December 31st 2009

Hi there all --
Today would have been my Dad's 80th Birthday if he had not died in a car accident at age 53! I wonder what he would've been like all these years later. I still have dreams where he is still alive but in those dreams he is never any older than 53 yrs old. We used to celebrate his birthday and New Year's Eve together by having a party every year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD (wherever you are) ... and HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2010 everyone!
It is raining today and I LOVE it! Of course, I would PREFER SNOWWWWWWW but rain is nice too! (grins) It is so weird how most of the world is already in 2010 ...while us slowpokes in the US are still a year behind (LOL). I wanted to make a New Years party dress for SL in time for New Year's Eve but I guess I didn't get it done in time (darn it) I may still make a pretty gown anyway -- I've been wanting to do something NEW ...but I have been blanking on ideas lately....
Well, my catlets and I wish everyone a wonderful New Year's Eve and New YEAR!!! I hope we all can head more towards loving each other and being more mindful of our planet and the animals we share it with this coming year.... ओं

This season is going by WAYYYYY tooooo quickly!!!

....and I WANT SOME SNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! (LOLOL)
I had a "Holiday" party at my apt tonight (well ok-- officially it was last night since it is now 1:40 am) I am not sure I have EVER had a party in this apt. (and I moved here in 1992) I cleaned and cleaned and put Christmas lights up, and a purple tablecloth on the coffee table with cinnamon (spelling?) smelling pinecones as the centerpiece and a dark green runner (I LOVE purple and green combinations), It wasn't a huge party - just 5 of us and 2 more dropped in briefly - but this is a small apt so it would have been too crowded with more people. We talked and listened to beautiful music and each of us had a RUNEs reading. That was fun. I think it turned out well. I think people enjoyed themselves (I hope so). That was my Christmas. On Christmas day I will be here at home with two cats. Maybe I will hang out on SL. :-)
I've been trying to reach my mom on the phone for the past week but all it does is a partial ring and then hangs up on me. :-( I don't think she is hearing it ring at all! I sent her an email saying that I was trying to reach her but she hasn't even responded to that. I know she is ok because my brother and sis in law *(who live closer to her) say that she is fine-- but I must admit I WISH that she would get a regular LANDLINE phone (instead of the stupid SKYPE? Internet phone she has. I KNOW she can afford whatever a regular phone costs per month and at least I would be able to reach her!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It is soo frustrating! ....Oh well... :-( The place is so quiet now that everyone has gone. It is a bit lonely ... but, hopefully I will feel more like myself tomorrow. I really DO wish that we would get A LOT of snow! So far-- we are hardly getting any RAIN! It was mainly sunny today, and nothing is happening weather-wise tonight, I wish it would at least POUR down with RAIN! Somehow having it be soooo still outside seems to be adding to my loneliness. I am not sure why. Very strange.
Well I guess I have pretty much just been rambling on ... not saying much of anything important... Maybe I should try to make some fractals? Maybe I should just try to go to bed? Hugs to any and all who stop by! :-)

I forget if I can link to pictures here

I guess I really need to figure out that Flicker thang ... Can you link pictures that you upload to Flicker == to other places on the web?


<--- A new computer sketch (of Dhani Harrison -- George Harrison's son)






<--- Here is the photo I used as a reference.

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Hi there --- Autumn/Winter is going past WAYYYYYY too quickly!!! Summer didn't go by this fast! I guess it is cuz this is my favourite time of year but I sure wish that it wouldn't go past quite so quickly! LOL Anyway, I know that many people don't celebrate Thanksgiving but I think it is nice to think about being grateful for things no matter what day it is. I really should do that more often, myself! A lot of what I am grateful for is the same as what I was grateful for LAST year but I'm still going to list them because they are definitely things to still be grateful for. (Wacky sentence there!) :-)
I'm grateful for Tai Chi (my eldest cat) even tho she is making it extremely difficult to type right now because she decided she wants to be in my arms, to purr and shed! (grins) I'm grateful for my younger cat, Blueberry, because she is NOT bugging me to pat her at the moment- LOL ... Nahhhh...because she is a sweet heart (like her "cat sister" Tai Chi) and she (and Tai) bring me such love and companionship all year 'round. (I love my little catlets!) (smiles) I'm grateful for my family still being here and us all being relatively healthy! I'm grateful for the wonderful friends I have, both in RL and on SL. The SL ones are just as real and important to me as any and all friends I have made in real life! Their love and friendship help me at all times, happy, lonely, angry, or sad. I'm grateful it is RAINING today!!!!!! Whooo hooooo!!! I love it love it LOVE IT! It is sooo beautiful and grey outside. It is perfect for a cozy mood of getting together with family and friends. I'm grateful I have a place to go this year -- to my brother and sister in law's (I have had some years where I had no place to go, no one to celebrate with -- that can be very lonely) I'm grateful I have a roof over my head, and a working shower/bath! (grins) I am grateful my apt is a lot cleaner than it was last year ... and that is because of my care-giver, whom I am also VERY grateful for!!! I'm grateful for music and being able to hear it -- I recently saw Dhani Harrison (George Harrison's son) in concert with his group "thenewno2" ("The Prisoner" reference), and his music was fantastic! (I've been enjoying his CD ever since). :-) I am VERY grateful that the arthritis in my knees/legs is not acting up as badly as it was last year -- so it is much easier to walk at this point!!!! (I am SOOOO grateful about that)!
I'm grateful for having a working computer and for being able to afford the cost to get online (and visit people!) I'm grateful for being alive at the time where we CAN have contact with people all over the world, instantly, ... I STILL hope that this contact can help us all as a species to try to STOP killing each other! (Hopefully make our differences stop being threatening so we can be tolorant of and actually enjoy our variety!) I am SOOOOOO grateful for animals being on this planet. They are sooooo beautiful and I think we could learn a lot from them! {I want to write some more because writing down grateful lists is such a good exercise to improve one's mood -- but I have to get ready to drive to my brother's for Thanksgiving -- THANK YOU everyone who visits this blog for being there!!! -- To Be continued Later! Hugssss!!!!}

