Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Yup, it’s winter. It was -6° this morning. Just a little crisp. At least the sun was shining.

The latest on the lawsuit against Ullja for defamation: her lawyer filed a motion to have the deposition quashed, but the court denied it and ordered her to present herself for the deposition. I just read a copy of the discovery questionnaire, and I’m shaking my head (again) in disbelief. How can she deny so many things that can so very easily be proved. One glaring example is denying she sold beads claiming she had made them herself. That was all hashed over last year with Etsy. They were reluctant to do anything, but they were presented with too much proof to ignore it. So that’s all evidence sitting there just waiting to be presented at court. I just don’t understand her reasoning.

On January 11th, the court will hear her motion for change of venue.

Enough of the icky stuff of life, now it’s the fun part of my blog, Stupid Pet Photos!
This is my most favorite pet, Fang the ferret. She is SUCH a character! Here she is diving into a dishpan of snow.

Another togetherness photo, Frankie curled up to Chester:

And while I do hate the snow, I have to admit it makes nice photos,

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Just thoughts for the day:

Watching the news about the health care bill being passed. They said the Republicans are saying that it’s unconstitutional to require everyone to have health insurance. Ah, excuse me, but doesn’t our government require us to have car insurance? I know Minnesota requires it. Is that unconstitutional? I don’t hear anyone in Congress complaining about that. And considering that I just used our car insurance to get a jump for our van, and that it’s the first time in years that I’ve put in a claim, I KNOW that we have claims for our health insurance (what little they pay for, ha ha), a lot more than that.

Another thought, driving at night with prism glasses is just as bad as driving at night without them. My left eye is going wonkers, so the eye doctor gave me a pair of prism glasses to help me see to drive, which they do. But after getting stuck down in the cities because the van wouldn’t start and then having to drive home in the dark, I discovered that those little prisms in the glass act just like prisms, they make oncoming headlights show up as flashing rainbows.

And the final thought for now, I CANNOT have my new embroidery machine and the cat litter box on the same end of the room. When the kittens hear the embroidery machine going, they like to come and watch it move by itself, and it seems like all that action stimulates their bowels. You get my drift?

Oh, the final, final thought: I HATE WINTER!!!! 12-18“ of snow today.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Well, I think it’s finally sunk into Wacko that she can’t go around calling 224 people frauds without suffering some kind of consequences. The lawsuit is in progress, with the usual jockeying between the lawyers. Her lawyer requested a change of venue, the AGLF lawyer requested a deposition, her lawyer requested the deposition be ‘quashed,’ and so on. The court denied the motion to quash and ordered her to present herself within 20 days for deposition, and the court will decide on the 11th of Jan. about the change of venue. She hasn’t posted any new names for over a week now.

The AGLF calendar is done and is being mailed out now. It’s things like this that will beat the nastiness of the Wacko. The artisan community came together and supported each other, financially and emotionally. What did all of this gain her? Some momentary pleasure of revenge against what in her mind were injustices? Compared to destroying any online reputation and chance of selling, dragging her and her mother’s names through the mud, wasting huge amounts of time researching people and filing false reports against them, and finally being sued by dozens of people and having to waste more time and money on lawyers and courts. What a colossal waste!

Enough of that!! Time for more stupid (and cute) pet photos.
This is Pickle sleeping in the recliner. I love the way she has her paws crossed.
Another togetherness photo:
And here’s the stupid pet photos. It all started out with Tiger jumping into a box that was on top of another box in the foyer. It fell over, which scared him, so he took off running, which got the little dogs all excited so they had to chase him. Then I heard a crash in the kitchen and the next thing I see is Peaches running into the living room tangled up in the plant stand. Don’t ask me how the heck she did it! After taking photos, Christian held her while I pushed her shoulder blades in and back through the wire leg of the plant stand. As my sister says, live entertainment.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

OK, my sister has been nagging me to get busy and post something, she’s bored with opening up my blog and seeing the same old, same old. So here’s more silly pet photos:
This is Pickle. She is fascinated with watching the fire through the vent of the wood stove. (This stove is an heirloom. My mother’s family used it to heat their house when she was a child.)
This is Tiger, showing an excellent use of the exercise bike:
And here is Peaches, just looking silly:

Friday, December 04, 2009

One step forward, two steps back. The AGLF calendar is all finished, and Lukas’ computer died.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Yippee, the AGLF calendar is done (singing ‘Dancing in the Streets)!

http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Jan.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Feb.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20March.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20April.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20May.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20June.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20July.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Aug.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Sept.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Oct.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Nov.jpg
http://greyhaven.bizland.com/MiscStuff/Calendar/Calendar%20Dec.jpg

Next step, off to the printers.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

The titles of these photos need to be ‘Togetherness.’

Lukas discovered Peaches likes to play with the feather duster:
I was looking for photos to put in the AGLF calendar and this bead just hit me.

Monday, November 23, 2009

You have GOT to be kidding!! There was just a piece on the news about a police drug sniffing dog that escaped from his kennel, got picked up by the dog catcher and was euthanized because he didn’t have tags and he WASN’T microchipped. Then they went on to say that neither the Minneapolis or St. Paul police departments microchip their dogs.

It cost $50-$75 to have a dog microchipped! How stupid and short-sighted can you be? Maybe if they had kept closer oversight on their Metro Gang Strike Force, they would have had money to do it, instead of it going into shady cops’ pockets.
Gads, has it been that long since I updated?

