Balance, Balance, Balance ...

When at times the hurts of our world become so great that they hurt us all, an individual time of respite can become a necessity.

It's not like trying to make everything just go away, and it's not ignoring what's going on. It's more like the 're-charging' some of us need to avoid getting 'peopled out' and withdrawing from society altogether. A stitch in time, so to speak. 

So yes, I'm aware of Nepal, aware of Baltimore, aware of China and Ukraine and France and and and ... 

I'm not avoiding it; it's in my heart and on my mind even as I stitch away on the Character Collections or get ready to begin art projects or sit down to put the next part of SONG into words.

Everything is part and parcel of everything else.

And life is indeed a balancing act.

A person has to keep his/her own balance internally as well as physically and intellectually. It's the only way to become/remain strong enough to do what you have to do to help with the circles outside of your own self - family, community, region, nation, world ... it's all bound together. 

Those of us who seek peaceful solutions are perhaps doomed to failure. 

Perhaps there is no peaceful solution to anything. 

Yet seek we must, try we must - and succeed at some far distant point we might. 

If we just give up, our future generations may not even realize that there ever were any such things as peace, as freedom of choice, as personal integrity and accountability, as justice tempered with mercy ... as loyalty ... as unity... as faith ... you can add to this list ... please do.

Sometimes it feels as though it's all at risk - or lost already.

Most of the time, however, it's pretty easy to find the good that remains in our world. The people who care, those who step up to the plate when need be.

Yes it might well have to get worse before it gets better - but the 'better' is by no means going to have to spring from out of nowhere. It hasn't gone anywhere - it's right here within each and all of us and stronger than any of us probably have any idea about.

So when it feels as though it's gone from bad to worse and is heading for the worst, let's not forget our own inner strengths - we can, if we will it, use them as the force they are and in the ways they are meant to be used.

Find a way to the good we share instead of focusing on the differences that divide.

We are all of us more alike than we are disparate.

There is so much more to share than to fight about.

Take a little time, as much as you need, to think about what we share rather than what divides us. 

Difficult as it may be to believe, all things considered, those are the things that truly matter - and we might have a tough time remembering that sometimes. 

Still, what we share really does matter more than whatever it is that's dividing us. Lots of folks don't think so ... but a lot of us do think so, and our Voices really do matter. 

Someone has to balance out the rest of it, right?

Sez one lonely little Voice in the middle of nowhere.

Duke

I don't even know how to begin writing about Duke. He's been a part of this adventure from the time he was only just a few months old, and many times has been the one to cheer and comfort me when it's been most needed.

A White Shepherd, Duke is the absolute epitome of his breed (although he falls at the top end of the size guidelines - you can look up the breed specs and know it's Duke they're talking about!) and has a most impressive pedigree.

The thing about White Shepherds, and specifically about Duke, is that they are not aggressors. They look intimidating, which is part of the appeal for a woman alone in the world in which we live in, but will not attack. 

IF there's an unavoidable and serious threat he will defend, yes. He's never had to, thank goodness, nor do I expect that situation will ever arise. If it does, somebody's liable to be sorry for starting something. 

*chuckle*

The first time a guy came to read the meter when Duke was outside I got a knock at my front door. He told me that Duke had come to meet him, all tail-wagging and happy. But as soon as he put his hand on the gate to open it he got a growl instead of that wagging tail. Smart man that he is, he came around to the front so I could introduce the two of them properly. Introductions duly performed, the meter reader guy comes and goes at will, tail-wagging back on a permanent basis.

One time a man parked across the street from our yard for twenty minutes or so, not doing anything but just sitting there watching our house. Duke and Baby (another dog we had at the time) were out in the yard. This was a suspicious circumstance and they barked to get my attention; I let them bark. 

It's Duke's job to alert me and to keep on alerting me until I tell him that something is okay. It was not really okay with me to have that guy sitting in his car across the street watching my house - and I wasn't about to go out there to find out what he might have wanted. So Duke and Baby kept barking - that person wasn't supposed to be there and I wasn't going to tell them to hush. I wanted the person to know darned well that those dogs were there guarding the property. He never did get out of his vehicle and eventually drove away. 

If he meant no harm, he could have gotten out of his vehicle, come up to the house, and been introduced properly. After that, he might have gotten a couple of welcoming barks to let me know that someone okay was nearby, but not the extended warning.

Once Duke meets a person and knows that person is okay by me to be around, he's okay with it too. That person is forever in his good graces. He never forgets anyone.

