Christmas Trees

I have always loved decorating for Christmas and using all of the old traditional ornaments. Several years ago the home I lived in at the time was flooded by Hurricane Opal. A small amount of water in comparison to others but it still messed a lot of things up, including most all of my old cherished Christmas Decorations. The ones made by my children when they were growing up, etc.

Since that time I have enjoyed creating different Christmas trees. I have given my Victorian ornaments and my Teddy Bear tree to my daughter along with almost all of my other decorations. I usually go to her house for Thanksgiving and spend the weekend helping her decorate her house. She goes all out as I used to do and has a beautifully decorated home for Christmas. A wonderful place to spend the holidays celebrating with family. I love helping her, I get to see all of the ornaments as I take them out one by one to put on the trees and then she has to take them all down. For me that's a pretty good arrangement.

For the past few years I have not decorated a tree for my house, although I am always on the lookout for "Christmas decoration bargains". As a result, I have collected a few for another theme tree. This year I put a small table top tree up using some of the things I have selected. This "collection" is a work in progress and I will as time goes by find other things to add to the tree.

The star on the top is crocheted, light flows through it and there are transparent beads around the outside. There are hearts, one of my favorite symbols, dangling snowflakes, teacups and other crocheted ornaments. The pale pink balls are delicate and compliment the beaded flowers. A Christmas Tree should be something that you love putting up and don't mind talking down, otherwise why bother. This one suits me at my stage in life.

THE HUNT

This photo makes me laugh, aren't memories wonderful!

Here I am ready for my first time ever hunting trip (see previous post), all decked out in layers of clothes and ready for RAIN. I have my rain jacket tied around my waist and other rain gear under the porch with my bow. My bow vest is loaded with everything that I might need, and plenty of things that I did not.

Yes, we waited till the thunder and lightning was over and hunted in the rain until dark. This was my first time in the woods alone, my first time to climb a tree stand, use a safety harness and my first time to walk out of the woods alone in the dark to wait for the truck IN THE RAIN.

I loved it - the whole experience for the entire weekend. Up at 4am, breakfast on the run we were dressed and ready for the truck at 5. We met the truck around 11, came back changed our clothes, had lunch, dressed appropriately for the weather and headed out between 1 and 1:30 to hunt again until dark. Needless to say, it was early to bed so we could do it again the next day. I could not believe that the days flew by as fast as they did.

I got to know 17 other women from all kinds of backgrounds, all experienced hunters. Their backgrounds were varied; schoolteacher, cardiology nurse, health care provider, dental office manager, professional archer, physician's assistant, stay at home mother, retired school teachers, professional writer, illustrator, farmer, high school senior, medical trial supervisor and others. Needless to say these were very interesting women. Believe me there were some tall tales told some I believe and some well, the jury is still out on those. Who would think that I would meet a cardiology nurse who made her own longbow and with it successfully shot a doe the last day of the hunt.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AGAIN.

Bow Hunting

I have just returned from my first Bow Hunt, a wonderful trip with friends. I wish I had a photo to post but there's always next time!

The plantation property was beautiful, the lodge was fabulous and the staff was first class. Our group had a great time and some of us were successful. We saw lots and lots of whitetails but most of them stayed out of bow range. I saw bucks, does, fawns, turkeys and other wildlife. Too bad it was not turkey season, they were in shooting range. I watched a little spotted fawn play in a food plot for 25 minutes while it's mother was feeding. It was a memorable experience.

Sitting in the tree stand I was able to enjoy the fall colors and nature at it's finest. I knew that bow hunting was a challenge and am more determined now than ever to continue. I have a lot to learn and look forward to my next opportunity.

My least favorite thing was the sound of the coyotes in the woods all around you while you were waiting in the dark for the truck to pick you up. Thankfully, they were not as close to me as they were to some of the others in the group. For me the fear factor would be influenced by the amount of distance between me and the coyote, especially since this was my first time to venture into the woods by myself!

