Sun again yesterday! Much to Karma's delight.
If it has been raining during the night I have been sleeping thru the thunderstorms. I haven't been watching the news and it's so soggy around here it's hard to tell if it has rained or not. But if it has, the rain has not been getting into the porch. Depending on the direction of the wind, it doesn't always soak the carpeting. Again--much to Miss Karma's delight--LOL!
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Leah brought over all those different things on Weds night. These four spikey blue balls were one of the items she picked up for me.
Dryer balls!
We use them instead of the dryer sheets, but my old ones were finally ripping apart. Leah's are still fine. She said she doesn't use high heat, tho. When I had tried to use the lower heat with my dryer years ago it took about two hours to dry a load of clothes, so I have just been using high since I have tough, durable clothes--hehe! Maybe I should check out the lower heat again. Who knows? It could have healed itself, as mechanical things will do sometimes. ;)
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Dagan took down my little green cart to meet Leah's car and haul up the bags of potting soil. My goodness! That is a much bigger pot than it looked in the photo, but Leah said it will hang. I trust her. Oh--and the other thing on the cart is the shredder. The cover is inside the shredder and the big bottle of oil for it is on the desk there. (Yes--I need to buckle down one of these days and get going on those files.......after I get done all the paper and ink testing--LOL!)
Karma made a haul!! Here's her two basic foods from the Natural Pet Store. Both are diet foods--for fat/indoor/older cats. She loves the Felidae the best of anything!
I was using Iams Indoor for her regular cat dish in the pantry and her food dish on the porch, but I plan to switch them both over to the EVO weight management one above. I use the Filadae and any other indoor cat food (like Meow Mix, Iams, etc) in her little "treat" jars I keep in the end table that she eats in the living room on her "Milk Bone" bed--hehe! So, she thinks she is getting lots of special treats and it is just dry "diet" cat food.
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Leah came with a present, too!! No, it's not a dryer ball--LOL! It's a blue plastic egg that you can put treats in and they have to roll it around to get the treats to fall out. The holes are adjustable, but it took us a while to get them small enough so that nuggets didn't just pour out of there--hehe! It said in the instructions that there's a way you can get only one hole to be open--and that must have been what made it confusing to figure out how to turn the moveable section inside there.
Anyways, has she paid much attention to the egg? Nope. We already figured that if it is a dud for Karma, it will go over to Sammy and Annie to see if they like it.
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What she does like...the last thing Leah brought for her...catnip! The bit of catnip I had left here was at least 2 years old and didn't smell much anymore. I do keep it in a tightly sealed jar, but it does get old. She still liked it okay, but the new stuff is more intoxicating, I guess.
Wait till her grass finally dies out there on the porch. I bought some catnip seed!! Whoohoo! ;)
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Some darker clouds did roll in later in the day...
...but they were still fluffy white...
...with dark bottom-sides.
The exciting news that kept me puttering all afternoon--the JetPens order arrived!! I had to laugh. I thought I had also clicked on the set of LePens and somehow didn't. But I ordered all the rest of the singles that weren't in the set--LOL! So, I hope I will have enough for another JetPens order in August--chuckle! At least by September. :)
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Anyways, I am also on a quest to find a good fountain pen friendly journal or (preferably) journal refills now that I have a running personal diary type journal going again. You saw I ordered one last month from JetPens--and this month I got a refill to try. And the LePens and the cheap nib holder I thought might fit the teeny, tiny nib I ordered by accident last month that is lying next to it.
This is the Exacompta blank refill. (No point in buying the leather holder every time if I don't like the refills, right?) French milled, I believe. (More on this below.)
The LePens!! Now many years ago these were my favorite pens for a long while. I loved them in burgundy and brown and blue the best. I had to search for them when they became harder and harder to find in town (Minneapolis--years before I ever had a computer or knew about the internet). Finally they were no longer available anywhere. :( I actually forgot about them, to be honest. I thought they just quit making them.
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Lo and behold they showed up as a new item a week or two ago on JetPens!! In the full rainbow of colors!! Hence all the excitement here in my sanctuary in Fargo--ROFL!! ;)
They have a pretty fine nib that is harder and not a felt tip. Super slender pens!! Love the feel of them in my hand. Very feminine, I must say. Anyways, I am just tickled that they have surfaced again into my little corner of the world. :):)
Another order chuckle. I obviously know nothing about this whole other world of pen holders and nibs that the Japanese comic and manga folks use. This holder sure seemed to be the right size...but there was no way to attach the nib!?? Just that metal post? There is no slit anywhere to slide the end of the nib into. Nothing! Nada! But you could lay the nib on the metal rod at the end of the nib holder and it looks like they should work, doesn't it? Man, that nib is tiny! So I decided to just glue it on. I'm not going to buy any more micro nibs anyways, right? I got some glue that is supposed to work on metal. To be continued....LOLOL!
