It tastes just like raisins*

WILD GEESE
BY MARY OLIVER

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Saw this (from here) and wanted to share.

And now, NEW LIST!!

1. May will be my job/new pants/GYME!!!! month. MAY!! MAY WILL BE MY MONTH!
   
2. Been in touch with a guy with a sewing machine from Kijiji. Made arrangements to pick it up tomorrow. I'm going to take mine apart, and make sure it's not just a loose screw or even belt, but I think it's just worn out and tired. I blame myself, because I think I worked it too hard and made it do things it didn't want to. The part that turns in the wheel to stop the needle from moving seems to have a mind of it's own sometimes, and no longer stays tight. I won't throw it away, I'd like to get it fixed, but $50 for another seems like a good investment.
   Plus there's wood grain. I just hope it works, and he's not just some crack head.
   (Marcia, if you're reading this, don't worry: he's probably not a crackhead. Crackheads don't ever sew. It's a fact**.)


3. JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM COCOABEANS. I HAVE A TABLE AT THE FORUM FOR NEXT WEEKEND. CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?? DEAR GOD I HOPE I SELL STUFF OR I'M COMING HOME AND GETTING REALLY DRUNK. (insert crazy face here).
   
4. My super awesome sister got t-shirts made for us to wear at market. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!
   


5. I still need a job. I've applied for 14 this week, and I've heard back from no one BUT I have a good feeling that I will soon. C'mon job!! I have sunglasses to buy! (This is actually how my mind works. Good example of money sense there, eh?).
   


6. It's lobster season. I can't believe it's this late in the year already.
   


7. It seems like it's been raining forever. Supposed to be nice this weekend and then raining again on Monday. Spring? Spring now? I clean?
   


8. IT CAME FROM EEKUM SEEKUM! Getting tickets for Friday!!!
   (does this post seem oddly positive for me? I LIKE IT. I'll blame the Vit. D).
   
   That's it for me. I'm going to sew.
   
   *This is not work safe. And it will stick in your head. And it's a little dirty. That's your warning.
   **This is a fact I just made up, but I suspect it's true. I mean, it's not like they're focused or detail oriented.
   
   
   

It's been a no-sew day. So far...

However, that will probably change as soon as this coffee is gone. I'm morphing into Cornholio as I type. Today, I decided that I had looked at my pitiful $0.99 shopping cart for the last day. (I'm going to use it as part of the display at the market for my reusable produce bags). So I brought out the FIMO, paint, glue gun, and a mesh bag that used to hold my stray ribbon.


Ah, she's a beauty, wha? You can't really see it here, but she's missing a wheel.

So I made one. That's the wheel in the upper right corner. Five potatoes, mixed berries, four apples, four oranges (I rolled them over the potato brush to get the texture on the skin), six carrots and that thing in the lower right corner turns into bananas (I had no yellow fimo...).

And while that was baking, I made some cans, a box of granola bars, a pizza (that's Yumm-O brand, in case you're out shopping for teeny groceries) and some rice cakes out of itty bitty pictures I cut out of magazine ads, cardboard, and buttons.

There's my wonky wheel. Since no cart is complete without one...

All baked and ready to bag!

Okay. I know what you're thinking. "My word, but those banana's are too ripe for eating!" Don't worry, they're for little FIMO muffins. Bwahahaha!! (There are days, I swear, when I don't know what I would do if I didn't amuse myself....).

This is my tiny, tiny little plastic basket of mixed berries, wrapped in plastic wrap (I'm adding this ONLY because it took me way longer than it should have. Mostly because I melted the first basket with the hot glue. Whoops...).

And also: in direct opposition to my last Jr. Mint related statement, I hate when this happens:

This is how they looked when I opened them. I assume someone had a tantrum and jumped the poo right out of these before I bought them. That, or I sat on my purse again... Or it could be paranormal, since the box is in a perfect, un-creased, straight from the factory state. Well, whatever, it's not like I'm I won't still eat it (it since the Jr. Mints have become one...).

