me gasping and begging for help.
After we got up and I could make some sense I started to trying and find a place for help. Whenever I could breathe a little I would call places trying to get my machine repaired, or rent one.  The trouble is I have no insurance and without it, can not rent. I put out calls to everyone that might know someone, and just kept calling and looking on line.  The company that I had bought my machine in 2002 was out of business.

I did have a repair man's card who had worked with the company that I had bought my machine, Gary had did the yearly maintenance on it until the past couple of years when I could not afford it.  I found his card after trying to remember where I might have it.  Gary did not do the maintenance on oxygen machines anymore, but said he would check around and see if he could find me a used one.  He called me back a couple of hours later and got me a deal of a life time.  He is my angel, without him I know I would not be getting through the night. 

He helped us with information on how to repair my Bi-Pap, so now that is working.  I can not sleep without it because of the Polio, my diaphragm is semi-paralyzed, so I hold onto my CO2 and turn blue.  Life can really suck for me when my equipment starts to fail me.

So if anyone needs medical repairs or equipment I want to give you Gary's card.

Not only did he find me a new machine, it had been completely rebuilt, he delivered it to our house and set it up.
Gary is our Angel....Thank God I was able to find him.

I have to go to the doctor tomorrow, need to find out why I am going sour......

Carbon Monoxide

Well I can officially state that my life has too many events in it.  I am so ready not to have any more excitement.

  The last couple of weeks I have been battling with a bad tooth and some really nasty headaches, which I figured was the tooth, but I was again wrong.

The weather has been so up and down that we never thought too much about our furnace, but we figured it was getting old and it was a trouble at times.  One thing that we found out this weekend was that we were getting carbon monoxide in the house and the pilot was out and we were getting gas in the house.  I had told Al a couple of times that I smelled gas and he could not smell it.


I know that I have been getting weaker and had really bad headaches and did not think it would be the furnace.  The trouble with having numerous health issues is that a person does not always pay attention to things around us.
Now that we know what is wrong, the furnace is shut off and we spent the whole weekend with the windows and doors open.  We will not be able to afford to fix the furnace so we are coming up with our electric heaters as a resource.
One of my nieces husband said he would check things out next week so we shall see what will happen.

If anyone is getting a lot of headaches and can't explain it, or feeling really extremely tired, make sure your furnace and hot water tank is vented right and the pilot is working, otherwise your life could end. 


So in the mean time I would like to opt out of any more excitement.....peace and quiet would be greatly welcomed.

William Edward

Today is my brother Bill's birthday, he would have been 56 today. 
I lost Bill in 1993, time has a way of getting away it seems.  Bill is my second little brother, he came into the world hard.  Mom said when he was trying to deliver the nuns, who were nurses at the hospital she was in, would not let him be born and tied her legs shut.  The nuns said Mom had to wait for the doctor.  As a result of his hard birth Bill suffered some behavior problems due to lack of oxygen. 
But I will say, he was beautiful as a baby and I loved to hold him and rock him.  Bill needed a lot of holding and rocking, he could not keep food down or sleep well, he was so sick his first year Mom was afraid she would lose him.  We lived in Indiana at the time and my father was away working for the railroad when Mom packed all four of us and drove us to Michigan to try and save her baby boy. 
It was a very difficult trip, we had no money and when the car broke down a stranger helped to get it back on the road.  Mom herself was sick and had 4 children, 10 and under she was trying to bring home to Michigan.  The weather was horrible and yet she managed by sheer will to get us home.  When we arrived Mom collapsed at Aunty Do's and my great-aunts took over.  It was pure divine intervention that she was able to get Bill to a doctor in Michigan in a timely manner, he was dying from an inner ear infection and it had traveled through out his little body. 
Bill always seemed to push the envelope all his life.  He escaped some horrible events and had some terrible side effects as a result.  Bill self medicated to get through his hell and when he came to live with us in 1992 I tried to help him, but he was too far gone to bring him back.  Despite all the trouble Bill gave me, I always will love him and cherish the few years I had with him.  He did not always have self control, and it was not always his fault, his demons were so hugh.
As I celebrated his birthday today, I hope he knows how much he was loved and cherished.
His one song we sang to him was ...

Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Oh, where have you been, charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife, she's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

 

Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink an eye,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/childsongslyrics/billyboylyrics.html

 

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cSQqCugnAhw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Happy Birthday Billy Boy.........

