Happy Halloween

and Samhain Blessings from the Wardhouse and Mr. Evil.

Saturday Sillies

Just had to share some funny words as inspired by K15 and Ronnie:

• I sits down ~ K15
• that pancake is more fluffier ~ Ronnie
• Play plastic bottle with me Mommy ~ Odis

*shakes head*  I live with comedians! 

Knit for money, tricks for free (not really)

Apologies for the 80’s ‘Money for nothing, but my tricks for free’ reference.  A long afternoon.  My meeting with Gum Tree Farm yesterday went very well.  Mrs. Kansteiner is very personable and passionate about fiber.  We agreed to give this relationship a go and see if it will be a fit for my schedule.  I left with three different patterns (socks, fingerless gloves, baby booties) and three different colored skeins of merino wool from her sheep.  These skeins are the most amazing fibers – theyappear to be hand spun and feel wonderful between my fingers.  The color is naturally occurring – no dyes here!


It was a challenge for me to not to beginning knitting upon returning to my desk!  The first pattern I decided to work with were these fingerless mitts – I will confirm before sharing the pattern here.  Anyway, I got to the thumb gusset and came against an unfamiliar knitting term - M1.  K1 I have (knit one), but M1?  You know me, off to Google I went; it means to increase a stitch.  Ok, I know how to do that but the M1 is a means to increase while hiding where the increase occurred.  Allow me to share…. Now this video is M1 from a continental knitter’s perspective (we hold the yarn differently than traditional knitters).



Oh, what I did not share was, she will pay $20 for each pair of completed mitts and $30 for each pair of socks (a less complicated pattern than the one I use). 

Whatcha think?  Does it sound reasonable?  How long does it take me to knit one?  An excellent question and one that I am timing; this is challenging as knitting gets done while waiting for other activities to occur or finish.

An exciting time

Last weekend, while visiting with friends, one of them mentioned that I needed to check with the Homestead about teaching a bellydance exercise class; the hotel paid well.  I miss dancing sooo very much and would love to incorporate that back into my life so when we returned home, the online application process began, noting in the comments that this would be a part-time gig.  The application was never finished - What was I thinking?  My plate is so full at the moment; is there really room for one more?  Well, the Homestead sent an email yesterday asking me to call to set up an interview.

That prompted the thought - how does my resume look?  Not a working resume but a dance/exercise resume.  Let's see.  Studied for over 8 years beginning with Cabaret and several years later, a move to tribal fusion.  It is with Mandara that most of my performing occurred.  An exercise class is different than teaching dance which may or may not be easier.  Wish I lived closer to Jennifer (Mandara) so I could take up classes again.  *sighs*

In other news, several weeks ago I responded to an ad in our local paper looking for people to knit (materials and patterns provided) and get paid!  Get paid to knit?  How cool is that.  Today at 1:30 I meet with her and see exactly what they are looking for.  Yes, I am taking samples of my work. This would have to be part time so it may not be feasible; exciting to think about though.

I'll let you know what happens.

Independence, Interdependence and Disability

I read some intense yet well educated people; Sharon is one of these people.  Her statement below reminds me of conversations Ronnie and I have had about the coming days.  What will  <insert family member here> do when the  money stops?  Or the economy does a free fall?  Some of Sharon's writings were quoted in another post about Staying Put and this is a similar theme.  No one knows for sure how things will 'play out' though from who and what I read, challenging is a kind description.  I see more of our families coming to live with those of us who are better equipped to survive in changing times; for us that means kids doubling up in rooms to make room for other family members to sleep.  More members means more mouths to feed yet more hands to help with the gathering and prep.

Ok, now to Sharon's post. . .

