Friends

Those of us who have a roof over our heads and all that may be feeling the pinch this winter, but its NOTHING compared to the children in this orphanage in Russia. anything, anything at all that you can spare, even a dollar, will go directly to feed these kids. its not going through a big charity with overhead, its going from you.... to Donna (yes, of Emerald Rose and Starbridge) and from her directly to this orphanage.
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Dear friends and family, This is a personal letter to you from Donna
Sullivan.

I wish to invite you to take part in something that I have been doing for
the past ten years.

As you know, ten years ago, on October 2, Darien Liam Sullivan became a
part of our family. Logan and I enlarged our circle of experience by flying
around the world to Moscow, Russia and then on to Astrakhan, which borders
the Volga River, to adopt him. The town impressed us with colorful
clothing, fruit and vegetable stalls by the roadside, and the friendliness
of it's people.

Darien lived in an orphanage, called a Desky Dom, (Children's Home) in
Astrakhan for the first 2 years and 3 months of his life. On our visit we
spent 4 hours in this institution. The place was filled with children ages 4
and under. They travel in pods of twelve, eating, sleeping, bathing and
using the potty chair together. They are little families, watched over by
one woman, all day long. Each child receives 12 cents per day for all of
her/his needs: food, medicine, clothing etc.. The place is clean and has
the air of a poorly funded day care center. The children in Darien's pod all
sat listlessly at long tables with their eyes dull from the lack of good
nutrition.

We were there for the big meal of the day. The children were given a small
amount of very thin kasha (porridge), ½ a piece of bread and so little milk
in the bottom of a large tin cup that they only swallowed when the bottom of
the cup was pointed up to the ceiling.

Logan and I gave the orphanage director $700 in US cash that we had raised
for the children. That amount of money is worth more than 10 times that
much in Russia ($7,000!) We watched as they bought vans full of food. This
food included leeks, potatoes, rutabagas, turnips and other hearty foods.
The female director of the Desky Dom cried when we gave her the money and said that it would feed the children for the entire Russian winter.

I gave the Creator a personal promise that day. I would happily raise that
amount of money each year between September 13th and Winter Solstice and send it directly to that orphanage director.

When the director counted out the money she asked in Russian, eyes wide, "Is this from some rich American?". We answered, " No, this is from many
Americans who don't mind sharing so that children may eat."

I am asking each of you to send me $10 toward this goal. $10 American is
more than $100 Russian. I know that I have always wanted to make a large
donation and know that it is reaching the people I want it to reach. ALL OF
YOUR DONATION WILL GET TO THIS ORPHANAGE.

And as we sit, relaxing in our comforts this winter, having our eggnog, beer
and cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream, we can feel that we DID do our little bit to keep children from going to bed hungry.

Please send your bit as soon as you are able. Feel encouraged to pass this
request on to your friends and groups so that they may have a chance to
share in this effort as well.

Some side notes about this money.

That first year the money we raised fed the little girl that my sister and
brother in law adopted the very next year! Yes, this is a small world.

As these donations are private, the Russian government continues to fund
that orphanage at it's normal rate. Therefore, this money is "extra".

I thank all of you who have donated in the past and who have donated already
this year.
May you and yours continue to be blessed with love and abundance this holiday season!

Thank you!

Donna Sullivan

396 Starbridge Rd.

Murrayville, Ga. 30564

Paypal:donna@emeraldrose.com

I called home as I was leaving the office. gridlore greeted me with "I have bad news...."

I choked back my initial reaction of "What, already?" and settled for sounding inquisitive.

"Grammy Helen passed away this morning."

I was glad I hadn't started driving yet. "But I just finished telling Sparky (my boss) about Alex!" (Gallows humor - Offhand Manor's stock in trade.)

We chatted about it for a bit as I got on the road. Truthfully, Grammy's been "gone" for a while, now; she's been in a residential facility specializing in Alzheimer's and dementia care for several years. I last saw her at Aunt Mary's funeral two years ago, and doubted she had any idea what was going on or who was sitting with her (with the possible exception of her husband, who has been amazingly good to her through all of this).

And then I get home...and learn that Alex is gone, too.

Which explains why I was suddenly overcome with the need to send random ♥ text messages to half of the contacts in my phone. My apologies to everyone I caught off-guard with the gesture, but I trust you understand.

You now know as much as I do about either situation. I'm still going to Texas on Thursday, though I suspect it may get a little drunk out while I'm there.... I'll update as warranted.

* "Point of order," Doug commented when I announced this earlier. "If the alligators are on fire...." "No, the pit is on fire. The alligators are just pissed."

britgeekgrrl reports that the cremation and related expenses have been covered by everyone's generosity. Additional donations are going towards the cost of a nursing assistant for these final days.

Thank you all. Even if all you were able to do was read the posts and offer up a prayer.

