Number 2

Moving our store
on Black Friday
with the flu
in the drenching rain
is the second most horrifying thing that I've done in quite a while.

(Number 1 was my surgery three years ago.)

We have another fun day of moving tomorrow, though, so I'll be optimistic. Maybe tomorrow will be more horrifying!

OK, I AM horrified but cheerful, I admit.

Today

The Turtle Press Store



Our window, showing the famous "You are creative, yes you are," "all people are welcome here" and our People's Pick award certificate. I'm taking them all to the outpost tomorrow, so thought you might like one more peek.

Oh, the skeleton head decoration is Scott's. :)

three days left

Our sign.

I am happy and sad. There are people I will miss. But we're having clearance sales, and such opportunities to buy things on SALE seem to bring out the annoying traits in some people. So, I'm glad that the clearance sales will be over, but nostalgic that the store is closing.

Our landlord's broker at one time called this sign craftish and used as an example to prove that I was "cluless" about signage. Sheesh. Yes, this still hurts my feelings. It is a good sign!

Something that would really suck for someone

It would really suck for the people who work in the Matador kitchen, who play their Tex-Mex opera music TOO loudly all day, clang and bang pots and pans, and refuse to turn their radio down no matter how many times we ask, if we were to put the horribly addictive It Ain't Gonna Suck Itself by Cracker on a CD, on continuous loop, and left it playing at a #9 volume on our boombox, after we have moved out of our store.

Yes, it would really be sad for them.

(I just want some quiet from the kitchen area, that's what drives me to such thoughts...)

Yarnrise

yarnrise
Originally uploaded by bluelemonmango.

Someday this wonderous yarn will be a sweater.
I have never made myself a sweater before...

when I was a teenager I made sweaters for my two little sisters, but I don't remember them turning out too well. Little sisters happily wore them anyway. Good sports, my little Ks. Plus I am lucky that they love me so much.

Knitting calms me down. I'm not sure if it actually lowers my blood pressure, but I'm so anxious lately that anything will help. So, I'm going to try to make a sweater.

This yarn really is lovely.

JIMMY BUFFETT — ( Last Mango in Paris Lyrics )

My Last Mango has nothing to do with this Last Mango. Just saying.
JIMMY BUFFETT — ( Last Mango in Paris Lyrics )

Then again, maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe it ALL has to do with Jimmy Buffett. What do YOU think?

Chickadee, Bunny and Bear (a little story for your Thursday morning)

Once upon a time a bunny, a chickadee, and a big brown bear lived in a lovely rainforest.

Bunny and Chickadee loved to play together, and would often chase each other through the forest. Chickadee would hide in the leaves in the trees, where Bunny couldn't go, and Bunny would hide in the brush and leaves on the forest floor, where Chickadee was too scared to go.

Bear would go anywhere, but preferred to gorge on blackberries and then take naps. Bear didn't understand why Chickadee wanted to constantly be hopping from tree to tree, and Bear could not understand Chickadee's language. Whenever Chickadee spoke, Bear only could hear the same song, and Bear didn't understand the nuances in her "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee." Chickadee also didn't understand Bear, and how he could sleep away so much of the lovely afternoon, because he had eaten too many blackberries. Chickadee thought that there was so much to do and see, how could she waste time napping?

And Bunny didn't really understand either of them. Bunny was nervous of Bear, but felt like they must have some things in common. After all, they both had smooth, soft fur, and they both didn't completely understand Chickadee. Whenever Bunny and Bear met, Bunny and Bear realized that they didn't have much in common after all. However, Bunny did love to play with Chickadee, and they spent many wonderful afternoons together.

One day, Bunny and Chickadee decided to help each other build nests. Work shared is work halved, they thought. So they came up with a plan. They'd work on Chickadee's nest in the morning, and Bunny's nest in the evening. Chickadee would wake before dawn every morning and bustle about, building her nest. She wouldn't wait for Bunny to start work, so she didn't notice that Bunny wasn't showing up to help until late afternoon. Then, they'd work on Bunny's nest.

Soon, Bunny's nest was finished. Chickadee's nest was much smaller, but had quite a bit of work left to make it ready. "Your nest is more complicated," Bunny complained. "This is why my nest is finished and yours is not. Besides, I have a lot of work to do still to make my nest comfortable. When I'm finished, I'll help you build your nest again."

Chickadee was confused how it could have worked out like this, but Bunny seemed to have a plan. Chickadee knew in her heart that there was something not quite right going on, but she couldn't sort it out. Besides, she didn't really have time to think about it too much. She had so much work to do. He was right, her nest WAS more complicated. If she had been content with a simpler nest, things would have been better. Now it was going to snow soon, and she wouldn't have a nest to protect her from the cold.

Sure enough, the next day, it snowed. Chickadee huddled in her unfinished nest, greeting the winter with shivers.

Bunny played in the snow and wondered where his friend Chickadee was. She would love this snow!

Bear slept and wondered how anyone could want to do anything BUT sleep.

Finally, Chickadee had an idea. She would snuggle in Bear's fur, until she was warm enough to work on her nest again. She snuggled closely and quietly, soaking up his warmth. She was very, very quiet, and she didn't wake him up. When she sensed that it was time for him to wake up from his blackberry dreams, she quickly flew away. She felt so clever! Bear never suspected!

One day, Chickadee arrived at Bear's cave, only to see Bunny already snuggling in her place. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. "My nest has been filled in with snow," Bunny admitted. "I was cold."

Chickadee was furious. "You're going to wake up Bear!"

But it was too late. Bear's great eyes opened, and he let out a surprised growl. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Bunny and Chickadee knew that Bear was very crabby when he woke, so they were terrified. Bunny tried to hide behind Chickadee. Chickadee tried to make herself even smaller than her normal tiny size. Bear huffed and growled.

"Why didn't you TELL me that you were cold, you stupid little creatures?!"

Chickadee and Bunny didn't know what to say. Finally, Chickadee spoke, "We were afraid of you, afraid that you'd be angry with us."

Bear, of course, didn't understand Chickadee. "WHAT!" he raged.

Chickadee tried to speak more clearly. "We were afraid that you'd be mad at us!"

Bear rolled his eyes and pushed past Chickadee and Bunny. It was no use. They never spoke in a language he could understand. Chickadee's peeping enraged him, and Bunny's silence was just annoying. Didn't they see that he had been trying to sleep?

Bear stomped out of his cave into the winter, leaving Chickadee and Bunny to wonder what to do. After a few moments, Bunny snuggled into the warm spot that Bear had left. Chickadee, though, felt too scared and upset, so she flew away to the tattered remains of her nest. "It's really not so bad here," she thought. "At least I have part of a nest, and my nest isn't filled with snow!"

Time

Yes, I have spent way too much time tonight housecleaning and redecorating my blog. It's not perfect still. I HAD to get rid of those brown flower things. But I'm letting it go as good enough. I'm getting too old for such multiple-hour long online obsessions.

Next time I'll just spend those hours writing or making art, I promise.

The coolest bag EVER

Bi-Coastal Bag - Accessories - KAVU

I have been on quest for such a bag, and finally treated myself after visiting this one at the Ballard Kavu for at least two months. I like it very much.

I am a bag junkie, but I think it's just that I haven't found the perfect bag yet. Hopefully this bag will end my bag quest addiction.

Oh, Chambray of course. Copper almost had me, but Chambray won out.