claire365

GUARDIAN By Katie Hines!

2009-01-31T13:18:00.004-05:00

Katie says about her book:
"This is a story about a real-to-life treasure story. It is about a boy who struggles with guilt and a personal destiny, and it is a story about family, love and making commitments beyond yourself. The cast is replete with four teens, a professorial grandfather, a wacky grandmother and a mysterious knight, whose very life is dedicated to ensuring the safety of not just one, but two treasures."
"Imagine you have made a secret promise that can lead you to the discovery of an incredible treasure and an ancient power. But in order to fulfill that promise, you must defeat an age-old sect that is determined to claim the treasure and power themselves."

Coming May 2009 from 4RV Publishing -
Read about Katie at http://katiehines.blogspot.com -
Cover Artist Diana Navarro --

A Day Out

2007-06-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

I met a friend at "Aunt Sues," and the musical entertainment on the porch was this talented fellow.

Then we went up the road to some vineyards - these are new vines they are starting on a hillside - ahhhhh

A staircase in the winery - down, down to a banquet room, where on select Friday evenings they serve five course meals (with a different wine for each course of course) for $72 a head -- A-hem................

Guess the Baby Food

2007-06-12T22:59:00.000-04:00

We had a tasting/guessing game at a baby shower at church. No one got all 6 correct!

Transformers, More than Meets The Eye

2007-06-06T19:27:00.001-04:00

This transformer is 1/2 inch wide. The 42 gauge wire (to the right) is like hair. My husband makes these - by hand. Of course a precision high speed winder turns that fine wire 266 times around the bobbin. Electronic testing equipment will let us know if it is even one turn off.

This is a Completed transformer, with the core stacked, and the leads (22 gauge gold plated copper) bent just so. The unit is soaked in epoxy in a vacuum chamber.

Penguin Family at the Office

2007-06-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

I'm proud of this friend

2007-05-31T10:27:00.001-04:00

Jamie Estes started making natural soaps in her kitchen 8 years ago. We taught writing courses together for our homeschool co-op.

Now, she's got a "factory" and ships all over the country to shops and individuals. Her storefront/factory is in Walhalla, a town 6 miles from me.

Below, she stands next to racks of hundreds of bars of soap curing. I like her coffee soap.

My husband uses her shaving soap and it smells great!
Her website is
Thistle Ridge Soap

Uhhhh

2007-05-29T15:22:00.000-04:00

Wait a minute - I get Elderhostel (and AARP)....I see a trend here...

What I've been up to in my mind's absence

2007-05-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

Ah yes - I must maintain my reputation as a master burner of stuff in the kitchen.
I was blithely doing e-mail clean-up when I heard strange sounds from the kitchen - what-the-hey? Behold the utterly melted honey jar - I only had hoped for a mere warming of the contents - not utter destruction - but what is there to do when memory fails - oh yea, I DID put that on there and turned flames on under it! duh.....

Variations on a Foam Theme

2007-05-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

Privacy --- And A Signal

2007-05-20T15:12:00.001-04:00

When we want privacy in our phone calls - and a better signal, our family goes out on the deck. When I was growing up, my sibs and I would drag the kitchen phone cord around the corner and into the bathroom, closing the door on the cord. dd here is chatting with her boyfriend - and I snapped this through the kitchen window.

On breathing well...

2007-05-19T07:23:00.000-04:00

What we're drinking this morning - we are recovering from plain-label colds. This tea is good stuff! Guess which mug is my hubbby's!

WHY I LOVE SPRING

I can leave my windows open (this is my dining room overlooking the backyard) round the clock, and the house stays comfortable - no air conditioning, no heat -- but that will end real real soon here in South Carolina!

Going to Seed

2007-05-18T02:17:00.000-04:00

OK. So collards are green leafy veggies right? But looky here! When they go to seed, they first produce little yellow flowers, and then they make these bean looking seed pods! We are letting our garden go to seed to see how the next generation grows.

And these are broccoli plants going to seed.
You know, going to seed means we reach the end to which we were made, we complete our purpose, we've been through the whole cycle of life --- It's when we are most fascinating and amazing!

Like a painting

2007-05-16T16:35:00.000-04:00

This was a half mile from my home Monday morning - I had to stop in the road and take this. I am seriously partial to sunrises!

Becky in the Mountains

2007-05-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

We drove up to North Carolina on Thursday the 10th, and spent the day with Becky and Jerry and Juli. It was a wonderful time that included, rock skipping, a little ping pong, a leisurely stroll, wonderful weather, great conversations, yummy munchies and a GORgeous drive through the Blue Ridge! We love their rustic cabin retreat - it truly is a real getaway.

A lovely corner of the yard.

Jerry perusing the Smoky Mountains Trees Book.

Becky perusing the Smoky Mountains Wildflower Book.

On the drive home we picked these, since we had discussed "what are those blooming trees along Hwy 215?"
Steve decided these are probably Halesia carolina rather than Halesia monticola.
Carolina Silverbells rather than Mountain silverbells.

And these are Amelanchier arborea or Serviceberry.
Also is known as service-tree or shadbush
"Sarviceberry" traditionally used in mountain wedding services - hence the name.

Steve on the porch of their cabin.

I had to see if I could match the ambiance of Laura's rocking chair photo -- (I had blog365 envy...)

The Sexton's view

2007-05-08T09:23:00.000-04:00

mouse-eye view of a hymnbook.
(I clean the church on Sunday mornings)

On more than just one agenda....

2007-05-05T14:29:00.000-04:00

Yea - that's my name on Monday night's Toastmasters agenda - yikes, I need to prepare a 5-7 minute speech that accomplishes a clearly defined purpose - either to inform or persuade.
And I have a column due Monday noon - and a toast to write for tonight's graduation - and a benefit (for a burn victim) to attend tomorrow afternoon - which may yield the column....
And MY MIND IS BLANK! ooooo - doesn't my adrenal system love deadlines.... not!

Yea, wood chips!

2007-05-04T23:15:00.000-04:00

And they smell so goooood!
This tree service company knows we will take their chips when they are in the neighborhood. It was a surprise morning gift to us. Now we have a big pile of mulch at the foot of our driveway -- hmmmm, more work, too.....

Emerging From Under the Hot Water Bottle

2007-05-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

This is the offending joint. Recalcitrant cartilage dwells here. It's puff puff puffy. It hurts.
Today I visited my doctor who sent me to get an MRI which was read by a radiologist who called my doctor back saying I have a torn meniscus - Hence the doc called me to report that his referral lady would call me and set up an appt with the orthopedic surgeon (May 15.)
I am awake because I am on prednizone (and because I wanted to post this.) Jess, I just saw your post of May 1st! I pray your exercises do the trick.

This is the First Post of the Rest of My Life - I think...

2007-05-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

So this is where the brooha happens - this is where digital history is made and archived - this is my mess, my way of doing computer, my brain on fiber-optic bundles - the place where my dear husband shudders, the place where synaptic pulses become finger pecks become Courier New font laid out neatly in 12 pt - where faint images become posters to the world ---

Welcome to Claire's 365 blog.