I finally figured out my photo upload problem

LOLOL Turns out -- I only needed to check some sort of agreement thingy next to the upload button! I don't remember seeing that or having to check that little box before -- but I finally noticed it! I think I need a new brain (and some new eyeballs) lol
Now, if only they would let me change the colours of my titles again - I would be happy!

Here are the photos I was going to post in the earlier blog. :-) The first one shows many pretty fractal displays at the Fractal Diversity show that is on til mid January. I think it is so interesting seeing all the different fractals people come up with! There are so many beautiful fractals there!

The second picture is of a nice friend of mine named BellaSummer (and I) in front of my display at the show. I am still not sure I am pleased with my display. I may still change it (if that is allowed) I really wanted to go to the opening "gala" ....but as I say... I slept thru it!

I SHOULD go to sleep now (4:20 am) but, of course, I feel wide awake! (I think I belong in a different time zone!) lol

DARN IT!

Hi there --
I feel like such an idiot! I intended to go to the opening party for the Fractal Diversity show but I have insomnia and I was up til 11 am this morning - so I ended up sleeping thru the opening! :-( (I slept til 6:30 pm) I feel like such a dope. AND, my sleep is royally screwed up again. I don't want to take a sleeping pill every night (like my mom has to) because I am afraid I will become addicted to the sleeping pills and HAVE to take them. (Darn --I also still can't upload pictures to this blog --- anyone have any ideas on what I can do to fix this? It is no fun having a blog that I can't upload pictures to!!) This is not my day! I should go back to bed! :-(

Well, its been over a month since I have blogged...

I guess it may be a good idea to blog something tonight -- altho as usual, I don't know what to say! Erm...... (trying to think of something). This is embarrassing - you'd think that I could think of SOMETHING to write about.....other than cats and the weather.....
There is going to be the 2nd Annual Fractal Diversity exhibit starting today with an opening party at 3 pm 'til 6 pm, then it will run until mid January. I am grateful to be a part of it again. It is nice seeing the variety of fractal art that people come up with. There are many beautiful fractals there I would like to buy. Anyway, if you would like to -- stop by and check out the show ... I have the LM on SL but I am not sure how to put it in here -- but if you check out my store "AuroraSkye Creations at Wollaston" -- there is a poster on the Fractal show there that will give out Landmarks. :-)
(Darn -- I was going to put a picture in here but for some reason it is NOT letting me upload any pics! -- something about my "java"?) :-(

Hi there all .....I am SOOOOO glad that Autumn has arrived!

Hi there!!!
It is windy and a BIT rainy outside as I write this and I LOVE it! The leaves are turning beautiful bright colours, and the grey clouds look spectacular as they are sweeping across the sky (or they did earlier when I could see them in the daylight) LOLOL
I am still having to deal with stupid tub replacement etc in RL but I took a small break from the whole thing tonight, and visited my mom. It was fun. I got us the Applebees Two meals and an appetizer for $20 deal - and then drove to her place. She had the sirloin burger and I had the fiesta chicken. We watched episodes of "Medium" from my 4rth Season DVD. That is neat that she enjoys that series too. I brought my FINALLY charged camera over there and took pictures of her and her cat!
They promised us rain today but all we got was wind! (Sheesh) Finally, tonight, it started to rain a LITTLE bit! I sure hope it doesn't rain all night and end up being sunny tomorrow but I bet that is how it will be! It always seems to do that! I would much prefer it to be dry at night and RAIN RAIN RAIN all day but I know I am a minority in desiring that! (grins)
When I drove home from mom's I stopped off at the store. It was sooo nice to drive home in the rain (however small a rain it was) I stuck my hand out the window to collect rain-drops! (I am so mature! LOL) :-)

Happy Birthday Johnny!!! :-)

John (and Sean's) Birthday today. I guess John Lennon would have been 69. I sure wish he were still with us. Oh well =-- Happy Birthday, guys! :-)

Real Life Inspiration for "Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds" dies....

:-(


The full story for it is here: http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Lucy-Vodden-the-real-Lucy-in-the-Sky-With-Diamonds-dies?cid=examiner-email

So Sad. :-(

Well, the summer is trying to hang on ....

