UNRESOLVED !!!!

A resolution lasting the shortest in the history of the world! First let me thank all of you who left comments on my last posting and all of you who sent me e-mail encouraging me to continue blogging and blogging as I wanted to. Sooo, I have resolved to do just that. It is my blog, my place to vent, my place to teach, learn and make friends. Hopefully, this will prove to be a wonderful blogging year.

Yesterday was my birthday. To celebrate I "visited" with my cardiologist and after being poked, pushed, pulled and thumped, her analysis was that nothing had changed. Looks like I am good for another 4 months until my next visit.

I moved to the Hagerstown area a little over 7 years ago. The move was made to downsize from a 13 room house to an7 room house, more the size that I needed, and to be nearer to some members of my family. Hagerstown is a western Maryland town that has seen more than its share of ups and downs. During World War11 it was a bustling manufacturing town with a railroad terminis and aircraft manufacturing plant. After the war it returned to its status of farming country. The soil is rich and the grass plush. Holsteins love it. Farming was prosperous, no need for higher education, or worldly wisdom. As you know times change. The housing boom found inexpensive land for sale. Housing sprang up everywhere. Suddenly the population grew and grew. The county and city fathers did not!

However, I have found two gems in Hagerstown. I have written in the past about the wonderful Museum of Fine Arts located in the city park. The building itself is a gem. This museum houses many art works that you would expect to see in a New York Gallery. It's other gem is the Robinwood Medical Center. A large complex of buildings joined together with a center lounge housing all of the specialty medical needs of a community. Everything that you used to go to the hospital for, with the exception of chronic problems, birthing, and operations can be taken care of at Robinwood. For instance, if you are a woman and need x-rays pertaining to woman problems go to the blue door, if you need a cardiologist go to the orange door. It is also the location of the John R. Marsh Cancer center. a truly wonderful facility.

In the past it has taken me about 20 minutes to arrive at the Orange door. In the meantime, the County and City fathers decided to build a new hospital on the same grounds. Just North of the Robinwood center is a very large complex housing the Hagerstown Community College, just South of the complex is a high school and a grade school in the midst of being built. It is planned that on the same side of the street, between the Robinwood Complex and the College a Senior Center will also be built.

This is a look at the main intersection to

the complex. It is a nightmare!

Traffic is always in a JAM! The city fathers

think that by widening the intersection they

will cure all of the problems.

I now allow an hour to go the 20 minutes from home. The citizens of Hagerstown wanted the hospital built on the outskirts of town just off of Rt. 70 with easy access. Politics and money won the battle. It boggles my mind to think of an ambulance on an emergency call trying to get to the hospital emergency entrance. Enough, Doris, Enough!

Now to answer the question what do I use for skin tones when I am dyeing for a pictorial. I was not satisfied with the material on hand when I got ready to do Adam's face in the piece that I am working on so I went back to my tried and true face colors.

This material is what I am using. It photographed

a bit darker than it is. It is Chroma Craft Formula

#11. I only dyed 4 values but usually keep

8 values of this on hand. The formula is very

simple. It is designed for strips 3 x 12. I dye

over pieces 12 x 14 so I double or triple

the dye depending on what I need it for.

1/32 Aqualon Yellow - 2/32 Mahogany in

1 cup boiling water. Measurements as

you choose. I usualy start with1/4 teaspoon.
It looks much more orange in the picture

than it is.

Or you can do as our Canadian friend Julia

did and use onion skins. (this darn computer

has a mind of its own) for skin tones. The

picture above is material dyed with light

onion skins.

This is the result when using darker skins.

Just don't use the skins from red onions.

The weather man forcast snow for this area last night. Eloise always has a reaction to the cold.

Yes, there she is folks. In the middle of that heap. Her sentiments about snow!

Sidebar:

Jen thanks for reading my blog. It was so nice to get your comment. I have been asked to do the February program at the Boonsboro ATHA meeting. I will be showing "that rug" that you thought was Cynthia's among others. Hope to see you there! Please keep reading, I love your comments.

Doris