Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Wednesday-11am

You can fall asleep basking in the middle of a huge patch of sun on the carpet and wake up to find the only warm sun left is leaving your toes. ;)
These are from a couple days ago. I snapped a picture of the connecting road. The equipment has just been sitting there like that on all these nice days? Still are just sitting there.
I took these pictures just for me, but then decided to share them.
Took a few shots of the fields beyond the garages.
It's been too wet for them to come and plow it all under like they have been doing a couple times every summer.
I was just tickled thinking of all the rabbits, birds, salamanders, frogs, and all the other small critters that were able to avoid being chopped up this spring. :):) Just makes me happy.
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And I did a check on the garage roof. Nothing has been done. I'd be very upset if my garage started leaking and ruining all the things I have in storage out there.
And while I was taking pictures I was also thinking about what an international population we have here in low income housing up in Fargo...
...and how HOT it must be for these women being covered head to toe.
We have also had some women who wear the floral dresses to their ankles that look like Mormons with their classic long hair--poofed up on the top. All their little girls wore long dresses, too. I haven't seen them this summer. We've also had Africans dressed in beautifully colored wraps and turbans--but not this summer. There's a big turnover here. Several people confined to wheelchairs...wide variety of families...groups of college students who live together. There have been times I would walk down the hallway and hear voices in 2-3 different languages through the apartment doors...and the smells of different foods... Bet you never expected Fargo to be quite the international mixing pot--LOL! I find it fascinating!
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Anyways, I did putter yesterday and little by little I did get some more paper testing done.
The one on the left is the Clairefontaine Writing tablet and on the right is their journal paper. I was amazed!! As you can see--nothing bled thru at all! And this paper isn't very thick, either. I am sooo impressed.
The only one that almost caused trouble was, of course, Noodler's Bernanke Blue. I had no idea when I bought that how it would act on paper.
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Anyways, I am hit-and-miss learning that heavier, thicker paper doesn't mean better when it comes to fountain pens. The biggest factors seem to be what it is made out of and also how finely it is milled. Don't ask me what the answers are...but I can say Clairefontaine has good paper for fountain pens. ;)
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I noticed Karma jump up on the porch and stare at the carpeting.
She parked herself and just listened and stared at the porch floor.
The people below us must have been out on their balcony. Other people don't spend a lot of time outside because their recessed balconies are not actually like my made-over "porch"--hehe! They are open and have the normal wood slatted floors and lots of bugs. Leah and Dagan helped me put up the mesh screen with indoor-outdoor velcro and the next year tacking down the outdoor carpeting. I have the luxury accommodations up here, I tell you! ;)
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Late last night I got out a dip pen and tried out my new sample inks on those two Clairefontaine papers.
No bleeding even with dip pens!
I finished up my letter to Bonnie using the dip pen with all the sample colors. And, as you can see on the backside here, nothing!! tada!
So, I spent a lot of time searching around online yesterday. I found out the Levenger still carries the single-sheet cutters, but that Amazon has a cheaper version. I snooped around for Clairefontaine paper--found some interesting colored sheets I want to try...along with tons of things for my perpetual wish list, of course--ROFL!! ;) Was a good day.
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Dagan and Leah won't be coming till next week. They forgot they had made plans with some friends weeks ago before we switched to Wednesdays. :)
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Speaking of...I'll leave you with some international music today.
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20 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

I love what you had to say about falling asleep in the sun and waking up to find it leaving your toes. That sounded like hallmark! :)

Queenie Jeannie said...

How interesting!! I'm still playing around trying out papers for my Copics. Have you tried yours yet? I love your handwriting and ability to do Calligraphy! My handwriting is awful!!!!

Finally got my new things put away and my room cleaned up. It was a disaster and I can't be creative in a mess! Although I normally wind up making a mess in the process...I can't start out that way, lol!

Donna @ The House on the Corner said...

Love the imagine piece!

I don't see many of the women down here with the long wrapping cover-ups - I'm guessing it's too hot - it's 103 today - anyone dressed like that would just die of the heat - I guess that's why they're all up in Fargo :-)

Intense Guy said...

That is an amazing video and interesting "composition"!

Imagine that they were all playing simultaneously in sync with each other...

I wonder if the people that have that garage with the torn up roof even know its like that? Maybe they live on the ground floor or around the other side of the building and haven't seen it?

Maybe Karma was sniffing out the international cooking. You think she would like some really hot Indian curry?

AliceKay said...

I'm like WOW at that video! What a great video and a great message. I'm gonna share it on my Facebook page. Hope you don't mind. :) I also found it interesting seeing what kind of "instrument" was making the music and sounds we heard.

Karma has the life. :)

The road construction crew might be on another job for a bit. They do that around here sometimes...half do a job and leave it for a few weeks, or longer.

I noticed the Flying J sign in the roofing picture. Never noticed one there before. Those are nice travel plazas, too. (nice souvenirs in them, too) Stopped at a lot of them on my trip to Alabama six years ago.

Fargo, the melting pot of the world. :) I think that's really neat, tho.

Looks like you're having a great time experimenting with your papers, pens, and inks. You have beautiful penmanship. :)

(been on your blog post a long time today because i kept getting interrupted while trying to comment)

Rita said...

