It's been six months since my last blog. Those who contribute daily to their blogs would gag at having to play catch-up over that period of time. I know it's not quite the same as writing things as they happen but it's better sometimes to reflect on events so that when you do write about them you have a better and broader view.
What I'll do here is make several contributions to my blog focused on the more important things that have happened and how they were handled. Some are very serious and some not so serious. Life is like that of course full of ups and downs and valleys.
To my present two followers I do apologize for my seeming inconsistancy. I'm a creature with many characteristics and some things just cannot be written on the spot. Emotions, moods and feelings are great barriers to doing so for me. When I sit to write I like to have things well organized in my mind and not be all over the place with information.
Having said all of the above, I will proceed to make the entries so that anyone interested can catch up with my activities and my interests. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Hooks and Fonts and Software!
Three entire months have gone by and I’m just getting back to my blog! I look at blogs all over the Internet and 90% of them seem to write something every day. I must be one of the 10% who blog when they can!
Someone once said: Life is what happens when you’re busy doing other things. I’ve been exceedingly busy over those three months.
My partner, Paul has had another serious operation and my small Tanning Salon had to open in January so the local snowbirds could tan before going on their vacations all over the southern hemisphere. In addition to reading prolifically, I’ve been cleaning house and rediscovering some of my other loves.
Crochet for one.
There was a time when I crocheted things to feed my young and growing family. I worked at it constantly only taking breaks to cook, clean and make sure my children were amused or busy or happy overall. Most of the time they were self contained and never bored. They usually had some project they were working on alone or together.
I remember crocheting large laundry baskets out of hemp twine. As two or three of them sold the demand for them grew and my fingers suffered greatly. I had calluses of unbelievable dimensions. I would also sit up nights to finish projects with my feet on a space heater to keep warm. Some folks might find that hard to believe in this century that not everyone lived in a house with central heating and hot and cold running water. But, even today I’m sure if you look hard enough you can still find a few who do. I used to dream of crocheting a cozy for the house, like you see on some teapots.
In any case through a lot of hard and deliberate work things got better as time moved along. My crochet arts went to projects that didn’t injure me bodily to any extent. I made Afghans, sweaters, hats, tablecloths and pillows. One year I made some of the toys my children received from Santa. I also made some pocket dolls they could give to their teachers and bus drivers. Adults like to have toys too!
It’s amazing what you collect over the years when you crochet, knit, embroider, sew etc. and even more amazing that you keep as much of it as you can. You end up with a multitude of yarns ends that you have no idea where you bought it or when. You have reference books, magazines (you never part with them) and patterns galore. None of which is organized but live in tubs, bags and boxes.
You promise yourself you’ll go through it all one day. Thirty years later you find that “day” isn’t going to arrive and if it did, the day would need 168 hours in it and a small helpful crew!
Having spent the last eight months assisting my partner back to healthy recovery I did a lot of reading between times. Recently I got the wool urge and returned to crochet. My speed was a bit off but after a few days it came back; maybe not as strong as it was but enough to satisfy me.
Then I decided to teach it to beginners. So I sat down and wrote a proposal and curriculum for the program. I’ll send it off to the local women’s group soon and see if they want to run it. If not, someone else will.
I’ve joined several online groups. Ravelry, and a few others. Then I realized there’s software out there to assist in the creation of patterns. You can sell and/or give away your original patterns. The major problem is, all the software I’ve encountered, purchased and ran demos on are all structured for knitters. Some of them say they’re for crochet as well but in my explorations of them I cannot see how. Unless they think filet crochet is the only kind of crochet; which it isn’t!
After having little or no success with software I did find some crochet fonts. Now that was a real find! Even if the software doesn’t deliver you can certainly buy the fonts and do your patterns with your word processor, the old fashioned way.
I bought StitchinCrochet from MyFonts.com and so far I’m pleased with them. They cost all of $4.50. Excellent value!
Also, if you get Open Office they work wonderfully with it, and you can produce a PDF document for your pattern with graphs. What more do you need? Well, the pictures you took as you went and maybe a list of the stitches you used and all the things any pattern might include. But the point is, Open Office is FREE!
MyFonts.com also has fonts for other fiber arts as well.
It’s a shame really because out there in cyber land is a programmer who could write a nice program for crochet artists so they could make their patterns all in one place. If I ever get his or her name, I’ll let you know!
Until next time, Stay Well
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Reason For The Season
It's been a busy month for everyone I know and sometimes with all the extra things one does this month, some of the regular things take second place. As a result, I'm behind in many chores and projects. I'm sure I'm not alone.
My blog has certainly suffered. It has some glitches that need repairing and I've just not had the time to sit down and study up on how to fix them properly. In addition, it will likely be the new year before I learn how to use the amazon associates programs properly.
I've had a running battle with Quickbooks this year but after meeting with a real accountant, I think she's got me on the right path with that. Hopefully! Now all I have to do is get the work done and all will be well.
