Mosaic Mom

Today I am going to Lowes and hope they have a replacement burner element for the oven. Elsewise, the electrician won't be able to test the circuit. Nargh!
This episode made take longer to resolve than planned.

Friday I looked on the website for info regarding the Mt Dora Writers Contest 2008. Nada.
I phoned the library.
Librarian 1. Nada.
Librarian 2. Nada
Librarian 3. Voice mail box.

Called Palm President. Nada.
Called Mt Dora Writers Group President. Forwarded to somebody who should know.
Called Mr. Should Know: YES...WE GAVE THE LIBRARY THE INFORMATION WEEKS AGO!

This episode may take longer to resolve than planned.

I had a frozen pizza set out.
The oven was pre-heating to 400.
I went to the garden to snip some fresh basil to top the pie.
Came inside, smelled something burning, opened the oven door.

Another one bites the dust!
Called the electrician.
Appointment set for 8AM Monday morning.
Cooked the pizza on the grill!

Last Friday of the Year Chores:

Feed some money into the GO Phone.

Mail off my entry to the Mt Dora Writers Contest

Wash a load of clothes before we wind up totally nekkid

Plant some sugar snap peas and some parsley

Take a Vitamin B

Walk a mile on the treadmill

Clean up the mosaics bench

I got registered yesterday for a basic drawing class over at the Arts Center. Now I have to wait 3 weeks to see if the class will meet minimum enrollment and actually “run”. I hope so; I could really use the skills review.

When the New Year rolls around on Monday/Tuesday I have made some resolutions. I will blog about them going forward, but here’s a peek at 2:

I am not going to renew my SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) membership!

I am not going back to be “Art Mom” until Suzy moves the Fashion Club out of the art room.

My art teacher friend Suzy had a Boxing Day Party yesterday. It was fun to have little dainty sandwiches for lunch then chat the afternoon away.

I chatted with an English teacher from The Berries High School. We discussed women's politics and writing points of view. She'd like to join Palm Group if we get a regular meeting going again.

Today I am off for the last banking errands of the year...and to sign up for lessons in basic drawing over at Mt Snora Art Center.

Little Mind Escape gave me an I-Pod Shuffle for Christmas.

I LOVE IT!

It is all the music I could ever want contained in a player the size of a book of matches!

I have had it plugged into my ears for 2 days straight.

I am dancin’ and getting’ down and groovin’ and boogyin’!

Woo Hoo! I am hip.

I am going to need a new hip if this keeps up, but that’s another story!
Thank you Little M.E.!

Plant Daddy gave me a Christmas gift that was so good it made me cry!

He printed out all my blogs and had them printed and bound.
I now have 5 volumes of blogs.
They look so diffrent in books!

I got Plant Daddy a chain saw. It's early yet, but no doubt he'll be a hackin at the oak tree after lunch.

Little Mind Escape is happy with her coffee maker!

Merry Christmas and Love to all!

Plant Daddy is love incarnate!
Look what he made for me...

He could see that I needed a rack for my caulk gun, so he made one for me.
Isn't it awesome!
It's the best Christmas gift ever!

I love you, Plant Daddy!

We've gone green!
These are solar powered lights!

Plant Daddy had to go to Ebay to find them, but find them he did.

Now we are keeping up with Ed Begley! We are green!
And we enjoy looking out the kitchen window and seeing this sight.

Our email is not working correctly again. Grrrr.

If you really need to reach us, pick up the phone.

I am very worried that there are people out there who may be thinking that I am being rude and not replying to messages, but that is not the case.

The worst of it is I can't even communicate with one of my editors effectively. Her system has been wacky too and between us, we're not getting it done. Yikes. Back to the future might mean back to low tech.

Every year, Plant Daddy grows us a beautiful holiday plant to decorate the back door.

In the past we have enjoyed Christmas cacti, Poinsettias and red coleus.
This year we have a brilliant Kalanchoe.

Last Thursday I was at the Lake Square Mall at 6PM. The Writers Group was supposed to be meeting. Couldn't find them, so no party for me.

Because I was there, I wasn't at the Z Club meeting in Apopka, so no party for me.

Over at the Berries High School, my friend had plans that made an Art Club party not workable. So no party for me.

Well, at least I have a party to attend the day after Christmas. Yay!

Brief but intense. At 5:00AM today.

Was that thunder or is the Cuban Missle Crisis on again?

Plant Daddy braved the elements at sun up to get this shot.

He recorded 2 1/2 inches of rain in a matter of an hour and a half. It made a huge pond out by the greenhouses.

Ten Years ago I swore I'd never shop Sears again. Smelly stores, messy displays, rude staff...then they cancelled the catalog.

So why did most of our Christmas dollars get spent at Sears this season?

They've done a remarkable turn around in customer service.

Plant Daddy and I went in for a wrench in July and we've been Sears fans ever since.



Today I am off to buy some eggnog! Woo Hoo! Big time Saturday night! Christmas cheer. I'll diet in January.

