A Mild Woman's Ramblings

Secret Shaver?

2011-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Scintillating conversation in our house tonight:

Bob: What happened to the hair on my legs?
Me: Huh?
Bob: Look at my legs. The outside of my leg is not as hairy as the inside.
Me: So?
Bob: I think you have something to do with this.
Me: So you think I am shaving 1/2 your leg while you sleep?
Bob: I wouldn't put it past you!

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well, the new year dawned cold and rainy, but I love this weather. It was nice having Bob home for New Years. We celebrated the ball drop at midnight EST. I heard the noise at midnight but rolled over and went back to sleep. We watched the Rose Parade. I always cry a little missing my Dad when I see a parade, because he really enjoyed them. We also watched some football and ate kielbasa and sauerkraut which is one of Bob's family traditions. All it does for me is give me the ability to fart "Ode To Joy" with perfect pitch.

I am looking forward to the new year and what it will bring.

Some of us may have celebrated a bit too much though.

Kitty Surprise

2010-12-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

Today was the day the Gracie was being spayed. Bob has the week off so we decided to drop her off first thing and head to the Jelly Belly Factory because Bob has never been. We packed Gracie in the carrier with her blankie from Nanna Sue and dropped her off and headed out.

We had a great time seeing jelly beans being made and sampling candy and headed back to town. Since Gracie was the first surgery of the day, we had expected a call by now so I decided to call to see how things went. The receptionist at the vet said that everything was fine but the vet wanted to talk to me. I was a little curious about that.

The vet came on the line and told me " I have some good news and some embarrassing news. The good news is the surgery went fine. The embarrassing news is that Gracie is actually Grayson". Yes, when we first brought him in at 3-4 weeks he didn't have noticeable "boy parts" so he was labeled a she. Now I had begun to suspect that perhaps that wasn't the case, but when I pointed them out to Bob he told me "all cats look alike."

Well, Grayson is at home and we are adjusting to calling him a him. He is still full of piss and vinegar.

Bit now he seems to like watching 3 Stooges with Bob. (Its a guy thing)

Christmas Promise 2010

2010-12-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

"And so this is Christmas, and what have you done..." ~ John Lennon

This year, we have been blessed again to spend our Christmas Eve with Christmas Promise. For me this is how we celebrate Christmas. This year, Chuck, our elf for several years past moved up to being a Santa. Our replacement Elf had his schedule changed at work and was unable to help so we decided to try and steal an elf once we got there.

We waiting about 20 minutes and we finally snagged an Elf. She happened to be one of the main volunteers who was in charge of the pot luck and has been working with Christmas Promise for many years. We got our assignment, loaded up the sleigh and headed out.

Our 2 houses were within spitting distance from each other so I figured this would be easy. The first house was in a groups of fourplexes which not only did not have legible street numbers, did not have good unit indicators. Our Elf tried to find the location, but we ended up having Santa call the family. After a bit of a language barrier, Santa finally convinced them he was legit and we discovered they had moved to an apartment complex about a mile away. This turned out to be an enormous complex with no parking so the sleigh had to be parked on the street. Our Elf scouted out the location and came back to give Santa directions. She also indicated there were a couple of teen aged boys with skateboards on the way, so Santa stowed a six pack of coke in his bag and headed to the apartment. I stayed with the truck while our Elf tailed Santa with a bag of gifts. A short time later the boys cam walking by and headed up to the corner to meet their friends with the cokes in hand. I could hear a bit of the conversation.

"Hey, where'd you get the sodas?"
"From Santa."
"No really, where'd you get them?" Followed by an argument in Spanish.

A few people passed me standing by the truck and everyone was happy and wished me a Merry Christmas including the woman and her "ugly husband" as she put it who were going to the corner store.

We finished the delivery and headed back to stop number 2 which was and upstairs unit at one of the original 4plexes. Santa headed up the stairs followed by the Elf who hung out around the corner. Santa came out to get the first bag. Elf took 2nd bag up. When Santa came out to get the 2nd bag, I saw Dad come out and look around. Elf was hidden and I could see him shaking his head. Santa said he kept asking where the stuff was coming from. As Santa was handing out gifts he noticed that one little girl was not getting anything. Turns out she was a cousin who was visiting. When he came out to get the next bag he relayed her info to Elf who gave me the info. I made a quick call to the North Poles and the Elves got to work on getting together gifts for a 3 year old girl. Elf ran the last bag up the stairs. When she came down I took the pecan pie rolls and sodas up so she could have a break. As I got to the top of the steps, one of the sodas slipped out of the six pack and fell down the entire flight of stairs hitting each step as it went. I figure it would be pretty tacky to give the a "5-pack", so I brought them back and tried not to giggle.
As Santa left he assured the little 3 year old that he would be back. She just looked at him and shook her head "No No".

Back we flew to the North Pole where we found Chuck back from his run. Paula informed me that he cried after his delivery. When he got to his house he asked for the little boy "C' by name. "C"'s eyes got big as saucers. "Are you "C"?" "Dad had to prod him to answer. Then Grandma saw Santa and burst into tears. Uncle was there, pretty drunk and insisting that Santa was his "best friend". "C" told Santa that he was the answer to his prayer. Grandma kept quizzing Santa on where he was from and who sent him but Santa didn't break. Santa didn't think Grandma would ever let him go. When he got outside he broke down and cried. I am so proud of Chuck. He is hooked now on being Santa!

Bob finished his paperwork and we grabbed the gifts for the little 3 year old and headed back. They were on the balcony when we came back and the little girl was so excited. I think she thought Santa forgot her. I could see her jumping up and down and Santa brought her gifts out of the bag.

As we were leaving, a woman came out from one of the other apartments with a toddler and a young boy about 8 who kept telling her "I told you Santa was real!" Santa had some gifts for them in his magic sack and then we hopped in the sleigh to head back home for a long winters nap.

Chuck's Elf, Chris Denny with Santa Bob

Santa Bob filling out his paperwork

Santa Chuck

Santa Chuck and his Mrs. Claus, Paula

Time to Remember the Poor

2010-12-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Cold winter is come, with its cold chilling breath
And the leaves are all gone from the trees.
And all seems touched by the finger of death
And the streams are beginning to freeze.
When the young wanton lads o'er the river slide,
When Flora attends us no more,
When in plenty you are sitting by a warm fireside:
That's the time to remember the poor.

The cold feather'd snow will in plenty descend
And whiten the prospects around.
The keen cutting wind from the North will attend
And cover it over the ground.
When the hills and the dales are all candied with white
And the rivers are froze on the shore,
When the bright twinkling stars they proclaim the cold night:
That's the time to remember the poor.

The poor timid hare through the woods may be traced
With the footsteps indented in the snow,
When our lips and our fingers are dangling with cold
And the marksman a-shooting does go.
When the poor Robin Redbreast approaches your cot
And the icicles hang at the door,
And when your bowl smokes reviving and hot:
That's the time to remember the poor.

The thaw shall ensue and the waters increase
And the rivers vehemently grow;
The fish from oblivion obtains its release
And in danger the travellers go.
When your minds are annoyed by the wide swelling flood
And your bridges are useful no more;
When in plenty you enjoy everything that is good
Do you grumble to think of the poor?

The time will come when our Saviour on Earth
All world shall agree with one voice.
All nations unite to salute the blest morn
And the whole of the Earth shall rejoice.
When grim death deprived of its killing sting
And the grave rules triumphant no more
Saints, angels and men Hallelujah shall sing
Then the rich must remember the poor.

(Traditional English Folk Song)

Farewell Sweetie Pie

2010-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

The hardest part of being a pet parent is knowing when its time to say goodbye. On Tuesday, December 14, 2010 we said goodbye to Sweetie Pie.

Sweetie Pie came into our lives in July of 1999. In February of that year, my Father passed away and in June, we had to say goodbye to my Mom's dog, Holly. Mom was completely alone and very unhappy. A small voice, which I think was my Dad, told me to go to the pound one weekend. There in one of the cages I saw her

She was a beautiful cream, brown and black. She was not bouncing like the other dogs. She seemed to be waiting patiently. She reminded me a bit of my brother's dog Sunshine, who had stayed with us years before. I took her into the walking pen and knew that she was the one. I filled out the paperwork and then went to Mom's house to tell her.

Mom was a little unsure at first, but all doubt was swept away when we went to pick her up from the vet. They had given her a bath, checked her over and microchipped her. They also guessed her age at about 3-4 years old. Mom was overjoyed. The vet techs kept talking about what a sweet temperament she had so Mom ended up Christening her "Sweetie Pie".

She and Mom were inseparable. She slept on the bed with Mom, ate cheetoes with Mom and really brightened her spirit. We discovered she was terrified of loud noises. During thunder storms she would try to hide behind the couch. As long as her head was covered and she couldn't see anything, she felt safe. She was pretty strong and if you were sitting on the couch when thunder cracked, you would almost get thrown off the couch from her diving behind it.

I would come over to clean house for Mom every week. Sometimes I would bring my cats Sayuri and MoMo. Sweetie was scared to death of cats and would cross to the far side of the room to get away from Sayuri. Sayuri knew this and would purposefully come and rub up on Sweetie. Mom was another story. He was still a kitten. He looked like a cat, but didn't quite smell like a cat. Sweetie would follow him around sniffing him. Sometimes she would be sniffing so hard that his hind end would not ever be on the ground anymore!

She also had a problem with gunk build up in her ears. Dr. Faber from our local vet clinic would make house calls to treat her and visit with Mom.

Sweetie did not have a tail, but when she was happy she would shake her whole hind end. With her long hair she looked like a hula dancer when she got going.

She was there for Mom after her stroke. Caring for her helped Mom stay focused.

Bob and I adopted Sweetie the day Mom passed away in 2002. I had gone to the pound a few days earlier to get a second dog to be a companion for Sweetie. They day we brought Honey home from the vet was the day Mom passed away. She never got to meet Honey.

Sweetie's life changed a bit after that. She was outside more because both Bob & I worked, but she had Honey for company. She continued to sleep on the bed for as long as she was still able to get up there. She also loved playing in water so we bought her a kiddie pool and she would splash all summer long. She would not fetch but would bounce and bark when you threw the ball for Honey. She also surprised everyone by stealing a whole tri tip at a bbq we hosted.

Time began to take its toll on Sweetie. Her muzzle became greyer and her steps a little slower. On Thanksgiving morning this year, she had a small seizure. We thought perhaps it was from the cold, but a week later she had a grand mal seizure. At first the vet thought it might be a brain tumor, but the blood work showed a pancreatic tumor. Sweetie had pancreatic problems for years. We had to add a special enzyme to her food to help her digest it. Now her body was producing too much insulin causing her blood sugar to drop dangerously low. For a dog the normal range is 100-160. Hers was dropping into the 30s. We began feeding her small meals every 4-6 hours but the seizures were becoming more and more frequent. She would sleep much of the day, and when she was awake, she would stagger aimlessly. We knew it was time.

We made that final trip to the vet. Dr. Faber was there with us. She was not sure she could do it, since she was so close to Sweetie Pie too. We all help her and loved on her as she passed from this world. I sat on the floor sobbing into my hands. It was hard to say goodbye, but I know as we bid her farewell here, she was bouncing up to Mom in the next.

I think the card my co-workers gave me sums it up best

"Dogs have a way of teaching us about love, loyalty, joy and friendship. The gifts your dog gave you - happiness, companionship, unconditional love - these will never leave you"

Pattern Party!

2010-12-04T11:13:00.001-08:00

What do you do when your friends get patterns published? Throw a party of course! SO that is exactly what our Thursday Night Knitting group did.

Gus had her very first pattern published on Ravelry.

Her Estonian Stitch Lace Hat made with lovely Malabrigo sock yarn.

AnneLena had her first pattern published in Interweave Knits Winter 2010.

Her pattern is for the Lollipop Cap made from Blue Sky Alpaca Melange.

As if this were not exciting enough, she will also have patterns in the Spring and Summer Editions as well!

