Something small and cute for whatever. Enjoy.
Also check out last year's Easter freebie "He Lives" .
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
In Their Ducky Best
Something small and cute for whatever. Enjoy.
Also check out last year's Easter freebie "He Lives" .
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Do Some Well-Meant Comments Catch You Off-Guard?
I was at Wal-Mart Saturday to buy a power strip. I was meandering through the towel aisle when a woman asked if I knew where the children's towels were. I admitted I didn't know anything about children's towels, thinking something larger than fingertip but smaller than bath. Apparently they are full size with cute appliques. I commented it had been a long time since I'd had a child to buy for, and she said something about future grandchildren. Now there's where I made the mistake. I should have just smiled and nodded. Instead out of my mouth comes "I won't be a grandmother." A look of "oh my, what have I said" crossed her face. So I quickly added, "My daughter decided a long time ago not to have children." Something about surely not. But I assured her I had had about 15 years to come to terms with that reality. She murmured something sympathetic and we parted. I think I made it about 5 steps before my eyes totally welled up with tears. At least I didn't burst out sobbing in linens.
I had such wonderful grandmothers, both who passed by the time I was 20. I still miss them very much. I had been looking forward to being a grandmother since DD was in junior high. I even started a cross stitch Peter Rabbit quilt way back then. Twenty-five years later, those stitched pieces still sit in a plastic bag waiting in vain to be turned into a special grandchild quilt. Learning that DD didn't plan on ever having children was like taking a good hunk of what I thought and planned my future life would be and applying a hatchet to it.
I would have made a wonderful grandmother.
I thought I had, but obviously I've never really come to terms with it.
I had such wonderful grandmothers, both who passed by the time I was 20. I still miss them very much. I had been looking forward to being a grandmother since DD was in junior high. I even started a cross stitch Peter Rabbit quilt way back then. Twenty-five years later, those stitched pieces still sit in a plastic bag waiting in vain to be turned into a special grandchild quilt. Learning that DD didn't plan on ever having children was like taking a good hunk of what I thought and planned my future life would be and applying a hatchet to it.
I would have made a wonderful grandmother.
I thought I had, but obviously I've never really come to terms with it.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Computer : ( Spring??? Stitching : )
The hard drive crash has just left me totally deflated and depressed - as if I wasn't already depressed enough. I'm still on dial-up. Just loading the compose Post screen here on Blogger took almost 2 minutes. I can't visit other blogs because of the time they take to load. I mostly now just check email, do the occasional jigsaw on Shockwave.com (I play Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire while I wait for it to load), read a few posts on 123MB, pay ebills and that's about it for the internet these days. I didn't even turn it on yesterday.
The last day of winter it was 72 degrees. The first day of spring I had 1/2 inch of snow!! I decided it was appropriate to be out and about in 34 degrees with a 25 mph north wind and went to Joann's for floss.
On the 10th, while I was looking for the new bird feeder that had disappeared the same evening I put it out, I discovered a dead raccoon just beyond my patio. I was fairly sure at the time and because I have not seen her since, I've sadly confirmed that it was my favorite little gal, the one born and raised in my back yard who always seemed to be happy and smiling as she sat beside the step and used the step as her table to eat from. She had the most sweet and genteel manners. Yes, I cried. I am going to miss her. I could not see any fight marks. When Animal Control arrived, I asked about possible rabies, but was told unless other raccoons were dying it was unlikely. While he was here the lady up the street came down to see if she could get a large animal trap. Something big had killed her cat within the last day or so. (We've had coyotes in this urban neighborhood before, and I lost my sweet Charity to a large predator 3 years ago myself.) Consequently, later that same evening I was shaken when I found and treated a large puncture wound in Brulet's head (my neurotic flame point Siamese.). At first I thought I was treating yet another Henna scratch (she's very territorial and uses Brulet for batting practice) when I found instead a fresh bite from something bigger than a house cat. I kept him in most of the next 2 weeks just to make sure neither of us had been exposed to rabies. Though I looked carefully for other bite wounds, it was 3 or 4 days later when I noticed the lump on his ribcage which he would NOT let me near. At first I thought it was a broken rib, but when the lump got bigger I realized it must be an abscess. If necessary, I would have taken him to the vet, but it has since opened, drained, and is healing well.
