Planet Nilknarf January 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Welcome to Planet Nilknarf!

A place where those of us who haven't done anything the rest of society deems praiseworthy can simply just celebrate ANOTHER CRAZY YEAR OF JUST (barely?) SURVIVING!!!!! So far the month of December has been off to a crazy start. arly this morning! or should " say yesterday! " was still putting the finishing touches on last month's issue when #anette arrived to stay here for the wee$end. At least " managed to get up early enough to vacuum! do my laundry and do the dishes! whilst thin$ing of one of #oyce %eyer's most famous &uotes' How a! yo" e#$e % %o %a&e a"%'or(%y a)a(!*% %'e +e,(l w'e! yo" a!-% e,e! %a&e a"%'or(%y a)a(!*% a *(!& ."ll o. +(r%y +(*'e*?/ " (A) S* ta$e authority against a sin$ full of dirty dishes. " have enough authority to $now that THOSE DISHES AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE!!! So there " was ta$ing care of them with (ulture (lub's +reatest ,its blaring from my computer spea$ers and #anette arriving a little later than e-pected after having enjoyed a darned good browse at the *shawa (entre. Shortly after she arrived and we had our coffee! we watched the Santa (laus .arade which Dave had taped for us last wee$ to watch closer to (hristmas. " never thought "'d see the day when "'d be glad when it was */ 01 2here were at least 23* commercials we hate! .45S one of the commentators just ,AD to announce that she was with child1 +AAAAA,,,,1 "t's / 063, 0 1 )ot to mention the emphasis everywhere on people getting engaged over the holiday seasons. 2hat doesn't bother me &uite as much but " can understand #anette being irritated because she and %ar$ still aren't married yet. " remember feeling the same way before Dave came into my life. "n fact " can remember coming home on the bus from my parents that last (hristmas before " met Dave and " was comfortably seated by myself until the bus pulled in to 4indsay and " was as$ed to move because a newly7engaged couple wanted to sit together. 0eluctantly! " did what was right and gave up my seat while inwardly " was secretly wishing " could say 8ind your own seats! " ain't budging. )obody gave up their seats so Darren and " could sit together on that 8light to %ars simulator ride at the () 2ower bac$ in 9::;1 At this moment " should be asleep but once again we have had some unwanted drama11 <"s there A)6 *2, 0 $ind===> .art of me is thin$ing this shouldn't be happening to me! this should be happening to that horrible woman who was handing out those notes in the ,alloween candy that " was ranting about in last month's issue. 2hen again "'m probably the one who deserves this after all for lowering myself to her level and saying all those awful things about her. And " probably deserve this for hanging up on the woman at Swiss (halet this evening1

5nfortunately! " do not suffer fools gladly. All " wanted to do was order 2hree 8estive Specials for us and when " told her " wanted two of them to have multi7grain buns and one with a white bun! she said she couldn't do that and $ept screwing me around trying to tell me " was ordering two dinners instead of three11 ,er nglish wasn't very good nor did she seem all that incredibly bright. " found myself rapidly losing metaphorical spoons and had to hang up on her because " felt a meltdown coming on. So we turned to good old %r. ?urger and " let Dave place the call because " couldn't deal with anymore stupidity for the rest of the evening. Spea$ing of dealing with stupidity! " have been in major pain and hope " don't end up having to go to the hospital again. "'m afraid " seem to be developing A)*2, 0 ?artholin cyst. ,ello= "sn't there some $ind of rule that a woman should only have *) in a lifetime= "t started the same way the one " had in @;;: did with my butt being really sore first but at least this one hasn't been half as sore as that previous one bac$ in ';:. #ust sore enough to $eep me awa$e! re&uire an psom salt bath and an ice pac$ against my crotch1 At least this one seems to be further inside me so "'m not sitting on it and " haven't had to pee standing up in the bathtub li$e the previous time. ,owever " really did bawl li$e a baby and cry out to +od to either heal me or stri$e me dead1 " D*)'2 3A)2 2* +* 2* 2, ,*S."2A41 "t has been my e-perience in recent years that the hospital! and even 5rgent (are! not to mention Swiss (halet yesterday afternoon are confirming the fear struc$ into my heart from the movie I+(o ra y! that stupid people are ta$ing over and "'m afraid every generation seems to gradually get a little dumber than the one before1 At least we've had some fun today wor$ing on our crafts and ta$ing pictures of our dolls and critters. #anette made a beautiful (hristmas dress for her doll. 3e don't have one for mine so " just dressed her up in what " thin$ is my best dress for her.

