Stasia's Place Of Grace

Saturday, September 07, 2002

 

Just Some Notes...

• Today I am thankful that I got five additional pages up at ICanSpin.com. I went to bed late and woke up early (drat!) but put the "extra time" to good use updating the video spinning site. Hopefully the donating vendors will be pleased!

• I am also thankful for Ibuprofen. I did too much yesterday, even without biking. (Hopefully I'll bike today, to prepare myself physically and mentally for the dysFUNctional Family Function tomorrow!)

• I am grateful that I only have about sixteen more rows to go on sleeve number two of the gray cable "Welcome Back, Old Friend" sweater (Interweave Knits, Fall, 2000). (I am not thankful that the next step is assembling! I may allow myself a birthday treat of some socknitting before I attempt garment construction...)

• I am thankful that Jeff had not yet gotten me a birthday gift yesterday. Late last night, I asked him if he had, and he said, "No, I was going to ask you what you'd like." (When, on the way to the party??? Men!!!)

  Well, it's a good thing he hadn't, because I advised him that he had ordered me four new colors of socknitting yarn from The Fifth Stitch. It's not like I need more sock yarn to add to my stash; it's not that I even like Opal (ordered two skeins of its Brasil yarn, and two of Meilenweit). But Claudia's Blog sucked me in, and erased my "no new wool" No More-Atorium, but at least getting it as a "birthday gift" makes the guilt a little less!

  And don't purple and orange Halloween socks sound fantastic?

• I am thankful I know when to establish rules for myself (the No More-Atorium for spindles and wool, the Only One Project At A Time goal). But I am also thankful that I know that sometimes, rules are made to be broken. Sometimes you need a treat. If you listen to yourself, you'll know when to feel a little guilty, and when to splurge!

• I am thankful that ICanSpin and this Blog have been updated, that all the icky musical instrument insurance paperwork has been completed, and that all I have to do today is knit, pay a couple of bills, and eat a Chef Jeff omelette for breakfast!

  I'm going to spend the day relaxing, reading gentle Buddhist books, meditating, aromatherapizing, and biking... and I plan to wake up tomorrow with a good attitude and less soreness!

Off to knit and have a relaxing Saturday. Hope yours will be just as good! Say hi in the TagBoard, please!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Friday, September 06, 2002

 

Grateful For...

Today I am grateful for these things:

Lady's Cria from Opportunity Llamas

This is the Labor Day llama cria of GLL Crazy Lady and Hot Shot Hunter, owned by my friend Nancy Frank of Opportunity Llamas. Aren't his socks just SO cute? He doesn't have a name yet... mail your suggestions here!

---

Today I got a birthday card from the widower of my first and favorite governess, Mrs. Klein. She was so funny - she was already old when she came to care for us, but had the twinkliest eyes and so much energy (we were rather wild girls, believe me, and she handled everything we threw at her!) She had gray hair cut into this funny 1920s kind of bob... she was very no-nonsense, yet fun, and she taught me to make orange peel cookies. She always wore dresses and those full-body, 1940s-type aprons, and had a funny dog named "Schnooker." Her husband was just as nice - quieter, but very kind and funny.

Anyway, her husband, "George" (his real name is Robert but for some mysterious reason our family has always called him George!) must be in his nineties... and yet he remembered it was my birthday! Now THAT makes up for this stupid party with the people who don't give a darn, doesn't it? It made my day to get this card! And brought back some memories, too. Mrs. Klein, wherever you are, thank you! (I will write to "George" and say thank you, too!)

---

Today I am thankful for things that save us time. Specifically, the little scrub brush for doing dishes, into which one puts dish liquid. Thank you for suggesting it, Enjay! It saves me so much time to just grab it and do the single plate and glass I use for breakfast or lunch. Saves energy by saving use of the dishwasher, too. And saves soap - hardly any comes out, and a little is all you need. I got it at Target (but I can't find it at their website).

I am also grateful for my washing machine and my vacuum cleaner. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to do laundry and carpets like a Victorian woman - I wouldn't have the physical strength!

I'm grateful for all of these conveniences because they give me more time for knitting and spinning! Sometimes we use things and don't even notice how much they make our lives easier. I'm trying to notice these convenciences more.

