The Blackburn Digest

Actually, I captured an entire month (or rather, my photo of my Petal Pushers florist’s shop did! The month of April, 2006, to be exact, in a calendar produced by the moderator of TheCamp@yahoo.com!!

When the call went out for photos of member’s projects several weeks ago, I did not jump to post any. Many of the members of The Camp are featured writers and guest artisans of the finest miniature magazines in the US, Canada and Europe. Many of them also do their own photography to illustrate their articles, web sites and catalogues. Granted, the original plan called for 4 photos (of dollhouses, vignettes, scenes or special pieces) per month. Even with 48 photos to be chosen, I wasn’t eager to compete on this level;-)

O.K., that usually indicates that the human was defeated. Bear in mind that I am a longtime-fan of Anne McCaffrey’s “Pern” series. Recently (mid-October till December 13th), I have felt a real kinship with the Dragons of Pern! They rose to fight Thread, while I have I have launched successive battles against Red Tape and Bureaucracy related to my disability retirement application!

Since I mailed out the most recent salvo in mid-November, I was resigned to waiting through the holiday season before receiving the expected denial. When an envelope bearing the familiar return address arrived this evening, obviously containing a single-page letter, I was loath to open it. This could NOT be good news!!

I am delighted to report that my hunches are occasionally wrong!!

TRS approval letter.

At 11:15 PM, I checked the Weather Bug……….24.7 degrees, wind gusts to 19 mph and a “real fee” temperature of 11 degrees - Brrrrr!!

Yes, I know it can get cold in San Antonio, but I don’t remember the thermometer ever sliding down this fast before. What I do remember is that the drivers of South Central Texas are not ready for freezing rain and ice. They never are! Tomorrow morning’s news will be full of drivers who don’t believe that ice and speed are a very bad mix.

Stay safe, family!!

As “MommaCat”, I suppose it is fitting that my first entry in this blog is cat-oriented. (For those who have never been owned, bullied and loved by a cat, you can probably stop reading right here - - - you won’t understand.)

The time period from 3:25 through 6 this morning was (in this order) irritating, horrible, gut-wrenching, euphoric and exhausting . . . . . . . . all accomplished by one endearing and exasperating Very Large Cat. Yep - Sundance, the 20 lb. domestic/Maine Coon mix autocrat of the Blackburn household.