Well I don’t know about the book. I guess I’ll put that on my to-do list and find out. So just what have I been doing in my long absence?

Well, I’ve been gardening (I have 2 gardens, both small.)

mowing

raking dead fall

tools of the trade

burning brush

my brush pile

improving ditch drainage

fun? not

sewing

lots of hours

and playing lots of online solitaire

a waste of time?

Yes, I’m addicted!

naturally colored eggs

Eggs have been associated with springtime and Easter for centuries. Our association with eggs generally reaches back  to the beginning of time. Without doing much research my guess is that we color eggs we are trying to mimic nature since there are many different colored bird eggs.

Here is my attempt to replicate my grandmother’s method of coloring hen eggs. I can’t remember exactly the steps but I have had a go at it. I tried it twice: the first time I was multitasking, not a skill I am good at and thought I’d soften the skins in the water with the eggs. I had skins from both red and yellow onions. Well, I decided I had to try again. The second time I wrapped the eggs with dry skins (I had no more red ones by then.) It worked a lot better. Just a note before I describe the steps I took: I know my grandmother was frugal and was unlikely to have had access to colored dyes suitable for food (or otherwise) so it was an almost painstaking act of love to color the eggs with onion skins. So here goes, my Easter/springtime excursion into egg dying.

1) start with cool dry hard boiled eggs.

2) wrap dry onion skins around eggs carefully so as to not crack the shells. Layer 3 to 4 skins on each egg.

3) wrap egg with fine string or thread. I used thread and thought it worked fine.

4) In an appropiate sized glass bowl, mix equal parts of warm water and vinegar. Place eggs in water and weigh them down.

5) After twelve hours I unwrapped an egg and thought it was not dark enough so I re-wrapped it and replaced it in the vinegar water with the others.

6) After about 20 hours I called the project finished and removed the eggs, unwrapping them. I like the marbling effect the onion skins have on the shell and think that if one were to practise they could make some really cool looking eggs.

So, that’s it. I found the classy chocolate, Flopsy Cottontale and added my very much used and loved copy of Beatrix Potter’s classic. Happy Easter.

I have, for quite a while been taken with hats and fascinators. Millinery is an art and I don’t have the motivation to invest in all the trappings to begin quality hatwear but thought I’d try my hand at fascinators. According to Wikipedia, a fascinator is a headpiece, originally a fine lacy head covering similar to a shawl made of wool or lace but mostly feathers. A style of millinery that today with hats is worn with somewhat formal attire.

Modern fascinators are bigger than a barrette and made with feathers, lace, ribbon, flowers, beads and even veils attached to the hair by means of a comb, headband or clip. They are worn to proms, weddings and the horse races, maybe with an Easter dress? At least that is what I had in mind for the premier ones I made just this week. They are suitable for little girls, at least size-wise, being 1 3/4″ by 3″

Having several sessions online to educate myself on the construction of these lovely items, I’ll explain how I made mine, but first a bit of trivia: Royal Ascot, England’s famous (horse) racing event, attended by HM Elizabeth II and by her decreed in 2012 that women must wear hats to the event and not fascinators. If you choose to look you will see that some can get pretty outrageous. Mine are subtle in comparison. (picture #1)

First, I gathered my material. (picture #2) I determined that I would sew everything in place and avoid glue. I cut ovals out of felt, then immediately made my first mistake. I sewed the barrette onto the felt which did not work out in the end. (picture #3) After a redo, I began sewing the lace around the perimeter of the oval, then added feathers, silk flowers, ribbon, and buttons. That is the yellow one. (picture #4) On the blue one I tried the same approach but had another redo on that one when I was dissatisfied with the results. (picture #5) It had to do with the feathers but the second time I used a silk leaf and strung some beads for that one. (picture #6) Not wanting to quit just yet I finally made a pink one, 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ a bit larger than the minis. This one has no perimeter of lace, just more feathers (picture #7) and silk flowers, sweet peas, (picture #8) with some shiny lace at the top. (picture #9)

I found that sewing the barrette onto the bottom of the felt when the decoration on top was complete worked out for me quite well. I used sturdy thread and bound the barrette from one end to the other. (picture #10) Then I did use fabric glue to attach another oval to the bottom. It made a more finished look. I made a small slit in the oval cover to slip the barrette through. (picture # 11) Looks nicer than my first attempt.

