Some sad news...

The wren arrived a couple of days ago. I heard his warbling in the woods across the street from my craftroom window. It's always a pleasure when he arrives because his song is so much bigger than his body. He's a bundle of energy, too. He will fill every nest box he finds with sticks in order to give his lady a choice of dwellings. We have not had any problems with wren predation in the past, but this particular wren decided it wanted to nest in the titmouse box, so he dragged all 4 eggs out of the box and dropped them on the ground. Of course, the titmouse is gone, which is very sad because we've not had a titmouse nest in our yard before. So, this year, I've lost my bluebirds and my titmice. On the upside, we have more toads than you can shake a stick at. (Ever wonder where that phrase came from?) And, of course, the wren is back.

Happy birthday to you...

This card was created for my husband's cousin's birthday. I always have trouble with guy cards, but this card created itself.



Paper: DCWV The green stack, Bazzill; Sentiment: One Heart One Mind Rub-On RB105; Ribbon: Offray; Spellbinder Nestablilities Deckled Mega Rectangle Large; Bow Easy Bow; Spica: Clear; Stamp: Magnolia Baseball Cap Edwin; Copics: (Skin R20, E11, E00) (Shirt R27, C1, N1) (Hair E35) (Pants/Hat B95, B93, B91, YG03) (Belt E39) (Shoes T4, T3)

Magnolia Stamp Lover's Challenge #9

First of all, I have to tell you, cooking is not what I'm known for. I'm adequate at it (just check my husband's waistline) but I'm not inspired. I can follow a recipe, however, and this is one I've used for company dessert for years. I don't even know where it came from, it's not written down anywhere in my kitchen.






Paper - Martha Stewart Playful Pink, Stamps - Magnolia Lazy Summer Tilda, Cindy Echtinaw, Peachy Keen; Shrink-It; Copics - E11, R20, E00, YG13, YG23, Y17, Y08, Y06, Y02. The cherries were stamped on Shrink-It and colored with Prismacolor pencils, cut out and heated.

Easel card, resized yet again

So, I said to myself, if you can make an easel card into an A2 card, why can't you make it into a business size 10 card? And myself said, no reason, so here it is:





This layout has much more room for writing a note and plenty of room for layout and added embellishments. It fits nicely into a business size envelope or you could make your own.

Paper: Stash; Flowers and Net: Stash, Pearl Spray: Craft World; Stamps: Magnolia Wedding Couple B and Wedding Cake; Cuttlebug Die and Cuttlebug Embossing Folder; Copics: (Skin R21, R20, E11, E00, E000) (Hair E43, E53, E50, E37, E35, E34) (Dress G40, G20, G12, YG11, YG13, RV02, Gold, Mint, Pink Spica) (Suit E41, C3, C5, C1, E57, C7) (Cake G40, G20, Crystal Stickles, Recollections Rhinestone Stickers)

Easel card, resized

As much as I love easel cards, I hate the extra postage to mail them. So, this morning while I was watching Mike Holmes I asked myself, "Self, why are easel cards always square"? And myself didn't know. So then I wondered if you could make an easel card the size of an A2 card (5.5 x 4.25). I do know the answer to that - yes, you can. You start with a 5.5 x 8.5 piece of cardstock, score in the center and then score one half in the center. The bottom of the card would be 5.5 x 4.25 and you would assemble it just like a square easel card. There's more room to decorate both the top and bottom.




And this is the finished card which is the size of an A2 card when folded:



Paper: DCWV Nana's Kids; Stamps: Magnolia and Stampin' Up; Stickles: Yellow, Frosted Lace, Blueberry Ice; Copics: (skin R20, E11, E00, E000) (hair E37, E34, E30) (Dress R22, R14, YG13, B93) (Shoes N4, N2) (Chocolate Box E44, E74, E47, Spica Gold) (Heart Jar T2, T4, hearts YR12, YR20) (Lace Box E50, E51, E33, E35, Spica Sand)

I'm off to make more easel cards. All of your comments are appreciated.

Did ya ever?

