~~ Just a quick note here, as I'm waiting for some fabric to get dried. I recently bought a pattern for a new handbag...well, actually a Hobo Bag, and naturally after I bought it, I realized I'd need to get some fabric.

That's not too much of a big deal for most folks, after all, most stores are just "around the corner", as the saying goes ~~ but for me, the closest fabric store, that's open on weekends (when I have transportation to get anywhere) is over 60 miles away. Not too "easy to get to" So -- Being that I dont like to spent $$ if I don't have to, I started digging in thru some of the boxes and bags that have recently been unearthed since we moved. And I am ever soo glad that I saved the $$ by not going to the store!! I rediscovered some fabu fabric that was given to me years ago...over 12 to be exact...a wonderful flower print, that goes perfectly with the design of the bag. The pattern instructions also call for a lining fabric, and a fleece fabric, to give the bag stability. I found both!! Tom was a sweety and asked if I needed for him to go into the fabric store near where his truck terminal is, and scout out some fabric. But when I told him no, that I already had some, he was mighty happy. Saving money for him is always a good thing!! After the fabric dries, I'll post a shot of the main body fabric, so ya'll can see what I got goin' on.

This weekend I have to go with tom up to the "City" ~~ not where we moved from, but the next largest town where we do our grocery shopping and hardware shopping. I've gotten to where using the craft scissors I bought4 years ago, has totally worn out my left hand..nicked, scratched and altogether beat to a pulp, are these poor scissors!! They weren't made to go thru some of the beating they've had..some of which was NOT done by me, but by other members of my family. "Oh..I didn't think you'd mind if I cut this wire with your scisors..." ~~ "Oh! Does it matter if I cut cardboard with these??!" How I don't drink heavily is just wayyy beyond me...So, the shopping list for the weekend has begun...Craft and Sewing Scissors...Paper --craft type ...dog items (comb and brush..her's have gone somewhere) the usual...paper towels, paper napkins..cereal...etc., etc., ~~ boring stuff, but when there's only one day to get everything, ya better get it while the chance is THERE!!

Must go and check the dryer ~~ An' don't I like having a dryer now!! Been a couple years without one, so this is such a treat!! The fabric will be all soft and ready to sew together...Yaaa~~

Lady of The Tulips ~~ listening to odd bumps and bangs outside on the front porch...and yes, I'm chicken to go out and see just what that is...

"Dwelling in Bliss" ~~ 2008 Spring Bay Studio

I got this posted and now I think I may have already posted it before today, but that's what happens sometimes with my brain..it just sorta goes whacky some dayz..and today is One of Those Dayz..

I've got a big canvas sitting behind me that is giving me fits and spits right now...I told a friend of mine that I'd make a collage for her new house..she didn't really say just what kind of piece she wanted. Something with "Earth Tones, ya know..an' sorta browns an' beinge kinda things..but not too brown, ya know?" My poor little brain makes me wake up at night trying to figure out just what to do with that canvas ~~ sitting in it's little corner just smirking at me. I THINK I'm close to deciding just what to do, but then I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and think, "I'll never get this DAYUM thing done..." and then I go out on the porch and stare at the trees. Nothing gets accomplished, 'cept for the mosquitos chewing on my knees...

But onward and upward!! Tom & I got some odds and ends at our Department Store of choice, the other day..Big Lots! We found some incense that we've had in the house before..somethin' like Berries and Blooms or some odd name...the fragrance is Really good, so for $3.00 for over 25 sticks, we couldn't pass it up. We also got a new set of dishes...we'd been using the old set for over 25 years, and there weren't too many left. We'd resort some nights to using the camping plates that we take when we go to a bluegrass festival, or to one of the state parks for the weekend...not too classy, know what I mean? So we found a basic white set for $20.00 or so...right in our price range. Plus some of the basic goodies we need. Tom has an eye for discovering tools that are pretty good. This week he discovered a set of hooks, nails, screws and anchor bolts for hangind pictures..something like 40 pieces, for I think$5.00 ~~ I thot it was some kinda car ~ part stuff, and it kinda pissed me off. I mean, how many little car part stuff can one guy have? Or, his newest excuse, "I need these for the truck.." And the truck gets fixed by the mechanic at the shop that's in his truckterminal ~~ SOOO ~~ what'z with more parts?? HA! shoz what I know ~~ He didn'twant to start hanging up all our pictures without the right anchor bolts and stuff, so he did the smart thing and got a set of different ones, along with a little diagram that tells what each box is for. Weight of picture ~~ Kind of anchor bolt ~~ all the little things that keep a picture ON the wall, not falling on the FLOOR...made me feel like a toad...

