A stressful day before a quiet evening

Most of the time I don't have any problems getting things accomplished while I'm in Santa Fe, but today has proven to be difficult. It would have been a much less stressful day if I could have had face-to-face discussions in Houston instead of endless emails and unreturned text messages. To comfort myself, I'm going to make a casual dinner for Mr. B and myself before consuming numerous beverages in anticipation that tomorrow will be a better day.

Another pair of earrings listed on Etsy.

Most of the time when I'm in the high desert, the high-speed Internet runs VERY slowly. I attribute the slowness to thick adobe walls and a metal roof. And when it's cloudy outside, as it was this afternoon, the situation is even worse. I've learned to follow a series of steps before I finally give up on getting anything sent via the Internet. First I sit at the breakfast bar with my computer pulled in to the electric socket. Next I sit by the back door of the casita. And finally I sit outside. Even sitting outside – it was 43 degrees – I had trouble getting emails to send this afternoon. (From the narrative above I omitted the swear words screamed at my screen, the head shaking, fist pounding on the counter top, and other antics that also take place, to no avail, trying to send emails and text messages on afternoons such as this one!)

Today I'm creating advertising magic, I hope. Concept OKed. Designer in place. Photographer in place. Extension from the magazine received. The missing link at this point? The client's final approval. To come, I hope.

New ad concepts

I'm not really sure why, but Mr. B enjoys going to the grocery store. In Houston, he probably goes three times a week. When he arrived in Santa Fe yesterday, that's almost the first thing he asked me. "What do we need from the grocery store?" Well, he got his wish and went to the store this afternoon, and of course came home with lots more than I put on the list. For me, going to the grocery store is almost as bad as folding clothes. Almost.

It has been so nice to stay inside the casita again today. Mr. B also replaced the batteries in the kiva (fireplace), so it has been on. Rose enjoys sleeping in front of it and I like sitting in one of the chairs across from it and looking at the flickering of the flames.

Today I'm creating concepts for a new ad series. I'm also charging the Dremel so I can make more earrings. Charging the batteries for the Dremel is easier than pulling out the sewing machine, so I think I'll make more jewelry.

Catching up with Mr. B

Made from old Calumet tin can.

When we first bought the casita and I was here without Mr. B, I would drive to and from ABQ to "gather" him from the airport. Fortunately, that ended after about a year. Now he takes the shuttle from the airport to downtown or vise versa. This morning the shuttle was about 30 minutes late arriving and I stood outside in the wind and cold waiting for him. I had on a shirt, sweatshirt and jacket, and was still cold. It might have been better if my hair wasn't half wet.

The first night that we are together at the casita we always have dinner from Mr. B's favorite inexpensive Italian restaurant in town. Since it's meatless Monday I had my penne pasta without chicken tonight. Most of the time dinner from there is good, but tonight it was exception!

Today I'm creating jewelry. Are you getting tired of hearing that? I may not be making anymore jewelry because I don't have that many tins here. Unless I can find more combinations with the tins I have, I'm going to have to move on to sewing tomorrow.

A pajama day

These earrings have super hero colors.

The skies were beautiful in the hight desert, but the it was windy again. Because of the wind, Rose and I declared it a pajama day and never got dressed. That doesn't mean we didn't work inside the house. Mr. B is arriving tomorrow morning, so I cleaned and straightened up.

I also spent time today trying to reach people. A cousin had surgery last week so I found out how she is doing. Another cousin just bought a new home so I looked at the photos of that. I talked to Mitzie. Her mom is having trouble with her eyes and Mitzie's father-in-law isn't doing well. I was lucky that when my parents' health began to fail they were both in town, as was Mr. B's mom. I know it's difficult for Mitzie to take care of her mom (who lives in Salina, Kansas) and for Bob to take care of his dad (who lives in Soñora, Texas). On many weekends, Bob drives to Sonora to be with him dad.

Today I'm creating jewelry (what else). I made several pairs of earrings and started a bracelet that I'm not sure I like.

Chores

Pretty yellow flower in the garden.

