Well, I can't believe it's been so long! I've been leading a pretty boring existence. My foot is still a major influence in what I can and can't (or just don't want to) do.

I'd take another picture, but I've been hearing about the last time from my disapproving son and brothers... yes, I know.. I'm boring!

The cool thing about my foot is (yes, I'm still going to talk about it!) that it appears to have become Vulcan... I'm hoping it will eventually go back to normal, but for now, if I lift my bare foot, looking at it from the bottom, I am giving a "live long and prosper" sign.

We are catching up on soap - stockpiling for the spring coming up sooner than we ever expect. Plus, I made up a sales sheet and am doing a little sales push. Time to grow again.

Beadwise, I just don't seem to have the inspiration at the moment. Even when I do sit down at the torch, the concentration to make whole sets just isn't there. It'll return.

I did get an electroforming set up which will allow me to apply copper to my beads - for instance, metal handles for the vessels, etc. I also have finally gathered everything I need to finally use some of the techniques I learned last Fall at Beadfest.

While I was acquiring the electroforming set up, Tina ordered a still! So the plan is to use both... Maybe electroform some leaves and use the still to make some hydrosols and tiny quantities of essential oils. Lots of things to experiment with.

This may all go on the back burner, however, because our son was home for a visit this weekend... needed to do his wash (!) But, as it turns out, he was just coming down with whatever bug it is at school that is laying everyone low. He spent most of his time here sleeping. And when he wasn't sleeping, he was snorting and coughing in the living room while I plied him with various medications! I'm glad it worked out this way because he seems to have a hard time really being able to relax in his room at school. Seems he has a very inconsiderate party boy as a roomate.

Well, at any rate, he must have been at a very contagious stage because as he was leaving this morning, I noticed I was beginning to have a dry cough! Lovely! I feel my sinuses closing as I type! Great, and I sent most of the cold meds along with him!

I'm sure this will pass in no time and I'll be raring to go, inspired and rested.

Fog in the Morning

I snapped this picture on Monday morning just because the way the tree limbs look through the fog is always mesmerizing. It puts a whole new perspective on the world and makes our home a cozy, quiet, private place. Usually, this picture would show the tangle of trees and the hill across the road. Usually we'd hear the cars and trucks that pass by much more clearly.

On Thursday, at the doctors', I was given the go-ahead to do stuff! It's limited, but I can go and do things as long as I put my foot up occasionally, or take it easy if it begins to bother me.

So, Tina and I made plans for Monday morning. This is what I woke up to! Did it stop me? No way!

I had agreed to go to Tina's house, so, even though it was 10 o'clock in the morning, the fog was still pretty treacherous on the way there. By the time I was headed home 2 hours later, it had finally lifted.

Well, it's not snow!

Did you ever...

Did you ever notice how, sometimes, when you have all the time in the world, you just can't seem to concentrate? Like, in the hospital, I can't watch an entire TV program, or if I do, it doesn't really make sense... Or just try to read in there - absolutely impossible for me. Well, I'm dealing with the same thing at home

Taking pity on me sitting here with my foot still propped up, my sister visited yesterday. We intended to play some Scrabble, and we did, although it was all we could do to finish one game. She looked at the rubble that is now my living room... My coffee table is completely covered with jewelry stuff, a side table holds unfinished knitting and wherever I am, I must cart the TV controller, laptop and the telephone along - oh, plus a bottle of water and the ice pac! There are jewelry magazines in piles everywhere.

She threatened to take a picture of this mess, but I talked her out of it!

With all this available and lots of free time, you'd think I would have produced a number of finished items... but, no. There's something about feeling "not well" that destroys my concentration. I'll begin lots of things, but finish none of them. Wild and wooly ideas come to me and either I lose them completely or when I begin, they just don't look in reality the way they looked in my mind's eye. So, there are a number of half-finished projects that I will probably take apart to rework later. I wonder if it's some kind of perfectionism kicking in. That is usually the culprit when I can't produce.

So, this morning, on the phone, we brainstormed some new ideas for soaps, but again, although I took copious notes, it's something that will have to sit on the back burner until my foot is ready to go.

I'm not really complaining. Everything seems to be going according to schedule and I go to the doctor for another post op appointment tomorrow and expect to be able to do more each day. Might as well enjoy the luxury of vegging in front of the TV and cruising the internet at leisure for now.