I'm going to get some pictures this morning of the front of our little cabin. Noah's still doin' touch ups of parts of the side of the cabin, but the front is done, and looks so much better. I was really nervous of how it'd turn out when I came down for the inspection..felt like I'd bitten off more than I could chew. But it's turned out to be much less intense work than I first thot, an' that's a BIG relief!!

Lady of The Tulips ~~ Hearing the sound of a truck outside. The new neighbors are setting up their home today...yee ghhhaaaddssss

Happy! Flowers!!

Here are a couple of the daylilies that are next to our deck...they are so happy these dayz!! And they just seem to sing and make everybody else feel good..even tho the HEAT has been absolutely horrid the past couple weeks. What amazes me is that they keep on blooming and keeping everybody cheerful!!

Got another piece 98% done over on my little table...even with lotz of interuptions yesterday..seems like every time I'd get some papers on the canvas board, there'd be something else goin' on...phone ringing...noah askin' me somethin', Sara doin' something altogether terrible (well, not really THAT bad, but gettin' herself into trouble with ME) and too many things that make a headache come along and smack me upside the head. SO what that all mens, iz... I'm going to finish the little piece this afternoon. It looks pretty happy over on the little table, tho...

Tom got up bright and early this a.m. ~~ had to go up to the Maryland/Virginia border again..getting a container delivered and then "Bob-Tailing" back to the truck terminal...what that meanz, is that he comes back down the mountain without a container or dry van (the kind of big trailer that haulz everything from soup to nuts) and jus' sorta bounces down the interstate. Makes for a quick trip home, but the rough roads REALLY do a number on the back. I remember one trip where we bob-tailed not more than 75 miles, and I thot my back and legs were gonna fall off when I got out of the truck..sheesh...and that's with a truck that was new.But the good thang, is that this will give tom not only an extra day pay, but he also gets to get to the Favorite Store (Big Lot) tomorrow and look at Things That We Absolutely Do Not Need...but will buy anyway!! HA! gotta love it!! Actually, he's not that bad, but I have to reign him in, or he starts grabbin' stuff and flingin' things in the shopping cart...WHOA THERE BIG FELLA!! The checkout ladies just look at him like he's lost his every-lovin'-blue-eye'dhead...

Gotta go see if the mailperson has come yet...waiting for some stuff that I ordered last week...we'll see how close the company is to the "3 - 5 day Delivery Time" ~~

Lady of The Tulips ~~ listening to Noah and Sara Doin' somethin' out in the kitchen...oh dear..

Travelin' On" -- Spring Bay Studio 2008

Got this piece done just the other day..been lookin' at some pictures of down the coast, and this popped up and had to get put onto a canvas. Some of the pieces are from another collage I started and decided it wasn't worth a blip, so took the papers off and made this --

Have had one of THOSE mornings...4 bad emails in my inbox today, 2 of which had to be from the company I've been battling with to file our income taxes -- won't go into how bad the company works, but it's given me one H___ of a headache. Why these people who work in computer programming can't make their systems User Friendly is Absolutely beyound me...

Gotta go get some calls made to our insurance company, now..when it rains it pours..first the IRS, Now some Mega-Huge Insurance Company...If my head doesn't explode today it will be nothing less than a miracle.

Maybe this collage explains what my inner child is telling me to do ASAP -- travel somewhere to get away from all the $%#}^ I"ve got to play with..