....even on the first day of FALL! Weather people are saying that it is going to get up into the mid to high 90s tomorrow ...oops=-= TODAY.... I am SOOOOO NOT in the mood. Cindy (who has been helping me to clean my apt) is coming tomorrow but it will be harder to clean when it is so hot. I am SOOOOOOO ready for Autumn!
I know this is going to sound very "dotty domestic" but I FINALLY got one of those close-fitting couch covers (called "surefit") and put it on the couch that my cats had clawed up (its arms). I must admit it is so nice NOT having to see those clawed up arms any more -- but one of my cats tried to claw even UNDER the cover!!!! I yelled "NOOO!!!!" and scared her off. It was a rather expensive sleeper sofa -that I bought many years ago -- and I tried every trick in the book to stop the cats from using it as a scratching post but to no avail. :-(
Frankly, I still prefer the cover the couch came with -- but at least I am not having to see the poor shredded couch arms anymore. I guess that is ONE aspect of cats I can do without (but I still would NEVER remove their claws cuz that is inhumane to the MAX.
I hope you all are well!!! :-)

I took the music off this site....

Hi there -- I tried having music on this site but I guess I don't like webpages with music even when it is my OWN website! LOLOL I guess I prefer the kind you can click ON --- rather than the kind that you have to search for to click off. LOL I guess it is cuz I have a slow computer and those sites with music seem to really play havoc with the page loading for me. Still - it is a shame - cuz I LOVE music and I love hearing other peoples' favourite songs and being able to share MY favourites! (Oh well)
On other news -- it is drizzling today!!!! Whooo Hoooooo!!!! I LOVE it!!! It is such a pleasant change from the constant sunny days! It is my brother's birthday today! I already gave him presents but I wanted to stop by and give him a birthday cupcake (or cheeseburger) or something. LOLOL I guess it is good I didn't stop by tho -- cuz it seems that they are not at home at the moment. He says he likes the 2nd Season "Get Smart" DVD, "Matrix" video, and Larson book I gave him!

:-) I hope you all have a wonderful day! :-)

This is how I would exercise!

I can sure relate to this cat! LOLOLOL

Hi there all (or whomever still reads this blog...)

Summer is going to give us another (tho hopefully last) heatwave for the road (today and tomorrow - 90 and above temps). :-( I will be very happy when Autumn arrives -- hopefully with lots and lots and lots of RAIN! :-)
Our family celebrated my mom's (and my brother's) Birthdays on Wednesday night. (Mom was born on 09/09 and Rob a week later) Mom had her birthday on a neat date this year: 09/09/09! My friend in California got to have her birthday on a neat date in 2006 (on 06/06/06). I will never get to celebrate my birthday on a neat date like that cuz there are no months that go up into the 14s! Oh well -- :-)
On SL this morning - I realized it was/is 9/11 today. (Ugh) It is depressing how much has changed here in the US (and around the world?) since the attacks of 9/11. Many Politicians here have used it as an excuse to get rid of a lot of our freedoms (and the constitution itself). I think we are living in very frightenning times and it is not just from fear of Terrorists. Unfortunately I am not sure I can do anything about what has been going on. It is very upsetting.
I don't want to end this entry on a down note tho -- sooooo.... hmmmmm .......they just released newly re-mastered Beatles CDs on 09/09/09. I would love the boxed sets but I think they are quite above my price range. Still, from the reviews I have read -- they evidently sound wonderful -- I can't wait to hear them! :-)
Have a good day, all -- Hug your family, friends, and pets today (and all days)

LA fires

I know these fires happen every year but I have read that they have been getting larger and more devastating in recent years. Many say that this has nothing to do with global warming but I think there is a definite connection. It makes me sad hearing about the loss of life (both human and animal) that are a result of these huge fires. Having lived many years in Los Angeles - I remember well the "Santa Ana winds" and this fire-risk time of year. There are a lot of fires burning out of control up and down the west coast. My prayers go out to all involved.

Time Lapse Test: The Station Fire from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

Yea -- it should be cooler tomorrow/today! Whoo hooo!!!

Hi there ---
I am so glad that at least this latest heatwave is over for awhile. :-) (Doing a happy dance) It should be more in the 70s "tomorrow" ! Wheeeeee!!! :-)
Here is an amazing child prodigy!!! Emily Bear -- check out this video! Amazing! :-)

Ellen went home and we got another heatwave! LOL

Hi there ---

I am glad it was cooler while Ellen was here -- but then when she left we got another heatwave! (sheesh) Today was close to 100 degrees in Portland. Fortunately, it is supposed to be cooler tomorrow! I sure am looking forward to Autumn!
It is so nice having my digital camera working again -- I finally sent away for the charger that I had lost -- but then after I bought a new one =-= I found the old one! :-/ Isn't that always the way!??? lol At least now I can take better pictures of my catlets! Above is a cute one of Blueberry! And here's another one! (grins) She is such a cutie (IMO) :-)

She loves to lie down with her feet in the air! When she does this -- it is really tempting to pat her belly but she objects to having her belly patted. (She is such a tease) :-)

Here is one of Tai Chi .... She is such a sweetheart! She is my older kitty. She is at my feet under the computer as I type this. :-) =^..^=

My friend from Calif and I have been having fun....

Hi there --
My friend, Ellen and I have been having a nice visit. Since she also does SL I have been letting her spend the time at the computer while we are home. The rest of the time we have been checking out places and seeing friends and family. I drove us both to Mnt Hood yesterday! It was a beautiful day == sunny (yeah == I like sunny when it is not too hot and has some clouds) with blue sky and lots of wonderful clouds. It was great weather for photography! I drove us up to Timberline Lodge (where they filmed some scenes for "The Shining." )(lol)

It is a neat lodge -- with lots of sculptures and iron grille details. The doors are huge! It was built in 1937.

