Where My Visitors Are

According to Google Analytics 53% of my blog visitors are from Jamaica. Big up to alla oonu! I know that I owe many thanks to Irie Diva, as her site has been one of the major sources of traffic referrals within Jamaica.

The next highest percentage of visitors are from the US. Canadian visitors make up the third highest percentage. Sistren Pearl, a Canadian blogger, of Beading Gem's Journal has sent many visitors my way also.

I am always curious to find out how visitors find their way to my blog. But in the immortal words of Anita Baker, "I don't care how you get here, just get here right away." I enjoy my visitors, new and repeat.

Google AdSense Update

This is an update for those of you who have continued to query the status of my appeal with Google AdSense. I thought this was a "put down and dun ting". When I filed the appeal and heard nothing from them, I just removed the HTML code for the Google Ads and continued blogging without them.

What a surprise to get this e-mail post from them:

"Thanks for providing us with additional information. However, after thoroughly reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into consideration, we've re-confirmed that your account poses a significant risk to our advertisers. For this reason, we're unable to reinstate your account. Thank you for your understanding. As a reminder, if you have any questions about your account or the actions we've taken, please do not reply to this email. You can find more information by visiting https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team"

Mi neva kno seh likkle mi inna mi likkle yaad on fi mi likkle compooter cudda "pose a significant risk" to hinnyboddy at all.

Zulu Flowerette Chain Bracelet

I enjoyed learning this stitch, the Zulu Flowerette Chain.

My subscription to Beading Daily allows me to download PDF tutorials from their free project library.

A recent project was an exerpt from Diane Fitzgerald's book Zulu Inspired Beadwork from Interweave Press. Some of her other incredible books include "Beading With Brick Stitch", "Netted Beadwork" and "The Beaded Garden".

Instead of the button closure shown in the instructions, I peyote stitched a toggle clasp. This is a labour-intensive stitch, but well worth the effort.

The next stitch I am going to learn is the Zulu Square Tube, which incorporates both N'debele and African Helix stitches to form a squared tube.

Silver Hearts

This set was a custom order. It includes earrings, an anklet and an adjustable choker. The tiny silver hearts were taken from a set of bridal shower jewelry to be used here. I hope the young lady in New York who this was designed and made for enjoys it.

Glad They Don't Work For Me

Blessed Earth Strong, MLK

Our world lost a visionary leader when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assasinated. His words are as true today, as when he first spoke them.

"Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war."

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."

"I criticize America because I love her. I want her to stand as a moral example to the world."

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing that it seeks to destroy."

" This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love."

Lady Roots on Beading Gem's Journal

Once again, Sistren Pearl has been kind enough to feature my creations on her amazing blog, Beading Gem's Journal.

This post focused on jewelry made from recycled materials. She displays a picture of a bracelet made of buttons cut from business suits I used to wear in my former corporate life. Another link within her blog post shows a cuff I made from recycled material.

She has graciously helped to increase readership on this blog by featuring my work on Beading Gem's Journal.

Thanks and itinual Ras-pect to Sistren Pearl.

Netted Stone Necklace

This necklace was designed to showcase the colours of the stone, as well as let the owner have a way to keep the stone close by. He had been carrying it in his pants pocket.

Initially we discussed drilling the stone and creating a wire-wrapped bail, but small flaws in the stone made it susceptable to splitting. Instead, I created a 5-point net in which to suspend the stone. Since a 30-inch chain was requested, no clasp was required. The chain is done in a two bead wide peyote stitch.

Session Flyer

I don't usually post images of the flyers used to promote the various sessions where our sound system plays because, quite frankly, most of them use quasi-pornographic images of young women. I strongly believe that our young ladies need a more positive self-image.

This poster, for a session this coming weekend, is one of the less offensive ones.

My husband says that when someone else is paying to promote the session, they get to choose the artwork and my personal feelings about feminine modesty don't enter into the equation. I will reluctantly concede that point. We have been hired to play music and generate a money-spending vibe for the session promoter.

