Opie the O'Possum

My dog Toby is a daschund (I never know if I am spelling that correctly). Someone told me once that dashchunds (maybe if I spell it differently every time, I will get it right one of the times) were originally bred to hunt and kill gophers. It totally makes sense to me. He is my protector. Even when the rest of my family could care less what I am doing, Toby is following me around (to be fair, he could just be looking for me to drop food that he can snag).

Anyway, last night I let him out to pee one last time before bed and he didn't come in and I heard a racket of barking and snarling outside my bedroom door. I went out to take a look (and to make him be quiet before the police, FBI, CIA and neighborhood watch were called) and I saw he had a huge (okay, I exaggerate, a very, very large) possum in his jaws and he was throwing it around like a rag doll. I immediately thought of rabies. He gets his shots regularly for this very reason. So now, to add to the thunderous noise in my backyard, I started screaming at him "You're gonna get rabies from that thing!!! Drop it now!!!" He, of course, ignored me completely and tossed the thing some more. I know I should love all of God's creatures, but I find possums really repugnant. I apologize to anyone who thinks they are cute. And, by the way, you should seek professional help.

So there I am, wrestling with a dog who is wrestling with a possum. Someone should have gotten it on film. I finally got him away from it and shoved him inside. Now is when you should tell your children to stop reading. But I will say, no cute, fuzzy animals were harmed in this story. However, really, really ugly ones were. I went out to look (carefully) at the possum. It was toast. I could not bring myself to throw it in the garbage at 10 pm. So I went to bed.

This morning Toby could barely contain himself he wanted to go outside so bad. I was not fooled into thinking his bladder was that full. No dummy, moi. So I went outside and low and behold - the possum was gone! Either Harry Potter came to visit and transfigured it into an ivy leaf or, it really wasn't dead. I guess "playing possum" isn't just an old saying. So, all's well that ends well.

Ode to Opie

There once was a hideous creature
Who, really needing to pee, sure
That he was alone,
He strayed far from home,
And my dog rearranged his features.

Apologies to Angie.

Standing Still with Scissors

Okay, first I have to have a disclaimer. I do not guarantee my typing will be typo free. I am typing with a handicap. Yesterday I was making a fabric rose and I have taken to using a pair of scissors to cut a way into the rose to ease the passage of the stem (sounds very technical, no?) Well, I wasn't paying attention (I was watching a very tense part of the movie "Taken") and the scissors sliced thru the fabric quicker and stronger than I had anticipated (because, let's face it, I wasn't paying attention) and sliced right thru my index finger too. It was such a sharp pair of scissors (a major anomaly in my house) that I didn't even feel the pain right away. But, THERE WILL BE BLOOD. All over the place. I think there may even have been arterial spray. Okay, maybe not...But, I take a blood thinner because I have the dreaded cholesterol. Can I hear everyone say "EEEWWW". So the wound wouldn't clot. I went thru about 50 paper towels and finally got it to a slow ooze. Then, once again, my friend and colleague Tina came to my rescue and got the bandaid on me. So, that is my explanation for a lousy typing job. Although, I would venture to say it was pretty good for Karen, the nine-fingered hobbit. With apologies to Tolkien.

Past My Bedtime

Normally I would be in dreamland by now (it is 10 pm and counting) but my son looked at me sweetly (after seeing that I went to the vegetable stand) and said innocently "Why'd you get so many onions?" and then "Those onion rings you made us would be really good as snacks at Grandma's tomorrow." I said "Maybe tomorrow." He told me there wasn't enough time and that he would really appreciate it if I made them tonight. Which wouldn't have been so bad except that it is 1000 degrees in the kitchen and the stupid things have to soak in buttermilk for at least an hour. So think of me (if you are still awake) at 11 pm when I start to make homemade onion strings. I know Tina loves them so maybe I'll save her some (if Jon lets me). They are so good they even taste good cold. You have to slice the onions really thin so that they aren't big clunky things, they are really like shoelaces after you deep fry them (okay, that didn't come out right - I really don't deep fry shoelaces as a rule but you get the idea). Okay, I have officially hit the 1-hour-in-the-buttermilk mark so I gotta go fry. I'll probably wake up with zits for my trouble.

