At Long Last - I Gave Blood Today

I'm ashamed to say it's taken me 20+ years to get to this day. My parents and younger sister have donated blood for years. Kelly does it in spite of the fact that the sight of her blood makes her woozy. One of the bitterest fruits of my procrastination.

Last year some time they had a blood drive here at the mobile home park that I actually went to, but my iron level was just too low to qualify. Did you know that drinking tea with meals can interfere with your body absorbing iron? I now drink milk or water with dinner.

At any rate, I got a phone call this morning asking me to come in, and this time I added it to the end of my list of errands. Went in, they checked my iron level - solidly in the middle of where they wanted it to be. I got settled on the recliner, got my book open, I'm good to go.

It took 3 nurses and holes poked in both arms before they found a vein they could tap. I seem to remember that Kelly presents them with the same problem. Other than that, no problem for me. I've stabbed myself almost as badly with sewing pins. I don't turn woozy at the sight of blood. I just need to remember that they're serious when they say not to lift more than 10lbs afterward - I was shifting antique computers around the house expecting a pick-up any time in the last hour and a half (I think I've been stood up!) and had to sit down a while in the midst of it.

I need to make sure I get in to donate as frequently as I can now to make up for all the years I should have been donating.

About "The Book"

Since "The Book" is mentioned in the description of this blog, and since I just wrote about the "Put Your Heart in a Book" t-shirt, I thought it might be time to Go Public here with my ambition.

I was, and will be again, a romance writer. Only finished one book, written in collaboration with Nonnie, who did manage to finish other books of her own and has published two Regency romances under the Nonnie St. George name. But I enjoyed the process and the community and will return to it again.

My current WIP (work in progress) is Omniscrapping: Computer Techniques for Paper Scrappers. It hasn't advanced much beyond the outline stage and I need to seize this time, after my first class for DSU and before the next New Kids to get some serious work done on it. I'm using a theme album Family Faces to experiment with. I have scans of two posted here at DSP and I'll try to post the rest of the batch this evening.

A Room to Create In

I have a two-bedroom mobile home to myself, so when I moved in I decided that I'd sleep in the smaller bedroom and use the master bedroom for my computer/crafting room. It's worked out very well - by having a small bedroom I have mostly managed to keep just bedroom stuff in it. This was very important to me when I moved in because I'd been sharing houses with friends before then and mostly trying to live in one room - bed, books, and computer altogether.


This is a close-in shot of the computer corner (in an attempt to hide most of the clutter!) It's mostly a U-shape, between the windows in the corner. On the right is the printer stand with all my various papers, labels, etc.In the center is the computer table. It's generally well-piled with papers, CDs, tapes, Post-it notes, earrings, pens, a couple of water glasses - stuff. Up top, mostly hidden right now by the stacks of CDs and tapes, I have two of my gryphons and a galileo thermometer (one of those with glass balls filled with colored liquid that rise and fall with the temperature. )



And tucked down under the monitor is a little green-and-yellow bird - with teeth! - I made when I first got my hands on polyclay.


This triptych hangs over the computer table. It's special for three reasons - Grandpa Skold took the photos and assembled it (I can see his handwriting in the title,) they're photos from England (Westminster Abbey) and it's a symbol of the link between me and Grandpa - photography. He was an avid, and good, amateur photographer and as I've gotten more interested and active with my photography I think of him often.

Next to the artwork is a pink t-shirt I bought at a romance writers convention a few years ago (you can just see the edge of the sleeve there.) The front says "Put your Heart in a Book" and the back, the side I've been displaying, says "Finish the D* Book!" I just turned it around - we'll try positive reinforcement awhile!

On the left, under the window, is a short bookshelf with the scanner on top and my font and kit print-out binders down below. I have 4 binders right now with kit print-outs and almost 20 font binders (they're sorted by category so some are quite small.) Next to the bookshelf is a table that currently has the iMac on it, as well as stacks and stacks of papers, 2 mugs, 3 books and the camera.

The rest of the room has more bookshelves for books and magazines on scrapping, quilting, sewing, and computers, 2 crafting tables, a couple of short filing cabinets, the ironing board, lots of plastic tubs full of fabric, 4 rolling plastic drawer systems full of crafty things, and most of my tape/CD collection. It's in serious need of a clearing out, but I'm working on the living room first. 