Now, if they would just come up with some kind of waterproof bathroom that you could soak with an overhead sprayer, my life would be complete...

---

I'm grateful that I am beginning to realize that I choose to bring stressors into my life.

Herman is a good stressor, but he still makes me worry, though it's an excited kind of worrying. Family is not such a good stressor, but it is my own fault that this pizza party got set up. I even create my own fiberarts stress by imposing silly rules upon myself ("only one project at a time"). Even doing this Blog is a stressor - it sometimes takes me as much time as I used to spend at Spindlers... and sometimes it is really hard to come up with things to be thankful for! (But important!)

Stress isn't always negative, and it is essential to life (doctors say you actually would just fall apart if there was no stress in your life and it was just peaceful all the time). Yet stress is something that needs to be noticed and managed on a daily basis.

I am becoming more aware that I choose to admit or not admit stressors into my life, and I can also choose how to handle them - in a good way (with meditation or biking) or in a less good way (freaking out and having to take a sedative).

I am grateful to know that, for the most part, these choices are mine.

---

Today I...

• Met Jeff for lunch at a bagel place. (I have a to-go morning bun in a bag on my kitchen table now, waiting for me. It is nice to think about it being there! I will have to take a tea break with it in a little while!) Jeff and I like to try to have lunch together once a week. It is a good time to catch up, without evening tiredness or active doggies interfering in our communication.

• Sorted through tons of paperwork to find receipts for my recorders and Native American flutes to add them to our instrument insurance plan. It was a pain in the patootie, but is one more thing to cross off the list in my organizer, and that feels GOOD! I have five hanging file folders of papers that I've put off sorting. I am still trying to psych myself up for that project...

• Finished drying the last of the Cosmos-dyed wool outside. Cleaned up all the dyeing stuff in the kitchen so Jeff will have room to be Chef Jeff this weekend.

• Last night we discovered little, icky bugs in our dry goods cabinet, so we got out the vacuum cleaner and sucked them all up (and threw out the bag), threw out all the stupid "gourmet" bean soup mixes and pastas we're never going to eat, and treated the cabinets with cinnamon and peppermint essential oils. Today I got a ton of Ziploc bags and Tupperware containers, and some new pasta. We are organized, we are clean, we have new food, and we are bug-free. On top of that, the whole house smells like Christmas.

• Forgot maple flavoring at the store, but am planning a maple birthday cake. Will let you know if it works (I'm not the best cook!)

• Di tells me I need to bike to be prepared for the pizza party, so I think I'll do that this evening.

Now, it is time to get some sleeve knitting in before Jeff gets home! Hope you are having a great day and finding something to be thankful for!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Thursday, September 05, 2002

 

Courage

Today I would like to talk about courage.

First, if you are reading this page, please have the courage to just say "hi" in the TagBoard, so I know someone is actually visiting! Thanks!

---

I am glad I had the courage to try dyeing with the Goldenrod and Cosmos plants. I've updated my dyeing experiments page with the methods; click here for the instructions and the photos, including a new one of the Wensleydale, Mohair, and Brown Sheep white wool samples from the three Cosmos baths.

Next I am going to have the courage to try dyeing with False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), a yellow, native plant that's blooming all over our yard. I can't find any information on dyeing with it, or what it might produce, but I'm going to be brave and give it a shot.

---

Herman has a lot of courage. Yesterday, he had glued his tail to the ceiling of his jar. He got all "loose" looking, and was hanging there. Pretty soon, his antennae started to droop. I thought he was a goner.

Last night, Jeff noticed a change in Herman!

Yup, Herman is now a chrysalis! He will remain in this state, without any nourishment, for five days while his body undergoes a complete overhaul. It would be like a human returning to the womb!

Go, Herman, go! We're rooting for you!

I found out that Molnarch butterflies normally only live for a few weeks, except for the very last batch born in the summer, which (because of the cooler temperatures) do not mature completely. It is up to them to make the long flight to the butterfly wintering grounds in Mexico. And Herman is one of these!

Here are some interesting Monarch facts from the University of MN:

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) - Did you know that this is the only butterfly in North America that actually migrates in the fall to a warmer climate?

