Happy Halloween

In the spirit of Halloween--Judy singing a classic from Halloween. Oh, by the way would you believe only ONE "Dorothy" this year for trick or treat!

more snow in the sky and a Lion Among Men

Well gang it is official Winter is here at least in Ohio! We woke up to snow this morning--nothing on the ground as it was so wet from teh rain a few days ago but snow on the car, on the roof and on trees--- It did look pretty while it lasted but I also know we are in for the long haul. Leats hope I am not sick the entire winter season like last year!

Well I also finished "A Lion Among Men" by Grgory Maguire the third book in the Wicked years and I have to say I LOVED every second of it. If curse words aren't your cup of tea this may not be for you as there were a few. I also recommend you read teh other 2 previous books first as you maybe some lost if you don't. For me though there were some very open questions that needed answered. I'll leave them unmentioned you go out and buy and read the book as well .

I do want to share one of my more favorite passages though...........

"Yeild up your souls
To singe the air.
Yeild up, and mount the heavenly stair.
Yeild up, yeild up,
You're almost there.
You've dropped your bones in the sod.
Yeild up, yeild up, yeild up your souls
To the darksome, nameless dissappearance:
The heart of the Unnamed G-d"

Hopefully Gregory has another "Wicked" book or two in him as I said I still have unanswered questions from all three books. He has written other fairytale stories as well and the ones I have read are very good indeed.

Mickey and Judy Again

Well believe it or not gang, today here in Ohio I saw my first ittsy, bitsy--teenie weenie snowflakes! UUUGGGHHHH--run screaming towards the hills . Saturday by the way was our 5th anniversary and we spent it at the neighbors Halloween party--we had so much fucn--they have this huge bash every year. Tons of food, tons of booze and lots of fun, of course the more fun the drunker we get .

Been slowly turning my sewing room into my Oz/Judy Room and even took out my sewing machine and table, right now it is in the lving room but that may change before Christmas.

The cold has played some havoc on my hands of course but so far no huge difference. I go Thursday for an eye check up and I can almost guarantee I am going to need new glasses it been like 4 yers since my last check up and doing this counted cross stitch winter project has been a little harder than normal--a real sign I need new glasses.

The top is a small flyer for I believe "Strike Up the Band" and in Spanish, I had to have it as I have never seen anything like it before. It is also dated June 17, 1944 on the back. Have to try to find a frame for it.

This second is a bit bigger actually 8x10 I believe and for the Detroit Roosevelt Theatre--this is the real deal and no copy!! Wish I could find a movie now for 10 cents! Well gang Me and "Jude's"--Mickey's pet name for Judy-- are going to go put a show on

2,512 hits and other stuff

Well somehow this little blog has hit the 2,512 reader mark which I thought would never come--maybe the new format is helping some ---so thank you all for reading.

I want to share my newest Oz item in my collection, it is the German edition of "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire. A nurse JIm works with at the nursing home went to Germany on vacation saw these and thought of me instantly, bought it and GAVE IT to me!!!! Have to love that! Anyhow the text inside is all in German and what makes this even more unique is the did away with the beautiful illustrations between the sections like they have in the USA version. In German if you can't make out the title is "Die Hexon von Oz".

I also want to share my newest ATC's for the ATC's For All Swap--Christmas Swap-- mine are made from antique Christmas cards from the 1950's, markers, an antique book page, embossing powder, Liquid Applique, glitter paper and regular card stock. I think they turned out really nice.

I asks you keep me in your prayers the medicaions I am on for the AIDS the last 3 days has made me really sick--which is standard-- but it has taken a lot out of me as well. Hopefully I will feel better this weekend.

Politics with a WICKED twist

Ok I just HAD TOO--both of these are just absolutely hysterical-----

New ATC's posted, a new Judy item and other stuff

Well gang the last few days have been very busy for me with the usual doll stuff for customers (yawn, giggle, rolling my eyes) housework, and then my ATC or Artist Trading card addiction. The newest ones are for the ATC's For All group and the theme was Marie Antoinette.

My cards were all hand drawn, markers, ribbons, emobssing powder, antique book pages, stamp pads and varnish----whew what a list! Personally though this set is some of my favorite work I have done recently for the swaps and I am really looking forward to getting cards back. I am currently working on Christmas themed ATC and recreated Antique Christmas postcards--where you take either
actual antique Christmas postcards, cards or clip art from online 2-4 of them, your favorite parts put them back together in a new arrangement and add the stuff like you would do on an ATC card.

My other idea in this regard is doing the same idea on a canvas for it to become a wall hanging and I have one in the starts that should be fun if it all works out.