" remember 4oet /os sent me the carousel horse fabric and there was no way " could cut it straight without cutting into the horses so " just cut them out individually and appli&ued them to solid pin$ fabric. #anette bought this +rinch at (hapters and these two mice 4ucy and 4inus at the dollar store. 3e've also had a great time decorating badges to wear when we go to )iagara 8alls for her birthday celebration in #anuary11 ?ac$ at the beginning of this newsletter is a picture of 8luffy with his new friend 6on$ers. 3hen

#anette ordered 6on$ers! 6on$ers couldn't be delivered outside the States so one of her co7wor$ers had to pic$ 6on$ers up for her. She must have had to wait nearly two months1 6ou could say it nearly drover her bon$ers waiting for 6on$ers1

Cover tory
4et the bells ring and the banners fly1 %y elephant is finished111 ,ere's how he loo$ed at the end of last month's issue and here's how his paint job progressed from start to finish...

"n the end! " covered the base and pole with some foil and that's how he loo$s on the cover. "t will be fun setting up my art gallery display in ?obcaygeon in %ay when " place my row of animals on the counter in front of that &uilt where they all appear. ach animal "'ve built contains several time capsule items to be discovered in the future! hopefully on my 9;;th birthday1 <#uly @Ath! @;BC> " could still be around! hec$ it's only another D; years away. Among these items are various tic$ets and to$ens from carousels "'ve visited over the years! one of DooDoo the (lown's trading cards! used E"SS concert and +ene Simmons' spea$ing engagement tic$ets! at least one old student pass and the odd write7up about what's been going on in my life at the time. 2o see my elephant and other carousel creatures "'ve created! not to mention &uilts! 27shirts and more! be sure to visit the ?oyd +allery on @9 (anal Street in ?obcaygeon from %ay 9st until #une F;th1 "t's going to be even bigger and better than the previous display " had last year at this time1 ?ut wait1 2here's more1 8or my summative project " am wor$ing on what " call my .sychedelic #acobean &uilt. "t's a departure from the usual carousel horses but still obviously my style. 2raditional

#acobean embroidery tends to be rather sombre earth tones and muted shades! probably because those were the only pigments really available bac$ in the 9D;;'s. And this boo$ of iron7on patterns actually dates bac$ to around 9:GA1 " was amazed that these transfers still wor$ after all these years. ?ac$ when " was doing #ean's project! she gave this boo$ to me along with a couple other embroidery boo$s for ideas and inspiration. ,ere's what "'ve been doing so far'

As you can see! the red bird " am wor$ing on is the same pattern as the one shown on the cover. " just gave him more of my own whimsical! playful colour scheme and embroidery style. " have chosen a D*H ) different motifs for this particular &uilt and " am hoping to finish them by (hristmas holidays so that " can actually do the &uilting part over the (hristmas holidays. (A) " D* "2= Stay tuned and find out....

!ear "om an# !a#

2hursday! December Dth! @;9F Dear %om and Dad 8irst of all! here's a cute video " thought you might enjoy' http'IItonsofcats.comIwill7just7let7sleep7alreadyI "t made me thin$ of ,ugo and " couldn't help thin$ing that he's got to be up there with you. ,e was the

smartest bird we ever had and he and (oco always got along so well. Sometimes " really miss him and wish we could get another bird! but sadly our landlord does not allow any pets. )o room for a cage anyway. "n fact " don't even $now where "'m going to put my elephant1 " was supposed to ta$e him home today but " forgot. " guess " was sidetrac$ed when " had to go answer nature's call which is already aw$ward enough when " have my bac$pac$ and "'m already wearing my winter coat. A couple of women in the washroom had a major case of the giggles because one of them had dropped her cell phone into the wastebas$et! and of course " had to fart while " was doing my business. " couldn't have waited until " got home. At least art class has been a lot of fun. "t gives me a good reason to loo$ forward to getting up in the morning and going out wal$ing to get there. " must be in better shape than " thought. (limbing those stairs isn't as hard as it used to be and " almost never e-perience that pain in my left $nee anymore. " still wear the navy blue running shoes that used to be yours although there is a hole in the left one at my baby toe. "t's amazing what a difference a new set of insoles ma$es and it's a good feeling to be adjusting to a daily routine although " still sometimes need an afternoon nap. "t's hard to believe that way bac$ when Dave too$ this picture! we had no idea that this would be the last (hristmas the three of us would be together.

*ne of the highlights of this past year was creating this carousel horse in your memory. " sent the original drawing to the (arousel of ,appiness! along with a donation to support them! and " reproduced it on my last (arousel of 8riendship &uilt'

" am loo$ing forward to showing it at the ?oyd +allery in ?obcaygeon ne-t spring along with everything else "'ve made in the meantime.

