What is this? Back in July, I created a blog with the intention of being prolific with ATCs. It didn't pan out very well as I really didn't do many. I had named the new blog ATCs For YOB, which is not a very inspiring blog name. Perhaps you saw it in my favorites list.
I've been perusing so many very creative blogs lately that I just decided to vamp up my other blog. I gave it a new title, Feathermist, and a new URL, a whole new look, and a whole new concept.
I've always had a need to create.... not just fibrey things but I've painted and sketched, wood burned, and written and as you've seen of late I've even played a little with photography. Perhaps you read my spooky Halloween story on the 31st... Well, I wrote that a few years ago. It is based on my mother's youth, with a little embellishment. Over at Feathermist you will now find lots of my creations, from poetry to short stories, from paintings, to whatever captures my mood. Please have a look and if you like it I'd love to hear your comments. Thanks... enjoy....
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On The Brink
Monday was a strange day. I'm not quite sure what happened. I woke up with a terrible burning in my chest and by mid-morning I knew I was in trouble. I felt like a steam roller had run over me and left me there for dead. I called the clinic. I was able to get in just after lunch and I'm glad I went. I feel almost embarrassed to say it but I suppose there's no shame in getting sick. I had a temperature and a sorry case of Bronchitis. I figure that having just gotten over an ear infection and my immune system having been severely worn down with that, and then catching H1N1, it was bound to happen. A secondary infection which can lead to Pneumonia is nothing to snuff at. Bronchitis is bad enough and I'm glad it got no further than that. I'm back on Prednizone which I don't like and I have to do a puffer thingy too and then there's those dreaded antibiotics. I hate taking all these meds. I wish I could have fought this myself. The good thing is that I'm feeling way better today though not anywhere near beating this business. Meanwhile Daughter #1 is still fighting and is exhausted all the time. No meds for her though and I hope she is able to beat it without them. Daughter #2 came home yesterday feeling wiped out and coughing a little but has no temperature and so went to school today. Hubby came home tired and feeling like he had a tickle in his chest. He's still going to work though, with no temperature and no visible signs of illness. So it is Remembrance Day and we are all thankful that it is a day at home for the most part. Hubby still intends on going to the Cenotaph for the ceremonies and he will probably go to the Veteran's Dinner tonight. But we do seem to be hovering on the brink of a family meltdown. While this seems true I am hoping not.
We are also on the brink of the busiest time of the year for me. The church here in my community is very much run by me and one other lady. Christmas for any church is huge and very busy. I am organizing a reading of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I am also working on our Christmas pageant and some work for the Christmas Craft Fair. We also have a big Christmas Raffle which we draw for on the day of the pageant. So all in all it sometimes can get overwhelming. I sat down and made a Christmas list of things to buy/make/recycle for Christmas gifts. Wow!! that is going to be a tough order let me tell you. Wave #1 starts this week coming up. Cards have to be made and gifts arranged and wrapped for the family members down east. It will probably take me a week just to get it done and in the mail. Wave #2 comes at the end of November when I get done all that needs to be done for outside family close by. Then Wave #3 takes place after Dec. 15th for us. I hope to be finished everything by Dec. 22nd giving me 2 days of relaxation before the big event. Then boxing day I will take it easy as I always do. Hubby and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary on the 28th of Dec. and then after that it is level 3 all the way.
With all this in mind my jacket commission is looming. I have not worked on it since getting really sick and I'm on the brink of panic. The warp is done, but now I have to spin the weft. I still have to weave it and all this before Christmas too. I do not want this hanging over me when I get really serious about level 3. February is the deadline for the commission but I want it done long before that!
How did I get this far into my year and be so on the brink of panic. This always happens and you would think I would learn. I guess I'm not too smart. Just once I would like to be ahead of the game instead of standing on the edge of an abyss.
Sometimes I think....arrrgh!