Memorial Day Celebration

Mom and I dressed in our turn of the (last) century finery (because we could!) and attended the Memorial Day Commemoration at the Old Rural Cemetery. The Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Association along with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War recreated the Memorial Day Service from one hundred years ago. The one only weeks after the 1906 earthquake destroyed much of Santa Rosa.

Between the opening and closing prayers, we had a recitation of the Gettysburg Address, a poem to the unknown war dead, a reading of the names of local Civil War veterans dead and alive, Union and then Confederate, followed by the names of veterans of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. And a fine, impassioned, and remarkably short speech originally given by a schoolteacher-attorney turned judge. This was followed by the singing of My Country 'Tis of Thee and America the Beautiful, including verses to both I'd never heard before. The final touch was the firing of a volley and the playing of taps, provided by members of the American Legion.

It was a remarkably well-done and nicely attended ceremony. Listening to the speakers, making reference after reference to the Civil War and to those who willingly answered the call to arms for the preservation of the Union made me consider how important it is that we citizens be ready to make necessary sacrifices. But it also made me think about how important, how vital it is to make certain that the cause is worthy of such noble sacrifice.

(And reading that last paragraph, I realize how easily my language slips into the patterns and style of other days...)

On a lighter note, should anyone want to know how to get interviewed by local media, the answer is to show up at events in costume! Mom & I were taped and interviewed by the local tv station, and photographed and interviewed by the local paper. Mom is a docent at Luther Burbank's Home & Gardens and they do a Christmas Open House and other events in turn-of-the-century costumes so she already had hers - a green brocade walking skirt I made her and a green-striped blouse. I borrowed her white blouse, wore a long black skirt, and pinned my hair up in a Gibson Girl style. We both had lace parasols (a big hit - everyone asked where we got them. Mom picked hers up in Gettysburg, I got mine at an historical event in San Jose.) And I just realized I have photos of most of the speakers, but didn't think to get one of us! We'll have to see what the paper prints. Maybe next weekend I can talk Mom into getting dressed again for a photo opp.

Book Report

If you're thinking of reading Truth or Dare you need to pick up Light in Shadow first. This isn't so much a prequel-sequel thing - the story of the romance takes two books to finish.

They're both heavy on the mystery/suspense elements. The hero is a private detective. And the heroine is psychic. She feels the residue of strong emotions trapped inside rooms.

I'm a serious Jayne Ann Krentz fan - I have two shelves of her books written not only under the Krentz name (contemporaries), but also Amanda Quick (historicals) and Jayne Castle (futuristic.)

First Thoughts

My first thought was "Turn on the light." (The bedside light is the only one in the room and is on the switch by the door. But when I read at night, I turn it off at the lamp. Which means crawling across the bed in the evening to turn it back on - unless I remember when I wake up.)

Next, "I shouldn't have finished the book last night. It's later than I wanted to be getting up." Followed shortly by "Did they tell us they were turning the water off today?" The park has old pipes and they were working on them yesterday, too.

The book, however, was almost worth oversleeping for. Jayne Ann Krentz's Truth or Dare, a romance with suspense elements and I had to find out who-all done it. She had several different threads running, and added one more just as I was thinking about putting it down for the night.

Happiness is a Warm Puppy (or Two)

I don't remember getting our first dog. I would have been 2 or 3 at the time, it was while we were living in the little house on Yulupa. Apparently Grandpa Skold decided it was time for us to have a dog and gave us a basset hound. I got to name him, the only dog name I knew - Snoopy! There's a great photo somewhere of him sprawled on his back in the chaise longue in the yard.

I remember when Grandpa decided we needed another dog (just not exactly when that was - I was probably in 4th or 5th grade.) We went down to Los Gatos to visit, and tied to a long rope, out back with Grandpa's German Shorthaired Retriever, was a beagle. I think he came with his name - Barney. I have no idea if my parents knew about either gift, but how do you tell your little girls that they can't have the dog their Grandpa just gave them?

