knit, drink, knit, drink...where was I?

Bas-e-boru!

2008-04-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

My BIL's mom always cracked me up around baseball season - little Polish knitter,eating cheese and drinking tea, making her afghans and boxy sweaters out of cheap-ass Red Heart crap yarn all the while watching her Yankees. Her beloved, wonderful 'Yin-kiss'. I have to admit that I've always enjoyed the sound of wood on leather too, as a small white projectile is launched into outer space (or at least the parking lot).

My work buddy, R and I talk baseball a lot and he thinks it's funny that I know so much (or anything, for that matter) about the game. Obviously, he's never sat with a little old lady from Krakow and a ball of yarn, as she critqued coaches and players alike. He's not the history buff that I am, either - just finished a great bio about Sandy Kofax - such a mensch!. I was really happy when he (R, not Kofax) invited me to play on his team this summer. they play twice a month and the best part is the locale - Yes - Lynx effin' stadium (or whatever they call it now. A real field with other guys (yeah there's only me and another person with boobs...well, except for the occasional man-boob, I suppose but I digress) who love the game.

The sad fact is I realized how much older I was than R when we talked about our all time baseball hero and I blurted out "the one, the only, Bill freaking Lee!". R (who's Cantonese) asked 'is he Chinese?' Man, I laughed so hard the IT freaks I work with popped their heads out over the tops of their cubicles like some giant game of whack a Mole. Where's my mallet, boys, where's my mallet?

AWOL

2008-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Guilty - yup, it's my middle name but hey, I've been bbbbbuuuuuussssyyyyyy
I took a (lucrative) contract with(UFD 0unnamed federal dept)and haven't a moment to think since January. Then, I got a nice little gig with some small business people (which has led to 2 more - on top of the UFD gig). Don't even get me started about the time I spend dodging my weird neighbor who claims that she's my soul mate - yeah, about that - NO! That's a quote straight from her mouth BTW - who says that about somebody they've known for 2 months????? Someone needs a hobby...

I've also knit a pair of socks a week since the start of the year and have discovered the guilty pleasure of self-striping yarn - no counting rows at all!!!!!

In all of this, we've had a winter that is so close to where I grew up that I can honestly say that this is the first winter since I left home that I do not feel homesick. Snow banks too high to see over and slippery, alpine roads. This week held its own surprises, though. I looked out of my office window this week and right in the middle of the field that doubles as the local snow dump, a large, deep puddle has grown. AND right in the middle of this large, deep puddle - a pair of mallards!!!! Yes, honest to goodness ducks!!!! As in Quack, Quack, Quack (or Coin, Coin, Coin, pour les Francos) And to think that my business partner has been taunting me with claims that winter will last for 6 more weeks. I say nuts to that, there's ducks in them there puddles!

We're here for a good time, not a long time...

2008-02-18T07:15:00.001-08:00

I was so good to myself - didn't touch my laptop all weekend...stayed away from the temptations of the web for 48 short hours...only to wake up to a full plate of work (Must do! Must do!) and some terrible, terrible news.

Our much beloved Wille P has shed this mortal coil. The inspiration for Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, the singer-songwriter that melted many a February chill with his soul-wrenching lyrics and hard rock mandolin stylings is gone. His recent heart trouble was just a blip, we knew - he'd be back on the road as soon as his doctor okayed him for travel. H'd be loading in and out, just like old times. he wasn't going to leave us, ever.

He had the best smile in the world and a huge heart. I was fortunate to have had a conversation with him at the last show I attended and was overwhelmed by his modesty and shyness. "I'm glad that you liked it', he had replied to my babble, "I liked it , too'.

He could light up a stage, a room or a heart. He was like a dear friend to many of us and we will miss his presence in our lives. He leaves behind a rich musical legacy that we fans will be forever grateful for and I have a suspicion that he will be in the side lights of all Fred shows from now on, replacing strings and smiling that little boy grin,listening to Fred's tall tales and laughing along with us, just a step away from our hearts.

2008-01-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

Nashville says "what's the big deal with all this Blog stuff, any ways????"

Sharing time

I’m going to be delivering a session on building a business blog and was wondering – do you have a favorite (business) blog (or even a non-business one that is so extraordinary that you can’t help but get excited every time that you read it)? It’s time to share it! Send me the link to the blog and a short paragraph about the content, the author(s) and why you think it rocks. I’ll put you name in a draw for something cool (maybe tote bag-related!?!). There will be prizes!

Ta very much!

Shang-a-wha????????

2008-01-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

So, I’m sitting here trying to run off a report…but you know, my mind does wander…. And I ended up singing along to Shangalang by the Bay City Rollers – yeah, just cuz my mind wanders doesn’t mean that it goes any place that you’d be seen dead in.
It all started innocently enough with an episode of Little Britain and a sketch with this couple with a sick child in hospital – David Soul comes in and meets the family, leaves in a huff; David Essex is apparently waiting outside to be next in for a visit. Slip forward a few more sketches and we’re back in the hospital room with Les McKeon sitting there singing the tune. K the elder was amazed that a) I knew the ‘guy’ and the song and b) that I actually remembered something (my memory is still struggling some days but apparently it’s getting better).

OMFG to think that I actually can say that I know about the BCFreakin’R?!? I blame my dear roommate at school, Tina (whose last name I also remember now in some freak rush of “Ohmylordwhatarethesefactsdatesandnamesdoinginmyotherwiseemptyhead?’. She was a huge BCR fan when we were in 6th grade and played her records over and over again. I wasn’t too keen but a good roommate is hard to find. She was also the only girl in school who was taller than I was/am - she had to be at least 6'1" (remember, this was 6th grade. We were what? 11 or 12?)

Unfortunately, I have an excellent musical memory (even after slapping my noggin around in 3 vehicle accidents – yeah, 3…). I can still play Lightfoot tunes from memory and I learned them when I was 6 or 7…Thank God my memory’s coming back but why the BCR ??? Couldn’t it be memories of seeing Joey Ramone squiggle (he didn’t really walk, it was more of squiggle) away from a club one night when I was far too young and impressionable? 1234Ever, my dear friends, 1234Ever.

2008-01-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

In homage to my all-time heroes, Joe, Mick, Topper (best drummer of his era) and ever-talented Mr. Simonon - here's something that has cracked me up for some time

Just had some bad (?) news about my favorite event... but it looks as if there maybe a light at the end of the tunnel (Get it? Fred Eaglesmith? Tunnel? Ahhh fergit it). North Bay may just be the new home of the festival which is really weird because last week, K the elder & I were saying "wouldn't it be nice if it was in North Bay - it's so much closer than Cobalt". Don't get me wrong, I adore my little corner of heaven up on Loon Lake but the drive takes up almost half the weekend...
and in homage to the man, here's possibly the best picture that I took this summer

Now, it begs the question - WTF are people doing with that much clam juice? Egads!

Looking for a quiet port to hang out in, I pulled out a classic Dr Thompson work and have bunkered down for a good mind meld (my my my haven't I become polite in my advanced years?!?). *Sigh* I do miss that man... Is there any joy deeper than a well-written treatise?

In knitting news, the past week has been very productive (knitting between calls and meetings - it's like having a full scuba tank in very deep water - breathe breathe breathe ahhhhhh! Fight off another shark, skim over a manta ray breathe breathe breathe)
I've pulled off an item that's been on my knit list for years, Tubey (gotta get a photo of it)
I keep knitting stuff and gifting it before I take photos, then I forget that I made it (bless this head injury and all who sail in her) so then I forget that I've got knitting to post...it's a vicious cycle. All I can say is that there are a hell of a lot of socks and sweaters out there, just waiting for someone with a decent camera to take a picture of them

Anyone else going through this?

so, this is.... funny?

2007-12-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Get this - for the past year, I've been getting emails addressed to someone with a similar name to mine (it seems she must have transposed some letters in the address that she gives to people). It was one thing to get her Chapters emails and stuff but last week, her nephew emailed me, to wish his aunt a 'happy holidays'-type greeting. I did like I always do and replied that this was not her email and perhaps he should contact her to get the real one. A few quick back and forths and somehow this innocent bit of helpfulness has turned into this nephew wanting to meet me...and this is the funny part (and I quote) "maybe we are supposed to meet and solve all the worlds problems". I mean, WTF?!? I can't find my way out of my own backyard, dude! Gandhi I ain't. Whatever happened to good old fashioned cynicism and surliness, eh?

Had a interesting client meeting yesterday, watching a lovely storm build up throughout the afternoon and trying to stay focused. I decided that it wouldn't be worth the drive back home in traffic and instead, had some chai with Super-P, the Son of Wonder. I saw him bobbing down the street, his blond Brian Jones haircut standing out in a sea of toques and frowns. I felt my soul light up when I saw his smile.

I know all of us moms say this but he's is a remarkable man... even if I did give birth to him. How I got so lucky to have a kid (or 2) whom I actually enjoy talking to, I'll never know. His tour is looking good for spring 2008 so I can see a few road trips for Pa and me- Halifax, Boston and maybe Baltimore, if I can swing it - up ahead. A chapter in Punk Ottawa history will be ending soon with the closure of the much-loved Argyle House, scene of many an FC show and mucho debauchery. Seamus, Pat C and the ever-elusive Kyle Kyle Super Goth made appearances throughout our conversation and I was reminded of when these tall men were little punks, ditching their bikes in my flower bed so that they could hit their first shows at the Legion. Yup, back then Adam and Brock were playing ska and old school punk, not the mellow folk stuff flying off of their strings these days. Where does the time go, eh? As for myself, I'm old as dirt and half as smart

Much love!

Hey...you - yeah, you!

2007-12-10T14:53:00.001-08:00

Hey, who's that dude in the red suit?

Holy Mother of Pearl - how long has it been?!? probably too long for some , not long enough for others.

I felt compelled to retreat for a while (esp. after a very odd person accused me of using my blog to try to communicate with them....yup, you just might consider lining your hat in tinfoil (not so) young person LOL I'm a little bit more direct than that - I would have tried my paper cup and string telephone first. Some people's children, I tell ya! Trouvez une vie. Nah, working for yourself is a tough gig, especially time wise. I've been putting in some long weeks but the payoff is amazing. It just doesn't leave a lot of free time for blogging.

