I'm using the latest version of Opera (whether I want to or not, it updates itself automatically and I cannot find the place to turn that off.) Odd thing is, that when I am logged out and go to my own blog, my pictures do not show. If I log in, they do show. Why would Opera not show your pictures? You are, after all, blogging for public consumption in most cases.
I could write a book about how wonderful this girl was. her name was Trinket. Suffice it to say she was about the most gentle dog in the whole world. She had canine good sense. She thought she was human and would not have believed it if you told her otherwise. She thought everyone was her friend, and she loved every person and animal she ever met. She studied me and did my bidding without my having trained her, including a loose heel - off lead her whole life. She knew the property boundaries and never went over them, with no fence. She did beg for food, but did so with such consideration, it was not annoying at all. She sat by your leg and ever so gently put her paw on your leg, just to remind you she was there. If you did not respond, she laid down.
There are many more wonderful things that she did. We happened upon a fallen nest of fledgling birds once. They almost died of fright, but the had nothing to fear from gentle Trinket. She took her nose and gathered them back up into a tidy little bunch. I lost her in 1999 and I still miss her every day.
John Kennedy wanted to reverse the transfer of wealth and power from the workers to the elitists, Martin Luther King warned us of it, and now we have our last hope against the public going into slavery again, Ron Paul.
It has been a long time! I'm afraid I don't do very much spinning these days. I've been making quilted coats, but the quiting is an embroidered runstitch design. Birds, abstract, and floral so far. I'm going to be making some with a geometric motif soon. These sell very well for me at street fairs and consignment shops. I make them with colored silky fabric, a light, thin wool batting slightly felted, and muslim backing. They are based on sweat shirt sizing, but I make the armhole higher, so it doesn't droop off the shoulder too much (very unflattering to almost everyone, IMO). They are then lined, and the knitted cuffs and elastic is added for the waistband. Zipper closing, but it is getting hard to find a reasonable source for those now. I can get velcro dirt cheap, do you think that would sell? The front has a decorative flap to cover the closure, no matter what it is. But I personally don't like velcro, because after a while all sorts of dirt and link sticks in it and loos unsightly.
I had a local high end boutique try to get an exclusive, and the price would have been higher than I currently charge. But she wanted the rights to all designs, not just some, so we could not agree. Sad to say. But I liked the idea of my jackets and coats selling for $100's of dollars. I'm not trained in either fashion or art, but I seem to do pretty well at it. I just make things I would enjoy wearing, and hope that others share my taste.
Here is one of my abstract designs, also avasilable in a very small, filled version, as a pocket topper (or could go on a pocket flap - but it is 4 inches wide, it might be a very tight fit. I will be working this weekend, sad to say. The ARBA nation convention is in my town, Indianapolis this coming weekend and for a few days thereafter. I wish I could go see my friends, but alas, it will have to be after almost all the showing is over.
Take care, and stay warm! Donna (I can't find the picture right now, I'll add it later. D)
As I posted before on this blog, clubs can be very mean and abusive to anyone not sharing the "party line" opinions about the animals they keep. After 4 years, I had to reluctantly conclude that the ugly yarn I kept getting from German Angoras was due to the animals themselves and not due to errors in collecting or spinning (done by the mill in my case). I try to get the word out to people because as soon as they hear about how much fiber a GA gives, they get dollar signs in their eyes, and immediately think they'll make money on it (fuggitaboudit - China has it covered).
So I posted a few lines about how I hang tags on my English angora hats explaining the difference between it and the coarser German angora. I also stated that chemo people cannot tolerate German angora on their bare heads. All quite true in my experience. And something I wanted to share not only for the sake of hapless bunny buyers, but also for the sake of chemo patients everywhere who have to smile and make the best of it when someone gifts them with itchy German Angora hats. Well, a huge backlash ensued. The people involved got the moderator to remove my posts, so I put them up on my own website http://www.germanangora.net/missingposts.htm I did this mainly because the GA club members had already misquoted and misinterpreted my factual statements several times, and it would only get worse as I could no longer defend myself on that thread. The upload is dated and I can prove what I said this way.
The emperor has no clothes, but the members of the club would like to silence the person who points it out to people.
I thought it over and I have decided it doesn't make a bit of sense to have produce loads of fiber that I totally disliked (German angora) and then quit just as my herd turns into something I do like, English angora. English are easier to care for, more pleasant to handle and the fiber is superior. so I belive I'll stick around for another generation of rabbits. English only, though. Donna
I did not know what to expect of this book. Which is probably good, because had someone told me, I would not have read it. But read it, I did, and I keep returning to it. Not only is it well written, the concepts are fresh and original. I will leave it at that and encourage others to read it too, especially if they are interested in writing. Ms. Neville's way of looking at her community should serve as an example for everyone to examine the collective nuances of the city or area in which they reside.
She thought everyone was her friend, and she loved every person and animal she ever met. She studied me and did my bidding without my having trained her, including a loose heel - off lead her whole life. She knew the property boundaries and never went over them, with no fence. She did beg for food, but did so with such consideration, it was not annoying at all. She sat by your leg and ever so gently put her paw on your leg, just to remind you she was there. If you did not respond, she laid down. 
Sailing the Inland Sea: On Writing, Literature, and Land by Susan Neville
April 2013June 2013
My Opera
