Showing posts with label at. Show all posts
Showing posts with label at. Show all posts
UPink Vineyard I want one at my house!
UPink Vineyard I want one at my house!
On Monday I drove to a UPick Vineyard about one hour south of me. What a cool place. For years I wondered where it was and this year I did something about it. I found the place!
This vineyard has been here since the 70s and is very nicely established. The vines are beautifully trellised and well taken care of. This particular vineyard grows Concord grapes.
One can come here to pick anytime during daylight hours and it truly is a serve yourself place.
There are two wagons complete with tall flag to ease finding them. You take your own buckets and pick until your hearts content. Two five gallon buckets equals one bushel. One bushel equals $5. You just mail them the check for what ever you picked. What a great example of trust in folks they dont even know. I seriously doubt that the grape picking variety will stiff them but you never know.
I had actually intended to pick two bushels worth to make grape juice. I got bored one bushel in.
So I picked just the two buckets worth I had and called it a day. Then the real work began at home. I have one bucket juiced and canned and the other bucket will be done tonight. It is amazing how crazy sweet these grapes are. I cringe to add sugar to the recipe the from my canning guide so I cut it way down. Good stuff, and as fresh as it gets.
UPink Vineyard I want one at my house!
Lonely at Christmas Youre not alone
Lonely at Christmas Youre not alone
But Christmas has changed for me. As a child, it was always our favorite time of the year. Lights outside, multiple trees and garlands inside, holiday music always and signs of Christmas were just everywhere. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we always hosted a house full of people and laughter and gifts galore. Family, neighbors, friends, even the mailman would stop in for a hot cocoa. It was something out of a Hallmark movie and it was truly magical.
I can recall putting on our holiday best and heading out as a family to celebrate Christmas Eve mass even when the wind chills were 20 below and the snow would crunch beneath my high heels. Then we would watch Its A Wonderful Life and finish wrapping and cooking for Christmas Day.
But then life got in the way. At 31, I was diagnosed with my first cancer and a few months later, my Dad died very suddenly at a New Years party. My parents were SO in love that when I lost my Dad, my Moms shining spirit was never as bright, now dimmed by grief and heartbreak. Three years later, my older brother passed away and then the following week, my beautiful Mom was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She lost her most courageous battle the following November close to Thanksgiving. So my magical holiday world was forever changed as my parents deaths now bookend the most wonderful time of the year. Then one year later, I was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer. And my last round of chemotherapy was the week before Christmas. I remember, on Christmas Eve, sitting on the kitchen floor at my boyfriends house, crying, bald and sick with mouth sores so awful the only thing I could stand to eat was frozen watermelon. How quickly my wonderful life had changed. But I stopped crying, and laid on the couch in a room a glow by the Christmas tree and hope was restored. And now here, six Decembers later, I am here to write this post. My miracle.
My crazy love life could be a Lifetime Movie so as of right now, I am not married (YET) and treatments for both breast and ovarian cancer has robbed me of my ability to have children or even adopt. So here I am. Just me. Dont get me wrong, I have a lot of special people in my life whom I love very dearly along with two older sisters I cherish. But Christmas is hard knowing I will never have my own children. I always envisioned myself being THAT Mom - with five Pottery Barn stockings hanging on the fireplace and making snowman pancakes on Christmas morning.
Alas, it isnt meant to be - it isnt in Gods plan. But it still makes me very, very sad.
But I LOVE Christmas. It is not what is used to be and it never will be that way again but it still means SO much. I get excited for Christmas on November 1st as I take down the Halloween decorations. I love the lights, the music, the incessant Hallmark Christmas movies. I love the sound of sleigh bells, Church bells and the smell of Christmas cookies. I still cry when they play Silent Night at mass on Christmas Eve and I still smile when I put the ornaments on the tree - some of the same ones from when I was a child. I still dance around the kitchen when Mariah Careys carols come on the radio and I still make snow angels in the yard. No matter how broken your heart may be, no matter if you have financial problems, family troubles, health challenges marital problems, unemployment or whatever, no matter what - you must always have hope, faith and trust. And if your life is wonderful and you have no adversities, be thankful for Gods gifts and the peace and love that graces your home. For if we have learned nothing from this Christmas season, we should at least know that our lives can change in an instance through no fault of our own. I pray for those parents who have lost their children this month.
My parents gave me the most wonderful gift when they taught me to enjoy the "wonder" that is not only Christmas but in life and love throughout the year. To love and to be loved it the greatest gift.
My inner child really never goes away and it allows me to find the magic in every single day. Be it a robin in my birdbath, the first tulips pushing through the snow in the Spring, finding the perfect paint color, or laughing so hard your stomach hurts. It allows me to be silly and truly have fun everyday. I still find myself envious of those homes full of people and family but I have learned that just because you are surrounded by people, doesnt mean you still cant be lonely. Or if you are alone that you cant be happy. I recall with such happiness the ghosts of Christmas past and am so grateful for the life gifts my parents gave me and to God for giving me my Mom and Dad. I have learned that life doesnt have to be perfect to be wonderful and no matter how bad things get, we really do all have our own version of Clarence - AS 2 watching over all of us. It just may be harder to believe this on our bad days.
