engarian

It Doesn't Feel Like a Saturday

engarian — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:13:38 GMT

Once upon a time, weekends meant something. It signified two days away from the school grounds, two days away from homework and teachers (although there was often homework that needed to be turned in on Monday mornings), and it was "family time" for many of us. At work, Saturday was always a busy day — we would get people coming into town for various weekend events like pow wows or exhibitions. They would often drop by on their way to or from those just to pick up a few things. That won't be happening now. We're totally closed except by invitation at this point.

The Family Center's order has taken us days to get organized and invoiced out. They need to know the dollar value of what they got, and we also need that for our taxes, even though they actually aren't purchasing anything. It's been a lot of work for all three of us. Yes ... three of us. Chickie is still with us, working four days a week while looking for a new job. Our hours are much more flexible at this point, and we're rolling as we need to. But we really need that third person right now. When the Family Center order is finished, I'll be contacting the St Paul Indian Center to come over and pick whatever they want. We'll just go down the line and see whatever we can give away to their benefit and, hopefully, also for ours.

Getting rid of stuff is almost more time consuming than selling it — LOL. Of course it doesn't help that the cash register computer system is toast. Things would be a lot easier if we could just run them through the register, but the equipment was just as exhausted as I was, and it simply isn't coming back into functional status.

But, as the saying goes, "We persevere". At least the temperatures are lower and sleeping is more comfortable again. I know it won't last — it is August, after all — but I'll happily take whatever cooler weather the Weather Gods are giving us. Have an excellent Saturday and weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini.

A Quick Check-In

engarian — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:40:11 GMT

So, the main portion of our Going Out of Business Sale is over. BUT ... we still have a LOT of merchandise left, so we're going to do two three-day sales starting next week, so get rid of as much of the overstock as possible. We're busy packing everything into 100 piece bags and the bags are priced to sell at close to what a single 20-pack had been selling for at the beginning of this year. We think they'll go well. Right now, however, the store looks like a bomb went off in it - cartons and bins everywhere, beads over every horizontal surface. I'm also missing a key for one of the display cases that I ABSOLUTELY MUST find before long. I have someone who bought those display cases, and I need to clear the goods from them so that she can pick them up next week, or the week after. Nothing ever goes smoothly in the life of me - LOL. Have an excellent day, I'm off to grab a bite to eat, then head over to the shop.

Closing the Store

engarian — Wed, 13 May 2026 11:05:46 GMT

I really don't have anything to say. Work is work and all-encompassing, time off is time to eat and sleep. I can hardly wait for the end of the whole thing, but we still have a month remaining.

- Erulisse (one L)

Sunday Was Quieter, But Intense

engarian — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:31:50 GMT

Sunday was a bit of a catch-up day. We certainly had customers. I had one gentleman I had been helping with Native American pottery come in. I had met him about two weeks ago, and he's a serious collector who was interested in several of the pots we had available. He ended up purchasing three, and that was a VERY nice sale. I was quite grateful.

Sunday was slower, though. We didn't open until noon, and closed at 4:00 pm. Today we're back on "normal" schedule. We'll see how "Week 2" starts out. I miss being in daily contact with all of you, but it is what it is. *hugs*

A VERY Quick Post

engarian — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:28:01 GMT

Just popping in VERY quickly to say I'm still alive, and the sale is going REALLY well. But there's still a lot of time ahead of me before we lock the doors for the final time. A long-time customer and Ren Fest friend has jumped in to help us. She's come after her gils have left for school, and worked for most of the day jelping put product back onto the racks. SO IMPORTANT. i DON'T KNOW WHAT i WOULD DO WITHOUT HER. Right now, though, it's one day at a time. Don't worry about me if I don't post for a while. We're that busy. *Hugs* to all! Slava Ukraini.

Apologies

engarian — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 15:30:57 GMT

I'm completely off schedule today, so no post because I'm running late for work. Sorry, but have a great weekend.

- Erulisse (one L)

Tools and Software - A Busy Weekend Moving Into a Busy Monday

engarian — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:51:42 GMT

Happy Monday to all. After my run this morning, I grabbed my point driver and set about anchoring the small kachina paintings I've been framing into their frames. I cut the glass on Saturday, so I was ready to finish things up. EXCEPT ... *sigh* ... the Framedriver tool I'm using doesn't have enough power to penetrate the frame. *sigh* I'm picking up my next frame on Wednesday. I'll have to ask Rook if he has any suggestions for me. It might just need a tension adjustment, but I'd like to get the pieces finished and ready to sell.

I know there is a tension adjustment knob at the back of the point driver. I may have to adjust that to get enough power for the points to insert into my frame.

DH was in a "Clean this house" mood yesterday, and we did get a lot accomplished in the small bathroom as well as the living room. There's still a lot of clening remaining, but I feel better about Sharon's visit at month-end now. Of course when DH "helps", it often leads to more mess than had originally been there, but in the long run it's beneficial.

We've been playing "Lord of the Rings Online" since the original Beta, so many, many years now. DH still plays regularly. I simply don't have the time to play these days. But, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning my characters. My world is being eliminated, so I had to move my characters over to a different world. That was accomplished yesterday afternoon.

DH also spent most of yesterday getting characters moved from the "worlds" we had been playing in over to a different platform. The software company is eliminating several worlds from play at the end of the month (or maybe even a bit sooner), so we had to get our characters moved over. I haven't played LOTRO for quite a while, but DH still plays almost every day. But the transfer went fairly smoothly after some minor panic about our houses (we own several houses each, spread over Middle Earth). I think everything is now resolved, but I'll have to check later this week to make sure.