My blog has been a nice little journal where I get to share a few things, here and there. Like how my cat never shuts up and seems to know when I'm on a conference call, on speaker-freakin' phone, no less. What a marroon! Or how K the elder dressed up in a red suit and beard and surprised 35 parishioners at our friend's church. Don't believe me? Check it outHere he is at Nancy's lovely little bit of winter wonderland - gotta love those square log houses!
For all you local yokels, yes that is Wayne singing away. Check out the little one in pink, staring up at Santa - isn't she priceless.
There were 3 new babies in church that day and K got to hold all of them, as they came up for their gifts. Our friend turned to me and said, I hope K knows that he's got a lifetime contract for this gig!". I figured that he would, judging by the laughter in the pews every time 'Santa' asked one of the kids what they wanted from him. He even got some of the adults up there. What a card. Of course he knows how to talk to kids - he sat at the children's table for family dinners until he was 28!

I got the chance to wish a dear friend "happy trails" as she headed off to her next adventure - and I got to hang out with some of dearest, old friends from Serv. Can. I tell ya, nobody parties the way these guys do. I had a blast, got a lot of love and got to give a lot of love back to some very special folks.

Then there was Halloween and my mighty, mighty spider's web

It was so scary that a unicorn/princess/mother didn't want to walk under it so her mother had to put the trick or treat bag near us for treats.

Nash wasn't too put out by all of this - life is good when you're a dog in the country

Another day, another carload

2007-08-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

I originally wrote this post in the middle of August - for some unknown reason, Blogger decided to hide it on me - CWAP!!!!!

En tout cas - here she be!

It's been a challenge to keep healthy, do a little business and get the car loaded on a daily basis - got so much to move, darnit! I'll take another load up this morning and try to get my office set up a little bit.

Our weekend yard sale was an amazing success - considering we selling things for 25 cents, we made over $175. Not bad, eh? I finally got the courage to sell my North Carolina coffee table - it was sad to say 'good bye' to piece of my history but in the end, the $25 (yeah, I know - for a $300 table...) that we got was well-spent at IKEA yesterday. The great thing is all of my paint and a few new things for the house were all covered by selling crap, uh I mean, "stuff that I had no emotional attachment to and was just taking up my precious space and energy" (K the elder says to add "stuff that I do not need to throw into the moving van" - kudos on that brilliant observation, dude)

Update - August 30th

The new house is almost settled. I have three rooms to finish up but that can be done over the course of a few weeks, a little at a time. My hands are ripped, my limbs are bruised but we're smiling so all is good. My darling Number One Son played a kick-ass show at the Mouton Noir on Saturday night. It was a real treat to see how our years of investment have paid off. Get this!!!! He is really, really good!!! The band was awesome. I'd even go to hear them if he wasn't involved. That's an endorsement, if ever there was one. The management at the club made the boys change their name for the event - I won't burden you with the band's real name. Suffice it to say that I pretend that I can't remember what it is when older relatives ask about it LOL. They released a great 45 and CD, too. "Cat Pants" might not become a big hit but "one" is a good listen. Watching P on stage, in his element reminded me of his favorite game of "Def Leppard" when he was 2 or 3. Dress up, grab the fireplace tools stand for a mic and his little Ukulele and awaaaaaay we go. Def Leppard he became and entertained us for hours and hours. We loved it and after last Saturday, we still do. My baby...all grown up. When did that happen????

so much to do...

2007-07-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Which in itself is not a bad thing but I just wish that there was more time in a week. I've got to continue working on an online course that I'm (trying) to build and call up some clients for follow-up but then there's the house. There will be pictures...one day. Just not today. I keep meaning to bring the camera up when I take things up there but then, I forget. Being a simpleton, I also forget that my mobile phone has a camera, too - yup, just that 'clever' LOL.

Much applause to Sara, who correctly guessed the locale of our new abode *clap, clap, clap*. Sara, what's your favorite color?

For those of you beyond the boundaries of our little county, we're moving to its namesake village of Lanark! Much quieter than rowdy old Mississippi Mills and we're looking forward to quiet evenings spent on our wrap-around porch, butts planted in a pair of wicker chairs and knitting needles in hand (well, for me, at least). Add a glass of wine (or 8) and we'll be back to our standard. I've got to move a ton of plants (AGAIN!) but it's all good - I do love to plan a garden. Just can't wait to move all of my wild roses :)

I want some of your bright ideas for window treatments and wall colors. A friend of mine who's an interior designer is coming up later this week to give me some advice,too. I'm thinking about doing a lot of roman blinds, like I did for this house. They're energy efficient and cover windows well without hiding old woodwork. This time, I think I'll use lighter-weight fabrics in prints (not solids, like in this house). The big question(s?) are the 2 sets of French doors in our family room - drapes? Long blinds? What to, what to do???

The big move should be in 2 weeks so we've got lots of time to pack, plan and think out everything. The best part is my new office is huge! I'm assuming the former parlour, right at the front of the house so that clients don't have to walk through the entire house to get 'there'. It's a sunny room, facing onto the front porch with lots of natural light. The whole house, apart from the dining room is light-filled and it has great energy.

I'd better keep packing ;)

Hello?

2007-07-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

OMIGWAD!
Has it really been over a month since I posted last? Holy Moley Cow - how did that happen???? Oh, wait a minute...I remember

My stomach is getting better and I've only had 2 bouts of severe pain in the past 2 weeks. That beats the twice a day episodes. Lots of minor (healing) pain but that, I can live with. I think that if you remove some of your stressors, life just has to get better. The best part is that has.

Business is rolling along and it's great to finally get going, full tilt. I almost forgot how much I loved my class-time and how rewarding it is to get people to think. I've been very productive in my curriculum development so there are lots and lots of products to get 'out there'.

I received a gorgeous apron from my swap-mate, Kathy and love it. How did she know how much I love Geisha images?!? Just perfect and get this!!!! It matches my new kitchen, perfectly. What's that? You haven't heard about my new kitchen?

We've found a new (and smaller) house in the country - remember that restored Victorian with the wrap-around porch that's perfect for wicker chairs and for small people to ride tricycles on, that I've wanted since we moved to Ontario? I've got it! Not that I have any small people who ride tricycles *yet* but ya never know. Our official move date is in 2 weeks but we get the keys on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when we can drive out to the house. I've already got the yard landscaped in my mind - once a master gardener-in-training, always a master gardener-in-training.

So where is this house? Isn't it more fun if you guess? Sure it is!
Read carefully and if you can guess correctly, drop me a comment - there will be prizes

1)Here's a visual clue
2)It's located on a river with a historic Scottish name
Isn't it pretty?

3)It is also named after another Historic Scottish place

4)No "Hillbilly Highway" jokes, please! (oh, just grow up, won't ya?!?)

5)It's long distance to call our current home

6)To quote Brock, it's where "the sheep are scared"

7)It's home to an amazing festival every July (one that brought Fred to town a few years ago - *sigh*)

8)It's home to the world famous (ok, maybe just 'locally famous'), Munchin' Junction and its yummy yummy poutine

C'mon, get your guesses in and see if you can name my new "home town". I'll reward you with a little something nice :)

2007-06-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I will be taking a little time off from the blogging world, taking care of some gastro-intestinal 'repair' work (and the emotional strain that comes with it). I may share a lot but some things are far too personal and this is one of them. I've waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop for some time so this is just another 'thing' in the pile. I've known it was time weeks ago but I try to keep the really bad news to myself... I feel like Captain BringDown these days and that makes me feel even more guilty than I have been feeling already.

When I was a teenager, a psychic told me that I would live to be 52 but I didn’t believe her. Aren’t they all liars and charlatans? I underestimated her. The stomach pain, the bleeding, the vomiting, the 'other' gastric problems are all reminders of that underestimation, I am learning. If I'm lucky, that gives me just under 9 years but since losing my lucky rabbit's foot on KittyHawk all those years ago, my luck isn't what they call in the betting world a 'good hand'(And since I’m being so candid, wanna see photos of my small intestine? No? Didn’t think so…). If you ate today (and kept it in your body), be happy. I've been like a walking milkshake machine in the past couple of weeks - whrrr and pour...yeah, graphic... I know. Sorry.

The upside (if it can be called that) is that it is giving me a chance to take stock and to re-build what time I have into something that is authentic and mine. No more 'have tos' or typical female guilt, just a more solid (if shorter) life. Enough!
Leben ist kurz so wir muß anfertigen es weit, mein Zeyde erklärte mir. Er war zutreffend. He usually was. I don't have time to waste. I only want positive, loving people who want to be with me in my life. It may be short but it'll be all mine.

I enjoy chatting to this little virtual group and it has kept me going when "the hills were steeps and the weather rough". I love reading your blogs and hearing about your lives, you good hearted people. I hope to come back one day, healthier. The good thing is that I can better understand why my body has been letting me down over past couple of years. It's not stress or 'in my head'. It's been a little like opening your closet door as a kid, seeing the fur and the glowing eyes and declaring 'see, there really was a monster there!', to your parents amazement. To my tiny little circle of friends, the people who sound happy to hear from me - all I can say is 'I love you'. I don't say it a lot but I only say it to people who matter to me so, "I love you".

I am dropping a number of gifts and swappy stuff of in the Post (well, actually K the younger is. I need to sit still) so keep your eyes peeled, Kathy, Taz & Antigone. They're on their way :) I've got K working on the Etsy end so those shipments went out this morning.

I'm so tired, I wish I could sleep forever :)

Thank you

2007-06-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

I want to thank you for the love and kindness that you have all sent our way during this horrible time. Our house is missing a brother, a son... I often called him the 'canine love of my life'. He was my Dude, my sweetheart, my dog.

My heart is heavy and I am trying to keep busy so that I won't feel his absence. I want to see him come around the corner so that I can ask him if he wants a hug. I want to stroke his long, silky muzzle and make his ears stand up. I want to see him laugh when I sprayed him with the garden hose. I want to apoligize for giving up.

