Devastation...But Still Finding Something to Smile About!

      I meant to share this photo with y'all yesterday. This was the only thing hubby and I could see when we opened our window blinds before sunrise yesterday...a full moon...a beautiful full moon!...And when the sun finally came up, all we saw were some light breezes making their way through the backyard, and one lone roof shingle in the middle of the lawn...

      Considering what hurricane Sandy could have done here, we're thankful for the scenes out of our window. It's certainly different up and down the east coast...especially in New York and New Jersey!...On the news this morning I heard that there are now 51 dead, and at least 2 still missing.
       Besides the loss of life, there are 6.8 million people out of power, a fleet of New York city yellow cabs under water..along with the Brooklyn Battery tunnel and at least 46 miles of submerged subway!...There are fires burning uncontrollably along the Jersey shore, and entire beach towns that have been wiped away!...Even the famous amusement park and Merry-Go-Round were demolished!
        There's even one town that's flooded, with the smell of gas and the sound of hissing gas mains, where people are needing to be rescued, but where there's  and no way to get all of them out yet! One spark, they say, and the whole area will blow up!
       That's exactly what did happen in Breezy Point in New York...111 homes, after two explosions, I think it was transformers, burned to the ground!...Add to this fierce winds, snapping of tree after tree, and chest high water on flooded streets, and you begin to feel what it must be like to look out your window along the east coast of the united states this morning! :-(

     You know me though. I had to find something that was worthy of a smile in all of this...and I found more than one! :-) ...There were some little babies who were on respirators that were transported from one New York hospital in the affected area to another hospital by loving nurses who carried them, nuzzled up safe, bagging them with oxygen by hand through the ordeal!
        And at least two babies were delivered at the height of the storm: little Magdeline weighing 7.9 pounds, and little Liam weighing 5.2 pounds! Little Liam's mommy had a real harrowing time! She went into labor just as Sandy was barreling in. Her and her husband were worried about trees hitting  the house, and still had to call the ambulance to take her to the hospital. Two ambulances and a squad car ride later, little Liam was born in a gymnasium...without anesthesia!! O_O YIKES!...but her smile when she was talking about the story she's gonna be able to tell him in years to come, made me smile too! :-)
     Then there were the helicopter rescue people who plucked adults, children and babies from the roofs of their flooded homes and streets. It was their attitude that made me smile, because most of these people had been told to evacuate and didn't. Yet the rescue helpers treated them with the utmost respect, even holding their hands on the two hour rides for some of them, listening to their heartbreaking stories and their regret over not heeding the warnings to leave...Their attitude is one we all can learn from...not to kick a person when they're down just because we can!

      I found something else to smile about yesterday too! I had oodles and boodles of time to crochet! :-) I only made a couple of lapel pins...one was an experiment color...

      I'm not quite sure if I wanna list it just yet. I'll mentally chew on it a little while longer and then decide. :-) 
          I also made some FREE GIFT keychains...

       Making these is a great way to use up all of the extra pink thread I have...I have more of them to do today, unless I get a custom order from my new customer! :-)

        What are your plans on this 'hump day'?! It may be that we could all use a big NAP...and a smile!!!...Tell me all about it! :-) And have a good one, whatever you do!

A Little Doze'll Do You!

I enjoy my sleeping, and a doze,
a nap, and such.
In fact I might enjoy a snooze
entirely waay too much!

At any time of day,
you'll find me like a weeping willow.
Head hung low and dragging,
looking for the nearest pillow.

No, there's nothing wrong.
I'm not depressed. I've still got bounce!
And I can stay awake and be
quite witty when it counts!

But I have been awake for things
when I could have been asleep.
And now my time's so valuable
I don't treat it like it's cheap.

My sleeping, dozing, napping,
is to my life a special key.
It unlocks and refreshes
and dispels anxiety!

Most people try to fill up
every hour in the day.
But me, I'd rather be asleep
and waste it all away.

There's plenty hours left
for all the flit and play and chore.
An hour for a nap right now?!
Why not?! There's 24!! 

