tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69639953699603758492024-02-19T01:21:27.853-05:00The Life of a Housetarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.comBlogger501125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-46389470582207837942023-05-09T23:18:00.001-04:002023-05-10T00:23:53.840-04:00Fifteen Years
Fifteen years ago today, I signed the papers to own my house. Shortly thereafter I started this blog. I loved writing my blog entries. It is the closest to an actual diary I’ve ever had. <div><br /><div>2018 was the last time I posted. Five years ago. Back then I was browsing many a blog, until slowly, they all seem to peter out. I was dismayed when I would find a blog I enjoyed, only to have it quit, unexpectedly. What happened? Did they move to the dreaded BookFace? Did they shut down their platform? I missed them, I wanted resolution. This may be the only resolution for this blog. </div><div>I don’t know who will still read this, but in case anyone stumbles upon my ramblings, here is an update. It might be the last. I wish it weren’t – but there we are. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last five years have been less a rollercoaster than being in the surf of a strong tide. I’ve wanted to write here so many times. Took pictures for projects, things I wanted to share, and yet, in the end, I didn’t find joy in writing anymore. There was too much knocking me down. Every time I would rally or something good would happen – another colossal wave would knock me down. I grew up in Southern California. At the beach, when we went, I was hit by a few strong waves, which knocked me down, filled my nose and mouth with salt water and sand, churned my equilibrium so I didn’t know which way was up, until the water ebbed and calmed. As a child I had the option to quit. Return to my towel, dry off, find calm. Now I’m a grownup, finding the towel is non-optional. Rollercoasters end. The surf and waves, never do. </div><div><br /></div><div>2018 brought on the worst tenant ever. No more to say about that. </div><div><br /></div><div>2019 brought the firing of one third of my co-workers due to lack of funds. It was devastating. We were not a corporate rat race. We were close. A family, with all of the strife that comes with that. Yet at the end of the day, we cared so much for each other. I still miss so many of them. The rest of the year at work was desolate. Those of us who were left didn’t know what to expect. We tried to rally, even though spirits were lower than ever. </div><div><br /></div><div>In personal life, terrible tenant was replaced with absolutely wonderful tenant, who, thankfully is still here.</div><div><br /></div><div>I spent a week with my father in the Sierra Nevadas. </div><div><br /></div><div>I came home to find one of my rear neighbors had added a third floor to his house. By right, no zoning notice needed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwp9isQnMzr6WS8J83wS7y8k4jrIFyaa17Dh9zTQ8uz5GBLvlFGhinG_IFbKHtqLLB6XNiPeNHIOmjPuBdjC54bHwdaoUr6VQgPm54VwvkkFqo1m9VhDuBA0TdGJUeJLVkiL--dc4gBILiLz6Y4XD4VbVAlEMKbsIsLW69NL6nSzpqVz9ImYb17rB5SQ/s1080/backhousetall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwp9isQnMzr6WS8J83wS7y8k4jrIFyaa17Dh9zTQ8uz5GBLvlFGhinG_IFbKHtqLLB6XNiPeNHIOmjPuBdjC54bHwdaoUr6VQgPm54VwvkkFqo1m9VhDuBA0TdGJUeJLVkiL--dc4gBILiLz6Y4XD4VbVAlEMKbsIsLW69NL6nSzpqVz9ImYb17rB5SQ/w640-h480/backhousetall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>2020, I was in California for the holidays and the beginning of January to celebrate my Father’s 80th Birthday. It was a wonderful celebration. Family arrived from everywhere. But even as we celebrated, there were news reports of bad things to come. </div><div><br /></div><div>And it came. </div><div><br /></div><div>In March I was furloughed indefinitely. I was on unemployment for the first time in my life. I had more income than I in my own profession. I sewed masks after reviving my grandmothers sewing machine. I learned to make pasta. I knitted a lot. All after spending most of the day in bed, doom scrolling. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was also teaching two classes that semester. First we were told we’d have a week to make plans, then three days, then less than 24 hours. I had my first full blown panic attack, how was I to teach my students!? Zoom to the rescue. My sister was also blind-sided, trying to manage over a thousand students at a school in Los Angeles. She organized weekly family zoom. It was a blessing to see my family once a week for a few hours to talk. It kept the terror at bay – that I might never see them again. </div><div><br /></div><div>In August I returned to work. I cannot do my job from home. The anxiety of returning to work was terrible. With double masks, plastic curtains to section work spaces, effusive cleaning, having conversations far away from each other, we managed. </div><div><br /></div><div>In September, without warning, the city demolished the house in the lot behind me. I went from my quiet, private, secret garden – to a wide-open space – visible to everyone from the other side. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHaA1llccjcVJEvYS2t6rxNwxKYuhydOBr-K1kva28fAzd8QG8GQtyDvYrsWVk6isDNapjW_H2NU2rIrTzlNFr7sWHQJ9JEmUbKEtuMg8YVgMyk19OiCZgABlyz-yJI_2RSWCWFWsz7hKpjyMBIRUltTP-o7y7Bs0FHjmsuWGmjsAlvcBvgjSGf7agA/s1080/backhousegone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHaA1llccjcVJEvYS2t6rxNwxKYuhydOBr-K1kva28fAzd8QG8GQtyDvYrsWVk6isDNapjW_H2NU2rIrTzlNFr7sWHQJ9JEmUbKEtuMg8YVgMyk19OiCZgABlyz-yJI_2RSWCWFWsz7hKpjyMBIRUltTP-o7y7Bs0FHjmsuWGmjsAlvcBvgjSGf7agA/w640-h480/backhousegone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Then in November, something happened we hoped would shift the tide. I was in Rittenhouse square, on a mild autumn day, at the market, when Pennsylvania was called for Biden. The cheers that erupted, the cars honking, the snarled traffic, full of joy, was a boost we desperately needed. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa9YxhBMD6ftapy2d1VN_j76s3EYYyAmzSen3NxJXSkh8QNS46ksVTJv9m5Qgn0VfxEF6Gwg-kM46qsWwecAqYPC8Bi459mbXeZYXxAVO-oy4KPpULN22CIVQn1uTO_dFy0Iv9mwsAK4gkJ9cbzCd3zlzUsh6pCPhwt-tlchQO_cWEHkmn4HefsPMkA/s1080/electionday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="1080" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa9YxhBMD6ftapy2d1VN_j76s3EYYyAmzSen3NxJXSkh8QNS46ksVTJv9m5Qgn0VfxEF6Gwg-kM46qsWwecAqYPC8Bi459mbXeZYXxAVO-oy4KPpULN22CIVQn1uTO_dFy0Iv9mwsAK4gkJ9cbzCd3zlzUsh6pCPhwt-tlchQO_cWEHkmn4HefsPMkA/w640-h206/electionday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And more hope – my place of employment hired a new president. The man hit the ground running, created new projects, spoke to us with terms of “Team!” and became an indomitable force of positivity. </div><div><br /></div><div>January 6th 2021
I was stuck on a zoning meeting with the city. Our appointment was at 2:30. We weren’t heard until past 6:30, at which time the Zoning board’s patience had been wiped out by a whiney, wealthy, center city neighborhood arguing about a stupid shed. We were opposing a building jammed into 750 square feet of a lot. The only person allowed to ‘appear’ on the zoom call was the opposing attorney. We were there – representing a poor disenfranchised community – and subsequently shut down. It was the icing on the cake of a terrible day. </div><div><br /></div><div>In March I was finally fully vaccinated. Such a relief! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EXaHOClwHhD-uPauZMXVfub3ZiC6a3Dx2iSQOPK8XkXOxgLfhi0MoMSLv2mI3BH12T4eFUuxYj7b0aC0DClUTfcJJn07vplGosXqbkPv6Li6u8d0FJMh1eJOK4IHQ9Y97LyOhpeZWum4GjN4SE1D0-bA7--dmJmLqBVqKmebqKWDE9QbTyI29N-i_Q/s1080/Vaccinated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EXaHOClwHhD-uPauZMXVfub3ZiC6a3Dx2iSQOPK8XkXOxgLfhi0MoMSLv2mI3BH12T4eFUuxYj7b0aC0DClUTfcJJn07vplGosXqbkPv6Li6u8d0FJMh1eJOK4IHQ9Y97LyOhpeZWum4GjN4SE1D0-bA7--dmJmLqBVqKmebqKWDE9QbTyI29N-i_Q/w480-h640/Vaccinated.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>In June I was able to see my family for the first time in a year and a half. So grateful to be able to go home to California for Father’s Day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE5ORzQ-SLbw8p2A56VDRcDK6oSwmxkKFEhZTRmlkeiommKNEg_RkVRmSJBL0fKl9z_CyuhZOOh8JKcGfWjmUEnpIP9cfcMN3Y41eJGCKo4B5NjzY8jovQbKwuE0TV1ALDAvGwMHzMVZpcOuhuE6f5C_4Zx4n-KIl02eHVsxV7no1nUwqDZhlpIL9ZQ/s1080/Daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="913" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE5ORzQ-SLbw8p2A56VDRcDK6oSwmxkKFEhZTRmlkeiommKNEg_RkVRmSJBL0fKl9z_CyuhZOOh8JKcGfWjmUEnpIP9cfcMN3Y41eJGCKo4B5NjzY8jovQbKwuE0TV1ALDAvGwMHzMVZpcOuhuE6f5C_4Zx4n-KIl02eHVsxV7no1nUwqDZhlpIL9ZQ/w542-h640/Daddy.jpg" width="542" /></a></div><br /><div>2021 continued on – a building to the west of me spring up – blocking most of my sunset. But otherwise, things started to try to get back to normal. I finished the year in California again grateful to see family, especially my niece and nephew. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpSHq4_gVmy7zLq4fg_Xbl0fm79B29NseQo0K36nLyQRYSOhvEM1B8ycdDgQvTioGvSDVUA8zZCT4Sr50HgHJROSfsm-gdK3dEgPji2ot8K6jeWrDv6yv4gVNf46QxSVdhe5E8LxiKgW_DHDFGnCrW2IzYI3-FychvNebUnWAjjhb6iFp1Ldw-eUhnA/s1120/meandkids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1120" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpSHq4_gVmy7zLq4fg_Xbl0fm79B29NseQo0K36nLyQRYSOhvEM1B8ycdDgQvTioGvSDVUA8zZCT4Sr50HgHJROSfsm-gdK3dEgPji2ot8K6jeWrDv6yv4gVNf46QxSVdhe5E8LxiKgW_DHDFGnCrW2IzYI3-FychvNebUnWAjjhb6iFp1Ldw-eUhnA/w640-h618/meandkids.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>2022
Started off with positive resolutions which seemed to be coming to fruition. The new president at work was starting his second year, and, so far so good. I was able to visit home twice in the spring, once for a conference where I presented. </div><div><br /></div><div>But mid-year, the good things came crashing to a halt. The property next to me had sold, and a developer decided to build a massive building, 16 units on two properties, all without a word to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>The demolition started on the other “half” of my building. Originally, my house was a twin, meaning it was built as two separate houses with a party wall. These houses were built in the late 19th Century, never intended to be parted. They essentially “leaned” on each other. Yanking them apart meant wrenching the foundation of my home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSfYmwpwRRi0wtaztciB8DUPf6BpJ5H6r-4eH-oMkDtHBPAuDMu1T8LnwNqcV_HqM7QTpnMX0tV4a-SOcI-_OJ54Nd81BBkIGNwZOUDWatA-4DTwcKi4ck1KCBEXlYtAI0Qfiigw2SkSElZnFVzESkvp_O0SKl5LVvfR95PhvBYL02_PSjzJYQzdbqQ/s1080/asitwas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSfYmwpwRRi0wtaztciB8DUPf6BpJ5H6r-4eH-oMkDtHBPAuDMu1T8LnwNqcV_HqM7QTpnMX0tV4a-SOcI-_OJ54Nd81BBkIGNwZOUDWatA-4DTwcKi4ck1KCBEXlYtAI0Qfiigw2SkSElZnFVzESkvp_O0SKl5LVvfR95PhvBYL02_PSjzJYQzdbqQ/w632-h640/asitwas.jpg" width="632" /></a></div>Despite superficial remodeling, the bones of these two buildings are the same. <br /><div><br /></div><div>At same time the demolition was in full swing, SEPTA, our public transportation system, decided it was time to replace the tracks in the street. For a full month access to my home was in limbo.
On the property we tried to stop at the zoning meeting on Jan 6th, sprang a building. They built higher than their plans, and instead of making sure that electrical wires were re-routed – simply incorporated them into the building. More zoning hassle. </div><div><br /></div><div>And Pennsylvania/Presbyterian Hospital across the way, decided to build a massive parking garage. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcAjHoPQ_jJbfMwYV2tzYq-KotCoC1ImMvq9YNNL2xR_nWO5T7N7Kwpn0Q9fRWs7kXJPT0mXhTHOOOpl8_1jalqMsxJ72uDSpgN8SN1PAOKbhs1yKGPsH3FJxsbk7b4KDrrlT8L0pVV8cYwWikMYqR5UV6rVMC4hD6mHtaHLYaG-W1nXBIhWGZzKfpQ/s1080/parkinggaragestart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcAjHoPQ_jJbfMwYV2tzYq-KotCoC1ImMvq9YNNL2xR_nWO5T7N7Kwpn0Q9fRWs7kXJPT0mXhTHOOOpl8_1jalqMsxJ72uDSpgN8SN1PAOKbhs1yKGPsH3FJxsbk7b4KDrrlT8L0pVV8cYwWikMYqR5UV6rVMC4hD6mHtaHLYaG-W1nXBIhWGZzKfpQ/w640-h360/parkinggaragestart.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrcYS20-lDmIs7eY7vVcVtf4wJa2u3MJnhn-8lU7-zmUvAe3WV2aQ9X4Hoo6W0tbIDjBn5Hrlp3BuUjAVncZQwUofkzdP92dd3MZ0wCZab7ezOt68IV42tA-MlkQ7pOijv6DPaiRrgBcI36gDLPIhyPOkBjcj2ZUrnBr93DWKDeQkiIxKvYhetlVc0Q/s1080/parkinggarage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrcYS20-lDmIs7eY7vVcVtf4wJa2u3MJnhn-8lU7-zmUvAe3WV2aQ9X4Hoo6W0tbIDjBn5Hrlp3BuUjAVncZQwUofkzdP92dd3MZ0wCZab7ezOt68IV42tA-MlkQ7pOijv6DPaiRrgBcI36gDLPIhyPOkBjcj2ZUrnBr93DWKDeQkiIxKvYhetlVc0Q/w640-h360/parkinggarage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Then Mr. El bought a house in Delaware and declared they were moving out. Luckily, Ms. Mary put her foot down and said she wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t think I could handle any more loss. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT_2yPZ1M408LjAw5aUng_6_PjOyGdmwbVRC3Z8-LFO1EhqSJOdK8kH_h4GsoOiCx_qWx2K4MUC0cfkAOSeG8m-0ZtNIhYjuIn076oYIcNcfD3iogburo0wyj9UJEMsyvS_TzaiA6QhX_tOI4fvH6SGOuNhXQ6-Of256gjNBVh6kih3TADSTUtASyRg/s1080/lonelyhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT_2yPZ1M408LjAw5aUng_6_PjOyGdmwbVRC3Z8-LFO1EhqSJOdK8kH_h4GsoOiCx_qWx2K4MUC0cfkAOSeG8m-0ZtNIhYjuIn076oYIcNcfD3iogburo0wyj9UJEMsyvS_TzaiA6QhX_tOI4fvH6SGOuNhXQ6-Of256gjNBVh6kih3TADSTUtASyRg/w640-h360/lonelyhouse.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>In August my tenant reported a massive crack on the third floor in my house after demolition. The walls were separating. </div><div><br /></div><div>In September I had to hire an attorney. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wasn’t able to hire a structural engineer until mid-October – they are all booked up with the ridiculous amount of construction happening in the city.
The Structural Engineer did not have good news. By now the project was excavating a basement lower than code and the plans, approved by Licensing and Inspection, didn’t have any plans. They simply stated – “designer required”. But there was none. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxeBvcA0QcVWv1fIzsz1eSlhl22MPv2frc26kaj4-2-92DHwmBigSg00mgV2znNMlDSBMN63c00FflGwTzPFzr5tEvdrIFMHp-P9IpVsZj2eCAUA53rG-9Hkogl9V9ajbaupJBp2l6GTao4ID4QU3-X-p6FDBIm6O69jT_V26BKLxXclbYQZaaxzTeA/s1080/digging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxeBvcA0QcVWv1fIzsz1eSlhl22MPv2frc26kaj4-2-92DHwmBigSg00mgV2znNMlDSBMN63c00FflGwTzPFzr5tEvdrIFMHp-P9IpVsZj2eCAUA53rG-9Hkogl9V9ajbaupJBp2l6GTao4ID4QU3-X-p6FDBIm6O69jT_V26BKLxXclbYQZaaxzTeA/w640-h360/digging.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The black washed stone behind the excavator is my basement. The blackwashed stone on the right is the basement of the house on the other side of the property. Seems no one checked to be sure the basements were level. Nor did they care. </div><br /><div>I started a campaign of calling the city, all were ignored. The project was digging far below my basement with no plans to underpin my building – nor contacting me for an easement to do so. Thank goodness for people in my council person’s office. They managed to finally put a stop to the project in November in order to figure out the plans. This was after walking past a few buildings in my neighborhood, which had not had the same luck. The construction destabilized their foundations and the buildings had to be evacuated and demolished. </div><div><br /></div><div>January 2023, despite planned resolutions for a positive year, started off terribly. In California I caught a cold from my darling niece and nephew. Really a cold – not COVID - I tested every day – never positive. I returned home on the 30th of December. On the 31st my phone “bricked” it completely shut off – wouldn’t charge - couldn’t turn it on, nothing. I couldn’t contact anyone, couldn’t access my contacts. On January 1st I lost my voice to laryngitis for a full week. This made trying to recover my phone an even more difficult task. Finally, (after discovering that two other people had the exact same thing happen at the same time on the same day! as my phone), four weeks of vendors to fix it, contacting the better business bureau, and mailing my phone in, I received a replacement. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then the construction project started back up. The anxiety of dealing with what was happening was astronomical. Medication helped a bit. But it wasn’t until their foundations were poured and there would be no more digging, that it began to abate. But only a bit. There was still no word on how they would protect my house. They were required to stucco and weatherize the exposed wall within 30 days of demolition. (August 2022) That didn’t happen. There is a giant gap between our buildings, they have trespassed on my property numerous times, they have no easement, and are ignoring our requests for information. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHluGEMnk2NpqGbx73pAyQ80xMGsjUr1yohsyS3jlBvhgSj7VuQwvZYXLmVUWEvwXYLfnM0bVVRXPnDRpG0kPUWnr6uC8iGIRWzZsAsPtH0AA5dV8ej5afROS2OumlmcZZ_i9AzsdDIxgFv1WWe0MnG5P8aeONYOMAq6wEIifkm3B-I8Rc3WgNM6iSA/s1080/massivebuilding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHluGEMnk2NpqGbx73pAyQ80xMGsjUr1yohsyS3jlBvhgSj7VuQwvZYXLmVUWEvwXYLfnM0bVVRXPnDRpG0kPUWnr6uC8iGIRWzZsAsPtH0AA5dV8ej5afROS2OumlmcZZ_i9AzsdDIxgFv1WWe0MnG5P8aeONYOMAq6wEIifkm3B-I8Rc3WgNM6iSA/w640-h360/massivebuilding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>All of that purple drywall is the new building. </div><div><br /></div><div>Any contact with the developers elicits asinine responses. There is a massive, four-story wall my back yard.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2VEFBfXS9ipSgtdy7AfOvtsaL4xFIGBqLYu5ZBxxaKZxyy77p4xMqTx7YoUVzhnZZHlVcARj_VJmngeBEhselt0-Yy7HKjNmdGUSiaPhQnQFZrIQ2tefbEMDRtvR_TzGC61ClCNrZSDw_HgfipJEITTZ0wTlbRmTJfpjjonvi1D4KcIifHI-MrN5Vg/s1080/purplebackyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2VEFBfXS9ipSgtdy7AfOvtsaL4xFIGBqLYu5ZBxxaKZxyy77p4xMqTx7YoUVzhnZZHlVcARj_VJmngeBEhselt0-Yy7HKjNmdGUSiaPhQnQFZrIQ2tefbEMDRtvR_TzGC61ClCNrZSDw_HgfipJEITTZ0wTlbRmTJfpjjonvi1D4KcIifHI-MrN5Vg/w640-h360/purplebackyard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This is only three stories. I can't fit the final size, four stories in my camera lens. <br /><div><br /></div><div>I have a modicum of privacy again, yet they need access to install siding to their building. Their attorneys pushed for a flimsy agreement, where we barely got any information. When I pushed back, demanding to know what they planned on doing in my garden – scaffolding? We got crickets. The antics to which they’ve subjected me are appalling. They’ve left a mess on my front roof, the back yard, and I can only imagine what the top roof looks like. We will have to go to litigation to get some response. </div><div>I can’t believe I am here. </div><div>The city also reassessed my property and practically doubled my property taxes. </div><div>Fifteen years. </div><div>The life of a house.</div></div>tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-73133922017613365892018-11-22T10:24:00.002-05:002018-11-22T10:24:55.750-05:00The little things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been dealing with this cabinet since I moved in 10 years ago. It never had doors and for some reason I always thought that the vertical piece of wood was structural. It's not. In fact it's a royal pain in the neck to have to always work around it when you are looking for something. Once this dawned on me, I've been itching to take it out. How hard could it be?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWBhQ3i8uqoP1NIOBWNcLrxn5lGYwrZ5O-lXx3n5slL9MyHIAu7C9Lq0WhpkhUpZJJcQYP1rDWHhYsg1a4ovJqLo5tl06MRgOxXyocMZ-Lda9FWVZ4OyKIb9K4BCcfqUcKT1-U24w_NQk/s1600/Cabinet+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="803" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWBhQ3i8uqoP1NIOBWNcLrxn5lGYwrZ5O-lXx3n5slL9MyHIAu7C9Lq0WhpkhUpZJJcQYP1rDWHhYsg1a4ovJqLo5tl06MRgOxXyocMZ-Lda9FWVZ4OyKIb9K4BCcfqUcKT1-U24w_NQk/s640/Cabinet+before.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
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It's screwed in and it's easy to access the screws. Only problem is they aren't regular screws. Turns out they are square. And since I couldn't figure that out in spite of sticking my head in there, I decided to saw through it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cR2OtjGS34OenbVjtLhoGe6Jd3YZ8-ZWKwl2K5p3Qez5ApxBPAwel8UNpK5fbxcgbtjagQriW44j1Wmx7NHgbgrFl_N7S1yNCU19n8De9nDL-4G9J7b7_URrzLy1HBHwBmK1axnG3Zvq/s1600/Cabinet+before2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="738" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cR2OtjGS34OenbVjtLhoGe6Jd3YZ8-ZWKwl2K5p3Qez5ApxBPAwel8UNpK5fbxcgbtjagQriW44j1Wmx7NHgbgrFl_N7S1yNCU19n8De9nDL-4G9J7b7_URrzLy1HBHwBmK1axnG3Zvq/s640/Cabinet+before2.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzYBwQKwnTB7SnbxQzvF9abcKMXVEMt0F9IZ1VPfkadtPfajEykoNCZnsvJevPxeFDDeAwlGRjasBjUNS55k3LsFCK8G8GR-uIoHLQs8DK776kLqx4gvJBzJ_iReasLvVl9_VSaXqGjwH/s1600/sawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1080" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzYBwQKwnTB7SnbxQzvF9abcKMXVEMt0F9IZ1VPfkadtPfajEykoNCZnsvJevPxeFDDeAwlGRjasBjUNS55k3LsFCK8G8GR-uIoHLQs8DK776kLqx4gvJBzJ_iReasLvVl9_VSaXqGjwH/s640/sawing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This worked fine, although I made a little bit of a mess of the sill. I'll have to touch that up with some stain and sanding.<br />
When I was able to examine the screws more closely I could find the right head in my ratcheted hand-held screw driver. And of course once that little mystery was solved, the top of the slat came off easily.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Wje04xZN1s16ylUDiCi2sL0o42mzsXmUaMYu7aoHi8uIIcYrLW1qCRcX2VXUyTW0x0ZPejlZu6OsNufarI1CYf4Amsrk2jj4Ow8mf_b9WpPIDQR854saHS8QC798nnw1bIQZqBHB57V4/s1600/squarescrews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="960" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Wje04xZN1s16ylUDiCi2sL0o42mzsXmUaMYu7aoHi8uIIcYrLW1qCRcX2VXUyTW0x0ZPejlZu6OsNufarI1CYf4Amsrk2jj4Ow8mf_b9WpPIDQR854saHS8QC798nnw1bIQZqBHB57V4/s640/squarescrews.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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And even though that board in the middle is such a small thing, I am so happy it's gone! </div>
