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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The Power of Positive Thought


Motivational Quote - Every morning that you wake up is another chance to get it right. 


 I've read a lot of self help books. At one point in this short life they were quite the rage. Who out there remembers "Be Here Now" from the 70s pop-culture? How about "I'm OK, You're OK"? Or even "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid To Ask)? Funny how memory is. I can almost see one of those stylized 70s asterisks on the cover of that book. Can you?


What all these books have in common is this: To be happy you have to think happy thoughts. Turn the obstacles in your path into opportunity.

These days there's all sorts of resources for positive inspiration. Take this page for example: Positive Inspirational Quotes. Keep in mind that it is on facebook. Nothing wrong with that in itself, mind you. If you look at facebook like it's just one giant billboard where you're hit with advertising everywhere you turn.



[Much like life these days. One big advertisement. Remember several years ago that futuristic movie where when a person walked along they would be identified by facial recognition programming and with every step they took they were bombarded with advertising? You wondered when that came out how people could stand seeing that flashing and hearing all that noise 24/7. Think about it. You would become desensitized to it. Is there anyone out there who doesn't think we as a people are being swayed by popular media and culture. Well...I challenge you to remember that movie the next time you walk down an aisle in Walmart.]

A friend posted this quote from their website (https://www.facebook.com/PositiveInspirationalQuotes) Always end the day with a positive thought. No matter how hard things were, tomorrow's a fresh opportunity to make it better.

Here's hoping that your tomorrow is better. Peace.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Thankful Thoughts - October 29, 2013

The wood stove was down to a few coals this morning when we rose to greet the day. We threw a few pieces of kindling on the coals plus some small pieces of cherry and left the door slightly ajar. By the time we had retrieved the newspaper and walked the perimeter it was a raging inferno. perhaps inferno is stretching it a bit, but a fire is a fire none-the-less.

No frost this morning to scrape off the windshield. Which means there are a few extra minutes I get to spend with you, dear reader.

Yesterday I received an email response from Ella Elephant's Auntie.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sunday - A traditional day of rest

Pictured here is Bandit at just a few months old. What I often refer to as his teen-age years. Look at those ears. How could you not love that silly little face?

Today was officially 'old movie' Sunday. Saw Steven King's IT and John Carter. Horror and quasi- sci-fi (Edgar Rice Burroughs would be offended).

Now the only sound is the crackle and spit of the fire as it works its way through some sweet smelling cherry. Well, that and

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Long Time No See

Will ya look at the size of those sunflowers! The largest one was over sixteen inches in diameter. They are in the process of drying, but I believe there will be a good ten pounds of seed when dry. The stalks were well over six feet high. Really beautiful.

Harvesting these beauties marks the end of the growing season here in Northwestern PA. The only thing left in the ground are the organic rutabagas. What a great year for those: one of the larger ones after topping off and clipping the root weighed six pounds. They are so sweet you can eat them just like candy (although my favorite way is in boiled dinner....yum).

Summer and Fall
are hard times for me to sit and be dedicated to writing. So many places to go. So much to see. So much to do. But we've had our first snow, so my traveling days have been abruptly curtailed. I'll be here until the wanderlust hits me again.

So far in the Tole You So shop on Etsy six items have been sold. Four hex signs and two trinket boxes. Had a major production problem with the Polyurethane that forced a re-painting of ALL the hex signs, a bird house and flower boxes. Note to self: CRAFT polyurethane serves the purpose and does not yellow. The shop is doing as well as expected based on the time and effort put into it.

Coming soon: ORNAMENTS!!!






Here's a shot of all four sunflowers showing their size about two months before they stopped growing. To keep them from falling over, they were bound together with twine. Their seed will be a feast for the birds on Thanksgiving Day.

Lucky birdies!










Shown here is a rutabaga - one of the smaller ones actually (we couldn't wait to eat one, so this was harvested a bit early). People always ask what they taste like. To me it's a cross between a carrot and a potato. Sweet like a carrot with the texture of a potato. Very good in boiled dinner. We harvested more than enough for the winter.








The Re-Branding Petunia Magpie

Confession time:
I've been known to take on too much. A common action for overachievers. Unfortunately - time and ability only stretch so far before burn-out occurs. Since June, I have been:
  • Making hex signs and other painted objects.
  • Making crochet animals and other fabric items.
  • Updating two Etsy shops, two blogger blogs (although badly).
  • Learning several new skills (C-Print Captioning, Marketing via Coursera, etc.)
  • Working on Christmas projects.
  • Living and playing.
  • Working at a part-time job (yeah! gainful employment!)
With many items on my "to-do" list, some tasks inevitably fall through the cracks. That is exactly what has happened with the Petunia Magpie and Tole You So blogs.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Ella has found a forever home!

It's been a long time since an update. Months, actually. Much has happened.

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 is a Red Letter Day for Petunia Magpie. It marks the day of the first sale on Petunia Magpie at Etsy. Pictured is Ella Elephant. Our first sale!

Shipment was performed the day following receipt of payment for the order. The order is out for delivery today and hopefully the buyer will provide some feedback.
   
A little over four months after launch.

Thus far the effort has exceeded the return.