Did you ever have an ephinany about the perfect embellishment for a card after you'd posted it for a challenge? You realize that the perfect flower was actually a die cut rather than a ready-made? Do you have flower embellishments in drawers and shoe boxes and jars? Do you have dies and punches and digi-art in flower form? I'm actually not a girly girl. I prefer my flowers in my garden or in vases. But Anary has changed my mind. Anary of the Magnolia Stamp Lovers design team sponsored by ScrappingStamping.com is a true girly girl. She of the flowers, ribbons and bling has changed the way I do cards. Who says one person can't make a difference?

If you look at my early work you will see that I tend toward simple and plain. I haven't typically used flowers, buttons, or bows (although I have a ton of each lol). Since I've approached card making in a new way, I've had to reorganize my craft room which, in a round-about way, brings me to my subject. I had flowers scattered everywhere in one form or another. Last week I spent some time just looking at my supplies and thinking about the new way I design. I think one of the reasons I didn't use all of my embellishments is that they were so scattered that when I wanted a flower, I didn't want to have to tear my room apart so I either didn't use one or I used what was to hand. So, one day last week, I took a little trip to Office Depot and purchased several Really Useful Boxes - Plastic Storage Box, 17 Liters, 7"H x 14"W x 19"D, Clear (0659275).

These boxes are really rugged, you can stand on them. One box holds all of my flowers. It holds all of my Sizzix dies that have flowers on them, all of my cuttlebug dies, all of my Spellbinder dies. It holds all of my Prima, Michaels, and crocheted flowers. It holds all of my punches (except border punches) - my Nellie Smellen, Martha Stewart, and Marvy Uchida. It holds flowers I made that I didn't use, it holds flower centers that I've purchased as wells as pearl sprays. If it's flower related, it's in my box. I also have all the punches and dies that have leaves on them; what's a flower without a leaf?



Now, when I want a flower, I know where they all are. It's an inspiration box. Instead of just seeing one flower, I'm seeing all the possibilities for flowers. These boxes are stackable and take up very little floor space. They have excellent handles for carrying and I don't think bugs could get into them if you want them for attic or basement storage. And, no, I don't work for Home Depot, I just recognize a good product. If you have unusual storage ideas or a different way of organizing, please leave a comment and share. We all love new ways of doing things, eh?

This card is for the Kraftin' Kimmie 'One for the Boys' Challenge.



Paper: Mind's Eye Home; Stamp: Kraftin' Kimmie Babette; Diamond Glaze; Spica: Clear, Mint; Buckle, Ribbon: Stash; Copics: (Skin R20, E11, E00, E000, E0000, RV13) (Clothes G82, C3, C5, G40, BG11, BG000, BG0000) (Hair E43, E53, E51, E50)

Magnolia Stamp Lover's Challenge

The newest challenge on the Magnolia Stamp Lover's Blog is to create a scene. If you've read any part of my blog in the last few days, you'll know that I'm absolutely addicted to spring. I love everything about it. I love the way the earth smells after the rain, I love the way the birds get vocal in the morning, I love seeing the honey bees (we have a bunch this year, unlike year's past when I saw none), I love the promise of warmth, blossoms, and new life. So, here's my take on the challenge. And, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone that left a comment on my writing style. It's something I've always loved to do (there's a great American novel buried in me somewhere, I can feel it) and if I've lightened your day, given you a smile, or said something to make you think, my day has been the better for it.



Paper: Bazzill; Stamps: Magnolia Tilda w/3 Flowers, Magnolia Log, Cornish Heritage Farms, Penny Black; Spellbinders Dies; Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Versa Magic Hint of Pesto; Pebbles Inc. Chalk; Stickles: Yellow, Grape; Prima Flowers; Jelly Roll White Gel Pen; Copics: R20, E11, E00, E000, E37, E35, E33, Y11, Y08, Y17, Y13, E31, E57, E43, G24, YG63, V17, V15, C3, C1

It's war...