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The cabinet needed some serious cleaning though, as you can imagine. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRJVA6G7dMdej4WY9IYKYLVGPDb_01clqBU6dUotk1vHe07zYuZPzxlLhneChyphenhyphen7VFF7nAARDQrJ0QkSNuzmRM2-vXUzNRXqV8mLD2PQB5qQaOgKoRd29XN5pH-_RzNv_ECVZCdk6Bq4Te/s1600/CabinetAftercleaned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRJVA6G7dMdej4WY9IYKYLVGPDb_01clqBU6dUotk1vHe07zYuZPzxlLhneChyphenhyphen7VFF7nAARDQrJ0QkSNuzmRM2-vXUzNRXqV8mLD2PQB5qQaOgKoRd29XN5pH-_RzNv_ECVZCdk6Bq4Te/s640/CabinetAftercleaned.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
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Everything was wiped down, organized and returned to it's rightful spot. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_NX5WhYmDk6TI5nJTZAl1s6NUnqebXgpVKHm0jzbCBBanfw0PC5z8tQaOsdLeJF8DeURIUD8D7A9Q8PmYm_v-arm4l7DjbBC-c18FlAq5TgwcJKBidOwBq9ZJwO6NW7lyb35p_MHJeEW/s1600/CabinetAfter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_NX5WhYmDk6TI5nJTZAl1s6NUnqebXgpVKHm0jzbCBBanfw0PC5z8tQaOsdLeJF8DeURIUD8D7A9Q8PmYm_v-arm4l7DjbBC-c18FlAq5TgwcJKBidOwBq9ZJwO6NW7lyb35p_MHJeEW/s640/CabinetAfter.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It worked so well I'm going to do the same to the bottom cabinet with the pots and pans. Most of my pots and pans are wider than the opening and I'm forever twisting and turning them to get them out the cabinet doors. It will be so nice to just lift them out! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2QljXoSBsnolL-HCgbY_n3hubO476WWvrmISGHvdy-9j-LhI-9v1emCJJimuLk1ngPXnsd248uHX2bGlGRuIUphP1KHhRMchYGP6bkM7rlpNx7unlGzE4eRIE2djsCE75xNk6HkvAqJd/s1600/UpNext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="660" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2QljXoSBsnolL-HCgbY_n3hubO476WWvrmISGHvdy-9j-LhI-9v1emCJJimuLk1ngPXnsd248uHX2bGlGRuIUphP1KHhRMchYGP6bkM7rlpNx7unlGzE4eRIE2djsCE75xNk6HkvAqJd/s640/UpNext.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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This will be a more involved project though as that strut is kind of functional. If I just take it out the cabinet will look like it lost a tooth. So I'll have to make adjustments. Stay tuned...tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-39501260404354428222018-10-30T21:25:00.000-04:002018-11-22T10:00:25.201-05:00And so, does it begin now?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhKGcYodq9p6kezHuanDxyj2Rg8RMdn4sOlYEQJ3zT3rkfpldmKauT9JnwUlsRakzBRUuPM41NBtQlVOkBATl2rBKkXTg-Qf995ooRkYtezVWcsY6kQK5oqrFZyp-dTpnuVkX3hzqHIf4/s1600/coexist_featuredimage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhKGcYodq9p6kezHuanDxyj2Rg8RMdn4sOlYEQJ3zT3rkfpldmKauT9JnwUlsRakzBRUuPM41NBtQlVOkBATl2rBKkXTg-Qf995ooRkYtezVWcsY6kQK5oqrFZyp-dTpnuVkX3hzqHIf4/s640/coexist_featuredimage1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Since the 2016 election, and maybe longer, I've been wondering which spark will ignite the fury. Was it Charlottesville? Was it the murder of a Saudi journalist at his embassy in Turkey? Would it be the more than one dozen pipe bombs mailed to the President's opponents by one of his deranged supporters? Or will it be this, the worst anti-Semitic attack on U.S. soil ever.<br />
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My mother and her mother were refugees in their own country during World War II, for the simple reason that my grandmother did not support the ruling party. Their stories of survival have been ingrained in me since childhood. I cannot fail to see the parallels between what they survived and our current political climate. And I am terrified.<br />
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At some point in my teenage years, I found the sentence in the Guinness Book of World Records, 1975 edition, that read,<br />
"<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It has been calculated that in the 3,467 years since 1496 B.C. there have been only </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.</span>" <span style="font-size: xx-small;">p. 380</span><br />
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I remember my shock. And here I am in 2018, wondering, in my 44 years of life on this planet, has there been a single year of peace throughout the world at all?<br />
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<a href="https://www.democracynow.org/" target="_blank">Democracy Now!</a> interviewed Dr. David Glosser on Monday, October 29th, after the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct 27th. He eloquently spoke the words that express my own feelings. To see his interview, click here:<br />
<a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2018/10/29/uncle_of_stephen_miller_pittsburgh_synagogue">https://www.democracynow.org/2018/10/29/uncle_of_stephen_miller_pittsburgh_synagogue</a><br />
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The transcript is here:<br />
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #191f24; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">DR. <span class="caps" style="box-sizing: border-box;">DAVID</span> <span class="caps" style="box-sizing: border-box;">GLOSSER</span>:</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #191f24; font-family: "roboto" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191f24; font-family: "roboto" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Good morning. Before I begin, I’d like to express my condolences to my many friends and relatives in Pittsburgh, and specifically in the Squirrel Hill region, where they live.</span><br />
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We have now been subject to the consequences of our political leaders abandoning their moral responsibilities. The question has been asked: What happens when hate speech becomes legitimized and it becomes acceptable in our political discourse to condemn and vilify innocent people on the basis of race, religion, national origin or color? The answer has made itself very clear in the last few days, and in the last week with the pipe bomb attacks upon political opponents of Mr. Trump.</div>
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Mr. Trump has made it his policy to vilify and dehumanize Hispanics, Muslims, nonwhites, calling them subhuman animals that are infesting our country like so many insects or rats. Make no mistake about it: This is the same kind of propaganda that is identical to the racist rants at Nazi Party rallies in Germany in the 1930s. Now Trump spews the same poisonous messages to his supporters and claims innocence when this inflammatory vitriol is sprayed over society. He claims innocence now that this political gasoline catches fire and people get hurt and killed.</div>
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I’m horrified by it. I’d love to say I was surprised, but I’m not. More shockingly, the Republican Congress has tolerated his vilification. Where have been their cries of outrage? They’re the so-called responsible people in our country, in positions of political leadership. Their silence has been deafening. I would say that this silence tends to legitimize the crazy conspiracy theories, the hate speech, the threats, the violent acts of the most noxious white nationalist elements of the American political spectrum.</div>
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Mr. Trump is even unashamed to tell us that among the chanting Nazis in Charlottesville, there were many fine people, drawing a false moral equivalency between those protesting against these kinds of actions and the Nazis themselves. Should we now be surprised that well-armed white nationalist bigots, isolated—isolated, friendless loners seeking validation for their empty lives, that they act out on their hate? I think not.</div>
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Now, Mr. Trump didn’t pull the trigger in the synagogue. He didn’t mail those bombs. But for the first time in 50 years, he’s made bigoted hate speech in America a legitimate tool of political manipulation. His endless barrage of excited hatred threats and lies has consequences, as we have seen. I regard Mr. Trump as a hopeless moral imbecile, indifferent to the deadly consequences of his inflammatory conduct.</div>
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But those politicians who know better still do not say much. They don’t stand up and loudly denounce his hate speech. They don’t denounce his lies. They’re hypocrites. They’re cowards. Their deafening silence condemns them more loudly than any courtroom ever could.</div>
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And so, what can we say? We have to take the actions that are most prudent, that are most—that are loudest, that are the most effective. That means getting out and voting. Vote your conscience.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #191f24; letter-spacing: -0.2px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Sunday October 28th, my friend Erin and I went to see comedian Christopher Titus at the Helium club in Philadelphia. Our faces hurt from laughing so hard. The one take-home message I got was we need to come together. No real American can stand for this kind of hatred. This isn't us. We can agree to disagree... we cannot agree that it is okay to kill each other because we disagree. </span></span>tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-21319322090879538642018-10-07T11:37:00.000-04:002018-10-07T11:37:51.690-04:00Buggy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9USHH9QIG1c6KaPsAEKE17mlZYdVxomCz9vMLjPqThNFgVVtOg1_Thf9PKM4TxDZEDocB35NZB2s8ed_jnyoM4Bue3cH9gAHdL0y3wZwKp-tdNKf3LwjkKoszfaLExgvX9oBvqaPD0f2C/s1600/Jessmynladybughatcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1075" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9USHH9QIG1c6KaPsAEKE17mlZYdVxomCz9vMLjPqThNFgVVtOg1_Thf9PKM4TxDZEDocB35NZB2s8ed_jnyoM4Bue3cH9gAHdL0y3wZwKp-tdNKf3LwjkKoszfaLExgvX9oBvqaPD0f2C/s640/Jessmynladybughatcropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
My niece is going to be a ladybug for Halloween. My sister requested this specific hat. I had to make it a little bigger because the hat is for a newborn, but I think I was successful.<br />
Before I sent the hat off in the mail, I decided I wanted a picture. The butternut squash was the perfect model.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBLts3TDUr_JAke5iYVtpCFchZ97qfOwp0GQNKTJsbNE6EG1xbJJQy_4esvFkROz6pU5CtcvyuxPfg1mDtGo1WQ-LnBUYZTS1Bn7JHgOwlRCV6uNHVc97vs2eoqNBBS6magz_tqEmEXY9/s1600/ladybughat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="793" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBLts3TDUr_JAke5iYVtpCFchZ97qfOwp0GQNKTJsbNE6EG1xbJJQy_4esvFkROz6pU5CtcvyuxPfg1mDtGo1WQ-LnBUYZTS1Bn7JHgOwlRCV6uNHVc97vs2eoqNBBS6magz_tqEmEXY9/s640/ladybughat.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
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I also have three swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. They love them some fennel!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfOvEGdjUiZ0DVS_0_nmS-s2bDIpcT9_N5ZR5Fl675RedJfVrhGu16slR51qfD-FUVr6w70IN7RJmetxLXFIiB3dQMcCcG3FwhcIkOoChLnE6UnIt40wQixSWpi888aygFtU2jnvxlIMM/s1600/swallowtale1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfOvEGdjUiZ0DVS_0_nmS-s2bDIpcT9_N5ZR5Fl675RedJfVrhGu16slR51qfD-FUVr6w70IN7RJmetxLXFIiB3dQMcCcG3FwhcIkOoChLnE6UnIt40wQixSWpi888aygFtU2jnvxlIMM/s640/swallowtale1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
At first I had them in a jar, but with three of them and how quickly they were eating I doubted there was enough room in there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvStCYrPXzypYQsSAmn2BfC9hfgKVjAmz4Q6NJa72jBcZP_7YCznMi5jEPUUDRp-NMjXOnbtehB37B74HpWWIR2fV-GgMYwOCnQLUk4hrOTVOC3evdza02XfeLdPdbJ2Wq8FkyuHV1N-V_/s1600/swallowtale2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvStCYrPXzypYQsSAmn2BfC9hfgKVjAmz4Q6NJa72jBcZP_7YCznMi5jEPUUDRp-NMjXOnbtehB37B74HpWWIR2fV-GgMYwOCnQLUk4hrOTVOC3evdza02XfeLdPdbJ2Wq8FkyuHV1N-V_/s640/swallowtale2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So I cleaned up one of the bee packages and it is the perfect way to raise butterflies. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXF23arOkr13lN903lhRK0x4yv87CF6Bufd5MhdCezG5Ue41Zk5xpw_-ihTKHF_nAkW1O4fmzhacEX759JxUV3EAsEcjZbfXwag5wwaAv5RRQsKNAvzwfIZmd5Qsvpl-OK8EcTuDTf_eK/s1600/swallowtale3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1440" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXF23arOkr13lN903lhRK0x4yv87CF6Bufd5MhdCezG5Ue41Zk5xpw_-ihTKHF_nAkW1O4fmzhacEX759JxUV3EAsEcjZbfXwag5wwaAv5RRQsKNAvzwfIZmd5Qsvpl-OK8EcTuDTf_eK/s640/swallowtale3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Air circulates easily through the cage and I can see everything. I have three more, one I will give to a coworker who has two sons, and the other two I will give to another coworker whose wife runs a day care. Caterpillars can be purchased online and it would be great for the kids to see how this works.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ovlhjFaz1FSg82sjy0HT5QAEqYhZD0FPqvxnjn0TbpD2Y70dZcaihfxB6UEwPbMJOpG8dL63eVITheeiIoyev9oT31-cWvgrJr_gF1ED9GwxvbVkXNgOJYqwHKzH_jQA30uODoAcEPx/s1600/swallowtale4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0ovlhjFaz1FSg82sjy0HT5QAEqYhZD0FPqvxnjn0TbpD2Y70dZcaihfxB6UEwPbMJOpG8dL63eVITheeiIoyev9oT31-cWvgrJr_gF1ED9GwxvbVkXNgOJYqwHKzH_jQA30uODoAcEPx/s640/swallowtale4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All three went into cocoons within a day or two of each other. But only one has emerged and that was last weekend. When I looked up to see how long it takes for them to turn into butterflies it says it could be a little as two weeks or several months. I hope the other two emerge soon or it will be too cold to release them, and then what? It is supposed to warm up again this week, so hopefully that will push them along. They sure are amazing. </div>
<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-7230825603931037592018-09-25T21:43:00.000-04:002018-09-27T07:00:17.147-04:00Lions, Whales, and Penguins, Oh my!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGEq3bNaIU9yMO_ymOlfv1MQWZo2XZnj_0YhIEQXQdzM8gp621pQLRgZ7p4597F1TGuhNjgXywj36bPj5Cw70eyXLKmDj3SKdcHk67CewsKxX6f6jVCvV8yU3y292bCJc-sVYn9yIAxOa/s1600/LionsTigersPenguins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGEq3bNaIU9yMO_ymOlfv1MQWZo2XZnj_0YhIEQXQdzM8gp621pQLRgZ7p4597F1TGuhNjgXywj36bPj5Cw70eyXLKmDj3SKdcHk67CewsKxX6f6jVCvV8yU3y292bCJc-sVYn9yIAxOa/s640/LionsTigersPenguins.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In August I splurged and bought a fantastic book: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX2dCRTSdL8977bFMWzBihDN94dwV9GReEsnBpLwCJPKGTn4RNwnVHmUkr1r5MJKPlZQH_9QrbXt5fsvifzsK8IpN1HbNA2LStZHsQ8SFK2Ml_MYJFy6sc6Kb1W9BBuNM1osNwF-Zt9ME/s1600/KnityourownZoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="608" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX2dCRTSdL8977bFMWzBihDN94dwV9GReEsnBpLwCJPKGTn4RNwnVHmUkr1r5MJKPlZQH_9QrbXt5fsvifzsK8IpN1HbNA2LStZHsQ8SFK2Ml_MYJFy6sc6Kb1W9BBuNM1osNwF-Zt9ME/s640/KnityourownZoo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I already own the two previous books, <i>Knit your own Cat </i>and <i>Knit your own Dog</i>. I have since discovered that there is also <i>Knit your own Farm! </i>But as I have knitted nothing from the first two I think I should knit more from this latest investment before venturing forward. (Although I really want to knit the cow!) </div>
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The first pattern I knitted was the Penguin. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit5UdVV260Yuu_EkjCYqiwEha5Ay965C5o5uEAaRrsyGpI3sS-sTqlG2-WADbMFEoP6aKXX4DUZXDkYlmlq_mvgOVRRLLuX2nQNMLitW5UM_IT7CIwIHj_WCnVqJYgdrD5Wr0HLi2K74c/s1600/Penguin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="982" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit5UdVV260Yuu_EkjCYqiwEha5Ay965C5o5uEAaRrsyGpI3sS-sTqlG2-WADbMFEoP6aKXX4DUZXDkYlmlq_mvgOVRRLLuX2nQNMLitW5UM_IT7CIwIHj_WCnVqJYgdrD5Wr0HLi2K74c/s640/Penguin2.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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He was fun to knit. A little fussy, but He turned out fine - I think. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-jbrk-SJgOY2y0QHWgVwIbuhAdyeC7xOyVC1ZikFkObskbJ9nfAqRE1ombYBAMbUtOl0DoEzekak2lfcjR_0gXxEsdMm9w5VW5gQ80bbdT5gvtCBY2k4mRkwa4_RgTaekBGJtFtl9NNB/s1600/Penguin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="654" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-jbrk-SJgOY2y0QHWgVwIbuhAdyeC7xOyVC1ZikFkObskbJ9nfAqRE1ombYBAMbUtOl0DoEzekak2lfcjR_0gXxEsdMm9w5VW5gQ80bbdT5gvtCBY2k4mRkwa4_RgTaekBGJtFtl9NNB/s640/Penguin1.jpg" width="386" /></a></div>
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The Lion? Oh boy - that was different. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWZzD5guZlFiAjV85VfWzfsLmDx-AsvqzKrcOyFUIpu_n9TcrdGZ9zMVAEwmydZ8QUP0TMVtEdBAa1bV1C__X0sC1MPui-pOAIFfx4dLoFKqGCjsnB1CwbY0J2XQGa439jrlzuWK_rB0E/s1600/Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1080" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWZzD5guZlFiAjV85VfWzfsLmDx-AsvqzKrcOyFUIpu_n9TcrdGZ9zMVAEwmydZ8QUP0TMVtEdBAa1bV1C__X0sC1MPui-pOAIFfx4dLoFKqGCjsnB1CwbY0J2XQGa439jrlzuWK_rB0E/s640/Lion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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He's tricky. Not so much in the knitting but in assembling. It took me a whole day just to sew him up and stuff him right. That's other part they don't really talk about - how to stuff the animals. Where to add more stuffing etc. </div>
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Here's Jacques babysitting both Lion and first Whale. Lion is not facing the camera as he doesn't have his face on yet. (I still had to embroider it!) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIXeVW249umV-8lkz9JuuXwQfu1iQVZvq67wU0dB5AHWfbtO3W1VKPXzPhj6CM37xDyq1J71ToAQ2Ie-cySCb7x5CcXNdswkn6geB3CNjHLS9PTpTkX7dCm7bZzulkWwh5HMazCLr9Zla/s1600/JacqueswLion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIXeVW249umV-8lkz9JuuXwQfu1iQVZvq67wU0dB5AHWfbtO3W1VKPXzPhj6CM37xDyq1J71ToAQ2Ie-cySCb7x5CcXNdswkn6geB3CNjHLS9PTpTkX7dCm7bZzulkWwh5HMazCLr9Zla/s640/JacqueswLion.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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The Whale pattern I purchased separately on Ravelry: </div>
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<a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wasabi-7">https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wasabi-7</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgashqaF3no2eaHTIjoKqi1GGPU4xsdHcbeGzMizXY-l3d0nplpcWGViJ8xH3knaawg1rbBaJlzrf5QNC3ks5_CStTc_EFxbW1_RH6Qbp7VDEovbNVpVGjKmjnjxfnMh04zWz7zrn81pfR/s1600/WasabiWhale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1080" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgashqaF3no2eaHTIjoKqi1GGPU4xsdHcbeGzMizXY-l3d0nplpcWGViJ8xH3knaawg1rbBaJlzrf5QNC3ks5_CStTc_EFxbW1_RH6Qbp7VDEovbNVpVGjKmjnjxfnMh04zWz7zrn81pfR/s640/WasabiWhale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I've had my eye on this pattern for a while. $6 is expensive for a knitting pattern - I've paid less for a full sweater pattern! But since I kept thinking about this little guy I finally decided, well, he must be worth it! Above is my first Wasabi - he is about 5 inches long. I'm not sure I can give him up.<br />
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My second Wasabi is here:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6lndC5ar9XRDlVp7Txdj6Ke29vHe0dkR44i3XSdv-DUOlcvLZC9HAyWb6pvaFHfsY0FHgLt1wBVgCuTV7YtyBilrjOp4u7XYwL5XB5GcMf2VFLWd-ggq_LhlcPzpQizZeG_HC-5yjX2L/s1600/WhaleforEleanor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1080" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6lndC5ar9XRDlVp7Txdj6Ke29vHe0dkR44i3XSdv-DUOlcvLZC9HAyWb6pvaFHfsY0FHgLt1wBVgCuTV7YtyBilrjOp4u7XYwL5XB5GcMf2VFLWd-ggq_LhlcPzpQizZeG_HC-5yjX2L/s640/WhaleforEleanor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
and was knitted for little Miss Eleanor, a co worker's daughter. We had a baby shower on Monday for them and we were encouraged to bring our favorite, lesser known, children's books. I gave <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hippopposites-Janik-Coat/dp/1419701517" target="_blank">Hippopposites</a>. But I finally realized why I love this little whale, it reminds me of one of my favorite children's books: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Burt-Dow-Deep-Water-Picture-Puffins/dp/014050978X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537926100&sr=1-1&keywords=burt+dow+deep+water+man" target="_blank">Burt Dow: Deep Water Man</a> by Robert McClosky. I can't wait to make more - especially one each for my niece and nephew.tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-1747671870159245312018-09-21T20:55:00.000-04:002018-09-21T20:55:20.901-04:00How I love Philadelphia...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My rain barrel arrived! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97MN_tTh0KM-lHnfSMHzthvJe1c1Jz7Fjs9_kxgMiCeSOn2d6lUbBGlpX3JAa9DkcryvaQ4TR_UGidrd4betU_3Gnbbe-jp-Ql-u2FZjbN_7v7UDL7Uz-iFSAf5EkjTaAi98czocV3sdK/s1600/rainbarrel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1080" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97MN_tTh0KM-lHnfSMHzthvJe1c1Jz7Fjs9_kxgMiCeSOn2d6lUbBGlpX3JAa9DkcryvaQ4TR_UGidrd4betU_3Gnbbe-jp-Ql-u2FZjbN_7v7UDL7Uz-iFSAf5EkjTaAi98czocV3sdK/s640/rainbarrel2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That enormous blue monstrosity is 55 gallons of rain water storage! Free from the Philadelphia Water Department and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. All I had to do was attend a one hour "workshop." This was basically a presentation about how and why these two organizations have partnered to try to reduce the amount of storm water flowing into our extremely aging water infrastructure and what kinds of projects are available - <i>heavily subsidized</i> - to Philadelphia residents to help in the endeavor. The program is called <a href="https://www.pwdraincheck.org/en/" target="_blank">Rain Check</a> and you should definitely check it out! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP6haB2kn2PfS8lHlU9FD58-ZNr36a3NONo-hr7EnnIs9DFs-6lOl3MLU4_xLfm92oeGmAsZECxcS7ttKbL8fx7qm5tFOD18DSfEphLSDWU5TQo_klEVg_NB8i0ACDMpy2P01D9F8LhLI/s1600/rainbarrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1080" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP6haB2kn2PfS8lHlU9FD58-ZNr36a3NONo-hr7EnnIs9DFs-6lOl3MLU4_xLfm92oeGmAsZECxcS7ttKbL8fx7qm5tFOD18DSfEphLSDWU5TQo_klEVg_NB8i0ACDMpy2P01D9F8LhLI/s640/rainbarrel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The program was amazing. Not only can one get a rain barrel, but there are many other projects we can invest in. Including this <a href="https://www.pwdraincheck.org/en/stormwater-tools/metal-downspout-planters" target="_blank">storm water tool</a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n3zKdkaRlUyI0xaPxSrNi4TpOS8uL03oxcL97VbfUtaLMwGohhQksXD_4xDgvGO9imkiOB8SI5i-Z0RG5VZnaZKG8E7En7Rsaatyumy_zkYutdcik7ZDFsnvNX-Tg9Ianj_hZ25dfWzc/s1600/Stock-Tank-Planter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="900" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n3zKdkaRlUyI0xaPxSrNi4TpOS8uL03oxcL97VbfUtaLMwGohhQksXD_4xDgvGO9imkiOB8SI5i-Z0RG5VZnaZKG8E7En7Rsaatyumy_zkYutdcik7ZDFsnvNX-Tg9Ianj_hZ25dfWzc/s640/Stock-Tank-Planter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the one I think I'm going to add to my garden. It is the more economical alternative to the wooden box which does the same thing but costs $150 more, even if it is more handsome. If you click the link to the storm water tools, be sure to scroll down to the video which explains all that you receive - including the soil and plants! </div>