Ellen walked a bit up a path to try to touch some snow (not much snow at Timberline lodge in mid summer) I wanted to walk with her but my legs, body etc can't do that at this time -- hopefully I can get in better shape soon... (next goal after cleaning apt). I waited up at the bar in the lodge and eventually got some chairs by one of the best window views of the mountain. (It was hard -=- whenever anyone would leave- - others would rush right into that spot --)

When Ellen got back, we had dinner at the bar, and watched the fog/low clouds come in and cover up the mountain quickly. The food was delicious and colourful. (Pretty fruit and veggies).

Afterwards we walked around some more and took more pictures cuz the scenes had really changed with the low dark clouds coming in. Ellen hates the rain but I LOVE it -- so I thought the dramatic skies were WONDERFUL!!! It rained quite hard as we were decending the mountain. I guess Ellen was glad she was INSIDE the car. (grins) It was SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL! Hopefully I will get some of the pics we took into this blog when we transfer them to the computer!
:-)

PS: The weather has been great temperature-wise during Ellen's visit but on the DAY she is leaving - they are predicting it to be into the mid 90s again!!! :-( AND -- the following week it is going to get up into the HIGH 90s again!!) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! :-( The hot weather is supposed to be down in Los Angeles, California! I am not a great fan of El Nino weather systems.

Whooo Hoooo -- It is finally cooler!!!!!!

Ahhhhhh -- Finally!!!! The temps are now in the mid 70s!!!! And -- for the first time in AGES - we have had TWO grey days in a row!!!! I still wish we would get some RAIN but these grey days are sure welcome! I am thoroughly enjoying them! Isn't it wonderful??? :-)
I know that the hot days are not over yet -==- but this break is sureeeeee nice! :-)
My apt is finally clean enough to have a long time friend come over and stay for 12 days. My good friend has come up from California for a visit. I picked her up at the airport yesterday. The cats both remember her! They enjoying all the extra attention! I gave her a bit of a piano lesson yesterday! (grins) I don't have a piano here but I DO have one of those synthesizer keyboards. She had never made a chord before (she is not really into music that much == shame == I couldn't survive without music!) I taught her a bit of "Heart and Soul." I think she had fun! :-) My brother and I always dreaded our piano lessons as kids because the teacher was rather ... erm .... B*tchy! (shame) Music should be fun! Just like art!
My friend also uses SecondLife -- and I only have one computer here so we will have to share computer/SL time. I probably will let her have more time on SL than I use because I want to be a good hostess. (smiles)
Anyway -- it is SOOOOOOO nice to NOT be having to run the "portable" AC atm! I sure hope this lasts awhile! (Actually I would love it if we would have a cool rest-of-the-summer -- but I doubt we will be so lucky!)
Still -- the coolness is soooo nice while it is here! :-)

Hi there all ~~~

They are saying that this week is going to be the hottest it has been all year -- AND it is going to get into the triple digits by this coming weekend!! I am tired of only writing complaints about the heat here but I sure DO hate this weather == I figure this may be the last time I can be online for awhile because if it is hot as it they say it is going to be =- then it is too hot for my "portable" AC to handle -- and it will be too hot to have my computer on.

I sure hope this HEAT stops soon -- I am really sick of this!!!
:-(

It's been HOT HOT HOT!

(Waves to Wild and Princess -- I sure am grateful to you both for how you stop by and leave comments == It makes me feel less alone =-=- TY so much!~! Hugsss!!)
(Also waves and HUGS to FD, MI, Mykyl, and Michelle!)
We have been in an AWFUL four-day heatwave over here. WAYYYYY too hot to turn on the computer -- it has been awful. My "portable" AC has not been able to keep up with things and even turned itself off this morning. :-( I guess it overheated. For awhile there I thought thaqqt it was off for good but it still turns on (thank God). Cindy (the lady who helps me clean) thinks that it is not producing much cold air though. :-( She came today but we didn't get much done because it was too hot. She just tested some bateries and made the bed and then left. Hopefully we can get more done when she comes again on Tuesday. (Boy, I am NOT a heat person == and definately NOT a summer person) :-/
Oh well == it is going to be HOT again tomorrow and then it is supposed to cool down. I am concerned that if I am having this much trouble with mid 90 degree weather == what am I going to do when it gets up into the 100s in August and September?
Ugh!
LOL!
I hope everyone had a nice 4rth of July! I didn't do anything or go anywhere today but I did visit mom yesterday (on the 3rd) It was a nice visit. We talked and watched some episodes of "Medium" on DVD. When I got home at midnight last night == my apt was SOOOOOOOOO HOT even though I had left the air conditioning and tons of fans on. :-( Hmmmmm Something definitely is not working.
At least it is cooling down at night and I am very grateful for that -- unfortunately = I am having a heck of a time getting the cooler air from outside INTO my hot apt! I have all the windows open now and fans in them but this apt is staying hot. :-(
Sorry about all my complaining about the heat -- but if I can't complain here ==-where can I? (Giggles) I sure will be happy when it starts RAINING again! (smiles)