I think that these achievements need to be acknowledged and that every woman, needs a reason to wear a tiara at least once in her life!

Dangly Bits

2010-11-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Gracie has discovered that she can go under the blankets. A whole new world is under there.

The other morning, after putting the dogs out, Bob let Gracie out of her cage and then came back to bed. (Note, Gracie sleeps in the cage at night because she is still a kitten and because Honey does not realize there is a difference between "kitten" and "snack food". When Gracie is older she will get to sleep with us)

Gracie came running down the hall and climbed onto the bed. I felt her crawl behind my head and head under the covers. I was just drifting back to sleep when Bob yelled, flew out of bed and slammed the bedroom door.

It seems Miss Gracie in her undercover explorations discovered "dangly bits" that looked like a cool new cat toy. She attacked. Bob was not amused.

Doggie Torture

2010-11-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

2:30 am and I am wide awake. Insomnia? No. The incessant licking sounds coming from the hallway. Every now and then Sweetie will lie in one spot and just lick the hardwood floor. For some reason this sound is to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. I try to ignore it, but the sound begins boring into my brain.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I tried a stage whisper, "Sweetie, Stop it!"

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I try several more times

Lick lick lick lick lick.

At this point my brain remembers that Sweetie is hard of hearing. I am not.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I get up and stumble to that hallway. Sweetie stares at me innocently and stops licking.

I stumble back to bed and just get comfortable when...

Lick lick lick lick lick.

Damn. I remember that Sweetie can hear different tones so I begin stage whispering at high pitches and low pitches.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I try clapping.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

At this point I am wide awake, grouchy and yell "GODDAMN IT SWEETIE! STOP IT!" This wakes up Bob.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I finally go and shut the bedroom door and crawl back in bed.

Poor MoMo Kitty senses my distress and walks up my body purring. "Mommy, if you pet me you'll feel better!" and proceeds to start licking my hand.

Lick lick lick lick lick.

I can't win.

Flying Walendas vs. WWF Smackdown

2010-11-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

Its a quiet Friday evening and I am sitting in the den listening to the sounds of the rain falling outside and the sounds of what could very possibly be the "Flying Walendas vs. WWF Smackdown" going on in the living room. Those sounds can only mean that Mo and Gracie are at it again.

While Sayuri and Miss Itty Bitty want nothing to do with the interloper, she has found a playmate in MoMo. Pretty amazing considering Mo is referred to around here as "Wussy Pussy" and has a fear of potholders thanks to Bob. I really don't think he realized she is going to get bigger and kick his ass.

No one is safe from Gracie. Walking down the hall mean you are subject to attack from "Ninja Kitty" who will fly out of the shadows, bite your ankle or toe and then disappear back into the shadows. I have also been rudely awakened on several occasions by a small grey ball of fur flying at my face. If I am lucky the claws are in and I don't have to head to work looking like the victim of some tragic farming accident.

Mo has his quirks too. He loves to chew on my hair. One day he was tearing around the house like something was out to get him. Turns out he had a dangly poo hooked to one of my hairs that had passed through and every time he stopped running, momentum would cause it to hit him in the butt which led him to think he was being attacked and take off running again. When hubby and I finally stopped laughing, we caught him and rescued him from the "Attack of the Dangly Poopie".

Now as I type this, Gracie is sprawled across my shoulder, purring like mad. Usually we declare the den a "cat free zone" because Gracie thinks the computer is a cool cat toy that is warm and has lots of dangly things attached. When you try to retrieve her from the tower cubby, it becomes a game of "Attack the Finger Monsters" Gracie has yet to grasp the concept that "skin" is different from "clothing".

Boobs In A Vice

2010-11-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

One of the more challenging aspects of getting older is accepting the changes to your body and the new and wonderful medical procedures that you must endure. When women hit the age of 40, we must begin to undergo mammograms. This sounds simple enough. Obtain a digital image of your breast to look for any abnormalities. Unfortunately, to obtain the image you have to place your breast on an x-ray plate and then have it maneuvered into place and then clamped in a vice.

Not only are they clamped and flattened from top to bottom, but then they do them side to side. Its an uncomfortable procedure. The technician will maneuver your breast into place, clamp it down and then tell you not to breath. ("Honey, I couldn't breath even if I wanted to!") You hear the whirr of the x-ray and then the tech releases your boob and tells you to breath as a huge sigh of relief escapes you. If you are lucky, there is no problem with the image causing them to be re-taken.

I have had the procedure done twice. Both times I have had wonderful, compassionate female technicians who were gentle and explained the procedure in detail.

This being said, even though there is brief discomfort in the procedure, the alternative is much worse. I have several friends who have undergone treatment for breast cancer and I would much rather catch it earlier than endure cancer treatments.

Gracie Does Chores

2010-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well! Finally one of the furry critters steps up to do some chores around here and earn their keep!

"High?" Fashion

2010-11-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about "High Fashion" I think the "High" refers to what the designers are when they come up with some of their designs.

This is from the Alexander McQueen ready to wear collection:

Do you think she realizes she has a hubcap on her head?

This reminds me of how they used to bind the jaws of the dead to keep the mouth from flopping open. Obviously they included a couple of beers to tide her over on the boat ride to Hell.

Ever wonder what you could do with a few Hefty bags and some free time?

Even better if have some bubble wrap laying around.

I call this one "Frobot". Wonder what she transforms into?

When the guys from KISS aren't touring, they're walking the catwalk in Paris.

All I can say is, it must have been one heck of a party!

Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond

2010-11-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

Bob and I seem to gravitate to San Francisco for my birthday. This year was no exception. We went to the DeYoung Museum to see the Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne & Beyond exhibit. My Mother and Grandma Hart both cultivated an interest in the arts in me. They taught me that art is meant to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. Not everyone likes every style of art, but that doesn't mean that the art is bad. We all have different tastes.

We had tickets for 12 noon. (The Deyoung sells tickets at 15 minute intervals to help keep the flow of people moving through the exhibit) We were lucky enough to get to park in the parking garage, use the restroom and have 3 minutes to spare.

I was excited about seeing the exhibit. I never expected the visceral reaction when I walked in. The first paintings I saw were some winter landscapes by Claude Monet and I started to cry. Monet was one of my Mother's favorite painters and just being there looking at the actual paintings, seeing his brush strokes and the actual colors was just so overwhelming. It is one this to see a photograph of a painting, but even photography fails to catch the true colors and emotions of most works.

When I was young, I was not a big fan of Van Gogh. I think subconsciously I was picking up on his anguish and mental illness from his heavy brushstrokes and treatment of subjects. As I have gotten older, I have come to understand his madness and suffering. Several of his painting at the exhibit really stood out to me.

The first is Starry Night.

The colors are so vibrant and the stars seem to leap out of the painting.

The second painting was this self portrait from 1887

The eyes in this painting are haunting. He captured the anguish of tortured soul in paint for future generations. I felt a catch in my chest as I viewed the painting and felt a connection across the years. In a letter to his sister he wrote "I am looking for a deeper likeness than that obtained by a photographer." He succeeded in this painting.

The exhibit is definately worth seeing. I will probably never get the chance to go to Paris, so when Paris comes to me I jumped at the opportunity!

Bye Bye to KIttens

2010-09-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well George and the other boy kitten were both adopted today by people at the warehouse. It was so hard to see them go but I knew we could not keep all the kittens and I know they have good homes. I am still a little sad about it though! Gracie is a little lonesome though. I gave her a stuffed toy to curl up with.

2010-09-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I took Gracie & George to Knit Night were the ladies surprised me with a "Kitten Shower". All the attention wore Gracie out.

The Dears made the kitten sweaters, a blankie and bought them lots of toys. Good thing too. The shower items will come in handy because this morning my phone rang at 6:30am. It was Bob.

“Guess what?”
“You found another kitten?”
“Guess again.”
“You found 2 kittens?”
“Guess again.”
“3?????????”

Yes, they found 3 more kittens in the warehouse this morning. That brings the total up to 5. The record for most kittens in a litter is 15 so I REALLY hope Momma Cat is not an overachiever!

Luckily 2 were adopted by one of the salespeople so only 1, the frightened one in the 3rd shot came home with Bob.

George and the new kitten are both happy with solid food. Gracie is still bottle feeding.

Uh Oh!

2010-09-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

I got a call from Bob this morning. They found Gracie's sibling in the warehouse this morning.

We ran him by the vet and its a boy. Think we'll call him "George". Gracie seems happy to see him.

Her Name is Gracie

2010-09-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

I swore I would not get attached, but her name is Gracie

Kitten

2010-09-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got a call from Bob. Seems they found a small kitten in the warehouse, just bebopping down one of the aisles. No sign of Momma Cat or any siblings. Pretty lucky not to have been squished by one of the lifts! Bob is now regretting telling me that. I came by on my lunch hour and picked up the kitty ion a box and stopped at Western feed to get some KMR and a bottle and took it back to work.

Bottle feeding a kitten is not as easy as it sounds. Nor is waking up at 3am to feed a hungry mewling kitten. I am trying very hard not to name it or get too attached.

Today I took it to the vet and confirmed that "It" is a "She". Vet says she looks pretty healthy but gave her dewormer to be on the safe side. She seems to be settling in a bit. We are keeping her in a box in the bedroom. The other cats have come in while I have been feeding her, sniffed her, hissed and ran away. Honey Bun, however, was quite interested in her. So much so that she had to sleep outside last night because she would not stay away from her.

We are hoping to find a home for her before I get too attached.

Ginger Ale

2010-08-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe in Guideposts Magazine by Rebecca Katz for Ginger Ale that I have been wanting to try. Yesterday, while grocery shopping I decided now would be as good a time as any to give it a whirl.

First step was buying the ginger. I have seen ginger (not to be confused with this Ginger)

in the store but never actually bought it. Most ginger I have come incontact with is the ground variety in the spice department (which I learned at an early age does not taste like gingerbread!) or the pickled variety in sushi restaurants. The recipe calls for 2 cups so I just sort of winged it.

Then you wash the ginger and pat it dry. Slice intyo manageable pieces. The fresh ginger smells so good but I resisted the temptation to take a taste.

Place the ginger in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour. THen remove cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the ginger through a cheesecloth.

You should have 2 cups of liquid. Then add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of honey.

**Note - We are lucky to have a small, prolific lemon tree in our yard. When the lemons are ripe, we pick then, juice them and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Once frozen, we put the cubes in a bag in the freezer and pull them out as needed. The fresh lemon makes awesome lemonade in the summer and is so tasty on fish. **

Now I have what looks like a bad urine sample but it smells wonderfull!

Add 1/4 cup to a glass of sparkling water or soda water and enjoy!

Forgiveness

2010-06-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Forgiveness is one of the foundations of Christianity. We are asked to forgive others and ourselves. Forgiveness is difficult to do but quite a release when you actually accomplish it.

However, forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. If someone in your past has hurt or abused you, in order to move on, you have to forgive that person, but that does not mean that you allow them back into your life to continue the negativity, drama and abuse. Life is far too short to spend it with people who make you miserable or physically ill. Especially when they are so entrenched in their own little bubble to see how their thoughtless words and actions affect others.

Meatball Soup

2010-05-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Clouds are rolling in and there is a chance for rain tomorrow which means this is a perfect evening for soup! I have been craving this one for a few days and the leftover spiuach will go towards spinach and feta cheese pizzas tomorrow night. This is a great recipe from our local grocery store: Raleys.

Mrs. Claus' Meatball Soup

Ingredients
Meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground round
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. each: beaten egg and California Sun-Dry
Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa
1 tsp. Morton & Bassett Italian Seasoning
(or you can cheat and buy the pre-made meatballs in the frozen food section)

Soup:
10 cups beef broth
1½ cups California Sun-Dry Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa
2 each: celery ribs and carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. dried basil
2 oz. angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
Directions
Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour total

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together all meatball ingredients in a medium bowl.
Shape into 1/2-inch balls and place on a small baking sheet. Bake for 10
minutes; set aside. Meanwhile, stir together all soup ingredients except pasta
and spinach in a large pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered,
for 45 minutes. Add meatballs and pasta and simmer for 15 minutes more. Stir in
spinach and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.
Nutritional Information:
Nutrition per serving (411 g): 250 calories, 15 g protein, 10 g total fat (1.5 g sat., 0 g trans), 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 40 mg cholesterol, 1660 mg sodium, 5 points

This is a very hearty soup. Love the spinach!

