08/25/09

Taking a break from the Wacko for a while. It's early yet, she doesn't start picking on people until evening.

I've got some cute photos. I have 4 ferrets. Ferrets are like 2 year olds, go go go and then crash. And when ferrets crash, they sleep like the dead! The first photo is Fang. She fell asleep with her head in the food dish. The second is Canuke, my oldest girl. I have cardboard boxes stuffed with packing peanuts, hay and herbs and I cut holes cut in the sides for them to go in to and sleep. Canuke only got half way in before she fell asleep, LOL.

And here's a finch. He was so bright red I had to grab the camera. I had a hawk out in the front of the house yesterday, and the stupid cat tried stalking it. It flew away before I could get a photo. What did the cat think he was going to do if he caught it? It was nearly as big as him!
And here's my Stupid Cat Photo of the day. Kittens are so funny, why oh why do they have to grow up?!

8/23/09

Oh my gosh, you want to see eye candy, go to Lydia's website. I am so totally in awe of her creative abilities and skill.

8/23/09

The Wacko is really targeting some talented lampworkers! Must be pure envy. If you want to look at some eye candy, check out these websites. As you can see, she's been a busy bee, too, spending all of her time researching people's private information and filing false reports to various government agencies. It's even worse that this harassement isn't illegal. I find her a very puzzling person. Why is she doing this? Pathological liar? Delusional? The biggest thing she's accomplished is to ruin her name and reputation with all of this.

Kaye and Dan of Koregon Beads
Ruth of Hillside Gardens Art Studio
Kristan and Julio of Redside Designs (lovely boro floral beads)

Melissa of abeadisborn (more gorgeous florals
Pam of River of Glass
Yee of The Glass Turtle (lots of lovely silver cored beads)
Sarah of Z-Beads
Brother and sister lampworkers, Scott and Trudi of Tanner Studios and After Dark Designs
Patricia of Beads by TLC
and Mary of MaryLockwood

8/19/09

Back to the Wacko from Waco. She opened a new Twitter account, Kendrasshop. Does she even realize how crazy her posts makes her sound?

1. you can get a new license, sales tax permit issued today, start selling BUT the past you can NEVER NEVER NEVER erase from IRS $$$$$$$$$$$$$$
   
   
2. we wish you good luck and hope that from now on YOU will learn to abide the laws when u do online business!!!
   
   
3. let me enlighten you about the power of the IRS: with your full name, they know every single hair in your tax evading ass!
   
   
4. dont even think that they will listen to such bullshit of an excuse!!! who do u think the IRS is????????????????
   
   
5. u know why?? u tell IRS, "but Sir, i have done this as a hobby for so many years and oops i had no idea i had to file my $$$$$$$"
   
   
6. let me give u a friendly advise: when u being audited by IRS, dont even show yourself to the audit, send your representative!!
   
   
7. hobbyist? =cashing in thousands of $/year thru paypal accounts, transferred to their personal bank accounts, and not filing as income??????
   
   
8. but oops, the gang of 3000 lampwork bead artist call themselves "HOBBYIST"
   
   
9. when u receive your penalty/fines/audits from the government, believe me..it will be all over the net...u might even make it to the IRS site
   
   
10. but of course, you wouldnt believe what we say...keep on worrying about your website/names being up on googles first page...hahahahahh
    
    
11. of course not just paying HUGE $$$$ FINES...some of YOU might be even imprisoned!! would u like the link to criminal IRS penalty page??
    
    
12. you ALL are in deep shit! just wait 2-3 weeks...you will be suffocated from audits and fines...hahahahahh$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
    
    
13. ...this DANCE is of course, federal level....dont forget the STATE and the LOCAL $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Makes her sound pretty crazy, IMHO.

Here's the latest targets on her website,
Teresa, Eric & Penny from Enchanted Dreams Jewelry
Reenie from FlameKissedGlass
Darleen from DarleenMB
Amber from Naos Glass
Donna from CG Beads

And I'm happy to announce that MamaPainter reopened her Etsy shop in spite of the Wacko's threats.

