Back to one of my favorite subjects - SPAM.  Fried with eggs it is an amazing food, believe it or not.  I didn't till I ate it and now I'm a born again spam lover.  Oh, not that kind of spam sorry....

Today  my 2 favorites are "Re: Big Sausage - Easy!" and "Piramid in your pants"

They can't even spell it LOL.  Oh there is one more - "[insert email name] you're a moron!" now that's a new twist on a sales pitch ain't it?

I've got to take some amusement from all this spam or I'd poke my own eyes out.  I don't know about you but I get 100's, sometimes 1000's of spam emails a day.  If I don't check my email on the weekend I will have about 10k worth of mail to delete on Monday morning. Very very sad and time consuming as well. And yes,  I have more spam filtering tools that I can shake a big sausage at but I still have to eyeball them all to make sure none of the good stuff gets deleted.... it happens *shocked*.

What I want to know is WHO IS BUYING WHATEVER THEY ARE SELLING? I blame YOU personally.  If you would only stop then these people would stop sending it. 

Ok, stepping off the soapbox.

Have a great weekend, it's beautiful here in Maine and I hope it is by you as well!

~Nan

In the dead of night after a town meeting in Frankfort on the 22^nd, someone tore our mailbox out of the ground.  It amazes me that in this day and age we have among us people who must resort to violence and destruction when another disagrees with them.  In effect, this is a bullying tactic to get other residents to remain silent and relinquish their right to vote and their right to exercise free speech.  Fortunately this is not the Wild West of old and the good citizens of Frankfort will not allow themselves to be bullied into compliance or silence through the use of fear and intimidation.  We make a mockery of the American democratic process when we resort to petty bickering, unruly behavior and acts of violence.  This is not a third world country, this is America and Americans settle their differences with the vote not with their fists.  We may not always like the way the vote turns out but we must always respect the process and work within it to bring about the changes we desire.  The times they are a’changing in Frankfort there is no doubt.  Change is an inevitable as a force of nature.  I'm looking forward to it......

~Nancy

We just got back from the New England Products Trade Show (NEPTS) in Portland, ME.  The show was Sat - Mon; Sat & Sun we had snow and the show was very slow but Monday was a glorious day and we did well enough to make up for the prior 2 days.  We've done this show for about  8 or 9 years and have always enjoyed it both personally and financially.  It's a wholesale show with only products from the 5 NE states being offered. We enjoy being able to see our customers in person and show t hem our full line all in one place.

We're pretty wiped out about now so will be moving a bit slowly for a few days but it's back to the grind st one for us.....

Thank you to all our customers who came; it was nice seeing you. 

Best,
Nan

So I was going to post about my experience with the New England Products Trade Show this past weekend but then I saw these pending posts for the blog and I just had to share them before I delete the posts.  Here is the beginning of one:

"Morning till morning, than silica gel, you now echinacea is alike lily s especially catholics, we have a color wheel for its up for another and master"

There are links to what look like flower sales websites but I didn't follow them as the rest of the posts are so stupid.  Look like some foreign scam artists who don't speak English but what they wrote was so funny I had to share it.

Here is another:

"Wildflowers  inrest of success of cut the lily,   roses we said before a sincere respect to and greatly from acne, 000 or  gardenjournal, coffee."

Of course then all use different names but the IP address is the same for all the posts.

"Journals and receive what can help. Spiritual soulmate is there are you. Dna number of the best dating."

Yes DNA is very  important for dating these days......

"Whether the juniper tincture, to spread: this node: i love with tendrils and vigorous. "

OK THEN, I'd like to spread my vigorous tendrils around their throats.

At best this was a very poor attempt to add some spam to my blog, at worst these sites are scam sites.  The words don't even make sense.

Humorous though.... LOL....

Makes you wonder....

Nan

I just don't understand people who give advice/information to other craftspeople that they know is wrong.  If you don't want to share a piece of information because you feel it is integral to your ability to stay competitive then just say so. BUT to purposefully LIE to another artist is just unethical.  I have heard stories from customers and students about other teachers and other craftspeople who give false information on purpose.

