Whoo hooo! The forum is back! There's so much to say I don't know where to start.

I got my hair cut short on Saturday, and just to make sure everyone noticed the change I also dyed it bright red. I got 13 inches of hair cut off, I'm sending it to a charity that makes wigs for children with alopecia. Now with my new 'do, everyone is calling me Scully. I had Keith take before and after pictures so if I can figure out how to post them somewhere I'll let you know the link.

It's still really hot and dry here. The tomato plants were almost dead so I picked the last of the ripe ones and made one last batch of spaghetti sauce. Now all I have left are brussel sprouts and a couple of comfrey plants. I need to thin out the comfrey, does anyone want some of it?

We went to a housewarming party on Saturday and I took some of Polly's secret recipe salsa. It was a big hit. Now I'm spoiled for commercial salsa. We went to ChiChi's for dinner yesterday and I couldn't even eat their salsa because it tasted too "fake". Keith's boss had given the dept. ChiChi's gift certificates and I also had a coupon so we ended up with dinner for two including dessert and drinks for $8.00!

Now for the BIG news...I'm going to be working as a massage therapist beginning October 1st! I've been taking some energy healing classes from another massage therapist, we have some mutual friends and she's sort of become a mentor for me. She is expanding her business and I am going to sublease a massage room from her. I'll be working Monday and Tuesday evenings and every other Saturday. I'll still have to develop my own clients but she is going to publish some info about me in her newsletter and give me a link on her website. Once I get my prenatal massage certification she's going to refer her pregnant clients to me too. I'm so excited about this. Ananaia is a very cool lady, we get along great and she also has a good head for the business aspects of running a massage practice.

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2002

Answers

Oops, I almost forgot to tell you about my waaay cool new business cards. It's kind of a long story....

A couple of years ago I subscribed to a magazine for homemade soapmakers. One issue had the most fabulous drawing on the cover that I immediately fell in love with. The srtist's name was Amy Brown, there was a website listed for her under the picture but when I went there the URL was no longer working. Even though I'm no longer in the soap biz I've always kept this magazine for the cover art.

Fast forward to last week. I decided to celebrate my finding a permanent location to do massage by getting some real business cards (I'd just been making them on my computer before this). So I punched in the keywords massage business cards into a search engine to see what comes up. The very first site that comes up is licensed by Amy Brown to use her art, and they have my picture! I'm getting business cards, stationery, return address labels, and gift certificates! They also had a link to Amy Brown's current website, I've already bought 2 prints and a calendar!

Here's the drawing that started it all Morgan Le Fey by Amy Brown

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2002

Congratulations, Sherri!!!!! I'm sure it wont take you very long to establish a waiting list of clients. The massage business seems to be really taking off lately from what I've heard. Two of our auto customers are therapists who specialize in going around to high stress businesses and giving the seated massages!! I suppose our whole world is becoming more and more stressful and lots of people need to learn HOW to relax! My younger brother is a physical trainer and he has several therapists working with him, too. Makes sense I guess...if you overwork those muscles weight-training you'll need a massage to relax :-)!!

My goodness...13 inches of hair gone!!?? I bet your head feels "lighter"!! Red, huh? All I can say is you be sure to post those pics somewhere. Can't wait to see them :-)!!!

With the exception of tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, squash and corn, our garden is just about done, also. My pole beans are still producing, but I have so much canned and frozen that I've been feeding them to my goats! Oh yeah...I still have a few cabbages that I haven't picked yet. I really wont be sad to see the gardening season come to an end. We're looking forward to the peace and quiet of fall!!

Typing this is taking me forever this morning! My left hand seems to be having a few problems!! Yesterday I slipped while carrying a five gallon bucket of water in that hand. You all know how it goes...if you're like me you hate the thought of spilling something that you just filled up :-)!! So my right leg went straight out ahead of me and my left leg folded up underneath me and the waterbucket landed right-side up, but my hand got all twisted up in the handle! Didn't spill any water, though!! I sat there and thought to myself "boy, my knee is gonna be sore tomorrow", but it's my hand that's messed up and my knee is fine...go figure!! Now...wonder how I'm going to milk this morning??!! Geesh, can you all hear me whining :-)!!

Sure hope a few other people check in here just to say "hi" anyways! Have a good day!!!

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

I am having a terrible day today! You know those lovely new business cards I was talking about earlier? I just realized that they all have the WRONG address on them! I sent an urgent email to the printer last night and left a frantic phone message this morning in hopes that they haven't been printed yet and I can still make the correction.

And you know that 13" ponytail I was going to send to Locks of Love? I woke up this morning and discovered that the cats had gotten ahold of it and shredded it. I'm going to try to brush it out and salvage something but it doesn't look good.

Remember those 7-Up commercials where the guy walked around with the storm cloud over his head? That's what I feel like today.

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

We must be on the same wavelength Sherri. I just got my hair cut very short also. Mine is very similar to Halle Berry's. I love it!! I've never had anything so carefree.

I also love Amy Brown artwork and know the Morgan Le Fey pic without even looking. That is a great one! What a cool card that will make! I hope you get the address straightened out.

Too bad about the hair. Sorry if it doesn't work out. But you did have the best of intentions. Too bad the cats weren't in agreement.

OBTW, did you decide to start Atkins? I was just wondering what you had decided.

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

I just have a minute in between meetings at work...