8/18/09

Well that was interesting! Usually I quit Firefox before I go to bed, but last night I didn't. This morning when I woke up the computer there was a box in the forefront that said Firefox 3.2 was ready to be downloaded, but some of my extensions wouldn't work until they were updated. Then there were 4 buttons to click on, one for checking the list of extensions that wouldn't work, then a button for upgrading, one for not now, and one for never. I didn't want to mess with losing my extensions, so I clicked not now. Then I got to thinking, I've never seen that box before. I wonder if it was legit? So I quit Firefox and started over.

Nope, I just checked and it wasn't. The latest version is 3.5. See? That's why I'm an artist and not a computer tech. :)

8/16/09

I am really angry about the pain this Wacko from Waco/Woodway is causing. There are people who are scared that they will lose their SS or disability because they made a few bucks. It's not true, but there's that initial panic when they see that post saying they've been reported to the IRS as a tax evader. The sad part, most people don't know how phony the Wacko is, and how false her claims are. That's one of the reasons I'm blogging about her, to get the word out about her and the unreasonable fear she is causing.

Her latest targets:
Agate58, a rarity in our lampworking world, a man who makes beads
SydneysDesigns, a crafter who works in fabrics and yarns
ACelticgirl2, a jeweler
SisterBeads, a pair of lampworkers who make the most gorgeous beads (which is why the Wacko chose them)
and EvolvingCreations, a talented lampworker who works in boro.

OK, I can't leave feeling so disgusted with the state of the world, so here's some more bird pictures:
I love chickadees, they're such cheerful, sprightly birds.

And here are some House Finches, nice and bright. Reminds me I need to get out tomorrow and refill that feeder!

8/14/09

Well, the Wacko from Waco got her Twitter account shut down for spamming people with fake posts about her fraud blog. That's two Twitter accounts shut down now.

This woman is really doing despicable things, namely going after elderly people and disabled people who are just trying to supplement their incomes (which is NOT against the law). It's a sick system that allows this to continue.

Her latest targets,
Cover Girl Beads
Mojo Glass
Rufus and Roxy
and MamaPainter (who closed her Etsy shop because of the harassment from U).

This person has hurt so many people.

8/12/09

The Wacko is slowing down a bit. Hmmmm... pressure increasing?

Her latest targets:
Designs by K. Urato, this is a low blow since Kathie injured herself and has her shop closed.
LuxBeads, Aug. 11th
Aug. 10th was a repeat of her post on SueBeads, who she targeted on the 7th.
Stoney Marie Designs and Java Beads, Aug. 9th.

There is a new blog spoofing hers, http://handmadeartisanfraud2.blogspot.com/. It is hilarious!!! I love it!

And I just have to show this screen shot of USA Today's post about her:

Must be rough to be famous.

I have a feral mama kitty that I was finally able to lure into the house when she had kittens this year. I have an appointment next month with a vet who does feral cats for half price. So I have mama kitty and 4 feisty, energetic kittens roaming the house (besides my own cats). The kittens are big enough now that they can jump over the half doors to get into my studio, where I have my ferrets. Two of the kittens have already met Fang, my white ferret, and have been chased by her, so now when they see her loose, they know enough to stay out of her reach. That is what the photo shows, the kittens on the table, and below them, Fang, wishing with all her heart that she could get to them.

8/8/09

Jeepers, I can't keep up with Wacky! She's added 5 more people to her blog since my last post about her, and she's going after victims willy nilly now.

Heidi of Jamn Glass, Sue of SueBeads, Judith of Icarus Beads, Lynn of LaffingGull, and Kandice of Air & Earth Designs, all very talented beadmakers.

Wacky is taking up WAYYYY too much of my time! I just yesterday cleaned up my last batch of beads, and to be honest, there weren't all that many that screamed 'oh, neat!!' at me. But here's one that I kind of like, with the striations and the metallic copper layer under it. Monday when I get back to the torch, I have got to try this color combination again.
I've been working with a nice blue glass that never turns out the same. All three of the following beads are from the same blue glass, but it can change depending on how much propane in relationship to oxygen it gets, how long it's in the flame, how much I let it cool and reheat, do you get the picture? There's no way of getting the same results even in all 4 bubbles of a single bead. If it gets reduced too much it turns a yucky grey brown instead of the blue, and if it's not reduced enough those lovely patterns don't develop. It can get frustrating, but when it turns out good, it's really neat.


