Long time no see

This is a list entry.

New awesomeness has happened over the last year, such that I'm in preparation at the moment to arrange MY OWN HOUSE such that MY BOYFRIEND can MOVE IN in two weeks.

Which means I need a plan. The house is kind of in total disarray, and I want him to have his own space here. And I need to make that so it can happen.

Edited 3/19/10
List:

• Kitchen: all the normal stuff to clean. Dishes, etc.
  
• Laundry: ditto the above
  
• Living room: get the seedling setup going (for once! jeeze!), straighten up
• Den: Wood goes outside. Tools get put away, crap gets picked up. Curtains get re-installed. Carpet gets vacuumed.
• Bathroom: sweep, put away stuff on counter, clean counter, make room in a few drawers
• Bathroom #2: sweep, wipe counters
  
• Guest room: Move camping stuff out of closet to attic
• Office: make room in closet for M, clean, remove extra crap, put up curtain rod and curtain
• Bedroom: move out of season clothes to guest room, clean out drawers, sweep and vacuum, wash sheets, etc. Move lamp and put other bedside table, well, bedside.

I'm sure there's more. There's a ton more to do for the frikkin' garden, too. Time to get a move on!

I got a simple gift today.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Simple gifts

We've come 'round right, y'all.

Recession Christmas

I wish all Christmases were recession Christmases. Virtually all of the gifts here at my sweet second home have been hand made. The presents end up being so much more personal this way. They're an artsy bunch, this family, and it shows.

My gifts to them were either homemade or scavenged from around the house. Hats, scarves, too-small cashmere sweaters, a winter coat that didn't fit and that I've been too lazy to return (mail order! Annoying!), and the like. Since I hadn't prepared for gift-giving, I had a blast running around and seeing how creative I could be.

May your celebrations be simple. Happy Holidays.


(my new, original) artwork, pictured above:
Perfect from now on 7
2007
acrylic on paper
9" x 12"
by Wendy Heldmann
(Note the birds)

Dashing through the SNOW!!!!!

OK, so there might not be snow, but I'll be home for Christmas! At my second home, that is. My NC family home base is in Charlotte, at my sweet love JJ's parents' home. Skip, Jane, and the rest of the clan welcome me with open arms whenever I need it, and I am just full of gratitude for them.

Also, for my mumma, who read that last pitiful entry and offered to buy me a last-minute trip home.

Love Love LOVE!

Dental Dams for Dummies

Good point, Imperatrix...dental dams are impossible to find, but condoms are everywhere.

So, for the record, a dental dam is a sheet of latex or polyurethane that serves as a physical barrier between the mouth and mucous membranes, during sexual acts, which helps prevent STD transmission. Remember, I'm not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Get tested regularly for STDs, and realize that all sexual activity includes some degree of risk.

Dental dams *are* sold, but mostly in health clinics like Planned Parenthood. Since not everyone regularly goes to PP, you can actually create makeshift dental dams!

From a condom: open up the package. Unroll the condom. Snip off the tip. Cut through the length of the condom/tube. Voila! Sheet of latex!

From a surgical glove: cut the fingers off. Cut open the tube. Sheet of latex! (wash off the talc before using)

From a ziplock baggie! (make sure it's not "breathable" or "microwave safe" or anything else that implies porosity. Cut off zip. Cut off bottom. Cut open into a sheet of polyurethane!

Place over vulva, anus or any other mucous membrane that needs protecting during oral contact. Put some nice lubricant between the damn and the skin for a better feel.

Dropping like flies

Pardon the crude title. Saturday, I found out this morning, Pedro's mother, Grandma Elaine, died. Keash's mom, Liz, died a couple of weeks ago. That means that in the last month, two of my surviving three grandparents have died. Since Christmas, it's actually three of four who've died. Remember Lewis?

That means I've only got Grandma left. Of all the eight (nine?) grandparents I began with, Grandma has always been my favorite. She's the one who worked when other women didn't. She had an urban garden much like mine is now. She's my hero. She was the one who used to mow her lawn with a reel mower, and she is the one who gave me mini-boxes of sugar cereal. She's the one who taught me about sprinkling white sugar on home-grown lettuce and rolling it up for a very special treat from the Great Depression.

She talks in baby talk to both children and animals. She tells me stories about my mom's childhood and gives me the pictures Mom would rather I not have, but which I treasure. She comes to me with personal questions and tells me secrets. I love my Grandma, and I'm really worried now. When she dies, it will be a very different level of sadness and grief that I'll have to process. It's hitting home that Gram isn't going to last forever, no matter how much I want her to.