I hope that he finds peace after this turbulent life. I will always regret that I couldn't find a way to make him whole. I broke my promise to him, to make it all go away, to make him a happy dog.

We are starting a foundation to continue our efforts to punish animal abusers. If Jack's first year had been safe, he would have stood a better chance to living a whole life. In the past, I have lobbied, called Members' of Parliament and Senators' offices, marched on the Hill and made noise to draw attention to this unacceptable problem. Now, I will find a way to put money behind this cause and make the lawmakers pay attention.

Please - do not stand by when an animal abuser can get live a 'normal' life but get to punish a dog like Jack every day, for the rest of his life. Even though that man was not in his life for 6 1/2 years, Jack lived in terror that the abuse would start again, that someone would attack him, that every noise would signal the start of the next barrage. Let's change our animal protection laws worldwide, together. Jack would be proud of all of us if we can do it. I owe it to him.

Done

2007-06-16T06:15:00.001-07:00

"it" has been done. I do not feel peace. I am not proud of myself. I miss my dude, my constant companion, my agility champ. I promised him that I would heal him. I could not.

I hope that there is a heaven, where he will find peace and loving hands. I wish him a light heart and kind words in his ears. I wish him that dock to sleep on, watching the water that I had promised him so long ago. I wish him peace.

I fear that I have betrayed his trust in me

Sometimes a girl just needs the open road

2007-06-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

So after dropping K the elder off at work this morning (and stopping to shop for new patio chairs), I took to the road. Heading up to Pakenham, through countryside, farms and bush always makes me feel alive so off I turned. My foot found the accelerator and dropped….and lifted, looking quickly for the brake. Without any warning, a car filled to brim with Opas and Omas (ok, only 2 of each actually but you know what I mean) cut in front of me – no signals, no warning. Now, the old me would’ve found a way around them, waving my fist high as I passed – probably imploring them to get a clue. Um, yeah…about that – this is why being a Type A country girl DOES NOT WORK. Reconfigure if you move, like I did, to HeeHaw County. Reconsider your attitude before you pack that moving truck. The ‘new’ me just changed velocity to match and kept on going, right behind them. The driver was so out of touch that he failed to see the rollers approach a toute vitesse and he didn’t pull over the way the rest of us in line did to let the Popo pass. Yup, this must have been the first time he’d been behind the wheel in years – and I knew how he felt

With so much work on my plate and Jack’s new found craziness, I haven’t been able to leave the house except when I absolutely need to – like yesterday, for a major waste of time, uh I mean basic (yes, you heard me correctly – basic!!! WTF!!!) First Aid training, for a bunch of freakin’ first responders! At least update our skills with the standard training or even take it up a notch further so that we can actually do more when disaster strikes. I sat through story after story about the facilitator and tried to pay attention. When it came time to move bodies and put people in the recovery position, I had asked to be left out. I mean, I know my stuff from years of patrol skiing and 1st response training so… I tried to explain that if I damage my arms (which aren’t working too well right now anyways, in this ‘season of flare-ups, as I affectionately call our hot sticky summers), I won’t be able to drive or work. Give me a friggin’ break already. So who do you think was first called upon to move a body? Or to be the body? Yeah… I know – stupid knows no boundaries. Like I need someone dragging me by my freakin’ “I will be screaming as I tear your face off because you’ve hurt my arms and I will feel no remorse as I do it” arms. Have you never dealt with physically-challenged clients, you mentally-slow-a-tortoise teacher?!? My body may not work too well but keep it up and I may risk the pain to boot your sorry butt around the parking lot.

Where was I??? Oh yeah, getting out of the house. I cut myself a little slack and drove up to Upper Dwyer Hill and turned around to head back, blasting Frank Black and Kim Deal (ok, Joey Santiago was probably there, and that Dave dude but Kim Deal! Frank Black!). I sang along to all of my favorites and let my energy out. P, if you felt your ears burning, it was me serenading you all of a 4 day drive away, taking liberty with “havalina” to sing out “Pav-a-lina”. Hey, it was out of missing you so it can’t be all bad, eh? I gave myself permission not to worry about how Jack was destroying his kennel or breaking his teeth trying to escape. I needed an ‘out’. On Friday with the approaching storm, I ended up medicating him pretty heavily – 2 valiums (yes, you have read this correctly – 2) and he still exploded around the house, trying to scratch through walls, doors and anything else that got in (what he perceived to be) his way.

We’ve have really woken up to this new reality – he will never be whole. I feel like I haven’t done enough but my Vet reassures me every time I speak with the office that she’s never known any other family to do so much to help a sick dog out. Most people get ‘rid’ (huh??? Can someone explain this concept cuz I’m at a loss) of dogs that aren’t even as damaged. She commends us with every reassurance but it just adds to my feelings of loss and of guilt. If 2 valium don’t do the trick, we’re toast. I’ve tried every behaviour modification in the book (and tapped into a lot of ‘dog-people’ knowledge, begging for a clue in how to fix this).I’ve dragged him to every type of training session, changing my own behaviours to suit the message of the session. Now the chemical modification that I resisted for so long (almost 7 years), the one thing that we could keep as a last resort has failed. We looked at each other today and decided that at the moment, with the way things stand it is only a matter of when. Our Vet is the most humane person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and when she told us of our options, it was the first one out onto the table. I was in disbelief because I always thought I could repair him. Now, I am without that beacon of light. Repair is out of the question. We’ve modified everything in our lives and in his – to watch the 2 boys, it’s hard to believe that they live in the same universe. Nash is Capitaine Décontracté, with his Zen outlook of calm and Jack is Manic Man, flailing around and tearing at the fence to get to the walkers who like to stroll down our hill. BECAUSE OLD PEOPLE ARE SOOOO THREATENING. My 2 dogs are a study in contrasts. I know that I tend to go at length about Jack and his ‘issues’ but where else can I discuss this openly. Right now, I can assure you that there probably even readers out there thinking that I haven’t done enough. No one has given up more for a dog – no visits from people who might frighten him, only people whom he already knows and doesn’t mind too much. No long stays away from him so that he doesn’t break out and go looking for me like he when I was stationed on the other side of the country for weeks at a time. No parties at the house. K the younger’s friends have had to stay away as much as possible, except for the calmer ones like Silent B (what a good kid). No nothing. I am a dog person. I have built a dog-loving family. We would go without anything for their well-being. K the younger will even forgo sleeping in if I need to go out on the weekend, during the day so that Jack has someone with him. He has broken out through a 6” cat door – how he fit, I have no clue. He has thrown himself through closed windows and shattered glass all over my dining room. We were so lucky not to have had him cut himself too badly that day. He has eaten doors and clawed through an 8” oak door, all in attempts to free himself. The sad thing is that he has no clue why he does this and once he escapes, we find him quivering on the side steps, trying to get back in again. He is lost.

I can accept but I do not like my new reality.

My middle name must be 'horseshoe'

2007-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Cuz I'm just THAT lucky!

The unabbreviated version of "mofo" seems to be the word de jour with the construction freakazoids today. My office is filled with the dulcet tones of "Mofo-o-rama". It's 'mofo this' and 'mofo that' - 'move that mofo-ing ladder before I crack you on your mofo-ing head, you dumb ass mofo" - you get the drift. Intellectual banter always raises my spirits and to be surrounded with such virility....oooooohh *swoon* How lucky am I! I know...you envy me for getting to live this exciting life ha ha ha
Deluding myself is just one of my many charms!

I have a friend (for argument's sake, I call him "Keith"...oh wait a minute ...better come up with a name that's not actually his...oh crap...WTF, "Keith" it will be - sorry dude)
Keith liked to call me "mofo"; despite my protests, whenever things got silly, out would come this unfortunate expression. Finally, I asked him why he kept calling me this - he said 'cuz yer silly'. Whhhhaaaa?!? Well, I never! Has the sun seeped through your giant bald, "Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show" head to cook your brain?!? Has an earwig descended into your ear canal and chewed out the common-sense receptors? Would a knee to the groin help with these thought processes?

Think of the color of his face when I finally asked him if he knew what it meant. Nope. Not a clue. No freakin' clue. Dufus was calling me this but had never questioned what it stood for. After I removed my knee from his testicles, ummm, I mean "corrected him", he apologized for years of this unknowing verbal abuse.
Men - can't live with 'em; can't murder them in their sleep....cuz ain't no one worth doin' time for.

Oh for the tranquility of my wild back garden!

Free Time? Yeah right!

2007-06-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Holey moly cow - has it been a week already!?! Jeezum crow - I haven't stopped since last Saturday afternoon. I wrapped up some emergency response training on Saturday morning and headed home to K-Man. He's still being called "Limpy MacWhiny" but he's less high. Not so much (ok, a lot of) codeine and lots of sleep have taken a lot of the edge away and he's almost back to his own unique form of normal. Pat & Val came home for a quick visit and some loving - Pat's tat was glowing under his sleeve so I decided to snap a shot - Yes, you are reading correctly... why, you ask? So that he 'remembers to brush his teeth'. Yup, that's my kid. A friend of mine told me that she suspects that he's a lot like me. What should I make of that???

I have been doing a lot of this thing called "working for a living" and secured a nice little contract this week - good stuff to keep me working for the next month or so. It's small potatoes for a lot of people in my field but it's just the right size to keep me busy (and in the black). I love being productive. I even managed to complete a pair of Hedera socks in a soft blue baby yarn. Shhh can you hear that? It's my lovely socks blocking in the other room.
Hmm...what else??? Someone I care about but haven't spoken to in a while called up to ask me to help coordinate another project. Turns out that they were just diagnosed with MS. I didn't know how to express my regrets about this. This is very vibrant person who exudes energy and life force. Not someone to be slowed down by an uncooperative body, that's for certain. Another friend went AWOL and turned up last night in Edmonton - huh? But she called so all is good (All I do is nag you, kiddo). And - BIG *AND* I made my first Etsy sale (Thanks, R!!!! Did I say 'ty' yet - just one million times, eh? Okay, I'll quit now).
I keep meaning to post pictures of my loot from Angelique so here ya go

Isn't the coolest thing EVER!?! I use the coasters every day in my office and they always make me so happy - thanks, Girl!
Taz is next in line for this wonderful experience. I just hope that I can live up to the great things that have gone before. I'll work on it ;)

(OK I had to edit this post - I mean "they was.."???? Now do you believe that English is not my native language???? Jeeeeez!)

