Jury Duty, My Nemesis

Since it’s been 18 months and zero days since my last jury duty, the flimsy white postcard arrived in the mail as scheduled announcing my day(s) off from homeschooling! Yay!

It’s that weird season between Thanksgiving and Christmas when most homeschool mamas are torn between math and cocoa with whipped cream. Grammar and Elf. History and fuzzy socks and a snuggly blanket and a good Christmas storybook. Turning on the heater or playing wii Dance 2 for P.E.

Needless to say, I wasn’t super disappointed to be leaving my children unattended for a day or three. (This will be our little secret, k?) My remaining offspring are 13 and 18 and fully self-reliant… with eating and staying alive. Not so resilient with doing school work unsupervised, but hey, it’s December. (Well in three days it’s December, but close enough to already have Christmas cheer!) And lying cozy and warm in your bed reading a fantastic book for hours IS school! Yep!

The day started off with a BANG! From the short walk from the shuttle bus to the front of the court house, I crossed paths with a very angry black woman who spewed, “White supremacists!” to me and my fellow non-assuming, white, middle-aged, minding-our-own-business jurors. Her words literally shocked me. My mouth dropped open. Turning to the lady walking right behind me I shared, “I have never been called that before!” She hadn’t either. Wow! I felt sorry for the name-calling woman. To harbor that much anger must make life horrible! I thought of singing Christmas carols to bring up the Christmas cheer but she walked off too rapidly for my first tune to commence. Joy to the World would have been top of my chart.

Being a returning expert to jury duty, I arrived on time. Signed in and got my sticker badge. Most of my morning was spent reading two months of text messages and trying to figure out who was the other texter. I lost all my contacts on my phone except those who left text messages… but they were nameless numbers. For two hours I READ texts from September 26 to November 28 and tried to remember who I had that conversation with followed by typing in every blinking name. When would I have had time to do that if not for jury duty? Thank you, Madison Court House!

Finally I sat working at a desk until my name was announced. Dang it. I have heard rumors of people getting the notice and sitting in the waiting area ALL DAY. Think of it! ALL DAY pretty much alone to read or look up papier mache Christmas ornaments on Pinterest or make grocery lists or doodle or nap or knit. Sugary bliss! But no.

My juror number this time, out of 40, was 2. Not good. The chances of numbers 30-40 getting selected, in my vast experience, are slim to none. But I was hopeful of being dismissed just by my explanation of what my husband does for work. The trial involved police, so I was sure to mention that Rick flies for Department of Public Safety… the governor, SWAT teams, prisoner transfers and photography… and has for worked for the State of AZ for 17 years. (So the 17 years didn’t always include DPS but I could have clarified if needed.)

This is not my first jury rodeo! (It’s my second.) So I had a much firmer grasp on my emotions as fellow jurors gave feeble attempts at being excused. There was no rolling of my eyes. There were no bursts of laughter like last time. I didn’t even snicker when an elderly gentleman raised his hand and urgently told the judge, “I have to go to the bathroom so bad I can’t think straight!”

The process of jury selection was much quicker this time around and there weren’t sob stories of abuse that we had to endure, thankfully. We returned from lunch and nine jurors were selected just like that. No questioning of any of us from the attorneys. Two minutes after lunch, the rest of us received our Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card. BAM! Civic service done! Bring on the eggnog!

December 2016 I will look for my $23 fuel reimbursement check in the mailbox!

May 2018 I will look for the little, flimsy white postcard in the mailbox announcing my next half day off!  Whoo Hoooo!

10 Days Past December

Usually I am a bit more up-to-the-minute on my New Years post with a review of the past and hope for the coming times.  2013 was put to rest none too quickly for my liking.  It was a hard and frustrating year due to the car accident and slow healing.  Glad that’s almost over!

On December 31st I pulled my journal from the bottom dresser drawer… the journal with the hot pink cloth binding and the swirly letter L with bling bling on the cover.  The journal contains my bucket list.  I usually don’t look at it but once or twice a year, so I’m pleasantly surprised when I get to highlight the completed items on the list!  In 2013 there were 2 1/2 items completed…. 1. Go on a girls road trip! CHECK!  2. Build a chicken coop and raise chickens. CHICK!  I mean CHECK!  And 1/2 of 3. See the Parthenon…. well, I did see the Parthenon.  The one in Nashville.  I didn’t even know there WAS a Parthenon in Tennessee!  It’s in far better shape than the one in Greece.  When I made the list, I meant the one in Greece, but I didn’t specify Greece…. so I half-way highlighted it with hopes of Greek Islands in my future still.

On the horizon for 2014, other than we should start getting fresh eggs come May, we have a few out of town weddings, a graduation, some missions trips and lots of excitement and hope!  I relish a fresh new year with no scribbles on the pages.