Independence, Interdependence and Disability: 

 At one of the talks I gave in Charlottesville last week, a woman stood up and observed that what I was talking about doing sounded too hard for her, that she and her husband in their 60s just didn’t want to work that hard. And my observation is that sometimes my work is hard – just as everyone sometimes has to work hard. But what I like about my work is that there’s a place for everyone in it – when Eric’s grandparents lived with us, they certainly couldn’t chop wood or carry water – but they didn’t need to. They could rock babies like nobody’s business, shell peas and keep me company while I tended the babies. Meanwhile, I could help them with the things that were hard for them. One would imagine that a woman with three children under 5 and two elders, one seriously failing, the other with probably the average limitations of someone in their 80s would be more work – but it was less, or perceptually less in many ways than my working alone with no company but the children.

I hear all the time the idea that one doesn’t want to be dependent on other people – the idea is expressed in our society by the idea that we should all save a lot of money, invested in the stock market, to make us “independent” if we get old, or less than perfectly able bodied. But of course, the stock market makes us dependent too – dependent on markets and governments and other people to invest where we have. People talk about independence as emerging from their ability to pay people to help meet physical needs if they become old or disabled – imagining that an employer-employee/resident-caregiver relationship is inherently more equitable than a family dependency.

But there is no escaping dependency in the greater scheme of things – we depend on systems that break down sometimes whether in our bodies or out in the world. At times in every person’s life, unless you are one of those rare folks who drops dead in full health (but that has its downside too) we will depend on another – sometimes for short periods when we are temporarily ill or disabled, sometimes for whole lives or for long parts of one. Coming to terms with the idea of mutual dependency may be as essential as learning to be independent of institutions we deplore.

I say this often. Every one of us will be dependent at one or more times in our lives. Every one of us will probably need to give and offer care, and also to learn to accept it. Learning to come to terms with this is simply a part of our lives, a part of our human condition. Embedding ourselves in systems of reciprocity, kindness and respect is the only possible answer – there is no escaping the reality of needing others.

Sharon

Amen.

Playdough and GIANT cookies

The cookie was a success (or appears to be); the final say will be from her teacher.  In case you are interested, the sugar cookie recipe we used came from here;

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in upper third and another in lower third. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.
3. With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture; mix just until smooth. (Dough will be stiff; you may need to finish mixing it by hand with a wooden spoon.)
4. Drop mounds of dough, each equal to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 4 inches apart, onto two ungreased baking sheets; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until edges of cookies are just firm and tops are barely beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheets once halfway through. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

And the icing from a pamphlet that came with a cake decorating set; this icing is amazing AND we normally just use 1 cup of butter - no solid shortening (definately NO LARD).  Cookies, cakes, you name it.

• ½ C solid vegetable shortening

• ½ C butter or margarine

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 4 C (1 lb) sifted confectioner's sugar

• 2 TBsp milk*

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all the sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at high speed until ight and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until you are ready to decorate. For best results, keep icing in refrigerator when you're not using it.

*NOTE: for icing cakes smooth, add an extra 1 – 2 Tbsp milk or light corn syrup for easier spreading.

Now a word about playdough - if you are going to make several batches of one color, then add the food coloring to the water before pouring into the dry ingredients; otherwise, just add the food color to your blob of plain playdough and start kneading.

What time is it anyway. . .

I found this neat time telling trick in one of the blogs I follow (Little Homestead in the City) and felt it worth sharing; Their site does not allow sharing (if I read it correctly) so I'll leave the link up top so you can check out the original article.  I did find this same information on Backpacker Magazine... 

To estimate hours before sundown, the only equipment you need is your hands. Extend your arms before you and bend your wrists so your palms face you. Stack one hand on top of the other from the horizon to the sun. Each finger represents approximately 15 minutes. Each person’s finger size varies, so for accurate results every time, do this at home with a watch to see if you have 10-, 15-, or 20-minute fingers.

For the record, I have 10 minute fingers.  When first practicing this trick, it was 5:25 and, since I live in the mountains, the sun would have dipped below the ridge line in 30 minutes. It would still be light outside at 6:00 though the sun would not be visible.

I want to try this a few more times, with a watch, to be sure of my accuracy.  If you currently use this trick or if you begin to, let me know how it went.