One day the neighbor kids were over playing fetch with him, throwing sticks and balls over the closed gate from the outside. They stayed for quite a while and then went to riding their small bike and a skateboard or something on the sidewalk. Duke must have thought they were doing something dangerous, were playing too close to the street, or something. He barked his attention-getting bark until I came and told him they were fine and just playing. Then he settled but didn't stop watching them. He keeps an eye on the neighborhood children.

I took a road trip last year, got to see people I haven't seen in much too long. Duke came along for the adventure. We stopped at my cousin Scott's where Duke and Scott's dog Cockroach (it's Scotty, what can I say - he picks the names he likes for his critters) had a whale of a time rousing about as though they'd been friends since puppy-hood. 

                                                             

 Here again, same trip, different cousin. When we pulled up in front of Bill's house he came charging out of the house shouting, 'Duke's back! Duke's back!' The reunion was a fine thing to see. As you can tell from the photo below, Duke looks at Bill with great affection. He's also got one ear cocked toward the front door, just in case ... 

Initially we got Duke to be guardian to my youngest daughter, college bound in MN. She is 'his girl' and when she's around he's never far from her if he can help it. Her voice on speaker-phone is enough to bring him from the far reaches of the house or even from the far corners of our yard. His hearing is acute as is his sense of smell - you'd think he'd know she isn't actually here, and he no doubt does. He just loves hearing her voice saying his name.

 

Below is a young Duke with my second daughter when she was home on a visit.

I have yet to see a happier, more content, dog than the one below. Heather may be relaxed but Duke is happily on guard.

Below is the look on Duke's face on meeting Heather. That's one of his parents in the background at their home in CO. The devotion in those eyes and the attention in those ears has never remitted, not once in the years that Duke has been sharing our adventure.

As you can see below, he's just as affectionate with me, when I allow it. I am the 'alpha bitch' of this equation, make no mistake. He could easily snap my arm in half or tear my throat out but it's not in him to do any such thing.

Below is another instance of the tenderness of his protectiveness. He has several stuffed animals ... a teddy bear, a loon, a burro, a pony ... these he will carry around 'til the cows come home. He has yet to break a stitch on any of them. They might get a little slobbery but they are never ever harmed.

This from a dog who can tear a tennis ball to bits in a matter of minutes and get a cover off of an empty pop bottle in about a second (it took him three seconds at first but he's gotten way better at it) and reduce a pork leg bone to next to nothing.

Here Duke and T-Bone, the terrier/chihuahua we had when we got Duke are playing tug of war. One of the funniest things I ever saw was shortly after Duke came. The two of them were 'playing' and the next thing we knew T-Bone had Duke on his back and was standing on his chest with one paw raised like, 'Ha! He might be big but I'm still top dog around here!' And that's the way it was. I don't play tug of war with Duke. If I want something that he's got, he gives it to me. If he wants something I have, he waits until I give it to him or takes no for an answer without fuss.  

Below he's collected some of the 'knuckle-bones' as I call them, from a local store that does butchering, of hogs mainly. They never last long because Duke loves them. You'll also see a lemon there. One of the games Duke loves to play is 'find it and bring it' and we used lemons at first because, well, their scent is easy. I'd show him the lemon, let him smell it, then make him sit and stay in one room while I roamed the house with the lemon, laying out a trail for him to follow and hiding the lemon. 

I have to say his ears told him exactly where I was at all times and his nose led him directly to the lemon every time. We switched to potatoes, and then used golf balls until he took to randomly finding them and chomping them open in no time flat. When I saw what's inside of golf balls I stopped having them around. Duke likes eggs too and once in a while I'll hide one for him to find and bring. Hasn't broken one yet, not until I tell him he can have it.

And here's a photo of those deadly jaws that can also be so gentle.

Below, Duke with his teddy bear again. I'll never get over how he takes such tender care of his 'little ones'.

On guard in my studio.

Duke doesn't know we're going to the lake cabin in the photo below, but that's 'his girl' he's next to and he's one happy dog. When we got to the lake, he roamed a bit and then headed for the water in no uncertain terms. That's when we found out that his feet are webbed. Literally. He loves swimming but rarely gets a chance to these days, sadly. He also outgrew that harness in short order.

*laughing about the webbed feet*

When I tell people that Duke's temperament is most of the time more like a retriever's than a shepherd's, I ought to include those feet and his love of the water. People look at me sideways when I tell them that, until they get to know Duke. His appearance is so familiar to me that I often forget how intimidating a 100 pound dog with broad shoulders, a mouth full of deadly teeth and fangs, and the general shape of a shepherd can be. That's the difference, and the edge. Unless you're familiar with the breed, you're likely to see a German Shepherd instead of a White Shepherd. The Whites tend to be stockier and stand squared, but the general look of them is still very much Shepherd.