100 Posts? Already???

2007-06-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I’ve wracked up 100 posts already…how on God’s green earth did I manage that? It’s been a strange year, with lots of dips, doodles and bumps in the road. I’ve knit.I’ve drunk.I’ve been good. I’ve been bad.

Over the course of 8 months, I’ve opened 2 businesses, attended to sick partners and pets, fought bad guys and bullies, hugged good people and small people, sometimes wrapped in one package. I’ve gardened in the dead of winter, tried to guide my boys and to remedy a mentally-ill dog. I’ve played tug-of-war with a strong Lab puppy and had him play ‘keep away” with my possessions. I’ve built flower beds and fences, cried tears of frustration and happiness, cleaned up after cats, dogs & peoples of all sorts and sizes. I’ve wiped ‘varnish’ off of my clothes after getting licked by Nash (yummm, Lab spit!); I’ve even ‘done work’ and generally tried to keep my poop in a group. Life moves on and so do blogs. When I started posting, knitting and the occasional (shut up, MC) glass of vino capped a good part of my days. Not so much right now – research, writing and spending countless hours on the phone are no match for a nice Pinot Noir and some squishy merino. The drone of my ‘colleague’ (she who never shuts up, or “swnsu”) is no match for the clack of my bamboos as I slip off another row of my sock. Life moves on.

I know that everyone says this but what I find fascinating about our brave new electronic world (as Huxley spins in his grave – sorry, dude), is the camaraderie that forms when we read someone’s post and immediately identify with the sentiment. Whether in Zambia, Scotland, Mumbai, Delaware or the frigid wilds of Co. Lanark, we are all more alike than we are different. If you’re worried that this is going to slide into the mush of girl-speak and virtual love, you’d better leave now. Ha ha too late! Sucka!

I started this little journal as a means to get some things off of my chest, to converse with myself throughout a painful experience that eventually has become just another learning experience. I never thought that I would have conversations with so many people, whether through their blog or through mine. I never thought that I’d receive and send parcels all over the world or that I would be delighted to share silly details and inane conversations that roll through my pea-sized brain. I was especially ignorant of how many smiles I could garner from an errant hour (or 8) on the inter-web.

There are more good people around us than not-so-good, more love than hate, more understanding than dissent. Seeing this reality is a gift.

Speaking of monkeys, so far the choices for my ‘name my fete-abration’ are:

7. My Kick Ass, Knock your Grandma Down 3rd annual 40th Birthday Bash 5 votes

13. The Cops Ain’t Bin to my House since Grandma was Arrested, so let’s give them a reason to visit-fest 3 votes

14. Y’all Get Real Drunk, Y’hear-fest 2 votes

9. One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor-fest (a dear friend recommended changing this to 1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, “whore-fest”. Remarkably, he is still alive. For now)” 2 votes

1. Leave Your Beer & Wine (now SCRAM)-o-rama 1 vote

8. Bothering the Neighbours Since 1964; why destroy an ancient tradition-fest 1 vote

10. Sharkey & Muffin’s White Trash Bash (“it won’t start when I shut it off so she has to get the beer. She slips it on the front seat and she quietly says to me….” Sing along if you know it)1 vote

No one voted for RootBeer-fest 2007. Not one single person. No one wanted to keep my neighbors awake but several of you had no objection to knocking Grandma down. What does that say about you lot (insert wagging finger here)

Sorry, Taz – Tea with the Queen-abration is out of the question. K refuses to slip into a Beefeater suit, not even for the privilege of wearing that kooky hat. It's always hard to keep him clothed at parties.

Keep the votes coming; I'll have the results in a week or two

From what I gather, our much loved Willie is on the mend. We send him love and thanks for many years of fine music and smiles. Here’s to many, many more. Maybe this rest will allow for some more song writing and a new a new album. To tide you over, here’s a little video (personally, I think that he does a better job of this tune live but I’m a fan).

I love noise (no, really)

2007-05-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

Freakin' loser electrician next door decided to test my window glass strength, uh...I mean blast us with an industrial-sized radio yesterday. Now, I love "classic rock" as much as the next aging, sagging bellied-loser electrician, uh..I mean "the next guy" but this is too much. K the elder approached the work crew and politely asked them to turn it down. Loser-boy was off-site and one of the other crew members nicely obliged. Loser-boy came back 45 minutes later and blasted the snot out of...sorry, I meant "turned it up again". WTF! K (once again) approached the freak and asked (politely AGAIN) 'if (he) could turn it down'. The answer, without a soupcon of irony was 'no'. "You mean that you won't turn it down?". "No". K climbed into the work site and asked him once again if he wouldn't consider it and once again, the fat fuck...uh sorry (can't stop slipping into the local vernacular) "the electrician" said 'no'. Approached the self-proclaimed 'site director', who said that it wasn't his responsibility. Fine, matters like this are best left for a vindictive, malevolent force of nature...uh,"me". One call to his boss, a client of K the elder's and bum-licker (oh sweet mother of pearl, I'm slipping AGAIN), I meant to say "numb nuts"...no nonononononono I meant to say 'the guy' (pheeee-yew!) turned it down. I'm just waiting for today's antics. I have already spoken with the by-law office and our local constabulary - all it will take is one more indiscretion, one more step over the line between inconvenience and outright attack and the boom will come down. My patience has now run out. Deep breath. Deep breath. Freakin' hillbillies!

On a much happier note, Taz is our new "IT" grrl, running off with the next PIF; Girlfriend, I still need your addie to start the ball rolling. Drop me a line when you get the chance. As revenge...ooops, I mean as a 'thank you for tagging me', she tagged me back. I guess it's time to use my handy-dandy "get out of memes free" card. I'm not a TV watcher so I didn't make the connection with Drew Carey's Mimi, until I looked at the title of the photo. Meh, she looked pissed off and that suits my mood EXACTLY LOL. If I could just get my hands on some pale blue eyeshadow.... and some dead spiders to use as eyelashes.

I love little boys

2007-05-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

HAPPY - c'est moi!

Many, many thanks to Angelique for including me in the PIF project. I was thrilled to get a lovely little envelope in the mail this morning (how did she know how much I love cool stamps!?!). It sort of clanked when I shook it so I was worried on the walk home - was it broken? Oh no! Maybe it was filled with so much love that it cracked apart? Thankfully nothing was broken - it was 2 (yes, not 1 but 2!!) lovely coasters featuring the most amazing flower pictures, taken by the lady herself! They've already taken up residence in my office, distracting me from any real work as I admire them over & over again. And she sent a beautiful card featuring another gorgeous photo (which will find its way into a frame, along with the ones sent to me by Sara - -just beautiful!) I am most humbly impressed. The highlight of my morning is to have been able to hold the "for good peoples" card. There's a lot of good energy in that card - I'll post photos as soon as I can.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, I'll share how Angelique has put it: “The idea is basically to pass on a little something 'nice' to someone. This wonderful idea started with Mary Contrary and has now traveled to Allyson Hill, Beebee Mod, Barking Biscuit and now me". Oooh, and me, I s'pose! It's a really cool story but distilled to its finest, it's a story about how being kind is never an action wasted. The chance to share a little of this kind energy with others (esp. those in the blogosphere who keep us company, entertain us and make us smile even on the darkest days)is a pretty cool concept, too.

This of course leads me to an important juncture - the next person in the PIF line. Want to play? Of course you do! Be the first person to leave a comment on this post and you'll be the next 'it'. I'll send you an email to confirm that you've been tagged. Join the chain and keep the good energy flowing - you'll get to forward it along, too. Isn't that the coolest thing EVER!?!

I collected the last of the mittens on Friday and got to visit among the LAND OF THE LITTLE FOLKS (or, elementary schools as most normal people call them). Waiting for one of the school's admins to finish a phone call, I observed something odd; all of the children now visit the washrooms in pairs! Isn't that smart?!? The buddy system is a great way to keep track of kids, especially with the amount of anxiety (and the reasons for that anxiety, 'out there'). The little girls giggled together, holding hands as they went into the WC; the little boys however, were a different breed of animal all together. Two boys, probably about 7 headed past me in the hallway, silently moving towards their goal (WC). As they finished up and were washing their hands, I heard Boy 1 ask Boy 2 if he had a girlfriend. Boy 2 mumbled a response and Boy 1 replied, "yeah some girls you'll just never understand". How's that for back country logic! Little dude's got us all sussed out, ladies. I suspect he'll be a force to be reckoned with when he's old enough to date.