I am glad, however, that he shares my distaste for the filthly, misogynistic lyrics so prevelant in dancehall today. Our selectors and DJ's know that we only play clean, conscious music. They also know that dutty wuds nuh fi flow. (translation - no cursing)

Blog Housekeeping

Over the next several days this blog may look strange. (OK, stranger)

I will be attempting some housekeeping tasks that I was previously avoiding because of my internet access issues. If you stop by to visit with Lady Roots and tings dem a look chaka-chaka, come back soon.

Of course, the purpose of this endeavor is to make the blog more readable and easier to navigate. I am open to suggestions that will make your visit here more enjoyable.

As a relatively new blogger, I am still in the learning curve.

Thank you, Loyal Readers, for your visits, your shared thoughts and your support.

My Cup Runneth Over

I need to take a moment to let everyone who is reading this know how abundantly blessed I am. Jah showers my life with with His love and itinual guidance. When life's tribulations threaten to suffocate my soul-joy, I hold firm to the knowledge that He loves me with a perfect, unchanging, ever faithful love.

Thank you, Father. I know I would be completely lost without You. Just look at how flawed I am, even with You in my life! May I never be foolish enough to turn my face away from Yours.

Big-Up & Nuff Nuff Ras-pect to MiPhone

This is a Public Service Announcement for my Jamaican readers who are being held hostage by an uncaring corporation. Now we can kick them to the curb!

I seem to have found the solution to my multiple problems with Chaos & Wutless (Cable & Wireless), the local phone service provider here in Jamaica.

For over 10 years now, I have been subjected to poor or no service from C&W along with a callous disregard for the negative impact this has on my personal and professional life. On the rare ocassions I could get an internet connection, the speed would be a notoriously slow 28.8 kpbs. Dropped calls were the norm.

I was paying JA$2,800 per month for the access and another JA$9,000 per month for the calls to the C&W dial-up number. Since the passage of Tropical Storm Noel, last year, I have had no service at all. Calls to C&W repair were ineffective and aggravating.

So I begin to look for an another ISP (internet service provider) and I found MiPhone! For a one-time start up fee of JA$5,000 and a monthly rate of JA$1,400, I now have unlimited internet access at 115 kbps.

This is a public "THANX!" to Michelle, Mario and Nicole of the Mandeville MiPhone store. Each of them were helpful to me in their own way during the application and setup process. I look forward to many years of satisfied service from MiPhone.

Hello to 2-K-GREAT!

I am so abundantly blessed!

As rough as the end of 2007 was, I know that JAH will meet my needs. Maybe, not all my desires, but most certainly my needs.

I pray that all of you be blessed with good health, loving relationships, financial security and wisdom in the coming year.

Good-Bye to 2007

Peaceful greetings, Loyal Readers.

Even tho we still don't have phone service at home, after months of broken promises and missed commitments, I had to find a way to post today. I needed to thank those of you who have let me know that this blog has either touched them in some special way or helped them to learn something new.

My prayer for you in 2008 is that your heart is filled with joy, love, and compassion. May your mind and heart remain open to itinual spiritual growth. May you enjoy abundant good health each day that comes.

Here is hoping 2008 brings more prayer warriors on board to heal this world with love!

Chaos & Wutless aka Cable & Wireless

Mi vex till mi blood coulda boil!

You Loyal Readers know that I have been without phone service at home for over a month now. I was calling the Cable & Wireless repair department every week until one very sarcastic clerk told me that I may as well stop calling.

When I saw a full page Cable & Wireless ad in the Star listing various rural districts and associated repair dates I complied with her request and stopped calling repair. Our district was to have been restored on Monday, November 26th. Waiting a full week beyond that date, I call repair again, only to be told they are doing THE BEST THEY CAN!

My next step was a call to the regulatory body, O.U.R. (Office of Utility Regulation) What a farce! On a Monday morning I am assured that someone will look into the matter and contact me by close of business. If they called me, they called you first!

So on Wednesday I call back to O.U.R. to be told that the reason they didn't call me back was that Cable & Wireless had published a new repair schedule and they thought I would have seen it. No, I didn't see it. So, when can I expect service again?

According to Mr. Williams at the OUR, Cable & Wireless has FAITHFULLY PROMISED to have all land lines restored by DECEMBER 31ST! A promise is a comfort to a fool and I am not comforted. In fact, I am incensed at the corporate crap being fed to the Jamaican public. We deserve better!

