28 February 2010

dethroning The Royalty

All day long, My Jerry and I kept thinking there was something we were forgetting. Then, *BOOM*, it occurred to me. We meant to go get the local paper. Cuz they were gonna rerun the corrected version of The Wolf Wedding.

The paper will run your wedding story up to six months after it has happened. They have a six page form with all sorts of detailed questions about the wedding, who wore what, and the honeymoon. There were many questions that I didn't feel were relevant like where I went to high~school and who my grandparents were on both my mother and father's side of the family. Since our wedding was slightly different than a traditional first time young~adulthood, I didn't feel confined to the form. Especially cuz at the end of the form, they include this note that they think the more detail, the better as they are attempting to appeal to the human~interest/lifestyle angle of things.

So I wrote our wedding story as tho I were just writing to a friend and letting them know how it all came about and some of what we thought was important {like involving his children and his best friends} and things that might be more special and unique to our wedding {like asking the guests to bring, in lieu of gifts, their favorite side~dish to share at the reception}. I told the tale in true story form, rather than simply filling in information. Then, I glanced over the form to see if they asked things that I'd forgotten but wanted to include {this is why there are a few places in the article that aren't quite as smooth in transition as it could be}. My Jerry liked the story and he sent it to the paper's lifestyle editor.

We asked that it be published on Sunday 21 February as that is when Jerry asked me formally to marry him last year. We were so surprised to read the article last week, cuz it was there in its entirety and accompanied by a color photo {we'd thought black/white was the only option}. And it was a full past~the~fold half page!

But what we were the most surprised about was that the first person references did not all get changed over into the third. I didn't know that the paper was going to run the story as I wrote it; otherwise, I would have written it in the third person to start with and been a bit more selective about certain phrases and factoids. The oddest part was not even that it toggled between first/third; but half~way thru the article, The Kings appear.

My Jerry's mother was more than a little confused and asked us if she had met The Kings after she read the article. We explained that perhaps the editor forgot she was referring to the Wolfs when she was proofreading and now we are royalty. I giggled over it, but My Jerry was a bit upset and I can see his point; we wanted to have a nice keepsake instead of a joke.

So the new corrected version that ran today is available as well online here. We are The Wolfs once again. But My Jerry will always be My King.

24 February 2010

and now for something completely different...


normally, i'd model my own hat. hell, i've modeled hats that are not even my own. but i'm feeling feverish, blotchy, stuffy, congested, and glassy~eyed...i should be modeling for nyquil or mucinex or nasenex or hell, all three.


so i present my sweet husband who modeled my own hat for me.




{sigh}

ain't he sooOOooo sweet ta me?

{quitcher hurking}

23 February 2010

another critter~hat



Jerry's eldest daughter's daughter is having a birthday next week, she'll be six! So I decided this afternoon to make her a critter~hat. It kinda reminds me of a maroon and pink cookie~monster. I hope she likes it!

And if she wants, the pink nub of a nose and pink googlee eyes can be removed and then she'll have a feminine chain~mail hood. Or a white MSU can be affixed and she'd have a girly~helmet to show her team spirit. I know it's kinda late in the winter, but we'll have some cold days left this season yet, and there is always next year too!

That is, if she likes it.

At any rate, I hope she has a...

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

22 February 2010

I present...FSM!


This is my first attempt at the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It's ok, but I think I could do better. But for now, I'm ready to move on.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

~~touch his noodlee appendage~~

{ya know ya wanna!}

19 February 2010

chain~mail

dudes! i just crocheted two chain~mail hoods. the first was following this pattern. my stitches tend to be more relaxed than the tension she must have had for her demo, cuz mine was fit for a large adult noggin. which is cool, esp if My Jerry's daughter's husband does grow out his dreads. the second one i did is a purplish~pinkish soft yarn that i know his daughter adores. i adjusted the sizing so that it will fit her, and be more flattering to her face. i've not yet taken a picture of it, cuz i wanted to wait til i have a nifty had done for My Jerry's daughter. i have several selected as possibilities, including a Cthulhu, a flying spaghetti monster, castle crashers, and/or an earflap hat with a twist. decisions, decisions.