Several years after moving into this house my husband asked our realtor to track down the owner of the lot behind us. Our village has a rule about village owned lots - in order to buy one from the village, you have to build on it. And there are square footage requirements. However, if the lot is owned by a private individual, you don't have to build. We tracked down the owner of the lot in Tennessee. She was responsible for moving prisoners from one state to another. I had always thought that was a Federal Marshall's job, but what do I know? She was hard to track down and it was even harder to get the papers signed, but my husband is now what we call a "land baron". He owns about 1.5 acres. The lot is semi-wooded filled with a lot of junk trees but a couple of nice ones, too. He rescued a gorgeous crabapple that was covered with grape vines. The crabapple rewarded us with the most beautiful raspberry colored blossoms. He created a path through our lot and the one the village owns next door. We would like to buy that lot also since our house lot is shaped like a wedge of pie with the narrowest end where the house is and the widest end at the back of the lot. So we actually have two lots behind us that join our land, one we own and one we'd like to. He maintains both lots by picking up debris and mowing the trail. What's the war, you ask? We have garlic mustard in the woods. When he purchased the lot it was everywhere. Knee deep and covered 75% of the lot. He is diligent about pulling it. When I can't find him, he's in his "woods" with a bucket. Several years of this has reduced the tonnage to about 10%. He even pulls in the lot the village owns because the plant seeds itself so vigorously that we would have it again it we didn't pay attention. As we cleared our lot of garlic mustard, we planted woodland plants, violets, bleeding hearts, ferns, trillium and jack in the pulpit. Slowly but surely it's taking shape.

Winter's back...

Where has spring gone? Yesterday was a beauty of a day. There were 3 eggs in the titmouse house, the Asiatic lilies are up about six inches. The crabapple is fully engaged with glorious white blooms. The tulips are starting to fade but the daffodils still look good. While I was out scoping out the yard, I opened the skimmer to see if any of the toads had laid eggs. If the eggs stay in the skimmer, the tadpoles don't have any room to run when the frogs come in to eat them. And speaking of feeding frogs, the largest bullfrog in the pond was in the skimmer with two frog legs sticking out of his mouth. We were just wondering where all the frogs had gone, now we know. The next time I catch him in the skimmer, I will truck him to a farm pond. He's too big for our pond (he is the size of a dessert plate), if we leave him in it, he will eat all the frogs and fish. I once saw a bullfrog take a hummingbird. We have green frogs and leopard frogs in our pond, as well as bullfrogs and we'd like to keep them. I haven't seen any dragonflies or damselflies yet but the season's young. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop down into the mid-30's. Sigh! :(

Winter's back

Where has spring gone? Yesterday was a beauty of a day. There were 3 eggs in the titmouse house, the asiatic lilies are up about six inches. The crababpple is fully engaged with glorious white blooms. The tulips are starting to fade but the daffodils still look good. While I was out scoping out the yard, I opened the skimmer to see if any of the toads had laid eggs. If the eggs stay in the skimmer, the tadpoles don't have any room to run when the frogs come in to eat them. And speaking of feeding frogs, the largest bullfrog in the pond was in the skimmer with two frog legs sticking out of his mouth. We were just wondering where all the frogs had gone, now we know. The next time I catch him in the skimmer, I will truck him to a farm pond. He's too big for our pond (he is the size of a dessert plate), if we leave him in it, he will eat all the frogs and fish. I once saw a bullfrog take a hummingbird. We have green frogs and leopard frogs in our pond, as well as bullfrogs and we'd like to keep them. I haven't seen any dragonflies or damselflies yet but the season's young. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop down into the mid-30's. Sigh! :(

I created this card for the Bitten by the Bug2 Challenge. The challenge is to use a Maggie and a diecut from the Cricut. This is my take on the challenge.



Paper: DCWV Far East Matstack; Stamp: Magnolia Charleston Tilda; Sentiment: Make It Personal Rub-On; Cricut Cartridge: Dreams Come True; Prima Flowers; Spica: clear, lavender; Stickles: Blueberry Ice; Copics: R20, E11, E00, E000, BV0000, BV000, BV00, BV01, YG03, E43, E53, E51, E50

Tadah...