At this point there are 9C s&uares completed for my latest (arousel of 8riendship &uilt and 9D for 3ild About #ungle (ats. " hope " can get them both done by the end of April. (A) " D* "2= And even more importantly! do you thin$ " will finish all those #acobean birds and flowers by (hristmas= 6ou're probably just as relieved as " am that " did not have to go to the hospital on Saturday night. 8ace it! there's )* S5(, 2,")+ as a (*)/ )" )2 time to have to go to the hospital. Dave would have wanted me to go A4*) but " would have wanted someone 3"2, me to be my ears because there would probably be at least one screaming baby and "'d want my %.F player to drown it out1 2he hospital is S2"44 not the most accommodating place for someone with sensory issues and everyone probably thin$s "'m just being a drama &ueen. 2hey probably would have just $ept me waiting for hours anyway. 8irst "'d be waiting about four hours in the waiting room and then at least another two in the room that they ta$e me to ne-t1 ?ac$ n September when " had my sore throat " was beginning to thin$ they'd forgotten all about me. 8ace it! a sore throat just doesn't sound serious enough. At least "'ve basically gotten Dave's (hristmas present ta$en care of for now. "t's not much but it'll have to do. " got him that D/D about 0oute BB and " sprung for tic$ets to see S%"ar% 0 1ea!-* V(!yl Ca.e! 2he show isn't until April and once again " had to use my /"SA card. 3ill " / 0 get out of debt= 2he tic$ets are my gift although it'll be a belated spin on the usual (hristmas show we used to attend. 3hen was the last time we went anywhere during the (hristmas holidays= ?ac$ when Dave and " were first dating we went to see Hello 0"++a'2 Hello Fa++"'! a musical about the songs of Allan Sherman! and since then we've been to 3l"e 0a! Gro"$ and S"$er 4o)*. %ost of the time during the holiday season we generally just li$e to stay put. 4ast year around this time 2ed and %arnie invited us over for supper and too$ us out for a drive to see the (hristmas 4ights and we really enjoyed that. " hope we do this again this year. "t's officialJ the school craft show will be ne-t 2hursday the 9@th. " guess "'ll be bringing my suitcase after all. %y teacher is interested in my 27shirts. Do you remember how old " was when " got my first record player for (hristmas= " $eep thin$ing that " got it for (hristmas the year we first went to ,olland when " was five years old. Dad! you stayed home and when mom and " got bac$ it was li$e having two (hristmasesJ one in ,olland on the actual day and one with all three of us together when we got bac$. " remember that the first record " ever got was 2he 5nicorn. "t was not the "rish 0overs version but a selection of various $ids songs by some anonymous group including 6ou're a +ood %an! (harlie ?rown and my favorite! of course! ,orace the ,orse <on the %erry7+o70ound>. ,owever the ,olland photo album mentions a reference to " Saw %ommy Eissing Santa (laus. " wish "'d ta$en that record with me. A (hild's 8irst (hristmas it was called and one of the trac$s was the story of 2he 4ittlest Snowman <3ith the 0ed (andy ,eart> told by (aptain Eangaroo. ,eyyyyyyyy! " shall see f it's on 6ou2ube11 http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vKacuLv"nMoNN " can still picture the cover of that record. "t was dar$ red with a picture of a little girl sitting on Santa's lap. And this sounds the most li$e the version of " Saw %ommy Eissing Santa (laus that was on that record too' http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vK)2NaA6d" $A " guess this is pretty cheesy sharing 6ou2ube videos with you when you're probably got even more amazing things going on up in heaven that " can't even begin to imagine. 2he weather's been unusually mild around here. 3e've had a little bit of snow but it didn't stay! aside

from the ever7present drift that gets scooped up near the %id72own %all. 0emember the year " became obsessed with ta$ing a picture of that snowdrift every day to see how much it was melting= " hope that before the (hristmas ,olidays roll around " will have all my s&uares finished for that #acobean &uilt. 5sually it ta$es me @ or F days to finish each s&uare and this &uilt has a dozen. ?ac$ in @;9@ when " too$ this art class before! the E"SS &uilt " did was only four s&uares and the 8ibonacci &uilt " did for the 8ashion O (reative -pression class was :.

