Oh Well Why Not?

Well I'm back.   Didn't expect to write again so soon, but life does smack you in the face sometimes.   \

I was tooling around the news section and came across an article about five chihuahuas taking a bite out of the law! I realize most people would laugh at this notion that a dog that size could kick ass.

I am living proof that they can and they will.  Don't let their deceptively small size fool you either.  I do believe these dogs could bring down an elephant if need be.

My sad tale began many years ago, somewhere in Queens, in of all things...a Pet Shop!  I had a close friend that owned a Pet Shop, it was a really neat place...filled to the brim with all kinds of pets from shiney scaley fish to white rats in a tank.  Just my kind of place.

Well, my dear friend became extremely ill, had to be hospitalized for quite a while.  He was so worried about his shop, his pets....so I offerred to run the shop for him, until he recuperated.

Ok, folks - looking back I meant well I really did. Since I was and still am an animal lover I was very familiar with the care of fish, cats, dogs, lizards etc.  However, this also meant I had to feed, clean and ewww "touch" certain things that I had never done before. Think Rats! Snakes...very large Ignauas..(they can hurt ya).

Oh, I also had the store open for business.  My friend Bill also ran a dog & cat babysitting service in the back of his shop (he had an exercise garden in the back also).  That's where my problem started.

One morning in walks a lady with two little tiny Chihuahuas, oh I say "How Cute!" Reaching to take them to put them in the back, I nearly lost my hand.  The woman assured me that they would calm down once she left..ha! Those little monster yipped, yapped and yelled all day long....nothing stopped them.  Now I had to feed them, I had to let them out of the cage for exercise..which meant taking the little critters outside in the backyard to romp. 

Romp? Hell.  They made a beeline for my ankles and never let up. To save myself and get these creatures back under control I had to use a broom (a soft broom if there are any Peta people out there) to push, prod them back into their repective cages.  Since my Momma did not raise a fool I did not let them out of the cage again until their rotten Mother showed up to claim her "precious babies".

That article today really brought it all back to me....actually loved those days......

New Years Reflections

I guess in the scheme of things our little planet seems very small, just a mote in God's eye, when you compare the scope of the whole universe to our little corner of the sky.

Looking back over this past year, my heart is saddened by the calamities that have befallen so many people. I know that someone wrote a book "Why bad things happen to good people"...but sometimes I just wonder if there is a ryhme or reason to any of it.

Each life is precious, at least to the owner or loved one of that life.  I thought my heart was wrenched out from the Tsunami, thought I could cry no more...until Katrina.  There are events in one's life that are so moving, so catastrophic, so life changing that they are never forgotten.

Of course I remember the usual, marriages, births, deaths.  However, forty some odd years later, I can tell you where I was standing, what I was doing, who I was with, what I was saying and feeling when Kennedy was associated.  The same goes for the walk on the moon, hiding under my desk for air raid drills in public school, watching Marilyn Monroe sing "Happy Birthday Mr. President", the Beatles first American appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show...oh, it goes on and on...memories to hold forever.

I've been trying to find some good memories from this past year...and it's been a hard push to do so.

The only major one I've come up with is that the human spirit seems to be indomitable, refuses to lie down and cry uncle!  It screams at the perverse universe...Gonna pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again.

Maybe we humans do have a chance.

 

Happy New Year to all my friends out there in J-Land,

may this coming year be good to you & yours.....

                         Toodles,

                          Sandi

        

 

 

 

 

Just Photo's of the Bags....

 

These are some of the bags that I wrote about yesterday, they look a little "plump" because I have them stuffed with paper to sit upright on the display table.

They are fun to design and kind of take on a life of their own as we work on them.  I've found all these neat little pocket critters recently so I've been putting them into the front or back pockets....like a little pocket pet.

I had one that was so cute too..I put all little assorted kitty buttons on the front pockets and then drew in paint the paw prints, plus things like Meow...Here Kitty, Kitty..Scratch...Purr.  I have to do another one like that.

The one with the Smiley face is cute too, I wrote Be Happy and Smile..together with the painted on Smiley Faces on the back pockets.

I"ve seen a lot these done a differently from ours. I didn't like the lining in some of them...I think the denim holds up better without it and it also will be easier to launder without a liner.  I've had an old hobo style denim bag for over twenty years and it takes a beating and looks great.

