CRONE:
Creative Researcher Of New Experiences

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Remembering When

Hello Everyone,

Last night Sir knight and I spent a wonderful evening out visiting with one of my college roommates and her husband; we laughed and giggled like the old days remembering all the unique/bizarre things that occurred in our college dorm back in the old days.

All that reminiscing put me in a rather nostalgic frame of mind which was intensified this morning as I was ironing up a pile of my moms old handkerchief‘s, which we unearthed this month as we played musical cupboards and rearranged the look of the house. My hands pulled and patted them in place as the iron glided over them, and I remembered ironing these same hankies many years ago. My mother taught me how to iron on hankies,, advancing up to napkins and pillowcases when I was 6 years old. It was also my job to make sure all the hankies made it in to the wash, searching everyone’s pockets and moms and my purse every Friday evening. Wash day was Saturday morning and mom always had them washed and on the line by 10am so that they would be dry in enough time for me to get them ironed Saturday early evening, so that everyone had a clean hanky for pocket or purse for Church Sunday morning. Then soon the handkerchief gave way to grabbing a pile of Kleenex from the box - you didn’t have to iron it and threw it right away after using it (such convience right). Yes it was that, but somehow it lacks a certain charm, what genteel lady would ever drop a Kleenex and expect a man to pick it up to return to her ,while making flirtatious eye contact. Some carried hankies that were monogrammed others liked to collect a certain flower or bird, etc that maybe hinted to their temperament (Yes the meaning of flowers was even important for picking your signature hanky flower.) I love carrying a freshly ironed hanky in my purse to this day.





On my desk sit’s a fine fountain pen, which I love to use when addressing cards or writing letters. I learned to write in 3rd grade using a fountain/cartridge pen. I love the feel of it in my hand - the smell of damp ink on paper is divine - using a blotter to make sure all is dry before folding the letter to enclose in the envelope. Is so relaxing Sadly it was replaced by the ballpoint pen because of its’ convenience, while I was still in grade school . - Now the teaching of penmanship and the art of writing has been replaced because of the convenience of the computer. But while some think this is progress; I think it criminal that my grandchildren know only how to print because the schools don’t have the time to teach cursive, much less the Palmer Method. On this same note a few of my friends seem to think that an e-mail sent in a cryptic type language is the way to go - (cU soon ttfn ) you call that a message, me I miss those long newsy letters written by hand that talked about all the silly little things that happened that week/month since they last wrote.

Just what are the schools teaching now a days is my big question? New Math? Will someone tell me what was wrong with the old Math? History and Geography have been combined into a hybrid course called Social Studies which does an inadequate job at teaching either of the two core subjects (kind of like the Jack of all trades theory - but master of none) but it is important they say to teach diversity. Why does school need to teach diversity ? - Life teaches us about diversity. A quick look around will tell even the simplest of observers that we live in a world of diversity. Computers, faster travel methods and television have made the world smaller. We no longer live in “predominantly Irish, Italian, Polish, or Mexican neighborhoods. Your next door neighbor maybe from anywhere; be it Japan, Haiti, India, Etc. so diversity is there just waiting for us to observe It and live it. Families teach us to hang onto that which we believe in (our values) yet respect friends, neighbors, teachers and any and all those who are different from us.

Television. When I was growing up we didn’t get our first television till I was 7 1/2 years old . On school days we were allowed to watch the Mickey Mouse Club (till it was canceled in 1959), then it was homework time. And my teachers never seemed to worry that carrying a heavy school bags ( and yes back then it was a school bag - no- backpacks) was too hard on us physically - nor the doing of an assignment in each subject, each night would interfere with down time and add to my stress. Supper was healthy and nutritious and then my brother and I did dishes (he washed ,I dried). If homework wasn’t finished this was the time to finish that up - if not we were allowed to watch one show (usually whatever Mom and Dad were watching) before taking our bath or shower and going to bed. I was in bed by 8:30 pm till I got into HS then bedtime was extended on school nights till 9:30 pm - weekend bedtimes were set on a as need basis - if there were no dances or parties - we were expected to go to bed immediately after the 10pm news. So why is it I often find my grandson’s and their friends playing on the computer till almost midnight? Why are they so tired in the morning that waking them up is a full time job in it self in the am.?

Oh gosh - I miss the good old days; but I guess better get back into reality.

Thank you all for being so kind and listening to an old lady ramble on. Be glad - at least I didn't give you the story about walking 2 miles to school up hill both ways! That was my fathers favorite story.

Hugs,
Penny

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

February Challenge at Mind Wide Open

Hello Everyone,
Took a little time out of all this moving, cleaning, and rearranging the house to play in the studio. This is the picture Gail over at Mind Wide Open gave us for the Challenge this month. The prompt was Soulful.
I suffer from SAD and pretty much by this time of year I'm pretty soulful myself. Yet this dark picture didn't really stir up in my soul any real emotions. I guess that's why they call it a challenge. So I did what any red blooded slightly depressed person would do - I procrastinated. Looking at it often as I worked around the house. Yet nothing was coming.
One Saturday we headed out to an estate auction (our very favorite pass time) We didn't pick up too much. I got a couple pretty decorator type plates and with them the auctioneer had stuck a hand fan that wasn't selling by it's self. The fan was tortoise with red fabric on which was depicted a bullfight - The lace was already black - so I thought maybe I could use it for my challenge project- it wasn't any good to me as it was..
A trip to Micheal's and time spent perusing the fabric paint section - did prove to be beneficial as I found just the right paint. It stays soft on the fabric. So when I came home and painted over the red fabric bullfight - it came out so nice. It was like it was always black. Then with the same type of gold paint and a rubber stamp I put swirls on the fan. Then I made some yo-yo flowers out of a purple and black fabric - I had left over from making some curtains for one of my grandsons. Left over green velvet scraps were used to make yo-yo leaves. Sir Knight was ever so kind to make me a wonderful stand for my fan creation and Wha la! my entry for this month.


enlarge to check out details

Oh I know it really is more crafty than artistic - but hey sometimes my mind runs that way.