We are also on the brink of the busiest time of the year for me. The church here in my community is very much run by me and one other lady. Christmas for any church is huge and very busy. I am organizing a reading of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I am also working on our Christmas pageant and some work for the Christmas Craft Fair. We also have a big Christmas Raffle which we draw for on the day of the pageant. So all in all it sometimes can get overwhelming. I sat down and made a Christmas list of things to buy/make/recycle for Christmas gifts. Wow!! that is going to be a tough order let me tell you. Wave #1 starts this week coming up. Cards have to be made and gifts arranged and wrapped for the family members down east. It will probably take me a week just to get it done and in the mail. Wave #2 comes at the end of November when I get done all that needs to be done for outside family close by. Then Wave #3 takes place after Dec. 15th for us. I hope to be finished everything by Dec. 22nd giving me 2 days of relaxation before the big event. Then boxing day I will take it easy as I always do. Hubby and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary on the 28th of Dec. and then after that it is level 3 all the way.
With all this in mind my jacket commission is looming. I have not worked on it since getting really sick and I'm on the brink of panic. The warp is done, but now I have to spin the weft. I still have to weave it and all this before Christmas too. I do not want this hanging over me when I get really serious about level 3. February is the deadline for the commission but I want it done long before that!
How did I get this far into my year and be so on the brink of panic. This always happens and you would think I would learn. I guess I'm not too smart. Just once I would like to be ahead of the game instead of standing on the edge of an abyss.
Sometimes I think....arrrgh!
School Pics
We missed school pics this year and as a result I did the honours of taking photos of the girls and preserving them on paper for prosperity. Here they are...
Daughter #1 Grade 8
Daughter #2 Grade 7
Daughter #1 Grade 8
Daughter #2 Grade 7
Monday, November 9, 2009
How Lucky We Are
20 years ago today the Berlin Wall came down and in a short few days the lives of millions were changed forever. When they announced on the radio yesterday that we would be hearing lots in the news about this huge event today... well my first reaction was, "Gee, is it really 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down?" I remember that day very well and although it didn't affect me directly, I knew that somehow the world had changed. I was happy for the people of the Eastern Bloc who were beginning to experience all the things and freedoms that the western world took for granted.
Later this week, Hubby and Daughter #1 will take part in the aanual Remembrance Day services held at the Cenotaph in our community. Daughter #2 and I will stand in the crowd and we will hang our heads in remembrance of the fallen victims of war. The JCRs (Junior Canadian Rangers) are a big part of our lives,and will be there too. As Chair person (me) and one of the leaders (Hubby) we try our best to get the JCRs (including Daughter #1) involved in what that day is all about. It is about fallen soldiers, it is about the freedom that we have to read, write, practice our chosen religion without fear of persecution, to think and feel and simply be without political reprisals.
I was born in 1965, the decade of the flower child, and while I still remember when blacks were persecuted because of the colour of their skin, and females were looked upon as evil when they had children without a husband, I really have not experienced atrocities against me because of who I am. I was born without a thumb... I was born with a curved spine... I was born with crooked elbows and had I lived in Germany in the 1940s I would have been put to death, along with Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals because I fit the description of a disabled person. I'm a relatively educated person, I'm also a relatively creative person and I would have died as an unwanted because I look different. The strange thing is that you can hardly notice any of my physical problems... you have to look hard to see them. I might have been born in a decade of freedom, but I never forget that I am less than perfect.... and therefore not good enough for Hitler's world of the Arian race.
I have two beautiful children and a husband who loves me and friends who think of me as someone worthy of their friendship. I live in a beautiful part of the world where I can go to church on Sunday, and get an education without hiding my face, I can work if I want to and read and watch whatever I want. Health care is offered to me so that if I get sick I can see a doctor without having to starve for the rest of my life while my paycheck is eaten by debts to insurance companies and hospitals. And all of this, my friends, is something to be thankful for.
So while the dominoes in Berlin come tumbling down tomorrow, in a symbolic reenactment of the Berlin Wall falling, I will think about all the things in my life that make me who I am... that give me peace of mind and soul. And on Remembrance Day I will think about all the good men that did not get the chance to experience the world that I live in and sometimes take for granted. It is because of them that I have what I have. And while I Remember all those who died in WWI and WWII, I will think about the people in this world, at this time, who will never know the joy of waking to a fear free sunrise.... who walk a country lane knowing that rape is a real possibility, who carry a gun long before they can think the thoughts of men, who get their education in hiding, who cannot show the symbols of their faith, who cannot make ends meat, who are persecuted because of their ethnicity, who hide their appearance from those who would see them as something they are not. And then I will think about all the men and women of the Armed Forces, of aid agencies, and those who are teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc., who are trying to make a better world for those people who deserve so much more and have so much less.