The temperament thing is true though, for the most part. He's friendly as all get-out and loves people I lot more than I do, to be honest. He's lots nicer too, when it comes to that.

I've heard him growl less times than I can count on one hand. Once was at an aggressive dog, warning it off. It went. Once was the time the meter man told me about it although I never heard that one. Once was in the deep of the night and I still have no idea what that was all about; whoever or whatever it might have been also probably heard that growl and found some wisdom. 

The other time makes me laugh to this day. I was working on portraits of the Characters of my books and had almost finished Danann's. I set it up in my studio at about the height of Danann - well over six feet tall, that Character - and was busy in another room. Duke came and got me, leading me out into the studio and growling in the direction of the front porch. So I went out there to investigate and found nothing that Duke could have been growling at. Went back to my project and here came Duke again. Same thing. I knew there was nothing out in the front porch so watched this time to see what he might be growling at inside the studio.

It was the portrait of Danann!

Now I'm not all that good an artist, but something about that face, and maybe the placement of the portrait, got Duke's attention. And it's funny - there was no associated scent but it was most definitely Danann that Duke was concerned about. So I got the portrait down, did the 'introduction' thing, and all was well. No more growling at Danann. He never growled at the other portraits as I'd gotten them done, just that one.

There are a couple of adorable little yappers who moved in a couple of houses down. They're out in their little yard a lot and they yap the whole time they're out. Duke likes them, is maybe curious about them, and barks back. He's a lot more social than I am, and I would dearly love to know what those canine conversations consist of. 

Once I left the porch door open, totally forgetting that I hadn't latched Duke's room door. Out he flashed. I followed him straight to the penned little yappers (maybe he thinks they're his 'little ones' come to life) and home we went.

There are at least nine dogs on our block now, that I know of. A lab, a husky of some kind, and another yapper to add to the ones I've already mentioned. There was one more but that one went away.

When we came back to ND from CO, bringing Duke with us, a family had moved into our neighborhood with their three dogs. The first thing we did, even before getting down to work on the house projects, was build a strong wooden Duke Fence. The three dogs would come around and Duke wanted to play with them in the worst way, can't fault him for that. 

He didn't get to ... until he figured out how to work doorknobs.

It took me a mite longer to figure out that he knew any such thing. He let himself out to play a time or two before I caught him at it. From what the owners of the other dogs told me the four of them had been having a heck of a good time. When I showed up to fetch him, I approached one of the other dogs for an ear ruffle and Duke had that dog on its back quicker than a finger snap. No harm, of course, just a friendly warning and all is well.

But Duke doesn't get to run free. For one thing there's a leash law in our town. For another, there are lots and lots of new folks here now who don't know him and might be startled some at the sight of him running around.

Now, the doors of my house are the old-fashioned kind that take skeleton keys to lock, an aside here that will make sense in a minute.

I took the doorknobs off of the door that he can use to let himself outside, the one that doesn't lead into one of the fenced yards.

And all was well until I got home from work in the middle of a howling blizzard to find my house freezing and the door into Duke's yard blowing wide open. Not wanting any more of that, off came those doorknobs too.

The door to my courtyard is the only ordinary one in the bunch but Duke doesn't open it when I've got the 'signal' piece of plywood in place near it. If he ever did, he'd only get as far as the courtyard anyway.

The front door I key lock when I'm gone unless Duke is confined to his room - and that's no real hardship for him as his room is the old kitchen, and an open door to the whole bigness of the basement. Usually he's got the run of the house including the full big basement, and his yard is plenty spacious - especially when I open the gate between his yard and my courtyard. 

He's not kenneled. 

Ever. 

We did have an outdoor kennel for him at one time, when we were staying at a house with an un-fenced yard while working on the major projects of this one. I will never subject him to that again. Most of the time he was with us but once in a while he had to be out there. I've seen dogs tied up outside and also locked up in those kennels, doing what Duke did when he was confined in one - pacing and pacing and pacing, maybe laying down for a bit but then pacing and pacing and pacing. Hurts something inside of me, that does.

But those are the choices of others; Duke and I are content with our own choices.