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Other projects include: removal of cement back yards, "permeable pavers" for patios, and a rain garden. For rain gardens it must be at least 10 feet away from any basement. So if it is between two houses, neighbors can pool their rebates (up to $2000 each) into one project! </div>
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Ever since I took the workshop in July I have been incredibly excited to receive my rain barrel. This is my former way of catching excess rain: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF0Ir6QuzV8uQUZRTMNT7R8Ox59QOwypGOq80AyGI6zhWCNw7RrwB3fK6bFiKbBaTkXttwEcAescZyGrtGdT6iKGZGQxConhLVHz0eb_ekFTI65plwzqs4twNB0iOASvdvrdx6XvRLB3U/s1600/formerrainbarrel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF0Ir6QuzV8uQUZRTMNT7R8Ox59QOwypGOq80AyGI6zhWCNw7RrwB3fK6bFiKbBaTkXttwEcAescZyGrtGdT6iKGZGQxConhLVHz0eb_ekFTI65plwzqs4twNB0iOASvdvrdx6XvRLB3U/s640/formerrainbarrel2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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A 5-gallon bucket to catch what runs off the roof. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kMwjen63r47zJawXWKVteuXSHgYGkxSrBZKJjW8CkbnFAFmT78WAtIXIpL4Hp-GuEuepfVDzv8EnMx3wk7h8u6h5Wgz91NYdhAtaTlOwswoUNRJDAvL4hqTk2JaSeNuMsSZCg8HAVc3h/s1600/formerrainbarrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kMwjen63r47zJawXWKVteuXSHgYGkxSrBZKJjW8CkbnFAFmT78WAtIXIpL4Hp-GuEuepfVDzv8EnMx3wk7h8u6h5Wgz91NYdhAtaTlOwswoUNRJDAvL4hqTk2JaSeNuMsSZCg8HAVc3h/s640/formerrainbarrel.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Well, the cats like the rain water better than tap water, so whaddyagonnado?<br />
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These are the kinds of programs, ventures, opportunities in Philadelphia that make me really truly love this city.<br />
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Next step? Painting the blue monstrosity! Stay tuned... I'm thinking ladybugs or snowflakes. Not sure which.<br />
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<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-17377145139291925182018-09-03T22:11:00.000-04:002018-09-03T22:12:23.563-04:00Happy Labor Day! Still catching up...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bCZknyllNCZKUEQhBEHd9cDI2rVM6IFS9gNBQPqyFluffHLDDpVW1Xxspo2VF3XbyKT2nfEDVC-KwMLrFxcSmqv16Dpm76YZjgotUx6MJ5zKN842AmFsYv2FC8Wm-2GAh3Sbj_0zL82M/s1600/Weightlessproducebags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1080" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bCZknyllNCZKUEQhBEHd9cDI2rVM6IFS9gNBQPqyFluffHLDDpVW1Xxspo2VF3XbyKT2nfEDVC-KwMLrFxcSmqv16Dpm76YZjgotUx6MJ5zKN842AmFsYv2FC8Wm-2GAh3Sbj_0zL82M/s640/Weightlessproducebags.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fiber Fun Day! </div>
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Our third annual Fiber Fun Day happened on the Sunday after I came back from California. For the last three years a few good art friends get together and we do a lot of tie-dying and all kinds of things. It is a day to experiment, have fun, gossip, eat, and have some nice cocktails. I found a new pattern on ravelry.com for weightless produce bags: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weightless-produce-bag">https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weightless-produce-bag</a> They are fun to knit because they are so quick and they are perfect for purchasing produce. There will be a lot of people getting some of these for Christmas! I knitted four while I was in California for the express purpose of using them for Fiber Fun Day. I'm pretty happy with the result. </div>
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Erin needed new pillow covers. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilafDvLU0cuYTt5CRmOc_fmG0NKFiJCdyV9UrajVTdu3CNOFy-sXWmirx8wFxG3uXYSYn46RchX7HIixof8QjAlq2xWPq2QTmsd8WLrgspl5s4ZN9cScGO9hn2OGKW7zAtB-ExsXsDZof4/s1600/Erinspillows_blogsize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1080" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilafDvLU0cuYTt5CRmOc_fmG0NKFiJCdyV9UrajVTdu3CNOFy-sXWmirx8wFxG3uXYSYn46RchX7HIixof8QjAlq2xWPq2QTmsd8WLrgspl5s4ZN9cScGO9hn2OGKW7zAtB-ExsXsDZof4/s640/Erinspillows_blogsize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using Popsicle sticks, she folded the fabric for the above pillows. They look fabulous on her new futon!</div>
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I also bought some onesies for my niece that I wanted to dye. This was good planning because 1. She had already had a poop explosion on one and it was now, according to my sister, unwearable - 2. My sister was very unhappy because she loved these onesies, and 3. Jesmyn is outgrowing said onsies! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvH9RXM4fQqYx8PI6Dyark7MzDMquheU_s4SxA4J8aKUUlL0VuQI975dWK6bAXR-aeDRN-KmM_9ybhvUjCnNDFwLkcBHh0f17g7S4lS5hiISSGHG-SfPFgLKhaJ4wkScJ2aW8W7KpMtFM/s1600/JesmynOnsie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvH9RXM4fQqYx8PI6Dyark7MzDMquheU_s4SxA4J8aKUUlL0VuQI975dWK6bAXR-aeDRN-KmM_9ybhvUjCnNDFwLkcBHh0f17g7S4lS5hiISSGHG-SfPFgLKhaJ4wkScJ2aW8W7KpMtFM/s640/JesmynOnsie.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YDtXE8oOWlDs1BK4PtlQNXlgw3LDopCXpbICUo9EFL6Z94xbjchedDc0z4Hi-ddLCOOIngKo8DE4FF6abkmbX7KkC3E10kULG9041zGtBjlaWmBClBeK6o27FWHqUIyw2zRe3ITt_1Il/s1600/lavenderonesie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="748" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YDtXE8oOWlDs1BK4PtlQNXlgw3LDopCXpbICUo9EFL6Z94xbjchedDc0z4Hi-ddLCOOIngKo8DE4FF6abkmbX7KkC3E10kULG9041zGtBjlaWmBClBeK6o27FWHqUIyw2zRe3ITt_1Il/s640/lavenderonesie.jpg" width="440" /></a></div>
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I love these onesies too! So I had no problem making more. We used RIT clothing dye for most of our projects. Its reliable and easy to use. This year I found a lot of new colors at Joann's. It was super fun to experiment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zewFbbc-56e7IuZ1CQLdkeh7IsqXjBYuwU3ocYKgpM-Fk19dfG2mTvOsPa0nLNTu4bpdxnNWd4rmyL_iDkrz-bDNoWaEWWyhdGxx9fUuQDEUAOgG3jhWFhfbGSwBc1AOCBN99l_CO7Gi/s1600/salmononsie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="788" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zewFbbc-56e7IuZ1CQLdkeh7IsqXjBYuwU3ocYKgpM-Fk19dfG2mTvOsPa0nLNTu4bpdxnNWd4rmyL_iDkrz-bDNoWaEWWyhdGxx9fUuQDEUAOgG3jhWFhfbGSwBc1AOCBN99l_CO7Gi/s640/salmononsie.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
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The color on this one isn't showing well, it's a much more subtle gradient. A really gorgeous sunset. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHienPSt0dK6bUW2jdMQhwdSCjUHoOX3ULriCbEDj3Ir52FBjnlipG6OWB1joc243G7bo2gpsm_Ooy7KpxUf0sAdb8tYyz1V4TGSs_utkKr7vHmB1Nlri_mR8i89ftNEpg5hzrMc5jIe7D/s1600/sunsetonesie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="706" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHienPSt0dK6bUW2jdMQhwdSCjUHoOX3ULriCbEDj3Ir52FBjnlipG6OWB1joc243G7bo2gpsm_Ooy7KpxUf0sAdb8tYyz1V4TGSs_utkKr7vHmB1Nlri_mR8i89ftNEpg5hzrMc5jIe7D/s640/sunsetonesie.jpg" width="418" /></a><br />
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The really fun onesie was this one. I wish I had made it for my nephew when he was little. It looked like a funny dinosaur when I was done unwinding all the ginko nuts. It still wasn't quite girly enough for me so I added the iron-on bees. Not sure it worked. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRw9Qva_HiF2TPNX3our-hrIyeoNBkija6X_UqE3_WDay54CYkUCCj1DT6NpRq0mLKHbXlpURhnan8763ksYPj0xdistTXHEv5K7bhDkbmMd9h1uzkTNqFniXRGtFytXSyc9EcaxcF09eK/s1600/greenieonesie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="766" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRw9Qva_HiF2TPNX3our-hrIyeoNBkija6X_UqE3_WDay54CYkUCCj1DT6NpRq0mLKHbXlpURhnan8763ksYPj0xdistTXHEv5K7bhDkbmMd9h1uzkTNqFniXRGtFytXSyc9EcaxcF09eK/s640/greenieonesie.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZyLSmzXPkRk_Xgg7nQ7lpD1bGFWnZ_Qz3JVEZQdl5S_dk9qI9hfv8xw97DCOgJdicv5d46vWDouIgWZvD-Dl8GsfpknOLMa3F6iy_2ogeDnz-mOP-hgsr4qWTDFAlbqP17hV4YeQ1ZB6/s1600/greeniebeeonesie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZyLSmzXPkRk_Xgg7nQ7lpD1bGFWnZ_Qz3JVEZQdl5S_dk9qI9hfv8xw97DCOgJdicv5d46vWDouIgWZvD-Dl8GsfpknOLMa3F6iy_2ogeDnz-mOP-hgsr4qWTDFAlbqP17hV4YeQ1ZB6/s640/greeniebeeonesie.jpg" width="473" /></a><br />
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But speaking of bees...</div>
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I found some amazing images at work. The Burpee Seed catalogue from 1885 is a treasure! The bee is from a different catalogue, but works quite well here I think. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgzvAN0eKqi0OokZCr6bgsCzaHPxmBPKg6WBsOEXQEXoP-1SDI9wg9bK2i4Jl-SZrlbxFmQqfhaWwTsesO7Z2lLHF49Ma9Q0xAcX-30zB6alJk1RW6BNLUgy6_BdPbjnsAHLXth6wN2uk/s1600/LiamsTshirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="1080" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgzvAN0eKqi0OokZCr6bgsCzaHPxmBPKg6WBsOEXQEXoP-1SDI9wg9bK2i4Jl-SZrlbxFmQqfhaWwTsesO7Z2lLHF49Ma9Q0xAcX-30zB6alJk1RW6BNLUgy6_BdPbjnsAHLXth6wN2uk/s640/LiamsTshirts.jpg" width="640" /></a>I picked up some white Tshirts for my nephew and dyed them to match the image. </div>
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The giant bee: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W5NvzJG34GdZ2oBGPaH7QqDUUj_6B1n1cuP0SNK1ASRU9WxA825iL4-5XfnHwCRV4VkWiPiQl6jkW3Qs3Tsv3uRziGY3CYoc1Fdw1PJv5W1VHCZ2qHjTEmVYt-ZVgVTOkO_5bFi-nITG/s1600/BeeTshrit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1080" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W5NvzJG34GdZ2oBGPaH7QqDUUj_6B1n1cuP0SNK1ASRU9WxA825iL4-5XfnHwCRV4VkWiPiQl6jkW3Qs3Tsv3uRziGY3CYoc1Fdw1PJv5W1VHCZ2qHjTEmVYt-ZVgVTOkO_5bFi-nITG/s640/BeeTshrit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The American Grown Prizetaker Onion:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVQxoR2U3Nnu5NASuH_U5ihN3ETcFkHAh0ktez8Qj16UBTeJUU7zk42Dx1ypXpD4kxkYyRW9IRHXSU8UGxLUdECTluAyVYAZ9HzafeWNErTWmktD1CCq9zpNwVDKNgXcjYipInHJ6B_kv/s1600/OnionTshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1080" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVQxoR2U3Nnu5NASuH_U5ihN3ETcFkHAh0ktez8Qj16UBTeJUU7zk42Dx1ypXpD4kxkYyRW9IRHXSU8UGxLUdECTluAyVYAZ9HzafeWNErTWmktD1CCq9zpNwVDKNgXcjYipInHJ6B_kv/s640/OnionTshirt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Peas:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7ZBMmo6UjpcT5G2OQ52VZowHqDZu1vUhHUTtCcZ7m3-ruu9trTqhGMacKx9W4TPL8UQbH4q_Dnh0SBrfuletSFjwkm3aEWs46aBTNGRCYdLroqWOxX_SloWfXkZqctJ6bgNezdLri0TC/s1600/PeasTshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1080" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7ZBMmo6UjpcT5G2OQ52VZowHqDZu1vUhHUTtCcZ7m3-ruu9trTqhGMacKx9W4TPL8UQbH4q_Dnh0SBrfuletSFjwkm3aEWs46aBTNGRCYdLroqWOxX_SloWfXkZqctJ6bgNezdLri0TC/s640/PeasTshirt.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Small Sugar Pumpkin<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTu3iWrjao8lWJ844s49JvXb4wACckICGnmfQsATawp4pUnvA2anYN8kCWfCt0NVhkigWH-AlFmfa9y1OWUtrefLUgInC_gYH3P5SQixteBUTWKyZsqfHSn05fa99gcXfzG7FAerqQ4iMV/s1600/PumpkinTshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1080" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTu3iWrjao8lWJ844s49JvXb4wACckICGnmfQsATawp4pUnvA2anYN8kCWfCt0NVhkigWH-AlFmfa9y1OWUtrefLUgInC_gYH3P5SQixteBUTWKyZsqfHSn05fa99gcXfzG7FAerqQ4iMV/s640/PumpkinTshirt.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The iron-on before:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbSX_lM6UWUC6FV-ikLAXvXd6Cg_dnKHBBzCpTH6zJyHgYoS16ZFMDh4CFKbP9ldeCnZDY0laz4JWuAKix39NASJl0QNA7gQWzgfcu1EZnheZGvGka5xLRYVP0cnqJ8HdpF00GQBwberm/s1600/Pumpkinbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1080" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbSX_lM6UWUC6FV-ikLAXvXd6Cg_dnKHBBzCpTH6zJyHgYoS16ZFMDh4CFKbP9ldeCnZDY0laz4JWuAKix39NASJl0QNA7gQWzgfcu1EZnheZGvGka5xLRYVP0cnqJ8HdpF00GQBwberm/s640/Pumpkinbefore.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Other iron-ons cut and ready.<br />
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I'm so thrilled with the results of all of these! My niece and nephew are going to be the coolest kids in school! </div>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-62526712266867269552018-08-21T22:15:00.000-04:002018-08-21T22:15:11.487-04:00Second August UpdateI was in California. It was wonderful.<br />
Yes it was hot. But it was dry!<br />
The biggest focus was spending time with family.<br />
My new niece and her energetic big brother to begin with.<br />
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As tradition dictates we met at El Cholo for the first evening. After Liam declared he was "nervous" but I assuaged that feeling with three trucks from the 99¢ Store, he sat beside me and proceeded to gobble most of the guacamole. Although a substantial portion landed on my blouse.<br />
Two days later after story time at the local library we went to have lunch at California Grill (a local favorite). My nephew has his mind set on some things.<br />
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He ate a lot more of his burgers after I showed him how to dip them into the dipping sauce. Interesting how the dipping "skill" was already there for the french fries.<br />
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Every fry had to be dipped into each dipping sauce available on the table before it could be eaten.<br />
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Other Liam antics included (but were not limited to): My fan.<br />
As I am old an eccentric and don't really care what people think about said eccentricity anymore, I carry a fan with me during the summer months. In Philadelphia it is imperative on the close SEPTA platforms, in California it just keeps one from sweating when it is not necessary.<br />
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Liam wanted to "borrow" it. The minute he had it in his hands it became a "map," specifically a "map" to find the letter "O." How 'bout that? And sure enough he opened it and walked around pretending to use it as guidance for the letter O on any signs in the playground. He is 3.<br />
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Every time we spent time together he asked for the "map." I finally decided he needed his own. I went to Daiso Japan (the Japanese Dollar Store) and they had blank fans I could decorate. <br />
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Thank goodness Ann was well stocked with both rubber stamp alphabets and ink pads! I made Liam his own "map."<br />
I went to say goodbye the evening before I left, as I was really leaving and saying goodbye, Liam said, "wait! wait!" and ran away from us. When he returned he the "map" and tried to give it to me and told me I needed it. I asked him to keep it safe until I came back. He said, "OK." <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx1tvQTnGpruAMXsPUPjZ-Eh7DMLrrIkEa_nMBddDAEodOVsuGdTxeC7RvvVN_NXRIJbBw7jFXWU-WTMnKj-H6rOu5G9g2iqaHZ0WcBfv4uICInrNCz-YJPTUI0z2Q4tMGu5JlIwgOP-S/s1600/Jessmyn3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>My niece? Oh, she's a cutie pie!<br />
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Jesmyn is very calm and peaceful. She doesn't fuss much. But if you turn her to face you - she will talk your ear off. She really has alot to say! But mostly she is just interested in watching her big brother ricochet around the room. My nephew subscribes to Irish comedian, Tommy Tiernan's description of his middle child "If reality doesn't meet the demands of his imagination he simply abandons it."<br />
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We already have the example of the "map," now witness the "snake-tail."<br />
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One thing I really wanted to do while in SoCal was to go to Artesia to the Indian Sari Fabric shops. Long story short, I struck gold. I bought four sari's - 6-7 yards of fabric each. Since I am not able to wear an actual sari, the fabric will be re-appropriated. Firstly by my nephew- who grabbed the gorgeous blue and turquoise piece (which both my sister and I agreed reminded us of something our godmother Nancy would wear), and ran around the house pretending the fabric was his "snake tail."<br />
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This went on for a good while, keeping him well entertained.<br />
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And one lets him, even though my sister wondered if the fabric wouldn't snag on anything? I didn't care. What a great gift to give him for memories. Not sure if he will remember - but I will. </div>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-7905001220169973012018-08-17T22:58:00.001-04:002018-08-18T07:58:23.631-04:00First Weekend Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a hot summer. Really hot and weird. Not the regular hot for a few days, thunderstorm, and pleasant for a few days before the next humidity build up begins. The humidity has been really bad. I think this is the most I've ever had my air conditioners on ever. It has also turned my brain to mush, so I am just now trying to catch up on my blogging. </div>
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I was in California at the beginning of August. I had hoped to catch up on blogging there, but due to technical difficulties (my laptop can't receive wifi anymore - long story) I wasn't able to. So a quick catch up here of projects completed before going to California. </div>
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The hallway skylight. A little more than five years ago, I finally opened this up and had it working - for about two weeks. Then the pull chain jumped off the wheel and it was no longer working. This summer I convinced Mr. El to let me borrow a ladder so I could fix it. He was, and I quote,"insulted" that I wouldn't let <i>him</i> fix it. Well first of all he is 80. Second - I've had two other people "fix" it and both of them failed. This time <b style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><i><u>I</u></i></b> wanted to do it. That way if it fails the only person I have to blame is me.</div>
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I also knew I had the right tape to keep that stupid chain in the track. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi5rnJWaWLI0TtgeFbk7ozNUmPPF6av1lKRbWgsCVKpAR4SZaUru__-UDZUwUxDX7c990fEhGLQKW8Xn9w374khMUemPm9pvZDsJznhelV8XN1Y3koA9L0oP0K-L0ZI9PqJO4StSfPoRT/s1600/skylightfixed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1080" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi5rnJWaWLI0TtgeFbk7ozNUmPPF6av1lKRbWgsCVKpAR4SZaUru__-UDZUwUxDX7c990fEhGLQKW8Xn9w374khMUemPm9pvZDsJznhelV8XN1Y3koA9L0oP0K-L0ZI9PqJO4StSfPoRT/s640/skylightfixed.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Now the skylight is open and boy does it make a difference! I am currently tenant-less which has been a nice break. So all the doors can be open and this skylight pulls the air through the house and keeps things surprisingly cool. My roofer called it "Italian air-conditioning" (he is Italian). But he explained it to me. Houses were constructed this way on purpose and the skylights were designed to pull the air through the house to keep them ventilated. I'm convinced.<br />
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Second project, hedge trimming.<br />
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The hedge has long been a wild beast. I probably should have done something sooner to tame it. Last summer Mr. El begged me to let him trim it and reluctantly, I caved. On probably the hottest, humid-est, sweltering day of the summer he tackled it. I think it really sticks in his craw that I don't trim it regularly. A few weeks ago I caught him trimming the section close to his door. He was surprised and said he was doing it because he couldn't see down the street. ?? Hmm... I think it was just bugging him. Since I knew I was leaving for 9 days, and with that encounter didn't quite trust him to leave the hedge be while I was gone, I decided I had to wrangle it into control a little bit. Why don't I want him doing it? Because it is my responsibility and I should take care of it! I also don't have any money to give him for doing it (that would at least make me feel a little bit better), and how does that look to the neighborhood?<br />
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So I trimmed and cut and shoved branches behind the fence. I still have to trim with a hedge trimmer, but the biggest, sweatiest, job is done.<br />
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Street project:<br />
