January 25, 2008 at 12:39 pm (Adult Learning, Christmas, Understanding Life, leisure time)
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it prior to today, but Rex got me a sewing machine for Christmas. It’s basic and that’s what I wanted. As I’ve gotten older and with blood glucose testing, my fingers have become more tender so hand mending is uncomfortable. Even with light fabrics it’s more time consuming, but when you’re doing a mending job on something heavier like denim, it can be painful. Plus, machine mending is usually stronger and lasts longer. Hence the sewing machine.
Wouldn’t you know it….since I got the machine, I’ve had nothing to mend! …Good news/bad news.
I thought about the past and remembered Cassie being a child and how I’d occasionally sew things for her. They were usually articles of apparel, nothing really fancy. I wondered if I’d be able to do anything like that again.
Mind you, it’s been 25 years or so since I’ve sat down at a sewing machine. Now they come with DVDs that show you everything, even how to open the box. There’s also a manual, so I should be set. (???)
I put it on a table and plugged it in. I turned on the light over the needle. I correctly threaded a bobbin AND was able to load a spool of thread and thread the needle. I have a lot to remember, but hopefully I can have some fun with it and mend more efficiently when it’s necessary. :)
Leave a Comment
January 23, 2008 at 1:05 pm (Memoral, Sadness, Understanding Life)
Being old enough to be the mother of a 28 year old like Heath Ledger, I find his death very sad. It will also be a loss to the acting profession.
I enjoy his work and will miss further abilities. To me it’s reminiscent of James Dean who also was a talent snuffed out at too early an age.
I know however of one more screen work in progress. He had filmed the character of The Joker in an upcoming, new Batman film In some of the clips I’ve seen, he looked very dark, but it’s a dark character. I wonder now if his look had anything to do with his recent emotional state.
Apparently he was taking several prescription medications, specifically for anxiety and Insomnia. The profession he chose is one of anxiety. It was said he had trouble shutting his mind off. I can see where that too could be profession related.
So many more answers may come after the autopsy and as time passes. Answers may help his family and others understand parts of the situation. The only thing I can count on is that we have lost an actor with a lot of potential. That saddens me and is enough to put the matter to rest.
I pray grace and peace for his friends and family, especially his daughter, Matilda.
Leave a Comment
January 22, 2008 at 9:59 pm (Weather, leisure time)
We’re at 14 weeks remaining of my 16 week countdown. It’s hard to believe that it’s already past mid-January. One thing hasn’t changed though, and that’s the COLD weather. Last weekend the actual temperatures were hovering about 4 degrees with wind chill factors of minus 15. Michigan has already had more snow this year, so far, then we had all of last year. We’ve had an additional two feet!
Thankfully Rex and I have not had a problem with power outages or freezing pipes. It can be pretty difficult at times and I know we in Michigan are not in as bad shape as a lot of other places around the country.
It’s great for the people who like cold weather. I’m glad for them. They can honestly have my entire share. 
14 and counting…
Leave a Comment
January 14, 2008 at 10:33 pm (Resolutions, health, health and cooking, leisure time)
So far I’ve kept with it. I won’t say I’ve done hard stuff or even work related things, but I’ve done at least one thing a day that’s made some sort of difference. Examples…
One day I created a recipe and passed it on to a friend. I cleaned out three drawers one day. I had some remaining holiday things that needed ironing and a little mending. I took care of that. I sorted through a rather large group of old pictures, pitched quite a few and prepared the remaining ones for an album. Today I did something I’ve not done in about 30 years. I laid out the fabric for a pattern and cut it out.
These aren’t difficult things, but they’re things that are keeping my mind active and keeping me up off my rear. …Can’t hurt!!
Leave a Comment
January 7, 2008 at 11:54 pm (Resolutions, leisure time)
I resolve to…This year I’m going to…I want to…I will………resolutions! A lot of people make them. How many stick to them, only they would know. For the last several years I’ve decided not to make formal resolutions because I probably won’t continue with them. Weak? Maybe just honest.
I am going to TRY to do something differently this year. I’m going to TRY to do one thing every day that benefits me or someone else. I’m not talking about things like making my bed or emptying the dishwasher. I should be doing those things anyway. I mean one additional thing, one thing that isn’t a part of my typical day.
Today I organized a base cabinet in my kitchen. It’s the cabinet things get stuffed into, especially during the holidays. The whole project took me less that 15 minutes yet I felt that I accomplished something.
Other ideas could be….cleaning out a messy drawer, writing a letter/note to someone you think could use it, taking a dust cloth and wiping down all of the doors in your home, making a phone call to someone who won’t expect it but would enjoy it, or going through your medicine cabinet making sure things are not past their expiration date. These are all small things but things that will help YOU in the long run OR make you feel better just having done it.
