tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285605822024-03-23T13:05:10.954-05:00Molly Bee's AtticMolly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-87168198348564319732021-10-11T14:36:00.004-05:002021-10-11T14:53:38.660-05:00Wicked Wonderful Weekend<p> I had a really nice weekend. I didn't expect to since I had both my Covid booster and my flu shot on Thursday afternoon. My first of the original two Covid shots put me under the weather for about 24 hours...but I just got a headache from this one and that's about it. And since I get headaches anyway, who knows if it was from the shots or not? At any rate, I was prepared for a stay-at-home-lay-about weekend. Life is what happens when you are making other plans. </p><p>Since I decided Friday Night that I guess I wasn't going to be incapacitated after all, I arranged to go with friend, Donna to Baraboo to the Arts and Crafts Festival. It was really nice and way bigger than I thought it would be. Baraboo is where Ringling Brothers started so there were also circus-y things all over town. So much fun! After the Fair we went to lunch at a little breakfast place and then headed to one of my fav spots, Pewett's Nest, to see the gorge and waterfall. Then we stopped at Sky Hi Apple Orchard on the way home. It was a wonderful day and I had a great time catching up with Donna. </p><p>I also met my new beau. His name is Zoe. He makes me laugh and there was room for all of my craft fair purchases in those pants! Practical!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70GTSwFBkeAwIicZBozSXkVnOCj_rYQPcAkZEDjddOyQMu2vQyLw8SFNTWkdYVsX2sT8T1idSLsUOODUHwGsRLf5_GAhkguz-LggAboW5jD26e1gnf-KuO1w6QNYTzk3JFUzL/s960/bozo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70GTSwFBkeAwIicZBozSXkVnOCj_rYQPcAkZEDjddOyQMu2vQyLw8SFNTWkdYVsX2sT8T1idSLsUOODUHwGsRLf5_GAhkguz-LggAboW5jD26e1gnf-KuO1w6QNYTzk3JFUzL/s320/bozo.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p>On Saturday night, I got an invitation from friends, Scott and Michael, asking me out to breakfast the next morning. We met at La Brioche ( I think it's called 'True' now?) for my favorite berry crepes and a nice visit. My brothers from another mother!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKaDO1XMgvYXNf36gZ8D7hGvC1mTTsMDb3R74OCZOopXJyQQRLanKz8Ef71bCIL4zSpDTYwg8HwJHcOff_aKip04-TDtWQr-JpSUFMioxEZxGQdo-qc5km18tsaCfVkpnbaLZ/s960/scott+and+michael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKaDO1XMgvYXNf36gZ8D7hGvC1mTTsMDb3R74OCZOopXJyQQRLanKz8Ef71bCIL4zSpDTYwg8HwJHcOff_aKip04-TDtWQr-JpSUFMioxEZxGQdo-qc5km18tsaCfVkpnbaLZ/s320/scott+and+michael.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLOHbZV2O-z-j9e1VVvL-lwgJ8-myWfJIVuqgFApfKGtPKPDX5TirRLgNZOfzHesa9bhTpWLjp-mK07LArFP_mj8VXmpPUHwjgaNJVlK1tjjaVGKLQKckhof0p3tR388lzYxg/s960/crepes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLOHbZV2O-z-j9e1VVvL-lwgJ8-myWfJIVuqgFApfKGtPKPDX5TirRLgNZOfzHesa9bhTpWLjp-mK07LArFP_mj8VXmpPUHwjgaNJVlK1tjjaVGKLQKckhof0p3tR388lzYxg/s320/crepes.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">What a bounty of blessings on what was going to be a low key weekend! I have THE BEST friends!</span></div><p>Other than that I did stay in and work on my afghan when I was at home both days. It's 104 crocheted squares which went pretty quickly, but wrasslin' it all together is proving to be...um... interesting. I hope all of the muttered, and sometimes shouted, swear words aren't weaving themselves into the yarn for all eternity or this blanket will have some seriously bad juju! Despite the fact that I have lots of 'help' from a certain tom cat, I am happy to report that I only have two long seams. weaving in ends and a border to do! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5lsMFdPnXqjLHfJyDC82bAAYmuec-nsTveFGQAUXolYgXW4RrgYuJtrv2OE934bKtSttpRKbV7S5pxhwVN5T6Cp7sz2lZnl-U9eyPapdkt6bxWcpgSiJEQgGqKyN1Q0MMrUB/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="275" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5lsMFdPnXqjLHfJyDC82bAAYmuec-nsTveFGQAUXolYgXW4RrgYuJtrv2OE934bKtSttpRKbV7S5pxhwVN5T6Cp7sz2lZnl-U9eyPapdkt6bxWcpgSiJEQgGqKyN1Q0MMrUB/" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5lsMFdPnXqjLHfJyDC82bAAYmuec-nsTveFGQAUXolYgXW4RrgYuJtrv2OE934bKtSttpRKbV7S5pxhwVN5T6Cp7sz2lZnl-U9eyPapdkt6bxWcpgSiJEQgGqKyN1Q0MMrUB/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWSPTdM4cADoP6LPw1e-eneXjOWidD76Q93dxukl1TCeqCDxZmyPgmjiVAsQOFx1bMzbIv1X_onxNWdg7Cl8ujkohn7lRix4dY9jv7_XKPsJNbv9b5gnn8ikmcKwiTU6alGNp/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWSPTdM4cADoP6LPw1e-eneXjOWidD76Q93dxukl1TCeqCDxZmyPgmjiVAsQOFx1bMzbIv1X_onxNWdg7Cl8ujkohn7lRix4dY9jv7_XKPsJNbv9b5gnn8ikmcKwiTU6alGNp/" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35BnncBVIlRDoQfq2snojt2DyVdTHApd05jOoiPAEXz_yIa2IoBL3QIft5_fOJ2_PRuJf452Tu7Rym_AYPtnr0ZMvbIAA9ZwHJ1mNYFYuyhCN3kqsd4C9wz71jhiEg-h1kXL5/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35BnncBVIlRDoQfq2snojt2DyVdTHApd05jOoiPAEXz_yIa2IoBL3QIft5_fOJ2_PRuJf452Tu7Rym_AYPtnr0ZMvbIAA9ZwHJ1mNYFYuyhCN3kqsd4C9wz71jhiEg-h1kXL5/" width="180" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>I guess that's all the news that's fit to report for last weekend. Time spent with friends and simple pleasures makes for a great life!</p><p>With Grit, Grace, and Gratitude,</p><p>M-</p>Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-3968517007814714132021-10-06T14:52:00.002-05:002021-10-06T14:52:30.711-05:00Warm Weather and Watercolor Woes<p> We've been lapping up these last warm days of autumn here at Chez Bee. I go for walks at least once a day in the prairie park down the street and Mr. Moose wants to go out for more walks now that it's not so hot, but not cold yet. He has a terminal heart condition, so he doesn't go very far or very fast, but I cherish his little Mr. Tudball sojourns around our block.</p><p>I usually have an urge to do some spinning come October but our 70-80 degree temps have put the kybosh to that so far. I am working on an afghan for our sofa that will be done soon so maybe then I'll feel more like greasing Mabel up and taking her for a spin. Lord knows I have lots of wool to spin even though I haven't been to the Sheep And Wool Festival for 2 years!</p><p>Aside for that I've been arting-mostly Zentangling and art journaling, but a little watercolor here and there. I <i>want </i>to love watercolors. I love the way they look in other people's work, but so far we have a like/hate relationship. I think that since I'm wielding the brush, I should be the boss. Watercolor thinks otherwise, throws caution to the wind, and dances with mad abandon exactly where I don't want it to go. I'd be happy if we could come to some kind of middle of the road truce, but so far, I haven't seen any signs of playing nice on watercolor's part. </p><p>I did find out about the catch-22 of trying out watercolor painting though. I thought that I wanted to try it, so I got some cheap paint and paper. The end results were abysmal. Turns out that you need to invest in a better grade of both paper and paint to get anything other than <i>yuck</i>. An investment that one is hesitant to make when one only wants to <i>try </i>the medium out. But I did invest in a couple of tubes of good paints and I won some good paper in a contest, so now I am making a better grade of abysmal art. The colors still don't go where I want them to, but they do it to a higher standard! I'm call that a win in this journey.</p><p>It's not just the paint, and the paper...watercolor painting takes not 'a little water' and not 'a lot of water', but the Goldie Locks 'just right' amount of water. I'm still on the uphill climb of that learning curve. It seems like there is a fairly small sweet spot that is fairly elusive. Things are going ok and then I realize that everything dried out and you can't just add more water willy-nilly because that spells disaster most of the time. Or I think 'this time, I'm not going to dry out so fast' and liberally apply the water which makes all of the paint slide to the bottom of the paper. I've done some stuff I was initially happy with until it ran into a 1/4 inch wave at the very bottom edge of the paper. </p><p>But I keep at it because I think we all need to learn something out of our comfort zone; keep challenging ourselves, you know? How do you challenge yourself?</p><p>With Grit, Grace and Gratitude,</p><p>M-</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-40047173460781466792021-10-02T22:04:00.003-05:002021-10-03T13:34:27.350-05:00The Dog Days of October<p> Well, lookie here! Haven't checked in here for a while and thought it might be fun to start up again. Blogger has implemented some changes since the last time I posted and I don't know if this even still works, but I'll give it a go. </p><p>So...what has happened in the last two years....oh nothing really....since <i><b>I've been trapped in my house because of a global pandemic! </b></i>From March 2020-March 2021 I was oh so alone in my home. I ordered groceries online and then drove the the grocery store where a young man put them in the trunk of my car. Every three months I went to the pharmacists to pick up meds and that. was. it. For A YEAR! No friends, Knit Night, restaurants, movies trips, vacations, holidays or get-togethers. No coworkers since my company went remote. You would think that I must have been bored here in the nest with nowhere to go...but nope. I had lots of worrying, fretting and stewing to do.</p><p>During that entire year, my only view of the outside world was though television and social media and it was a<b> bonified dumpster fire</b>! A pandemic was ravaging the planet and in our country there was a melomaniac, mad-man at the helm ignoring it in favor of sowing division and hate and raining vengeance down on those who displeased him. Covid 19 was killing hundreds of thousands of US citizens, our health care system was overwhelmed, small businesses were closing, the economy was in the toilet...and so I spent a solid year well...thinking and worrying. </p><p> I worried about my Mum getting sick since she is immune compromised. I worried that if something happened, I wouldn't be able to get to her quickly as most travel had ground to a halt. I worried that supply chains would break down and we wouldn't be able to get the food and supplies we needed. I worried that the horrific storms and fires, brought on by climate change, would hurt people I know (and those I don't). I worried when our sitting president tried to overthrow his own government and stay in power after he was voted out. I worried when he assembled a band of racist, miscreant anarchists to mount an insurrection at our Capital Building in DC. I worried that they would hurt our new president on the day of his inauguration. I worried for friends and loved ones who got ill. I worried I would get ill. I grieved for the dead. I mourned the mislead and the brainwashed. Yup! It was an absolutely <b>awesome </b>year for someone with anxiety and depression! </p><p>2020 shook my foundation to the core. People I loved, and thought I knew to be sensible, good-hearted and moral, condoned behavior that was so despicable, selfish, hateful, and racist that my view OF them and belief IN them was destroyed-burned to the ground. This included large parts of what I considered my moral support structure...people I thought I could always count on. And I've always known that there were bad people out there, but believed that most of the world was basically good and would do the right thing. That turned out to be hugely false as well. There are a lot more bad apples that I ever imagined and the seething mass of hate, entitlement, selfishness, ignorance and rage that they embody is absolutely overwhelming and terrifying. </p><p>So to recap-ALONE in the house, LOST people I loved, either morally or physically, and very much enlightened to the fact that when push comes to shove and we need to work together, the world is a very cold, selfish and dangerous place. And that I was ALONE.