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be shooting a compound bow, wearing rubber boots, camouflage and tramping through the woods by myself. I hunted in the rain, in the swamp, walked through mud, climbed trees and enjoyed it all. Just goes to show you that when you are open to new ideas and opportunities you never know where life will take you. I'M READY FOR MY NEXT ADVENTURE!

ANNIE IS NINE YEARS OLD

It's hard to believe that my "Sweet Annie" is nine years old. She is my roomie and is great company to me. A BARKER, by trade, a trait which I have not been successful in changing. She is a great watchdog so I really don't worry about it too much. I just keep her inside early in the morning. If she sees a cat her mission is to let everyone in the universe know that it is in her domain!

You don't realize how attached you truly are to your pet until there is a serious problem. Annie had a malignant tumor removed from her leg in September. Of course, there is always the chance that it will come back. We are living as if it will not occur because if it does the outlook is not good. She would face amputation and that would be a hard decision for me to make.

She has recovered from the surgery and is back to her old self, full of energy and life. She continues to go to work with me where there is always someone available to play tug of war and to give her little treats. LIFE IS GOOD FOR MISS ANNIE

Ghosts and Goblins

It's not everyday you go shopping for a scary mask to match your 86 year old Mother's costume. I settled for a zombie and we had a great time together.

My grandchildren were quite impressed when they realized their Great Grandmother was dressing as "Scream". Her intentions were to be a scary ghost, she had never heard of Scream.

We certainly were dressed differently from most of the others at the event, as they wore more traditional costumes such as clowns, ballerinas, witches, cowgirls and 50's poodle skirts.

We laughed at ourselves and at the reaction from others in attendance. Hmmmm wonder what we can do for next year's costume?

BASEBALL AT IT'S BEST

One of my most favorite things to do is watching my #2 Grandson play baseball. This season he has pitched a little, played first base and centerfield. He is a good hitter, a fast runner and loves to steal around the bases. He plays with a great group of boys and has good coaches.

His regular season team won first place and came in second at district. We have been to tournaments, with the travel team, where we have done very well and to others that were not quite as successful. Those we call character building experiences.

There is nothing better than to be sitting on the sidelines and watch your grandson slide on his knees on the ground to catch a fly ball in short centerfield and then pop up and throw the runner out at first. HOW COULD A DOUBLE PLAY BE ANY MORE EXCITING THAT THAT! In this same game he also hit his first over the centerfield fence home run!

I love baseball and I love the fact that he is passionate about the game and wants to play. I look forward to many, many hours sitting on the sidelines cheering his team on and watching him grow up. What more could a grandmother want.

A Visit from Parsey

This spring I had a nice visit from Miss Parsey. She went to work with me each day where she was in charge of the postage meter and the shredder.





We nicknamed her "Shred Zilla". and created a pile of stuff destined to be destroyed. She was definitely up to the task.

After checking out our wall behind the counter, she decided it needed some additional artwork. Using collage as her medium, she created enough pieces to have her first one girl show. The customers enjoyed commenting on the piece they liked the best.







After work, we did some of the traditional "tourist things" which were pretty neat. We also made time for some girlie things, like playing dress up, watching movies, baking, walking on the beach, blowing bubbles and shopping. Laughter was plentiful and our time together was as always too short.



























The Sand Castle cake was much more challenging than the ones we built on the beach - we were up to the task. Parsey was quite creative with the decorations and is a good little cook. Right now baking is her specialty and she loves chocolate as much as her Grandma. We always bake something when we are together.

Needless to say, we have big plans for her next visit!







I

There's A Deer In My Yard

I have been shooting my bow for almost two years and hunting season is just around the corner. For a change I thought it would be fun to try shooting at a 3D target.

This is a new skill for me which requires concentration and consistency. I am gaining confidence, learning to adjust my site and fine tune the bow.

