Emerging Spirit

Seven Random Things about Me

1.  I am a cat person, having lived with cats since I was a baby.  I named my first cat Bagheera (Jungle Book) and my second Bilbo (for Bilbo Baggins, of course, from The Hobbit).

2. As you might guess from #1, I love to read, having taught myself to read before I entered school.  I had some early readers (Dick and Jane) that I memorized.  When I came across a word I didn't know, I would go find my mother and ask her what it was.  I didn't really learn the rules of phonics til I had children.

3.  I am a big fan of quality science fiction.  Loved Babylon 5 and am thrilled with the return of Battlestar Galactica.  These are two of the most innovative, well-written and acted shows ever on TV.

4.  When I was a teenager I had a pet monkey named Jeremy.  I bought him from the exotic animal import shop up the highway a bit from where I lived (in Florida).

5.  My sister and I (when I was 18 and she was 15) hiked a few days on the Appalachian Trail before giving up due to bad weather and hitchhiked (big no-no) back to our car.

6.  I have wasted far too much time playing Gem Shop on my computer.

7.  Speaking of computers,  I am a Mac person, ever since I bought my first Mac in 1985 with a mere 512 KB of memory.

Weekend Musings

Crafting:  My cat buddies join me in crafting.  Fox, black and white is 14 and Tony (as in The Tiger), orange tabby is 15.  What ever I am doing, they want to be part of it.  Until I move my butcher block table into my new studio, I am working on the dining room table.  I covered it with an old picnic table cloth to protect the surface.  Works great.  I don't worry about glue, paint, ink, etc.

Lunch: When I eat out for lunch I often chose a salad that includes fruit and nuts (esp. candied).  So it occurred to me to make it at home, since I had some fresh blueberries on hand and pecans.  I resurrected an old Christmas recipe and candied the pecans in the microwave.  Made for a very yummy lunch.

Want to spice up your next salad (also an excellent, if caloric, snack):
        I Cup Pecans
        1 TBSP Orange juice
        3-4 TBSP Brown sugar
Mix together in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Stir.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Spread on wax paper to cool.  Enjoy.

The Two Dollar Life Saver

What a wonder this little object is. When I was shopping for my son's birthday, I spotted this item. I knew they existed and had known for a long time (years!!) that I needed and wanted one, but my poor ADD brain never held onto the thought long enough to actually look for one. But lo and behold, looking for a gift in the automotive section (because things for the car are high on the interest list of a 25 year old), I spotted this, bought it and it is now installed on my car's seat belt. What a revelation it is to drive without the seat belt rubbing across my neck or having to hold it off my neck with one hand looped inside the seat belt. I no longer feel like I am on the verge of being strangled. Thanks to this little seat belt adapter, driving is so much more comfortable.