YAY!...I Still Have Power!!

(Davis, West Virginia)

      Hurricane Sandy has been causing massive trouble up and down the east coast here in the united states Y'all, but not so much here in Holyoke and Western Massachusetts. It appears that we may have 'dodged a bullet'...so to speak. 
       The local weather people are reporting lots of power outages and downed trees and power lines, but considering what it could have been...and I'll show you what I mean in a minute...we're doing great!
       Unfortunately New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and other states didn't do well AT ALL!! :-( There have been at least six deaths, and the number is probably gonna rise once the assessments are done, now that the sun is up and they can actually see!
       Flooding...the New York subway system under water...a town in New Jersey is under water, people on their roofs like with hurricane Katrina in New Orleans! :-( ...bridges and boardwalks being washed out and washed away...ships wrecked...uprooted trees...blizzards, and two feet of snow in some areas!...and waaaaaaaaay more...*sigh*...I'll let the photos tell the story. (The header photo and the others below all came from The Weather Channel page on Facebook). If you don't like bad news, don't look! It's bad. :-( ...

        Atlantic City, New Jersey...

  

         Bay head Beach, New Jersey...

          Vineland, New Jersey...

         Virginia Beach boardwalk...

       Grandview Island, Hampton Virginia...

        Ocean City, Maryland...

     Lewes, and other parts of Delaware...

     And then there is New York... :-( ...

       Most of these photos were from Monday morning!...If you've been watching the news...especially the news out of New York...you know that the damage is much worst!....Devastating!! :-( 

       I have friends in almost all of these areas and I'll be waiting for phone calls and emails all day! I hope everyone is safe. :-( ...If you are in any of these areas, please pay attention to directions!! Your life is more important than your property!!

       I gotta find some breakfast...and something to crochet. I need 'CALM'!!!...Have a good day, Everybody. This too shall pass. There is something to smile about today. I hope you find it.

 A Thoughtful Life

A baby needs assistance
for a chance at living life.
An old man needs some help
to eat his food with fork and knife.

A troubled life will need
an "On Alert" lifeguard,
to help it navigate
the waves, cuz yeah! life is hard.

A lifeline will be needed
for a drowning sinking life,
when good and bad will come,
because, oh yeah, that's life!

An undiscovered life
can have a chance of a lifetime.
A life not truly lived
is just a waste of life and rhyme.

Light and batteries
are measured in a half-a-life.
Light in knowledge sparks
the way to save your spark-less life.

Insurance sometimes comes
in "Term"-life, or in "Whole".
In no uncertain terms though,
life must be the goal.

When lived well, you can have
 the best time of your life,
and the memory of it
keeps you free from stress and strife.

Life is worth the living
for every woman, child or man,
and worth the time and heartache
from the race of life you ran.

Though life's outer beauty
sometimes cuts us like a knife,
it's rich and inner beauty
has a full-stocked pantry life.

"Sandy" Is Not The Only News Around Here!!

(Weathering The Storm-Fine Art Print by jamieshelman)

        Don't you just love this ink drawing?! :-) It's gonna tell the story of hurricane Sandy's effect on our local area today.....windy! And we're gonna have to hang onto whatever we can hang onto so we don't blow away!

      Unfortunately, some people are already getting massive amounts of wind...and rain! :-( And that's considering that this storm is taking a path that is unprecedented for hurricanes...

(1947 Map Path Of A Hurricane from Holcroft)

      ...Instead of sweeping on by, as usual, it's taking a left hand turn and slamming into the coast somewhere in the New Jersey area, somewhere in here where I inserted the arrow (below). (The arrow is NOT on the map, in case you wanna purchase the map. I inserted that as a demonstration)...

        My arrow is not intended to be precise...neither is "Sandy"! But suffice it to say that a left hand turn right there...somewhere...is NOT normal! Not normal by a long shot!!...And as of last night, this hurricane picked up MORE strength! O_O They're really worried about power outages and stuff like that. In fact, electrical people are already on the road, coming all the way from Oklahoma and Ohio, to help with downed lines and tree removal and such after the storm!