I find archery to be a great stress reliever, although it can be frustrating. One small flinch on release and the arrow has a mind of its on.

I am working to perfect my skills and prepare for my first ever hunting trip.

Perfecting The Catch

This summer my #1 Grandson visited for a few weeks. Together we attemped to perfect the art of fishing. Spending many hours rigging rods, learning to tie knots and reading about making the perfect catch, he progressed from catching small bream, bass and catfish to using live bait which resulted in catching "The Big Ones". Since returning home he has caught a bass larger than the ones in these photos.

We had loads of fun and created memories to last forever. He has fish in the freezer, a tacklebox filled with the latest equipment and is ready to fish anytime he gets a chance. His casting skills are very good, his patience with fishing is to be admired and he cleans what he catches! I look forward to many fishing trips with him.

Happy Birthday Rufus

It's hard to believe that Rufus is already one year old. He has grown from a cute little fellow to 60+ lbs. of non stop energy. A friendly and uncomplicated pup who knows that everyone loves him. He is unaware of his size and greets customers enthusiastically by bounding to the front counter. He now has customers who come in and ask for him if he doesn't present himself.

Rufus is learning to sit and stay, at least for a few seconds and his exuberance for life has led to many a laugh in the workplace.

He is a rascal at times, taking things he shouldn't and getting into trouble. Rufus needs a little more practice in listening and coming when called.

As you can see from the photo he is quite the handsome boy and will probably be 80 lbs. or more when full grown. I'm glad he belongs to my son!

Hidden Surprises

On the pathway to the beach little flowers are tucked here and there in the foliage. You have to look closely to find them. The white one disappears against the sand.

The beach was deserted after a light rain. A solitary sandpiper frolicked in the surf.

Sunset before Tropical Storm Faye visits Panhandle

These photos were captured on the beach as Tropical Storm Faye was dumping rain on the State of Florida. The Gulf of Mexico was very calm and the beach was deserted and we had no rain.

Sunset with Tropical Storm Faye approaching

This past weekend was filled with all kinds of predictions for the amount of rain we would have from Tropical Storm Faye. Fortunately, we were in the eye of the storm as it came our way and received no bad weather at all. Those all around us were not so fortunate. They are still predicting rainfall but there is none in sight at this time.

I captured this photo as the sun was going down. It was breathtaking to say the least. This was made as I started down the path to the beach. It was almost dark and the colors were unbelieveable.

Be Happy

My finished piece from Susan Sorrell's Class.

I finished beading the piece on the front and then I used bright green beads and small alphabet beads around the border. On the front it reads "Be Happy", around the edges it reads, "Rules to live by - Love everyone you meet" the alphabet beads hanging down read, "Give kisses and Come when you are called". I used spirals of beads and bugle beads on the ears of my happy dog along with a lot of embroidery stitches to enhance the piece. Click on the photo's to enlarge them and you will be ble to see the details much better.

When I got to this point I felt like the piece was not finished so I decided to mount it on canvas.

The larger alphabet beads around the outside read "What do you mean all I do is bark, I am a dog and that is my job. WOOF". The blue beads which go through the alphabet beads are strung on wire. This was a fun piece to make, I enjoyed the intricate beading and the challenge of figuring out the border.

I am not satisfied with the black canvas. I should have painted several coats of black before I mounted the quilted piece. Perhaps it would photograph better if the canvas was more opaque.

New Technique

Currently I am enrolled in an online class with Susan Sorrell. Her art is wonderful,
the heavily stitched and beaded pieces are fabulous in my opinion.

I have been on a quest of sorts for a while trying new techniques and challenging myself to get out of the box.

My attraction to art quilts is growing and I look forward to the rest of the class.

We are on week two, the photo shows what I have done so far. The next two classes will consist of stitching, beading and other embellishments. I'll post another photo when my piece is finished.