So, I'm going to sit back, drink my tea, have a small breakfast, and head to the shop. I hope all of you have a great Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.

LJ Idol and Framing - Closing the Shop Meant Making Some Decisions

engarian — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 11:45:11 GMT

I'm not a quitter, and I love a challenge (and a great group of competitors and friends), but I'm pulling out of LJ Idol effective immediately. With our trying to close the store this year, and the amount of sheer hours I'm having to put into the shop to make this happen, I simply don't have the time to write a quality piece for submission. I refuse to post anything but my best. So, my post for this week was my withdrawal notification, and I'm quite sad about that on the one hand, and a bit relieved on the other.

I'm both sad and happy at my decision to pull out of LJ Idol. I'm sad because I love the challenge of writing to Gary's themes (he's EVIL when it comes to his theme choices). I'm happy because I simply don't have the time for Idol this time around, and I can't feel guilty about that - it's purely a fact.

I spent yesterday doing a bit of cooking, but then turned my eyes to clearing up the den so that I can set up my mat-cutter and get some of the prints that we have at the shop, matted and ready for framing and sale. I have more than 100 pieces that need a mat at the least, and for many of them I've already got the pre-cut framing purchased, just waiting to be assembled. It'll be fun to work with framing again - I was quite good at it when I had my original store and my Mall of America store.

There are a lot of components that go into framing a piece of artwork for sale. Not every piece needs glazing, but many do. Not all require multiple mats, but they can make a piece extra special. The backing board and dust covers are essential. It's a multi-layer cake, in essence.

Like most people, I had started out working with a local framer nearby, but quickly realized that wasn't cost-effective. At that time, Larson-Juhl, one of the major framing manufacturers, started offering framing classes through their Eden Prairie location. I signed up for that - a week of intensive framing lectures and hands-on practice. We then purchased some rather expensive equipment, and I was off and running. In the long run it saved us quite a bit of money - most artwork needs to be framed to look good on a wall, and I had half of the entire front wall of my Mall of America store dedicated to framed artwork for sale. We also had one room in our original St Paul location dedicated to framed artwork for sale. Both places looked great, and we sold a lot of artwork.

Larson-Juhl is one of the largest frame manufacturers and distributors in the nation. They used to have a huge warehouse and factory in Eden Prairie, MN - one of the far Western suburbs of the Twin Cities. They offered a five-day professional framing course and I signed up for it. At that time we were just dipping our toes into selling fine art, and we hoped that framing it ourselves wouldbe a massive price saver.

In our current location, however, display space fights with Navajo weavings and artifacts of various kinds, and our artwork area is quite a bit more limited. Out clientele is different as well. Here, we have become a craft supply store with beads being our major focus, not Native American art and collectibles. The beads pay the rent - we don't sell a lot of artwork, although we have some really great pieces. But I also have print drawers full of original artwork that needs to be framed (or at minimal - matted) before it can be sold.

I have a top of the line mat cutting machine that I purchased at the time I took the class. It can handle pretty much any paper materials I feed into it. I also purchased a chop saw for wood if I wanted to make my own frames.

So I'll be spending a lot of time with my mat cutter, my glass cutter, my sheet cutter and my various tools. It's going to take me a bit of time to get my hand back into cutting fancy mats and framing, but I always enjoyed it. So, for at least part of my "days off" I'll be working at home on cutting mats and assembling artwork for sale. Some will be framed, others just shrink-wrapped, but they'll all look great. I'll just have to join LJ Idol for their next time because writing, except in my head, is simply time I won't have until after I've locked the doors of Stormcloud for good.

The other piece of equipment that I own is this - a glass and mat cutting machine. We've used it a lot! It's about one-two degrees out of true right now, so I'll need to do some adjusting. It's also in a difficult place to work with larger pieces of glass, so that may become an issue.

Have an excellent weekend. We'll have thunderstorms on and off throughout the day and maybe into tomorrow. The current storm is passing both North and South of us, and we're in an island of calm, interrupted by rumbles of thunder. The afternoon will be a bit more active - LOL. Be kind, and Slava Ukraini.

It's Monday, It's Muggy and It's Hot - What Else is New? LJ Idol?

engarian — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:51:18 GMT

Happy Monday. It's the start of a new week of trials and tribulations. Guaranteed. I need to get going on getting items matted and shrink wrapped, but the time available for this is minimal, at best. I may have to start going in for several hours on Sunday mornings just to get everything moving. That won't make me super happy, but it might be exactly what it needs to be.

I'm feeling crunched for time and time is most definitely NOT on my side. There's too much to do and too little time in which to do it.

Chickie brought me a Denver Broncos horsehair woven keychain. It's fabulous. I've never seen one like it and it took some serious skills to get the emblem onto it. I'm seriously impressed. I'll try and take a photo of it to share with all of you. It was crafted by Don Town at the Montana State Prison. Many of the Native Americans in that region of the country work in horsehair, But this took some serious skill.

The Denver Broncos logo is tricky, and the fact that this horsehair artist was able to put it onto the keychain twice is exceptional. I'm totally in love with this gift that Chickie found for me. Truly excellent!

The weekend was hot and muggy and horrid. I don't like it when we have humidity that's as high as yesterday was. It's a never ending sweat fest when the temps are high and the humidity is high. It's what I don't like about Florida, Georgia and the other Southern states. It's not fun putting on clothes after your morning shower and feeling like you should be right back into the shower in an hour.

I'm not really much of a fan of hot and muggy weather. My plants, I suspect, were quite pleased, however. My tomatoes are growing like weeds. My peppers are a bit slower.

