Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today making it the first time I can ever remember that we are supposed to have an early spring.  Considering that the temperatures in Pennsylvania have been in the upper 40s and low 50s, I think it was safe to safe that Phil would have had some egg on his face if his prediction was otherwise.

How did it come to be that we let a rodent determine our weather for the next six weeks?  Is he some mythical being?  I have to know.  Time for some serious research.

According to Wikipedia,

Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil, and that all the other groundhogs are impostors. It is claimed that Phil has made weather prognostications since 1886, making the Punxsutawney groundhog a legendary rather than factual figure, since groundhogs only live up to six years.^[2] It is publicly unknown how many groundhogs have actively played Phil.

According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in “Groundhogese”, which only the current president can understand, and then his prediction is translated for the entire world.

The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a Celtic tradition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2, the Pagan holiday of Imbolc, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend says spring would come early.

The ties in Pennsylvania may actually come from Germans, when clear skies on Candlemas Day, February 2, were said to herald cold weather ahead. In Germany, the tradition morphed into a myth that if the sun came out on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast its shadow, predicting snow all the way into May. When German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania, they transferred the tradition onto local fauna, replacing hedgehogs with groundhogs.

Each year two scrolls are prepared by the Vice President of the Inner Circle: One says early spring and one says six more weeks of winter. These scrolls are placed during the ceremony on the stump and after Phil is awoken by the crowd, Phil communicates in Groundhogese to the President who is then directed by Phil to the proper scroll and forecast.

Ok, so I’m from Pennsylvania and I always actually thought they used some sort of lighting to see the shadow, but now I read that Phil “speaks” to the President in Groundhogese, what kind of hooey is that?  And then the president picks up the scroll that Phil has directed him to?  Really?  Sounds more bizarre than I originally thought.  Don’t get me wrong, any occasion for a festival in the middle of winter in Pennsylvania is a great idea.  I’m just not really onboard with Phil #26 (or the original Phil according to the people of Punxzy) making weather predictions, although he is often more accurate than trained meteorologists.  Let’s all go out and soak up some of this 50 degree weather, since we never know when or if Phil’s predictions may go awry.

 

If you saw the video I made on what watercolor pencils work best for me, I had purchased a small set of Derwent Inktense pencils and six loose Inktense pencils from Dick Blick.  I only tried a couple of them out to know that I didn’t like them and called Dick Blick and asked if I could return them.  Of course, no problem, because they don’t want anyone to have products they aren’t happy with. Great, now all I have to do is find them in my crazy cluttered mess of a craft room.  All of my haul purchases keep piling up and there’s no room in the inn.  I have tried to organize things so the surfaces are at least clean, but still no pencils.  Where could they be?  I’m very obsessive when it comes to locating anything I purchase.  I almost always have a fairly good idea of where I put things.  This time, I have absolutely no idea.  Of course we need to keep in mind how many things I dropped on the floor that are now in a box (courtesy of a friend who felt sorry for my mess.)  At the time, I forgot to ask her if she saw the pencils so it’s too late now to ask. Additionally, the last time I saw them was before my surgery so it’s been at least two  weeks.  I’m fixated on them now.  I can’t let it go.  In my head I keep hearing that children’s song, “Where oh where did my little dog go,” so there’s a good chance I’m losing my mind over pencils.

Now I’m the ribbon hoarder with a crazy song going through my head over them.  I need to let it go.  Or not.

I never know exactly how a video will land with viewers.  I made one that we just put up a few days ago of a duct tape zipper coin purse.  It was so easy to make once the duct tape and I made friends.  It went really long (I thought) and I made a lot of mistakes along the way.  I was really worried that I would get a lot of thumbs down and that people would be disgusted that it took me almost 30 minutes to finish the project.  Instead I got nice comments but one in particular really inspired me.  Here it is.

“I love your videos.  If someone wants shiny and perfect they can look elsewhere.  You show the reality of crafting with all the challenges and resourcefulness to overcome them.  And your personality means we get to enjoy the process even more when things go wrong.”

I don’t know if I have ever gotten a comment from this particular viewer before and was blown away at how she got right to my insecurities about this process.  I am so grateful for the subscribers I have and am committed to making so many new and different videos because of it.  Of course my first love is paper crafting, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to my workspace to create new and different things with everyone.

I never thought my channel would appeal to everyone, but I’m so proud that it has appealed to the ones who continue to watch.  I’m so grateful for every person who takes the time to watch even one.  And will continue to make the mistakes I’m prone to making along the way.

 

 

It’s so hard to believe that January is almost over.  It is the absolute worst month of the year for weather here, and I always dread it.  This year it wasn’t so bad.  Since I haven’t left the house since the 13th, I don’t know if it’s snowing or not.  I could look out the window, but then I might fall off of the couch and that wouldn’t be pretty.