I think there are as many designs as sessions for making fascinators but I could make some all the same, say for bridesmaids, if I chose. This was a satisfying experience for me and one that I plan to repeat. Have fun with your craft projects!

Beginning with ancient observances, Lupercalia, the longest lasting Roman pagan festival, began about 750 B.C. and went by the wayside 1200 years later. Although celebrated February 13-15, Lupercalia had little in common with our modern Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t about love and romance but an annual fest of purification. This was before January and February were added so the fest was at the beginning of the new calendar, an attempt at purification or out with the old, in with the new. (unspoiled as yet) “Luperci” ran through the streets of Rome and struck any men and women in the way with goathide whips. Later a goat was sacrificed. Striking women was about fertility and women bared their backs for the thong.

The 2nd of February is Candllemas Day, the Christian festival of Lights, marking the midpoint of winter. The 14th, St. Valentine’s Day, was the day that birds chose their mates or so it was thought. It is also the month of leap year, every 4 years.

Then there are Shrove Tuesday, 40 days before Easter and Ash Wednesday, many times found in the month of February.Perhaps Madi Gras and Carnival have their origins in the early festivals, only Christianized. So February is a busy month and the shortest, even in leap years. Enjoy the longer days. Ciao.

The new year is well under way with January almost over so I guess I can stop looking back, except one can’t, can one? If we just don’t dwell in the past we’ll be alright. So that got me thinking about the names of the months and I remembered that January is named for Janus, Roman god of doors or the beginning and ending, hence the looking back and the looking forward. I have never been a great one for New Year’s resolutions. I figure if things are that bad I should have been doing something long before waiting for the new year to change my ways.

One thing I have come to enjoy a lot are new calendars. They hold so much promise and I like the pictures. I remember growing up with a very large calendar (it seemed to me) from the local feed mill where my dad went every week for the mash for his animals. It had no pictures on it.

Anyway, a few random notes about 2012: it’s a leap year, it began on a Sunday which made a Friday the 13th in January (and also 2 other months this year)  and it is an election year. Boy, we’d have to be hiding under a rock to have missed the primaries so far, huh?

In keeping with my recycling theme, I have to end with a note about finished calendars. What do you do with them? I use them as background for scrapbooking and greeting cards. Here’s to the last few days of January before we begin a new month.

here is what I did, getting wet in the process. Remember it was raining. First I gathered 5 # cottage cheese containers, duct tape (a salute to Macgyver) and my garden hoses. Then I cut a circular hole in the bottom of the containers just a bit smaller than the male end of the hose and carefully inserted the hose into said hole. I say carefully because the first attempt ended in a busted bottom (not mine!) After I got the hose end into the container I used a judicious amount of duct tape to tape the hose into place, both inside (a lot) and outside (not so much) Now I was ready to try out my answer to the problem.

After stretching out the hose to a lower level away from the house I placed the container under the downspout, all the while trying not to displace the tape. It worked! After I created a siphon that is. So I was pleased and it definitely got me motivated to choose a conveyance for the rainwater being channeled from the gutters to the downspouts. Below you can see the steps I took, MacGyver style, and the results of my choices to replace the tubs and hose. Looks a little better. The only question I have now is if the flexible tubes are going to be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. I like the splash guards but they didn’t come in long enough sections to carry away the water so time will tell. I am hoping warm temperatures will evaporate the moisture but I have my doubts. Until next time, happy problem solving!

I like the story (ies) because they are a nice change from the up-to-date detective stories with CSI, Criminal Minds type forensics and computer data that somehow solve the crime. Carmine and his detectives use deduction, logic and reasoning to a successful end. I also have to declare that I am a sucker for detective novels so I am always happy to find another prolific author. More on that later. The titles of the novels are On/Off, Too Many murders and Naked Cruelty.

Another great thing I like about Colleen McCullough is her writing style; more specifically her use of language. She is one of the very few authors I read that uses words with which I am not entirely familiar. As I have devoured the Carmine Delmonico series, I have taken to have a tablet and pen nearby to write the words I would like to know more about. I read popular literature, no Homer for this kid, so it’s a step up for me to come across words in my reading that I don’t not know. However, I have to say that my study of Latin helps, giving me a good idea of the word’s meaning. So, that being said, I have a list for my readers of a few of the words Mrs. McCullough uses that I had to look up along with their meanings. See if you can match the words to their meanings.