</p><p>But as with most storms, there are rainbows. I learned a lot about myself-about my resiliency, my ingenuity, my ethics, moral code and beliefs. I learned that they are not swayed even if it is easier to just go along so that folks will like you. I learned that I have a strong sense of compassion and empathy and it causes me to be very judgmental to the entitled who don't/won't use theirs. I've made peace with that. </p><p> I learned that it's ok to cut people and their hate/drama/ignorance out of your life to preserve your own well-being. I learned that when the chips are really down, I don't resort to selfishness and hate when it would be easy to. I work on solutions instead of denying the problems. I've learned to consider things a little longer before I make a decision. I've learned to be more direct and more honest. Believe it or not, I've learned to be quieter, but I've also learned not to allow myself to be disrespected and to defend myself both physically and mentally. I've learned you can't argue with people who are determined to hang on to conspiracy theories, lies and hatred. I've learned that a lot of people will throw morals and standards to the wind if they think there is something in it for them. I've learned that there are A. LOT of bonified nut jobs out there. I learned to enjoy the little things- the simple things. I learned to enjoy my own company. I've learned that solitude does not equal loneliness. I learned that things I thought weren't important at all, WERE and vise versa. </p><p><b><i>The greatest lesson I learned is to look for the bright lights. Though there are far fewer that I originally thought, they are still out there. And I learned that if you can't find one, you have to be one. </i></b></p><p>The dumpster fire isn't out by any means, the fuel has just changed a little. The four years of hate, lies and division sown by the previous administration has created the largest rift in this country since the Civil War. Only this time there is no territorial divide. We are all living side by side. Our current president is flailing about in an effort to unite people who are determined to continue the hate and division. People are more interested in their rights than their obligations or commitment to the common good so we aren't going to get this pandemic under control any time soon. Had we worked together, life would have been mostly back to normal by now, but instead, the health care system is still overwhelmed, the supply chain is breaking down more and more on a daily basis, we're headed into a recession and the virus has mutated to set its sites on our children who were largely safe from it last year.</p><p>2021 brought us a vaccine and while it's not perfect, it allowed me to go home to see Mum twice so far for 3 week stretches. Now that I work remotely, I can work anywhere-my kitchen table in WI or Mum's in Maine. That is a true blessing. As a community and a country, we are moving about a bit more freely now so I can have socially distanced visits with friends. Instead of restaurants, we meet in parks to sit and knit or go hiking. I still need my alone time to center and balance more than I ever did before. I need to limit my exposure to tv and social media commentary. The past year and a half has been fraught with anguish, inconvenience and hardship, but it was also an opportunity to slow down, really think about things and grow. I'm proud of myself for choosing that path. </p><p>Next post, I will return to the regular craft chat and inanity that I usually post, just wanted to let you all know where my head has been at while I was gone! :-)</p><p>With Grace, Grit and Gratitude,</p><p>Molly Bee</p>Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-52478786941659166032019-04-10T08:16:00.001-05:002019-04-10T08:16:28.940-05:00Sturgeon Bay Speed RacerI was in Sturgeon Bay over the weekend and went to see the Third Ave Playhouse's matinee of Shooting Star with Doug Mancheski and Amy Ensign. It was a great play about old lovers that meet up by chance years later while they are snowed in at an airport. The house was packed-sold out-which was great to see. This is such a wonderful theater and the plays I've seen there are intimate and outstanding! I'd never seen Amy act before and she was amazing! And of course, Doug was his usual magnificent self! He has such a range of skills. If you've only seen him in his comedic plays, you owe it to yourself to try and catch one of his shows at TAP and see his more serious side.<br />
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The average age of the crowd at this play was 75+. It's weird to be one of the 'youngsters' in the crowd at 54! Reminds me of the time I went to Irish Fest on a Burkhaulter tour bus out of Madison in my 30s. The average age on that bus was 812 and all they adopted me as the naughty grandchild. What a trip that was! But I digress....<br />
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So it's closing in on 2 PM when I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye and turn in time to see a man in a wheelchair careen down the sloped aisle and bury himself and his chair in the staging curtains by the right hand side of the theater. No one moved or said anything. I think we all thought it was the start of the show until he started asking 'What happened' and someone from up back came to get him. The man who rescued him told him that he shouldn't have been fiddling with his brakes on his chair, but the guy wasn't having any of it-kept insisting he was <i>pushed</i>. After I found out he was OK...it was pretty amusing. It was even more amusing when, during intermission, the lady to my left, who never moved during, or acknowledged in any way, the entire crash incident, asked me if I saw her husband 'wreck his wheelchair?' I said, "That was your husband?" She said primly, "Yes, the wheelchair thing is new."<br />
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After the play, I went up the aisle and there the guy was again, headed down-slope, fiddling with his brakes. I stood in front of him and said 'Hey, you already took quite a ride once there, Speed Racer! How about I give you a ride to the top of the hill?' He through that would be a fine idea so I did. By the time I got to the first flat level, the guy that rescued him from the weeds the first time came up and took over. I think his 'handler' was seated in the middle and couldn't get to him quickly when the fertilizer hit the fan! Poor old guy has got a steep learning curve ahead of him...literally.<br />
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As an aside, I wasn't the youngest person in the crowd. There was a ~10 year old and her mother sitting to my right. They knew Amy and the girl had flowers for her and was all dressed up special. There is a uber steamy scene in Act II. It's a pretty small theater and essentially the characters were making out pretty heavily right in our laps in the front row. The look on the little girl's face was absolutely hilarious. She finally looked down at her hands until it was over. I can imagine there was 'discussion' in the car on the way home. If I hadn't been driving alone, there would have been a discussion in my car too! LOL!<br />
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It was a lovely afternoon, highly entertaining on all fronts. Again, if you get a chance to go to S.B to TAP, I encourage you to do so. It's worth the drive!<br />
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-47563298664002822342019-04-05T16:00:00.001-05:002019-04-05T16:00:22.643-05:00One Starfish At A Time<br />
When I was younger, I went to Lincolnville Beach, Maine with my family. We were wading in the shallows and I found a group of starfish on the rocks. I held my left arm outstretched, palm up and lined several of them on the underside of my arm. I showed my folks, and examined them all closely before slowly tipping my arm thinking that they would all drop gently back into the sea-bloop, bloop, bloop. Imagine my surprise, and abject terror as it turns out, when they remained firmly affixed to my arm. To put it mildly, I panicked and lost my sh!t briefly! I just knew that they were dissolving the flesh of my arm with some kind of slimy, sucker acid. I marveled that I felt absolutely no pain even though I was obviously the first person in all of time to be killed and eaten by a marauding gang of starfish! Someone has to be first...just my luck.<br />
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I flailed around until I finally got it under control and realized that it was easy to pick them up and gently lower them back down to the sand. Apparently it was just the bloop, bloop, bloop scenario to which they objected, which I guess I can understand. I would hold on tight should someone try to drop me from a great height as well. The underside of my arm was unscathed and I went on to pick up many other starfish over the years with the understanding that if I try to drop them, they will dissolve my arm. Hey, They weren't on there that long enough for that hypothesis to be completely disproven to my complete satisfaction.<br />
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I was thinking about this story the other day when I was reminded of the Starfish Parable. I am long enough in the tooth at this point where I've come to an understanding that I am not going to make a huge impact on this life. I'm not going to be famous. Very few people will know my name and fewer still will remember me when I'm gone. So I have decided that- particularly in light of the lack of empathy, responsibility, politeness, common sense and courtesy I see around me every day- it's my job to smile at people, lend a hand when I can, and make a human connection with folks I meet. I've done this to a limited extent all my life, but now is the time to step up my game.<br />
