Bead Table Wednesday

It's 11:32 pm. There is still time do Bead Table Wednesday.
Check who has what on their on bead table on Flickr.

Today I decided was the day I would learn Cubic Right Angle Weave. I've never gotten along with Right Angle Weave. I wondered why in the world I wanted to learn this technique. I could do RAW but never mastered it.

I watched a youtube video by Heather Collins. She made it looks so easy! I gave it a try. I used size 8 seed beads as suggested and I got it! After mastering the technique with 8's. I tried again with size 11 seed beads. I had it down. I could see all the possibilites this stitch has to offer.

If you would like to learn this technqiue I highly recommend this video.
Cubic Right Angle Weave with Heather Collins

You can find more of Heather Collins's patterns in her etsy shop Studio 183

Raku Bird Ceramic Pendant by MAKUstudio.

I made it with two minutes to spare.
Thanks for joining me for Bead Table Wednesday.

Putting Things Back

After two days of driving and 1032 miles from Mom's house to ours. We traveled the last 45 miles over the bridges and through the bayou's of Louisiana which I call the swamps.

The flood waters from hurricane Isaac were receding. The water was high and covered parts of the bayou that were green before the storm.

The Eagle's had a nest in this area.
It was gone. I hope they come back.

It did not take us long to unpack and clean out the refrigerator. That is when I noticed the dirt. It covered the window sill and we could feel a layer of dust around us. We cleaned the sills and went to the grocery store to get something for supper. We decided to brave Walmart the next day to replace the refrigeratored items. Everything had to go and everything has to be replaced.

We found a lot of empty shelves. Our neighbor said it was that way last week too. We could not find a bottle of yellow mustard or Miracle Whip of any kind.

Or spaghetti noodles. Nor was there Welches Grape Jelly or any other brand of grape jelly or jam.

I will go to another grocery store this week to find the things we need.

We lost power in our area when a transformer blew. The winds brought down this tree in the back of our parking lot. Our favorite restaurant The Blue Tomato was damaged. I hope they get back up and running soon. It is our favorite place to go on those nights I don't want to cook. The trees are half naked. It took a few trips around the block for my eyes to regiser what I was seeing. The winds sucked the moisture from the leaves. The leaves that are left look worn and tired.

I am so glad my husband listened to me and we left town for this storm. I told Heather she doesn't have to worry about me. I put the storm behind me.

There are beads to bead and bracelets to finish. Life goes on and it is a good day!

Heading Home

It's time to pack up the caravan and head back home. We're leaving in the morning. I could lead the life of a gypsy traveling the roads from one end of the country to the other. By the time we get home I might feel like I have done just that. It's 1032 miles. I've made this trip many times in the last 16 years. I don't need a map. I know the way home.

Encampment of Gypsies with Caravans, by Van Gogh [1888]

There are things to be done when I get home. A refrigerator to clean, doctor appointments to keep, bracelets to finish and directions to write.

I'll be back in a couple of days.

Please Turn on the Lights

We are still sitting a hotel room waiting for the lights to go on. It's been six days since we left home to evacuate from Hurricane Isaac.

The red lines on the map are areas that are without power. I have been reading stories online about Entergy with their trucks and crews sitting in parking lots not working. I in turn have to remember that the storm took days to pass over New Orleans. It's going to take time to restore power to a 395,000 people. On the map I can see that half of our street has power and the half we live on is out. I am praying more power is restored today.

Thinking about going home is easy. Getting there won't be. When it's time we can't take the same route home. The expressway by LaPlace and going over the swamps is under water. We have an alternative route. It will just take longer to get there.

We've learned from past storms going home to early will be hard. Gas and food supplies are low. It is spooky going shopping with bare shelves and the only things left are things people don't want to eat if they can help it.

I'll have a mess to clean up when we get home. I gave away the food in my freezer. Everything inside of the refrigerator will have be thrown away. No telling what is growing inside after 6 days with no electric. I had to poke that picture out of my mind's eye! My only saving grace is after Katrina I only buy enough food for a couple of days at a time.

We are good for a couple more days after that we have to head home with or without power. The funds aren't available to stay for more than a week.

Keep Louisiana in your prayers. It's a long road to recovery.