Did you also know that the markings on most butterflies are there to scare off predators, specifically birds? The bright orange and black markings on the Monarch tells birds and other "would-be Monarch eaters" that the Monarch is poisonous. Do you know what makes them poisonous? It's what they eat - milkweed. The milkweed contains a chemical that birds can't stand. Monarchs are totally dependent on milkweed when they are in the larval stage. The most common milkweed species in Minnesota is, you guessed it, the Common Milkweed or Asclepias syriaca. All monarch eggs are laid only on milkweed plants. After the newly hatched Monarch larvae eat the egg they were laid in, the young caterpillars start eating the milkweed leaves. Monarch caterpillars eat like crazy until they grow about two-inches long. They even shed their skin (molt) up to four times while they're growing!

Adult Monarch butterflies eat nectar from flowers. Flower nectar consists of about 20% sugar, which gives the Monarchs energy. Flowers that have lots of nectar are, of course, what Monarchs prefer. But you'll see them land on all kinds of flowers to take a sip. The Monarchs butterflies find flowers by site, but they decide if its worth eating through taste receptors that are on their feet! They suck up the nectar through a long tube-like mouth.

Like all butterflies, Monarchs aren't born with wings. They actually go through four very different stages in their lives:

1. Mom lays the egg. One female Monarch can lay up to 400 eggs.

2. In a couple of days, the egg hatches and turn into a caterpillar with black, yellow and white stripes. A Monarch caterpillar can get kinda' fat and grow about two-inches long.

3. Caterpillar makes a "house" called a chrysalis that is attached to a leaf or twig. The caterpillar makes this stuff that looks like silk and uses it to build the chrysalis. It attaches the base of the chrysalis to a sheltered spot under a leaf or twig and then hangs upside down in it for about five days. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar turns into a pupa. The chrysalis is really neat looking -- it has a shiny, light green color with a gold band near the top. The gold is irridescent looking. In the chrysalis, the pupa is going through some major physical changes.

4. Butterfly breaks out of the chrysalis and is free to fly around and do what butterflies do.


The four stages take about a month to complete. During an average Minnesota summer, this whole process can happen three or four times. This means that there can be three to four generations of Monarchs born in one summer. Most Monarch butterflies only live a few weeks - long enough to breed and lay eggs to start the cycle all over again.

So if you think the metamorphosis was cool, just wait 'till you hear the next part. The last generation of Monarchs born during the summer are different. These are usually born in late August when the days get short and the temperatures start cooling down a bit. These changes prevent the Monarch butterflies from maturing enough to reproduce, so they live for about eight to nine months.

But, have you every seen a Monarch butterfly in the winter in Minnesota? Of course not! So where did they go? They fly all the way down to Mexico to hang out during the winter! That's a long trip for Minnesota-born Monarchs - about 3,000 miles! Monarchs use the same route to go to the same place every winter. This place is in the Sierra Madre mountains west of Mexico City, Mexico.

By now you're probably thinking, hey, Monarchs are just bugs! They can't read maps, so how do they know how to get to the exact same spot every fall? Scientists think that Monarchs use the position of the sun to tell them when to head for Mexico and how to get there. They think they also use the earth's magnetic field to help them figure out where to go.

Before the migration begins, you can often see Monarchs in groups of five or more as they start their way south. But, there are some spots where lots more Monarchs get together before they start migrating.

We all know that Monarchs can't fly very fast. So how do they travel all the way to Mexico? They use the natural air currents and thermals that are way up in the sky to get them to Mexico faster.

When they get to Mexico, they hang out in huge numbers in forested areas. There are numerous sites in the Sierra Madre mountains where the Monarchs like to stay. But, in spite of efforts to protect them, many of these sites are being logged or damaged by people. When the damage is severe, the Monarchs don't have any place to stay.

The Monarchs that survive the winter in Mexico start migrating back to the U.S. in the spring. They mate all along the way and find milkweed on which to lay eggs. These eggs hatch, and eventually turn into butterflies that continue migrating north. Monarchs are found all the way up into Canada.

You can help protect Monarchs in Minnesota by planting a butterfly garden in your backyard. Plant flowers that give Monarchs food and be sure to include some milkweed!

---

This is a garden spider who lives by our shed. A few weeks ago, she was tiny, but now she has really grown!

Jeff's finger shows size of spider.