Lady of The Tulips -- goin' out on the front porch & tell noah to hang up my new hammock/hanging chair..

Untitled -- Spring Bay Studio 2008

I've got this done..got it all peachy-keen, put it in it's little file folder and then realized I absolutely can not come up with a name for it to save my nose-iee...So much for just popping a name on something

There is a calm outside this morning...earlier, and I do mean EARLIER this morning, we had what we call a "Frog Strangler" of a thunderstorm..tons and tonz of lightening...torrential rain, and it didn't just blow over..it kept on raining...lightening...boom,Boom, BOOM-ing for close to an hour and a half...needless to say I didn't get any sleep thru it all. And Tom had just left to make a run up to the Maryland/Virginia border to get a load of frozen food...my NERVES -- it never fails..worse the weather is, that boy goes right out in the thick of it -- he sezz it's just another rain storm..I'm falling apart with worry and thinking all kinds of horrid things...

Anyway -- I've got a couple other pieces waiting over behind me..(No!, not there..over THERE!) and I'll get them posted tomorrow...

Much THANX to Ms. TurquioiseCroThyme for being super kind an' picking ME(!!) to have one of her collages!! ** WWHHHEEEEE ** I'm just tickled to pieces!

Got to run and get some matte medium on my little fishie -- the temp's are climbing again..yesterday it was in the mid 90's, an' today it's "Going" to be a little cooler...HA...3 degree's or something..BUT THE HUMIDITY is climbing thru the tipsy-tops of the trees..I think I'm beginning to feel like a puddle..

Lady of The Tulips -- listening to Noah rat around in the kitchen doing something...hmmm

I went out to the flower garden the other day to make sure some of the mulch noah put down around all the plants was doin' it'z thang and making sure the nasty weeds were staying away...so far so good...There are other spots where he didn't lay the mulch as thick, so in those areas the weeds are poppin' up and saying nasty things to me and noah.

I've got some other papers ready to apply to a canvas board this afternoon, AND I also got some batteries over the weekend, so the camera will be put to work in a little while. The pieces I just got done are a little different that some that I've finished in the past, so there seems to be a feeling of going toward another place in those smooth waters...I just can't seem to leave the water theme alone..strangely enuf!! And I think this weekend we may give it a shot and go fishing over on the dock just to the left of where this picture is taken. It's just down the street, but there's been so much goin' on around here, I haven't had a chance to go and sit on the dock and chill out. And yes, "Sittin' on the Dock on the Bay" does pop up into me little head at times when I look down that road! Jus' waitin' for the right time to get Over There!!

The dog and I had the Most Interesting time the last 2 mornings...she has decided that she ABSOLUTELY HAS TO wake me up before 6:30 in the morning so she can go outside and do her thing..not only jumping on the bed to make sure I'm awake, but also KNOCKING OPEN MY BEDROOM DOOR!! to make sure I get awake..No, I've got no clue how she figured this whole thing out, but it Really Sucks when I'm in total slumber land, and there is this big 90 pound dog standing next to me on my bed...so I've been able to see some of the light fog coming off the sound in the morning, and have had to reseed the feeding spots for the ground birds and squirells...but not really at the time of day I"D REALLY LIKE TO!! grrr...

Must go and get some of the matte medium slathered on my stuff...will post the pieces tomorrow!!

Lady of The Tulips -- listening to the sound of noah doing something out on the deck...hmmm..

An' when I looked things over, I realized he left the milk out...


Why is it when you get groceries, go thru the hassle of getting thru the check-out, risk life and limb getting thru a parking lot while walking to your car..make the drive home, start putting all the stuff away...AND THEN REALIZE ONE OF YOUR DEAR FAMILY MEMBERS LEAVES THE MILK OUT ON THE COUNTER..