I thought maybe I could learn html during this time too, but same thing ... no concentration ... and my husband just came in and asked if, since I'm bored and have nothing to do, I was ready to work on a site for our evergreen farm!

It's just an odd situation and I do wish I could pull it together to take advantage of this downtime to finish a few things but if not, I know I'll be raring to go when I'm physically ready. Soon ... soon ...

My Left Foot!

I'm sure this is just what you've been waiting to see! It's what has been keeping me away from the torch, the soap pot and from any new activity on the blog.

On Tuesday, I had surgery to remove a neuroma from between the third and fourth toes on my left foot.

A few years ago, I had the bunion on that foot repaired, but it didn't correct the pain I was having. Until now, I had put off having further surgery because I was afraid it was maybe just a "vanity" thing... wanting to be able to wear nicer shoes and not squeaking when I walked because of the orthotic in the clunky shoes I was forced to wear.

Now, I wish I hadn't waited so long. The surgery was as close to "fun" surgery as I could imagine. The IV nurse (the part I dread the most) was fantastic! I hardly knew she had even done her job. And the anesthetician was perfect. He kept it very light and I was "in and out" during the surgery itself which was done basically with a block.

The entire staff, as well as my surgeon, truly made it as enjoyable an experience as surgery can be... they seem to all enjoy what they do and take a lot of pride in their work.

I was gratified when the surgeon said, "Maryanne, this is the biggest neuromas I have ever seen - sit up and take a look at it if you want to." I didn't sit up, but I was very relieved to hear that what had been causing all the trouble wasn't just a little something that anyone else would have just lived with.

Today I went for my first post op appointment and everything looks as good as it can even though the toes look a bit "wonky" and the Betadine stains certainly don't help the picture.

I can walk, somewhat gingerly - with the rolling gait of a pirate! But, in another week or two, I should be good as new... maybe even better.

Sorry I went so off track, but when you are spending your days with your foot elevated and iced, it is pretty much all you can think of! I'm sure I'll be back at the torch and soap pot very soon and I will get back to much more interesting and attractive pictures!

General HTML Rant!

Just for fun... I thought it was time to vent a bit about what it's like to try to manage a website with no real knowledge of HTML!

When I first decided to set up my website, Torchsong Studio, I registered the name and downloaded one of those "easy, overnight" website designers. It really was easy and I really did manage to get the site designed and up almost overnight. The hard part came when I decided it was time to make a few changes.

The first change was adding a stat counter. I found a stat counter that looked good and was free, set that up and then, I had to paste some code into the page. Unfortunately, there was no way to access the code through the program and this led to downloading another website design program, NVU ( freeware), which allowed me access to the code. I pasted it in and all was well.

Then, I had sold a few items and it was time to start rearranging stuff.... that was when the trouble began.

Headers started to disappear and change, tables started rearranging themselves, stuff like that....

Along the way, I consulted with my brother who set up my Lancaster County Soapworks site and who uses Front Page - so there was a little tinkering with Front Page, too....

My latest fiasco was adding a Gallery page of the items I have sold. So far so good, until I decided I should make the pictures on the Gallery page into thumbnails and link them to larger pictures that would open in a separate window. I thought I had it right, but when the images were clicked, nothing happened. That was actually something that I did wrong, but last night and this morning, I corrected it all.... loaded everything up and... bingo... the header disappeared and the navigation buttons are doing something odd!

I know, it's back to the books and I think what I really need to do is redesign the whole thing in html (while learning it!) and get rid of the templates that came with the original program! I need to work in one design program and stop jumping around from one to the other because it is apparent they are doing some reformatting all on their own.

My son has supplied me with two excellent books on the subject and I'll be having foot surgery next week, so I'll have plenty of time to work on it.

Just thought I'd share my pain! Wish me luck, and don't think badly of me when viewing my site for the next week or so... The pictures are still pretty, the information is correct and I hope to have everything looking much better soon.

Frosty beads in a mild January

Yesterday was one of those Sundays that I just hung out in the house - caught up on the wash and brought a few sets of beads into the house to work on while I waited through the wash/dry/fold cycles!

I've been trying some new techniques with the glass and so really excited about the first couple of frosty lentil sets that I had to string them up into bracelets!

