Mysterious Feather

I found this feather on my dining room floor. I'm incredibly afraid of birds, so, no, I have no pets it could have come from. The cats are indoor cats and I see no evidence of a bird that may have gotten into the house and left this single feather. We don't have feather pillows and the down in our coats is quite a bit smaller that this feather. I really have no idea where it came from. I've scoured the papers to see if there is a rash of break-in-and-leave-a-feather burglaries in my neighborhood, but no reports! Last year I was tormented by squirrels - maybe this year the birds are taking their turn?

OK, I have to head across town - tonight is football night, but instead we are playing basketball. I am tall, but I am clumsy, so things don't bode well for me. Also, I'll be the only woman playing with this pack of rough and tumble guys. If you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know that either the bird got me or I lost it on the basketball court. (Rochesterian friends, will you see to my cats and my garden??)

Mouthwash Woes

As part of my new dental hygiene regimen, I've been following up my brushing and flossing with rinsing with mouthwash to kill all those pesky germs that cause gingivitis. Well, my toothpaste and mouthwash of choice are both Crest ProHealth. Since I've been paying more attention to my teeth lately, I quickly noticed that I was getting some increased staining. I honestly thought it was related to the copious amounts of tea I drink, so I didn't really think twice about it. Well, at this recent dental appointment, the hygienist noticed, too and immediately asked if I use Crest ProHealth mouthwash. I thought she was about to compliment me, so I quickly said "Yes, indeed, twice a day!" She said, "well, that explains why both the front and back of your teeth are so incredibly stained. The flouride in Crest ProHealth is very staining. I'll have to work hard to remove these." When I mentioned that I also use Crest ProHealth toothpaste, she said it's the same deal. She told me to switch to Colgate Total toothepaste and Listerine. So, I just happened to have a sample of Listerine - the blue one, not the original yellow - and started using it that night. I numbs my tongue the minute I put it in my mouth. After 30 seconds of swishing, I can't feel my tongue or the insides of my lips and cheeks. I thought it was a fluke, but it happens EVERYTIME I use it. It only lasts for 10 to 15 minutes, but it's really uncomfortable! I've been asking around and searching online, but no one I know has had the same experience. I have found a few accounts of something similar online, but no one states whether or not the numbness will stop happening. Michele says it's from the amount of alcohol in Listerine and I'm sure that has something to do with it. Not being a drinker, I wonder if the 21.6% alcohol numbs my mouth, does whiskey, vodka, and other strong spirits numb people up, too? Food (or drink) for thought, indeed!

Fun, Pain, and Fun!!

Oh, I am having so much fun reading all the comments on the giveaway post! Keep those entries coming! I cannot wait to see who wins!

Now for the pain segment. I wanted to tell you what happened to me the night I was working on the fall wall hanging. It is something that has happened to many other sewers, but I never thought it would happen to me. I sewed through my finger! Surprisingly, it didn't hurt, but the needle made a very eldritch noise when it went through my finger and fingernail and broke into many tiny bits. I think this makes me a real sewer - I have been initiated into the club! Although there was no pain when it happened, my finger really smarts now, especially when I type (which I do all day at work and quite a bit when I get home!!)

OK, now on to something fun. As you all likely know, I have a shop in which I sell quilted items. Well, I am also a member of a group of others who also have shops in which they sell items (though mostly not quilted items) and we all live right here in Rochester, NY. We're called the Rochester, NY Etsy Street Team (RNEST) and we are really fabulous!! This team has a blog, which I hope you will check out because they are graciously allowing yours truly to author a weekly column. I call it Wednesday Wellspring and weekly will feature a wonderful seller who has "bubbled up" from the well, so to speak. Now if hearing more from me isn't reason enough, my fellow members will also be contributing really cool posts, like Buenahelena's recent tutorial on magnetic rings! Very cool! So, if you have space on your blogroll, definitely check it out!

Bug Attack

I have made it plain over the past few weeks that squirrels and bunnies are not my friends. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned my long-standing antagonists: bugs. Now, I haven't minded them much in the garden - they have a purpose and, plus, that is their domain. I believe that if I leave them alone in their world, they will leave me alone in mine. Well, on my way happily to work this morning, (and it was indeed happily: I stayed up late working on my commission, which was a joyful way to spend the evening, and sold three more items straight off the showroom floor!) a bug attacked my car. Now it wouldn't have been that big a deal as I was inside the car with all the windows shut tight and he was outside the car, but he was clinging to my driver's side mirror right on the other side of the window from me. He was huge, too! He stubbornly clung to the mirror and kept staring at me through the window. Then, when I pulled into the parking lot (after having barely made it to work alive because I was driving so distractedly!) he started cleaning his antennae maliciously and gazing at me in a furtive manner, as though he were preparing to attack me the minute I got out of the car! So, really, when you think about it, he was holding me hostage inside the car, right? Well, I took a series of deep breaths, steeled myself, braved up, and climbed over the seat to get out on the passenger side of the car! No bug is going to get the better of me!

Why Do Strange Things Happen to Me?

I just got a new toothbrush last week. I've been using it daily, as most of us usually do. Well, this morning, as I'm brushing my teeth, half of the bristles fell out into my mouth. I mean really! Does that really happen to anyone? I'm standing there with a mouthful of toothpaste and toothbrush bristles and wondering if I have a "Please let something weird happen to me" sign on my back!