For those of you who don't follow her, my friend britgeekgrrl is in need of help. The short form: Her husband, dancingshaman, has opted not to pursue further treatment after two-plus years of chemotherapy for an aggressive form of cancer. The doctor said he likely had six months, but Alex has taken an abrupt turn for the worse, and may not last the year.

http://britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com/2287220.html

I know how close to home this hits for a lot of us (how could I not?). Local fandom was an instrumental part of the reason gridlore and I made it through his illness and recovery in the mid-90s; I've been paying that forward as best I can, but after 10 months of unemployment this year, I'm simply not in a position to help Alex and Johanna as much as I have previously or would like to now.

The immediate goal is to raise the $1400 that cremation will cost (the best deal she's been able to find, and they want cash up-front); in the slightly longer term, we're hoping to cover Johanna's day-to-day expenses for a while, as she sadly does not qualify for Family Medical Leave Act coverage, and only has about 45 hours of PTO available to her at work.

If, like me, you're not in a position to help financially, but are local to the East SF Bay and can contribute time and energy to the cause, trinsf and suzdal have set up a group to coordinate efforts on that front:

http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/619998/login/

And if all you can do is pray for Alex's dignified and peaceful passing, that's welcome, too.

Update: trinsf has clarified regarding the LotsaHelpingHands link:

Please consider the website a mode of communication that may prove helpful and not the only option. It's certainly not just for local people, because it can be used to provide announcement-based mailing list information. There will be times, I'm sure, when britgeekgrrl does not have time or energy to update LJ. The website is a way to update folks in another modality.

i am sad to say that i am mourning the loss of yet another friend.

Balu, mka as Thomas Hufford died Sunday night at Bethesda Naval Hospital. he had attended Darkover with Seanara this year.... for their wedding, which was held Friday at Darkover.

he was due for surgery and etc for his recently diagnosed colon cancer immediately following Darkover.

I wish i could say i was surprised, but i had been having very bad feelings about this as soon as i heard.. however we all know that i am personally very touchy about colon cancer , having lost my dear friend ladyrowansplace , mka as Lynn Hunter to Colon Cancer after a long battle. There wasnt much i could say... either i really did have a "bad feeling" about it, in which case i have said what i can to be helpful, including diet suggestions.... or i am just being paranoid, in which case why stress them any worse?

while the official cause of death on this one may be "heart attack" or "complications from mumble" or what not..... it is yet another loss to colon cancer in my book.

PLEASE! get your screenings done on time.
eat a high NATURAL fiber diet (no, metamucil doesnt count.. i mean leafy greens and whole grains)

and make sure your significant others know how to look up your insurance, what bills need to be paid, your last requests and have a copy of your lawyers phone number and your will. even if you are perfectly healthy.
especially if you are perfectly healthy

i have lost over 15 people who were "perfectly fine" to sudden strokes, heart problems, and car accidents in the last two years. and most of the stroke/heart attacks were in people under 40.
the ones with life threatening illnesses tend to have these things prepared.... its the ones who think everything is fine who leave their families wondering who to call...

excuse me, going off line a bit

This holiday season, whatever you celebrate, is a rough one for a lot of us in terms of money and stress. Instead of gifts I propose this:

Take the time to write the people closest to you. Send them an email, or a letter in the mail. Tell them how much they mean to you, and why. Share some history. Remind them of why they're so close to your heart. Maybe they don’t know, maybe they do, either way a reminder is a magical thing. Thirty of them. Probably just scratching the surface for most of us. One email a day for the whole month. That's it. Think of how much awesome and wonder we could spread. Between ourselves, our close ones and their close ones. Spread the idea, spread the joy. Thirty emails. That's it. Think of the effect it can have on the people you love, and frankly, on yourself.

Thirty emails. We can all do it. Join me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from Rosefox, i pass on the meme. except i also suggest pretty actual written cards if you can afford it. This year i plan on using any holiday cards i get as decorations in my house. and i am trying to mail out many myself. although knowing my habits people will be getting holiday cards until march.

so.....
if anyone needs my address, just say so, and if you want a actual dead tree card from me, send me your address.

i was at Darkover convention as usual......
the crowd seemed a lot smaller, i hear several of our usual suspects were ill, but generally the numbers "looked" down, i dont have anything official though.
My sales were definitely down.
I certainly hope that the SCA event "Bhakail Yule" brings in some money because frankly this wasnt nearly what it should have been.

that said, i saw a lot of folks i know, met some Lj people i hadnt met in person .... etc...
(hey, shout out if i saw you at Darkover!)
( ...about the dog )

The diet was shot to heck over the weekend. oh i ate better than i usually do at a convention, but no WAY was it what i wanted to eat.
we had a dealers' food plan with a few of us.... i brought crock pot and bread machine, and lots of fresh veggies.
i over packed a lot of food stuff... and packed too many things that required too much prep, so ended up not using them. live and learn... the overnight steel cut oatmeal, however was a hit.

