Pottery shows

In an hour we'll be loading a van with tables and bins of pots.  Truck on over the Swannanoa-Old Fort pass to Marion, the McDowell High School...and unload into our booth.  I wish the weather didn't look so much like rain, but then, people choose to do indoor events when it rains.

Whee.  The season that I'm showing indoors is starting.

Just have 3 more opportunities after that.

Holly Jolly night at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts is next Friday night...just for the evening hours.  It's not usually a lot of sales for the students, but I'll have something up there.  And have 2-3 pieces in the Gallery too, which will remain until the end of Feb.

Then the next day, Dec. 8, I'll have some wares for sale at Owen Middle School Christmas show.  If my friend Sally and I are in it...I haven't actually heard a confirmation, though I know Sally did send in the money.

And I'll be going to Shelby NC for a Feb-March "Treasures of the Earth" show at the Cleveland County Arts Center.  I just heard my friend Cathy may also be going to it.  We share our booth tomorrow, which really has helped in the division of labor!

So this is my big opportunity tomorrow, from 10-4.  And I hope to have much lighter bins when we are coming home.  Fingers and toes crossed.  And the hardest part for me, moving things in and out of the show, is being helped by my friend with a van, Tim!

Then and now

A photo of a plein air pastel drawing I did in 1997.  Probably Amicalola Falls in Georgia. Glad to see my middle son, Russ  has it hanging over his desk in his office.

About the same time in his life, that's Russ on the right, my youngest Tai in the middle, and me from many moons ago on left.

While I visited his family last week, Russ made lovely fires for us in the cold evenings and also was doing the Christmas lights installation outside in mid-30s degrees...and the system he'd invested in wasn't working, so he tried a few other methods before he was satisfied.  Brrrr.

I like the sweet consideration that Michelle and Russ gave me of staging my guest room with many old photos of me.  I know they aren't there all the time, but it was a fun welcome, and I took my own photos of theirs!

And this is my youngest granddaughter (raised a foot on hearth) Russ, and myself, taken last week!

Russ being pensive, which was how he spent a lot of time figuring out how to hang lights outside, when he came in to warm up.

I'm sharing this with Sepia Saturday, these are some fond memories for me! (I might have more next week!)

Don't miss the photo of Russ riding a pony when about 4 years old!  HERE

He's my granddog...

...though I can do without his barking.

Actually he's pretty imprinted on the 5 family members, and doesn't come when I call. He gave me a few frustrated minutes of his roaming the neighborhood at 10 at night.

Being in the right place...

I missed meeting a friend yesterday, never caught up with her as to why she didn't make it. (see below)  I hope all is well.  While sitting around, I got to chat with the administrative person at church, who works in a small office with computer and printer.  That was nice.   But after a while I decided to go on home.  That's when the administrator said she had a message for me, but she couldn't find it, and didn't remember what it said.

I called my friend and left a voice mail, asking her to reschedule.

Went on home and got the mail.  And there was a woman with an electric wheel chair walking her dog, on one of those leashes that retract.  But the leash had gotten under the big motorized wheel and wound several times around.  The woman was trying to go back or forward and another woman was rushing out of the laundry room (right next to mailboxes and the neighbor with wheelchair and dog).  She tried to do something, but needed to go pick up a grand-kid at school.

Location of boardwalk in front of laundry room (no people and tables today.)  Mailboxes in corrider to right. Office is in building to right.

I was free to help, but couldn't figure out how to unwind the many turns of the leash (more than just once) on the axle of the wheel.  I thought maybe we'd have to cut it, but also I wanted to get the manager and or the maintenance man to come help.  The manager came out of her office with me, to find our neighbor lying by the wheelchair, trying to reach through the few openings in the wheel.  Manager and I were both worried about neighbor on the boardwalk.  She said she knew how to get down and work things that got caught.  She actually had moved the chair back and forth a few times, and now only had one more loop stuck on the axle.

The Manager had contacted the maintenance man, to perhaps use some tools to reach the leash?  In the meantime, I pulled one end, and neighbor puled the other, and then she reached through and pushed the leash the other way, and at last it was free.

By then we'd put the dog who was shivering from the 31 degrees of cold into the laundry room.  But we brought him back outside.  And neighbor was praising God for giving help.  But she couldn't get up from the boardwalk, as she's paralyzed from the waist down.  The foot rests of the chair were in her way to lift herself up to sit in it.  A couple of neighbors tried to lift her, but she was facing the chair and was just total weight, not able to get into it.  And they complained of their back problems.

I offered to get a straight chair from the laundry room, and she was able to get herself pulled into it, and then transferred sideways into the electric wheelchair.  By then it was snowing lightly.  And then the maintenance man came to help, and there wasn't anything left for him to do.

So I figure I was in the right place at the right time.  And then I was happy to bring my mail home to my warm house, and feel thankful for what abilities I have after seeing what my neighbor had to deal with.

And then I turned to Facebook and read about someone who got a horse out of the second story hay loft using a power lifter thing (and I can't find it again, sorry, I don't know who posted it, someone in Virginia I think.) My life is so simple!

