Weaving class.  Looms, string, yarns, patterns, needles and lots of redoing.  Lovely talented ladies who encourage the new kid in class.  I love it.

Class is in the big dining room with floor to ceiling windows.  There are plants some of my friends would drool over just like I do.  The geraniums are huge.  I keep wondering if anyone would notice if I pinched a stem?  If I get caught and they tattoo "Stem stealing geranium pincher" on my forehead, would I still be allowed in class?  My dilemma.  

Today was ceramics and I painted some little adornments I made last week.  They went into the kiln today along with some beautiful bowls my classmates made.  Fun playing with kilns again.

​The most important lesson learned in ceramics today is some of the cute little cottontail bunnies out here in the country have a disease.  A friend's dog caught one and now has the disease.  OMG  Just the other day Katie Bell's leash slipped out of my hand when she ran after one.  Thank goodness though she's fast, they are faster.  Classes are about so much more than the teachings.

By the way the New Mexico logo is from a beer can Randall or Rachel drank the last time they visited.  Those two are my best collaborators.  

First week in Santa Fe Cynthia, Lyssa, Trish and I went to a little flea market very close to Meow Wolfe.  A lady in one booth had a cholla branch for a dollar.  Never seen the cholla plant, but fell in love with this dead branch.  Who knew one day I'd live outside Santa Fe and dead cholla would be everywhere.  Needless to say when Katie Belle and I walk, I'm always looking for branches even though I know I embarrass her.  She hopes none of her doggie friends will see her mother carrying (stealing) cholla.

Weaving class began last week and I really like it.  Started thinking, how about a cholla branch for a loom?  I wrapped the cholla branch with some string I had around the house from the Dollar Tree.  Weaved a little stringy yarn from Michaels, then a strip of denim.   I'm going to take the branch to bead weaving class,  for more ideas.  Love taking art classes and workshops here in Santa Fe.

My sweet friend Win called a couple of weeks ago.  She was making her wonderful pimento cheese and invited me to lunch.  Delicious, as was dessert.  Somehow the subject got to exercise.  She does Zumba at the Senior Center, at 9:00 AM for goodness sakes.  I told her though Katie Belle and I walk twice a day, I know that's not upper body.  Because of Win, I went down the Senior Center.

WOW,  they offer exercise classes and so much more.  Beadweaving, ceramics, fused glass, weaving group, open paint, science class and more.  Cynthia is taking Tai Chi in Dallas along with Abbie, Barb and Beverly in Dallas.  So maybe I should check out Zumba or Tai Chi here.  Zumba's at 9:00am, Tai Chi 10:00am.  Class time could be the deciding factor.  And they serve lunch, $1.50.  The day I was there was chicken, such a big piece I put half in my pocket for Katie Belle.  I must keep little ziplock bags in my purse.  Wrapped the chicken in a napkin and stuff it in my pocket.  People in class kept saying they smelled chicken.  I pointed to someone I don't know.

So Win is right, it's a cool place, lovely people.  I'm in.  In beading class I made a little necklace for my first Cholla Spirit Doll.  She's suppose to be a voodoo doll for Judy, didn't turn out that way.  I'm sneaking you a picture of second Cholla Spirit Doll.  Heaven forbid I'd finish the first before starting the second.  I have such a selection of cholla now Randall is going to have to bring his truck up here when I move back home.  Can't fine cholla in Texas.   But as beautiful as it is here in the Land of Enchantment, there's a lot of good things to say about "home".

About to finished another little Spirit Doll.  The big difference is I'm putting a pinch of dirt from around my little casita here in the country.  Yes, the healing dirt from El Santuario De Chimayo is a wonderful healing experience, but for me it's right here as I step outside.  And my great hope is it will help heal the person I made this doll for.   Note the dog fur, she'll appreciate Katie Belle fur, too.
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Also made another scarf for a dear man who along with his wife was with Bob and me during every 911 call and more.  They are our chosen family.  Very early birthday gift, but now is when it is cold.  This Lion Brand yarn is a beautiful variegated color and lovely to work with.  Love exploring new yarns.  Happy Early Birthday, Dear Chris.

Seems like I made this piece 100 years ago.  A wise person told me sometimes you have to keep a piece you made that you really love.  This is my piece.

  Instead of working on the design for my Spirit Dolls I've been crocheting.  Had two birthdays coming up, Rachel and Carol.  In Dallas it's been colder than here in Santa Fe, so the scarves took priority.  Last time I was home Debbie and her daughter Melissa jump started my crochet skills.  I say that, but so far straight double crochet is my all in my repertoire.    
Yarn Bee is my yarn of choice right now.  So soft and great colors.  Hopefully my two birthday girls will approve.