I'll be nice and Not Name Names..but it just gets my blood pressure boiling when I think of what I have to spend in the First blasted place, and then go off to do some odd thang...walk back in the kitchen an' see milk sitting out...crying to be put in the fridge...Poor little bottle of milk..I mean, what did it DO anyway..to be left out and get warm...all while it's crying on the counter...HEY TOAD FACE!! A LITTLE HELP HERE!!

ok -- so anyway..Tom's on his way back up to Virginia..he made another trip to the No. & So. Carolina border early this morning...and I mean EARLY this morning...he left the house before 2 a.m. -- from what I could gather, he said that there have been too many containers not getting thru the security measures at the International Terminals, due to Security Crap...but anyway...so some of the freight isn't getting loaded in time..which cost way, way too much money. So he was told to get down to the food plant in enuf time, so he can get back up to the city, drop the freight in enuf time, so that he can make a turnaround time before the truck terminal closes..what that all means is to get all the 10 hours of driving in Before 4 p.m. today...he didn't sound too bad on the phone..happy and glad that he was on the way back up to the city...he's just wondering why some of the other drivers don't help and pickup some of the slack, so he doesn't have to be the only one making the long trips -- one never knows what's gonna go on next..

I'm waiting for a canvas to dry just over THERE -- an' then I'll pop in some new batteries in my camera & take some shots of the latest works I've gotten done..they look pretty good, even if I don't mind saying so..But of course, that'z only MY opinion!!

The weekend is just around the corner...I'm thinkin of goin' back to the one thrift store an' check out an old rocking chair that was for sale...it looked pretty beat up, but nothing like a new coat of paint, some wood putty and nails won't cure!! Yeah Baby, that's what I'm talkin' about!!

Lady of The Tulips -- listening to noah rattling around on the front porch, painting the trim work...

Here We ARE!! -- all ready to go with the lil' can of gas for the lawnmower...got the driveway clear so no grass, or pine cones hit the car...got things ALL READY...just in time to realize that the mower doesn't work...

For some people this is just one of those Ho-Hum things..but since we live somewhat out-of-the-way from "Places That Help in Times of Trouble With Machinery"...well, when something breaks...it becomes a Big Deal...

And I spent quite some time out in the hot sun making sure Everything Was Ready to mow the grass..BUT -- Tom has a plan In Case Of Everything that Can Happen...so what he did, instead of fighting with the lawn mower that we'd had for 'bout 5 years..was he just went to That WorldWideMegaStore , and went and hauled off and bought a new mower...

Never mind that I'd had a 3 year Purchase Agreement & Repair Contract...Never MIND that It cost an arm and a leg...now we have 2 mowers...one that was Expensive -- but doesn't run...and another that was REALLY dirt cheap, and by all that's right and holy, should last at least 'till the end of summer...It's all too too much for me, so I decided to just come in the house and PRETEND NOTHING IS WRONG...it should work for ohhh..say...10 minutes...

I also tried to get a good clear picture of our little cabin...but I can't figure out how to make the photo print up Right-Side-Up...I didn't download it right, and my camera needs a battery..so I either need to delete the old photo..or get off my Duff and go outside and take another picture of the cabin...and hope that the camera will Not Die because the battery is bad...Please Do Not Look At These Grey Hairs Popping Up on My Head... and we'll be thankin' ya in advance...

I've got some pretty nifty thangs over on my little table (look over THERE...NO!..Behind you!!) and you CAN see that they are pretty spiffy, huh?? 'k -- it's jus' that the CAMERA WILL NOT WORK for me right now..so Please take my word for it, pleeeze??

I'm going to go in the kitchen and try now to see if there is anything I can beat up on...like the dirty dishes that have been in the sink all day 'cause I've been sitting here trying to PASTE and COPY and SEND things for the last Hour...

My last nerve just got up and said it WILL find the nearest bus depot and go Somewhere..

Lady of The Tulips -- feeling like a toad right now...