I'm still working on knitting enough mittens to fill a few more bags for next winter; in a rural area, mittens are highly prized. This is especially true when we get hit by our famous freezing rain and bitter winds. I grew up with snowy winters and heavy snowfall warnings. I assumed that we were moving into a more stable, warmer climate when we packed our bags ten years ago. Was I ever wrong! The weather here changes constantly - one minute you're in scorching heat, unable to breathe, the next you're trying to keep the dirt out of your eyes as a dust storm flies through, or hoping that your roof doesn't blow off in a heavy windstorm. Our winters seem mild... until you head outside on a sunny February morning and feel the skin on your face turn white with frostbite. Eeeks! A few pairs of mittens really make a difference. One school admin told me that she keeps mitts, socks and hats available for anyone who needs them. If they don't need them anymore, the kids know to hang wet things to dry or to replace the item in the storage cabinet.No questions. No embarrassment. No scolding. Isn't that great! I was really happy when this school returned an empty mitten bag - they used up all of the mittens! Happy doesn't even begin to cover how I felt. If you're a mitten-knitter, drop by my other blog and check us out. Make up a few pairs and keep a few more little hands warm next winter :)

Whachamacallit

2007-05-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

I never celebrate birthdays; where I come from you get a little something from your family and maybe someone bakes you a small cake. No big whoop– it’s all good. Seeing as this will be the celebration (well, for some of you – misery for the rest of you) of my 516 months on the little blue planet, I figgered that it was time to break a few habits. I will – now this is the scary part. Are you sitting down? – be hosting a birthday gathering later this summer. I need your help in deciding what the name shall be. Because of the monumental nature of the event, the suffixes “2007”, “bash” ,“fest” and “o-rama” will figure quite prominently (Unless you know of other good suffixes)

So far, my choices are:

1. Leave Your Beer & Wine (now SCRAM)-o-rama
2. Mustard, Preztels and Liquor-o-rama 2007
3. Nuttin’ but Condiments-fest (Youse guys know how much I love my mustard LOL)
4. Root Beer Party 2007
5. Show us your (insert name of favorite body part here) -fest (Who put that one on the list?!? Really!)
6. 516 months of bliss. Just ask my husband-fest
7. My Kick Ass, Knock your Grandma Down 3rd annual 40th Birthday Bash
8. Bothering the Neighbours Since 1964; why destroy an ancient tradition-fest
9. One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor-fest (a dear friend recommended changing this to 1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, “whore-fest”. Remarkably, he is still alive. For now)”
10. Sharkey & Muffin’s White Trash Bash (“it won’t start when I shut it off so she has to get the beer. She slips it on the front seat and she quietly says to me….” Sing along if you know it)
11. My Neighbors are Old – Let’s Keep Them Awake-fest
12. Booze Crooze in my BackYard 2007
13. The Cops Ain’t Bin to my House since Grandma was Arrested, so let’s give them a reason to visit-fest
14. Y’all Get Real Drunk, Y’hear-fest (courtesy of Pat)

Please place your votes via the handy-dandy comment feature. June sumthing sumthing, I'll tally up the numbers and see who walks/limps/crawls away the winner. There may be prizes involved. Maybe....

In all seriousness, we are respectable, law-abiding people who are not white trash (at least, I don’t think that we are). We’re relatively well-educated, well-traveled and civilized. Just for the record: Grandma as never been arrested nor has anyone tried to kick her, we do not want to see your various body parts, there will probably be no tequila, I like my neighbors and finally, yes we will serve food, not just condiments.

If you’ve got any others, send ‘em on. I’ll be busy spraying my beehive hairdo for spiders, slapping on my marabou sling backs and adjusting my stretch pants. My fluorescent pink lycra stretch pants. Yeah, I know – you think in pictures, doncha?!?

Status Quo (no, not the British band, just my life)

2007-05-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

Typical conversation in my house:

Me: Is Flashlight in or out? The construction crew has arrived and she shouldn't be outside
Him: Huh?
Me: Is Flashlight in or is she out?
Him: Sorry?
Me: Did you bring Flashlight in?
Him: What?
Me: Is. Flashlight.in. the.house?
Him: Okay, I'll let her in
Me: Oh, never mind

This, folks, is the reason that I believe in the power of meditation. After over 25 years of this nonsense, you either move on to the 'happy place' inside your head or you're doing time for murdering someone. It's all about your options. Happy thoughts...happy thoughts

what else could I be???

2007-05-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

History major, folks - need I say more???

Being a historian is a lot like being a gun slinger in downtown Ottawa - not much call for you these days...

Canines with a Cause

2007-05-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is so cool - Canines with a Cause was just on CBC local news - Celeste was a diamond! The best part (besides seeing Nash's sister demonstrating her smarts) was to see my dear friend, Miriam sharing her dream. If you haven't heard of this great local organization, check them out. With a small volunteer staff, they raise and train service dogs and donate them to people in need, free of charge. Despite all of the challenges of running an all-volunteer/ donation driven group, they work miracles, especially for the people who get to live a full, complete life thanks to a Canines With A Cause dog.

If you are in the Ottawa area and would like to foster one of their amazing puppies, please have a look at their puppy-raiser page. If you can give a little time, a lot of energy and even more love - you could change someones life forever.

If fostering is out of the question, why not host a fund-raiser and donate the proceeds to Canines With A Cause. If you can afford it, consider sponsoring a puppy. For a nominal cost, you get a heck of a lot of free advertising and the knowledge that you've help to change the world.

A service animal is a link back to a world that most of us take for granted; accessibility is a right and a service dog grants that right to their human, freely and with more love than a human can possibly understand. Wouldn't you like to see this for yourself? It just might change your life

For all of you who claim that this little knitting blog has very little actual knitting content, I give you Flashlight, my 'service cat' who knits for me (and if you believe that, do I have a car to sell you?!?)

It's Raining Babies Around Here

2007-05-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

So many of my friends are reproducing...this alarming rate of procreation can only mean one thing: Baby Showers!!! I had my boys when I was a lot younger than my reproducing friends are today so it makes me giggle when we are all talking about our 'babies'; 'mine's 3', 'mine's 12 months', 'mine are 22 & 17' (and watch the jaws drop - "you have a 22 year old?!?)

Drove off to Cantley, Qc on Sunday to attend the shower of a dear friend, long MIA due to distance and life, in general. Got to meet all of the fun people that I've heard about for years - and, yes, they were fun. And great. And nice. Did I ever tell you that I like nice people? I like nice people. Got to see my dear pal, S and hear the latest news - growing family, happy days, good stuff. Got to see my old friend, Jerome and meet his lovely wife and darling little girl. Julia is a little gem. She must take after her mum ;). Adri's (the mum to be) mother was filling our glasses and plates, singing and making us all feel very welcome and part of the family. Watching her face light up when talking about the new baby was worth the drive into the Quebec wilderness.

I have a huge confession - I am not a happy shopper. I like to plan my shopping for maximum efficiency, dash, grab, pay and leave. I am not a browsy/pokey shopper. Presented with the challenge of baby gifts, I drew a total blank...until I thought about who the gift was for. Adri is a former Goth-kid, with a well-cultivated dark side and a wicked sense of humor (scorpio women rock, folks). She was the only person in my (federal government) office who totally got how funny Gwar was.She can meet me head on with competing Simpsons quotes. And she's smart. Did I ever tell you that I like smart women? I like smart women.

Driving into the city, I had a major brainstorm - Skulls! Crossbones! Skeletons! None of the baby shops I visited carried anything with that type of imagery. WTF?!? There have got to be babies who like the morbid? The spooky? The campy? Like any good crafter in my situation, I devised the only workable solution - make them myself. I couldn't find any t-shirts so I chose some nice onesies, drew up some designs and downloaded the coolest kitty & bones design (you know how I feel about 'death kitty'. I love death kitty. A lot.Remember my hat?) Some paper-backed fusible web, an iron and a lot of zig-zagging threadly goodness later and 2 onesies were stitched and presented. It made me blush when they were passed around and everyone loved them. I'm the perfectionist/type A freaky type so I saw every imperfection but muggles can't see beyond the fun factor. I'm making up a 3rd one, with the wee one's initial once s/he shows his/her mug to the world. I'll get the stitching perfect on that one!

Fun & Games

2007-05-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some sets of stitch markers - in my free time. A few of my old jewelry customers have asked for some so I figured that I just whip off a few sets. Oh wait a minute - I get the joke now! "Free time" - OMFG that's too funny!

Thank heavens for little drugs, for little drugs get better every day...ok, so not what Maurice Chevalier would sing but...

K the elder is now on 2 Tylenol 3s and a Valium at night- guess what? He slept through the night. Yeah, like he was shot in the bum with an elephant tranquilizer. He has such a high tolerance for any sort of painkiller that our MD underestimated how much he needed. His mis-spent youth is surely to blame but being a delicate little flower who has never soiled my hands in the seedier world, I know nothing about such things. Hrrmph, yeah right - wanna buy a bridge? I hear Brooklyn's got a nice one at a really good price...

Guess what? Nash is still a pain - a cute pain but a pain in the butt, none the less

Nashie has a new game - he takes his broomball ball (what's wrong with those words???), stands in front of me barking from behind that chunk of orange plastic and waits for me to say "wanna play...BALLLLLL??". I then take the ball, roll it down the hall and scream 'cuz that's how we roll!'. It's hilarious. He high tails it off to retrieve the ball but (and this is the funny part), the game is over if I don't call out 'cuz that's how we roll'. Why does that make a difference? Ask him cuz he hasn't told me yet. He's the dude, my own personal Lebowski!

Tag - you're it!

Scarlett has tagged me with a meme - 7 random facts about moi? Mon Dieu - everything freakin' thing about me is random! Because I'm ever the iconoclast, I am taking it upon myself to make it 5 random facts and tagging 5 people, in return. My middle name is "Random" so I guess I have a head start

The rules - Each person tagged gives 5 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 5 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 5 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog ( I am sooo going to forget to do this step). Awaaaaay we go!

1. I hate American soap operas but cannot get enough EastEnders and Coronation Street! Why? Who knows - maybe it's because the Brits use more realism in their soaps. American soaps are all glam & glitz, murders and kidnappings. In the Brit versions, you still get the murders and kidnappings but they take place in back street bars and seedy side street markets, not estates and five star hotels.

2. I long to visit Iceland; of all the places that I've been or could go to, Iceland is the highest priority on my list. Why? I don't know...history, high degree of literacy,glaciers, hot springs, Bjork - who knows?!? K the elder has a cousin who is half Icelandic (named Thor, no less)...except for an accident of birth, I too could have been born in Gimli, MB and ave Viking/ Varangian roots

3. I had a bi-polar childhood, divided between boarding school in Montreal/ civilized life with my Grandparents and my parents' wild, frenetic life - communes, travels, self-discovery (freakin' 70s!). I think that it has made me a very conscientious (and protective) parent who has tried to build a home for my sons, not just a place for them to sleep.

4. Are you still reading after the last comment? What is this - like rubbernecking on the highway, checking out an accident? Ok, I'll play along.I adore black licorice - real licorice, mind you, not that fake rubbery, plastic stuff. AND I get very bitchy when my local supplier runs out and doesn't get stock for weeks on end (Yes, Shopper's Drugmart & The Dutch Store- I am talking about you!)

