I'm Almost Done Shopping....

 ....for me! While Christmas shopping I found this delightful, aromatic soap that will make me happy whilst taking a shower.

And this smell-good candle, scented for the holiday. It smells like Christmas in our house!

 And this adorable little bottle brush tree that I added to my collection.

I couldn't resist this cute, cute, cute barrette that perfectly keeps my curls out of my face.

 But whoa! How bout these killer kicks?! Cowgirl paisley patterned rain boots! Sweet!

Tarjay is always a fave shopping place and it didn't let me down. A smockey type top that doesn't show my rolls. Perfect for holiday gorging!

I put this pink underwear shirt in my cart and it made it through check out. It's a bit utilitarian...

but it's good for layering.

 Another look at that fabulous boot. Love!


I had asked Santa for this (along with an LED hula hoop), but since Santa is spelled Amazon.com, I just went ahead and ordered it. It's already here and hopefully Houston will put it together for me cuz I just can't. It's too confusing.
So, I guess I better get out there and get my shopping done. Yikes! I only have a few hours. Enough time to get that cute purse I saw! Happy holidays to one and all!!!

Christmas Tradition

 For four years now Ann and I have been traveling over the mountain to see the holiday window displays in Shepherdstown. We pick up Judy at her sweet little cabin near Sharpsburg and whisk her off for a holiday treat.

 One year Judy had fallen the day before our little get together and sprained her ankle quite badly. We insisted taking her to a critical care place and they gave her a brace and sent her on her way. We settled her into a cozy little tea place with a pot of hot tea while Ann and I walked the streets and got some shopping done.

 But this year, Judy was good to go.

 Shepherdstown offers free parking during the holiday season. Thanks!

 All the businesses tastefully decorate their establishments.

Indoors the shops are lit up with fun lights.

...and stars.

Back at Judy's quaint cabin, we nestled in for the evening, a slumber party for the three of us.

Judy brought out her whackiest purchase of the day, bird legs. I just love these little talon sculptures.

Judy is a web designer but also an artist. 

Another year, another great time sharing time with girl friends. Happy Holidays!

Rock On!

Waaaaaaaay back in June I had a big truck deliver a few tons of stone for a rock retaining wall to go up our newly paved driveway.

 

 A large crane picked up that ton of rock and gently....

 

put it on the ground. Boy, could I use one of those things around my yard!

So all this rock had to be laid out really, really nice to curve up the drive and keep the grass where it should be and the cars off the grass.

While digging the dirt away, I discovered that we were oh so dumb and hadn't considered the electric fence wire that had been barely under the gravel driveway and now it was paved over with 3" of asphalt. Doh! We worked for over an hour feeding the wire underneath and having it finally emerge on the other side. yay!

I hired a friend of a friend of mine and they worked diligently building the wall....
until they didn't. It remained unfinished for over 5 months. I looked out of my kitchen window at piles of rock, cement, sand, buckets, tools  and debris for those long 5 months. I hate messes and this was messin' with my tidiness streak. (Trapper was telling them to hurry it along!) They left all their tools behind, including a stone cutting saw (not cheap). I called repeatedly to please come finish, to no avail. I even owed them bunches of money. 

So I called in another contractor. They fixed everything, made it all pretty and completed the wall in two days. Yay for guys that show up and do the job! Now we just have to fill in with good dirt and plant grass seed (next spring). I've since gotten solar lights to cast a nice light up the drive. I smile every time I pull in.

I'm NOT a Chicken!

 

 For the last two weeks I've had a date with a needle. Right in the ol' knee. And I'm just a little bit chicken beforehand. Needles make me nervous. What's going into the joint is rooster comb. The comb is just a big flap of skin and it swells with a substance called hyaluronan due to heavy testosterone in the rooster. Cocky guys! Hens also have hyaluronan but not as much.

In the 70's it was injected into the arthritic knees of racehorses to reduce inflammation.  And now it's used in our knees. When scientists found out they could use this stuff for arthritis, they started raising roosters to have super huge combs, so big that the chickens couldn't hold their heads up. But now with all the chickens we eat, the combs are saved for this purpose.

It turns out that 3 injections of Synvisc (the commercial name) a week apart, seem to work the best. I have one left and haven't felt like crowing yet. I even sleep past 4:00 a.m.!

 I am spending more time in the coop though.  And my chickens seem to like me better.

Studio Tour

I am just now finished with my own studio tour (did you hear a big whooooppppeeeee!) on this Sunday night. I can't tell you how happy that this tour season is over. As much as I love what I do, crating, hauling, setting up shop in many different venues (including my own, 3 times), dyeing, skeining, creating, fusing, wrestling sheep, bookkeeping (ugh!) and everything else, it's nice to be on the other end for once.

 I visited a studio in Garrett County a couple weeks ago with my friend, Macee.

Annie has a separate studio near her farmhouse in a rural area.

She seems to love poppies as she had these large metal sculptures made and much of her work depicts thise fun flowers.

 The ceilings are covered in pinched tin metal, so awesome.

Annie makes her own paper then tears it apart and uses it in her original designs. She also stitches the designs with this old Singer sewing machine.

 Macee was one of the guest artists, displaying her metal jewelry.

 And delicious smelling soaps made it home in my bag.

A pillow even made it home with me and fits right in with my other pillows on my bed.

 We left as the sun was setting on another fine day, a day that I was able to shop instead of sell. Fun!