Patricia's Useful Tidbits
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
A letter to my sister Noel
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
My Buffalo Drum
The Drum is the Heart Beat of the Nation.
I have wanted a buffalo drum for a really long time and I finally got one. I'm so happy. I'm also quite proud of how I got my new drum , because I made it. This lense describes the process of making a drum. You will also find some pictures to help you visualize the experience. I have also added a link to a buffalo song found on youtube.
A Prayer is Given
The drum making workshop began with a prayer and a song. A prayer of thanks to the animal that gave it's life for us so we can make a drum. A prayer was also given to the tree that gave its life for us to make a drum.
The Ring
One of the main compontents to a drum is the drum ring or hoop. These rings were made for us by a local drum maker. The rings are made out of small pieces that are cut to fit together in a circle. Each piece is glued together to make a circle. Since your ring is made out of wood you're bound to have some rough spots so you will need to get some sand paper to make these spots smooth. After all you don't want to get splinters while you're drumming.
The Hide Used to Make Drum
The drum can be made out of many different kinds of hide. Each hide has it own sound. Some types of hide used are deer, elk and buffalo. My drum is made out of buffalo hide. It was bought at a local tanery. It came in one peice that we measured and cut. The size you need will vary according to the size of the drum you're making.
Soaking the Hide
Some drum makers perfer to cut the hide while it's wet while others prefer to cut it while it's dry. We used a wet hide. It's hard to believe that big hide fit into the garbage can. It looked way to big. But it takes up less space once it softens.
Laying out the Hide
After the hide is soften it's laid out on a table so it can be cut to the just right size for your drum.
Measuring the Hide
The rings are laid on top of the hide and measured while the hide is still dry. The hide is cut a little bit bigger than your ring so that the hide stretches part way up the side of the ring.
Cutting the Hide
After the hide is measured and softened its cut. Again some drum makers cut the hide wet while others cut it while it dry.
Getting the Hide Ready
There are several steps to getting the hide ready to go on the ring. The first thing you need to do is put holes in your hide. You need to determine which stringing method you're going to use and make the holes accordingly. The holes are made either with a drill with a piece of wood under the hide so as to not to drill into the table. They can also be made with a hole punch although a electric drull is much easier on your muscles. The holes can be put in the hide when its wet or dry. And if you don't make enough holes don't worry you can always make more.
Stringing the Hide Step One
The first step of stringing the hide is to thread a piece of yarn through one hole on each of the four sides of the hide.
Stringing the Hide Step Two
After you have the yarn in a hole on all four sides of the drum you lay your ring on the hide. You then make a hoop out of the cord your going to thread your drum with. You then tie the yarn on to the cord hoop, making sure the hoop stays in the center of your ring.
Stringing the Hide Step Three and Beyond
The third step to stringing the hide begins with getting a piece of cord long enough to string your whole drum. There's nothing worse than threading your whole drum to find out your cord is only inches to short and having to take the whole cord out and start all over again. This happened to one lady in my drum making workshop, and she wasn't very happy. I got my drum strung a quarter of the way and realized I had missed a whole so I had to start all over. Oh well one thing drum making teaches you is patience. Before you start threading your drum decide whether or not your are going to put your cord under or over your center cord as you will want to do the same all the way around your drum. Don't thread your cord to tight to start you'll take out the slack later. You also want to be careful that your center cord stays in the middle of your ring and your ring stays in the center of your hide or you will get a lopsided drum. Now that you've threaded your drum you can start taking the slack out of the cord. Pull the cord just enough to take the slack out. When this is all done start tighting the cord. You tighten the cord a little at a time pulling the cord the same way you did when you took the slack out. It might take a couple of rounds to get the tightness that you want. Be careful not to tighten the cord to much becasue it will tighten more when the hide dries. After you've tightened your drum you need to hang your drum up to dry. Next play your drum and if you like decorate it. Have fun.
The Teaching of the Drum
There is a teaching to go with most everything in the Native Culture here are some of the teachings of the drum that I know. Since the beginning of time the drum has been used to gather the people together. There is only positive energy attached to the drum, no negativity allowed. You should make your drum with good feeling and good thoughts. The energy you make your drum with goes into your drum so you never want to make it with bad feeling. The sound of the drum mimics Mother Earth's heartbeat. It brings people together. It is such a great experience to drum and sing with a bunch of like minded people, Never touch somebody's drum without permission. Everyone has energy whether good or bad. So becareful who you let touch your drum. You don't want somebody with bad energy to touch your drum. They leave it behind. You would also never step over a drum. I'm not sure why about this teaching, it has something to do with the energy. You shouldn't play your drum under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you do you need to wrap your drum up and put it away for four days.
Buffalo Song Click this link and you can listen to the Buffalo Song on youtube.Saturday, 4 January 2014
Why Eat Chocolate?