Rose Marie

Rose Marie is my only sister and she died today in 1989.........it is shocking to see how much time has gone by......
When she was born I was the happiest kid in the world, I finally got a sister...I already had three brothers and felt it was time.
Rose was born July 2nd and as a result for years thought the fireworks going during the 4th was for her..........especially after she was 3 and her big brother took her downtown to see the fireworks at the Detroit river.
Rose was a talented artist, accomplished horsewoman and loved living outdoors and experiencing the wild.  She lived for years in Alaska and raised some of her own food.  She also worked on fishing ships and hunted.  All in all she was a "Renaissance Woman".

My mother told me she did not know how she ended up with such daughters.  Mom said her daughters had "more balls" then her sons.
I do not know why my sister and I had such hard lives and why I did not have the gift of growing older with her.  When she was dying she told me that she wanted me to be her power of attorney and to fight her fights for her because she knew I would not fail her.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Because of our Mother being married to someone Rose did not trust, she did not want Mom to be put in a difficult place.  Like she told me, Mom would not be able to help her without backlash from her husband.  When I had to corner the doctor to tell us the truth, how long did she have.....would she live long enough for her brother's birthday on the 4th, the doctor did not want to tell me the truth.  Rose was in a coma at this time and both her brothers made it back home in time to say good by.  Her older brother's birthday was on the 4th of Oct, she died at 12:02am on the 5th of Oct., she hung in long enough so she would not die on her brother's birthday.  I guess Mom is right, Rose really had some balls.

I miss my little sister, I loved her with my whole heart and think about how lucky I was to have her for 32 years.  As I sit here crying because of how much I miss you Rose, I also have joy in my heart because I did what you asked me to do Rose and that is fight for your dignity.

So my little Rosey Posey Pudding and Pie, Thank You for being part of my heart and having blessed me for the years I had with you.

Quiet

As we were moving our living room around we managed to kill off our house phone, didn't think much about it till realized that there was such quiet going on.  It is funny but I find I am enjoying the silence more and more and have even considered getting the phone disconnected.  We have our cell phones and just shut them off when we are home, that way things are calm.  
I never realized how much I hate the phone till it was gone.  I had to be on call 24/7 when Mom was sick and the phone could ring anytime night or day.  I think that being on call like that made it impossible for me to sleep a full night for two years, and even a year later I still am on edge waiting for the phone to ring.
This society has become so accustomed to instant contact that I think people have forgotten about silence.  Silence is so under rated, it gives a person the time to breath, to enjoy the world around them and to think.  Now granted some people would think that that is hell, I don't.  In fact I think I am going to experiment with no phones, computers, texting or tv on the weekends for the month, I will see how this goes.....
Considering the total mess I have started in the house, I am going to need the time....

I hope you dance

 

 

This was sent to me by a cousin, such perfect timing after losing Theresa, I have been feeling very down......
'I Hope You Dance... '

This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend.

*The last line says it all. *

Dear Bertha,

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the  garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.

I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

If you received this, it is because someone cares for you. If you're too busy to take the few minutes that it takes right now to forward this, would it be the first time you didn't do the little thing that would make a difference in your relationships? I can tell you it certainly won't be the last.

Take a few minutes to send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that you're thinking of them.

"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance

Home

RIP My friend Theresa

 

I received this notice from Matt, Theresa's brother:

My sweet friend, one of my heroes has passed away, she was such a warrior and a champion.......Good bye my friend, may you soar now.

Sadly, Theresa A. Arini (Guarnieri) has succumb to the effects of Pneumonia tonight at 8:42pm. How do you say goodbye to your strongest ally in life, the sister who made your life meaningful? It's like a part of my soul has been ripped away. Please pray for Vince, the husband Theresa left behind. He's a good guy and made Theresa so happy through the years. He will need strength to continue on.

Fall

Well, if this morning is an inking, then Fall is trying real hard to raise it's head.  It was a bit brisk this am and is supposed to be colder tonight.  The problem is it is then going to warm up for a few days...can you say "allergy season"?

Was going to go to the library down at WSU today while Al was in class but my body did no want to cooperate so I am home again today.

Trying to teach myself more computer lessons on software that is so difficult, not to great at this self-learning, very slow at it.

My book writing is somewhat stalled, just trying to get all the information in an orderly manner is taking so much time.  I guess I should not be surprised though there is 40 years of research I am trying to straighten out.

Still sad news about my friend Theresa, no final answer.