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I may be the only person that smiles and acknowledges them that day. Our world right now is so self absorbed, we don't even see people right in front of us. I may be the one that perks up their day with a compliment. Maybe I can ease someone's struggle a little by holding that door, taking their cart to the return, helping to carry something for them, or just letting them know that I see them. So many of us walk through life feeling invisible.<br />
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The Starfish Parable is one of my favorites and I think of it often. It goes like this:<br />
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<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: customFont, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><b>One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.</b></i></span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: customFont, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><b>Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.</b></i></span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: customFont, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><b>The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”</b></i></span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: customFont, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><b>The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one!”</b></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.3em;">
It's such a simple, little concept but seems it has gotten lost in the world today. Everyone is isolated , selfish and self absorbed. Simple social etiquette seems to have gone by the wayside. I hear a lot less 'pleases' and 'thank yous'. I see and hear a lot less of us all treating each other with kindness, consideration and basic humanity. Maybe THAT's why I'm here. Maybe I'm won't make a big splash and wow the whole world, but if I can make many small ripples every day and make a difference to a person or two, that would be A-OK with me. Maybe I'll start a movement! </div>
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As an ironic aside, I've been <i>such </i>a fan of this parable since I first heard it, that a couple of years ago, I had a wee starfish tattooed on the bottom side of my left arm at the wrist. It doesn't come off...even if I tip my arm. </div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-81352052276020487962019-04-04T14:50:00.000-05:002019-04-04T14:50:17.325-05:00Providence in October Ain't Hard On the Eyes-Tales of a Zentangle(R) TeacherIn late October I was blessed to travel to Providence, Rhode Island to obtain my Zentangle Teacher certification. Southern New England is absolutely gorgeous in the late autumn. The fact that the seminar was held on the top floor the glorious art-deco Providence Biltmore Hotel, and my room was on the 12th floor, was pretty amazing too. The views were spectacular!<br />
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I always wanted to go to the seminar for the experience, but NOT to learn to teach. I told anyone that said, 'you should do classes' that was the last thing on earth I wanted to do. I would hate speaking in a roomful of strangers. And I had been to so many classes where there was always that <i>one annoying person</i> that kept derailing the class... and how would I ever handle that without Valium...or a mallet? Nope. Not cut out for teaching. Not for me. Never. BUT...then I got the unexpected opportunity to go-my company generously offered to send me if I would come back and lead sessions as part of our Corporate Wellness platform- so I jumped on it! I would enjoy the seminar and then 'suffer though' leading sessions at work as return payment. At least it was people that I knew for the most part. I could muddle through for that...so off to Providence I went.<br />
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The seminar was everything I dreamed it would be and more. The class itself was held in the grand ballroom. There were close to 160 people in my class from many different countries. We had classes on different Zentangle techniques and how to teach them. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas (who created the Zentangle method) and their daughters, Molly and Martha, were amazing teachers and warm, welcoming human beings to boot! There were so many creative students there. The artwork was dazzling. Everyone was super supportive of one another. It was very nurturing and Kumbaya. The rooms, service and meals were first class and there was entertainment in the evening after supper. I learned so much and made so many new friends! The three days flew by to quickly!<br />
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So now I was back in Wisconsin, with my teaching certification and a company that was waiting for me to lead team-building sessions. The chips had fallen...the fertilizer was about to hit the fan. Now I had to teach. Crap.<br />
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My first official class was for our Front Desk Coordinators team. It was a team building event/retirement party for one of the team members who was leaving. Since it was a combo thing, they chose to have it at a local tequila bar rather than on campus. Let that sink in a moment...a MEDITATION class in a TV filled, sports bar....with copious amounts of booze. Talk about trial by fire. I obsessed for days about all of the things that could go wrong, no, that <i>would </i>go wrong...how I would go down in flames my first time taxi down the runway. I settled on the notion that no matter how bad it was, I could console myself with tequila afterward as it was close at hand. I'm not a drinker but I was willing to become one if it all went sideways.<br />
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The big day came, I went to the venue and found that our 'area' was not a separate room, but just a cordoned off section in the dining area. It started at 3PM so there were few customers, but TVs were blaring from every available wall space. I asked the bartender if she could turn the ones in our section off and got a glazed stare. No one had ever asked that before. She had to work to find the remote. But we got them off. I set up and the ladies came and settled in. I know all of them, at least to say hello to, so it wasn't a 'stranger danger' situation. I had practiced all of the things I wanted to include and techniques I wanted to teach a million times in the weeks before the session. I was as ready as I'd ever be...which didn't feel ready at all!<br />
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I started in, looking out across the 12 friendly, smiling faces and it all immediately clicked and fell into place. I didn't even have to look at my notes. They were eager to learn and have fun. Creating art with the Zentangle method has been a huge part of my life for going on 10 years now. Everything just flowed and I LOVED it! I was sharing something that I find so much joy in with others. What could be better than that?<br />
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I panicked a little bit more when I ventured out to teach my next 'all stranger' class but it turned out the same way. It's not difficult to teach your passion to people who are eager and want to learn it! So I've been teaching way more that I imagined I would (which as you recall was ...<i>never</i>...except for the much dreaded 'indentured service' sessions for work). I enjoy it so much and am anticipating expanding my repertoire of class techniques in anticipation of teaching even more. I'm hooked!<br />
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One of the things I love the most is that everyone in the class sees and hears the exact same instructions but in the end, when we put all of the tiles together for a mosaic, every tile is different and each one is beautiful in it's own way. There is no right or wrong. That in itself is a lesson. I'll leave you with these two mosaics from my class last night. Tangle on!<br />
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-14361120225314699222019-03-31T12:29:00.003-05:002019-03-31T12:29:38.691-05:00Popping Up Again Like the Flowers of SpringWow! Five months since I've written on here! Doesn't seem like that long on the one hand....but on the other, it seems like 5 years! This has been the longest. winter. ever. To be fair, not a lot of earth-shattering, blog-worthy stuff has been happening, Maine for Christmas, work, teaching Zentangle, crafting, reading and trying to keep our sanity here at McCurdo Midwest. But it looks like to long months of house arrest are finally over. Our spring flowers are up-crocuses mostly. Once the 5 foot snowbank in the garden melted, we discovered that they had jumped the gun and were already 3-4 inches high under there! Bless their little hearts.<br />
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With the warmer (relative term) weather and the ice gone, long walks are once again on the docket. Love to take three or four miles through Prairie Park and watch the world waking up again. I have been bringing plastic grocery bags with me and picking up the trash and detritus of winter. That in itself is...interesting. Sometimes the combination of things tickles me. One day I found condom wrappers and a Fisher Price baby rattle. I thought to myself, 'Well, that didn't work!' Sometimes the reactions I get to picking up trash is worth the effort, like the day I returned with an overflowing bag of econo-sized vodka bottles and six packs of empty, hard tonic cans and my neighbor asked me if I had had a party out in the woods. Yeah-'cause that's how I roll. Do I look like I sneak off into the woods to drink? I hunker in my own dwelling to do that, Sir!<br />
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Mostly I get a lot of 'why are you doing that's? I started out saying things like, 'Gotta take care of the planet' or 'Looks better with out garbage all around'. But I got tired of the 'That's a great idea' and 'Awww! That's so nice' comments then seeing the same people out walking everyday sans garbage bags of their own. I figured I wasn't able to get the point across anyway, so for my own amusement I just started saying 'Community Service' or 'Work Release Program'. I think word has gotten around. I dont' get asked much anymore.<br />
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April is full of different things to do, a trip to Sturgeon Bay, teaching numerous Zentangle classes at work and after, Prairie Tangler's meeting...Just going anywhere without dressing up like a Lapland Reindeer herder is exciting.<br />
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I've decided I'm going to try to update this once a week if anyone is still hanging in there. Based on the comments from her minions about not having posted in so long, my stalker is still checking so that's something I guess. I know all of the folks back home are still buried in the white stuff so I will leave you with this... I hope all of the snow in your lives melts soon so you can peek your heads out of the holes and hollows and sniff the fresh spring air! Happy April!<br />