I've been keeping the cats INSIDE as much as possible. Henna, who eats and sleeps and gets her exercise by taking out her frustrations on Brulet, doesn't mind. Brulet has driven me CRAZY wanting OUT OUT OUT!!! Even if I check around for frantic cat before I open a door, he can zip past before I can stop him.
I've been to 2 all-day severe weather / tornado conferences the past couple of weeks. If I had to do it over (and was even just 15 years younger), I skip the law degree and major in emergency management instead. Back when I was having to make life choices, that wasn't even a degree field. If the degree was offered locally, I might consider it even if there is no possibility of ever actually working in the field. I know the staff at the local Office of Emergency Management. Except for a perhaps 40 year old manager, the avg age of the rest of them is between 30 to 35. I'm still hoping to go storm chasing with one of the RACES guys.
I have been stitching on the fishing trawler from Sea Scenes that I'm making for my new son-in-law. It's taking a LONG time because I just can't keep focused while stitching on it. I've made no attempt to redesign what I had started for the wedding project for my DD. I'm just too bumfuzzled. A couple of weeks ago I stitched and simply finished the new Prairie Schooler freebie (now hanging from a push pin in the wall above my bed), and yesterday I spent way too much time stitching a small cat sampler just for the heck of it. I'm going to redesign a couple of the cats to look like Brulet and Henna. One already looks like Timmy, my long-term "stray."
One day I'm going to d/l photos from my camera and post some SMALL ones.
Happy spring!
The last day of winter it was 72 degrees. The first day of spring I had 1/2 inch of snow!! I decided it was appropriate to be out and about in 34 degrees with a 25 mph north wind and went to Joann's for floss.
On the 10th, while I was looking for the new bird feeder that had disappeared the same evening I put it out, I discovered a dead raccoon just beyond my patio. I was fairly sure at the time and because I have not seen her since, I've sadly confirmed that it was my favorite little gal, the one born and raised in my back yard who always seemed to be happy and smiling as she sat beside the step and used the step as her table to eat from. She had the most sweet and genteel manners. Yes, I cried. I am going to miss her. I could not see any fight marks. When Animal Control arrived, I asked about possible rabies, but was told unless other raccoons were dying it was unlikely. While he was here the lady up the street came down to see if she could get a large animal trap. Something big had killed her cat within the last day or so. (We've had coyotes in this urban neighborhood before, and I lost my sweet Charity to a large predator 3 years ago myself.) Consequently, later that same evening I was shaken when I found and treated a large puncture wound in Brulet's head (my neurotic flame point Siamese.). At first I thought I was treating yet another Henna scratch (she's very territorial and uses Brulet for batting practice) when I found instead a fresh bite from something bigger than a house cat. I kept him in most of the next 2 weeks just to make sure neither of us had been exposed to rabies. Though I looked carefully for other bite wounds, it was 3 or 4 days later when I noticed the lump on his ribcage which he would NOT let me near. At first I thought it was a broken rib, but when the lump got bigger I realized it must be an abscess. If necessary, I would have taken him to the vet, but it has since opened, drained, and is healing well.
I've been keeping the cats INSIDE as much as possible. Henna, who eats and sleeps and gets her exercise by taking out her frustrations on Brulet, doesn't mind. Brulet has driven me CRAZY wanting OUT OUT OUT!!! Even if I check around for frantic cat before I open a door, he can zip past before I can stop him.