Sad Heart

For the past few days I have been dealing with a very sad heart.  My friend Theresa Arini is on life support and her husband Vincent is by her side since it happened last Tuesday.  Things are not looking promising and it so saddens me.  When I talked with her a few months ago we were going to get together after she moved.


I had the privilege to meet Theresa about 15 years ago at a Woman and Disabilities conference.  We hit it off right away and enjoyed our time together.  We kept in touch and after I got my job at at CIL she came in for some services.  Later she got hired at the CIL so we became work buddies.  Both of us had breathing issues, and we both used mobility devices.

We found that our working conditions were fraught with dangers and had a toxic effect on us. There were many discussions on how abusive and intolerant some of the other employees were to other people with disabilities.  The irony was, we were working at at  CIL, we were to be the advocates for those with disability issues.

Theresa had quite a few disability issues to deal with on a daily basis and yet she did it.  She became my  hero and I told her so.  She is 13 years younger than me but since birth had to overcome and deal with life threatening issues.
There was one thing I loved about Theresa and that was her sense of humor.  Sometimes she would wheel into my office and ask if I could but her shoe back on her artificial leg, she could not bend the foot.   She said that some of the other employees wee not comfortable helping her.  A couple of other times she would come into the office and whisper, "could you help me put my leg back on?".  I agreed and we would go to the bathroom, both of us in our mobility units wheeling down the hall, and help her reattach her leg.  Other times she needed some help with her oxygen tanks and I would help her switch them over.  YET, Theresa worked 40 hours a week, and she did so because she loved her work.  
When the CIL made it too toxic for her (and me too), she was devastated, but went on to getting a job with the state, better pay and people.

Theresa was almost finished with her Master's Degree from Wayne State University, she said she just had some funding issues left.  Quite frankly I think WSU should have just given her the degree for living the life she had. 


I found some pictures of Theresa on her FB page and am including them here.....

This is Theresa about 1972............

The Theresa I worked with

 A picture from her sister

When ever I think I have it bad, Theresa comes to mind and I shame myself for feeling pity.  Theresa and Vince travel, have great family and are always active.

A few months ago when I talked with Theresa she expressed her concern that her heart was not doing well at all and that her breathing was giving her grief.  I understood what she was saying and we discussed how we struggled with these issues.  Both of us felt that we were a burden to our spouses and wished that we had easier lives.  I was looking forward to coming up to see her and regret that the summer gave me so much trouble this year.

I have one wish for Theresa and that is she be peaceful and without pain.  I am not sure what God has planned for her, but I know my heart hurts because of her struggles and the pain that Vince is going through now.  My prayers are for both of them.

Two postings

Because I figured I didn't have things hard enough, I decided to have two different places to post on Ebay.  My mjsb50   (http://www.ebay.com/sch/mjsb50/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686) is for my wire work ,my yarn and dolls. 
Then I decided to do my RWR Emporium which is for my findings, cameos and other supplies, so that place I named as RWR3EMP  (http://www.ebay.com/sch/rwr3emp/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686).  I figured it would make things easier for me....now I am not always right in my figgering....time will tell.
But I did manage to get 25 listings up at each site so I think I am getting the hang of things. 
I am finding that the feeling of loss from not being able to go to the shows and enjoy all the people has improved because of all the wonderful remarks I have been getting from people who are viewing my items online.  I still miss the contact of face to face, but don't feel like I have completely lost anymore.  It is wonderful to get some hope back, things have been rather hopeless for us the last couple of years.  


Here are some of the items I put up on RWR3EMP...enjoy

 

Thanks again for all the support, it is greatly appreciated 

Again....really

Couldn't believe it, we came home after an appointment and our power was out again....our neighbors were all out and discussing the frustration.  Turns out that the computer for the electric company shut down the computers because someone had crossed a wire.  The power was out for another 4 hours....we are so dependent on power.

Labor Day Weekend

What a nasty Labor Day weekend for us.  Our power went out on Sat and then when we tried to get our generator to work it would only run for an hour.  I could not use my oxygen as it runs on the geni and I could hardly breathe.  Sat night was hell.  We went out to breakfast on Sunday to try and cool off and so I could catch my breath.  When we got back Al tried to get the geni working but without luck.  We called our friend Earl and he has a geni so he had some ideas.  Thanks to Earl and all his help they got the geni running and I could breathe.  Of course now the weather got cold and damp so we never got comfortable but we figured we were luckier than others.  Thanks to a good friend we got some things to work.
Hoping for a better week for the rest of the week...finally got a good night's sleep last night after the power came back.

