My new ride, Fraelsi

My new ride, Fraelsi
Fraelsi means Freedom in Farose

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Stupid runs rampant

     Just strikes me some days that stupid runs rampant on Facebook and among people I actually know in the real world.  A very few funerals are 'State' events where dignitaries attend.  Most are for the grieving family and friends, our President and our First Lady do not belong there, unless they are related or friends.  The security and the media circus are not wanted or needed at a funeral, sending a donation, flowers, appropriate words of condolence is the proper action.  
     And, it was not the correct thing to cut short a months on planning political tour starting in Cuba and going to Argentina, and other countries south of the USA when the terrorists attacks took place in Brussles.  Our President was not out of touch, he was not insensitive, he was taking care of international business with our southern neighbors and was keeping in close touch with experts and his advisors both here in the States and in Europe.  Yes, the man does have knowledge of modern communications and has a good staff, and knows how to get the calls made, take the actions, direct the people he needs to direct and still work on building better working relations with our southern neighbors.  
     I think he has made his share of poor decisions and choices that did not go or do what my choice would hav been, but then, no president has either.  We are more economically stable now that we were when he took office, and we have more terrorist problems that were years in the building.   I do not know of any actions he could have taken that would not have resulted in similar issues or worse.  
     I do know the next few years could get far worse with the current slate of candidates we have running right now.  And I know I am getting too old to think it is any fun.  I like stable and I like race time.  But I am not running our country or the world so will have to work with what I have.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Making progress upstairs.

      In 1900, when this house was built, no one planned for it to have an upstairs living area, but it has been gaining on that since I bought it in July 2004 and the north sewing studio is close to done.  The windows need trimmed, as does the peg board.  And a few other small things, but I am slowly putting my sewing area back into working order and love having ceiling done and painted, walls done and painted.
     I know I have put a lot of money and time into this old house and will continue to do so, it is my place and my life and my pay checks.  This is my place, where I like being and where I do a lot of the things I enjoy.  So instead of vacations, or meals out, I would rather put the money here, long term enjoyment and improved quality of live.
     The paint on the sewing desk has had at least 72 hours of drying time now so after work I start sorting fabrics and putting them on the shelves, about 10 feet of shelves for me to play with, enough space to have a good part of my cottons easy to get to and away from any amount of light that would fade them.  
      Work needs done outside to set and level the timbers that will support the wood shop building, I want that job done so the building can be delivered.  And once that floor has been painted and given 72 hours of drying time, I start moving saws and tools and such out to it and gain back some house space, and do a lot of cleaning.  Another play area for me to put funds into, and again, an investment in my quality of life.

Sunday, March 06, 2016

The sewing space.

K     I need a place to sew, to create, to dream more than I need a living room, cable tv, a significant man in my life and since 8/2004 I have been working to create a great sewing space in this old house.  That dream, my needs and a lot of money and hard work have gone into turning all that 'lost' space below the roof rafters and above the ceiling joices into not just more living space but my sewing studio.
    That first winter here was cold, but I kept replacing the plastic over the never installed north attic vent opening and my tax refund that spring put 3 windows into that space, 2 in the north end and the 3rd in the south. So, in the early spring of 2005 my attic expansion began and today the sewing desk became a reality and the sewing machines are ready to get back to doing what they do well.  A lot of small stuff yet to be done, a lot of fabric and other things yet to be put away but I finally have my studio.
     And I have a lot of tools yet to pick up and the remainder of that attic area to get finished, next is the south retreat, my current sleeping area, I will sleep in the servant's bed, tucked under the east eaves of my attic sewing studio while the south end is a work area.
     Between the 2 ends is the rather small but framed and wiring partially done future bathroom, current storage area, it might be several years before that little space is a real bathroom but the space is started.  And in the meantime, Ben and sometimes Jake will help me get the south retreat done and the timbers settled and level for the small work shop building I spent this year's federal tax refund on.  My house will feel bigger with the tools living in their own building and my radial arm saw will be easier to use out in a little wood shop than it is in my living room.
  Plans for a life beyond working in a meat packing plant, plans for me to be able to like my life, have things I enjoy doing every day, days to look forward to and places set up for me to create and build what matters to me, and it fix and repair an occasional antique, a place for the much loved bike and scooter to hide from winter weather and hopefully, down the road, a place for solar cells on a south roof to produce renewable energy and make my carbon footprint a bit smaller.
  Time for bed and another week of earning my living, paying my share of taxes and bills and being just another grain of sand in this big planet I live on.