Mosaic Mom

A flyer came in the mail about submitting pieces for the Mt Dora Center for the Arts Christmas show and sale. I sent for the application. If there is no fee, I will put "AC/DC...Angel Cat/Dead Clock" up for sale.If there is a fee, forget it.

Also there is to be a shower for Nikki Lanier soon so I have to finish grouting and sealing that birdhouse made with her Grandmother's vase quick...like tomorrow!

Where’s the darn dumpster truck when you need it?

It was a no show for our usual route day on Tuesday and no truck appeared all day today either. I tried to phone but got no answer. They are over in Sumter County and probably got it worse than we did.

Our dumpster is overflowing. Looks like we’ll have to just pile the stuff up till next week and hope for the best.

We have a ton of tree debris. We thought about inviting all the kids over for a wiener roast and hay ride so we could burn all the branches in a bonfire. But no, that was what we did in the 7th grade. We’ll have to think of something else.

We could invite the Mt Dora Art Car to come over, light up a bonfire and call it “Burning Man in Hurricane Land” Festival.

Life is so irregular when the dumpster system backs up.

Got the pool up and running, but with much of the screened room gone, there’s little hope the leaves won’t stay out.

While tossing trash today I found a persimmon on the back patio….The nearest persimmon tree is ¼ mile away. That was a hell of a wind to move a fruit a quarter mile through the air, n’est pas?

Blogger was acting up so I could not get a longer post Saturday.

Saturday was not too bad but Sunday was the blowiest day we've had here in 26 years. Lost power till late last night. Spending today cleaning up. Screen room severely damaged therefore pool clean up is huge. More later.

It's a little windy. Not much else.

Today I finished washing, sorting, packing and storing all the tiles my friend gave me yesterday. Wish I had Mind Escape here to help me tell all those beiges apart.

I also finished gluing tesserae on the grape vine table top. Will dremel tomorrow. I advanced the dragonfly pot too.

Now we have to cease all activity and focus once again on hurricane preparations. This is getting real old real fast. Grrr....

Pink is myfavorite color.
Pink is like red, but not quite.


A friend of mine phoned. She had cleaned her garage and found a box of tiles. Would I like to have them?

I dropped by her place today and we had a great visit. Then I came home and opened up what turned out to be a treasure chest.

Down at the bottom of this dirty egg crate were about 50 gold bars.

At least as far as I am concerned these were gold bars…uncut diamonds…brokerable securities!

At the bottom of the egg crate under the spiders and the roach doo-doo were about fifty 4¼ x 4¼” American Olean tiles in discontinued colors!!!!!

I am now the proud owner of 4, count ‘em, 4 AO Pink #18’s!
I have 2 Powder Blue #20’s!
Oh my gosh! 3 Red 121’s!

There were other assorted colors. Some like AO #49 Gloss Black may still be open stock. Colors like #110 Burgundy may be available by custom order. But to get Pink, Seafoam Green and Imperial Purple just makes my day.

Many Many thanks to my friend!

Happy Happy Joy Joy.

I think I have a tile addiction.

"Banned Books Week" is September 25 - October 2, 2004.

This is a list of the most often challenged books. Which ones have you read?

Top 100 Banned Books 1990-2000

I have read the first 10:

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman

I have read these authors but not these titles:

Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Fade by Robert Cormier
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
Cujo by Stephen King
Carrie by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry


I think I read this in college but don’t remember:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

“Should” have read, but haven’t:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The rest of the list:

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole

Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney

Although most of the books on the Top 100 list are "merely" challenged works, the ALA has chosen to maintain the title "Banned Books Week" because a challenge *is* an attempt to have a book banned from public and school libraries. A successful challenge would result in the book being unavailable to the public at these resources.

Celebrate your freedom to read!

Brazil…Home of Bissazza and other beautiful tiles.

Brazil…where our Ag Economist friend and his family lived in Rio Branco for a year.

Brazil…a novel by John Updike that I read about ten years ago.