He doesn't really like loud voices raised in anger any more than I do. At one time there was a couple next door who fought like crazy and he'd come to me whining, ears perked toward the ruckus, maybe wanting me to go over there and make them stop, who knows? They didn't stay long, relatively speaking. It disturbed him (and me) but as they weren't directing their venom at me (and as far as I know it never got physical) we didn't interfere. IF, however, anyone should choose to raise their voice to me I'd be willing to bet that they'd hear a warning growl from Duke. If they took it to the next step and laid a violent hand on me I would have not the slightest qualm about calling Duke.

I think Duke loves road-tripping with me. We can't really afford to do it often, but last year's expedition was probably more fun for Duke than he's had for that long a period of time in his entire life. He got to be right with me, for one thing. He got to ride in the truck (and not a single whine of complaint even during the very long driving stretches). I reclined the passenger seat and filled in front of it so he had room to stretch out. I kind of looked at him with a bit of envy now and then, wishing we could trade places and he could drive for a change.

He got to see and smell and hear I don't even know how many new people, places, critters, and things. His senses are so far beyond the capabilities of mine that it must have been almost sensory overload for him at times. He got to go to the vet ahead of time, to get his traveling papers (behaved himself quite very well even though there was a cat he really really wanted to chase). He got to romp around down Phantom Canyon a bit. Here's our favorite rest stop, high in the hills. There's a stream/creek nearby.

But mostly he got to be around people. 

I get 'peopled out' pretty quickly - Duke doesn't. He got to play with Cockroach. He got to hang out with Bill. He got to spend time with his favorite of my sisters. She's the one he's seen the most of, even though she lives in CO now and before that CA, and the other two live right close by, one in our little town and the other on a farm a few miles out. This is the one who sends him tennis balls and had a custom dog tag made for him 'Duke of the North'. He got to go out to the ranch with me. He got to watch the goings on of a little mountain town or two. He didn't endure the trip; he loved it and lived it to the hilt. 

As it's getting on that time of year again, he jumps into the truck every chance he gets. Smart dog, I have to admit. Smarter than I am and much easier to get along with. I too want badly to jump in the truck and head out - we can't really afford any such thing but ... maybe we can't afford not to. 

Below, one of my favorite Duke pictures. A pup yet, he's alert and on guard.

He's not a puppy any more - he'll be nine this fall. I'm already dreading the loss I know is to come. I won't get another once he's gone; there will never be another Duke.

A Fine Time to Feel Like Sewing!

Here's a part of what I've got to work with, turning these from what they are into what they will become.

And these are just a few of the pieces I already have, not even counting all the ones that are folded up and tucked away. The stripes for surcotes or the tunics to go under them, some of the plaids to remain as arisaids, plain colors mostly for pants ... yada yada ... 

Indeed.

It's the middle of the night and I feel like getting right to work on some of the sewing projects for the Sister Collections.

NOT gonna happen as it is actually a terrible idea to start any such thing when dead tired.

However, tomorrow is right around the corner so I'll see how far I can get with some of this stuff ... 

... because ...

Come the day after tomorrow there ought to be at the post office a couple of packages for me. In those packages I expect to find some fabrics.

Said fabrics, mostly, won't need any stitching because they are Caileen's Signature Plaid (if it's what we expect - hard to guess from an on line photo) and all of the dress cloaks. The stuff that will need stitching is for a long tunic dress and one of Caileen's surcotes.

So ... tomorrow I'll grab a hefty hank of fabric and make a mock-up of the tunic dress I'll want for that new fabric, so I won't be experimenting on the 'good stuff'. I can use the Sass tunic for a pattern but make it somewhat bigger and quite a bit longer because the dress is full length and needs a fuller skirt. And while I'm in the sewing mood (assuming it doesn't fade away by morning) I can mock up a surcote  too. That ought to be fun.

Truly. It probably will be a great deal of fun. Part of the experiment I want to try is to hang the fabric on my big blank wall and project the patterns from the on line photos (free to use) onto the fabric, chalk the lines, take the fabric down, do the cutting, and stitch it up. The thing about doing it this way is that I can size the patterns by simply standing myself up against the fabric and marking my shoulder lines. Using those as guides I ought to be able to get the projected image to line up right. That's the working hypothesis anyway.

If it works I'll have the mock-ups to use as a pattern for the actual garments. 

See? Fun!

And I can take photos as I go along, to use in the blog I started for the Collections.

There are plenty of fabrics in my sewing room just waiting for me to get to them. Tomorrow will be a good day to tend to them.

I badly want to make a tunic for the Alianora Collection out of the black and white plaid fabric I got for her. For that one I can most certainly use the Sass tunic as a pattern with no alterations at all. It would take a whole fifteen minutes except that I'll have hemming to do (*sigh*). I despise hemming. And I'll have to finish the neckline (*double sigh*). I hate that worse than I do hemming. But I'll do it anyway.