As you can see, I'm still on a spring kick. I created this card specifically for Copic Color Challenge 60. The word, however, was donated by my husband. When we were dating, my daughter bought her first place; a mobile home in a local mobile home park. It was badly in need of repair which he volunteered to do because that's the kind of guy he is. My youngest grandson was two or three at the time and he followed Carl everywhere he went, stealing tools as often as he could get his hands on them. More than once I heard Carl running down the hallway chasing a laughing Cody who had Carl's hammer. While they worked, each time Carl would finish a job, he would stand, brush his hands together, and announce to the world,"TADAH". Since Cody was so small, one of the jobs he did was put a baby gate at the entrance to the kitchen. This served as a deterrent for a while but one day we heard a huge crash and as we ran into the living room, we could see Cody laying in the kitchen. He had obviously climbed the gate and fallen off of it onto the floor. Before we could get to him, he stood up, brushed his hands together and announced in a loud voice, "TADAH". We were in stitches while we were removing the baby gate. Tadah is still a special word in our house. It tells the world we have accomplished something to be proud of.

Tadah

As you can see, I'm still on a spring kick. I created this card specifically for Copic Color Challenge 60. The word, however, was donated by my husband. When we were dating, my daughter bought her first place; a mobile home in a local mobile home park. It was badly in need of repair which he volunteered to do because that's the kind of guy he is. My youngest grandson was two or three at the time and he followed Carl everywhere he went, stealing tools as often as he could get his hands on them. More than once I heard Carl running down the hallway chasing a laughing Cody who had Carl's hammer. While they worked, each time Carl would finish a job, he would stand, brush his hands together, and announce to the world,"TADAH". Since Cody was so small, one of the jobs he did was put a baby gate at the entrance to the kitchen. This served as a deterrent for a while but one day we heard a huge crash and as we ran into the living room, we could see Cody laying in the kitchen. He had obviously climbed the gate and fallen off of it onto the floor. Before we could get to him, he stood up, brushed his hands together and announced in a loud voice, "TADAH". We were in stitches while we were removing the baby gate. Tadah is still a special word in our house. It tells the world we have accomplished something to be proud of.



Paper: Bazzill; Making Memories Alphabet stickers; Stamps: Magnolia Happy Tilda, Magnolia Open Gate; Pebbles Inc. Chalk; Copics: R81, E11, E00, E000, E55, E57, E43, YG05, B91, B93, B95, C1, C3, Y23, E47, E53, E50, E51, G24.

Ode to Spring...

Our household is slowly returning to normal. When my husband left this morning he said he was going to dad's apartment after work and I realized that I wouldn't be hearing that sentence anymore after hearing it almost daily for the last two years. Once Wendell's apartment is cleared out, those kinds of chores will cease, and just the memories will remain.

It was a lovely morning this morning. When the weather turns nice, I usually go "walkabout" first thing with a cup of coffee. Nothing breaks ground that I don't see. The snowdrops have come and gone, their tiny nodding heads are sleeping for another year. This year there wasn't any snow for them to break through. The yellow tulips are in full bloom. My first yellow tulips were a gift from Holland brought back in a briefcase by one of my engineers. John Winkler, if you're reading this, I'm thinking about you as I always do when the yellow tulips bloom. The crab apple tree outside the craft room is just starting to bloom. There are lots of pale pink flowers next to the raspberry colored buds. There will be a heavy crop of crab apples for the birds this year. The peonies are up about a foot, the lilacs will be blooming by the end of the week. The fish are feeding so the water temperature is over 50 degrees. There are a dozen toads in the skimmer - all looking for love. They were singing last night in 12 part harmony. Is spring always so noisy? This morning we awakened to a cacophony of birds and the residue of the toads, but the breeze was sweet. I’m a morning person; I love to watch the sun come over the horizon and hear the world wake up. There is one speckled egg in the titmouse house. I will check this afternoon to see if she laid it this morning or yesterday. She can lay from five to eight eggs before she starts to incubate. Fourteen days to hatching, eighteen days to fledging and they can do that twice a year. On a discouraging note, the bluebirds have not been seen since last week. The nest box on the fence is still empty although a pair of titmice has checked it out. The chickadees are looking at the house on the arbor and the wren has been in the wren house on the other end of the fence. I’m afraid I won’t have bluebirds during the first nesting, but we can hope they will return later in the season.





Paper: Debbie Mumm Noah's Ark; Stamps: Magnolia Sitting Fall Tilda, Magnolia Flowers, Papertrey; Spica: Clear; Martha Stewart Butterfly Punches; Spellbinder Dies; Stickles: Yellow; Copics: E11, E00E000, B91, B93, B95, Y11, Y04, Y35, YR16, E31, E33, E29, E25, BV01, BV04, E53, G24, B32, Y18, Y08, YG23, YG25. Background on the diecuts was airbrushed with B32, B91 and G24. Butterflies were airbrushed with Y11 and B91.