~~ Here it is another week already!! ~~

And where has all the time gone? -- Well this I know -- with some of the storms we've had, I can tell you that some of the time has been spent listening to the Weather Radio and waiting for updates on what some of the severe storms are doing, and just what direction their heading!! I was sitting right HERE the other day, minding my own business, when it Suddenly Dawned on me that the sky was turning a NAHHHSTY color of black/green..and the wind was starting to pick up..not the best thing under any circumstances!! So I turned off everything Electric, hopped (well, actually sorta ran/walked-fast) out to the kitchen, grabbed the weather radio from the laundry room, and listened to just what the $^%$#"% was going on...we were just under the advisory for a severe storm, and the clouds were gettin' their s____ together for a good time...

SHWOO -- we were lucky that all we had was some wind thrashing small limbs from off of the trees, and some of the trash that was suppossed to go to the dump got moved from the trash can to another part of the yard...we were LUCKY!! I guess up around where Tom's terminal is, the storm played havoc with everything and everybody, but again, fortunately nobody was hurt!!

Our shopping trip to the thrift stores on Saturday went quite well -- I was fortunate to find some blouses/shirts for a total of $15.00 -- and considering 2 of them are silk, well, that just is TOO GOOD TO BELIEVE!! I wanted to also do some looking at Furniture and see what there was...but Tom said "AHEM" an' I knew it was time to leave!!

But there is always next week!! HA!!

Must go and get some painting done -- got 3 new canvas boards, and need to get them covered w/gesso!!

Lady of The Tulips -- Waiting for a Good Time now that the storms are far, far away!!

there had been a collage on this page, but somehow in the Grand Scheme of Things...I hit a button and the Entire thing disappeared...No telling where it's gone, why it Decided to Leave town or just where it's going..yeah, it's been that kind of morning...

SO THEN while I'm sleeping and dreaming of GOOD THINGS it suddenly dawns on me that there are bills to pay, and the Question of whether or not Tom picked up the electric bill to get paid over at the Co-Op office...and jus'when I'm back asleep and all Nice and Comfortable... THE DOG WAKES ME UP BY HITTING MY BEDROOM DOOR WITH HER PAW!!!

so while I considered several and sundry things to scream at said Dog, I realized that it would just be easier to getup & see what it was that she wanted..

Don't I feel like a dolt..she had to go outside and do her business....

I'm going to make this short today, as this old computer is REALLY running badly...keeps freezing up and making dreadful noises...

I have to go and see what'z goin on in the garden, and make sure that the new plants arem't flooded from all the rain we've had..and it's been raining for the last hour..poor little dears..

Lady of The Tulips -- feeling like another good cup of coffee should do the trick..

~~ Today I WILL TRY not to go too overboard with my letters and colors and thingz --

Yesterday and MondayI had to try and get thru with the Wonderful IRS -- our return has been sent in and rejected 3 times, and even tho I give the information ONE OF THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES GIVES ME they still say that the return in incorrect...after being on hold and waiting for some kind of answer for over 3 hours (actually 4, but who's counting..) the nice lady told me what to do...so I did EXACTLY AS SHE TOLD ME!!!

Go figure...

So now I have to wait another 24 hours and see if there is a good answer for us or not...I feel drained for some odd reason...and of course some of the people who DO ANSWER THE PHONES are so rude that it's not even worth the thot as to what will happen to them one day...Don'e want to be around when that Karma does whatever it'z gonna do...

So, my Art has taken a brief hold/wait/hang-on type of status...there are projects waiting in the wings, as it were >>> as I write this Noah is yelling at one of the large Flicker pounding the side of one of our pinetrees..(the bird is one species of woodpecker...) so Hopefully my Stuff will be back on track Tomorrow!!

Must go And see what'z goin on on the front porch...

Lady of The Tulips -- who got weeding done in the large flower bed just in time to take Miss Sara for a walk...

Waiting for a Good Time...

Here sits my Very Fine Automobile...and as U can see, it's going Nowhere Fast...

I've been trying to figure out a way to get it fixed...it has a crack in one of it's vacuum lines..needs a new fuel pump (which entails taking out the fuel tank...) and it also needs the clutch replaced in the air conditioning unit...there's also the problem with it's Heater Core and the Poor Thing also has a leak somewhere in it's transmission...