Where is America

2010-05-14T12:49:00.001-07:00

This is too good not to share:

Where is America

Where is America? Has anyone seen her? I know she is here because I saw her about 9 years ago when she was knocked down. We all helped pick her up, dusted her off and showed her that we cared. We flew her flag everywhere, from houses and cars to bridges and mountains. But now I don't see her. I only hear about her briefly. What happened to the days when we sacrificed for her? Did she see how empty and selfish we have become and leave? The flags are not as common as they used to be, the support for our country is fading and I am afraid that if we don't find it she may never come back.

What happened to the days when we believed in what America did regardless of what our personal thoughts were? Are the troops the only ones who still think that way? Why is it that we rush home to see the chaos and turmoil on our TVs but won't attend a flag raising ceremony or a veteran's parade? Why is it more important to know what movie star is dating what movie star than what our troops have accomplished on the war front. Why is military service looked at as a last chance escape for troubled youth? Why does it always have to be someone else's responsibility to fix a problem or serve in the military? Why do we have to get approval to be patriotic in our neighborhoods or work places? Why are there so many organizations against the military and our country and only a handful for them? Why do the media organizations only report that negative aspects of the war and not the positive?

How come in 1943 Americans worked 24 hours a day to rebuild our Naval Fleet now it takes five years just to develop a single test vehicle? Is it money or technology that has slowed it down? The World War II generation is known as the greatest generation, yet if you ask Americans from that generation what made them great they will probably tell you nothing. They just did what Americans had always done. Were they great because of the heroism they showed or was it their undying devotion that they showed to their country? How come today we care more about ourselves than each other? Does anyone remember the words John F. Kennedy spoke? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

I still believe in this country because I have seen that compassion and love we are known for. We ban together to rebuild and restore other countries when they are in need, yet while helping others while simultaneously ignoring our own. When other countries fall on hard times America is there to help in any way we can. We do it because we are America and that's what we do. When our country was devastated by September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, we did not expect any help from anyone else, because we our America and we take care of ourselves. Why does it take a catastrophic event for us to show we care?

I constantly hear how messed up our country is. If we are so messed up why do people still immigrate here? If we are such a selfish and ruthless country why do so many still come here looking for a better life? Maybe it's because they believe in America more than we do. Maybe that's why some of the other countries hate us so much, because we take our own country for granted. In my short time on earth I have seen this country do some amazing things and show more compassion than I ever thought was humanly possible. We go further and further into debt yet will not stop rendering aid and money to those less fortunate than we are. We have stepped up and defended the weak and abused of this world. We have shed blood on foreign soils all for the greater good of other countries as well as our own.

I understand war is an ugly thing, as do most members of the military. It takes the lives of our loved ones before we are ready to let them go. However, war is a sad reality of life due to the fact that there are individuals out there that have an obsession with power rather than an obsession with love. I believe in peace and think that world peace would be a wonderful thing, but in order to have that peace we must stand in front of the Sword of war and fight it until it is beaten. That can only be done if we all stand together for a greater cause and not our own individual cause.

Look around you and see how much of America you see and then think about how much you could see if we stopped worrying about trivial things that have no impact on our country. America is missing because she is out looking for Americans! Will she find you? I along with my fellow service members serve everyday knowing that it is my responsibility to protect this great country and her people at any cost. Reading this should not make you rush out and get a flag to hang up or a sticker to put on your car; it should make you proud to know that you are an American. It isn't just that sticker or flag that makes you a Proud American; it is how you show it.

Remember this, great people step up every day to serve this country and sacrifice their lives and their dreams so that we don't have to. Are you that person? Regardless of what your political affiliation is, what your beliefs are, or what you might call your greater being support your country, support your military, and love America for it is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.

How American are you? Answer these questions and see if you are guilty of being American.

What would you be willing to sacrifice so that our troops could have more?

Would you take the bus instead of driving so that the fuel you use could be used for the troops?

Would you take a pay cut so that the extra money could be put into saving the lives of Americas troops?

What would you think if your child told you they wanted to serve in the military?

There are lots of right and wrong answers. What do your answers say about you as an American and us as a country?

GySgt Micheal D. Travers
RSS Eugene, Oregon

Lentil Rice Loaf

2010-04-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to incorporate more meatless meals into the menu, I attempted a lentil rice loaf. Now I will say it looked good and it smelled good while cooking. However, that was just a tease. I have heard of "dirty rice". Well that is what this tasted like: dirt and rice. I was never a big fan of mud pies as a kid and I am not going to eat a "mudloaf" for dinner. It will definitely be a while before lentils get a second chance on the menu. This recipe god a big "BLECH" in the book.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

2010-04-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

This week's foray into new recipes came from a Guideposts magazine. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is literally "Whore's Spaghetti". Rumor has it that it's quick preparation made it popular as a fast snack between clients. Now most people when they hear "anchovy" immediately respond with "Ew! I hate anchovies!" "Have you ever tried them?" "No, but everybody hates them!" Not the ancient Romans. Anchovies were considered an aphrodesiac to them. Today they are one of the ingredients in worcestershire sauce,remoulade sauce and green goddess dressing.

The recipe sounded intriguing. I like most of the ingredients, although I thought capers was something to do with frolicking not little round pickled things.(they are actually the picked buds of the Capparis spinosa which is native to the Mediterranean and found in many Mediterranean cuisines)

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

3 tbsp oil oil (I use my favorite garlic olive oil because there is no such this as too much garlic in our house)
4tbsps minced garlic (Bob had to mince by hand since I broke the garlic press last week making the chicken marsala stew)
1 can black olives cut in quarters
3 tbsps of capers (about 1/2 of the tiny bottle)
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes (aka pizza pepper)
1 2oz can anchovies
1 15 oz can Italian plum tomatoes (I used a can of Italian Style Stewed tomatoes, cut up with juice reserved)
1 tbsp salt (optional)
1 pound spaghetti (we used whole wheat spaghetti)
4 tbsps chopped parsley (we used fresh and it adds some nice color to the dish)
1 tbsp butter
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic, olives, capers, pepper flakes and anchovies. Keep at medium low for about 5 minutes breaking up anchovies (they dissolve).

Add tomatoes and reserved liquid, raise heat to medium high til tomatoes start a slow bubbling boil.

Stir ingredients. Lower to medium low and occasionally, simmering for about 20 minutes.
Cook pasta and drain when done.
Add parsley and butter to sauce.
Mix sauce and pasta. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

This dish is slightly salty and the anchovies give it a nice added flavor. The anchovies don't resemble a fish like a sardine does. They looked more like crushed, de-boned fingers. This might be a plus in enticing little boys to eat this due to the "ew" factor.

We served it with a light Caesar salad (keeping the anchovy theme) and some crusty sourdough bread. Bob like it, but then again he is a salt freak and would be perfectly happy with a salt lick in the yard. I like the subtle play of flavors. You can taste the anchovy but its not overpowering. We will definitely be making this again!

Chicken Marsala Stew

2010-04-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in the paper and it sounded really great so I decided to try it. I did make a few tweaks to the original recipe.

Recipe: Chicken marsala stew with spring vegetables

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (I used garlic olive oil)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt ( I left this out, don't tell Bob)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used fresh shitake mushrooms from the farmers' market)
8 ounces baby carrots (I sliced up 2 regular carrots)
1 cup frozen baby peas (I don't care for peas so I sliced up 2 ribs of celery)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (since I used garlic olive oil, I only added 1 clove)
1/2 cup marsala wine I used the whole bottle!)
11/2 cups chicken broth (fat free, salt free, again for Bob)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken pieces and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another 1/2 tablespoon of the oil and the remaining chicken, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add another 1/2 tablespoon of the oil to the pot. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to soften and give off liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots and peas, then sauté for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the oil to the pot. Add the onions and sauté until they soften and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Pour in the marsala and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken broth and reserved vegetables, then bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the reserved chicken and vinegar and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Per serving: 361 cal.; 33 g pro.; 26 g carb.; 10 g fat (2 sat., 6 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 68 mg chol.; 821 mg sod.; 6 g fiber; 12 g sugar; 25 percent calories from fat.

Yum!

Swap Package!

2010-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Its always a good day when a package arrives; especially if the package contains yarn! Today I got my Mystery Swap package from Jessica in MA.Lots of cool stuff:

Some lovely tapestry fabric samples; 2 skeins of Atacama 100% alpaca (mmmmmalpaca); a skein of Knit Picks Gloss in celery; an absolutely hysterical postcard of Turkmenistan Wrestlers (they have what appear to be gigantic pompoms on their heads) from her recent trip there; little party drink umbrellas; size 6 needles, a mix cd of ocean music; travel sewing kit; metric measuring tape, amethyst bead bracelet, a beaded ocean ring; a stamp and scratch art kit which looks like fun, a cowl pattern; energizing and relaxing tea and tropical shake and go drink mixes which I can't wait to try.

Oh what to knit, what to knit!

Stop The Voices!

2010-03-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

It started off innocently enough. Karen from my knitting group brought in some delightful caramels from Bequet Confections : caramels with celtic sea salt. It sounds like an odd combination, but they are heavenly. I decided I needed to buy some for myself. They arrived yesterday and I thought I would take a few into work to share.

I tell you these things are evil! All day long I could hear this little voice calling from my desk drawer. "Eat Me!" "You know you want some."

Now if I were at home things would be different. The little caramels voices would be drowned out by all the other voices at home crying out: "Wash me!" "Vaccuum me!" "Clean the toilet." The voices would have become just white noise. But no! Here are work they are loud and clear and I have been helpless to resist them. (Resistance is futile!)

I will just have to blame Karen for introducing me to them.

Look Mom! I'm Helping!

2010-03-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

Miss Itty Bitty feels she is indispensible to the knitting process.

Its Finally Done!!!

2010-03-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

The bathroom is done! Finally! It started off with a soft spot on the linoleum behind the toilet so we decided to tear out the floor. With the floor out, it seemed like a good time to repaint and go from the bright yellow to a slightly more mellow color. Then the vent fan died so we put in a new one. And since I have never liked the old light fixture (one of those bar lights with six bulbs that made you feel like you were on an airstrip when you brushed your teeth) we installed a new one one of those. Oh and lets do the door too while we're at it and sand out the old paint runs and drips. Well we're gonna need some new towels now.

For many months, everything has been done except laying the tile. Bob finally did that last week. Since this is the only bathroom in the house, he started the job on a Tuesday which is his day off, but not mine. Careful planning was done by all, meaning I fully utilized the facilities at work and bowling on Tuesday. The tile has to sit for 24 hours before you can grout it. So Wednesday morning was somewhat challenging for me, but in true "pioneer style" I managed quite well. The problems started when Bob we to put the toilet back in. The first flush indicated that the tank had become loosened in the move from the dining room back into the bathroom. Bob took the toilet out and proceeded to have an argument with it. The toilet lost. So Bob got to take a trip to Home Depot and purchase a new "low flow" toilet. (In answer to the questions on everyone's mind, yes, it is quite capable of handling everything we have put in it with no problem) Slight problem. The newer toilets are taller that the older models. Our new toilet is 29 inches high where the old one was 27. When installed, the new one fits under the counter, but we can't get the lid on the tank. The counter covers it so I have no problem with that. The new toilet seat is also slightly higher which took a little getting used to but I like it.

So here are the pictures you have all been waiting for. Now Bob thinks the tiles are slightly crooked, But I really don't see it. I think he did an awesome job!

I really love the tile floor!

The shower curtain is striped with pale blue, pale green and white: the colors of beach glass.