2he #acobean motifs aren't &uite as comple- as reproducing my carousel horse drawings so it probably won't ta$e that long. " hope to go to 8abricland and get some &uilt batting over the (hristmas holidays so " can finish off both the &uilts "'m wor$ing on at the moment. 4ast month " started one with zebras. "t is pretty much complete e-cept for the batting and &uilting. " have a piece of purple fabric " want to use on the bac$ and " plan to use that yellow chec$ed fabric you left for me on the bac$ of the #acobean &uilt. " made the zebra &uilt because somebody in my class was interested in ordering a baby blan$et. ven if she's not interested in it anymore! "'m sure someone else will be. Someone else in the class was also interested in my E"SS &uilt so " plan to ma$e another sooner or later. 3e're just going to have a &uiet (hristmas day at home. " have no idea what we're doing for supper yet. *ur last attempt at coo$ing a tur$ey was a disaster1 *ne year we had lasagna. 3hatever the case may be! at least some time between (hristmas and )ew 6ear there will be the big family dinner at 2ed and %arnie's. " wonder if they'll ma$e their famous 0um .ot this year. #anette has made it clear to her familyJ this year she just wants to stay home by herself and do absolutely nothing1 +ood for her1 She has that right. 2oo much drama these past few (hristmases11 She and " are planning to go to )iagara 8alls for her D;th birthday. " hope everything wor$s out. %oney is so tight this year. ven though " receive an annuity " feel li$e "'ve been struggling worse than ever. "'ve promised myself that these Stuart %c4ean tic$ets are the 4AS2 thing "'m going to charge on my /"SA bill but #anuary always means renewing my )(A membership and (arousel )ews O 2rader subscription. #anette and " plan on going to )ew 6or$ ne-t September for the ne-t )(A convention. " hope to sell a few &uilts by then. 5ntil ne-t time! have a very merry (hristmas. 4ove! %argaret

"Y "ERRY $%&&$E CHR% &"A

#anette 2ansley P" (A)'2 D* "2 A)6%*0 1' screamed in my head after 2han$sgiving. "2 meant
(,0"S2%AS! which rapidly approaches right after ,alloween. " am going to summarize why " have decided to have %6 *3) (,0"S2%AS A2 ,*% this year11111 "t too$ guts to broach the plan to my family members and " was afraid of negative fallout. ?52 " #5S2 (*54D)'2 8A( *0+A)"H")+ "2 2,"S 6 A0111 ,ere are my reasons' 9> " am absolutely sic$ of travelling on crowded vehicles either on (hristmas ve or just before! lugging lots of heavy parcels that seem to grow in size and get heavier O heavier to carry. 2ravelling is e-hausting no matter what. @> As " am wor$ing up to (hristmas ve at noon! and return to wor$ on Dec. @G! " need some &uiet time to rest. F> "t's such a short time to be off that the journey isn't worth it. C> " want to be in my own comfort zone! especially not in places that are uncomfortable11111 D> " feel as if " can't stand the e-tra shopping because stores are a major sensory issue for me and " get mentally tired in them / 06 &uic$ly1 <e.g. crowds! searching for things! carrying purchases> B> " feel so emotionally! physically and mentally e-hausted from various things that " just can't put myself through it G> 2his coming #anuary! A046! %argaret O " are celebrating us both turning D; in the year and there's been a 4*2 of planning and ma$ing things for our party. A> 3e never $now what the weather will be li$e for (hristmas! so getting together has always had some an-iety due to %ichael having to drive. :> 3,* SA6S 3 A?S*452 46 ,A/ 2* + 2 2*+ 2, 0 8*0 (,0"S2%AS= 3hy isn't throughout the 6 A0 good enough=111111111 9;> veryone was *E with doing our own thing for (hristmasJ ma$es it S* %5(, AS" 0. 99> "t felt li$e a lot of wor$! tiring on us 9@> "t helps when money is tight.

9F> Avoiding drama due to various issues. 9C> " can spend (hristmas Day ,*3 / 0 " 3A)2 2*1 <"f " want to sleep until noon and then eat chocolate coo$ies! " can. "f " want to read all day! " can. "f " want to stay in pyjamas all day! " can......> " was very than$ful to get positive support about my decision for us all to do our own thing this (hristmas. "'m glad my family understood too because " feel as if it too$ pressure off everyone. " felt a big load roll off my shoulders because although " used to li$e to do things for (hristmas! after last year's drama <which " won't mention>! " thought Pwhy should " do this anymoreP= All that effort and it felt li$e on (hristmas Day it went out the window and made the day deflate li$e a burst balloon. Sometimes a person has to get to a point and say P,ang the guilt about doing (hristmas11 "'m going to celebrate it %6 3A6111P (heers.

