Whew!

It seems as if I've done nothing but sew, take pictures and edit lately. Okay, the last two happened only in the last couple of days, but the sewing has been going on for weeks. All for a custom order and the etsy shop. I spent many, many hours over the last two days listing new bags and I so need a break. Seriously, I - who absolutely love to sew - cannot stand to look at the sewing machine at the moment.
So, a bit of a break is in order. Maybe some chainmaille? Maybe some PMC - my daughter asked for a couple of specific things for Christmas. I really ought to make soap but I can't get myself to do that, either. There'll be some disappointed people this year.
Maybe a good night's sleep, some serious exercise (that's fallen by the wayside, too) and I'll feel differently about the whole thing.

Unchained

So, I unchained myself from the sewing machine today to visit the Alameda flea market again. It's held on the first Sunday of every month on the old Naval Air Station and it's huge. We've never made it all the way through.
Usually, we end up having to park what seems like miles away but today we got lucky - only about 5 rows from the entrance. And we got there early - right around 9 am (the time change helped) when the price for admission drops to $5.00.

Obviously, I go there to shop, hoping to find "cool stuff" (and I usually do) but I also like to people watch. Today, not so many characters, maybe next time.
Oh yes, and there's food, too. Unfortunately, our favorite sausage seller wasn't there today and even though the mini donuts came highly recommended (freshly made right there), we passed on them.










Some people go there for really serious shopping - see below. Others, not so much.









I finally remembered to bring the camera and took pictures of the cranes and a huge container ship that pulled in as we were shopping.







The field is often used by "Mythbusters" for their stunts involving cars and I'd like to think that the wheelie marks I photographed were made by them. Who knows?

Chained to the sewing machine

Or so it seems this week. I think I've spent hours every day sewing ..... well, except for that day I took DH to the hospital for a test. But even that afternoon, while he was sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia, I was working on my little bags.
There will be an update to the etsy shop really soon - as soon as I get to take pictures (which I don't like much) and edit them (which I really dislike) and upload everything.
And, yes, there will be some triangle/pyramid bags - finally.
As soon as I'm done with my custom order, I'm going to play. So many idea, just no time right now.
Back to the sewing machine. That chain isn't long enough ............
Oh yeah ..... "Happy Halloween, everybody." Still gotta get ready for that, too. I'm "stealing" some of the little plastic rings meant for little girls. They are just too cute, in a hippy sort of way. And I can always put them back into the pot next year.

The first serious rainstorm of the season

A real frog strangler - where even the dog who usually has to sniff every other blade of grass when he goes out for a bathroom break didn't venture much past the steps leading down to the yard. Quickest pit stop ever.
Where we've had at least 4" of rain as of almost 1 pm. How do I know? No, I don't have a rain gauge. But our yard waste gets picked up at about 6:30 am every Tuesday morning and it was raining so hard that I waited until 10 minutes ago to roll the trash cans up to the house. The trash people left the lid open and there were a good 4" of water sloshing around in the bottom of the can. Do you have any idea how heavy that is? I had to haul the can up the house and dump it all out and, of course, all the trash cans were standing in several inches of water in the street. I needed dry socks and pants after that little adventure.
No leaks so far - we have a good roofer - but I think one of the downspouts is disconnected and it's the one right next to the bedroom window. Sounds like machine gun fire on the roof below. Not conducive to sleep. I sure hope the rain slows down dramatically by the time I go to bed.
Yes, I know we need rain - it doesn't rain here in the summer and we're in the third year of a drought - but does it have to be so much all at once? It's not that big a problem here. I don't expect flooding but in all those areas with the bad wildfires there are bound to be mudslides. There already are evacuations ordered in some of those ares.
So, please, a little less rain for now, spread it out over the whole rainy season, please.

An evening with Robin Williams

We lucked out this time and managed to get tickets to see Robin Williams perform at the Napa Opera House. Thursday, when we went, was the third night in a row and we had tickets pretty far in the back because while Larry was trying to buy them, his computer needed to be rebooted. Last time he performed here, the tickets for two performances sold in about 4 minutes and we didn't make it. Not bad, huh? And he doesn't get paid for these performances; all the proceeds go to one of several mostly local charities.
He was funny, of course, and dirty, as expected. Nobody under 16 (or was it 18) was admitted for a pretty good reason. He was very even-handed in making fun of politicians, local issues, people in wine country and Marin County and quite a bit of himself, especially his former drug use and alcoholism. He can do excellent accents (I am so envious) and impersonations and kept it up for almost 2 hours without a break except to have a sip of water here and there.
We'll go again if he decides to perform here again.

Update

I'm sure my faithful readers - both of them - have noticed that I've been AWOL. I needed a bit of a break from the usual things. So, sewing has fallen by the wayside, as has, obviously, blogging. I've been busy, dug out my chain maille a week ago, did some PMC on my own, learned to do Keum Boo and did a fair bit of hiking (and gave myself shin splints again). I have pictures to be edited and posted and it'll happen eventually. But not today.

We hiked down to Kirby Cove last weekend (pictures to follow, but they're up on FB already) and hooked up with several members of the BRF. That's where the shin splints came from - 1 rather steep mile down and then back up. We didn't stay long enough for the equinox celebration, but got to leave some things under and on the prayer tree. Again, pictures to follow.

Here is the link to the latest newsletter from the Bridge Rail Foundation - a few, hopefully, minor setbacks:

BRF_Newsletter_Sept09.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people – 15-24 (accidents and homicides are 1 and 2). It is the 11^th leading cause overall and the second leading cause among college students.

10-15% of high school students have considered suicide/have a concrete plan, the number is higher for college students.

Twice as many people die by suicide than from HIV/AIDS.

White males over 85 (I have read 65 in other places) have the highest incidence of suicide. And that's the same in all countries. Methods, though, vary by country.

The availability of a firearm in the household increases the risk twofold.

Doctors complete suicide more often than any other profession and female doctors more often than males.

And it's called "completing" suicide, not "committing." Crimes are committed, suicide isn't a crime, just a very desperate attempt to put an end to what experts call "psychache."

Females attempt suicide twice as often as males, but males complete four times as often.

Substance abuse is a risk factor for suicide, as are certain personality disorders and psychiatric illnesses.

Suicide rates are highest in spring and below average during the holiday season.

There are an estimated 4.5 million survivors of suicide – those left behind after somebody completes suicide.

For every two people who die in a homicide, 3 die by suicide.

In the US, somebody attempts suicide every minute and somebody completes every 17 minutes.

There are fewer suicides among the Hispanic and African American population, maybe due to the family structure. Native Americans, on the other hand, have the highest percentage of suicides (1.5 to 2 times the average), followed by Caucasian men.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the No. 1 suicide spot in the world, less than 2% of jumpers survive.

I am including two links for risk factors/warning signs of suicide:

http://www.yellowribbon.org/WarningSigns.html

http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=05147440-E24E-E376-BDF4BF8BA6444E76

And, if you are reading this and feel suicidal, please, please get help. Talk to somebody, call the suicide help line:

1-800-SUICIDE 1-800-273-TALK

1-800-784-2433 1-800-273-825

Suicide is very often an impulsive act and is always, always a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

RIP Henry