I think it's pretty courageous for a (relatively) little spider to set up housekeeping in the wilderness, and hope that food will conveniently fly by. This spider also has a lot of courage because she's not at all afraid when we get close to her to take a peek, or to feed her some insects Jeff has caught. (She wraps them up quickly, in tidy bundles. What a fabulous spinner - I'm jealous!)

---

I am not feeling so courageous. I am feeling crabby about having to spend my birthday with a bunch of people who can't get along with each other.

I know it is silly to worry about them hurting my feelings. I know it's foolish that I feel hurt that they didn't care that it was my birthday, but rather were more concerned about who else would or wouldn't be coming to the party. It is also dumb to worry that they will be rude, or selfish, or just plain icky company while I'm there. (If I had my choice, I would be having a nice birthday dinner with just my husband and a couple of good friends!) I'm also feeling very anxious about the event, and about seeing my mom for the first time in a couple of years, though I know this is an irrational fear.

Knowing that all that is silly doesn't prevent me from feeling crabby and afraid, though.

I guess if Herman can have the courage to stick himself to a lid, have his skin harden up and his insides turn to jelly, and come out as something with flying apparatus and feet that can taste things, I can have the courage to harden my shell a little bit and take a step into the unknown.

I guess if a little, tiny spider can hang out in our yard, unconcerned with the birds, bats, or other potential predators that could snap it up, and make a life that way (not to mention having to eat other bugs!), I can certainly have the courage to go eat pizza with a dysfunctional family. It's better than eating insects, after all! Blech!!!

Sometimes we can learn a lot about courage from creatures that seem rather insignificant. I'm discovering that nothing in life is insignificant!

Finally, I guess if all these other people seem self-centered and rude, it might be because they lack courage and need someone to show them what it is. I guess that means me...

I hope you will have the courage to face your fears, too! If Herman can do it, so can you!

---

(By the way, isn't it funny that, as Kary mentioned, the yellow in Herman seemed to match the Goldenrod-dyed wool yellow, which also seems to match the yellow in the spider? Interesting...)

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Wednesday, September 04, 2002

 

My dyeing continues today. The flowers were, indeed, Bright Lights Cosmos (Cosmos Sulphureous) from Seeds Of Change.

I dyed two ounces of wool, then two ounces of mohair, and the dyebath looks like it will still yield so I'm going to try to mordant and dye some additional wool today.

Therefore, the dyeing instruction page has not yet been updated. But to tide you over, here is a photo of the Wensleydale wool I dyed in the first bath (the photo is a little washed out - the actual wool is a bit brighter. I rinsed the mordant from this wool before dyeing, but not from the mohair, and the mohair took it better... but that might just be because it is mohair.)

---

Today...

Biked five miles last night and am dragging today, so am just trying to rest up and finish up laundry.

Herman has glued himself to the top of his jar - I don't know if he is ill or if he is preparing to go through his metamorphosis, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Am having a dickens of a time not spinning up a sample of my Goldenrod-dyed wool, but the gray sweater sleeve awaits and takes precedence. Today it is very hard to stick with "one project at once," but I'm going to persevere and make myself do it.

I guess today is all about just being patient - with my fiberarts, with Herman, with the dyebath that seems to never end, with having low energy.

Patience is a good thing to practice. I am glad to have the opportunity to work on it for myself today.

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Tuesday, September 03, 2002

 

Color!

I am so grateful that I have (relatively) good eyesight and can see COLOR!

---

Here is the wool I dyed yesterday with Goldenrod from the yard. It is such a lovely, bright yellow. Jeff says, as he always does when I use natural dyes, how pleasing the color is to the eye. "It just looks natural," he says. Well, that only makes sense!

---

Here is Herman, day two. He's been chomping away at the Milkweed I brought him. He seems to take naps beneath the jar lid when he's not eating - he climbs up there and is still for a while, then climbs back down and eats some more. I think his colors are brightening up a bit. See what a little love can do for someone?

---

Here are the flowers from my dye garden, which I showed you in an earlier photo. I ended up harvesting them after all, because I found out they are not Coreopsis, but Cosmos, which is an annual which apparently dyes RED! It also flowers very abudantly - more so when the early flowers are plucked, so I realized I wouldn't be harming the display by picking a few this morning.