Holi#ay Ro'ot "u(ic

,ere's something really fun1 njoy1 http'IIus.moo.comImerrymusicI

&)in*( We Are $ookin* +or,ar# to in 2014

As #anette mentioned in our article! both she and " turn D; this year. 2o celebrate! from #anuary Gth to :th we plan on spending a few days together at )iagara 8alls. "t feels li$e we've been tal$ing about this trip for years. "t certainly hasn't been our first visit! nor will it be our last. 2his time we'll be staying at a different hotel that's a bit closer to the action. ,ighlights of this upcoming journey will include the 5pside7Down ,ouse and a salubrious! jolly good feast at %argaritaville11 4ast time we went to )iagara was in April of @;9@. "t feels li$e another lifetime. "t was our first time at %argaritaville and these are some of the pictures we too$ there then'

3e definitely want to have at least two drin$s and this time instead of a meal just pig out on a variety of appetizers. " am loo$ing forward to the time we spend at the hotel because " can hardly wait to spend time at the pool. 2his place probably has a hot tub too. "'ve always loved the water and eagerly anticipate spending plenty of time just paddling around li$e a contented goldfish. 2he 5pside7Down house was built at least a year or two ago but last time we were there it wasn't open yet and #anette hasn't been there on her trips with %ar$ because she's been saving this as *50 special thing for this trip'

3e too$ this picture last time we were there. 2he stormy7loo$ing s$y ma$es it loo$ li$e it had been dropped there by a hurricane1 " was amazed to learn that this is not the only 5pside7Down ,ouse. A number of tourist places have these! including %yrtle ?each! ?lac$pool and somewhere in .oland1 %ost of these better &uality hotels usually have pay7per7view movies. 4ast time the selection was $ind of crappy. 2he best thing on the menu was ,appy 8eet @ but it would have made more sense if #anette had seen the first one first and even though "'ve already seen it it's been a long time and " don't remember much about it. "f Saving %r. ?an$s is on the menu " S* want to see that one S* ?AD46111 "f we don't see it at the hotel! " hope Dave and " get a chance to see it at at theatre over the holiday season. ?esides our )iagara trip in #anuary! #anette and " are also loo$ing forward to going to )ew 6or$ for ne-t year's )ational (arousel Association convention. "2 will be the first time #anette and " have gone to a carousel convention together in 23 )26 6 A0S1 4ast time was in 9::C just after we first moved to 2oronto. " swear we must be the only people in the world who moved into a new apartment one evening and left for our trip to Denver! (olorado the very ne-t day. "'m sure " have pictures of us from that trip but "'m afraid " don't $now where they are at the moment. Anyway! our itinerary for the )ew 6or$ convention includes 4 / ) carousels including (oney "sland! (entral .ar$! .rospect .ar$! 8lushing %eadows! 8orest .ar$! #ane's (arousel! both the (armel and 0acing Derby at 0ye .layland and at least a couple others and we are arriving a couple days early to see at least two or three more that aren't a part of this schedule. 3e are especially loo$ing forward to the ?ug (arousel at the ?ron- Hoo and the Sea +lass carousel at battery par$. 2he Sea +lass carousel is uni&ue in many ways! starting with the unusual pavilion it is housed in. "t is coil7shaped! modeled after a nautilus shell! with state7of7the art glass that dar$ens to shut out the

inside world while movie screens within the structure show colourful underwater footage. 2he carousel itself is populated with iridescent fish that travel in a few different directions at once. Some fish continue to travel in a cloc$wise direction while there are three platforms that spin in the opposite direction as the fish pivot bac$ and forth as though they are traveling in schools. " have not yet seen any video footage of the ride in action or anybody actually riding it so "'m not really sure if it's finished yet or not. ,owever! footage of its concept and construction can be found here' http'IIwww.thebattery.orgIprojectsIseaglassI And this is the bug carousel at the ?ron- Hoo' http'IIwww.bron-zoo.comIanimals7and7e-hibitsIe-hibitsIbug7carousel.asphttp'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vKgEeb9z,d%+" " notice that all the bugs appear to be $ind of on the small side and have seat belts so " will probably just sit in the chariot on this one. Anyway! between our )iagara trip and our )ew 6or$ trip " can also loo$ forward to my big show at the Boyd Gallery o !" #a al Street i Bob$aygeo % The show goes &rom 'ay &irst ( til )( e *+th% I &ormatio $a be &o( d here, http'IIwww.scribd.comIdocI9B@@;9:GAI?obcaygeon7@;9C7.oster 2here's more to this than meets the eye. 2here are so many projects " hope to have finished by the time this show starts so be sure to chec$ it out. "t's going to be even bigger and better than the one " had last year at this time and " am hoping to conduct a Decorate 6our *wn (arousel ,orse wor$shop at the gallery during the /ictoria Day wee$end. ,ere's a snea$ pee$ of some of the things you will see'

.ictures don't do this e-hibit justice. 6ou really must come see it all in person. " hope that " will have my .ositive nergy &uilt <2hat's a s&uare from it in the loser left corner> and 3ild About #ungle (ats &uilt both done by then as well as a few other surprises up my sleeve. Spea$ing of art and craft shows " will be doing the +eneva Autism Symposium again some time around late *ctober7early )ovember. Stay tuned for details. 2here's not usually enough room for my &uilts so it will be mostly a place where you can buy my carousel horses! teddy bears! puppets and dolls.