For a teacher to do this is so bad. If you don't want to share your knowledge then don't teach. PERIOD.

For a fellow crafts person to do this is unethical, nasty and unnecessary. If someone asks you a question you don't want to answer just say so, politely. If the person INSISTS you tell them, and this happens too, then you have a right to get snippy.

The other side of the coin is an artist OFFERING incorrect advice/info during conversation with the intent to imped the other persons ability to grow and prosper. 

We go into this field for many reasons  but most of them involve some sort of satisfaction and a better way of life.  To sully this by intentionally trying to harm another is beyond belief for me. When you start to feel bitter towards your craft and others who ply it then perhaps it is time for you to seek other employment.. go back to the bank....or wherever you migrated from.

Harm none,
~Nancy

Happy New Year and welcome back to the Glass Menagerie.  We're having record snowfall here in Maine and the kids are very happy cause school is closed for one more day! An extended vacation is always welcome.

We spent a nice New Year's Eve at home with our friends Kimberlee & Alan and their two children. We rang in the new year in the traditional way by banging pots and pans and staying up as long as we could .. for me that was around 4am. We played board games, had some tasty treats and some vino.  It was an enjoyable way to pass into 2008!

Tech Notes:

I found this thing called Lemonade(tm) which allows users to add a little Lemonade stand type of store to their site and I've added one called Gallery 222 on which I offer glass art from other artists around the world.  I hope you like it!

Greg, Arianna and I have all begun to play World Of Warcraft and boy is it fun.  A big timesuck, but fun.

Well, that's all for now...

~Nan

Yesterday something, we don't know what, slaughtered 1/2 of our chickens, 3/5ths of our ducks and one of our geese.  Now the other goose is across the road on the stream bed honking and won't come home.  It might have been a wild cat of some sort or a fox, ermine or even a coyote. It was just awful. A few of the survivors are injured and I hope they heal. I hope the goose will come back; he/she (not sure which one lived) must be heartbroken as the mate is gone.

We captured the remaining chickens and put them in the locked up pen with the roosters where we think they will be safe; no more roaming free for awhile.  The ducks are in the hen house and we're locking the door at night in hopes whatever it was can't get in.

It's so awfully sad, poor babies. Thank the stars the cats and dog were in the house! We've lost a few cats over the years to 'something' probably coyotes but we can't be sure.  House cats seem to be the preferred snack of quite a few wild critters around here. We try very hard to get them all in at night cause that's usually when things go badly. this time however it was in the morning (around 11am) and we didn't even hear a thing.  After the 'event' I did hear something making a weird moaning sound out behind the house in the tree line..... yikes.

~Nan

Wow, we've had a big snowstorm and I was NOT ready for snow!! Silly me. Slaving away trying to fill all those holiday orders, get ready for the holiday myself  and keep the one of a kind page up to date.

Got another post on  my guest book today where the email address is bogus and there person tells me my work is overpriced.  Funny thing is this is the same person who did it back in July.. how do I know? The IP address is exactly the same ROFLMAO... nimrods. I posted a reply to them back in September I believe.. the name was Debbie. I've received 2 more very similar from the same IP but using different names and different bogus email addresses. It's ok to voice your opinion but show enough respect to allow the other person to respond to you. To do otherwise is cowardly.

Why would someone want to spend the time to come back to me over and over to voice that opinion?  No life perhaps? Well - Debbie, Bev, Janet or whoever you are... your posts won't make it to the guestbook you know as I have to preview and approve them.

Don't be a hater Deb/Bev/Jan - move on with your life and be happy!!


Nancy

PS: Normally I wouldn't post this publicly but since they chose to use a bogus email address I felt I had the right to respond as I see fit.