What else do I need to tend to tomorrow?

Oh yeah.

I still have to make that left green boot a tad bit smaller so it matches the right one.

And I reckon put drawstrings into everything that needs drawstrings.

I can get that flirty little apron skirt hemmed and a drawstring strung through the front and back pieces.

None of this stuff needs to take all that long, thankfully.

I've also got the cut pieces of leather for the Warrior outfit to get fitted and stitched, and the hilts of swords and knives done to fit into the scabbards and sheathes. I can use Aine's red outfit to wear for fitting it all together and to see how it might look when it's done.

This next is not a sewing project but needs to be done. I've got to hie myself to the lumber yard and buy some sheets of plywood - 1/2 inch ought to do it I should think. It's for the shields and for the stand-up figures I want for my courtyard to keep me company. I'm glad nobody's more than eight feet tall.

I really only need four shields (for the Collections) but can get eight out of one sheet of plywood so will no doubt make eight of them. I have to say that I was quite very relieved to find that the particular kind of shield I want for the Characters do not have to be convex. WHEW. They're technically called targes and it makes me pretty happy to know that they're just fine for the sisters to have used back in the day. Not that it matters overmuch as these are simply props, but it's nice to know that they're the right props.

As for the figures, they're not really to keep me company, although I reckon they'll do that too. They're for the display I want for during Fair time this summer. How fun will it be to have the Characters standing around being awesome? Mamm and Caht/Catan (oh boy, a Wild Cat of Chattan in my front yard, better not let Duke see her - remember he growled at the Danann portrait!). I can use that one great photo of Mom for Mamm, and change the clothes - or just use the book's cover photo, better yet. Danann and Sidhelagh ... Alianora ... Sass ... Caileen ... Aine ... 

I'll need eight sheets of plywood for the figures plus one for the shields. I can use the other half of the Caht/Catan one and make a Sidheach too, using one of my Duke photos so I've got to choose one of those too. 

It won't be so very different from doing the six by eight foot cover paintings and might be more fun when it comes right down to it.

And no I don't plan on doing ALL of the casts of characters from ALL of the books! Can you imagine the crowd that would create? Geez. 

Heh.

I just had a fun thought.

What if I made the faces of the Characters 'removable' by cutting out the ovals around them (fasten them on from the back) like the old fashioned things where people put their own faces into those ovals and take photos? I think it would be great fun! We might have to put a step behind the Danann one, and if I decide to include Ullin we'd definitely have to have a step back there since I know very few people who are seven feet tall.

Yep. And I wouldn't have to cut the figures out. On the other hand I'd have to paint in backgrounds behind the figures. Even so, I think I'd rather paint than try to figure out how to get them cut out. I have the tools, mind you. I'm just not altogether sure I have the requisite skills. And the backgrounds don't have to be all that detailed, just general impressions ... for that matter, choosing this route means the figures themselves don't have to be perfectly detailed either.

Back to sewing for goodness sake. 

I'm trying to remember what all I've got to work with.

I know I've got a dark green that I can quickly turn into a long dress tunic that will fit me, using the Sass tunic for a pattern. There's some dark blue too, for that matter, and a sky blue, and some pink. The last two I'm pretty sure are destined to be simple little shoulder-brooched chiton dresses and need only to have their ends hemmed (*sigh*) because the selvages take care of the top and bottom! And there's plenty of plain white for making the mock-ups.

Ah! I'll need to get that crinkled elm-dyed fabric stitched to take a drawstring. It will be great as either a long skirt of a belted dress, depending on whether you put the drawstring at your waist or under your arms with a belt at your waist.

You know, the kicker of all this is that most of these things are nothing more than rectangles of fabric. Unless I wear them out and about (or somebody does) nobody's going to realize what they can look like. The good news is that the weather will eventually start warming up so these oh so simple belted chiton dresses can become my regular choice of clothes whenever I go anywhere.

Note to self: I need to invest in leggings and long-sleeved 'liner shirts' for when I wear the arisaids - so I can quickly and easily demonstrate the different looks that they can take. I've got basic black but the colors would be a lot of fun, too. Fortunately my hair will go from casual to formal with the placement of one clip so that helps.

'Close to Home' can (and will) become the accessorizing outlet. We might even sponsor a fashion show if ever I get these things finished enough to show them. Fair time would be great for that I do believe. On Friday, now that I think of it.

And no, the motive isn't to sell these (they're mine own) but to let people know how fun, affordable, and simple they are. 