It's a weird day in the high desert. It has been cloudy all day, which is very unusual. It's cold, which it shouldn't be in late April. And the wind is incredibly strong! I was driving in the Explorer and the wind was whipping it around. The wind reminds me of West Texas, Chicago and Corpus Christi, all of which are always windy.

Rose and I got everything checked off our to-do list. Let's see. 1). Take Rose for a short walk. Check. 2). Eat breakfast. Check. 3). Go back to bed for a morning nap. Check. 4). Shower and dress. Check (Rose skipped this). 5). Look at emails and Facebook. Check (Rose skipped this, also). Busy, busy day at the casita. We may have to have an afternoon nap soon.

Today I'm creating jewelry. Actually, it wasn't on our to-do list, but Rose and I also went to Goodwill. I had three paper bags of items to donate. While I was there, I also went inside to look for tins. Scored two fun pieces for a total of $5. Now I have the rest of the afternoon and evening to make jewelry. Check.

New advertising series

Flowers beginning to bloom in the garden.

I hate you, Mapquest Driving Directions! I was looking for an address that was in an area of Santa Fe I didn't know, so I put the address in Mapquest. As has happened to me so many times before, the directions told me to turn right instead of left. I was so off track by the time I realized I was headed in the wrong direction. It took me almost 45 minutes to get where I was going. I could have driven to ABQ in that amount of time.

Before I got lost, I headed out to get my Friday newspaper for the little man on East Alameda (with Rose in the car) when I saw friend Leslie sitting out on her porch. She and her husband recently bought a house just a couple of blocks from Pettita Casita. I got the grand tour and heard about their restoration/renovation plans. It's a big project that I know will be wonderful when they are finished.

Today I'm creating a new advertising series for a client. See, it's not all fun and games in the high desert! I actually work while I'm here … sometimes.

Throw Back Thursday

The pic-of-the-day is of my parents taken on January 28, 1995, just before Mr. B and I married. Today would have been their 65th wedding anniversary. They started dating while both were attending Bryan High School at age 15 or 16. After high school, she went to Sam Houston State Teachers College (as it was known then) and he went to Texas A&M College (as it was known then). 

t

Mr. & Mrs. Truett B. Akin, Jr.

They eloped to Hearne, TX, on April 24, 1949, two days after her 20th birthday. He was three months shy of his 20th birthday. To make themselves look older, she wore a navy suit that belonged to her mother and he wore his Aggie uniform to their wedding. They lived with his parents until he graduated from college in 1950. They had celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary when she died in 2001. He died in 2007. 

Today I'm creating (more jewelry). The Dremel I bought yesterday is helping with the finishing of the tin, as I knew it would. So I'll do some cutting and sanding while waiting on the phone man to come. One has already been here, but he isn't authorized to climb the telephone pole, so I have to wait on another one to show.

A trip downtown to the Plaza

Selfie with Rose.

This afternoon Rose and I went to downtown Santa Fe this. I could tell it's still "off" season here because there was a parking spot right in front of the Starbucks. Lucky. This never happens! And there was time on the meter. Lucky again. Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket.

I got a Latte at Starbucks and we walked to the Plaza to sit down. Rose was on sensory overload. Because she won't be still and because it was too cool and windy, we only stayed until I finished my Latte. Then we walked around the Plaza and back to the car. OMGosh. Her normally white paws are black. I'm going to have to put her in the tub tonight for a bath before bedtime.

Today I'm creating jewelry, but first I had to make a trip to the hardware store to get a Dremel. I got the lease expensive one for beginners, which is fine. All I want to do is smooth the edges of the jewelry I'm making. It doesn't work as well with the hand files I've been using. This Dremel will stay at the casita for me to use again when I come back in the summer.

Getting it done

I listed two of these pillows on eBay today.

I decided to take most of the dust-collecting items from the casita to a really upscale resale shop today. I've visited this shop many times because of the wonderful items there. I even sold two chairs there a couple of years ago. Anyway, I'm so glad I took the collectibles there because they put incredible prices on the items and said they have customers who come in looking for some of the items. I'll get so much more having the items on consignment then I would if I had a yard sale or put the collectibles on eBay, even after the store takes their commission.

