Hub in Hospital CA Trip Shortened

Really things are so distressing I just can't bring myself to write about them,

It's Been a While

Why is it that I am so unwilling to share when times are difficult?

Is it like that with you too?

I guess I find that I just do not want to cause anyone else discomfort of any kind.

My holidays were pretty miserable.  There is just no other way to say it.  A family rift caused great pain and I was unable to see the three grandchildren that live nearby.  After nearly fourteen years of weekly, biweekly and so many weekend sleepovers I can't even count - the house was empty of children and the happiness they brought.


I made it through the season of mousemaking and actually saw a rise in dollars over last year.  It came very very late.  I had almost given up hope...but it came.  I was able to buy presents for all five grandchildren.

We also had a huge plumbing problem in our basement - Yep that is where my Workshop is.  I had to carry basket after basket of raw materials upstairs and work on the dining room table.  That did not make for pleasant relations with my husband who "hates" my business!

The main pipe that removed waste from our home was broken outside and inside the basement.  We had several plumbers come to give us estimates - $5,000. was the highest and $900. was the lowest. Living on a fixed income meant that we didn't even have the money for the lowest bid.  That meant emptying twice daily a disgusting pail of waste water.  We did this for over three months.  One day I saw that my neice had used a plumber and mentioned his name on her Facebook page.  That very day I called and wonder of wonders the wonderful woman (wife of plumber #2 of 3) listened to my problem and immediately called her hub who was miracle of miracle "between jobs".  He and his brother came and FIXED THE HORRIBLE PROBLEM ON THE SPOT.  I was so nervous.  I only had $414.00 in my business account and nothing in our personal account.  My hub was at work and knew nothing of this.  I rushed downstairs to tell the plumbers that I had very little money.  "No problem", they said in unison. "We'll work with you."  Well you can just guess what happened then - Yep. Lots of tears and so many thank yous. I'm still making payments but the balance will soon be zero.

Can you even imagine how wonderful it was not to have to empty that disgusting pail twice a day? I realized I had just experienced a Random Act of Kindness.  Sure I had to give them all but $14.00 from my account and make weekly payments but it was so so so worth it.

It has been hard for me just to hold my head up since my husband lost his position at the bank nearly five years ago.  My whole world collapsed.  We lost all of our 401K plan.  We lost all of our credit. We now have one ten year old car left.  My husband was a VP Asset Based Lender. Now he works from 1-10 at Walmart.  He has to stand all day on cement.  He is 69.  He is depressed. He now relies on the Veterans for his insurance and medical care.  I have to pay 3/4's of my social security monthly allowance for my insurance.  If I didn't I wouldn't be able to pay for the hypertension, anxiety, diabetic meds that I must take each day. I am now on a quest to lose 60 pounds.  I am told that if I do I will no longer have to take half of my meds.  Sounds like a GREAT reward to me.  So hello fruits, veggies, legumes. Farewell bread, pasta, and rice.  I'll miss ya.

Thanks to the CT Housing Authority we were able to stay in our home.  Our mortgage rate is still over 7% but if we honor all of our payments for the next six years the $37,000. in arrears will be "forgiven".
In six more years I will be 70.  My husband will be 75.  Sometimes I wonder if we will make it...at other times I think, "why shouldn't we make it".  If we had had to surrend our home we would have had zero equity and no place to live.

We are never given the promise of an easy life.  I realize so many others have it so much harder.  Thank the Lord I have a strong constitution and enough drive to keep me going for a while longer.

I am so grateful now for each day I am given.  I try very hard to be grateful for any thing that doesn't force me under the bus.

I started this long and wandering post to tell you about a terrific post that a fellow artisan at the Old
Farmhouse Gathering Team (on Etsy) wrote this morning.  I hope you will all stop and read it.  It is
just wonderful:

http://handofbelapeck.typepad.com/blog/2013/02/worth-repeating-be-still.html

Linda

It's Friday. The sun is shining. I'm Alive.

I mean what more could I ask for.

I'm almost ready for my show tomorrow.  It is a little one in my home town.  Actually I think it is really the first time I've ever shown my work here in Ellington.

I've done 24, 18, and 12 inch decorated trees.  I've made lots of candles and greens in clay pots. I've made wooden wall birdhouses with Cardinals. Add to that lots of mice and lots and lots of wooden ornaments.  I have some beautiful wall pieces: swags and wreaths and baskets left from my last show.

I need to make some nice BIG price signs.  I need to find the table cover.

So...I am almost ready.

I ALWAYS get the biggest case of nerves before a show.

Here's hoping the customers will be kind...you just NEVER KNOW.

Happy weekend everyone.  Stay warm and hopeful.

First Snow

On November 7th before noon the flakes began to fall.

What is it about that first snowfall?  The beautiful flakes gather and coat all the brown of fall.

Everything looks so white, so clean, so beautiful.

When we first came to 18 Hayes Avenue there was not even one evergreen tree.  I was so  disappointed.  Why?  Because at our last house at 10 Hayes Avenue (yep, that's a whole other story) we had the most wonderful cardinal couple that visited us every year.  Cardinals love evergreens. No evergreens...no cardinals.  So... I had to visit a local farm where you could dig up evergreens at a very reasonable price and plant them in your yard.  I dug up a DOZEN.  That was the easy part.
Digging the holes for the trees in our yard was a CHORE.

Thank godness I was in my late 30's at the time. I still had energy.  The result?  Yep. The cardinals have come back EVERY year since and they brought friends.  Now I get to watch THREE couples.

After the snow fell it was so much easier to spot these beautiful male birds and their somewhat less easy to spot mates. I love it when they land on a wispy feathery branch and a bit of the snow falls off.

As so much of my life is still in chaos I am trying to concentrate on the beautiful things in life that are free and joyful.  I know there are so many.  Each day I am trying to find one.

Look for joy today.  It's out there and some of it is free.

Discouraged

I enjoy reading blogs.
Reading them make me feel happy.
I am always amazed at those blogs that have continuity.
You know.
Bloggers blog EVERY darn day or so.
They blog when they are happy.
They blog when they are sad.
They blog whether or not they can pay the mortgage.
They blog whether or not they have family problems.
I wonder.
I wonder how they do it.
I admire them.
Then I begin to wonder what is wrong with me.
Why do I want to hide when things aren't going well.
Where did my courage go.
Do I need to visit the Wizard?
I am just baffled.
Do you ever get baffled?
How do you get "unbaffled"?
Are you willing to share?
I love reading blogs.
They make me feel happy.

Patch Article

Today a really lovely article was written about my business.  I am overwhelmed. I'd love to show it to you but I have NO IDEA how to do that.  So I am simply going to give you the link and hope you get to use it and enjoy the article.  If you do, please leave a comment at the bottom of the article.

http://ellington-somers.patch.com/articles/making-mice-turns-into-full-time-business

Thanks to all my lovely supporters.  I'm very grateful for each and every one of you.

Linda

A Bit of Primitive Plundering

The Old Farmhouse Gathering Team on Etsy is having a bit of fun doing some Primitive Plundering.

You all must know what Primitive Plundering is of course...well if you don't it is simply visiting our members shops and seeking out wonderful "Prims" for your home or gift giving.

I'd like to show you just a few of the prims I found to feature in my Etsy Treasury:

To see the entire Treasury Please go here: 

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTI2MDgxM3wyNzIwNTU1MjM5/did-you-get-the-memo-halloween-starts-in?index=0