One more note: I was Copic certified on Sunday, so whoohoo; which is not to be confused with yeehaw or Amen. Kudos to Sally Lynn MacDonald for a wonderful, informative class with some giggles thrown in for good measure.

Ode to Spring

Our household is slowly returning to normal. When my husband left this morning he said he was going to dad's apartment after work and I realized that I wouldn't be hearing that sentence anymore after hearing it almost daily for the last two years. Once Wendell's apartment is cleared out, those kinds of chores will cease, and just the memories will remain.

It was a lovely morning this morning. When the weather turns nice, I usually go "walkabout" first thing with a cup of coffee. Nothing breaks ground that I don't see. The snowdrops have come and gone, their tiny nodding heads are sleeping for another year. This year there wasn't any snow for them to break through. The yellow tulips are in full bloom. My first yellow tulips were a gift from Holland brought back in a briefcase by one of my engineers. John Winkler, if you're reading this, I'm thinking about you as I always do when the yellow tulips bloom. The crabapple tree outside the craft room is just starting to bloom. There are lots of pale pink flowers next to the raspberry colored buds. There will be a heavy crop of crabapples for the birds this year. The peonies are up about a foot, the lilacs will be blooming by the end of the week. The fish are feeding so the water temperature is over 50 degrees. There are a dozen toads in the skimmer - all looking for love. They were singing last night in 12 part harmony. Is spring always so noisy? This morning we awakened to a cacophony of birds and the residue of the toads, but the breeze was sweet. I’m a morning person; I love to watch the sun come over the horizon and hear the world wake up. There is one speckled egg in the titmouse house. I will check this afternoon to see if she laid it this morning or yesterday. She can lay from five to eight eggs before she starts to incubate. Fourteen days to hatching, eighteen days to fledging and they can do that twice a year. On a discouraging note, the bluebirds have not been seen since last week. The nestbox on the fence is still empty although a pair of titmice has checked it out. The chickadees are looking at the house on the arbor and the wren has been in the wren house on the other end of the fence. I’m afraid I won’t have bluebirds during the first nesting, but we can hope they will return later in the season.





Paper: Debbie Mumm Noah's Ark; Stamps: Magnolia Sitting Fall Tilda, Magnolia Flowers, Papertrey; Spica: Clear; Martha Stewart Butterfly Punches; Spellbinder Dies; Stickles: Yellow; Copics: E11, E00E000, B91, B93, B95, Y11, Y04, Y35, YR16, E31, E33, E29, E25, BV01, BV04, E53, G24, B32, Y18, Y08, YG23, YG25. Background on the diecuts was airbrushed with B32, B91 and G24. Butterflies were airbrushed with Y11 and B91.

One more note: I was Copic certified on Sunday, so whoohoo; which is not to be confused with yeehaw or Amen. Kudos to Sally Lynn MacDonald for a wonderful, informative class with some giggles thrown in for good measure.

Remembering Wendell...

My father-in-law passed away April 8th. He had been ill and fragile for some time. His life had been reduced to hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living. I expect a lot of his joy in life was gone. When I remember Wendell, I will remember he was a patriot, fighting for his country in World War II.  I will remember he was a father and husband. He provided for his family to the very best of his ability.  He was a gentleman always in all ways and raised his son to be one. I see a lot of the father in the son.  His memorial service is this afternoon where we will share stories, pictures and grief. Then we might have Chinese food which was his favorite. I will eat an extra helping of tapioca pudding for him. Somewhere now he is walking without effort, has a strong and healthy heart and a spring in his step. A life well done, Wendell.

Remembering Wendell

My father-in-law passed away April 8th. He had been ill and fragile for some time. His life had been reduced to hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living. I expect a lot of his joy in life was gone. When I remember Wendell, I will remember he was a patriot, fighting for his country in World War II. I will remember he was a father and husband. He provided for his family to the very best of his ability. He was a gentleman always in all ways and raised his son to be one. I see a lot of the father in the son. His memorial service is this afternoon where we will share stories, pictures and grief. Then we might have Chinese food which was his favorite. I will eat an extra helping of tapioca pudding for him. Somewhere now he is walking without effort, has a strong and healthy heart and a spring in his step. A life well done, Wendell.