This novel stained my brain, which is to say tattooed some indelible images in my mind.

It was vividly written and bordered on being a one handed book. Peculiarly, in the sex scenes, Updike always described the mens’ penises in terms of tropical fruit. Bananas is obvious, but yams…holy smokes.

There was a scene in which the hero, Yam Man, comes home to find the heroine, Papaya Woman, engaged in sex with Mr. Banana. Yam Man kills Mr. Banana and Yam and Papaya drag the corpse down to the river for disposal.

Updike describes how they are barefoot and slip and slide along the clay riverbank. Then Yam Man steps bare foot into human poo-poo. Updike spends considerable verbage on the texture and aroma and general sanitary conditions down by the riverside before the couple flee into the Amazon to study voodoo and tantric yoga…but anyway…

I went on my safari to Scotty’s this morning and I found a floor tile in the right color.

It was called “Amazon Gold” but it matched my peach sample. It wasn’t much thicker than the Daltile already in place in the project so that worked and it was only 99 cents for a 12x12” which made me happy because I am really cheap. On the back it said “Made in Brazil” and that sealed the deal because it made me think of Bissazza.

I brought it home and immediately set to work.

And the strangest aroma filled the studio.

And I began to have really scary thoughts about clay from the riverbanks in Brazil. No thanks to you, John Updike!

Day 5 of Oatmeal eating was entirely unpleasant. My little afternoon “Ho-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum” episodes turned into a Laundry Emergency.

That’s it. I quit. Bring on the heart attack; I don’t care. No more oatmeal.

Because of the cool rainy weather, work in the studio is going great!
Except for the Mosaic Christmas Tree, which isn’t going to get finished this Christmas… except for that I have wiped out my backlog and even been able to start on a new project. (A 6” terracotta flower pot and saucer with a Dragonfly motif done in glass. Oooo, budget buster. Treating myself to glass!) I am very happy with mosaics at the moment.

Safari. I love going on safari. Today I will begin my search for one 6x6” or two 4¼ x 4¼” glazed ceramic tiles in “Peach” color. This will finish the background field in the grape cluster table top. I could use one 12x12” floor tile if the thickness is compatible.

I think I will try Scotty’s first. They always have strange tile colors. I need a new lockset for the office door, too, so off I go.

The Channel 2 Weather girl at lunchtime said that the rainy weather we are having today is because Hurricane Ivan rode the Bermuda High all the way around and is crossing us again. She says there is concern that if it gets in the Gulf it could re-form! Yikes! Will it never end.

I am trying to post a photo, but the service is on and off iffy today too.

This was the table I made in March. Am working on a similar one now. 

Ahoy there, Mosaic Mateys!

Oatmeal Day 3 went well, except for the shiver me timbers stuff still going on in the late afternoon. Blimey!

Things are rocking along in the studio. The custom begonia pot is sealed and done.

Plant Daddy’s suggestions for rescuing the grape cluster table top have been installed and look awesome.

While looking for parts for the grape table, I found an old unfinished mirror project. All it needed was some trim around the edge and a hanger installed on the back, so I knocked that out today. A little paint on the reverse side tomorrow and it’s good to go.

I set up a practice grout for the grape table top. I think Mapei “Straw” is right, but I want to be sure.

Nikki’s Birdhouse is dremelled, taped and ready for grout tomorrow. Will use Mapei “White”.

The Christmas present door stop is dremel ready. I want it ready at the same time I grout the Birdhouse and I might do 2 grouts at once tomorrow.

My greatest joy of the day was wearing a new shirt I bought at Dillard’s on sale for $4.00!!!

Hurricane Charley had ruined stores’ Labor Day sales and Hurricane Frances ruined the next week and anxiety over Ivan’s path kept shoppers away for a third week. Stores were offering deep discounts to try to move summer inventories before the fall stuff arrived.
I am not usually lucky about finding good sales, but this was like shooting fish in a bucket.