I'm giving the dyebath a try now... I'll add the photos of the finished wool, along with the Goldenrod photo above and both recipes, to my dyeing page tomorrow. Watch here for the link!

---

I used to go for meditation practice at a Tibetan Buddhist center. The thing I remember most about it was that after sitting motionless for an hour with my eyes closed and then leaving the center, how vivid the colors of the city street, shops, trees, neon signs, and people's clothing seemed! Sometimes we don't even notice the colors around us until we're deprived of them.

Close your eyes for a minute or so. When you open them, how many colors can you see? Aren't you glad you can? Try it outside sometime - it's even more impressive!

Kary mentioned the arrangement of my stones on my table. It is done in an order of colors which basically approximates the Chakra order, the intent being that focusing on any or all of those color ranges will have a healing effect on the mind and body. I try to let myself be drawn to a particular color range, or a single stone, when I am writing in my journal, scheduling the next day, and meditating and praying before bedtime at that little desk.

My Buddha statue (next to the stones in the photo) holds two stones which are supposed to be particularly healing, aligning all of the Chakras in one fell swoop. Gotta' love efficiency!

I hope you will have a colorful day! What is your favorite color that you have seen today? Where did you see it? Tag me, please!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Monday, September 02, 2002

 

Beauty Of Nature

Once again, I am grateful for the wonderful, fascinating beauty of Nature.

This is my collection of stones, which I just dusted off. Besides being good therapy for my hands, it gave me an opportunity to hold each one and appreciate its color, patterning, or (in the case of the quartz stones) the little rainbows that appear deep within. I am amazed that plain, old rocks can come in such a variety of colors and levels of opacity, not to mention the shapes. Each one is a little jewel to me. Choosing one to meditate upon helps me to focus, and the colors give me a good energy pick-me-up when I'm feeling sluggish.

---

This is Herman. I found him outside today, on the last leaf of a lonely Milkweed plant. I had no choice but to intervene and bring him inside. I will bring him fresh Milkweed leaves from the field every day.

Normally I like to let Nature take her course, but as you might know, this was an extremely bad year for the Monarch butterfly population. We usually have many, many caterpillars in our yard... this year, Herman is the only one I have seen! I hope that by offering him a little protection from the rainstorm we're now having, and additional food (as he was about to run out!), I can make a difference in this little life. Cross your fingers for us...

---

These are my sweeties, Jeff and Val, by the Brown Eyed Susans (native prairie flowers we re-established). Aren't they cute?

This is the cedar fence Jeff put up today. Wow! What a good job, Jeff! I'm grateful for the natural beauty of this wood fence, along with its functionality, and that I have such a nice husband to put it up in order to protect our prairie! Sometimes Nature needs a helping hand (in our case, to protect Her from neighbor kids with minibikes!) I always think a fence made of natural materials looks least like a human contrivance.

---

Today I...

• Harvested a pound of Goldenrod and dyed a pound of wool with it. Will update my dyeing webpage with photos and instructions as soon as I have it rinsed out. What color! Theresa, you have got to try Goldenrod!

• Continued to work on sleeve number two of the gray cable sweater; made good progress at Starbuck's with Jeff and Dianna. Dianna talked so much she forgot to take out her knitting! Made plans for all of us to attend the Tall Grass Mohair Farm Fiber Jubilee in October. Linda, need another fleece? They're reserving kids'...

• Spent some time out back watching Jeff put up the fence and enjoying the warm, windy weather. We knew a storm was brewing (it just hit now) but it held off during the day. The prairie is a riot of yellow with the Goldenrod and Brown Eyed Susans in full bloom.

• Helped Jeff with a cat he found - rather, she found him in the yard - and as she was ill and uncollared, we arranged with the Sheriff to have the Humane Society opened so Jeff could drop her off. (Didn't I just tell you our Sheriffs are great?!) We gave her some food and water, and then Jeff drove her up, taking a break from fence building. She's a beautiful kitty and is now in good hands and hopefully will find a good home. Wish we could keep her!

... and that was about it (aside from some boring laundry). Time to rest now. Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

Sunday, September 01, 2002

 

Finished One Sleeve

I finished the first sleeve of the gray sweater!

Valentine thinks new sleeve makes a good doggie bed.

