On Forethought and Generosity

I should be in bed right now but I'm so moved by the generosity of those who love me I just have to blog about it first.

To start with, I will be moving out soon. My aunt and uncle own a house which they want to fix up a bit more so it can be rented out, but there's a bit of a thievery problem in the neighborhood so as long as it's clearly unoccupied, people keep coming in and stealing things (even the skylight! Now that's low... or high...). My aunt and uncle have been very much wanting someone to live there, so it can be fixed up un-interrupted. I of course have been looking for a place to live, cheaply, and in their infinite generosity they offered to let me stay, free of charge. In exchange I will be a presence so no one tries to take things [obviously we're also bumping up the security of the property], and I will help with cleaning and renovations. It is really a nice little 3br/2bath house; not huge but much bigger than I require right now and definitely bigger than the cute shoebox I had been looking at. I am so excited about moving in; I already took Bagheera over with me to check it out and begin a little cleaning. Bagheera thinks it's fascinating and I don't know how many times I swiped cobwebs off his ebony snout as he rooted through the crooks and crannies. I think he approves!

Since I'm going to have a place of my own, I've been thinking a lot about what I'll need for this house. I'll get to claim and bring with me my furniture from home; bed, dressers, desk, hope chest, office chair. I knew I had some cookware and dining pieces from college, but they of course are mismatched and of cheapest quality. Mom and I ran a few errands today, and I took back a sweater that was too large for me which I'd received for Christmas. The woman told me that I could exchange it for any one item of the same original ticket price; since my gift-giver had purchased the sweater on a good sale, that was a pretty notable price! I decided to check out the housewares, and came away with a fantastic Black & Decker toaster oven, free for me in exchange for a sweater I wouldn't have worn. Score!

I'd also looked at silverware sets and dining sets, but they weren't quite the right price for the exchange so I left them there, sad that I'd have to make do with my mismatched cheap-o pieces from college until I start earning money. I knew I had a few things in my hope chest, but I wasn't sure what. Once I got home, I decided to do a thorough inventory.


... wow.

I had so much more in there than I remembered. I started receiving these items when I was no older than 12, and haven't added anything to it for at least the past 4 years or more. Inside, I found so many treasures! When they were given to me, I knew they'd come in handy at some point, but I had NO idea I would be brought almost to tears of gratitude when I really needed them and they were waiting for me. There were numerous odds and ends of course. I discovered that I had an entire set of the purpley plastic dining pieces I'd only vaguely remembered - I think those cups, bowls, plates, and mugs were among the first things I ever put in the hope chest. Casual/outdoor service for four! I also found five drinking glasses with white and gold roses on them and five wine glasses, which I chose from my great grandmother's possessions when she passed away years ago. I ALSO found a 16 pc fine china set that I had no idea I had - saucers, dessert plates, salad plates, dinner plates, and teacups, with delicate roses along the edges. I would not choose that particular style if I was buying brand new, but I love that they remind me of my precious Mimi and they are just perfect. At the bottom of the chest, lo and behold.... a 70 pc silverware set! Service for EIGHT, plus a handful of serving forks and spoons.

There was also a knife set from China (complements of my dad on his business trip - it's the sort of set that has some knives, shears, a peeler, etc), the beautiful hand painted table cloth my parents purchased for me from South Africa, and (and this is very precious to me) several items made specifically for me from my deceased Uncle M. There is a large and two small boxes; finely jointed, carefully burnt for an aged effect, precisely made and one has my name written on it. There is also a faerie call - a small piece of wood that appears to have no seams yet rattles when shaken as it contains pieces of stone and metal that are supposed to summon faeries. Finally, a magic wand - a triangular length of wood (not round) with twine wrapped to make a handle, and at the other end carefully wrapped silver wire and a bit of quartz. He chose the various elements to suit me, and he once explained the various energies involved. I do not count on them for magical powers, but the love he poured into these gifts just humbles my heart. He passed away about three years ago after a long hard life, but I will always hold on to these trinkets as being the best part of him.


When I was given all these housewares and gifts, I knew that somewhere down the road they would be useful because every house needs plates, etc. I didn't know I'd find myself kneeling on my carpet, flat broke if not in debt, in awe of the love and forethought demonstrated by beloved family as they prepared for my future before I knew how. I'm sure I liked getting a fancy silverware set for Christmas when I was in my teens... but really, is that the most exciting gift ever? Yet, whatever other gift they could have given me would be forgotten and useless by now. This one will remind me every day that I am loved and cared for!

