lots of locks

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Kathy

Yesterday I did something that I have wanted to do for some time — donated to Locks of Love.

I went to Great Clips in the Indiana Commons, on Oakland Avenue in Indiana PA. They donate their time to cut and style your hair for your hair donation. I brought my digital camera and when I asked, discovered that Jessica Uptegraph not only was willing to take photos but has her own photography studio.

I arrived with my hair in the usual bun. Jessica removed the hair pins and combed it out:

     

She then parted it into four sections and secured them with rubber bands:

There was plenty of hair left for a chin-length blunt cut:

    

When Jessica measured the locks and they were 22 inches long! You don’t have to have hair this long to donate though.

I especially like this photo with the reflection in the mirror:

I suspect that it is because I usually wear my hair up in a bun but so far people don’t seem to notice the change. It was a good experience and I now have a better profile photo for Facebook.

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r. i. p. Bode

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Kathy

"smiling" shaggy dog

Yesterday I said a last goodbye to a little shaggy sheep dog, my canine companion of six years.

One of the assistants at the vet’s office said that Bode always seemed so happy. He wanted to be happy and spread happiness to everyone who met him. This is despite having lost his first owner and a number of health problems, most painful.

I am remembering our walks and road trips and his supervision of all activities in the kitchen, my K9 KP.

The links below are blog posts about how Bode came into my life.

The dog on the hill

Becoming “my” dog (read below the rant)

A name and official adoption

Getting further acquainted and herding Ling Ling

He was aging gracefully, but in February what looked like inflammation from an ear infection turned out to be something a lot worse: squamous cell carcinoma. In just a few weeks it grew to about the size of the ball of my thumb, completely blocking Bode’s right ear canal.

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Blood orange antidote for winter blast

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kathy

We are in a second day of snowfall. Yesterday was blustery too, so suspect there is a lot of drifting on top the several inches accumulation.

Fortunately I was able to get out for groceries on Friday before the weather turned, so can stay indoors except when Bode needs to go out.

On impulse I bought a couple blood (Moro) oranges at Giant Eagle in Indiana. I hadn’t had this variety for a couple years. I usually try to buy local produce but oranges are an exception. In Western PA you don’t grow citrus unless you have a greenhouse. So I watch for the different varieties that come in season as winter progresses.

I peeled the first blood orange after a breakfast of corn meal mush this morning. The flesh was deep red and the juice had hints of mulled port wine with just a trace of bitterness. It was like a vacation from the wintry blast.

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Advent sunrise

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Kathy

tree branches on colorful sunrise sky 

One of the benefits of living with a dog is that sometimes when you wouldn’t think of going out, they insist and you see beautiful skies.

pink clouds at sunrise

I am still living in a rented room. I’ve finished a pair of socks I started last winter, gray heather fine yarn on Size 0 needles.

Spent way too much time on Facebook today. It started with discovering that Bing Places that FB Pages use for maps were very inaccurate for Armstrong County. On the positive side, was able to connect with a friend in Milwaukee and chat with a couple high school classmates.

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Starting to feel like autumn

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Kathy

The chili pepper in the planter has ripe fruit:

Ripe chili peppers on plant

This planter was started on the deck at the house. Although it doesn’t get a lot of direct light here apparently the indirect light by my front door is enough.

Front of motel with cars and trees

This morning and yesterday morning when I took Bode out around 6 am the pre-dawn sky was clear with a big full moon and a chill to the air.

I have been using a microwave for cooking for about 6 weeks now. First priority was cooking rice, then I moved on to corn bread.

“Mug Cake” Cornbread — wheatless

1 tablespoon butter
1 egg (large)
1/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground flax seed (optional)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt

Melt butter in a large mug (about 2 cup or 500 ml capacity) by microwaving for about 30 sec.

Cool the butter slightly, then beat in the egg then the buttermilk with a whisk or fork.

Beat in the dry ingredients (can mix them in a separate container first).

Microwave on full power for about 3 minutes.

Let cool a bit then turn out onto a plate and slice.

Tip: Microwave ovens vary in power, so you may need to adjust the cooking time. The one here is fairly powerful.

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