Wow are we busy! I'm dancing as fast as I can trying to keep up with holiday orders.  I've been updating the website these last few days to offer specific pieces for your holiday shopping pleasure.  Bear with me as I make changes.  I've added a new Earrings Special page where you can order the specific pair you want and I've updated the regular specials page with all new pieces as most of the others were sold already.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving; I know I did. It was just the 3 of us but I made the whole spread - turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, gravy, peas, yams with marshmallows, baked sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. On Saturday I  made the filling for turkey pot pie and made some turkey soup. Not one bite of that 18lb bird is going to waste this year!

It'll be a scramble between now and Dec 25th! Let's all try to have a good time along the way and not let the stress make us crazy!!

Pinky swear?

TTFN,
~Nan

I just wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and to THANK you all for visiting Glass Orchids and purchasing our work.  You make it possible for us to continue creating and we are truly grateful to you all.

All the best,
Nan

Yesterday I was in the house doing some laundry when I heard water running in the bathroom. I thought maybe I had left the water dripping in the sink for the cats or something but OMG was I wrong.  Greg was upstairs taking a shower and the water was coming up out of the downstairs shower and the toilet!!!! I ran up and pounded on the shower for him to TURN IT OFF.... seems the pipe had a clog in it and it backed up all over the bathroom. Sheesh.

But wait there's more....

So I get in the car to pick up the kids from school and the tire is making a funny noise; I thought there was mud on the tires or something. When I hit the black top I realized I had a flat tire.  So I call Greg to come on down and see...

Luckily my friend, Joy, was over and she took me to pick up the kids in her car.

Some days are just like that....

~N

Well Hello out there! We spent last weekend in Boston doing a show at the seaport.  This was a retail show and our last show for the season. It was our first time doing it and it was ok; not great, not bad, just OK.  But on the bright side we had dim sum in Chinatown! I also traded with a few other artists and got some nice things for xmas presents. I got some gingerbread cookies from Ginger Betty's Bakery and man are those good!!

It takes me about a week to recover from a show - partially because setup and break down are physically demanding but also because being 'on' for 3 days straight takes a lot out of you.  In addition, I usually stay up to 2-3am for a few days prior to leaving for a show just making jewelry and getting ready.  I think I need to take Yoga or something!

We're gearing ourselves for the last push of the year... Christmas.... and then we'll have a couple of quiet weeks in January to re-coup. Can you believe it's almost the end of another year!?? I can't!

Well, Talk to you all soon,
Nan

Stupid Dog. I just wrote this whole thing and then hit Cancel by mistake so this is the short version. The whole house, yard and dog stunk.  The house is 98% clear as is the yard.  The dog is now about 85% skunk free.

To be honest we have 2 black and white cats so his confusion is understandable.  The skunk isn't so understanding.  What a horror.


On another front, my kiln malfunctioned and ruined about 30 Dragonfire(tm) pendants.  It just didn't shut off and they became one big puddle. Oy.

What a weekend.

Hope yours was better,
Nan

Well I had to make an emergency trip to New York to see my Mother last week. She was rushed to the hospital and we all thought she was having a heart attack.  We're pretty sure this was caused by a reaction to Predisone. Man I hate doctors.  Mom seems to be ok now for the most part.

I also wanted to share with you a company that I just love. Check out Avena Botanicals in Rockport, Maine. This company is run entirely by women.  They create a line of herbal products for well being and health as well as offer classes. I haven't visited them in person but hope to take a garden tour next spring.

We 'did' the Common Ground Fair a few weeks ago and it was great. Thanks to all of you who visited us in our booth.

We will be 'doing' a show in Boston during the first weekend of November at the Trade Center. I'll post more info when I find it, LOL.

Anyway, I'm way behind in my work now so I'd better scoot and get to it....

~Nan

Another trip around the sun! Fall is here again and I've given in and turned on the heat.  We've 'done' the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine and what a wonderful event that is.  Takes me a week to recover tho.  We have one more retail show coming up the first weekend in November down in Boston.  Another year is closer to ending than it seems!