And I will remember that privilege should not be taken for granted.
"For upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all." Alexander the Great
Later this week, Hubby and Daughter #1 will take part in the aanual Remembrance Day services held at the Cenotaph in our community. Daughter #2 and I will stand in the crowd and we will hang our heads in remembrance of the fallen victims of war. The JCRs (Junior Canadian Rangers) are a big part of our lives,and will be there too. As Chair person (me) and one of the leaders (Hubby) we try our best to get the JCRs (including Daughter #1) involved in what that day is all about. It is about fallen soldiers, it is about the freedom that we have to read, write, practice our chosen religion without fear of persecution, to think and feel and simply be without political reprisals.
I was born in 1965, the decade of the flower child, and while I still remember when blacks were persecuted because of the colour of their skin, and females were looked upon as evil when they had children without a husband, I really have not experienced atrocities against me because of who I am. I was born without a thumb... I was born with a curved spine... I was born with crooked elbows and had I lived in Germany in the 1940s I would have been put to death, along with Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals because I fit the description of a disabled person. I'm a relatively educated person, I'm also a relatively creative person and I would have died as an unwanted because I look different. The strange thing is that you can hardly notice any of my physical problems... you have to look hard to see them. I might have been born in a decade of freedom, but I never forget that I am less than perfect.... and therefore not good enough for Hitler's world of the Arian race.
I have two beautiful children and a husband who loves me and friends who think of me as someone worthy of their friendship. I live in a beautiful part of the world where I can go to church on Sunday, and get an education without hiding my face, I can work if I want to and read and watch whatever I want. Health care is offered to me so that if I get sick I can see a doctor without having to starve for the rest of my life while my paycheck is eaten by debts to insurance companies and hospitals. And all of this, my friends, is something to be thankful for.
So while the dominoes in Berlin come tumbling down tomorrow, in a symbolic reenactment of the Berlin Wall falling, I will think about all the things in my life that make me who I am... that give me peace of mind and soul. And on Remembrance Day I will think about all the good men that did not get the chance to experience the world that I live in and sometimes take for granted. It is because of them that I have what I have. And while I Remember all those who died in WWI and WWII, I will think about the people in this world, at this time, who will never know the joy of waking to a fear free sunrise.... who walk a country lane knowing that rape is a real possibility, who carry a gun long before they can think the thoughts of men, who get their education in hiding, who cannot show the symbols of their faith, who cannot make ends meat, who are persecuted because of their ethnicity, who hide their appearance from those who would see them as something they are not. And then I will think about all the men and women of the Armed Forces, of aid agencies, and those who are teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, etc., who are trying to make a better world for those people who deserve so much more and have so much less.
And I will remember that privilege should not be taken for granted.
"For upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all." Alexander the Great
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday.... Ahhh The Most Relaxing Day Of The Week
What a day.... poor Hubby has worked hard again today, but I, on the other hand, have had a lovely day.
A day to sleep in is always appreciated but they don't come often in our house. In the last week, I have given myself permission to rest more as this cough settles in for a hard fight. Hubby on the other hand has had to work double hard because I'm not feeling well. This weekend was meant as an opportunity to do some more work on the renovation, which has come to a grinding halt. Next weekend Hubby's brother and sister-in-law will come for a visit and so, while the house is livable for a family of four who don't care about seeing each other strut around in their skivies, it is not really appropriate for company.
Problem #1: Hubby had to haul hay for the animals which took the better part of a day. Yesterday to be exact. Between feeding the animals and doing chores and hauling hay... well Hubby was in no mood for house renovations.
Problem #2: The cistern was almost empty and so today Hubby had to haul water because I need to do some laundry to de-H1N1 the house. Daughter #2 plopped a load of reds in the washer and turned the washer on without consulting parents and so the cistern went dry and the pump had to be primed. This did not please Hubby. It did not please me either because Hubby had to spend an hour priming the pump instead of getting the renovations done.
