Had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Remembered all of our relatives and friends who have fought and served to make it possible for us to enjoy these times together. Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed the company of our son and granddaughter (daughter-in-law had to work) as well as friends Bev and Doug and 2 of their daughters. They are just like family to us and we really enjoy being together when we are in Maine.

On Monday we had visits from my sister Debb and her dog Squeaky, as well as sister-in-law Leisa and her new grandson TJ, and later in the day TJ's Mom and a friend also came. Also on Monday our granddaughter marched in the Memorial Day Parade in her hometown. She looked great all decked out in her red, white, and blue.

Saturday we attended the Coffee Pond Welcome Back Potluck with 38 people in attendance. Great fellowship, food, and fire. So good to all be back. We did miss the few who weren't there....from CT, VA, Ireland, NH, MA, NY.............did I miss anyone??

Saw my Mom today...she's still sharp as a tack and will be 93 in June. She keeps in touch with friends and relatives on email. Since she is quite deaf it is good that we can email because phone is difficult.

Tomorrow I have to get back to working on my website so it can "go live" soon.

Hope you all had a fantabulous holiday weekend.

After a long hiatus...I"M BACK!!!!

It ONLY been 3 1/2 years since I have blogged and have decided it is time to pick it up again. I now spend 6 months in Maine and 6 months in Florida each year. Sterl and I bought a little place in a park in Arcadia, FL.


It even has a "studio" for me right off the screened lanai where I can often be found working on my jewelry and visiting with many friends as they pass by our corner. I have a lot of time to spend with my jewelry and other crafty pursuits because Sterl spends 3 days a week on a golf course.


When in Maine I can be found in my kayak with a group of friends at 6:30 am every day that the weather allows. We go once around "the pond" checking out decks, docks, boats, and floats...as well as our Loon family, any ducks on the pond, our eagle and osprey that are occasionally around, and any early morning fishermen. Sometimes we go out again in the afternoon and sometimes we swim and sun at "Anna's office (her gigantic float).


We are an active social group on the pond with frequent parties of one sort or another....Thanksgiving, Fourth of July (non-motorized) Boat Parade followed by awards and food (of course), dock hops (progressive meals by boat), and more such fun things.


By Labor Day we really need some downtime to rest up for all of the winter activities in Florida. There we have so many activities that it is physically impossible to do all we wish to do. I therefore, participate in crafts (I am the craft chairman, which means that I teach most of the crafts but do "draft" people to teach their specialties), quilting, sewing, line dancing, water aerobics, shuffleboard, RedHat (yes, we have 2 groups in the park), and lots of "one-time" events. I am also active in our Relay for Life group and help raise money.

This is what we look like now (my hair is long, just pinned back). My facebook profile picture shows the long hair.

So now you that know where I am and what some of my activities are I guess I should show you some of the fruits of my labor.

Here are 4 bracelets that I made from the same basic "recipe" yet they look very different from one another. Top is pearl, next is bicone crystals, third is assorted round beads, and the bottom is bicone crystals again.

This is a favorite creation of mine. I have trouble fastening bracelets and wanted something that would help me and also be attractive on my dresser. I call this "the third hand". To use it you place the clip on one end of the clasp, grasp the beaded portion in the hand who's wrist the bracelet will go on, with the other hand wrap the bracelet around the wrist and join that end of the clasp to the one held by the clip. It has been a very popular accessory.

Don't know why I can't align these the way I want, but they are here to illustrate that I enjoy playing with clay, also.

I guess I've messed aroundenough for tonight. More to follow. I'm also building a website to sell the things I make. When it goes "live" I share all of the particulars.

Where has the time gone?

I haven't posted since May!! Life has been good in the meantime. We sold our home in Yarmouth - I guess we really sold our "house", because our "home" is here with us in Casco on the lake. It will soon be on the road in our motor "home". We are leaving for Florida, by way of Myrtle Beach and all of our friends in that area, on the first or second of January.



After closing on our Yarmouth house we left for the south (May 11th) visiting friends along the way, and spent 3 days with friends in Arcadia, FL where we will spend the winter - or, at least, most of it. We may meet our daughter who lives in Tucson "somewhere" in between, "sometime" in the winter for "some time".



We spent the summer on the lake and had quite a bit of company. Frequently on the weekends our son, dau-in-law, & granddaughter would come and stay. Our granddaughter is 3-years-old and loves to fish from the dock or from Grandpa's boat. She caught more fish over the summer than her father and nearly as many as Grandpa who was at the lake all the time.



The fall saw me taking part in several Christmas Fairs. This is new to me. I have always gone as a "buyer" before. I'm learning that all fairs are not created equal, and how to discern which are worth doing and which are not. I make jewelry. I started with watches, some of which I showed on the blog m-o-n-t-h-s ago, but have now branches out and make watches, bracelets of several varieties, anklets, necklaces (again, of several varieties) , rings, earrings, wine glass charms, knitting stitch markers, bands that can be interchanged with others on watches and on Medic Alert bracelets.



Next time I blog I will do so from my husband's computer where I have stored many pictures of pieces I have made. Most of what I have made is costume jewelry, but very attractive. Now I am beginning to use a lot more Sterling Silver, 14K gold-filled, and Vermeil (Sterling Silver that is heavily electroplated with gold). I am also using a lot of Swarvoski Crystals.