I took a wander through Liquidation World today (I don't know why I've never been there before, but I will be back. This place is going to be incredible at Christmas), and got these for $2.88. How exciting! There are 50, ribbon included, and they are so, so nice. I'm tempted to go back and buy them all!

And the backs are lovely too! Special care instructions on the upper left; extra buttons and thread on the bottom right. Snazzy!

Hey look! I did STUFF!

Not quite as much of a monster as the rest, but she's very pale, and with the leafy stuff in her mouth, I suspect she's a vegetarian. And that's pretty scary.

4 pouches, as I set out to accomplish (there is a finished yoga mat bag, I swear! Only one, but I still feel oddly productive. Yay!)

I am so happy with this! Old t-shirt+rotary cutter=pretty friggin' cool necklace. I must make more. I found the tutorial from Martha. What do you think? (They leave it out, but once you have the pieces lined up, twist them in a figure 8 so all the seams are lined up :D).

Clearly a sign I need to get out more: it was the highlight of my day when I thought I was done my Jr. Mints, but I found this guy hiding in the box, just cowering down in the corner. Don't worry, he fulfilled his candy destiny. He's in my bellah!

Also: I'm not afraid of clowns but I have to say, this material just isn't cool. Yes, they're laughing. But they're laughing like they just said They'll never find your body, kid! Creepy.

I'm glad a child never told me I'd look better with a beard

A trailer for a book?? Why has no one done this before?? I'm going to need to read this. (After Bonk of course. It's really very good).

Sewing today: 4 pouches, 3 yoga bags that have been cut out forever, and a HUGE pile of other things that I would really like to have done by the end of the week.

Back to the gyme this week (I'm only writing it on here, because hopefully that will make me accountable. We'll see...)

Also: best double feature ever .
Happy Tuesday :D

So I'm watching The Graduate...

And wondering why Dustin Hoffman acts like Rainman in every movie he's in. Just something I've noticed. (Also, I'm sitting here watching this movie because, even though I should be at a birthday party, this flu is still kicking my ass, and stealing my energy. I am unhappy about this, and started taking vitamin D cause I'll take all the help I can get at this point).

The Market was e x t r e m e l y s l o w. At least I had a few sales, and a few orders to work on this week.
Oh yea,this week I need to get a real job. Cross your fingers for me. Say a prayer. Burn some sage. I need some luck here, people.
In other good news, and with no pictures as proof, I got some awesome vintage material at VV. Two large pieces of plaid wool (v. exciting!), some navy that will be perfect to line the inside of one of my orders, and several other awesome pieces. There's a patchwork block and a quilted Christmas pot holder that's not exactly done yet. It makes me a little sad to think someone's gran passed away, but, well, her material hoarding will not go to waste! I just hope I'm not like Phoebe, and get possessed by the spirit of a rabid sewer....

EDIT: Since Marcia just pointed it out, I'd like to clarify that I mean, of course, sew-er, not sewer. I'm pretty sure I've been possessed by a rabid sewer for a while...

Well, that's better...

Yes. Yessss.... I like this. Happy little camera cases.
Off to market in the morning, where I will not be purchasing a fat pig. Or a pig of any other size....
but I just may get a turnip...

So here's the thing....

I've been doing all this... stuff. Cooking and cleaning and sewing, and I still feel like I'm getting nothing done. I need to shake this flu. It's sucking my will to live.

Evidence: this is my prototype camera case. I'm not sure how I feel about it. From a distance, it's okay.
Upclose.... we have some issues. I'll work on them, and get back to you....

Baby quilt that I swear doesn't look as busy in real life. Still has to be quilted, and bound, but the top is done. Yay!
This is a genuine Guernsey/Jersey old school souvenir table cloth ($3.99. Plus travel expenses, but since I didn't have to actually GO to buy it, that doesn't count). How could I pass it up? It's in great shape, and it has a destiny. Oh yes. It does....

Along with this, of course. The Fentex bag is, well, let's just say not my style, but the handles are great, and it was $0.99!

These are pretty exciting in my world. I tossed the string of lights (paper+old plastic+electricity=a very unmerry Christmas). Can you hear them? Screaming for glitter? What do you mean, no? ;D

Not this year!!