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The city of Philadelphia decided to do a lot of repaving in my neck of the woods this summer. While it was desperately needed, I really wish it would have been handled differently. After trimming the hedge and practically melting away I sat down on the stoop next to Ms. Mary and spied the temporary No Parking signs. If I hadn't seen them, all of our cars would have been towed. Why couldn't they stick a note in our mail boxes? I sometimes don't drive my car for weeks! I probably would have missed those signs. But that wasn't even the worst of it. On the night that they were to begin work, they started ripping up the street at - I kid you not - 3AM. It was done with this machine pictured above. (I had to photo stitch that thing together it was so big, so please ignore the strange lines and background that doesn't match up.) That thing is so loud it sounded like it was coming right through the house. It scared Jacques so bad - it scared the piss out of him. Literally. He jumped on my bed, howling, and proceeded to pee on me! When I talked to Mr. El the next day he said he woke up and thought he was back in Vietnam. I think this was what upset me the most. No one should be woken from a deep slumber to think they are back in a war zone. </div>
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When I got home nine days later, the street was still ripped up. It was several more days before they came to pave it. </div>
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Another enormous machine, with a <i>lot</i> of people to help manage it. </div>
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Then the bulldozer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3p92Q9KMC65SzvEUCQaZ3XJcGLrvZXrTwtQyRZslmZAHEBwxMEHZDH6IC1RhvrcJPc1qXD6B33u4fWw8aipichZ0hLE5J89qKwcjuNuRCWT2uYTibYoE-_LypwDvTUbVGEIPyNoX282A/s1600/bulldozer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3p92Q9KMC65SzvEUCQaZ3XJcGLrvZXrTwtQyRZslmZAHEBwxMEHZDH6IC1RhvrcJPc1qXD6B33u4fWw8aipichZ0hLE5J89qKwcjuNuRCWT2uYTibYoE-_LypwDvTUbVGEIPyNoX282A/s640/bulldozer.jpg" width="640" /></a> The street is very nice now, and since they did the entire length of it, it is much easier to navigate on a bicycle. The block above me had been so ripped up due to all the construction and pipelines needing to be put in, that it was actually difficult to ride. Now we are just waiting for them to come along and paint the lines again. A bicycle lane needs to go back and Mr. El needs his driveways back.tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-70141277262234194612018-07-18T22:38:00.000-04:002018-07-18T22:38:00.210-04:00I miss my President so much<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQLoTVZeLPdQLUMpBz-opmf8GedSNLjSwhPiLShT4_EXRW2tsvng97Fzp-jMCVzixfI8WGM4S5CIVOHvMYhPjQten5aNGgM634vXlrEAMs61HgA1-SEgTiyzvH-vK_D2EkblEpPAAuqFQ/s1600/ObamaSAfrica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="792" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQLoTVZeLPdQLUMpBz-opmf8GedSNLjSwhPiLShT4_EXRW2tsvng97Fzp-jMCVzixfI8WGM4S5CIVOHvMYhPjQten5aNGgM634vXlrEAMs61HgA1-SEgTiyzvH-vK_D2EkblEpPAAuqFQ/s640/ObamaSAfrica.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is my president. I miss him so much. I miss his grace, poise, humility, humor, and intelligence. He gave a lecture today in South Africa on the occasion of what would have been Nelson Mandela's 100th Birthday. For the full video go <a href="https://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-live-obama-to-deliver-mandela-centenary-address-in-joburg-20180717" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-89465960770497877272018-07-16T22:39:00.000-04:002018-07-16T22:39:17.937-04:00Weekend Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I took a fantastic workshop this weekend, Gilding and Toolmaking with Brien Beidler. And I'm exhausted! Last week I started working full time at work because there was a grant that will pay me through January for that. Bad timing though with this workshop. I'll be full time for two weeks straight. But really there is nothing to complain about. I learned so much and am very happy with my take-aways. Tools and a pretty nicely gilded spine.</div>
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Brien is an excellent teacher. The class was unique and he did a great job with all of it. </div>
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Step one: drill holes into the handles so they can be soaked in water. </div>
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Then the "fun" part. Filing the brass stock into shape. It had to be tapered just so. We were instruced to remove 1/5" of each side from the base. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NvBIUeFU3cCUZGUVd3IpwumjPfteSkAVjFGoYuWtOzSdQvbXnFnF6Je_JcXgTTIYLwKBcvps_yDCbSQQTiYhHyVmZMXS3ykxlsaiNsAm2NlvfkKi6a5G0DbTtxg10ye6NHqiZ1waHCa-/s1600/inthevice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NvBIUeFU3cCUZGUVd3IpwumjPfteSkAVjFGoYuWtOzSdQvbXnFnF6Je_JcXgTTIYLwKBcvps_yDCbSQQTiYhHyVmZMXS3ykxlsaiNsAm2NlvfkKi6a5G0DbTtxg10ye6NHqiZ1waHCa-/s640/inthevice.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mine is the one on the left - on the right is Brien's. I've got a way's to go! </div>
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This was probably the most exhausting part of the workshop. So much physical work filing four brass bars into the perfect taper. ooof. </div>
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Finally the last step is to polish the top for the design. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzSVng-8nqSKvv0meu8CRiOOkY4td8qyERByJEjgaZweaM1PUmn9NsY72GrUbzraU8oUYtn098imc2LsbfCDiqCxDJ03ZEPXWJubKaRA-iWlErXDyPEaKJ8QAw7hq1mIVMynL6878EOn_/s1600/IMG_4301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1080" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzSVng-8nqSKvv0meu8CRiOOkY4td8qyERByJEjgaZweaM1PUmn9NsY72GrUbzraU8oUYtn098imc2LsbfCDiqCxDJ03ZEPXWJubKaRA-iWlErXDyPEaKJ8QAw7hq1mIVMynL6878EOn_/s640/IMG_4301.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My first tool went well. I made this art deco inspired shape. </div>
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Tested it too. I think it looks pretty good! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DN0mWkiP8nS5zqYzhB6aWWufpcz1D-IDvOYrvWg2-swSYyZUd4pUlZMsgZ55sB20kYjlqPEM36IynJQLy6pAYCMk4R9RPVxeZQ_CBVUFBuUXLNoMJ3AmH6910Ty6mnPOi89ijxcuX_oU/s1600/firsttools2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1080" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DN0mWkiP8nS5zqYzhB6aWWufpcz1D-IDvOYrvWg2-swSYyZUd4pUlZMsgZ55sB20kYjlqPEM36IynJQLy6pAYCMk4R9RPVxeZQ_CBVUFBuUXLNoMJ3AmH6910Ty6mnPOi89ijxcuX_oU/s640/firsttools2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The second tool, well, let's just say I put about five different designs on the tip of that thing and filed them off until I finally settled on the circle. When the brass stock was finished we whacked them into the wet handles. They went in smoothly and the wood will shrink around the stock to hold everything in place. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNjpuUU-jNzIRrQnu00HJenkgy3YHFJEo_0n37mKiFTGM-4JxGFz4_8MQaJ50B_gZMkZwY3NB4IYMcRFGYVcX9F-iu5VBWoOyxhuzlCsZmhK13G4ve9Nh_ahSYq6yawlKH3wTDXRUvxId/s1600/firsttools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="573" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNjpuUU-jNzIRrQnu00HJenkgy3YHFJEo_0n37mKiFTGM-4JxGFz4_8MQaJ50B_gZMkZwY3NB4IYMcRFGYVcX9F-iu5VBWoOyxhuzlCsZmhK13G4ve9Nh_ahSYq6yawlKH3wTDXRUvxId/s640/firsttools.jpg" width="338" /></a></div>
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I was even able to replace the handle on a tool I already had. The handle had burned out and the tool was held in place with cotton wadding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhVF-LIiU3uRHF_TOH28EsrKymsHIBK3Les42jEeaWdyBFpxqrUIalRFNbqnJlLXV0Xx2U_ERUWhwJXWBBrBUvWyPiqRxYOGKNV800eBAMake3EaotfWIGf1DjTSUQRvII-UqGq1rr6O-/s1600/mytool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="846" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhVF-LIiU3uRHF_TOH28EsrKymsHIBK3Les42jEeaWdyBFpxqrUIalRFNbqnJlLXV0Xx2U_ERUWhwJXWBBrBUvWyPiqRxYOGKNV800eBAMake3EaotfWIGf1DjTSUQRvII-UqGq1rr6O-/s640/mytool.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Brien brought a lot of examples for us to gain inspiration from.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgYIce1m8zjgnJyG5QzEeKEpKTG86i-HJwCvLruEgX9Zs0uoME51tfkXJG1PmJOb2JzNzNpoWDskHJHM8ANqxD76d2qLWguEnro7YkVBasxuwvKfXYrgtY5ND9xZOicWThcl2tp4OT6t9/s1600/samples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="1080" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgYIce1m8zjgnJyG5QzEeKEpKTG86i-HJwCvLruEgX9Zs0uoME51tfkXJG1PmJOb2JzNzNpoWDskHJHM8ANqxD76d2qLWguEnro7YkVBasxuwvKfXYrgtY5ND9xZOicWThcl2tp4OT6t9/s640/samples.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Day two:<br />
Well, I woke up early so that I could make one more stock tool. I made a little dot. I'm very happy about the dot. Then I dashed off to get to the workshop at 10am.<br />
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Today was gilding day. Wow, I learned so much.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ48JdmhjNReAnnbgvbYlDPX2007LJ1j5omXA-XjE5LUkX4L8nPw5q-Vf0eZvje3sc2T9ulk4IzaUUMebVzCNHfwf_5ME2PQchI3NgwFC60eTl1JFhsoBR2AEjbHZQ-7dr68MW0HzYHlnt/s1600/testguilding1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1080" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ48JdmhjNReAnnbgvbYlDPX2007LJ1j5omXA-XjE5LUkX4L8nPw5q-Vf0eZvje3sc2T9ulk4IzaUUMebVzCNHfwf_5ME2PQchI3NgwFC60eTl1JFhsoBR2AEjbHZQ-7dr68MW0HzYHlnt/s640/testguilding1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The principle of gilding is not difficult. Put egg glair down. Put down an extremely thin sheet of gold. Use a hot gilding tool to press a design into the leather. Wipe off extra gold, and voila! Beautiful.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QJyD97mASOSJIZ9ZsinoPrE0yKS5_uFVzFovNJJGven8_H1d-XY0iUEoELfRPeYcR0qaqdi_uRR74AV3vsH5zZAsApsfKKgW69QAruTqERg5x-UXOGeZAcIl7Nxhsy6z9QBFfAWOmZP8/s1600/testguilding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="559" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QJyD97mASOSJIZ9ZsinoPrE0yKS5_uFVzFovNJJGven8_H1d-XY0iUEoELfRPeYcR0qaqdi_uRR74AV3vsH5zZAsApsfKKgW69QAruTqERg5x-UXOGeZAcIl7Nxhsy6z9QBFfAWOmZP8/s640/testguilding.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
In practice, this is an entirely different matter.<br />
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Working with the gold leaf is really something. It is gravity defying. It is so beautiful to see a 4x4 square of the foil floating on a gold knife, but the slightest breeze will cause hell with it. Cutting it to size and transfering it to the spine of a book is quite a challenge.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FV5U1VamRTHCNowAtUSPIk3Q0qE4hZ6fP9ZRFAYs86mT_bucMQCt18Y721CcQOMQux5QgJfUAPvFvfbrCnGVVmElJESXYK2NFnfcsH4KWL28MMbnJBDYqLC74JNzNMQRy0IAZIHI4eTN/s1600/goldspine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1080" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FV5U1VamRTHCNowAtUSPIk3Q0qE4hZ6fP9ZRFAYs86mT_bucMQCt18Y721CcQOMQux5QgJfUAPvFvfbrCnGVVmElJESXYK2NFnfcsH4KWL28MMbnJBDYqLC74JNzNMQRy0IAZIHI4eTN/s640/goldspine.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Brien prepared wood blocks with leather on a rounded spine for us to practice on. The entire spine is polished then covered with the leaf. I was so excited I forgot to take pictures of the process.<br />
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In the end it looked pretty good but there were two spots where the gold didn't stick. Easy to repaire just put a little glair on add gold scraps and try again.<br />
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I was successful! </div>
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All of our class examples. They look so nice!<br />
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The nicest part of the class was one person who remarked about how they used to be so judgemental about the gilding on spines of old books. But now she knows better. I agree with her completely! It is so hard to get a design to be even on this surface.<br />
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<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-46261549136544284042018-07-13T23:03:00.000-04:002018-07-13T23:03:49.175-04:00something for me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I finally did something I've been wanting to do since I moved in - replace the top of my stove. </div>
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Doesn't look too bad, right? Look closer, especially the left side. All of those black spots are where the enamel has chipped away. This is the stove that came with the house and it cooks great. But it looks awful. </div>
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I don't know what the previous "user" (tenant) did with it, but both sides were rusted and cracked, not badly but still. Over the years of my using the stove and putting really heavy stock pots on it, the cracks have gotten worse. I've had horrible visions of my giant stock pots full of water and goodies caving into the whole appliance. That wouldn't be good. </div>
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I'm glad I've had enough life experience to ask the internet if it was possible to just purchase a replacement top rather than having to replace the entire appliance. Sure enough, Sears sells the top that fits my stove. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kayT6ATzmtuTtOngT8Nz9LIHStxVSSptKwjtpP1YcJnkp7mIZYsiUx9eB_txbaERyl5Fsz7G_yrX-EUUv-RoeK2I26K6YIofa_OOInloF-9kYZigoAWaudljCvF-hSf_Ugnx-3ETr3Zd/s1600/spiffynewtop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1080" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kayT6ATzmtuTtOngT8Nz9LIHStxVSSptKwjtpP1YcJnkp7mIZYsiUx9eB_txbaERyl5Fsz7G_yrX-EUUv-RoeK2I26K6YIofa_OOInloF-9kYZigoAWaudljCvF-hSf_Ugnx-3ETr3Zd/s640/spiffynewtop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was not supposed to arrive until next Friday, but when I got home today there was a giant box in front of my door! Happy Day! </div>
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I was excited to pop it on and cook my first meal, but I soon realized it wasn't going to be that easy. There were things to unscrew and to pry off like the prop-up-thingys incase you need to clean inside or relight the pilots:</div>
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and the oven vent.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1tzfu8YaYI49iHiLHU8UoCvdM2AcRP2zhWI5s8WJVHvz5THvbsXvDvh6RZiQ6dIfqbBhUVJHxaLihEaaedbLPz91-axaBPBaygey9UY7U7Y099oVFuJ5C3bnpMTfiJjALme0yVkGxSl1/s1600/ovenvent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1tzfu8YaYI49iHiLHU8UoCvdM2AcRP2zhWI5s8WJVHvz5THvbsXvDvh6RZiQ6dIfqbBhUVJHxaLihEaaedbLPz91-axaBPBaygey9UY7U7Y099oVFuJ5C3bnpMTfiJjALme0yVkGxSl1/s640/ovenvent.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I decided to cook one last meal on the old top instead. And deal with this project when I was no longer starving. First I wanted an omelet, but that quickly morphed into a frittata. Bacon, onions and carrot greens (yes really! I looked it up last night) They just taste crunchy.<br />
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Done!<br />
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Eating first was a good idea. There was a lot of cleaning that had to happen. It took me about an hour to deal with all of it. The trivets had to be scoured so that they wouldn't immediately leave dirty marks on the stove and all the knobs needed a good cleaning. I got a little bit too ambitious with the oven knob and so now I can't tell what temperature it is anymore. Guess what I have to purchase tomorrow? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe2ySLhr6yldtQOQJL9wDXPRe61m7NUr0ELxdqvCS4ZzZV7gDWBgpMGW2wyMdkOizPav7DK-IExBbyRfm60mog0O1CapfBTrdR8Bp_qY1_WXtry6s6ZgOZla6DIxgt6HfzZIax8qiG-UY/s1600/Newstovetopdone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1080" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe2ySLhr6yldtQOQJL9wDXPRe61m7NUr0ELxdqvCS4ZzZV7gDWBgpMGW2wyMdkOizPav7DK-IExBbyRfm60mog0O1CapfBTrdR8Bp_qY1_WXtry6s6ZgOZla6DIxgt6HfzZIax8qiG-UY/s640/Newstovetopdone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm also not quite finished. I still have to unscrew the prop-up-thingys but I need an allen wrench. I have a giant box of them I purchased at a flea market years ago. Too bad the box is at work for a project there and as I left today, I thought to myself, I won't need those this weekend. </div>
<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-73850888373537015792018-05-15T23:01:00.000-04:002018-05-15T23:01:20.880-04:00something for my niece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVrxu7A6eKLkDp_Gj5TNQz9P8R3041S7V6rxzpijC0kMRn0oISBq4saUPY3VHtGmtRIxHcOn1CTOExT_D4R6660z9P4kDa88mCRmU17w7Nv4mkpHUcVYVkcriQLF4fCCbBGslYhsXOdEv/s1600/amishpuzzleball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1080" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVrxu7A6eKLkDp_Gj5TNQz9P8R3041S7V6rxzpijC0kMRn0oISBq4saUPY3VHtGmtRIxHcOn1CTOExT_D4R6660z9P4kDa88mCRmU17w7Nv4mkpHUcVYVkcriQLF4fCCbBGslYhsXOdEv/s640/amishpuzzleball.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After my busy outdoor activities on Friday I collapsed with allergies. Oof! I had the ultimate gummy-brain. I managed to run some errands on Saturday before crashing. Sunday was a complete wash. I ended up binge-watching most of the second season of the original 21 Jump Street. That was fun. While watching I tried to find a knitting project. I stumbled on this little project: <a href="http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/free-crochet-patterns/crochet-amish-puzzle-ball/" target="_blank">the Amish Puzzle Ball</a>. So easy and so cute! Originally I wanted to make it red and purple to match Liam's hat but I didn't have enough yarn. It turned into the perfect opportunity to use up some of my stash. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlKIzjTTXukt6SHROgEc_XbQqJQqHv1rgn8uAE-mgVAjkaMyKvtIYZJ3FGP3nbNHVYLPy8BRl9zrXIOOYEIJOu2O4cQnd1ni6nc_dX5Grq8-fGYn9pEMvJ-RI_jTl1pY01ioV7COsd32_/s1600/amishpuzzleball2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1080" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlKIzjTTXukt6SHROgEc_XbQqJQqHv1rgn8uAE-mgVAjkaMyKvtIYZJ3FGP3nbNHVYLPy8BRl9zrXIOOYEIJOu2O4cQnd1ni6nc_dX5Grq8-fGYn9pEMvJ-RI_jTl1pY01ioV7COsd32_/s640/amishpuzzleball2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The project is so simple. Crochet twelve half circles, fold in half and crochet a seam to make cones. Crochet the outside with increases, then attach the cones and stuff with batting as you close them up. Connect as a ring. Assemble all into a ball. It's very soft and I hope she likes it. Who knows? it might be something Liam wants to play around with too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfiDNqpoJ-yV9CnU07I2i4jvCmR69B5zdhcnH3XrAkYd2kjqhOThG5olOP9H4EdK3yHvNjvZ5vtxmmR8Ux9hEj4pS1ulKQ5zaA6jAPYEAXIKq8OGxCor6SyeOd8j6Us68yXgkH8PitRs8/s1600/amishpuzzleball3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="953" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfiDNqpoJ-yV9CnU07I2i4jvCmR69B5zdhcnH3XrAkYd2kjqhOThG5olOP9H4EdK3yHvNjvZ5vtxmmR8Ux9hEj4pS1ulKQ5zaA6jAPYEAXIKq8OGxCor6SyeOd8j6Us68yXgkH8PitRs8/s640/amishpuzzleball3.jpg" width="564" /></a></div>
At any rate it was inspected and approved. So it will be mailed tomorrow.<br />
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Today was primary day in Pennsylvania. The only person I was excited to vote for was <a href="https://johnfetterman.com/" target="_blank">John Fetterman,</a> running for Lt. Governor. And I just checked - he is the Democratic candidate!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBXt8vzuTMYjTFz38euG4iIQ5I8dDaaOwgGmqgZugfJU1yqAKkScCrxvPozExaCCmwEl78YwoHYYQ1NnTtbww59bcx-3UmzjRP_ujPhQrltcXNPS2jUOtAEujJpoenVQiqwaFKSf5ivJP/s1600/Arnoff_John_Fetterman_Senate_Run_850_593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="850" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBXt8vzuTMYjTFz38euG4iIQ5I8dDaaOwgGmqgZugfJU1yqAKkScCrxvPozExaCCmwEl78YwoHYYQ1NnTtbww59bcx-3UmzjRP_ujPhQrltcXNPS2jUOtAEujJpoenVQiqwaFKSf5ivJP/s640/Arnoff_John_Fetterman_Senate_Run_850_593.jpg" width="640" /></a>Yes. Really. This guy is going to be the next Lt. Gov. of the state of Pennsylvania. Never judge a book by it's cover. This man has a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard. I have such high hopes for him. I actually saw him, live and in person in Philadelphia in December, driving his own SUV down Chestnut St. I was on my bicycle headed to the post office. It took me a moment to realize, Yes! it really was him! His window was rolled down and he must have sensed me staring (let's face it, totally star struck) at him, because he turned to look at me and I completely embarrassed myself. I pointed at him, waved like a mad crazy person and shouted, "I <i>love </i>you! I really do!" He was very nice and said I made his day, but you know, he really made mine.<br />
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A thunderstorm rolled through Philly this evening and my allergies are easing up - finally!<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">It also left us a beautiful rainbow that Miss Mary and I enjoyed from her stoop while making sure everyone who passed us on the sidewalk saw it too. </span></div>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-60329434334330190542018-05-13T21:18:00.001-04:002018-05-13T21:18:50.035-04:00Weekend projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friday morning I finally decided to tackle the mess that is the abandoned house behind me. It looks so much better when things are growing over it, but those things growing are also a problem. Ever since the tree was cut down, the invasive plants have taken over and have made quite a mess of that house. It's been ten years of junk accumulating back there. I don't even know how most of it got there.<br />
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The iron sofa frame has been there all along, but the red and white KFC container is new from last month. Was someone back there? Did a squirrel drag it over there? It's a mystery. I do know that a few tenants ago in the house next door, used the empty lot as their own personal dumping grounds. Just tossing their garbage over the wall.<br />
Then there was the tenant who tossed his lit cigarette into the mess and caught the whole place on fire. Luckily I had just seen him smoking and then looked up to see the smoke coming up above the edge of the wall.<br />
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Or? maybe not? Maybe it would have been good to let the place burn to the ground. It's not really salvageable for anyone to purchase. <br />
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After about two hours of cutting paper mulberries, piling up some of the junk to be tossed in shifts and filling three large construction bags of trash (shoes, pots, clothes, food junk, kitchen utensils, baby diapers) I had to stop.<br />