The picture of the green beads show the finish and the true colors very well. I call this one "Green Frost".

The iridescent luster is from pixie dust and there is clear (well, very light green) scrolling over the top.

Really a pretty effect and something different.

Then, I tried the same technique light pink and wound up with this one that I call "Tea Rose". Although it doesn't show up as well in photos as in real life, the beads include all the blushing colors of a tea rose as it blooms. I love those roses, so this, to me is a very romantic bracelet.

You can see the iridescent pink tones on the beads along the right front.

Along with the new style of beads, I also did something that I find tried and true.. Scrolling with florals and pressed in the lentil mold. I just love the lentil beads, they are such a comfortable shape on the wrist.

The lapis is always a nice color to wear with jeans ... my usual wardrobe ... especially working here at home. And I do feel it is necessary to always be wearing some jewelry! I guess that's what got me into the shiny stuff to begin with!

Don't miss what's right in front of you.

I went out looking for something to inspire a blog entry. I took a number of pictures of the pond because I like the way the trees reflect on the surface.

Then I thought I'd take a picture of the edge of the pond where all the fall leaves are still preserved, along with the green plants waiting to burst forth again with the warm weather. I wasn't sure how the stuff underwater would show up, so I tried the "underwater" setting on my camera... pretty tricky, huh?!

What I didn't notice, of course, as I snapped the picture was the beautiful tracery of the trees on the surface... and I was pleasantly surprised by the picture when I opened it on the computer. It has a definite Asian quality to it... graceful and peaceful.

I'm sure there's some kind of philosophical message here... about when we look too deep, we miss the beauty right in front of us.

New Year's Chocolate Dream

I know a lot of blogs concentrate on food and just thought I'd add one of the big favorites around here. This is Chocolate Dream.

A good friend, with whom I have sadly lost touch, gave me this recipe a number of years ago but we still make it from time to time and I always think of her. Isn't it funny how foods and smells can bring back wonderful memories?

This is something like I imagine a trifle to be with layers of cake, pudding and candy.... This picture shows it fresh out of the refrigerator and so the top of the dish has fogged up a bit making it difficult to see the yummy bits on the top.

It is really very simple to make, especially since we use mixes for it. You will need 1 Chocolate fudge cake mix, 2 boxes chocolate pudding mix, 2 containers of Cool Whip and 9 Skor bars. First bake the cake in a 9 x 13" pan. Next, prepare the pudding. Whack all the Skor bars to shatter them as much as possible. (I will often put the pieces in a sandwich bag and give it a few whacks with a meat tenderizer to finish the job.)

When the cake is cooled, cut it into squares and crumble 1/3 into the bottom of the trifle container. Next, a layer of 1/3 of the pudding. Then a layer of 1/3 of the Cool Whip followed by 1/3 of the Skor bars crumbles. I actually like to kind of push down a bit at the end of each cake layer. Continue in this manner for two more layers, ending with the Skor bar crumbles which make a lovely finish.

Refrigerate at least overnight before eating so that the cake has some time to absorb and all the flavors get a chance to blend. This is a large container and should feed a crowd (or one serving to three adults and the rest to three teenagers as we found on New Years' Eve this year!)

Our son is a picky eater (although deserts have never been a problem for him) and while he didn't choose to partake in most of our feast, he requests this dish every year as his own special treat for the New Year.

Christmas Eve Visitors?

If you believe in this sort of thing, our Christmas Eve celebration was filled with many many folks other than just the ones we expected.

I have been told that the presence of *orbs* - the round things that are all over this picture - indicates spirits. I'm not really sure how I feel about that, but it is interesting that it seems every time our family gathers for a holiday, orbs are visible in the pictures although not usually in this number! I should also mention that every picture taken last night at this gathering contained many orbs.

We lost our Mother in March and her loss has served to bring us closer together. Some rifts have been healed and a couple of changes she wanted for us have come about. Although we miss her terribly, I believe that she has been working hard to make a lot of things happen that she couldn't manage while she was alive. It has been a very mixed blessing.

The love between all five of us, her children, is an almost palpable thing these days and I believe, if these are truly spirits, she said to all our many relatives who have gone before, "Come on, I want you to see my kids!" It's something she would have done. She was always so proud of us and I suspect she may be even more proud of us now.

