Veteran's Day

Operation Bold Eagle, 1976. Nevada desert near Lake Mead. My boss, Mel Miller and I, working in the comm trailer.

On Veteran's Day, I am thankful. Because of the US Air Force, I got to move around and see different parts of the United States. I figured out what I liked AND what I didn't like in a job. I met people, made friends, saw new things and was exposed to new ideas. I learned how to work within the system to get something done. I made decisions that affect my life yet today. I went to college on the GI Bill (Go Sun Devils!).

Thirty years later, I have my fatigue jacket, a DD214, a few pictures and many memories. I would do it over again without hesitation.

Taa Daa!

The fabric I rusted on the truck hood has been rinsed and ironed and is looking quite beautiful!








For this piece, I rubbed the hood of the truck with a wet cloth to get my handprints. They will go into a self-portrait quilt I'm working on. I'm pleased by the results!

Almost An Ordinary Day

December 5, 2007. updated my website. dusted family room. washed my cell phone. sold some fabric. ate cookies. colored my hair. washed dishes. wrote checks. cleaned litter box. sewed. read email. drove carpool. made doctor's appointment. updated palm pilot. watched the news. read a book. made a list. mailed letters. took out trash. brushed the cat. shredded papers. folded a quilt. talked to myself. woke up girls. watered cactus. had sex. did a load of laundry. called dh. listened to dd read her essay. ate crackers. drank diet pepsi. ignored the bathroom scale. was rude to a telemarketer. found the new box of frosted flakes in the pantry for dd. listened to voice mail. brushed my teeth. drove to tkd studio. hugged dh. uploaded photos to flickr. urged dd to get out of bed set timer. got the mail. sent email. turned off lights. washed my hands. fed cat. walked upstairs. walked downstairs. ironed fabric. smiled. emptied lint trap. checked size of furnace filter. measured and cut fabric. wrote notes on quilt construction. talked on the phone. sat quietly. took a shower. searched for my cell phone. soaked spaghetti-stained spoon in bleach. put neighbor's trash can by her garage door. recycled paper. talked to the dog. listened to the wind blow. sang along with the radio. gave the dog a treat. cooked supper. saw christmas lights. listened to book on cd. lit a candle. watched the weather channel. loaded the dishwasher. waited for dd to get out of dance class. drank water. mourned for the 8 victims of a senseless shooting spree at westroads mall.