K15 did not make playdough last night and, as they have a game in Highland County (30 minutes north of here), I'll make the playdough tonight so she can just finish the cell as soon as she gets home.  M15 is coming by after her practice to decorate the huge cookie-to-be-a-cell.  Oh, you know pictures are coming.  

Play dough... now?

One would think that once your kids hit their teens, play dough would become a thing of the past.  Not so.  Play dough is great for school projects, and in our case, the making of a human cell project.  Due Wednesday, K15 & M15 have a human cell project due.  K15 is using a half circle of florist foam, hollowed out with play dough organelles while M15 is going to HUGE sugar cookie route with organelles created with icing.

Once completed, I'll post pictures.  In the meantime, here is a copy of the homemade play dough recipe K15 is going to use for her project:

PLAYDOH
1 c. flour 1 c. boiling water 2 tbsp. cream of tartar 1/2 c. salt 1 tbsp. oil Food coloring Mix and knead together. This playdoh is not sticky and does not dry out.

This needs to be stored in a zip lock baggie; yes, I realize the directions say it does not dry out... still.  

Missions vs goals

While reading a guest post from Larry Brooks on ProBlogger, his definition of missions vs goals struck a cord.

A mission is a destination. A goal is a milepost on the journey. 

One without the other, however, can represent yet another definition of insanity... expecting different results while doing the same old things, over and over.

A mission is vague while the goal is more definitive; I've never thought of these two guides in quite this light.  Yes, I've been through the Steven Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (a great course, I might add), created a mission statement, and have set goals each New Years.  Yet these two, mission and goals, have never been connected, in my mind anyway, quite this way.  It finally makes sense.  Did that light bulb blind you?

For me, creating a mission statement AND goals is a challenge; I've always been one to just go with the flow.  When I do make plans, these invariably get changed to accommodate a monkey wrench. So to read the following gave me another 'Whoa!' moment.

What is your purpose? Your vision for your life? Your highest dream? Your hierarchy of dreams?
What is your work—indeed, your life—all about?
There’s nothing inherently wrong with living in the now, to seek comfort and pleasure and reward, to think no further than tomorrow. More people live this way than don’t.It’s just that this approach won’t lead you anywhere. You’ll be treading water, or at least allowing it to carry you along, powerless against it, within its tides and currents.
You have no engine, no sail, no compass, and no distant shore. You aren’t swimming, you’re treading water. The water may be warm and comfortable, but over time, such water becomes stagnant.

I've been treading water for the last 43 years.  Scary.  Now allowing the current to take you where it will is fun and allows one to see and experience what would have been missed if a more direct route had been taken.  The sad part of this is, the long route takes so much time.  "Life is but a walking shadow"... We do not have that much time.

 Then comes the goals, the mile markers.

Getting rich is a mission, not a goal. Some get to skip the goal-setting by virtue of inheriting their wealth, but even lottery winners set a goal to buy a ticket on a given day. The result is a consequence of intention, rather than genes.
For the rest of us, the road to riches is riddled with mileposts, ruts, puddles, and forks. Each of them defines a strategic opportunity to move forward.
What do I mean by strategic? I mean that the choices we make when we encounter those mileposts—which, when put in our rear-view mirror become milestones—are made in the context of the bigger picture. In the context of the mission.
Getting a new job may feel like a mission, but it’s actually just a goal. An important one. But it’s not a mission until it defines who you are, and where you intend to end up, and delivers a strong motivation to get there.

The remainder of this post goes on to discuss the remaining questions that will help you become better at blogging and, well, life in general.  I have much thinking to do: what is my purpose?  The vision I have for my life?  My highest dreams?  Time to think...and write... and ponder.

What is the vision you have for your life?

Intense

A talented crew

This craft show was an interesting experience.  Talented people displaying wares, potential customers milling around.  Knowing what to price something was our biggest challenge; keeping it affordable while trying to recoup the time spent in creating.  Not easy to do especially since imports make it more economical to purchase a similar item from Walmart.  I’d also heard it said that if the price is not high enough, it is perceived to have something wrong with it.   Some of the other vendors said that it really depends on the day, number of people, and how much disposable income they have.  Thanks to my mom, two neck warmers were sold. 