Other than that, it does run like a dream, is comfortable as all get out, and has an Absolutely Kick-A** sound system, which is standard with the vehicle. Tom sez we'll need to wait 'till he gets his car replaced, as it's (Honestly) nearing 275,000 miles in it's little motor...It was given to us for free, so I KNOW I shouldn't complain, but it is on it's last legs..no, it's last tires. The car had been Danny's, but he absolutely TORE IT UP -- and I don't mean like he smashed it into things, he isn't that bad of a driver...it's just that he DROVE THAT CAR EVERYWHERE..no place was too far for that guy to drive...New Hampshire, Connecticut, Mass., Vermont, New York..he went everyplace he took a liking to...and the poor car is beginning to show all those miles...OH -- and he also went further down south..Fla., and I think he went into Ga., but don't quote me on that...

Anyway - I'm having some time getting my pictures taken with my wonderful camera...went this morning to fix some shots I took yesterday, and lo and Behold, the little sign popped up that sez, BATTERY EXHAUSTED!! so there went that idea!! And to top it off, there is something wrong with my computer this morning that makes it want to DIE everytime I turn around...eerrggghhh....

Lady of The Tulips -- wondering whether or not to look for that Tramp Steamer and sail off to some Unknown Island...

*** "The Sea Brings Joy" *** 2008 Spring Bay Studio

this is one of the pieces that I finished up just last week -- I think I wrote about it sitting on my work table patiently waiting to get DONE and lo and behold it is all done!!

There are a couple more pieces that are sitting in the file folder that I'm working on getting into a photo mode...I seem to be having some trouble with my camera (as if this is the first time...) and I've asked Noah for some help, but he's blowing me off...he does that A LOT lately, and it's really getting my last good nerve to just about the end of it's fiber...

ANYWAY ~~ I'm waiting for some laundry to dry and also getting some sketches done over for another collage...I have finally found the file folder of a piece that seems to just SING to me, so hopefully once it gets put together it will sing to Everybody Else!!

Not much else to say -- I jus' got a call from Tom -- he's getting off work early today, so that probably means he'll be over the road tomorrow...he did work on Saturday, and mentioned yesterday that he'll probably be going back to the factory down the interstate to pick up the freight...that would make sense, but who knows..

Our shopping trip yesterday WAS A SUCCESS!! ** We happened to find a new vacuum cleaner, and it works like a gem -- got a nifty table lamp and a couple decorative items for the front room...if my CAMERA decides to work the way it's supposed to, I'll take a shot of the wall where the new goodies will go -- one of those Before and After thangs..We also got some of the basic things we all use...trash bags..candles (they do smell good tho!) some bug spray (living in the woods seems to bring out bugs literally from the Woodwork...) and cleaning spray...so all in all we Done Good...

Lady of The Tulips -- who's having much more fun these dayz using the little font, color and other buttons on her computer..wheeeee

** this will be a short message as I have to go get odds and ends for the house at a local department store **

We have to get some lamps for the studio and the front room -- we haven't decided just the height of the floor lamps, nor the height of a couple table lamps...it's one of those things where you take the one table lamp you like the most, move it around to different locations in the room, and then decide if it's the right height for where you need light...makes for a lot of exercise but it gets the job done. I haven't a clue as to the height for a floor lamp??!! There are so many kinds and just looking at them in the stores gives me a headache...not because of the fact they usually have them on display UP HIGH ON A SHELF...but because by the time my neck gets back to where it's supossed to be, my head feels like a boat anchor and my back is being VERY GRUMPY...making the shopping trip not one of the best...