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I wanted to pull up the disgusting carpet but there were too many black spiders crawling around on top of it.<br />
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I was happy with the progress I had made. Now I just have to go back in next week and start hauling out some of the junk in the pile.<br />
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After that mess it was time for a fun project. Miss Mary and I had gone to purchase our spring plants and some flowers with left over money from the gift certificate we received from Green's Grow the previous week. We also bought 4x4s to make nicer planters.<br />
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With help from the West Philly Tool Library, I check out a chop saw and a set of very special drill bits that will drill a wide circle into wood so you can recess the head of a nail or bolt. Very practical.<br />
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The drill is a different story. Something happened to mine last summer. I haven't seen it since then. This is very sad because that drill was a good friend, helped me with a lot of projects. I think it was stolen, but I have no proof. There were so many people wandering in and out of my house last year. I have a second drill at school to use for drilling holes in boards. I brought that home. When I pulled it out to use it, it just didn't have enough power. Not only that, but I can't find my box of multi drill bits. This convinces me even more that the drill was "lifted" along with the bits. Sigh. oh well.<br />
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Mr. El left early in the morning, so I asked Miss Mary if she knew where he kept his and if I could borrow it. She brought me this the heavy-duty scary looking drill. But no complaints! It got the job done.<br />
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Once they were finished, we hauled them out to the street, put them in, and planted the flowers.<br />
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I don't know what it is about flowers. It just brightens everything and made us so happy.tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-5913198172790586242018-05-09T22:47:00.000-04:002018-05-10T17:42:13.199-04:00Bees at last! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Yes! </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Finally - my bees have arrived. What a saga. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Between my not putting a stamp on the envelope with my order, to all of the bees dying of heat when the first batch was brought up, I thought I'd never have bees again.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">But this Saturday, all went smoothly. </span></div>
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I picked up my two packages in Blue Bell (a 45 minute drive with no traffic from Philadelphia). On the way home I kept feeling that something was crawling around in my blouse. Thinking I was just imagining creepy-crawlies I kept driving. But then I put my elbow on the window sill of the car and a bee flew out! Thank goodness I didn't get stung.</div>
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Installing them into the hives went well and last night I let the queens out - again, no problems. Nobody stung me. yay! I still have to put honey supers on, but I'm going to wait a bit. Give the queen some time to adjust and let everyone know they are okay. </div>
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I had another nice garden surprise; apparently, I have a wisteria vine in the garden. </div>
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I had suspected as much for a few years as I spied a few remnants of blooms that hadn't quite met their maturity. But this year there was no mistake when I came home one day to find the above. </div>
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Unfortunately they are intertwined with Mr. El's bundle of chain link fence he has been threatening to install for the last four years. sigh.</div>
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In the meantime, I'm going to try to figure out how to get the vine out of the chain link coil to save it. I'd really like more of these!tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-38575421638034731622018-05-02T21:42:00.000-04:002018-05-02T21:42:47.791-04:00Book for Exhibit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just under the wire, I finished my book for an exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Library. There is a show there of a very prominent Book Artist, Keith Smith. I have several of his books and use them often for instruction and inspiration. The Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers members made works based on Smith's non-adhesive bindings and they will be shown in conjunction with the exhibition. Cool! </div>
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I've been doing a lot of research on bees in eager anticipation of mine (which I still don't have and am not sure I will get this weekend after all) and I stumbled across this book on google books: <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=RZNlAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Langstroth%27s+Hive+and+the+HOney+bee&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdzrj8r-jaAhUHm1kKHX4lBdkQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=Langstroth's%20Hive%20and%20the%20HOney%20bee&f=false" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Langstroth's Hive and the Honey-Bee</a><i> </i> Google books is a great resource to find rare and out of print books. If they are in the public domain they are often digitized in their entirety. You can download a pdf. From there it's not difficult to turn the pdf into jpegs and set everything imposition in InDesign. Print it out and Voilá! Book on Demand. I didn't use the entire text because it's nearly 600 pages, so I just chose about 60 of the pages I was interested in, the hive design, flowers the bees were interested in, and recipes. </div>
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In his book 1, 2, & 3 Section bindings, Smith has instructions for a hexagon sewing. I took that and modified it to turn it into honey comb. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UeL356SCcdQ2Y9wXz8oslnqX4BCmY6xCd61at0ntnbe8DfRZvWVyRMyKYSscrX7YFUXk9gIwOtFEUaPwB05M8YVIH8Srp7xQ-UISEzSEkutiwOUcYBLZi7p6mPSN55wrqAY9zbAgaRSK/s1600/sewingcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UeL356SCcdQ2Y9wXz8oslnqX4BCmY6xCd61at0ntnbe8DfRZvWVyRMyKYSscrX7YFUXk9gIwOtFEUaPwB05M8YVIH8Srp7xQ-UISEzSEkutiwOUcYBLZi7p6mPSN55wrqAY9zbAgaRSK/s640/sewingcards.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Designing the pattern was a major challenge. I have several sewing cards where I tried doing all kinds of crazy things. I finally got what I thought would work and so I decided to make a little mock up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHfytkA1wP2Vv9bS3BPxT9XzLnPtAff_qsP9D7RSS68yc1CE6FG1LMqrPWAIb_faM5KyoMnV6b3IBDxoPyp-yoFChFC89TNmeRaMxaU8wFOcEc7QlYbb1l_Xo8q1ULg6vKMbAjsD9EwrK/s1600/mockuppages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1080" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHfytkA1wP2Vv9bS3BPxT9XzLnPtAff_qsP9D7RSS68yc1CE6FG1LMqrPWAIb_faM5KyoMnV6b3IBDxoPyp-yoFChFC89TNmeRaMxaU8wFOcEc7QlYbb1l_Xo8q1ULg6vKMbAjsD9EwrK/s640/mockuppages.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's a lot of holes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTvXTqJ9kIsJ0bNV8xcNvyK9zc3l0pYXhSj_rCc8NK90rAucmKZvkeoOLC7q_UcuBZNHXLl8Wfk2CvcVnS1cqNa-oLXEndZDr9RjEpg1Oq77Q3bv9h2vGhyphenhyphenz0trMODcv8ppGgHOzoevRv/s1600/blurryhivebinding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTvXTqJ9kIsJ0bNV8xcNvyK9zc3l0pYXhSj_rCc8NK90rAucmKZvkeoOLC7q_UcuBZNHXLl8Wfk2CvcVnS1cqNa-oLXEndZDr9RjEpg1Oq77Q3bv9h2vGhyphenhyphenz0trMODcv8ppGgHOzoevRv/s640/blurryhivebinding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the blurry - but you get the idea. Things went fairly well until I got to the other side. The paper was just too perforated and I started tearing holes through them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0rSWZEZO3cghfA-_C0owaK1neHvoFwexBj5IjIbHSgR7KxUvv7OWsCKE92FpRLpYKbASaAdBrGh3W81ROWOYdoGl8svtuPYuIgAeRQiBHmJKBmAVQy0FyS1ltHP1QYtewaUMsgYxMae5/s1600/samples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1080" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0rSWZEZO3cghfA-_C0owaK1neHvoFwexBj5IjIbHSgR7KxUvv7OWsCKE92FpRLpYKbASaAdBrGh3W81ROWOYdoGl8svtuPYuIgAeRQiBHmJKBmAVQy0FyS1ltHP1QYtewaUMsgYxMae5/s640/samples.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I figured I had the hang of the binding anyway and could start working on the materials for the real book. </div>
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The orange is a nice departure from all of my blue books. I picked up two pieces of Cave Paper at the College Book Arts conference and that came in handy. That's the inner cover. </div>
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I couldn't find the right paper for the outside. I would have loved to use a sheet of the Walnut Cave Paper, but I don't have any of that. Luckily I remembered all of the gorgeous paper I bought in Korea! The beautiful Hanji papers were exactly what I wanted. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD3DhK4OltKJGekxwEwWzrNupMzt5TwCeRLmr01ULzEbQ6D59168AQsxrKbqsp3lXMkbXjpMqcvagSMrDSNG-6iiP0ODnzoKzwr0bOMC4pKH4-NreCFyJAmqi2cuurZiDcelFCeGKXOah/s1600/Hanjipaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD3DhK4OltKJGekxwEwWzrNupMzt5TwCeRLmr01ULzEbQ6D59168AQsxrKbqsp3lXMkbXjpMqcvagSMrDSNG-6iiP0ODnzoKzwr0bOMC4pKH4-NreCFyJAmqi2cuurZiDcelFCeGKXOah/s640/Hanjipaper.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had forgotten how beautiful they all are. I'm glad I've saved them and not squandered them of silly projects. This is the one they were meant for. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPTfe_CVlb5Zju0MQFzKZBA8LSod1a25sQC8DnJYdMBOaETx-l8-X9ya_XPNZ65BfsmrcI3fqGLAvi5HE4-MngwLWU7a0C6GVsG0Wf-MqslAiuUpq_DZIop4yAIVz1-oDeCbwyWL7vX4o/s1600/threewaxsheets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1080" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPTfe_CVlb5Zju0MQFzKZBA8LSod1a25sQC8DnJYdMBOaETx-l8-X9ya_XPNZ65BfsmrcI3fqGLAvi5HE4-MngwLWU7a0C6GVsG0Wf-MqslAiuUpq_DZIop4yAIVz1-oDeCbwyWL7vX4o/s640/threewaxsheets.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I chose the brown papers, and dipped two different shades in melted bees wax. The pages become slightly translucent so that orange Cave Paper shows through nicely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVz4pXRBCKECyLMA7WWbcykOYkhtv8Ea_y76tKjJo20bxvE_W5VXlijp2oOnl6V75B9NYFc7FN63hINkI3q_6bdJIxVvCKWZzkZA1TO-cswBlWlsnrhNK_YRmgELSkh4DLVff19ozLIRgH/s1600/thesewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1080" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVz4pXRBCKECyLMA7WWbcykOYkhtv8Ea_y76tKjJo20bxvE_W5VXlijp2oOnl6V75B9NYFc7FN63hINkI3q_6bdJIxVvCKWZzkZA1TO-cswBlWlsnrhNK_YRmgELSkh4DLVff19ozLIRgH/s640/thesewing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It took over 9 hours to sew the seven signatures. </div>
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Final touch,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSMFSL3fAROWAgeDWXccVR7TTu6XyIgTzK0_GmOG_z3k_diHjuyD9pA0N5duXcCOBlHy0bOvvBJD40Yd7sWZSoKDvKRo_W0NXP7wAUsPRJLaUUXTJ4uhpklyn4P4GS0u6q-5S8dL7tSls/s1600/embossed+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="998" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSMFSL3fAROWAgeDWXccVR7TTu6XyIgTzK0_GmOG_z3k_diHjuyD9pA0N5duXcCOBlHy0bOvvBJD40Yd7sWZSoKDvKRo_W0NXP7wAUsPRJLaUUXTJ4uhpklyn4P4GS0u6q-5S8dL7tSls/s640/embossed+bee.jpg" width="590" /></a></div>
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a little gold bee for the front cover. </div>
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I am really satisfied with this binding. So much so, I'm looking at the other two sheets of wax-dipped paper and thinking - I could make two more. Why not? </div>
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I'm extra proud of myself because my mock crab-apple bloomed on Saturday. Boy howdy are my allergies kicking up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNk-ODOO6GNGDDHDX7fSiGgQ_6qmInjgXniL1yEztPgzjpCk8vgDuEb40coo9Eed8BaqFIIguNKavt8GELSucNghPSA75ArbEYBFpjZ8WCxvCs_G0irASJmq_K4PCCz1lhiKqDtSjNSC6/s1600/eveningtree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNk-ODOO6GNGDDHDX7fSiGgQ_6qmInjgXniL1yEztPgzjpCk8vgDuEb40coo9Eed8BaqFIIguNKavt8GELSucNghPSA75ArbEYBFpjZ8WCxvCs_G0irASJmq_K4PCCz1lhiKqDtSjNSC6/s640/eveningtree.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The tree is incredible this year. I've seen so many people stop and take pictures of it, reach up to touch the petals, and even a few people picking some branches. I don't mind. I always want to do that when I pass the cherry trees that are so spectacular. And if I could, I'd have a big vase of the blooms on my kitchen table. </div>
<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-26248199453768920562018-04-29T22:11:00.000-04:002018-04-30T19:21:05.833-04:00A hat for LiamA month ago, my sister sent an adorable picture of my nephew in a knitted hat with two large pompoms on it. (There's one in the back)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK6nFMZA4s2b5lb5_gS5BydS_T9K1jicMjY57Q-OSTwSew8qh8KVdUaDU_PLFGx7y2k4k4-DzhXA9IuNiHCqVIQ52-YaAJryWVchtg58YGTbTlMTCN2E078TzuHt9N67r2CdTbqAObJT8/s1600/Liamzonked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK6nFMZA4s2b5lb5_gS5BydS_T9K1jicMjY57Q-OSTwSew8qh8KVdUaDU_PLFGx7y2k4k4-DzhXA9IuNiHCqVIQ52-YaAJryWVchtg58YGTbTlMTCN2E078TzuHt9N67r2CdTbqAObJT8/s640/Liamzonked.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Totally adorable. My sister suggested that if I wanted to knit him something I should knit another one just like it.<br />
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Why?<br />
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Because then his shadow looks just like Mickey's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8VHFt_RapeX4bKTg7GC3HR_jPN8XCQhFhPxyKMkRhim2Hlva2hyphenhyphenC8wQkUHGH_nP8gVJxe6t-XW6tG8MWztsbIH5pEPMLL2CazCy8zWd7fSjBFoV0oyIiMIfB0p8io71fJAEW_ltfqC-W/s1600/Mickey%2527sshadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="350" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8VHFt_RapeX4bKTg7GC3HR_jPN8XCQhFhPxyKMkRhim2Hlva2hyphenhyphenC8wQkUHGH_nP8gVJxe6t-XW6tG8MWztsbIH5pEPMLL2CazCy8zWd7fSjBFoV0oyIiMIfB0p8io71fJAEW_ltfqC-W/s400/Mickey%2527sshadow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well who am I to argue with that? </div>
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What colors? - I texted. </div>
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Red and Purple came the response. </div>
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Wish Granted: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT16RsvTDHHekO97DpAEZp41kVE_uhYQs8sQluGYxmP0zgRtO2CdPCZjU4_fl325sO_FR9y_3CHp5g4BjF3xExH0rcWZrbfz_Oi6RVeHmbiTXaCnuyOylb-kKjRbaheSHlvOErFxWO7g4/s1600/Liamshat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT16RsvTDHHekO97DpAEZp41kVE_uhYQs8sQluGYxmP0zgRtO2CdPCZjU4_fl325sO_FR9y_3CHp5g4BjF3xExH0rcWZrbfz_Oi6RVeHmbiTXaCnuyOylb-kKjRbaheSHlvOErFxWO7g4/s640/Liamshat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm rather proud of those pompoms.<br />
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However, when I tried it on? It didn't look exactly like Mickey's Shadow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUwoIvE8HyaRGVZXG3gCDhoxpTbL6lCauRW7y7QAFZyv4FEf8_SR6-9OTc6cTKI4-I_mabOW9h4aPY8Dsk7-YPJvFtMF4U77w0rlr2CUCjgh6XYOP75x7nmCVs85WV6D0rfls2hxPwl7K/s1600/Liamshatshadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUwoIvE8HyaRGVZXG3gCDhoxpTbL6lCauRW7y7QAFZyv4FEf8_SR6-9OTc6cTKI4-I_mabOW9h4aPY8Dsk7-YPJvFtMF4U77w0rlr2CUCjgh6XYOP75x7nmCVs85WV6D0rfls2hxPwl7K/s640/Liamshatshadow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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More like Sid from Ice Age's shadow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mcK9BUIEZuXvaKDeGmv_JJriXtdDKEcEaC0dpCHxG_YRePDigFroeLJPMAaX0S0ez0IdGfqMrZ76ur3D-oVwBwkFxk3DgJCnoGIQJcFM0A_Xhwty5jeMojMcZjJzFGTL-vzV2elfNZ8l/s1600/Sid_IceAgeshadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="500" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mcK9BUIEZuXvaKDeGmv_JJriXtdDKEcEaC0dpCHxG_YRePDigFroeLJPMAaX0S0ez0IdGfqMrZ76ur3D-oVwBwkFxk3DgJCnoGIQJcFM0A_Xhwty5jeMojMcZjJzFGTL-vzV2elfNZ8l/s640/Sid_IceAgeshadow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRdddBYmkVb_rp_dPDP3wfTqLJQVt1CPL6Qwk9kYsYhotdTWC1DVfDr9PtwLP2T7B0EGxGVYnE3YSMUJAcCB7GZ7Xv6q_xAK3AeVSiyM7E-JocMPfKTYMWOefJCNQSQ6fjG_PeJXb5arp/s1600/Sid_IceAge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="564" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRdddBYmkVb_rp_dPDP3wfTqLJQVt1CPL6Qwk9kYsYhotdTWC1DVfDr9PtwLP2T7B0EGxGVYnE3YSMUJAcCB7GZ7Xv6q_xAK3AeVSiyM7E-JocMPfKTYMWOefJCNQSQ6fjG_PeJXb5arp/s640/Sid_IceAge.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I'm going to send it along anyway. If the "ears" need to be adjusted I'm also sending extra thread so that they can be tacked further up along the crown of the head. </div>
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I mean, how picky can a 3-year-old be? </div>
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;) haha - stay tuned. </div>
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<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-18394943936513153482018-04-18T06:54:00.001-04:002018-04-19T20:03:00.983-04:00Welcome to the world baby girl! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuDBP5OyT7gNkbBp0mkllvj8jfIKyAkZx8ofHRi3ga2KyC3BY-btCmMSKgiWDj7r5JOoX-DrZB89N9mkASgaTsCoQKlnG9BKpbrjKavMNCY0-Ql3B9B5dB4unaRzEOVbBQzk58CQ80lIp/s1600/Jesmyn_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuDBP5OyT7gNkbBp0mkllvj8jfIKyAkZx8ofHRi3ga2KyC3BY-btCmMSKgiWDj7r5JOoX-DrZB89N9mkASgaTsCoQKlnG9BKpbrjKavMNCY0-Ql3B9B5dB4unaRzEOVbBQzk58CQ80lIp/s640/Jesmyn_small.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
My niece was born yesterday!<br />
Jesmyn Aoife<br />
7.6lbs 20"tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-83757119710375213642018-04-15T22:10:00.000-04:002018-04-15T22:19:29.034-04:00No bees - but bottled Metheglin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuAzdpo6DXcRSbv25eTEGtnZUALrpZjf9T3XHxfvFv4bhg8HWg0BC9DgMuE5Yif2UHFvsB8bsVzHCcg3nuUlhboPb2V3cG_Knaw0nW2J9QlbwCfrxM4h7x6J_GmJOI_Pk0-vUJP9qWvaA/s1600/treegone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuAzdpo6DXcRSbv25eTEGtnZUALrpZjf9T3XHxfvFv4bhg8HWg0BC9DgMuE5Yif2UHFvsB8bsVzHCcg3nuUlhboPb2V3cG_Knaw0nW2J9QlbwCfrxM4h7x6J_GmJOI_Pk0-vUJP9qWvaA/s640/treegone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
So sad. No bees after all this weekend. No one's fault except Mother Nature or - Global Climate Change - take your pick of philosophies.<br />
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My Bee Guy drives down to Georgia to get our bee packages. It's a long and complicated story but anyway... then he drives them back up to Pennsylvania. Normally this is no problem, but this particular weekend (as opposed to last weekend when we were "supposed" to have a blizzard), this weekend it was about a bazillion degrees on the east coast. By the time they reached home, most of the bees where dead due to the heat. :( It was really sad. There was a notice on the website about trouble. I went up anyway. Unfortunately, while there were worker bees, the queens had been compromised. I have assurances that as soon as there are new queens I can come back up and pick up the ordered packages. I feel so bad for my Bee Guy. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He was already a week late delivering bees, the weather forecast wasn't accurate (let's face it - it was super warm here on Saturday), and he clearly wanted to get us our bees!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pDVUKlAeb_2QCsgg2rLgZdyrbqm2q9jXyhcS7lpq7otaZl3mePoVygiszzuX8TtKkk4fpEa6ekyY7cZEPswVjdWqlJLliLLnYiEG24nQ9IoC0LgUkl0Z3kJwV_jpxofz6PrnEg8Thn5H/s1600/beeprep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pDVUKlAeb_2QCsgg2rLgZdyrbqm2q9jXyhcS7lpq7otaZl3mePoVygiszzuX8TtKkk4fpEa6ekyY7cZEPswVjdWqlJLliLLnYiEG24nQ9IoC0LgUkl0Z3kJwV_jpxofz6PrnEg8Thn5H/s640/beeprep.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I am prepared at any rate. I spent a good deal of time on Friday cleaning out the hive boxes. Both had not made it and I'm pretty sure I know why. When I cleaned out the dead bees, I found varroa mites all over them - including still live mites! Uch, I was so upset. Especially since I treated the bees at the end of the season with the correct acid. Clearly, it didn't work. However, I am ready for this year's bees. This also gives me a bit more time to prepare the frames that go into the boxes.<br />
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In other news:<br />
I continued to edition Luminary:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXU2IATVjHhQ4kBCtSHNvjSjUfnjNkHemBWoAhUdNNA9CTIKR2glrmKpEldyhN_hm_7FK7hBG-odV0DGe18UV6lm8UimjElSANo9f-1iXmePnCQ3MCfFE8iKLA0EOlbJMqJHhhUIk601Z/s1600/liminaryeditions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXU2IATVjHhQ4kBCtSHNvjSjUfnjNkHemBWoAhUdNNA9CTIKR2glrmKpEldyhN_hm_7FK7hBG-odV0DGe18UV6lm8UimjElSANo9f-1iXmePnCQ3MCfFE8iKLA0EOlbJMqJHhhUIk601Z/s640/liminaryeditions.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Three more, half done. </div>
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I also finished a pair of socks for a good friend. SY moved to Buffalo with her family a little over a year ago and she is freezing. There is nothing better for freezing than very warm socks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV3Sm7w9Hwe7HAMdLZ_ZVvH8uCoqBP0BY9ZWKDzOKeXwlxgWKEOR3vf5rzKxVmesWrn_4GFH3p4RCZ361mlgIuUe912LMUPSDB-qm16AhUXWDKZqK9gCbNfNtQ71K0zDXel5YmYp8h3GF/s1600/SunYoungssocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1080" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV3Sm7w9Hwe7HAMdLZ_ZVvH8uCoqBP0BY9ZWKDzOKeXwlxgWKEOR3vf5rzKxVmesWrn_4GFH3p4RCZ361mlgIuUe912LMUPSDB-qm16AhUXWDKZqK9gCbNfNtQ71K0zDXel5YmYp8h3GF/s640/SunYoungssocks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am really happy with these and I hope she likes them. </div>
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And I bottled the Metheglin!</div>
