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And now, driving around to pick up Tess outside Diamond. No matter what, each week I drive my wife down from the far northside to Lincoln Park (south of Wrigley Field, near The Lake) for a doctor's visit. Since my blog friends have seen so much of our Edgewater neighborhood- lovely though it is- I thought they'd appreciate some video of the other part of Chicago in which we spend the most time.ch

No matter what, each week I drive my wife down from the far northside to Lincoln Park (south of Wrigley Field, near The Lake) for a doctor's visit. Since my blog friends have seen so much of our Edgewater neighborhood- lovely though it is- I thought they'd appreciate some video of the other part of Chicago in which we spend the most time.

This is the third video in the series. The pups play less a role... this mostly shows the storm blowing in off the lake at Berger Park. Very intense and almost violent. I try to narrate but the wind is too loud.

We wound up getting a much bigger storm than predicted, but my papillon dogs don't mind. First of the series. This takes place along Granville between Winthrop & Sheridan in Chicago's far northside Edgewater neighborhood.

This is the return walk home from Berger park early Friday morning with my papillon dogs

This video is of my papillon down at Berger park (Granville & Sheridan) early Friday morning, Feb 1st. Hilde plays in the snow, they both "meet and greet" a big cuddly pitbull.

This video picks up where the previous one left off... it also features some darling shots of "puppy kisses"

I shot these videos to give a little slice of life of what its like both for someone disabled with migraines, and what life looks like for those who live with them and love them. Also featured are our daring papillon puppies, a rug in progress, and a view of Chicago's far north side Edgewater neighborhood.

In this video I go through my latest finds which were destined to take up space in a landfill, and discuss how I'll use them in rugs. This really is such an eco-friendly, "green" craft!

My mother has a bird feeder right outside her picture window (Hilde was always fascinated by it)... this was something of an experiment.

This is another artsy B&W I shot back in Indy as my papillon enjoyed being able to run free (amok?)

We got to visit my mother just in time for a major winter storm. Good for her- I was there to shovel, drive her around, etc., and good for the puppies... they got to romp. I shot this in B&W as I was trying to conserve memory space on my card/computer, and it lends a nice artistic touch.

We had a nice little snow, and my little dogs enjoyed playing it. But what's singular in this is that I spoke my internal monologue into the camera about the use of the subjunctive and passive in English, and the role that these played in my wife's and my early flirting.

I asked my mother to tell the story behind some of the rugs she made. I shot this in D1 quality but at a lower frame rate. One is a rug she made from her mother's old coats. Another is a rug she made of her old dresses A third is one she made of her old bathrobes (I remember going shopping with my father to buy her those!) She also discusses a bit of the technique of doing color block rows.

If you enjoyed this, please visit check out my wife's book about keeping faith in suffering: www-dot-cafepress-com-slash-tesslist and my blog about recycling waste clothes, shopping bags, etc. into beautiful rugs: tootbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com Winter in Chicago isn't always high winds and snow measured in feet... these videos from Edgewater and Berger Park on the FAR north side show winter at its most gentle and delightful. I'm so identified with the dogs, people are shocked to see me without them. I get this ALL the time! I'm so glad Tess came with me this morning.

If you enjoyed this, please visit check out my wife's book about keeping faith in suffering: www-dot-cafepress-com-slash-tesslist and my blog about recycling waste clothes, shopping bags, etc. into beautiful rugs: tootbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com Winter in Chicago isn't always high winds and snow measured in feet... these videos from Edgewater and Berger Park on the FAR north side show winter at its most gentle and delightful. In this video shot at Berger, note especially the new ice sheet which is so thin as to be almost imperceptible, and the places where its thicker which look like frozen waves. The woman in the video is my beloved wife, whom I insisted come along to enjoy this beautiful scene.

Winter in Chicago isn't always high winds and snow measured in feet... these videos from Edgewater and Berger Park on the FAR north side show winter at its most gentle and delightful. This is return from Berger Park along Granville.

Our papillon dogs and my wife reigning in repose

We flirted by correcting each other's grammar, we took scrabble on our honeymoon, and here we are 13 years later still at it!

We have many toys for our dogs, and this one we call the "dog fight" because its a biplane (I know, bad pun, but fun none the less.)

Me driving around my neighborhood trying to find some blessed place to park!

I stumbled across this idea when I was tying off a little trivet I made while my wife was in the hospital. I noticed that the series of half hitch knots I made around the hanging loop looked for all the world like the normal row... much more than braids or chain stitches do. My wife is home from the hospital now, and as she's learning the craft, she was watching and filming it. My papillon Hilde makes a cameo. At the end I give some guidance about how I chose the colors for a rug- I start with the start, and follow the "dao" of the rug from there.

My wife and her mother take children's vitamins, and each morning, they act out the animal they're taking... its a fun daily mother daughter bonding moment I've occasionally witnessed but was finally awake enough and caffeinated enough to capture on video with their permission of course.