My newest Judy item is a December 1945 Screen Romance Magazine with "Our Darling" Judy on the fromt and a great inside spread on her newest movie---"The Harvey Girls". This was bought off E-bay and is the whole darn issue fo the magazine--the fashions gang are incredible. It is also my first full color photo of Judy on a magazine issue that I have and with the amount selling some things on E-bay I had to have it for what the neighbor calls my "Judy Shrine"---she should Michael Siewart and his shrine of dresses!

Today was also the first real hospital visits our care and comfort class made at Akron General and I am happy to report it went VERY well. I am more than likley will be taking the full fledge Chaplain class when they offer it again.

New Art work post for a new friend

Well a new online friend asked me to post some of my newest art work and addiction other than Judy which isn't easy to do .

They are called ATC's or Artist Trading Cards and it started about a year ago when we did a swap in The Everything Oz group. There original cards that you make that measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 which is the size of a playing card. You make them generall with a teme, send them to the host and then she/he mixes them up and you get back the same number of cards you make. Most swaps are three cards. These are the two sites I belong too....... http://www.atcsforall.com/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATCnewbies/. The ideas are coming a little easier now and I am learning some new techniques so I willposting time from time some of the cards I am making. Hopefully you will enjoy them.

This first set was done for "ATC's For All" and the theme was "Vote for a Silly Campaign". So my cards took a feminine twist to them and were more fun than Silly.

I used rubber stamps, markers, newsprint, vellum paper, stickers that I cut out to look "not like stickers" and ink. These were the very first cards I did for ATC"s For All" and I used some new techniques I had not used before I felt they turned out very well.

The next set was "People are People" and was also for "ATC"s For All" and this time around I used antique photographs some of which I trimmed to look like cut outs, rubberstamps, newsprint, ink, cut out stickers, vellum paper, markers and cloth paper. These I though were just stunning. Hopefully all of you who read this will love these cards as much I did making them.

And here is the deal I will make I will make you ATC cards in exchange for either ATC cards you make with a Wizard of Oz theme or a Judy Garland theme--the Judy cards could be her movies, words from her songs or even something you come up with out of the blue. I know I would love getting them and I wil mkae my cards to your requests. Hopefully I will have some takers :)

In the mean time my cold is some better but I still sound horrid and today was spent getting my check up with the dentist, teeth cleaning and I am happy to report I had one very small cavity which he fixed while I was there.

I also moved a small table downstairs to set up a small craft area so I can craft and listen to tv and not have to drag the dogs upstairs as much when I do work on dolls. It looks nice and I did re-arrange some furniture.

Well gang till next time.

Sunday post and a start of a cold

Well gang I know I promised to show off my winter project from last year which is the quilt I made with an Oz theme. Some of you, who read this blog may have seen it at "The Wizard Of Oz Festival" as I took it with me, it seemed only fitting.
It took a little bit to get all the pictures, and then resize theme so I could use them in the blog but I am now going to show them off. I started this in October of last year and finished shortly before Easter of this year.

Keep in my mind part of this time frame I was very ill last year and this quilt was really the only thing I was working on at the time. It took what little energy I had to do this much. The blocks are all hand embroidered, and the top was "pieced" by machine but the quilting was all done by hand as well.

I have not been able to master "massive machine quilting" as of yet but I also think that the hand quilting adds a very nice and personal touch to the piece.

The blocks are for the most part iron on transfers I took to the library and enlarged and then traced off unto paper. To make the quilt not quite queen size.

The Glinda block, the wizard in the ballon block and the Wizard of Oz with Franks name and publishing date though were all hand drawn and not iron on's or from tracings. I did that to come up with the number of blocks I did and for it to be uniform and tell the whole story if you will.

Once the "Strip were sewn to the blocks and the figures either drawn or traced I embroidered them. LIke I said mostly sick this entire time I would sit and watch movies and sew these blocks till I went and laid done from sheer exhaustion. I think it was what kept me going last year, to see this quilt put together.

Once all of the "character embroidery" was done the blocks then were sewn together by machine. I also want to point out that every bit of fabric, thread, batting and needles I used were all on sale and all in all I think I have about $95 in materaials invested into this--its the time though. that makes this piece a labor of love.

Once all of the blocks were sewn together I felt the quilt lacked something in a major way and I them decided to embroider words from movie and the books into the light solid green strips. The embroidery was done in a dark green and were all hand written by me.

So here is what is embroidered around each block........

1). The title block--- "Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who wasa farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmers wife... This of course is from the book "Wizard of Oz" and is the very first words.