Next I took some items to another resale shop. It's not worth doing a consignment there, so I just sold the items outright to them. A couple of years ago I took some high-end shoes there and didn't receive much so I wasn't expecting to get much today, but was surprised by what I was given.

Today I'm creating additions to my Etsy shop. It has been empty for several months. Before I had only listed tin jewelry so there were some revisions that needed to be made. After the edits to the site, I listed two pillows and a pair of earrings. It's a start. Tomorrow I'll probably take the remaining dust-collecting
items to Goodwill.

Spring Cleaning at the Casita

Cherry tree in the front courtyard has tons of blooms.

Since we bought the casita in 2007, it has been slowly filling up with stuff. I think I referred to these treasures in a blog last week as "dust collectors." I'm so bad about seeing things and telling myself that this or that would look cute in the casita. As usual I've gone to extreme!

Last week when I got here, I began collecting non-essential items in the dining room. Collectibles. Decorative items. Kitchen items. Linens. Rugs that have been under beds or in the closet for years. So far there aren't enough items to have a yard sale, plus there are too many expensive items. In a yard sale there needs to be lots of $1-$5 items, which I don't have. My next option is to take the items to a consignment shop. I'm not sure if I'm up for that either because I'll only get about 25 percent of the resale value. I think I've finally decided to put the expensive items on ebay and hope they sell in the next two weeks before I go back to Houston. I also have some pillows here that I've made, which I can put on etsy. Wish me luck!

Today I'm creating listings on ebay and etsy. I've already looked up the value of many of the items I have to sell. Now I just need to list them.

Happy Easter Sunday!

Rose enjoying the sunny morning.

Growing up, my daddy, mother, brother and I would spend Easter with my paternal grandparents in Bryan, Tx. First thing on Easter Sunday the six of us would eat breakfast, followed by the daily Bible reading, then dressing to attend Sunday School and church services as Cavalry Baptist Church. (My grandfather literally helped build the original  church.) Everyone who went there was family to my grandparents. They all knew "Jr." as they called my father and the rest of us. It wasn't unusual to hear "look how you've grown" even if we'd just seen them the prior month.

I loved the Easter songs that we would sing. My grandfather was usually an usher. I can hear his singing from his spot at the back of the church. He wasn't always in the same key as the rest of the congregation, but he was singing praises to his Lord God. After church it was back to their small house to change clothes and Easter egg hunting with my older brother, until we outgrew that part of the day. The boiled eggs were quickly turned into deviled eggs for lunch, which was usually fried fish that had been caught by my grandfather, fresh vegetables from my grandparents garden, and some wonderfully delicious dessert. This remained a tradition for years. Even when Dr. Mc was small we would all cram in the small house.

Today I'm creating sweet memories of my family who are now with God. How wonderful it would be for the six of us to have a deviled egg or two. I lovingly remember all of them this and almost every other day.

The Vigil of Easter, Holy Saturday

The sun peaking through the coyote fence as it set today.

Mr. B always takes Rose out in the morning before he leaves for work. Since he's not here, that responsibility falls to me. This morning I was able to convince Rose to stay in bed until almost 9 a.m.

It rained sometime last night or early this morning. There were supposed to be thunderstorms today, but I never saw a drop. This confirms my belief that the weather forecasters in ABQ are no better than the ones in HOU.

Today I'm creating a lovely dinner of chicken enchiladas for myself. Most of the afternoon I went around the casita gathering up decorative items that serve no purpose other than to collect dust. I've made it through two rooms so far. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with everything. Consignment shop. Yard sale. It needs to go! This is something I really need to do in Houston, also.

Free-hand jewelry

Rose and I went to bed before 10 p.m. last night. Laying down will always stop up my head so it took me awhile to get to sleep. Once asleep, I slept until 7:30 a.m. when Rose woke me to take her out. After she went on a short walk and we both ate some breakfast, we went back to sleep until almost noon.

I have a feeling that my body was worn down from working on the auction I chaired on April 4, the follow up that happened, and the event I coordinated on Sunday afternoon before I left town. Then I got to Santa Fe where the tree pollen is off the charts, so I get an infection. With the sleep I got last night, I'm feeling better today.

