Wednesday-10am

When I first get up I check online for a bit and then I guess it is pretty obvious that lately I've been heading for the table next and not the desk--LOL! Karma was patiently waiting for me under the table...where I give her foot rubs. ;)

Wow! This was a great sunrise!

The dark clouds look powerful and majestic...

...surrounded by a golden-orange light.

A couple days ago I got a surprise card and gift from one of the ladies in the Circle Letter group. She just thought since we've had to wait so long that she'd send a fall gift for the heck of it. How sweet!

I will use this tag as a bookmark, of course.

The last I saw the Circle Letter was the end of May. It got waylaid for so long that there were emails trying to find out where it was. One of the ladies had to rush off on a medical emergency (her mother) across the state and the letter was left at home. Perfectly understandable. It is on the way around again, I guess. I made a thank you card and sent one of my laminated bookmarks in return to this sweet lady, Melissa. :)

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I've just been puttering about. When I was writing letters at my desk and didn't want Karma lying across the paper, I banished her to the floor. Well, she was crying and flopping herself around dejectedly on the carpet--so I pulled up a chair nearby and she was happy. Well, let's face it...placated.

To later make up for my animal cruelty (in her eyes) I parked the chair right under the TV and entertained her with the mouse cursor. Luckily she has no claws or this wouldn't be good for my screen--LOL!

At dusk I saw the moon looked so full and thought that maybe I could take a picture later...

...in the dark. ROFL!

This is as close as I can get with my camera.

No need to try that again--LOL!

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Hey!! Guess what?!

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THEY'RE BAAAACK!!

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Remember how I was wondering about all those missing shingles on the garage roofs. Well, the roofers showed yesterday with a flatbed full of shingles.

We actually had one sunny day.

The crane noise scares Karma and she apparently immediately remembered how she hated the hammering--LOL!

They piled shingles on that garage right across from my window perch up here...but I didn't see anything wrong with that one from this side?

They piled new shingles on that back garage to the left...

...and then they proceeded to rip off the old shingles on both those smaller garage sections...

...and the garage beyond the one directly in my view.

So I wondered if they are going to replace them all?

When they left yesterday they had already removed all the shingles and tar paper off those three garages and replaced the black tarpaper.

Today is chilly and completely overcast with predictions of rain, but they showed up. They're ripping off more shingles and putting on new ones. I wonder if they will do my garage? Mine is the next one over to the right from that back one peeking out there--straight in back of the one under my window. You'd think with rain looming that they'd work on putting new shingles on instead of ripping more off--but maybe that is too logical. Or maybe they have roofer specialists who only do one thing--LOL! Have to wait and see how it goes.

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I've been on day hours--not sleeping very long but pretty well. Then last night I slept nine hours and was only up three times--ahhh! Now we're talking! ;) Regardless, my puttering has been picking up speed since I've been on days again. I forgot to take a picture of the very simple thank you card, but it sure felt good to do a little crafting! :)

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I finished the last DVD of Season Six of Supernatural. Now I am finally caught up since back, at least a couple years ago, when Dagan and Leah told me about the series. I've been recording the current new shows (season seven) and can now actually watch and keep up--tada!

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I was just thinking how I'd rather hear roofers than that darn dryer flap--ROFL!! ;)

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Happy Wednesday!! :):)

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"Happiness is not what makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy."

David Steindl-Rast

Monday-8am

Mostly cloudy up here the last couple of days--chilly with rain off and on.

I had forgotten to show you the other item I got with my JetPens order because it is a kind of surprise for Leah and I had already stuck it over by the door for her. She's been too busy to read the blog, I'm pretty sure. Anyways, she loves these corner clips, but hates pink. I kept the pink one in the last package and she said if I ever bought any more...LOL! So, I picked up another package and I'll keep the dreaded pink one. ;)

Sprinkled some catnip on Karma's little carpet square. She will be sitting quietly...

...and then suddenly paw the heck out of it. After this she did that cat jack-in-the-box thing they do bouncing randomly about...and then laid back down on top of it again like nothing happened.