What I would purely love to see is a bunch of women making their own personal statements by creatively using the ideas to design and wear their own. What the heck. It's just a rectangle of fabric that they either already have or can buy in a flash. Okay maybe two flashes since the only 'local' place I know of that sells fabric by the yard is Ben Franklin's in Harvey, twenty minutes away. However, everyone's got flat sheets for their beds, even me. Of course I use mine for clothes and paintings and such, but I do have them.

Anyway, if we're going to have a fashion show I've got to find models who are willing to give up a couple of hours.

*laughing*

At least we don't have to wonder if the clothes will fit! That's another beauty of this whole concept. The exact same rectangle of fabric can be used to make clothes for someone who is as short as my sister at four foot ten to Bekka who is six feet tall. That's another point that would be quite very fun to demonstrate!

And wouldn't I just love to draft people I know and like to be the models for this? Yes. I would.

And that's just about enough of that for this night. I'm going to take a power nap and then get my behinder to work on what needs doing!

I have to remember to take photos as I go along. 

Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies - In Case I Lose the Recipe AGAIN

Mercy! I cry MERCY!!!

I want to make my grandmother's oatmeal cookies so go to dig out the recipe.
It isn't there.
Having two kitchens I search them both.
Not there.
Having two desks and a work table, I search them all.
Not there.
About to have a panic attack because I can't find the recipe. The only other person who might have it is my cousin Bill. Am I going to call him and confess that I lost Grandma's Oatmeal Cookie Recipe? No.
I've had it hanging on the kitchen hutch that belonged to my great-grandmother for years and years and years. Just lately I cleaned out the hutch and moved it. The recipe is not hanging in its proper spot.
Finally, after thoroughly searching not only my house but my computer files in case I had been smart enough to put it in here (nope) I thought to look in the drawers of the hutch top which is now in my study.
First drawer. 
Nope.
Second drawer.
Nope.
Third drawer.
YES!

This is my modification of the recipe I got years ago from my dad. His calls for both margarine and white sugar; I use neither.

One cup Butter
One cup brown sugar
One cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk (to make the milk sour, add some lemon juice)
Two cups Flour (I tend to use less flour and more oatmeal than this recipe says)
Two cups Oatmeal
One teaspoon Soda
One teaspoon Cinnamon
A couple of dashes of nutmeg just because I like it.

375 degrees for ten minutes (Since I like to use this dough for forming thicker and bigger rounds to cut into wedges, I drop the temperature to 325 and bake for up to thirty minutes. Since that's the temperature and time for Shortbread, it works out pretty darned well.)

And since I'm liable to want to do both at the same time, I may as well put in the Shortbread recipe.

One and a quarter cup Flour
Three tablespoons Sugar
One-half cup Butter

Cut ingredients together, make a ball and knead but not too much, form into eight inch circle, cut circle into wedges and fork-print them, bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Me, I'm liable to double or triple the recipe and use four inch circles but that's just me.

Temps are Fahrenheit.

Okay. I feel better now. And my Grandma up in heaven is shaking her head while Grandad hoots with laughter. 

"If I Had A Hammer ..."

A long time ago when I was just a young girl (oh it was another time, another age of humankind, believe you me - at least it feels that way) there was a song we used to sing about 'if I had a hammer'. If you're old like me or for some reason have heard this song, you'll know the one I mean.

Haven't thought about it in many years except to find myself singing it once in a while as I search through the chaos of my studio looking for an actual hammer ... 

However, I'm doing research for the Alianora book set, which is up next on the agenda here ... hers are the years between 500 and 800 CE (A.D.) and I'm digging around on line, going through the histories of the places pertinent to 'our' family. 

And of course I ran smack into something that I knew was there but it was tucked away into the back of my mind in terms of these books.

Charlemagne doesn't come along until 800 (yes he's there before that but the year 800 is a big one for him) and that's the beginning of the Sass timeline so I didn't focus much on him.

Ah but ... Charlemagne didn't just spring out of thin air, now did he?

Nope.

He had a father ... and a grandfather ... who just so happen to fall into our story during Alianora's timeline.

I can't ignore them - his grandfather in particular has much to do with Aquitaine, for one thing, and don't forget Alianora is the Keeper of the Faith.

Charlemagne's grandfather was Charles Martel also known as 'The Hammer'.

And so the plot thickens.

Significantly.

As Ullin of Iona would say, 'The wheel goes 'round and 'round ... '

This set of books has just become somewhat more complicated than I could have imagined, all things considered. 