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-47513939443900140162018-10-25T15:38:00.002-05:002018-10-25T15:38:42.710-05:00Cooper and The Garden GuestI discovered earlier this summer that finches aren't the only thing that like my thistle seeds. Even though there is a plethora of seeds on the ground, this little daredevil shimmies up the iron pole, tightropes across the shepherd's hook, rappels down the rope and eats them directly from the source! <br />
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He's a tiny White-Footed Wood Mouse and I see him most nights when I take Moose out before bed. We chat a bit and then I leave him to it. As long as he stays outside, we don't have any issues. </div>
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Since he normally comes out after dark and I have closed the blinds way beforehand, Cooper has no idea that inches from his window seat hangs a potentially tasty hors d'oeuvre. That all changed the other night when I walked down to Gus's diner in the daylight to meet a friend for supper and didn't get home until well after dark. I came home to this!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5te2KBagC-xGyMSgDf9o-LXEYqmY4uAVP0iW8UUvsw4UJdazGh9TX3V9VniNhH3Lak11wlCjioL7XHZBXsAy9HnIBCyoEXgEpDIpp5dQXGE5MJXbQc3w4JSLeLSGtDZeX7Yp/s1600/43952135_10157976460427846_5914534557775822848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5te2KBagC-xGyMSgDf9o-LXEYqmY4uAVP0iW8UUvsw4UJdazGh9TX3V9VniNhH3Lak11wlCjioL7XHZBXsAy9HnIBCyoEXgEpDIpp5dQXGE5MJXbQc3w4JSLeLSGtDZeX7Yp/s400/43952135_10157976460427846_5914534557775822848_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Come here, little guy. I just want to be your friend. </div>
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So close and yet so far...I can't even stun him with my laser beam eyes!</div>
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Maybe if I climb up the window from the top of my cat tree, I can get the jump on him! Death from above!</div>
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He was going absolutely bananas so I finally closed the blinds. The minute I did, Cooper immediately curled up and went to sleep on his window seat! No trying to get through the curtains. No more meowing and carrying on....he was done. Out of sight, out of mind! Now I pull the curtains at dusk and we haven't had a problem since. I wish all issues were resolved this easily!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-52103541377359321092018-10-25T15:18:00.001-05:002018-10-25T15:18:31.827-05:00FossilsI can't believe how excited I still get over finding fossils out here. This whole area was submerged in the Cambrian Sea about 550 million years ago, so the ground is mostly a limestone base fulled with corals, trilobites, crinoids and shells. The beaches are full of fossils, as are rocks in quarries and even the landscaping rocks around businesses. I've been here 30 years and you would think I had found a finorkin' T-Rex every time I spot one. It's the little things I guess!<br />
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I found some beauties (to me) in Algoma.<br />
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Chain Coral</div>
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Chain Coral</div>
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I don't know but the black bits looks like the outline of a small crayfish. </div>
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Honeycomb</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMlR0YLxVPXmx_vP6VMYfJRTtFhyphenhyphenpv4cQSXzhlJ-tNWGbDULEUXqwJdR8uRJccIAKQSuqeZkbMy24knBGNME1EqpvmCxuXmkPGlGLjYpQATdMehMsl00MV55MiTQypWH51YVr/s1600/petosk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMlR0YLxVPXmx_vP6VMYfJRTtFhyphenhyphenpv4cQSXzhlJ-tNWGbDULEUXqwJdR8uRJccIAKQSuqeZkbMy24knBGNME1EqpvmCxuXmkPGlGLjYpQATdMehMsl00MV55MiTQypWH51YVr/s400/petosk.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />Honeycomb or Petosky. I'm not sure really. The holes are much bigger and darker than the other honeycomb pieces I found. <span style="text-align: right;">Here is the other side of it. I'm leaning towards Petosky.</span></div>
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Thought this was a lightning stone but it's just a rock with some kind of concretion. Still cool!</div>
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Crinoid fossil. Crinoids were organisms that looked kind of like segmented reeds. </div>
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This is just a piece of sea glass but I was happy to find it since it's one off the biggest pieces I've seen in a while and I've been hunting Lincolville beach every summer for years!</div>
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I stivered back to the car with my winter jacket pockets so loaded I could barely waddle, happy as a clam! Some people buy expensive souvenirs...how lucky and I that I'm happy with a rock!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-37809586970439181592018-10-25T14:51:00.000-05:002018-10-25T14:51:26.152-05:00Crazy Autumn/Respite in Door CountyIt's been a crazy autumn around here. I've loved it, but am eagerly anticipating a little bit of a slowdown after the holidays! At least I've got my Christmas shopping done. If I don't get it done by Halloween, I have failed. My dislike of being trapped in the Madison crowds and getting folded, spindled and mutilated at every turn, prevents me from enjoying 'holiday' shopping in the traditional sense. Thankfully the stores have their Christmas stuff out in August now so I can get a jump on it!<br />
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Work has been nuts, but I was able to get a couple of days to go up to Door County to see Northern Sky's production of 'Muskie Love'. Friend, Doug Mancheski, was in it. Someone told me that since I love 'Guys on Ice' so much, that I needed to see 'Lumberjacks in Love' (which I did two summers ago) and 'Muskie Love'. The perfect trilogy! 'Muskie Love's basic bones structure kind of lies in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' ..but as a musical comedy....set in a fishing village.... in Door County, Wisconsin... and the Packers are kind of in it. There is a character named DNR Doug that was hilarious! I loved the music and hope they put a CD out. Doug sang a song by Dave Hudson called 'On Green Bay' that was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes! What a voice and what a poignant song!<br />
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Stayed overnight in Fish Creek, since the play was at the Door County auditorium, had breakfast at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant (goats on the roof doncha know) in Sister Bay, and then did the fall foliage drive back by Northern Sky's soon-to-be new home before crossing over to the other side of the peninsula and going to Bailey's Harbor. My plan was to go to Whitefish Dunes State Park and fossil hunt on the beach. Great plan, except there was no beach! The water was so high and the winds so wild that the water was coming right up to the trees and the beach was closed. Instead, I walked up the shore the other way to Cave Point where things were really rocking and rolling!<br />
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I met a bunch of nice folks at the point and took pictures for a bunch of people with their cameras and cell phones. For some of them I'd take a picture of myself first. I like to think of them back home in Chicago, going through their vacation pics and wondering who the heck that lady is! I walked the path through the woods, along the cliffs, which are 2-3 stories above the water, and still got hefty doses of sea spray, although it was worth it to hear the water sing in the caves in the limestone cliffs-like Thunder Hole in Acadia x10! It was only 40° so I was glad to get back to the warmth of the car after an hour and a half outside although the walk totally restores the soul.</div>
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From there, I drove down to Algoma where there was a beach I could walk to look for rocks.</div>
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I'm glad it was a long beach because one half of it definitely belonged to these guys:</div>
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And I didn't want to have to sift though all their poo for the good rocks. Better to just stick to my end of the shore! There was a beautiful lighthouse at the goose end too!</div>
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Manitowoc and Two Rivers have a bike path/park that run down the entire length of the shoreline with placed to sit and watch the lake. It's absolutely gorgeous, no matter what the weather.</div>
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I went by it on the way up to Fish Creek and had wanted to stop on the way home, but after 90 minutes at Cave Point and another two hours at Algoma, I was cold and done in and still had about a 3 hour drive to get home so I just went back through Green Bay. I am relieved to tell you that I actually made it back over the scary, tall bridges in Green Bay. They are knuckle-tightening on a calm day and the winds were really whipping making them extra exciting! I may or may not have said a few swear words in amongst my prayers! I didn't invent any new swears, but I t strung the existing ones together pretty creatively while traversing a swinging concrete slab way up in the sky!</div>
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I had a wonderful time. The play was awesome. Visiting with Doug is always a pleasure and I got a little taste of the coast of Maine right here in the Midwest. I found lots of fossils, made new friends and didn't catch my death of pneumonia out traipsing around in the wind and rain. Can't ask for more than that!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-61714316264527911982018-09-20T11:11:00.001-05:002018-09-24T10:25:41.432-05:00Zenbuttons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been spending every free moment studying Zentangle materials for my CZT class at the end of October. I've been practicing the art and method Zentangle for about 8 years now, but I have only been doing what I enjoy so it's time to learn, or at least become familiar with, all of the things I haven't tried. If my company is being so generous with their money, time, and faith-sending me to class, the least I can do is be prepared!</div>
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So, I had seen the term 'Zenbuttons' bantered around but hadn't really investigated them. There is a section in the Zen Primer that talks about reticula and Zenbuttons stem from that, so I thought I ought to at least try it. What I saw online didn't grab me that much but I decided to do at least 5 so I could get the hang of it.</div>