We gathered at *her* house, where my brother, Tom, is living now. It's only a few years old, so there wouldn't be any old ghosts hanging around from past inhabitants. My sister and I were looking at these pictures and trying to figure out who on earth all these orbs could be (if that's what they are). Our grandparents were both from very large families, so along with Mom, her brother and our grandparents, there could be any number of great aunts and uncles...

I guess this would be frightening to some, but I find it very comforting. Either way, it was a great gathering, full of love. Can't wait to see the pictures we take today!

By the way, this same camera (same settings) was used earlier to take some other pictures of our dog at our house and no orbs were visible in those pictures.

Shopping & new stuff

Things have finally slowed down around the tree farm enough that I didn't feel guilty doing a little shopping yesterday. I'd post some pictures, but you never know who is checking in here!

The Sizzlers were doing a late bead show in York this weekend and I chose to opt out just because I can only be spread soooo thin, but if it's the same date next year, I may give it a shot. I stopped up to see everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas yesterday. One of the other reasons I wanted to get to the show was that the guy who sells the magnetic clasps I like was there and I wanted to stock up. Also, I've been doing a lot with chain and there is a good source for silver chain that was there too.

Another thing I was anxious to find was some gold vermeil findings and I redid a bracelet that needed some work. The beads have stripes of goldstone around the edges and it just cried out for gold findings. My clasp guy had some nice solid vermeil, magnetic clasps and I found some gold bead caps that just set off the crystals and the whole look - don't you think?

I feel like i've been gathering in so many nifty components and the skills to go with them that I can really sit down and put together just about anything that my imagination comes up with.

This goddess bead has been weighing on my mind. How to put it all together? Yesterday, I sat down and really thought about it... I like the way she came out. Very fetish-like. A sterling bail through her with bead caps finishing off both ends of the beads. And then the danglies... a leaf, a spiral and a crystal point.. Simpler than my original idea, but I like it... to the point.

As I was perusing one of my favorite forums, I found someone who makes pendants with pictures and optical lenses. She had some made with Mucha posters and the wheels began to turn. I contacted her and am in the process of purchasing a pendant made with my current favorite poster - Champenoix. I have an idea of some kind of collage kind of piece with the pendant combined with my beads and some other things that I want to make to go with it... I'm sure I will post it when it is finished.

Jewelry, you say?

Bet you thought I forgot I was supposed to be posting jewelry on here! So many things going on at this time of year, but I did manage to make a few new things.

The first one is called "Spring Thaw" and it has matching crystals on both sides of the hollow bead. The base color is transparent Uranium Yellow and the scrolls and flowers are done with the opaque version of the same color. The main strand of beads is a Czech pearl 10/0 in a beautiful creamy finish. The whole thing is adjustable (large lobster clasp and chain with a matching dangly on the end to help balance the necklace) so it can be worn by those with the lovely swanlike necks who want them short and also by those of us who would rather accentuate a different part of the body! There are a pair of matching earrings as well although the shape is more of a soft tablet rather than a hollow.

The second picture is a floral. I applied silver foil inside so it has a sparkly core and the turquoise and purple flowers just dance around the outside. You can see the beads strung close to the focal.. They match much better than it would appear in the picture. The colors are soft and "glowy". The main strand is again Czech seedbeads in a soft, clear purple strung on jewelry cable. This one is finished the same as the first with the clasp and chain so it is adjustable.

Oh, and I almost forgot. These are the finished beads I was asked to do for another soapmaker. It matches the shape of her soaps and will go with her hair (purple). It's hard to make beads to order - via email - but I think we got on the same wavelength and I can hardly wait to see what she does with them. She explained the design she has planned and it will be gorgeous!

I finally got all my equipment and supplies to work with some metal and play with some of the techniques I learned at Beadfest and since we're expecting snow and (yuck) freezing rain.. I may just get time to do that...

Christmas Tree Stands

This is not an ad... we sell these at our tree farm, not on the internet.

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best tree stands on the market. It is called a Stand Straight and for the money($20 here) and the ease of use, it is the best.

It has a spike in the bottom of a nice big water bowl and is held solidly in place by a tripod base of rebar.