Wanted to tell you that my dad made it home from hospice already this weekend! Good grief, it was just three weeks ago today that he had his hip replaced! Wow! He's really one determined 90 year old, eh? He'll have rehab come to their home three times a week and they're getting him a walker where you can sit if you need to so he can go farther without worrying. Cool! He's doing just great!! And he is soooo happy to be "out of prison"--LOL! Thanks to everyone for your healing thoughts and prayers!!! :):)

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I was never good at meshing with the hospital type routine, either. Dad is kind of a night owl, too. They tell you when to get up, when to eat, when to shower, when to poop, when to sleep--ROFL! I didn't fit in when I was just a regular night owl and not the crazy, erratic sleeper I am today. They always wanted to give me sleeping pills before--hehe! I'd drive them crazy these days. They'd probably give me something to knock me out--LOL!

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Speaking of sleep...I have been going to bed early (between 6-8pm) and waking up in the middle of the night (2-3am) the past couple of nights. Sleeping pretty decently, too. Actually starting to feel more human--LOL! Yay! In the past few days I washed clothes, got three letters I owed done & in the mail, and made a card & got that in the mail, too. So, I am definitely starting to feel a little bit functional. Nice! About time!!

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Watched a 70 year old Chubby Checker on Dancing With The Stars. Goodness! Am I that old that Chubby Checker just turned 70! Well, Paul McCartney is 69 and just married a 51 year old. I hope he is much luckier in love this time than he was with number two. They got married on what would have been John's 70th birthday, I heard. Uffda! I remember sitting on the carpet in front of the console TV watching Ed Sullivan and getting chills...(no, I wasn't a screamer)...taping pictures of John all over the inside of my junior high locker, while most of the girls adored Paul. But over the decades Paul really grew on me. Paul was always the optimist...the happy one. This wedding proves he still is the hopeful one who believes in love and the goodness of people. I think I have grown to adore him, myself. He's still cute, too! ;)

Best wishes, Sir Paul!

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May we all have a good, productive week. :):)

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"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."

Helen Keller

Friday-10:30am: Cat Stuff

In all the years I have been blogging I don't think I have ever blogged twice on the same day, but these cat things gave me the grins on my oh-so-tired day (still bang-bang-bang up here).

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First of all, speaking of Miss Karma sleeping on hard pillows...

...does this look familiar, Iggy?

Karma still loves it. Especially after I hide it away for a while--LOL!

For those of you who are new or don't remember...Iggy sent this chunk-a-wood-pillow as a surprise for Karma. He didn't think she would actually use it. She does. ROFL! (She chewed off the little strap right off the bat--does love anything that looks like string.)

And then--for those of you who don't follow Simon's Cat on youtube--this new one cracked me up to no end!

Enjoy!! :):)

Friday-1:15am

Karma looks a bit annoyed.

This is why neither of us can sleep.

Note: It was so windy on the porch you can't hear a word I said--LOL!

And it hasn't let up yet. Bang...bang...bang...bang. So, as long as I was forced to stay awake, I thought I'd share my GouletPens haul with you that arrived yesterday!!

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They always package everything in many layers! Excellent!

Here's the unwrapped goodies!

They had Sheaffer cartridges on sale. I use them for my old calligraphy pens so I got blue, blue-black, and turquoise. Below those boxes is the J. Herbin small glass pen in violet.

J. Herbin package of 10 small sheets of blotter paper. I was kind of surprised that each sheet has this design on the one side. Because you can usually use both sides of blotter paper and you'd think the ink print and designs would interfere with the blotting? Maybe not?

G. Lalo Verge de France A5 writing tablet in Champagne.

Rhodia Webnotebook (5 1/2 X 8 1/4) and No. 16 Premium Notepad--both blank and orange.

Quo Vadis Habana Notebook--blank, red--6 X 9.

I believe G. Lalo, Quo Vadis, and Rhodia are all subdivisions of Clairefontaine. (www.exaclair.com) So, naturally, I have been planning to try them all out. ;) I fully expect them all to be marvelous with fountain pens!

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I do like the Exacompta refillable journal I bought with the silver edged paper and the forest green cover...for no bleed through and little shadowing...but it takes so long for the ink to dry that I had to order the blotting paper sheets. This is why I am still trying different journals and plan to see if I can sew my own journal covers this winter after the holidays. Don't ask me why I love having a journal cover so much...I just do. LOL!

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Oh, and the Ink Drop arrived for October!

