Halloween weekend we made a special trip to deliver the 26 SIT UPONS that have been completed.   I thought you might like to see what they looks like?

The sit upons are actually called rag rugs and are usually crocheted out of torn strips of fabric from the rag bag.  My friend Lilly taught me how to make them and she had a bath mat that she knew was over 80 years old her Mother had made before she was born.   They  get stronger and strong – tighter and tighter the more one washes them.

I made several heart shaped ones for each daughter’s bedroom in their favorite colors and one very large oval rug for the family room floor.   Three of the SIT UPONS are chair rugs that I used on the ladder back dining chairs to keep my Grandmother’s needlepoint seat tapestries clean.

It takes about 2.5 yards of fabric for each SIT UPON and they are various sizes because of the weight and texture of the fabric.  Some are made from new fabric I got on sale and some are from odds and ends from the sewing storage box.

I have enough fabric for 2 more SIT UPONS but Library Girl says this is enough to get started for story time with the Kindergarteners and she wants to make at least one during Thanksgiving Break.

Trick or Treat

My two neighbors  Chloe, dressed up as her Mother and sister Calla, Ballerina girl,  came over early to TRICK OR TREAT and draw the winning ticket for the book give away  The Gifts of Imperfection.

JANNIE FUNSTER

Congratulations To Jannie !!!!!!!!

Don’t you think my impartial judges are terrific at doing a random drawing?

Did you dress up for Halloween?  Do you celebrate these events?  I have several children in my neighborhood with diabetes so I am sharing Be Strong and Breast Cancer bracelets this year?   I made a donation to UNICEF, at Harvest Potluck, this year too.

Looking forward to your fun comments

Related Reading you might enjoy:
Happy Halloween 2009
Discussing Fear
Dear World, You Still need us. Love your Librarians

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

TWO PROJECTS COMPLETED

Tah! Dah!

Border Songs the Book goes to Jannie Funster for her laugh out loud comments on my blog while I was away and because she reads books! I think this book will make her laugh out loud too.

The copy of Jannie’s CD goes to Cath Lawson because she did say that she did not have the CD and she asked!

Thank you for all the appreciated comments and good recommendations.

#2 A Movie Recommendation:
I just have returned from seeing Julie & Julia which is a delightfully good movie and not just a chick flick! The blogger succeeds and Meryl Streep is amazing and so are the love stories.
You can also read the blog or the book; equally good.

#3 A Puzzlement in Contemplation Mode:
I have been watching my city plant hundreds of street trees over the past years. HUNDREDS. They are all Deciduous. WHY? We grow Evergreen Trees here, which drink up 500 gallons of water a day, are shallow rooted and hold the soils in place. Why if our downtown is going to be underwater in a few years, do we not plant Evergreen Trees and keep our environment appropriate?

Why do we cut them down in the first place and do not replant fir trees? Why do folks uphill cut down their fir trees and then discover they need a permit?

Well, I am not alone in this Puzzlement. One of the news discussion shows in Scotland discussed this very subject. In Scotland they are busy planting Evergreen Trees and reforesting the landscape. Their natural forests are Deciduous Trees. Citizens and Officials are now asking, why they are planting so many Evergreen Trees? And because they are asking and raising such points – nicely – the government is going to switch to planting appropriate trees for the areas they are reforesting.

Is it because no one in my city is asking that question of the right people? So I put in a call about this puzzlement, the fellow in charge just left on vacation – I will need to wait – nicely.

Congratulations to the winners.

I am wondering if you have any puzzlements you would like to share and add to the contemplation pool?

Looking forward to you much appreciated comments:

Other related posts that might interest you:
Freebies and Party Favors
Kindle 2 and 5 Things I love About It
The Awesome Mom Club

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

Just Three Things for a Friday Post

Sean is a professional writer and blogger and I am going to invite you to explore his sites to find out more about him and let you get right to his lovely entry. I just know you will want to read more of his creative words so added all the links I could find.