My LJ Idol story is up and I'd appreciate a read and a vote if you're so inclined. It's a crowded field right now - a lot of extremely talented people. I read through everyone's entry and cast my votes over the weekend, but I was sparing with those votes. I graded each piece as I read it, and only voted for those which received my highest grade. It will be quite a culling, we have a LOT of writers (there are 37 of us this time around) who ended up joining us for this go-round - some of whom I've competed with in the past. There are some super talented writers in the group. I've got to bring my "A" game for each challenge. (The story is here - https://erulissedances.dreamwidth.org/1118554.html and the voting is here https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1185269.html. I hope I merit your vote if you enjoyed my story, and there are some other magnificent entries as well, if you're down for reading through the list of competitors.

So, I'm out of here. Breakfast, work, home, dinner, sleep and tomorrow ... the pool! Much cooler than the treadmill was this morning - LOL. Enjoy your day! Slava Ukraini.

Sometimes I'm a Stupid Git!

engarian — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 11:06:32 GMT

I was at the shop until almost 8:00 pm yesterday night, wrapping up this large Swarovski crystal order I'm sending to the West Coast. I got the day ended, then I started the sale, and finally had everything entered into the computer and was ready to plug in her credit card number, box the merch up, and send it on its' way today. EXCEPT ... like an idiot, I hadn't asked for, nor noticed that she hadn't included the three digit CVV number from the back of the credit card. *sigh*

The CVV number, three digits on Visa and MasterCard, four digits on AMEX, is the Card Verification Value number. (I bet you didn't know what CVV stood for, right?)

After several calls, I left a voicemail asking for those numbers and gave up for the night. I had a message from her this morning saying she had left it on our answering machine. I'm only hoping I can access that on our new phones when I get into the shop. I'm going to try and get in quite early. I want to wrap this up and send it to Northern California first thing this morning. It's a great order, and I'm very appreciative for the dollars (and the learning experience). but I'm a bit stressed, and until everything arrives safely at her door, I'm not going to breathe easily.

I'm a generally positive person. DH is a generally negative person. It's a miracle we haven't killed each other yet because we're constantly grinding against each other, arguing about this and that.

DH, of course, is sure I've messed everything up. No ... it's far from that. It's been a read adventure, however. I feel I should be wearing a safari helmet and carrying a weapon to cut the undergrowth from my pathway. I do mail orders all the time. I know better than to not ask for the CVV code. "sigh" Sometimes I can be an idiot.

The box I've used for this shipment is too large to just fit through most slots. My local post office has a box that might work to deposit it, but I'd feel a lot better handing it directly to a postal person. It's not super heavy - three pounds or so - but it's bulky.

But ... as I got onto the treadmill this morning, I said to myself ... "Self, you really don't want to exercise this morning. You're too stressed and you want to get to the shop ASAP, retrieve the numbers from the phone, finalize the order, get it paid for, seal the box and drop it off at the Post Office." I might even drive to the airport post office (they have their station open 24/7) to just get it out of my store and on it's way to my customer. Or not. I can just hand the box to Jean, our mail carrier. She won't appreciate the added bulk, but she actually parks her truck less than 1/2 a block from the store, so it wouldn't be a massive inconvenience for her. BUT, I'd rather like having that shipping confirmation slip in my hand before I open the store at 10:00 am.

Often, after thoughts whirl for a while, clarity and order follows. I'm hoping that's the case today.

So, these are the thoughts whirling around in my head. It's been more than a week that we've been working on this order. It kept growing and growing as she added more and more product, and the messages and emails we've exchanged could make a small children's book. But I'm hoping that this will all be out of my hands and into the hands of other professionals shortly. Then I might be able to breathe without that added stress factor. I hope Chickie is having a good time in Montana. She's been too busy to post much on FB, so I'm in the dark on that too. I do know she arrived safely and that they're visiting many family members who still live out there in the Big Sky country. I'll stay here with my water, water, everywhere and deal with my daily stresses as they come. Have an excellent Friday. I'll wrap up the week tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.

Life, Computers and Swimming - Little Complications

engarian — Wed, 28 May 2025 09:20:43 GMT

My desktop computer isn't operational today, so I'm stuck with the laptop. This makes things quite a bit less convenient for me. I think it's a minor problem - the ON/OFF switch isn't working properly. Hopefully my Computer Guru will be available to take a look at it. But I'll be writing my daily blog from the laptop for several days, probably, and it's not quite as "user friendly" to me as my desktop computer is.

My main computer setup is quite similar to this (and so is DH's setup - we have the same computer models that Dale built for us years ago). I think it's operating just fine, just the switch failed. It should be an easy fix, if he's got the time to deal with it. I'm "off" today, so driving it up to him in the far northern suburbs.

But, we get knocked down and come back up again - right? It's rather the story of my life, and I think it's a story shared by many, if not all, of my readers. Life has this habit of throwing curve balls at all of us, and we're going to miss catching them every now and again. I had noticed the ON/OFF switch seemed a little "soft" over the past few days, but it still operated, so I merely noted it and went on with my work. Now I can't do that *sigh*.

ARGH! is just about all I can say. I know we're operating with really old equipment, but I'm just not at a space right now to hire Dale to build us new ones. Rock ... meet Hard Place - LOL.

The outdoor pool yesterday was glorious. It's a cold run out to it, and an even colder run back into the building after I'm done, but it's SO worth it. I'm really out of shape! I got a good workout yesterday, but my snorkel isn't working well any more (they do die after a while). I went onto Swim Outlet at work and ordered a replacement which should arrive in a few days. I'll have to put up with the one I currently use for two more days, but as much as I love swimming with a snorkel, it's not mandatory. I'll see how it works today, but I might just swim without it until my new one arrives.

was hesitant when I first got a swim snorkel, but I've adapted to it really well, and it allows me to swim pretty much non-stop. But now my snorkel is on its' last legs, so it's time for a new one.