At Cindy's request

StampingScrapping.com is hosting a contest for their design team (of which I am a member). One of us will win a prize package put together by Cindy Echtinaw - she's really generous, so it should be a nice package. You can help one of us win by voting here: Stampingscrappingdesigntean.blogspot.com blog

This is my entry:



Paper - DCWV The Blossoms & Butterflies; Spica - Clear, Melon; Stamps - Magnolia Heartbreaker Edwin, CC Designs Olivia's Birdies; Copics - E11, R20, E00, E59, E57, YG03, YG23, YG25, T6, B95, B93, Y35, Y17, Y08, Y06, Y02, E31, E51, E43. I hope you like it and any comments are much appreciated.

Where oh where have my bluebirds gone?...

It's been over two days since I've seen the bluebirds. It doesn't mean they won't use this nest box, there have been times when I've not seen them for days before they build the nest. Still, I worry. They always cause such a swelling in my heart when I see them, a feeling of peace and excitement at the same time. I feel the same way about eagles. They are also heart-poundingly beautiful.

It's supposed to be a pretty day today so gardening is in order. We've cleaned the raised annual bed and added compost. We moved last year's compost pile over one bin. Set one mole trap (we have little piles of earth all over our yard and hundreds of "trails" in yellow dead grass). They have even gone through the flower beds, it might possibly be the worst year for moles we've ever had. Today we will clean out the top pond, put the waterfall pump back into the skimmer and start the waterfall so we can add the UV clarifier. Several years ago I had a serious outburst of algae - it grew so fast it took oxygen out of the pond and a lot of the fish died. The clarifier will kill it if we get it in the pond fast enough. If there is time, we'll clean the garden around the pond - lots to cut down and rake there. We can't do that in the fall because so many of the plants we grow have seed heads for the birds. The birds feed on them most of the winter. Then, we only have six more gardens to clean, weed and compost. Every year it gets a little harder to keep up with all the work. I foresee a day when we will have to either hire it done or let it go.

Where oh where have my bluebirds gone?

It's been over two days since I've seen the bluebirds. It doesn't mean they won't use this nest box, there have been times when I've not seen them for days before they build the nest. Still, I worry. They always cause such a swelling in my heart when I see them, a feeling of peace and excitement at the same time. I feel the same way about eagles. They are also heart-poundingly beautiful.

It's supposed to be a pretty day today so gardening is in order. We've cleaned the raised annual bed and added compost. We moved last year's compost pile over one bin. Set one mole trap (we have little piles of earth all over our yard and hundreds of "trails" in yellow dead grass). They have even gone through the flower beds, it might possibly be the worst year for moles we've ever had. Today we will clean out the top pond, put the waterfall pump back into the skimmer and start the waterfall so we can add the UV clarifier. Several years ago I had a serious outburst of algae - it grew so fast it took oxygen out of the pond and a lot of the fish died. The clarifier will kill it if we get it in the pond fast enough. If there is time, we'll clean the garden around the pond - lots to cut down and rake there. We can't do that in the fall because so many of the plants we grow have seed heads for the birds. The birds feed on them most of the winter. Then, we only have six more gardens to clean, weed and compost. Every year it gets a little harder to keep up with all the work. I foresee a day when we will have to either hire it done or let it go.

This is a card I made for my husband:



Paper: Stash; Pebbles Inc. Chalk; Stamp: Magnolia Spellcaster Tilda; Tim Holtz Flourishes Die; Jewel Glitter Sea Green; Spellbinder Star Die; Computer generated sentiment; Spica: clear; Copics: E00, E000, Y17, Y08, Y06, Y02, YG95, YG93, C3. The flourish was covered in ModgePodge, glittered, and then sprayed with hairspray. It really keeps the glitter from falling off.

StampingScrapping.com is hosting a contest for their design team (of which I am a member). One of us will win a prize package put together by Cindy Echtinaw - she's really generous, so it should be a nice package. You can help one of us win by voting here: Stampingscrappingdesigntean.blogspot.com blog

My hero...