{*grins*}

15 February 2010

ah ben kulturified


Today started with me in the chair having my sutures removed from my mouth. The dental hygienist was perhaps having a bad morning, as she was a tad on the abrasive side and ended up fighting with a particularly long suture so much so she actually tugged my temporary cap off. sigh. It wasn't a problem as my dentist at the other office fixed me up in a jiff. I really like him and his staff, yea Team Ferguson!!

Then because it is the Third Monday of the Month, Between the Pages met and I was all giddy. Three new readers joined in the discussion and our fledgling book group is thriving quite healthily! Today Sinclair Lewis's Main Street was our title. Next month, we are reading Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. And we chose Kristin Hannah's True Colors for April.

My Jerry had scored some free tickets to the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, part of the Lyceum Series at MSU, So this evening, we had excellent seats {thanks, Ron and Thelma!} to enjoy the show. The attendance was a bit lower than it perhaps could have been, in no small part due to the cold temperatures and folks not wanting to venture out in what constitued at a blizzard for all of half an hour rii'cher in Mississippi. And it is quite the shame that out of 18,600 students, so few took advantage of the free admission that they are granted.

As for the Orchestra itself, I enjoyed the evening's show. I'm not a classical or string music aficionado, so I didn't get all swept up with emotion and burst into tears of joy, passion, and exuberance. But I did enjoy the evening. I liked being able to sit with My Jerry and hold hands and let the music bring to mind cartoon characters dashing across the screen and picture tiny mice creeping along and then scurrying off in the best of Looney~Tune fashion. Somehow I don't think that was Rachlevsky's intent, but I know that there were at least a few of us giggling with mental pictures of Warner Bros. insanity.

"--Feb. 15, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, one of Russia's critically acclaimed string ensembles, performs in concert. Formed in 1991 by conductor Misha Rachlevsky, the group has recorded more than 20 CDs, including the music of classical and contemporary composers."

and they call it, puppy love


Shaddow has always liked little dogs and would attempt to engage Jerry's lil ones in play. However, the lil dogs didn't know what to make of that. Pearl would follow Harley's lead and bristle when Shaddow would get all playful. So Shaddow had no playmates after I moved here from the farm.

However, Harley disappeared a few weeks back, and Pearl misses him almost as much as Jerry does. She's started to get much more friendly with Shaddow. They often sleep on the same couch and both climb up on the bed with us most nights. Usually tho, Pearl doesn't cuddle up to Shaddow.

Last night, I spent some time loving on Pearl and then decided to spend some time with Shaddow. Pearl horned in and so I pet them both at the same time and then when I sat back to crochet, Pearl stayed all cuddled with Shaddow. I was afraid to move, to get the camera, cuz I didn't want Pearl to jump down and follow me, which is what she usually does.

So Jerry went and got the camera and took a few shots. Here are The Girls. It seems Pearl is warming up to Shaddow now.

13 February 2010

my sweet valentine


Usually Valentine's Day makes me uncomfortable, because I think it's pathetic that folks need to have a special day to remind them to be sweet to their loved ones. So I always try to downplay the importance that the other person might try to attach to the day, if I think that they are assuming that I expect them to be extra sweet to me on that Hallmark Holiday. However, I've also realized that sometimes that day gives the other person a chance to be extra~sweet, that they might attach extra importance to it because of their opinions and not because of what they think I might want.

Cuz it's not always about me.

My Jerry treats me like a Princess {yes, that's right, with a capital pink P} all the time. Like a few weeks back, I mentioned that I haven't been to an IHOP in awhile and was kinda wanting to go, cuz I love pancakes. So the next morning, Jerry made a big ol batch of sweet pancakes that were so delicious. Since then, every Saturday morning, Jerry gets up while I sleep in, and makes me pancakes.

I KNOW, soooOOOooo sweet, right?

And most days when I finally stumble into the kitchen, he has the tea pot all ready for me to throw the switch and let it brew. I love that! It's all those things that make me extra happy to be his missus.

I'd asked him not to spend lots of money on me, cuz I'm not too keen on that sorta stuff anyway, but also cuz earlier this week, we blew lots of money on my mouth {Monday was a very busy, painful, and expensive Dental Day~~it's a good thing I have 31 perfect teeth, and hopefully after this entire thing is over with, that will be the END, that's that}. Jerry agreed, but he'd already gotten me a cool t~shirt that he gave me as soon as he got home from work on Friday, along with a great card {that made me go, awwwwwwwwww, sniff sniff}. The t~shirt has a pic of a starlette from the thirties or forties, lounging on her fluffy bed with pink feathery robe and slippers and her blonde hair all curled up and all. The caption says: Damn, I'm good in bed; I can sleep all day!