When we decided to sell these stands, we also had to purchase the "jig" which is used to drill the hole in the bottom of the tree. There is a *v* shaped piece at the very top of the machine where the top of the tree is nestled in and just above the drill is a sort of hollow where the base of the tree is set. The drill (which you really can't see in this picture, but it is on top of the green motor) comes up and drills the hole perfectly so that when the tree is placed on the spike in the stand, it is straight and secure.

We joke that this stand has actually saved marriages, but judging from some of the comments by people who come back year after year, apparently for those for whom setting up the tree each year is a stressful activity, it may have certainly made a difference in their tree experience!

It is so easy, that single women have been thrilled to have found the system as well. My sister used to like to get a fresh tree while her husband was at his National Guard weekend and she found with this stand, she could easily get the tree, take it inside and set it up by herself while he was gone.

My husband always finds a tree with a twisted trunk that would usually wreak havoc with a normal tree stand and puts it in one of the Stand Straight Stands to demonstrate just how well it works. You can see that he cuts off some of the bottom limbs to make it quite evident that this is not the *perfect tree*. It still stands straight and tall.

Our tree farm is choose and cut, so we're helping people make memories with their kids... Just trudging up the hill to the field of tree and (especially this year in the snow) finding a tree, cutting it and hauling it down are adventure enough for most families. This is supposed to be a happy time. No one needs to deal with more challenges when they get home!

Snowfall....

We had a snow last night that left our woods a winter wonderland. It was even more beautiful earlier, but by the time I got out to take pictures, the sun had come out and a lot had melted.... The little building on the right is a cabin my husband and son built years ago as a play house. It is built over a little creek that flows along the side of the woods. The flat area in the front is our frozen pond.

This is our gazebo... It's at the closer side of the pond. Just thought it looked really picturesque..

In the summer, it's a pleasant place to sit and read or sketch .. a nice breeze blowing through it, a little shade and a beautiful view of the pond and the woods...

The vines growing up around it are trumpet vines that cover it pretty completely in the summer, but in the winter, they make an interesting tracery.

Our little Rudy just about lost his mind this morning when he went outside. He was the first one out in the 6" snow and it came to his shoulders. At first, he seemed bewildered. I guess he had forgotten about this stuff since last year. He gingerly walked out and then he fell in a lump.. like he thought this was just a special cushiony surface for his enjoyment. From that position, he started poking around with his nose and seemed to be trying to make little puppy snow angels.

When Bob went out with him to start cleaning up... shoveling, etc., Rudy thought it was a new game. I don't believe I've ever seen him so excited... leaping about and running in zig zag patterns across the walk.... So exhilarated - and so much fun to watch.

Buggies=Skateboards???

Again, something that is more or less uniquely "Lancaster County". Actually, this is unusual even here. I was a bit taken aback to see this one in a snall local strip mall parking lot. More common, is a hitching post especially for "The Carriage Trade" to make it convenient for our Amish neighbors to shop.

Recently, since the days are shorter and we have more night driving and icy windshields, there have been a number of accidents involving buggies. They are lit according to law, and even sport decidedly "worldly" (certainly not Amish) orange slow-moving vehicle triangles on the back, but every year there are terrible accidents.

The surprise of coming up on a slow moving buggy on a twisting back country road can test the best reflexes and often the accidents involve alcohol on the part of the car driver.

I wish we could all take a page out of their book and slow down enough to watch the world go by, but our fast paced society has lost that ability and seems to be taking it away from theirs.

Now the buggies have been relegated to the same status as roller blades and skateboards in our parking lots.... yep there was a sign about them, too.

Christmas Trees & Old Friends

This is a bad picture of a road through one of the fields where our trees grow. I should have taken pictures yesterday of the activity here at our Christmas tree farm, Frog Hollow Hollow Evergreens. Since Friday, people have begun cutting and taking their trees home for the holidays. Lots of people still tagging for later, too and we have lots of nice trees for them to select from. After a few *lean* years following some nasty drought conditions, it's really nice to be able to send folks up without holding our breath and crossing our fingers that they will be able to find something they like.

Our *Welcoming Committee*, Rudy (our Sheltie), is in heaven since he is constantly surrounded by large groups of adoring children, many who are just his size! He is totally exhausted by the end of the day - crashing somewhere out of the way, usually under a table or behind the sofa. At other times, he's begging us to play, but not on the days when he has so much *work* to do!

