Lois & George - CT

just Dave

he's always eatin.....

Daniel - San Diego

The Gau's - California

From left - Terry, Bailey, Kyle, and Mary

Grandpa Fritzi's 95th birthday

From left - Aunt Arlene, mom, Aunt Carolyn, Aunt Marian, and of course grandpa Fritzi. (5th sister Rosemary is taking the picture.

"Mommy" - at Christmas

Save the paper! Save the boxes! Where's the bubble wrap?

what started out as the rose garden.....

where's the mulch?

kitchen

house - front

house n yard photos

Here are some various house and yard photos. Most were taken with the old camera, and aren't the best quality. My scanner isn't working properly today, so that doesn't help. I don't have time (at this posting) to post everything, but there are quite a few, so I figured I should get started. Too many people - in email, in snail mail, or on the phone say "send pics!". While this is a little time-consuming, I figure it will save time in the long run, cuz I can just send people here. hehehe

I really will have to update these photos though... Furniture gets rearranged, window treatments change, and the wall colors change - about once a year. And the yard.... plants grow! I didn't realize how much stuff has grown around here until I started posting these photos. I need some new ones!

Harry again (those old cameras stink!)

bicycle boy

Snow globes

Looking for snow globes (water globes?) Musical or not.... I'm looking for old/antique globes.... or tasteful, modern globes (like the one above - or below). I really like the old Christmas snow globes. Also, if anyone knows where I can get a tasteful Chicago globe that doesn't play "My Kind of Town", I sure would like to hear about it!

I have a small collection...... mostly Christmas/holiday globes. I'm thinking that if I can't find more Christmas globes, I can expand to other subjects.... The globes in this post aren't antique, but they're what I consider "tasteful". Any ideas on where to look? I keep an eye on Ebay, but really haven't seen what I'm looking for. And when I do find one, they're either cracked or cloudy or something. "City" globes are cool. I have an awesome NYC one - from a special friend.
Publish Post

GE p-970f transistor radio

This is a toughie... I've been looking for years for this one. I lost the only photo I had of this radio, so until I find a new pic, the description will have to do.

I'm looking for a GE transistor radio, Model # p-970f. It's probably about 12" high/wide.... mostly silver in the front, (black in the back, I believe) with a big, blue metallic dial on the front. My grandparents had one, and I don't know when they got it, but they definitely had it through most of the 70's. You can't listen to the farm report or the Cubs games on anything but this radio! If anyone knows where I can find one, where I can look for one, or comes across a photo of one - lemme know!

help me find....

I'm always searchin for something, whether it be a collectible, a recipe for Black Angus' fried zucchini, my mind, the meaning of life.... Ever since Gore invented the internet, it's been much easier to find most anything. Thanks Al! Sometimes it's taken years to find things (like The New Searchers on cd).... and sometimes I just can't seem to find what I'm lookin for.

So I thought I'd set up a section so you can help me find things, or offer suggestions on where to look for things. And - if you have anything that you're searching for, feel free to let me know, and if I have nothing to offer, will post it here for you, in hopes that someone else can help!

The first thing I'm looking for? A new photo to accompany this post. ;-)

Snakes in the house?

Okay... I love Florida, and all the different wildlife and what-not... and the leetle lizards (anoles?) on the back patio are my pals. But.... I never did like snakes... and they're showing up more and more.....

Yesterday I was working on a quilt on the kitchen table. I finished up, shut most of the lights off, and was headed to the family room to watch some tv. On my way there, I noticed a long fabric scrap underneath the bar stools at the kitchen counter. I reached down and grabbed it to pick it up, and it moved! A snake! Yikes! I dropped the thing very quickly. It slithered off, toward the laundry room. That was good, cuz I had a chance of at least getting it into the garage. Well, I put shoes on, and ran outside and grabbed the pool net (note to self - remove net from pole before attempting to use indoors. You won't knock so much stuff over). I came back in and almost got the snake in the net... and then he slithered off, under the laundry door, into the kitchen, and into the pantry.

Great. Of course we have a bazillion things in the bottom of the pantry... several wine bottles, a 2,000 year-old pizelle maker.... a miniature 6-pack of Coke bottles, etc. I grabbed the last bottle of wine, and saw that the floor in the pantry was bare. No stuff- no snake!