So we started Valentine's early! This morning, I came into the breakfast nook and he'd set the table already and had brewed a pot of Irish Breakfast for me, and the hugest platter of the fluffiest pancakes evah sat in the center of the round table. Since we read to each other, he got the book and read a few chapters while I ate. Then we went back to bed, so I could snuggle and get warm again, and he continued to read to me while I cuddled with Princess Pearl {we're spoiling her even more now that her buddy Harley isn't here}. She is mostly white, with a mask of black and tan. She's a chihuahua mix that Jerry had given to his late~wife years ago. She loves to be cuddled and especially loves women to do the cuddling. I think that's mostly cuz guys don't tend to cuddle. I'm just saying.

At some point, lulled to relaxation by Jerry's reading voice and Pearl's softness tucked against me, I fell asleep. After awhile, Jerry woke me up, and we went to town to see a movie. Jerry really surprised me cuz he chose "Valentine's Day" which actually was pretty good. Afterward, we went to Applebee's and he had steak and I had pasta and it was good to be able to enjoy being together {he even let me eat all his broccoli}.

Now we are all settled in at home, with some hot beverages, in our jammies. We watched a TiVo'd comic and now he's watching the MSU game while I'm online. This weekend has been awesome.

{Quit wretching!}

I love you, my Jerry.

11 February 2010

whine~tard

About a year or two ago I discovered that I was completely misinformed about sushi.

I'ven't become an expert since, but I have learned how much I really don't know about much of anything.

Sushi doesn't refer to raw fish as I'd thought for over thirty five years. But rather sushi is actually the vinegar rice that is somewhat sticky and easily formed. Sushi technically means "sour", and since it refers to vinegar rice, I'd say that's more than accurate.

I look at sushi for newbies {cuz I still are one} in the same way that I look at most any consumable that is an acquired taste. I advise you to go to where it is consumed fairly rapidly so that it is as freshly made as can be. This principle can be applies across the board.

No one should order anchovies at a pizza place that has to dig deep into the stores to find that last lonely rusted can that was ordered by mistake and forgotten about. If you want to try anchovies, go someplace that uses them often and regularly so that you can have a decent experience rather than base your first and lasting impressions on inferior product. The same is true of sushi.

Good sushi is firm, fresh, and should look, taste, and smell pleasing. It should have excellent mouth feel and is meant to be enjoyed, not gulped in a grimacing effort as if to say, "there, i've tried it" in response to an ill~advised dare. It isn't for everyone, and that's alright.

Sushi is generally rolled with or topped with meats {fish eel, squid, shrimp, crab, tuna, etc}, cream cheese, eggs, sauces, seeds, wasabi, and veggies. If rolled, you may see pressed sheets of seaweed lending some structure and taste. The veggies range from slivers of carrot, zucchini, avocado, radish, scallions, cucumber to bean sprouts, baby corn, peas, and other crunchies.

I've not yet ventured to make sushi myself. But as with wine, I do not need to know much to appreciate and enjoy it. Neither do I need to be able to prepare something here at home to learn more about understanding it. Altho that helps.

My family, primarily my mother and brother, make wine. The wine they have been making these past few years have been light and fruity: plum, pear, muscadine, blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry all either grow on their property or locally available. The kiwi/strawberry, chocolate raspberry, citrus/mango, and a few other types are made using syrups, concentrates, and other additives {yea, hershey's!}. Some of the base to the wines might be readily available juices such as white grape, apple, etc. The point is, they are having fun with experimenting and finding those favorites {plum} and not so greats {peach, 'twas the pits people}.

In the meantime, I've been having a grand time trying and enjoying various tastes and treats too. I'm not a connoisseur, by any means. But I've learned to relax and not feel the need to know about the entire process from growing, to pressing, to fermenting in order to enjoy what it is.

I'm trying to keep that in mind and apply that toward other areas of my life. It's ok to want to know, or to research and learn what I can, yes. But it's also ok to be a techno~tard and not get all the science behind the gadgetry in order to use it. And it certainly is ok to enjoy the eats and not need to know how to whip it up myself.