It was just like Christmas at the Mall. The parking lot was jammed up tight. The shoppers were rude and pushy. The dressing rooms were piled high with try-ons. Clerks were bone tired. Welcome back to the Mall.

Burdine’s is morphing into Macy’s. Macy’s is famous for its Thanksgiving Day Parade when they usher in Santa Claus and officially open the Holiday shopping season. So PLEASE tell me why yesterday, on September 18th, why was Macy’s decked out with Christmas trees and Christmas decorations? Damn Carpetbaggers.

So I’m supposed to go get my cholesterol measured.

Last time I had it checked…like maybe 4 or 5 years ago, it was 217 some odd points.
I was able to convince the then doctor that I would diet and exercise and get re-checked real soon and hence not need cholesterol reducing drugs which I am afraid to take lest I get liver damage.

As we know, I have been great at exercise since then but need diet improvement.
So I have determined to eat oatmeal for 30 days like the TV ads say. (My quick readers have just deduced that I am not immediately headed to the lab for blood work.)

Yesterday was my first day committed to oatmeal for breakfast.

Yesterday I learned that when I run the coffee maker and the microwave simultaneously, the kitchen circuit breaker pops. Coffee and oatmeal must be cooked sequentially.

Yesterday I missed eating fruit for breakfast and I had gas the rest of the afternoon, but that’s too much information.

Today I cooked coffee first then the oatmeal.

But I overpowered the oatmeal and it boiled up and out of the bowl and all over the microwave tray and I ended up with a giant sticky mess that I had to wash up because Plant Daddy wanted to use the microwave to soften his stick of butter to butter his toast to eat with his bacon and eggs for breakfast. Grrrr.

This health stuff is for the birds.

I bought a dish towel with a cute grape cluster pattern thinking that it would make a great mosaic.

I xeroxed the towel then transferred the design cartoon to a tabletop disc. The grape cluster tiled up beautifully, but here’s the thing…I cannot get a background to go in place.

I tried white, cream, mottled cream, lime green, mottled green, pink, peach, fawn, yellow, goldenrod, grey, navy and black. I tried adding a second small grape cluster, a seashell, a wine bottle, and pink glass gems. I tried opus palladium, opus vermiculatum and a palladium/regulatum combo pattern. Nothing was working.

Finally, I took everything out but the grapes and resigned myself to just to grout and make the whole thing look like a stepping stone.

Well, this morning, Plant Daddy comes jogging into the house and he’s solved the background design problem. He sat at the mosaic desk and found enough small chips to sketch 2 more grape clusters around the central cluster of grapes.

Somehow, it looks very Roman and it works! Yay P.D.!

I can fill in the rest of the space with peach color. Peach brought the warmth out of the grapes where as pink sent the whole piece over to the blue tones.

I went to the doctor today.

There’s good news and there’s bad news.

The good news is I’ve lost 6 pounds since July…Yay! Dr. Phil Ultimate Weight Loss Solution! My blood pressure has dropped from 145/90 to a whopping low 123/78!!!What a testimony for going to the Y regularly.

Also in the good news category, I got my first installment of the Hepatitis B vaccine.
I am CPR certified and when a woman fell at the Y a few weeks ago, I rushed to help without a moment of censorship. As I assisted her, I saw the open cuts and bruises she had (she turned out to be a stroke victim and apparently falls often). I realized that if I was going to rescue people I need to get the protection and my doctor obliged.

The bad news is I’ve had some heart flutters lately…probably hurricane stress, but with my family genetics, it would be prudent to check it out. So I’m supposed to show up for fasting blood work in a few days….don’t hold your breath. I’ll get around to it eventually. Going to a doctor’s office early in the morning without coffee is not high on my list of desirable things to do. Grrrrr.

I have heard rumors of a mosaic supply store in Sanford. As soon as flood waters recede over there, I must make a pilgrimage.

P.S. Mosaic Mom was cruising Blogwise last night looking for new things to read. What is “skins”? Some chick said she lured us to her site to show her “skins”. I was afraid to click on…having a bad heart and all... Also could someone please tell me what is an e-prop? Thank you.