Each of us is the sum of an infinity of thinly sliced seconds, where each one matters, at least to some degree. How could we ever hope to pinpoint that decisive second when things forever changed; the instant the axis of our world shifted and began to orbit in a different direction?

It might be difficult, but can be done. Tally your life, take it apart, and turn a seemingly impossible task to tremendously simple.

I know the moment my life took its first step down an aisle it would never leave. I ponder it often.

I pay no mind to the property values of my neighbors or the car I drive. My family, living, and piece of mind, these are what give my rapture breath. None would exist without the assembly of moments from this most remembered day.

I was working in a flower shop with my family on the day my life moved from middling to merit mounting. Our shop lay at the lip of a city I’d scarcely left. A stranger, a petite lady with eyes like chocolate almonds, had moved to town the previous year. She had been shopping amongst our flowers for maybe a month.

Every time she passed our vibrant displays and rounded the corner to enter our doors, I’d abandon my knife, rush my phone call, or attend to some trifle that could have easily waited, had it not been in her vicinity.

Our store was in prep until ten, but she always showed up about a half hour early. “Do you mind if I buy a few things that are already put together?”

She also knew precisely what to ask.

“Of course not,” I’d say, the words always falling behind a smile.

It was my job to keep the early birds away, but she spent enough for me to slither through rules without consequence.

Her visits grew earlier and her totals kept climbing.

I was helping her to the car on a beautiful October day, a fraction less than a month after our eyes first locked. My arms saddled with blossoms, I saw her sashay to her space from behind a bundle of fully bloomed roses.

I blushed, squeezed by, then laid the blooms across the passenger seat of her red (orange) pickup, Texas plates in a California lot. I arranged the bunches then turned to face her. Her enormous coco pupils pulled my hazel ones toward them, like ore to magnet.

I cannot recall the length of this moment, only that a single bird sang and that the perfect note felt like an epiphany.

She slipped something between my fingers. “I’m going to go broke if I keep doing it this way,” she said. Words flew from her mouth as though escaping. “Call me sometime, and we could talk longer, over a cup of coffee.”

Still in the dusty aftermath of my previous liaison, I said, “I’m just at the end of a relationship. I’m flattered, really, but I don’t think I’m ready.”

She said something then that only clinical dementia could ever steal. “Life’s too short to be unhappy. Think about it, then call me.”

All fifteen syllables sounded like a smile.

I did call, though two weeks drifted from the calendar. I wasn’t playing games, only intimidated by the strength of our obvious and unexpected bond. I found my fortitude and made up for my missing days.

I picked up the phone around 9:30 on a Friday night, the first week of November. We talked until the sun was almost a promised fulfilled.

Monday, she left on business, but her absence did nothing to dim our exchange. Each day after work, we exchanged words across a land line until far past midnight, each minute driving an already expensive hotel phone bill closer toward outrageous.

It was worth every single copper faced Lincoln.

She tore into town that next Friday, not even stopping to change. We met at a Mexican restaurant in the same center as the flower shop.

That long week was prologue to my present day; a now that can be easily traced to a single moment.

The house we live in was agreed on in twilight as the two of us held hands. A boy and a girl wait for stories each night at bedtime, snug in the cradle of my lap. They were baked in her oven from our special recipe. Our living is made in tandem, because she is yin to my yang and we’ve found ourselves happiest with the fewest possible pauses in conversation.

Our most intimate moments together would have never happened without her strolling into the store, slipping me her card, or telling me life’s too short to spend it even a sliver less than happy.

I often ponder the sliding doors of my life, and all those trails never taken. Which crossroads would have dropped me somewhere else on the day my fate was delivered?

It is impossible to know.

What I do know is that I wouldn’t trade my fate for affluence beyond imagination. There is no other life, be it prince or king, that I’d exchange for mine. I already live a life of abundance and can draw a timeline and place my pointer on the precise moment that brought it to me.