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The first one I tried was with purple and black on a tan tile. It went OK but I wasn't thrilled with the process or the outcome. My outside circle was wonky, the highlighting was weak, and it just kind of sat there overall. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ0-C3tRy_IssXhyphenhyphenTJq_BBBRGs2ggRkkWqdHt0VFNhCwws-mbqm1JbSauh7aG753FaOxzJ0wohJ5flMpQXSijeq9Vls1_9Z4e3uf9s9G5HZWk_rneaOAr6ZHaGevrhHhhUOR8/s1600/first.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ0-C3tRy_IssXhyphenhyphenTJq_BBBRGs2ggRkkWqdHt0VFNhCwws-mbqm1JbSauh7aG753FaOxzJ0wohJ5flMpQXSijeq9Vls1_9Z4e3uf9s9G5HZWk_rneaOAr6ZHaGevrhHhhUOR8/s400/first.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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So I went back to the drawing board. (Pun intended.) I looked at the instructions and then at the first tile and decided all of the things I wanted to change with the second one. I used blue and black on a tan tile and put a Zengem in the middle. I like that one a little better but it still didn't pop for me.</div>
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For the third one, I decided to make more bands and spaces for the reticula to make it a little less clunky, stayed away from the strictly monochromatic colors and upped my white highlight to make it 'shinier'.</div>
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This is what it looked like before shading:</div>
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I was amazed at what a difference a little bit of graphite and white chalk could make. Finally, one I was happy with.<br />
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I guess the thing that I am most happy with is that I can see definite progress with each new button as I get used to the method.<br />
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That and the fact that while the process got a lukewarm reception at first, I <i>really </i>like doing them now and have idea for my last two already! Why is it that my inner three-year-old never learns to stop dragging her feet and just try something before she decide she doesn't like it!? Two more under my belt by the end of the weekend and then it's on to square medallions! Wheeeeee! Loving the ride!<br />
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Update: Finished the last two!<br />
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# 4 Orange Autumn</div>
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#5 Red and Black</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-10846616317529941062018-09-11T07:50:00.001-05:002018-09-11T07:50:44.040-05:00Diva Challenge 367-'NZeppleLaura's challenge this week was to use the tangle pattern 'NZepple. 'NZepple is one of my Mac and Cheese tangles. It appears in 90 % of my work. It's so relaxing to do and I love the way that, even though the same design is repeated over and over in a grid, it creates a secondary pattern.<br />
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I love to use it as is...like in the background of this tile.<br />
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Or make it wonky style and turn it into sea shells like in the bottom left hand corner of this tile. (Kudos to Margaret Bremner who first turned us on to this variation called 'Cockles and Mussels'!)</div>
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As long as 'NZepple, Hybrid, Quiltz, Mooka, and Zinger exist, all is right with my world! What are your Mac and Cheese Tangles?</div>
Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-82587585559023162752018-09-06T07:42:00.002-05:002018-09-06T07:42:25.803-05:00Diva Challenge 365: Back to BasicsLaura's back over at the Zentangle Diva site! I'm so happy to see her! It's been a long, boring summer without her! Her first challenge upon returning is one that gets us back to the basics of Zentangle-dots, frame, string, basic tangles. It's a particularly apropos one for me right now since I will be traveling to Providence in October to attend a class to become certified to teach Zentangle! Since I found out, I have been concentrating on getting back to basics so this challenge is perfect. It uses Hollibaugh, Crescent Moon and Printemps.<br />
Thanks for a great challenge, Laura!!!<br />
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-88236462005742367062018-07-10T12:59:00.001-05:002018-07-10T13:05:31.060-05:00DaVinci DaVotion and Lunchtime Luck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Although a lot of other groovy stuff happened, the main reason for going to the Mississippi River Museum was to see the traveling DaVinci exhibit they are offering this summer. I'm a huge fan of both his genius and his art so was delighted with the treasures that were available!</div>
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They took a lot of the sketches of inventions that he had created on paper and put them together in real life. This is the uber-creepy underwater breathing system he thought up. I think the white makes it more slimming, no? The backpack mounted on the front covers a multitude of sins! did he really envision that the air bell would be a two ton heavy thing made out of wood? I swear I've seen this guy on Doctor Who!</div>
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Some of the exhibits you could touch and some you couldn't. This was DaVinci's armored tank. You could get inside. I did and tried to take a picture but the resulting photo looked very confusing from that angle! I think the shape sort of looks like one of the lunar space capsules! I think I would like it for a She Shed! I'd replace all the metal hardware with a huge soft cushion of course, so it would be a cozy place to nest up and read a good book! I'm pretty sure that's what DaVinci had in mind anyway!</div>
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Vitruvian Man is one of my favs! Our company put out a tshirt quite a few years back with him on it.<br />
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Of course Mona was there. I love all of the theories! Was she a real person? Was DaVinvi himself the model? Was she pregnant-is that why her hands are that way? Mona just smiles enigmatically...she's not telling!</div>
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They also had a reproduction of The Last Supper. It was amazing to see it in its actual size! I've seen it in pictures all my life but I was amazed at all the things I had missed. I sat on a bench and looked at it a long time. I didn't get any great pics though because it was so big I couldn't get far enough away.</div>
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Of all the things, this was my favorite. I'm overwhelmed by DaVinci's notebooks. I've read every reproduction and also books <i>about </i>them. For a long time in my 20s, and as a keeper of journals myself, I had an unnatural obsession with them! The exhibit had 'archival quality reproductions'. I think that means 'really good fakes', but I loved seeing them anyway!</div>
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After the exhibit, it was lunchtime so I went down to the in-house cafe only to discover that I would have to put a second mortgage on the house to buy a hot dog. Diamond Jo Casino was across the street and I had noticed on the drive in that there were several restaurants in the complex (including a Subway), so I put $20 and my driver's license in my pocket, threw my purse in the trunk, and headed over. (This is the part where 'other groovy stuff' happened!)</div>
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I planned to buy lunch with the $20 and whatever was left over I would spend playing the penny slots for a few minutes before heading back to the museum to feed the stingrays. I got a lunch in a cafe and had a $10 bill and some change left over. I headed to the casino floor and put the $10 bill in a penny slot machine. Woohoo! That's a lot of pennies! Feeling flush, I opted for the max bet...80 tokens! .80 cents...big spender! I hit the button and as I did, I noticed that the machine allows you choose a denomination, .01, .02, .05 or .10 cents....and someone had left it on .10! Oh no! No! No! No! Undo! Undo! As I checked the display to confirmed that indeed-I had wasted $8.00 on <i>one </i>spin, the bells and whistles started. I just sat and stared as money started pouring into my account...a penny at a time. But by the time it was done....well....<i><b>this</b></i>!</div>
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I know right!? I didn't even give it one more go! I punched out, took my voucher to the cashier, got cash and hurried from the casino like I'd robbed the place. I kind of feel like I did! And I think I know why Mona has that look on her face. I had a similar one on my face for the rest of the afternoon!</div>
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All in all it was a lucky, lovely day and I had a wonderful time! Mona and I highly recommend it!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-40583548990639494232018-07-08T21:14:00.001-05:002018-07-09T10:32:33.184-05:00Octopus Hugs and Stingray Kisses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlUM9SZHVjq14fk-gD3zeQs7NxhbL93JBX3N0Z1HtIEHONCKzopcoZU836UugtQMJBuqFBYR5PB8JwWJi_hNs60-_DrhiEBqYuJCknmYq8mW8Wq8vY9R-raQ2PnTu_Anu9b4F/s1600/octopus+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlUM9SZHVjq14fk-gD3zeQs7NxhbL93JBX3N0Z1HtIEHONCKzopcoZU836UugtQMJBuqFBYR5PB8JwWJi_hNs60-_DrhiEBqYuJCknmYq8mW8Wq8vY9R-raQ2PnTu_Anu9b4F/s640/octopus+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wanna hug? This is the Pacific Octopus at The Mississippi River Museum. Isn't he a handsome fella? He was doing his morning hot laps when I arrived. He was practically running around the circle of his tank. He would only stop to investigate that pipe you see in the lower left. At first I thought that it was a piece that had somehow come off the aquarium, but turns out it's his toy. He would stop, stick an arm in it, turn it around a little and put it back down and continue on his way. I must have stood there for 20 minutes watching his antics. Better than the Kardashians any day!</div>
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I signed up to help hand feed the rays in the afternoon. This picture was taken from the second floor balcony. The kite-shaped ones are Cow Faces Sting Rays. Their noses look a lot like cow noses. Their wingspan is probably about 3-3.5 feet. They 'fly' all around the tank, using lots of energy so they get fed twice a day. That smaller, rounder ones are Yellow Rays. They are more sluggish and pretty much sit on the bottom of the tank so they are only fed in the morning. </div>
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I got there early and petted them for a while. They come over to the sides of the tide pool-like tank so you can run your hand down their backs. Some of them stick their faces out of the water to have a look at you. It's pretty neat. Just before they are fed, the staff makes everyone stop petting them until after they have been fed. This is so the rays don't get confused every time a hand is in the water.</div>