Are You A Chocolate Lover?
Are you like me and love chocolate? I love anything chocolate, chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate bars, chocolate cookies, and oh my all time favorite chocolate ice-cream. The best tasting ice-cream I ever had was chocoholic Ice-cream. It had three different kinds of chocolate in it. Oh and how my mouth waters just thinking about it. I love chocolate. It takes a of imagination to come up with excuses why I should eat it. I can't tell you the guilt I felt when I did occasionally indulge in some of that mouth watering delicacy. Oh how I was tormented from thoughts of the extra inches the chocolate would cause to grow on my hips and waist. Can you imagine the big sigh of relieve I let out when I read an article about the health benefits of chocolate. No more guilty feelings! Just more reasons to eat chocolate.
Thanks Montezuma For Introducing Chocolate.
Keep Calm, Eat...
According to Mark Stibich, Ph.D., in his article Health Benefits of Chocolate Chocolate has the same health benefits as dark vegetables. Yes chocolate comes from a plant. Which means it has flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that protect us from those pesky free radicals that cause aging and heart disease. Chocolate has eight times more antioxidants than strawberries. Flavonoids also help produce nitric oxide which are important for lowing your blood pressure. Here's some good news from Dr. Stibich. Eating one dark chocolate bar a day improves your your heart health. It can lower your LDL cholesterol,that's the bad stuff, by ten percent. Alright I'm sold. Where's the chocolate. Caution though a dark chocolate bar can have up to 400 calories so you need to balance out the calories by eliminating some other snack. After all chocolate maybe good for you but being over weight isn't.
Read About The Health Benefits Of Chocolate
Chocolate Contains Serotonin The Feeling Good Hormone.
Hershey's Kiss...
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Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition of CHOCOHOLIC: a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate
Take the Chocoholic TestEating Chocolate Can Lower Your LDL Cholesterol
Eating Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure
Dark Chocolate Helps Lower Blood Sugar It Has A low Glycemic Index
Pouring Hot...
Armin Zogbaum
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Friday, 3 January 2014
The Art Of Lino Print Making
How It All Started
Have you ever heard of Lino print making? I have to admit that up until a few years ago I hadn't. I learned the art of Lino print making when I went to university. One of my goals to achieve while going to university was to find an art form that I could incorporate my poetry with. I decided to do extended minors in English and Visual Arts. As you can gather to complete the visual arts requirements I had to take several art classes. This was no hardship because being creative is like playing. I took two years of photography and two years of print making. It was while taking the print making classes that I learned to and fell in love with lino print making I'll have to admit I was rather intimated by my ability to draw at first. During the first semester and part of the second one my pieces consisted of traced images from some old photographs I had. Part way during my second semester my instructor said she was surprised that she hadn't seen more of my poetry in my work. I took this as a challenge. I said fine I will do a piece from start to finish and won't show her until it was ready to be printed. I didn't want to risk her telling me that it wasn't any good until I was done. I had a reading break and a weekend to do my piece. I had a picture in my head to go with one of my poems and decided to start with that one. I finished the piece to the point that it was ready to print. I took it to class to show my instructor. I tell you the her reaction was completely unexpected. She was so excited when she saw it that she hooped and hallowed. She went out and got a few more instructors to show them my work. She said that I was a folk artist with my own style and I should do very little to change it. As you can imagine that her reaction was a great confidence booster. I spent the next few semesters producing a body of work that incorporated both my poetry and my drawings.
Hope For Tomorrow My First Lino
This was the first lino I did. It was inspired by a poem I wrote after laying in my bed crying thinking I had lost all hope for tomorrow. I felt as if the creator came, leaned over my bed and whispered my name in my ear. The poem came to me then. I thought you know what I don't feel like getting up and writing the poem now. If it's still in my head in the morning I'll write it. I still remembered the poem the next morning and wrote it.
The Bay Watcher
This poem was loosely inspired by my grandfather. It tells the story of a man standing by the bay thinking about his life, all the good and bad things he had done.
Dad's Chair
Who doesn't have or had a dad that had a favorite chair. I wrote this poem after my dad passed away. In the poem and the picture I am a adult standing looking at his chair remembering the events around that chair wishing he was still in it.
Early Morning Struggle
I actually wrote this poem after sitting on my doorstep at one in the morning. I felt like the whole world was against me. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong and frankly I just didn't have the energy to go on. Sadly I toyed with the idea of ending my life that night. Instead I got up pushed the dust off the seat of my pants and went to bed hoping that the next day would be better.Sad but true, life just isn't a quiet lay in the rug.
A Hiding Place
While being in abusive marriage I found myself gaining a huge amount of weight. I lost the weight after I lost the relationship. I began to look at the weight gain as a way to hide my inner self and protect it from getting completely destroyed.