The boys are re-tiling my entry way. We adopted Lukas' dog, Squeak, from a dog shelter in Texas, and she never was housetrained. I'll put the little stinker out on the line when I let the others out, and when I bring them back in, 5 minutes later there's a little present in the entry way. So they're putting in 20" tiles with very thin grout lines to make it easier to keep clean.

8/6/09

Called the neurologist's office about Lukas' MRI and EEG, they've got the test results back but they have to have someone call me back to tell me the results. Sheesh, so now I get to wait and try not to think about it. No wonder my stomach hurts.

UPDATE: Ok, now I can settle down a little. The nurse called, the EEG came back normal and the MRI showed no new findings. So there's no reason they can see that Lukas' seizures started up again. So on we go, and I've got to get back to making beads and make some money so we can pay for those tests :(

8/5/09

We'll start with the feel-good part of my blog first, bird photos!!, and then we'll get the dirty part, updates on the Wacko from Waco (actually Woodway).

Here's a young male Baltimore Oriole, like a little kid with a messy face, he has grape jelly smeared on his beak :) I love watching these birds, they squabble like little kids and when a bumblebee is on the jelly, they just pick it up with their beak and fling it off! They are such a hoot.
And now to the latest news from the (snicker, snicker) 'online fraud investigation' blog:
Unique Gemstones by Nora, a Texan again, who sells gemstones. Oh, I was drooling looking at some of her faceted briolettes, barbarian at heart that I am.
And Danielle of Live Laugh Love Soap, a soapmaker from Florida. She makes some interesting sounding soap, go check out her shop.

The snickering came from reading on her blog, "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!" Dang, talk about living a lie! (She also needs to learn how to spell.)

UPDATE: Wow! Look at this website. Dang! It's all out in the open there. Honestly, I really shouldn't be smirking, because I still do feel a bit sorry for her. I can't imagine living such a mean, spiteful life. But she's hurt so many people, not because they were doing anything wrong, simply for her idea of revenge.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Oh this is hilarious!! Someone just pointed it out to me, Danielle opened her Etsy shop in April 2009, and this is what the Wacko posted on her fraud blog, "We have informed the IRS about this Fraud online business, livelaughlovesoap, Danielle W.. for her upcoming 2009 filing." She's wasting government money on reporting people for possibly not reporting their taxes in 2010.

8/4/09

Nothing new from the Wacko from Waco, other than her rehashing old victims. Either she's up to more deviltry or more likely, the law is starting to catch up with her.

(Edited to add: Whoops, the Wacko was quite busy today. She added 4 more victims to her hit list:
Gina of GMC Lampwork
Candice of Beadgoodies and Beadgoodies on Etsy
Charity of Sophiecls and Subearthcottage
Stephanie Kay of Stephaniek on Etsy and Stephanie K Naturals

Where does Wacky get all of this time? Oh well, the more she posts, the more evidence against her.)

So today I'm posting more bird photos. The Baltimore Orioles have been gobbling down the grape jelly. I was down to 2 jars of my homemade jelly and had to have Christian pick up a big jar at the grocery store. I really liked this photo, just the pose, and the bad hair day :)
And when I saw this bird, I had to grab the bird book. It is a female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak.
Well, off to make some more beads...

8/2/09

The Wacko from Waco strikes again, Peaches4me and daisydog7, both with shops on Etsy. She still blasts out in caps and bold letters that these people have no business Paypal account. So what? A lot of businesses don't even HAVE a Paypal account. She continues to think that you need a business Paypal account to sell online. Duh!!

I find it interesting that Wacky seems to be concentrating on people from Texas. She must have gotten too frustrated trying to file false reports in states that don't have the same laws as Texas.