So, I'm going to see if I can get some photos plugged in here and then head out to the pool. Life - always throwing adventures out way - LOL. I hope you have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow - probably still on the laptop for the foreseeable future. Slava Ukraini..

Pineapple and Traffic - Nothing In Common Except They Both Happened Wednesday

engarian — Thu, 08 May 2025 09:08:30 GMT

A short post today, because I'm tight on time at 3:45 am. Yeah ... short on time. But I had to get the dehydrator that I had working all night back up to the kitchen, downloaded, cleaned and put away before I could settle down to write this (and of course I had to do my daily meditation before doing anything else). It was a good thing I awakened at 2:00 am and simply wasn't in the mood for more sleep - LOL.

Just look at these beauties! They were beautifully golden, which is ripe, but not quite over-ripe. They were absolutely perfect for my dehydrator and I'll be enjoying snacking on them for a couple of weeks.

So, after a delightful meditation, I followed my nose to the basement area where I use my dehydrator on top of my clothes dryer (it's a flat surface, has a convenient outlet on the wall, and is easy to clean if needed). Gabbing the dehydrator, I carried it up to the kitchen where I unloaded it into two large containers of lovely, dried pineapple to nosh on for the next couple of weeks. So yummy!

I cut off the rough skin, and the tops and bottoms. Then I slice into pieces, and each slice gets cut up into smaller pieces. Two pineapples can make a load that will happily last me for several weeks. Yum!

I really didn't need any pineapple, but when I saw these two beautifully ripe fruit at the grocer yesterday, I simply couldn't resist. Dried pineapple is one of my absolutely favorite snacks, and they dry up beautifully in the larger dehydrator that I purchased 2-3 years ago. That's been a good investment. I've actually used it quite a bit (for one of those appliances that often gather dust in the corner of a kitchen cabinet).

I wasn't cutting itsy-bitsy pieces, they were reasonable pieces for munching (and a couple of them didn't make it into the dehydrator at all - LOL). This is one pineapple cored, sliced and cut, and I had two pineapples, so it was a nice amount of lovely fruit to eat.

Yesterday started out with a bang for me. I had a great swim, then went home quickly with about 30 minutes to eat breakfast and leave for the shop. I had to get the computers up for Chickie since both DH and I needed to meet with our financial attorney at 8:00 am. Traffic was a DISASTER - slow, lots of road construction, etc. So when Google Maps suggested I pull off onto Normandale Blvd. I obeyed, over the objections of DH. Google led me south and then west. It was a slower route than the freeway (lots more traffic lights), but the traffic was light, and we were able to be at the meeting on time.

I think that EVERY freeway heading East to West in or around the Metro area is under road construction right now. It's a MESS. I refuse to drive to Minneapolis for any reason if I can skip it. Unfortunately, this was an important meeting so the traffic had to be tackled.

We were joined by our stockbroker who is still recovering from foot surgery. He wrecked himself up on the ski slopes last winter and is still paying the price. He says he'll be back up on the skis this coming winter, but not on that particular slope. Probably a good idea - LOL. It was wonderful to see Tom, though. I've known him for decades now and he's a sharp guy - a good person to have in your financial corner. The meeting was good, and I even got DH back to the store shortly after opening, so it was a win. Then I treated myself with my weekly run to the grocery store where I found the pineapples - LOL. See? It all comes together in the end.

I'm off to the swimming pool. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.

Happy Birthday to Cairistona

engarian — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:15:08 GMT

I think I have the right date, and I have just enough time to get this posted before I go check the mail and start basic dinner prep. But it's so nice to think about something pleasant instead of my more normal thoughts these days. So ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a friend of many years. Have a brilliant day and a year ahead of you filled with love, accomplishments, and happiness.

— Erulisse (one L)

ARGH and Sharon's Retiring! YAHOO!

engarian — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:51:23 GMT

I'm officially going on record that I'm really pissed off at DH for giving me his cold. I'm not constantly coughing the way that he is, but there's a tenseness in my lungs. Of course, I have my MRI scheduled for Thursday where I CAN'T move, so coughing isn't on the menu. Yeah ... I'm pissed.

Coughing - bleh! I'd better not have a coughing fit while I'm getting my MRI on Thursday.

We're in the deep freeze here in the Frozen Northlands, and I gave in last night and added my Mom's crocheted afghan to my bedding. I was warm and cozy, so I decided to allow myself a bit more sleep (desperately needed). Thus, today's post is a short one.

I was warm and cozy under the blankets once I added my Mom's afghan to the layers. But it's frigid outside, and I'm not looking forward to going to the shop.

My BFF Sharon has turned in her documentation and will be retired from being the BEST Librarian in the Denver Public Library system, on February 1st. I'm so pleased for her. She has loved being a librarian, posted at a crazy little library with some serious class. I know she'll enjoy her retirement too, but it will be a radical change for her. Mazeltov, my dear friend!

Sharon has worked at the Decker Library branch for many years. It's a charming building constructed in 1912 and restored in 1993. It's got class, and it's loved by its' neighborhood.

And that's it for today. Short, to the point, and I'm heading up for breakfast and then out into the -18F temperatures. Ick! Have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be here tomorrow.

Checking In - Very Short - Running a Bit Late

engarian — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:47:21 GMT

Just a very short post today as I head over to the Breast Cancer center. I promise I'll let people know when I know, but right now I'm running slightly late and need to get going. So, a VERY short and truncated post today, and I'll (hopefully) have things to report tomorrow. Keep well, stay warm (or cool for my Southern Hemisphere friends) and I'll be back on Thursday morning. Slava Ukraini.