Today I'm creating jewelry. I didn't bring any punches with me to Santa Fe, so I cut out the simple tin pieces with metal shears, filed down the edges, and made earrings (see the pic-of-the-day). The earrings are a simple shape, but the swirls of color on the tin makes them fun. Although the one on the left looks longer, it's just the photo.

A sick day

I couldn't get to sleep until almost 4 a.m. this morning. Let's see. Watery eyes. Runny (and bloody) nose. Scratchy throat. And let's not forget Rose's snoring. I must have been making some noise of my own when I finally got to sleep because I felt her jump off the bed. Later I saw her laying on the floor in the hallway.

I've written before how Mr. B and I adopted Rose from the SPCA. We were told she was found on the street by some firemen and taken to the SPCA. She looked really sad when we got her (see the pic-of-the-day). She still suffers from separation anxiety when she can't locate me. I might have traumatized her on the final day of driving to Santa Fe. It was unbelievably windy so I put her in a dog run at a place I stopped to get gas, go to the restroom, and get snacks. I could see her most of the time and she was running all over the dog run looking for me. Since we reached Santa Fe, she hasn't let me out of her sight for a minute unless I've left the house.

Today I'm creating a day of rest. I'm going to have a shower in a few minutes, put on some clean pajamas, and then crawl back into bed. Yes, my head is pounding and I feel that bad.

A busy yet fun day

Two cute tin boxes that have been waiting on
me since Thanksgiving 2013.

I spent this morning with my favorite Santa Fe Realtor, Richard Anderson, touring homes that are located around the casita. As I expected, none of them were nearly as cute as Pettita Casita. It was surprising to me that the homes for sale were in various stages. From working with Houston Realtors, I know that it's important to make a good first impression. In Santa Fe, that's apparently not the case! No landscaping. Terribly loud wall colors. Bad paint jobs. Cluttered rooms and closets. Dirty stoves. Yet every home we saw had a top dollar asking prices. I was stunned! After looking around, Richard and I had lunch at one of my favorite casual places – Tune-up. My tuna melt was as fabulous as always. I even splurged and had fries. Yum!

After lunch Richard had to go to work (bummer) so I checked the mailbox, which hadn't been done since Thanksgiving 2013. The box was full of mainly Wednesday shopping fliers. Nothing exciting there, but there were also two adorable tin boxes. I forgot I had ordered them off eBay and they hadn't arrived before I went back to Houston after Thanksgiving.

Today I'm creating a newsletter article, a magazine article, and an update for a website. This is multi-processing at its best.

Final leg to Santa Fe

I passed on the pre-packaged cotton candy
while getting snacks at Russell's. 

I decided to try some different things on the final leg to Santa Fe. I got off the highway and started down Historic Route 66, but it was too boring so I got back on the highway. Closer to Santa Fe I tried it again, and it was even worse. I think I was expecting to see vintage convertibles cruising down Route 66, but there were none. Just closed down gas stations and tumbleweeds.

I also stopped at a place on the road called Russell's. It puts Stuckey's and Buckee's to shame. There was a complete restaurant that was almost full of "diners." Then there was a Subway Sandwich counter. But wait, there's more. There was also a gift area AND the biggest convenience store I've ever seen, plus a clean restroom.

Today I'm creating the Internet connection at the casita. I forget that when I'm here Firefox works better than Safari and Google Chrome. After I remembered that, I'm back in business.

A day of driving

Why is it that when no other radio stations come in on the road, you can always get country western and Christian music stations?

Rose and I made it to Childress, which is approximately eight hours away from Houston. When we left the Houston house around 10 a.m. it was 75 degrees. It started raining around The Woodlands or Conroe. I stopped in Madisonville because it felt like something way wrong with one of the tires. It was so cold and windy that I put on my coat and was still freezing. The tires were find, so Rose and I got back on the road. We stopped outside of Ft. Worth where it was colder and even more windy.

Today I'm creating 2/3s of the drive to Santa Fe. I wasn't really tired, but knew I needed to stop driving so I could get a hotel room, dinner, and settle in before Dancing With the Stars came on at 7 p.m. (The dancing this week to the Disney songs has been terrific.) I had to find a sweatshirt because it is so cold here. Mission accomplished.