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The naturalist said that normally they have around 10-15 folks sign up and everyone gets around three pieces of fish to feed the rays, but that afternoon was inexplicably quiet and there were only three of us, so we got to feed them all the fish! It took 15 -20 minutes and was such a blast! Sometimes they are fed shrimp, but today's entree was smelts. You take a smelt and hold it between your fingers like a cigarette, then you slide your palm down the inside of the tank wall, about elbow deep, and they come from below and swim up your hand. When their mouth, which is quite far down on their underside, come in contact with the smelt, they suck it right out of your fingers. It feels like little stingray kisses! The Cow Noses are pretty messy eaters, but that's OK. The little Yellows zoom around the bottom like Roombas, vacuuming up any random bits that get missed.</div>
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It was such an amazing experience and I highly recommend it if you are in the Dubuque area. It might be a bit too intense for little kids, but pre-teens on up could handle it. Like I said, it was a fluke that there was only 3 of us, so sign-up early to be sure sure to be included! You too can add 'Stingray Food Transfer Technician' to your resume!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-61389067834332953312018-06-27T14:44:00.000-05:002018-06-28T08:23:36.685-05:00This Way To The Egress, Ladies and Gentleman! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I was out adventuring on Sunday afternoon, I saw a sign on the highway that said 'Scenic Overlook', so I pulled off the road and into the upper parking lot. I am a sucker for 'scenic' anything and also for those markers for historic places you come across sometimes. (In Maine we call them 'rocks with writing on them' because the metal plaques are usually attached to huge, usually granite, boulders, but here in WI, they are usually in the form of an actual wooden sign. But I digress...).</div>
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I knew it had to be something <i>really </i>beautiful because I was in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. The Saint Laurentide Ice Sheet never made it down this far in the last Ice Age. The area wasn't scraped clean by the rampaging berg and rushing waters, so it's all the original Cambrian seabed underneath. Lots hills and vales! I also knew, that if the powers-that-be thought it was important enough to build a groovy, and quite obviously spendy, pedestrian bridge over the highway so the masses could access this wondrous spectacle, it must be pretty. darn. amazing. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">So I set off across the well-maintained parking lot to the fabulous bridge. It was hot and humid and the whole thing was downhill, meaning that after I saw the amazing view, I would have to hike uphill all the way back, but I just knew it would be totally worth it! </span></div>
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Lovers had locked padlocks on the bridge to signify their eternal adoration for each other. It was sweet to see and I wondered why the bridge wasn't covered with locks in, what must be, a very high traffic area? Hmmm. A mystery to be sure!</div>
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Across the parking lot, over the swanky bridge, through another huge, well-mown and paved parking are ( for scenic view enthusiasts coming the other way on the highway) and I encountered this. Pretty, no? Look how well maintained it is-all mowed up nice. It was nice in the shade and there was no one else around which seemed a little odd but my excitement grew. I just knew that whatever was at the end was going to be SO worth it! I mean why else would they <strike>lure</strike>...er....invite people all the way down here?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRc6c6QMTzlmAx_k3WrnaH7L58LrT_Gk9-pxdUDEUcDlr4bZ29zfLbyq2yapYnYPVXEq9LEoNe1_KM6jLKQOStDAXKUB9oNivVps9kgHly8m81MItLlmbyCKzYSI85RmvZY2U/s1600/IMG_0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRc6c6QMTzlmAx_k3WrnaH7L58LrT_Gk9-pxdUDEUcDlr4bZ29zfLbyq2yapYnYPVXEq9LEoNe1_KM6jLKQOStDAXKUB9oNivVps9kgHly8m81MItLlmbyCKzYSI85RmvZY2U/s640/IMG_0833.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The path led to this little observation terrace. All the better to see the scenic view! What a great idea! They've though of everything! I rushed forward to see what I could see!!! And....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmnrhuxst2q6zNt3KNdeo5CdKjmrjVc86HcrtyJgF_Sk5kNFAg1_Kcj04Qf-BTaE_qs4oFRcevFlERldGYdd7LEH6vRKHnf0VulVpJl69fsNWQS9lt5wElA-EAZEPuyzJvopI/s1600/IMG_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmnrhuxst2q6zNt3KNdeo5CdKjmrjVc86HcrtyJgF_Sk5kNFAg1_Kcj04Qf-BTaE_qs4oFRcevFlERldGYdd7LEH6vRKHnf0VulVpJl69fsNWQS9lt5wElA-EAZEPuyzJvopI/s640/IMG_0834.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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View to the left.</div>
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View to the right.</div>
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Uh...wha???? <span style="text-align: center;">Is this the point in the horror movie when the crazy park ranger shows up with an ax, having enticed his victim into the wild? The surroundings were such a non-event that even <i>he</i> was a no show! </span><br />
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Either this was one of those scenic overlooks geared to much, much taller folk than I, or someone <i>forgot to install the scenic view</i>! The only thing around the end of the path was dense vegetation. No one had trimmed the sumac and other assorted growth for years. I couldn't even glimpse a <i>little bit</i> of 'scenic' through the underbrush and tree trunks. And now, I would have to walk uphill through a path, two parking lots and a bridge to get back to my air conditioned car! Doh! Fell for it again! Print the word 'sucker' on my forehead!<br />
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Looking back over my shoulder I could see that there maybe <i>used </i>to be a scenic view but those days, I'm afraid, are looooonnnnngggg gone.<br />
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Over the years, I've chuckled at the Scenic View sign on I-95 below Sherman, ME in the winter when it states 'Scenic View Closed'. ( I'm guessing because it's on such a big hill and they don't want to plow it the drive up there.) I always think, "how can they '<i>close</i>' the scenic view? Annnndddd, now I know.<br />
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To recap:<br />
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The ilk of what I expected to see...</div>
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Reality.</div>
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Heavy sigh. I really AM gullible. (I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was taken for a <strike>ride</strike>...er...walk, and I almost didn't write this for fear of ridicule, but if this post can save just<i> one person</i> from heading down <u><i>that path</i></u>, it will be worth it! Snicker...)<br />
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Now I have to petition the town of Dodgeville to change the sign to include the word 'Ustabeah' in front of 'Scenic View'. Until then, if you're in that neighborhood, don't fall for the shiny, shiny bridge and the promise of paradise....turns out it's just a parking lot!</div>
Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-42318458617466225322018-06-26T10:41:00.000-05:002018-06-26T14:29:41.672-05:00Governor Dodge State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I decided that Sunday looked like a good day for adventuring, so I headed over to Governor Dodge State Park for the afternoon. </div>
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I've only lived in Wisconsin for going on 30 years so I figured it was time. I had heard that there was a waterfall in the park so of course that was my goal. Turns out, it was just down the road a piece from the front gate so it wasn't hard to find. </div>
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The path through the woods was paved, short and very pretty until you get to this part (up at the top):</div>
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'Natural Rock Staircase'...my back pockets!!!</div>
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Climbing down was a lot scarier than these pictures make it look. It's all an uneven jumble of rocks to the bottom and pretty steep. Thankfully there is an iron pipe railing to hold on to or I probably wouldn't have attempted it. Some of the 'steps' are pretty far apart for those of us who are short on one end, but I made it to the bottom unscathed! I was rewarded with this bit of loveliness!</div>
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Stevens' Falls</div>
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Cave next to the falls.</div>
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The water is from a spring so it was ice cold and clear. I had to bide my time to take pics because people were wading there. </div>
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That little spring rill has been working on that bedrock a loooooonnnngggg time. </div>
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I made it back up over the scary, scary jaggedy, rocks unscathed! I wasn't even winded. I was so proud of myself...but of course this is my life we're talking about, and it was while I was standing back on the level overlook that I inhaled some kind of a bug and almost died to death from the coughing. It was an exciting few minutes while, thinking I was having some kind of an 'episode', strangers pounded me on the back, tried to get me to drink water, and discussed whether they should call the park rangers or Med Flight. Finally I could suck up enough oxygen to squeak, "I swallowed a bug", and there was a collective "Oh" and everyone went back to their business. Just once, I'd like to have a normal life...just once....</div>
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Because this was a family farm back in the day, there was also an old spring house nearby. It sits right over the spring stream and was used to keep things cool before refrigerators were around. I went in and it was easily 20° or more cooler in there than outside. It was also home to an amazing diversity of spiders but it was too dark to take good pics of them.<br />