Fill The World With Some Joy Today

engarian — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:00:53 GMT

Yesterday's sales numbers were excellent, and we have three days of our year-end sale still remaining. We were all kept quite busy helping customers or getting them rung out and sent on their way, merchandise clutched to them. It helps that we're having good weather. It's cold, but it's the end of December. It's supposed to be cold. But the roadways are clear and there's no snow, rain or sleet happening or expected in the immediate future. I'm relieved.

Things are going well. We still have three days remaining in our year-end clearance sale, and I'm hoping the numbers will be strong for all four days. Then we can collapse. LOL

I've always believed that we have the BEST customers in the world. They're polite, they help others find what they're looking for, they're not pushy, and they know that beads are one of the sure ways to happiness. Beads are rather extraordinary - they're good forever. Beads are found with prehistoric burials, or clutched in the hands of a five-year-old as a charm against bad things. Beads are magic, they're portable, and they create bonds between people. I love beads, and I love selling them to people who make extraordinary items with them. It's been my task for more than 30 years, and I love it.

These stone beads date from the Neolithic, and there have been beads far older than that also discovered and cherished. Beads seem to have been with mankind for as long as we've walked the earth.

I finally had a chance to get to the grocery store yesterday, and picked up all of the ingredients necessary to make a nice hearty soup tomorrow that will take me through dinners for much of next week. Tonight's dinner might be a bit scant, but I have some stuff in my freezer that I can add to my usual salad. I certainly won't starve - LOL.

I'll be making a vegetable soup of some kind tomorrow. I got all of the ingredients yesterday morning on the way to the shop - just need to pull out the stock pot, load it up with all the good stuff, and start it cooking. I do love soups during the Winter months.

And I finally got a good night's sleep. Yesterday night's sleep was fussy and stressed, I don't think I managed more than two hours all-told. But last night I crashed until my alarm went off this morning. I feel MUCH more human. It's rather amazing what sleep can do as a restorative - probably why sleep deprivation is used as a torture device by some regimes.

What a difference a good night's sleep can make. Today I actually feel human and ready for Day Two of our Four-Day End of the Year Sale. Yippee!

So we go on. The month and the year are almost complete. Look back at your year, a few days early. Look back and see what positive things you have done that has made the world slightly better for everyone. It doesn't have to been anything major - how about being friendly, smiling at everyone? That can leave so many good feelings behind you as you progress through your day. Why not try it today? If you like the results, make it part of your daily regime from this point forward. The world will benefit from a bit more joy. I'll be back on Monday, so have a safe and joy-filled weekend. Slava Ukraini.

LJ Idol, Phone Hell and an Early Christmas Gift

engarian — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 13:01:59 GMT

It was a real disappointment to pull out of LJ Idol. I might have not had the votes, but I think it was very close. But ... I looked at the time schedule, my own schedule, and the fact that I'm still dealing with minor/major irritations such as getting our new phone system completely up and operational and a small health issue, and I decided to lower my stress a notch or two. Not that writing is necessarily stressful, just that to write in LJ Idol, I have to bring my "A Game" to every entry.

I loved writing for LJ Idol again this time. There's something wonderful about writing to a prompt that comes out of nowhere. I'm not sure where Gary finds all of these prompts, but damn ... he finds some really good ones.

Looking back on the season, however, I'm very happy with what I produced. There was some solid writing in some of those tales, and I got farther this time than EVER before. In the top six! I'll continue reading and voting, of course. I have friends in the group of five that remain, but I always base my votes on the actual writing offered, not alliances or friendships. It's the only fair thing to do.

We have two new digital phones from Nextiva. The phone on DH's desk is connected and can be used. The phone at the cash register, however, is an attractive paperweight, right now. *sigh*

I spent an hour or more on the phone with customer service yesterday. We're trying to figure out why one of our phones is connected, but the other phone number (the main line to the shop) is still on copper wiring instead of WiFi. *sigh* I resubmitted some contracts to the customer service department at their request, and spoke to a couple of the agents there. Really lovely people, with the same goals that I have - getting everything up and running properly and switched over from our old phone service to the new one. I have a much better feeling about things after yesterday's calls. We'll see if things are better when I'm back at the shop tomorrow.

I love having a container of baked fruit with my breakfast. I only eat fruit at breakfast, per WildFit recommendations. It works for me, and I love living my WildFit life. It's been several years now, and it just works for me.

Meanwhile, back in the mundane, I need to do a batch of baked fruit today. A container of baked fruit is part of my usual breakfast, and I ate the last of my current batch a day or so ago. I didn't have the time to deal with fruit on Wednesday - I did a large crock pot soup and my alkagizers that day. So, today I shop and I bake fruit.

Happy Holidays to me! I've wanted one of these for a long time, and I think I will use it enough to justify the cost. Black Friday savings dropped $100 off the cost, so I felt it was do-able.

I'm also going to take a nice, careful look at my Christmas gift - LOL. My postal person (who probably hates me forever more now because the box is HEAVY) delivered my new Kitchen Aid Artisan Mini 3.5 qt Tilt Head mixer to the shop. I've wanted one for a long time. I THINK I have the cabinet space for it. That's a requirement in my kitchen - I must have the room for my appliances. I'm figuring DH actually bought this for me. He usually gives me holiday cash and I've been saving up for this for a few years now. I'm very much looking forward to trying some gluten-free bread recipes.

So, that's the news from my end. I hope you have a lovely Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.