Yes, those are Bob's socks drying on the blockers.

My Stash Almost KIlled My Husband

2010-02-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight when I returned from my knitting group, Bob happened to inquire "How many skeins of yarn do you have?" An innocent question I'm sure. Foolish me. I answered him truthfully. His face contorted, began to turn red and he started laughing. Laughing so hard that he had trouble breathing. So hard that he was almost doubled over. So hard that he almost threw up and passed out.

Next time I'll lie.

Thought For The Day

2010-01-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

"The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." Proverbs 11:24-25 (The Message)

This is so true! If you spend your time in pursuit of things, you will never have "enough". (I should probably take this to heart with regards to yarn)

Score!!!

2010-01-24T09:39:00.001-08:00

I scored big time yesterday in the Yarn Lottery. A former yarn shop owner has decided to destash (actullay her husband wants it out of the house) and she decided to have a sale at her house. She posted info on Ravelry and I decided to check it out. As you can see from the picture I did pretty well:

4 skeins of Schaeffer Laurel in the Flo Jo colorway
6 skeins of Claudia Handpainted sock yarn (it had my name on it I had to buy it!)
11 skeins of Cascade Dolce in an olive color
6 skeins of Fiesta Watermark
7 skeins of Misti Alpaca handpaint worsted

+ 2 book, 1 magazine and one sock pamphlet

Retail for all this would have been over $600! I got it for a steal!

Car Crashes and Polka Porn

2010-01-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

Rain is back today, not heavy, just nice and gentle.

Today at lunch I picked Bob up from work and took him home and then headed back to work. As I was coming off of Fair Oaks onto Sunrise, I watched the car in front of me go around the corner, start to merge into traffic and then suddenly veer to the right into a telephone pole. It was really weird. Almost like I was watching the whole thing in slow motion all the time thinking to myself "no way! This can't be happening." I pulled around her and off the road to see if she was ok. As I exited the truck and started back towards her, her engine was revving and smoke was pouring out. All of a sudden she puts the car in reverse and it jerks backwards about 10 feet. In the meantime, the car behind me has pulled over behind her and the gentleman in the car is calling 911. When she flies backwards she almost hits him, She gets the car in drive again and "BLAM"! Into the telephone pole again. I was moving towards the car and again the throws it in reverse. My next thought was "holy crap! She may hit me if she gets around the pole." At this point her engine finally dies and smoke is pouring out of the car and filling the interior. I walk up to the drivers side and see its a young girl around 18. Her air bag deployed and she is dazed and holding her phone.

"Are you ok?"
"Is it bad?"
"Yes, its pretty bad, Are you ok?"
"I think so. I need to call my Dad"
"Lets get out of the car and over to the side of the road"
I finally convinced her to get out and off to the side. The gentleman behind us came up and let us know he called 911.
At this point she started getting very wobbly. I put my shawl around her because I thought she may be shocky and we helped her to my truck. Sh started telling us she couldn't see. I started to get scared because she was so unsteady and she just stared off into space. I kept talking to her and she came around again was able to tell us her name. We stayed with her until fire rescue and the highway patrol arrived and got things under control. I think she'll be ok.

It amazes me how people think it was sweet of me to stay with her. I was doing what you are supposed to do. What I hope someone would do for me if I were in that situation.

On a lighter note, I went to knit night tonight and was able to see the new line of yarn of from Opal Yarns. Its called "Antonia" for Tyrolean pop singer Antonia (an avid knitter).
It has some great colorways, but what is hysterical about it are the picture of her on the labels in various undergarments she has knitted. Kelly refers to her as the "Polka Porn Star". Now I challenge to you to get the image of "polka porn" out of your mind! (Oom Papa Oompa...)

Wild Weather Wednesday

2010-01-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today being payday and a day off for both Bob & I meant a trip to the $200 Store aka Costco. The weather was very blustery and we had to be careful to avoid tree branches and debris. When we got out of the truck and started walking to the entrance a gust of wind came up and ripped the broken trim on the tail gate and sent it flying about 20 feet. The wind was worse when we got out. We walked around the corner of the building and it hit us full force. Now I am not a "petite person" by a long shot and it almost knocked me off my feet. Bob and I struggled with our carts to the truck and then tried to balance on one foot, hold the shell open, load groceries and keep the carts from escaping. Who says we don't lead an adventurous life! After a stop at Babetta's to drop off our donation to the food bank (She collects canned good in the shop for the local food bank at the Lutheran Church at San Juan and Fair Oaks. I like it because I really feel like I am helping the people in my own neighborhood as they cover Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Citrus Heights) we headed home. A brief trip to the grocery store for the things we didn't need a year's supply of and then home to watch "Up" (I cried) and later to watch "The Hangover" (It better be as good as everyone says!) The weather seems to have calmed down a bit so we have a brief break until the next round hits.

Bob Broke the Truck

2010-01-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

Bob (DING) did something (DING) to the truck (DING) yesterday (DING)It was (DING) working fine (DING) when I (DING) was driving, (DING) but somehow (DING) the alarm bell (DING) that sounds (DING) when (DING) the door (DING) is open (DING) and the truck (DING) is running (DING), or if the (DING) lights (DING) are on (DING) when the truck (DING) is off (DING) is stuck in (DING) the on position(DING)It can be a little (DING) annoying(DING). My solution (DING) is to turn up (DING) the radio. (DING) (Its not working well)

Another One Bites the Dust

2010-01-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! Another UFO is finished! It only took me a year get around to knitting the 2nd sock! These are packaged up to be mailed to my Mother-In-Law, just because!

Yarn: Bernat Denim Style
Pattern: Cozy House Socks from One Skein Wonders

Its Another Tequila Sunrise

2010-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

Both Bob & I have been under the weather (he shared) but are feeling better now. Today I took it easy doing some laundry (so we don't have to be naked and scare the neighbors) and some knitting.

I managed to finish one of the many UFOs lying around the house. This one is not that old since I started it around Christmas. The pattern is Thuja and the yarn is Pattons SWS just like the January SKAL socks. These are for me. I love the color as they remind me of a tequila sunrise. Can't wait to wear them!

January's Sock Is In The Books!

2010-01-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

TADA! January's sock of the month, the Thuja, is in the books! Now I can work on some of the UFOs around here before casting on for the next sock on February 1. February's sock will be the "Pedicure Sock". Short month = short sock.

Mermaid or Whale

2010-01-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Someone posted this on Ravelry and I thought it was worth sharing

Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym.

It said, “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?”

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales.

They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea, and the coral reefs of Polynesia!

Whales are wonderful singers, and have even recorded CDs !

They are incredible creatures and have virtually no predators other than humans.

They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

And, To Whom It May Concern: Mermaids don’t exist.

If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psycho-analysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human?

They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention: how could they have sex?

Just look at them. Where is “it”?

Therefore, they don’t have kids either.

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful. But I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends !

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes to the rest of our bodies.

So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, “Good grief, look how smart I am!”

Horoscope for 2010

2010-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is supposedly my horoscope for 2010. Lets check back on this in a year and see how accurate things are. I guess I am concerned about the whole "Uranus" thing...

Shake Hands with Lady Luck
Have you always thought of yourself as a lucky person, Scorpio? No matter how lucky you've been in the past, 2010 is likely to be a very lucky year for you. You may not win the lottery or find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but things will start happening for you. Astrologically, the reason for this would be the passage of Uranus, planet of luck, through Pisces, which is a Water Sign like Scorpio. Romance could come your way from an unexpected source. One more very pleasant surprise could appear in November, right before the holiday season. This could involve love, money, or a totally different department of life, but remember that getting out and enjoying life is vital if you want to generate luck.P

Knitting Resolutions

2010-01-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Every year people make New Years Resolutions and I am joining that crowd with some knitting resolutions.

1. Since I have a bad habit of buying sock yarn and just admiring it, I am resolving to knit a pair of socks a month. This will be made easier by my having some of my On Line Smart Ass Yarn Hos join me in a knit along. Every month a different sock pattern. For January, we are starting of with an easy pattern, "Thuja" Its a worsted weight sock that knits up quickly. A little instant gratification for the start.

2. I am going to knit Bob a sweater. This will be my first attempt at an article of clothing that is fitted. I have already picked out a simple pattern, "Cobblestone" by Jarod Flood and have the yarn purchased.

3. I want to finish up a bunch of the UFOs that are lying around here. Maybe finishing one a month.

4. Send 12 hats to Christmas At Sea.

I think these are pretty reasonable goals and not too unatainable.

I have already started on #1 and should finish the first sock today.

I Believe in Santa Claus

2009-12-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

When someone asks me if I believe in Santa and the magic of Christmas, I tell them, "Hell yes!" I have seen the fat man in action and felt the magic first hand.

For the past 8 years, we have been involved with a local organization called Christmas Promise. They are a grassroots operation that does not seek publicity. They get referrals of 250-300 families each year from local schools and outreach organizations. Then they get people and businesses to sponsor those families by purchasing Christmas gifts and food gift certificates. On Christmas Eve, Santa goes to the house and delivers the gifts. The only person the families ever see if Santa. When they ask him where he is from he answers "The North Pole".

I have been blessed to be a sleigh driver. I have seen first hand poverty in my own community, but I have seen something much more powerful "Love".

This year I helped Santa get ready

and we headed to the North Pole to load up the sleigh. Our team consists of Santa, a driver and an Elf. Our elf was running late so I called him to check up on him. Seems our Elf got locked in at the warehouse and Santa had to make some phone calls to get someone to drive back and let him out. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus got to load the sleigh all by herself. We finally hit the road and headed to stop number one. On the way there we saw one of the funniest sets of Christmas lights

Because nothing says Christmas like a big green alien on your garage.

AT the first house, we discovered that the North Pole Elves made a mistake: there were 2 extra children at the house. Santa visited with them and then let them know he would be back in a while. We got back in the sleigh and made a quick call to the North Pole with names and ages of the children and the Elves got to work.

We headed to our second stop. The 2nd stop was at a small apartment complex that reminded me of a a motel. The apartments were a U shape around a central parking lot. When we pulled up 2 wanna-be gang bangers in droopy pants and baggy sweatshirts were on the street looking tough. We pulled in and sent the elf to scope out which apartment we needed. Once he ascertained where the apartment was Santa got out and headed to the apartment. One of the bangers headed over to the truck.
"Hey, Santa's going to my apartment?"
I turned to him and said "Oh, you must be 'R'".
"Yea, how did you know?"
"I'm from the North Pole, I know everything."
In that moment, I saw him transform from a street tough 17 year old to a little kid and he hurried to go see Santa. Of course by this time, every kid in the complex had spotted Santa and he was surrounded. Luckily, Santa always carries lots of toys in his magic Santa Bag so every kid got a present. Santa delivered his load of gifts and we headed to our third stop.

At the third stop Santa went to the door and knocked. It was opened by a very confused teen aged boy. Santa asked for "A" who had written a letter to Santa. The boy called her saying "Hey 'A' come to the door. Santa's here."
"Yea right!"
It took 3 times before a very shocked "A" came to the door to see that Santa was indeed at her front door. Once we knew Santa was at the correct house, our elf began running bags of gifts to the porch. Inside Santa was being bombarded by picture after picture from a digital camera. There were 10 children in the house ranging in age from 2 months to 19 years. At one point, one of the babies crawled up to him very curious. "Oh maybe we could get a picture with Santa holding him!" Santa obliged and as soon as he picked him up Niagra Falls started from the baby's eyes.

At this point Santa stopped and cocked his head. "What's that Dasher? Ok, just a minute."
The kids all looked at him incredulously. "You can talk to the reindeer?"
"Of course," Santa replied. "You have to know how to listen."
The room got silent while all the kids cocked their heads and tried to hear. Santa went to the door, opened it and asked, "Have you been good?"
The kids tenuously replied. "yes" and Santa started bring in bags of gifts. The house erupted with squeals and the flashes started all over again.

