So Tom's Doctor called and suggested a consult with a hematologist.  It is now scheduled for July 1st.  I'm in the process of cancelling a beauty shop appointment (or at least changing the time) so I can go with him.  This afternoon we go for the whole skeleton set of x-rays.  But we get to go out to lunch first.  Compulsive eaters always like doing that!

And I'm stiff from my 4 hours in the garden yesterday. 

Just a thought - hydrangeas are supposed to bloom on old wood.  Well, our old hydrangea has always died back almost to the base each winter, leaving a lot of old wood sticks sticking up.  Then it produces buds that grow into branches that will be next year's sticks.  But those branches do produce flowers, eventually, each summer.  Are they old wood or new wood?  Is it magic?  Do I misunderstand the meaning of "old wood"?  It seems to me to be the same effect I'd get if I pruned them down to about 4 inches above the ground each fall.

First, Tom had a Doctor's appointment - routine, every 6 months checkup.  I was aware of this but didn't think much of it.  Then his daughter drove in from Harrisburgh to spend Father's day here.  We'd planned a family get together for Saturday night - restaurant meal with Anne and her husband and daughter.  After we went to bed, Tom told me that a recent blood test showed an unusual protein and that the Dr. wanted him to have x-ray scan of his entire skeleton.  This didn't sound good to me.

Saturday morning I had Phipps volunteer work from 10 til 1.  Just before I left, Susan mentioned that she'd forgotten her medications at home, but would call Rite Aid to try to get a couple days worth as replacements.  She'd not slept well the night before.  Phipps needed me to stay an extra 15 minutes or so, and then I went around looking at some of the new exhibit - Fraber glass, very nice.

When I got home, Susan and Tom were preparing to go to Western Psych emergency room.  Neither one of them could find the phone number, and Susan hadn't even been able to use the phone book that morning she was so upset.  So all three of us went and sat around in the emergency room area for 3 hours.  The doctors decided to call Rite Aid and arrange for 4 days worth of medications for Susan, and released her.  We all ordered in pizza and had ice cream.  (Not real good for my diet.)  Susan had trouble sleeping again Saturday night, but seemed improved Sunday morning. 

She thought she'd leave Monday afternoon, but then decided to wait until this morning.  I think by this morning I was burned out, but didn't know it yet.  We had an early breakfast since Tom wanted to make omlets for everyone and I had to be at the gym by 7 AM.  Susan said she was going back to sleep for 45 minutes.  When I got back from the gym an hour later, her car was still here.  I decided the garden needed my attention (and it really, really did.)  Four hours later, Susan's car was finally gone.  When I walked into the basement the phone was ringing.  I'd totally forgotten lunch with a close girlfriend.  That kinda brought things to a head and I fell apart.  I feel better blogging about it - and talking to a couple friends.

Since May 22, we've been to Kristin's (grandaughter) graduation from high school in San Jose CA on June 5th.  Spent a lovely 5 days with family playing games, eating out, and generally having fun together.  A wonderful family time!  No photos - didn't bring a camera, and those who did take pictures haven't sent any out to me.  Kristin was home-schooled - the graduation ceremony was for the entirety of San Jose County.  There were 29 High School graduates and 9 8th graders graduating.  It was very well done.

Then a girlfriend and I went to Virginia Beach for 3 days - plus one day driving each direction for a total of 5 days away from home.  Very relaxing - in fact, we napped each afternoon we were there!  She took some pictures, I didn't.

I have finished more polymer clay items all the way through sanding and buffing.  Also no photos - these were bracelet fasteners sold to friends who use them to supplement their line of fine jewelry based on Corvette cars.  http://www.kimsgolddust.com/  I've prepared some blanks for wall clocks - now I need to create the clay designs to apply to them.  There is a 3-day "I Made It!" craft fair at Pittsburgh's South Side works that I'm preparing for.  I'm still looking for some kind of display I can use to show these wall clocks as if they are hanging on a wall.  The craft fair is July 10-11-12, so I'd best be getting things finished and ready for sale before then.  One reason I've not blogged recently. 

Also, I've joined Polymer Clay Artists Guild of ETSY. 

Proud member of the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy! To see more outstanding polymer clay art, search PCAGOE TEAM at Etsy and check out our website at http://www.pcagoe.com.

This, too, takes time - I'm still learning about both ETSY and PCAGOE.  So between traveling, producing inventory, trying to catch up on the garden and life in general, I've been very busy!

Just thought I'd throw in a couple polymer clay items of fairly recent vintage that have been photographed:

marcympc.etsy.com

We went to Tom's 50th college reunion in Pasadena, CA (CalTech) this past weekend.  It was fairly easy for me since I didn't have to know anyone!.  He had a good time, too, reminiscing over old times with classmates.  We met first at Alumni House to register and have a buffet lunch.  Then a tour of the new Chinese Garden at Huntington library (and botanical gardens).  And a kind of formal dinner at the Athenium.  This was all on Thursday.  On Friday, more meetings and meals and Gamble House tour.  And Saturday was the 72nd annual Seminar Day where some of the faculty talked about their research and areas of interest.  I enjoyed that day the most.  Did you know that large female dinosaurs' body temperature was 108 degrees when they were laying eggs?