My mother is a very sweet woman if she likes you. Watch out if she doesn't. She has never been one to "suck it up" when it comes to pain. She is very melodramatic about everything in her life. She is definitely one who looks at the glass as half empty. However, she has a wicked sense of humor and she can gossip with the best of them! I love her dearly and I worry that I am so far away should something happen to her. I know it has been no picnic living with my dad all these years. She is in the hospital right now due to the tremendous arthritis that has crippled her so greatly. I live with many memories of my childhood that haunt me even to this day, but the memories of my mother are my most cherished. Although her gait is slow and the hair is gray, I will always think of her as that exotic Cuban lady with that splash of mystery. Tina

Football People

Have you ever noticed that people that love football are completely insane? I mean, come on. These people eat, sleep and breathe football. Jon is on the freshman team at his school and they have to practice as much as the pro teams do. And, OMG could they make it any more expensive? They have this "Fun Pack" that it is highly suggested that you buy. It includes pom-poms. What are we, 12? Can you picture me with pom-poms at my son's high school football game? I don't think so. And even if I would debase myself enough to wave pom-poms around, do you think my son could ever live down that image? Only through years of therapy. Poor Jon can't even walk he is so sore. But he seems to enjoy it. Great, another football person is born.

Waxing Poetic on Fabric Bouquets

Yes, I have become official and started to name my blog posts. And I have decided to (ewww) punctuate officially. So much for the rebel in me. Okay, so now I am working diligently on fabric bouquets and I think I like them just as much as hats! I never thought that would happen. They make me smile to look at them. Even though my burnt pointer finger still has not recovered. And please explain to me why I seem to hit it anytime I do anything. I can't do the dishes anymore because it hurts so much when soap/hot water hits it. Of course I am joking. No one in my household knows how to do the dishes. They have finally learned to bring the dishes to the sink but I have to assume they think the dishes magically fly into the dishwasher. Or maybe it's the kitchen elves. Anyway, I hope the fabric roses are a hit. I love them!

i cannot stress enough that i am of the opinion the powers that be should make it a requirement to obtain a license to operate a glue gun. i have the scars and wounds to support this view. tonight i was making a fabric bouquet and i came away with 4 fingers that may never be the same. my pointer finger of my right hand was burnt on the knuckle side, so badly that i could see the blood pricks because the layers of skin were all removed. and of course, why is it you can never find the bloody neosporin when you have burnt the crap out of yourself? i ended up resorting to rumaging thru the first aid kit in the garage! anyway, i will live but i probably will have to resort to major drugs to sleep tonight.

well the good news about the sale the other day is that it did boost my spirits. I was beginning to feel like a huge loser. But, the other side is that I am panic striken about the amount (or lack thereof) of inventory that i have for the show. I am sewing like mad and am taking Friday off so I can sew a ton. I will make my boys take the puppy, Eloise, for her next set of shots and the nerdy dog, Rocco, for his thyroid panel. Yes, I have a dog who has to take thyroid pills because he has seizures if he doesn't. We are almost sure that he also has asthma and an anxiety disorder of some type. Poor little dog. Anyway, I am very proud of you Karen and am behind you all the way!

I am so very proud of Karen's son, Jon. He is the sweetest boy and takes after his mother in kindness. It is such a strange feeling when your child graduates. I think we mothers feel it more than our children because we remember all of the nerves of anticipation, happy moments, successes and bumps in the road. For the child, it is just the joy of moving forward. For us, it is the sadness that they are growing up, and moving closer to moving away. Anyway, well done Jon! You are a joy to this world! tina