The Land of Enchantment with all the wonderful Spirit Dolls of every imaginable material has inspired my sewing gene.  All my vintage beads, threads, materials, etc., are back home in storage, of course.  But Santa Fe has so many wonderful vintage and consignment stores I now have an excuse to visit all.  Also a few trips to Michaels, JoAnn Fabrics, Hobby Lobby an other fabric stores so I can start experimenting.  

Google, one of my dear friends, has taken me to dolls sites.   Who'd have thought one of the sites would be https://www.lottie.com/collections/dolls  So much for a new Lottie Doll Site.  Time to go back to Lottie Kate.

A great friend found some old quilts and and insisted I have them, so here's my first attempts.  A few pictures to see them.  Any suggestions welcome.

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To honor the memory of my friend, Robert Nelson-Picket Fisher, I’d like to tell you about the gift he gave me.

I met Robert and his dear husband Roy Fisher when I joined GriefShare group at Highland Park United Methodist Church.  None of us wanted to be in that group and I acted out every meeting to prove it.  One night as we adjourned, 6’4” Robert stood up, leaned down in my face and said, “You are a joyful person.  Bob knows you as a joyful person.  Be the joyful person Bob knows.”  I thought about hurting him, but felt the invisible prickly quills sticking out of me begin to fall off as he enclosed me in a bear hug.

Robert, a kind, fun, quirky, clairvoyant and I became late night phone buddies when I moved to Santa Fe.  Late one night I was walking Katie Belle wondering what on earth I’d done uprooting us when I heard Robert say, “You are a joyful person.”  I looked around, sure he was right there.  I called him and he said, “Of course!  I was thinking of you and telling you to enjoy this adventure, then come home to us.”  OK, but use the phone Robert!  Stop scaring me in the middle of the night outside with your booming voice.

On this evening's sunset walk Katie Bell and I looked for the heart in the clouds Bob sends us daily.  We saw two big fluffy orangish pink ones touching side by side.  Bob was greeting Robert, bear hugs all around.

I had the gift of Robert two years, the gift of my Bob 42 years.  Not long enough.  But oh, what gifts they were and are - always. ​

Dear Robert,   Good night sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! 

I haven’t been interested in art the last couple of years.  A little something here and there, but my heart isn’t in it.  I haven’t garage, estate sale or even curb shopped.

Katie Belle recently got her learner’s permit here in Santa Fe.   So pedal to the metal and a sharp turn of the wheel with her front paws when she saw her first garage sale sign.  We noticed these little red garden fence pieces.  Who can resist an adorable puppy dog’s offer of $2.00 for all 4 pieces?  Not the lady selling her stuff.

The metal pieces leaned against the wall in the garage for several weeks before telling me what they’d like to become, a table base.  A few zip ties to hold the 4 together and then hardware cloth from Lowes.  I hate/love hardware cloth.  So nice to form shapes, so hard to work with.  Pictured here in progress is the hardware cloth becoming part of the table base.  My hands look like kittens used them for a scratching post.

Took several days, but the table base is now sturdy.  I’m going to buy some of that stiffy cloth stuff at Hobby Lobby or Michaels to cover the hardware cloth and then decide how to cover that.  Tile, beads, cloth, used tea bags?  I have no idea, just hoping some idea will be sneaking around the corner.  Stay tuned.

In 2005 Bob and Rich worked on amusement designs for a project in Pigeon Forge,  TN Belle Island.  A project, unfortunately with some unsavory people in positions they should never have been allowed in.  Not the first time that’s happened.
One part of the amusement facility was a proposed museum for Debbie Reynold’s Hollywood memorabilia collection.  Her son, Todd Fisher, handled the business negotiations.  Bob and Rich enjoyed working with Todd, a true professional.  Debbie Reynolds flew in for the press announcement of her portion of the project, the museum.  Bob was enchanted with her.  I couldn’t attend for some reason, but Bob came back with a signed picture of her to “Louisiana Lottie”.  I treasure it.
This amusement venue in a wonderful location came very close to completion with Great Designs by Minick Associates.  But all was lost because of greed and incompetence by a few people who had the keys to the funding.   In life this happens, but what a shame.  If nothing else Debbie Reynolds would have preserved her dream for Hollywood history and made memories for millions.
Making memories for millions – the specialty of Minick Associates.