A lovely afternoon

Artists Yu Cha Pak and Mike Klaybor.

The artist reception today was terrific. The art seemed to be much appreciated by a great crowd. I love it when things work out as planned.

Both Mr. B and I came home and took a lovely nap. It was drizzling outside, but dry and cool inside the house. In my book this is the perfect conditions for a afternoon siesta.

Today I'm creating an afternoon of art followed by washing and packing for my trip to Santa Fe beginning tomorrow. There are a couple of things I need to take care of in the morning before leaving town. Then Rose and I will be on the road. Yippee!

My handsome date at the Menil last night.

Mr. B and I had date night last night. We went to the Menil for an event hosted by M Penner. Although I didn't expect to see people that we know, it happened. We enjoyed seeing the Magritte's art and wonder why we don't go to more museums in Houston. When we're out of town, the museums are the first places we go.

The grill master (a.k.a. Mr. B) has gone to the store to get filets to cook for tonight. Yum! He also wants me to teach him how to make the red potatoes that I bake in the oven. I'm like my grandmother and mother when it comes to cooking so I'm not sure there is a recipe for the potatoes. I guess I'll have to pay attention to what I'm doing so I can teach him.

Today I'm creating the set up for an art show I'm coordinating for tomorrow. I do these fairly often and decided today that I need to have a tub that is filled with items that are useful. What? Do you mean get organized? It would be too easy if I didn't run around the house and garage apartment gathering items.

I left this R.C. Gorman at the estate sale today because I
wasn't sure about the signature.

As I like to do on Friday's, I went to two estate sales today. It's not that I/we need anything, but you never know what you'll find. The first estate sale I attended was in the Galleria area. I had seen photos online and was interested in some Navajo rugs. Unfortunately, they were from the 1980s and priced pretty much at retail. No thanks. Outside there was an rusted red wagon and part of a rusted plow. I like things like these for the garden, but walked away.

The second estate sale I went to was in the historic Westmoreland area. I like to go to estate sales in this area as much for the house as for the contents. Plus, in one of the photos posted online there was a framed R.C. Gorman on the wall. I really couldn't tell anything from the small online photo, so I went to take a look. Even when I got to the house I couldn't tell if the R.C. Gorman was original or not. It was elaborately framed and matted, which made me think it was original. It was really heavy, which made me think it was original. Yet the signature looked off and I couldn't see the edges of the paper to see if it was a poster, print or original. Again I walked away again.

Today I'm creating fun time. Besides spending time at estate sales, Mr. B and I are going to the Menil tonight for a special viewing of the Magritte exhibit. It should be fun!

Bush "41" greets Obama's at IAH.

Rose is having problems with her allergies. I looked online to see what pollen was "high" right now. It's tree pollen. Poor baby has been walking around the house sneezing her head off.

Thank goodness Obama left Houston today and went to Austin. He was in town overnight for a fundraising event, I assume for the Democrats. Doesn't he have more pressing matters in Washington? I read that it costs approximately $181K per hour to operate Air Force One.

Today I'm creating a list of things to take with me to Santa Fe on Monday, as well as a grocery list. There used to be a Fiesta in the Heights that had really good veggies and great wine prices. Unfortunately it was torn down about a year ago and is becoming a four or five story assisted living facility.

Ouchy

Love these guys!

I set my laptop on the hood of the Explorer yesterday. I should have known better! I turned around to look at something and knew what had happened when I heard the crash. My computer had slid off the car and hit the driveway. Fortunately my laptop still works although there are now more scratches and dings on the outside.

Rose and I decided to sleep late this morning. I should have asked Mr. B to turn off the ceiling fan because it's too cold in the room to get up. And Rose is too short to reach the switch. I guess I'll just have to stay under the covers.

Today I'm creating nothing. Well, maybe I'll make dinner again, but that's going to be it.

New Ads

The roses at the Houston house LOVE the cool sunny days!

The weather in Houston is so wonderful! It's April and the temperature is still only reaching the 70s during the day. This is completely unheard of here. The cool weather makes Rose frisky. Too bad she doesn't know how to chase sticks.