5. I studied Canadian Studies at McGill Uni, with a minor in History. I specialized in early Russian history (and Canadian history, of course). I fell in love with Russian culture and the resiliency of the Russian people. I also befriended 2 former USSR residents (cheers, Piotr & Zsoltan!) and we drank a lot of beer in our school bar, Gert's (located in the Shatner building - yes, that Shatner!). They taught me Russian songs and legends. I still sing about the Rusalki & Vorodonyi when I am in a very good mood. I call my husband "Kalita" when he goes on one of his spending sprees (guitars, amps and pedals - what else?).I was supposed to study in Tver but life got in the way and I didn't push it aside. I don't regret a lot in my life but I do regret this

Consider yourselves tagged, Ladies

Zia - hee hee hee tagged you back ;)
Sara - I'll bribe you with sock knitting
Taz - Share, girl, share
Louise - Another Down Under-er
Stitch-dom - Ottawa Knitters' Represent!

Hope that this weekend has brought you all peace and relaxation - mine's been hectic but I'll tell you all about it tomorrow (it involves petulant cats - beware)

Bad, bad Bloggista

2007-05-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

I've been running so fast, there hasn't been a minute to jot down what's going on. K the elder is in a lot of pain - tried to move something at work and being a stubborn old man, uh I mean being persistent and dedicated, pulled harder when the object wouldn't budge. His back is knotted severely and we now think that he has a stress fracture of his calf. He has lost a lot of muscle density since his illness so there's not a strong muscle network supporting his body. He hasn't slept more than an hour or 2 and has to keep moving to stop the pain from taking over. Even the Valium his MD prescribed to help him sleep isn't doing enough so we're off to the hospital today to find out what we can do. Poor dude - he's not very good at allowing himself to be taken care of so we're butting heads a bit. I'm getting so little done (compared to the massive list that I need to do)and I'm trying to be patient (yeah, like that'll happen!) and pleasant(ditto).

They're starting on our roof next week; I had hoped that they would be doing it while I was working from my home office this week but ...you know, to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I'll have to sedate Jack heavily once they start or he'll tear his crate apart again. Imagine - psychotic dog faced with yelling men pounding and screaming all over my roof! Eeeek - call in the medics! I'll probably need horse tranqs to keep him quiet. 100 lbs of fury and irrationality - yup, that spells hilarity. Surely there's a sitcom waiting to be written from all of this?!?

I've worked a bit on the Etsy site, opening my virtual doors - now, I just have get some decent photos taken. There's little crafting going on but there's tons of 'real business' taking place. A new marketing plan for my 'real' business, a modified business plan to develop and lots and lots of client talks are on the desk right now. All said, it's going to be a productive month (if I can only stay awake to get it done). Being a grown-up sucks

In the middle of our muddle, young K is storming on - he's working hard with his theatre group, raising funds to pay for the musical score licenses that they need to put on Little Shop of Horrors (aren't they amazing! Little Shop!!! What good taste these guys have!!!) and staying late for rehearsals. He's starting to look a little tired. It's nice to see that his fatigue hasn't dampened his sense of mischief though - check out what he added to my shopping list the other day (and yes, my handwriting does bite - I can't really hold a pen well anymore so it always looks like an escaped mental patient writes my lists for me)

Where exactly does one purchase a flux capacitor? Oh well, better check eBay!

Happy Thoughts on a Sunny Day

2007-05-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ever look around you and totally get that you're doing pretty good, all things considered?
Here's the short list of things that I'm more than a little grateful for:

*sleeping in until 6h18!!! Hey, I've had 2 weeks of 4h30 until midnight, except when I collapsed and crawled up to bed at 21h00 one night - this extra few hours was most appreciated

*Starting the day with my dogs, my guy and some strong Osterlich caffe (that's "strong coffee that can melt your spoon" to the rest of the world)

* Visiting a secluded garden for a heritage plant sale, hosted by the most lovely Yuko and her husband - thank you so much for the druzhba tomatoes. My Russophile heart soared to walk away with 'friendship' tomatoes

* Dim sum with my 'family by choice, not birth' - hey you guys know how special you are to me. I hope that you like your new title. Here's to Rita, Francois & Marie-Claude!!!

* Having a safe drive into and out of 'the city' - no accidents, wildlife (deer,turkey, horses, bison, bear, or rollers (da popo, to you urbanites)

* Shopping for summery things - who has time to stop and shop leisurely? I never do - this was a real treat. Finding massive sales where ever I went was a blessing, too

* Running into an old friend who I had lost touch with and realizing that she's finding her way and is healthy and happy. Looking at her 2 beautiful daughters and seeing her glow when she talks about them - it doesn't get any better than that! Saundra, Bella and Thalia - so good to have our paths cross again!!!

* Coming home and seeing Jack in his crate, sleeping off his meds, with only a thumping of his tail to acknowledge that I'm home

* Finding a ton of quilt scraps at the thrift store and a flowered sheet that is begging to be part of my dining room blind replacement project - bliss, thy name is fabric (and yarn)

* Stopping for a few minutes to acknowledge that I've been able to add a few more friendly faces to my little corner of the universe (Hi Tina & Christine!!). You'll have to hang on for a little while (some things are still 'secrets') but just you wait and see what these 2 ladies will be doing in our local business community!!! Prepare to be amazed!!!!

What really blows my mind is that the day is still young. Who knows what other joys the day will send my way? At least my eyes are open for their arrival

thought so...

2007-05-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

Just a typical afternoon (absorbing life lessons all the way)

2007-05-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

* work butt off, trying in vain to ignore participant who can't seem to shut up...EVER! - hard work is good for the soul and patience? Well, patience is a virtue
*Drive, drive and drive some more - ah the rural life! Isn't nice to leave the city and drive, drive, drive all the way home!?! Watch out for the deer...the wild tom turkey...the loose bison who escaped from that farm...deep breath, deep breath
*come home later than planned, carrying laptop, tote, day shoes (I wear driving mocs so that I don't spend more on heel repair than shoes), mail, purse, etc. etc - strength training is highly recommended
*stagger through 36" deep sand left by construction crew, slipping, sliding, pulling weakened back muscles - pain makes you grow
* fight off overwhelmed dogs who declare 'the construction workers were playing soccer in our yard AGAIN and didn't invite us, mummy - fix it!' - it's so nice to be greeted by loving faces
*make supper, using only the freshest organic vegetables and high protein, local free range meat on the market (who am I kidding - call DH to tell to order pizza - sausage and pepperoni) - nutrition is important
*change from suit to real clothes in order to relax - changing clothes is a signal to the body to release tension - now I can get some real work done!
*bring laptop outside to finish writing proposal number 18 - ahhh, fresh air is so rejuvenating
*recover patio chairs from all over the yard - it's so nice to share with those (filthy) construction people - I'm sure that they're all lovely individuals. Please help yourself to a drink while you're making yourself comfortable
*Smell heavy manure smell of local farmers' soy bean and corn fields - ok, not so pretty but it's natural. Isn't rural life so ... ah who am I kidding?!? It smells like every cow in the county took a dump in my backyard. My search for zen is starting to clunk along
*lose server connection 12 times - ahhhh technology. Patience is a virtue
*return inside to office to complete proposal - home should be about family, not silly proposals or this 'earning a living' joke
*attend to squealing DH, standing on hall landing and looking frantically out landing window- oh my goodness! Did you break a limb? Lose a toe? Let me sew it back on for you
*follow panicked gaze of DH and check out marmot, 'sleeping' in the dog run - ahh, rural life is wonderful! Look how we can commune with wildlife!
*go outside to encourage "sleeping" marmot to take off - communing with nature is so important in our hectic times but it's really time to get your own yard, dude
*gently poke said marmot with dust broom - we must respect our animal neighbours so gentle is best
*poke marmot harder - respect is important - why isn't he respecting me and leaving?
*realize that your forestry engineer, wild man husband is deathly afraid of a former marmot, a deceased marmot - A D*E*A*D* marmot and start laughing hysterically - laughter feeds the soul
*arouse the suspicion of your neighbours, who come to investigate - neighbours are so important in these impersonal times
*watch their faces as you try to explain why it's all so funny and realize that maybe it's just not that funny - it's important to be sensitive to others
*realize that no work will be done tonight and that you'd better get up at 4h30 to complete the proposal - be flexible like the willow

AH CRAP!

The Late, Great Marmotska

He's a lumberjack and it's ok...he sleeps all night and pokes marmots by day

Yes, that is my swiffer that he's using. Be proud of dear K - this is the closest he's ever gotten to a marmot. Don't get me started about our resident skunk

What makes it all worthwhile - my salvaged jonquils, shining like the sun. I love you all

Ah poop - now I'm late for my commute

Possibly

2007-05-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

the most annoying, yet compelling video ever
Badgers
yeah, IF YOU'RE A TWEAKER
Holy Moley Cow

Listen guys - not exactly erudite, I know but...
it's 6h30
I woke up to a cat sitting on my pillow
I've got wet hair (and I hate wet hair)
I've got to sit in a stuffy classroom all day
My brain hurts
I haven't touched my coffee yet

"When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in other peoples' eyes - if you must suffer, so must they"
Ren

"Happy Happy Joy Joy"
Stimpy

How I know that I'm

2007-05-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

OLD

Well, I still watch Henry Rollins rant and rave but it's on syndicated television, not some grotty stage in a club of questionable repute, in a bad neighbourhood. Oh yeah, and that I go right to bed afterwards...cuz it's 9 pm and I'm old & tired

What happened, man!?!

"D" for Done!

2007-05-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Finally, a little (completed) knitting to crow about. I finished up my second "Zia" sock last evening. I had bought a little Harrisburg from Mississippi Black Sheep in a beautiful deep periwinkle blue (with tiny flecks of a deep purple hiding in it). The vintage sock strechers that I use make the cuffs look wider than they really are but I found that they fit nicely. Living in a relatively cold climate, I tend to make my sock cuffs longer but these are perfect for cool summer nights spent by the fire outside. I can almost smell the marshmallows melting - YUM!

Many, many thanks to the lovely Zia for letting me test drive this pattern!

To Fair or not to Fair...

2007-05-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

That's the big question looming on my horizon today; to take a risk and do a few fairs (besides my stand-bys, the farmer's markets) or to play it safe and stay home and read.