Well, I have an excuse. Been busy laying out a calendar that we’re setting up to sell for fundraising. The Wacko hired a lawyer and has asked for a change of venue and proof of our accusations. LOL, oh, that won’t be difficult at all. She is the one who said, ‘Google is forever.’ Must not have thought about all those cookie and bead sales from Etsy that she had the last couple of years, the ones that show her selling beads that she claimed she was making in Italy (ones she had bought from other lampworkers), and the screenshops of her cookie shop saying she was baking cookies in her bakery in Waco, Texas. Plus the screenshots of the fraud website being registered to her address. Still shaking my head in disbelief.

Oh, well, I’ve got better things to do than shake my head. Like making beads!
My favorite glass, Aurae:
A Galaxy bead with a touch of Aurae:
And be darned if I can remember what was in this one besides Olympic Rain:
OK, off to make some more.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Really trying to get the energy to do something. Started the day with a headache and earache again.

I worked on our genealogy a bit. We can trace back our family on my Mom’s side to my great-great-grandmother, Wilhelmina, who was born in 1825 in Germany. My great-grandfather on my Dad’s side was born in Germany in 1845. Amazing, when you think about these dates.

Got a cute pet photo. This is Squeak with Peaches using her as a nice warm pillow,
Finally got some more beads listed on Etsy and Artfire. I love this one. It’s on a golden amber translucent base, and it just glows.

I might try making some more like this one, with a lighter plunge. The photo doesn’t show it well, but it has metallic copper and brass layers. Really neat and shiny.
As to the latest on the Wacko ordeal, we’re all waiting to see what happens tomorrow. That’s the date she has to respond to the lawsuit by. She’s up to 207 people on her fraud blog. You would think after getting slapped with a lawsuit for defamation by 70+ people, she would quit posting, but not her. She’s posted close to 60 people since getting served. Just shaking my head in disbelief...

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday, Nov. 13th, 1953
Our dad was killed in a farming accident. How different things would have been if that hadn’t happened. He was only 36.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

If anyone is wondering why I haven’t been posting much about the Wacko, it’s because since the 26th of October, she posted 42 more people on her blog, and I just gave up trying to keep up with her. Coincidentally, that was the day she was served in regards to the lawsuit. It’s like she has a complete disregard for the law. She’s totally ignored cease and desist letters. I wonder what’s going to happen.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Got the news today, the Wacko was served on the 26th of October in regards to the lawsuit, so she has until the 16th of November to respond. If she doesn’t respond, we win a default judgement, whatever the judge decides.

Monday, October 26, 2009

I am so tired of coughing until I gag. I am not used to this anymore, not since Lukas got out of school. Then it was an annual winter rite, get sick, cough until you gag, get well, get sick, etc. etc. all winter long. I sure don’t miss those days! But my grandnephew was up weekend before last, and he was standing right over my shoulder, watching me, and sniffling, and sniffling, and sniffling. I should have just handed him the box of kleenix and chased him away.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The kittens found a nice warm spot to sit last night. Good thing the kiln had been turned off for a while.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Another nail in the Wacko’s coffin, whois.com’s domain tools, http://whois.domaintools.com/onlinefraudinvestigation.com, shows the owner of onlinefraudinvestigation.com, the Wacko’s fraud website that was closed yesterday by Yahoo because of her posting people’s private information. Goodness sake, it was registered under Ullja’s address. Can’t get any better proof that she’s the author than that.

ETA: The domain tools has changed it to show Yahoo! Security Lock on that domain name. But plenty of us got screenshots of it showing her as the owner.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Goodness, it’s going to be a bad day for the Wacko. It appears that Yahoo finally listened to all of the complaints and shut down her fraud website, onlinefraudinvestigation.com. One more step to justice.
Well, I see that it’s been announced on LE that the petition has been filed, so now I can say it too. There has been a lawsuit filed against Ullja Kuntze for defamation in calling almost 200 people tax evaders and frauds on her fraud blog and fraud website. It’s been a long 3 months, and it’s not finished yet, but hopefully, it will be soon.
Rainy and dreary and cold. And sick with a cold and trying to get the energy to do something besides surf the web.

I scanned some more photos from my Grandma's box of pictures. Unfortunately, these have no writing on them, other than the photographer's studio name and location in Germany. These would have been photos sent by relatives in Germany to her Mom and Dad, after they immigrated to the U.S. in 1880. So far the earliest letter from Germany that I have found is dated 1892. I really wish people had written on the back of the photos who they were. The only reason that we know who some of them are is because Mom sat down with Grandma and wrote down the names of the people that Grandma knew.
Here’s one of my Galaxy beads, done with Amy’s tutorial. I’m still trying to get the lovely swirls that she gets.
This is one of my favorite type of beads, done with another one of Double Helix’s silver glasses.
OK, off to the torch and try to get some beads made before getting Lukas up.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Well, the Wacko outdid herself. She posted 87 new names on her fraud website. What a ding-a-ling! She must be in trouble with Paypal, though, since she hasn’t bought from anyone for a couple of weeks now. Gosh, that’s just too bad. Saves Paypal the work of issuing all the refunds she demands.