7/31/09

This is great! Someone set up a blog that looks exactly like her's,
http://artisantruthreport.blogspot.com/

Whoever took the time to set this up, THANK YOU!!

7/31/09

ROFLOL, I found the archived ArtFire thread that Wacky started with all of her posts, which were taken out of the active thread when ArtFire closed her account.

What is SOOOO hilarious, she posted "before you write something and show the world what you are about, make sure what you are talking about or heard of is %100 REAL!" She really should take her own advice. I especially like where she said "(oh by the way, if you would like to find out who these people are...anyone out there who has ever used MY NAME with words of FRAUD associated with it without EVER having in their hands ANY LEGAL GOVERNMENTAL PROOF about my business in the past and present, is one heck of moral character and is now in GOOGLE FOREVER for people to see...LOL!" Yup, she's in Google forever now.

ETA: Ah, darn it, the link is gone! I should have copied the whole thing.

7/31/09

Latest update from Waco, "We have reported over 100 home-based studios of online sellers to their COUNTY TAX ASSESSORS."

We're in a recession, with government agencies laying off people and cutting hours, and this woman is filing false reports!?!

In Sherburne County, you don't pay business property taxes unless you are a commercial business, which I sure am not. There are certain requirements to qualify as commercial, and I don't see hiring people to clean my half dozen beads a day, or putting a big sign up on the end of the driveway advertising that I am a beadmaker (which about 3 people would see, since we're off a dead end road which ends in a cul-de-sac), and my studio sure doesn't take 25% of my home (good heavens, hubby would have something to say about that!), I don't have items for sale that can be seen from the street (same reason, oh, did I mention my house is set on the backside of 45 acres) nor do I have customers coming to my home (sorry, I like my privacy, which is why I LOVE the Internet, and besides, I don't feel like having to rescue people from my dogs), I don't have any equipment that would be noisy and disturb the neighbors (the roosters crowing at 5 a.m. might, but since they're not part of my beadmaking, we'll let them pass, or we will until fall when they're going into the freezer) and a half dozen other things.

OK, done with the rant. It just shows that she is willing to do anything to damage people who are successful in the area where she failed: making our own lovely beads (and from the tags on her blog, candlemakers, knitters and crocheters, jewelers, purse makers, quilters, and soapmakers.) and doing so honestly!

Well, I filed a report on her last night with the FBI's Internet Crime Division. With a hundred victims, somebody from the government is going to start noticing pretty soon.

7/30/09

OK, back to the Wacko from Waco, another talented artist on her hit list, Sandy. This woman creates the most amazing wirewrapped insects. You have to see her spider, oh my gosh!

And Wacko is still making a big deal out of not having a business Paypal account. What part of 'You don't need a business Paypal account to sell online' does she not understand? And she makes a huge deal out of Sandra not having it posted on her website that she needs to collect sales tax from Texas residents. Hmmm, I don't see anything on Wacko's website about collecting sales tax. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

7/30/09

Taking a quick break from the Wacky from Waco drama, I had 4 young Baltimore Orioles at my feeder this morning, squabbling over the grape jelly like little kids. Here's one of the young ones drinking from the hummingbird feeder, and then there's a photo of a male, in all his beautiful color.

7/29/09

Latest victim of the Wacko from Waco/Woodway, Anne of AMR Glassworks, a very nice, very talented beadmaker. U seems to be mostly picking on fellow Texans, probably because the laws vary from state to state, and she's getting frustrated by getting brushed off by the government agencies of the other states she's been trying to report to. U continues to make a big deal out of people not having a business Paypal account. She just doesn't seem to understand that you don't even NEED a Paypal account to sell online.

7/28/09

Oh, my goodness, the little witch did call our county tax assessor's office. I talked to the first lady she talked to. What a hoot!! She tried telling U that our county didn't have the same law that she was trying to get me into trouble for, but she just wouldn't take no for an answer. She said U asked if they didn't care that I was selling online out of my home, and she told U they weren't concerned with it as long as I pay my property taxes. U was insistent on talking with the assessor (she just didn't think that was right!), so I've got a call into her voice mail to see if U talked to her. Can you imagine someone calling a out-of-state government agency telling them they need to follow the rules from HER state?