" finished my second papier7mache project just in time for the holidays'

" may change the base! however. " didn't have enough foil so " used polyester fiberfill to cover the base. 5nfortunately! it doesn't stic$ very well and $eeps falling off. So when " finally bring my tiger bunny home " will remove this annoying fuzzy stuff and just cover the base with more foil instead. 3hen " do my ne-t display at the gallery " want to hang Nuilt QC on that same wall where Nuilt QD was last time so that " can line all the papier7mache animals up on the counter in front of the &uilt and they are coming down in price considerably. )obody can understand paying R9@; for them which is what " charged last time so this time " plan on selling them for only R@; each. Also! when " was in Eansas " bought myself this beautiful little cast resin carousel horse at the (.3 .ar$er museum. #erry ?etts has made a whole series of cast resin miniatures over the years and he donated several to the (.3 .ar$er museum so that contestants and local businesses could decorate their own carousel horses. " too$ a video of the whole collection' https'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vK%%-4dM,BdD% 2hese all appear to be an armored horse. %ine is more of a circus pony with a plume on its head and an eagle. "t came with the pole and the base but there was no hole to put the pole so " had to ta$e my horse to shop class at my school to have him drilled.

*n the right are some of the paints " will be using to decorate him. 2hey came with this fairy wall pla&ue which " will probably paint too. very year our school has a raffle and " entered to win from the following three prizes' %ovie tic$ets with free popcorn! a board game called 2aboo! and last but not

least this wonderful set of acrylic paints. 3ell! this was the first year " did )*2 win A)62,")+1 " was heartbro$en1 " really wanted those paints. 8ortunately! on the last day of school before holidays! our class had a mini raffle for those of us in the class who didn't win anything. " put my name in the draw and " won these paints1 " am so e-cited1 6ou probably wont get to see the finished results until ne-t month's issue though.

W-R & %CE &-R" E.ER

<at least around here1> *ur (hristmas ,olidays this year started with their share of unwanted drama. <8ran$ly is there any other $ind=> )ews of freezing rain and more freezing rain put me in a sour mood. specially since " had my heart set on going to 8abricland to get &uilt batting on my 8riday off. )o way "'m going out there if it's going to be slippery. And "'ve had a falling out with a mutual friend of #anette's and mine because my feelings were hurt by her response to the following lin$ " posted on 8aceboo$' http'IIwww.plus7model7mag.comI@;9FI9@Iplus7size7entertainment7news7actresses7rebel7wilson7and7 melissa7mccarthy7ma$e7pact7to7not7lose7weight7for7hollywoodI 3hat (athy doesn't realize is that "'m 2, "0 size! maybe even 3*0S 1 At least 2, 6 can actually wear high heels. " can't1 And what happened to that ac&uaintance of hers isn't necessarily going to happen to any of us11 "'ve lost and regained enough weight to just accept that mine is a lost cause and despite my appearance " regard myself as reasonably healthy and active. Don't e-pect me to run a marathon or anything. " wal$ to and from school every day and that's good enough for me. " resent the idea that fat acceptance is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. .eople come in all different shapes and sizes and " believe that health is the luc$ of the draw. 3e need understanding and compassion! !o% judgment and lecturing. "f anything! " believe the leading cause of death in 3omen %y Size is probably S5"("D because we're S"(E *8 4"S2 )")+ 2* / 06?*D6S ?544S,"21111 " thought "'d ) / 0 get over the depression " went through after putting up with #ean's lectures the wee$end of the big &uilt show. (ontrary to popular belief 3omen %y Size are )*2 continuous eating machines. "n fact sometimes " get so engrossed in my projects " 8*0+ 2 to eat. *ne thing " am guilty of! however! is binging when "'m stressed. S* S,52 2, 85(E 5. A)D N5"2 S20 SS")+ 5S11 " say this to everyone who thin$s it's o$ay to shame and lecture us because of our weight. 6ou have no idea what it's li$e to be us1 specially when weight gain is a side effect of nearly every psychiatric medication out there. Anyone who saw me during my manic episode should remember what " was li$e and agree it's better for me to be fat than crazy. %ost people probably thin$ "'m crazy anyway so that's beside the point. So there1 )6AAAAAA11 +oing off my meds is not an option. " do )*2 want to be bac$ in the hospital11 Spea$ing of drama! on 8riday night " also farted and shit the bed1 *$ay! too much information1 Seriously! " $new " wasn't feeling &uite right. " tried to go earlier but nothing happened and later " ended up passing more than just wind1 3e only had one set of sheets so " had to get up and put my fitted sheet and my nightgown in the wash. 2hey wouldn't be ready for at least an hour so " too$ advantage of the opportunity to bleach my roots so " could dye my hair. " completed colouring my hair on Saturday morning. +ood thing " did because Saturday night we had )* 4 (20"("261 Actually! much of Saturday evening our lights $ept flic$ering. %y computer even went off while " was using it! so when it did come bac$ on " shut it off for the rest of the night. 3e stayed up until around three in the morning just watching 2/ and whatever and at around &uarter after three our power went off for good. At least " managed to get a couple pictures of the icicles on our railing before the power went out'