"Autumn Leaves II"

I plan to test these new fun sample inks with my brand new glass dip pen. :):)

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Also got a big bottle of Blue Ghost invisible ink with a free pen and tiny blacklight. The pen can be used either as a fountain pen or a roller ball pen. I am going to try setting it up as a roller ball for something different.

As usual, Nathan has the most elaborate, interesting labels. Here he shows the bottles and writing under a black light...

...guys fishing? (I really need to read the fine print.) And more writing examples--with and without black light.

He loves his catfish...and here the fishing guys are surprised by a giant "Blue Ghost" catfish. Below that pic it looks like the catfish is fishing underwater and the guys are gone (eaten? invisible?). Oh, Nathan! He has such a strange sense of humor--LOL! I have got to read all the small print on this bottle. ;)

The glass dip pens have been around since the 1700s. The glass flutes that spin around the nib hold the ink after the pen is dipped. As you write, the ink slides down the flutes to the tip. Oh, and that textured paper under the glass pen in this shot is the G. Lalo.

And here's a shot against the red cover of the Quo Vadis Habana.

I already have a set of glass pens--a large and a small--that I bought maybe 20 years ago or more. Pretty, but they have never, ever worked. Brian and Rachel Goulet had that problem with the pens not working when they started selling them. If the flutes don't come all the way down to the tip, I suppose. That's what I figure is wrong with mine. Anyways, the Goulets complained and rejected the pens until they started getting better ones from J. Herbin. Plus Brian tests each one of them now. I haven't tried my new one yet but, thanks to Brian, I am expecting it to work. I'll let you know. :)

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I have had some strange things happening. First of all, I went to use my sample Blue Ghost ink after about a month or so. I had cleaned out a pen and had put most of the sample bottle (via syringe) into the empty cleaned out cartridge. The pen had lain on my table in the meantime. When I went to use it--it had lost all it's properties. Was like water. Black light showed nothing. But the teeny bit I had left in the sample bottle still worked? So, I emailed Brian Goulet...and somehow my email got bumped into spam!

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Well, I was determined to buy the Blue Ghost ink regardless. I would use a new dry pen or only use a dip pen if I had to. I get too much of a kick out of sending invisible notes. (Even if Dagan and Leah completely forgot what I showed them, thought I was going senile sending them a blank card, and tossed it into recycling...I shall persist!) I made a comment with my order about not hearing back about the Blue Ghost ink...and got an quick response. :):)

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Spam. I was spam. Boy! I seem to have some bad luck fluke fairies following me around the last few weeks, eh? Really bad fibro flare that doesn't want to quit and then I'm spam--ROFL!

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This too shall pass. ;)

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Anyways, Brian had no clue why the invisible ink lost its properties over time. He'll try to remember to ask Nathan. The notes I wrote at that time are still good and the ink retained its glow, as you can see from Iggy's blog here. I figure there was probably a tiny bit of water left in the pen and the cartridge? But would a drop or two of water change the invisible ink to water, too? Odd, eh? If I find out why, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'll fill a brand new dry pen...and just wait and see.

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Well, I am obviously looking at a zombie day ahead. It is 3:15am (I have to take breaks) and the flap is still beating. Karma, though, is snoring in her chair. Cats don't sweat the small stuff. I am usually pretty good about that, myself...but sometimes...grrr! Sorry for the cranky video--ROFL! The wind is supposed to continue all day now on Friday with gusts up to 55mph and scattered thunderstorms. Looks like a good day to curl up in my chair and veg out with the TV or a good book. This blog will probably be my big accomplishment for the day--ROFL!

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Bang-bang-bang-bang...bye-bye!! ;)

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"If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars."

Rabindranath Tagore

Thursday-5:15am

A moody, multicolored sunrise yesterday...

...that burst forth into a bright blue 90 degree day.

Was forced to move the herbs again (because they were sitting right in front of the AC) so I could crank on the air conditioning. It will be a wonder if they survive indoors. Two of them have pretty much given up the ghost already.

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Caroline came to clean on Tuesday and, afterwards, Angie came to check that nothing's changed in the past year. I was exhausted and tried to sleep after the company was gone but, due to pain, slept pitifully again. Decided it was time to crack open my discontinued Davocet stash. Enough is enough, right? I am used to handling pain while I am awake, but when it keeps me from sleeping...then it becomes a real problem.