For the last two years, I've been convinced that Mother's Day is the 3rd week of May. I don't know why. I've felt like a complete jerk, both years, once I realized what I'd done. Finally, this year, I clued in, and in an attempt to regain favor with ma (who has gotten in the habit of calling me a dough-head. Understandably), I'm making her a package.


Recycled the tin from some Gutterman stick pins, added a little accordion scrapbook, and a few little notes. It's a start :D


PS: I may have been at the VV again. But I'm not ready to admit it. Those scrabble tiles? They might be from a $2.99 scrabble game; other tiles are destined for greatness. I got something pretty cool as a prop for the market too, but I need a wheel. I'll tell more when there's more to tell ;D

Thrifty things....

I sure do need a lift. Geritol? Red Bull? Good old fashioned crack? C'mon virus. It's been a week, I want to get off the couch now.

I did venture out today. Obviously, right? Along with the trek to Value Village, I went to Fabricville, dove into the remnant bin, and the boy found some brown material that will be perfect for the commissioned drum bag (I like saying commissioned. Makes it sound more like work than a hobby). Pictures to come, of course. Unless I forget.

Value Village goodies for $9.80. The Fireside Cookbook ($3.99) is copyrighted 1949, and clearly belonged to someone who had no interest in cooking. The graphics are AWESOME. $1.99 bought the material, a large piece of plaid and about 2 meters of a sort of Indian print. I have NO idea what it'll be. $0.99 for the barrel shaped toothpick holder that will be a pincushion. Assorted buttons, snowflakes, and 3 very cool vintagey looking mirrors. For what? Who knows. But they're definitely for something.

Seems particularly suitable, given the cold raining weather lately, no?

I've been unwell.

First I thought it was food poisoning. Then I thought it was the stomach flu. Now it's morphed into something new. I have no energy, nor any colour in my skin. In good news, the swelling in my sty has gone down. If things continue like this, I'm expecting bald patches and bleeding gums by Wednesday. However, I'm hoping for a miraculous recovery because I missed the market on Saturday!! I have many things cut out that need sewing up. (Psst, there's a big craft show coming up at the Forum. I'm going! And I'm excited!) This project (which will eventually be a baby quilt for some friends) has a bit of a due date, but it will definitely be done before the baby is done baking in August or September. I have a plan for this, oh yes. I do.

A little birdy told me....

What do you think? I like the colours, it went together pretty well, although it was a little tricky turning the whole thing inside out through the strap. And is it reversible?




It sure is!

Market v.2.0

Saturday was our second day at the market. I am liking this. I sold two bags, and 2 coffee cozees. One bag, that I forgot to take a picture of (mea culpa. I feel bad because I was really happy with how it came out), was sort of a rust orange, with a brown tree on the front, with a few hangers-on leaves, a pile at the bottom of the tree and some swirling through the air. The woman who had the table next to us last time had requested a bag for someone who "likes leaves" and she was really happy with it (yay!!). Even better: she gave me a necklace and earring set I'd been lusting after last time, and paid me the difference (The picture doesn't do it justice; the necklace is like a knot; it reminds me of the little cloud that follows Pigpen around. I like it as much as my little Captain friend). Altogether, after the table was paid for, I brought home $41 and some awesome jewelry. Also: I have an order for a drum bag. Considering I really enjoy doing this, it's nice to make a little money from it (especially considering that, per piece, I really don't spend very much! My sewing habit could be self-sufficient!!). Not that I'm doing it all by myself; my sister does some awesome PR!

Also, there is a man who who has a few tables of produce, and looks remarkably like Woody Harrelson. Next weekend, I'm bringing a sign that says, "Hey, wanna play Big Chief?" ;D Hahaha.

HAPPY FEET

Courtesy of my super awesome wife, I am wearing some genuine moccasins. Deer hide and rabbit fur and it's like the souls of those wee little animals are hugging my feet. Seriously. Most comfortable things evah.

There may be job news, but I ain't sayin' nothin' 'til it's fo' sho.

And also: Market tomorrow. I have wood to rest your head on, and zombies to eat your money. Who can resist that??