The business card lady emailed me and she hadn't started my cards yet, so she's going to make the correction on the address! :)

Denise, I saw on the other thread that your hubby plays Everquest. We've nicknamed that game Evercrack because it's so addicting. Although, the friends who thought up the Evercrack name spend all of their evenings playing Ultima Online so they're not any better! :)

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

Good to hear the great news Sherri!!! Oh, those ornery cats playing with the hair though!!! Of course, to the cats, it was a wonderful play toy that happened to smell just like their favorite person, how could they resist!!!

It has been very, very hot and dry here too, we are lucky enough to have "city" water piped out here in the boonies, courtesy of the Appalachian Relief Project back in 1984, so I am able to water the plants and garden thoroughly once a week, I have 5 inches of mulch on everything, so once a week deep watering does the trick. Bunches of tomatoes and cukes still coming on heavy, and the most wonderfully sweet cantalopes I have ever eaten are ripening steadily along. Boy, are they different than store or even farm stand bought! Much more intense taste and flavor.

Sure is good to hear that all the cheeseheads are A-OK and not blown away by those nasty black funnel clouds!!! Do you all (Julie and Joy) have basements to retreat to in case of impending tornadoes??? Or at least a decent pair of ruby slippers to save you??? Aakk, I do hate those whirling, big, black, giant sucker-uppers.

The horses are learning to eat, and like, the big round bales we have put up this year. All we have is first cutting hay, and most of it had been rained on at some point in making it ( yes, it is hard to believe I was bitching and whinning about too much rain NOW!!!), so it is not the best quality at all, we were counting on second cutting to make in square bales ( there was simply way too much hay to put up as square bales earlier this summer, tons and tons, literally). But, as the pastures burnt up, the icky hay started looking better and better to them, and they finally started picking at the round bales, they decided they are edible after all :-).

The long range forecast for these parts says the drought will continue through the middle of October, so there will be no chance of the pastures and hay fields recovering much before winter, I'll settle for them just greening up a bit.

How's your fields and pastures holding out for your horses Julie???

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

Well, now we know why they named it Dodge City...

And we didn't. Dodge; that is. Yep, we're home from vacation. Day 4: Dodge City, Kansas; tooling 30 mph down the left lane of 50 West, just about a mile from the motel we were planning to stay in, some lady pulls out of an Auto Zone on the north side of the street - planning to go East. Unfortunately, we just happened to be in the lane she decided to pull across. As she decided to do it. Luckily, we saw her pulling out into traffic and John managed to slow down and turn the truck away a bit so she just crunched the passenger side fender and bumper. Took out the headlight and etc; pushed the bumper back into the tire (no tire damamge), bent the frame, etc... There was a really nice guy who witnessed the accident, who just happened to be a plumber, with a truck load of tools; so he loaned John the tools he needed to pry the bumper off the wheel, and unbolt a piece of the frame, and hacksaw off the part of the fender that was dragging on the tire - and some duct tape to hold everything together! Then, a couple of pain-in-the-butt things happened at the hotel to just top it off. Truck was drivable, but with lights on only one side; and my neck and leg ached from the seatbelt and hitting the door during the impact, so we decided to forgo the rest of our trip and head for home - daylight driving only, so it took two days. I have determined that Dorothy can keep her ruby slippers - it'll be a cold day in Heck before I ever darken Kansas's doorstep again! Guess it's not nice of me to blame the whole state, is it?! I still felt a little better after I flipped off the "Come back and see us" sign at the state border...

So anyway, I'm home. I'm crabby. I'm tired. And I really, really missed you guys! Glad to be home; physically and electronically. I'm heading for a nice long soak in the tub - hopefully Hubs won't forget to come fish me out before bedtime! Glad to hear everyone is okay. Take care,

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2002

Polly, what a bummer! I started reading your post and wondered if you had stopped into a library somewhere to post because you just couldn't stay away from us! Well, maybe there was something WORSE waiting for you down the road and you're better off at home. {she said brightly}

Yes, Annie, we have basements. Almost everyone in this area does. Footings have to be so deep (because of frost) that it seems you might just as well build an entire basement. Mine is actually mostly finished off into living space (walk out at the back). If a tornado came, I have determined that the downstairs hallway is probably the safest place to be. One time, Julie had come down to visit me and arrived on my doorstep just as the tornado warning siren went off. It took BOTH of us 15 minutes to catch all the birds and transport them to the basement. I'd probably be killed if I had no warning. I haven't had to run to the basement in three summers (assuming I make it through this one with nothing happening). Then there have been summers when I've had to go practically every third day for awhile.

When I first bought a house, I heard something in the night, rolled over and went back to sleep. I discovered the next day that what I heard was the tornado siren, and a tornado had flattened the small town of Barneveld. So, after that, I decided to head for the basement, but all these birds makes it difficult!

There was also a tornado that went through another small town nearby (actually outside of it), and two people I know gave me very vivid descriptions. The woman's house was mostly destroyed and she thinks she's only alive because she had taken her wet dog down to the basement. She had no warning. The tomatoes sitting on her counter were fine, but most of the house was gone.

Well, enough about tornadoes. Don't want to draw them to me . . . .

I have been VERY BUSY sewing my friend's wedding dress. Except for the hemming (going to hang it tomorrow), it's all done now. IF it doesn't need any altering (oh please, oh please, no altering!). The test dress fit perfectly, so I am hoping that this will also. But the fabric she chose was very difficult to work with and fought me every step of the way. It looks gorgeous, I just hope it fits properly! If you want a laugh, I have someone else altering MY outfit! Well, it's just impossible to do fitting on yourself. Mine won't be done until Thursday. Rehearsal is Monday evening. I gotta think of something to bring for the potluck dinner. I bet it will feature lots of tomatoes! :-D

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2002