A barbeque Saturday night ended the reunion activities.  Sunday we visited with Tom's sister and her son and daughter-in-law for a few hours, then had dinner with another nephew.  And Monday came home.

Since then, I've been scrambling to catch up with accumulated email and snail mail.  The weather has been beautiful, but I've not had time to get out into the garden - and also have been very stiff.  Hip bursitis is no fun. 

We have a Bat Mitzvah to go to tonight and on Saturday, but have no other plans for the weekend.  Maybe Sunday and Monday I can work on polymer clay and/or get into the garden.

The Life-Long Learning program has begun again and I'm taking several courses.  The Pipe Organ involves going to a different church or temple or whatever each week to learn about and listen to their organ.  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust covers all aspects of the trust that has organized the Cultural District in Pittsburgh - I'm learning a lot about what the trust does and what's available besides the obvious.  And Science Fiction and Fact has me re-reading books I've already read, then attending a discussion of the current and possible future science involved.  I'm truely enjoying that one - but my travel schedule is going to cause me to miss most of them!

My girlfriend and I sold at a craft fair yesterday.  She sells jewelry, I do polymer clay items.  At the previous craft fair, I realized that my low end items sold and my higher end stuff did not.  So I made lots of pill boxes, zipper pulls and bookmarks for this one.  And yes, they did sell.  I also brought some house plants that I'd divided 3 weeks ago and sold a few of them.  And an amaryllis that was about to bloom.  Seems like the downturn has affected everyone - I didn't even need the craft fair to show that!

Otherwise, I've heard from my kids, got lots of flowers all over the house.  We're going out to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate Mother's Day.  Going to a friend's house to celebrate a birthday tonight. 

I haven't done much gardening for the last 3 weeks.  Of course, it's been raining most of that time.  We're supposed to have a lovely week this coming week - but we're going to Tom's 50th college reunion Wednesday through Monday.  Just in time to miss a weeks worth of gardening.

Polymer Clay workshop all weekend with Donna Kato.  Excellent teacher.  We made bracelets, pins and big beads.  Now I've got lots of sanding to do.  One of my 2 bracelets was too near the top of the oven and got slightly burned, so I'm going to see if I can use the sanders that came with my Dremel tool to sand it down - and learn how to sand with the dremel.  About time.  Sanding's the worst part of polymer clay, but if I want a finished looking piece it must be done.

Yesterday a girlfriend and I hiked in Duff Park in Murraysville.  It's being maintained in as natural a state as is possible in this day and age.  They have park stewards who remove invasive species and, she told me, when the park was first being set up, they obtained native plants from other parks and transplanted them to this one.  Between the invasive species and the deer, there were virtually no native wildflowers left.  This township also allows deer hunting in its parks with a friendly competition to see how many can be taken in each park.  All this activity helps to keep the deer herd to relatively reasonable numbers.  I was amazed at the numbers of trillium there were.  White, pink and red.  I didn't know it came in pink.  And, until my previous hike, didn't know it came in red!  Also a number of other wildflowers - spring beauty, geranium, Solomon's seal to name the ones I remember.

This weekend I have another craft fair and am preparing items to sell.  I feel like I'm constantly behind.  I have to re-do my business cards to carry my new web address.  And I took pictures of all the clocks, switchplates and bookmarks I'd not already photographed.  These still have to be cropped and added to my Etsy site, but I'd segregated out the ones that hadn't been "processed" yet.  To take them to the craft fair I'll have everything mixed in together, so the pictures had to be taken first.  And I've got to put the little zipper pulls and keychains in little plastic bags and price them.  Whew!  No wonder I feel like I'm falling behind.  Here are some of todays photos:

Plus - this is the week the Life Long Learning classes have started.  So more of my time is being eaten up.

Staurday, For the first time in several years, I went on a hike!!  It was billed as a relaxed 2-hour walk on the Trillium Trail.  Well, for a seasoned hiker I'm sure it was an extremely relaxed walk.  For me, it was slightly more strenuous than I was prepared for.  But - I handled it fine - kept up with the group, learned some new spring-blooming wild flowers, pulled a number of garlic-mustard plants (invasive species) and recognized a few old favorites from many, many years ago when I took botany in college.  Not even too many creaky places in my body - nowhere nearly as many as I'd expected.  And the worst was my heels, which I'd never dreamed would start to hurt.

I inadvertently created a video of the trilliums:  which seems to only want to load at the very top.  I don't know if it'll work.