Thank you Sean and to all the writers who submitted such lovely pieces to this contest.

I invite you to explore their blog sites to read more of their good words and ideas and hope you enjoyed hearing these stories.

I still think that folks do not get enough opportunity to share their own personal stories about how they met, what do you think?

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

How We Met Entry #4

Alex is the writer of the blog Someday Syndrome and a published novelist. His blog is about how he gave up his “I’ll do it Someday” attitude and started living his dream and making it come true.

On his About page Alex says:

You see, when I was twelve years old, I made a decision to live in Europe and write fiction. So off my soul went to find that dream, while I went to school, got a job, and bought a house in the city.
And so my soul got lost on the Someday Sea, waiting for me to catch up to it.
Then one day, I woke up to the ache I felt where my soul should have been. So, I walked away from everything: from a budding career as a Professional Organizer and as President of Professional Organizers in Canada, from my house, my cats, my friend and from my family – all to go find my missing soul
I found it, as well as my writing dream and love in northern Spain, where I now write for a living, as I always wanted to.

I always find good information and insight on Alex’s Blog and am encouraged that he writes and makes a living.

Without further introduction here is Alex’s entry:

Loving Myself, Loving Raul

My story back when I was twelve-years-old. I had decided I was going to live in southern Europe and write. It always felt wrong that I was unilingual and as much as I enjoyed snow, winters weren’t my thing.

I did the whole school, job, house and dating on and off thing, but never felt secure about myself. How could I when I was denying myself my real dream of being a writer? I was often sad and insecure about everything in my life, especially in my relationships.

Fast forward to my mid-30s. I had started my own business and owned a home for nearly a decade. And yet I still wasn’t happy and didn’t trust others a whole lot.

Then in May 2006 a friend decided to leave Canada for a round-the-world trip and I expressed my envy. She asked me what I really wanted to do – with a little push and the help of some great Zinfandel I admitted my French writing dream and she said: “So why aren’t you?”

I couldn’t answer her. And because I couldn’t answer her, I realized there was no reason.

Within two weeks the house was on the market and mid-August 2006 I was on the plane to a small village in SW France where a distant cousin lived. During the eight months I lived there, for the first time in my life I felt really confident and happy. I wrote a novel and discovered myself.

I had spent New Years in Barcelona where I feel in love with Spain, so when my lease was up in France I moved to Spain traveling around organic farms doing work in exchange for room and board. In June 2007 while deciding whether to go to Bilbao or San Sebastian to celebrate Toronto’s Gay Pride Day I started chatting online with a guy, called Raul, from San Sebastian and he said that the city was having a Pride Party I should check out.

I almost didn’t go because the road out of the village was scary at night, but in the end I let Raul convince me. I arrived and he was waiting in the entrance area. Our eyes met and locked. I felt a thunk in my chest and knew that Cupid had just struck. I spoke next to no Spanish and he very little English, but it didn’t matter. We had a different type of connection happening.

The next morning, Raul complained about how friends had backed out of going to EuroPride in Madrid the next weekend. I took a BIG breath and invited myself along. He freaked a bit and obviously thought I was crazy but then the next day sent me a text saying “my friends say you can stay there too.”

By the end of that weekend we were deeply in love and I moved to San Sebastian four months later. After falling in love with myself, I had finally let someone else love me too.

Alex’s book can be purchased on the Someday Syndrome website!

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

How We Met Entry #3

Elizabeth has a delightful and poignant writing style and I look forward to her weekly short stories on her blog site. Her essay was a true winner following all the criteria and then introducing the reader to internet introductions.

On her About page Elizabeth shares:
The Urban Panther is a Business Architect by day and a Writer by night. She lives in Quebec, Canada, with her beloved Urbane Lion. She’s English and he’s French, so life is never dull!
The Lair is like a virtual kitchen table. Grab a beverage of your choice, pull up a chair, and join in the discussions. Sometimes serious, sometimes hilarious, but always thoughtful and thought provoking.