Altho sometimes, I'm just geeky that way. And ya love me, ya know ya do. *wink*

10 February 2010

the lil'est lil bit


Ugh.

Monday I visited the periodontist who implanted a screwed post into my upper jaw and then stitched it up nice and tight.

Then a few hours later, I visited my dentist who affixed a temporary abutment and crowned it.

I have strict instructions that the temporary stuff is for looks only til the jaw bone heals properly to support the use of permanent fixtures. So no biting and chewing and all that other good stuff that would either break off the temporary or dislodge the screw or both.

My face felt fine until the drugs started to wear off and then it felt just a bit tingly as the nerves began to waken. And then, the jangling started and then there was a star~burst of swollen pain that settled into my face after first radiating out of the top of my head and serving as a beacon for the Longview and Bradley communities.

All that I can deal with just fine. FINE!! dammit i said just fine.

But there is this tiniest portion of suture that is poking me in the tongue. It's not long enough to thread thru to the front with all the other stitch remnants. I can't cut it because then the stitch will unravel and I need it for another few days at least, reconstructive gumwork, doncha know.

So I can deal with the all the swollen gums, the aching jaw, the sinus pressure, and the throbbing. I can deal with all that suture knotted up and making a mess of my smile as the tangled ends stick out every which way when I talk so that it feels like I have a mouth full of embroidery floss. I can deal with all that. But that lil eighth to a quarter of an inch slender stitch is poking the shit outta me.

Proof that it really is the lil things that can rub ya the wrong way.

07 February 2010

belly up!

A few years ago, a dear friend here in Starkville was telling me about a belly~dancing class she was taking at the Wellness Connection Center {which is affiliated with our local hospital, so the staff there are absolutely incredible, but that's another entry}. I was super surprised because my dear friend is very shy about her body and will do absolutely everything to deflect attention from her form. But as I listened to what she had to say, I realized that I really did not know all that much about belly dancing.

So I googled it. Cuz that's what I do, google things and wiki them, cuz the internetz would never steer me wrong, right? Right?!?

And I found this wonderful site: Shira. Then this and that and the other thing and before long I'd forgotten all about belly~dancing cuz that tends to happen as life rolls on, I forget things. That's one of the reasons I would mark sites with StumbleUpon and Delicious, but then it got to where I was forgetting to do that too, and also to look at them {and that too is another entry's material}. Then certain things trigger other things and I go, "oh yeah! i thought about that before" and then it all comes back {or most of it. I think. I hope.}.

Fast forward to last spring, at the MoonDance Fest over in Georgia where there was a group of folks who taught a few sessions of belly~dancing. Neither Jerry nor I went, because we both were attending other sessions at the times those were offered. But we did have a chance to see the belly~dancers in all their glory during the fire~side drumming every night.

That particular group of individuals was fairly diverse for such a small gathering. There were both male and female, some slender and some a bit more athletic in form. But the ones that really captured my attention were the heavier females who seemed to feel so very comfortable with their bodies. They found the flow of movements to match their own core as well as the beat. Some dancers embodied very slow measured movements that were very precise. Some used their limbs moreso, some focused on their hips to exclusion, some were solemn, and some were so very effusive that to just watch them seemed to draw me in and cheer them along.

Later, I visited some friends in B'ham, and I took them to an Indian restaurant, where there were belly~dancers. The small group of five women danced thru the crowd up to the stage where they used scarves, swords, sticks, and other props. There too was a nice representation of various body types, ranging from slender, to athletic, on to heavy. Also, there was a range of ages present, a young woman just into her twenties, an older woman who later I found out was in her late seventies {I estimated fifties}, with the other three appearing to be in their late thirties or early forties {tho I may have been wrong on that too}.

Then over the Holidays, I visited with my folks and a young lady they are friends with had recently learned some belly~dancing. With some prompting from her husband and encouragement from my folks, she talked about it, and then warmed up and chatted some with me with a bit of enthusiasm. To start with, she was afraid it wasn't gonna be for her, altho a friend of hers had been taking classes for over a year. But she attended a few, and then learned that many of her preconceived notions were not entirely correct.

In fact, I just received the DVD taken of a show that she had been in back in November. The town is smaller and a bit more conservative than Starkville, so we aren't speaking about a liberal left audience of tolerance and acceptance here. We're speaking of a group of supportive folks who cheered on their loved ones and neighbors, seven women of various skill level, who preferred various forms of belly~dancing, and realistic body types {five of the seven appeared to be over the ideal weight range}.

