Yikes!

Paul and I have been married 45 years today.  Some of those years have been really hard but, nevertheless, we plodded on through thick/thin, light/dark, valley/mountain, etc. - and continue to be truly committed to one another.  We've mellowed with age and have been able to let go of trivial inconveniences and annoyances to concentrate on more important issues.  When you have lots more life behind you than in front, you tend to look at what really matters from a better, more realistic perspective.  I kind of think of us as comfortable old houseshoes.  (Please feel free to interpret that analogy as you wish.)  We've both been retired for years, but have other interests that occupy our time and, hopefully, keep our brains challenged and intact.  It's  hard work at times to keep a marriage going for 45 years, but ever-so-much worth the effort.       

Age Discrimination

You may want to skip this 'rant' if you aren't of a certain age, but I'm getting a little weary of being told, "We don't take Medicare patients", when looking for help on a potentially serious problem.  To explain the situation, I will be revealing personal information, but I choose to be up front with my condition.

I was diagnosed many years ago with recurrent severe depression and take medication that has to be prescribed by a psychiatrist.  Sometimes, the medication that works well for awhile, becomes ineffective and a different one will be needed.  That has happened once already for me, but now this second med seems to not be doing its job, either.  The psychiatrist I was going to dropped me as a patient 3 years ago when I turned 65, but I haven't needed one until now.  My husband called over 25 shrinks today and was always told they didn't take Medicare, plus they didn't have any suggestions as to who would.  Finally, he was successful after finding a place that essentially is a Mental Health/Mental Retardation agency for senior citizens.  Folks, what good is being on Medicare if doctors aren't going to treat people using it?  Fortunately, I had been a patient of my Primary Care Physician for eons before I was 65, and he has continued to see me.  But there are many who are not as lucky.  I went through the same ordeal several years ago when trying to find a therapist that took clients on Medicare.  Frankly, the health care system in this country is really depressing.            

Finished Calendar

Finally done with the first of three calendars.  Just start at January and flip the board toward the back to change to the next month.  When June is over, flip it back to the front to reveal July . . . and so forth and so on. 

My Current Project

Well, finally I have something to report besides the "new blogger woes".  Along with my bearmaking, I dabble a bit with altered art and have started my Christmas list gifts.  A little late, I might add.  I always think I have plenty of time, but what I'm doing now is rather labor intensive.  Who doesn't like a calendar to begin the new year . . . especially if it's personalized?  My two nieces and a nephew (and their families) will be getting them this Christmas.  I found these wonderful calendar kits while surfing my favorite scrapbooking sites and thought they would make terrific gifts.  The kit is comprised of six wooden pieces, each 7" by 7".  They come with holes already drilled in the top so they may be fastened together after decorating.  I have saved photos of my nieces and nephew from the time they were babies through today when all of them are married and have kids of their own.  Of course, I have pictures of the spouses and children through the years, also, so have a rich source of memorabilia to choose from.  Each family will get a calendar with a selection of 12 different photos representing their particular family members during the last 30+ years.  This is just how I chose to make up my calendars, but any theme may be used - your imagination and creativity give endless possibilities.  This photo, hopefully, makes it a little easier to understand what I've been rattling on about.  The first wooden piece shows how the 6 pieces come in the kit - totally bare.  Then you can see how I've decorated three of the months.  I will attach all 6 pieces together with the book rings shown on the left.  When I'm totally done (I'm on October right now) with my first calendar, I'll put up another photo to show the finished product.  Anyhoo, thought some of you who like scrapbooking or altered art projects might like to know about this kit.  Hmmmmm.  My next thing to learn about blogging is how to make photos bigger.  This was much larger when I was editing it, but maybe you can sort of see what I did.   

  

Just Call Me Befuddled

Can anyone hear me screaming?  Yikes, I have spent the last two days trying to understand how this blogging system works and I still don't know what I'm doing!  Yeah, I know it would help immensely if I knew something about html but, unfortunately, I don't know diddly-squat.  I finally whined for assistance on the 'help forum' and did, indeed, get exactly the correct instructions to do what I wanted.  Pffffft . . . it involved editing the html.  Now, for the next 101 questions I have.  It will take me a month of Sundays to be able to make the changes I want and figure out how to add stuff, but guess it's good exercise for my battered brain.  Okay, folks, hopefully I will get a little more entertaining, informative, worthwhile, etc., chatter going here.  Even some pretty pictures, if I'm lucky.  Catch ya later.   

A Newbie Here

Hi, all. Blogging is a new experience for me . . . just getting started. I've never thought anyone except maybe a few family members would be at all interested in what's going on in my life. Especially since I'm old as dirt and live a relatively quiet existence. As the title of my blog implies, teddy bears are a large part of what I do these days since I create them from scratch using my own original designs. Have been doing this since 1997, so it appears that I really like this activity. I've also participated in many teddy bear shows since then and have won a few awards along the way. Well, so much for what I do.