       I just heard on the news that a ship already sank out to sea, and they're looking for two or three people that abandoned ship. :-( ... All I have to say is...don't be foolish people! Pay attention to what authorities are reporting, and follow directions for safety....PLEASE!!

      Thankfully hurricane Sandy is not the only thing to talk about around here. That would be really tiresome!...for all of us!! No, I have other news...Exciting news!..Well, exciting for ME! LOL

        One of my customers did a post and showed off the look of my boutonnieres, sitting next to pocket squares, on a well-dressed man!...I hope he doesn't mind me sharing it. He sent me the link...

       Isn't that cool?!! :-) ... You can see the full post from the blog 33 Boroughs --> HERE <... Personally I loved these photos...

       I feel like stealing Emeril Lagasse's word....BAM!!!! ^_^ To see more, check out the piece he did on WIWT. I think it means 'What I Wore Today'...--> HERE <-- :-=":-" boutonnieres="boutonnieres" feel="feel" font="font" generously="generously" he="he" honored="honored" i="i" my="my" off="off" showed="showed" so="so">

      But there's more!!....I'm starting to sound like a crochet fool's info-mercial!! LOL...I got an Etsy email from another VERY important source...I don't think I can say right now. They were looking for someone to make crochet lapel flowers by custom order, where they would contact me very often and ask for specific combinations, and wanted to know if I was interested!!!

      Hmmmm....let me see.....YEAH!!!! I'M YOUR GIRL!!!! ^_^ This may be the opportunity I've been waiting for...to be a supplier! How about that for some news, huh?!!.....TAKE THAT hurricane Sandy news!!! LOL....Uhhhh...maybe I shouldn't be flicking Sandy on the nose, huh?! ^_^

       Anyway!....I'm awaiting my first orders after they buy a couple and check them out. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes...Celebrate with me!.......Have some green tea with your pinkie finger stuck out today!! :-)

      Okay, enough silliness. I've got some sky watching, and last minute battening down of some hatches to do!!....All of you on the east coast...do the same....NOW PLEASE!!!....The rest of you, have a good day! Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow! :-)

Describe The Sky

Evoking awe and bouts of wonder.
Such inspiration, you just want to cry.
With birds high-flying, and winds a blowing,
what words would you use to describe the sky?

Would you say, whether clouds are upon it,
that it blankets a wondrous space?
Or would you be more awed and humbled,
hoping there you would find God's face?

I would say that when standing quiet,
looking up at the sun or moon,
there's a feeling of peaceful oneness
that I hope won't go away too soon.

Evoking bouts of awe and wonder
was probably what it was designed to do;
That is, besides giving off light and weather,
and the most spectacular view! 

Upside Down And OOPSY!!!

(Self Standing Shabby Vintage Sign from thebackporchshoppe)

        I don't have a lot of time today. Hubby and I are 'going-a-visiting'! :-) A friend of ours is giving his first public discourse (talk) in a neighboring Kingdom Hall. Hubby is so excited, because this friend is someone he taught the Bible years ago. :-)

      But before I take off outta here I just 'HAD TO' show you the results of hubby's cake making yesterday!...He attempted an 'upside-down-pineapple-cherry-cake'!! Ambitious, huh?! ^_^ ... Well, as it turned out, the only part that ended up being accurate is the "upside-down" part. Ha! Ha!

       It fell over...upside down...in my bowl!! Ha! Ha!...Apparently, the brown sugar he needed to put on a certain layer of it....was missing! O_O ...In other words, he forgot to get it from the store....*Shhhhhhh!*...don't tell him I told you that part! ^_^

        So, in perfect "No Worries! I'll fix It" style, my hubby made the yellow cake part.....added a slice of pineapple....and some cherries topping, and WALLAH!!....pineapple upside down cake!!!....when it falls over in your bowl I mean. Ha! Ha! Ha!