And at least we were able to get (?( radio on our battery7powered radio so we could listen to Stuart %c4ean's V(!yl Ca.e. "t was a rebroadcast of the first time Stuart told the story Dave (oo$s the 2ur$ey. 0egular programing afterward was pre7empted by news about the ice storm. 2hey then joined Ta$e*%ry about @; minutes in progress. " li$e that show but " always miss the first couple minuted because " ,A2 the way it starts1 %5S2 they start their show with the sound of a screaming baby1= +0000011 8rom then on we both decided just to go nap for the rest of the afternoon. "t was cold in the house with not enough light to do much of anything else so for the ne-t several hours to come! we basically lived in our beds to stay warm1 2he storm lasted just long enough to ma$e most of the food in our fridge go bad. " must admit " enjoyed a moment of decadence drin$ing the melted ice cream right out of the carton1 " managed to do some embroidery and feasted on a couple slices of pumpernic$el with peanut butter. As long as you've got bread! peanut butter and canned goods! you're o$ay1 ,owever! " must admit! this literally felt li$e the 4*)+ S2 )"+,2 *8 %6 4"8 1 " guess everyone can agree that the worst thing about this whole ordeal was the 5)( 02A")26! wondering 3, ) or even "8 the electricity was coming bac$1 " wo$e up several times in the night! usually to go to the bathroom. 8or awhile there " was scared about answering nature's call because at first we thought we had only 8*50 rolls of toilet paper. 2han$ +od Dave found a pac$age of 2 ) more rolls1 2he last thing " need is a repeat performance of what happened on 8riday night. specially with no ability to do any laundry1 " slept fitfully and uncomfortably! feeling bloated. At one point my mind was playing tric$s on me telling me that there would be no more DA64"+,2 until the electricity was restored and we were going to be plunged into a world of eternal dar$ness forever1 And to top it off! " was worried about #anette. She had phoned and left a message saying that she felt abandoned. Dave and " were probably both sound asleep when she called and without electricity "'m not even sure if our phone actually 0")+S1 " tried to call her bac$ but just got the annoying recorded message. 8inally! the ne-t morning when " actually (*54D see daylight. Dave said " have a surprise for you1 and he turned on the bedroom light11 6AAAAA6661 ,owever " just said " thin$ "'ll sleep a little while longer. but couldn't. 3e had to throw out a huge garbage bag of food that had gone bad but "'m happy to say " was able to turn on my computer without it giving me any attitude111 "t's funny. ?efore all this happened " was thin$ing about how nice it would be to have a brea$ from 2/ and the "nternet! but " had )*2 counted on it happening 2,"S 3A61111

Count#o,n to C)ri(tma(
*n %onday! December @F 2ed and %arnie too$ Dave and " out to 2im ,orton's for hot chocolate and we enjoyed a drive around town to see the lights. 3e also got to see what the ice storm has done to the trees in our area. " must admit! most of these trees loo$ absolutely gorgeous. 2he coating of ice ma$es them spar$le and loo$ li$e they're made of glass11 ,owever! the storm has not been without its share of damage and several branches! limbs and sometimes even entire trees have fallen over due to the weight of the ice. %emorial par$ was a mess1 *n the day before (hristmas " had my heart set on going to 8abricland to get myself some &uilt batting but it just wasn't meant to be. " was disappointed and frustrated to find out that the bus " usually ta$e to get to the Eendalwood .laza has been D"S(*)2")5 D1 " phoned up the transit comission to find out if there was another way to get there. 2urns out the (ommunity ?us goes there but it only leaves at &uarter past every hour. "t was too slippery to wal$ to 3hitby li$e "'ve often done before in nicer weather. 5sually that ta$es me about an hour. And " just didn't have the patience to wait any longer for the (ommunity bus. " probably could have caught it if " held on for just another five minutes but " just had this nagging gut feeling that if "'d gone through with it it would have been a very bad idea. 3hen " get a gut feeling li$e that about something " am usually right. So " just gave up and went home. ?ut my outing wasn't a total loss. " actually managed to ta$e several absolutely gorgeous pictures of the icy trees in my neighbourhood1
rd