My sister, Tina, and I have been busy making goodies for in a little shop we have carved out of my studio space. We are selling the things both of us normally make & do like my soaps and beads and her books and magazines, but we also have made a number of things especially for Christmas: Gift baskets, Holiday Potpourri, Whipped Shea Butter, Lip Balms, Sugar & Salt Scrubs - too many to mention...

It is interesting seeing so many people come through and fun seeing old friends from years past. We still see folks from the Herb Basket - the shop we started many years ago in Landisville. Yesterday morning, one of our favorite customers, June, stopped in for a tree and some goodies from the shop. It was just so nice to see her again! June was there for many of our classes at the herb shop and I remember her bringing a camera and a shower cap to our very first *Kitchen Cosmetics* class... someday I'd like to see the pictures she took that night!

Fluorescent Spider

Look what I saw crawling across the driveway as I was walking out to the shop! Fluorescent Spiders! Jeesh! First, the birds and now this...

I assume that the coloring means it's poisonous or is just a mutation that protects it from its predators. Works for me!

Sorry the picture is so fuzzy, but I was a bit excited. Anyone know what this is???

Llamas (Alpacas)!

I pass these guys everytime I take an order of soap and stuff over to Cloverleaf Herb Farm in Mt Joy. Today was one of those days and I decided I had to take a picture!


They are Alpacas and there's a store nearby that sells alpaca socks, hats, gloves, etc., etc. I haven't yet visited the store, but I've seen the gorgeous creatures out grazing all the time. They even have a horse thrown into the pack although I don't think he/she is on the picture.

It's kind of a jarring sight when you're accustomed to seeing cows and horses and suddenly, here is a pasture full of something that looks possibly like a long necked sheep, or maybe one of those sleek Afghan Hounds.

Now, when I see this pasture full of Alpacas, even though I know they aren't Llamas, I think of this Llama Song and try (poorly, I'll admit) to sing the song! The song still cracks me up and if you have a decent connection, it may entertain you, too!

Back to the Torch

Back to the torch! I was afraid that I was away too long and would forget what I knew about making beads.

Someone asked me if I could make beads to match her round soaps and the tablet press is perfect for the job. The beads came out pretty well and I'm thinking they would make a gorgeous necklace or charm bracelet.

The soap bead inspiration got me started and I kept going, inspired by colors and some of the angel beads I've seen online recently.

I thought about doing a Christmas angel/fairy and came up with this little one (on the right) dressed in green with gold tipped wings and halo.

She isn't one of my best beads, but then I started to think about some of the stuffed, primitive angels we used to make years ago, and progressed to some really basic angels, but I like them too. I was so impatient to get pictures of these and didn't really do a good job so I hope you can see that the turquoise angel has a bit of holly on her skirt.

The pink angel is more *just a country angel*, no specific season for her! She has a little green vine twined around her and a stylized daisy.

At least they are somewhat original. I was hoping to come up with something a little different from what everyone else is doing.

Finally, I was about to turn off the torch, but had been so happy with the look of the turquoise angel, that I picked up one more mandrel and started a fairy. I love this little gal, there is a depth to her that isn't easily visible in the photo - very etherial. No name yet. I'm thinking some kind of water nymph fairy... is there such a thing?

That thrill of watching the glass swirling around the mandrel never leaves. I'm still not technically perfect by a long shot, but I feel I get better all the time. I must constantly remind myself that I don't have to rush to get the piece finished. I can keep it warm and continue working... I can add and subtract. Glass is much more forgiving now than it was a couple of years ago.

Trolls, Buffoons and Queens

This going to be one of those thoughtful posts... no pictures, but something has been occupying my time and I have to write about it because it just clicked for me.

In two of the online *worlds* which I frequent, there has been a bit of trolling going on. One is innocuous and probably short lived. The other has caused major rifts in the community and friendships are being irretrievably broken.

Someone posted a long description of this type of behavior and the sub-groups along with do's and don'ts in handling trolls. I should probably copy it here or post a link, but maybe another day.

The only comparison I have is that when we were flying balloons.... well, my husband was flying - I was chasing... a similar thing happened in *real life*.

