Venting and Ebay

 Our locksmith business has been dying a slow death so I'm trying to help out a little if possible.
As most of my readers know, we are on Social Security and try to supplement to be able to pay our bills and do have the bad habit of eating.  In fact, we applied for food stamps and we  were just sent a card and I felt relieved. However, the next day, we got a letter saying the total amount the state would pay us for food was a whopping $15.00 a month.   I called the worker but she was unhelpful.
So don't believe the media when they say that food stamps are easy to get! Life is very tough for seniors.
Anyway, enough of venting. God is in control and I know He will open a new door for us!
We're both now Ebay sellers and I hope you will stop by our auctions and see what we come up with.

Alan sells stamps and collectable items. His name on Ebay is proe_designer .right now he has some nice souvenir sheets if you like stamps or know someone who does. He has 100% positive feedback.

My auctions are under China Lake Auctions. I also have 100% positive feedback and have sold on Ebay since 1999. I just have a few things for now listed including some of my red work towels, and these nice vintage duck table set with a matching candle plate....I bought them on ebay some time ago and now they need a new home. They were made back in the 50s but look like new so pretty and glossy.

                                                  Very nice for a summer tablescape!

Dad's Letter

My dad served in WWII and afterwards was stationed in Tsingtao, China. It was called Operation Beleaguer. It mainly was for the  repatriation of Japanese and Koreans who remained after WWII. Dad wrote alot about the life there.Things he saw and experienced. Very interesting reading.

I knew he spoke Mandarin Chinese but never knew how he gained  the knowledge. Turns out he learned Chinese while stationed in Tsingtao. This knowledge helped him greatly when he served later in Vietnam. He told us that speaking Mandarin raised the respect he had with the Chinese businessmen he dealt with at that time. He was in charge of supply. Most of them spoke Cantonese and to speak Mandarin was considered a great honor.

Something I noticed was that the idea of appeasement was already showing  in 1947.
here is just a short paragraph of what he experienced..

"While on liberty downtown here last week, I was unfortunately caught in a light riot involving Rickshaw coolies and service men. In the mixup one of them relived me of my Parker fountain pen!
So I borrowed a pen to write this letter. The Rickshaw coolies are becoming very bold and are robbing and beating men quite often. The policy enforced by our forces of taking most every insult without retaliating, in order to win friendship. The policy has only succeeded in making America lose face. They now believe we are actually afraid of them. I think they need to get forceful with them.
Until recently it was almost unheard of for a coolie to strike a service man. Now we have to go out in pairs for safety. The United States has certainly lost prestige."
Tsingtao, China
June 4, 1947

Wednesday!

Sorry again that I've not been posting much. We're watching our grandson who is almost 4 (in August) and its difficult to get much done.

We had a nice Memorial Day but did spend part of it in the ER. Alan was putting up our flag on the garage and the ladder collapsed. He hit his head rather hard on the concrete driveway so again, I drove him the the ER. Four hours later, we went home with a bruised and scaped head but no major injuries.  He's very big boned like his grandfather was. His neck and shoulders are tender but he's healing fine and I think, this time he realizes he's not 30 anymore.  His guardian angel was watching over him as it could have been much worse.
When we got home from the hospital, this is what greeted us...

              Our oldest son hung up the flag which was a blessing.

 I hope everyone had a meaningful and restful holiday. As I read my dad's letters, I can't help realizing how amazing that generation was and am thankful for the sacrifices they made for freedom.

 Our garden is in full swing and soon we'll have tomatoes to can. I am so looking forward to some fresh garden tomatoes. I also plan on making tomato soup to can. Last year our tomato crop was terrible and I only was able to can a few pints of sauce which we used up quickly this last winter.
This year so far looks alot better with many green tomatoes on the plants.The corn is really high  and is tasseling.

Alan always tries to grow corn, and we usually get a few small ears which are delicious but not like he could grow in Iowa.

I've been selling a few things on Ebay and made two sales. I have some thimbles and also some towels for sale that I embroidered. 

                        Redwork flour sack towels.
                                  China Lake Auctions

                              That's about all for now.!

The Letter Shoe Box

We've been going through our cedar chests (we have 3 of them that Alan built when we were first married) and I ran across this shoe box that my paternal grandmother had sent me years and years ago. It contains letters that my dad wrote to her during and after WWII. I've been reading a few every evening and put them in chronological order by the post mark dates. They run from 1941 to 1949.

Knowing my dad so well, his words just brought me closer to him. In the war years, he couldn't say where he was stationed and every letter from that period had a passed censor stamp on it. Later he was stationed at Tsingtao, China. He does speak alot about the Chinese people, their culture and what he experienced after the war. He became very fluent in Chinese also. I haven't finished reading all the letters but they're fascinating.  I also inherited a large photo album and hope to coordinate the photos to the letters if I am able to. In some of the letters, he asks for a camera and he evidently got one as there are a ton of war time photos. 

With Memorial day coming up, we will be flying our flag in memory of all those that endured much and serviced with honor.
So thankful to my grandmother for saving these precious bits of history.!