Nikki--Thanks! Waxing a little poetic, I was. ;)

Jeannie--I did some playing around a few times back when I got them but I have been so compulsively into reading, journaling, writing letters, pens, inks, and papers that all my crafting has taken a back seat for a couple of months now. But I'm the same way--LOL! I may make a mess while I am crafting, but I want it to start out all nice and neat. ;)

Donna--I love how they have all these different people from all over the world playing parts and singing. :)
Those ladies are covered up from head to toe here even when it was 98 degrees and 98% humidity!! I'd faint!

Iggy--I've never donated to them, but I follow them on youtube and like the way they do the music with people from everywhere using native instruments--and they're always outside, I think.
They'd have to know because we've had soooo much rain they'd have puddles inside. I've had rain come in under the door into small lakes in mine!
Not sure. Karma isn't much into people food. She's even suspicious of new cat foods--LOL! ;)

Anonymous said...

I love seeing the pictures you take there, it means I get to see parts of places I have never gotten to see and probably never will lol Its so open there and the clouds are just beautiful!! I hope all is well with you and miss Karma :o)

Toriz said...

I'm surprised at Karma, I'd have thought she'd have avoided the balcony with people being so close. LOL!

I always like that; when there are loads of people from different backgrounds in one place. Makes for some interesting things to observe... Smells from cooking, sounds of music they play, etc.

:)

Toriz said...

LOL @ Jeannie's comment about messes!

Serena Lewis said...

I remember seeing that YouTube once before...they did an awesome job of it.

I also enjoy the pics you post of Fargo. I would never have expected Fargo to be a melting pot of races either. Do you remember the song? (What we need is a great big melting pot...)

It makes me happy too knowing some critters were able to avoid the chopper.

Your handwriting is beautiful! YAY for the Clairefontaine papers not bleeding through!!!

Rita said...

AliceKay--No, don't mind at all! Share away! :)
I notice people sneaking and driving across the road and lots of kids on bicycles. I hope they just get done so those kids stay off there.
Yes, we have a Flying J--and I think we might have a brand new other one--you mentioned, I can't remember now, that wasn't in the phone book--across the road kind of from Flying J.

Lynn--That's exactly why I like the pictures other people post of their areas, too. Places I'll never get to see myself. ;)
Yes, Karma and I are well. Hope you are doing well, too. :)

Tori--She couldn't actually see them because of the carpeting--maybe they were just making noise and not talking? Or she feels pretty darn protected on that porch--LOL!
Music--yes, I have heard other music, too. ;)

Serena--Play For Change has some other songs, too. I follow them on youtube.
No--I don't remember that melting pot song offhand. I wonder if it's on youtube...
I'm hoping they won't dig up the fields at all this year. ;)
Yes! I'm loving Clairefontaine!!
Stay warm, sweetie!! :):)

Stephanie said...

Happy Summer Rita! Thanks for sharing the photos of your area. I love the opening about the falling asleep in the sun and waking up with it only on your toes. :)Happy day to you.

AliceKay said...

I see a Love's Travel Plaza sign in most of your pictures. We stopped at a lot of those on our trip to Texas two years ago. Bought a lot of shot glasses and souvenirs in them, too. We don't have them around here.

I was reading an article last night that said Pilot and Flying J's merged into one company. We don't have any of those close by us either. (we don't have any four lane roads so that's probably why. lol)

Barbara said...

I learned when I lived in NM that loose fitting light colored cotton was cooler than bare skin - a lot cooler.
But the head to toe coverings have got to be too hot, no matter what. However - lol - I watched a couple of women in the grocery the other day, totally covered up, standing next to a couple of women who really needed to cover up - yuck, all that jiggly pasty white skin hanging out is not attractive. We all need a happy medium.

Rita said...

Stephanie--HI! You, too!! Thanks!
I'm sure I've visited your blog before--your zentangles and GF baking look familiar and you hadn't blogged for a long time. I lost some folks I was following a while back--Blogger glitch. You may have been one of them. Well, I'll remedy that. :) Happy day to you, too!!

AliceKay--I just got a new yellow pages a couple weeks ago and Love's Travel Plaza is listed in this one. ;) Right beyond the field and those far buildings you see in my pictures is Interstate 29 (north to Grand Forks and south to Sioux Falls, SD). Love's and Flying J are the first exit south of Interstate 94 (which goes from Billings, Montana to Chicago, Illinois). We see a lot of semis here--LOL! ;)

Barb--I think the one lady was cooler with the white and light colors than the one in the black. I agree that I wish some people covered up more! I always try to cover my jiggly parts--LOL! But it's getting so I should be covered head to toe!! ;)

Toriz said...

Yeah; maybe she felt safe because she couldn't see them.

Serena Lewis said...

Here's the link to the original singers of Melting Pot - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HHT_V294Co

It was pretty big here ~

Serena Lewis said...

I should point out that, while the song uses some racial terms, it's basically pointing out that if we had a big melting pot, there wouldn't be racial discrimination because we'd all be the same.

Rita said...

Serena--Nope. Never heard of them or heard this song. Back then they didn't worry about what was politically correct or not--which it is obviously not--LOL! But it has a beautiful message. ;)

Serena Lewis said...

Yes, it does have a beautiful message. They were a British group so I guess, back then, Australia was more in line with Britain where music was concerned. Nowadays, Australia tends to lean towards American music and ways.