I'm feeling somewhat lost without all the auction stuff to do, but then I'm really liking calmer days. Yesterday I did some decluttering at the house and I'm going to do more rooms this afternoon. I may even cook dinner tonight.

Today I'm creating new ads for my Tuesday client. What to say. What to do. It will come to me.

Notes for next year

I'll be heading to Santa Fe in a week.
Happy, happy. Joy, joy.

I finished the auction I have been working on since September 2013. Friday night's auction was fun and profitable, which is just how I like them. Saturday morning after the auction I was back at the venue waiting on people who left early to come back and claim their items. Some came and some didn't, so Saturday afternoon I moved the remaining dozen or so items to another location. Today I packed up the reusable items in two new lime green tubs and sent them back to the association's storage unit until next year. I won't chair the auction again, but left everything in good order for whoever takes it over.

It's sad that Mickey Rooney died. I just heard on the news that he was the first choice to play Archie Bunker on All in the Family. Rooney turned down the role because he thought it was too controversial.

Today I'm creating clean living and dining rooms. It has been at least a month since Mr. B and I have seen the living room floor because of the artwork leaning everywhere. And the dining room table was auction central. There were papers all over the place, but tonight I can see the top of the table again.

Countdown to the auction

The auction items (except the wine pull, 72 bottles of wine, and 45 pieces of art at my house) were transported to the Candlelight Dinner & Auction venue a little after noon today. Set up was delayed by around three hours, but I had a terrific team of committee members who saw my vision and made it happen in the shortened time span. It was an exciting afternoon seeing everything come together!

My guilty pleasure from Good Dog is worth every calorie!

While I was waiting on the tables to be set up for auction, I indulged one of my guilty pleasures. I went to Good Dog in the Heights and ordered a "dog" with red potato salad. Oh …  my … goodness! I probably go once a month by myself and sit at the counter. I order a diet coke along my hotdog and side. While my food is being prepared I read whatever I've brought along, which today was my auction to-do list that I have on my iPad. It's always worth the wait because Good Dog serves me a yummy dog!

Today I'm creating a magazine ad. As soon as Mr. B left the house this morning, I began writing the ad while propped up in bed on pillows. Sometimes the concepts and writing comes quickly, and fortunately today was one of those days. I had to do a little pacing and talking to myself, but it came together in a way that made me really proud. Still, regardless of my volunteer work, paying clients must come first. In fact, that was what I wrote about in the ad I wrote today: Clients first, first, foremost and always!

An afternoon in the car

Rose rode in the car with me today.
She's a great traveler!

Only two days remaining until the auction. I spent all afternoon in the car running here and there. My to-do list is shorter for tomorrow. I'll spend the morning picking up some items and the afternoon taking things to the venue and beginning the set up.

When I wasn't in the car I was on the computer creating table signs for the items. My typing skills are terrific, but my design skills are limited. I wish I could have made the certificates more decorative. Oh well. I want people looking at the auction items, not reading the descriptions.

Today I'm creating a trip to a fabric store … that's closing. For years I've gone to a fabric store on Hwy. 290. It's moving somewhere on Old Katy Road, so maybe it will be closer. Hwy. 290 is always a mess with construction, and today there was a bad wreck. Ugh! Anyway, getting what I needed from the fabric store has moved to tomorrow's list.

Crunch Time

Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich and diet coke.
Breakfast of champions?

I'm in countdown mode until the silent auction I've been working on for months happens on Friday night. The next three days will be extremely crazy as we work on the final details. Wednesday is table signage and other computer work. Thursday afternoon we begin load-in and Friday morning we complete the set-up. Hopefully we'll be finished with set-up by noon because I see a mani/pedi and nap occurring before the event!

My day began at my Tuesday client's office, where the speaker at the sales meeting was kind enough to provide breakfast sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. I've avoided eating there since the Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy in June 2012, but felt it was my social responsibility to eat one of the breakfast sandwiches so it wouldn't go uneaten and thrown away. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Today I'm creating shoes that fit. What? I had a great pair of shoes that I was going to give away because the back strap would always slip down when I walked. Instead, I bought a pair of clear rubber strips to put on the back strap, and my problem is solved. Easy breezy.