Both dogs were outdoor dogs. The first morning we had both of them at home, they got into a fight and Snoopy tore open Barney's paw pad. He was in bandages and that horrible protective collar for far longer than he wanted to be. After that, when The Beagle was in trouble, he'd look at you with those bright brown eyes and raise his paw. "Remember, I was hurt! Don't be mad at me!" And then he'd blow it by switching paws. "Wait, was it this one?"

They used to chase each other around the back yard - or rather, Snoopy would chase The Beagle. Now, you picture a basset as a sleepy dog, maybe meandering from one good nap spot to another, right? Not this one! The Beagle would take off across the deck and launch himself off it into the sand box. And Snoopy would be right behind, ears flying! The chase would always end in the dog run. The Beagle would find himself trapped in the back, out of sight. We'd hear a yelp, then Snoopy would come trotting out. A little while later, The Beagle would slink out, and that would be the end of that.

The Beagle was something of an escape artist. After discovering two or three different ways to go under the fence, he then discovered a way to go over the fence. If he stood on the railing at the west end of the deck, he could leap from there, over the fence, and land on the top of the wood pile. From there, it was all downhill - literally, he always headed down the street. Dad finally nailed a piece of plywood to the top of the fence to prevent this.

Just because he couldn't go over didn't mean that Snoopy never got out. Someone would leave the gate unlatched and he'd be off and away too. And he was much harder to get home. The Beagle you could pick up and carry. But you couldn't carry the basset, and your back got sore bending over to hold onto his collar. Snoopy also held the record for distance. Mom got a call one afternoon from the volunteer fire department, a good 3 or 4 miles away. They'd found him standing on the median strip in the middle of Hwy 12!

Both dogs died peacefully in their sleep. Since then, Mom has had two cocker spaniels - the kind of dog she grew up with. I've had cats. Kai had crazy Siamese, and something large and furry and Northern - Husky or Malamute. Kelly has cats and a Great Dane, but they're looking for a basset hound now.

Sweet Smell of Home (and other nice places)

The scent I was thinking of when I suggested this to Meg is actually part of a complete-senses package.

My grandparents owned 10 acres of property backing onto Cow Creek out East of Redding. Grandpa always had a dozen or so head of cattle grazing on it. When we'd go up to visit, we'd always play cowgirls and go out and help Grandpa move them from the upper field to the lower, or vice-versa, walk with him when he turned on the sprinklers, go out and check the line of pines and firs along the road.

But the strongest scent-memory was part of falling asleep. In the summer, the bedroom window would be open. We could hear the wind in the trees, the creek tumbling over the rock dam we'd build for Grandma, the sound of the logging trucks down-shifting up on the highway. Mom and Grandma in the living room talking about relatives, Grandpa's clock ticking over the fireplace. And the sound of the sprinklers - whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. And the ones close to the house that didn't go all the way around, they went part way and then back again - whoosh, whoosh, click-click-click-click-click. The weather is hot, so we're barely draped in sheets. It's either the hard little love-seat the folds flat (and throws your pillow on the floor because there's nothing to stop it from sliding) or sharing the hide-a-bed (with the bar right under your hip and your sister stealing the covers and kicking you.) And filling all of it - the scent of wet alfalfa, still warm from a day in the summer sun and smelling so sweet and green.

My sister has Grandpa's denim jacket in her hall closet. It was supposed to be for Mike to wear - but we can still smell hay and dust and cows on it, and Kelly won't let Mike wear it while we can still smell Grandpa on it.

Grandma and Grandpa Skold's house smelled of photographic chemicals. Especially the back porch, which always felt chilly no matter the temperature. And Grandpa's den which smelled of dust and leather and whatever taxidermists use.

I've worked at the Renaissance Faire for years and years. Faire smells of dust, and dry grass, and fire retardant, and fresh paint, with a little lavender or rosemary mixed in (I wear them on my bodice or on my hat.) Even after faire clothes have been washed, they still have the faire scent in them.

My sister's family and I work the Dickens Christmas Fair each year. It's held in the Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, and before this last year the Grand National Rodeo was the last event in the hall before we moved in. We joke about how the scent of cow manure makes us want to sing Christmas carols!

Five Bestest Words

Only five? That's the challenge here. There are so many lovely words in the world.