I only have eight more days until my doctor’s appointment and I don’t know if I’ve discussed this in earlier blog posts, but I can’t wait for him to tell me I’m allowed to do something besides lay on the couch.  It will be thrilling to hear these words.  “Sure, you can go in the car.”  Wouldn’t that be fabulous?  I’m thinking of all the crafty things I want to do, but first I’ll have to fight my way into my craft room and through all of the piles of new things I’ve accumulated and decide where in the world I will put them.  Does anyone have an idea for me that would involve something that takes up no room and is invisible to the naked eye that I can store things in?  Something that maybe an alien left here or was in a really good Jetson’s episode?  All I’m saying is there’s no room in the inn for new things.  I need to purge or find a new hiding place for things.  What to do?  It’s a quandary. What would George Jetson do?  That’s where my answer lies.

I finally got another video up of the duct or duck tape coin purse I made.  It was actually really fun but I wish I had made a prototype to work all of the bugs out first.  I figured if the purse didn’t work out, I would scrap the video but never considered all of the things I would have to redo to make the project work.  I have to say though, I never thought I’d be able to do anything with duct or duck tape because it’s so hard to get off the roll and then it’s so hard to pull off of anything else.  It wasn’t so bad.  I would really like to find another project that I could do that would come out great and be useful.

I keep referring to it as duck or duct tape because although I know it’s called duct tape, the tape I used was called duck tape so it’s very confusing to me.  I’m not sure if I refer to it as duck tape because that’s the maker’s name…what is the answer?  I know over time we all stopped called adhesive bandages what they are and started calling them “Band-Aids.”  Same with Q-tips and Jello.  So I’m left in a quandary.  Call it what it is or call it what’s its name is…  It is a dilemma.  I guess for now I’ll continue to call it both so as not to offend the makers or people who only refer to it as duct tape.  I’m pretty sure it’ll be ok.  Time will tell.

I did a haul video last night.  I’ve only done one other haul and this time there were so many things from so many places, I forgot the origins of a lot of it.  As I said in the last blog, I’ve been buying things like a crazed lunatic, but what else is there to do ?? A haul video, YAY!  I have to say that at one point I was just throwing things on top of the pile because it was so out of control.  I had to move the pile a couple of times because I couldn’t show anything else if I didn’t. I feel a little guilty about the horrible mess the room is in right now because I had a couple of big boxes of things end up all over the floor.  I know you’re thinking, hey, pick that stuff up.  I was thinking the same thing.  Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to bend like that.  So the mess remains.  It might be another week or so before I get to touch my mess and it’s literally making me a wreck because I can’t clean.  I’m not horribly neat in my craft room but this is so bad, I am destined for hoarders.  Or maybe a new show called “Hoarders with Ribbon.”  It makes it sound so much prettier that way.  The bottom line is that I need to get busy doing something or I just might try to clean my room and that could be a horrible disaster.  Maybe I should just close the door and when anything new comes, have Rich just pitch it in there and slam the door shut.  Oh,  I can’t do that, Bella needs to get to her cage…I hope by the end of next week that she still can.  Wish her luck.

I got a box of goodies in the mail from Moondaughter0 daughter, and it had so many great things in it I promised her I’d do a haul video and include the box contents.  She’s also a fan of Halloween things so she sent me all kinds of great Halloween stamps and embellishments including a stamp I’ve been searching for high and low.  It’s called Tableau of Terror and is from Stampin’ Up and I absolutely love it!  I can’t wait to show it off on a video and later cards and anything else I can think to do with it.  I’ve met so many really great people on You Tube and I’m so excited to use the things I’ve just gotten. She sent a couple of stamp pads with really great colors and I’m anxious to try those as well.  I just need to get off of this couch.  Only a week and a day until my doctor’s appointment and then I should be free!  Free!  I know it was only three weeks total, but it really does seem like forever.  Plus I’m easily bored and the internet is not my friend.  I’m a shopaholic and can’t make myself stop.  Well you’ll see when you see my haul video.  I normally don’t do them, but this is to obscene to let pass without a comment.  I’ve just gotten crazy with my purchases.  SOMEONE MAKE ME STOP!  Who am I kidding, there isn’t a soul living who would be brave enough to come between me and the internet.

I need to do a haul video.  If you aren’t familiar, it’s when you show things you’ve recently purchased.  I’m not normally really into them, but I’ve purchased so many things from the couch that it’s borderline crazy.  I can’t believe what the mailman brings me every day.  Worse yet, I’m sad when he doesn’t bring me anything.  What’s a girl to do?  I guess I’ll just keep buying more things and filling my craft room to the ceiling.  If only I had one small amount of self control.  It went out the window when the boredom kicked in.  Today I even sent a girlfriend to A C Moore for me.  That’s pretty pathetic.  And they didn’t have what they were supposed to so that was kind of disappointing.  I’m going to get a grip but I’m not really sure when.  Maybe when I can walk again..  Who am I kidding, I’ll still be buying things.  The first thing I’m going to do once I can ride in a car is go shopping.  Three weeks staring at the same walls would make anyone a little nutty, that’s all I’m saying.