8 Random Facts about Mosaic Mom

1. Lemon-verbena or grapefruit-peppermint are my favorite soap scents.

2. When choosing clothing, I am strangely attracted to anything lime green.

3. I have never read “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

4. If you gave me a free ticket, I would not go on an ocean cruise.

5. I have never owned a Dizygotheca kerchoviana.(Have you?)

6. The most famous person I ever met was Lester G. Maddox.

7. Heinz, not Hunt’s; Miracle Whip, not Hellman’s.

8. The Beatle I liked best was “George”.

Christmas is strange this season.

I guess when the record highs are north of 85 degrees and there’s a Tropical Storm Olga, weirdness is likely.

Plant Daddy likes to ride around in his golf cart and spot wildlife just after sunset. He wants to keep raccoons from eating all the citrus.

…so 2 weeks ago, I went to Sears and bought Plant Daddy a giant Halogen Spotlight. I hid it in the cabinet under the wet saw.

“He will be happy on Christmas Eve,” I thought.

The very next evening, Plant Daddy summoned me to the golf cart barn. He had rigged old Z-car parts wired to a battery to make himself a raccoon spotting searchlight.

I sighed, then went ahead and gave him the halogen gift because at least he wouldn’t have to drain his cart batteries. Then…

I went to Sears and got him a drill. Our other drill is very old, like vintage 1970’s and it will shock you with the least provocation.

“He will be happy on Christmas Eve,” I thought.

The very next evening, Plant Daddy summoned me to the workbench. “While you were in the clinic, I went to Sears and found a drill on sale. Isn’t it great?”

I sighed, then went ahead and gave him the second drill.

Today I am going to Sears to get one last thing. If Plant Daddy happens to go to Sears and buy this thing, you will be reading about a nuclear reaction in Lake Jem!

(Sears is doing well this season)

The mosaic shoe posted yesterday uses computer boards for the insole.

This student at The Berries High School used computer boards as solar collectors on his mosaic space ship.

Zeus is stunned at the electrifying design on the new "Mosaic Computer Shoe"!

Christmas has come early to our household.

I bought Plant Daddy a drill. Hid it in the cabinet under the wet saw. Waited with delight for Christmas Eve.

While I was in emergency surgery yesterday, Plant Daddy went to Sears to console himself...and bought himself a drill. "It was on sale!" Grrr.

The emergency surgery was only to remove a cyst. I had nicknamed it Vesuvius, but in 2 days time it had turned into Krakatoa, so I got it off pronto.

Little Mind Escape got her Christmas early too. Went to a Bingo game. Won a flat screen TV! I guess we'll give her a cable subscription!

The Light Green Bisazza made a nice background against which to photograph the Pilea.

I borrowed this from Aunt Terri today!!
It's a gooder!

“There are two ways to be fooled.

One is to believe what isn’t true;

the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

-Soren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855)


My favorite Kierkegaard quote?
"Purity of mind is to will one thing."


PS Astute readers have pointed out that Pride goeth before a fall not cometh before a fall. Duh!

OK Off to The Berries High School today to do mosaics. Bye!

After 50 days of pure, Plant Daddy brought home take out food tonight for supper.

It was Cuban, from Don Pepe's in Altamonte Springs. Soooo Good.

Black beans, yellow rice, pork, chicken and fried bananas. Love it.

It was however very salty and I gotta go drink some more water.

Hi Family!
Florida Cable still has an email problem. So this is to say, I visited Pack N Ship yesterday and the packages are enroute! Happy Christmas.

For a change of pace, Plant Daddy and I had Lamb Stew last night. Giving up pork is OK, but I've just got to think outside the box.

Today marks 50 days since I started a food diary.

Item of note: I have not eaten a meal out in 50 days. I guess I am trying to put the squeeze on the restaurant industry.

The diary has not resulted in a significant weight reduction.

"But why, Mom? You eat vegetables from your garden and fruit from your own trees."

"Yes, and I ate the whole holiday fruitcake in one weekend. Nargh!"

Many of you know the "home" email addres.
It has not been working for about 10 days.

I get some messages, not others.
I send messages and God only knows where they go.

If you have tried to reach me and wondered what's up with the no reply...it ain't me. Try phone or post card.

Portia Nelson has written a piece titled: “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters”.
It reads:

Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost…I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place, but it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.


Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down another street.

If you've ever wondered "Where New Plants Come From", you can check out Plant Daddy's blog. Or you can look in the December January issue of Florida Gardening on page 24!

Plant Daddy and I have resolved to eat less pork.

(As I write this, PD is frying up bacon for his sandwich, but I am remaining pure.)

Anyway, we have eaten a great deal more turkey, chicken and tuna this week. We even ate Vegetarian Bean Soup and cornbread for supper last night.

Zeus has also changed his diet. This week he shunned Meow Mix for better fare.

On Monday, he had mouse.
Tuesday was poultry.
Wednesday, a feast of Bunny Front.
Followed Thursday by Bunny Rump.
Yesterday, he got a skink in the laundry room.

Good boy, Zeus. You go digest now.