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All in all, it was a fine afternoon. The only downside was that I wasn't the only one who thought of going adventuring. There were people everywhere! Every natural feature was crowded with folks-both the good and the obnoxious sorts. Made me wish for some of the Maine parks where you can go all day and only see a handful of people. When I'm in the woods or by the water, I like solitude and quiet. Weird for someone who is...now, let's phrase it nicely....'verbally and vocally gifted'...(read *a chatterbox* here). But we know that I am nothing if not an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum, deep fried in paradox oil and smothered in quandary sauce! Overall it was beautiful but next time I plan to go back either early in the morning, or in the off season when the camping traffic is less. </div>
Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-3475985847334491362018-06-18T15:30:00.002-05:002018-06-19T08:23:19.433-05:00For The BirdsMy life these days seems to have gone to the birds. Remember last summer when it was all about hawks for a while after I watched that one die on a live wire on Odana Road and took it to the police? For two weeks afterward I was inundated with close encounters with raptors. This new bird thing started when I was in Maine and a hummingbird got trapped in the garage. No amount of cajoling would entice him to fly out on his own, so I went up on a step ladder and plucked him out of the corner and took him outside. I sat with him in my open palm for a couple of minutes while he regained his composure and then he flew off. Gosh, that is the closest thing to magic there is; holding that shiny, emerald in your hand. It's like holding a fairy!<br />
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When I got home from Maine, I decided to put up bird feeders for the first time. Don't tell the birds, but I put them out by the front window so the cat would have something to keep him entertained-and they certainly do! I tinkered with it a dozen times, crawling in and out of the Hosta plants and trying to avoid all of the baby bunnies and ground squirrels that live under there. I was kinda thinking that I probably was investing a lot of time and effort on getting the pole straight and the feeders the right height and then the birdies wouldn't visit. I no sooner got in the house when I looked out (after hearing Cooper 'Ack Ack Acking' ) and the feeder was full of purple finches. The next day when I went out to adjust the feeder, a wee Yellow Finch landed right on my shoulder and sat there for 15 seconds or so while I froze in my tracks in disbelief.<br />
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Late last week, reports of an 'injured bird outside in the dooryard' started coming in from the kids. I went to look and discovered that it was a Mama Killdeer. She wasn't hurt, but she had made a nest and laid three eggs in the landscaping stones in one of the medians in the middle of the parking lot!<br />
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I sent an email to our entire building explaining that she was nesting and not hurt and I threatening the life of anyone who bothered her. Now to wait for the itty bitty babies to arrive and keep them safe from the tons of various rubber and steel that careens around back there as the wee ones learn to totter about!</div>
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And the cherry on the bird sundae that is my life happened on Saturday while I was driving home from the library. I was sitting at a four-way stop when a Starling decided to fly in my open sunroof and make himself at home in the back seat. 'Making himself at home' would imply that he was comfortable back there though and he wasn't. He was flapping around panicked, and I was Tippi Hendren-ing in the front seat. I finally got calmed down and got through the stop sign, pulled over and opened the doors. Both back doors, both front doors and the sun roof and he still couldn't find his way out. They don't call them 'bird brains' for nothing! I finally got a gentle hold of him and released him into the wild...to fly into someone else's sunroof. I'm not an Uber you know! Especially since I was paid with a handful of bird poo! I do intend to petition that their name be changed to 'Startlings' though. Because they certainly are when they are going all Hitchcockian in your Huyndai!</div>
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Isn't it weird how occurrences happen one after the other like that? I guess Mother Nature liks a good bundle deal as well as the next gal! </div>
<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-61515558923736980502018-06-11T08:36:00.002-05:002018-06-11T08:37:50.379-05:00New Tangle Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been tangling my brains out this spring for stress reduction. I've been ruminating on these new tangle ideas for a while, so last night I took a couple of hours and put them together for my Tangle friends who will be meeting up this Saturday. I'd love it if any of you tanglers out there would be so kind as to try one or both and see what you can do with them!</div>
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-85626965231844946352018-05-02T09:37:00.001-05:002018-10-25T16:10:22.554-05:00The Tale of Two KiddiesOften when I am out and about, I am a magnet for old folks, odd folks, and small children. For whatever reason, they overlook the curmudgeonly, essence of pure evil that is 'me' and actively seek out conversation. I don't know why...but I like it. I was at the grocer's recently when a young lad (just turned three according to his mother) who was in the seat of the cart ahead of mine in line said, "Can I tell you something?"<br />
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I always say 'yes' even though it's a crap shoot with the little ones as to what will be revealed. It's often something benignly obvious like, 'you have a purse', or embarrassingly obvious 'you have a boogie in your nose'. Sometimes it's worse...'You're a doody head' is one of my all time favorites. But I steeled myself, said 'sure' and this little guy said, and I quote, "Did you know that tapirs are pachyderms, same as elephants?"<br />
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Huh? Thud! That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. I'm not often speechless, but I was for at least thirty seconds. [I know. You should have been there. It was something to behold.] Here was a (just) 3 year old, with perfect diction, channeling the late Steve Irwin! I was wholly unprepared. I looked at his mum and she just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes in a 'whatta-ya-gonna-do' way. When I finally gained my wits, the three year old deep inside (but let's face it, she's not as deep down as I'd like to keep her most days) decided that she would <i>not </i>be bested by a <i>36 month old</i>...especially in the animal department, and retorted "Yah, but did you know that a Possum is a marsupial like a kangaroo?"<br />
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He never paused, never missed a beat, never raised a tiny little eyebrow. He just said, conversationally, "Yeah, 'cause they both carry their babies in their pockets." OMGosh! I had found my soul mate! We chatted non-stop about amazing animal facts and characteristics until his mother dragged him away to take her groceries to the car. It was surreal! Much to his mothers consternation, she ended up parked next to me in the lot and we chatted more when I came out and before she could get him buckled in his car seat and away from the crazy lady. That mum is doing something WAY right! I want to stake out the grocery store and talk to that wee one lots more!<br />
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Conversely, I was in a big box store after that and heard a tot (probably in the 4-5 year old range) running from aisle to aisle chanting something at the top of his lungs. His mum was in hot pursuit. As he rounded the end cap and passed me, he looked right at me and yelled 'There's a skeeter on my peter, whack it off!" He continued to bellow it over and over, running gleefully, dodging in and around the shopping carts. I'm sure there was an older brother somewhere giggling over the new phrase he'd taught his younger sibling. The mum finally nabbed him down by the Froot Loops and it was only with much wrangling and a firmly placed hand over his mouth, that she got him to quiet down. I could still hear him mumbling it into her palm however. I think she was in for a long afternoon and big brother was in for a whoopin' later!<br />
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So, as I said, it's a crap shoot when interacting with the Pampers generation, but I must admit, while the first encounter was absolutely delightful, I was, not equally, but also amused by the wild child on the lam. I don't know what that says about me, and I'd rather not know, I guess. I'll just keep saying 'yes' when tots want to 'tell me something' and file this under 'A Tale of Two Kiddies'.<br />
<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-27529553834613956122018-04-16T14:56:00.002-05:002018-04-16T15:45:38.011-05:00Sun Ain't Nevah Gonna Shine Agin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week...</div>
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This week.</div>
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In an effort to not lose my ever-loving mind, there has been <i>lots </i>of knitting and drawing going on at Chez B for the last several days. Lack of sunshine and Vitamin D deficiency leads one to do many unusual things...like knit wee sweaters that won't fit anyone. </div>
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Then look at it and think..."I can make a smaller one!" </div>
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So you do...just to make sure it <i>really</i> doesn't fit anyone...except maybe a hamster or a gerbil. And you know that if you had one, maybe a gerbil named Stewie, you would try it on him and if it fit, you'd make him a large wardrobe of knitted goods. You contemplate obtaining a gerbil. This is the only time when impassible roads are a good thing. If not for them, you would have 75 Stewies by now. </div>
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Then you think that maybe it's not healthy to knit tiny things that won't fit anyone except maybe a gerbil named Stewie who you can't get to the store to buy, and decide to just doodle instead. You let the pen wander...let your subconscious go where it will. Then when you finish, you look and you have a squid strewing around his Polaroid collection and you realize that maybe this cabin fever problem is a little bigger than it appears on the outside. </div>
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So you tried to batten down the mental hatches, ignore the outside world, and go to your happy place....There are always dragonflies in my happy place. </div>
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And then you try my new tan tiles and markers that you got at the Artist's Coop in Sturgeon Bay. </div>