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So, thanks to modern medicine taking the sharp edge off, I was able to putter yesterday! TaDa! I didn't overdo...just puttered about off and on. Felt wonderful to get a few things done. I finished sorting the colored card stock! Finally got started on the organizing from three weeks ago--ROFL! How nice of those projects to wait patiently until I can get to them. ;)

Karma was observing the fact that I was up and down and here and there again during the night--LOL! If a cat could smile...well, she seemed happy for me...enjoyed keeping an eye on me--LOL! :)

This month I made an order to GouletPens and a small one to JetPens. My JetPens order arrived yesterday. I finally got the set of LePens that I thought I had ordered (but forgot) three months ago--LOL! And some more of the cheap Preppy Fountain pens...so I could get the free shipping for going over $25.00. Oh, and I forgot to take a picture of the other item. I'll try to post it next time.

Anyways, I've been thinking for some time about how to permanently store all my fountain pens...have been snooping online, too. I have found a cabinet I'd probably like to get one day...but that will not happen till next year sometime. I have been using my desk regularly now for writing since my desk computer bit the dust and got better lighting with the two lamps--so I plan to keep the future fountain pen cabinet on my desk, right?

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Well, I was digging around in my bedroom for something else when I spied my wooden stationery cabinet. It used to house a couple of custom made "Soul Comfort" stationery notes and envelopes...of which I only have a very few of one left...so it was virtually empty. Hummm...I wondered how I could adapt it? Even temporarily, it could probably hold more pens than the skinny crammed full box I was using?

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So, I puttered about...and this is now the temporary FPpen home.

It even has these slats across the cover that can hold envelopes--that now holds my little spiral notebook to keep track of what pen contains what ink. Yes, I know. OCD. LOL!

I dug around and found two cardboard box covers that fit inside the deep top section of the wooden box and then I lined them with felt. The top cover holds all the pens that have sample inks in them from Goulet's Ink Drop club.

The one underneath has all the pens that have ink in them where I actually own the ink bottle and can refill them. As you can see, I will run out of room shortly--LOL!

Keeping the pens in the box tops will prevent ink from leaking onto the inside of the pretty wooden cabinet.

There are also two small side draws...actually meant for storing pens and stamps, I believe. Yes, I do need to line them, also, with felt. Maybe today. Just ran out of steam yesterday. This side drawer on the right has all my calligraphy fountain pens.

The left side drawer has the empty new Preppy pens.

I love that I can close the top and my little notebook doesn't fall out!

And since I now had all the rest of the LePens...well, I couldn't fit them into the designated pen cup...so I had to juggle around some pens and cups. And I decided these will have a new home on the desk now--the gel pen cup (purchased from a local potter) and the Triplus/Sharpie/LePen cup (Leah made in pottery class). TaDa!!

Ahhh! The little pleasures in my small life. :):)

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What special little things make you happy?

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I am delighted to have made the first steps with the organizing. Been a long time coming. I made the decision to use up some of my Darvocet stash the next couple days. I slept pretty well last night, got a little something done yesterday...I need to try to break the pain cycle if I can. Not being able to sleep causes pain increase and pain increase causes less sleep...it's a chicken and egg thing--LOL! I'm a patient person, but these flares...well, I want to see if I can break the cycle. Wish me luck. Pray that I can putter. Putter prayers needed--ROFL!! ;)

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I'm watching Season Six of Supernatural. I think I'll be starting disc three out of six from Netflix. I have gotten several letters into the mail the last few days. Supposed to be around 80 the next couple days and then drop back into the 60s. I hope everyone who has it is enjoying the Indian Summer. Some of you are being lifted into spring right now. With all the crazy weather all over the world this year, I am so grateful for calm weather. :)

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Happy Thursday!

May it be a good one. ;)

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"One can never be content to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."

Helen Keller

Tuesday-7am

Pretty funny that as soon as October 1st arrives and they turn the heat on...Indian Summer arrives with a flourish! Been in the 80s! LOL! Of course it's still in the 50s at night--wonderful sleeping weather...if I was sleeping--ROFL!