Then, on Sunday, I spent the day working with precious metal clay in a workshop at a nearby beads shop.  I created 3 pieces up to the point where they need to be tumbled with steel shot.  Somehow, this makes them stronger and increases how polished they look.  They'll be ready to be picked up on Wednesday, I was told.  I'm not sure how many more times I'll do this precious metal clay stuff - it's awfully expensive.

Here are some photos of the Spirit House I made a couple weeks ago at Clay Day.  It's somewhat the worse for wear - holding the roof together with ribbons doesn't really work very well.  All the decorative glitter and glitz represent items my sister was collecting for kaleidoscopes she'd make.  She was bipolar - the chartreuse and black colors are to show aspects of her personality as she went through from depression to manic without her meds.  The other colors are more the in-between (what we like to call 'normal') phases at the midpoints and/or when she was using her meds.  The green side has pink seed beads as decorations - she loved stringing necklaces in her later years.  And finally, the origami crane is inside the house and represents another long-time interest in Japanese paper folding.

Saturday I got all the live plants that had arrived in the mail into the ground - at last for a bunch of them.  And yesterday it rained all day, giving a boost to all the root systems, I'm sure. 

Even the Clematis left over from last fall that were making vines in my solarium got planted.  Actually, the clematis's weren't as difficult as I'd feared.  The 2 plants, the container I had them in and the trellis all were moved together into the front yard fairly easily.  Now they are planted by the outdoor light pole.  Since the big crabapple had to be removed last summer they should get plenty of light.  Good for them, but not for the azaleas and rhododendrums that used to like being in the shade under the tree.  Those are already showing stress, especially the azaleas.  However the cotoneaster around the edges of the area are happier than they've been for several years now. 

I also repotted the contents of 3 large overcrowded house plant pots - and got maybe 18 smaller pots.  Yipes!  My husband is already greatly complaining about the amaryllis plants that are overtaking the first floor of the house.  Somehow it doesn't seem like so many flowerpots when they are dormant and on shelves in the basement.

These flowerpots are EVERYWHERE!

Sunday was Clay Day for the Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild.  We did Spirit Houses.  I was not totally into the project and kinda rushed through making mine.  It is intended as a tribute to my sister who passed away 5 years ago.  So I used a lot of her beads and materials for kaliedoscope making as part of the decoration, then put her origami crane into the little house.  It's still in my traveling 'clay bag' which I haven't re-opened since getting home Sunday. 

My project for today is to take photos of more of my items for listing on etsy.  But first I need to recharge the camera's battery.

All last summer I tried to get the outside of our house painted, and signed a contract with the people who were doing work on the house next door.  By the beginning of September, they were promising "next week" for about 2 weeks.  Then I got a $500. check from the owner and the explanation that he'd had to go out of business because half of his crew had left to form their own company and he was going bankrupt.  Or something.  Anyway, he paid back my entire deposit over the winter. 

Meanwhile, I signed up with Angie's list and called 3 top-rated painting companies.  One came out to do an estimate and said they'd not be able to get to doing the work until Spring because he still had contracts to finish up before the weather got cold.  Since this was the one with lots of favorable comments, I signed with him.  They started at the end of last week, had to take 2 days off this job because of cold and rainy weather.  But yesterday and today have been nice and there seem to be painters everywhere I look!  The house looks much nicer already, and they've repaired some rotted wood problems no one else hase been able to solve.  It helps to have a real carpenter on the crew, I guess.  They had to totally replace the door jamb, threshold and a couple inches of floor in the solarium.  I always knew the original installers weren't very bright.  But it did last (sort of) for 14 years.  I now know why the paint never stayed on that door jamb, anyway.

So we spent last night with only plastic instead of a door - I insisted they put up something so the cats wouldn't get out.  At the moment the cats are cowering in Tom's study to get away from all the commotion.

So putting up new items on etsy is getting easier now that I've figured out what all I'm supposed to be doing.  I've used up all the photos taken previously and now need to photo some more items before I can put them up for sale.  An accomplishment!  Last night I strung 2 necklaces - I'm getting better at the crimp bead thing.  And I hit on the idea of using 2 crimp beads instead of just one.  Looks OK and gives added assurance that the necklace will hold together!

Still haven't planted the plants that came about 10 days ago - it's been too cold for me to be interested in the garden.  I still have 2 pots from last fall's shipments that didn't get out into the garden before the ground froze.  Now I've got Clematis vines in the solarium!  It'll be interesting getting them out of there and to the place I plan to plant them.  And I've got cool weather seeds to plant still.  Violas, peas and lettuce, for instance.  Tomorrow the daytime temperature is supposed to be near 70 - I'll try to do it then.  The spring bulbs are doing nicely right now, so the garden is looking good.  I'm still waiting for my redbud trees to bloom - they seem late this year.  Maybe they gave up?