This month, I enjoyed two days with my daughter. That was not only a pleasant surprise but a very comfortable one and we've decided to make time for one another much more in the coming years.
We've never had a rift or anything dramatic, it's just we both get incrediably busy with a miraid of other things and fall behind on what is really important. I suppose that's a big club on its own. We just didn't want to join it.
I think it's wonderful how a big storm will slow everyone down because whether they know it or not, most of us need slowing down. I know full well how dangerous bad storms can be. They usually have some very negative affects, but it's the positive I want to focus on. If you're snowed in, you get time to tidy up and get better organized.
Many of my friends have gone completely mad with Christmas shopping in an attempt to give presents galore to their children. Many have gone into overkill mode. As a result, they're worn to a frazzle and broke. They might stay broke well into the new year until the bills get paid up. It certainly kills the entire theme of Christmas in my mind.
I guess there's a lot to be said for being poor. You have to dream up ways to give someone a present when you have little or no money to spend. So you resort to gift cards offering to shovel the driveway, wash the dishes or clean the car or any other chore the recipient might need done.
Crafy folks can usually make a nice scarf, or hat or typeset and frame a favourite poem for those they love. Presents like that for me, have much more meaning and come from the heart fired by thought.
At times I've questioned people about this overspending spree and I get answers such as:
"I love doing it and watch their faces light up.
I love to shop.
I love to see what they think of what I bought them."
You'll notice, it's all about "I" with little thought for "them".
I know when they read this, I'll get more justification as to why they do it. Or, they'll tell me, this isn't what they meant! But one reason I do think they do it is because the expectation is, that they will. They've been trained to do it over time and as a consequence, they train their children to do it too. Hopefully, they'll see the nuances for themselves one day and change it.
One happy family I know has sat down and agreed that only 10% of gifts can be purchased. Each year they have to invent, dream up and create gifts to give one another. That makes sense to me, and certainly works without damaging the family budget.
Big business won't like it. This is the time of year when they sell like mad to those manic shoppers. It's a sad thing that some people wait for seasonal occasions to give someone a present.
In the midst of this madness, there is the reason for Christmas itself. It's the birthday of Jesus Christ born some 2000 years ago depending on the calendar you follow. Organized religions, sects, and cults have made much of this event on a world scale and follow the principles of christianity to a fault. Having a conscience for your actions is, to me, a good thing. Who knows what horrors might surface without them.
With all of the above said, I have to share with you this poem. It used to be printed annually in a paper called: The Eastern Shore Sandpiper. It was written by one of the owners of that paper. Not by myself. The message in it is well worth repeating.
Copyright to The Eastern Shore SANDPIPER
To conclude, I wish all who read my blog the very best of the season and may the new year bring you joy. Stay Well!
My blog has certainly suffered. It has some glitches that need repairing and I've just not had the time to sit down and study up on how to fix them properly. In addition, it will likely be the new year before I learn how to use the amazon associates programs properly.
I've had a running battle with Quickbooks this year but after meeting with a real accountant, I think she's got me on the right path with that. Hopefully! Now all I have to do is get the work done and all will be well.
This month, I enjoyed two days with my daughter. That was not only a pleasant surprise but a very comfortable one and we've decided to make time for one another much more in the coming years.
We've never had a rift or anything dramatic, it's just we both get incrediably busy with a miraid of other things and fall behind on what is really important. I suppose that's a big club on its own. We just didn't want to join it.
I think it's wonderful how a big storm will slow everyone down because whether they know it or not, most of us need slowing down. I know full well how dangerous bad storms can be. They usually have some very negative affects, but it's the positive I want to focus on. If you're snowed in, you get time to tidy up and get better organized.
Many of my friends have gone completely mad with Christmas shopping in an attempt to give presents galore to their children. Many have gone into overkill mode. As a result, they're worn to a frazzle and broke. They might stay broke well into the new year until the bills get paid up. It certainly kills the entire theme of Christmas in my mind.
I guess there's a lot to be said for being poor. You have to dream up ways to give someone a present when you have little or no money to spend. So you resort to gift cards offering to shovel the driveway, wash the dishes or clean the car or any other chore the recipient might need done.
Crafy folks can usually make a nice scarf, or hat or typeset and frame a favourite poem for those they love. Presents like that for me, have much more meaning and come from the heart fired by thought.
At times I've questioned people about this overspending spree and I get answers such as:
"I love doing it and watch their faces light up.
I love to shop.
I love to see what they think of what I bought them."
You'll notice, it's all about "I" with little thought for "them".
I know when they read this, I'll get more justification as to why they do it. Or, they'll tell me, this isn't what they meant! But one reason I do think they do it is because the expectation is, that they will. They've been trained to do it over time and as a consequence, they train their children to do it too. Hopefully, they'll see the nuances for themselves one day and change it.
One happy family I know has sat down and agreed that only 10% of gifts can be purchased. Each year they have to invent, dream up and create gifts to give one another. That makes sense to me, and certainly works without damaging the family budget.