I've been to 2 all-day severe weather / tornado conferences the past couple of weeks. If I had to do it over (and was even just 15 years younger), I skip the law degree and major in emergency management instead. Back when I was having to make life choices, that wasn't even a degree field. If the degree was offered locally, I might consider it even if there is no possibility of ever actually working in the field. I know the staff at the local Office of Emergency Management. Except for a perhaps 40 year old manager, the avg age of the rest of them is between 30 to 35. I'm still hoping to go storm chasing with one of the RACES guys.
I have been stitching on the fishing trawler from Sea Scenes that I'm making for my new son-in-law. It's taking a LONG time because I just can't keep focused while stitching on it. I've made no attempt to redesign what I had started for the wedding project for my DD. I'm just too bumfuzzled. A couple of weeks ago I stitched and simply finished the new Prairie Schooler freebie (now hanging from a push pin in the wall above my bed), and yesterday I spent way too much time stitching a small cat sampler just for the heck of it. I'm going to redesign a couple of the cats to look like Brulet and Henna. One already looks like Timmy, my long-term "stray."
One day I'm going to d/l photos from my camera and post some SMALL ones.
Happy spring!
Friday, March 12, 2010
A small Hurrah!
I FINALLY located my scant back-up disks - from May, 2004. I know I tried to make another a year or so later, but ran into so many problems with Dell's Roxio disk maker I never bothered again. HOWEVER, I did recover some old professional and client files, some older family photos - which I am VERY relieved to have back, and a few of my oldest cross stitch charts. I am not happy that my Calendar data files were completely missing. And the BU disk that I know I tried a year or so later is totally blank.
Still on 28.8k dial-up here. My kindly older neighbor had spent an afternoon d/l drivers from Dell to try to help solve the modem issue. Because I was busy trying to get other stuff to work, reconstruct (as in re-type starting over from scratch) missing professional and client Word docs, and resigned to snail's pace dial-up, I waited about a week before I was ready. I set aside 1/2 a day and loaded the CD. It was totally blank.: { I hadn't the heart to tell Mr Cantu, so waited most of another week before I called to find out if perhaps he brought me the wrong disk. His wife answered. She was in the waiting room at the Hospital - he was in emergency surgery I expressed my deep concern, but nothing else.I did buy some flowers after I understood he was to be at home, but I don't think he's home yet and flowers are waiting to be hand-delivered.
Almost all my time is spent trying to reconstruct financial information I lost when Quicken totally failed to read the back-up disks that I so rigorously kept current. I did use Pattern Maker to rechart a couple of my small LMc Design charts that I found a print-out of . My only solace in this awful experience is that I've developed a very deep appreciation for a generous neighbor and that I have SOME records after all. Only, now that I see what I did and accomplished up to 2004, I can't figure out what I've done for the past 6 years - which feel like they have simply vanished with little if anything to show for the passing days. It's very disconcerting. and depressing.
Still on 28.8k dial-up here. My kindly older neighbor had spent an afternoon d/l drivers from Dell to try to help solve the modem issue. Because I was busy trying to get other stuff to work, reconstruct (as in re-type starting over from scratch) missing professional and client Word docs, and resigned to snail's pace dial-up, I waited about a week before I was ready. I set aside 1/2 a day and loaded the CD. It was totally blank.: { I hadn't the heart to tell Mr Cantu, so waited most of another week before I called to find out if perhaps he brought me the wrong disk. His wife answered. She was in the waiting room at the Hospital - he was in emergency surgery I expressed my deep concern, but nothing else.I did buy some flowers after I understood he was to be at home, but I don't think he's home yet and flowers are waiting to be hand-delivered.
Almost all my time is spent trying to reconstruct financial information I lost when Quicken totally failed to read the back-up disks that I so rigorously kept current. I did use Pattern Maker to rechart a couple of my small LMc Design charts that I found a print-out of . My only solace in this awful experience is that I've developed a very deep appreciation for a generous neighbor and that I have SOME records after all. Only, now that I see what I did and accomplished up to 2004, I can't figure out what I've done for the past 6 years - which feel like they have simply vanished with little if anything to show for the passing days. It's very disconcerting. and depressing.
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