In the Seventies I wore handpainted denim jeans with a personalized zodiac (Aquarius) down the pants side leg...I wish I had saved those pants! Everything seems to come around again...well, I still have my paints & brushes so I guess I am going to be painting again.

It's funny, I've been searching for old denim jeans for the bags...name labels mind you, but I feel like the "denim Queen of Pinellas County".

Well, it is fun when people buy them.  With crafts it's like your own creation, one of a kind object....your little baby and you swell with pride when you send one off....

 

 

Tis The Season to Scream At Everybody..tra la la la

Oh...the flying pig has nothing to do with this story.

I just get a kick out of seeing it fly!

Anyway for the fourth consecutive Sunday, my sister and I have joined the other 2,000 sellers at our friendly neighborhood huge flea market.

The last two weekends we have been battling dipping temperatures and bouts of chilling rain.  Maybe my brain has turned to mush, that's why I'm laughing at a unbelievable creature flying...I've turned silly.

We have had some luck with selling our denim bags though. The teen girls seems to like them a lot and to be perfectly honest I've seen quite a few adult ladies putting the bag strap on their shoulders - just to see the fit. I'll put some pictures up to show you...on the next entry.  I forgot how to inbed the picture here in the text....God, short term memory loss....

Well, what I really wanted to write about was the chaos that occurred at the Flea Market. We were sitting behind our table and all of a sudden we hear someone shout "F......you...you stupid...b.....h" and on and on..he just did not stop.  A poor woman was trying to do parallel parking by her spot where she was selling and could not quite judge how far she could move back.....this idiot guy just wanted her out of "his" way - didn't care that she was being careful.  The way the covered areas are built you could back right up into a crowd if you overshot your spot.

Well, guys, I'm not your normal shy violet smelling Grandma....the guy was screaming & riding his horn right behind us.....I told him to have himself a Merry Christmas in spite of himself and that he should be ashamed of himself.  He, of course, macho gunned his engine and roared off - never a cop around when you need one.  He was speeding in a people walking zone....can you believe that? Why loose yourself because of not getting instant gratification and having to wait for someone else to move for all of two minutes.

Oh, and if you guys think I'm picking only on men...not so....today was a uni-sex day when it came to tempers.

About an hour after the first ruckus, we hear a woman yelling at the top of her lungs. I look over by where they have a people trolley stop, there is a lady with two little kids sitting there waiting for the trolley.  The screaming is coming from another woman who has driven her car up on the wrong side of a divider for the Flea Market. She was attempting to back up and turn around (there was no room to do this) and in doing so almost hit the woman and kids on the bench.

Again, this woman was totally wrong and gets into a screaming match with the Mother.  I was incredulous watching the driver get out of her car and lift the chain barrier across the hood of her car and slowly she inched forward letting the chain slip higher on her car. Finally she was able to get through to the other side (the side she was supposed to be on in the first place).  She had to have scratched the hell out of her paint job!  She had to have the last word too....it was a raised finger salute to the poor Mother!

What is it? The holidays brings out the worst in people?  Gotta remind myself to stay away from the post office.....hmmm full moon this week...

Relationships

 For some reason I like this little clamshell guy...maybe because he reminds me of most of us.  Hiding in our shells, afraid to reach out and touch someone else.  Hesitant to interact on any level that might be construed as - wow...a "serious" relationship.

Women today complain that there are no "good" men out there...that they are either sex freaks, mama's boys, or gay.  I don't know about that.   I think you have to put your time into a relationship and it goes both ways.

Think about it, you meet a guy or girl you are at your best, all dressed up - or as my Momma used to say "cleaned up well".  You also are on your very best behavior, watching what you say and what you do...by all means pick up the right fork!  God forbid you should spill anything at dinner.  Yep...you are just about perfect - and that is what is all wrong.

Perfection in a relationship is a killer - it's not real.  It lacks the basic nitty gritty of life itself....real life sometimes gets dirty, painful, full of angst.  It's at that point where you want your relationship to be - in a place where you know someone has got your back!  That your "rock" is right there with you, going nowhere always steadfast.

Sort of like Angel & Buffy, or Spike & Buffy (hey, she's not stupid) hell, all the great lovers in history. Granted sometimes they burnt out quickly - but oh my...what a glorious flame.

Steadfast, that the kind of relationship I wish my two sons would find.  It's the only kind that lasts.  It's the only one worth any kind of sacrifice....that rarity called real love.