Pachyderm This was the first word Dad taught me. I got my love of words from him - I have an entire layout (someday to become a 2-page spread) of his favorite words and phrases. Sprint, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, figurese (Spanish for Imagine that!) Growing up, our dinners frequently ended with either the dictionary or the atlas out, looking up something that Dad said that we couldn't quite believe.

Family I'm blessed to have my family near, my parents and both sisters and their families. Mom was an only child, but her Dad was one of eight. The Chathams have nearly all stayed in Northern California, and though we've lost more than half of Grandpa's generation, The Cousins still get together occasionally for picnics. And then there's my Faire Family - the folks I've worked Renaissance Faires and Dickens Fairs with for over twenty years. Whether it's the Irish tuatha (pronounced tu-ah, meaning clan) or the family running the Green Man Inn, the feeling, the connection (and the occasional squabble) is all family.

Book The word's a little plain (tome is so much more romantic) but I've been in love with books for longer than I can remember. I don't remember learning to read, I just remember, even in first grade, finishing my schoolwork so I could go pick out a book and read. Fantasy, Science Fiction, History, Romance, How-To, Cookbooks, Computer Books, Biography. My house is filled with them and the word Book means pleasant company, new ideas, new skills.

Crimson (see also Scarlet, Puce, Bloodred, Burgundy, Maroon) I love rich reds, and I love the word Crimson. It feels royal and romantic. It's a Crimson velvet gown on a court lady, a Crimson cloak on a loyal knight, a noble steed caprisoned in crimson and gold.

Zia This is the Italian for Aunt. One of my nephews is half-Italian, and so I decided I was going to be Zia rather than Auntie Kris. Especially since Kelly's kids have several other "aunts" among the Faire family, being Zia is unique and special.

Just Like Grandma Made It

There are lots of foods that have emotional connections - Grandma Chatham's lemon meringue pie, Dad's Swedish pancakes, even foods like turkey and brownies that bring to mind Grandma Skold's "challenges" in the kitchen.

But the ultimate comfort food is peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers.

We used to have this at Grandma Chatham's. Occasionally, Mom would let us have these at home. My sisters and I have this now and again when we're all together.

Now, you need to have Honeymade graham crackers.

Skippy peanut butter - it's easier to spread if you get the smooth but crunchy is an option too.

The hardest part to get these days is the blackberry jelly. Grandma used to make her own - we'd pick the berries for her from the patch over by the pond. Nowadays, we're stuck trying to find it in the stores - and generally stuck finding a jam with the fewest seeds in it. Maybe this summer, since we're not working Faire, I'll have time to find a pick-your-own berry patch and we'll see if Mom and I can make some.

To accompany this, you need milk, potato chips (not ruffled, just plain), and dill pickles. When Kai visited me in college, we bought the pickles and left the open jar on the kitchen table between us, even though neither of us eats pickles. Mom and Grandma did, and you need the scent for the setting to be complete.

A simple indulgence - but just filled to the brim with memories.

Sooner or Later I'll be Punctual!

I have to go with the most "popular" bad habit - procrastination.

I have no sense of how long something should take, so I procrastinate doing it because I think it'll take too long. My timer and FlyLady's "you can do anything for 15 minutes" is starting to help some, but...

Sometimes it's the opposite - I'll put off doing something because I think it won't take long. And it does.

Even when I *know* it takes one full hour to get to my sister's, I don't get out of the house on time. I am always at least 10 minutes late. At least.

Someone posted a list. Taxes - check. Car registration - check. Driver's license renewal - check.

I'm also perfectly capable of putting off fun things too. A trip out to the coast to take pictures. Sewing. Watching movies on the big screen. Going to see live theatre. Whatever the mental kink is, it's comprehensive.

If I could change one thing about me, that would be it. Anything else could be tackled with persistence, determination, time-management - whatever it is that I lack. It's not strictly persistence or determination. I've taught myself html, and enough cgi to make major modifications to scripts. I can spend hours, days, tinkering with programming to get a website just right. I've learned digital scrapping the same way.

But much of my life is made more difficult by this mental/emotional block to starting, and finishing, all sorts of projects.