Santa eventually made it out although he was half blind from the flashes. We headed back to the North Pole to pick up the gifts for the first family and to make a much needed potty stop.

We headed back to the first house and they were so surprised to see us coming back. Santa handed out gifts and then headed back to the sleigh. Dad kept asking "Who sent you?" "We're from the North Pole."

Back at the North Pole, Santa wrote out a brief report on each of the families.

This is for all the behind the scenes elves so they can share in the fun.

We said farewell to our elf

and headed home for a long winters nap.

An Open Letter to The Grinch

2009-12-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Grinch,

I just wanted to thank you for your lovely outpouring of the holiday spirit by your act of stealing our Christmas lights Saturday night. I suppose I should be flattered that you liked the display that Bob and I worked so hard to set up. I even have a hunch of who you are since there was only one couple that stopped and inquired about the over-sized Christmas lights and how you thought they looked so cool. Why did you need to steal the over-sized bulbs and the lighted tree as well? I am glad you did not steal the nativity scene. I am pretty sure that stealing a nativity scene is a 1st class ticket to Hell.

I do have to wonder what you do in the off season. Do you pinch babies? Kick puppies? Beat up Nuns?

I must admit that you did rob me of some of my holiday spirit, but I refuse to let you ruin the holidays for me. I will continue to decorate for the holidays. I know in my heart that what goes around, come around. You will get your lump of coal!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Dear God, in this season of harvest,surrounded by the bounty and blessings of the earth, we pause and remember all You have given us. Thank You!

Please pour out Your mercy and grace this Thanksgiving upon the less fortunate, and help us remember that we are all one body—one nation—under You, called to love, respect, and serve one another, especially the poor and disadvantaged, in whom You are present among us.

O give thanks to the God of heaven,
For his steadfast love endures forever.

-Psalm 136:26

Can I Have a Change of Underwear Now?

2009-06-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Fathers Day is supposed to be a day of BBQs, not being scared half to death. I was draining macaroni for a macaroni salad when I heard a sherrifs patrol car drive by and ask people to stay in their homes as they were looking for a black male suspect. I watched a couple of sherrifs cars zoom by and did not think much of it. They made another announcement about having the canine unit and I thought about bringing in the dogs. I saw some neighbors outside and thought this might be a bra worthy event. (Yes on weekends when I hang out around the house, I hang out around the house.) The bedroom window was open and I heard what I thought was the dogs messing with the fence and then I heard a voice. I put my shoes on and thought to myself I better bring the dogs in. The dogs were barking but not in an unusual way to make me think anything was out of the ordinary. I walked into the garage and then out the back door and started to call the dogs. That was when I noticed the large black man crouched by the faucet next to the SMUD yard. He saw me and asked if he could have a drink. I told him sure, out of the faucet and turned and went back in the house. I ran through the house and out the front door to the first cop car I saw. "Is he in your backyard?" "Yes!" "Get back in the house!" and they drew their weapons and ran around the side of the house. I ran back in the house. When I heard they had him pinned down I opened the garage door and brought the dogs in the house. Now you would think that Honey, who is the alpha dog would be the one who would be all over people. No, It was my older dog Sweetie who was busy giving them what for. I got them in the house and then just started shaking. I called Bob at work and about all he could get out of me was "black man in the yard" and "gun". He rushed home from work to find a bunch of cop cars out front the suspect in custody, and me snapping pictures through the window. We found out later this guy was a burglary suspect who had broken out of police custody once today.

View from kitchen window:

Suspect in custody:

Where he was hiding from where I was standing:

I have finally stopped shaking. I definately prefer watching "Cops" on tv to living it in my backyard!

Chuckle Softly and Carry a Big Stick

2009-06-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

One of the light bulbs burnt out in the den and when I went to replace it the bulb broke. When Bob got home, I asked him to help me. He got the pliers and told me to hold the flashlight while he attempted to remove the bulb. He then told me if it looked like he was getting electrocuted to whack him with a wooden stick to disconnect him from the current

Was it wrong of me to get excited? I think he was a little nervous having me standing behind him with a bat on my shoulder with a glint in my eye asking "Was that a twitch? It looked like a twitch!"

Yarn Shop Hop Part 3

2009-06-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

After dropping Bob off at work I drove up to Placerville to meet Sweet Adeline for breakfast at Sweetie Pies and to hit one pf the last shops on the shop hop, Lofty Lou's. This was an easy trip since the two are next to each other.

It was nice to visit with Adeline before she headed off to her crafting retreat at Lake Tahoe. I twisted her arm and made her buy yarn. (I didn't have to twist too hard mind you!) I got my final stamp and then after saying goodbye to Adeline, I headed down the hill to my local yarn shop, Babetta's Yarn and Gifts to turn in my passport. I spent more than I should have, but I had a great time. Now to inventory everything.

Yarn Shop Hop Part 1

2009-06-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my trusty Sherpa (Bob) and I started out on the first leg of the Yarn Shop Hop. 15 Yarn shops are participating. Each one has a pattern for an afghan square and yarn specials. If you get your passport stamped at all 15 shops you are entered in a drawing for fabulous prizes.

We decided to start off the hop at the Lake Tahoe Yarn Company in Truckee.

We had stopped there last month on our way to Reno. Its a cute little shop that has only been open for about 7 months. The owner is a very nice lady who loves what she does. She almost didn't hop as this was the scene the day before.

The chiropracter's office DIRECTLY above her shop was torched. Her Guardian Angel was working overtime as she had no water damge, no smoke damage or any damage whatsoever!

As we were leaving we ran into 2 very nice ladies from the Lodi LYS who had the same idea as us to start in Truckee. We wished them well and continued on our journey.

We left there and headed to Nevada City to Meadow Farm Yarn Studio
This is a nice, open and airy shop with a great selection. Shortly after we got there the 2 Lodi ladies showed up again and I started teasing them that they were stalking me.

From there Bob & I headed to Fibers in Grass Valley.

This is a nice little shop in Old Town. They have these adorable "Rocking Sheep". Bob really wants one. He says he wants it for the grandkids, but I know better! And again our Stalkers showed up!

Stop #4 was at Auburn Needleworks. Mapquest gave us bad directions so we had to call the shop. We eventuallu found it in the Gold Country Mall Building.

I thought it humorous that its located next to a hypno therapy place. Makes me wonder if tyhat is how people deal with their yarn addictions or if that's how they get new customers. (You are very sleepy. You want to knit...you want to buy lots of yarn...) They are a very well stocked shop and I think they carry almost every color of Cascade 220. The owner, Lisa was very friendly and helpful. She is the organizer of the shop hop. We weren't the only ones who had tr0ouble getting their. Our stalkers had to call for directions too. We saw them as we were heading out.

Next stop, Filati's in Rocklin. We were making good time so we decided to grab lunch after this stop and then head down to Modesto for the Central Valley legof the hop.

My Stalkers showed up again so we of course had to snap a picture.

Next stop Modesto for the Urban Sheep Knit Boutique. It shares space with a health food store so I felt compelled to buy some hemp yarn to make up into a shopping bag.

From Modesto we came back up 99 to Stockton to Knit Witz. This is a cute shop in Old Town and the ladies there were very sweet. They could not believe how many shops we planned to hit in one day.

Lodi was next. This proved to be quite a challenge as Map quest had us driving down Elm Street to find Pleasant Street and the 2 do not intersect. It was 5:15 and they closed at 5:30 pm. After a frantic call for directions we made it at 5:25pm. They then told us they were staying open until 6.

Next stop was to have been the Elk Grove Yarn Shop bu they closed at 6 so we hit the other yarn shop in Elk Grove, Knitique. It was a Stitch and Bitch night so lots of people were already there. Lo and Behold in walked my stalkers. They had cut across to my LYS Babetta's and then up the Highway 50 corridor to get the shops in Placerville and Cameron Park. We laughed over their stalking as I bought an adorable knitting bag from Ireland.

We all then headed to Woodland for our last stop of the day, Reynold's Knitting Pretty Yarn Shop. After some brief confusion about West Main Street and East Main Street we arrive at our destination. Bob & the owner struck up a conversation about Okinawa, where her husband had been stationed while I browsed for yarn. My stalkers showed up and we chatted and exchanged info before heading back to town.

On our way home we stopped at Spaghetti Factory for a celebratory dinner of spaghetti A La Homer. We were also treated to an incredible lightning show on the final leg of our drive. Here is my Sherpa at the end of the day. If he looks a little blurry that's ok; that's kind of how we felt at that point!

Mystery Swap Package!

2009-05-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Its always a good day when a package arrives in the mail. Especially when it involves yarn and goodies. I received my package from my Mystery Swap Partner, Tiffany, who chose "Japan" as her theme. Being that she lives in Japan, she had a head start.

There is a great book of knitting stitches. Its written in Japanese, but they chart everything so I should be able to figure everything out pretty easily.

The yarn reminds me of green tea ice cream. Not sure what I will make from it yet.

And the dpns! I have never seen dpns this long! (See quarter for comparison) I told Bob I could knit socks for Bigfoot now if I had to.

Bushel and a Peck

2009-04-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a day for running errands the last of which was a stop at the grocery store to pick up some fixins for a Greek salad. While there, we remembered that we needed a birthday card for one of Bob's co-workers and a Mother's Day card for his Mom. He went to pick out the birthday card and left the Mother's Day selection to me. I was looking at the musical cards when one of them hit me emotionally and it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears. It played "Bushel and a Peck" sung by Doris Day. My Mother used to sing that song to me when I was a little girl and just hearing it brought back a flood of memories. I lost my Mother in 2002 and I still miss her. I loved the fact that even though I was a grown woman I was still her "baby" that she loved to hug. I miss her brushing my hair and the talks we had. I lost my Dad in 1999 so when she passed away I felt like an orphan. I know she would be excited to see that I have picked up knitting. She tried to teach me as a child but I never got it then. I guess I need to go have a good cry and get it out of my system tonight.

Thought for the Day

2009-04-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

I got this in an e-mail from my Mother-In-Law today and I like the sentiment:

Be the kind of woman
that when your feet
hit the floor each
morning the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Intervention for a Dog?

2009-03-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

Every now and the, Bob gets a little stressed and will fix himself a crown and coke and relax in the evening. (One bottle will last about a year and a half in our house at the rate he drinks) Yesterday evening, Bob was tired, and vegging out before heading to bed. I was in the den and he came to tell me something and when he came back in the living room he yelled "What the Hell?" It seems that our alcoholic dog, Honey (who will steal beer cans, drink the beer and eat the can - we think she's part goat) was on the couch slurping his drink. Bob was not amused. Honey seemed to enjoy it. I am wondering if I should stage an intervention.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sleeping In...NOT!

2009-03-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Weekend mornings are supposed to be for sleeping in. That rarely happens in this house with 5 critter who keep devising new ways to get me out of bed in the morning. There is Sweetie Pie with the "potty dance" which is a 55 pound dog tap dancing on hardwood floors sounding like the entire Rockette's kick line in your bedroom. There is Honey Bun the 75 poung dog who either tries to tip toe across the bed, licks your face or her newest trick of sneezing directly on her intended target's face. MoMo gets right in my face and starts meowing trying to convinve me he is starving to death and hasn't eatten in days. Sayuri, is more subtle and just stares at you until you get that creepy feeling that someone is watching you and open your eyes to a cat face 2 inches from yours.

Well this morning, Miss Itty Bitty got in on the act. I was sleeping on my side and she was curled up with her head on my shoulder. I awole to the sounds of "HAAAHHK HAAHHK HAAHHK" directly in my ear and realized I was about to get a very unpleasant wake up call. I rolled over quickly flinging Miss Thing to the floor where she produced her offering. Not how I wanted to wake up. I went to clean it up and almost experienced a sympathetic response and then would have had an even bigger mess to clean up!

Ok Ok! I'm awake now!

Travels on a Wednesday.

2009-03-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Its so nice to have a day off in the middle of the week.