We had a little visit from the Sheriff Sunday night about one of our cows being out. Someone in the housing development by the cul-de-sac pushed down the bottom wire of the barbed wire fence, and wired the top two up. All the cows had to do was walk right under it. And they complain about my cows being out! I suspect they did it so they could get their basketball out of my pasture, since they installed a basketball hoop on the edge of the cul-de-sac, about 10 feet up from my fence. Then yesterday I walked the fence to make sure everything else was OK. Found a swimming pool, an old tent and a couple of blankets, and a couple of trees from their side coming down on my fence. And someone is using the wildlife refuge for a dump! Jeepers, that’s why they have clean-up days, to get rid of old appliances and furniture.

I went to the eye specialist today. She said she doesn’t usually see eyes like mine until people get in their 70s. Isn’t that comforting? Because I’m so nearsighted, my eyes are deteriorating at a faster rate than otherwise. She ordered some prism glasses for me to try, since she doesn’t want to do surgery until absolutely necessary, since it will get worse with time. Who was it who said, ‘Getting old ain’t for sissies?’

Friday, October 16, 2009

10/17/09

What leads people like the Wacko or Tom Petters or Bernie Madoff to believe there’s nothing wrong with defrauding people who work hard to make a living? A sense of entitlement, that other people don’t matter, that others are there to be used? There seems to be a flaw in the character that prevents them from admitting they did anything wrong, no moral sense of right or wrong. It’s just not something that I can understand, so I have quit trying.

Update on the Wacko? She’s getting rather erratic. #100 was posted on her fraud blog, #101 & #102 on her fraud website, and #103 back on the blog, and then today she posted the names of an additional 87 people on the fraud website. What a colossal waste of time!! And a waste of my time too. The sooner the Wacko gets wacked by the legal system, the better for all concerned. Maybe they’ll put her to work in community service where she can do some good.

#100 was Lori of lorigreenberg.etsy.com
#101 was Elizabeth of mostlydetails.etsy.com
#102 was Aimee of polychromebeads.etsy.com
#103 was Sue of angelfireartglass.etsy.com

Since she didn’t post any shop names of the next 87 people, I’m not going to post them at present.

Now let’s get to the important stuff of life! Stupid pet photos! This is my studio cat, Honey. (She is from the feral mama kitty from 3 years ago.) She likes to stay in my studio because Pickle and Baby pick on her. She has found the warmest spot in my studio, the hard drives. She’s laying on one, and curled up to the other. Hmmmm, I wonder what the life expectancy of a cat-cuddled hard drive is.

Here’s two of the feral mama kitty’s kittens from this year. I decided to keep all three, since I was able to get them all fixed rather cheaply, thanks to Animal Ark Shelter. And the feral mama kitty is still alive! I waited a week after she was fixed to release her, and didn’t see her for 2 weeks. I thought that either a coyote got her, or that she was so traumatized by getting fixed she decided to get the heck out of here. But earlier this week, she showed up in the garage, wild as ever. I’ve seen her a couple of times since then. Anyway, this is Tiger and S.C. (Scaredy Cat) curled up next to the wood stove, where it was nice and warm.

They are calming down quite nicely. Tiger and Peaches come into the bathroom with me in the morning and talk to me to wake me up. :)

Monday, October 12, 2009

10/12/09

Snow again. Soft and fluffy accumulating snow. Weathermen are going on and on how unusual this is. Well, it’s Minnesota!

On to the Wacko. It’s quite funny, she has to come to my blog and copy stuff. Two days after I posted the entire list, she started doing it too. She even copied my statement about SortaFloweringDesigns. Yup, a fraud through and through.

So on to her latest targets:
#99 BLISSFULGARDENBEADS, Washington, lampworker
#98 SABRINADESIGN, Washington, lampworker and jewelry designer
#97 DANCINGLIGHTJEWELRY, Texas, lampworker and jewelry designer
#96 COLGANJEWELRYDESIGNS, Washington, lampworker and jewelry designer
#95 MELISSABEADS, Colorado, lampworker

Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Wacko posted that she’s reported 789 tax evaders as of 10/9. Too bad she do something constructive with her life.

Friday, October 09, 2009

10/9/09

I really need to start posting again. The Wacko is just speeding down the road to the wreck. She was at a major jewelry show and had a hired cop at her booth. Maybe she shouldn't have picked on so many Texans...

What was funny was when one of the Texans tried serving her a cease and desist letter, her mama picked it up and threw it back at her. I wonder if that constitutes being served? Although the other C&D letters haven't made her cease her blathering on her fraud blog. Anyway, that evening after the show, the Wacko posted her on the blog. Again.

Any niggling doubts on who writes that blog is past.