Bad Daughter, Good Sister

To start with, I just realized I was a Bad Daughter and forgot to call Mom yesterday! We're getting together for the Santa Rosa Rose Parade and (probably) barbeque next weekend, and we're still trying to find the right weekend to take all the moms and daughters (6 adults and 2 girls) out for Tea (best guess on a date is sometime in late July or August!) So, mentally, I guess I was thinking "Mother's Day stuff is later" despite all the media and DSP attention on it. Minds are funny that way - or at least mine is! I'll call and apologize today. Alas, she won't be surprised...

What I did do this weekend was go and spend it with my sister Kelly (Mike was off at a sword symposium learning to fight with cutlasses on shipboard. Without the shipboard, they didn't get permission to go play on whichever local sailing ship they'd had in mind.) Saturday she helped me get the diffuser frames built for Suzanne's home studio lighting class. And Sunday she let me rearrange her living room and spend two hours taking pictures of her, the three kids, and two of the four pets. I managed to get some nice shots, and got some ideas for improving matters next time. I'm very fortunate that all three kids are willing, and two are very eager, to pose for me! I'll get some of the photos cropped and all and posted much later today.

The other thing we got done this weekend was to buy PSE 4 for Kelly, and I got it installed on her computer. (She's more than capable, she does computer training and troubleshooting at work, it just happened that I was at the computer when I thought of it.) I hope she'll have time this week to work through the First Page tutorials and get her first layouts posted. Don't be confused - the faces will look familiar since most of my layouts feature them - but the kids are actually hers!

Timin' It

Have you read the Dragonriders of Pern series? Dragons can go between - somehow step "outside", and get anywhere on the planet in the time it takes to breathe three times. To be able to get anywhere, that quickly and easily - wow! To be able to pop over and have lunch and a good bookstore-crawl in London. Go and meet all my Internet friends. Better still, gather all my digital scrapping friends together for a convention! That's the ticket!

But what Pernese dragons can do that I really need, is the ability to "time" it. They can arrive somewhere before they've left. Go back in time, and be in two places at once. I am always, always late. Ordinarily, I'm 10 minutes late. But that can certainly stretch to ridiculous lengths. And since it's uncomfortable and distracting to be in two places at once, that might convince me to finally figure out how to leave on time!

Time Off for Good Behavior

If I could take tomorrow off from work, I'd probably spend the day alternating between the computer and a good book or two.

But if I were determined to make it something out of the ordinary, I'd grab my camera and head out to the coast (it's only 20-30 minutes west of here.) The last time I was out there, I filled a 64M card. Now I have a 512, and I'd do my best to fill it, too!

Or maybe I'd head into San Francisco, visit the zoo with my telephoto lens and without the kids. Go up on the headlands beyond the Golden Gate Bridge - I've never made the time for that. Go to Fort Point - it fascinates me that there's a Civil War-era fort parked under the GG bridge! Ride the cable car downtown and then walk back along the Embarcadero.

Hmmm. No particular reason why I can't do this tomorrow... Hmm.

Decorating Done - For Now!

Okay - it's obviously been way to long since I got in and messed around with code! I've been having a blast getting this just the way I want it. At least for now, of course!

I started with the elegant Scribe template. And then I started tinkering. I decided the outer frame/background layer was just too dark and drab. So I created the red-and-gold tile in one of my favorite color combinations, uploaded it to my website, and linked to it. Next, I figured out how to shift the sidebar over to the right. And how to get the About Me section in to the sidebar, instead of sprawling across the top. I think I added an extra divider below the About Me section, too.

The Scribe template comes with a set of sidebar headers (like the Recent Posts and Archives headers) in that lovely script. I need to go through them next, and figure out how to add some of them in as well.

Here I Go! and Optimism

Meg, you've provided the last little nudge to get me to play with blogging (can't get too far behind the cutting edge!)

Your prompts, and the Book of Me memory jogs, have shown me I'm ready to do some writing again.

I'm optimistic I'll be able to keep this up - we'll see!

I'm generally optimistic, and I'm generally right to be. Right now, I'm optimistic that I'll be able to make a living without getting a 9to5 office job or working retail. Anyone who's met me in an early-morning chatroom while I'm on my way to bed will understand that 9to5 would only work for me if it were 9pm to 5am!

Well, I want to get this first post up and then see what I can do about making myself at home here. A little decorating - this'll be very nice!