2).The tornado block--- "The house began to switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly the hinges to started to unhitch. Just then, the witch to .... from the movie--the words alternate back and forth through out.

3). Glinda block- "Glinda, the good of Oz sat in the grand court of her maids a hundred of....

4). Munchkin block-- "Come out, come out where ever you are and meet the young lady who...

5). Dorothy with Scarecrow block-- "There was a great corn field beyond the fence, and not faraway she saw a scarecrow placed high on a pole...

6). Tinman block-- " When a man's an empty kettle, He should be on his mettle, and yet I'm torn apart, just because I'm presumin' that I....

7). The Lion block-- " The cowardly lion of Oz paced to and fron on the wide veranda of the loviest palace in Oz, it....

8). The Wizard Block-- "We're off to see the Wizard the wonderful Wizard of Oz , We here he is a whiz of a wiz, If ever a...:

9). Dorthy and Toto on YBR Block-- "They came to herw willingly, and Dorothy passed her hands over their faces and forms and decided one....

10). Wicked Witch Standing block-- "I thought you said she was dead, that was her sister the Wicked Witch of the East , this is the....

11). Wicked Witch Melting block-- "The witch shreiked in disbelieve, in panic that now the world should twist so, offending ....

12). Wizard in Balloon block-- "Somewhere over the rainbow way up high there's a lnad that I heard of once in a...."

Yesterday here was just beautiful and my parents with my brother and nephew all went to Sharon Pennsylvania to Kraynak' as they have this huge Christmas tree display from about early october to January 1st and it has become a family tradition for us for years to go. http://kraynaks.com/ Any how Jim was working that day so we went to lunch as well and Shane--that's my brother bought me a Dorothy and Lion music box while there which I will have to take pictures of.

The leaves were in that section of Ohio and Pennsylvania were in there peak and the day was just gorgeous beyond words. Somewhere along the way I think I caught a horrid cold, my chest aches, my muscles are throbbing and I sound like some cowboy reject from some old John Wayne movie--kids it ain't pretty .

Today was spent fairly much miserable and if it is the cold Jim had It is going to last about a week. Thursday night Jim and I went to see "A Chorus Line" which kicked off the season at he Clevalnd Play House to which we have this year season tickets. It was my first time seeing it on stage versus the movie version and it was wonderful. We also did the pre-talk before the performance and the after talk and got to meet some of the cast--wish they gave autographs but oh well.

Our next tickets are to "Legally Blonde" the play not the movie but I am sure there will be some comparisions. Until next time enoy the rest of the photos and the Youtube post.

Specialist Check Up and a vert visit

Well gang I had my 3 month check up today with my HIV Specialist and the new medications for the most part seem to be doing some good. My viral load which was 3100 is now 1,100 and the lower it is the better. While my T-cells were 119 and are now 140--the higher they are the better. Now terrific results but not terrible either. He wants me to go mid December for blood tests for results in January and if things are still not so fantastic he is talking of adding another medication or two to the ones I am already on.

As far as my hands go he recommended I try Advil for a few months and if that with the Requip doesn't work he is talking another medication, which quite frankly I am not sure I want to do. He strangly is urging me to cut back considerably--I am going to have to do some serious praying about it.

Toto went to the vet yesterday and OH MY G-d in heaven what a nightmare. First she got her shots, her poor little butt is still sore, but then the vet said she has ear mites as well as an inner ear infection so there is medication for that. Then she has a mouth infection and the tarter on her teeth is HORRID--most may have to be pulled and according to the vet there is NO WAY she is only two years old. There is a medication for the mouth infection.

The jaw that was broke and supposedly healed IS NOT HEALED and is more than likely causig her severe pain and some of the bones are very loose. She also has a small herniated belly button, and a small cataract on her one eye. She goes in Wednesday next week for teeth cleaning and jaw surgery to fix it with wires and screws, which will help her better eat. The last vet bill for everything was $100---the surgery and teeth cleaning as well as the overnight stay will be $300. So in the mean time "daddy Charlie" is doing everything dolly wise to get the work done to pay the vet, that his hands will let him do.

There is no way the previous owner is getting one thin dime out of us after al this and that poor little dog, G-d love her, she is just a huge sweet heart.

It breaks my heart that people do this to animals and small animlas that can do nothing to protect themsleves. Half tempted to call the police on this woman.

Tomorrow I will be posting pictures of last years "winter project" I did which was a hand embroidered Oz quilt. So until then--I hope you Toto in your prayers and G-d bless you as well.