I did pick up a few gifts for Yule – nope. Not sharing those details just yet.  =)  You’ll just have to wait!

Saturday evening was Homecoming and they had a great time; I was not in attendance.

This morning my coworker shared a recipe for creme de leche.  Not exactly home brew but close!

*  Remove the label from an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk, place in a pot of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 3 hours.  It is important that you keep adding water to the pan and keep the top of the can covered.
*  After 3 hours, remove and allow to cool... still in the unopened can.
*  Once the can is cool, beat whipping cream until just past frothy then add the contents of your can (which is now caramel).
*  Continue to whip until soft peaks form.

 Now your ready to create.  Soo tastey when added to a cup of coffee.  Mmmm. Mmm. Good.  And yes, I had a second cup this morning as the temptation to add this creme to my coffee was just too great.

Too much caffeine?

Never thought I, the caffeine junky, would make this statement.  I have reached a point in life where my desire for caffeine is lessoning.  Keep in mind that caffeine is physically addictive and, while the headaches can be intense, I am loosing my taste for the stuff.  Soda's are out and coffee is on it's way.  Now with any habit, the best way to beat one is to replace it with a different activity or beverage.  Herbal teas would be soo much better for me; I really like the Yogi Teas, especially the Egyptian Licorice > no, I am not getting paid to share this with you.  Wouldn't it be nice if I were?  =)

Anyway, an herbal tea that I can grow at the house would be even better.  I know there are a slew of talented bloggers that make their own teas AND blog about it: would you share your links here?

Malto Grazie!

UPDATE:  yesterday I had two cups of joe all day and the evening hours were spent with energy until about midnite (late away game for the girls).  Todays energy levels appear to be the same - perfect!

Finally - Rain!

When some of the local springs change from pouring to trickling, you know the water table is low.  This is the first year, in the eight that I have lived here, that I've seen this one spring as a trickle.  Locals and travelers alike would stop at this spring for a sip and to fill various sized containers; not this year.

We need way more than the precious drops that are falling and, though others wish the contrary, if a deep long snow is the only way we can recoup the missing moisture, then so be it.  I am 'ready', or as ready as you can be while sitting in a temperature controlled office, sporting a sweater dress and stylish black boots.  The wardrobe changes if/when I may need to walk from here to home; that is always a possibility if it snows hard and fast.  Unlike some of you, I live 2 miles from work and while doable in appropriate foot ware, these stylish black boots are not it.

In addition to water concerns and watching the economy slip away like a friend with a terminal illness, a more immediate excited concern is the upcoming Arts & Crafts festival this Saturday.  Yup.  THIS Saturday.  As in the 16th.  I have been crocheting and knitting my little fingers to da bone and yet there appears to be not enough time to complete what I'd like to take; in my defense, 30 days is not much time when crafting with yarn and working and going to class.

The Resort furnishes an 8-foot table with skirting and a sign.  We have a display in mind and Ronnie definately has enough wood working items to make up for my smaller, fiber arts.

My printer is low on ink and $40 for new cartridges is out of my budget.  I did print off a few pages of these labels to use as price tags: cut out, hole punch and string through with some thin yarn or twine.  Business cards with the Wardhouse address would have been nice - see budget comment.

Any tips or hints that will help to make this fun and profitable?

An update

While commenting on another's blog, I realized that my own blog had not been updated for about a week.

Long story short is Winifred is fighting a bacteria infection and is not egg bound (per a conversation with the vet from Virginia Tech's vet school); the whole flock is being treated with a water based antibiotic which means I will not have eggs again until Saturday.  It begs the question, though, if store bought eggs are products of antibiotic hens, are the eggs I have right now no better and still edible?  Just askin.