I haven't been doing any deep thinking lately <grin> but rather just trying to get thru the tasks at hand such as cleaning out the pantry/laundry room, getting the last of the garden taken care of, keeping up with my daughter and her school work and getting those orders out the door.  I've been neglecting my family a little - those who live away - and I've got to get back on the stick and make some phone calls. That little nagging feeling in the back of the head needs to be put to rest. I don't know about you but I haven't done ONE SINGLE THING to get ready for the upcoming year end holidays either. The pressure is on!

One of the cats has what I think is Cystitis (can't spell that) and I've ordered an herbal formula for her, poor baby.  Lost a few quail to a predator before we found a small hole in the cage.  It will be time to move the quail indoors soon as they winter over in the barn just outside the studio door.  They are so small that I don't like to leave them out in the elements.  Also found a pair of bats nesting in the top of the barn but we left them alone - they are welcome to stay as they eat lots of bad things. I lost one of my cats, Baby, last week. She just didn't come home. Couldn't find any sign of her poor thing.

I need to start working on my xmas designs... heck... I need to start working on Valentine's day designs!!! Always have to think 6 months ahead and that's not always easy when I'm still trying to get thru the day at hand....

Well that's all for today.  Take care of youselves and your loved ones.

~Nan

Well it's been a while since I posted and much has happened: I went to a family wedding back in June, I sprained my ankle twice, our hamster died and one of our cats disappeared!!

I also joined this 'game' called SecondLife.  I have to say that I had big hopes for it but it turns out its fairly boring.  It's not a game per se but more of a Massively Multiplayer Online Simulated Society.  Unfortunately  it's a fairly deserted society.  Most people are either playing one of the two real games in it, dancing or exercising their right to engage in deviant sexual activities.  The thing I liked most about it is that the 'residents' or players have the ability to develop everything in the game from clothes to buildings to vehicles using a in-game scripting language. As an environment it's got great graphics and you can make your avatar really cool with all sorts of free clothing, hair, tatoos and more. It's a beautiful graphical environment.  The thing that the system lacks is anything to DO besides creating stuff. Having your avatar dance just gets old after about an hour. People design goods as well and sell those for Linden (the games currency) which you can earn in game (by designing and selling stuff or by winning one of the two games or by purchasing with real $$$.  You can convert Linden back to real world $$ as well but there is no get rich quick scheme to be found here.  I hear that people have made money buying and selling real estate in game but to me it seems like being a real estate developer who sells a condo on a beautiful island but then  finds out it's in the Bermuda triangle and nobody is coming..... SecondLife is like the host who throws a magnificient party only to find none of the guests showed up.

The Linden Company designed this thing to be a NEW VIRTUAL WORLD but what they fail to realize is that in the real world people are driven by basic needs for survival - the  need to eat and provide shelter for their families. The only one of man's basic needs that can be fulfilled in this game is the sex drive.  Without the other basic needs this virtual world can never survive as a 'world' .  People need to have concrete tasks and goals set by the system itself. People need 'work' and  experience a feeling of accomplishment even in a game.

The game is plagued by what they term 'griefers', i.e. people who spend all their time in-world writing code or devising schemes  to disrupt the world and the experience of others.... well you  know what they say - 'the devil makes work for idle hands' - if you don't give people goals they will make them up for themselves.

As an environment in which to learn a scripting language and build virtual environments and items the system has a lot of merit, although you cannot port your creations outside the environment.. well sometimes you can... the game Tringo (a sort of bingo) has been ported to Gameboy and other platforms.  Creators retain the rights to their virtual creations.

Throughout the system you'll see advertisements by real world companies. Many companies even have big building complexes where you can review the history of the company, catch up on what the company is all about and more... but even they are deserted for the most part. I hear some companies even have private islands.. but I did not visit any of those.

The bottom line is that SecondLife is a nice place to visit for a brief time but I wouldn't want to live there.....

~Nancy

PS: Here is my character - Diana (in game you can fly even without wings - but I like the wings LOL):





So you can see the graphics are pretty good. Moving through the environment is fairly smooth as well except for some instances of Lag but that is to be expected when running a system of this size that is accessed world wide.