Updated List:
This is an updated list of the Wacko's targets and IDs posted on her 'fraud' blog:
94 FATDADDYSWEETS - Oklahoma, a baker of the most delicious looking sweets. Oh my gosh, I was drooling just looking at the photos!
93 SORTAFLOWERINGDESIGNS - North Carolina, a husband/wife team who make lampwork beads, soaps and other skin care items
92 ARTINSOMNIABEAD - Florida, a lampworker
91 DESIGNSBYPATI WALTON - Colorado. This woman is one of the BIG names in the lampworking world. She is very creative and is always coming up with something new.
90 SWEETGUMHANDBAGS - North Carolina, a handbag maker
BEADSBYTRACI, she doesn't get a number because she was posted before. The Wacko was just mad at her for daring to talk to her at the show.
89 IFDESIGNS - Oregon, a photographer, lampworker and jewelry maker
88 FARMERDAVESGLASSWORDS - Oregon, a lampworker
87 ELIZABETH ROSE BEADS - Texas, a lampworker
86 PLAYING WITH FIREBEADS - Texas
85 PERAZABEADS - North Carolina
84 BELLEBEADJEWELRY - New York
83 PIERCESDESIGNS - North Carolina
82 JETAGESTUDIO - Arizona
81 IVERS McGRAW - Texas
80 ELZBEADS - Oregon
79 GLASSBYOLIMPIA - Texas
78 SIMPLYLAMPWORK - Oregon
77 PACIFICCOASTLAMPWORK - Oregon
76 KATINN - Nevada
75 PRECIOUSBEADS4YOU - Texas
74 BRILYNN BEADS - Oregon
73 SACREDARTBEADS - Texas
72 RAPUNSELSTOWER - Texas
71 SUNRISEBEADS - Maine
70 THATFRITGIRL - Texas
69 THEFETCHINGHOUND - Connecticut
68 LAURIEGELLER - Washington
67 ELEPHANNIE - Texas
66 SWEETPAPERIE - Texas
65 SARICABEADS - Texas
64 FIRAMARINA - Louisiana
63 ASURGARAFFAIR - Florida
62 name removed by request
61 CATHERINE HOWARD BEADS - North Carolina
60 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
59 BEADAMANIAC - Florida
58 DIANE7923 - Maryland
57 BLUFFROADARTGLASS - Louisiana
56 AFTERDARKDESIGNS - Uah
55 TANNER STUDIOS - Utah
54 HELENSHARVETS - Louisiana
53 MARYLOCKWOOD - Ohio
52 BEADSBYTLC - Michigan
51 Z-BEADS - Oklahoma
50 THEGLASSTURTLE - North Carolina
49 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
48 ABEADISBORN - Wisconsin
47 REDSIDEDESIGNS - Oregon
46 HILLSIDEGARDENS - Oregon
45 KOREGON - Oregon
44 ENCHANTEDDREAMSJEWELRY - Minnesota and Tennessee
43 FLAMEKISSEDGLASS - California
42 DARLEENMB - Wyoming
41 NAOSGLAS - Colorado
40 CGBEADS - Texas
39 GLENN MINCEY - Washington
38 SYDNEYSDESIGNS - Texas
37 EVOLVINGBEADS - Nevada
36 SISTERSBEADS - Wisconsin
35 ACELTICGIRL2 - Texas
34 COVERGIRLBEADS - Texas
33 MOJOGLASS - Maine
32 RUFUSANDROXY - Washington
31 MAMAPAINTER - Texas
30 DESIGNSBYKURATO - Maine
29 LUXBEADS - Texas
28 SUEBEADS - Pennsylvania
27 STONEYMARIEDESIGNS - Texas
26 JAVABEAD - Washington
25 AIR & EARTH DESIGN - Washington
24 LAFFINGGULL - Texas
23 ICARUSBEADS - Washington
22 JAMNGLASS - California
21 NORAH62 - Texas
20 LIVELAUGHLOVESOAP - Florida
19 GMDLAMPWORK - New York
18 BEADGOODIES - Pennsylvania
17 SUBEARTHAN COTTAGE - Texas
16 STEPHANIE K NATURALS - Texas
15 TIKIBEADS - Texas
14 JUST PEACHY - Texas
13 MERMAIDGLASS - Florida
12 SLCUNIQUES - Texas
11 AMRGLASSWORKS - Texas
10 TRACIDAWN78 - Texas
9 LAKESIDELAMPWORK - Nebraska
8 LADEDACREATIONS - Oklahoma
7 GINNOVATIONS - Texas
6 LENORASDESIGNS - Texas
5 BETSYBEADS - Minnesota
4 ASHTON JEWELS - North Carolina
3 DOUBLEDIPPEDSWEETS - Utah
2 CCTEXAN3 - Texas
1 GOATMOUNTAINARTS/VANILLABEANBAKERY - Virginia

List of Etsy IDs she's purchased with:
27 fireoffthis
26 laura36
25 ilovesweets
24 sweatshopmxhuh
23 lyn2097
22 gatorlover
21 ilovepaintings
20 iloveboro
19 ilovejewelery
18 Beads Fouru
17 celticbusted
16 iloveleadscentre
15 ilikebakeries
14 ilovepiercings
13 livinlaughinlovinit
12 ilovesoap4me
11 copycatbusted1
10 Texan4u
9 iaminurbackyard2
8 bumpThis
7 hellofromlovelytexas
6 toolate4u
5 fishin4gov
4 concerned
3 Dawnitis
2 lovepoboxes
1 yoohooinurbackyard

OK, that's done.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

10/1/09

Whiskers is dead, and my heart is just breaking. We went out to do chores and he was lying on the garage apron, dead.
This has been just a horrid, horrid, horrid year. I keep thinking next year will be better, but it's just not happening.