We've been watching the Health Bill discussions with interest. My husband has the sole responsibility for his soon-to-be 90 year old father. He's been negotiating the health care system for several years now and I often see him figuratively banging his head against a wall. My husband's father, Wendell, has a whole medical team that treats him. He has a family doctor, a cardiologist (pacemaker), an audiologist (hearing aids), an oncologist (throat cancer), and a pulmonologist (fluid on the lungs). He's been in and out of the hospital and nursing home many times in the last few years. My husband has been there every step of the way; he's arranged for his father's house to be cleaned and cleaned out and put on the market, he's moved him to an assisted living apartment, he takes him to all of his doctors' appointments, coordinates information with all the doctors (you'd think they would do that, wouldn't you?), keeps track of his medications (ditto), handles his finances and VA benefits, buys his snacks and groceries, and brings home his laundry. He visits daily, to the hospital or nursing home and calls twice a day when his dad is in his apartment. Plans for vacations or outings have to be cancelled due to the many emergencies that have come up. He is often called to leave work in order to take his dad to appointments or to the hospital. Once he waited in the emergency room for five hours. Since we live 40 minutes away from him, each trip to and from our house is a half day commitment. His dad's recent hospitalization was due to rapid and dramatic weight loss. He’s not swallowing well and the food that he can swallow does not appeal to him. So, he's facing another feeding tube (he had one while undergoing treatment for throat cancer) and was opposed to it until yesterday, but realized his options are very limited. Now we’re just waiting for the doctors to make the arrangements for surgery. Without insurance, we would be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. His savings and house would be gone and he would be out on the street. Fortunately, he was and still is a very smart man and made sure his insurance premiums were always paid. When something like this happens, you can’t help but think about the people who can’t afford insurance facing a catastrophe like this one.

My husband comes home at night physically and mentally weary and he has nights when he doesn’t sleep well. I wish I had stock in antacids; we could retire on the dividends. And, all the while, chores at home pile up waiting for a free moment. My husband does all this, works a full-time job, and still manages to keep a smile on his face most of the time. While I’m sorry this is such a frustrating time for him, I know in my heart he would do the same for me, making him my hero. I’ve never met a more responsible man in my life. He is always willing to help a friend, give someone a lift, or move someone. If I have an idea, he’s there with a pad and pencil to plan how to execute it. He’s tilled my gardens, pulled my weeds, dug my pond, assembled my greenhouse, purchased my potting soil and remembered to pick me up a bagel on his way back home. He’s the most wonderful husband, son and father (father by choice, not by birth) and I hope he knows how much I love him. I'm sure there is a special place in heaven for him, filled with the very best camera equipment and lots of subjects to take photographs of, as well as the time to take them.

Bluebird Update: Ann D picked Adam and Eve for my bluebirds. I didn't see them today to pronounce them Adam and Eve, I hope they will be back tomorrow.

My Hero

We've been watching the Health Bill discussions with interest. My husband has the sole responsibility for his soon-to-be 90 year old father. He's been negotiating the health care system for several years now and I often see him figuratively banging his head against a wall. My husband's father, Wendell, has a whole medical team that treats him. He has a family doctor, a cardiologist (pacemaker), an audiologist (hearing aids), an oncologist (throat cancer), and a pulmonologist (fluid on the lungs). He's been in and out of the hospital and nursing home many times in the last few years. My husband has been there every step of the way; he's arranged for his father's house to be cleaned and cleaned out and put on the market, he's moved him to an assisted living apartment, he takes him to all of his doctors' appointments, coordinates information with all the doctors (you'd think they would do that, wouldn't you?), keeps track of his medications (ditto), handles his finances and VA benefits, buys his snacks and groceries, and brings home his laundry. He visits daily, to the hospital or nursing home and calls twice a day when his dad is in his apartment. Plans for vacations or outings have to be cancelled due to the many emergencies that have come up. He is often called to leave work in order to take his dad to appointments or to the hospital. Once he waited in the emergency room for five hours. Since we live 40 minutes away from him, each trip to and from our house is a half day commitment. His dad's recent hospitalization was due to rapid and dramatic weight loss. He’s not swallowing well and the food that he can swallow does not appeal to him. So, he's facing another feeding tube (he had one while undergoing treatment for throat cancer) and was opposed to it until yesterday, but realized his options are very limited. Now we’re just waiting for the doctors to make the arrangements for surgery. Without insurance, we would be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. His savings and house would be gone and he would be out on the street. Fortunately, he was and still is a very smart man and made sure his insurance premiums were always paid. When something like this happens, you can’t help but think about the people who can’t afford insurance facing a catastrophe like this one.