ARGH — Sorry About the Bad Link

engarian — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 19:17:26 GMT

It took me a bit, but I finally figured out why the link in yesterday's post wasn't bringing people to the voting site. So, here's a corrected link as a Thanksgiving Treat. and I hope you found my story about Katy's "fools errands" on her birthday worth the vote.

https://www.dreamwidth.org/poll/?id=32274

- Erulisse (one L)
Babysitting a large bird that really doesn't require babysitting at all! LOL

A Look Ahead at an Icky Schedule

engarian — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 12:03:07 GMT

It's a "Make Ogre Juice" and a "bake fruit for breakfast" day today. A pretty easy day in the kitchen, all told. But I'm already looking ahead to two weeks from now. Why? Well, that's the next time that DH and I will have to work a full six-day week (and perhaps even more). In a world of Tit for Tat, the pendulum has moved the opposite direction, and it's Chickie's turn for Jury Duty. Unfortunately, I remember my own tour of duty less than two years ago and truly, it was rather horrid.

The chairs for the jury are actually rather horrid after the first hour or so. I found myself really hating them when I was called up for further questioning on the one jury I might have been chosen for.

I didn't mind the going there, and after the first day, I learned to bring a power brick and lots of cords with me, and to grab one of the seats with plugs nearby. But, it's the boredom. The waiting to hear your name called, torn between wanting to be called, and hoping you're not called. Since you have no idea what type of case you'll be called for, or whether you'll make the cut, you also have no idea how long you might be tied up, sitting in horribly uncomfortable seating and trying your best to listen to testimony and instructions.

The jury pool room was rather crowded, a bit cold, and they had snacks and coffee, but I don't eat sugar or gluten, so the snacks didn't work for me. I also don't drink caffeine, so the coffee was also useless. I brought my own teabags, but those ran out quickly and then I was stuck with plain water. Boring!

Ick!

I met a few nice people in the jury pool, but nobody I'd call a "friend", just people passing in the night - or in the hallways, as it were.

I was both lucky and unlucky. I had to come back a second week, for two more days, which was a horrible inconvenience for Chickie and DH who had to work in my stead. I would have served, but I also emphasized that I was self-employed as one of a small staff in a retail store that was open six days a week, so that my staff had to be there when I was called away. I was NOT chosen for the jury on the case I was considered for, and that completed my service. I'll be over their age limit if they call me again, and can opt out because of that.

The Ramsey County Courthouse building is stunning - very Art Deco both outside and indoors, with lots of marble, statuary, and touches of artwork and history throughout. It was built during the Great Depression years, so had some top-notch craftspeople working on it. It was almost worth being on jury duty to wander the halls of this building.

Chickie is younger than I am (although in much poorer health). She might be able to opt out on health reasons, but it's going to be a rough five days in the jury pool for her. I hope she remembers to pack a lunch, the restaurants in the area are quite expensive.

Jury Duty was one of the most boring weeks of my life, and we had snowstorms, and I was trying to get my meals made in the few off-hours I was able to grab. It was as close to a disaster as I could imagine. Horrid.

But to get back to the topic on hand, I get one more week of regular scheduling before DH and I are stuck with each other's company again. I'm going to hope that Chickie will be called up for a case early, and will be released quickly. Maybe her luck will be better than mine was. She'll still have to be there for the full five days, but hopefully that will be all.

I like to vote early when I can. I remember standing in long lines in falling snow for other elections, and I'm really not fond of doing that. DH probably will do that, but that's his choice. Mine will be to get early voting today or next week.

On a different note, between all of the food prep I need to do today, I'd like to get my early vote in for the Presidential election. My local library has early voting opening today. I have a feeling the lines today will be rather extreme, so I might try to build this task into next Wednesday or next Friday. I'd rather vote early than stand in line in the frigid temps outdoors on election day. DH, I'm quite sure, will do the wait at the door thing - it's what he does. I'm a believer in comfort, and I'd rather avoid the November line if possible. So, on that note, I think I've rambled quite enough. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up another week. Be kind, and Slava Ukraini.

It's Voting Time With a Twist - PLEASE Read and Vote For My Story This Week

engarian — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:02:21 GMT

Gary is making things VERY interesting this week for votes. Instead of just checking a box, you actually have to email him about the story(ies) you're voting for. So here's the link to all of the stories. Each person has their individual link in their comment. Then, you read and vote. Now here's the killer - whoever wins this week has IMMUNITY. Now that's HUGE. So, I'd very much appreciate your taking that extra step and emailing him at clauderainsrm@gmail.com before Friday (today) at 7:00 pm Eastern Time. If you're voting for more than one, please make it alphabetical by author, it's a bit easier for him. He will email you in return, acknowledging your vote.

Once again votes are open, but there's a different twist this time, and a VERY short timeline. Please send your email as stated above, and I hope you enjoyed reading my tale in six drabbles.

That's it. Votes need to be in by 7:00 pm Eastern Time Zone TODAY, and I'd VERY much appreciate your votes. I decided to dive back into a format that I've loved for years, and made my story a series of six drabbles. The theme was "bycatch" - a term I'd never heard before, but apparently a lot of people were familiar with it.

Bycatch - it was a term I wasn't familiar with, and I suspect I did a different take on it with my entry this week, but I like what I did, and I hope you enjoy reading it and voting for it. Voting is a bit different this week, but it's really not horrid, just different.

I only get two more weeks of working with Chickie before she heads to the East Coast for a two-week vacation. I may be in prison for killing DH by the time she returns - LOL. But ... we've done it before and we'll do it again. It's not easy, but far from impossible, to work two six-day weeks in a row. I'll be cranky and a bit out of sorts, but at least I'll have my swimming and that will help. Still, that's two weeks in the future. I don't have to deal with that this week.