        To his credit, his didn't fall over right away! :-) ...

        "Let 'em eat cake!!!" LOL....QUICK!!!

      Okay...I'm on the run! See you tomorrow...if hurricane Sandy doesn't blow us away!! :-) 

 What do YOU talk about?

What do YOU talk about
when you don't have much to say?
A short phrase about the weather?
Or the 'fine'-ness of the day?

Do you ask: "How do you do?",
hoping they won't say a thing?
Or just say: "Call me tomorrow",
hoping that the phone won't ring?

Do you lend yourself to grins,
and slight noddings of the head,
knowing big smiles and eye contact
would make you committed to what they said?

What do YOU talk about
when your 'talker' is 'on the blink'?
Not hardly much at all.
Certainly not much as you would think!

Super Storm...Preparation!

(Original Drawing by EndlessDrawings)

       There's a dark cloud over our area right now...and it's not as well put together as the original drawing of this dark cloud in my header photo, or the other ones in Nicole's shop!...Our dark cloud is the so-called 'super storm'..."hurricane Sandy"!

      She's coming up the east coast right now, prepared to hit in a couple of days, and suppose to be bigger and windier than "hurricane Irene "was last year! O_O I don't know if in the end Sandy will do all they think she'll do, or be as damaging as they think she might be, but I can tell...the weather people are nervous!!

      They're calling it a "once in a lifetime event", and saying it's gonna be destructive, historic and life-threatening!...WOW!...that's a lot of nervousness!...Thankfully, as of right now anyway, our local weather people are saying that western Massachusetts is gonna dodge the worst of "Sandy"...IF...and it's a big "if"...she stays on the path she's on right now for the next couple of days.

       Rain, storm surge, flooding, destructive winds, and snow...yes, SNOW!...are touted to be involved in this storm! O_O And they're saying that in our area we're suppose to get lots of power outages. So, if you don't see my blog post up you'll know why! Because you know I could talk my way right through a storm if I had to! ^_^

       If there's a lot of down time that won't be a bad thing for me though. My girlfriend has invited me to put some of my items in a craft show with hers in November, and I'm making lapel pins like a crazy woman right now! And I can use all the time I can get to make more!...I made these yesterday...

      Imagine what I could do with MORE time!! ^_^

      In the way of updates, our 'virtual date night' went well yesterday. No, we didn't decide to go to France. Instead we went to Japan. :-) I wasn't all about the raw food...sushi and stuff...YUCK!...so we had chef salads, Cape Cod chips, and Friendly's banana split ice cream instead! ^_^ It was a very good date!

     As to the job interview hubby had mid-week, they were suppose to call him yesterday to let him know, one way or the other, about whether he got it or not....We didn't get a call...We're not reading anything into it. Maybe all the talk about "Sandy" side-tracked them...*reaching!*...or maybe they weren't through with the other people's interviews yet. Whatever the case, I'll let you know when there's any further developments.

      The last update is that my memory foam for the bed has arrived!!!! YAY!!!! We're hoping to find some time today to put it on the bed...some time before or after we do some letter writing, making phone calls, checking on hubby's mother, finish studying our "Watchtower" magazine, having breakfast, lunch and dinner :-), and gathering the preparation stuff for hurricane Sandy's arrival!...

1. Get more batteries for the radio

2. Make sure the cell phone jack works in the car

3. get more water

4. get more canned food

5. Fill the car with gas (in case gas station pumps aren't working) 

6. get a few dollars in cash from the ATM (in case the banks have no electricity) 

7. Call my mother-in-law and see if she wants to ride out the storm with us again

8. Centrally locate my flashlights, candles and matches

9. Make sure all the pieces to the board games are accounted for ((Hubby is gonna be a bear without his "Spider Solitaire! ^_^) 

10. Make sure my bouncy, happy music is at the ready! :-) ...I mean, I don't wanna go outta my mind in here!! ^_^

      Okay,  I'm off to get this list scratched off...including a few other things I'm not gonna put on this list!...like my sense of humor and a few other non-material things...I didn't put them on the list because some things you just don't need...or want!...to know! Trust me! ^_^ 

Have a good day, and a good weekend, Y'all!! 