As I said…I’m going to TRY.
Leave a Comment
January 6, 2008 at 8:14 pm (New Year, Weather)
It’s Sunday, January 6th. I’m in Michigan. We’re having a January thaw. Today it’s nearing 45 degrees and the majority of the 12 inches of snow we got on New Year’s Eve is gone. It’s supposed to reach the 50’s tomorrow and then turn cold again with more snow, probably measurable, forecasted for the middle of next week.
One thing I’ve come to rely on in Michigan is about 16 weeks of cold winter weather starting from January 1st., running to sometime in April. I keep hoping that it won’t be that long a stretch, but it seems that if I plan on 16 weeks, I’m not disappointed at all if it’s only 12 or 13. That’s just a bonus.
I’ve lived in Michigan all of my life except for a short stint in Charleston,South Carolina when my first husband was in the Navy and we were stationed there, and as a child living in Glendora, California with my parents and brother.
Since most of my adult life has been in Michigan, I’m used to cold weather in the winter. Nearly six years ago, our daughter was graduated from college and got the opportunity to move to Southern California, moved, and started her career there. She was never fond of cold weather and when the chance was given she left. I don’t blame her at all.
In the future if things work out we could move to a warmer climate. I don’t want to move to California just because our daughter and her husband are there. It would be our luck that as soon as we got settled there, they in their young careers would move away. We have to move where we think we’d like to be, and not just for the sake of others.
Until then though…I guess I’ll just go with the 16 weeks. Tomorrow it becomes 15 weeks, so we’re at least on our way.
Leave a Comment
January 3, 2008 at 9:19 pm (Understanding Life)
Tags: Death, Feelings, health, Life
Rex and I started our day yesterday (Wednesday) on a sad note. We’d left home to run a few errands the first of which was going to the post office to drop off a few pieces of mail. It’s just a few blocks from us. While driving down the street Rex came to a near stop and said,”Oh my God!”. He then pulled into a driveway.
He noticed that there was a snow blower running with no one at the controls. As we looked further toward the house we noticed what appeared to be a man laying in the middle of the driveway. There was no one by him. As we got closer I noticed a woman walking through the snow toward us. She was flagging me down. Rex turned off the snow blower. We didn’t need that noise. He walked toward the man and later told me he had a blueish skin tone.
When the lady got close enough I asked her if she needed me to call 911. She said she had and that paramedics were on the way. I thought it best to move our car out of the driveway. About a minute later a Policeman drove in, followed by an ambulance.
The paramedics started working on the man and got him on a back board, gurney and put him in the ambulance. A Sheriff’s cruiser pulled up then and two more paramedics went to the ambulance.
The Policeman came over to us, asking if we were family members. We told him we weren’t, and that we were just on the way to the post office. He asked for our names and phone number. Rex asked him if he’d heard a pulse. He said no. Soon afterward we decided it was best to leave. There was no more we could do, so we thought it best to get out of the way.
We’ve heard nothing and are waiting for our daily newspaper to see if it holds any information. Yesterday’s paper would have already gone to press at the time of the incident.
Feelings were difficult the rest of the day. It was the first encounter for each of us, coming upon a situation like that. What should you do? What do you say? It’s a strange feeling coming upon mortality. I guess all we can do is hope for the best for the man, his wife and family.
Leave a Comment
January 2, 2008 at 12:23 pm (Christmas, New Year)
Tags: holiday memories, pets, rats
A highlight of our holidays with Cassie and Ryan was being “introduced” to our “Grand Rats”. Yes, that’s rats. They’re clean. They’re cute. They’re friendly and each has her own personality.
When Cassie and Ryan told us they were driving from California to Michigan with the rats, we were a bit surprised. Cassie and Ryan were welcome with open arms, so….. Ratsy and Squidgie were welcome also.
We spent three days with them stationed on a spare couch and really enjoyed seeing Cassie and Ryan play with them. Rex and I had some play time also. Initially Cassie was concerned about them being warm enough. (Since she moved to California her blood has thinned, and when she comes to visit in the winter we know we’ll be cranking the heat up some.)
On Christmas Eve morning, I needed to finish the holiday baking that I wasn’t going to do any of…so I brought Ratsy and Squidgie’s cage into the kitchen. I thought the heat from the oven might be especially nice for them. When Rex got up he even gave them little samples of cookies and bread. They seemed very interested in obtaining those tidbits.
Cassie used an old beach towel to cover the couch. We did discover a couple of small chew holes in the towel, but now we really have something to remember them by….little holes of endearment.
We had a nice time with the “grand rats” and welcome them back any time. Cassie and Ryan are very welcome too.
Leave a Comment