And then my friend emailed to apologize for standing me up.  She had been in ER with a TIA this morning.  She said that our meeting wasn't really that important.  I agreed!

Soccer mom

Throw-back Tuesday! This was in 1998 or so...maybe 99?

On the way to see a soccer game, we all gathered at my apartment in St. Augustine, then were happy to watch the game in Jacksonville, FL  Having my 3 sons together as well as their father and his wife, and one of Tai's friends from college, and Michelle before she married Russ!

Russ on a pony

What a sad little pony, but the kids got to sit on him and get their picture taken.  I love that Russ is waving his hat. (also a prop)

Flash-back

 This was taken many years ago, and the camera had a "redeye" correction, which gives me huge black pupils.  No, I wasn't on drugs!

Taken in 2002 I think.  Back when I wore makeup to work everyday.  Whew. Glad to retire.

Being Part of the Family

Living alone, I don't have many people in the kitchen preparing food, nor do I have many people sitting down together to enjoy it.

This was a special Thanksgiving, shared with my son and his family.

That was a feast to remember, and have over and over again in bits here and there!

Feeling klutzy

Before coffee, I proceeded to spill the whole container on the floor, where of course it popped open and flung grounds all over.  Before coffee I found broom and dust pan and cleaned up the mess.  Before coffee I managed to pour water into the proper place, and put a tiny paper filter in it's place, and measure some grounds, then close it all and turn on the power.

After coffee, I got out a yogurt and a banana.  A good start for a rainy day visiting my family.  Whew.  Everyone is mostly still asleep, except my d-in-law who rises early every day, but stays in her sanctuary to do her morning ritual.  We said good morning, and she left to go back upstairs.  I went back downstairs to do my morning ritual of breathing treatment and reading emails/blogs and facebook posts of friends (and not friends, where did some of these come from anyway?)

So what's going to happen today?  I'm waiting to have better weather and less traffic congestion before starting on the highways.  I'm also waiting to have advice from my family as to when/which way to go. They travel these roads in Ohio more than I do.

So far today has been less than auspicious.  If I had any fortune telling sources available, I'd figure it's a day to hunker down and clean up whatever mess needs attention.  After all, I started out the day that way!

Antique car sighting

At the Lakeview Center, when I arrived for lunch the other day, look what I found!

 This is when the trunk of a car was actually a trunk!

I really have no idea what kind of car this is.  No emblems or names set off it's identity that I can find.  I'd love to know, if you do know, please comment.

Sharing on Sepia Saturday this week. Not on theme, but antiques are like sepias, right?

From thawing to eating that bird!

 This is Cody at the pose I like him best doing...sleeping and not barking!

 All was quiet for the morning hours.

 I gave my son's family 2 of my O'Keefe mugs...then proceded to drink out of one for 2 days.  OK, I'm trying to let go of it!

 A great cook of corn casserole, and this one I actually liked!

Yes, in order to have mashed potatoes, it requires lots of peeling, while Cody watches for anything he might eat that falls on the floor.

Excuse me, I'm being called to try out some desert (finally!)

Thanks

While everyone I know is making and eating a feast today, I want to give my thanks for the unexpected bonuses this year...that which was not planned, or worked for, or even part of my everyday existence.

Can you think of something that dropped in your lap?  I've enjoyed making my list, but am not sharing it here.  It's more fun to just think of all the blessings I've received.  And I hope you might do a similar thing today.

Enjoy the day.  Share your joy.

The ones I love

My Ohio family!

Today's Quote:
If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference. -Robert Fulghum, author (b. 4 Jun 1937) 

what do these pictures mean?

Yep, I was on the road again...and a Happy Meal was a good lunch...after all there are apple slices in it! The chicken nuggets are now actually white meat, not meat with filler.  But it was fried, as were the little container of french fries.  MickeyD's does the best fries in my book.  But I only ate a few, and then once they were cold, oh no, I couldn't take a single bite.

So I'm happily visiting my son and his lovely wife's family with my 3 granddaughters!

Actually I snapped some pics of the Virginia mountains...but they haven't down loaded onto computer yet.  So I may add them here before this is published.  I was surprised to see tunnels!

I do wonder why my i-cloud photos don't get posted to my laptop any faster.  They used to just take a few minutes, now it's been over 12 hours.

I divided up the 8 hour drive into 2 days.  I only had some minimal coughing the first day, and once I was snugged into a motel room I was able to rest and breath just fine, so that was worth the extra cost.  I also made myself stop driving every hour and walk around just a little.  I know that made the day go longer on the road, but I wanted to be sure to keep my muscles happy.  I had to make plans to deal with my physical limitations...and it worked.  Much better than the stress of airports and planes!

The moment that I will remember most fondly was when we whizzed past 3 deer trying to climb a hill out of the ditch beside the highway.  At least they were going away from the traffic!

Second day of travel is forecast with rain/snow but due to get to 40s, so I am off!