Yes, they're fiction (thank goodness) but there's also an element that involves portraying this family of Peace as the real people that they represent. As people of Peace they surely do end up fighting a lot of battles.

Stilicho mocks Ataulf with it; Joan of Chattan asks her husband Davidson 'What price are we willing to pay for the sake of a peace that will be long in coming?' or some such, can't remember her exact words ... those scenes are in Mamm of Dunnottar, go look them up if you want.

Up until now the Christianity of our people, the strength of their women right alongside of their men, their determination to protect education ... the knowledge and wisdom of times long past even in their time ... these and the values they hold most dear as a family and as a people (Faith, Family, Friends, Freedom, Future) have been behind their (mostly) concealed struggles against Rome twisting their beloved and holy Faith into something they find an abomination. They must survive; they must pass on the Legacy; they are the Keepers of that Legacy.

And now here comes a whole new threat.

I'm with Jonah on this one.

Lord, I don't really want to write these books. Do I have to?

Ach.

Look what happened to Jonah. 

Come to think of it, that Jonah guy gets mentioned more than once in the books already done - and we aren't even to the hard parts yet.

UFFDA.

If You won't let me off the hook, please give me strength.

See, the thing about studying history is that, even with the relatively little amount we have to work with, a person can't help but see that yes indeed that wheel does go 'round and 'round. 

There's GOT to be a better way, there just HAS to be ... why can't we FIND it? 

Are we truly in that on-going cycle of Scandinavian Mythology? 

Right about now there are lots and lots of people wishing for a Hammer. Me, I'm praying for a different solution this time around.

I can't change history but I can Hope for Tomorrow. *chuckling* That (Hope and Tomorrow) is Caileen's Voice in the SONG. And that set of books seems to be too far too far right about now.

Not to mention that there's a lot of other stuff going on all over the place during these centuries of the Alianora Books. Even the peace of their sanctuary on Dunnottar is going to be lost to them pretty soon (which thankfully isn't quite YET but it's coming). 

Our family is scattering already and it's got a far piece to go yet; they can't just stay holed up for centuries on end, you know. What kind of books would THAT get us? Nope. Out they go to one battle after another after another - and they take us right along with them. 

Again I say:  Give me strength. Please.

Okay, I'm Confused

I just read an article that has me shaking my head to try to clear it - but I'm still utterly confused. It's from March 11 but being as I only just found it, it's current news to me.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/world/asia/chinas-tensions-with-dalai-lama-spill-into-the-afterlife.html?_r=0

Is it just me or does there seem to be something inherently mixed up about an atheist government appointing the next Dalai Lama, a religious leader?

I'm not a Buddhist and I'm not an atheist; I'm a Christian little old gramma lady who lives in the middle of nowhere smack in the middle of the North American continent, a very long way from China and Tibet. So what does it matter to me?

I'm not really sure.

Maybe it's the apparent absence of logic here.

I don't know a lot about reincarnation, and have a feeling that Dalai Lama is trying to make a point that may or may not have anything actually to do with whether or not he will reincarnate ... is it up to him? ... and/or is the whole succession thing a way to ensure a religious leader 'recognized' ahead of time by the 'out-going' one ... ? 

Lots of questions my education to date leaves me unqualified to even take a wild guess about.

But one question that's simple common sense is: Why would an atheist government think for one minute it ought to be the least bit interested in anything that has to do with religion, let alone be qualified to choose a religious leader? 

I get that there are agendas going on that I have no way of comprehending ... and I get that if a government wants to control a population it might want to install that population's nominal 'leader' - but I personally wouldn't want to be that nominal appointee ... I'd have no followers. So what's the point? All it's liable to do is tick off said population.

Oh.

And then said government has to, just has to, step in to restore order in that ticked off population. 

What the heck.

I'm not even all that smart.

I think, even with my not-smart brain, that Dalai Lama might be telling his people that any one person, no matter how prestigious, revered, or wise, is not the be all and end all - that they ought to look inside themselves as individuals for the guidance I'm pretty sure they already know is there ... they just have to use it. Themselves. They might think they need a figurehead, but do they really? And if by chance this Dalai Lama doesn't reincarnate, they're still gonna be okay. And if it really isn't up to him to choose and he does reincarnate, they have to trust their guts when it comes to recognizing the new one who shows up.

Just sayin' ... faith is a personal thing. People who don't have any ought not to try to interfere with those who do because what could they possibly know about it?

Local Couple Brings a Bit of History Home to Share

Photo by Shelly Weigelt

Frank Hockridge knows what he's talking about as he explains the photographs reproduced on this unique quilt.