I've done quite a few local fairs in my day; ranging from the blue haired grandma/ church basement events all the way to radical feminist, bitch slap you if you don't bitch slap me first events, I've done 'em all. Some have been surprisingly successful. Some have been dismal failures. Like the time that I took a risk on a new festival organized by a friend of mine - billed as the premier feminist event of the year, I thought it would be a cool opportunity. Disorganized was bad enough but I really didn't anticipate the lack of vendor concern that I would find. Here's the picture - I haul my stuff in (1 hour drive, one way), set up tables and jewelry displays and wait. And wait. No one showed up except the organizers. Ok, so they didn't do the advertising that they promised us they would. Things happen, especially during the first year of any event... Then,finally a few customers trickled in. Then - yes it gets better - he showed up. A guy with a tray of jewelry. He stood right in front of the few minglers/ customers that had showed up at my booth and every time, they picked up a piece of my jewelry, he asked them, 'how much is that one?". Then, because he was such a twat, uh, I mean competitive businessman, he offered one of his pieces for less 'because (you) really don't want to buy that,do you?', pointing at my piece. Ok, patience is a virtue. Took a deep breath and called one of the organizers over, pointing out that he wasn't a vendor and that he was actually scaring off the few customers that were there. Her response to me was 'well, what do you want me to do about it?'. Um, let's see... it's a closed event on private property - escort the dumbass off! I've paid for my booth; he hasn't paid you a thing. Think about it! After about an hour of this, I walked out.

Then there was the art fair that was really well organized and wonderful (profitable, too - some days). A 'shopper' decided that she was going to photograph all of the pieces of jewelry that she liked so she - get this - make them herself. She even had the nerve to hint that she might sell them, if they were nice enough. Yeah, some people were born with their heads firmly planted up their.... never mind. So with any fair, there's opportunity and there's risk. The trick is deciding which one will work for you as a vendor. It's all about fit. If the event fits your style, ethics and personality - then go for it. If it doesn't toss out the invitation and run away.

The reason that I'm so focused on this topic is that I'm debating joining up with Ravenswing this year. From the outside it looks good - the correspondence that I've had with their team has been polite, professional, personal (in a good way) and ...well, nice. I like nice. I thought that they were still doing monthly events so thought it best not to vend in the 'first one'. Then, I found out that it was a once-a-year thing. Hmmm that changes everything. I had planned on going as a shopper and feeling it out to see if it would a good fit and then (if it was) doing the next one, in June. Now, the decision is sort of 'do it (go on, you know you want to)' vs. 'danger, danger, run away' (actually, considering how nice they seem, I don't think that it would be that bad). I'm seriously considering setting up and taking the day as it comes. The problem is that I still have that little person sitting on my shoulder trying to talk me out of it. Once burned, twice shy, I suppose...

What about you? How do you choose events? How do you know if you'll 'fit' with the event? How do you know what merch. to bring? Have any of you been to this event (Ravenswing) before?
As my craft business has branched out away from just jewelry, it's becoming more of a thinking game when it comes to deciding what I should run up for an event. I'd love a little of your bloggi-goodness right about now - let me know how you figure this stuff out

You'll have my never-ending appreciation and affection, if you do ;)
As an added incentive, I bring you Pat

I saw the worst movie EVER

2007-04-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, MMM (the Canadian music channel) ran Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story.

The movie sucked. Then it blowed. Then it spewed. It was garbage. It was worse than garbage (wait, what's worse than garbage?). The writers and producers took a fairly interesting story of working class blokes making it big, facing difficulties and rebuilding their lives - and turned into a comic book. A cheap, childish, dull-witted comic book. Characters that could have been full, interesting people came across as cardboard cut outs, silly caricatures where there should have been flesh & blood. Still, just like the car wreck on the autoroute or the co-worker drunk and lascivious at the office party, I couldn't look away.

As bad as it was, it got me thinking. When Pat was a baby, we sang to him - anything that was on the stereo was his lullaby. His favorite stories weren't the piles of books that I bought for him; it was the liner notes of our large record collection. I can still remember him asking why the Bolos and Bozos couldn't be friends (dear friends- Europe 72? The Dead? C'mon, you know this. I know you do). When he discovered MTV on a visit back to the States, he was about 15 months old. It was all over before it began. The family started to call him the 'MTV baby' because you couldn't get him away from videos, singing, dancing and baby air-guitar. Being a musician from a family of musicians, well what could I do? I bought him a guitar...um, actually it was a ukulele. Most kids would have stopped right there. Not Pat. As soon as he could lift it, the stand that held our fireplace tools became his mic stand. Toss on a pair of funky green sunglasses and the legend of "I a Def Leppard" takes root. Little Pat would hear a DL song start up and whrrrr - he'd arrive running to start 'playing' his guitar. "Pat - what are you doing?". "I a Def Leppard - look" (followed by a scissor jump and heavy strokes down his tiny little fret board). He went to a DL show at age 3 1/2, got a giant T-shirt which became his favorite piece of clothing and cemented his ideas of stardom forever. So, I think that you can see why this crappy movie was a slap to the mother of their biggest little fan.

It's funny, that crappy movie got me thinking of band histories. When I was a teen, my dream was to be the next Lester Bangs or Hunter S. Thompson (PBUH). Catch a story, share a history of the music that was such a part of my own spirit, relate how important and life changing all of this noise was. I saw everybody that I could see - sometimes catching 2 or 3 shows a night, hitting the road with absolute strangers to get to the next big thing. Living for the moment that the lights would roll and the band would fly into view. Being young, wild and reasonably attractive didn't hurt and yup, got my fair share of fun, too. I could share a few choice details about a few folks...but that wouldn't be right. My first real boyfriend was in a band - met him at his video shoot and from there...well, band histories... you know. It was part of the experience. Part of my identity. Why would it be unusual then, for my offspring to be so wrapped up in this culture? To quote my mother, 'the acorn doesn't roll too far from its tree'. Thank, Mom - your support has been immeasurable.

Back in the day, the details mattered so much. I had forgotten the need to research and learn as much as I could about a group. On a whim yesterday, I did a little work on DL, just to see what had become of this major influencer of my toddler. Last year, I was thrilled to hear 20th Century Boy again - Marc Bolan is one of my all time faves but that DL would cover it struck me as odd. A comeback attempt + a chance to share their own influences, I suppose. What I learned yesterday was the usual stuff - young guys form a band, band exceeds expectations, fame goes to their heads (and bodies) and then, they disappear. Comeback's attempted, no one's interested. Band history. What I was surprised to learn about, however was how one band member has taken his own life struggles and used his energy to help others. The Raven Drum Foundation looks to drumming and communal rhythms as agents of healing and spirituality. Not new concepts, by any means but I found it refreshing to see someone take their life and use it for healthy causes. I really enjoyed their site, especially the interviews with Rick Allen where he discusses his (dis)ability and how he worked to re-wire his brain after losing his arm. As our understanding of what a disability is shifts towards acceptance of being 'differently abled' , frank discussions like this are healing. I suppose that our biggest obstacles are really those which live in our minds.

Yeah, never leave your photos in the custody of your children - if you ever want copies of them, that is

I was fine...

2007-04-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

until I stopped breathing

I was so excited by my news late Friday evening that I decided to drop in on K the elder at work to tell him. The only problem were the rubber boots on the counter...right beside the crates of pool chemicals. Latex... chlorine...Yeah, about that... Asthma is a bitch. Actually, the term is 'respiratory distress' as what I have isn't asthma per se; it's a by-product of my condition and I usually used a steroid inhaler to keep my lungs working. Because I don't work in a 'dirty' office any more, I've cut back on my steroids and with the cold that I picked up last week, there are plaques on my airways (who knew?!? Well, actually I did but being stubborn and oblivious are just some of my charms). Inflammation + chemicals = scared. Within minutes of arriving, I was unable to open my left lung and my throat has closed up. It took cold water and fresh air, menthol losenges and a whole lot of time before the whistling noises stopped. I have to admit it was pretty funny to see people looking all around to find out who was whistling at them...

Who says there's no knitting going on? They lie! There's tons and tons of it (ok, maybe not tons but a few pounds, at least)
First, there's the purple sweater

There are the bitey mitts, waiting for their tongues and eyes to be added
And - ta da!!!- Zia's new sock pattern!!! Not only are they pretty socks, buying the wool for them took me out of my comfort zone, straight into one of the most positive conversations of my week. On a whim, I took the advice of some wise spinners whom I had met at an artists conference and went to the Mississippi Black Sheep in Carleton Place (they really need a web site). What a stroke of luck! A lovely little shop, filled with all sorts of woolly goodness. A friendly host with a good heart and a love of her work. It doesn't get any better than that. This was probably the best customer service experience that I've had in a loooong while! After a great chat, I was on my way with a hand-wound skein of the most lovely periwinkle blue with flecks of royal purple wool. The weight is perfect and the prices in that store are really really reasonable! I was worried that I was going to drop a few more bucks than I actually did and was so entranced with my giant bundle of blue that I almost forgot where I had parked. Yeah, I could be an astronaut; I'm just that smart... just like a dump truck

I really thought that with the Mercury retrograde over, communications would be smoother but it seems like there are still some glitches out there, trying to resolve themselves. I made a presentation last week where I reminded the group to be mindful of their words, to walk with 'light feet'. It seemed to hit a note and several people spoke to me about it afterwards. In my life, I have 2 ideals - to be the person my dogs think I am (except that Jack doesn't quite know what to make of any humans right now) and to emulate my beloved Grandfather in his way of living. I can remember him telling us, after the horrors that he had lived through, to always be kind. "If you have the choice, choose to be gentle. And you always have a choice", he'd tell us on our walks. Out of all of us grandchildren, I am the one who remembers these walks with fondness. My older brother remembers them as a' have to' (versus a 'want to'). My older cousins remember these walks as a burden, of 'having to keep Zeyde busy'. I was the smallest, the one who was always lost in the crowd of sibs, half-sibs ,step-sibs and cousins and he focused a lot on my heart, helping me to shape positive thoughts. I thought that I had forgotten a lot of what he tried to impart but I now realize just how much I absorbed. A careless word, an unkind gesture can alienate and hurt. Even though I'm far from a Bodhisattva, I am learning (and re-learning) to be kinder in my day-to-day life. If a man who survived 2 World Wars and witnessed how cruel humans can be, can open his heart to the world, then there's hope for all of us. I just need to keep remembering this when the light seems its dimmest.