If you enjoyed this, please visit check out my wife's book about keeping faith in suffering: www-dot-cafepress-com-slash-tesslist and my blog about recycling waste clothes, shopping bags, etc. into beautiful rugs: tootbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com

If you have enjoyed this video, please visit my wife's book about keeping heart and faith through suffering: www-dot-cafepress-dot-com-slash-tesslist And my site about recycling tattered clothes, plastic grocery bags, etc. into beautiful & durable rugs: toothbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com

These videos are just some sweet shots of my dogs playing with, licking, etc., my wife and me while back home for a visit recently.

When we were back home in late December, we got there just in time for a major snow storm. I did most of the shoveling for my 80 year old mother, but she insisted on going out and taking a whack at her self... no wonder she's more lively and has a higher quality of life than my wife who's less than half her age! As my nursing professor says, "movement is life." The dogs quite enjoyed the snow, as you see.

Some dogs are good at sniffing out truffles or drugs, mine sniff out people who are "diamonds in the rough." This is such a man, he befriended my dogs, and was willing to tell his life story to me on camera, provided I do a little editing, to which I of course agreed. He's homosexual, has been living on the street for years, but has plans to make a better life. I've seen him a number of times in place- he's still a diamond, still in the rough. I previously posted the first two parts to Youtube

WARNING- LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF AN INTENSE NATURE, NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS OR THE EASILY OFFENDED Some dogs are good at sniffing out truffles or drugs, mine sniff out people who are "diamonds in the rough." This is such a man, he befriended my dogs, and was willing to tell his life story to me on camera, provided I do a little editing, to which I of course agreed. He's homosexual, has been living on the street for years, but has plans to make a better life. I've seen him a number of times in place- he's still a diamond, still in the rough.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

When I was last home, my mother wanted me to show her how I use the same basic technique as is used to make the rugs to mend them. Though these rugs are durable and are known to last DECADES, sometimes due to a weak fabric, a thin strip, loose stitching, or canine chewing, holes and weak spots develop.

My sister is also a master rug maker. I visited her when home last and got some of her wisdom on video.

This is my mother showing me and Tess the matching clogs my late father sent to his mother while he served in the occupation forces in Japan immediately after WWII.

This is my mother showing me and Tess the kimono my late father sent to his mother while he served in the occupation forces in Japan immediately after WWII.

For more about this craft, go to toothbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com This is the largest rug I've made in a decade, and the most beautiful. The key clothing in this rug were clothes my wife and I wore 12 to 13 years ago, when we were wooing and wed. There are three phases to it, the solid colors in the center, the variegated rows outside it, and the solid rows at the finish. Through out, you'll notice certain colors and sequences either repeating or contrasted, so the whole rug is aesthetically linked together by- if you will- visual fugue. I hope to get some good stills of it, but since I've long promised to show off the finished rug, I decided to go ahead and post this now. Once my wife is out of the hospital, we'll do a video detailing which garments are where, to show how wonderful this craft is at preserving memories and commemorating life events.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

I've not done an "L" series in a while, and I had the opportunity to get a nice ride through Edgewater, Uptown, and Wrigleyville in deep freeze. Each clip is about 2 minutes long and usually covers 2 "L" stops. The cemetery, passing trains, and Wrigley Field are highlights of this series.

(This video follows on the previous one) Background: I was finishing the rug made of the clothes my wife and I wore when we wooed and fell in love 13 years ago, and as she was in the hospital, and the rug celebrates our love and marriage, I lugged the huge rug down on the L and bus to finish with her. When I was doing it, she wanted me to explain how you finish a color band row or solid color row, and as I had the camera along to take stills of her with the rug anyway, I recorded my final stitches and tieing off of the rug while explaining it to her and answering her questions. The lighting gives a spooky or film noir overtone, but I think the video is made better by my wife's interaction, as while a brilliant linguist and utter genius, she's just started doing this craft. For more see my blog toothbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com

Background: I was finishing the rug made of the clothes my wife and I wore when we wooed and fell in love 13 years ago, and as she was in the hospital, and the rug celebrates our love and marriage, I lugged the huge rug down on the L and bus to finish with her. When I was doing it, she wanted me to explain how you finish a color band row or solid color row, and as I had the camera along to take stills of her with the rug anyway, I recorded my final stitches and tieing off of the rug while explaining it to her and answering her questions. The lighting gives a spooky or film noir overtone, but I think the video is made better by my wife's interaction, as while a brilliant linguist and utter genius, she's just started doing this craft. For more see my blog toothbrushrugs-dot-blogspot-dot-com

This is rather a sequel to the video I posted yesterday. The fog went away and was followed by snow, so everything is a frosted winter wonderland. Today a fierce north wind is blowing in, but the dogs don't seem to mind. Enjoy your virtual visit to Chicago!

The winter wonderland along Granville in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood on the far north side, early New Year's Day morning 2008. The frosting effect on the trees, signs, and everything else is due to fog followed by a very wet snow.