I haven't  posted in awhile and I'm sorry for that.  Life has a way of making U crazy and I've taken a full dose of that for sure! Been to NY for a wedding and visited Cooper's  Town, baseball hall of fame.... big snore for me but the family loved it.  We've got baby quail this year, hatched em from eggs from our  other quail using an incubator.  How cute they are! I'll try to post some  pics soon.

We've been swamped with orders for both supplies and jewelry and crazy with summer activities - kids out of school etc... The weather has been mostly rainy for a few weeks here in Maine but not too bad. Better than winter!

I'm working on some new designs and hope to have them ready in a few weeks... it always takes me so much longer to launch a new item than I think it will though.

Oh well, I don't have much to say today just wanted to say hey!

Nan

First to those who keep attempting to fill my journal with spam - it ain't gonna happen! I review the posts before the are made public and I simply delete yours.  Why waste your time and mine?

On to other things......

March was a very busy month as we have 2 wholesale shows back to back on 2 consecutive  weekends.  We were only home for 2 days in between.  Really throws me off schedule with everything!! One show was in Portland (Maine) and one in Boston.

It's spring but you can't tell it by looking out the window here! We had about 14 inches of snow the other night and I hear we may have a bit more.  I have visions of herb sprouts dancing in my head. 

2 new critters joined out happy family the other day - we now have a pair of toulouse (sp?) geese.  Very pretty creatures.  Their owner has another pair and they just didn't get along so we've giving them refuge. WOW geese eggs are HUGE! Maybe we'll have some baby geese this spring.  I'll get some pics of the pair as soon as I can and post them here.

I guess the Easter Bunny will have to borrow Santa's sled to deliver all those baskets.....

I added the 'Launch Greg to Sea' story to the site.... I thought it was quiet amusing.  I have had at least one person tell me they found it offensive but several others have actually donated to the 'launch Greg' fund.  Life is too short not to be able to laugh at yourself.  Maybe it is in poor taste.....oh well.....won't be the first time I've danced with a lamp shade on my head......probably not the last either...... LOL

It is impossible to please everybody.  Here are a few things I try to live by.. not always successfully...

.... 'do as you please as long as you harm none'....'laugh at yourself'.....'let things go'......

Anywho, have a glorious day,
~Nan

February shall now be known as skunk month.  For the last 2 years Feb. has brought us Valentine's day and the lovely smell of skunk.  I'm not sure what it is.. perhaps the warmer weather lures these beautiful creatures out of their slumber prematurely.  One lives under our kitchen. One always lives under our kitchen... we find a dead one on the road and a week later another has moved in.  Maybe it's warm under their.. it sure must be cosy.

Anyway, maybe Feb. is the month they mate? I don't know, all I know is that on an almost daily basis we get sprayed with eau de Skunk. It fills the entire house. It wakes you from a dead sleep. It lingers for days. It is quite horrible. This happened last Feb. too.... so I have dubbed Feb. Skunk Month.

Maine is full of adventure and has more seasons than the rest of the world.

Winter
Winter
Winter
..followed by Skunk Month... mud season....blackfly season....mosqueto season.. a very brief summer...leaf peeper season... followed once again by winter.

And regardless... we still love living here.. must be the skunk spray getting to our brains.....and I often wonder... when I go to the grocery store do I smell like skunk?

Have a good one....

Nan

Spent some time this morning at the Elementary School working with a group of students on their science fair project. Our group is growing crystals; some with a salt solution and some with sugar.

I had the Boy Scouts at the studio the other nite and explained the fusing process to them.  They each got to make a small sun catcher using frit and stringer as well.  I think they enjoyed themselves and learned a bit too.

We've been very busy filling orders for both supplies and finished jewelry; not that I'm complaining

It's Friday and I'd like to take a few hours off but we'll see if I actually do! I made a new glass painting and will post an image shortly.  I'm really enjoying painting on glass and hope to do quiet a few in the next few months.  I've found a mixture of materials that lend themselves to my style and allow me to create paintings that are very close to those I produce with oil paint.  This opens a whole new galaxy of potential...........

Thanks it for now...

Nan