Horse And Train
This poem was written as an assignment for a poetry writing course. We were shown a painting and had to write a poem about it.
Horse Wait
This poem was inspired by my love for horses. The theme of the poem is a rider trying to convince a wild horse to let them ride it.
In Memory Of Granddad (In Blue)
I did the picture in memory of my grandfather who my grandmother affectionately called Granddad. My grandparents lived on the coast in Victoria British Columbia. Grandpa used to take his row boat out in the ocean and feed the seagulls. I remember visiting my grandparents when we were young children. It was during this visit when Grandpa told us kids how he went out in the boat to feed the seagulls. He told us how the seagulls would come and eat the bread right out of his hand.
In Memory Of Granddad (Blended Colors)
While some lino prints are done in one color there is a technique where two or more colors of ink are blended together. The colors change with each print you make as the colors come together.
It's My Grief
Written in the memory of Donald Philip Nelson 1936-1994 He died a young man to you to die. He never ate right. He smoke like a chimney and drank like a fish. He never saw a doctor. He was dysfunctional in all his ways. He never tried to spend time with his children or grandchildren, well at least some of them. He never once came to my house to see where I lived. But he was my dad and I still loved him. Don't be like him! ©1999 Patricia M. Penner
Maker Of My Soul
I was inspired to write this poem when I realized that the creator could see me and knew all about me. The thought was rather inspiring since I had grown up feeling rather invisible.
My Tea Tipping Friend
I wrote this poem for a friend who I spent a lot of time with having tea. We both had small children and loved to steal moments where we could just sit and chat over a cup of tea. She went away for several months and as you can guess I missed her and our tea time chatter.
It Touched Me Again ( This Could Be Me)
I wrote this poem one day after a local woman was killed by her ex husband. After leaving an abusive marriage a few years before I was struck by the realization that this woman very well could have been me.
Tommy A Bony Little Boy (In Green)
This poem was fun to write. It actually was written as an assignment in a poetry writing class. We were given a list a words and had to write a poem using all of them.
Tommy A Bony Little Boy (Blended Colors)
To Much Coffee
I wrote this poem after not being able to sleep one night. I had a coffee with a friend earlier in the evening and couldn't sleep.
You Were My Friend
Some poems come out of terrible times this poem is one of those. My son was beaten up at a church youth event. Sadly he didn't receive any support from the church youth staff. Fortunately a group of kids from another church and another community took him under their wing and supported him. I wrote this poem for them.
Your Promises
I had heard several songs and poems about being able to see God's promises in good times. I thought it would be cool to write a poem about being able to see God's promises in good and bad times. In this poem God's promises are flowers you can pick and put in your hair.
Yes They Are For Sale
All my prints are signed and numbered. They are all done on acid free archival paper. All my images are 16"x20" I have several prints for sale. If you see one that you like you can email me at hellodolly_3@hotmail.com I have a paypal account which I will accept payments through. The cost for the prints are $175.00 which includes postage and handling anywhere in Canada or the United States Of course you can buy a print if you live anywhere else in the world. Just let me know so I can adjust the price accordingly. If you're interested you can contact me through my blog or email me at hellodolly_3@hotmail.com You can also see some more of my art in my Zazzle stores at http://www.zazzle.com/peppypatricia And Please Don`t Forget The Copyright
Your Promises In Pink
Thanks for dropping by and looking at my art work. I hope you enjoyed your stay. As I said earlier you can purchase my lino prints. If you're interested you can contact me through my blog or email me at hellodolly_3@hotmail.com
Sunday, 29 December 2013
My Name is Patricia
My name is Patricia. I didn't like my name when I was a kid but grew to get used to it. Now that I'm an adult I do like my name and like being called Patricia. I used to get called just about every version of Patricia that you can think of. Pat, Patty, Trish, Trisha, Theresa, and the list goes on. Like I said when I was a kid I really didn't care which version I got. My mother however did. Her name is also Patricia. She goes by Pat. She would make such a fuss if people called me Pat. She would say,"My name is Pat. She's Patricia". Maybe that's why I didn't really care what people called me. When I got older I discovered that I am a Patricia.