It is so funny to me, years ago I would go primitive camping for a week or two at a time, by myself,up north and never even think about having power or electronics.
Now I was enjoying the silence of the neighborhood, but wanted to work on my book and I need power for that.  Times and wants do change as one gets older don't they?

Fun With Al

I have come across some of our fun pictures from Costume Con...Hard to get Al to place dress up but sometimes I can get him to play.....

 I did mama Cass and did not need any padding......

 Together we make music......

 Pretty Loud..............

Hope everyone has a rocking holiday weekend............

Suffering

I think I am suffering separation anxiety,not from a person but from my skills.  As I am listing my artwork on Ebay, I am becoming sad that I can not do the work anymore. So now I am trying to figure out how to continue in my art and crafts, yet not be in extreme pain.  I have been coming up with some modifications to my tools and the type of working environment.  Haven't quite got it right, but as I work it out I will post the information. 

So many artist, writers, secretaries, office people and others who make a living by their hands end up with such disabilities.  I think we just push through the pain because we don't want to give up our jobs, which support us, or our art and hobbies which keep us sane.  Personally I was raise that "idle hands were the Devil's workshop".  Guess I just can't get past that because I can not imagine watching TV and just sitting there doing nothing else.

For me, I can do the written computer stuff with a voice program now, but not the photo editing.  I can still do research and write, but the things that give me the most pleasure have become too painful to continue right now.  I have braces on my hands, magnifiers (which I always used to protect my eyes) and different angled tables. I want to pick up my crochet hooks or knitting needles and get working, it is the season when I started my most active work.

I guess the changing of the season is when my body changes what it wants to do, of course today is way to hot to consider the hand work.......but the cooler days are coming and i am biting at the bit. 


I realize that every day is a gift and I do not want to waste any time bemoaning what I can not do, but I have learned it is okay to have a 15 minute "pity party" sometimes and then move on.

Small World

When someone says the world is getting smaller, I have proof it is. 
While I was looking at my FB page a picture came up of this guy I know as the "Bubble King",  by the way he is marvelous.

Seeing his picture was not so surprising, it was the other person in the picture who surprised me, it was my 1st cousin who I had not seen in over 20 years.  After the initial surprise I showed the picture to Al and he says, that is Chuck, he was my computer prof at OCC.  I looked at Al in shock and said, "well the other guy is my cousin Jon".  We got laughing so hard and just shook our heads in amazement at how small the world is and is getting.

So has anyone else found someone they know in someone else' s picture?

So I have learned to always be in for a surprise...it makes one's life interesting........

Ebay listings

I do not know if I am doing this right, but am going to try it.....can you say learning curve?


Our Current Auctions on eBay:

Some other pieces

I am trying to figure out how to write and describe a piece before the picture takes our, so bear with me.

 This piece is a deep red vintage 1930's cut West German Glass with copper wire.  the piece is small, it 2 inches long by 1.25 inches wide. 
The copper wire has developed a wonderful patina.$10.00 + shipping.

This is another piece of west German glass and glass pearls, 2 necklaces in one.  The pearls are light purple and the glass is a deep rose.  The wirei Merlin's Gold.  $15.00 + shipping.

 Funny fused piece of glass that looked like a face to me.  It is warapped in copper.  it measures 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches. $20.00 + shipping.

Focal Height, it consists of lapis, agates, silver,copper and seed beads.  A fun piece.  It measures 3.5 inches by 2 inches.  $20.00 + shipping

Bodygraine

After talking with Gail today I have come up with a new description of how we feel some days...I am naming it "Bodygraine".  A bodygraine is like having a whole, all over migraine, where light, noise and air pressure makes you want to find a hole and crawl into it.  The pain is unreal and there is no real treatment me, you just suffer through and hope tomorrow is better.  Today is a bodygraine day for many, especially with the weather fronts coming in with all different directions.

GlitzGoddesses

Well I might have the hang of this and am going to try to show more of my work.  These are my GlitzGoddesses

Some of my art

Now that I am getting brave enough to figure out a photo sharing and editing site and list on Ebay I am going to try to put up some of my pixs here.

 This is a beautiful glass and wire piece.  I fired the glass 6 times to temper it and wrapped in 14/20 Rolled Gold

 This is one of the pieces I set in Sterling Silver with real gemstone.

EEnjoy......