As far as resolutions go…. REZ#1: I’m going to lose the weight I gained while lying on the couch for months eating casserole after casserole that my homeschool peeps brought to feed our family! Believe me, I am SOOOO thankful for my community who surrounded us during that time!  What’s a bigger size of jeans?  Or 2?  But everyone plans to lose weight, right?

REZ#2: I am reading the Bible through again.  The Children’s Living Bible is the chosen translation again.  The best I ever did at reading the Bible through involved a plan that took weekends off.  I needed the weekends to catch up!  So I divided the number of yearly weeks by five days and then divided the number of pages in the Bible by that number.  Voila!  Brilliance!  Four and a half pages a day.  And it’s already January 10th and I’m ahead of schedule!  Oh Yeah!

REZ#3: Make a few more mind and life changing resolutions…. like spending time each day in silence, and spending time each day being artsily creative, and knitting (well, that is creative too), and spending time each day listening to good music.  “Good” by my standards, not my children’s.

What are your resolutions?  Did you make any?  Will you keep them?  Share the wealth!

Where is Mary when I need her???

I don’t know if Mary would have been much help, however, because this was not a little lamb.  Yes, today the seven pound fleece arrived in the mail (thank you, eBay!)…. this is for our homeschool study of sheep and weaving, for those who aren’t in the know. 

Can I just say that sheep stink and now I know why.  They have their fuzzy coats on for a year while they lie in the dirt and grass and walk in the barnyard… and I don’t think they wipe after they you-know-what.  I divided the wool into four semi-even pieces and bagged three of them for my fellow homeys.  I proceeded to pick off the poopy ends of my 25% and threw them out.  We picked out grass and hay and weeds and sticks and dirt and straw and twigs and … you get the picture.

That picture makes it look kind of clean… IT WAS NOT!  So I proceeded to put the smelly pile of wool into the kitchen sink…. I’m on sink #6 of clean water… HELP!  I don’t think this will ever be clean.  I used L.O.C. (liquid organic cleaner) but there is so much dirt and stick and pieces of undesirable tidbits.  Does anyone know what I should do?

The game plan is to dye it, card it, spin it and look at it…. I’m not sure if we will get to weaving or knitting at this point.  Please email your fellow sheep farmer and ask how they get their fleeces clean for me, OK?

Did I mention that I’m a city girl who only went on dirt roads with grandpa when he went to the dump in Heppner, Oregon?  (Read:  A little clueless here.)

CraFt PhAseS oF LifE

I’m sure I’m not alone in my travels through the myriad of crafts that are out there at our disposal. Anyone else into macrame in the 70s?  Cross Stitch in the 80s?  Wallpaper fans in the 90s?  Scrapbooking in the 00s?  Me too. That doesn’t mean you’re normal.  It means you’re weird like me.  :o)  Mixed in there without a specific decade are also stamping, candle making, card making, sewing comes and goes throughout the years, quilting, knitting, etc.  (No, I’m not going to mention acrylic crown-shaped albums…. and get my blood pumping.)

It’s secret confession time once again at My Sister’s Jar.  I recently found a macrame market bag pattern that is calling out to me.  I know what you’re thinking.  Nerdsville.  Not so.  It doesn’t involve large owls with beaded eyes or metal rings for plant holders.  I have finally gathered all the necessary materials to make the braiding board as well as the bag.  The knots are tied so the entire bag is made up of flowers.  It’s cute.  Really.  No, REALLY!  I’ll eventually share photos and you’ll all be envious.

I’m not usually the type to think outside the box on most things.  Well, no, that’s a lie.  Let me rephrase that.  When a craft or pattern is shown to me, I usually do it just as shown, with wilder fabrics and brighter shades.  But when Jennie (www.bagsforzaza.blogspot.com) made the tote this week, she threw off my groove.  I didn’t consider making bags in other designs.  This thought inspired me and I made a purse today that is just that.  A purse.  It’s not a carrier bag.  It’s just a purse.  I can’t decide if I like it.  Here it is:

I can’t even decide on the button for the closure, so it’s naked.  The bottom is ultra suede and the rust colored circles are actually a circle of fringe.  I’m not sure what I’m not jazzed about, maybe it’s not my typical colors??? (And yes, that’s danger tape on my son’s bedroom door.  Boys!)

I did finish a ladybug bag this week that is completely made from a valance, chenille robe and fabric remnants from my friend Connie.  So adorable.  Not for me, but for someone who loves ladybugs.  Or someone who is hard to buy for.  Or for a friend who needs a designated collection… like ladybugs.  It will be up for auction on Monday at Bags for Zaza.  And did you see the total money raised lately????  Go.  Look right now.  www.bagsforzaza.blogspot.com

Thank you Jennie for dreaming up a fundraiser for Zaza.  Thanks Connie for your recent donations.  Thanks to Jenn and Leah and Mom for also sewing up beautiful bags.  Someday Zaza will thank you.