But this year is especially hard with the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook school. To see those shining faces and to know they will not be opening their gifts this year, or having another birthday or sleeping in their bed ever again - that is so difficult to bear. All we can do it pray and cry and pray some more.
So, if today isnt your best day, it really is ok. Life has a way of working itself out. Someone is usually there to lend a helping hand and love is never very far away. I just have to learn to swallow my stubborn pride and ask for help or a hug sometimes. If your relatives are borderline nuts, relish it - cherish it for that is what makes family so special. Be the bigger person and hug someone in your family you dont like very much or wish a complete stranger Merry Christmas with a big smile. What you receive in return may turn out to be your greatest gift this year.
And if you still have a heavy heart, remember that Christmas is really just a day. One day out of 365. If you are sad and lonely, jump in the car and go look at Christmas lights and have a good cry. Eat lots of junk food for the one day. Or watch your favorite non-Christmas movie. Or better yet - watch ELF and laugh til you cry or just go to bed. Because when you wake up on December 26th, Christmas is but a memory. And you have 364 days to make changes so next year is your best Christmas ever!
I wish the magic of a very Merry Christmas to all and to all a good life!
Lonely at Christmas Youre not alone
Goats At The End Of The Rainbow
Goats At The End Of The Rainbow
Do you ever really wonder where the end of the rainbow is? I do, pretty regularly. The end of summer in my part of Idaho is often volatile and forest fires usually spark up after you think the danger has passed. Not yet this summer! So far we are still A-Ok and have plenty of lightening shows to watch in awe!
The goats on the other hand, hate inclement weather of any kind. If a storm cloud passes over head, they hide. If it gets too hot, they nap. When the wind blows..... they scream at the top of their lungs for us to come sit with them. Spoiled rotten goats, I tell you.
I must admit, they are sitting pretty fat and happy right now. This picture doesnt begin to show how round this little girl is. She is officially wider than she is tall and is dieting.... against her will. They can be heard hollering from the barn when they think dinner is three minutes late and they bellow in the morning just to compete with the dang rooster. My small farm now sounds like a much larger farm. Even at 6:00 in the morning. Especially at 6:00 in the morning. I wonder if one can get morning blinders for a rooster and tranquilizers for pygmy goats, I would desperately like to sleep in one of these days. Just for a minute.
Goats At The End Of The Rainbow
Decorate for Christmas and Halloween at the same time
Decorate for Christmas and Halloween at the same time
I started decorating for Fall and Halloween today and I wanted to share one of my little tips with you today. When decorating my front porch, I always start with my Christmas garland. It gives me a chance to fluff and secure it without it being 20 degrees and possibly even snowing. I also add the lights, making sure they work and simply dont plug them in.
Once the holiday garland is up, I simply take my fall garlands and adhere them to the evergreen garland. It makes it much easier to put up the fall garland and makes it all look so full. The Autumn garland against the green brings in all the colors of Fall and I love the way it looks.
When it comes time for Christmas, I simply remove the garlands, add my bows and in less than 10 minutes, I can easily switch over from Autumn to Christmas.
I added pumpkin lights on top of the Fall garland and we are ready for October tricks and treats!
Decorate for Christmas and Halloween at the same time
DX Update and a Station Upgrade at W8MDE
DX Update and a Station Upgrade at W8MDE
Old man winter still has us in his icy grip but Ive been keeping warm inside at the operating position at W8MDE. In the last week Ive taken advantage of the multi-band capabilities of my backyard antenna and worked some DX. Besides my regular log book of all the contacts I make I keep a list of amateur stations I work located in other countries and Ive managed to add a few new ones to the list.
As of right now the 10-meter band or 28 MHz is my favorite slice of radio spectrum. 10-meters is a great band for low power long range communications. Ive noticed every morning just after daybreak signals appear and quickly gain intensity as the band "opens". It is most definitely hard to tear myself away from my rig to head into work for the day.
I have been mainly using the digital PSK modes to chase DX but Ive also made a few CW contacts using Morse Code radiotelegraphy.
PSK-31 7.040 MHz HI8MU Domincan Republic*
PSK-31 7.040 MHz EA2BJS Zaragoza, Spain*
PSK-63 7.040 MHz F5RHD France*
PSK-63 7.040 MHz EH5ANT Denia, Spain*
PSK-31 7.040 MHz IT9CCB Siracusa, Italy*
CW 24.902 MHz IS0BOY Sardinia, Italy
PSK-31 28.120 MHz IV3JER Italy
PSK-31 28.120 MHz F1PKH France
CW 28.020 MHz E79D Bosnia Herzegovinia
CW 28.020 MHz YN5SU Nicaragua
PSK-31 14.070 MHz HR1EPZ Tegucigalpa, Honduras
PSK-31 28.120 MHz UR5ZD Pervomaisk, Ukraine
PSK-31 28.120 MHz R3FO Dmitrov, Russia
PSK-31 28.120 MHz ON4BWI Merksplas, Belgium
*For these contacts I was using the 66 end fed half wave wire. As a resonant antenna at the 40 meter wavelength the wire works much better than the short Gap Eagle antenna.