Danny came over yesterday for the afternoon, and stayed long enuf to watch a little of the Mets baseball game...I fixed a Big Batch of pork ribs...cooked 'em nice and slow with several coats of bbq sauce...an hour and a half...start 'em off in a low (325) oven, for 'bout an hour, then kick up the heat to 350 an bast 'em a few more times...keep alum. foil over 'em and let 'em do their thing...they come out of the oven tender enuf that you don't need to use a knife, just a fork...I made another kick A** batch of bbq beans too - lots of brown sugar, touch of mustard..onions sausage and seasonings...YUUMMM...makes for a great holiday dinner!! Even tho it rained and stormed off and on thru the afternoon, we still had a good time, got caught up on NEWS from different people, and all & all had a good time...he's still looking for a full time job...the Police Academy wasn't what he ended up wanting to stay in...they did say they would consider him a prospect in the future, so that's good if he does want to go back. Now it's just that FUN time of doing the interview thing...driving here & there on job possibilities...I don't know how he Stands it...

Must go and get some things done before Tom getz back from running errandz...

Lady of The Tulips -- wondering where her wallet is with her discount card for the grocery store...hmmm..

~~ Snug Harbor '08 ~~

Here's a bit of COLOR for Everybody!! And it's all for the HOLIDAY!! here called the FOURTH OF JULY!!** HAPPY HOLIDAY EVERYONE!!

Having said that, I need to go check on the fixin's out in the kitchen..I found a wonderful way to fix a big batch of beans, so those are gettin' ready to be put together, and I've just finished up some potatoes boiling and also fixed hard boiled eggs for a nice potatoe salad...a very old finding from a cookbook section in a magazine I used to subscribe to years ago...an' I don't even know if it's in print anymore! Man, does THAT make me feel old...

The dynamic duo, known as Tom & Noah are out loose on the town...said they'd go grab a couple things at the hardware store, which has now been 3 hours...WHAT THE...no clue where they are...oh dear, there goes the checking account...

Must run an' start on the next part of dinner...

EVERYBODY BE SAFE THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND!!

Lady of The Tulips --

** This morning is one of those fabulous days where the sun shines, the birds are singing and the breeze from the Sound is barely touching the skin while gently lifting the branches of the pines toward the sky **

Having said that, all this joy and goodness came to a screeching halt when a work crew showed up across the street to start on the construction of a driveway and some other work in preparation to the building of a house...so much for peace and quiet. I haven't heard this much noise since we had 3 work crews show up at the same time at our old house in the city. I don't know who was in who's way, or which work crew did the most yelling, but THAT was not something I wanted to go thru again...Maybe this crew won't be so terribly loud...

Tom called just a while ago to say he was on his way down a small highway not too terribly far from here...taking a container to one of the countries larger greeting card manufacturers -- they have to start getting their Fall and Christmas orders under way, and this is usually the time of year that shipments are coming in from overseas, and the US manufacturers need to get their's overseas as well. This will be interesting to see how many more trips Tom'll be doin' in the next few weeks. One year he didn't have a Saturday off till after the start of the new year...that made it great to pay bills on time, but it was sucky for him, cause he only had one day off a week...that really getz to wear ya out!! He hasn't said how the manager is gonna organize these next couple months, but they'll know probably in the next week or so. It's always weird for me around the 4th of July -- I want to be singing "He's A Yankee Doodle Dandy", but more than likely the tune in my head is, "Christmas Time's a Comin', Christmas time's a'comin;,..." Makes for a very confusing Holiday!!

I'm waiting for some matter medium to make up it's mind on whether or not it'll behave on the collage I've got laid out next to me...I discovered I need to repaint/seal one of the pieces for the collage with some spray medium..not the gel, but a spray...I'd used pastels on a fish, and the pastel was trying to blend into the papers next to it, so I reapplied the spray matte medium, and it seems to be keeping the pastels in check. One more coat should keep it in place, so then I can apply the rest of the papers and stuff. I've discovered some papers that I thot were in storage(!!) but have actually made it down here!! Let'z hear a Yahoo!! Now I can get some trim done!!

Oh oh...Miss Sara is making some weird noises in the kitchen, so I better go see what kind of damage she's doing...grrr..

Lady of The Tulips -- getting a headache from The Dog this morning...