Okay--when I opened up the Exacompta journal I wondered why the weird circular perforations on the bottom corners of every page?
What is the logic in that? I find it annoying.
I tried to crack the spine and get the pages to lie flat. They probably will in time with some use.
The paper is SOOO thin! I swear it feels thinner than computer paper! (I almost said typing paper, but Dagan and Leah tease me when I use such old-fashioned terminology that I find I catch myself now--LOL!) You can see one of the writing guides I have made for myself and printed off copies. I did cut this one down to fit the journal.
Then I cut off the front page that is stuck to the cover anyways and took some of the pens that have bled the most and wrote all down that thin-thin sheet.
I was actually shocked at how little bleed-thru there was! I thought this paper was just way too unbelievably thin for fountain pen use and expected a total mess on the back side. Only a few spots with the Noodler's Bernanke Blue but that ink has bled thru every single kind of paper I have tried it on. I love it because it dries so fast, but that Bernanke is definitely a one-side-of-the-sheet ink, that's for sure!
So, I went and got the red refillable journal I got last month that I hadn't tried yet. Maruman. I just tried to google it and apparently it's the same company that makes Cotman watercolor paper (not top of the line). Anyways, I cut off the first page that's stuck to the cover and wrote all over this one, too.
Not good for fountain pens at all, really. So this one will be for just gels, etc. Good one maybe for the Sharpie stick pens! And I haven't tried out the LePens on anything yet...an ink nut/pen fanatic's work is never done. ;)
And, you know me, I have also put a post-it note with the empty journals so I will remember in case the sample sheet falls out.
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I'm excited for my final July order from Goulet Pens to arrive because I have a journal and writing tablets coming by another French company. Brian Goulet said that Clairfontaine is known for being nice to fountain pens, so I am hopeful. :)
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Well, this is way longer than I thought it would be. I just get so excited about all of these things--even dryer balls--LOL! If I'm lucky I'll have the Goulet order to show you tomorrow. And I will show you what I ended up doing with the micro nib and holder. ;)
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"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead."
Oscar Wilde
15 comments:
That's a really sweet picture of Karma. Her head and fur against the dark background make for a great shot.
I've never used dryer balls, but I've seen them in the stores. I've been using Bounce dryer bars lately.
Yep, that looks like a pretty big pot, so I hope your plant hangs well. Good luck with the sorting and shredding. :)
Sneaky cat "treats". :)
Lots and lots of pens to write on lots and lots of paper. :) By the way, I would find those perforations in the corners of the pages annoying, too. Very strange to have them there.
I've gotta zip on outta here because I have a bad thunderstorm knocking on my door. Have fun with your pens and have a good evening.
Hope Karma enjoys her treat ball. Been looking for one of those for Gwydion; was hoping to find one to convince him to... Well, do something, LOL! The only ones I could find were basically made of straw so he would just chomp his way through it though. They used to be all over the place here (the ones like you got for the cats) but now... Nothing! Anyway, hope Karma (or, if not, Sammy and Annie) enjoy it!
Sounds like you're having a great time with your pens and paper over there!
Actually, they still make paper that gets labelled as "typewriter paper" so you can still use that term (and if Dagan and Leah tease you, you can point out that it's still a legitimate label for thinner printer paper).
Yay catnip, a good picker upper for all cats, lol.
more goodies!!! jet pens, would love to order from them again soon myself!
My own shred pile is shameful and piled next to the tread mill...(sigh) it is never ending it seems!
I look forward to seeing how that nib works!
AliceKay--Leah and I started using the dryer balls because they were more environmentally friendly, less chemicals on your clothes, won't put that film on your lint catcher screen (the one that can cause fires), and saves money in the long run (especially if you don't use high heat, apparently--LOL!). I always liked Bounce the best when I used the dryer sheets.
Just like with the dryer sheets, if you have too big of a load you can still get static. I STILL tend to make loads too full from all my years of apartment living and using millions of quarters--even tho I rent a washer and dryer here that are right in my apartment and don't have to use quarters anymore--hehe! ;)
Hope the storm wasn't too bad. :)
Tori--Even the straw balls would make Gwydion work harder, at least. :)
I'm not sure if I have seen any paper labeling typewriter paper at Office Max or someplace like that. I think here they say multi-use or something like that. I'll have to check that out! Defend the old-fashioned terms!! LOLOL!