Yesterday was grocery delivery day for the month. I asked for delivery between 2-4pm since I need to be up at the same time today. Caroline comes about 2pm this afternoon and then her supervisor just so happens to come for her yearly visit about 4:15-4:30pm. I have been on the completely opposite hours, so I had a nap for an hour before CashWise came yesterday--and then slept from 6pm till midnight. I'll probably take a nap before Caroline arrives, too. Maybe this will get me back on days. Maybe. Good Lord, who knows? LOL! Doesn't really matter, I guess. ;)

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I finally was forced to wash clothes during the night. Been over two weeks and I needed clean clothes, sheets, and the scrub rags for Caroline today. I try to be a good apartment neighbor and never wash during the middle of the night, but I didn't have much choice. I think I've only had to do that 2-3 times since I moved here in 2005, so nobody should complain.

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Uffda! I tried hot chocolate mix with soy milk. Bleh!

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Not much happening up here.

I think the fibro flare is maybe letting up.

Hopefully! :)

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Here's Karma using my rolling laptop table legs for a pillow. Never have understood why she likes to lay her head on hard stuff.

The sun should be coming up soon.

Just a quick hello on this fine morning. :):)

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"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday-5am

Karma lolling on her toys.

Well, the herbs weren't getting much light way back by the kitchen so far away from the window and I could tell they weren't happy. So I got a large bin cover, to protect my cabinet that sits right behind me at my craft table near the window, and moved them all down there. I decided I needed to relinquish that space to them. I think they are happier. We'll see. (Three of them got trimmed, too, tonight so they may not have liked that at all.)

Don't ask me how I got this huge pot up on top of the bookcase!! OMG!

When Leah re-potted the philodendron I had her put it on a TV tray in my bedroom by the window...foolishly thinking I could pull it across the floor away from the window if I wanted to open the window, right? Well it was too heavy for me to pull with one arm. The wooden legs were just trying to bend! So, I placed the step stool under the bookcase in the living room, managed to get the pot up on my side, hauled it one-armed into the living room, got up the steps of the ladder, almost dropped the pot...but just barely managed to kind of hoist/toss it up there--whew! A feeling of accomplishment, I tell you! :)

Leah used this metal epoxy to kind of weld together three hooks at the top for the fern that's sitting on top of the boom box. There's another huge hook that is meant to go through the top of those hooks and then the plan was for me to hang the fern up on that ceiling hook after the epoxy cured. But there is no way I can lift this heavy pot filled with wet dirt with one hand at that angle. Maybe after the soil has dried out. We'll see. Eventually it will hang there.

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Neither of these pots came with hangers, so Leah was converting the pot. I told her the big one for the philodendron was just too large and heavy to attempt to hang. After carrying it...I am positive! LOL! The funny part was Leah got the stiff hooks and epoxied them together so it would (in theory) be easer for me to move by myself. ROFL! The best laid plans, right? I can't even lift the smaller pot with my good arm--LOL! Oh the things that crack me up. ;)

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Anyways, the only sun I get now in the winter will hit that wall. All the plants are now on the sun wall so they will be as happy as I can make it for them. It's the best I can do. :)

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Tonight after I woke up I finally made another batch of cabbage soup. Been putting it off because of feeling crummy. But I figured that if I could move plants yesterday I could make soup today (before the celery was totally limp--LOL!). Added some fresh cilantro, chives, and parsley--tada! Oooo....warm soup on a chilly night....ahhh! Perfect!

Karma got bored with her saber-toothed tiger cave, apparently, and hadn't used the box for many days. So, I took off the throw (I wanted it to keep warm anyways) and moved the box under the art table. Voila! Instantly interesting!

Let's see...I finished watching the last season of Dexter, my favorite serial killer. Now I am in the process of watching last year's Supernatural with the usual interesting angel/devil wars. Also been checking out the new TV season, of course. Glad I can just record so easily now with this computer system. (Is that called tivo-ing?) Can't say anything has stood above the rest so far. Two and a Half Men might be good again. Does anybody have any favorite shows...new or old?

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We had one hot day (90) and then it cooled off again. You never know from one day to the next if it's going to be in the 70s or the 50s. Was in the 30s again last night. Hey! It's October 1st! They should have the heat working again now for the winter. (I don't think landlords have to legally provide heat until October 1st.) I suppose I should check...later. Been up since 9:30pm and, right now, I am curling up under the throw and going to turn on the TV and veg out for a good long while. ;)

Happy weekend!!

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"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is in your mirror."

Ken Keyes Jr.