I grouted a pot yesterday. I had high hopes for this one...black Daltile field tile with a waistband of dark green, light green and orange chips.

I was disappointed that the waistband didn't "pop" as I had hoped. I think the chips were too small or the overall grout color was too light. Anyway, I will pot the Begonia it was intended for and move on.

I am loving the grapevine pattern I am applying to the small tabletop.

I moved my grinder to tabletop level rather than standing level. It is working much better except for the part where my glasses get filthy with tile clay splatter.

Isn't a Lobster Car just what everybody wants? 

This was an RV that was in the Art Car Parade 2 weeks ago. Maybe MobileBabe will want to re-do her RV paint job. 

I really enjoyed getting back to mosaics this morning. I made good progress on a flower pot. It was a relatively cool morning, very relaxed and happy.

Then I came in for lunch and watched the Tropical Update on the Weather Channel. Did ya'll know there's YET ANOTHER disturbance out by Barbados? Sheesh!

Here we go again!

New Highway Challenge
Our road leads to the county landfill. On Saturday there was a steady parade of vehicles and trailers loaded down with debris headed to the dump. I even saw a boat in tow piled high with oak limbs. Crap is blowing out as they drive along. Boards, roofing shingles, pink insulation, aluminum siding, branches. The street is an obstacle course. Up at the corner, the line to get in to the landfill was backed up about 2 miles!

Sunday’s Paper
Today’s paper reports 5 deaths in Central Florida attributed to Hurricane Frances. All are TRAFFIC FATALITIES!!!
In a state where traffic is generally aggressive and hostile, hurricane tensions have acerbated the situations out on the road. We are trying our best not to travel anywhere.

Shortages
Food supply not bad, but I still don’t trust the freezer section yet. Gasoline still in short supply and there are long lines at the pumps.

School
Little Mind Escape got power at her apartment yesterday and so moved home today to start her clean up. No word yet if dorms have re-opened. No word yet when classes will resume.

Ivan’s course
Ivan is trending to the west but we won’t breathe easy till it’s north of us. Also we have good friends in the panhandle and in Louisiana. Don’t want them hit either.

One nice thing about Hurricane Frances
As the wind whipped the pine trees and as hardwood branches broke, it smelled good.

Beginning mosaic students don't understand that there really is a mosaic eraser.

It's usually called a screwdriver, but if there are tesserae that have to move, a screwdriver will do the job.

I have a piece on my desk that needs a couple of pieces "erased" and re-set. I think I might get to that today. It won't take much thought...as in designing a piece or solving an application problem. With Hurricane brain, creativity is out the window.

One of the sputnik sculptures was actually damaged. I had to get them out of the way of the tree removal guys this afternoon.

We are just sitting and waiting to see what Ivan decides.

Hurricane Brain

Before Charley, I was very stressed. My blog writing deteriorated from complete sentences to fragments.

With Frances, I lost words and resorted to posting photos of downer trees.

Now Ivan….I am beyond the beyond.

I’ve been in Florida since 1971. I have never seen anything like this. Three hurricanes in a month.

Sometimes it is awesome. Sometimes it is just plain awful.

Gas lines like 1973-74. Grocery store shelves stripped. 40 cars in a que to get plywood. Confused dazed people and they’re driving like maniacs. More mass evacuations and jammed interstates. No power, water or sewer yet for some of our friends.

You either have to laugh or cry and I’ve done both.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers.

Hurricane season runs till November 30th.

Tree is down but nearby mosaic sculptures are OK. 

Tree down. Mosaic sputnik sculptures O.K. 

I will spend today getting estimates for car repairs.

We got power back but friends 3 miles up the road who have no juice brought their frozen food to our freezer last night.

Another friend managed to buy a generator but could not get gas for it so we gave him 5 gals.

Albertson’s grocery opened yesterday at noon. Deb and I went in her SUV. The wind buffeted us in her big rig. My little Altima might not have made it!