Dalal is having a less than 50% sale on their ruffled hip Scarves...
link HERE.
at 10 bucks, this is a steal. no i dont get anything from them... darn it.

ahem.....
if Santa could find me a Blendtec blender i would be a very happy camper.
yes, i mean the "will it blend?" blender.....

failing that a VitaMix .. or a wheat grass juicer.

because these things are truly appallingly expensive. but i would use them

also if anyone has a spare food dehydrator that hasnt been used for drying hand dyed skeins of wool.... that would be nice too.
(because thats what i did with my old one after it stopped heating reliably)

so, i am back from Stierbach Holiday Faire...(an SCA event in Manassas VA) i go every year.
we got going late, so arrived late, but finally got set up and all. Had two people picking up things at this event, and i am glad to say that both made it.

In my opinion.... and its very much an opinion, i dont have any hard numbers, attendance has been going down the last couple years, but THIS year people seemed thin. i really didnt see as many people as i expect. mind you i did ok, thanks to some of my regular customers who shopped like troopers! but just not as many people buying.

it was nicer weather this year so we didnt freeze our dags and tassels off loading and unloading, which was nice.

completely OT: i have been trying to get better control over my diet. one thing that i usually have issues with is that when i do an event i all too often end up eating junk food (or at least, not too good for me food) because of a lack of planning. This time whouseknecht and i packed all our food. maybe even overpacked. the only food we bought was a stop at Baja Fresh on the way home, for something warm... and i managed to order something much lighter and not as fatty as i usually do.
We are also planning a "meal plan" between us and some of the merchants for Darkover this coming weekend, so we dont end up living on whatever is handy.

My dragon eggs and hatchlings need people to look at them and admire them in order to grow up with good self esteem.. (or grow up for that matter)
EDITED to remove 1 hatchling and add an egg, probably will keep editing as i go along.
My scroll is HERE

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is not only having their Yule scents, and i have some favorites in that set already, but they are also having their anniversary!
http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/limited.html
oh woe... many yummy, yummy scents..... how to....

whats this?
reads email....
"The Inquisition"?
mumble t shirt, mumble random chance, mumble oooooooohhhhhhhh.....
http://www.blackphoenixtradingpost.com/naughtynice2009.html
if i have this right you buy a "set" and tell them if you have been naughty, or nice, and your T shirt preferences.... and then you get a random bottle from either the naughty or nice list?
tempting, very tempting.. of course i foresee a large bottle swap at an event like Arisia.
http://www.arisia.org

you know these are evil, evil people and i simply need to win the lottery so i can buy all the scents i want and support Beth in the fashion to which she obviously should be accustomed.
(Beth is the parfumiere at BPAL for those who didnt know.)

Please forgive me for this being so, so late... But here are my thoughts on what I wouldn't mind in my threesome story if you so desire.

NCIS: Tony DiNozzo/Leroy Gibbs/Abigail Scutio
NCIS: Tony DiNozzo/Tim McGee/Abigail Scutio
Leverage: Eliot Spencer/Parker/Alec Hardison

For the most part for three above, what I really, really want is a happy polyamorous relationship where everyone are equals. Domesticity, Porn, Fun. I guess just write what makes you happy and I'm sure it will make me happy.

NCIS: LA : G. Callen/Sam Hanna/Kensi Blye

NCIS: LA is a little trickier. I'm looking for more of a first time situation but I'm not sure that they make it out as a happy threesome. I'll admit I have some bias for G/Sam.

Anyways, go forth and have fun! And thanks!

Yes, I know this is pathetically late. (Not as late as the Three Ships one, which I promise to do next once I find/remember what I requested.) But here are my thoughts, likes, and dislikes. As you know the optional details are optional.

RPF - Enter the Haggis : Any
Wacky band hijinks and the infamous Facebook war. Extra special bonus points Brian/Trevor.
I'll admit this is probably my fandom at the moment. I'm reading their facebooks, streaming their shows, and seeing them as much as possible.... So, yeah. Brian/Trevor... The two of them just love to fool around and crack jokes and it just leads to endless possibilities.

NCIS Los Angeles : G. Callen
Litte lost boy turns into superagent. Or Callen/DiNozzo. Why was he shuffled in and out of 37 foster homes?
Callen just fascinates me. He is the totally the reason I tune in every week. I would love any fic totally focusing on him in the above situations or something of your choosing.

Dollhouse : Alpha/Echo aka Caroline
Was Echo Alpha's Omega?
If Echo was Alpha's Omega, what unhinged him? (Well, what unhinged him more?) Or show a "happier time" between Echo and Alpha.

White Collar (tv) : Neal Caffrey/Peter Burke
Neal/Peter. They are obsessed with each other sometimes that's good, sometimes that's bad. Or Neal finally gets Peter to buy a better suit.
Really, anything Neal/Peter will be great. These two just totally spark off each other.

As for my likes and dislikes...
I like...
stories rated PG to NC17.
humour, angst, happy endings, porn, plot, porn with plot, alternative universes, crossovers

I dislike...
torture, unhappy endings, OOC, melodrama, death