well, an era has ended. and let me just brag about my son for a moment. my son jon is a big, sweet lump of a moy (man-boy). he got more awards than anyone last night, even tommy brown who is the smartest kid in the class. by the end of the night the tears were coming unbidden down my face. people looked at me every time he got an award. as if i had something to do with it. jon has been a treasure since he was a baby. every time he went down to accept an award, he looked like a giant "lurch". you would never believe someone that big came out of 5'2 me. and omg, would it kill you to smile, kid? the award i am most proud of is the christian witness award. now let me preface that by saying i go to church on an extremely irregular basis and jon never goes. i mean, he has chapel at school but on sundays he is asleep when everyone else is praying. he plans it that way. the christian witness award goes to the kid who is the best example of doing God's work. wow! the christian studies teacher came up to me afterward and told me that it was between two people so she asked all the other teachers and they all told her it was jon, hands down. she told me something that makes me tear up even now. she said that none of the teachers had ever heard him say a bad word about anyone. and that he always is kind to everyone. i really thought the award would go to a kid who goes to church every week and/or to one who is in the youth group. but it went to my big, sweet lump of a moy. karen
ps oh, and he also made honor roll!

i read other people's blogs and not only do i feel inadequate, i feel old. i have decided to do an age verification before i read anyone's blog from now on. no one under 40 (does that make me ageist? is that even a word? am i insane? don't answer that last one!) anyway, today is going to be a lazy day for the boys because jon doesn't have to show up to school until 6:30 tonight for graduation. rob still hasn't gotten the call from costco-dude to know whether or not he is getting an interview. i am assuming he will at least get an interview because ginny was nice enough to recommend him. he needs a job. of course, he doesn't think so. but i have always been his safety net and now he needs to learn how to be on his own. plus, no one will hire him unless he's had a job. yes, i really did say that. i know it sounds stupid, but it is true. any type of position he gets after college will not be much if he's never worked before. so rob may graduate from csun with a degree in history and a job at mc donalds. heaven forbid! have a good one. karen

so today is the last official day of junior high for jon. they had a party that i drove to. i also sent cookies (that no one thanked me for, i might add). one girl had the nerve to ask if they were homemade. as if i would send anything else! how rude! :) i was talking to my friend angie while we were waiting and telling her that reading other people's blogs makes me feel inadequate (it really does) and then she told me about her blog (which i promptly went home to read) and now i feel even less adequate than previously! she writes poetry. and it's good poetry. i am going to go slit my wrists now. and you wonder where jon gets the drama from....

what a sweet thing to say tina. right back at ya. and hang in there, i got your back. today, jon has another half day due to finals. he graduates from middle school on thursday. i am so looking forward to summer! even tho there is summer school and football on the horizon. i just shipped our first fabric bouquet. it was really expensive. i ended up having to bend the roses in half. i feel bad but otherwise it would have been $15 shipping! plus, the wire bends really easily back into position so hopefully the dude won't be mad. i sent him a convo to notify him. so please, jdhemingway, don't ding our feedback! anyway, i am off to pick up jon and then i am bringing lunch to my dad and bev because she isn't feeling well. have a good one! karen

I am sure you all know by now, but Karen is the sweetest person. She is constantly giving of herself and thinking of others. I could not ask for a better friend! And that, my friends, is directly from my heart. Life with Molly has been very trying as of late. We are trying to get to a level of medication that can calm her. She is bipolar and she is either extremely intense, hyper-focused, loud, demanding and volatile, or depressed, scratching herself and hitting walls. Some days it does becoming overwhelming. I pray constantly when we adjust or change medications that this will be the magic cure. I know she will never be a "normal girl". But all i wish is that she would be a happy, calm girl. The rest I can handle. Anyway, sorry to be a downer this morning, but it has been a long time since Molly was happy and therefore, it has been a long time that i have felt any peace.