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Palstar SP30B Communication Speaker
One day I happened upon amateur radio equipment manufacturer Palstar Inc. based right here in Ohio. What caught my attention was two models of communication speakers made and sold by this company. External speakers have been around as long as radio but since most modern ham transceivers have built in speakers I never gave the idea much thought. As predominantly a CW and digital operator the tiny on board speaker of my Icom 718 always seemed to work fine. If I am sitting down for an extra long session or weak signal copying I usually use a pair of headphones.
After reading a few favorable reviews of the speakers at eham.net I decided the smaller of the two units would fit my needs nicely. At the time I had a couple of days until I would be operating in the Straight Key Century Clubs Weekend Sprint so I called up the company and purchased the SP30B. The service I received from Palstar was excellent and the speaker arrived well packaged the Friday before the sprint.
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| Three different ways to connect your audio in. |
Heres a description from the Palstar website:
The Palstar SP30B shortwave speaker is a custom engineered shortwave radio speaker. To truly enjoy the radio listening experience, you need a high quality speaker.
After completing the R30A shortwave receiver to rave reviews among users, the Palstar team saw the need for a compact shortwave speaker that is tonally matched to the R30A and designed to put out clear, low-distortion reproduction of the frequency range of broadcast human speech.
The key to quality speaker sound is magnet size. The SP30B has an 8 Ohm speaker with a hefty 6 oz. magnet, a frequency response of 60 Hz to 8 kHz, and a 5 Watt power rating in a custom-built wooden cabinet (black or cherry). The SP30B is the speaker that will bring back good sound to your listening experience.
I chose the black cabinet to compliment the rest of my equipment which is also black and it does look great on my desk. The real test though came when I found a patch cable in my spare parts and connected up the speaker to my rig. I am truly impressed with the sound that comes out of the SP30B. The natural background noise and harshness of the HF spectrum seemed to be reduced and the sounds I want to hear pop from the grill more clear and loud than I ever experienced before with my amateur gear. The tone of received CW signals now have a much warmer and pleasant quality that really does enhance my listening.
Next I tuned in some amateur single side band voice transmissions and discovered sure enough this is where the speaker really shines. Ive never been a fan of side band audio and the Donald Duck like sound of transmitted voice. With the Palstars response tuned to the frequency range of human speech it was as if my receiver had been transformed. The voices I heard had a clarity and warmth that the stock speaker in my radio cant even begin to touch. I noted the same outcome later that night when I checked out the shortwave broadcast bands.
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| The joinery of the hardwood cabinet is very well done. |
DX Update and a Station Upgrade at W8MDE
First Friday At The Banana Factory May 2 2014
First Friday At The Banana Factory May 2 2014
Im expecting a great crowd tonight for First Friday at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA
where I am an artist in residence! From 6pm to 9pm all of the resident artists studios
will be open to the public and there is lots to see and do. My studio is on the first floor,
studio 102, so if you get a chance to come out, be sure to stop in and say hello!
Its going to be a beautiful night!
Part of my studio inside the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA. I am in studio 102, first floor.
One of my studio walls, all filled with new jewelry available for purchase.
On display tonight in my studio at the Banana Factory
I was featured artist of the month last month for April! Here I am hanging my exhibit. April
is now over, but you can still see my exhibit, which I moved from the hall into my studio.
Featured artist exhibit night and book signing
Inside my studio
I will also have some copies of my new jewelry instruction book, BoHo Chic Jewelry available
for purchase in my studio. If you cant make it to the studio, you can purchase a copy here.
The Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA (directions)
What do you think?
Hope to see you there!
First Friday At The Banana Factory May 2 2014
Shedworkers and homeworkers at risk in new Government tax plan
Shedworkers and homeworkers at risk in new Government tax plan
The Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) has cautioned the UK Government against shifting the rules on travel expenses if they harm homeworkers.
Michael Steed, President of the ATT, said: “The Government has published a discussion paper which proposes changes to the current, sometimes complicated, rules on travel and subsistence for employees and under these proposed changes, homeworkers, who make a significant contribution to Britain’s successful flexible labour market, may be denied tax relief on travel between their home work base and their employers’ work places. We would not wish to see any of these arrangements disturbed by a disadvantageous shift in the travel and subsistence rules.”
One of the Government’s proposals is that employees who work in more than one location for more than 30 per cent of their working time should be allowed to choose which one of those locations or bases is their main working base. They would then be unable to claim tax relief on the travel costs incurred on journeys between home and that agreed main base.
However, the Government also proposes to deny homeworkers the ability to choose their home as their main base, if they have a base somewhere else, such as their employer’s head office, therefore denying relief on travel between their work place at home and the head office.
Michael Steed added: “It is unfair that homeworkers may not be allowed to nominate their home as their main base under the proposals. It could result in tax relief being denied on what is, in effect, legitimate business travel. This would leave either employers or employees out of pocket and could lead to some employees giving up their jobs. It feels like a backward step to consider denying tax relief on travel costs in this way, given the increased trend in homeworking. We urge the Government to consider carefully the implications of their proposals.” --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Shedworkers and homeworkers at risk in new Government tax plan