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A few days ago it stopped furiously fizzing. I knew it was time to bottle it, but still had to plan that somehow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9879m8TrtIU6ikNai03FY2TIejFbJ9mRyh1BuXrvZRtIabvOP8FHAAZDsRS8975lwF8l70ucABYelqTfAg1m_uoW-U0df9pp2V-8VGtPLmg1JOpPFz6NB75O2iL0kQh3rHYS7GylCm_at/s1600/metheglintobottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="821" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9879m8TrtIU6ikNai03FY2TIejFbJ9mRyh1BuXrvZRtIabvOP8FHAAZDsRS8975lwF8l70ucABYelqTfAg1m_uoW-U0df9pp2V-8VGtPLmg1JOpPFz6NB75O2iL0kQh3rHYS7GylCm_at/s640/metheglintobottle.jpg" width="486" /></a></div>
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On Saturday I stopped at the Philly Homebrew Outlet because they also have beekeeping supplies. I spied some things I might need to bottle the metheglin, and this morning I thought, what the heck, I'll go get some things. </div>
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Of course, the bottles I'm going to use will be the cobalt. </div>
I also invested in a siphon. This is a nifty piece of equipment that makes transferring liquid a piece of cake. Basically you create a vacuum and let gravity work it's magic. As long as the bottle that is receiving the liquid is lower that the original, the liquid will continue to flow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zEG7tXEPXK_OvVLHDDcZYw9pzkhQHrfwb-F2roS_PS1fxAJBCCoqkdiZrT8t_-r_9kFCb8cpEQ1mFWu6V39WQ1L6Jm85EF6ySgYKFIw5JhLTUjm1r2nkvyZvjI_U_C4ut7eXxvdc8k6m/s1600/siphoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zEG7tXEPXK_OvVLHDDcZYw9pzkhQHrfwb-F2roS_PS1fxAJBCCoqkdiZrT8t_-r_9kFCb8cpEQ1mFWu6V39WQ1L6Jm85EF6ySgYKFIw5JhLTUjm1r2nkvyZvjI_U_C4ut7eXxvdc8k6m/s640/siphoning.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>
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This was a relatively easy process except I should have put the bottles into a bowl! That way, when I wasn't quick enough to pinch the tube to shut off the flow, the extra liquid would overflow into that and not onto the floor. It was all good though - it inspired a fit of long overdue cleaning to mop up the floor. </div>
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I also added the rest of the ingredients: raisins, cinnamon, and lemon. I used Persian raisins (12 per bottle), real cinnamon, the flaky kind, and the rind of a lemon. Not much of that though, kind of a 1cm wide sliver, the pith removed. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T5XElfjBZIkI4J35GEMUbeGdZVzvrd_8jkrKvZt67XAe0Q6TYCrP1_bYSXkeCthmjuvkPvn2ov6UaIxKcv2aj6phEhPQ35Yw0KVkTNv6fUOSXF9sLBgS0NI6acMPH9U9omNsBDUSQ_fd/s1600/transferred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="797" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T5XElfjBZIkI4J35GEMUbeGdZVzvrd_8jkrKvZt67XAe0Q6TYCrP1_bYSXkeCthmjuvkPvn2ov6UaIxKcv2aj6phEhPQ35Yw0KVkTNv6fUOSXF9sLBgS0NI6acMPH9U9omNsBDUSQ_fd/s640/transferred.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
As I mentioned before, I plan on letting these sit for a while. The first opportunity to sample will be when former tenants come back to town for graduation. One will earn his PhD. I think that will be the perfect time to uncork one of these and see how it turned out.<br />
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<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-38677320095358443612018-04-13T11:01:00.000-04:002018-04-13T11:03:55.678-04:00Metheglin, Luminary, and 50 Card Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Metheglin Update: </div>
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Well, something's happening. I left the metheglin in the kitchen overnight and when I came in the next morning, it was alive. It was foaming so much I took it into the bathroom and put it into the shower. That way if it exploded at least it would be easier to clean up! I was also so shocked by the drama I forgot to take pictures until a few days later. </div>
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Here is an image of the foaming still happening, although much subdued. This was probably last Wednesday. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NyNT9YYGSRM0dYisysbpSD3PT0exEMVonkQ30BdHjK7G3nMilMMJoMEVJ_yHKBckidLCSwRmnkkP1ybuCi69pXjsmzI6Yigg18c7z1e-kfzd7Qfxyzil2ht2IDrhHdrfBHQi1ebQu-GA/s1600/metheglinfoamy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NyNT9YYGSRM0dYisysbpSD3PT0exEMVonkQ30BdHjK7G3nMilMMJoMEVJ_yHKBckidLCSwRmnkkP1ybuCi69pXjsmzI6Yigg18c7z1e-kfzd7Qfxyzil2ht2IDrhHdrfBHQi1ebQu-GA/s640/metheglinfoamy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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By this morning the bubbles have slowed considerably and the liquid has cleared. It is quite the lovely caramel color. Dare I sample some? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2ITvwymMeSuAwuMTloaPcz7IF7S-Ka-yyTELxaDCNta-chgL0VL-fNh4B6gL3bLQp_kyNoRAhain519djJNh8VO3zbVQPiEyehPOORw28Sa5ROGVIxGNsN5bP4dKNS1KtHST0MnMoe80/s1600/metheglin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2ITvwymMeSuAwuMTloaPcz7IF7S-Ka-yyTELxaDCNta-chgL0VL-fNh4B6gL3bLQp_kyNoRAhain519djJNh8VO3zbVQPiEyehPOORw28Sa5ROGVIxGNsN5bP4dKNS1KtHST0MnMoe80/s640/metheglin1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I opened the cork and sniffed. It doesn't smell bad. I went and got a straw and did the old, dip and pull method because I didn't want to disturb the sediment at the bottom. And what does it taste like?... beer. </div>
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blech. </div>
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Okay Okay, I'm not a beer drinker, but I can manage a pale ale and that's what this tastes like at the moment. A very pale, light, ginger beer. I still have to add the cinnamon, lemon, and raisins. That might change the flavor a little. But as soon as I have another bottle, I'm making straight mead. I've got to see what the difference is. Project for this weekend? Figure out how to bottle this up. I'm planning on letting it sit for longer than the "fortnight" suggested by Mrs. W's book. </div>
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In related news, I have great news on the bee front. I will pick up my bees tomorrow! This was not guaranteed because I was a real ding-a-ling about ordering them. I sent my check and application <i>well</i> before the deadline. We're talkin' weeks here. I really wanted my bees early so they could get a head start on everything and I might get a summer harvest of honey. </div>
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I forgot to put a stamp on the envelope. </div>
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It came back after the notice was put up on the website that there was only a waiting list for bee packages this weekend. I was so bummed. I stuck the entire envelope in a new envelope and wrote a pitiful message on it pointing out that <i>technically</i> I did mail it before the deadline. I also mentioned that if someone didn't show up for their order, I would be more than happy to drop everything and come pick them up. My bee man is the best and put me on this weekends list. I am very excited! That's what I will be doing for most of today... reviewing my notes and remembering what to do for this whole bee thing. </div>
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<i>Luminary</i></div>
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Last weekend, I got lost in the studio to edition my book <i>Luminary.</i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVPUoSvAH2HbrZTK8iPztP9ZMoOrYr1VV1zPGan5ekgeaZQJpbtzM3RRnmEzfcTJXWKmy_sXLXfTWVI9h7WtTQLVpJ1bF62jNCvoJWnvWLrj1sCF2fuWK_F4k5EXjbU_OhnQLYhyphenhyphenWrw4N/s1600/Luminary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="922" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVPUoSvAH2HbrZTK8iPztP9ZMoOrYr1VV1zPGan5ekgeaZQJpbtzM3RRnmEzfcTJXWKmy_sXLXfTWVI9h7WtTQLVpJ1bF62jNCvoJWnvWLrj1sCF2fuWK_F4k5EXjbU_OhnQLYhyphenhyphenWrw4N/s640/Luminary.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
It was accepted into the Guild of Bookworkers traveling exhibition, <i>Formation</i>. I only had the one copy and before it leaves me for two years, I really needed to make another for reference.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMNIJcTEmzsIfKQuaJ5ip-T0Pvi4L_U7Fw-win0ZpanS8pXHA59o4SAtAB9ON8a3LzYABDo-c217zpqu4N6apzXeuILfoQ497W5_Mpi1jsWmdpMD3TCaYKUBEkRAhn_bpV2tHMDsbT7Dc/s1600/Luminarysorting3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMNIJcTEmzsIfKQuaJ5ip-T0Pvi4L_U7Fw-win0ZpanS8pXHA59o4SAtAB9ON8a3LzYABDo-c217zpqu4N6apzXeuILfoQ497W5_Mpi1jsWmdpMD3TCaYKUBEkRAhn_bpV2tHMDsbT7Dc/s640/Luminarysorting3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
There are 15 pages and my goal is 10 books. They are all sunprints which is quite an ambitious project let me tell you! The sun and clouds are not exactly ideal studio mates. It's taken almost two years just to print the spreads. And of course, I already have to print more due to stupid mistakes.<br />
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I got three put together last weekend. And before I forget what I did, I want to finish as many others as possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9aCNwaTpciVSCmjCZMBUOj2EUpnqTm4Q21tcQYIy8-E7OfcKkzE3EIrsQIGq8Adedq4EoqojGNGHR6HIPYqc57Ci5_14Lrt-JyicMPd3Wsp2u69XX81vz1J2TydR7UCPF_pRQlSFvsDx/s1600/Luminarywork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1080" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9aCNwaTpciVSCmjCZMBUOj2EUpnqTm4Q21tcQYIy8-E7OfcKkzE3EIrsQIGq8Adedq4EoqojGNGHR6HIPYqc57Ci5_14Lrt-JyicMPd3Wsp2u69XX81vz1J2TydR7UCPF_pRQlSFvsDx/s640/Luminarywork.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The wonderful Silhouette Cameo cutter Ann gave me for Christmas a year ago, is an absolute life saver. It took some fiddling, but it is cutting a perfect circle in all of my spreads exactly where they should be. Big sigh of relief.<br />
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50 Card Project<br />
I received a wonderful surprise in the mail this week. In response to the election last year, my friend Melanie did this project. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiio7qUgm6bIfm2Td8O7iy5ognbAzsWpzYAqBh4rZjVLA7OSq-h63GFnV03XyxxsL0eBbpvSbAElQeNo6pe_ycHPzAxwiMg35CypwmMVFCle72apiXLcC8Jw5ICSoKLKfrWB_17CRD4HPg/s1600/50cardproject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="875" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiio7qUgm6bIfm2Td8O7iy5ognbAzsWpzYAqBh4rZjVLA7OSq-h63GFnV03XyxxsL0eBbpvSbAElQeNo6pe_ycHPzAxwiMg35CypwmMVFCle72apiXLcC8Jw5ICSoKLKfrWB_17CRD4HPg/s640/50cardproject.jpg" width="518" /></a></div>
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It was a monumental undertaking funded by Kickstarter. In spite of so much misery for the past year, she managed to find quotes and responses to the madness that were positive and uplifting. More information about the project can be found here: <a href="http://melaniemowinski.com/the-50-card-project/">http://melaniemowinski.com/the-50-card-project/</a><br />
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You can find (and purchase!) your own copy here: <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/It%20was%20a%20monumental%20project%20funded%20by%20Kickstarter.%20I%20loved%20every%20single%20card%20she%20made%20and%20am%20thrilled%20to%20have%20them%20in%20this%20beautifully%20designed%20book.%20More%20information%20about%20the%20project%20can%20be%20found%20here:%20http://melaniemowinski.com/the-50-card-project/%20%20You%20can%20find%20(and%20purchase!)%20your%20own%20copy%20here:%20http://melaniemowinski.com/product/printed-book/" target="_blank">http://melaniemowinski.com/product/printed-book/ </a><br />
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Congratulations Melanie! It is really fabulous!tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-83966327613909188352018-04-01T22:16:00.002-04:002018-04-01T22:16:44.526-04:00Happy Rejuvenation! Yes, I am still here.<br />
Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and mostly happy Spring! Life returns. Which is the perfect time to restart this blog.<br />
Full disclosure, my New Year's resolution was to return to blogging, but well... that didn't happen.<br />
I have no excuses... just explanations - this past year really sucked politically. And since it was so crazy it was all I could do to meet my obligations and then go home and pull the covers over my head. I have high hopes for this November though. Something's gotta give.<br />
There is much to catch up on and report. Last year my blog came in very handy as a diary of things that have happened, including a "neighbor" who wanted to re-zone his property inappropriately. I was able to go back and document the baloney he had pulled on us. Super motivation to keep this little project up! But with what?<br />
Well, the one idea I've wanted to do is post more of my recipes. This year at work I've started leaving historical recipes in my "out-of-office" reply email. I've had some very fun responses. The last one was Martha Washington's <i>Metheglin </i>recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfVTw0V4_QjTemapl-ipPI49AHerfaApyvlkZlN_6PGFkFK1P_4Twgyn9ietp8cdkiIMl9NpgfX13XgtpOHog4yGLEa5YnVqZEAcHlviYc1OOW_sEeF6TwxizaseQHq5gbMi_jPwDo1bI/s1600/recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1080" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfVTw0V4_QjTemapl-ipPI49AHerfaApyvlkZlN_6PGFkFK1P_4Twgyn9ietp8cdkiIMl9NpgfX13XgtpOHog4yGLEa5YnVqZEAcHlviYc1OOW_sEeF6TwxizaseQHq5gbMi_jPwDo1bI/s640/recipe.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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This is from Karen Hess' fabulous transcription. If you have any interest in historical cooking, this is a Must Purchase. The introduction and appendixes alone are worth the price. (It's still in print!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCi2E0AWlI9M6ZNRA32flADPGl7Rgg-ryai0stu2lcmgLiScMuMCB0UwBpZUlq5M5pxgAlKati8NxQS9odFe_WEG0WO0YMn0thn-DUfwm6Q1A83QpmJUgIcIienKAh67dUoxDyqpkTmpL/s1600/MWsBookeofCookery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCi2E0AWlI9M6ZNRA32flADPGl7Rgg-ryai0stu2lcmgLiScMuMCB0UwBpZUlq5M5pxgAlKati8NxQS9odFe_WEG0WO0YMn0thn-DUfwm6Q1A83QpmJUgIcIienKAh67dUoxDyqpkTmpL/s640/MWsBookeofCookery.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiat7MI-zpQHB4vrgVozKouRK2g0_pLlavpjRBx78YMYL2segR4a7omc8IEVrAlsVpYTdQxsKNxdFa2Tnxv6zDXwDA4vk20kgyelsYP3M0yi9vANEiad2OU9HrDtjAD6j5Mt3A7gehvU2p-/s1600/Ingredients1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiat7MI-zpQHB4vrgVozKouRK2g0_pLlavpjRBx78YMYL2segR4a7omc8IEVrAlsVpYTdQxsKNxdFa2Tnxv6zDXwDA4vk20kgyelsYP3M0yi9vANEiad2OU9HrDtjAD6j5Mt3A7gehvU2p-/s640/Ingredients1.jpg" width="624" /></a></div>
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I've wanted to make mead for a long time. We went to a mead tasting a few years ago at the Wyck house and I was converted. Mead is not just thick, super-sweet, syrupy alcohol, it can be light, bubbly, and pear tasting. Now that I have a surplus of honey, time to try this out. But looking online is a little intimidating. There is all this crap about chemistry and ph, and managing the yeast and blah blah blah. Finally last week I stumbled on a blog post that basically said, hey - people 400 years ago didn't know or monitor any of this stuff. They just put things together and watched what happened. That gave me courage. Onward Ho! and I have forged ahead. </div>
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A quart of honey is about 3lbs of honey. Yep - I've got that. I gathered the rest of the ingredients and got started. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNHKn9TvocbBL4B5ZuXi9B_hiqr-eYxodQ82TtCyHHxw9ULw_ulfy4pkI-WmplP7lR1eVSZkX2ywV0Q7nbMoNddotPIK9cSkyg_cDBxG3qXSJTOTNxDumjYb4Sc1q5RQGWE4G7ZmB3Ja_/s1600/Honey1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNHKn9TvocbBL4B5ZuXi9B_hiqr-eYxodQ82TtCyHHxw9ULw_ulfy4pkI-WmplP7lR1eVSZkX2ywV0Q7nbMoNddotPIK9cSkyg_cDBxG3qXSJTOTNxDumjYb4Sc1q5RQGWE4G7ZmB3Ja_/s640/Honey1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The honey. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSgJn16PKE6M-m_mCciBSVfZKqfQOGWtx5g-J31LssXwHjLfs08O60aV407ry-4ImAVvUzJSTM_WfT2vGAaqvlxYM-OKMq3HknNDE-tnMHvJGTpb0SbZbpEupFpw5k9HZhWqcyBRiTDWf/s1600/water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSgJn16PKE6M-m_mCciBSVfZKqfQOGWtx5g-J31LssXwHjLfs08O60aV407ry-4ImAVvUzJSTM_WfT2vGAaqvlxYM-OKMq3HknNDE-tnMHvJGTpb0SbZbpEupFpw5k9HZhWqcyBRiTDWf/s640/water.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The water.</div>
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I forgot to take a picture of the three races (hands) of ginger. Not quite used to this blogging thing again I guess. The thing I remember is how good it smelled! Fresh peeled ginger. Hmmmmm. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLdsJ_9Kpkt1s2xvjMAeOHd4dyXVL3lkpgFGuQob7ZK_bDsdy-ZBZcFwdkDMZpXqwkebDwEHL65lB0QJ_BaO1PJxLykfMVloBLgkBjd3rUzPj6on3bJ3GSJRs2-YY15USuY60a-5a1z3W/s1600/fullamount2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLdsJ_9Kpkt1s2xvjMAeOHd4dyXVL3lkpgFGuQob7ZK_bDsdy-ZBZcFwdkDMZpXqwkebDwEHL65lB0QJ_BaO1PJxLykfMVloBLgkBjd3rUzPj6on3bJ3GSJRs2-YY15USuY60a-5a1z3W/s640/fullamount2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Combined it all in my "vegetarian" pot and measured the liquid so I could be sure to boil away exactly 1/3. </div>
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5 1/8 inches or 13cm. Well, one third less of 5 1/8inches is 3 7/16inches. OR, one third less of 13cm is 8.7cm. Much easier. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Stupid Imperial system. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmu2xOl4T2Up-vQ11bltjuhtQAIIeoejeywvOw14gSERNsj4WAxikLz0en_AImt4YjYyd4J02z8vYOE8FxYFcZgUnTmNWxelg4DGd0XI0ge3bJIMPgpJJPEELYONDmn1hyphenhyphenq4E6jfrWGrXA/s1600/reduced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmu2xOl4T2Up-vQ11bltjuhtQAIIeoejeywvOw14gSERNsj4WAxikLz0en_AImt4YjYyd4J02z8vYOE8FxYFcZgUnTmNWxelg4DGd0XI0ge3bJIMPgpJJPEELYONDmn1hyphenhyphenq4E6jfrWGrXA/s640/reduced.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When the liquid was reduced by 1/3, about and hour and 15 minutes later, I turned the heat off and allowed it to cool before adding the yeast along with a yeast nutrient the shop owner convinced me I needed. It was $1.50 so heck, why not? </div>
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While it was cooling I prepped my containers. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIZX3Z1tc5rz4gR5QGruroDymTlForWCG4eo1yPOhGvfkeYILZwk8DJk74fntPxkX_U8fwlzYnsXIm4nBtY4piRdjEQbzvgDQtNPcia9EZLuuc3VvYvGUHAG5UnhrF8Ox9ppOJl8H1X2E/s1600/bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIZX3Z1tc5rz4gR5QGruroDymTlForWCG4eo1yPOhGvfkeYILZwk8DJk74fntPxkX_U8fwlzYnsXIm4nBtY4piRdjEQbzvgDQtNPcia9EZLuuc3VvYvGUHAG5UnhrF8Ox9ppOJl8H1X2E/s640/bottles.jpg" width="578" /></a></div>
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I've been buying my olive oil in bulk from the International Food and Spices shop in West Philly. And yes, I'll admit, I was sold on the bottles! ;) </div>
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Unfortunately the bottles don't stand up to much heat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFJZ2CQwqgdDv2zmSEE4ylbDx6_Ba99ALJgP6_942TzuYnwmjCt_CZiWiyMZd0dmVAZIkARLqow4aJRxuZ0_iNq8HB0alU0IRk0I2jrxiJq4g5oCSiy83hHHMOE5_wP-z-buj2Vu7CbCC/s1600/Aw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFJZ2CQwqgdDv2zmSEE4ylbDx6_Ba99ALJgP6_942TzuYnwmjCt_CZiWiyMZd0dmVAZIkARLqow4aJRxuZ0_iNq8HB0alU0IRk0I2jrxiJq4g5oCSiy83hHHMOE5_wP-z-buj2Vu7CbCC/s640/Aw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first one I poured boiling water into burst at the base! Thank goodness I was holding it over the sink at the time. </div>
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I was a little concerned that I didn't have enough space after that, even though the label on the bottle states 101oz. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ6WS8zrZj8090ha8H2oG_5AYlJZDBnBWlr-Gwu_1pvxLfrflhGdRG5qje_LqXp3RymqvIywOFA9QbvFF_towshQaaM05sVU-7rIoRd3t7JIjrslF6ATXw-Rrz57MoWte3MhqdB4KyvEV/s1600/101oz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1600" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ6WS8zrZj8090ha8H2oG_5AYlJZDBnBWlr-Gwu_1pvxLfrflhGdRG5qje_LqXp3RymqvIywOFA9QbvFF_towshQaaM05sVU-7rIoRd3t7JIjrslF6ATXw-Rrz57MoWte3MhqdB4KyvEV/s640/101oz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hm. Yet there are 64oz in a gallon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkxE7jrHI4AEXdZEdTkMtUKtB_9MCSNJjRls_0Go5FQDIJaSllhjeaYpkMfTuF0Vu-yjtqz58Y4FaPjdxPlwKq1W2I__ehkYhcoU6-9Icu6lQQPRafulIakLn_-q2v2AyKrSTJm4uJ_m2/s1600/64oz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1600" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkxE7jrHI4AEXdZEdTkMtUKtB_9MCSNJjRls_0Go5FQDIJaSllhjeaYpkMfTuF0Vu-yjtqz58Y4FaPjdxPlwKq1W2I__ehkYhcoU6-9Icu6lQQPRafulIakLn_-q2v2AyKrSTJm4uJ_m2/s640/64oz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Somethin' don't add up here. </div>
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I didn't have much choice. I don't have anything else i can put the overflow into. I bottled as much as I could with a bit of ginger and we'll see what happens next! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNttPccluIQy3BD0sbXZQrW4J1XGJI1NB6xCQr_ye50YusMZeOwtr5wvNvvmbp23uRsAlECTlV1tnpBXVviNH5kvc-vNp7LEkA3UZt9p60SXKAgi3AflWeRuJeyLveKWINovY-iPYyY0K/s1600/Finalbatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNttPccluIQy3BD0sbXZQrW4J1XGJI1NB6xCQr_ye50YusMZeOwtr5wvNvvmbp23uRsAlECTlV1tnpBXVviNH5kvc-vNp7LEkA3UZt9p60SXKAgi3AflWeRuJeyLveKWINovY-iPYyY0K/s640/Finalbatch.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Now I let it sit for three days and then I'm supposed to add the cinnamon, lemon and raisins. </div>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-88179495459445736282017-05-31T22:48:00.000-04:002017-05-31T22:48:03.992-04:00Drama Queenbees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh there has been quite the drama with the queens this year let me tell you. </div>
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But first let me catch you up on the prep. Most of these photos were taken mid April. Thus the very sparse growth in the background. I will have to post an image from a month and a half ago along side one from today. You wouldn't recognize it! </div>
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Anyway - as I was saying - catch up.</div>