10/1/09

This is an updated list of the Wacko's targets and IDs posted on her 'fraud' blog:

86 PLAYING WITH FIREBEADS - Texas
85 PERAZABEADS - North Carolina
84 BELLEBEADJEWELRY - New York
83 PIERCESDESIGNS - North Carolina
82 JETAGESTUDIO - Arizona
81 IVERS McGRAW - Texas
80 ELZBEADS - Oregon
79 GLASSBYOLIMPIA - Texas
78 SIMPLYLAMPWORK - Oregon
77 PACIFICCOASTLAMPWORK - Oregon
76 KATINN - Nevada
75 PRECIOUSBEADS4YOU - Texas
74 BRILYNN BEADS - Oregon
73 SACREDARTBEADS - Texas
72 RAPUNSELSTOWER - Texas
71 SUNRISEBEADS - Maine
70 THATFRITGIRL - Texas
69 THEFETCHINGHOUND - Connecticut
68 LAURIEGELLER - Washington
67 ELEPHANNIE - Texas
66 SWEETPAPERIE - Texas
65 SARICABEADS - Texas
64 FIRAMARINA - Louisiana
63 ASURGARAFFAIR - Florida
62 name removed by request
61 CATHERINE HOWARD BEADS - North Carolina
60 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
59 BEADAMANIAC - Florida
58 DIANE7923 - Maryland
57 BLUFFROADARTGLASS - Louisiana
56 AFTERDARKDESIGNS - Uah
55 TANNER STUDIOS - Utah
54 HELENSHARVETS - Louisiana
53 MARYLOCKWOOD - Ohio
52 BEADSBYTLC - Michigan
51 Z-BEADS - Oklahoma
50 THEGLASSTURTLE - North Carolina
49 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
48 ABEADISBORN - Wisconsin
47 REDSIDEDESIGNS - Oregon
46 HILLSIDEGARDENS - Oregon
45 KOREGON - Oregon
44 ENCHANTEDDREAMSJEWELRY - Minnesota and Tennessee
43 FLAMEKISSEDGLASS - California
42 DARLEENMB - Wyoming
41 NAOSGLAS - Colorado
40 CGBEADS - Texas
39 GLENN MINCEY - Washington
38 SYDNEYSDESIGNS - Texas
37 EVOLVINGBEADS - Nevada
36 SISTERSBEADS - Wisconsin
35 ACELTICGIRL2 - Texas
34 COVERGIRLBEADS - Texas
33 MOJOGLASS - Maine
32 RUFUSANDROXY - Washington
31 MAMAPAINTER - Texas
30 DESIGNSBYKURATO - Maine
29 LUXBEADS - Texas
28 SUEBEADS - Pennsylvania
27 STONEYMARIEDESIGNS - Texas
26 JAVABEAD - Washington
25 AIR & EARTH DESIGN - Washington
24 LAFFINGGULL - Texas
23 ICARUSBEADS - Washington
22 JAMNGLASS - California
21 NORAH62 - Texas
20 LIVELAUGHLOVESOAP - Florida
19 GMDLAMPWORK - New York
18 BEADGOODIES - Pennsylvania
17 SUBEARTHAN COTTAGE - Texas
16 STEPHANIE K NATURALS - Texas
15 TIKIBEADS - Texas
14 JUST PEACHY - Texas
13 MERMAIDGLASS - Florida
12 SLCUNIQUES - Texas
11 AMRGLASSWORKS - Texas
10 TRACIDAWN78 - Texas
9 LAKESIDELAMPWORK - Nebraska
8 LADEDACREATIONS - Oklahoma
7 GINNOVATIONS - Texas
6 LENORASDESIGNS - Texas
5 BETSYBEADS - Minnesota
4 ASHTON JEWELS - North Carolina
3 DOUBLEDIPPEDSWEETS - Utah
2 CCTEXAN3 - Texas
1 GOATMOUNTAINARTS/VANILLABEANBAKERY - Virginia

List of ids she's purchased with:
27 fireoffthis
26 laura36
25 ilovesweets
24 sweatshopmxhuh
23 lyn2097
22 gatorlover
21 ilovepaintings
20 iloveboro
19 ilovejewelery
18 Beads Fouru
17 celticbusted
16 iloveleadscentre
15 ilikebakeries
14 ilovepiercings
13 livinlaughinlovinit
12 ilovesoap4me
11 copycatbusted1
10 Texan4u
9 iaminurbackyard2
8 bumpThis
7 hellofromlovelytexas
6 toolate4u
5 fishin4gov
4 concerned
3 Dawnitis
2 lovepoboxes
1 yoohooinurbackyard

Monday, September 28, 2009

9/28/09

From the Star Tribune:
“All I’m trying to do is protect the individual’s right to make health care decisions,” said State Representative Tom Emmer, a Republican. “I just don’t want the government getting between my decisions with my doctors.”

I had to call Medica to see if my visit to the eye surgeon next month will be covered, and the message on their phone is that there's not final approval on a procedure until a bill has been submitted. Right there, they're saying that they can decide to pay a bill or not. OK, so in a sense, Mr. Emmer is correct. He wants to be able to have the decision to have a treatment between him and the doctor. Well, it's the same with me. If I want to go to a doctor that's not covered, I can. My health insurance won't pay for it, and may not pay for it even if it's an approved doctor and procedure.

Must be nice to be a politician and have health care that isn't regulated by the insurance company.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

9/26/09

Nice fall day today, warm but not too warm, and sunshine in the afternoon. I worked on the driveway a bit with my tractor and enjoyed the weather. This time of the year is so sad, the days are getting so short, and my flowers are mostly past their glory. But I'm not going to think about what's coming. :(

Got some new glass from Double Helix today, but haven't had a chance to play with it. One of them is an experimental color, so Monday morning that's going to be the first one to hit the torch. I've been playing around making some more beads with Amy's Storm technique. The color combinations are just endless, with all of the silver glasses there are now.



Well, I'm going to go either catalog movies, scan old photos & letters, or go play Solitaire on Pogo.

Friday, September 25, 2009

9/25/09

OK, let's get caught up on the Wacko first.

