Especial, Day of the dead

Ola,  Catrina here, giving you all a shout out!  The Day of the Dead celebration was a wonderful time filled with food, friends, shared stories of loved ones who have passed on before us and fun times.  Here are a few pictures to show the decorations.  Cool huh

Here are some pics of the ofrenda and a close up of the new scull that R bought while we were in Mexico earlier this year.  If you look closely you can probably see the butterflies (Mariposa) that are on the top of the skull.  It's beautiful and made out of paper mache.  The food was awsome and (T and D) brought a chocolate mouse that was to die for. 

As of now we are experiencing the Nor-easter at this moment and all my customers have cancelled and I'm going to call it an early day since the city is flooding and I want to get home before it gets too nasty.  The winds are something else. 

Well, if your out in this mess here's wishing you dry and warm moments throughout this all.  TTFN

Here's a pic of my new favorite marigold .  I love marigolds.  This is a variety that was recently discovered in Mexico.  The little flowers are dancing around on the fern like foilage.  They had the seeds at Lowes and I bought 2 packs and planted them this summer.  Well the high number of slugs ate every last one of them except for one lone stuggling sprout that survived.  We also don't really get enough sun here with all the trees.  But since I've had the tree guy come out and cut way back everything its all airy and open now and we get more light so I hope that next year I can get some of these going.  I wonder if this one lone one will do much of anything since its getting cold now.  I'm going to move it to the sunny side and see what happens.  Those slugs were awful and they were everywhere.  Never seen so many and I'm guessing it was because we had so much rain this year.  It wasn't till they had reaked so much damage on the back yard patio that I had discovered their hiding place which was under all the flower pots.  That's where they hang out when they arn't eating up everything.  Didn't want to use any of that sluggo stuff after reading its warnings.  So a good sweeping up in the dust pan did great.  There was even a red tomatoe on the vine yesterday and there are 6 more smaller ones but not sure if they will ripen with it getting colder now.  There are even 4 green peppers out there .

Ha, here's my hangin out the laundry photo.  Can you see the basket in the left hand corner where all the clothes pins are.  The tomatoe and pepper plants are in pots surrounded by the laundry.  I use one of those retractable clothes lines that ya just let it all go back into the little wheely thing when your done.  Its so cool.  And I got a back up on in case the onther one craps out.  But this one has lasted for like 10 or so years .  Last week I did my laundry at work.  I had to go over there to finish up some paper work and the weather was rainy and yuk so did it in the shops washer and dryer.  I'm a hang your laundry out nut and really enjoy it when I'm out in the country at R's cause we hang it out on the big ole line and its so nice.  My friend P has this umbrella type of clothes line that she ordered from Austrailia.  We dug a hole in her back yard and put cement and a pvc pipe in there so you can just put the umbrella clothes line up and take it down if you want. 

Have a good Thursday  TTFN

Crap-ola all mighty

My computer has been on the fritz and the free-bee anti virus I had on the computer has expired.  So tommorrow I'm going out to get some new virus protection.  I think they have one at Costco.  A friend recomended Webroot so I'll give that a look-sy.  I could get it put up on here thru the net but I just don't like using my credit card on the internet, LOL.  Anywho, until then I'm getting at ya-all thru me mums box. 

Work has been slim pickins.  It's like I've been coming in earlier to get those that can't come in at other times just to get the business.  Then I'll have one or two in the afternoon and then a couple late at nite since they can't come in until after work.  It makes for a long day when ya gotta rush in early to do the early birds and then stay all day to catch the nite owls.  I'm not complaining but its a little frustrating to have a really long day with not much to show for it.  In times like this a hairdresser needs to get creative.  I've brought my knitting in but I don't feel like I'm channeling my energy in the right direction.  So in slack times I've taken to calling in customers that I would like to try something out on and offer it free so that I can practice.  That way they get a frequent flyer mile perk and I get to be busy doing something and honing my skills.  So far its been fun to see how some people are like are you sure you just want to do my hair for free.  I tell em its just a one time thing and that I want to practice and so far its actually been good because then the husband will call or they will bring in their kid or one of the relatives will call for an appt.  For men who come in I've been offering a neck and around the ear mid way as I call it.  Come in and get your neck and around your ears done for free to help get you thru two more weeks and then come and get a full priced hair cut.  Now I'm gonna try and put a jar or something for things like that and just put it for donations to my favorite FORKIDS ORG. and ask if you want you can put what ya like in the jar and it will all go to charity.  

I got a mother and daughter (customers) that want to learn to knit so I've pulled out the yarns and needles and we are going to try for tue.s nites.  So I've been knitting small samples to show them what different stitches look like.  I'm still doing a lot of sideways knitting.  It's like I'm addicted to it or something.  I'd like to try and start a knitting group where we could knit stuff for charity.  Just not sure how to go about it.  Okay, mums got to get on the box now.  TTFN to ya all........   

Still Spinning

October is my favorite month of the year.  Yesterday I had some tree people over and they got all the branches trimmed back away from the house and I trimmed the brambly rose way back and got the yard looking all spiffy.  It's amazing how open the yard is now and how we can get more sunlight.  It looks all so nice and tidy .  Now I want to go and get some pansy plants to poke in about here and there for fall/winter colour.  Also, got some blue ice plants that are a low growing clumping creeper that have this little blue flower on them that is really nice to put in today.  Did you know that some pansy's have a fragrance?  It's usually the orange toned ones.  Just give em a sniff when you go out to round some up.  I like to put those by the door so when I get home after a long day its like a dose of aromatherapy when you get a whiff of them before going into the house.  It's AWSOME!

In spinning as of late, I'm still working away on the Chinny wool challenge wool that was washed, dyed and blended.  Here's a pic of that.  The spindle is getting full of wool  I want to see just how much I can get on it. Well, the pic ended up at the top of the page.  I hate it when it goes where I don't want it to go, LOL.

Also, carded up the brown wool dyed from the black walnut hulls on the hand cards and have to card up the yellow mushroom dyed wool.  Think I'm planning to use those together in a project just not sure yet.  Possibly in something woven.  Hmmmmmmmm................ Okay, happy OCTOBER to you all.........TTFN

Marion Weinstein has passed on