U lives in her own little world, where everyone else needs to live by HER rules, whether they're lawful or not.

Oh, and here are a couple of more links to look at. Please notice the dates of the sale and ask yourself how she could be in Milano, Italy making beads, Etsy bead store, and making cookies in Waco, Texas, Etsy cookie shop.

And welcome, Aimee of Lakeside Lampworkwork and Traci of Tracidawn78, talented beadmakers, and Laura of ladedacreations to U's victim list.

7/27/09

More articles about U:
Ebay Power Sellers acticle
Consumer Reports article

Also, her twitter account, TaxEvaderWatch have been shut down.

She's gone after another talented lampworker, Ginny at www.ginnovations.com and ginnovations.etsy.com. I feel very honored to be in a group of such talented beadmakers.

And this is SOOOOO hilarious!! She's reporting us to our county tax assessors for not paying business property taxes. What world does she live in? My house is not zoned as a business so I don't HAVE to pay business property taxes!

I'm curious as to why she tried buying a bead from my Etsy shop today, under the name 'concerned.' I cancel the sale and refunded her money. She's been doing this to other beadmakers too.

7/27/09

Update on the wacko, http://www.handmadeartisanfraud.blogspot.com/
Her new blog, http://handmadelampworkartistfraudinvestigation.wordpress.com/ has been shut down for violations of their terms of service. Awwww, U, so many lies catch up with a person.

I find her very puzzling. She was making and selling enough of her own beads, why did she have to buy other people's beads and sell them as her own? Was she so stupid to think that she could pass such distinctive beads off as her own and not have someone notice? And then when confronted with proof, she attacked the beadmakers. As a result of her fraud, her Etsy shop was closed down and she was banned from Etsy, and her unlicensed bakery in Waco, Texas was shut down. At that point, I actually felt sorry for her. When she opened her ArtFire shop, I figured she deserved a second chance. But then when she started her thread on ArtFire, https://www.artfire.com/modules.php?mop=modload&name=Chatterbox&file=viewtopic&topic=14749&forum=1 (all of her comments have been taken out by ArtFire), she again went on the offensive when people started questioning her. Now that ArtFire has closed her shop and banned her from ArtFire, she has become rather pathetic, attacking beadmakers and people who spoke out on ArtFire.

Twitters from U: "what ever u do, at the end YOU will pay $, not me..hahahah"

"uh oh, FRAUD Lydia Muell got so scared, she is not selling on Etsy nor her website, FINALLY the reality kicks in, she will be audited soon"

"its not important to be on google(good or bad), each business move you make in the future, will be watched by IRS"

"continue trying to shut the blogs and waste your time like, we are off to reporting your FRAUD business to the IRS and authorities"

"Being audited by IRS will cost you lots of $$$, instead of trying to desperately get a GOOD name in google, get a attorney for ur tax audit"

The last one is such a laugh!! Good name?!? That's the kettle calling the pot black. Lydia Muell is one of the most talented, nicest bead artists you can find, http://www.lampworktreasures.com/home.html

In one of her Twitter posts, she ends it with God help you. Well, my God has helped me to forgive her. I feel sorry for her, with her life of lies, deceit, spite and anger.

7/26/09

Latest on the Wacko from Waco (actually, her mailing address is Woodway, TX), she is buying beads from beadmakers on Etsy by opening up sockpuppet accounts. There's conjecture on why she is doing this, from being able to leaving negative feedback to getting Paypal information on the seller.

7/24/09

OK, I am REALLY pissed! I've become the target for the Wacko from Waco.