100 Things About Me

I thought it would be difficult to write down this many tidbits of information about myself. WRONG! In no particular order:
1. I'm short for my weight.
2. I learned to read before I started school.
3. I love baseball and the Cincinnati Reds.
4. I have four kids, all by C-section.
5. I like both cats and dogs.
6. I started dyeing my hair in high school.
7. I can quilt, knit, sew, crochet, x-stitch and bead.
8. I am very good at keeping secrets.
9. I am a collector (trolls, crayons, fabric, buttons, baseball cards, blank books, McD toys, yarn, postcards, chiles).
10. I'm a very private person.
11. I love math.
12. I have been known to hold grudges.
13. I listen to my intuition. When I don't, I regret it.
14. I think potatoes are the perfect food.
15. My favorite color is pink.
16. I am a middle child (2 sisters & a brother older, same younger).
17. I knew everyone in my graduating class of 110, almost everyone in the high school.
18. I like to be alone.
19. I've watched The Young & The Restless since 1982.
20. I converted to Catholicism in 1987.
21. I dream every night, in color.
22. I talk in my sleep.
23. I always wear my seat belt.
24. I am very stubborn when necessary.
25. I like living in the city.
26. I have a beautiful smile.
27. I never had braces.
28. I think a pedicure is a wonderful luxury.
29. I always go home from a haircut/style and redo my hair.
30. Comics I always read: Baby Blues, Zits, Sally Forth, Non Sequitur.
31. Foods I dislike: cooked spinach, olives, sardines, lima beans.
32. I don't like to cook.
33. I had a Top Secret security clearance in 1975.
34. I am a great navigator. All I need is a map and a street sign!
35. I love electrical storms. Lightning! Thunder!
36. I'd rather be hot than cold.
37. I have an electrical engineering degree from Arizona State University.
38. I don't like the Designated Hitter rule. Pitchers should bat!
39. I like to sit in the back row in movies, church, school.
40. I've been married 3 times, divorced twice. 3rd time's the charm.
41. I like antique furniture.
42. I like to fly kites.
43. I like to water ski.
44. My favorite car is a Mustang. I've owned two.
45. My favorite album is Jackson Browne's Late For The Sky.
46. I went to college on the GI Bill.
47. My first job was as a waitress at the Red Bird Restaurant in Russells Point, OH.
48. The hardest job I've had is being a mother.
49. I jumped off a high dive board ONCE - to prove to myself that I could.
50. I wear glasses.
51. I recycle & think everyone else should.
52. I love purses, bags, totes.
53. I like to wear funky socks.
54. I make lists.
55. I caught a luna moth on summer night at my grandmother's house.
56. I got my 1st pair of pants (shorts) when I was in 5th grade.
57. I get carsick.
58. My favorite video games are Tetris and Ms. Pacman.
59. I was the first 4-Her to show goats at the Logan County Fair (mid-60s).
60. My favorite artist is Amado Pena.
61. In church, I won't sing any song written after I was born.
62. I can type almost 70 wpm.
63. I dropped out of college (Ohio State) after 1 quarter, walking away from a full scholarship.
64. My favorite desserts are ice cream and cheesecake (not together).
65. I've hiked in & out of the Grand Canyon several times.
66. I eat steak medium rare.
67. I saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (live!) in the late 80's with my oldest daughter & Taylor Kirkman.
68. Sometimes when I look in a mirror, I see my mother.
69. I prefer Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke.
70. I love chocolate.
71. I'm a morning person.
72. My drug of choice is caffeine.
73. I have season tickets to the College World Series after being on the waiting list for 11 years.
74. I don't like to fly.
75. I don't have a favorite holiday.
76. I like to do jigsaw puzzles.
77. I hate to shop.
78. I use commemorative stamps.
79. I do not want a tattoo.
80. I have naturally curly hair.
81. I have very low blood pressure.
82. I have O- blood.
83. I've never broken a bone.
84. My favorite dogs are non-shedding: Chows & Mini-schnauzers.
85. I love to run, but my knees don't!
86. I'd rather deal with an ugly truth than be lied to.
87. I like to have my bed made.
88. I like to drive a stick shift.
89. I love to sing.
90. I have a very high IQ.
91. I have very good fine motor skills.
92. I was named after both of my grandmothers.
93. I like keeping a diary, a journal, a record of events.
94. I keep score at every baseball game I attend.
95. I have trouble going to sleep without a TV on.
96. Cigarette smoke gives me a headache.
97. I've eaten more than one worm from a bottle of tequila.
98. I was standing in line at the end of the day in my 3rd grade classroom when I was told that JFK had been shot.
99. My person mantra: Success is in continuity of purpose (Benjamin Disraeli).
100. I love roller coasters.

We All Have Faults - These Are Mine!

I ignore superstitions and many holidays. I cannot remember the last time I played an April Fools joke on someone. Or intentionally wore green on St. Patrick's Day. I've never worried about the negative effects of doing laundry on New Year's Day and I've gone to bed angry more than once. I haven't cooked a turkey or a whole chicken in years, so I haven't been able to break a wishbone with anyone. I occasionally cross against the light and I use language in front of my friends that my kids and my mother have never heard come out of my mouth. I always look up into the night sky and wish on any & all stars that I can see. I cross my fingers when I make a promise that isn't sincere. I really believe the Reds have a chance to win this year. I can only remember a few jokes - most of them involve engineering humor and are not always funny to non-engineers. I don't understand why people don't like math.

I think my kids & my pets are smarter and prettier than anyone else's. I'm very cynical, but I wake up every morning thinking it is going to be a great day. I hold grudges. I hate to cook, but will cheerfully clean up after anyone who cooks for me. Every spring, my flower garden starts out pruned and weeded and beautiful. I vow it will stay that way all year. By mid-summer, there are dead leaves which should be removed, thin spots where annuals have wasted away from too little water, drooping plants which should have been staked long ago and roses perpetually in need of dead-heading. I store away the seeds I intended to plant and promise I will be different NEXT year.

I'm impatient. I get irritated at people who don't seem efficient. Especially when they don't CARE! While I didn't invent multi-tasking, I have taken it to an art form.

I wonder why everyone doesn't recycle. I hate to shop for clothes. I get cranky when I'm tired. When a project is going well, I don't want to stop for anything. I hate rap-crap. I don't exercise enough. I don't believe in horoscopes, but my biorhythm is always on-target.

OK, I lied. These aren't all my faults, just those I'm willing to share.

Did you hear about the atom who went into the bar muttering to himself? The bartender asked him what was wrong. The atom replied, "I've lost an electron."
Bartender: "Are you sure?"
Atom: "Yes, I'm positive!"