Warm Day and got more cleaning done

Hi there all *(Or whomever still reads my infrequent blogs here) :-D,
I am sooooo pleased with the cleaning progress of this apt. I still have a long ways to go (*IMO) but it still is SOOOO nice to be getting so much done. I think the cats are enjoying the space too == but Blueberry sure is "snarky" (my helper's word for it) with Cindy, my helper. LOL I think it is cuz "Blue" HATES the vacuume cleaner (she definitely will NEVER be one of those cats that you can vacuume the shedding fur off of) lolol .... {I don't know how to spell "vacuume" I even tried spell check but with no luck} :-(
Anyway, once when Cindy was trying to unplug the vacume cleaner from the power strip by Blueberry's water =-= Blueberry really HISSED at her big time !!! She was afraid to reach over to unplug the machine with Blue acting sooooo "B*tchy" LOL) (Poor Cindy) I am actually kind of embarrassed at Blueberry's awful behaviour but I can't seem to get her to be more polite! Bad "Snarky" kitty! LOLOL (She is currently asleep on my foot, under the computer) Anyway, I have missed you all on SL -- and I hope to be coming on more often now that the apt is getting in better and better shape. :-)

Birthday!!!

Dear Sweet SL friends -

I want to thank you sooooo very much for making my Birthday (last Sunday, June 14th) soooo very special!!! It was so fun to hang out with you and dance and shoot water balloons at eachother! I love my new baby Tiger, and a new resting kitty I also got (grins) (I also love the new Flapper dress I bought!)

Thank you so much for all of your friendships. :-)

It is HOT today and will be tomorrow and the next day too (UGH)

I am still upset at not being able to change the colours of the titles of these posts anymore -- I would have the title of this one be a bright HOT orange! !!!!! Oh well ....
I tried to clean a bit today but it was too hot to get much done. Big 5 hour cleaning tomorrow. I finally decided to put on the "Portable" (HA -- it is HUGE) LOLOL Air Conditioner again == I am so glad I bought it last year. I hope it lasts thru this summer and for many many many years after that!
I must admit -- it is a bit irritating to be having this much of a heat wave when it isn't even officially summer yet!!! Eeeek! If it is this hot now -=- I hate to think of what this year's summer is going to be like! But nahhh-=-= there is no global warming! <--- sarcastic remark to my brother who really believes there is NO global warming. :-(

Darn -- I really HATE not being able to change the colours of my titles :-(

It was soooo much prettier when I could change the title colours== Darn Darn Darn! :-(

Well, maybe I can at least find a pretty fractal to put in here.....

It's been awhile again.... LOL

Hi there --
Sorry it has been awhile since I have Blogged (*again). I have been going thru a big time "cleaning phaze" in real life ==- and I figure I will take advantage of it! (grins)

***{Oh DARN==- I tried putting colour in my title again and they have definately stopped letting us do that -- I think that is such a shame because I really like having diff colours in the titles rather than always having them be that same old dull blueish colour ..... Am I missing a way where I can continue to have different colours in my titles}***

Anyway -- I am soooooo grateful I have a GOOD helper now for cleaning! She is amazing! This week we got a LOT done -- including vacuuming the window screen!!!! (*to get it nice and clean) and washing the windows!! (smiles) I am even going to have my curtains dry cleaned (to get dust and cat hair off of them)
I have been sorting a lot -- I have WAYYYYYYY too many photos of Adrian Paul from the "Highlander" *(Conventions)-- but I am not sure how to do the whole "selling on Ebay" bit == so I will probably join "Freecycle.com" and give many collectibles away. It sure will be nice to hardly have any possessions anymore (altho that is a ways down the road)
Well -I wanted to wave "Hi" to those few who frequent this blog page-- and let you all know that I am ok --- I hope/plan to be on SL again soon -- I miss everyone -- but as I say == I want to take advantage of my craving to clean for as long as I can! :-)

Been a long time since I have last blogged...

Hi there --- Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. I have been pretty busy in RL -- so much so that I have not even gotten onto SL much lately.
*(Hmmmmmm I wonder if I can still change colours in Blog titles -- it is now giving me an error in the HTML message which is strange cuz I didn't even WRITE the HTML -- I let this site write it ...Darn -- looks like I can no longer change the colours of the titles to these :-( SHAME) :-(.) Darn -- Oh well ....
I had to rush off before I could finish this blog -- not that it is a very creative one anyway .... I've been doing a lot of apt cleaning lately -- I finally have someone who can help !!! (Woooo Hoooooo!!!) Together we are getting quite a lot done and it feels great!
Of course, I will feel even better when I get rid of many many many more possessions. I have given a lot away to Goodwill etc so far =--but I have far more I want to give away. I know that I will feel a lot freer when I have many less material items cluttering up my life. I have a lot of interests and a very small apt -- NOT a good combination. LOL
At any rate-- I am SOOOOOO grateful to FINALLY have some help to get the things done that I have wanted to do for a long time. :-)

It's BLUEBERRY's Birthday! :-)

Hi there all -- It's Blueberry's 8th birthday today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLUEBERRY!!!