So I started to remove stuff from the bottom shelf, and there was the snake. He had climbed up and coiled himself around the wire shelving. Now what? I did the only thing any sane, reasonable person would do. I started throwing packages of napkins at him. (we have enough napkins to last til 2020....) The snake dropped to the floor. I had to get him out. So I ran in the garage and got these long gardening gloves... I had no idea what kind of snake it was, but figured that with my luck, it was some rare, poisonous snake that would kill me. I reached down and grabbed him by the tail (isn't he all tail?), and he turned on me and reared his ugly head. Then I heard what I thought was a rattle. YIKES! I dropped that sucker fast! Now what? I have a rattle snake in the house.... anxious to end my life. It's after 10 p.m., so I couldn't call Snakebusters.... although I did find a "snake hotline" number online a lil later... which turned out to be just a nasty old man who gets REALLY angry when you call after dark. hehe

So then I called the other Jim (who is still in Canada). He's good at finding solutions to all sorts of problems. Yeah right. When I called, he was driving back from a job - with his crew. They didn't have any solutions, but they did have lots of laughter. I'm gonna remember that the next time they're in a life-or-death situation! ;-)

I didn't see a rattle, and after looking at lots of snake pics, I decided this was an Eastern Ribbon snake. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to fall in the poisonous category. But I heard a rattle. Hmmmm.... maybe it was a baby rattler who's "rattle" hadn't developed yet? I "think" what happened was that he just hissed at me.... and the "hissing" vibrated the brown paper bag he was sitting on... and magnified the sound.

I tried the net again... and this time, he slithered under the fridge. I moved the fridge, but he kept hiding underneath. So then I found the ultimate solution. I lined the bottom of the fridge with towels, and sprayed a ton of roach spray behind the fridge (sorry snake lovers). I needed him out, or dead, or both. I figured that in the morning, I'd find a dead snake under the fridge.

Well, I shook the fridge, and he popped his head out a couple of times... but then I didn't see him, and thought the fumes got to him. This morning, I pulled the fridge out from the wall... no snake. So either he crawled inside somewhere, and is hiding, or he slithered to another spot in the house, or, he simply found his way back outside. Let's hope it's that last one! I don't wanna have to go through this again. In hindsight, I guess I coulda just stepped on his head. But when I first found him, I was barefoot, so that might have been a bad choice.

I've since learned that there are people that come and remove snakes from your home - IF you know where they are. There's also another group of people who will actually come out and search your house until the snake is found, and then remove it. I wonder if they would do anything about alleged squirrels in the attic.......

I'm tellin ya... next time it will be a gator in the pool. I should prolly read up on what to do when you're attacked by a gator and yer in the water... and I should prolly line the pool with various weaponry.... just in case! And by all means, I'm not pickin anything up off the floor again... so when ya visit and the house is a mess, you'll know why....

Definitely a face only a mother could love....

Gringa Spice

sigh.... I thought she was my friend. So when I asked (several thousand times) for a photo, I thought she would oblige. Unfortunately, THIS is what she sent. That's okay.... watch for gossip about her in the "random ramblings" section. >:-O

quilters block....

Quilter's block? Hehe I did a quick search of the 'net to see if anyone else had any experience with "quilter's block". Unfortunately, when you combine the terms "quilter" and "block", everything that shows up is about actual quilt blocks. I found nothing about having trouble getting started on a quilt.

But I've had quilter's block all weekend.... and it's frustrating. I pulled weeds, did laundry, paid bills, cleaned bathroom tiles.... all of the "fun" things no one wants to do. I wrote emails, cruised the net, typed in the name of 100 people that I knew from way back when, to see if I could get any dirt on them... spent quite a bit of time looking at quilt websites, thinking I'd get some inspiration from there, but - no luck.

I considered crank phone calls, but everybody has caller ID these days... and if you block your number, you can't get through to a lot of places. Besides, I lost my patience with U.S. Customs on Thursday, when I called with questions about exporting vehicles into Canada. They didn't seem to understand why I was ticked that any calls into their office went straight to voice mail. They didn't understand that I was upset over the fact that their "preferred" method of contact was email. And they had to remind me that they had ties to Homeland Security when I strongly implied that I'd be by their office to obtain the info I needed - in person. That black car parked outside the house the next day could have been people visiting the neighbors... or it could have been Homeland Security. In any event, I wasn't about to find out.

I have plenty of fabric, plenty of patterns, plenty of notions, plenty of everything needed to turn out a spectacular quilt. But I just couldn't decide on fabrics or a pattern or get started. Even the fact that I have a Husky Quilt Designer II sitting there, raring to go - couldn't motivate me. If you have one of those babies, or know about them, you'll know what fun they are when you're actually sitting behind the wheel, with your foot on the gas pedal. Oh - and that's right... It's a Husky. I know the commercials on t.v. pronounce it Husqvarna (whooskvarna), but sheesh.... they've been making chainsaws for years, and everybody calls them a Husky.... not a Whoosky. Forget what the manufacturer says. They're wrong! (whoosk let the dogs out - whoosk! whoosk!) Hey... not a bad idea for a commercial. The dogs could be the feed dogs on the machine, and - ah, nevermind. Dumb idea.