Also in early October I had surgery on my left thumb (I am left-handed). I never can remember what it is called, but today I had my last appt. until May or June with both the surgeon and the therapist. I have to continue wearing a splint most of the time until I see them next. This limits what I can do, but does not eliminate making jewelry. In fact, up to a point it is good therapy. I've had lots of instruction on active vs passive motion. I had the same surgery on the right thumb 3 years ago and the recovery time was 18 months. This one feels like it might be shorter.


Well, it's time to put up the Christmas decorations so will sign off for now.

Is Life Ever Going to Slow Down?

We have been on a rollercoaster lately - in both activity and emotion. Our house (not the one we are now living in) has been "under contract" for over a month now. This has meant that we have had to empty it of everything that is not part of the sale. You need to know that this is an 11 room house, we are now living in a 6 room house that we have been living in part-time for 8 years, and very little of what was in the sold house is going to the current house. Does any of this make sense? To us it means that we now have 2 storage units (10' x 20' each) stacked with furniture and boxes that we need to find homes for. We have been pitching and packing for most of the last month. We managed to have all of it done by the FIRST closing date. That date came and went with the paper work not finished. The same for the SECOND closing date. Ditto the THIRD closing date. Two days from now is the FOURTH and hopefully actual closing date.



Since we finish OUR part of what had to be done for the sale to go through by the FIRST closing date, we have had some time to play. Today we put the dock out and launched our Pontoon boat. It was great to cruise around the lake looking at all of the changes since we left for Arizona last September. There is still a little pile of snow behind the barn next door and I was in the water up almost to my crotch to push the boat off the trailer. It really was quite nice - the temp was close to 70 and the sun was shining brightly.



Within the next week we will leave for South Carolina to tend our motor home and cover it for the summer. Then we will drive to Florida to check out the park where we have reservations for next winter.



Projects: The first Alligator Scarf is done and the second in process.

Spring is here! Finally!

The ice is out! And there are Black Ducks, Loons, waterbugs, and boaters on the lake!! Also, so many varieties of birds I can't keep up. Wish I hadn't left my binocularsin the motor home in South Carolina. Must get another pair to leave here.

Bought more yarn today to knit Alligator Scarves. It's acrylic so I'm not sure I will enjoy knitting with it. Will report when I finish the wool one I'm doing now.

Time to get dinner! Have a nice day (or evening).

Almost Ice Out

This is the view I had out our front door this morning when I got up. It almost looks like a "water path to nowhere" in the midst of the ice still on the lake.



A short while later I caught sight of our neighbor who just couldn't wait for the ice to leave before climbing into his kayak for a cruise through what water he could find.

Later in the day this was the view looking left from the dock. The branch laying in the water is where the beavers built a lodge last summer. Just before sunset the lake was pretty much open water with some patches of pock-marked ice that should all be gone in the morning. Has been an interesting day watching it go.

Latest knitting project is Alligator (crocodile) Scarfs for an auction at the Clockedile family reunion. For obvious reasons anything "crocodile" is quite popular at the auction. The one pictured is about 1/3 done with leftover yarn from another project. Lots of fun to knit. Using Swallow Pearl needles. I think I will try them in a variety of colors as shown on the Morehouse Farm pattern that I am using.

Have a great day!

Word Pictures

No photos today - just word pictures! This morning we drove to our house on the coast that is under contract (yea!) to do some pitching and packing. Our lake looked much as it did in yesterday's picture as we left. As we drove by one of the lakes on the way (Crystal Lake) it looked pretty much the same, too, but more gray than white (the ice was thinner). On our way home in the afternoon we saw that Crystal Lake was open blue water! With just a wee bit of ice in the middle. We were encouraged to think that Coffee Pond (our lake) would be the same, but alas, as we approached we saw ice! But not thick white ice - it was thinning to gray with open rivulets in many places. I took a chair to the front lawn and sat there with a book reading and waiting for the ice to "go out".
The sun was moving around to my back and shining on the trees across the lake. It is only April in Maine so the leaves aren't out yet, but as I looked at the bare trees I could see in the sunlight hints of green, red, and yellow on those bare branches. That brought back memories of my childhood (100 years ago) when my father told me how when the buds first come in the spring they pop out showing pale shades of the colors they will wear in the fall. It is really true. The first thing to appear on the maples that are such a vivid red in the fall are the pesky little red things that litter the walks when they fall in the spring as the leaves begin to grow and uncurl. And the birch that turn only to a yellowy green before dying in the fall have a very delicate green cast to them now. And have you ever noticed that the beech trees still have last year's leaves on in the spring? Also some oaks.
As I pondered the colors of the trees the wind began to grow cold and the temps dropped into the 50's. I knew I should go in so sat in the bow window still waiting for the ice to go. It grew dark before the ice went so I am praying that it gets cold enough tonight that it will still be there when I wake. There is nothing quite like watching the ice "go out".
Several years ago, before we built our "year-round" house here I sat on the porch of the old camp bundled in blankets, while the wind swirled around me, for a whole day and finally saw the ice go out! For years before that I had tried to be here at just the right time, but when you live "someplace else" it is a hard thing to do. Just another "perk" of retirement!
Bye for now and have a great day!