This morning Bob decided to make breakfast so we lingered over french toast and bacon while we decided what to do today. I have been wanting to take our old freezer to the dump so we decided that would be the activity of the morning. Bob loaded it in the back of the truck and off we went. The dump is no fun place in our town. You drive in, pay your fee and then back into one of the unloading bays and step out into a world of stink. I am amazed at what people throw away. I saw furniture that needed minor repairs and a fake ficus in perfect condition. Sometimes I get disgusted by the waste in our society.

As we pulled out and headed back down Fruitridge we decided spur of the moment to take a drive. We ended up heading out the Jackson Highway. It was so nice to hear meadowlarks singing and see wide open fields. I wish I had brought my camera, but this was an unplanned trip. We saw yarn on the hoof (sheep) and many herds of beef cattle. Let me interject here that I am glad I am not a cow. I watched some of those calves having breakfast and have to say if I were Momma Cow I would be putting an end to the head butt thing while nursing!

We ended up in Placerville and since IO had always wanted to try it, we decided to have lunch at Sweetie Pie's. Its located on Main Street in an old Victorian home that was built around 1865. They have restored it and the food is great. I had a chili rellano casserole and Bob had a french dip. We decided we would have to come back and try their breakfast menu. Best of all, they are right next door to Lofty Lou's, Placerville's yarn shop. Let's just say I fell off my yarn diet today. Its a tiny shop but the people are very friendly. They had some interesting yarn made from, of all things, banana fiber. It felt like the stringy part of the peel, but not slimy. One of the girls also showed me a yarn made of 100% sugar cane. It was very smooth and silky like the bamboo yarn I have seen. I am amazed at what they make yarn out of these days. I guess if times were tough I could try to eat my stash!

As I type this, Bob is firing up the grill for dinner. This has been such a wonderful relaxing day!

CBS Cares - Just a little too much!

2009-02-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

CBS is launching a new sweepstakes as part of its community service outreach. If you are the lucky winner, CBS will fly you and a companion to New York City for a 3 night stay at the Loews Regency Hotel and a .... FREE COLONOSCOPY!

From the website:

This is an actual sweepstakes and, if you are the grand prize winner, we will fly you and a companion to New York where you will receive a free colonoscopy. You will also be given three nights' accommodation in a suite at the luxurious Loews Regency Hotel, which will include the night before you are "awarded" the colonoscopy.

What should you expect if you are the lucky winner?

The hardest part is the preparation the night before when you drink a laxative. This laxative is well known for declaring itself at the very moment you have called a relative or friend (or room service) to comment that it does not seem to be working. But hang in, because it's important to have a clear colon for the screening and the fun part is about to begin --

The colonoscopy at the Center for Specialty Care will be done by Dr. Paul Miskovitz -- a leading gastro-enterologist in New York City and expert on colorectal cancer. When the colonoscopy is about to begin, you'll be given drugs which will make you feel like you're at Woodstock... only without the music. If you start to believe that you actually are at Woodstock (for example, Dr. Miskovitz starts to look like Jimi Hendrix or you feel inclined to say "far out!" in response to questions), please report the side effect to Dr. Miskovitz or Jimi Hendrix (whomever you see first) immediately.

Now just in case you were wondering what to get Bob (who turns 50 this year) for his birthday...

Lazy Rainy Sunday

2009-02-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those lovely rainy days just made for sitting inside by the fire with a good book, a good movie or a knitting project. While I don't have the fire, I have books, movies and knitting to last me for quite some time. Laundry is also keeping me company, as are 3 cats who want to cuddle with my knitting. I am currently working on a scarf for Christmas at Sea and will start some children's hats for Sariah's Father who is a combat medic in Afghanistan. He is distributing baby formula to families in the region. Hey, the best way to combat the terrorists is to fight ignorance and poverty with kindness!

Update

2009-02-19T11:22:00.001-08:00

Lately I have felt like someone gave me a membership to the "Germ of the Month Club" and neglected to tell me. I am back to feeling better again with just a residual cough. Yesterday, on our day off we had to do some emergency fence repairs. Part of the fence in the back yard blew down and our dogs were visiting next door at Randy's. Its too wet to reset the 4x4 post in concrete so we did a quick fix. Or should I say Bob & Chuck did the work and I stayed in the house and knit. (I like that system)

And no, I do not know when Chuck is due.

Customer Service Dilemna

2009-02-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Today at Bob's work they encountered a customer service dilemma. A customer was doing and even exchange on a dresser (customer returns a dresser they bought because of damage and exchange it for another of the same model). When this happens, the returned item is inspected to see if it can be repaired and then resold in the clearance center, returned to vendor or trashed. While inspecting said dresser, the technician came across a set of "anal beads". Now here is the dilemma. Do you you:

A) Call customer and tell them to come pick they up;
B) UPS them back to customer; or
C) Put on your hazmat gloves and dispose of them?

Browns Fans Need Love Too.

2009-02-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Some Browns fans needed a little extra love today after watching the Steelers win their sixth Superbowl.

How to tell when your shower is done

2009-01-24T13:45:00.001-08:00

When I got married I got a special gift from Father Candy: a cookbook and a smoke alarm so I, in his words, would know when dinner was done.

Fast forward to today. The current project in the bathroom remodel is now the painting of the door. Or, the striping of the 50 years of paint off the door to repaint it before we put the tile floor in. Bob has started the striping of paint and the door looks like a modern art project. He had wanted to take it completely off and outside to work, but with the rains this week, he just took off the door knob. Now a missing doorknob on the bathroom door does not bother me. We are not having company over and most of the times I leave the door open while "enthroned" because I have 3 cats who just freak out if there is a closed door in between me and my entourage. They will yowl, scratch and stick various body parts under the door in an attempt to let me know that they must be there to protect me. The only time I shut the door is when I take a shower because the smoke alarm is right outside the bathroom door and steam will set off smoke alarms. You can see where I am going with this.

Today, I forgot to bring in the entourage and pushed the door shut and stepped into a nice steamy hot shower. I was washing my hair and missed the entrance of Mo Mo, my self appointed Head Body Guard, who being talented enough to open the door is not talented enough to shut it afterwards. My relaxing reverie was broken with the klaxon whining of the smoke alarm going off and the frantic skitterings of 3 cats trying to make a break for it and cast blame on the other 2. Nothing like trying to rinse shampoo out of your eyes with a smoke alarm going off and having to run naked into the hallway to wave a towel to dissipate the steam and realizing that the curtains are open and you have just given the entire neighborhood a show that no one in their right mind would pay to see. By the time I got the smoke alarm stopped, dried off, dressed, and cleaned up the puddles of water off the floor, I walk in to the living room to find my entourage sound asleep as if nothing had ever happened.

Thanks Father Candy. I am thinking of you today!

Meeting Louisa Harding

2009-01-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Today, my local yarn shop, Babetta's Yarn and Gifts had a real live knitting designer, Louisa Harding, come in for a book signing. I have to admit I was a little nervous. I have never met a famous knitting designer in person. I kept pestering my Knit Night Group about proper etiquette for encountering a designer. Was I supposed to curtsey (she is British) or fall prostrate on the ground and grovel? While no one was quite sure, they did think that there might be some ritualistic washing of fleece.

The big day arrived and I wore one of my 2 knitting shirts ( The "I learned to Knit in Prison" one)courtesy of Franklin.
Some of us were very well behaved.

Some of us were a little excited at the prospect of meeting someone famous.

Ms Harding arrived and was so sweet and gracious. She brought many of her designs knitted up so you could see them in person. Its one thing to see a design in a book and another to see it in real life where you can touch it and try it on. Lisette had knit up one of Ms. Harding's designs and finished it in time to wear to the signing. Louisa was flattered and then insisted on having her try on another of her designs.

Doesn't she look fabulous?

Ms. Harding was so nice and gracious and took time to visit with everyone. It was so nice to see her designs and how they look on real people like Dame Edna, aka Adeline

Maya, Babetta's daughter, and Maya's lovely children,

and Kelly who was just a little shy about taking her turn on the catwalk.

Louisa Harding very graciously signed books and chatted with everyone. She also talked about what some of her inspirations were.
Louisa and Chantal,

with Claire and Alexander,

with Kelly,

with Carrie,

with Adeline,

with Val,

and with me. Did I mention how gracious and patient Ms. Harding is?

really patient

I am looking forward to knitting up some of the deigns from the books I bought and can't want for the next designer Babetta schedules!

Jennifer and the Donner Party

2009-01-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Jennifer is sick of snow and the longer winter goes the more testy she becomes. Especially when I taunt her with our weather reports about sun and temperatures in the 70s.

Because of this I have a new theory about the Donner Party.

My theory is that they did not eat people because they were hungry. They ate people because they were trapped in a small confined space surrounded by snow and one member of the party kept going on about how warm and delightful the weather was in California! They had to shut 'em up somehow and waste not want not!

NOTE TO SELF: Never go camping in remote area with Jennifer.

Community Service

2009-01-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, people decided the best way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King was do celebrate his holiday with a day of service. I say this is a great start but why stop at one day? Its like Christmas. Why just have one day to be nice to our fellow man? We should be nice to our fellow man every day.

Perhaps the best way to start would be to bring back common courtesy. Start saying "please" and "thank you". Hold doors open for people. Smile.

Find a way to volunteer that you enjoy and commit time every month to help your fellow man.

We have a responsibility to leave this world a better place than we found it.

Wake-up Call

2009-01-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

There are some lovely ways to wake up in the morning:

1. The smell of fresh brewed coffee

2. The smell of bacon cooking.

3. The sound of Brad Pitt whispering "Good morning Darling."

A 75 pound dog sneezing in your face first thing in the morning is not one of them!

What's Up Doc?

2009-01-14T16:04:00.001-08:00

The weather this week has been so glorious and spring-like you just have to go outside. It was a pleasure to drive downtown with the window down. Bob, was not as enthusiastic and kept muttering about being cold.

After running errands, which included replacing the broken globe for the bathroom like so its pretty again, we headed down the the Crocker Art Museum to see the "Art of Warner Brothers" exhibit before it closes on the 18th.

It was such fun to peruse the sketches and animation cells and recall the different cartoons. They even had cartoons running downstairs. I stood to watch until the bitchy security guard told me to "quit leaning on the wall". I guess I look like s shifty sort because she kept her eye on me. I almost wish I had been wearing my "I learned to knit in Prison" t-shirt!

As for knitting, I seem to be on a sock kick. I finished the pair from Christmas for Kirsten at bowling and started 2 pair for myself and have yarn for another raring to go. When I finish something I will post pictures.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2009-01-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

In the latest segment of the never ending bathroom fix up I present:

The Good:

We finally bought a new light fixture to replace the one I hated.

The Bad:

Its a little bright but I think if we lower the wattage on the bulbs it will be fine.

The Ugly:

Bob, who did the entire installation in the dark (or maybe that's dork) with 2 flashlights dropped one of the glass covers and shattered it so he has to order a new one at Home Depot. (Now you know why I bought Home Depot stock)

20 Tips for Making 2009 a Positive Year!

2009-01-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

My friend Walter sent me this in an e-mail and I thought this was worth sharing

"20 Tips for Making 2009 a Positive Year!"

1. Take a 10-30 minute "Thank you" walk every day. While you walk practice gratitude. it is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. Buy a TIVO, tape your late night shows and get more sleep - it's the ultimate energizer.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is to___________ today.

5. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6. Read more books than you did in 2008.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Do the "one thing" you have always wanted to do.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

11. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

12. Engage in daily random acts of kindness.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing positive energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished____________.

19. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Snoring rumors

2009-01-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

There is a vicious rumor going around, being perpetuated by my husband no less, that I snore. Now I, being the delicate flower that I am, find this hard to believe. I mean my husband snores loud enough to wake the dead at times so I fail to see how he could notice if I snored. He claims that I have kept him from hearing the tv when I have fallen asleep while watching dvds in the bedroom. Lies all lies I tell you! The other day he says he woke up thinking he heard a mouse chewing in the walls and then it got louder and he says it was me. Now how can ones snoring sound like a squeaky little mouse in the walls? I think I will have to make an appointment to have his hearing checked.