She got into trouble last year on Etsy because she 'allegedly' (I've been advised to use the word allegedly to protect myself legally) was buying other people's beads, and then selling them as made by her. Here are links about that:

http://etsynews.com/698/allegations-of-fraud-on-etsy/

http://www.skyisland.com/blog/2008/june/international_criminal_my_own_backyard

http://moreglassmusings.blogspot.com/2008/06/ulljas-lampwork-blog-about-beads.html

http://pussdaddyblogs.blogspot.com/2009/07/bitter-party-of-one.html

http://themermaidtale.blogspot.com/2008/06/merlot-and-email.html

http://dancingwinddesigns.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/lampwork-fraud-on-etsy-and-ebay/

http://etsybitch.blogspot.com/2008/06/dont-let-door-hit-you-in-ass-on-way-out_15.html

Recently she opened a shop on ArtFire selling beads, and then started a thread that she was starting to bake again. That's when people started asking her questions about her past practices, and she went on the attack, claiming mobs of people were after her. ArtFire closed her shop and all of her posts were removed, which is why the next link seems to be disjointed. All it consists of is questions to her and replies to her comments.

https://www.artfire.com/modules.php?mop=modload&name=Chatterbox&file=viewtopic&topic=14749&forum=1

So in revenge, she has been gathering people's names from that thread and lampworkers on LampworkEtc., which I belong to, and reporting them to the local authorities as not being licensed (which I am). And she also claims I don't have a business Paypal account. I don't. I have a Premier account. Why she thinks I have to have a business account, I'm not sure.

Here are some of the people she's attacked (I'm in good company).

Ashton Jewels and here's her Etsy shop

Vanilla Bean Baker

cctexan

Double Dipped Sweets

Goatmountainarts

She is such a stinker!

7/23/09

I love this time of the year. I have birds all over the place, swallows, bluebirds, woodpeckers, house finches, goldfinches, blue jays, chickadees and my favorite, Baltimore Orioles. I had 5 young Baltimore Orioles at the feeder this morning. Here's three of them:

7/22/09

I see it's been a while since I posted! Just been busy. Last week it was to St. Paul to Gillette for Lukas' annual neurologist visit. He was concerned about Lukas' seizures starting up after almost 3 years without one, even though the last one was in April about a week after he increased the meds again, and it was just a breakthough seizure. So today I took Lukas down to Minneapolis, where they did an MRI and an EEG. The MRI was the worst; they needed to inject a dye, and the first tech was digging in his arm with the needle until I told her to stop. So she put hot packs on his hand and let that sit for a half hour, then another tech came in and got the needle in without too much digging. I hate it when they have to put IVs in him, his veins are so hard to find. The EEG went fine; he fell asleep during it. Now it's waiting until the results come back...

Long day! I just did the bills and we have a little over $500 to last until the end of next month, so I'm off to make some beads.

7/10/09

And here's another one of my favorites:

7/8/09

And here's another couple of my beads that I really like:


And here's a bead from one of my favorite lampworkers, Lydia Muell, http://www.lampworktreasures.com/home.html. She makes such BEAUTIFUL beads!!

7/7/09

OK, here's the best I could get of the male Baltimore Oriole. He wasn't very cooperative!



And here's a set of Aurae beads that I'm going to put on eBay this weekend. Every once in a while, I'll get a green tinge instead of the pink-violet. It all depends on how much oxygen it gets in relationship to the propane and how cool it gets before flashing it back into the flame. And this set has a lot of striations in it too. Very, very tricky!

6/30/09

OK, I'm not complaining, because this weather is better than 97°, but it feels like October. It's cold and windy and dark already.

The weather this year is just crazy! I've never had Baltimore Orioles this time of the year before. I am enjoying them though. I've been trying to get a photo of the male. He is such a bright color. Maybe tomorrow...

6/24/09

I saw a Indigo Bunting at the feeder this morning. This bird looks black until the sun hits the feathers at the right angle, then it's a beautiful blue.

It's a pleasant 70° right now. We had a thunderstorm come through and it cooled things down a bit. The last two days have been just miserable, in the upper 90s. My tomatoes are finally starting to perk up, though.

On a more somber note, I've been watching the events in Iran, and how ever much we complain about our government and politicians, we can at least complain. Right now they can't even do that. Here's a sample of the twitters coming out of Iran this morning:
phone line was cut and we lost internet - #Iranelection - getting more difficult to log into net -

reports of street fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now

in Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher

they catch ppl with mobile - so many killed today - so many injured - Allah Akbar - they take one of us

Lalezar Sq is same as Baharestan - unbelevable - ppls murdered everywhere

they pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us

we must go - dont know when we can get internet - they take 1 of us, they will torture and get names - now we must move fast

6/18/09

Hot and muggy, headache and earache. Can you tell I'm miserable? Finally gave in and turned on the AC.