I got her around June 2nd, 2001, but I was able to meet her previous owners and they said her Birthday was on April 8th (same as Julian Lennon's :-)) They also said her previous name was "Princess!" (Hi there, PrincessIvory! waves) I think she has decided her name is "QUEEN" now cuz she rules the house! (grins)

I gave her and Tai Chi some wet food today (they usually have dry). Now "Her Highness" is relaxing on my bed! :-) :-) :-) (no spoiled cat here) (smiles). In June 2001, I brought her over to meet my brother and sister in law -- and my brother took some cute pictures of her as a kitten! ENJOY!

Isn't she cute???? And aren't these great pics? I love her "Halloween Kitty" poses! She is not as white now as she used to be. Now she is mostly grey. But she is still cute.

Here she is eating some of Maureen's fake flowers. Nutty cat! (grins)

I sure love her! :-)

"I love you, I love you, I love you ....."

"....that's all I want to say...." (Quote from the Beatles "Michelle")













The Beatles, together and seperately, speak of love better than I ever could. :-)



http://www.obsessedwithconformity.com/obsessed_with_conformity/2009/03/in-the-name-of-love.html

I made the box for the dresses -- whoo hoooo!

Took me awhile. But at least I got it done. Trying a different approach this time. I got tired of making each box individually. I have a big day in RL tomorrow -- er -- today. I am dreading it. Then on Friday night-- I will not be able to be online cuz I am having another sleep apnea test (last ones I had were last February of 2008). I sure hope I will be able to sleep that night!

Anyway -- Nighters!!

I made a new dress for SL

Hi there --

This one was a hard one -- I had to go back to the drawing board and upload new textures quite a few times to get things matched up correctly, but I think it is finally finished. :-) It looks really nice when the avi is moving -- either doing a salsa or a tango! :-)

Now I have to make a box for these== oh joy! LOLOL

I took some cute pics of Blueberry! (One of my sweet catlets) :-)

Isn't she cute??? I know these are a bit close but it is hard to control the stupid web cam --esp cuz it is connected by a wire and the cat doesn't seem to want her picture taken. But still == she is a cutie! (grins) Now I need to take some pics of Tai Chi! (grins)

What a sweet little face! (smiles)

Hmmmm now that is strange....

Just out of curiousity - I tried to send myself a postcard as an alt avie -- and it worked!!!!!! So it can't be a problem with my email -=- it is something wonky with trying to send a postcard as AuroraSkye! I looked at preferences and settings etc and so far - haven't been able to figure out why I can't send postcards as Aurora when I can as my alt..... I sure hope I can figure it out.....

For Some reason my Postcards from SL are no longer coming in... :(

I like to send myself a lot of "postcards" from Second Life -- to save nice memories and to post some in this blog== but for some reason == the "send a postcard" bit seems to be no longer working for me! I sent a test email out to myself = and it came back fine== so it is not my email -- so it must be good ole SL! :-( I really find this frustrating, tho, because it is a royal pain to save the files directly to my computer because they only come in as ".bmps" -- MUCH bigger files than what fit my needs ..... and I certainly am NOT going to "upload" them every time at $10 lindens a shot -- so darnit -what gives, SL????

It is really upsetting too because before it dawned on me that this was happening (or NOT happening in terms of NO postcards being sent) ... I had taken (and lost) MANY MANY MANY carefully composed -- NEAT postcards pictures! (darn it!!!) :-(

Oh well, at least I took the one I will post here with today's blog== by using Photoshop and the "Print Screen" function. But I wish I knew how to get my SL postcards working again!

The above pic is of my new-ish display for my animated gowns on SL. I made two new "Celestial Gowns" within the last two days. They look neat and are fun to wear! They look so much better while being worn (especially at Midnight setting) but I lost all the neat pics I took of three of us in them tonight and now I have crashed out of SL so I can't post them here.

Happy Valentine's Day!!! :-)

I stayed up all night again (Bad me) ...but it was fun! I made a Valentine's Gown to give out as a present to the people in my small AuroraSkye Creations group. Then I got to try out the gown doing a graceful slow dance with a nice dance partner. It was a nice way to bring in Valentine's Day! It is even SNOWING a teeny tiny bit at the moment, so that is nice. I wish it would stick and cover large areas and stay -- but hey -- even tho it isn't -- it is still neat to see some of those little flakes fall! :-)

I like the texture I made for the Valentine's Gown ... it turned out really neat with the gradients going in opposite directions. :-)

Well, Happy Valentine's Day all!!! I hope you all have a very nice day (as I go off to get some sleep) lolol *(Darn, the snow already ended - sniff) lolol

Nighters!