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When keeping bees, it is always recommended to start with two hives. That way if something goes wrong with one of the hives you might - <i>might! - </i>be able to help it from the strong hive. I decided this year I should follow this advice. Two hives. </div>
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Apparently the boxes and beehives from previous years have been abandoned to me. I haven't heard from the person who left them in more than a year so now, I've claimed them. They are mine. I also decided to collect the abandoned equipment from a friend. This is a huge savings for me because purchasing the bees, while isn't cheap, isn't that expensive either. The equipment is $$$. </div>
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I have plenty of room for the both of them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtaKOOtT54BnJvMOPNb8druobVRVXpI8cDduoo0rr-kRubpHoHaYsGoP0El9ocP6cuQD8O_-6KMQ3V8Ek9hML_sV4sXUkCefdvmG6VWu5_yaBWGhFZOapqrU09kLkoETpMOpswA9xspPO/s1600/before1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtaKOOtT54BnJvMOPNb8druobVRVXpI8cDduoo0rr-kRubpHoHaYsGoP0El9ocP6cuQD8O_-6KMQ3V8Ek9hML_sV4sXUkCefdvmG6VWu5_yaBWGhFZOapqrU09kLkoETpMOpswA9xspPO/s640/before1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
But I am tired of the ugly green and the stupid geckos. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_ZL_uuFGvbdQdljQKimf3Y9Suxc4vr4zyIiFRlqNr1rDxMfRDbIx1ENLRkTuSeWz_r3g6mr3TpDKVz0k9URvpgdP_QKgP39rjiPQLv2YYckDMfQg8-EsVNKW4fYjvqZJTXAcpHKzuwL6/s1600/before2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_ZL_uuFGvbdQdljQKimf3Y9Suxc4vr4zyIiFRlqNr1rDxMfRDbIx1ENLRkTuSeWz_r3g6mr3TpDKVz0k9URvpgdP_QKgP39rjiPQLv2YYckDMfQg8-EsVNKW4fYjvqZJTXAcpHKzuwL6/s640/before2.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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Time to change that. All the boxes were stacked in the garden on a sunny day with no threat of rain. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWUxhQ70bV8l8TNuVj0ly720ucUGpsrRNSKzACewTSeWolTLX8zP-jBQKdgIl8y9VscoPaxtEy0ckfijRla9jQzWpCbyQdFZninhH8F4ifnH9qst1FGGDnToPTy4oSRciS7M12dFOApNN/s1600/before3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWUxhQ70bV8l8TNuVj0ly720ucUGpsrRNSKzACewTSeWolTLX8zP-jBQKdgIl8y9VscoPaxtEy0ckfijRla9jQzWpCbyQdFZninhH8F4ifnH9qst1FGGDnToPTy4oSRciS7M12dFOApNN/s640/before3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Paint was chosen from the basement: left over paint from my bedroom. A cheerful yellow. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLljKMJPlBstfOC75hiWob_Ek0iTEBES6dcQpgi1a7FD4nrB3VTtPBtM63dBQvrVvHLAxT5Yn6xwuLTBkxQiYLnL23Ty7iaVuXxBNZO-ckB1-bWT2KdQKayvstWbGm3-cG-LCbp38GM74I/s1600/after.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLljKMJPlBstfOC75hiWob_Ek0iTEBES6dcQpgi1a7FD4nrB3VTtPBtM63dBQvrVvHLAxT5Yn6xwuLTBkxQiYLnL23Ty7iaVuXxBNZO-ckB1-bWT2KdQKayvstWbGm3-cG-LCbp38GM74I/s640/after.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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Much better!</div>
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You'll notice in the above image that there are different sized boxes. The larger ones are called deeps. I'm using two deeps for my brood chambers. The brood chambers are where the queen runs around laying eggs. The mediums (the narrower ones) are the ones to put on top for honey. </div>
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Then there are a few extras, spacers and bases and stuff. Well, those had to be painted chartreuse of course. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjC9ljlxAqb6wSEZd75hGSV5ASNizQROB50rg_hHiYX-RcAdDjsIHgHlqZwwLF20KJ_yxihuZiq2P9qRXitGwkA698UAO42za12qbWkLagQEhYToh-LTCz9PHcbXqqvnlDae6-Mizi1KD/s1600/paintingonyeolddeck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjC9ljlxAqb6wSEZd75hGSV5ASNizQROB50rg_hHiYX-RcAdDjsIHgHlqZwwLF20KJ_yxihuZiq2P9qRXitGwkA698UAO42za12qbWkLagQEhYToh-LTCz9PHcbXqqvnlDae6-Mizi1KD/s640/paintingonyeolddeck.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGKg6XQ6B59IZs44UPEMS8CU_wqsznlwraEm4RQw-lRcbm5YqkCKENASeB6ED_3RtBFAVGq1_JPPz2IM-UqsUT99CGbtQ9XaBOOt1oBmXlp4zuyJPVDJKJlewC2LapeKTBKTjBbg_66hw/s1600/hivesready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGKg6XQ6B59IZs44UPEMS8CU_wqsznlwraEm4RQw-lRcbm5YqkCKENASeB6ED_3RtBFAVGq1_JPPz2IM-UqsUT99CGbtQ9XaBOOt1oBmXlp4zuyJPVDJKJlewC2LapeKTBKTjBbg_66hw/s640/hivesready.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Finished! And don't' they look lovely? I thought about putting a little extra decoration around them, but by the time I had my bees it was too late. Maybe next year. Ya gotta be careful. Bees don't like paint fumes.<br />
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This year I decided to take the beekeeping class from Worcester Honey Farms and it has been excellent! I've learned so much about them and they are so interesting. It is quite a system they have worked out to survive. There is one queen. She is the mother to all the bees in the hive. At peak season that can be up to 100,000 bees. Mostly she makes daughters. These are the worker bees. They live for six weeks and have different jobs at different stages from the moment they hatch. The drones are the boys. There are not as many of them, and they do absolutely nothing except mate with other queens. At a certain point the workers kill them all to be done with them. The queen makes new ones in the spring.<br />
For one of our classes we had to practice picking bees up with our bare fingers. <br />
I was not thrilled because that lesson came when i was feeling particularly awful from allergies/upper respiratory infection mentioned in the previous post. But I'm rather proud of myself because I did master the art of picking up bees. First we picked up drones. They don't have stingers so you can pick them up by the thorax. They sure buzz a lot but you can keep a pretty good grip on them. We practiced marking them as if they were queens with paint pens. I have found the value in having a marked queen. She is much easier to spot. Even though she is significantly bigger than the workers, she is still hard to find on a frame covered with stripey bees. After marking the drones we had to pick up workers bees. This was the part I was really not interested in. When I get stung I swell up badly. Last summer I had to be on a steroid to get the swelling down. It was not fun. And I needed to be able to use my right hand on Monday! But I have to say, bee people are the nicest people you could ever meet. I was late to class (on account of feeling awful) and everyone had already mastered grabbing little workers by their wings and picking them up. I had to do it with a full audience. But everyone was kind and helpful and encouraging. They helped me find the ones with their wings in just the right position to be picked up. It sure made the job easier. I managed to pick up three bees without getting stung. I wasn't able to shove them into queen cages though. But at this point I'm still proud of my accomplishment. It came in handy later too.<br />
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So the drama of the queens this year! Good grief!<br />
My teacher also sells the bee packages way out in in Blue Bell, PA. It is a 45 minute trip with no traffic. Which on the Schuylkill Expressway is a fluke. There is always traffic. I made it home with
both packages. The queen was still alive in the first one so I installed it
- no problem. The second hive the queen was dead. Called my teacher and made arrangement to drive back out on Sunday to pick up new Queen. Queens are bread separately from the Package of 9000 bees you purchase.
They are housed in queen cages with a few attendants until the package
gets used to her pheromones and accepts her. <br />
Tuesday came and it was time to let the queen from the first package out of her cage. <br />
She was dead.<br />
I checked the other hive and the new queen was thankfully still alive.<br />
Wednesday I had to head back out to my teacher to pick up another queen. You can't have a hive without a queen. She is the only one who is fertile. When I arrived he said, "you know, you should check to see if there isn't a rogue queen in the package. If there is, they'll never accept this one and they'll just kill her." Well. Okay then. I couldn't install her until Thursday morning and while I looked very carefully at the package and <i>thought</i> I saw someone extra large, I couldn't be sure.<br />
I took the opportunity of being suited up to release the other queen but she had already escaped her queen cage and was contentedly wandering around on a frame. Yipee!<br />
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That Sunday was class and I thought I should look one more time to see if I could find a rogue queen. If I did, I could take the other queen back to my teacher. Again - a fleeting glimpse of one that might have been the queen but she was too quick. At class we picked up bees and had a very informative question answer session before we were rained out. I told my teacher what was going on and he said to let him know because he'd be checking on his hives at UPenn and could stop by and pick her up is she was indeed unneeded. By the time I got home the weather had cleared and so I looked one more time and this time I spied her! There was a rogue queen! I double and triple checked to be sure and then emailed my teacher. </div>
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Tuesday morning when he was to stop by I retrieved the queen from the
hive and there one one little worker bee who would not let go of the
cage. She clung on through smoke, and shaking and brushing aside.
Finally, I decided to put my newly acquired bee-picking-up skills to
work. I deftly plucked her up by her wings and flung her back in the
direction of the hive. Boy, if that doesn't give you a sense of
empowerment I don't know what does. </div>
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And now... I can't find the rogue queen again. </div>
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And I don't think she is there. No idea why. Did she leave? Did she die? Did I accidentally squish her? Evidence that she is no longer there: </div>
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1. This is not a happy hive. They are extremely agitated when I open the hive. </div>
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2. There are no eggs.</div>
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3. There were significantly less bees than the other hive.</div>
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4. There are four queen cells on the bottom of a frame. </div>
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The long peanut looking things are the queen cells. The other flat orange disks are capped brood. There is a pupating larvae in those (worker larvae). The fact that the queen cells are on the bottom of the frame indicates that they might be wanting to swarm. Maybe the queen already left!? I just don't know. What absolutely cannot happen is that the workers start laying eggs. They aren't fertilized so they will just be drones. The drone larvae are bigger and will destroy the comb. (The queen lays the appropriate egg for the size of the cell. Smallest are worker bees, larger are drones, and the workers make the queen cells. They decide when they want a new queen.)</div>
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So here is a frame from that hive of a circle of capped brood. I am hoping that the empty circle in the middle is because they all hatched and they are still working on these other ladies hatching. But there are no eggs in there :(. </div>
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I've emailed my teacher and so we'll see what wisdom he shares with me. If there is one thing I've learned from this experience is that this profession takes a lot of experience to master. There are just so many variables and so many different things that can go wrong. tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-27176231641320625462017-05-30T21:51:00.000-04:002017-05-31T06:39:08.690-04:00April showers bring May allergies.... and a new patioThis year was the worst for allergies yet. April 28th, Friday evening, my allergies hit me with the force of all that is evil. Eyes itchy, sneezing non-stop, completely congested... oh brother. I was out of commission. Unfortunately I couldn't be out of commission. Saturday the 29th I had to pick up my bees. I ordered two bee packages this year and took the class. There was tons of drama with the queens, but that is a story for another post.<br />
Long story short - that weekend I sought the advice of my local pharmacist who gave me excellent recommendations: keep taking the Zyrtek, supplement with Sudafed for allergies, Flo-nase for the congestion and if that doesn't work, come back for the Zatidor eye drops before you rip your eye-balls out. By Monday I had to get the eye drops I was so miserable. By Thursday, it turned out, I was allergic to the eye drops. You've never seen anything like it. My eyes were completely blood shot, tearing, and itchy like crazy. Not to mention the gunk! There was so much gunk coming out of them they sealed shut over night. All of this stress strained the rest of my system and by the following Tuesday (when I could see a doctor) she decided that in addition to all of the allergy nonsense I had an upper respiratory infection. I took an entire week off from work because I was totally useless. And I'm still coughing, although things have gotten much much better. And to top if off, May has been a little bit miserable. We had a three day heat wave, temps in the 90s out of nowhere, and then promptly back to the 60s. I'm not complaining about the cool weather because soon enough it will be broiling, but it's still weird. And the cool weather allowed me to take care of another long overdue project, replacing the "deck".<br />
Remember the <a href="http://thelifeofahouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/oh-right-i-have-blog.html" target="_blank">deck</a>? I layed down four wooden pallets, topped it with weather proof fencing and voilá! Instant deck. This worked just fine until last summer when the pallets started rotting through. It started to become more of an amusement park fun house ride than a safe and secure deck. So it was time to replace it with a patio.<br />
Here is the deck in its last hurrah. It served it's purpose well. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZL5SqT7l-SiiFRJV7aSx6lmL0oqLHqbdh27_77ac-IZnKvO5JJ3zHsb66ce1wE07gwE1ejjpbYk_odTECFNansuHUIAu2tKYboUV4VnbDZQE8Tc9Yr-s_Y0Hxdo0Dy4IufrFyBjpwqWv/s1600/deck3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZL5SqT7l-SiiFRJV7aSx6lmL0oqLHqbdh27_77ac-IZnKvO5JJ3zHsb66ce1wE07gwE1ejjpbYk_odTECFNansuHUIAu2tKYboUV4VnbDZQE8Tc9Yr-s_Y0Hxdo0Dy4IufrFyBjpwqWv/s640/deck3.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
One of the collapsed pallets that proved the most wobbly. <br />
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The Senior Inspector was curious but didn't seem to exhibit any great feelings about the removal of one of his garden thrones. <br />
Once the furniture was moved, he did settle comfortably in his favorite chair. <br />
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Meanwhile, the Junior Inspector monitored everything from the ground. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4w0B0ROKj_mwYIkqSfemmRhcnsdJ4UYWzHMfHkBOkRX_7KjRzlVWj8t8u85ZsIQR8CwlfVPonlX0YTdX6YKfB5h76PxMP4EZ9p6hx8PeyS2OUMCWIVv-bDgdZbXh0GrFHKy3pNDYM4cF/s1600/deck5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4w0B0ROKj_mwYIkqSfemmRhcnsdJ4UYWzHMfHkBOkRX_7KjRzlVWj8t8u85ZsIQR8CwlfVPonlX0YTdX6YKfB5h76PxMP4EZ9p6hx8PeyS2OUMCWIVv-bDgdZbXh0GrFHKy3pNDYM4cF/s640/deck5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Cleared space is approved.<br />
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Next came the incredibly laborious job of leveling the ground. Ooff! What a job. <br />
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Once it is mostly flat sand needs to be added. <br />
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I added 200lbs of sand and smoothed it out. I was so tempted to run the rake through it to make a faux zen garden. But the thought that I would have to smooth it out again took that desire away right quick-like. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKZksQDYgkOaKH9gIkpLgBNjkri_a8LfqF74MALYhJahxr4s1BZ8UIxKXxCJRZXD4XklJ45LPv48bQs5xXBrNqVSthsptHpdD7AG2TLTLKJ5IlT1DXbmesc5FkpOhzDxlgy77LuCpHvya/s1600/deck8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKZksQDYgkOaKH9gIkpLgBNjkri_a8LfqF74MALYhJahxr4s1BZ8UIxKXxCJRZXD4XklJ45LPv48bQs5xXBrNqVSthsptHpdD7AG2TLTLKJ5IlT1DXbmesc5FkpOhzDxlgy77LuCpHvya/s640/deck8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And as I stood there surveying my handiwork at the end of the day, I realized I could not be done this evening. What does that giant sand pit look like to you? Now, what do you think it looks like to a cat? A deluxe kitty litter box! Am I right? So the work continued to prevent any treasures appearing in it overnight.<br />
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I was removing bricks from the walkway next to the porch for this project. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcL_kJc4Sygo9d2Ko472r65aF3lko7k2pSIBPOdaevikKZxBnhW5PsicBsM-q89SGUJxrtL-O8nVNQqrOWyWLIAVmlSSBrTjkJr8K8t-V8NB7RJjBG0wYZebdQtU-8Bh1Xatl-ike6QI0/s1600/deck13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcL_kJc4Sygo9d2Ko472r65aF3lko7k2pSIBPOdaevikKZxBnhW5PsicBsM-q89SGUJxrtL-O8nVNQqrOWyWLIAVmlSSBrTjkJr8K8t-V8NB7RJjBG0wYZebdQtU-8Bh1Xatl-ike6QI0/s640/deck13.jpg" width="640" /></a> The walkway is only ever totally clear in the winter time when I'm not really using it. And the rest of the year it one giant weeding nightmare project. Plus the flower beds between the walkway and the porch just aren't substantial enough to do anything wonderful with. I decided that if I lifted the bricks from there for the patio, I could then expand the flower/vegetable beds. </div>
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After getting the first load back to the deck in the wheel barrow (checked out from the <a href="http://westphillytools.org/about/" target="_blank">West Philly Tool Library</a> - yay!) my earlier suspicions about the vast sand pit were tested. </div>
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The Senior Inspector was mighty interested! </div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVHTGbwkanHQlEMCY8GnXjCW9ORSiOr8otNBktjiste39EDMmoJkDII7Uiqm3aJ1DGX8LO_5akgtR-yNSc33QzXzlrO6U6EmOMnP-ruKc9ZdKLVI9elJJMx9iS-FycF2BMSVaKsxlBMa0/s640/deck9.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BuYg8nJ9WFon3QYIZCPWRzmNxF44ZY2sCGduIHbn1-RMaN6arENy_tQExF2dXNAAlGf4rcxUKy40y7mPiYBVFUWkGYuPJzUWeGOGE3l8L70Ih_kQGGDhLTJoaQKnIxm2lfDVzKJiq8SC/s1600/deck10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BuYg8nJ9WFon3QYIZCPWRzmNxF44ZY2sCGduIHbn1-RMaN6arENy_tQExF2dXNAAlGf4rcxUKy40y7mPiYBVFUWkGYuPJzUWeGOGE3l8L70Ih_kQGGDhLTJoaQKnIxm2lfDVzKJiq8SC/s640/deck10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraehlk2poetWKgOUuwg2hWW-6CeeIk_QQHvxUOhaNiqEB4z4mSMXNKrivXSCSM3Z21xEZ4m2ZTLUA3JhTzGl_ifTHHuiV0JH9ZSKXRGYJ8UWZIyzgdtUS2cpXDhe2zODniAHDj1Ks27la/s1600/deck11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraehlk2poetWKgOUuwg2hWW-6CeeIk_QQHvxUOhaNiqEB4z4mSMXNKrivXSCSM3Z21xEZ4m2ZTLUA3JhTzGl_ifTHHuiV0JH9ZSKXRGYJ8UWZIyzgdtUS2cpXDhe2zODniAHDj1Ks27la/s640/deck11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
But to my great relief and surprise, that sand pit looked like the best kitty-bath in the world! <br />
The Senior Inspector had himself a grand time in the sand.<br />
And I let him.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw7SMmI0P2sPpcJiRQFJRDBfynv-_f0Xmk3gc2v9DVc-QtgyOfux_GCOGMxsyoN0MrfhqIK5J55Tz_wEY2Kzg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
(Sorry about the video quality. I'm working with my vintage Canon from ought five.) <br />
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I managed to make quite a bit of progress before it really was time to call it quits. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYppySj0-dkVxyh3nNNNsoVUR_eoyc89K5QWKw1wBPO8d1axw4lbEAtrFto33sT6VANLOPsP_Aexh12mKYDunOQ_nSt8tZaDG3OH1_8LpSMk_woRHpqBFBM45C6pi8tDRqVO2PD8U3e28l/s1600/deck11a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYppySj0-dkVxyh3nNNNsoVUR_eoyc89K5QWKw1wBPO8d1axw4lbEAtrFto33sT6VANLOPsP_Aexh12mKYDunOQ_nSt8tZaDG3OH1_8LpSMk_woRHpqBFBM45C6pi8tDRqVO2PD8U3e28l/s640/deck11a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I covered the leftover bit with an old shower curtain to thwart any other kitties who think more like me. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmmb5Cv-Sy0PbPrjvPotQ6tEGI__kdDtQve7xSXH5FdEv1a3zEsL_wWD_eUxtiTof84cvQffebb2prklTxD0wVbZ-ITcRiBCFHwrv812wvv4FyuI0cllZjDTMIiroB8aACzfVR5FiMnKA/s1600/deck12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmmb5Cv-Sy0PbPrjvPotQ6tEGI__kdDtQve7xSXH5FdEv1a3zEsL_wWD_eUxtiTof84cvQffebb2prklTxD0wVbZ-ITcRiBCFHwrv812wvv4FyuI0cllZjDTMIiroB8aACzfVR5FiMnKA/s640/deck12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
At the next opportunity I finished my patio! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2kDemyinM1pNoAEiejcoTWAHSkiB_Jcz3hpXMJifmm0adEByE0QJLFEC1CQP47yjUN3rWKFXC9gT-cO5wKiEd58suHOiuChCkOmVNWxmO9YtnDSA8JGvfilSGzsfcDEqF_uUpZHjGXEz/s1600/deck14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2kDemyinM1pNoAEiejcoTWAHSkiB_Jcz3hpXMJifmm0adEByE0QJLFEC1CQP47yjUN3rWKFXC9gT-cO5wKiEd58suHOiuChCkOmVNWxmO9YtnDSA8JGvfilSGzsfcDEqF_uUpZHjGXEz/s640/deck14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The sand is key. It allows you to make the whole thing completely level and for a time, thwarts any weeds from sneaking into the cracks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFG2_oO8P1VoIJMQTB0tUhv6R4aJguIHx6ghCLb9cWXq_EZkHfxTgaDO9k56NdZTheHCgxyyVWzaGO6jL_BL3MncXu81clTDsljLI3OOWf0SQvIB4zUj-l3nfI_7DNMV-xvbTZTc6Wq-l/s1600/deck15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFG2_oO8P1VoIJMQTB0tUhv6R4aJguIHx6ghCLb9cWXq_EZkHfxTgaDO9k56NdZTheHCgxyyVWzaGO6jL_BL3MncXu81clTDsljLI3OOWf0SQvIB4zUj-l3nfI_7DNMV-xvbTZTc6Wq-l/s640/deck15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The above brick was sticking up at least 1/4" higher than everything else. So you just pull it up, scoop out some sand until it lies flush with the rest of the bricks. Fabulous technique!<br />