PS..I did sneak hubby and I up there - after 25 years I thought we would qualify as definitely "steadfast", although there were moments...LOL

 

Marching to the Beat

I came across a cute little story...maybe this one will make up the previous anti-Christmas story.  

 It seems in Japan, they are becoming worried that their captive penguins are gaining too much weight from inactivity.

  Just for giggles I had to put The Penguin of Batman fame up for view too - looks like he could do with some marching too!  

 In order to survive the really cold temperatures nature has given the penguin the ability to add weight easily during the winter months...providing better insulation against the cold.  

 On a side note, I'm in Florida I don't need all this extra insulation....whatever is Mother Nature doing to me?

  So what does one do?  I know....let's make them March! After all walking is good for the soul among other things.

   I guess it helps that in the wild they do follow one another in a precision line that would rival the Broadway Rockettes.

  I just think this is so cute, I love Penguins

Deck The Halls With Heads of Barbi?

Well I had a great picture of this to give you a visual impact of this event.   Evidently, I am not allowed to use that photo...that's okay I think I can graphically describe the goings on.

It seems the Christmas Grinch is alive, well and living in a mansion in Manhattan.

He and his family of Grinchettes have put up a horrific Santa display, complete with a huge Santa holding a bloody axe and a decapitated head, as blood drips everywhere.  Cute, huh?

As if this wasn't enough to make any 6 year old go crying for their Mommy, the Grinchettes decided to add the addition of decapitated Barbi heads, hanging from their outdoor tree.  

Yes, Virginia, a tree does grow in Manhattan but believe me you are not going to want to see it this year.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I feel this is beyond Goth....way, way beyond.

When interviewed Mr. Grinch, surrounded by his publicity loving Grinchettes, spoke eloquently concerning his hatred of the commercialization of - would you believe - Christmas!  Mr. Grinch explained that was the whole reason for their display.  He and his little family of Grinchettes believe the business of making money has ruined Christmas.  Their display is meant to show how big business has killed Christmas.  

You know what I think?  I believe that his display is an affront to anyone of good faith that celebrates Christmas.  I can see someone walking down the Grinch's block, happy child in tow...on their way to see Santa.  Good lord, that display would be worth seven years of therapy for some child, maybe even an adult or two!

Whatever were these Grinches thinking?

***Added footnote...thanks to Dragonrose the site she found allowed me to copy the pictures so they are added up above....thanks rose.....Sandi

Gift From Nature

I just watched a very interesting news program that really lifted my spirits.  It seems that some scientists abroad have discovered a very common garden plant may hold the key to stopping leukemia.

   This is a plant that I have growing, right now, in my garden...it is bright, colorful and many times when I looked at it I rejoiced in Nature's beauty. My friends, they have discovered that the simple coleus can do the most remarkable thing...stop the process of cancer progressing.

  Now, there is something that bothers me...they also said that Europe has had this particular drug from the plant for a while...our wonderful (big brother) governmental agency has not given "approval" for this to be used here in this country.

  Granted they were using this drug for treatment of asthma and other ailments. Why, do we always seem to be behind the cutting edge on pharmaceuticals?

  I just hope that this is not something that will be "shelved" for a while, especially if the larger pharmaceutical companies find that using something from "nature" doesn't cost an arm & a leg to manufacture. If they can't make a profit I really believe they would pass on a cure for cancer and that is so shameful.

  Money seems to make the world goes round, will this too be tabled?  I hear so many people who are sick, needing medical cures....I hope they follow through on all this.

 Nature itself has given us a gift and may yet save us in spite of ourselves.

  Anyway, I for one am going to watch, wait and see what happens to this.

  On a lighter note I am doing the happy Hamster Dance...I have my DSL back in full force. I still don't know what happened, it had to be Verizon's screw up somewhere....but I redid all the wires again, plugged in the modem and blessed be...it finally worked. 

 The techs were telling me to go to Dell...it wasn't the computer it was the signal that Verizon was sending someone didn't do something right and it cost me about 3 weeks of aggravation and a definite hatred of dial up.

I listen intently to the music as it fills my mind with wonderful pictures of a time that has only just passed.

Twenty-five years have passed, so much history has happened...I truly believe that John would of been amazed at the changes. The cold war ended, the wall came down, China opened it's doors, the Russian Bear caved...oh so much during these twenty-five years.

Yet, John strived for peace, that did not happen. War, in all it's brutality, still exists on so many levels. I believe he could see beyon