Meanwhile, I spent a great deal of time enjoying the morning listening to the radio with CBC programing. (Hubby did do that too with me) then made a nice, no stress, no fuss lunch for everyone and went to lie down for a nap. That's the kind of Sunday I enjoy. The only thing that could have made it better is if Hubby could have enjoyed the day too. We are now listening to a program on CBC with an interview with Terry Eagleton, who is outspoken about atheism... interesting! Hubby will take a few moments to relax, and listen to the program too... but then the next two panels will be put up in our bedroom in an effort to give us privacy before our company arrives next weekend....
Sunday with no demands.... they're great! They're just too few....
Here's my picture for the day.... this picture has a feeling to it.... it's the kind of feeling I get on a lazy Sunday....
A day to sleep in is always appreciated but they don't come often in our house. In the last week, I have given myself permission to rest more as this cough settles in for a hard fight. Hubby on the other hand has had to work double hard because I'm not feeling well. This weekend was meant as an opportunity to do some more work on the renovation, which has come to a grinding halt. Next weekend Hubby's brother and sister-in-law will come for a visit and so, while the house is livable for a family of four who don't care about seeing each other strut around in their skivies, it is not really appropriate for company.
Problem #1: Hubby had to haul hay for the animals which took the better part of a day. Yesterday to be exact. Between feeding the animals and doing chores and hauling hay... well Hubby was in no mood for house renovations.
Problem #2: The cistern was almost empty and so today Hubby had to haul water because I need to do some laundry to de-H1N1 the house. Daughter #2 plopped a load of reds in the washer and turned the washer on without consulting parents and so the cistern went dry and the pump had to be primed. This did not please Hubby. It did not please me either because Hubby had to spend an hour priming the pump instead of getting the renovations done.
Meanwhile, I spent a great deal of time enjoying the morning listening to the radio with CBC programing. (Hubby did do that too with me) then made a nice, no stress, no fuss lunch for everyone and went to lie down for a nap. That's the kind of Sunday I enjoy. The only thing that could have made it better is if Hubby could have enjoyed the day too. We are now listening to a program on CBC with an interview with Terry Eagleton, who is outspoken about atheism... interesting! Hubby will take a few moments to relax, and listen to the program too... but then the next two panels will be put up in our bedroom in an effort to give us privacy before our company arrives next weekend....
Sunday with no demands.... they're great! They're just too few....
Here's my picture for the day.... this picture has a feeling to it.... it's the kind of feeling I get on a lazy Sunday....
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Hope You're Enjoying The Weekend
Sleeping in late on the weekend is always a joy. I slept in which considering that my chest still feels like it's on fire when I cough.... well let's just say that sleeping is good.
Hubby was up and at em this morning and hauled in three new bales of hay for the sheep and Daughter #1's horse... Daughter #1 is no longer having a high temperature but like me is coughing lots.I'm hoping Hubby and Daughter #2 will not catch it.
I thought I would post a few more of my favorite pictures... just for you to look at...
I hope I haven't duplicated any.... I lost track of where I was in my line up of pics... I'm sorry if I have but just think of it as an opportunity to look at them again...
Hubby was up and at em this morning and hauled in three new bales of hay for the sheep and Daughter #1's horse... Daughter #1 is no longer having a high temperature but like me is coughing lots.I'm hoping Hubby and Daughter #2 will not catch it.
I thought I would post a few more of my favorite pictures... just for you to look at...
I hope I haven't duplicated any.... I lost track of where I was in my line up of pics... I'm sorry if I have but just think of it as an opportunity to look at them again...
Friday, November 6, 2009
Mid Autumn Witlessness
It would appear that my wit has departed.... I complain about all the bloggers that I follow not keeping up their blogs, and then I find out that most of them are trying their best to fight off H1N1 in one way or another. If that is not witlessness I don't know what is.
Update: My H1N1 is still a tight chest with sporadic coughing though I do feel more energetic. (I swept today!!) Daughter #1 is showering and rinsing the slime of H1N1 off her carcass which has built up over the last two days, is coughing sporadically and dealing with an elevated temperature. Hubby, not home yet, doesn't seem to be ill affected nor is Daughter #2. H1N1 is certainly nothing to snuff at. Any communicable disease that has the power to kill is a serious thing indeed. I just wish it would dry up and blow away... (this Chinook wind could do that) but it seems to have ideas of its own and so it rampages around the world and I find more people fight this nasty thing in their homes quietly with only slight references to it in their blogs. I can only pray that those who are touched by its furor are able to fight it off.