2his one with the red berries is my favorite. "f you want to see the rest! go here'tps'IIwww.faceboo$.comImediaIsetI= setKa.FCDFFDDF@@G@AA9.9;GFGC9AFB.9;;;;FA:F99BF9;OtypeK9OlK:GAa;cbd;b "n the meantime! all my &uilt s&uares are completed. 8or a snea$ pee$ at them! go here' https'IIwww.faceboo$.comImediaIsetI= setKa.FCDFDF@D@@G99;:.9;GFGC9AFG.9;;;;FA:F99BF9;OtypeK9OlKfebFDfG:AF " am hoping that in ne-t month's issue " will be posting a picture of the completed &uilt! along with more behind7the7scenes footage of my wor$ in progress. Sure the ice is gorgeous all over the trees but " wish they could get rid of all the ice that's *) 2, +0*5)D111

Carou(el of t)e "ont)

2his month's carousel is the 9:;9 (.3 .ar$er 2rac$ %achine in Abilene! Eansas.! located at the Dic$son (ounty ,istorical %useum.

3hen (.3 .ar$er built his first carousels! they were modeled after the first carousel he bought for himself! an Armitage7,erschell trac$ machine. ,e was inspired to go into the carousel business when he had been wor$ing as a janitor and spent his last nic$el on a carousel ride for his little girl. Anything that can ma$e you spend money li$e that must be good. he thought to himself! so he got together with one or two other guys and went into the carnival business and pretty soon they had roughly about seven traveling shows touring all over the place while his factory cran$ed out one carousel after another. At the slide show we saw a poster of his factory but it didn't loo$ anything li$e that in real life. ?ac$ in those days businesses created posters with artistic renderings of huge factories with rows of belching smo$e stac$s! ma$ing them loo$ much more affluent than they really were. 2he real original .ar$er factories just loo$ed li$e small sheds. "t $ind of reminds me of a clown car how all these magnificent horses and carousels came out of these humble7loo$ing estates1 2his carousel is still powered by an authentic steam7engine! complete with a loud whistle to announce the beginning of each ride. http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vKiL#DL2/pg+" http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vKEb#o;FrFhL%

/la(t from t)e Pa(t

*n a totally unrelated matter! while " was loo$ing at my carousel videos! " came across this amusing bit of randomness' http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vK?.9/n%7r;s5 Shortly before there was E"D *! there was #em O the ,olograms. All this reminded me of a picture of #anette and " bac$ in the A;'s'

/e(t C)ri(tma( Ever0

%aybe1 3ho $nows. Dave and " got to bed at around midnight and slept really well. ,owever " had a really realistic dream about my parents and we were at our old house in ?obcaygeon all hugging each other and crying because we $new that this moment wasn't really real1 4ater that morning just before " wo$e up " was dreaming that 2ed and %arnie too$ me and Dave to some fancy tea room for my birthday. "t was at some big mansion li$e the .ar$wod state or (asa 4oma but they also had a convenience store. *n the top shelf above the counter there were firewor$s for sale and " desperately wanted to get some spar$lers for myself and #anette to use on our )iagara 2rip but there was nobody around to get them down for me1

" wo$e up just before 99';; and had my shower and then Dave and " had our 2im ,orton's doughnuts for brea$fast before we opened our presents. Aunt Anne gave us these beautiful 27shirts and a wonderful (hristmas carousel that plays several different tunes and Dave was happy with the gifts " gave him1

According to the label on my shirt there are several more unicorns hidden among the three that are pictured and "'ve already found at least three. " made Dave the E"SS car in my art class and got the 0oute BB D/D from the same place " got my carousel D/D. 2ed and %arnie have given me several pairs of pin$ and purple soc$s! nail polish and a gift certificate from .ennington's. " wonder what "'ll buy. Dave surprised me with several awesome boo$s. 0eviews to follow in future issues of .lanet )il$narf1 ?ut the biggest surprise of all has been a .*02A?4 (D .4A6 0111 2he best thing about it is that it also shows files from 5S? ports and memory cards so " can use it to show people my artwor$1 So much better than that digital picture frame because it does not need a cord to be plugged in1 " shot a little video of the carousel we got from Aunt Anne' http'IIwww.youtube.comIwatch=vKeD/8b(NL#bgOfeatureKyoutu.be

"y Holi#ay 1ift to Rea#er(

,ere's another blast from the past. 6ou may remember the individual pages from early issues of .lanet )il$narf. 3ell! " have ta$en the time to put my 4ife 3ith 4ouella comic strips all together in one place so you can read the whole story in the form of a graphic novel along with a bonus story! (ar 2al$ by my friend Eim Snyder who passed away in %arch of @;;@. http'IIwww.scribd.comIdocI9:@GDBF@AI4ife73ith74ouella7+raphic7)ovel

"erry C)ri(tma( to all an# All t)e /e(t for 2014