October 2023 ~ well, I'm back! trying very hard to catch up in real life and on swap-bot! I am basically maintaining physically, but I truly need to begin to make gains soon; living alone has made these past couple of years pretty challenging and just plain difficult for this old gal. Then... I recently thought I was actually making some gains and got cellulitis & wow! Haven't been that sick in a long time :( I have a new appreciation for friends who've had it...

Okay, so on to the fun stuff :) I soooo missed crafting while I was ill and well meaning friends helped to clean my dining room and living room; I lost tons of art and journal ephemera. The problem with junk journals is that until they're completed, they look like... well, junk!! Along with my wonky arthritic hands, I now have issues with a cataract causing sight changes, but I am still pushing ahead with drawing and doodling - even though I can't really see clearly with or without my classes right now! (I know, makes you just want to trade/swap with me huh?!)

I'm going to read through my profile and remove some parts that no longer apply ~ I've lost both my old kitties and my Coco :( I do have 2 little new terrors; absolutely beautiful kittens... when they're sleeping anyway. When they're awake, they are systematically destroying my cabin.

***Please, if I let you down when I became ill, please reach out to me so I can try to make things right. I really love the swapping and feel so bad for the folks I failed..

March 18 *** Hi all! I've been limited in my ability to drive and my young neighbor has been helping me. He is a great help, but... He just visited and handed me a swap return that he said he found on the floor in the backseat of his jeep ~ he lost it the last time he picked up my mail. (My driveway is 1/2 mile long and I cannot walk to the box) Anyway... he also said he found some mail the other day that he forgot to send off, but has taken it all to the PO. Bottom line is that I have no idea what or when anything has been mailed for me since about the end of January when I fell! I've been giving it to him when he brings me groceries, but apparently some got misplaced for a bit! Please let me know if something hasn't arrived and I will fix this! [He still helps me lots! ]

********** April 15, 2020 ~ I'm writing this as I may have artwork going out late and I apologize for that but... I just got my phone and internet back about an hour ago. I got my power back last night, April 14th. I lost power around 9pm April 9th. I live 1/2 mile in the woods and there were (unknown to me until yesterday) trees and lines broken and tangled in three places along my driveway. All I could see was the section by the house. On the night of the 9th we got 18" - 2 feet heavy wet snow and that's what took all the trees down; apparently 1/3 of the state of Maine lost power. Since I am so rural to begin with, I am always one of the last to get it back :( I am old, tired, and exhausted! I will get everything I need to out as soon as possible, but right now I'm taking a few days to revel in hot showers and resting. thanks for your patience, Ruth [This is still a fairly common occurrence here...]

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About me:

I am a retired/disabled elementary reading specialist teacher ~ I love to draw, doodle, paint, and craft.

I live alone in a log cabin in the woods with a couple of super cats. I like to read and bake, old movies are fun too! I like mysteries and novels ~ I also have a bunch of puzzle (sudoku, crossword etc.) books lying around. I own quite a few DVD's too, because there are so many movies I just don't mind watching again, and yes I do have the entire Harry Potter series ~ both book and DVD :)

I have RA; and fibromyalgia, so when I am able and my hands are willing, I like to cook, draw, crochet and try all sorts of crafts. Sometimes I even finish one :) Since I live alone, it seems my whole cabin is a craft room some days! I often have 3 or 4 partially read books lying around the place and art projects in various stages of completion ...

I usually have a few mysteries in progress as well as a fiction or two ~ I'm not a fan of pure romance but humorous/comedy romance is okay! I also like inspirational, The Shack for example. It's easier to say that I dislike gory horror - I have read Stephen King, but I like his older stuff, before he began swearing every other word... I do pretty much read everything from historical fiction, general fiction and fantasy to even some self-help :)

I also used to write, so I love journals, and junque journaling ~ and art journals are just an extension of that... I've only recently been trying my hand at creating/binding art/junk journals and while it hasn't always worked as planned, it's been fun. My biggest problem right now is storing and then finding the papers, ephemera, etc I've been collecting for these journals!

I recycle, upcycle and just try to re-use everything! I use a variety of papers, from junk mail to old maps and damaged books for art & crafts. This is because I am poor and also, I'd like to be far less wasteful. I think we're becoming too much of a disposable society and that saddens me. I have actually refrained from purchasing things in the grocery store because of too much packaging. Cardboard boxes I can re-use but when an item is packaged in a huge amount of plastic I often will pass it up!

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*** I'm adding a note here about me & my "art" ~ I recently received a swap rating 3 from a partner who thought I misunderstood the swap. When I reread the rules, they did not say I couldn't make my items. Apparently, she felt cheated, I'm too old and tired to argue - that's her prerogative. I do not join swaps that require me to purchase pre-cut or designed art materials; I cannot afford them; any fancy scrapbook paper or stamps I own were either gifts or thrift store purchases ~ I am very poor! I love to "art" but I also need to live and it's very close right now! So, that's just me ;) ** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The colors I use the most are warmer earthy tones. I know neon has a place, but I find it often too glaring. Otherwise I love all colors and am not too picky in that respect :) I will admit that last summer I looked at the clothesline one day and noticed I had 7 shirts/t-shirts all in different hues of red!

I respect art of all styles, but I am not fond of dark/goth gory images. I also am not overly fond of cute "safe" rainbow type images, but I understand others are and if that is their style then so be it! I feel the same way about religious art ~ it doesn't often speak to me, but if it's your passion, then go for it! I feel that we make art for ourselves & not to please another. We can tailor our style to gift to another person, but our style just is.

Collections: I love papers and save just about every different kind of paper I come across, up to and including maps, old book pages, brochures and even takeout menus that are unique in any way. I love ocean related themes (I lived for years on a cabin cruiser in the Hudson River in NY), poetry, and cats & dogs. I would be so happy to receive the Cryptoquip puzzle from your daily newspaper!! I love them and sudoku puzzles. I really don't want to do the entire alphabet of likes here, but I do love crayons (plain old Crayola or the like) they're one of my favorite art tools. I love flamingos and the smell of freshly cut grass or cedar. I love a good thunderstorm and rainy days do make me blue...

As for daily likes and dislikes, I'm pretty easy going usually. I love my coffee throughout the day, hot or iced! I drink way to much of it, and in the evenings I often switch to tea! I love tea almost as much as I love coffee & I enjoy a wide variety ~ love to try new blends too!

I guess if I had to choose a motto, it would be "live and let live."

One of my pet peeves are people who always complain they are bored. I have been too tired, just not willing to do something, or run out of time, but I have never ever been bored!!

Also, I live in an extremely rural area and I won't mark "sent" unless I have posted an item. However, my mail carrier may or may not pick up & have the mail processed - depending on his schedule, so sometimes I realize the actual postmark may be a day off from my marking an item "sent." This is just life here :)