Living the Slow life in North Carolina
Or, as I saw on an ad from Dharma Trading Co, PAINLESS FESTIVUS!!!
Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!
Kramer: That must have been some doll.
Frank Costanza: She was.
As said by our merry bartender at Fishbones tonight after Sandy said that we were there to drown our sorrows, but we were drinking our first drink really slow…
Sandy, however, just realized that he is 3 years away from retirement age rather than 4, so he had something to celebrate. Kind of a bigger version of I thought it was Wednesday, but it is really Thursday. I, on the other hand, have 13+ years until I can get full retirement benefits, more if the tea party decides to increase my retirement age.
I got paid with a bonus (instead of a raise) this year, and we actually closed on the sale of my mother’s house yesterday, so the new year will begin with less debt for me.
Normally, I’m posting about how slow and quiet it is at work this time of year, but not so this month.
No problem. I will be taking a clean break from work from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3. I plan to spend each day with a little cleaning, a little cooking, a little yard work if it ever stops raining, a lot of art time, and always the option for a nap.
Miss Lucy Lou O’Neill
Summer 2003 – December 20, 2015
Wee Lucy, 2003
Miss Lucy, 2006
Miss Lucy loved her greens, the more bitter, the better, and if she could steal them from the sink, that made them extra good.
Lucy loved Squirt.
That’s Theo, not Squirt. But they sorta loved each other too.
I did not expect her to go down so fast, but this morning she was ready. We were lucky to find a mobile vet who I knew through the weavers guild that was kind enough to come right out to our house when we called. She is now interred in our back yard. I’ll plant some flowers for her later.
She was in renal failure, among other medical issues. It was for the best.
So let me get this off my chest before I finish the coffee pot and starting playing in my studio. Most of this is what I posted on Facebook and there is no reason to rewrite it…
I think that our Miss Lucy, head produce inspector at Jazzcat Productions, is going to leave us soon for happier mouse hunting grounds. She joined Jazzcat Productions as a wee tyke in 2003, interning under Sir Guido O’Neill, director of security. Although her mouse hunting skills were extraordinary, as she matured, she found that she preferred lettuce and broccoli leaves. We’ll see how she does over the next couple of days, but based on earlier health crises with her, we agreed to let her go as naturally as possible when she makes the decision. I’ll call the vet in on a house visit if she needs a little humane push.
She has been in declining health for a couple of years. She had stress-induced asthma attacks during the last vet visits and the last time I had to force feed her. She has no teeth left except her fangs and multiple incurable problems, and the boys drive her crazy. I thought about keeping her in one room with a litterbox and food, but she let me know that she didn’t like that. Her favorite spots are in the other parts of the house. She has stopped eating and drinking as far as I can tell – I haven’t seen her eat more than part of a broccoli leaf in days. I’m not home much, but I’m pretty sure of it.
Theo is definitely showing his advanced age these days, too. We adopted him in 2009 as an older but playful gentleman, and he still likes to play. We think that he is around 15-16 years old. He seems to be in good health, according to the vet, but he is losing weight and he has started yowling occasionally. Guido did the same thing when he started getting dementia. I think that Theo will be with us for a while longer, even though the boys annoy him. He doesn’t hide from them, sometimes he initiates play with them, and he seems to enjoy watching them play from a safe place. They do pick on him and Miss Lucy though, and that’s not a good thing. I have had to evict him from my bedroom for my own health reasons and he has gotten fairly used to it, although sometimes he cries outside my door. He gets plenty of attention, believe me!
There are many things to choose from to do today, as usual. I have no problem with boredom! I think that I’ll focus on finishing “Migraine Day” and stitching up the slits on the two small format tapestries I did earlier this year. That way one of my small looms will be ready for this:
American Tapestry Alliance “Tapestry Unlimited Blog Tour”
It’s free, so if you are interested, there are some excellent teachers represented here.
Blogging everyday over the winter break may be a challenge, since my laptop at home does not like me so much, and blogging on the Kindle is difficult as well. That is why I often compose the night before and upload the post later at a better computer with a better connection.
Anyway, I played with the filter on my phone yesterday for the first time, and I continue to be surprised at what my camera phone is capable of producing. I think that the last image would be a nice tapestry design.
It’s a warm rainy day here in the southern state of North Carolina. They’re predicting a warm Christmas, too. I say, hallelujah, I can do some gardening and yard work over the winter break a week from now!
I am feeling rejuvenated by the idea of going back to school for the Masters in Library and Information Studies. I am going to take the core course on Monday evenings this spring if I can’t get into the distance course, and maybe even if I can. Even though I like the convenience of web courses, I think that they tend to be more difficult as far as class discussions and I don’t particularly care for video instruction. I registered for an online seminar on virtual communities for the second half of summer session. If I decide to apply for the program based on how I like the first two classes, I found out that I do not have to take the GRE or MAT because I already have a graduate degree. I can take three classes for credit through the Visions program, and by that time I should be able to make a good decision before jumping in. So far, it’s all good.
It will occupy my mind so that I don’t obsess as much about, um, ALL THE THINGS. It also will give me a little more confidence and hope about leaving this state and finding a job in higher education somewhere else.
It’s wonderful to be in a better mood. Please let it last! This weekend I SWEAR I’m going to get in the studio and weave!
Yesterday, I looked for interesting shadows. You have to shift your way of seeing to see shadows and reflections, and then boom, they are everywhere on a sunny morning. It’s a fun exercise. I wish that I could have gotten a photo of one place where I cast a double shadow on opposite sides. I guess it had to do with all the glass in the building beside me.
Yesterday I applied for the Visions program, which is UNCG’s program to allow people with BA degrees to take college classes without being admitted into a graduate program. I’m planning to take a MLIS course (Masters of Library and Information Studies) to see if it is something I would like to pursue. The program has classes online and in the evenings. It would keep my brain occupied on things other than politics.
Maybe if I had more IT skills and a MLIS degree I can get a job in instructional technology at a college or university if we decide to leave the state. Or hell, even if we don’t. Maybe we’ll head up into the hollers of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I’ll work from home through a satellite dish.
Library studies is all about technology and online media these days, but I’ve always considered going in that direction because of my love of books. Maybe I could take some of my electives at the Rare Book School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and try to get into archives and conservation.
Anyway, just another idea percolating in my head. I don’t seem to be able to stay out of school for long.
Today, I got through the day after a serious prolonged anxiety episode during errand running after the guild party yesterday. The party was fun, the food at Printworks was delicious, and some of us exchanged handmade “mug rugs,” so I was surprised by the panic attack. It’s been so long since I’ve had a major one that I forgot that they usually do come on at the most puzzling times. So, YAY, I got through Monday! One day at a time, ya know.
I did manage to go to a Hanukkah party last night, and I’m glad that I pushed through it, but I pretty much collapsed before I even got to the car. One thing I did learn over the years was that panic disorder developed into agoraphobia when I did not push through it, and I certainly don’t want to retreat to that.
The menorah was beautiful. I love what Susanne has done with her studio, spreading it over two rooms on the first floor of her house. I hope to do some papermaking again soon over there.
Today we resolved one of the work issues, but I think that we’ve done all we can and won’t be able to resolve the others. Too bad. God knows we tried. Now I’m letting it go, evicting the cats from the bedroom, and heading to dreamland. Hopefully I will be blogging about art instead of mental health issues very soon.
slowly she turned 