The classic is gone

My car finally decided to take it's last gasp of breath. Today marks the end for the 20 year old automobile. It was a four cylinder and had 230,000 miles on it before it blew the head gasket. Antifreeze was in the crankshaft. Oil and antifreeze don't mix.

It would have taken mucho dinero to fix the classic. Instead of repairing it, I chose to recycle it. Maybe it'll become a new Chevrolet or tuna fish can.

So, I'm on the lookout for new wheels. Let me know of any leads for transportation. Anything with 22 MPG or more in the city would be great. Of course, 50 MPG is preferred. But, I am being realistic.

I have also entered several contests for new vehicles. Soon I could be driving a Smartcar or a VW Beetle, or a Prius.

Dangle Ring

It moves. This rings moves with you. Every time I wear it, it generates lots of interest.

This ring is made of iridescent green, purple and blue glass beads attached to an adjustable silver-plated ring with silver plated wire. The smallest size is 7 and the ring can be expanded to fit larger fingers.

I named the ring Erin after a woman in my Master Gardener class that adored my creation. Erin's version was made with a variety of red and clear glass beads. It so much fun to wear.

Planting Day

We had some nasty storms here yesterday. And the weather looks just as good today. I just got back from riding my bike and was pelted by hail. Lucky me.

According to weather guru's, May 15th is the last day for frost in Michigan. That means it's safe to plant. Supposedly. You never know what the weather holds on this peninsula.

I'm taking a chance and planting three varieties of leaf lettuce today; sweet, spicy and gourmet. the seeds are from Burpee Seed Company.I also planted mammoth dill and swiss chard amongst my flowers. In a few weeks, the tomatoes will go into the ground. My onions and chives are doing very, very well. If anyone has any onions recipes, please post them. I'm even thinking about freezing my onions. Actually, they are more like shallots.

Happy planting!

Harley Loving Dog

She loves Harley motorcycles. No kidding. My dog loves Harleys. She won't bat an eye at a Honda. A Kawasaki gets a couple barks. But when a Harley roars by, my dog barks. And she whines a little as it goes out of sight. A parked bike will even elicit some barking. How does she know it's a Harley?

My baby was a rescue dog. She was just 7 months old when I found her at the Michigan Humane Society, a rescue organization that offers dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and at times, a host of other animals for adoption. Zoe was a runaway they found on the streets. The only conclusion we came to was her former owner had a motorcycle.

Zoe has lots of other interesting habits. I'll talk about those in another post. This is one of my favorites photos of her - head out the window of a car and catching a breeze. Ah, spring!

Wooden Bead Necklace

Necklaces seem to enhance summer clothes. At least, that's my opinion. This necklace is comprised of two sizes of wooden beads with silver-plated beads in between and glass beads for accents. The clasp is also silver-plated and the necklace falls mid-way on my chest. (you must remember that I am tall).

This is a necklace made primarily from natural materials. Primarily because I used plastic thread to hold all the beads together. I needed something that was strong and lightweight. A material that would move with a person. I am working on acquiring thread that's used to string pearls.

Non-toxic Drain Cleaner Review

Sinks that won't drain. We've all experienced this phenomenon. Water just sitting in the sink. I have been tempted to use harsh chemicals to get rid of the clog. I've even learned how to take apart the bits of plumbing beneath the sink to clear the pipes. I found a terrific tool. It's called "Zip-it" and it's distributed by Cobra in New Jersey.

What's different about this tool is you don't have to unfasten any pipes. You push the tool down the sink hole or tub drain and remove the tool. Do this a couple of times and you remove the cause of the clog. (Sometimes disgusting). Zip-it is non-toxic, fast, less messy than draining water from the pipe underneath the sink, and affordable - I purchased mine for under three dollars.

I don't work for this company. I am not getting any compensation what so ever. I do believe in the product and have given it as a gift to several people. I've included a link to the site.Click here to go to the ZIP-IT website.

This one's for me

You can't always find jewelry that goes with an outfit you want to wear. That was my dilemma today. I bought a cute top that had purple, red and yellow dots on a beige background. None of the earrings I had worked with the top. Out came my beads and tools and voila! The Hattie Fox earrings were born.

I call them Hattie Fox after one of my favorite shops that sells lace and linens and all sorts of unusual gifts. Looks like something the store would carry.

Sugar Tragedy

How can there be a sugar tragedy? When you buy sugar when it's on sale and put the extra bags in your freezer. A couple of months later, you take out the sugar only to learn that the glue used to seal the bag releases under extreme cold. And you have five pounds of sugar at the bottom of the freezer. I spent the morning scooping frozen sugar out of a chest freezer. Brrrrrrrrr. I won't need air conditioning for a while.

Megan's Bracelet

So delicate. Yet stronger than it looks. Some of the pink stones are transparent and some are opaque. Large and small sparkling and subdued. That's describes a Megan that I know and also this bracelet. A sterling silver clasp completes the look.

Heart Song

I remember a song that used the words, "Heart Song". It always sounded like a happy thing. This necklace makes me happy. It's aluminum and black cord with a sterling silver clasp. And it makes any outfit look polished and complete.