 Sense Of Humor

How do you gauge a sense of humor?
Is it just about a laugh?
Do you only know you're funny
when they're doubled up in half?

Can a chuckle or a giggle
be a clue that you have wit?
Or can a smile and a head shake
be the quiet proof of it?

It's the people that are laughing,
in their house, their yard, their car.
That can spot a sense of humor;
recognize it from afar.

I don't know myself.
I just know what makes me smile.
Anyone who likes themselves
and can be talking for a while.

And if they make me wanna sit
and wonder what will they say next,
then they have a sense of humor
cuz I wouldn't be here unless...   

It Has Decided To "Cut Up"!!!

(Eiffel Tower Scissors from JolinTsai)

       No, I'm not actually talking about the scissors! ^_^ Yes, they 'cut up' stuff too, but I'm talking metaphorically about something else that's decided to "cut up". I'll tell you about it in a second...but first I actually do wanna talk about and show you these cute 'cutting up' scissors!

     Did you notice that they look like the Eiffel Tower?!! :-) How cool is that!!

     They reminded me of how long it's been since hubby and I actually have been on a "virtual" date out of the country...Ahhhhh....our 'virtual' trip to Paris'!...*le sigh!*...And with the weather 'cutting up' now, this might be the perfect time for another trip out of the country!!! O_O

      Yep! The weather in our area is about to "cut up" big time!! Hurricane Sandy is heading in our direction, and they're using words like "perfect storm" because of how three weather fronts are converging all in the same area.

      In fact, one weather man yesterday said it could potentially be bigger than the perfect storm that hit Gloucester Massachusetts in 1991...the one that the movie with George Clooney was made about, The Perfect Storm!!!!..*gulp!*...Because of the time of year, they called that one a 'halloween nor-easter' too! Ugh! Hurricane Grace was involved in that one.

     'Sandy' and 'Grace'...Such sweet names for such violent storms!...I'm hoping that all the talk about what 'Sandy' is gonna turn into is wrong! Especially since she's heading directly at us!! O_O But it appears that, at the very least, we're gonna get some high winds and soaking rain. I guess we'll find out the rest of it next week...The weather man this morning said that us east coasters need to keep an eye on the weather reports through the weekend...You know I will!!!..Ugh! I hate it when the weather "cuts up"!!!!! Grrrrr!

      Before I go, let me share another couple of cute items I found on Etsy. I was gonna add them to the list yesterday, but somehow I forgot them...menopause made my brain 'take-a-pause'! LOL

 (Air Plant Container by airyobsessions)

      It's a repurposed croquet ball!! :-) How cool!!...Her description says its "Milled flat on the botton to sit on any surface with a hole drilled in the top that is customized to accomodate the Ionantha air plant.."...As I always say, people are soooo creative!! :-]

      And how about this!...

(Wooden Key Box Holder Wardrobe by MyHouseOfDreams) 

      Doesn't everybody need a place to hang their keys in the house when  they come in?!...instead of on some nail you banged into the wall in the kitchen! LOL And when it's so cute...and green...I'm in!! ^_^

     But right now....I'm out! I gotta go and keep my eye on the weather reports!!!! :-) Have a good day, Everybody!...East coasters (in the US.), HEADS UP!!!!! 

Massachusetts Weather

Wind and wet, fog and rain;
Nagging joints and aches and pain.

Massachusetts weather fare.
Is this the weather everywhere?!

On real bad days it gets to me;
This 'weather change sililloguy'.

Look out the window, shake my head,
pull up the covers...back to bed! 

How About This For A "Gift"?!!

(Leather Flower Ring by ArsiArt)

       You ever get a gift that you hadn't requested from anyone, and that you weren't sure you would have ever wanted, and that you know you would never have bought for yourself....but after you got it you couldn't believe that you hadn't gotten it for yourself before now?! :-) I have!...a whole beading supply kit, antique butterfly pins, and glass baking pans...which I now don't know what I would do without!!

