Finally, some useful information

I'm here in Sin City with 720 of my closest friends.  I wandered into the forensics section this morning and learned about designer drugs like Spice and Bath Salts.  Spice, as it turns out, is largely herbal in composition.  What is not on the label is the tetrahydrocannibinol derivative, or active ingredient of marijuana, that is sprayed on the herbal product.  Once it is chemically altered so that it is no longer included in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it is no longer illegal in my home state of CA.  Bath Salts have derivatives of meth, XTC etc..  So my company makes and sells the analytical instrumentation that makes these analyses possible, but only a few labs have the expertise to even look for these modified compounds.  And that is what our guest speaker came to tell us about today.

But you know, for my buck, alcohol is the drug of choice and it's always legal.  Amazing, though, what you can find on the Internet. 

Something else to be thankful for

I am blessed with a snug house, newly patched paint and an almost new roof.  I have a garden for flowers and one for veggies.  I have a good man who treats me well and with whom I enjoy spending time.  I have an overabundance of cats and currently, a dining room with an abundance of boxes of wine.  Life's good, and I treasure my friends and family. I am rich in the sense that I can buy anything I want as long as I am careful not to want too much.  Dear reader, I hope you too have a list for which you can be thankful.

one more thing - who knew?

We only have two seasons in California.  The rainy season has started.  Now that I don't get a new car from the job each year, my three-year-old windshield wipers were squeaking with the first rain of the season.  Glen told me to go to CostCo and get new ones there.  He taught me how to remove one and told me to take it inside the store.  I did, managed to determine which one to buy, and walked out with 4 of them in big plastic tubes.  The next morning we went out with the 19" wiper blade to determine if it was in fact a correct one for our Fusions.  Glen said Look!  It's too short!  I said No Way!

Turns out the wiper on the driver's side is 24" and the wiper on the passenger side (the one I took inside the store) is 19".  What's up with that?!

Back to CostCo.

Tootsie's new fashion

Isn't this just worth a poor baby?  She has been pacing the room, scraping the plastic collar on all the furniture, trying to get rid of the nuisance.  Just for a couple of days, Sweetie.

dagger bead bracelet

Some years ago I saw a magnificent necklace made with dagger bead crochet.  I tried to learn bead crochet, but was unsuccessful with anything smaller than pony beads.  Then I saw a patttern in Bead and Button magazine with peyote stitch.  This I can do.  The photo is not as gorgeous as the bracelet, but it was so much fun to make and wear.  I have a meeting in Prague this November.  The bead factory, Presiosa Ornel in nothern Bohemia, in that famous valley for Czech bead making is just a bus ride away.  Yay!  Roadtrip! 

just for the birds

A couple of places in the yard are home to clusters of plants in the Arum family - arrow shaped leaves that die back in early summer, leaving the flower spikes to grow the seeds to maturity.  I was sitting quietly on the porch yesterday when I realized there was more blue jay squawking and mocking bird rasping that usual.  I watched the territorial displays and tried to determine if there were chicks involved.  After some time I realized the birds were gathering red berries, and then realized the disputes seemed to be over the cluster of berries next to the house.  I think they were all getting buzzed from the berries!

the SS Jeremiah O'Brien cruise

The SS Jeremiah O'Brien is one of two last remaining liberty ships, and she is kept afloat by a group of volunteers who take her out occasionally for a little outing. http://www.usmm.org/libertyships.html   For my birthday this year we took a day cruise from San Francisco up through Suisun Bay to look at the mothballed fleet tied up there. http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/ Who knew there were so many types of ships?   But the lead paint and who knows how many other heavy metals are seriously befouling the bay waters, so these ships, mostly from WWII, are being either moved or scrapped.   I frequently drive over this bridge and have been watching the rafts of ships get smaller.  It was really interesting to get to sail up close and have the captain tell us what each one was and used to do.  Things look pretty different from the level of the bay, and it was a good time for all.