Why do I always have such bad luck with Helpers? :-(

Well, .... I guess I have to try to go thru the whole awful interview process again to find another Helper! :-( Jennifer was supposed to help two times a week but so far I think she has only come for 2 hours for the month of February so far. I HOPE she is alright! I am worried about her to be honest. She cancelled last Wednesday and said that she could come today (Friday) at noon. I called her last night to remind her but never got a call back. Noon came and went today and NO Jennifer and NO call from her at all! I called her again (cuz I don't want to call her too often) and I DID write her an email .... so far there have been NO responses at all ! :-(
If she has decided that it really IS too much for her to work for me at this time -- I wish she would at least have the decency to call me about it. Otherwise it wastes my days and it also causes me to worry about whether she is OK or if she has gotten into an accident or something. All the times she has worked for me, she has stressed that she believes that it is "rude NOT to call the 'Employer' if you can't work that day or if you are going to be late," and so far, she has been pretty good at calling to cancel at least. That is why I am really wondering what is going on right now. :-( I really do hope that she is OK.
BLAH! :-(
Oh ... PS: For Princess --- For some reason -- I have not been able to leave comments on your blog anymore. :-( There have been many neat posts you have written that I have tried to leave comments to -- but I keep getting "an error on the page" and the comment box never appears. :-( I just wanted to let you know, in case others are having this problem as well, and in case you are wondering why I have not commented on your blogs lately.
For Malicious Intent -- For some reason -- I can't even GET to your blog page anymore! (sniff) It says that I have to be invited -- and asks for my name and password == but after I type them in -- it says I have not been invited. I would love to be invited to be able to view your blog (*if that is ok with you) I love seeing how you are doing and checking out your writings etc!

I want to thank you all, dear friends ....

I wrote this in my comments section in the last blog but I wanted to make sure you all see my thanks to you all for such wonderful comments about my prayer post. I don't think of myself as a good writer at all -- so it was such a surprize to read that you thought my prayer post was written well! Thank YOU so much -- you really made me feel good with your kind words.
I have not been online lately because I have been working on cleaning my apt -- (and having bad allergy attacks from dust and cats) .... but since I did happen to get online tonight -- I wanted to make sure I thanked you all for your kind comments on my previous blog! Thank you so much, again!!!
*(heading off to bed now cuz tomorrow I have to get up early to get my garbage disposal repaired! Wheeeeeee!!! Ahhh such an exciting life I lead! (grins) lolol*

A small prayer .....

Dear Lord ---
Thank you so much for my cats, Tai Chi and Blueberry. They are so sweet. Their loving eyes gaze up at me. They follow me whereever I go all day and then guard me at night. Thank you for my family. Though it is small, it is loving. My brother is a sincere and honorable man. He cares deeply about things and tries his best to love God and care for his family. My sister-in-law is the sister I always wanted. She loves animals and is a sensitive soul. My mother has given me the love of animals, humour, intelligence and so much more... (on a side note -- can you please heal her, physically, Lord, from the ills affecting her body).
Thank you for my friends (In RL, online and on SL). Again, though they are few, they are loyal. They care and they listen and they share. They allow me to help them as well. They give me hugs over the computer even tho we live far apart. Thank you for my Helper, Jennifer. Even though she doesn't always make it over here on the days she has said she would, at least she is VERY good at calling and letting me know -- and when she DOES make it here -- we get a long well and get a fair amount of work done ...and that is very much helping to lift my depression.
Thank you for me having a roof over my head, food in my cupboards, heat at night. Thank you for the SNOW we had this year, and for the rain that waters the trees and my soul. THANK YOU, Lord, for giving me the talent to draw/paint/etc. The things I have created have brought some pleasure into other's lives as well .... and I live for the joy of creating. Thank you for the ability to sing. Even though no one hears me, it gives me great pleasure to sing melodies and harmonies with the Beatles music and so many others. (Lately I have had so much fun singing along with their angellic voices on the "Beatles Anthology" accapella version of "BECAUSE" .... Hearing their beautiful harmonies on that song, without any instruments, surround me in the car takes my breath away!) *(Try it some time - it is truly amazing!!!)*
Thank you, Lord, for my health. It could be better but it could also be worse, so I am glad for where it is. Thank you for the Internet, and computers and for my being able to participate in this amazing world of inter-racial/cultural/country etc connection, unprecedented at any other time in history. May the togetherness it encourages save humanity, and this planet.
Thank you, Lord, for the Grateful heart I woke up with this morning, and the desire to write down this little prayer of thanks.

May whomever reads this blog feel equally blessed for all the little miracles in their lives.

I woke up to SNOW today!!!!

Whoo hooooo!!!!! I love it!!! Unfortunately, it is beginning to melt and we will be getting rain to wash all the pretty snow away -- DARN! But I STILL LOVE it!!!! It is sooooo pretty!!!! I stood out in it (of course) I wish it would last even though it would mean being trapped at home.... but oh well. It still is sooo neat to wake up to!

:-)

Darn, why does it always seem to be this way?

I found a helper (or I thought I did) ....We had maybe three days over the past few weeks where we worked pretty well and got some things done. I even dared to make an appointment with someone to replace my broken garbage disposal because I figured that at the rate we were going, the kitchen, etc would be clean enough for him to work by the time he came this week (or so I was hoping). But the new helper has cancelled the last 3 or 4 times we have tried to set up -- including TODAY (Mondays were supposed to be our guarenteed working days even if the other days didn't work out!) :-(
I understand her reasons, her kids have been sick, and I realize and understand that family must take precidence. But it still makes it hard over on this end. When she came for the very first interview she lied to me about having her kids living with her. (They were in foster care, but she didn't want to let me know that cuz she was afraid that I would judge her about that.... I don't think I would have ....) I mention this not because of the kids being in foster care, (she has them back now anyway) but because of how good she was at lying! She had me totally fooled, she was very smooth with it! (I am not good at lying, myself) So, of course, now I am wondering if I am being lied to again. I hope not. I have told her that if she feels she can no longer work for me, just let me know, so I can start looking again for another helper.... I admit, I am sooo tired of looking for helpers, and then thinking I have found a good one, only to find that, for whatever reason, it is not working out again. :-(
I find the looking/hiring process to be FAR harder than all the work we have to do cleaning! I don't necc want to start looking AGAIN! :-(
Anyway, I am just complaining in here to be able to vent a bit. Of course, I want her family/kids to be healthy and to get over the cold/flu problems that have been affecting them.