The store shelves were stripped but I found bagged apples, onions and tortillas. Deb was happy with apples, flour and cream of celery soup.

The drive home was frightening. We went past the Wal-Mart. It was open and mobbed but with no traffic signals the rule of the road was “might makes right” or “call my bluff”.

There were no traffic signals through downtown and we were so entranced by rubber necking at downer trees that we drove through one without even realizing we should have stopped. It’s easy to see why people are crunching each other up.

The train will not be able to run until they clear several large pines off the tracks.

Hurricane Ivan is scheduled to be in Key West on Saturday. Will it turn and cross the state, too?

greenhouse gone 

It hasn't been the greatest weather day! Hurricane Frances took all greenhouse plastic but home and mosaic studio OK. Plan to leave the plywood up till after Hurricane Ivan next weekend! 

I got hit, Folks! I got hit on my way to the hardware store.

People are driving like f*&^ing maniacs. (Yes, Mosaic Mom is fluent in that language at times). Everybody is speeding and racing to the lumber yards, grocery stores, gas stations.

I was toodling about this morning planning to hit the YMCA for a workout then stop at Ace Hardware on the way home if the lines weren’t too bad. Caulk is on sale for $1.29 a tube so I thought I’d get some for the kitchen counter tops…anyway…

I made it to the Taco Johns and I stopped when the light changed and …BAM…

Some babe in a caravan whacked me.

I saw her coming in the rear view mirror, so I had taken my foot off the brake, still she knocked me through the intersection.

Man. Did that hurt.

My neck hurt and my left arm was numb. I was scared to move but I finally managed to pull ahead into the Taco John’s parking lot. I was shaking and dizzy. Cops came. Ambulance came. I was checked out. Refused to go to the hospital, but medics helped me get out of the car and move a little.

I called Mind Escape who calmed me down and I was finally able to drive home.

Plant Daddy phoned in the claim to the insurance right away since we suspect they’ll be busy later this weekend.

But you know what really, really pisses me off?

That woman had an infant in a car seat. Why would any mother drive like a fool and endanger their child? That baby could have gone splat into the windshield.

That woman needed a wake up call. I’m just sorry it had to be me and my poor little Altima.

Bottom line: I’m angry and I feel stiff and sore but I’m otherwise OK.

I wish I could work mosaics at the moment to calm my nerves, but, no, I am still in the middle of another hurricane drill.

This morning I stacked and tied down all the porch furniture. Removed fan pulls from the porch fan. Moved a few more potted plants inside. Cleared palm fronds and 3 flamingo ornaments. Fed the cats. Secured the pool chemicals. Shocked the pool. Did 2 loads of laundry. And listened to Plant Daddy wail.

I hope Little Mind Escape finds a good hurricane party to hunker down with.

I feel so bad for parents in CA who must be wondering what the heck they were thinking when they sent their kids to Florida. Dear Parents, It’s going to rain a lot. The power will go out. Tell your kids to unplug and unmodem their computers. Other than that, get water and aspirin for after the hurricane party.

When I was in Gainesville in ’73 or ’74 a hurricane came close. That was a great party. All you can eat shrimp boil and beer by candle light.

I wonder how the dorms are going to keep the bathrooms running or get portolets….then I remember the boys in Gordis don’t even care about overflowing commodes.

I look at the long lines at Home Depot and Publix and I want to scream, “Why didn’t you people stock up in June?”

The thing I hate most about hurricanes is the day after, it is hotter than hell and there is no air conditioning.

Well, here we go again.

This morning I spent taking my mosaic desk down so Plant Daddy can retrieve the big generator in the corner. We made it through Charley on the small generator, but Frances promises to be more challenging, hence we call in the big generator guns.

I didn't realize I had so much stuff on that desk. It was a good exercise to clean it all out.

This evening I have to take the cd of the art car photos to Rudden. He never got his copy. I will do a publix run tonight too...as if anything is left on the shelves.

The blue jays are squaking. That means the snakes are on the move already!