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Once I had reinstalled the furniture, the Junior Inspector checked things out. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv7dLBfV4nlTTapvzNi8_y5jOVsyG0WpuSU5nK4ddEobyyobDes5O31EOLEz-AyJdfduSSzgdDTLl_wDR3m4LYgfb_ea57vpVRHR8qngy8LneTC31QKwL_xb0_BCP4cGHhJVUaC6Vtko5/s1600/deck16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv7dLBfV4nlTTapvzNi8_y5jOVsyG0WpuSU5nK4ddEobyyobDes5O31EOLEz-AyJdfduSSzgdDTLl_wDR3m4LYgfb_ea57vpVRHR8qngy8LneTC31QKwL_xb0_BCP4cGHhJVUaC6Vtko5/s640/deck16.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
New deck approved! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuKSE_f1wXbMPmNEVKtLdeUldveQxAq06UNcOZaG38ZAM_II5qTOVZaDVdppHAXpKuful-xiAkXlX2o5jiOvORPCKGrB1rhcEVBPMuoCC-eOJnGcRlMyM0ZwJmQPCQR9uJziq_yHO_jvV/s1600/deck17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuKSE_f1wXbMPmNEVKtLdeUldveQxAq06UNcOZaG38ZAM_II5qTOVZaDVdppHAXpKuful-xiAkXlX2o5jiOvORPCKGrB1rhcEVBPMuoCC-eOJnGcRlMyM0ZwJmQPCQR9uJziq_yHO_jvV/s640/deck17.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The project made quite a mess of the garden, and I'm looking forward to having that cleaned up. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZG6wiXB8U5FK8Sf2pI48Zt89TBU9bIgYBqDAn1A7t0i7FLCt2Ul7IDxuqbbpmov8THAv6CPmvxBR-gwlHMobSOzDKby8r37QlAx26oKeFSmqnpUPERPSM1FjmayQCEIDllqQede_Ak4u/s1600/deckmess.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZG6wiXB8U5FK8Sf2pI48Zt89TBU9bIgYBqDAn1A7t0i7FLCt2Ul7IDxuqbbpmov8THAv6CPmvxBR-gwlHMobSOzDKby8r37QlAx26oKeFSmqnpUPERPSM1FjmayQCEIDllqQede_Ak4u/s640/deckmess.jpg" width="640" /></a> My lovely new veggie garden at the side of the house has tomatoes, kale, and fennel along with various flowers. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_KaVBYwQ4YOHQwQlkpnOh0dP9xlYGpur7RCJzt0fAAspd8SnToNUlhOg1KxFDhbLirgJ24R3PU6MoRL9OnL6Vo2oyJ-4thgMvh-CSNX6qmTmUPeXpUQGzenJSMkXgfYizQQLA0QOMZwv/s1600/deck18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_KaVBYwQ4YOHQwQlkpnOh0dP9xlYGpur7RCJzt0fAAspd8SnToNUlhOg1KxFDhbLirgJ24R3PU6MoRL9OnL6Vo2oyJ-4thgMvh-CSNX6qmTmUPeXpUQGzenJSMkXgfYizQQLA0QOMZwv/s640/deck18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
But I don't think this project is quite finished. I have extra bricks and I think it would be wise to make a pathway from the patio connected to the rest of the bricks in front of the shed. This would be nice just for general barefoot travel and also for a good place to put the grill. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjklQL66H4WP-Y1etMMV-rDH5sqFT5R7StKyZcNsMG7uAyi8rGT2fvnQ_zkgiM5J9F0JjjmxR6v4fujIIzUlux7WgYyX9nfLuIISKeYm_840M7rWc4TLBEe6dPv8GUdwS0aTlEhkArxJAi/s1600/deckepilogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjklQL66H4WP-Y1etMMV-rDH5sqFT5R7StKyZcNsMG7uAyi8rGT2fvnQ_zkgiM5J9F0JjjmxR6v4fujIIzUlux7WgYyX9nfLuIISKeYm_840M7rWc4TLBEe6dPv8GUdwS0aTlEhkArxJAi/s640/deckepilogue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-35861418712145616332017-03-19T21:58:00.000-04:002017-03-19T21:58:59.261-04:00Politics, Cats, and Knitting Yup. That just about sums it up for me.<br />
Well, there were a few other things too like the weather - which has been bat-crap crazy, but mostly Politics, Cats, and Knitting.<br />
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So let's get the politics out of the way.<br />
By the way, still not my fault.<br />
I won't go on and on here because, why bother? This is not where the action needs to happen. The action needs to be out <i>there</i>. Since the first march in January, there have been so many things to do. Miss Mary is now my official protest buddy and we've been to two more since the first one. Most recently the Women's Strike march in Center City.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMqyniFC3U6T0gdKgSWI9x4se7IxGIwI0xqgOTepj43G8cLNL8xZ8RfkQCOOFfuKcZv3ogFdYRF9h6Ij6FDn_AT9MM3GAFzVqJ792UHwiddVvBScnNl6-QZo9KiPvkR7snt4Q9WZQKug3/s1600/Womensstrike_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMqyniFC3U6T0gdKgSWI9x4se7IxGIwI0xqgOTepj43G8cLNL8xZ8RfkQCOOFfuKcZv3ogFdYRF9h6Ij6FDn_AT9MM3GAFzVqJ792UHwiddVvBScnNl6-QZo9KiPvkR7snt4Q9WZQKug3/s640/Womensstrike_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This one went on so long it was dark by the time we were done. Two hours we marched all over the place. Parts of the route had been blocked off for us, but other parts had not. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlLrc3AxABKTq6_dEEPMESh_xIyGdw6ka9dQAGypfQDQMyJWJ5cmViCIO08WAakbkm3wzrRGanIUG0ARa_0NieNu52IP1eKF2IyDxB7hp9Nv5Hqu7Pmlfnsp4tLBeujHBr3iFL8ovSogv/s1600/Womensstrike_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlLrc3AxABKTq6_dEEPMESh_xIyGdw6ka9dQAGypfQDQMyJWJ5cmViCIO08WAakbkm3wzrRGanIUG0ARa_0NieNu52IP1eKF2IyDxB7hp9Nv5Hqu7Pmlfnsp4tLBeujHBr3iFL8ovSogv/s640/Womensstrike_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We blocked traffic, marched between cars and made a lot of noise! The chant leaders had bull horns and kept up a good chant the entire time. </div>
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In addition to the protests, I've been writing post cards like crazy. When I first went to pick up post card stamps at the mail post office in Philadelphia the clerk told me they were sold out. Sold out! I printed out oodles of the postcards from the Women's March First Action and a group of co-workers and I have been meeting every Monday to write postcards, commiserate, and plan more actions. </div>
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I will say this; I don't understand what has happened. How did we find ourselves here? It is though we have slipped into an alternate universe and everything is sliding very quickly to the forces of evil. I only hope we can survive this madness. </div>
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I have a new member of the family. Butch has officially moved in. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictTxS0wsg-WnKlecWHai3YWA1zioWSOS8q4Ljq3BC_IcjFoMP72Cb5TAg5wuR-q4w9sEbnDv5Oj9z0Tqm1HEqY846jF5l15uwp30hYvW3JxbCH_HypKadBvU90404lxMrWAuXiHf3Kg4u/s1600/Cats_standoff.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictTxS0wsg-WnKlecWHai3YWA1zioWSOS8q4Ljq3BC_IcjFoMP72Cb5TAg5wuR-q4w9sEbnDv5Oj9z0Tqm1HEqY846jF5l15uwp30hYvW3JxbCH_HypKadBvU90404lxMrWAuXiHf3Kg4u/s640/Cats_standoff.JPG" width="640" /></a>This is not going very well. Jacques and Swee'Pea are not pleased. There
is always someone howling, shrieking, growling, hissing, or else
pretending nothing is wrong. Here we all are working on perfecting the latter. </div>
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Same here.... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7jCoPKPpwYr60AbHJ7wTTGB4H5nE5FKxPU1BrH2Azsv7aWye5r_bdJkBOPNKjXY2i6kUI-TQLAYlKIvwO6lNkp_i_kvG4yx1fVWhEPiC2ixsnF_LOEyFZoJXsD7PlhGYIm1MQ8MshSkd/s1600/Cats_JnB_heater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7jCoPKPpwYr60AbHJ7wTTGB4H5nE5FKxPU1BrH2Azsv7aWye5r_bdJkBOPNKjXY2i6kUI-TQLAYlKIvwO6lNkp_i_kvG4yx1fVWhEPiC2ixsnF_LOEyFZoJXsD7PlhGYIm1MQ8MshSkd/s640/Cats_JnB_heater.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div>
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But here, it's pretty much the howling, growling hissing tournament. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1MHmXXHW99Yx2VjmQR_AlsQRH9KS-yV_GyDrNGKuPpchyId6XM6KYDBAR8UhzRax8GPn1AJ3nzWbfG5_CotxofuxlDcV2SUDsRQhAfAWbAFmgPa13cyIJfLsYcugedPro8BnpU1fdTI6/s1600/Cats_SnBdoorway.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1MHmXXHW99Yx2VjmQR_AlsQRH9KS-yV_GyDrNGKuPpchyId6XM6KYDBAR8UhzRax8GPn1AJ3nzWbfG5_CotxofuxlDcV2SUDsRQhAfAWbAFmgPa13cyIJfLsYcugedPro8BnpU1fdTI6/s640/Cats_SnBdoorway.JPG" width="640" /></a> Greenies might actually end up being the great peacekeepers of the world. Kitties like their Greenies so much they will come up to within a foot of each other just to be sure to get their little crunchy treats. But as soon as the bag is put away - its everyone back to their corners. </div>
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Butch is a handsome fella.<br />
He finally moved in during a very cold week in February. I had been feeding him inside the first floor kitchen after I came out to get Jacques and found Jacques and Butch both staring at a raccoon who was happily munching on Butch's food. The last thing Butch wanted to do after a nice warm supper inside was to be kicked back out in the cold with the raccoons. He let me know it and I caved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hhvZKJCm3WuGxaAHLzatZJ48GZ_Eb8xJn1CYmpChC3zNsM628Zm6cHH2laXKb24T9Sz0sDl2y3JLPA-rcloiKe-y32lgCTyP6-NF1-VwePOMdB3kln6cfltESEabFmx4RN3iXzdJcfCr/s1600/Cats_B_pinknose2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hhvZKJCm3WuGxaAHLzatZJ48GZ_Eb8xJn1CYmpChC3zNsM628Zm6cHH2laXKb24T9Sz0sDl2y3JLPA-rcloiKe-y32lgCTyP6-NF1-VwePOMdB3kln6cfltESEabFmx4RN3iXzdJcfCr/s640/Cats_B_pinknose2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
How could you not with that pretty pink little schnoz?<br />
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It has been interesting watching him figure out what it means to be an indoor cat. Mostly he has had very few problems adjusting. He inspected the second floor thoroughly, found the bed, Jacques food, the litter boxes, and the toys. </div>
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Toys!!!!<br />
He loves them and is very playful. He's gained at least a pound since moving in and at first had absolutely no interest in going back outside. I think he was scared I was going to kick him out again. A month and a half later, he is starting to realize I will come back outside and call him. One of the things he hasn't quite mastered though, is how to accept a treat. Instead of taking the Greenie from my hand, he nuzzles it until I put it on the floor in front of him. Jacques and Swee'Pea watch him with looks of, "what's wrong with this guy - take it already!" <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gedAu1E8PsRtW0mJaO1slGbrbUqXfbw3vfbWINhPxzj_2rnuEJRdK8ZBbbEevmER9ARNIujDxAmp_87v8euhI-LzwsL711qlcXmX-sMjgmLhILniCzlry7SCbxKmcU_ThrwVpq-8X59y/s1600/Cats_S_blankets.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gedAu1E8PsRtW0mJaO1slGbrbUqXfbw3vfbWINhPxzj_2rnuEJRdK8ZBbbEevmER9ARNIujDxAmp_87v8euhI-LzwsL711qlcXmX-sMjgmLhILniCzlry7SCbxKmcU_ThrwVpq-8X59y/s640/Cats_S_blankets.JPG" width="640" /></a> <br />
Swee'Pea is having the most difficult time adjusting. I think because Jacques has had so much more time to get used to Butch outside but this is entirely new for Swee'Pea. I try to make sure he and I have alone time and I give him lots of pets and reassurances. But he is more skittish than usual. The other day I found him all bundled up under my sheets and comforter. I didn't have the heart to roust him so the bed stayed unmade that day. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwByEBiYRaJG1s19vqojwH0HU-ElMJONBwzUAnNbFRJh0IIpRkVkwJzpvhMyIksMKq3yHUYStx_hHyaoLSDTOd3nuOv9LLK2yRxKzCBQ3sAb6KZwqyahEDBbXPFsFK3sZSqWQVRVV_qDAj/s1600/Knit_pinkhats.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwByEBiYRaJG1s19vqojwH0HU-ElMJONBwzUAnNbFRJh0IIpRkVkwJzpvhMyIksMKq3yHUYStx_hHyaoLSDTOd3nuOv9LLK2yRxKzCBQ3sAb6KZwqyahEDBbXPFsFK3sZSqWQVRVV_qDAj/s640/Knit_pinkhats.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Mostly I've been knitting in my spare time. I made loads of the pink hats and gave most of them away. I still have a few more to knit for people I've promised them to. I'm partial to that eye-watering shade of pink on the right. I also made one for a favorite professor of mine, who has her own brand of style and so she needed something a little more, um, unconventional. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosPPrtXuw-5wRejC5NUTdDAQEMnqhr00I4V8Yvjntxp4An9fvsLKM2EUqACq9hNhis6NQEA4A54jR1Ne_duTg0TIKWeN5aBm2IvLtHIntd0z4mlk3kGYIODnBP6_e4ZzTae95Nr8LBKq2/s1600/Knitting_Denisehat.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosPPrtXuw-5wRejC5NUTdDAQEMnqhr00I4V8Yvjntxp4An9fvsLKM2EUqACq9hNhis6NQEA4A54jR1Ne_duTg0TIKWeN5aBm2IvLtHIntd0z4mlk3kGYIODnBP6_e4ZzTae95Nr8LBKq2/s640/Knitting_Denisehat.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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I made this one with all my pink scrap yarn and I really like it! I think I'll have to make a few more like this. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMssdDW8Uc9AjXMWxTm-QSQz2muIKkLZMEs2UTKLSZIyfIj3ZXFGaeiQ2vYaWC8uzVxpGTeECVZVANAvAPMI0ki9dQRn6ClyKg4PAFe-_yvc0BZ075qnVYyy1ZPnHdq3RGbK7bXXEzLwN/s1600/Knt_organizing.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMssdDW8Uc9AjXMWxTm-QSQz2muIKkLZMEs2UTKLSZIyfIj3ZXFGaeiQ2vYaWC8uzVxpGTeECVZVANAvAPMI0ki9dQRn6ClyKg4PAFe-_yvc0BZ075qnVYyy1ZPnHdq3RGbK7bXXEzLwN/s640/Knt_organizing.JPG" width="640" /></a> When I went rootin' around my yarn looking for all of my pink extras, I
realized what a mess my stash is. I'm so proud of myself for taking the
time to make these origami boxes and organizing my yarn by color! It is much easier to find what I want now. And tangles are kept to a
minimum. I think I will have to do this for a few other boxes of yarn, but at the moment, they are being well guarded. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOfMgXwD-WccqJ0O2v0CuXki8n6Syc3gMDcJu2hfUD7wGGYHOwtB-3Gk8s-XrequlU5VDy4N31KwFQ9j3H3JrKy1jJxHjx8UdBaCcrQ3glTE7565TcI0LiSq2mdp5gQ57isIJZQAJQ5AN/s1600/Knit_Jaquesinbox.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOfMgXwD-WccqJ0O2v0CuXki8n6Syc3gMDcJu2hfUD7wGGYHOwtB-3Gk8s-XrequlU5VDy4N31KwFQ9j3H3JrKy1jJxHjx8UdBaCcrQ3glTE7565TcI0LiSq2mdp5gQ57isIJZQAJQ5AN/s640/Knit_Jaquesinbox.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
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Last week I took a few days off for a Spring Break. I had a list a mile long, but of course I got caught up in a knitting project which has become kind of a mess. This is a pattern I've made twice before and really like. I had this lovely ice blue yarn which I thought would be enough but I ran out. I had to improvise on the sleeves, which meant I had to wing-it on the pattern, which is never a good idea. sigh. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTbJs2s0bMCqhvXeK7tV6jkePWcv9-hOKih0Do7RqPRJFvC_K7YPaKI4K4V1Hd0bZ9PEIiOU7LY_vRmfbhGYNdqF32t86d68vVEHge_VJBtyZe9Zy7CwdZpf7e2P4kh5bXg365YiOo52f/s1600/Knitting_silverbuttons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTbJs2s0bMCqhvXeK7tV6jkePWcv9-hOKih0Do7RqPRJFvC_K7YPaKI4K4V1Hd0bZ9PEIiOU7LY_vRmfbhGYNdqF32t86d68vVEHge_VJBtyZe9Zy7CwdZpf7e2P4kh5bXg365YiOo52f/s640/Knitting_silverbuttons.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQFOwBXY0GZWqxPRF8NArcEj8fWqxTptiumWYZvR4Dw6wh7f3QWeJtLouoO1ZqLCkyYZFa3gDQul0-CWI5LoyjtooZci9XO9MN8Kh9BhzOmZOtWCBLf-urApuP6DOCcwFSzFDJHhtDuRe/s1600/knitting_woodbuttons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQFOwBXY0GZWqxPRF8NArcEj8fWqxTptiumWYZvR4Dw6wh7f3QWeJtLouoO1ZqLCkyYZFa3gDQul0-CWI5LoyjtooZci9XO9MN8Kh9BhzOmZOtWCBLf-urApuP6DOCcwFSzFDJHhtDuRe/s640/knitting_woodbuttons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_4NA_SYk8vOtRnEQEuMOz_TpGBFZwQGGLW_H12dBQpIOTXiVOA8H4EI_xipxYQWDOZkJg2xqpKO6af_92erucMgq2vas0CCtCVKYqHdkY0u7hXrCY5G9x37OrkyRqIXfZtwh_Kgtl54P/s1600/knitting_turquoisebuttons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_4NA_SYk8vOtRnEQEuMOz_TpGBFZwQGGLW_H12dBQpIOTXiVOA8H4EI_xipxYQWDOZkJg2xqpKO6af_92erucMgq2vas0CCtCVKYqHdkY0u7hXrCY5G9x37OrkyRqIXfZtwh_Kgtl54P/s640/knitting_turquoisebuttons.jpg" width="640" /></a> I'm taking it to my Stitch & Bitch on Sunday to see what they think. It's possible that I will have to rip it back out to the armpits and do a different top construction. I hope they approve the choice of buttons though. I went with the big turquoise ones. Although if I rip it out it won't matter because the button holes will also be gone. For now it is hanging in a bag, waiting to travel. </div>
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In the middle of February I taught an endband or headband sewing class which went really well. These are notoriously frustrating for a lot of book binders. So much so that you can buy simple, manufactured head band "ribbon" to glue on as faux headbands. But this is really only suitable for those who have not yet discovered the joy of tying one's own. I'm hoping to teach another workshop in the fall with more advanced headbands. But I gotta learn 'em first. ha! Good think I like doing that. </div>
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An interesting building appeared a few months ago in Center City. I first noticed it when I was going back to work from the dentist. </div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CZ61Ue_3wrLjfQiSEn6mPtydEMLZPy-Vy6d9Gcmy8Jwy9-I_kytv1EdbW15dpNbFfuI_r67kYfaVErHLrS9jaQa1-cAHG39iVEMmd_H4zi_5uExq7dPoJbeUpCrK2keiBvNr7r9BFHMQ/s320/dandelionbuilding.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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It is completely wrapped in this "mural" of dandelions. There is a small circle cut into a window with that when you look through it you look out onto a field of dandelions. It is really cool. Apparently this building was purchased by a group that wants to develop the parking structure next door. And so while they are making plans for that and have purchased this building as part of those plans, in the mean time the building can be used for public artwork. It is a really nice surprise as you walk through town. </div>
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Which brings us to the bat-crap crazy weather we've been having. </div>
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I am sitting on my deck listening to water dripping everywhere. It is a lovely mild 55°F and all of the snow that came down last Tuesday is melting with ferocious speed. Finally. I'm not complaining though. We had a lovely snow day on Tuesday. The weather was strange though. It was very icy, and when I left the house on Wednesday morning my hedge had a dome of ice over everything. It was really beautiful. </div>
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Thank goodness I had had the foresight to cut all of the daffodils that had mostly bloomed. Instead of finding smooshed flowers after the weather, I had lovely sunny friendly blooms on the kitchen table. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECDSuh0rTXwacS1hWhsifaHfu7ZuOOK8ghZI0G5cnGbg0YT_5FmBb6ia_4kyZqzkf3-EuHm7gpNEJbgR3ZJOiEaCF4m9jUQOhqzvo7TWq3fW43rcZYEJSCbIE7xHid1AvfLfP82IN9oQi/s1600/Daffodils_2.JPG"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECDSuh0rTXwacS1hWhsifaHfu7ZuOOK8ghZI0G5cnGbg0YT_5FmBb6ia_4kyZqzkf3-EuHm7gpNEJbgR3ZJOiEaCF4m9jUQOhqzvo7TWq3fW43rcZYEJSCbIE7xHid1AvfLfP82IN9oQi/s320/Daffodils_2.JPG" width="492" /></a> </div>
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There are still a few that will bloom once things warm up again, which I am looking forward to.<br />
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Why was the weather so crazy? Well, because the last two weeks of February were unusually warm. We had a few days in a row of 75°F! In February! That's unheard of. It was so warm I did some early garden clearing. <br />
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Jacques and Butch helped, but Butch was careful to stay on the observation side of the fence. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD23ClX36Cn5h31HALSE2gtzBpllvofsf_kUHLzDutXr0M8xPOWHxNMTJsXNeBK6E_6eGUtzgwwG9QBVgLBljzA6HO0old6ZnRKdKnRomN0VXrF-C9Qtdxyz-gJwmG_Oj-inSgbl5NFlW/s1600/Cats_B_stump.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD23ClX36Cn5h31HALSE2gtzBpllvofsf_kUHLzDutXr0M8xPOWHxNMTJsXNeBK6E_6eGUtzgwwG9QBVgLBljzA6HO0old6ZnRKdKnRomN0VXrF-C9Qtdxyz-gJwmG_Oj-inSgbl5NFlW/s640/Cats_B_stump.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm glad I held off on my seed starting because it is no fun to work in the snow. Next weekend, I'll go and get some mix and start all kinds of things. Zinnias, marigolds, echinaceas, basil, and whatever else I was saving from last year. The garlic has already come up, as has the mustard. The violets are starting to come as well. I'm going to have to do some serious pruning next weekend too so that roses and raspberries come in appropriately. </div>
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I also applied for a small grant from a local nursery on behalf of my neighbors. The Els have a two small sidewalk plots which are perfect for planting flowers. Last year Mr. El finally let me plant some things in there at the end of July. It wasn't enough time for everything to grow but we've talked and I hope this year we can start earlier. The grant is for some good soil, a few extra plants, and some nice border fencing. We'll see if we get it. If not, we are still going to put something in there.We'll keep you posted. </div>
<br />tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963995369960375849.post-44072197971608848772017-01-23T22:57:00.001-05:002017-01-23T22:57:39.722-05:00More updates on the March.<br />
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I am so proud of us! I am so proud of how many Americans demonstrated on Saturday. But even more - I am humbled and honored that so many people around the world demonstrated with us in solidarity.Thank you all. <br />
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If you have not seen this compilation from the New York Times, take your time, scroll all the way through, it is worth it. Demonstrations on all seven continents! Unprecedented. <br />
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/21/world/womens-march-pictures.html?_r=0">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/21/world/womens-march-pictures.html?_r=0</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkjdzsucJmFIHkmhTqBvSgKXdRvGY5TcnU3d6SBNzsKmB8BSxbByG-05TkhtEavRIg98VGiFzGvEcCYmKYT84ZCLEITL0J42vwsY4ky3Qrx3p9BgmVrujS8uz49GRDGzbYfwGvYkMy0u2/s1600/Philadelphia-1254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkjdzsucJmFIHkmhTqBvSgKXdRvGY5TcnU3d6SBNzsKmB8BSxbByG-05TkhtEavRIg98VGiFzGvEcCYmKYT84ZCLEITL0J42vwsY4ky3Qrx3p9BgmVrujS8uz49GRDGzbYfwGvYkMy0u2/s640/Philadelphia-1254.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Too many fabulous photos to choose from so I just borrowed the one taken in Philadelphia. Thanks to Ann for sending the link.<br />
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But our work is far from done. It's time to roll up our sleeves and start working. I'm participating in the Women's March <b>10 actions in 100 days</b>. Step one, write to my Senator. Toomey and Casey - you are both going to hear from me! tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00607051535384391653noreply@blogger.com0