I am more eager than ever to clean up the rental and move in. I have an amazing life ahead of me!

Broken Glass, Soloist, Puppies, and Jobs...

Well, I didn't get that job I wanted. And I won't know about any of the others until next week or so. Which means I really can't be moving out next week now can I? I really hope to when i can though. If things look promising I'm going to ask the kind folks to hold the property for me; offer them half rent or something, until I'm all set. I'm applying at a furniture store as a door greeter and I'm going to check out restaurants. Ugh. :( I already checked all the restaurants that are classy and I would get good tips from... now I can try those which will bring in very few tips... then I'll go to no tips. And fast food. Crumbdiddlyumptious. Yes that is a real word and yes I do say it.

Here's a bright spot: Look at how cute my doggies are when they choose to share a space!

He's getting so big. I got him at 6 wks and he was shorter than Samantha. Now he is pushing 4 months, weighs three times as much as he did originally, and Sam could walk right under him if she ducked her head a little. They get along pretty well considering he's a rambunctious lab puppy and she's an old reserved papillon.

I'm watching The Soloist right now. I've seen it once before and I really enjoy it. It's about a man that once played the cello at Juliard but was overcome by paranoid schizophrenia and "bombed out of there". He is now homeless and living on the streets and he played a violin with only two strings until the reporter Steve Lopez discovered him. He writes about Nathaniel the musician in the newspaper and a cello is donated to him. From that point on both men embark on a journey of self-discovery, trying to make sense of the world, triumph and pitfalls. It is truly an excellent story and I highly recommend the movie to anyone. Nathaniel's character is so multi-faceted, unpredictable, and endearing that you will be captivated throughout the entire show.

Last of all, I am making broken glass jello for Christmas!I actually found this recipe many moons ago, and separately found the blog of The Food Librarian and only later realized that she is the one who I got the original recipe from. Does that make sense? Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, you need to check out her post and you'll see what I'm up to! For tomorrow I'm making the Christmas version; for New Year's Eve next week I'll make the multi-colored one. I've done this once before and my one problem was that I didn't wait for the white jello to cool enough before pouring it over the colored pieces and it melted them a bit. :( Whoopsie! This time I know better, now don't I? As a side not, do check out Food Librarian's latest post; I really want to make those clear gelatins with fruit in them. Gorgeous!!



I've really enjoyed getting to know people on 20sb.net and would like to give a general shoutout to anyone who has chatted with me, written on my wall, read my blog, or commented on it. I'm so encouraged to blog when I know that someone actually cares a teensy bit! Haha. I just added Google reader and will now be keeping up with all the blogs I'm subscribed to. I may not always comment but I will be reading because I'm interested in all of you!

You make me smile like the sun

I found out yesterday that my four-month old lab puppy is actually a three and a half month old lab puppy. Two week is not a huge deal, but that does mean that when he came into my life he was at the very oldest, six weeks old. No wonder he was a sad, scared little insecure puppy! Definitely not ready to leave his mama yet.

Now he is fourteen weeks, twenty-five pounds, taller than our sheltie, and 100% handsome. He learned to sit on command at seven weeks, was housetrained (... mostly! really!) by eleven or twelve weeks, and knows several commands. He can sit, come, wait (including when you feed him; he'll sit and wait until you tell him "okay"), get in his kennel, go outside, go somewhere else if he's begging and I say "go", leave the room with "get out of here", and "eat nice" instead of taking off your whole hand when given a treat. He also walks well on a leash, tolerates grooming, and and settle down if you're trying to hold him and he's wiggling. I still feel like he need to work on his manners... but I guess if he's not even four weeks old yet he's making good progress.

I have big plans for this handsome bundle of trouble! This week we're going to work on obedience [sit, down, come, stay] and "clean up", which will mean to get his toys from wherever he scattered them and put them in the toy basket. He has a bad habit of taking his toys outside and leaving them there, so we're going to try to remedy that. :) Some day I want to do agility and obedience competitions, companion dog certifications, therapy dog licensure... haha. He is mostly lab, with the obedient and eager to please personality that goes along with that.

Have any of you taught your dog tricks? What was the neatest trick you've ever seen a dog do, or wanted to train a dog to do?