this month the etsybloggers picked birthdays as the topic for the blog carnival. so here goes - i was born august 22 and no, i won't tell you the year. let's just say it was (said in a booming announcer voice) "at the dawn of time...when dinosaurs walked the earth", and you will be close enough. and tina was born february 9 and she (hard to believe) is as old as i am. for tina's birthday this year, i told her i would like to take her to a movie and maybe to eat. she doesn't get away very often because her daughter is mentally handicapped and requires round the clock care. and tina is a great mom. i know sometimes it must be all she can do not to throw up her hands and walk away. she is the most compassionate, patient person i know. anyway, so i made my offer and she agreed and we arranged for her husband to be home to watch molly and then when it came close to the day, tina decided that she would much rather go to downtown los angeles and shop for fabric! which of course, i was horrified at the mere idea! :) we had a great time and it wasn't even my birthday. on my birthday tina and mary ann give me gifts but the only way my sons remember is if their father buys them a card and makes them sign it! but that is okay by me, i am glad to be alive for another year. my family has gone to disneyland every year to celebrate my son's birthdays (together) and that is always fun. we stay at the grand californian for two nights and three days and go to the parks and swim and just goof off. a good time is had by all.

hello fellow etsians! i visited the etsybloggers featured bloggers shop today. oh my goodness she has some beautiful things. i especially like the coral wrap fringed stole. it is a lovely color that would make anyone's skin glow! the blue skies and puffy clouds scarf is the exact color you imagine when you think of clouds and blue skies. and the workmanship is wonderful. i like that she embellished it with buttons so it will stay in place. very clever! check out her shop and give her a heart.

wouldn't you know it... the first day in a long time i have a good hair day and my eyes are swollen and my face is blotchy. i went to the eye doc yesterday and they put these drops in (which, i might add, have never bothered me before) that made me blind from tears. and today, i woke up with my eyes swollen practically shut (it was a very interesting drive to school this morning - jon was pointing out obstacles for me). maybe my hair only looks good because i can't see that well....something to think about.

good morning. jon's last day of school before finals. and they are all going to magic mountain on friday night. i used to work there (before the dawn of time, when dinosaurs roamed the earth). since i was not a long time employee, i got the really boring rides. i worked the dragon (a very slow way to get up the hill - basically only old people took it) and spin out (that horrible ride they have at carnivals where you go so fast round and round that the centrifugal force makes you stick to the walls......lots of stomach issues....'nuff said). everything is roller coasters , now. not my favorite thing. i like disneyland better - there's stuff to do that doesn't involve being thrown around like a rag doll and in all directions no human being should go in. anyway, i plan on finishing a hat today before i go to the eye doctor. i think i need new glasses. bummer! have a good day. karen

hi everybody! karen here. please, remind me never to use a glue gun at nite when i am tired, again. i may never regain the use of my left hand. which makes it really hard to type. i can now join the mafia because my fingertips don't have ridges anymore. of course, it IS only on one hand. so they probably wouldn't take me. oh well, i guess i will just keep making bags and hats. one handed. i did the orthodontist and dentist today and in the waiting room i made three rosettes, which i stupidly decided to finish tonight instead of cutting out another hat. i mean, how much damage could i do with a pair of scissors? even i couldn't cut off my whole hand...maybe a couple of fingers...anyway, i digress. tina and i are very excited about the next show. hopefully people will come with the idea of buying something.
have a great evening.

It's Monday and i am at work, thus my mood. But I have been trying to twitter about our stuff a lot. Why won't somebody buy something for Pete sakes! It is really annoying that other people have way more expensive stuff on line and are selling things and our stuff is so cute and inexpensive! I guess we just have to be discovered, thus, the twitter factor. I did feel virtuous last night because i cute out 2 hats from ancient material that has been sitting in my stack forever. One hat will be for the show and the other will be for CHOC. I plan to work on them this evening when i get home after doing all of my chores. Have to get back to work now, it is billing day and i haven't even started.

so i cut out two hats yesterday but i have to totally redo one of them because it is upside down! what a moron! oh well. i am a little disheartened that our etsy shop is not showing any sales. the two new sling bags tina made are so adorable. and i hate to complain, but we still haven't seen any of our stuff on the front page. but when i go in and look around i see how many people are selling on etsy and i am amazed we have any sales. there is so much competition and everything is so cute. made it myself and artfire are not as popular, but they don't have as much competition. so we are really looking forward to the july craft show for some sales. keep your fingers crossed.
karen