The Day After...

~ The outrage I feel the day after the spectacle that was the innauguration hasn't been felt since the election in November. The day-long cermonies/parade/rallies were such an affront to the people of this country who cannot afford food or rent or medical care. And yet his supporters who were lucky enough to be admitted were there, cheering on every stroke of his Sharpie while he undid much of the good that the Biden administration crafted over the past 4 years. He undid protections for everyone save the white Christian males who bow down to him. He undid protections for the environment. He undid protections for civil cervants who have served the government for years. And right there with him were the broligarchs who had payed for the privilige to have a seat on the dais, pushing more worthy people aside. He pardoned/commuted virtually all of the January 6th rioters, including the leaders and organizers.(Party of law and order? Umm, NO!) And his co-president, Musk, had the nerve - the unrepentant nerve! - to give not one but two Nazi salautes at the afternoon rally. (Blame it on the Ketamine???) It was like a Roman orgy of disgrace and contempt for the people who voted for him and a big middle finger for those of us who didn't. My only solace is that Judy is no longer with us to experience this. She would be so deprssed. ~ So I will again cut down on my national news consumption to avoid any mentions and outrage. I will read non-political books, I will sew and quilt and plan out my schedue of shows for the final year of my business. I will bake and garden and take care of myself and my house and David and Divot. It will be as if DC does not exist for me. (Until it comes for me and then look out!) It is time to worry about me and not the country as a whole.

January???

~ It does not look at all like January here in Maine. The pre-Christmas snow was mostly washed away in a rainstorm last week and the rest has been slowly evaporating in the cold dry air. Oh, it's cold but no snow beyond the occasional snow flake early in the morning. The mountains have gotten more and most have been cranking the snowmaking but I suspect holiday numbers were down as the brown backyard thing took over. ~ Off to Portland today to get the new Pfaff to Tyler for maintenance. I set up the old one yesterday and actually started on the first project for 2025. My informal resolution is to do more sewing throughout the year in an attempt to have plenty of inventory for every show. Things got a bit thin in the runner department last Fall. And it should be easy to include at least one holiday runner in each batch. I also have committed to making a baseball quilt for Brenda's nephew Freddie. I should have more time as I will no longer have the UMC Facebook duties. SSMC has generously offered free dues for this year in exchange for the monetary gift UMC is providing. I look forward to participating in more of their shows, if I can get in. And they are exploring more shows to accomodate the increase in membership. Hopefully one of those shows will be in the Augusta area. ~ Peaceful transfer of power yesterday in snowy DC, unlike 4 years ago. I try to keep it all in perspective but the very real possibility that Trump and his minions may never face accountability gnaws at my psyche every day. It seems as if everyone has decided he is the emperor and cannot be touched. Judge Marchan in NY has stayed the course and will sentence him for the 34 convictions but has already said there will be no jail time. Trump and his co-conspirators have requested that special counsel Jack Smith's report on the Jan. 6th activities not be made public. I can see that happening as people just don't want to find themselves in the line of fire. And all his bluster about wanting to buy Greenland now has Don Jr. on his way there today to negotiate a deal. In the perfect meme inducing act, an soldier rented a Cybertruck and blew it up in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day. And, the final (for this week) slap in the face - Trump has in effect erased all negative connotations for Jan. 6th with much help from all his supporters.

Christmas Memories

~Remembering Christmas Eves from decades ago when we would gather at Grandma and Grandpa Loveless’s home on Madison Street in Ithaca to celebrate. I think I remember carols on the television - because they lived in the city they only received one channel, 12 out of Binghamton. I don’t remember any food as this was after Dinner. I do remember their tree, one of those shiny aluminum affairs and the rotating color wheel on the floor. I remember bubble candles at some point,too. We were allowed to bring one present from home to open and there was always the money cards for each child with a crisp five dollar bill from the grandparents. ~Our tree at home was always a real cut tree, usually a scotch pine from Agway. The bottom round of lights were the large C9s, multicolored. Upper branches held the small C7s, also multicolored. The ornaments were a mix of new plastic balls and old glass from Mom’s childhood. And tinsel, the real aluminum stuff, not plastic. Dinner was usually at our house, with family joining some years. Turkey and all the trimmings. My mother was the BEST cook. ~Once David and I relocated to Maine, our Christmases were often spent with brother Paul's family in Topsham. You never knew which members of Cookie's family would show up and it was always colorful. After my neice Kattie returned home the gatherings got noisier - she makes her bossy presence known wherever! We don't participate as often - it was too noisy and too crowded because of the hoarding that has taken over their house. This year Kattie hosted at her apartment just around the corner from Paul & Cookie's - sorry to say the hoarding has moved there now. David and I used to joke when my mother was still living there that going to visit her in her room was like going to a different house - one where you could see the baseboards and you didn't need to move 18 things off the couch to sit down. It must have been torture for her to live there at times. But, hopefully that will get resolved with the ongoing mold remediation as much of that stuff cannot go back in the house. Not sure what will happen to it. I have offered to help in the coming year but we'll see if that happens.