We had a small pocket of balloonists in our area. One pioneer of the sport had brought it back home with him and had trained a few pilots. We were a close, fun group. Flying in Amish Country, we had made certain self-governing rules. Among them was an agreement to do no *champagne flights* in deference to the religious beliefs of the people in whose fields we often landed. We were also careful to avoid landing near animals, on planted fields and to be extremely polite to the landowners.

It's hard to keep a low profile when you are flying a 6 story balloon around the county, but since it was a group of peole who had a common interest and shared their knowledge and love of the sport freely, we were happy to basically do our thing and only needed to seek publicity when there was a special public event coming up. As I said before, it was a close knit group and we had a lot of fun and friends within it.

As time went on, the technology of the sport improved and it became an easier (but still rather expensive) sport to enter. Still it demanded knowledge and self-control. Flying a balloon (and landing safely) is more complicated than it may seem.

Someone entered that relatively exciting arena. This person learned from the real pioneers of the sport (or craft) and then decided to become the expert, spokesman, *source of all knowledge and adventure* in that field. He was loud, crass and decided, "The hell with the rules... I make my own rules!". "I can afford this.. don't tell me what to do." He brought in his own *Varsity* team and basically acted as if he had invented the sport and brought it to our area... never mind that one of the first hot air balloon pilots in our area and the US had been flying for many years before he came along.

This guy was often featured in our newspaper with tales of the wild exploits he was *planning*. He sought out high-profile sponsors and his name became synonymous with ballooning in our area. The champagne flights began and tales of his misadventures were circulated among the old-timers who shook their heads and watched as the red areas on the map (places where land-owners had forbidden landing) grew.

Most of his grandiose schemes came to naught. The reports of the events were never published, only the plans. Many of the older balloonists just stopped flying because the connection to this buffoon was made one time too often. Supporters and critics argued about his influence and many good friendships were broken over this fellow.

He had destroyed a wonderful sport in our area through his grandstanding... I haven't heard about him in years and all the great events we used to have here have died out.

I'm sure there are other reasons why this has happened, but I see his entry into the sport as the catalyst....

Now, I'm seeing this in other areas. One person should never be permitted to destroy a group. I've seen terrible fighting on forums about herbs & soaps, because one person decided to become the be all and end all of the topic.

Now I'm seeing it in the glass forums as well.. I didn't understand why I was not impressed with some of the *stars* in the glass sommunity. I even took a couple of classes from some of them - which left me even more unimpressed with the personalities of those upon all praise is showered.

I love the free exchange of information that is available on the web these days, but now I know why, when someone sets themselves up as *the* expert, I want to run in the other direction.

Sorry - this probably doesn't even make sense to most people reading it, but just think about it when you are humbled by someone's knowledge in your field.

We are all here to learn - from each other. EVERYONE has something to contribute. Especially in the arts.. and anyone who divides a group is a serious threat to the community as a whole.... IGNORE THEM! Do not feed their ego.

Moonlight Fairy....

Two posts in two days... I knew I could get back to blogging again!

This is the Moonlight Fairy I wrote about in a previous post. I wish you could see the detail, but her colors demand a blue background,and Photoshop is a wonderful thing. It gave her a fabulous background and just the right mood. The large bead above her with the moon on it is actually a sliding bead that acts as the adjuster/fastener for the necklace. Both sides of the necklace slide through it so the length can be adjusted easily.

We went down to Amish country again today to make some deliveries and I wish I could have taken pictures of the wash hanging out in the breeze! Monday is still the traditional wash day and all the wash is hung outside to dry. The Amish have large families and all the black pants and coats are lined up in graduating sizes! The women's brightly colored dresses are an interesting contrast flapping alongside. The washlines are often strung between the barn and the house on pulleys so *Mom* can just stand on the porch clipping wash on the line and push it out. Same thing in reverse when it's time to bring it in.

I'm not sure what it is the men do on washdays, but apparently it isn't field work. All the work horses were lounging about in the fields enjoying the rest and pleasant fall breezes! They seemed to be deep in conversation... What do you suppose they talk about out there?

"Well, what do you think the old man is up to today? We got the dang field cleared for him last week and all the corn is in."

"Aw, he'll find something for us to do. You know, no rest for the weary."

"Yeah, just once, I'd like to see him do some work around here!"

Ya think it's like that?