Please Head over to Gail's blog.

Vote for the project that tickles your fancy, even if it's not mine. I'll understand.


Hugs,
Penny

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Valentines Day Dear Friends


Hello everyone,
I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day surrounded by those you love and who love you back.

A Valentine

Not always is a valentine
Composed of fancy paper,
with buds and birds and clever words
And cupids a la caper.

Oh, birds and darts and sugar hearts
are very gay and fine,
but often just a friendly word
will make a valentine.

... Author Unknown


Hugs,
Penny

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

My turn to Pay It Forward


This Is what I received from Lorrie in Canada

Hello everyone,
A while back - Lorrie from "Fabric, Paper, Thread" had an intriguing post about the Pay It Forward movement going on here in blogland. Since I'm nowhere near 100 post and my blogaversary is still away off. - I decided I wanted to participate.
So here are the basics - Once you get your pay it forward gift, you post what you received on your blog and invite your visitors who wish to join in on the fun - to indicate a desire to join in - then without breaking the bank - you send then a little token of your affection.
Genghis has decided he wants to join in on this too - so any kitties or woofies who would like to join Please feel free to join us.

So if your interested please let me know ( I'll need an email addy unless there is one listed on your blog information), and we'll get in touch with you for your snail mail address. then in a few weeks or so you should get your little token of my friendship.

Hugs,
Penny

Sure hope they respond Pellie or we will look awful silly.

Purrs
Genghis

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Blogger in Quarentine - We have been bitten by a New Bug

Hello everyone,
It was bound to happen - once the Christmas decorations came down - the house buried in snow - no place for me to go - nothing much to do - I knew it - I should have been prepared - this year the bug seemed to hit just a bit harder than most other years and both Sir Knight and I were bitten.
Oh the very thought of it - both of us bitten and under the influence of the bug at the same time - has made for a rather harried scene around our house.

No it wasn't the H1N1 or even the regular flu bug - and although, I have also had a bit of a sinus infection - no get well wishes need to be sent, for I fear there is no cure for this bug. One must simpily run with it, until it runs it course.
What condition do we have then you ask. Well I'll tell you - Its..........................................


Yep we have been sooooooooo busy working on things in and for the house that - at times we have lost touch with the real world. We had thought that in an effort to save my bruised and battered hips, it would be just a simple matter of moving of my big china cabinet to a different location; but then things rarely works out like one plans
. Does it?
Confused? Let me explain.

You see last year we found a very nice China cabinet at an auction and I talked Sir Knight into buying it - since it was so much bigger than the one I had - and the promise of a more organized kitchen/dining room lured him into my frenzy. We brought it home and set to work cleaning and filling it with all my pretties that were buried in boxes in the basement. - Oh it was lovely - and the euphoria was great till the first time I was in a hurry and rammed my hip into the corner of it. You see the base on this cabinet is huge - great for extra counter top but it really took a bite out of my floor space and walking room between the island and the cabinet Of course I didn't want to complain to Sir Knight about it since I had wanted it so bad - so I just kept quite. Well all the busyness at Christmas had my poor hips looking like I'd been in a war - as I am less than graceful anyway and when I rush those corners on the cabinet, just jump out and attacked me. I think Sir Knight became worried I was bordering on some strange disease when he would see all the bruises in various stages of healing. So I finally had to come clean and tell him that the new china cabinet and I really didn't see eye to eye on things, where it was.
So we decided that as soon as the holidays were over we'd look for a new cabinet we could put in the basement - so I could bring the little cabinet back up to the kitchen. We also decided to remove a built in desk (which we both disliked) in the Living room and move the large cabinet in that spot and make it a dry bar.
We were lucky and found another china cabinet the first auction of the new year. So we have been off and running with our fix up - freshen up campaign.
The removal of the desk and subsequent priming and painting of the living room went rather well, to my surprise . I should have realized that it couldn't continue to run smooth but I am the eternal optimist . We ran into a sale on curtains at Bed Bath and Beyond and found a style we felt would look good in the living room (since our old ones were ten years old - we felt it was time) So we picked up the six panels we'd need plus a few extra to make tie backs and a couple valance from. Easy Peasy Right? Wrong!! Very wrong.

See were it says 84" length. Then it again states 52' x 84". Well out of 8 panels, How many did I have that were 84"? NONE - nope- NONE. 83- 83 1/4, 83 1/2, 85, 85, 85 1/4, 85 1/2, and 86.
The surprise or should I say shock when I ironed the first two panels and we hung them to find an 83 and an 85 1/4 hanging side by side. The absolute horror of it was frightening. So we took them all out of the packages for measuring and as you can guess I had to get busy doing a little hemming to get them right.

We are not finished with all the moving around yet - so I will apologize in advance for my erratic appearance here on the blog. But like I said earlier there is no cure for this bug you just have to run with it till it has ran it own course.

Hugs,
Penny