Preparations almost finished!

The tree is decorated and so is the house. 3 of 4 cookies are finished and the last one is ready to be rolled, baked and decorated today. Gifts are all purchased and await wrapping. I need to make cranberry bread for Sunday family dinner. And Kattie requested a batch of Molasses cookies for Paul, so I'll do those tomorrow. And catch up on the lanundry, too. The cards will have to wait until next week when I will have more time. ~ As for the business, I need to finish my bookkeeping and figure my sales tax and file my return on the 31st. And I have several items to photograph and add to the website, not that anyone is buying anything from it, but it puts on a show. And then get to work on 2025 inventory. And take the new Pfaff to Tyler for service. ~ We had a heat pump installed this past Monday. Garrett's firn (Breathable Home) did the work and I was impressed with their work and work ethics. Nice guys who were professional in their manners and cleaned up scrupulously after themselves. So far it has made the living room more comfortable. I'm looking forward to the summer most, though. ~ Even though he doesn't take office for another month, Trump is creating chaos already. The House had worked out a compromise bill to extend funding the government for the next X days but President Musk torpedoed it with a single post on his bullhorn. The replacement bill stripped some necesssary funding for chidhood cancer research and other things and also did not pass. Musk of course is blaming the Democrats, most of whom did not support this mess. In actuality, many Republicans did not either and since they are the majority now, it's on them, despite the efforts to own the libs. And old Elon claims the replacement ideas were not his but Trump's. I see a crack in the armor already. Perhaps we can rid ourselves of this power-hungry ketamine-fueled demon sooner than later. We certainly don't need yet another agent of chaos in DC. ~ I attended a memorial service on Wednesday for Lil Stresser, who was one of the ladies of Ladies' Weekend fame at the Lowe's camp on East Grand Lake. A lovely, caring woman who will be missed. It was a warm ceremony with rememberances from family and a guitar solo from a grandson. Gabriella was there with a group of CODA chorus members who performed. Lil was a member of that group and also the Winthrop Handbell Ringers with Ginny Foster. It made me reflect on all the people we;ve lost this year - Ginny, Veloice Huck, the Puglieses, my brother John, Bob Bragg. Bob's service is the 29th. ~ Brenda and I checked out the monthly offerings at the Freckles Salvage Vault this past Sunday. Not impressed but perhaps it was more fully stocked on Saturday. Just seemed to be a bunch of yard sale/flea market finds. The permanenet store has more interesting offerings and I did buy 2 ornaments for the tree. But that was it. It was good to see Jeff Toothaker, former UMC treassurer out there selling his wife's books.

Exhale....