She targeted Lydia again, for about the 6th time! Lydia of Ashton Jewels makes the most lovely beads.

Also targeted were Olimpia of Glass By Olimpia (who also does stained glass)
and Elzbieta of Elzbeads.

What was really hilarious is that one person who the Wacko said on her fraud blog was reported for not paying her business tax actually has a credit with the county for her business tax. She had overpayed it! Now that's some fine investigating!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

9/23/09

Just a thought, I puzzled by this comment statement posted in the New York Times talking about the health care reform bill, "The Senate’s No. 2 Republican, Jon Kyl of Arizona, described the bill as “a stunning assault on liberty, mandating that everyone buy a certain type of insurance mandated by Washington.”

I know in Minnesota we're required by law to carry auto insurance. What's the difference?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

9/20/09

Not much new on the Wacko's story. She targeted another lampworker from Oregon, which doesn't have a state sales tax, but that didn't stop her from reporting her to the Oregon revenue department for tax evasion. What a wacko!!! How can you evade paying a tax that doesn't exist?!?!

Her target was Nancy of Simply Lampwork. She makes lovely floral beads.

We went back down to the farm yesterday to get some more cleaning done. We started in the old farmhouse, which the raccoons have been tearing up for the last 10 years. It was pretty depressing, and disgusting when I saw the fresh raccoon poop on the box of letters that Grandma had kept. I threw away the ones that couldn't be salvaged and put the rest in a box, which I started going through last night. Most of them were Christmas cards, wedding invitations, etc. (lovely handwriting on some of them), and one was a letter to Grandma expressing condolences on my Dad's death (he was killed in a farming accident when I was a baby). That one I had to call my sister and read it to her. She was 9 when he died. But then I started hitting paydirt. Oh, I was calling my sister every 2 minutes. It's a good thing we're not long distance anymore! There were letters from 2 of grandma's brothers who moved out west in the early 1900s to Limon, Colorado. In one William talks about getting $.75 a bushel for wheat, and $1100 for 29 of the best beef he'd raised.

The real find was in a thick package (just a little background, my great-grandparents on my Dad's side, Christian and Johanette Schmidt, came here from Germany in the 1880s. My grandmother was 2 years old at the time). In the package were letters written to him from relatives still in Germany, all written in German, which of course, I can't read. There's a young man at the Kingdom Hall who can read and write German, so I gave him a couple of letters to see if he could decipher them. If he can't I'm going to call the Historical Society and see if they can recommend something. It would be so neat to know what these letters say. Look at the date on this one, 1892.
Pretty neat!

I purchased a tutorial from a very talented lampworker last night, Amy of AK Designs. She makes lovely beads with a whispy effect, and she wrote a tutorial on how to do them. So Friday night, I made a couple. Unfortunately, my propane ran out while making the second one, so that one's not finished. Here they are:

So I'm off to the torch with a new tank of propane and try to make some more.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

9/16/09

I've been slacking off on the Wacko because I got my tractor back from getting the engine rebuilt, so I've been out grading the driveway and getting some holes filled in.

The latest Paypal news is they did refund one of her last purchases (What's funny, the package was sent with signature confirmation, and it was refused because the postman was told that the Wacko didn't live there anymore. Yah, right!), but only the price of the bead, not the shipping, so she's out a few dollars with that one. But Paypal has flagged her account, finally. She's going to have to either quit this nonsense, or find some other way of getting people's personal information.

Her latest targets are
Gail in Oregon (who has sold 15 items on Ebay in the last 6 months. Some investigating! Some tax evader!! The Wacko is living up to her name.)
Kathy the Bead Lady, a jewelry maker
Donna of Precious Beads 4 You, a bead supplier
Lynn of Brilynn Beads, a very talented lampworker who also makes rings with her beads. Here are some of her lovely creations:

I've been keeping threads on Lampworketc. with updates of the Wacko's targets and a list of her IDs, but some people who aren't members are having difficulty finding them, so I'm going to post them here.