When I talked via cell to the other person that lives in this house (he's currently in Tacoma, headed to B.C. tomorrow), I told him I couldn't decide on a pattern. He reminded me that we had enough quilt books, magazines, patterns, etc. to start a small library. He's right! Then I told him that I needed more fabric. He reminded me that we have enough fabric to start a small quilt shop. Unfortunately, he was right again. Um, the washing machine is broke? The dog ate my fabric? I was running out of excuses!

I think part of the problem is that there are so many choices.... fabric, patterns, layout... I was watching "Simply Quilts" the other day (why did they cancel that show????), and the guest that was on was explaining how you could get 450 different quilts out of one quilt block. !!!!! Crikey! THAT helps!

I stared, sorted and sifted through books and fabrics all weekend. I'll bet with a little more time, I could have come up with 451 (!) quilts out of one block. Sunday afternoon rolled around.... and it started to rain. Everything inside had been done, and I couldn't work outside, so I finally did what needed to be done. Grabbed a box of Little Debbie Nutty Bars, and sat down and watched "Planet 9 From Outer Space".

The movie was over, the Nutty Bars were gone, and I had run out of excuses. So about 5 p.m. I chose a pattern, selected the fabrics, cut what I needed, and started the washing machine. I even got the fabric pressed and the pieces cut - and then I lost my inspiration - again. But as soon as I finish this post, I'm headed back to the Husky (really!), and hopefully I'll pop out a quilt before morning.

But if you have any suggestions for fixing "quilter's block", I'd sure love to hear them!

Moon Song

This is the quilt I'm currently working on. The one in the photo was done by Helene Knott (incredible fiber artist). I ordered the kit, and I'll post a photo of mine when it's done, although I think it will take some time to get it to look as amazing as hers.

If you're into quilting, fiber arts, or just enjoy being amazed by incredible artistry, check out her website. Unbelievable!

Mary & Dan's Wedding - 2/07

Liz & Stephan - Wedding -Mexico - 06/07

Liz & Stephan - Mexico - June, 2007

Winterdance - Gary Paulsen

My friend Sandy recommended this book. She's made several reading recommendations, and while I initially had doubts about some of her suggestions, they've all turned out to be good reads. I'll let the publisher's comments and a handful of reviews tell you about the book. I definitely suggest checking this one out.

Publisher Comments:

Winterdance is an unforgettable account of Gary Paulsen's most ambitious quest: to know a world beyond his knowing, to train for and run the Iditarod. Fueled by an all-consuming passion for running dogs, Paulsen entered the grueling 1,180-mile race across Alaska in dangerous ignorance and with fierce determination. For seventeen days, Paulsen and his team of fifteen dogs ran through breathtaking and treacherous Arctic terrain. They crossed the barren, moonlike landscape of the Alaskan interior and witnessed sunrises that cast a golden blaze over the vast waters of the Bering Sea. They endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations — and the relentless push to go on. He crossed the finish line, but it wasn't enough: Paulsen was obsessed and wanted to race again. Though the dangers of the Iditarod were legion, more frightening still was the knowledge that he could not stop racing dogs of his own free will.

Review:

"There are only a handful of indispensable dog books...Winterdance belongs among [those] classics." Washington Post

Review:

"In the tradition of Jack London...[Paulsen's] prose is spare and physical; at its best, it has the fluid simplicity of Hemingway." Booklist

Review:

"A breathtaking, heart-stopping, roller coaster ride that depicts the brutal reality of the Iditarod, the magnificent beauty of Alaska, and the unique, if not surreal, relationship that develops between man and dog." Nevada Weekly

Review:

"In a style reminiscent of fellow nature writer Farley Mowat, Paulsen deftly examines careening on a precarious edge." Library Journal

Snakes on a plane, er, in the yard!

There are supposedly 45 species of snakes in Florida... that's 45 too many for me! Only six (only?) are supposed to be venemous. How can ya tell - wait til they bite ya?

This snake (or one of his family members) has shown up in the yard several times now. It's supposed to be a garter snake, and non-venemous. Anyone know? I do know that when you let the hibiscus get too tall, and you walk out the back door of the pool cage and this booger is sittin on top of the bushes, starin ya in the face, it scares the bejeezus outta ya. Or when you step outside onto the front porch, barefoot and in your 2xist undies, or when you're pruning shrubs and you reach down to grab a branch you cut, and grab a snake instead, you wish you had your mobile with you, so you could dial 9-1-1 if needed. I thought garter snakes were a solid color...and anything with a pattern would kill ya. While I know Steve Irwin's specialty was crocs, I'm sure that if he was around, he'd be able to tell me whether I should steer clear of this probably deadly critter!

Definitely one thing I won't miss about Florida!

Denise & Jeff's dog, Buddee (too cute!)