The pattern repeat is easy to memorize, so all I needed was my little increase chart. What I need to do, if a pattern says, "Increase one stitch each end, every fourth row three times..." is to mark down, on lined paper, "1, 2, 3, 4 inc; 1,2, 3, 4 inc..." and then check off each row as I complete it.

I am pitiful at counting in my head or remembering what row I just completed, and though there is time involved in writing down the many, many rows included in a sleeve, in the long run it saves me so much aggravation!

Because I had the pattern down pat (is that a pun?) I was able to knit a quick row or two while waiting for Jeff, or in the car, or even, today, standing out in the yard with Chester and Valentine (they were hooked up to trees to get a bit of fresh air and I was keeping them company) and so it went super fast!

I am a little disappointed that the stitch pattern (the twisted ribs) don't show very well on the sleeve because of the splotchy yarn. (Memo to self: when using a yarn that is kind of "tweedy", do BIG cables if you want the pattern to show.) However, I am pleased that the sleeves work up so quickly, as I did not have to use a cable needle or remember more than a two-row combination to do them. Nice, quick knitting when you're running for home on a sweater!

The more I think of it, the better a duplicate in Brown Sheep NatureSpun sounds... I bet it would show off the stitch patern fantastically. Do I really want to attempt that, after two years of working on this one? Maybe I'd better dash out a quick pair of socks, first!

Happy knitting and spinning!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code

 

Car Rides On Summer Evenings

Do you guys ever get antsy on summer evenings? I know that just before dusk, I always feel an urge to be outside, listening to the birds, watching the moths and fireflies coming up out of the tall grass, and drinking in the last, pinky-orange rays of the sun.

Crickets chirp, a light, misty fog starts to settle, and one wants to throw on a soft sweater or favorite, old sweatshirt, or to sit beside a campfire with a glass of wine and a friend or two.

Tonight, I just wanted to get out and listen to, see, and feel the evening. There aren't many summer nights left! So I took a little ride with the car windows rolled down and the radio turned off. The fields were alive with thrumming insect crescendos. The sun sunk slowly, lazily, into the ferny treeline in the distance. Gravel crunched under the wheels as I pulled off to the side of the road to snap a couple of shots for you.

Funny old earth house on a nearby farm. Behind is a deer.

---

Closeup of deer.

It was lucky that I went driving at just that time, because I got to see a whole herd of deer grazing peacefully at a very picturesque little farm.

Today I'm really grateful to live where I do, in Wisconsin's Kettle-Moraine area, amongst glacier-formed, rolling, wooded hills and small lakes. Most of the farms around this area are from the mid-1800s, and were built with local fieldstone.

The Sumac berries are beginning to ripen, Goldenrod is flaming in the fields (I'm cutting some tomorrow for dyeing!), and the Sugar Maples are just beginning to get a tinge of orange. Deer are fattening up in preparation for the winter, and the Chickadees and Cardinals are curiously visiting the birdfeeders again.

There's nothing like a peaceful drive on a late-summer evening to center your world and help time move slow enough to actually notice it.

---

This is very flattering - Gary at NCWood is now marketing the Spindle Jim EZ-Plyer! Take a peek!

---

Yesterday, we watched the best movie we've seen in a long time. It was called "Uncorked" and stars Minnie Driver. Pay no attention to the editorial review at Amazon; read the reviews by other individuals there. What some might consider a "quirky" film style is actually artistic and beautiful, like viewing paintings. The subject matter is uplifting, funny, and unpredictable. It's perfect for anyone unsure how to take their next step on the path of Life (which is why, Kary, as soon as you let me know if you have a DVD player, one will be on its way to you!)

Everyone, please see this movie. Run, do not walk, to your video store to rent it. It is absolutely beautiful. Tell me what you think of it...

---

Whenever we shop at Amazon or other stores online, we stop first at GreaterGood.com. That way, 15% of our Amazon purchase price is donated to our local humane society - at no cost whatever to us. Register, choose your favorite charity, and then every time you shop, go through the links at the GreaterGood site to get to your favorite online merchants. They receive a "referral fee" which is then donated to your charity! It costs you nothing, and is a great way for your money to be put to work twice. Kary, Theresa, what other excuse for shopping do we need?

---

Enjoy the end of summer! Make the most of these days!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code