Time to Take Off

Time to take off for a few days. We had planned to go as far as Tennessee but the weather down that way didn't cooperate. We got stuck in a nasty ice storm heading towards Texas last year and it wasn't fun so we are only heading to Southern Minnesota. Maybe take in a casino or two. Freckles or " Square Dog" as we sometimes call her (she is as wide a she is long but much of it is hair) will hold down the fort for three or four days. She is an outside dog and has a comfortable very large pen and a house big enough for a couple labs. We also seemed to have been adopted by a cat that looks eeriely like my last cat. She is really spooky so we can't get near her but she comes every night to eat. When we come back I should have my beaded purse ready to list on www.sumjewelry.etsy.com so be sure to take a look next weekend.

It's still freezing up here

Boy this cold weather just won't let go up here. The last couple nights have been in the -25 range. Next week it i supposed to warm up, I sure hope so this does get tiring. We are thinking of going away for a few days just can't decide where to go. I would love to go to Tucson both to see a couple relatives and also to go to the Gem Show. We went last year and found it fascinating. I never knew that there where fluorescent rocks that actually glow under black light.

Have been working on a beaded purse. There are over 14 thousand beads in it. It has really been a labor of love, hope to finish soon. Maybe it has been a good thing that it has been cold, If the weather would have been nice I know I wouldn't be getting much beading or sewing done, would have been outside doing things.

We do a lot of snowshoeing weather permitting but the weather sure hasn't been permitting at -20 or so since that is without the windchill. I think windchills have been around -45. Have managed to get in a little ice fishing, there is a least 4 feet of ice on the lakes.

Think I better get back to beading.

TIME FOR DINNER

I was asked for pet pictures. How about my deer? We are feeding about 7, they seem to come in groups. These are the early birds, then there are a doe and last years fawn that survived the hunting season. Then one lone one comes later. We usually take out a bucket of feed around 3 fill the feeders and bang on the bucket and most of the time within a half hour they will start coming around. If they all come at once they fight and chase the smaller groups away. The does are very protective of their fawns and try and make sure they get something to eat. It is hard to get pictures as the feeder is not very far from the house and if they see you they spook and take off. We will feed from just after hunting season until usually around Easter when most of the snow cover is gone. Last year we quit feeding too early as we had two really big snow falls. There were 11 deer out there looking around going " I know we used to eat at this restaurant". So we had to start again for a couple more weeks.

As for other pets there is only one left "Square Dog" more about her later.

Where did the time go? It was the middle of December, I think I blinked and now it is January 6th. Christmas was busy as usual especially with the large family we have. I have also been trying to master some new jewelry techniques with seed beads. So far all I have mastered is how to take the stitches apart. I am really good at that now. With the amount of snow we have been getting (must be about 3 feet already) and the nasty cold, it was -31 the other morning and that was without a wind chill I should be able to accomplish a lot but somehow it never works out that way. I have been getting some of my pieces listed on Etsy so I guess I have gotten somethng done. It doesn't feel that way though.

Beads, Beads and More Beads

I guess it all started when I saw a bracelet I liked and thought, "I could make that". So I gathered a few beads together and an obsession was created. Now thousands of beads later I have become a beadaholic. I don't know if there is a cure but I know I am not alone, there are many of us out there.

Actually I have always enjoyed crafting. I did tole painting for years and still enjoy it but so many things get in the way of the painting and beading, like housework and cooking meals, luckily I have a husband who doesn't mind doing some of the cooking and it isn't beyond him to help with housework either. I also love to crochet and would love to incorporate some of that into my jewelry mainly purses. I have some patterns but they all call for something called Purse Twist which nobody seems to know what it is. If anyone out there has an idea I would appreciate it.