My husband comes home at night physically and mentally weary and he has nights when he doesn’t sleep well. I wish I had stock in antacids; we could retire on the dividends. And, all the while, chores at home pile up waiting for a free moment. My husband does all this, works a full-time job, and still manages to keep a smile on his face most of the time. While I’m sorry this is such a frustrating time for him, I know in my heart he would do the same for me, making him my hero. I’ve never met a more responsible man in my life. He is always willing to help a friend, give someone a lift, or move someone. If I have an idea, he’s there with a pad and pencil to plan how to execute it. He’s tilled my gardens, pulled my weeds, dug my pond, assembled my greenhouse, purchased my potting soil and remembered to pick me up a bagel on his way back home. He’s the most wonderful husband, son and father (father by choice, not by birth) and I hope he knows how much I love him. I'm sure there is a special place in heaven for him, filled with the very best camera equipment and lots of subjects to take photographs of, as well as the time to take them.

For Wendell:


Bluebird Update: Ann D picked Adam and Eve for my bluebirds. I didn't see them today to pronounce them Adam and Eve, I hope they will be back tomorrow.

Please, Mother Nature?...

Yesterday the temperature was in the 60's. I opened all the windows; the breeze blew the curtains in and the winter miasma out. The house smells like fresh laundry now. This morning as I was meandering out to get the paper (just as the sun was peeking over the horizon) I could hear a particularly boisterous titmouse proclaiming his territory. I heard robins, grackles, cardinals and chickadees. I am really lucky that a Brown Thrasher has taken up residence right across the street. His melodious song is better than a CD player. Mother Nature might not be done with us yet, but the birds clearly think spring is here. It reminds me of a poem that my birth father used to recite every spring. "Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the birdies is?" Well, dad, the birdies are here. The crapapple tree outside my craft room window had tight leaf buds on it just three days ago; the buds have started to unfurl and will be full-fledged leaves by the weekend. If we get a good rain, it will be sooner.

I am getting ready for an Earth Day celebration where I will be selling cards at Forest Park Nature Center on April 24th. The cards I sell there are nature related and consist of photos that my husband and I have taken combined with nature poems.

Please, Mother Nature?

Yesterday the temperature was in the 60's. I opened all the windows; the breeze blew the curtains in and the winter miasma out. The house smells like fresh laundry now. This morning as I was meandering out to get the paper (just as the sun was peeking over the horizon) I could hear a particularly boisterous titmouse proclaiming his territory. I heard robins, grackles, cardinals and chickadees. I am really lucky that a Brown Thrasher has taken up residence right across the street. His melodious song is better than a CD player. Mother Nature might not be done with us yet, but the birds clearly think spring is here. It reminds me of a poem that my birth father used to recite every spring. "Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the birdies is?" Well, dad, the birdies are here. The crapapple tree outside my craft room window had tight leaf buds on it just three days ago; the buds have started to unfurl and will be full-fledged leaves by the weekend. If we get a good rain, it will be sooner.

I am getting ready for an Earth Day celebration where I will be selling cards at Forest Park Nature Center on April 24th. The cards I sell there are nature related and consist of photos that my husband and I have taken combined with nature poems. Getting ready for the sale doesn't leave me much time for stamped cards, but I'll get a few in between now and then. This is one:



Paper: Debbie Mumm; Stamps: Magnolia Happy Tilda, GinaK Owl Always Love You, Art Impressions; Stickles: orange peel, Spellbinder Tag; Spica: clear, pink; Copics: B91, B93, G24, R20, E00, E000, E43, E53, E50, R85, R83, R81, C3, C5, YG23, YG25, E57, E59, E47, E37, E39, B00, B000, Y19, Y35, Y08 - background airbrushed with B91, B93 & G24.