Robin Hood Dell Concert Program 1943

I recently got this from a brand new friend of mine in Canada, after doing a small post on Craig's list that I was looking for Judy Garland collectibles. I left my e-mail contact information including my Post Office box number. Low and behold, unannounced came this incredible concert program.

From an online search today I learned that this Judy's first solo concert at the Robin Hood Dell on July 10, 1943 in Philadelphia; Andre Kostelanetz conducts the orchestra.

Directly from online research the following is information on that concert............
Judy's Symphonic Jive Newsweek - July 1943

Judy Garland was never so petrified in her life. With hands clasped demurely behind her, she had just walked out on the stage of Philadelphia's Robin Hood Dell to make her concert debut. Behind her sat 90 of the finest orchestral musicians in the world--the men of the Philadelphia Orchestra. At her side stood a man who had conducted for nearly every famous prima donna in the business, Andre Kostolanetz. In front of her, covering benches, aisles, roof tops, tress, steps, and hillside was all of her public that could possibly cram themselves into the Dell amphitheater--a sea of nearly 36,000 faces and a Dell record anyway it was counted.

There was little of the typical Garland exuberance in Judy's first group, which consisted of four Gershwin love songs: "Someone to Watch over Me," "Do, Do, Do," "Embraceable You," and "The Man I Love." Except for her startling red-blond hair, she looked just like a girl who had just arrived at her first formal party and was scared stiff nobody would dance with her.
With "Strike Up the Band", which followed, she began to feel the beat which Kostolanetz was coaxing from the orchestra. And after intermission, when she got into the songs from her own movies--"Over the Rainbow", "For Me and My Gal", and "You Made Me Love You"--Miss G. relaxed and slid right into the groove.

At her finale, "The Joint is Really Jumpin' Down at Carnegie Hall," neither she nor her fans were feeling any pain. "I thought to myself," she said afterward, "that they were probably thinking what was I doing there anyway, so I just sang louder." Needless to say, the crowd roared, stamped, clapped, and whistled. To get the proper beat for this one, incidentally, Kostolanetz imported six hot saxophonists, on jazz trumpet, and one boogie-woogie pianist into the staid confines of the Philadelphia.

Although David Hocker, the Dell's astute young manager, had to maneuver for two years to make this non-symphonic symphonic debut possible, it was definitely a success and Miss Garland said it was more fun than anything she had ever done. A concert tour next winter might result, but "it never would be any more serious than this."

Included in my envelop was a lovely note from my new friend that her mother attended this concert and had passed away on May 27th and she wanted someone to have it that would cherish it as much as her mother did--no strings attached and no charge!! I was of course floored that a complete stranger would do that and no I consider this nice woman a great friend--thanks so much Virginia.

Some serious changes

Well I am sure after today many of you will see that there are some very serious changes happening within my blog space. The first and most obvious is the name change from "The Journey from Within" to My Journey with Judy, my reasons are numerous for doing this but the biggest is that my life since Valparaiso and the "Wizard Of Oz Festival" has been nothing but Judy Garland ever since--I watch E-bay auctions daily, look at web sites about Judy daily, read about Judy darn near daily and I have even set up my sewing room into my Judy/Oz room with a lot of my collectibles there.

Many of you also know I have been slowly trying to sell of my doll collection for the above stated reason, I am just not into it like I was, with the economy the way it is right now it has been very slow but they are selling. I am still repairing but not at the rate I was because of the difficulties with my hands.

I am fortunate finally to able to take a small portion of the repairs I do and stick it aside into a savings account--which is how we went to the festival in the first place. While what I do sell on E-bay I spend on my passion now and till I die---JUDY! It is a love affair that is never going to end and has really blossomed in the last year.

So this blog is going to be more focused on what I am reading on Judy, watching with Judy, and what I buy/make or see that is Judy or Oz. Oz is what started my love affair with "The World's Greatest Entertainer" and for me the two go hand in hand but with out Judy Oz may not have been what it is!

It is going to have pictures I find on the web and youtube posts and hopefully news on what is still happening surrounding Judy--as well about me as well.

This weekend my brother was out for a visit and we went to the "Olde Stark Antique Faire" and there were some awfully beautiful antiques--which my brother thankfully adores. Any how while browsing the show we ran across this incredible book "Mickey Rooney Himself" the Better Little Book by the Whitman Publishing Company written by Eleanor Packer and published in 1939. There was a very small newspaper article about Big Little Books and it went on to say that they started publishing books in 1932--the first was "The Adventures of Dick Tracy". They did books on comics, television and movies and the pre-1950's books are the most desired.