Without further hesitation here is her magical writing:

A Modern Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a woman in her forties, who had left a long term relationship.

She was doing the online dating thing, and while she had met some very nice men, none of them really clicked for her. And growing weary of this, she determined she was quite happy being alone.

Being content to not settle on just anybody as a life partner, she wrote a very detailed list of the qualities she wanted in a man. And for good measure, she threw in the fact that he must own a boat.

Once upon a time there was a man in his forties, who had left a long term relationship.

He was doing the online dating thing, and while he had met some very nice women, none of them really clicked for him. And growing weary of this, he determined he was quite happy being alone.

Being content to not settle on just anybody as a life partner, he wrote a very detailed list of the qualities he wanted in a woman. And for good measure, he threw in the fact that she must play the piano.

One day, the woman met the man through an online dating site. They chatted, and were both gratified to discover that neither wanted to rehash their pasts, as is so common with online daters. Instead, they talked about food and vintage cars.

After a week of chatting, the man brazenly invited himself to a party the woman was attending. The woman boldly told him to come along.

And she went down to the lobby of her apartment to wait for his arrival.

As the man came up the steps to the front door, the woman burst into a huge smile. For she instantly recognized the man from her list.

Looking at the woman through the front door, the man burst into a huge smile. For he instantly recognized the woman from his list.

And the more they spent time together, the more they realized that every quality on their lists was met.

And to this day, the man and the woman enjoy many tranquil hours on their boat.

And to this day, the man and the woman enjoy many lyrical moments by the piano.

And they are truly happy, for they knew what they wanted, and they found it.

The End

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

A Modern Fairy Tale

All of the Writing Contests are based on relationship events. Each Contest will have a prize and will be judged by different groups of judges. The stories must be true, but each writer is allowed to submit a story for each contest, embellish the story with creativity and/or humor. The writer does not have to be one of the persons in the relationship; the writer is the primary storyteller.

Contests and due dates:

1. How We Met – Must be submitted by May 15th, 2009
2. The Ceremony and the Celebration – Due date May 15th, 2009
3. The Divorce Story – Due Date June 1, 2009
4. Our Secret for Staying Together. (This is about folks who have been together for more than 25 years.) – Due Date June 15, 2009
5. Why Not Live in Sin: are Marriages and Civil Unions relevant? – Due date July1,2009

Rules:

• Entries must be 500 words or less.
• All entries must be submitted by the date posted for that contest.
• All entries should be submitted to workshops@patriciaswisdom.com.
• Submission of a story to the above address means that you consent to publication on this blog.
• All final entries must include signed permission to use the story, and authors will be given credit for the submission. Valid entries must therefore contain an email address where you can be contacted directly.
• Entries must be true stories, but as a writer one may write someone else’s story as an entry.
• Only one submission for each contest will be allowed for each writer.

The Prize:
There will be $50.00 (US dollars) for the winning entry for each of the contests. That means $250 total in prize money.The top submissions and as many honorable mentions as possible will be posted on Patricia’s Wisdom.

The Judges:
Judges will be looking at writing style, beauty, creativity, humor, and the communication expressed with clarity and insight. There will be 3 judges for each contest to pick the winner. For Contest #1, they include a Unitarian Minister, a counselor and Poet, and a writer friend. Many of the entries will be used in the workbook I am writing.

All of the writing contests will be completed by August 15, 2009.

I am not looking for stories about how emotionally disturbed the bride was or how the ceremony turned into a food fight with the cake. Rather, I am looking at loving, respectful relationships and how they express themselves.
I am looking forward to reading all the entries and am thinking that this will be a fun experience and reveal some very fine writing.

So here goes…

Post from: www.patriciaswisdom.com

Rules and Dates for the 5 Writing Contests