1. abjure                                                                                              a.      newly hatched

2. attenuate                                                                                        b.     a paralytic poison

3. confabulate                                                                                    c.     to make bloodless

4. curare                                                                                              d.     to tell about

5. exsanguinate                                                                                  e.     compliant

6. klatch                                                                                               f.      gossip

7. loquaccous                                                                                      g.     a timid person

8. milquetoast                                                                                    h.     whispers

9. obsequious                                                                                     i.      noisy, vehement

10. penumbra                                                                                     j.      cool composure

11. prurient                                                                                         k.     renounce

12. salubrious                                                                                     l.       dilute

13.  sangfroid                                                                                      m.    recant

14.  squabbed                                                                                      n.     lecherous

15.  susurrations                                                                                 o.     chat

16.  versify                                                                                            p.     fond of talking

17. vociferous                                                                                       q.     healthy

Hey, I’m not claiming to have a good command of the English language. I do however like to broaden my horizons and that includes learning and using words new to me. I did a quick calculation:  100 words, 3 books averaging <335 pages, so a new word every 10 pages. That’s a challenge when the books I read have no words that I don’t know. Is that a double negative? I always loved grammar. Till next time, Ciao!

candy tin

Here is my 2011 holiday craft project. I am all about ‘reuse and reduce’ so this activity was just my style, as the song goes. Plus, I like candy and like to gift it so there you go. The containers are easy to make. All one needs is some flat cardboard, a glue gun and recycled wrappers. They can be from anything, just use your imagination.

Give it some thought and the idea can be expanded to create more than candy containers. How about a small fruit ‘basket’ or back to school packet of pencils, post it notes and flash drives?

Here is how I did mine. Perhaps you can improve my steps and be more efficient.

Step I: Cut a piece of flat cardboard about 7″ x 12″  Also cut a 1 & 1/2″ circle of cardboard.

Step II: Score one of the long sides in  2″ strips about 3/4 to 1 inch wide.

Step III: Roll the cardboard into a cylinder and apply a strip of glue to one short side but not the cut edges.

Step IV: Set tube on its top and begin folding in the scored edges to create the bottom of your tin. Place a small amount of hot glue occasionally to form the bottom but you don’t have to glue every piece. It will make the surface too bulky. Also glue the circle you cut earlier in the center of the bottom to make it nicer looking in case anyone looks at it.

Here are Steps I through IV:

Steps I & II

Step III

Step IV

Step IV

OK, now your ready to cover with the wrapper(s) of your choice. I chose the Hershey wrapper for the really big milk chocolate and chocolate with almonds. Repeat step III with the wrapper. (This is step V in case you’re counting.) I applied the glue to the cardboard and centered the wrapper on the tube, then wrapped it around. Next I folded in the top (Step VI) and under the bottom (Step VII) after applying the thinnest line of glue to the inside of the tube and around the edge of the bottom and Voila! I had my candy tin ready to fill. If I had to do it over again I would have made the tubes shorter, maybe 5″ x 12″ instead of the original 7″ x 12″ because I found that it holds A LOT of candy but the larger one works well for a family. I am trying to come up with other things to fill the tube with besides candy, maybe tangerines or other fruit.

Step VI

Step VII

So there you have it: my 2011 holiday craft project. I seem to come up with at least one every year because I am just naturally a crafty person, just not, I think,  crafty enough!

batik with peace signs

First I couldn’t find any cute bandanas when I really wanted one

so I went fabric shopping. A nice batik with peace signs and tie

dye in bright colors caught my eye. Here it is already cut. I first

cut 22″ pieces and then cut the 44″ width in half so that I had the

right size.

preparing to sew

Next I got out my iron. Well, I had actually set it up before so it’d be hot. I like to press my seams before sewing. That way I  have a better chance of having a neat seam.  I didn’t actually begin to sew until I experimented with attaching the washcloth to the long side of the triangle, that’d be the hypotenuse.  When I was  finally ready I attached the washcloth at the same time I closed the seams.

backside of finished bib

Here’s the finished bib, underside.

topside

and topside

folded bib with card

Here is my finished bib, folded and ready for gifting with my own

exclusive handmade card. On the back of the card I compare the

universal signs of the dove and the peace sign and how they need

no words to signify their meanings. I also “talk” a little about the

origins of the peace sign and the meaning of its design. I actually learned a lot about it that I didn’t know.

I had a lot of fun making the bibs and cards. I am hoping that the bibs work out well for the new parents that receive

them. They look quite big compared to the tiny ones I see in stores. Well, maybe they’ll take care of big messes!