My fever is now gone, the cold is almost done, and the poison ivy is... well... itchy.  Broomsage has been a great help with a smearing of tea tree oil at night.  Still looks pretty rough.  We are also finishing up preparations for the upcoming Arts & Crafts festival at the Homestead.  *whew*  That is the 'quick & dirty'; my plan is to be more communicative.  =)  I miss you guys!

Egg bound... again?

Remember earlier I stated that tonite was work with Cindy to create a massage video?  Well, I came home first to change, let out the dog and check on the ladies to find Winifred perched on the nesting boxes with a bloody vent; my apologies for the visual.  Anyway, the first thing I thought was that she was egg bound and the other hes had picked at her vent til it was bloody.
Our local vet has experience with dogs and cats only so she was of no use (yes, I called just in case).  So Winifred was spirited off to my bath room, much to Odis's displeasure, for a wipe down/hose off (gently, of course) and then I was off to the web to see how to help her.
There were numerous entries about a warm sitz bath (30 minutes) helping out a prolapsed vent or egg bound hen along with preparation H after it is all send an done.  I figure she is the one laying the duck sized eggs and just felt the need to keep pushing even after it was out.  No, I did not fill up the bath tub - allow me to show you (no nasty here).
These same sites recommend home made oatmeal.  I took her out of the bowl, changed the water, gave her the oatmeal (which she ate) and then returned her to the bath.  At least she is still eating and drinking!

UPDATE: she is not egg bound, or at least not that I can feel.  Back to my original theory that she layed a duck egg and just kept pushing afterwards.  Now that Ronnie is home, I am going to send him out for some Preparation H.  I'll keep you posted.

A no potty Mouth zone with lots of groove

Class continues and this final class will be finished 12/8 (I think - Heather has it written down).  This last class brought with it two new people who had previously taken the class, failed the test three times, and needed additional hours before they could retake.  Now, this test is not cheap; $225 EACH TIME.  My plan is to pass it the first time.

These two additional people are younger than I by about 20 or so years - that puts them in their 20's.  Belching loudly in class, cursing, and general potty talk is their modus operandi; quite frankly I am uninterested in their latest exploits.  Sadly, the college is desperate for paying students and so these two are allowed to stay.  As I get older, and hopefully wiser, I understand why my Grandparents were so insistent on a certain vocabulary, manners, and dress.

On a lighter note, this evening I get to work with Cindy of Warm Spirit Spa and video while she works with Ronnie; this will become my training video.  Youtube has some good videos and I have referred to several while practicing at home.  The trick is these videos address a specific move and not the flow.  Flow, you ask?  It is the sequence (face, neck, shoulders, back while supine, etc) that one uses during massage.  Kind of reminds me of 'the groove' from the Emperor's New Groove.  *beware the groove*  If I had the software, I would create a clip of that part of the movie to post here.

Also tonite, a non scheduled Board of Stupervisors meeting has been called to discuss the leadership roles of it's members.  That all stemmed from a particularly vocal meeting last month when a few of the members acted like old married people and got into a yelling match.  Yes, with age should come wisdom; not the case here.  Drama is their modus operandi, which would explain many of the decisions that are passed down.  In this county, term limits should be in effect; it would encourage fresh ideas and keep stagnation at bay.

  If a picture paints a thousand words, nothing else needs to be said.  If you want to read the entire article, it will be available, online, this Thursday (10/7).  Hopefully my neighbor will attend and share the details.  *drum roll please*

*whew*

Yes, I have been quiet..blog wise that is.  Our garden is finished though others are not and we have been gifted with a slew of produce that I have been attempting to squirrel away.  That, coupled with preparing for the Arts & Crafts Festival, classes, girls activities, and trying to keep up with the laundry have keep me away from blogland.

Oh and A16 drove herself and K14 to see their dad in Roanoke.  Yes, my fledgling has learned to 'fly'.  Not literally (I hope!).  Another step away from her Momma.  That is the goal, right?  Raise confident young women who are able to face and conquer?  Can I keep her little for just a bit longer?  Both of them?

Our local paper usually does not have much of interest and to have the following printed... here... is, well, mind boggling.
Vote Out the Statists