Winter In The Valley

2009-01-04T10:55:00.001-08:00

Winter here in the Sacramento Valley means fog. Winter mornings are gray, damp, drippy and cold. By about 11 am the sun manages to burn through and brighten things up, but there is no heat in the sunshine. The bulbs out front are hinting at the promise of spring. We have little sprouts on the hyacinth and tulips. I have not seen the daffodils, but I think they became squirrel hors d'oeuvres some time ago. Days like this It is pleasant to be inside knitting. Now that the holidays are over I do not feel the mad rush to finish projects. I still have one pair of socks to finish, but I need to try one on the recipient to see if I have them long enough to start the toes decreases.

Yesterday, I was at a birthday party and was approached by Father Candy who informed me that he loves his fingerless gloves and would like another pair and a pair for Mother Candy. Now a request from Father Candy is very much like a request from the Godfather. Its an "offer you can't refuse". I have some Baby Alpaca Grande laying around and I will see if I have some chunky wool blend in the stash.

The only hazard to knitting is the fact that when its cold, the cats become far more cuddly. Its not that they like you more, its the fact that you are a warm place to lay. At night you can gauge temperature by how many critters end up in bed with you. Sweetie Pie now lays in the bedroom and soon as Bob gets up she dances around until he lifts her on the bed and then she snuggles in the mink blanket in doggie heaven. I think she would stay there all day if she could.

Goals for 2009?

2009-01-02T13:17:00.001-08:00

Its hard to believe its 2009 already. Where did 2008 go to? I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. I want to finish some of the sewing projects that have been languishing in the studio. If I can finish some of the and clear the out, it will get easier to organize things. Organization at home seems to be one of my downfalls as a confirmed, lifelong pack rat.

I also want to start tackling the garage. There are times I think I might find Jimmy Hoffa out there amongst the rubble. Bob wants to do some rewiring out there to get rid of the Rube Goldberg system Dad had rigged up.

I want to make time to read more. I am currently reading "Gone With The Wind" and really enjoying it. The movie is great, but there is so much more to the story and characters.

I want to knit more too. I enjoyed making Christmas gifts for most of the family this year. Puts me more in the spirit.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

2009 came in amidst much snoring in our house since Bob had to be at work at 6am this morning. Its been a while since my last post so a few updates.

First and foremost, Miss Itty Bitty is back at home and just as feisty as ever. She spent the weekend at the vet's office. They syringe fed her and gave her kitty pepto until she was able to eat on her own again. We were able to bring her home on Monday and she was quite happy to be back.

I however, was hit with a nasty flu virus that knocked me on my ass and kept me in bed for a week (I was too sick to knit!). I am pretty sure that I coughed up a lung somewhere along the way. The doctor said this bug is nasty, last 7-9 days and leaves you with a cough for about 3 weeks. I am finally starting to feel human again. Luckily, we got NCIS, CSI & House dvds for Christmas so I had plenty to occupy my mind.

With the new year, so many people make resolutions of things they want to do in the coming year. I read somewhere that one church is encouraging people to make "to be" lists instead. I think that is a better idea. Of course, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up so this may be a problem!

Prayers for Itty Bitty

2008-12-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

Miss Itty Bitty is sick.

She has been rather lethargic and not eating. We took her to the vet tonight and they think she may have a blockage. On the x-ray it looks like it might be a small piece of yarn. I feel so guilty!

They are keeping her over night to see if it passes and if she eats a little. She may need surgery tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

Its a great year when we get 2 "turkey days" in one month. Won't happen again for another 4 years.

However, it has been pointed out to me that if the Indians had given the pilgrims a donkey instead of turkey we would all be getting a piece of ass for Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Its getting hard to tell the crazies from the sane..

2008-11-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of blue tooths. (Or is that blue teeth?)It used to be you could tell the crazy people because they were the ones talking to themselves in public places. Now everywhere you go there is someone holding a loud personal conversation with no one on matters that most people would not want broadcast to the world because they own a blue tooth.

I have been in a bathroom stall when I have heard a voice in the stall next to me whisper "Can you hear me?"
"Uh, yes."
"I really need some advice."
"Ok..."
"Do you think I should continue to date Todd, now that his best friend has told him that he likes me but thinks he might be gay and Tod's wife may be pregnant?"
"Um...who's Todd"
"Hold on a second, there is some crazy person in the next stall listening in on my conversation."

Its so hard to tell if you are the intended conversee. I have heard people discuss bodily functions, sex practices, yell at their kids as though no one else were around and use language that would make sailors blush. Its almost as if they have such a sense of self importance that the rest of the world does not matter. Whatever happened to common courtesy.

I guess I am going to have to start looking for the tin foil hats to know the true crazy people!

Things I love

2008-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Recently, my friend Kim tagged me with a meme to blog about 7 things that I love. That is pretty easy.

1. I love my husband.

Bob and I met online back in 1998. He was separated from his wife at the time and not looking to meet anyone. I had just got a computer and was enjoying meeting new friends on line. We e-mailed back and forth for a while and then he finally gave me his phone number so I could talk to him and finally be convinced that he was not some crazy axe murderer from Ohio. We finally met and I knew he was the one. After his divorce became final he moved to California. We got engaged in 2003 at a Fourth of July concert at Raley Field. He had got up to get something and when he came back, I looked over and he was on one knee. I thought he had tripped and then I saw the ring. My answer to his all important question? "Are you serious?" (he will never let me forget that.) I love my husband because I enjoy his company. I love the fact that we can talk about anything. We have fun together. I am so comfortable around him. I am a pretty solitary person, and if he were not around I would probably end up as one of those crazy cat ladies with about 50 cats. (My goal in life is to have enough money to be "eccentric" instead of just "weird") I sometime wish I had known him when we were both younger.

2. I love my parents.
I was the caboose child. Mom & Dad had a 13 year old and a 15 year old and were entering their 40's when I came in the picture. They took an active part in my life volunteering in school and after school activities. They were strict but loving parents. They expected much of me so I came to expect much of myself. Both of my parents were born in the 20s and lived through the Great Depression and WWII. They gave me a good solid grounding and life, a great moral compass, and good values. If someone needed a helping hand, they would do what ever they could to give them support. I don't mean money. They taught me the value of just being there for someone. I know as a teenager I struggled for Independence and thought they were fuddy duddies, but as I got older, I came to appreciate their wisdom and patience. I lost my Dad in 1999 and my Mom in 2002. There is not a day that I do not think about them or utilize some of the knowledge that they passed on to me.

3. I love a good book.
There is nothing like losing yourself in the pages of a good book. There have been some books I could not put down. Others, were so well written that I could visualize the locales, seeing the sights, smelling the scents and even losing myself in the characters. My parents encouraged reading. Lunch at home meant sitting at the table with my bowl of spaghetti O's and reading. Some of my favorite books are "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck, the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Under the Tuscan Sun", the "Harry Potter" books, and historical fiction.

4. I love the sound of cats purring.
When one of my kitties curls up on my chest and the purr begins, it is such a contented sound. All is right with the world.

5. I love being inside during a storm and listening to the wind howl and rage outside while I am warm and cozy inside. It reminds me just how blessed I am in life.

6. I love the ocean. There is something about the ocean that recharges my soul. I think it might be the blood of my Viking ancestors. I love the walking with my toes in the water. (Even when its freezing cold) I love sand between my toes, the roar of the waves, looking for shells and sea glass and the smell of the sea air.

7. I love to create/craft things. I enjoy the whole creative process be it sewing, knitting, writing or any other of my many creative endeavors.

I will now tag Serena, Clare, Hazel, Cheryl, Jamie and Jerry

Birthday B&B

2008-11-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

This year for my birthday, my husband decided to give me a special treat. He knows that I get a little down on my birthday because that is one day I really miss my Mother. She used to make a big fuss over me on my birthday.

This year, Bob decided to take me away to a Bed & Breakfast. He asked me where I would like to go and I suggested the foothills. So Wednesday morning we headed up Interstate 80 for our little mid week get away.

Our first stop was Old Town Nevada City. Its a quaint little town along Highway 49, "The Gold Country Highway". There is a lot of history to be seen and many quaint shops and unique eateries.

Beer - its not just for breakfast anymore!

We then headed over to the Empire Mine. The fall colors were spectacular. It was so refreshing to see the cerulean blue sky and to smell the pine scented air. It was a gorgeous day to be outside!

Even Bob was excited to be outside.

Really.

The grounds of the Empire Mine are lovely. The owner based his home and garden designs on homes he saw in Europe so it has the "Old World" feel to it. You almost feel like you are visiting a European Manor House.

After exploring a bit, which for me did not include entering the mine as I am extremely claustrophobic (I am starting to hyperventilate just thinking about it!), we headed off to check in at our Bed & Breakfast.

Bob looked at a lot of sites for B&B's in the Gold country and finally settled on the Sierra Sun Cloud Inn. Its a beautiful home on 18 acres at the top of a hill in a private community.

We stayed in the "Sundance Room, which overlooks the pond. From our very comfortable bed

We could watch the sunset.

The owners Guy & Alysia were very gracious hosts and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. We drove into Colfax and had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant called Bella Sera. The food was excellent and the ambiance wonderful. After dinner we walked through town and peeked in all the windows. Only one shop was open, the Whistle Stop Quilt Shop. They were having a small class but welcomed us in. Wouldn't you know it, I found yarn! I bought some 100% linen yarn at quite a steal.

We went back to the B&B and settled in to the game room to relax and watch "The Bucket List" which we thoroughly enjoyed. Guy brought up some homemade pumpkin pie for us to snack on.

The next morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast of pastries filled with sausage and eggs, yogurt with fresh berries, and fried potatoes. After breakfast we walked around the grounds and admired the views.

Even though you are only 2 miles from Interstate 80, you feel like you are far away from everything. The B&B backs up to the Weimar Institure with miles of hiking trails, but this was a relaxing trip so we did more eating, shopping and snoozing.

After leaving the B&B and bidding farewell to our gracious hosts, knowing that we will definitely come back, we went into Colfax to eat at the "Drooling Dog Barbecue". We ate ribs and made a mess but as Bob says, "if ribs ain't messy, they ain't good!" He also had a side of garlic potatoes. These people take their garlic seriously! It wasn't minced garlic but whole cloves of roasted garlic in there. Luckily he wasn't planning on kissing anyone but me.

After lunch we went to Grass Valley and did some shopping and yes, I found the yarn shop on the main drag. Fibers is a lovely little shop staffed with friendly people. They are getting ready to launch a web store. They also come up with some very unique kit ideas. Bob's favorite part of the store was a rocking sheep that bahh'd. It was so cute! He almost bought it.

We headed back home feeling tired but refreshed mentally. Can't wait to go back!

Lucky to Be Alive

2008-11-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

I love my husband very much. That does not mean that I don't get the urge to kill him sometimes.

My husband snores. Loudly. In the time we have been married, I have gotten used to his snoring. In fact when he stops snoring it will wake me up and I will poke him to make sure he is still breathing.

The other night after waking up from a nightmare involving large spider webs and my cousins, I decided to visit the bathroom before going back to bed. When I got back in bed, Bob was not snoring. I put my hand on him and he was not moving. I felt in a different spot and still no breathing. At least I knew he had not been dead long as he was still warm. I am starting to panic a little so I go to check his pulse at his throat at which point he starts giggling "I'm alive!". He heard me get up and when I came back to bed he thought it would be funny to hold his breath to scare me. I did not find this very amusing at the time and called him a very specific portion of anatomy.

He is lucky I love him.

NO!!!!!

2008-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought it was safe to watch television again, free from campaign ads....they start showing CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS!!!

NO NO NO! Not until after Thanksgiving!

Election Over

2008-11-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

The press is positively giddy this morning that the candidate they have been pushing for the past year has won the election. I am happy to see the high votor turnout and that in the popular vote, the race was a close one.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 4 years.