My wit flu (pun intended) out the window weeks ago. For a while, (a very short while) I felt that my writing was of interest. But today I've come to the conclusion that perhaps in autumn my mind goes on standby for a few months. (this occurred after reading a series of very good blogs and feeling somewhat intimidated and slightly jealous), I'm not sure this is due to the longer nights and the shorter days or whether this is due to the exhausting flu I've been fighting for a while. Either way there it is... or isn't as case may be.... I'm witless! Please excuse any witlessness on my part over the next few days.
Here's an observation: I have a spider (several actually... but we won't think about that as it might lead you to believe that I am a bad housekeeper!) It is a tiny little spider that has made himself comfortable on the wall by the back of the computer on my desk. I have been watching the spider for two days as spiders interest me. This wee spider is about the size of a pencil dot. Yeah, like the period at the end of the last sentence. His web is tiny too. Now if you know anything about my computer you know that it is a dinosaur. There is a fabulously large fan at the back of it and that fan goes pretty much constantly (because I'm on the computer way too much). The fan has been blowing on spidey for days now and that wee spider is bouncing on his web up and down about a million times a day. I should call spidey Timex because he just takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. That spider never stops bouncing... I'm sure he must be taking seasick pills or something. End of observation!
Witlessness is not something I am proud of and so I try very hard to hide my witlessness as it is shameful to me. You know, I was one of those girls who never had a come back for sarcasm until two days later and then I would think it was so good that I couldn't just toss it away and so I would scheme to use it in some other context but it never ever came off. Sad I know!
So there you have it... witless autumn days are upon me... I think I'll go watch spidey bounce.
Update: My H1N1 is still a tight chest with sporadic coughing though I do feel more energetic. (I swept today!!) Daughter #1 is showering and rinsing the slime of H1N1 off her carcass which has built up over the last two days, is coughing sporadically and dealing with an elevated temperature. Hubby, not home yet, doesn't seem to be ill affected nor is Daughter #2. H1N1 is certainly nothing to snuff at. Any communicable disease that has the power to kill is a serious thing indeed. I just wish it would dry up and blow away... (this Chinook wind could do that) but it seems to have ideas of its own and so it rampages around the world and I find more people fight this nasty thing in their homes quietly with only slight references to it in their blogs. I can only pray that those who are touched by its furor are able to fight it off.
My wit flu (pun intended) out the window weeks ago. For a while, (a very short while) I felt that my writing was of interest. But today I've come to the conclusion that perhaps in autumn my mind goes on standby for a few months. (this occurred after reading a series of very good blogs and feeling somewhat intimidated and slightly jealous), I'm not sure this is due to the longer nights and the shorter days or whether this is due to the exhausting flu I've been fighting for a while. Either way there it is... or isn't as case may be.... I'm witless! Please excuse any witlessness on my part over the next few days.
Here's an observation: I have a spider (several actually... but we won't think about that as it might lead you to believe that I am a bad housekeeper!) It is a tiny little spider that has made himself comfortable on the wall by the back of the computer on my desk. I have been watching the spider for two days as spiders interest me. This wee spider is about the size of a pencil dot. Yeah, like the period at the end of the last sentence. His web is tiny too. Now if you know anything about my computer you know that it is a dinosaur. There is a fabulously large fan at the back of it and that fan goes pretty much constantly (because I'm on the computer way too much). The fan has been blowing on spidey for days now and that wee spider is bouncing on his web up and down about a million times a day. I should call spidey Timex because he just takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. That spider never stops bouncing... I'm sure he must be taking seasick pills or something. End of observation!
Witlessness is not something I am proud of and so I try very hard to hide my witlessness as it is shameful to me. You know, I was one of those girls who never had a come back for sarcasm until two days later and then I would think it was so good that I couldn't just toss it away and so I would scheme to use it in some other context but it never ever came off. Sad I know!
So there you have it... witless autumn days are upon me... I think I'll go watch spidey bounce.
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