6/17/09

I just have to show off some beads I just finished cleaning:





IMHO, I think they turned out rather nice. Unfortunately, the photos just don't show the metallic shimmers that make them so luscious.

6/17/09

We got almost 1 1/2" of rain yesterday. We really needed it, as we live in sand country, and the drought hits us harder. Birds are really active this morning. I just saw an Eastern Phoebe. I had to look it up in the bird book as I don't think I've ever seen one before.


I just had to show these beads that I just pulled out of the kiln. I LOVE Aurae glass!

6/15/09

On NBC Nightly News, talking about Pres. Obama's health care reform, a politician said Americans don't want rationed health care, beaurocrats making health care decisions, people having to wait for appointments, etc.

Excuse me, but what do we have now? Last time I made an appointment, it took over 2 weeks to get in to see the doctor, and that was just to get a prescription refilled. And then the prescription, which I had been on for a couple of years, was no longer covered by my health insurance, so I had to call the doctor and get a different prescription. But then, congressmen live in an entirely different world than I. They don't have to pay $1341 a month in health insurance, and I'm sure they don't have my deductible or 20% co-pay on everything. If we all had the health care that the members of the US Congress have, I could afford to go to the doctor for the headaches, earaches, stomachaches, a Pap test, mammogram and the 5-year check-up the health insurance company says I should have, which I can't afford, since the visit to the doctor to get the prescription renewed cost $177.

OK, end of rant!

It's been warm here! Yesterday it was 85° and today it got up to 84°. No wonder I feel like puking!

That's right! I was going to quit complaining and be happy.

My irises are blooming. They are just lovely.



Well, I'm going to go out and see if the lawnmower will start. It's been on the battery charger for a couple of hours (needs a new battery). The lawn REALLY needs mowing, even though the grass is all dead from lack of rain, the weeds are certainly growing.

6/12/09

Just some photos to share tonight. I did a couple of beads this morning that I really like (I LOVE blue).


And I got a couple of nice photos of a hummer. Can you find it in the bush? It's sitting smack dab in the middle of the photo.

And here he is at the feeder,

6/8/09

Got the call from the bank with the new appraisal. Our property has lost about $100,000 value in the last two years, almost a third of the value. We're still going to go through with the refinancing. It'll be at a lower interest rate, and we'll get enough money to get the land surveyed so we know where to put the fence line, and to get the fence posts and barbed wire, and to get the RV in and get some work done on it, and hopefully enough to go on a little fishing trip this summer.

We got another stretch of fence almost done tonight. I HATE working with barbed wire, especially when I have to stretch it, with the creaking and pinging wire I just get visions of something letting loose and it going flying. It's wicked stuff, but it keeps the cows in.

We finally got the stray mama cat caught. She's a beautiful cat, black, white and orange calico, but very wild. She showed up in our garage about 4 years ago, and has a batch of kittens every year. Whiskers, the black and white cat I've posted pictures of here, is last year's kitten. Well, she had 4 kittens this year, and they're just starting to eat solid food, so we were able to catch them and get them in the mud room. Then by opening the door so she could get in with her kittens, and sneaking into the garage and closing the door, I was able to lock her into there. She's settling down a little bit, we've been able to touch her at least. I'm hoping to tame her down enough to get her into the vet and get her fixed. DON'T need any more cats!!

Interesting article on the news tonight about flea and tick drops causing reactions in dogs and cats, allergic reactions, seizures and death. I won't use them on the little dogs anymore. I bought some and put it on Pip (and yes, it was the dose for under 15 lbs.), and within a half hour she was whirling around and trying to lick and bite her back. I put her in the shower and washed it off, but she didn't settle down until the next day.

I posted some more beads on Etsy and ArtFire. Here's my favorite: