I Miss My Superhero

My dad, Donald O'Neal, was a professional photographer for almost 38 years. He graduated from Florida State University in 1969. He began teaching photography at Hoover Junior High School the same year and eventually moved to teaching the same subject at Merritt Island High School. During this time, he perfected his craft by shooting weddings professionally on the weekends. After he developed the film, he would assemble wonderful photo albums for the happy couples.

During my seventh grade school year he helped me with my science project which was exploring the workings of a camera. He helped me create a pinhole camera from cardboard and tape. We went outside to our front sidewalk and took pictures of a house across the street while he explained how the different aperture settings, shutter speeds and focal length when changed, affected the final result of each picture we took. I always wanted to learn more about this trade of his but they didn't offer this elective at my high school. When I went to college I wasn't sure then what I wanted to do and lost interest quickly. Now, I find it tragic that I have just now found a passion for photography; something I feel deep regret over not learning more about from my father.

He had a goal during his retirement years to sell prints of his wonderful photoart. My husband designed and created Wall To Wall Photos with detailed notes from my father of what he wanted it to contain and how he wanted it appear. In addition to photography he has a passion for interior decorating. All of his homes were meticulously decorated and he was comforted in his last years by surrounding himself with his photos. He enjoyed traveling and used those opportunities to capture the beauty of places on our planet and those people, animals, and things which inhabit it.

Unfortunately, his life was cut short just before his sixtieth birthday by prostate cancer. He was my personal superhero. I love him and miss him very much.

Are You a Thread Head?

The latest podcast show by the Thread Heads over at ThreadBanger is all about reusable shopping bags, one of my favorite subjects. Just ask anyone who has had to endure my incessant ramblings about using them when I explain the great pleasure I get every time I walk out of a store with my bags in hand. It did take me awhile to learn to bring them with me on shopping trips but now it has become a force of habit. I now remember before I leave the house to bring my bags with me and you must form a habit of bringing them into the store with you as well. One of my local grocery stores used to give me $.05 off my total shopping bill for each cloth bag I would bring to put my groceries in so that was a big help and a great reminder. They have just recently changed to giving me points on my frequent shopper card but it is still an incentive. I do find that if I have my bags with me at all times that I use them everywhere I go. I love telling the cashier at any store I shop at, with a smile of course, that I have brought my own bag. It just makes me feel good and makes me feel like I am making a difference, however small.

I have all sorts of different bags. I have several Classic String Bags and also a couple of Produce Bags. I have started a collection of health food store reusable bags which are usually made of canvas. Whenever I go to a new health food store I always pick up a bag with their logo on it. I have one from Greenlife Grocery, Nature's Food Patch, Earthfare and Whole Foods Market. My Whole Foods bag is so big and durable that I have used it like a back-pack to lug my stuff around. I haven't picked up any chico bags yet but I do plan to get some of those awesome bags at some point in the future. They are very convenient and compact so you can stuff them in your car so you don't forget. The other reuasable bags I take with me on shopping trips are just canvas bags I have collected over the years with various organizations logos on them. I have customized some of them by painting or sewing over the logo. A friend of mine made this bag completely from scratch.

One of the organizations mentioned in the Thread Head podcast was Morsbags whose goal is social guerilla bagging. They give you a pattern for a really simple to sew bag and give out their labels in printable .pdf form, then you give away the bags you make for free usually on a day set by the head organization. I really like this idea and so much so that I created a pod for my area called BlueRidgeBags so if you want to make some with me contact me through the morsbags site.

Other links of interest:

One Bag at a Time

She's A Betty: Reusable SHopping Bag Guide

Reuasable Grocery and Shopping Bags Blog

Reuse This Bag

Feed Projects link via The Daily Green

Bags On the Run

U-HandBag Blog: Tutorial for making a reuasbable bag with comfy handles

The Craft of Colored Glass

Not only was my dad a photographer but he was a crafter as well. He enjoyed woodworking and stained glass. He made one large window piece in a bathroom and many transom pieces for two houses he owned in Florida. I remember being fascinated with the extraordinary colors and patterns which made up the glass he used. When I went with him on a trip to Europe we were both in awe of the amazing stained glass windows in the gothic cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims in Paris, France. My father also took classes to learn more about this art after he moved to North Carolina because he had planned on making many more during his retirement years. Also, a former supervisor of mine used to make small little sun-catcher stained glass pieces and she gave one to me as a christmas present.

An Apple a Day

My father was a photography teacher at both high school and college level and a professional photographer specializing in travel and wedding photography. Since the role of teacher was his main career for 35 years he always received wonderful apple figurines from many of his students. He enjoyed collecting all sorts of different apple figurines and had quite a collection, at least one for every day of the year, probably more, when he decided he was done collecting them. During the time when he enjoyed collecting apple figurines, I made him a latch hook craft of an apple from a kit as a present for his birthday. I have done many latch hook crafts in the past but this was by far my most favorite. Latch hook kits come with the materials you need to get started including latch hook canvas and precut yarn (most often acrylic). The latch hook tool needs to be obtained separately but some kits may include this as well. My mom introduced me to this type of craft when I was in middle school. It is very easy to learn and a lot of fun. You can also design your own patterns and print them on latch hook canvas to make something of your own creation.

We had an ice storm

We awoke on Friday morning to our own personal ice rink right on our driveway.

Congratulations Kept Woman!

Congratulations and thanks to the Kept Woman for being the very first commenter on my brand new blog. You have won three lovely hemp-twine teethers which were personally handmade by me. Please email me with your details so I can send them to you. These three teethers were made using the twisted macrame knot and the decorations are small multicolored beads in the shape of farm animals and garden insects and keys.

Did I really try that?

About 15 or 16 years ago I went on a trip to Scotland with my dad and step-mother which was their third successful home exchange with a family across the Atlantic and was my second european trip with them. My step-mother has always been big into exploring and trying new things and being that we were in Scotland we just couldn't be allowed to pass up the experience of trying the national dish, Haggis. If you have ever eaten at any local diner in the bible belt or shopped at a grocery store there, you might have noticed something curious called livermush. I would have to compare the taste of Haggis to something like livermush. I have never tasted livermush but Haggis, I would imagine, is very much like it; a very grainy and crumbly meat. Ah, well you get the gist. I don't think my step-mother fully explained to me what Haggis actually was until after I had tried some but I remember not wanting seconds. Also, I think this at least one of the many reasons why I chose to be vegetarian throughout high school and beyond. Slashfood has an article here about the national dish of Scotland and while scouring for a picture of this unique "camping" food, I found this hilarious picture. I wonder if vegetarians actually devour this knowing they are noshing on something designed to mimic the very essence of food they loathe to ingest?

Funny comic

The comic For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston is often so very accurate yet makes me laugh every time.

Frosty is here

We built a pretty nice 'lil snowman -- the kids had a blast!

Natural Dishwasher Soap

So, tonight I ran out of my regular dishwasher detergent unexpectedly. I loaded the dishwasher full earlier in the day but hadn't realized I used the last of what was left in the box the day before. I usually use Seventh Generation brand which does a good job and they do provide coupons for their products but having run out and not wanting to go to the store for just one item I searched around for a natural dishwasher soap recipe. I found just what I was looking for at Nature Moms. This recipe calls for castille soap, water, white vinegar, tea tree oil and fresh lemon juice. I just happened to have all of these ingredients on hand except for the fresh lemon juice for which I substituted lemon essential oil. I really enjoy making other household cleaners and this one might just have to stick around. CAUTION: A low-sudsing soap like castille is the ONLY soap that should be used and NOT regular dishwashing liquid as it foams up way too much and you could end up with a mess on your hands (or rather all over your floor). I found several other recipes all using borax (washing soda) and baking soda and I plan to try these as well. I had no idea that such a simple and natural alternative to commercial dishwasher detergents lay inside my cabinets all this time.