Big business won't like it. This is the time of year when they sell like mad to those manic shoppers. It's a sad thing that some people wait for seasonal occasions to give someone a present.
In the midst of this madness, there is the reason for Christmas itself. It's the birthday of Jesus Christ born some 2000 years ago depending on the calendar you follow. Organized religions, sects, and cults have made much of this event on a world scale and follow the principles of christianity to a fault. Having a conscience for your actions is, to me, a good thing. Who knows what horrors might surface without them.
With all of the above said, I have to share with you this poem. It used to be printed annually in a paper called: The Eastern Shore Sandpiper. It was written by one of the owners of that paper. Not by myself. The message in it is well worth repeating.
Who Is Santa Claus
If we all believed in Santa Claus,
how sad our Christmas would be,
we'd see no decorations,
no gifts beneath the tree.
We'd all sit back and wait for him,
to do what must be done,
to fill all stockings generously,
and be off on his magic run.
Yes -they say there is no Santa Claus,
no reindeer, no gift-laden sleigh,
that listening for hooves on the rooftops,
is a spoof, a farce and a nay.
Still -there hasn't been a Christmas Eve,
in two thousand years or more,
when Santa has failed in his mission,
to stop at every door.
God comes in many disguises,
and Santa is one -you see,
he lives through the heart of the giver,
he lives through you and through me.
So open your heart to his spirit,
it's your turn to bring him to town,
and that bearded, overweight, prowler,
will be your love dressed up as a clown.
To conclude, I wish all who read my blog the very best of the season and may the new year bring you joy. Stay Well!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Where To, From Here?
How time does fly by when you’re busy with all sorts of things. I finished my NANO project for now. I’ll let that story simmer on the back burner for now so I can get on to some things that have been ignored of late.
I started a VideoJug page but need to finish that and I’ve collected copious notes for other stories I want to work on this winter. But first and foremost I have to get my bookkeeping up to date and that is a week of steady work from the looks of things. So, I’ll just have to focus on it until it’s DONE!
It’s amazing how writers will procrastinate. I do it constantly. It’s quite likely that many loads of laundry and many dishes and many, many dustings in my house would not get done at all if I didn’t use those chores to keep from doing the things I know I should be doing. I certainly can’t be alone in this attitude.
I know my blog is suffering. Mostly it suffers because I just do not understand the monetization principles for adsense or amazon. I probably have enough of their information to understand it, but like many other things; they’re on the back burner too. I will eventually get to them.
I have managed to do a bit of work on WDC which I’m glad of. I’ve done over 100 reviews of items on that site now over six months so I’m happy with that progress. There are many writers there who have done hundreds more than myself, but then they’ve been on the site longer than I have.
Writing.com is a fun site for writers. You can write, enter contests, get items reviewed by your peers and stay up to date with WEEKLY newsletters. How can any one complain about that eh! Plus they have a chat box for people to meet and greet and discuss just about anything that’s on their minds. I usually go there to extend my procrastination inclinations. What a sorry person I’m turning into.
I have to note that I enjoyed NANOWRIMO. It gets your typing skills right up there and your mind in gear for the tasks at hand. They have all sorts of other things they do of course. One is to support younger writers and they make libraries in other countries and they help writers get and stay on track to some degree. So, no one can argue with that. They also have emails so writers can stay in touch with one another. I have to say while I made about six or seven posts in the forums, no one… yeah, not one single solitary person directed one single comment to me personally. So, while that might bother many people, I just kept on writing my story and then, laid back or did other things. I guess I’m too used to the friendly atmosphere of WDC where everyone makes sure everyone is included in things so no one feels left out.
I’ll attack the NANO challenge again next year but hopefully I’ll be more prepared. I did enjoy using Scrivener which is well known to Mac users but not at all to Windows users. So, it was great to use their beta version for my purposes. As a consequence of using Scrivener, I began to understand how to use some other programs I’d purchased in 2009 that while expensive I had little or no idea how to use. Using Scrivener helped me understand how to use them, so hopefully over the next six months I’ll be able to explore DramaticaPro and PowerWriter and several others. None of these will write your story for you, but they all help to get it clear in your mind. There’s also similar programs for script writers which seems to have taken off at rocket speed the last year or two.
Everyone I know is getting ready for Christmas and I’m not one iota ready for any of it except that I have accepted a dinner invitation. So, I don’t have to buy a turkey or cook anything.. WHOOPEE!!! No one has asked me what I want for Christmas, but I guess I want software. There’s still a few programs I’d like to have so I might get lucky that way.
Also with a bit of luck, I might get some Christmas cards addressed and off to people. I sure hope so. Computers are supposed to save us time, money and energy but I think since I got my first computer in 1990, I’ve been running short of time, money and never mind my energy. But, enthusiasm is supposed to keep your soul young. So, hopefully that will work for me.
Stay Well.
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