Targets posted on her 'fraud' blog:
78 SIMPLYLAMPWORK - Oregon
77 PACIFICCOASTLAMPWORK - Oregon
76 KATINN - Nevada
75 PRECIOUSBEADS4YOU - Texas
74 BRILYNN BEADS - Oregon
73 SACREDARTBEADS - Texas
72 RAPUNSELSTOWER - Texas
71 SUNRISEBEADS - Maine
70 THATFRITGIRL - Texas
69 THEFETCHINGHOUND - Connecticut
68 LAURIEGELLER - Washington
67 ELEPHANNIE - Texas
66 SWEETPAPERIE - Texas
65 SARICABEADS - Texas
64 FIRAMARINA - Louisiana
63 ASURGARAFFAIR - Florida
62 name removed by request
61 CATHERINE HOWARD BEADS - North Carolina
60 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
59 BEADAMANIAC - Florida
58 DIANE7923 - Maryland
57 BLUFFROADARTGLASS - Louisiana
56 AFTERDARKDESIGNS - Uah
55 TANNER STUDIOS - Utah
54 HELENSHARVETS - Louisiana
53 MARYLOCKWOOD - Ohio
52 BEADSBYTLC - Michigan
51 Z-BEADS - Oklahoma
50 THEGLASSTURTLE - North Carolina
49 RIVEROFGLASSSTUDIO - Florida
48 ABEADISBORN - Wisconsin
47 REDSIDEDESIGNS - Oregon
46 HILLSIDEGARDENS - Oregon
45 KOREGON - Oregon
44 ENCHANTEDDREAMSJEWELRY - Minnesota and Tennessee
43 FLAMEKISSEDGLASS - California
42 DARLEENMB - Wyoming
41 NAOSGLAS - Colorado
40 CGBEADS - Texas
39 GLENN MINCEY - Washington
38 SYDNEYSDESIGNS - Texas
37 EVOLVINGBEADS - Nevada
36 SISTERSBEADS - Wisconsin
35 ACELTICGIRL2 - Texas
34 COVERGIRLBEADS - Texas
33 MOJOGLASS - Maine
32 RUFUSANDROXY - Washington
31 MAMAPAINTER - Texas
30 DESIGNSBYKURATO - Maine
29 LUXBEADS - Texas
28 SUEBEADS - Pennsylvania
27 STONEYMARIEDESIGNS - Texas
26 JAVABEAD - Washington
25 AIR & EARTH DESIGN - Washington
24 LAFFINGGULL - Texas
23 ICARUSBEADS - Washington
22 JAMNGLASS - California
21 NORAH62 - Texas
20 LIVELAUGHLOVESOAP - Florida
19 GMDLAMPWORK - New York
18 BEADGOODIES - Pennsylvania
17 SUBEARTHAN COTTAGE - Texas
16 STEPHANIE K NATURALS - Texas
15 TIKIBEADS - Texas
14 JUST PEACHY - Texas
13 MERMAIDGLASS - Florida
12 SLCUNIQUES - Texas
11 AMRGLASSWORKS - Texas
10 TRACIDAWN78 - Texas
9 LAKESIDELAMPWORK - Nebraska
8 LADEDACREATIONS - Oklahoma
7 GINNOVATIONS - Texas
6 LENORASDESIGNS - Texas
5 BETSYBEADS - Minnesota
4 ASHTON JEWELS - North Carolina
3 DOUBLEDIPPEDSWEETS - Utah
2 CCTEXAN3 - Texas
1 GOATMOUNTAINARTS/VANILLABEANBAKERY - Virginia

List of ids she's purchased with (I'm sure there are others that she's used that I haven't been notified of):
27 fireoffthis
26 laura36
25 ilovesweets
24 sweatshopmxhuh
23 lyn2097
22 gatorlover
21 ilovepaintings
20 iloveboro
19 ilovejewelery
18 Beads Fouru
17 celticbusted
16 iloveleadscentre
15 ilikebakeries
14 ilovepiercings
13 livinlaughinlovinit
12 ilovesoap4me
11 copycatbusted1
10 Texan4u
9 iaminurbackyard2
8 bumpThis
7 hellofromlovelytexas
6 toolate4u
5 fishin4gov
4 concerned
3 Dawnitis
2 lovepoboxes
1 yoohooinurbackyard

Busy little bee, huh? Get a life!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

9/12/09

Hmmm, I wonder what's going on with the Wacko. She's only posted two people this week. Well, Paypal is starting to respond to the complaints. A seller on Etsy was purchased from the end of last month by the Wacko. The seller sent off the package, which was then refused by the Wacko. The seller refused to give a refund, and today she was notified by Paypal that they had decided in her favor. She doesn't need to refund Wacko's money.

Nice to know that Paypal is starting to listen to all of the complaints about harassment and phishing.

I had to take some photos of my flowers. I should have taken them earlier or later in the day so I could have gotten the 4 o'clocks when they were blooming. I love 4 o'clocks, they smell so lovely in the evening. This year I was smart and planted some right underneath my bedroom window.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

9/6/09

Slow day for the Wacko. No posts tonight. That hasn't happened since the 22nd of August.
So it's catch-up from the last couple of days.
Christine of Rapunsel's Tower, a lampworker and jeweler
and Patricia of Sacred Art Beads, a lampworker and supplier

Well, that's done! It was a quiet day today, which after yesterday, I needed. My sister, brother and I went down to the family farm to do more cleaning in Mom's house. We found a wedding photo of Mom's parents from 1917 (they look so serious) and a aerial photo of the farm the year after Dad died, 1954-55.

Lukas wasn't feeling good last night. When I got home he had circles under his eyes and was complaining of itchy eyes. Allergies? He went to bed early too. Today he's feeling a bit better, but still sniffling.

Oh, I have to tell my cow story. Talk about stupid ideas!!! This morning the cows were out and in the apple orchard. Christian had forgotten to lock the gate. Well, we got them back in without too much trouble, so I had the bright idea of letting them out this afternoon to clean up more of the downed apples. Stupid, stupid idea! Can I repeat that?

I let the cows out, but they didn't want to stay and eat the apples, except for Sally. So I got a rope around her horns and after letting her clean up a few apples, started trying to get her back to the pasture (forgetting that I had opened the gate in the barn to make it easier to get them back in). Well she would take a few hops and hit the end of the rope, bend her head and fall down. Stupid cow!! So she got up and I dragged her to the pasture, with her running and hopping and stopping and refusing to move. Finally got her to the pasture. By now the other 3 are down the rise eating grass, among the poison ivy. I tell Christian to go get the dogs. STUPID IDEA!! While he's doing that, the cow goes through the barn's open gate and heads back to the apple tree. I get the rope around her horns again and start tussling with her. She hops and falls down on my flower garden fence (it's only woven wire and two feet tall to keep the chickens out). She gets up, hops and goes down on another section of the fence. Then she tries to eat my glads, I pull, she goes down on another section of the fence. In the meantime, Christian has the dogs and is trying to get the others up to the apple orchard. I get Sally to the barn, where she hops, and bounces into the garden tractor cart, which goes up on one side, which causes the tire to shift off the rim and go flat. I'm REALLY getting tired of all of this by this time. Get her into the barn and close the gate.