      I've also gotten a few gifts over the years that I wish I hadn't gotten....a huge blue smurf that took up a whole corner in my house, a fingernail drying fan, and a single convenience store red rose...that we years later found out was a 'crack pipe' tool!!! LOL...But I digress!! ^_^ 

       I wanna share some things I think you might love as gifts...even if you never knew you wanted them before now! :-)And some of them were in this treasury by Eshkar, entitled Gifts For All...

       The first one being a certain crochet flower necklace from a little shop on Etsy called Wuglyees. :-) ...

       You may never have thought you wanted a crochet flower necklace, but you might be surprised how much you like it once you get it...so I hear! ^_^

       And how about these cuties (below), (and including the leather flower ring in the header photo) that were from the above treasury?... 

 (Arabesque Victorian Swirls Bangle by BeauMiracle)

 (Ceramic Mushrooms by orlydesign)

       I would venture to guess...and it's probably a safe guess!...that you've never said to someone: "Ooooo! You know what I'd love as a gift?!...Some ceramic mushrooms!" ^_^ But, as you're looking at them right now, I just know that you could think of somewhere in your house where they would look so cute!!...on a fireplace mantle, a kitchen window sill, the glass cabinet that houses your "good" dishes?! :-)

           But wait! There's more! ^_^ I found some gifts you didn't know you wanted as gifts that weren't in this great treasury!! Look-a-here!...

        It has such beautiful artwork, and such wonderful colors! And what is it?!...

(Cookstah)

         It's a painting of a village of bird houses, floating amidst gray skies, on........a  vintage book cover! How cool is that?!! :-) You can just pick which book you wanna put it over, and enjoy the look on people's faces when they see you reading it! 

      Or how about some gorgeous finger jewelry...which you can wear on your finger while you're reading your book :-) ...

(1980s Vintage Emerald and Diamond Ring from ErinAntiques)

      If you've been following my blog for a while, you know my love of the color green...and my love of an 'emerald cut' anything!...This ring is BEAUTIFUL!!!!

       But if you're more into blue, how about this ring...

(Art Deco Ring from SummitJewelers)

        ...It's 14k white and yellow gold, with diamonds and a bezel set synthetic sapphire!...Sooooo pretty, whether you thought you wanted it or not! :-)

       Speaking of which, being a girl that has baked many a turkey in my day, and had many a large gathering at my house eating turkey and stuffing until I almost couldn't breathe!!..LOL...I now wish that somebody had given me this as a gift!.....

 (Huge Vintage Turkey Platter from AlphieBug)

       ...How cool would it have been to eat slices of turkey from the platter until this gorgeous Fall-colored turkey showed up!!...Proving that there's always MORE turkey!!!...because for days afterward there always 'is' more turkey!! ^_^

       And the last gift....a comfortable gift!....are these...

 (Wool Felted Slippers by HandmadeByAde)

      Oh, how I would love to be squeezing my tootsies into some of these slippers right now!!...But nobody gave them to me as a gift....YET!! :-) ...What do I have to do..make a request, People?!!! ^_^ ...Consider it done!!!

      Okay...off I go! I'm leaving you just a little poetry. :-)) Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Poetry

Poetry, the gift of words,
that help you say whats in your heart;
that puts your thoughts of life together,
but pulls emotions all apart.

Poetry, your quiet friend,
that gives your voice a place to land;
that gives the things you'd  never say
a way to jump out from your hand.

Poetry, done to a beat,
a beat of words, said right in time,
without confusion of the music,
but just the rhythm and the rhyme.

Poetry, phrase harmony;
the way a noun and adverb meet;
the way they line up side-by-side,
and all Not needed they delete.

Poetry, the passing thoughts,
and all the others I hold dear,
of all the people and the places
that I've  written down right here.

Poetry, the gift of words,
and putting them together too;
Without the pen and paper
what in the world would my mind do?