The first photo is from 1902 and shows a band of Native Americans at the North Dakota State Fair, then held in Mandan, ND.

The State Fair apparently moved around a bit back in the day before settling itself in Minot in the 1960s. There are photos from both Fargo and Grand Forks, who took turns hosting it for years.

There are photos of County Fairs from the early 1900s on through more recent years.

Too many of the photos have sad endings ... 'doesn't exist any more' ... 'went bust' ... 'no longer there' ... 

The photos are enchanting, but some of the Fairs they represent will only ever live again through photos such as have been preserved in this quilt.

On the bright side, Frank and Glenda Hockridge have been collecting Fair things for quite a while. One of the photos of the Quilt they found in Iowa. Glenda laughs and says, 'You just never know what you're going to run across!'

And just exactly WHY is this local couple so fascinated by Fairs?

Oh. Well. It's what they do, you know.

Both of them were brought up in the industry, love it, and love to share with others (like us!). They had businesses facing one another at the State Fair in Kansas lo these many years ago, became good friends, and eventually married. Their kids are carrying on the family tradition, the fourth generation to do so.

Locally, the pair is well-known and well-loved.

Frank is our go-to person about anything having to do with our fair, and now we know he can also be our go-to person about much of our state's history as well! Glenda's big smile and happy laugh can often be found at our local (and internationally famous, made so by anyone who's eaten there and gone anywhere else in the world) Rosa's Pizza where she gives a hand when she has time.

Their affection for one another is palpable in the air around them. You can't see them, together or apart, and not grin. And they've brought us a most wonderful gift, besides their own selves.

The ND Fair Quilt is currently hanging at Close to Home, a shop that carries gifts of local origin. Owned and operated by Deronda O'Neill of Deronda Designs (also known all over the world for her 'OMG I can't believe you MADE those!' lampwork beads, enamel pieces, and metal-worked jewelry), Close to Home has expanded to include the work of other locals or people with local connections - all unique and individualistic pieces. So it's a great place to hang this ND Fair Quilt. 

Close to Home is located in the old Quarve Building at 97 South Main Avenue in Fessenden, ND USA - the same Fessenden of the book called 'Small Town USA' written by another local, Shiela Branson.

If you happen to be driving Highway 52 in ND, swing in and grab a coffee (or any of the creative beverages the Coffee Shop is becoming noted for). The town of Fessenden is located smack at the end of Highway 15, which begins near the MN border at a little town called Thompson near Grand Forks, ND. If you're traveling from the Forks to Bismarck, give yourself a treat and take 15 for a lovely change of scenery - and stop in Fessenden along the way for yet another treat! Shelly Weigelt carries an amazing variety of vintage and just plain interesting things; Ann West has clothing and accessories; Eldredge Publishing has an office; Carson's Computer store comes in mighty handy, and Justin's Stuffitorium has antiques and is a dangerous place to visit (very difficult to walk out of without having added something you didn't even know you HAVE to have - don't say you weren't warned); and soon a hair stylist will be joining us in that old Quarve Building. (that building will be getting a story of its own in due course, so hang onto your hats folks - we're in for a bit of a ride here I think).

If you come through before June 1, 2015 you will find the ND Fair Quilt on display at Close to Home; it will then go to other places in the state, including coming back here for our own County Fair in mid-June. It's slated to go to Bottineau, Jamestown, and up to Pembina County before it gets much of a rest. 

AND, best news of all (from my point of view) Frank and Glenda are talking about bringing more of their collection out of storage. They have enough to put together a museum of their own! Hearing about it is fascinating; seeing it all would be a wondrous thing. My personal favorite of the things they talked about (one of the photos of the Quilt has an example) are what they call the Funny ...something or others... (shhh, it's my memory slipping again) ... where different scenes are painted and there are face holes for people ... anyway, THOSE would be tremendous fun, and Frank and Glenda have a collection. For that matter, we could certainly make a few of our own, now that I think of it. Maybe not in time for this year's Fair, but almost certainly for next year! So bring your smiles and your cameras.

To close, here's a photo of the ND Fair Quilt with Glenda and Frank by it. If you zoom in you might be able to see some of the photos better. Or you could wait a few days to give us time to take close ups of them all, pair them up with Frank's explanations, and post them on line! This is one awesome couple and their inspiration has produced an awesome Keeper of Memories for our state. 

Thank you so very much, Glenda and Frank, for everything you do and for simply being the great people that you are. We love you.

Photo by Deronda O'Neill