Meaning of the Name Patricia
There is much to know about a name such as it's orgins and meaning some information I found on my name. (photo from http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/names/boys/Patricia) Patricia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia PATRICIA, is a common female given name of Latin origin. It is derived from the Latin word patrician, meaning "noble." The masculine form of the name is Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United States according to the 1990 US Census.[verification needed] It is commonly shortened to 'Pat', 'Pati/Paty', 'Patsy', 'Patty/Patti/Pattie', 'Trish' or 'Trisha/Tricia'. These diminutives are sometimes used as names in their own right. Another well-known variant of this is 'Patrice'. According to Social Security Administration records, the use of the name for newborns peaked at #3 from 1937-1943 in the USA, after which it dropped in popularity reaching a low of #442 in 2007.[1] From 1928 to 1967, the name was ranked among the top #11 female names.[1] In Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries, the name Patricia is common as well, while in Italy Patrizia is the form, in Polish, the variant is Patrycja. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia) Patricia meaning and name origin Patricia \p(a)-tri-cia, pat-ricia\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Patricia), is pronounced pa-TRISH-ah. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Patricia is "noble; patrician". Feminine form of Patrick. The Romans once were divided socially and politically into two major classes, the plebeians and the patricians. To be patrician meant one was highly ranked, an aristocrat. The name became popular when it was used for one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. It is also popular nowadays in Spain. Singers Patti LaBelle, Patsy Cline, Pat Benatar; choreographer Trisha Brown; actresses Patty Duke, Patricia Neal, Patricia Arquette; First Lady Pat Nixon; Congresswoman Pat Schroeder. Patricia has 21 variant forms: Pat, Patreece, Patreice, Patrica, Patrice, Patricka, Patrina, Patrisha, Patrisse, Patrizia, Patryce, Patsy, Patte, Pattee, Pattey, Patti, Pattie, Patty, Tricia, Trish and Trisha. For more information, see also the related name Latrice. Baby names that sound like Patricia are Beatrice and Beatrisa. Popularity of Patricia Patricia is a very popular first name for women (#2 out of 4276) and also a very popular surname or last name for all people (#23512 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census)
Displayed below are the baby name popularity trends of all girl names on this page. (2010 statistics) View the popularity trend for Patricia only.
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Patricia
is for PATIENCEI am a very PATIENT person, sometimes I think a little to PATIENT.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia PATIENCE is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one's character can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.
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is for Angel. I have a ANGEL that watches over me.
Dictionary.com describes ANGELS as
an·gel [eyn-juhl] -noun 1. one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of god. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels). 2. a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes. 3. a messenger, especially of God. 4. a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God: an angel of mercy. 5. a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness. 6. a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous. 7. an attendant or guardian spirit. 8. a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.
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is for TRUSTWORTHY I am a very TRUSTWORTHY person. I can keep your secret as long as it doesn't hurt others.
(http://media.photobucket.com/image/trustworthy/JarJar_Fett/125-Trustworthy.jpg?o=8) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Trustworthiness is a moral value considered to be a virtue. A trustworthy person is someone in whom you can place your trust and rest assured that the trust will not be betrayed. A person can prove their trustworthiness by fulfilling an assigned responsibility - and as an extension of that, not to let down expectations. The responsibility can be either material, such as delivering a mail package on time, or it can be non-material such as keeping an important secret to themselves. A trustworthy person is someone that you can tell your worries and secrets to and know they won't repeat them without your permission. In general, in order for trust to be earned, worth and integrity must be proven over time.. is for RESILIENT.Photo from http://douglaslrichardson.com/category/social-media/ I am RESILIENT. I've hit the wall and bounced back many a time. re·sil·ient (r-zlynt) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/resilient adj. 1. Marked by the ability to recover readily, as from misfortune. 2. Capable of returning to an original shape or position, as after having been compressed. resilient adj 1. (Physics / General Physics) (of an object or material) capable of regaining its original shape or position after bending, stretching, compression, or other deformation; elastic 2. (of a person) recovering easily and quickly from shock, illness, hardship, etc.; irrepressible resiliently adv
Intuition
is for INTUITION I have a strong sense of INTUITION. No I can't read your mind.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The term intuition is used to describe "thoughts and preferences that come to mind quickly and without much reflection".[1] "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'' or 'to contemplate'."[2] Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify. For this reason, it has been the subject of study in psychology, as well as a topic of interest in the supernatural. The "right brain" is popularly associated with intuitive processes such as aesthetic abilities.[3][4][5] Some scientists have contended that intuition is associated with innovation in scientific discovery.[6] Intuition is also a common subject of New Age writings.[7] He's all mine. A birthday gift to myself. The Chihuahua is world's smallest breed of dog. Charlie is cute,smart and funny. He is a good companion.Chihuahuas on Amazon
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is for INTELLIGENT I am very INTELLIGENT. I know what 2 plus 2 is. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intelligent in·tel·li·gent [in-tel-i-juhnt] -adjective 1. having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student. 2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment: an intelligent reply. 3. having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence: intelligent beings in outer space.
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is for ARTIST I'll paint you a picture because a ARTIST is what I am! http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/artist art·ist [ahr-tist] -noun 1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria. 2. a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor. 3. a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist. 4. a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer: a mime artist; an artist of the dance. 5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill. 6. a person who is expert at trickery or deceit: He's an artist with cards. 7. Obsolete . an artisan.
And That Is Me In A Nut Shell