The books are 3 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and were cheaply made, so very few survived the years intact.

This was found on the internet---http://www.biglittlebooks.com/graphic-sounds/whitman-1932-1949MP.html

Good- $20.00 Very Good-$40.00 Excellent-$80.00

Better Little Book®; 1939. Hard cover. Standard size 3 5/8" x 4 1/2" x 1 1/2"; 240 pages. Author: Eleanor Packer. COLLECTOR'S NOTES: This book contains 76 photographs, snapshots, and movie stills from MGM films. It is the last movie scene BLB published by Whitman.

I am glad to report my brother paid $10.00 for it and that is in Excellent condition!! I mainly had my brother buy it because Mickey played such a huge part in Judy's life. Until next time---

Autumn is in full swing

Well Autumn is in full swing here in Ohio, the leaves are really starting to change and the temperature has dropped while th emornings require a sweater. I have to admit it is one of my favorite times of year, it is just so beautiful--all the colors andthe morning fog rising from the trees. You just somehow feel so alive, so renewed.

Unfortunately it also means snow isn't far behind and months of it getting dark really early but I guess it is the price we pay for a glorious fall season. Hopefully G-d willing it won't mean months of being sick like it has meant the last 3 years for me.

I go for my 3 month check up with my regualr doctor and I am going to ask about this neuropathy problem as it is worse or so it seems, I wake up and my hands jsut throb in pain, and my the time I go to bed its unbearable. It makes doll work damn near impossible and for the life of me I wish I could make that clearer that it is. It has been very hard trying to adjust to it and trying to make Jim fully understand what is happening and how concerned I am. For now all I seem to get is "we will deal with it when it happens".

I hate saying it but it is already here---it has created in my opinion somewhat of a strain between us as well, which I should say he doesn't see either--- and there are days where I don't get any work done at all. I would love to go back to "working" (which is not quite the right word) on what I want, when I want and I hate saying this but for myself.

I hate to vent like this but it seems like the only place I have to say what is really on my mind and in my heart and many of you are kind of enough to read it and some of you to even to respond to it. There are times when it feels like I am so alone it all.

Enough "depressing" news..... The newest Shi Itzu Toto ( who is a 2 year old girl) is adpating really well considering we have had her a little over a week and she and Glinda (that is the three year old feamle Shi Itzu) are getting along wonderfully and she finally has a little play mate. I also finally have "my lap dog", Toto loves curling up on my lap and falling asleep as I read or try to sew and she will do it for hours.

The classes at Akron General are going very well and i have another one tomorrow, which if all goes well I will post about tomorrow. Until then..............................

A long week since my last post

Well, I know it has been a while since posting but nothing that different has really changed for me to blog about it in all honesty. The last week has been a full on with the Chaplain class at Akron General Hospital and I have been learning so much about so many things. Last weeks topic was all about Trauma Care, while this week was providing care for the Mentally ill.

One of the harder session for me as my Mothers, Father Mother was in a Psychiatric word from 1930 till her death, my Maternal Grandmother having Grey's Disease and being Bipolar. Mother having depression, My Maternal Aunt also is Bipolar and I have had bouts of depression off and on for years.

The photos are from yours truly getting is very first Tattoo and more than likely his very last one as well. It just came to me even before the Oz Festival that I wanted a tattoo and i wanted it Oz related. The gentleman in the photo is a very good friend of mine here in town who happens to run a Tattoo parlor and I had him do it. OY kids did it hurt!!!! Nothing like it have I ever experienced before in my lifetime and as I said probably the only time I ever will.

I just wanted Oz to be a permanent part of my life as it has played such a big part of my life--all my life. I did it last Tuesday so will take some better pictures of it once i am thoroughly healed. And yes I did have my doctors permission to do it.

The tremors in my hands are about the same, but the numbness in my opinion is worse and it takes forever to do anything with my hands. I did notice slight facial tremors as well on the left side of my face that I am calling my doctor about tomorrow. I did have blood tests on Monday and the results will be in for my November check up--so keep me in your prayers that my viral load has decreased and my T-cells increased like they are suppose too.

I am happy to report we have a new addition to our happy little family another Shi Itzu--- a girl, two years old and from a rescue. The previous owner somehow broke this adorable little dog's jaw and the jaw didn't heal right so her tongue hangs out. She can eat normally, bark normally and is just the cutest darn thing. At first tried calling her Elphaba--like form Wicked but it didn't seem to work so now her name is Toto. I will have to take a digital picture and post here for all of you to see my newest girl.

Till next time------ Some parting disco music---you really have to love all these unique Youtube-er's.