Meanwhile, Christian has the cows up by the house. We get them headed to the pasture and Chester, the big dog, decides to help by chasing them the opposite way! ARRRGGGGHHHH! So we get them headed around the house toward the barn, and Pip, the small dog, starts chasing them down the driveway. Can you just imagine me with steam coming out of my ears by then? I go put the dogs in the house, grab a bucket of corn, and between the corn and Christian behind them with the bat (2 of them are yearling bulls, and they all have horns), we finally manage to get them back into the barn. Remind me to never, ever, ever let the cows out again.

Friday, September 04, 2009

9/4/09

OK, my sister and I were laughing about this, so I decided to post it here. It might provide a chuckle.

I went to the eye doctor yesterday to get new glasses ($500 later, and that was using my old frames!!) and to try to make him understand what I've been complaining about for the last 3 years, that I'm seeing double. Well, this time he did some measurements. My left eyeball is pulling to the left, and he said the only thing that will fix it is surgery. Yah, right, like I can afford that. Well, my sight is so bad on that side anyway, and then when he told me that, I made the comment that my left eye was getting pretty much useless. He said it was a good thing that we have two eyes. Huh?!?! I should have asked him how he would feel if he only had one testicle. Sheesh, a lot of empathy there.

I like the suggestion that a very funny lady on LE had for me. Her husband has a repair facility and by laying me out on the alignment machine and giving me a good yank and pull that might fix it. And he'd give me a good rate too. I laughed so hard I was crying!

9/4/09

Honestly, the Wacko is just that, a Wacko. She posted me on her fraud blog again last night. I was laughing so hard I had tears coming from my eyes.

Here's what she posted:
FRAUD ELIZABETH WAIT OF BETSYMN has acquired her MN State Sales Tax permit beginning of 2009.

She has been selling on Ebay since 2001 with Ebay id name betsymn.

Selling on Etsy http://www.betsymn.etsy.com/ since Nov 2006
Selling on Artfire http://www.betsybeads.artfire.com/ since 2009

When somebody sells online for EIGHT years, but decides to get the Sales Tax permit beginning of 2009, this IS multi-year TAX FRAUD!

She has also NEVER paid her business property tax for her home-based studio, and the Sherburne county tax auditor has informed the tax assessor about this local multi-year tax evasion.

WHAT A FRAUD!!!!

Hence, reported to the MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

FRAUD ELIZABETH WAIT is also reported to the IRS (Fresno, California) for them to check if she has filed all her online business income since 2002 made through her paypal account.

We have provided authorities with all our info, the outcome of this case is between the authorities and this seller, ELIZABETH WAIT.When the authorities finish their case, we wont know details about it, but they THANK US, and in some states, we even get rewarded.

Hey, silly, I had a sales tax license when I was selling my cards and prints, but when I quit selling them I let it lapse. When I sold beads to someone in Minnesota this year, I renewed it. And in case you haven't figured it out, if I don't sell to someone in Minnesota, I don't need a MN sales tax license. And as far as the IRS goes, according to them, I don't need to file until I sell $17,900 worth of beads. I WISH!!!

And did you forget the call you made to the tax assessor in July? They told you the laws here were different, I don't need a business permit because I don't meet the qualifications for one, and as long as I paid my property taxes (which I do, twice a year, dear), they didn't care what I did in my house. Aren't you getting tired of being thought as a crackpot?

Here's her About Me:
We have researched hundreds of Ebay, Etsy and Artfire sellers in the past 2 years and majority of these online sellers DO NOT have either their State Sales Tax permit, occupational license (if required by their city/county),any other permits needed by law to do their business legitimately or don't collect tax for their state.EVERYONE who sells and collects money online AND offline is REQUIRED by the government to follow the rules on operating a business. We are here to teach and warn the consumers about these fraudulent online businesses. We accept ALL hot tips and will be more than happy to research your suspicions about a business, so keep reporting to us. Everyone has a right to know the REAL TRUTH! We will NEVER post or list any business unless we feel they are pursueing fraudulent online business practices. Our investigations might take months, weeks, or days, but we WILL get to the bottom of it and DO our civil duty as citizens to protect our government from frauds.

You know, if someone is going to represent themselves as investigators, she should at least investigate, not just make it up as she goes along.

Joining me on the blog last night were Laura and Randy of Sunrise Beads. Aren't they lucky to be with famous me, who's been posted on the Wacko's fraud blog THREE times? Yah, right, I'm sure they would have been happy to decline the honor. Well, so would I have, if I had a choice.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

9/2/09

Well, that was interesting! Was outside for the last 20 minutes watching a guy in a biplane pushing it to the limit. He was quite considerate, when you think about it. He was over the wildlife refuge in case the plane crashed. He was flying upside down, going in loops, twirling, cutting his engine and going into freefall. There was a couple of times I was holding my breath until the engine came back on. Wow!








What was really funny, I grabbed the camera and was snapping away like crazy. Only problem? I forgot to put a memory card in it, LOL. Luckily I noticed before he flew away.