I finally put my new rainbow "Boho" dress up at my store on SL

For a long time I was avoiding any "work" and just "7 Seas" fishing a lot! (bad me) lolol BOY do I have to go thru my inventory and start deleting things -- I have WAYYYYYY tooo many inventory items. (Sounds like my apt in real life!)
Jennifer, the lady who has been helping me with my apt, may have to move in 2 months. :-( Darn it!!! Seems like every time I find a good helper == I end up having to lose him/her.
:-( Knowing she may be leaving soon, I definitely want to have her come over and help as often as possible before she has to go -- but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be working either. She cancelled again this week. :-( I am not blaming her - she had a good reason to cancel - but I sure HOPE that we can get a lot of work done before she has to move away, and darn, I will miss her cuz I like her as a friend as well as a helper.

Long Power Outage- UGH

The Helper - Jennifer, - came again, yesterday (Saturday) and we worked for 6 long hours. All day we had AWFUL cold, powerful East winds here, - blowing right thru my apt even when everything was closed (I have awful insulation), making it sooo cold! When we were almost finished for the day, the power went out leaving us both in darkness. I hoped that it would come right back on again (*as it usually does) but this time it stayed out :-( And didn't come on again for over 20 hours! (ugh)

It made the night very cold (*even with extra clothes, extra sheets, two quilts and two cats in bed with me! LOL) And, of course, I was unable to use the sleep apnea machine - which made it almost impossible to sleep. :-( Everytime I woke up (practically every hour on the hour) I kept praying for the power to come on again. It didn't come on again 'til 1 or 2 pm the next day (today) I knew I liked my electricity, but it really IS amazing (and upsetting) how dependent I am upon it. :-( I would not make a good caveman/gal. (I also enjoy indoor plumbing! lol)

At least on Friday night in SL, I felt inspired to do a new Rainbow gradient Bohemian dress outfit! I think it turned out pretty nice. It sure was a LOT of work doing the top for it! I made it a bit different this time -- now there will be a seperate sheer shirt beneath the fancy jacket with golden metallic decorations on it. I don't have a picture yet of it with the sheer shirt, but at least I have a pic of it with the fancy, gold decorated jacket. I think it is a pretty one!

:-)

This is soooo neat!!!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1560479383964&source=jl999

This artist is SOOOOOO talented. I have seen her cards online before -- usually with a labrador retriever dog. I love these card/animations! I wish I could do stuff like this!

A helper finally came on Tuesday ....

After a lot of disappointments -- a helper finally came this past Tuesday, to help me with my messy apt. I believe in working alongside helpers so I worked REALLY hard and got very tired. After 5 hours and 45 mins, she left and I ate something (having not eaten all day -= not good -- ooops) and I laid down to rest a bit at 8 pm. Next thing I knew -- it was 3 AM!!! I had totally zonked! After watching two specials on "The History of India" on our local PBS station at 5 am, I went BACK to sleep and slept til 4 pm! (Sheesh!) (I guess I really wore myself out on Tuesday)
We got a nice amount done but I have A LOT LOT LOT more work to do, unfortunately. (My apt is so disorganized and such a mess) Fortunately, the helper is not afraid of my apt and says she has seen a lot worse, so I hope she continues to be able to come and help out. The more we progress, the harder it will be because then it will get into having to make serious decisions about things to throw out and/or give to Goodwill. I gave some nice things already but I have a LOT more I need to give away.
At least we got the front part of my car clean, too, so now I can have passengers again! (grins) Since it is often too difficult for me to bring heavy things in from the car -- I often just bring in the cold things that need to be refrigerated and then I leave the heavy things in the car -- making it hard to have passengers if the things build up too much. If this helper will be able to make it permanent, then, hopefully, I will be able to have things STAY neat instead of things getting messy again like an ocean tide. (grins)
Thank you, all of you who have prayed for me to find a good helper -- As I say == I sure hope that this one proves to be more reliable and lasts. :-)

Some more nice pics

Hatching a Dragon egg ...............












Walking over a rainbow .....




In Marx's Garden....







At beautiful falls with Solari.......

HAPPY NEW YEARs!!!!

It's been awhile since I have blogged. Been awhile since I have been online at all, and definately has been awhile since I have been on SL. I am not sure why I haven't wanted to get on SL lately but I am sure it is just a phase I am going thru.

Still, I was looking thru some of Aurora's fave SL pics from the past year and have found some nice pictures that hold special memories for me. Here is one of Danaeah and I riding in her air balloon! That was fun! :-)

And here is a fun one of Hacker and I at Greenies with a large cat! (giggles) (That is such a neat sim, I highly reccommend it)

It is lots of fun going thru pictures of the past year and reminiscing a bit.
Anyway == I hope you all had a WONDERFUL New Year's celebration and I wish us all a happy and healthy 2009. :-)