Desi--I do so love JetPens! I was ordering from them for many years before I found Goulet'sPens. But Goulet's is a small company with basically inks, fountain pens, and dip pens--not everybody's cuppa, you know? JetPens has all kinds of pens! Plus! ;)
Now that Leah has given me their old shredder I think, even after I finally get thru the desk files, I will eventually have my very own never ending shred pile. :):)
Cool pens you got there I just love any kind of pen lol My daughters cats would probably love that grass stuff also I will have to try and grow some and surprise them, I saw a picture the other day on some site that had growed the grass like that and it was in a big coffee mug I thought that was neat. We finally got some rain here and I mean alot at one time but it was nice thats for sure :o)
I enjoyed all your excitement! I would have been excited too. I may have to try out dryer balls.. I've heard of them before. Thanks for the reminder on the Felidae. I used to feed that to my overweight house cat. We've been using Chicken Soup Lite for awhile now, but time again for a change I think. I like the idea of "treats" being dry cat food too ;) There's nothing better than a nice, new pen to doodle with too! Hope you are having a great weekend. -Tammy
True (about the balls)! LOL!
"Multi-use" is another one again. Well, you know how many different kinds of paper there are... ;)
Typewriter paper on Amazon (UK, but still...) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephens-Quality-Typewriter-Paper/dp/B002KXDE94
Vintage typewriter shop (typewriters and supplies) http://www.vintagetypewritershoppe.com/Typewriter_Paper.html
What a well loved cat!! So many goodies for her!!!!
So fun to hear your excitement with your new goodies! I know exactly how you feel as I'm the same with with stamping orders. Enjoy!!!
Lynn--Yes! You could just grow a little bit of grass in a cup of dirt--sure could. Some of the packaged catnip they sell for you to grow isn't in much bigger than a cup size. I just happened to have this big ceramic planter that Leah brought me, so Karma gets way more than she can eat--LOL!
Tammy--Chicken Soup Lite? I'll have to google that just to see the package--LOL! Karma's favorite dry food (and she has had a ton of them, diet and regular) is the Felidae. I've wondered if she just loved the tiny bone shapes or what it is? How can they taste it when they swallow it so fast--LOL!
It's waaaay cheaper to use some dry cat food as a treat. At first I put them in the empty treat containers--hehe! But then I bought some small empty jars and have been using those.
I hope you had a great weekend!
Tori--Ha! I'll have to google "typewriter paper" now to see if they call it that anywhere in the states anymore--and not just in a vintage or antique shop--ROFL!!! So funny! :):)
Jeannie--I get just as excited over my craft orders or book orders or art supply orders--LOLOL! I think I am just a kid at heart. ;)
The second link is in the states (well, it seems to be in US dollars, so I'm assuming it is).
Tori--I know, but it is a vintage typewriter place. I found was a couple places that listed the typewriter paper as for children!?? And there were a very few regular stores that still sell "typewriter" paper, but most of it was listed in vintage or antique type stores. So using that term is on the way to extinction except in the antique world.
I don't think there's much difference between computer paper and typewriter paper--maybe typewriter paper was a little heavier weight--but people are charging more for the typewriter paper. And you can use any kind of paper thin enough to roll into the typewriter--duh!
Oh--and I discovered that Tom Hanks collects old typewriters. ;)
Some of that old typing paper - mmm.. corrasible bond was it called? was really thin and unsubstantial.
I like "real paper"... fat paper? Heavy paper? large paper? is there a PC term for this?? LOL!
Iggy--I think you're right! Seems to me I remember "bond" paper, but all I remember was bond. It might have been a little more substantial than the modern copy paper or computer paper. But even back then, you could buy better quality paper just like today...like "resume" paper, etc. I never liked trying to write on typewriter paper or computer paper. Flimsy stuff! I agree with you. :)
I always thought the heavier weight paper was better, especially for fountain pens and such. Now I am learning that is not necessarily so--heaier isn't a guarantee it won't bleed thru. It is also what they are made of and how finely they are milled. Good grief! It's like trying to learn about fine wines or teas--LOL! It is very interesting, tho. ;)
True; you can use just about any paper. Just proving that not all "old terms" are out of use yet! ;)
Interesting hobby for him to have!
I had an old typewriter. Well, actually two at different times. A red one I had given to me when I was about 10, which just gave up after a couple of years of frequent use (I've always written a lot, and it was second hand so not great from the start, really) and a white one (also second hand) that I had when I was over in Canada, because sharing a computer when you like to write a lot doesn't work unless you have other options for the writing, and my handwriting has never been great (that one got broken coming back from Canada).
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