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Nothing is really working. I'm still akin the the grumpy robin above. It's a struggle to hang on to the positivity these days!</div>
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There one was positive thing I guess. It was Cooper's 5th birthday yesterday. We celebrated by lavishing treats and snuggles all over him . The treats he appreciated...the snuggles...not so much. He has mellowed a bit in the last couple of years. My other friends with rowdy cats say that they calm down with age. Another 15-20 years and he's going to be such a lovey!!! Pray for sun, People! For all of our sakes! </div>
Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-46681491669772747772018-04-09T14:17:00.000-05:002018-04-09T14:17:02.065-05:00Adventures in Sturgeon Bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
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I took a three and a half hour drive up to Sturgeon Bay in Door County yesterday to see Doug Mancheski in Gray's Anatomy, a monologue by the late Spaulding Gray. Doug is an amazingly talented actor and this was one of Gray's works that I wasn't already familiar with, so it was a real treat. Having only seen Doug previously is musical comedies, I was blown away by his range, which was really displayed in this one: wry humor, cynicism, love, fear, desperation, the terror of facing aging, illness and death. His delivery made me forget that I was listening to Spaulding's story. It just sounded like Doug was telling <i>his </i>story for the first time, not lines rehearsed and rote...truly masterful! I enjoyed it so much. If I lived closer I'd go again. For my friends in that area...run, don't walk to the Third Avenue Playhouse.</div>
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Viewing it superficially in the moment as a performance observer, my emotions were pulled everywhere-in the best possible way. Pondering it all in the quiet of the car on the drive home; aspects of Doug's stunning performance, the monologue itself and how closely it hits home right now, the knowledge of Spaulding's suicide in 2004, I became so overwhelmed that I sobbed halfway back to Green Bay. I didn't see that coming! It was very cathartic though... and only mildly terrifying at 70 m.p.h. on the highway!</div>
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I regretted that I had to say 'no' to going out for a drink with Doug and his friends when they invited me after the show. I was worried about getting back to Madison before the snow hit. Now I see that's it's lucky I didn't go after all. I would have hated to collapse into a weeping heap in a bar in Sturgeon Bay! That's a spectacle best performed in the comfort of the driver's seat of a Hyundai Elantra! </div>
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I got to Sturgeon Bay about 11:00 am and the play wasn't until 2:00, so I had an wonderful time visiting the local shops on Third Ave (there is an art supply store to die for) and going down to the water to see the huge ships and birds. I guess I was really absorbed in 'living it' because I forgot to take pictures except for this odd one of a bridge. It isn't even the cool drawbridge...and it doesn't have any of the big ships in it. I think I was after the water diamonds, and they don't even show up! You'll all just have to take my word for it that it was gorgeous!</div>
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I got trapped in a filling station for 20 minutes by a weird guy who looked like Indiana Jones. He had the hat and the leather jacket and looked perfectly normal, but he had a really big brain....and it was filled with LOTS of information...and he was determined to tell me ALL of it. His super-power was that he required no oxygen to survive and never paused for a nanosecond between one random tidbit of information and the next. As a veritable fountain of useless information myself, I was temporarily stunned and fascinated and thus trapped for longer than I normally would have been, before I finally came to my senses, darted between the Slim Jim rack and the beer pyramid and escaped. These kinda folks always find me!</div>
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I came straight home after the play (see above). There was more traffic going back than there was going up but it was still light, which was good since apparently it's permissible to go 108 gigabillion miles an hour on the southbound lanes! All of the other cars were doing it, Mum! I kept getting stuck in their slip stream! I did slow down a bit through the Horicon Marsh flyway where the skies were filled with water birds of all kinds migrating through-absolutely gorgeous! I arrived home unscathed (for the most part) before dark and before snow! Victory! I definitely need to spend more time getting to know the Fox Valley area in the future. It's beautiful and not as far away as it seems.</div>
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Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-8862010061979101922018-04-09T12:15:00.002-05:002018-04-09T14:37:14.336-05:00Diva Challenge #359 String Theory: Finger StringerI liked doing this week's <a href="http://www.iamthedivaczt.com/2018/04/weekly-challenge-359.html">Diva Challenge</a> but as I looked at it when I was finished, I realized it would have looked a lot better if I hadn't extended the pattern in the index finger clear to the wrist. But my policy has always been to post the first attempt, not matter how lousy, because 'there are no mistakes in Zentangle'. I'm just thankful that it was the index, and not the middle! :-)<br />
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Thanks for the great tangle challenge, Laura!</div>
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Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-3776625354971263502018-04-06T11:39:00.001-05:002018-04-09T09:19:15.357-05:00The Winter of Our DiscontentIt has been a long winter in Wisconsin. Around Christmas and the New Year, I long for the quiet, dark days between January and the end of March. But then by April, I am so sick of my own company and the craft projects I was once so excited to work on when things <i>finally </i>slowed down, that I'm ready to climb a bell tower with a Nerf gun. I am so. over. winter. I feel kind of guilty about it since I have friends and family back home in Maine that <i>MAY </i>get summer on July 7th from 2:00-4:00 PM this year...<i>IF </i>they are very, <i>very </i>lucky and the finorkin' snow. would. just. stop. But none-the-less, we (the royal we, doncha know) are neck deep in The Season of Grumpiness and Feeling Sorry for Ourselves.<br />
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I thought it was over a couple of weeks ago when the temps SOARED into the 50s, my crocuses woke up, the neighbors were out running around in their shorts and flip flops. In the spirit of true disclosure, most of them wear shorts all year round, but I digress. The dreaded snow and cold came back earlier this week. After a week of being able to walk my three miles a day without body parts falling off and having a bit of heat in the car in less that 15 miles (work is about 12 miles away), it was over as soon as it began. I swear, the relapse of the Grumpy and Sorry for Ourselves disorder is even more dehabilitating than the original malaise!<br />
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I get elusive glimpses of spring which get my hopes up and then, like right this very minute, I look out the window and it's snowing. Again. Mother Earth hates me and does not want me to be happy. Maybe I should learn to embrace winter more. Let's look at my options:<br />
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<li>I could take up skiing, but those of you who know my propensity for mishap in the most elementary of situations would surely agree that strapping two slippery sticks to my feet and hurling myself off the side a mountain is probably not in my best interest. </li>
<li>I could take up ice fishing but I can't poke the worms. In the summer, I have been very successful with mini marshmallows and bits of Ballpark franks, but I'm not certain if the fish, who surely are also grumpy and feeling sorry for themselves from being iced in all winter, would be as receptive. Hot dogs and s'mores are more of a summer bait. </li>
<li>I used to love to skate, but the public skating rinks and large clear lakes here don't have the cattails and alder trees that I am used to from the swamp skating of my youth. Kind of loses something without that challenge. </li>
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I guess I'm going to have to just suck it up and just hang on by my fingernails 'til the sun comes out, we can move about the land freely, and I can start complaining about the heat and humidity again. As well as starting a countdown to the cooler days of autumn and festivities of the holidays!<br />
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Until then...for those of you sporting a paddle in the same leaky vessel I'm in...<br />
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<br />Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28560582.post-32673900864131875342018-03-26T10:24:00.002-05:002018-03-26T10:24:35.517-05:00Diva Challenge-ParadoxI was going through a particularly un-arty period lately. To get the ball rolling again, I got a poster sized piece of paper, divided it into random spaces and...well...I '<a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs023/1101168872594/archive/1101993126719.html">Paradoxed</a>' the heck out of that bad boy! No thinking, no planning, just lines, lines lines! Very soothing, even if it's not very beautiful. It gave me the kick start I needed to continue on with more inspired projects. This week's Diva Challenge is a mono-tangle using '<a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs023/1101168872594/archive/1101993126719.html">Paradox</a>' so I'm submitting it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rMapbMrg6p2RUMvokej7FUJ1_nTMoxZb3afobEqVU9jeb4r7f5a8XRtLr5n5lvGZhjf8bZ3dYPmCVXh_AOR757htWk7vDP5eTVt_ZMTNUFu3u-LHyre7rn55mm80mk2pClZE/s1600/paradox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="960" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rMapbMrg6p2RUMvokej7FUJ1_nTMoxZb3afobEqVU9jeb4r7f5a8XRtLr5n5lvGZhjf8bZ3dYPmCVXh_AOR757htWk7vDP5eTVt_ZMTNUFu3u-LHyre7rn55mm80mk2pClZE/s640/paradox.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Equinox Paradox</div>
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It was recently (yesterday) brought to my attention (thanks, Mum) that I haven't updated my blog 'in forever'. I'll try to remedy that. It's actually a <i>good</i> thing when I'm too busy living life to document it!</div>
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Molly Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11759768335962930168noreply@blogger.com7