The show had been in the local school's auditorium and featured a range of performances that included story~lines, solos, entire group, pop music, more traditional Indian meditations, a wide range of costumes and props, and styles of dance. It was about an hour and a half long and a pleasure to watch. It was great to see that two or three of the women started off a routine a bit shy and self~cautious become more comfortable with and self~assured as they felt the music and the flow of movements in a more conscious display of confidence and joy.

I used to love to dance. In fact, that was the attraction of turning 21, not the drinking, but being able to visit bars where the dancing was. In my small town, there was no other place to dance besides your living room or a bar.

I continued to dance thru~out my twenties into my early thirties. Then I petered out. In fact, at my own wedding, my stamina was so poor, that I got winded after two songs. That was pathetic!

In the past year, I've gained close to forty pounds. And with each pound, I've noticed myself becoming more still, less active, more withdrawn in some ways. And I realized as I was watching the DVD earlier that I wouldn't allow myself to move, even with the catchier tunes, because I was being self~cautious and aware that I was chiding myself that I would be foolish.

Well, shit on that. Foolish in whose eyes, exactly? Isn't it foolish that I continue to gain weight and feel more unattractive and dowdy and not allow my own husband enjoy me? Isn't it more foolish that I'm denying myself the very things that would help me to lose weight and to feel more attractive and comfortable with myself and my own body? Movement!

So I'm gonna see if some movement wouldn't help me to feel more energetic, less worn out, and see where it takes me. I miss the more fun part of me, that loved to move and dance and breathe and be present and alive. Let's see if I can't find and coax my self out of hiding beneath layers and layers of fat and shame.

Cuz I don't need to wait til I'm slender to move.

01 February 2010

lil red {again}

A few months back I began the Lil Red Project {as I am now thinking of it, in caps and large and red, of course}. My Jerry's daughter had asked if I could make a lil red riding hood and cape for her daughter, who is now five. I said, "sure!" with tons of enthusiasm and a really can~do spirit.

I set off right away, tho she didn't know that {she didn't mean for me to get right to it and make it so; she was gonna get the yarn that she wanted from a really cool yarn store near where she lives}; but I was itching to see what I could do. The actual hood was something I just tinkered with til I thought it would do. Oh~no following patterns for this here can~do spirit {huge roll of the eyes here}!

I actually used my Jerry as the model. And no pictures of that exist. Sorry, my faithful readers. You'll just have to use your imagination.

What? you ask, a grown man models a five year old girl's hood? What were you thinking, you crazy zany girl, you?

Well, the child is larger than your average five year old. And I wanted it to be something she could continue to wear for more than just one season. And her mom thought that knee length would be nice.

Knee length on this five year old would approximate crotch length on my Jerry, since the girl is about four foot tall {i KNOW, i did type that right, five year old girl, at four foot tall...sometimes folks see her size and forget her age...but that happens to me, too~~nodding solemnly}. So I set to work on the gawdamn cape, sigh.

The gawdamn cape, sigh is turning out to be a rather larger and more involving project than I originally thought. To start with, I wanted a nice dense stitch so that the cape would keep the girl warm. So I did the front left panel entirely in single stitch and slip stitch.

Then wisdom prevailed in the form of logic {delayed, yes, but still valuable}, the cape would be tremendously heavy if I did the entire thing in those stitches. The poor child would not be able to walk, let alone go skipping off to grandma's, swinging a basket full of bread and treats.

So I switched to a different stitch {a treble treble}, which does move lots faster and tah~DAH! I am almost finished with the gawdamn cape, sigh part of things. It's still tremendously heavy but I think you are going to have that no matter what...unless it's of fleece, or made of the emperor's new clothes stuff.

Today, I will begin to connect the cape to the hood. The hood actually descends down over the shoulders, so it's like a mini~cape of sorts by itself. After that is done, I'll add some kick~ass buttons to the cape so it can be closed along the front of the lil girl.

Then I'll pack it with a few other things, including a centerpiece from the wedding, and send it across country to my Jerry's daughter and her family. And you just may see some pix of the completed project being modeled by...gasp, could I persuade my Jerry?

*wink*