Random thoughts while washing dishes.

It's been a long time since i posted on my blog(s).  Too long.
Many posts started.
Many posts left unfinished.
Such is life.

I know a lady who has Alzheimer's. She was a prolific crocheter.  Skien after skien of yarn we gave her.
She is in a nursing home and was very convinced that she was being held against her will. She was also very convincing.

What do you like to do?
I like to crochet.
You should crochet.
How can i crochet when i have no yarn.

Skien after skien of yarn we handed her.

Everyone who met her was convinced that she would be o.k. She would adapt, if she just had some yarn.

Can you get her some yarn? She's bored. She wants to crochet.
Skien after skien of yarn we handed her.

Her dresser drawers were filled w/unfinished projects.

This is beautiful handiwork. Will you finish it?
How can i finish? I don't have any yarn.

The post list on my blogs are like this.
If only i had more "yarn"
yarn being time, ideas, focus, motivation, energy

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The Zen masters say "do one thing mindfully". "When you wash a dish, simply wash the dish".

"If only," says my soul
"Get over it," says my brain "silly zen masters. You have to work for a living. Free thinking must be squeezed in  between responsibilities." My brain can be a real bitch.
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There are many cans of garbanzo beans on the counter. Like 6 cans of garbanzos. And a half bag of dried.
Yeah. I had plans baby. Big plans.
Garbanzo goddess, i am.
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You know, i don't understand this whole terrorist thing. This intense fear of Syrian refugees.
Of course bad people are going to sneak in with the good people.
That's just how it is.
Bad people sneak into everywhere. No more babies then. Bad people sneak into the world out of birth canals too.
But really, are you that afraid?

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You know what makes me stop and ponder?
In one of the front yards in my neighborhood there is a used disposable diaper. It's been there for over a week. Since the night of the big wind, it's been there. Why has no-one picked it up?
Today about 3 feet away from the dirty diaper there was a wrapped condom.
Why?
Is it a gift? A suggestion? A statement? Art?

I wanted to take a picture.
But it was light out. It's a weekend.  People are home. My 2 dogs were pulling on their leashes and ....
i was a little nervous.

We live in a society with a old west mentality.
A piece of paper allows anyone to "conceal & carry."

Yeah.
Paris was horrific.
Beirut- horrific.

Isis -horrific.
Redneck Roy with his pistol in his back pocket - horrific.
Oath keepers  - horrific.
Oklahoma bombing,
Columbine, Newtown, Chardon, Umpqua - horrific.
Road rage - horrific.


You are afraid of refugees? I'm afraid to go to a movie.
Or to Walmart. Some pistol packing mother may leave her purse open.
I may get my head blown off by her curious toddler.

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I hate Walmart.  Shit probably happens at Target too though.

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Why aren't people up in arms about this conceal and carry nonsense? I mean. WTF??? I personally don't want to have to worry that the dude in line behind me at the grocery is carrying a fucking pastor. Ha ha. Pistol. Or a pastor too, really. Those people can be really annoying. And they're probably packing.
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I should make hummus.
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I'm not really afraid of refugees, terrorists, rednecks, death. Bring it on.
I am afraid of growing old.
And not having enough yarn.

Random memory

Right after we moved into our house, my husband & I were investigating all its nooks and crannies. We were examining the closet in my son's room  when we met the previous tenant.

She was a large lady .. or man. Frighteningly large. Huge, I would say. And those legs .... shew.... those legs didn't stop. And her skin, black and shiny as though she had been freshly washed and waxed. We never got her name.  Our screams sent her scurrying &  we never saw her again. 

But I will never forget her.  She was aaallll legs. Had she wanted to, she could've become a frightening bracelet around my dainty wrist. Which... actually could've been pretty cool. Maybe we could've become a fantastic crime fighting duo webbing up  ne'er-do-wells and what not. Giving Spider man a bit of competition - or assistance. Or, at the very least we could've made one heck of a fashion statement.

As I said she was a big lady.  There was just not a jar big enough to catch her and put her outside to prey on mice and stray cats. And, she looked indestructible .... and crunchy. Like, if you tried to stomp  her, she would simply lift a leg, easily place it on your shoe, give a little flick and flip you over in a most graceful Ninja spider kind of way. But, if you happened to be successful, the squishing would sound like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir munching potato chips in unison. CRRRRRUUNCH!!
Although, she was so shiny and slippery looking. Any attempt of squishing may have resulted in the would be squisher to land flat on his back vaudeville style.

Thankfully she scurried into a hole in the baseboard before we had to act. Being expert new homeowners, we promptly filled the hole with a crumpled sheet of notebook paper, then closed the closet door and never spoke of it again.

http://imgbuddy.com/misunderstood-spider-meme-wasp.asp

If you have to decorate a tree

When I was a kid, I loved decorating the Christmas tree. And by decorating, I mean hanging every last bulb and bauble on that poor tree then topping it off with a box or 2 of tinsel.

But, I'm all grown up now, allegedly. And, um, I still do the same exact thing hee heee.  Well, actually, this year my personal tree was quite grown up, thank you.

However, every year we have decorated a tree at a local metro park. These trees are always themed & the decorations are sometimes handmade - or, some of them are anyway.

Our tree is usually the most full and ..... umm..... interesting.

& yes, it's January. But xmas is an insane season. & honesty, i don't know if anyone actually sees the tree at the part. Allegedly, it's always very crowded and chaotic there during their holiday festivities.

So, these are tree ideas i thought i would share in case someone ever has to do a silly themed tree &, i don't know, because i have pictures of these trees and need to do something with them.

This year, the tree had an elf theme. This was a theme that had been used before. So, some of the elves were able to be reused. However, most of the other decorations had become scattered.

Anyway - pretty simple - Just took pictures of staff & residents and  print shopped the faces onto elf bodies. Time consuming but doable.

The other decorations were simply toys purchased from the dollar store.

(some elfin faces have been blurred d/t hippa)

 One of my favorite decorations on this tree was the jacks. And the super balls.

I kind of liked this tree this year. I thought it was kind of playful and happy. Of course, the other trees were way more mature and not nearly as full. But...... screw it. 

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Last year, the theme was "pearls of wisdom." This was an idea given to me by another activity director. 

She had scoured thrifts and gotten pearl necklaces and such throughout the year. I tend to live more "spontaneously". There was a lot of stringing of beads going on. Eventually I found cheap pearl-like garland at Marc's. Shew! At first I thought - hey, let's make our own pearls. I & "M" "A" & "K" gave and great college try. But..... no. We did end up with 

cute -ish little pearly decorations though.

Some of these we hot glued pipe cleaners to and then made that curly-q thing w/a pencil, you know?

Basically, the tree consisted of pearls and stuff.

We also cut hearts out of poster board, decoupaged wrapping paper on them.  Then we asked the residents to share some "words of wisdom." And put them on the hearts. The project was a bit larger than I would have liked it to be.

& oh, yes - there was a crap load of bow making. Thank goddess for you tube.

 Oh, yeah. We also made these sparkly things with glitter and Pledge.

 The tree was a bit loppy. But .... meh.

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The year before that we did a woodland theme. Same concept as the elves, but turned people into little animals and used pine cones and birds and such for decorations. 

Can't find those pictures though. 

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave constructive comments or questions.