One thing I do not understand is the almost worshipful attitude of Obama's suppoters. He is just a man, not the Messiah. Of course, I never could understand Kennedy's appeal either.

Its almost over!

2008-11-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks goodness after almost 2 years of campaigning, the election is almost over! I will be so glad to not have all the ads, pundits, mailers, fanatics etc. for a while. I am happy that people are finally taking an interest in the electoral process. Voting is not just a right, its a responsibility.

Daylight Savings

2008-11-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

No one bothered to explain daylight savings to the animals in our house. At 6:30 am Honey decided it was time for her to be fed. At 75 pounds she can be very persistent!

Oh No! Meatloaf Again!

2008-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Last night while flipping channels, we came across a showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on broadcast TV. It was kind of like meeting someone you thought was hot at a drunken frat party in the daylight. What seems so much fun and entertaining at the midnight movies is actually pretty boring and campy in real life. We did try yelling responses at the tv, but its just not the same.

New Bathroom

2008-10-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

I will be coming home today to a new bathroom. This has been an ongoing process. It started when we noticed a leak in the pipe leading to the toilet tank had caused softening of the linoleum. Bob ripped up the floor. I have always wanted tile so we looked at tile at Home Depot. In the meantime, the bathroom floor has been down to the floor framing. This has been kind of freaky when you realize that you can see into the crawl space. As the sun is going down, the light coming through the vents would cause an eerie glow coming up from below the floor. (No more Stephen King books for me!)

So Bob finally went out a few weeks ago and out down the backer board for the tile. He cut it to fit perfectly, but forgot about the fact that the sink and toilet roll holder stick out so he gouged the wall a few times. We had hoped not to have to paint, but Bob took care of that.

Last night we pickled out and bought paint and new towel bars. Today, Bob is painting so hopefully next week he will tile. I will be so glad when this is done!

190? HOLY POO!

2008-10-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

I bowled a 190 game tonight. My average is 124. Nuff said.

America's Heartland

2008-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am getting pretty tired of the media and people on the editorial page putting down people who live in the heartland as dumb hicks who stand around with a stalk of grass in their teeth, drinking a six pack and scratching their ass.

My Grandparents were from the heartland. They were good, decent, hardworking people. They has strong values, believed in God,and did not ask for anything. They did not believe so much in "hand outs" as in "a hand up". They probably would have given you the shirt off their back if you asked. They were intelligent and well read. (Intelligent people believe in God too! An intelligent person knows that they are not the center of the universe!)

The only time the media seems to care about what the heartland thinks is when the Iowa caucuses roll around. The rest of the time they seem to think of them as dumb rednecks and that the only people whose political opinions matter are the ones that live in "the big city". Well frankly, I would rather listen to someone from the heartland who knows the meaning of hard work, commitment and sacrifice than some politician from the "big city" who can't give you a straight answer to any questions.

First Rain

2008-10-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

We've had our first rain of the fall. Not much, but enough to get that clean rain smell and make all the local TV stations start their "storm watch" and crank up the Doppler radar. Some poor hapless reporter will be sent on location to demonstrate that its wet outside.

The weather is starting to cool down again and I can bring out my hand knit scarves and start wearing them. I love the cool weather. Especially on a weekend, when I can sit at home on the couch all warm and cozy and knit. I love listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. I love the howl of the wind when we get a big storm. I love watching the rain fall. I think I love the rain because that is when I feel most blessed. I have a roof over my head, warm food to eat and I am surrounded by those who love me. The storms of life may rage, but I know I have been blessed. Even if there is a storm in my life, I know that like all storms, it will not last forever.

Right now I am actually knitting a striped scarf for myself from Noro Silk Garden. Its a rustic yarn (meaning as you knit bits of vegetable matter often fall out of it and it varies in thickness through the skein) made of silk and wool. The colors of Noro yarn are amazing. I am using 2 skeins and alternating them. One is very neutral colors: brown, tan & grey while the other is all fall colors: orange, red, yellow and green. Its a fun knit because you never know how the stripes will play out.

Ticket to Paradise

2008-09-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed that my Mother came to visit. Now having your Mother come to visit is not a strange thing, but my Mother passed away in 2002 and she was visiting from Heaven. It was the last day of her visit and she was sitting on her end of the couch and I was laying with my head in her lap like I did when I was a child. I was telling her how much I enjoyed seeing her again and I wished she could stay longer or come back again. She told me she didn't think she could, but she would see what she could do and I had to hurry to get her to the airport. We got to the airport and went past the regular terminals to one where the destination read "Paradise". People who were saying good-bye were sad, but those getting on the plane were so happy and excited. I couldn't help thinking how wonderful it would be if we were able to just go to the airport to pick up up loved ones who have passed on and bring them back for a visit. It was also wonderful to see how happy the Departing Passengers were.

I woke up sad and happy: sad from missing my Mother, but happy knowing she is happy where she is at. (Of course, I might be in trouble when my time comes because I hate to fly!)

New Flavor for Ben & Jerry's?

2008-09-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

PETA is asking Ben & Jerry's to use human breast milk in their ice cream. I am afraid I keep getting this visual of a bunch of women hooked up to milking machines eating bon bons and watching soaps all day. Working in workers comp, I also have visuals of the claims that are going to be filed!

Lightheaded

2008-09-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

You could say I am feeling a little light headed today.

This is the result of having 14 inches cut off to donate to "Locks of Love".
Its been 2 years since I last cut it. Last time I only did 11 inches.

As we left Supercuts, I noticed a small consignment store that has just opened and I decided to reward myself with a new knitting bag.

I couldn't resist!

Bad Cats, Bad Cats, Watchoo Gonna Do?

2008-09-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

We have discovered a new way to play with Miss Itty Bitty: the flashlight. She will chase the beam of light all over the house and will run over the top of anything in her way, including other cats, and the dogs. She has become so obsessed that if you click the flashlight on and off in the other room she will come tearing down the hall. One humorous side affect of this is that she is now addicted to "Cops"; especially if there is a night chase. She will stare at the tv and her head follows every movement of the flashlights on the screen.

Karma

2008-09-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I just found out that the person that my former employer hired to replace me has quit and today was her last day. She did not last 6 months. My sources tell me that she was amazed at how the office is run and glad to have moved on to a job that pays signifigantly more. They have hired a new person: a friend of a current employee. It figures. LOL!

You've got to love Texans!

2008-09-14T17:49:00.001-07:00

In viewing the coveraghe from Hurrican Ike, I have found some little blurbs on some ordinary people from Fox news.

1. South of Galveston, authorities said 67-year-old Ray Wilkinson was the only resident who didn't evacuate from Surfside Beach, population 800. He was drunk and waving when authorities reached him on Saturday morning.

"He kinda drank his way through the night," Mayor Larry Davison said.

2. Sedonia Owen, 75, and her son, Lindy McKissick, defied evacuation orders in Galveston because they wanted to protect their neighborhood from possible looters. She was watching floodwaters recede from her front porch Saturday morning, armed with a shotgun.

"My neighbors told me, 'You've got my permission. Anybody who goes into my house, you can shoot them,'" said Owen.

One Man Can Make A Difference

2008-09-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the world, but thought to yourself, "I'm only one person"? I had the opportunity to hear one man speak who is making a huge difference in an area of the world that figures prominently in current events. His name is Greg Mortenson and he is the author of "The Cups of Tea"

and the director of the Central Asia Institute.

His story came out of failure. He was attempting to climb K2 in the Himalayas, the world's second highest mountain, as a tribute to his late sister, but he became ill and wandereed into a village sick, stinking from not bathing in almost 3 months and disappointed. He was nused back to health and wanted to show his thanks in a practical way. His meentor and host in the village Haji Ali told him that what they needed was a school for their children who currently studies in the open often writing their lessons in the dirt. He came back to the US determined to fufill his promise. His book "Three Cups of Tea" describes his efforts and his eventual success in building a school.

Since then, his organization has grown and has built 64 schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have provided scholarships for higher education, paid teachers salaries, done public health projects and extablished women's centers where women can learn vocational skills and help support their families.

Why Pakistan and Afghanistan? In these areas educational opportinuties are often limited and even more limited for girl. By establishing education, especially for girls, you provide long term stability for the region. As literacy increases, infant mortality decreases, family size decreases, poverty decreases and Hope increases. By battling poverty and ignorance one student at a time, Greg Mortenson is bringing hope and prosperity to some of the world's poorest people.

Greg likes to quote an African proverb that says "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a community". I would encourage everyone to read his book and support his remarkable vision for peace through education.

Miss Itty Bitty and the Case of the Disappearing Poo

2008-09-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Recently, to save money, we have been buying the large bulk box of kitty litter instead of the buckets. We keep 2 buckets on hand one to put “kitty treasures” from the litter box in, and the other to carry fresh litter into the house as it is easier to manage than the large box.

Last night, Bob filled up the bucket with fresh litter and brought it in the house since he was cleaning the litter boxes. He set the bucket in the dining room while he went to clean the litter box in the den. I was sitting on the couch knitting and here the familiar “scritch scratch” of a kitty preparing to “make a deposit". I looked up and saw Miss Itty Bitty perched in the edge of the bucket in the “pooping position”. (For some reason she has to stand and arch her back to accomplish this task) It was hysterical. She was balanced like a frog with her back arched and proudly doing her business. I called Bob to the living room while I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face.

“What the Hell?” he shouted as he rushed to the bucket to position the scoop to catch her “deposits before they landed in the bucket. “Can’t you wait five minutes?”

I wish I had the camera to take a picture, but I was laughing too hard. She finished and jumped down and Bob stomped away with her “deposit” on the scoop. Poor Miss Itty Bitty turned to bury her “deposit” and got the most confused look on her face to find it had disappeared. She walked away then came back to see if it had magically re-appeared. Poor thing is probably still wondering what happened.

It was just too funny!

Forays in Felting

2008-08-30T12:44:00.001-07:00

With so many areas putting a moratorium on plastic & paper shopping bags, I think that knitted bags will be great gifts.

I finished knitting the handles on my French Market Bag this morning. I made a few modifications to the pattern. I made the bag 12 inches from the end of the increases so it would be a little deeper. I also decreased every 8 rows until I had 17 stitches then every 4 until I got to 9 stitches on the handles and ended with 8 rows of Stk St instead of 4.

I think it turned out kind of nice. The colors did not contract quite as much as I thought they would in the store.

Now I got to felt the bag. This was my first foray into felting. I took an old pillow case, put the bag in it and used a garbage bag tie to close it up. Put the washer on hot and small load, tossed in the pillow case and a couple of old towels and let it agitate. I checked it every 5 minutes or so. First thing I learned is that garbage bag ties do not stay on during agitation. Second is that felting is hot. There was a hint of wet dog smell, but that very possibly could have been me. I checked the bag to see how things progressed. It was like making a soup.

A very disgusting "Sheep Soup".

When things looked done to me, I set the washer on spin to get out a lot of the water. Per Maya's advice (from Babetta's Yarn and Gifts - my favorite LYS!) I let the spin work out until the water was down to a trickle then I opened the washer and removed the bag. O then rolled it in an old towel and pressed out the remaining water. I then blocked the bag by hanging it on a hanger and filling it with old plastic bags to held shape it and hung it at the end of the porch to dry. Its in the 90s today so should not take too long.

I must say I am pleased with the results! This one will probably be a Christmas gift, but I think I might make one for me in blues.

Ravelympics Results

2008-08-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the athletes have left the stadium, the medals have been awarded and I managed to finish 6 of the 8 tasks I set out to accomplish. I am happy with my accomplishments. Of the 10 completed tasks for our team, 6 were mine. I cast on for the French Market bag so the 2 that did not get finished are at least on the needles. The cabled hats gave me enough of a challenge to keep it interesting, but not overwhelming. I am amazed at what I can accomplish when I set my mind to it!

Never Not Knitting

2008-08-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Found this song on the web and I can so relate as a knitter! As can my husband. Hats off to Alana Dakos for her creativity!