DH finally read my story and really enjoyed it. Asking him to vote would be an exercise in futility, however. *sigh* At least he read it, that's a start.

So, I do hope you read my story and vote for it, and read some of the others too. There are some really excellent authors out here in this group, and I'm always honored that I seem to be able to keep my head above water with them. Have an excellent Friday. I'm off to the pool for a rare Friday swim (since I missed my Tuesday this week). Slava Ukraini, I'll be back tomorrow to wrap this week up.

The Real LJ Idol - Week 3 - Uncanny Valley

engarian — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:50:55 GMT

My current entry for the theme "Uncanny Valley" has been posted here:

https://erulissedances.dreamwidth.org/1046057.html

Voting is NOT open yet, entries are being accepted through Wednesday, but I wanted to get this completed and out there while I could. Life is crazy enough without adding additional deadlines to my life - LOL. Now to watch the Olympics for a while. I'll let all of you know when voting is open and I hope my tale merits a vote from all of you, my readers.

- Erulisse (one L)

Braces, Fences and the Stanley Cup - Lots of This and That Today

engarian — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 09:18:50 GMT

My appointment with Dr DeVoe actually went pretty well. I have my next appointment in mid-August, and my final appointment and removal of all of the hardware in a 2-1/2 appointment on September 18th. I really wanted it before the Fair, but that didn't happen. But ... in into the end game here and it's hard to believe. I wonder how it will feel to not have hardware on my teeth! Maybe I'll lose 1/2 pound - LOL.

Doc DeVoe is quite a young man, very personable and great with the kids. Since most of his customers are kids, that's rather essential. His staff is also excellent - very professional and well trained. They have a very high standard of care. I'm SURE I chose the right orthodontist.

Today is a swimming day, so a short post. DH gets to tackle the fence, if the weather cooperates. He needs a specific tip for the paint sprayer that we own. I'm pretty sure we have it, but he'll have to look for it. If we don't have it, he'll have to check around for one to buy, and he'll probably start painting it with a roller. I think that's damned stupid. It's a large fence and he won't get much done at all if he's doing it with a paint roller (not to mention that the rough surface of the cedar will tear the roller up quickly and we only have a 2-pack of the correct size).

Whatever technique he chooses, it's going to be a very long job to get that fence painted, and it has to be done every four years. We'll see. I don't think we ever painted our last fence, although we had the best of intentions.

But, I'll let him do his thing. I found out a long time ago that he only learns how ridiculous things really are until he does them and they fail. Then he sits back and says "OK, there has to be another way to do this because brute strength and bulling ahead through the chore simply isn't working." I'll have to text Laura and warn her that he might be in their yard taking care of the other side of the fence over the next few weeks - on an unpredictable schedule.

The Florida Panthers pulled out the win over Edmonton, in a hard-fought 2-1 Game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Bravo to Florida (even if I was cheering Edmonton). DH was delighted, he was cheering Florida, so his team won. It was a very well-played series, and a lot of fun to watch.

Last night was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It's been a GREAT series, hard fought. It worked out that the home team won - it wasn't that way throughout the seven games, but it's always fun when a home town wins and the crowd goes wild. Of course, as hockey fans they're going to go crazy no matter what, but it was a good thing. Now everyone can rest for a little bit before going back to the ice to keep their physical conditioning up. It's time for trades and deals and new hires and maybe a few people fired. Churning the waters - that's what the off-season is all about. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off to the pool. Slava Ukraini.

It Was a Busy Wednesday - Cooking and Computer Work

engarian — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:12:26 GMT

I didn't get around to doing anything except grocery shopping and working in the house yesterday, so no keyboard shopping or other errands. But I did get a lot done. In the USA, it's generally best to shop for groceries on Wednesdays. Why? Because most grocery stores have their next sales beginning on Thursday, but the computer work to put everything new on sale usually already applies on a Wednesday. So, in essence, you can take advantage of overlapping bargain days.

BOGO, when it's on a product that I actually can use, is a wonderful thing. I've been able to take full advantage of this one with chicken at the start and again at the end of the sale. I ended up saving more than $30 on chicken between the two days.

I took full advantage of that over the past two weeks. I have a particular brand of chicken pieces that I prefer to buy. I like their quality and the taste better than other brands. They were on BOGO (Buy One, Get One for free) over this past week. I jumped in early last Wednesday, buying two for one, and picked up another two yesterday on the final day of the sale.

My homemade Bar-BQ sauce is very tomato based, and I like it. I find it quite taste. It uses coconut aminos for the sweetener, along with tomato sauce and tomato paste and other seasonings.

So, I cooked a double-portion of chicken yesterday. I knew I wanted to make this second batch with Bar-B-Q sauce, but I was running low on mine (I make my own sauce that fits into my food plan). So yesterday's cook consisted of (1) make new Worcestershire sauce for myself, (2) make new Bar-B-Q sauce for myself using the new Worcestershire sauce, (3) bake one batch of chicken with the new sauce, pack separately and put into the freezer, and (4) bake the usual seasoning-coated chicken for dinner.

I bake three chicken breasts every Wednesday night for dinner. That makes enough for two meals for DH and myself. It's one of my favorite meals of the week, and it's so easy to do.