The 2024 craft show season has come to an end for LeafLady Quilts. Last weekend's UMC Holiday show also marked the end of United Maine Craftsmen as an organization. While there are still some hoops to jump through, Ts to be crossed and Is to be dotted, the public activities have ceased. So far, the comments on Facebook have been positive and understanding. A sad time but the organization could not continue with fewer than 50 members, 3 shows that did not fill and 2 others that were cancelled before the season started. I stayed in Portland Saturday night - a good decision as there was a moderate snow storm early Sunday morning. Only a couple of inches but it was enough that I would not have wanted to drive down from home. Susan and Carolyn from Forever Clean were at the same hotel so we did dinner together at Sebago Brewing. Good salad which was large enough for me to have the remainder for lunch on Sunday. The attendance was very disappointing - no where near last year's or years past. I did not meet my goal to reach the magical $3K mark this year, but so what? 2025 is another (and the last) year. So the quilted goodness has all been inventoried and repacked, stowed in the closet. The show accountrments are all tucked in their cubbies downstairs and all that remains is to deep clean the studio and get to work again. ~ I have been playing catch up since Monday: banking done, scones baked, Party Mix made, tree set up (D. procurred the tree on Sunday) and lights installed, outside lights installed just today. We took a day off yesterday to tour the Blaine House, the governor's home in Augusta. Lovely example of historic Maine architecture and fascinating furnishings. I was a tad disappointed in the holiday decor, remembering all the fuss the KV Garden Club ladies would create each year when I worked at Longfellow's, but they were appropriate for the theme of Winter Sports. - I'm having a very difficult time understanding all the support for the guy who seemingly shot another in the back at point blank range. All the evidence so far points to guilty and yet a certin element of society is painting him as some sort of folk hero for eliminating the CEO of a major insurance company. I know the US health care insurance system is not the best but good God! Someone was murdered! A planned murder. Get over it and get to a place where we can work to change the systems we don't like. And I've got news for those who think the President-elect and his richy rich pals will work for you...THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN WORKING FOR THEMSELVES! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU!

Updates...Updates...Updates

In an attempt to maintain some semblance of sanity, I have cut out my morning 2+ hours of CNN - it helps that the Hallmark channels are running Christmas movies non-stop right now. I still get my fill of news from online sources and the hour I allow in the evening. But thares not that 2 hour slog through the latest affront from Maga World. Every one of the orange man's picks for his cabinet has some sleazy history of sexual abuse or homophobic posts or something tht should disqualify them from ever holding office, but this is a different world now. Trump has refused/neglected/whatever to sign the standard ethics paperwork and thinkis his picks sould go through without vetting of any kind. I say (and I have plenty of company!!)*******This post was interrupted by a call from one of my nephews, telling me that my brother John had passed away after weeks in the hospital. It all started with heart valve replacement surgery and went downhill from there. He had a blood clot that caused a stroke. He was moved to a Boston hospital and then developed a UTI and pheumonia. Not sure what was the tipping point but all was complicated by his exposure to Agent Orange years ago when he was in the Navy. Seems now like a very prescient move of he and Jean to return to Massochusetts where 3 of their 4 children are located. David and I are making the round trip tomorrow for the graveside service. Worst day of the year for that - day before Thanksgiving - but it is what it is. Latest show was in Topsham and a success. Huge show by today's standards. The show scene has really changed - everyone thinks they can put on a show so there are shows everywhere every weekend. The general public does not distinguish between jurried and non-juried shows and the financial and time commitment that those of us who are members of a juried group face. It was obvious to me that many people have now gone to shopping for high quality crafts online and that is so disheartening to those of us who choose to sell face to face and take the time to get to know our customers. And that is why a group like UMC could not survive. The public and a certain percentage of crafts people are so fickle that one bad show and they are out of the game and looking for the next big thing. It takes years to find your niche.

Mobile Tunes

With the new car, I did not get a CD player, something I suspect will shortly be obsolete as the whole world moves to streaming their music. But I did manage to figure out all on my own how to hook up my iPod Nano to my car's audio system and spent my morning errand drive getting reaquainted with the songs I've carefully collected over the past 15 years. Amazing to me that such a small device can hold so much information but it does. And it's wonderful to hear the likes of Steve Perry and Dan Fogelberg again. Their talents have long since vanished from the radio airwaves - perhaps they have their own streaming channels but I don't subscribe as I have already payed for their music. However, Steve does have an updated version of his Christmas collection out which includes a duet with his father. I would love to hear the story of how that all came together! I hope he shares it soon. I have resigned myself to not watching CNN or other national news in the morning to avoid seeing and hearing the future President. HIs face and voice make me sick. I have spent the past 3 days sewing and been very productive and happy. And yesterday I hit on the perfect antidote to all of the madness - After the first of the year I will explore volunteering at the First Ammendment Museum in Augusta. What better way to locally support the media who will shortly be under retribution attacks from the orange man? My own bit of resistance and persistance.