BUSTED

Miss Annie is now going to work with me each day. So far she and "The Queen" (our shop cat) have not made friends with each other. Squeegee stays outside during the day and has not given Annie a chance to get very close to her. Annie is quite inquisitive about the cat and has no shame about sticking her nose in Squeegee's business (LITTERaly). Annie loves going to work, greeting the customers and playing an endless game of tug of war with employees and customers. She knows what time of the day to catch all of us at lunch, sitting quitely for her share of whatever we are having. I have been pleasantly surprised at how easily she has adapted to her new job.

One Woman Show

I was asked to be the visual artist for a concert series held each year at a local church.

The concert series, held during January and February, is in it's 17th year. It featurures all types of performers from all over the world. Along with the accomplished performers a visual artist is asked to show their work each week. Local artists participate as well as artists from surrounding counties, some travelling several hours to exhibit their work.

The concert was a week before Mardi Gras and featured "Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Cha Band". This band is the top Zydeco band in the country, has performed all over the United States and is currently preparing for an extensive tour in Europe. The music was great, 275 people were in attendance

The quilts were hung along both sides of the room. It was a lot of fun to answer questions and talk with everyone who came to the concert. My first "One Woman Show"!



The photos show two of the large quilts that I hung.

Return to the Sea

Last year I was asked to paint a mask for Covenant Hospice. (They provide the clay mask) I was honored to be asked to participate again this year. Covenant Hospice provides end of life care for anyone who calls on them, whether they have the ability to pay or not. The masks are auctioned off as a fundraiser to help them continue this service. The event was very successful last year, hopefully this year will be even better.

My contribution is a tribute to my neighbor Charley who lost his battle with cancer last October. See previous posts, "A Tribute to Charley" and "Mask for Covenant Hospice".

Charley lived most of his life near or on the Gulf of Mexico. He was very concerned with the environment and loved being near the water. He relished the beautiful sunsets, the roar of the waves, and smell of salt in the air.

I used Swarovski crystal beads to symbolize the light he brought into my life. The driftwood is a piece that he collected while walking his dogs by the bay. There are fish, small shells, a flip flop and other objects tucked in the driftwood, all symbolic of things he loved or of things that reminded me of him. I remember how much fun we had last year while I was working on last year's piece. He would like this one as well.

Blondes Really Do Have Fun

How many of you can say you have ridden in a 1950's era Cadillac with Marilyn Monroe? Not only have I done that, I was Marilyn for a day. Mardi Gras style of course. We had a 40 ft. long pink Cadillac filled with Marilyns of every size and description.

The day was damp and dreary but the show went on. The theme this year, Mardi Gras Hollywood Style. Our float was Marilyn and her Beaux . We had Joe Dimaggio, Kojac, Elvis and others for escorts. With 30 floats in the parade it was quite a show. Each float had its own theme representing hollywood. Our Mardi Gras celebration is in it's 11th year. Each year the attendance grows.

The spectators lined the streets catching beads in their umbrellas instead of holding them over their head to block the mist that was hanging in the air.

Beads line the side of the float. There is definitely a right and a wrong way to get your throws organized. That can be crucial when you turn the corner and head to the parade route. Before you know it you are throwing beads as fast as you can get them in your hands.

Elvis helps Marilyn with her fur. Too bad I didn't get the photo of Elvis holding an umbrella for Marilyn and Joe Dimaggio handing her beads to throw.

Another Marilyn waves to the crowd.

Joe Dimaggio is seen in the photo above.


I did learn a thing or two from Mardi Gras this year. It really is fun to let yourself go and be someone else for a little while and wearing a wig in damp weather has good points. Your hair style stays the same and your head stays nice and warm. The weather was a bit cool for the parade this year. I planned for the weather wearing a black velvet cape over my sequin dress. I wish I could have gotten good photos of all of the other floats but the weather just did not cooperate. There's always next year!

Laissez les bons tems rouler (Let the Good Times Roll)