With all of that, I also had the time to arrange a separate folder for DH marked "AFS Photos to Send" with his product photos that he's been riding me on. So that's one more thing done. But, I'm stressed, and I can tell. I had some "free time" yesterday, so had a bowl of chili for lunch, and then settled down for a bit and munched - something I know I shouldn't do. My favorite munchie is nuts - nutritious, but not in the portion size of what I eat. Nuts are NOT a good food for me, they're a "trigger" food. I'm up a pound today, and I know that's exactly why. So, I'm off to the pool to get that pound back off. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

What Is A Gift? Time? An Object? Or How About Just The Kindness Of Giving

engarian — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 10:06:31 GMT

I awakened early today, at 2:30 am instead of 3:00 am, so I settled in for a comfortable meditation. Which I had, and it was lovely. Then I gathered the laundry together and got the first load started, and I found a couple of other things that need to be added to the recycling bin which is being collected today. Add in a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and suddenly I'm tight on time. I need to be on my way to the swimming pool in a little more than 30 minutes. That extra half hour I got earlier has disappeared into the maelstrom of little bits of things here and there.

Maelstroms are very real, as this photo attests to. Sometimes life can become a maelstrom, sucking you into thoughts and actions without your thinking about things at all. All you can do then is ride the wave and hope that it spits you back out again.

Today will be a very busy day, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm on regular schedule through Saturday, but then have three days off for the Christmas holiday break. Then I dive into my "Four Day End of the Year Blow-Out Sale" and then I can collapse for another three days of rest. I'll have a chance to chat with Aearwen today, but it will be our final chat of the year. I'll be working next week Wednesday through Saturday for the big sale.

We really count on our end of the year sale to pad out our sales numbers for the year. It's been a fairly decent Christmas so far, but we really need that final push of desperate shoppers - LOL.

We've had some really fun customers over the past week or so. People are getting into the holiday gift routine, and they're buying components to give as gifts or for making gifts to give. Either way, it's a total win'win for both of us. We get the cash inflow we desperately need, and they get to leave with wonderful things in their hands.

Remember that the gift is in the giving, whether the gift is appreciated or not. Since much of what I buy for DH isn't appreciated, I'm quite used to that backlash that can happen. Fortunately, gift cards are quite useful.

My final customer last night was a lovely young lady buying beads for a friend. She was very concerned about whether or not her friend would like the gift, and kept wondering about that with each item she was choosing. I got her checked out and ready to go, but as I handed her package to her, I told her "The greatest gift you are giving to her, or to anyone, is the fact that you thought enough about them to give them a gift you thought they would love. Remember, it's a season of love, and don't worry about the actual gift at all." Maybe we should all remember that during this hectic time of the year.

Thanks to those of you who have sent me a holiday card. They are brightening up my living room, and are so much fun to look at. I usually leave them up at least until 12th night, so I have lots of time to enjoy them.

So, I'm off to the swimming pool. Holiday card "THANK YOU"'s go out to AdoptedWriter, Sea Ivy and my cousin, Missy. I got your cards yesterday and they're wonderful. They have joined my array across my fireplace mantle and my house is looking quite festive. I'm honored that you thought of me and sent it to me, and I thank you VERY much for your kindness. At that, I'm out of here. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Third Strike and Turkeys - My Life Is Never Boring

engarian — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 11:12:51 GMT

So I finally got my third strike in my writing group. It wasn't a surprise - I don't have a large group of people I can call upon to vote for my work. I probably would have taken a strike within the next week anyway, though. When Sharon is here, I'm not writing, I'm spending my time with her and that's the way it should be. She arrives on Thursday, and we'll be in high speed State Fair mode from then until I drop her back at the airport on Tuesday morning on my way into the shop.

I struck out in my writing group, and it's a disappointment, of course. Still, I managed to get into the top 16, and I'm pleased about that. I don't have a large number of people I can call upon for votes, and it seems rather petty anyway. Writing should stand on its' own feet - good or bad. I know I'm a good writer, sometimes almost brilliant, other times just this side of the dumpster. I'm human. But I like to write, so I'll probably play in this playground again.

Will this stop me from writing? Hell no. I've been writing throughout my life, one little stumble isn't going to stop me. And I did quite well for a newbie - I made it into the final 16. I'm quite pleased about that. I enjoy the challenge of writing to a prompt. I think that's one of the things that kept me active within the Tolkien community for so long - I just loved the various prompts and stylistic challenges that were thrown out there by various groups. Putting the challenges into a Tolkien universe was a delight - it's a universe I'm quite comfortable with. LJ Idol was different - the challenges weren't within a specific literary universe, they were solely prompt dependent. The world of the prompt was open to personal interpretation.

As you can tell, the turkeys are actually getting to be fairly large birds now. I've been seeing them in the neighborhood since they were 1/3 of their current size.

But it's time to return to real life. So I'm sharing some of my real life with all of you. When I came home from an errand last Wednesday, I had visitors in my front lawn. We've been seeing a mother turkey and her three hatchlings wandering around the neighborhood for a few months - holding our breaths when they were crossing a busy street, or just looking and admiring when they were strutting from one yard to another.

They went down the bank towards the right, into our creek area and probably wandered up the creek to another yard or lawn. They wren't aggressive, but I was in my car and had no intention of getting out of the car and spooking the birds.

Apparently Wednesday was their turn to visit my yard. Mom is no longer in the picture because the kids seem quite large already. There's at least one Tom, but I didn't get a chance to see all three close enough to determine sex. They wandered East on my front lawn and went into my drainage ditch (creek) channel. The water level is only high after a serious rain, so I'm sure they had no problem walking upstream and entering someone else's yard from the neighborhood.

When I first drove into the driveway from my errand, I saw the two on my front lawn, the third was off to my left, past the photo. The one on the far right is a Tom, I think the other two are female, but can't be sure about that. At least one of them is, though.

As neighborhood residents go, they're quiet and unassuming, and seem to fit in quite well. LOL. I'll add wild turkeys to my list of deer, foxes, owls, hawks, hummingbirds and raccoons who live in our immediate environment. This year has been a year of birds, and the turkeys were the crown to my year with feathered friends. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.