Now, to add insult to injury, I find out that because I can't get to the internet cafe often enough, my e-mail inbox exceeded the quota and they have been bouncing back my incoming e-mails to the senders! All my newsletter subscriptions have been canceled, as well! Vexation 'pon toppa vexation!

I resent being held hostage by a cruff corporation!

Lady Roots Is A Featured Designer!

I was delighted to see one of my necklace designs featured on an fantastic site, Beading Gem's Journal.

Sistren P and I have shared several e-mails and she expressed an interest in featuring one of my other pieces. Since I haven't been able to get to the internet regularly, I didn't know she had put up this one for her readers to see.

Since I read her site as often as I can, I have to admit, seeing my work there was a thrill. She features jewelry designers from around the world. I am honoured to be included with some amazing designers.

Down, But Not Out!

Let me start by giving thanks for my life! I have been lifted from the depths by Jah.

Last week I was feverish, nauseated, achy and praying that I had the flu and not dengue fever. God must have howled with laughter when he heard me praying for the flu.

Well, He answered my prayer and it was the flu, not dengue fever.

But, the cosmic joke was still yet to come. A combination of running belly from the flu and severe night sweats caused me to throw my fluid and electrolyte levels out of balance. As a result, I fainted in the bathroom and fell flat down on my face on the tiles.

Crack! Blood everywhere! Gruesome scene!

And I scared my dear husband who was the one to find me on the bathroom floor. But after a Doctor's exam and facial X-rays at Mandeville Radiology, I have been given a clean bill of health. No broken bones, no broken teeth and no signs of concussion. Just a badly split lip and a ding in the side of my nose to remind me of the occasion.

Thank you, Father Jah, for protecting me from a more serious injury!

Fiesta 2

Not having phone or internet service at home has left me with lots of time to bead. That will have to be my silver lining in this cloud of corporate inefficiency.


When I called Cable & Wireless (Chaos & Wutless) again this morning they confirmed the records reflect that I have been without service since last month. Then they tell me that the problem was given to a technician on November 2nd! Today is the 14th and not a sign of the tech anywhere!



So this is what I have been doing in the mean time. This set includes a fringed peyote bracelet with beaded toggle clasp, brick stitch earrings and an adjustable peyote choker.

I made the bracelet last year. After seeing it worn alone, I felt it needed some companion pieces. Thankfully, so did the bracelet's owner! So I did the earrings and choker to complete the set.

I wish you could see how vibrant the colours are against her beautiful chocolate skin! Di colours dem jus' a shock out!

No Excuses, Just Facts

Since the passage of Tropical Storm Noel last week, I haven't been blogging regularly because we didn't have power for two days. After power is restored, we usually get phone service back within a day. This time we have been without phone service for over a week. Our local phone company, Cable & Wireless, also known as Chaos & Wutless, has advised that they will "add me to the list". No estimated date for clearing the trouble, no commitment to come to the house to check anything...just a promise to "add me to the list".

I have been driving an hour thru the mountains into Mandeville to use a computer at an internet cafe to moderate and respond to shared thoughts and to post the blog. With the recent hike of the price of gas, I don't know how long I can afford that.

I am very grateful to those of you who stop by to visit and I am thrilled when you share your thoughts. Please come back soon, Loyal Reader.

Google AdSense Update

As some of you Loyal Readers now know, my Google AdSense account was disabled last month. I filed the appeal and was advised I would get an e-mail response within 48 hours.

Not that I am surprised, but Google AdSense did not even bother to reply to my appeal at all! With no chance to defend myself, I have been branded a cheat by Google AdSense. Not a nice feeling to be unjustly accused.

I know that I did not do anything to violate their terms or conditions. My mind is at peace on that matter. So, rather that wait for them to decide what to do with me, I have decided what to do with them.

I have deleted all Google Ads and will continue to blog anyway.

Who the builder refuse, shall be the head cornerstone!

I thank all of you who visit, who share your thoughts and who lift me up in prayer.

Fiesta!

This was my first attempt at the Celini spiral stitch. Keeping an even thread tension is vital to maintaining the spiral shape. The lady who ordered the set says it slips right on to her wrist.

After this scan was taken, I made 14ktgf earwires for the earrings.