Happenings and Squash

Wow, I didn;t realize it had been some time before I last posted. Its been a busy and stressful few weeks.
I was woke up at 1 a.m. a few weeks ago to my husband calling for me. He had fallen in the garage and hit his head on a heavy metal desk he has out there. Blood everywhere and a deep cut on his head which needed stitches. So I quickly got dressed and got him in the car to go to the emergency room.
We;'re both so thankful to the Loma Linda emergency, they took him right in and got him taken care of. He got 9 stitches in  his scalp. They also checked with a MRI to check for any concussion or brain problems. Thankfully he has a thick head!
He had been trying to reach for something in the garage and stepped up on a kitty litter plastic box which collapsed. Yes, he now knows that was a dumb thing to do. 65 year old men often don't realize their age or so it seems.
Here is a photo of his poor head. He has the stitches out now and you'd never know anything had happened. The doctor did a great job.

A week later, Jayden got sick with a stomach ailment and we all fell like dominions. One after another got sick with the same thing. Chills and stomach upset. April has been a rough month for everyone. When it rains, it pours.

Everyone seems to have recovered now and hopefully things can get back to normal. Our trio group decided not to have a giveaway this month but we will have one in May. I haven't stitched much this month due to the situation but sure miss it so will be coming up with  some new things soon. 

Our garden is doing producing and we're been enjoying peas and carrots, beets too. Those have all been harvested. We put in loads of tomato plants now, ready for the summer.
We planted a new type of  summer squash, its called "Cupcake" and is exclusively with Burpee seeds.

If you click on the link above, it will take you to the Burpee website. There is a video that explains all about this new summer squash and  how good it is. Its a combination of a patty pan and a zucchini. Great for stuffing which is what I did in the photo. Very tender and tasty. Like zucchini, the plant produces alot too! I served the stuffed squash with baked chicken thighs, and green beans with crispy onions.

Our Trio Giveaway

The Crafting Trio is having our March giveaway and there are going to be 3 winners. Above is the one that I'm giving away, this cute Yorkie puppy card. There are two other items being given away so I hope you go sign up as there will be 3 winners. Just chose which of the items you;d like and sign up! You can also find this card in my Etsy shop as I've made several.
Another card that is just listed is this Shih Tzu

These cards are not found anywhere else right now so if you want something unique and not the ordinary, please check out my shop. I'm working on some other ones now, old fashioned vintage transport, a penny farthing bike, a old time auto and a biplane. I thought they'd be nice for Fathers Day.

If you have problems entering the giveaway, just leave a comment here and I will count you in. For some reason, only Google + people seem to be able to enter. I've reported the problem.

Wednesday Visit

I've been fairly busy so haven't posted much this last week. I wanted to share my African violets with you as they're blooming so well right now.

I also finished a new candle mat. I made this one rather primitive and I really like it. Its a pretty sunflower.

                                    Its in my Etsy shop now and ready for a new home.

I've also signed up for Bible Gateway's 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and its terrific. Today he speaks about work and prayer...

Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands․
   O prosper the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17

Garden News, and New Listings

The nectarine tree is loaded with blossoms. It does every year but never seems to set much fruit. I'm not sure if its birds or just bad luck. But since its such a pretty little tree, we enjoy it anyway. The french isis hasn't bloomed yet this year. I look every day for any buds but so far no.

                      We cooked beet greens last night and they were yummy. First greens of the season,

and the strawberries are blooming and have green berries that will be ripe in a few days.

The weather has been wonderful, warm and sunny. We've had a few winter rain storms which are so needed and the hills are covered in wild flowers. Below are lupine.

                                                               Its a great time of year!

  I've also listed a few new things in my Etsy shop....two puppy cards and a wall hanging...

Plus our Trio Blog will be having a March giveaway very soon. I hope you will all sign up for it. I'm giving away another candle mat and this one will reflect the time of year with a big sunflower!

Friday Post

For my birthday this year, Alan got me a really cool tablet. I'd seen others using them at the hospital and thought I might like one. I didn't really know what I was getting into but sure love it. Its a android Verizon ellipsis 7 for those in the know.
Earlier last year, I had put a Kindle app on my desk computer for free. You can download them on the Amazon.com site. I'd downloaded a number of free books from there. But I didn't realize until after I got the tablet that I could also have the same kindle on it. So I now have not only a tablet but a kindle! I'm reading the complete works of Sherlock Holmes right now. I do love a good well written mystery! I love the feel of regular books but its handy to read in the car, etc. also at night as it lights up so I don't have to turn on a light to disturb Alan.

Nancy finished the coffee mug mats and sent them back to me. I realized that I had some little wire hangers from way back when that would work and think these really look cool.  I don't have them on the wall yet .

                                                            Great for the kitchen
                                  Not sure if I'll keep them or put them in my Etsy shop.
I'm also stitching another candle mat for her daughters birthday. Its the same pattern as the one I gave away on our Trio blog...Here's the photo of that one..

                 She sent me some nice muslin to use plus enough for several more projects.
I also completed two more dog stitched cards, another Shih Tzu and a Yorkie. But the photos are not good so am not going to share them yet. I've continually having trouble with the digital camera focus.
Its hit and miss. The Shih Tzu came out ok but not the Yorkie.

just remember that this Sunday the clocks will be changing again, sigh. Seems like as I get older, the time change is harder, or is it just me?

Iowa Hawk Soap

Nancy has made up some Iowa Hawk orange scented soap and I wanted to let all the Hawkeye fans out there, it will only be available for a limited time. These are the best soap that I know of and would make a wonderful little gift for that special fan. Stock up for Christmas, birthday or other holiday!
Just comment and let me know if you're interested and I'll get you in touch with her. The soap is quite reasonable in price also.