2007-04-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

Who Should Paint You: Andy Warhol

You've got an interested edge that would be reflected in any portraitYou don't need any fancy paint techniques to stand out from the crowd!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatartistshouldpaintyourportraitquiz/">What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Yeah, I kinda figgered a Warhol would be appropriate...
Child of the 70s...hippy parents...yup

Blame it on PMS?

2007-04-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

In this case, it stands for Pessimistic Mind Syndrome. It's been a bitch of a (couple of) years and I've learned not to get overly optimistic when a plan's afoot. After a day/week of misery, thinking that I had been denied my grant/ contract, a late evening phone call made me spin on my heels. After the comments made when I handed my application docs in and those made when I interviewed, I was sure that someone would tried to snafu it for me. When you prepare a professional, succinct presentation and then get told that they don't want to see it, you do start to wonder why you bother putting on a suit, driving 45 KM and smiling like a madwoman.
At any rate, apparently they were quite impressed despite outward appearances and want me to continue with my business plan. Being self-employed is a tough gig, on any level but I couldn't do it any other way. I'm opinionated, obstinate and awake - yup, I'm a triple threat LOL

Better get my poop in a group and finish up on a few crafty things around Rancho Bumbershoot.

The short list

Finish 3 pairs of chompy, bitey Gator mitts (almost done...almost...)
Finish the 3 totes sitting on my work table
Get an Etsy store up and running by the end of May
Decide which events and markets to set up at
Finish all of the painting projects around here (yeah, like the hall ceiling that's been waiting for 3 years to be finished. There was a death in the family when I started it and I dropped my roller when I got the phone call. Haven't been able to tackle it since....Patching all of my cracked plaster would be nice too - that friggin' jackhammer did a real number on my ceilings and the tops of some of my walls. Curse this plaster on lathe, turn of the century crap - give me a little gyprock, won't ya!?!)
Rehang all of my artwork now that that infernal jackhammer has left the work site

In the middle of the maelstrom, I did finish a couple of totes. I cut out the panels for this faux-tik a week or two ago but only got around to sewing them on Thursday. Because the fabric is pretty thick (like a light denim/twill), I didn't interface it. It still feels durable and everything's triple stitched. I may add some stiffener in the bottom, maybe some fun foam or plastic canvas/ buckram

Like Bubbi, I tend to gravitate towards polka dots and the yellow really looks happy, lining this shopper-tote
I tried to get some of the nicer, more complete images on either side; the back has a pretty elephant baby

I'll try to slap up a few other things that I've been busying myself with lately, when there's a moment

Here's to a great (peace-filled) weekend. I hope that yours is warm and wonderful, too

you know it's been a rough week when

2007-04-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

I start dreaming about buying the bus
Of course, the MCI was sold... it's the only one that I wanted. I once flipped the bird to some big bald dude driving that bus after he cut me off on my nightly commute. A couple of weeks later, I was so excited to pull into my first Fred show and lol & behold, there was the bus and who was leaning against the door? Why the big bald dude, of course!
After wiping all of that egg off of my face, I went in and enjoyed the best show EVER - they even did "rev it up". Willie smiled that beautiful smile as we sang along. Fred told us jokes (I've heard them all so many times, now - thank God!) The vibe was good; the people were great...
Man, I miss that bus

Monkeys, poop and phobias

2007-04-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I guess I have to come clean...I have a mortal fear of monkeys
In my post about Pink Mohair's problems getting Bugaboo to offer a sensible solution to her stroller woes, I used the expression "holy flying Monkey crap", much to Linda Lu's amusement. To me, it's one of the scariest images ever but I guess if you've never lived with a monkey, you just don't know about that. It's just funny. I, unfortunately, did live with a monkey. An ancient, dirty, possessive, violent monkey. There's nothing funny about it, to me or to my siblings

My grandfather emigrated from his country as a young man, accompanied by his older sisters and brother. Alone in a new place, speaking a new language, they started their lives again. Once they started working (their English was much better than his), they felt that 'poor Stan' was lonely and my Great-Aunt suggested getting him a dog. My Great-Uncle John said that he would look into a suitable dog and hit the market. You can imagine everyone's surprise (and Zeyde's delight) when John pulled a small, scared monkey out of his coat that night. Well, Monkey (yes, that was his name) moved in. He went every where with Stan, who of course, loved him like a child. He went to work. He went to football. Everywhere. When he married my Grandmother, Zeyde had to put Monkey out of reach because he would grab about poor little Edith, rip her clothes and shake her. 7 lbs. of monkey vs. 4'11" of hot-tempered Irish beauty - think about it. Monkey was banished to a nest in the kitchen where, frustrated by the distance between him & his nemesis, he resorted to what later became known as "doing it". This was really 2 activities - yes, the perquisite poop-flinging that we've all seen on TV - that was scary enough but it got worse. Monkey's live forever - FOR-FREAKING-EVER- and Monkey was ancient when I came along. Nestled in a perch on top of a chest freezer in the back kitchen, Monkey sat, stared and shook various parts of his anatomy at anyone who got too close. Even as a toddler, I loved all animals and wanted to cuddle the 'baby'; the 'baby' wanted to pull my hair out of my head, throw poop at me and shake his genitals violently at me. When we were cleaning out that house after my Grandparents were gone, I could still hear Bubbi screaming, "Staaaaaaaaaaaaaan he's doing it again!". As funny as it might seem, I still cannot touch a monkey. Look at a monkey. Like a monkey

Maybe I should be grateful - all I ever needed to know about male anatomy was learned fairly early on thanks to that hairy, stinky mess of monkey

So, do ya still like monkeys?

How do you mend a broken dog?

2007-04-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Someone vandalized the work site and tried to break into our home while we were out yesterday...I only found the evidence after I found Jack running through the house. WTF!?! K the elder was supposed to put both of them in their crates before left for Ottawa? Here he was, loose and totally freaked out

Jack destroyed his heavy welded metal crate in an attempt to escape from these 'people' and now he's his manic old self again. He can't be crated right now but I needed to shower- I came back downstairs after 5 minutes of speed shower this afternoon to find him trying eat the bars of his kennel, cracking his teeth and screaming. Nash, poor lad, just sat and watched, confused and worried about his big brother.

We were out for a total of 45 minutes yesterday. That's all it took to destroy his sense of safety. When MC & I got back home, he was loose and had ripped out the sun room baffles from the dog bars (yes, I have installed dog bars after he jettisoned himself through the glass trying to escape on several occasions). In order to stop him from slipping through the dog bars (this is the dog that once escaped through the cat door - all 97 lbs of him - we created heavy 'dog-proof' screen baffles to attach to the bars. Yesterday, he ripped the baffle and the screen out. I think that we got home just in time to stop him from leaping out. Thank God for that- at least he didn't get loose and hurt, hit by a car or shot by one of my neighbours.

I just called my Vet's office and they're so wonderful; when they heard how he was behaving, I could hear the Vet Tech's voice change. They know his story and how far he's come. She sounded as worried as I am. She consulted with our favorite vet, Dr. Malloy who told me to give him 50 mg. of Gravol every 12 hours, for a max. of 2 days until we can get him in to the office to get him something stronger. I'm so anti-chemical but this is extreme... We've done all sorts of behavioral modification but he still slips once in a while. Never like this, though. This is totally off the scale or I wouldn't even consider medicating.

I feel selfish saying this but this is the most important week of my business-life and I need to prepare. Instead, I've got this big dog, drooling and whimpering, trying to fit underneath the couch I'm sitting on. He's already tried to climb under the ottoman, the PC desk, and tried to fit into the lower cupboards in my kitchen. His brain is not working. He's gone. Totally fried. Couldn't these stupid f*#ks bother someone else????

I was Jack's last chance, when I brought him home from the pound. They pretty much told me so - after 2 failed adoptions, he was too much for any other family. I didn't believe that it could be that bad - I was wrong. It was worse. He has been so badly scarred by his early life that he cannot take any changes, noises or even some smells. Motorcycles terrify him. Children terrify him. Life terrifies him. Right now, I terrify him. After years of being his only trustworthy friend, he now feels like I'm out to get him too. I may never be able to leave him alone again... Does anyone out there what to do with this?

I'd better close this before my tears short circuit my laptop...

Night Beaver, Night Bea-verrrrr

2007-04-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

No, not a silly Bee Gees song; just a giant rodent, out for a stroll. I looked out the living room window on Saturday night and saw a slow moving, staggering animal. My partner, the mighty woodsman (with an degree in forestry engineering, no less) laughed me off, telling me it was just a raccoon. Yeah, a raccoon that can barely walk, with a flat leather tail and giant incisors...hmm, me thinks not. Brave lad that he is, off he went to follow it up the street. I could hear him from up the block -'it's a freakin' beaver!'. Yeah, ya think? Our quiet little street is a handy access road for the street racers whose little lives are enhanced by revving up and pulling down my steep hill - sometimes into other vehicles. Men are smart here...smart like dump trucks...

Knowing that our beloved symbol of Canada was in risk by visiting our street, I decided to talk him down the road, back to the river. Yup, stood on my front steps and had a very one-sided conversation with a enormous rodent. Isn't my life exciting? One dude decided to cut down the road but as he approached (at full tilt, I might add), I flagged him down and pointed to the beaver just 3 feet ahead of him. He stared at me for a second then looked to see what I was pointing at. A giant grin filled his face and he slowed to pass our furry friend. All the time, K is howling 'don't look, don't look' at me, worried that I'd see him get nailed by the neon-lit Acura. And yes, 'it' was definitely a he. Who knew that beavers were so well-endowed? This guy wasn't staggering; he was lugging about 10 pounds of gonads down the street. K the younger, always the smart ass claims that they use them as flotation devices. I just knew that they had to serve some purpose. Truly, evolution at its finest!

Not such a bad day, after all

2007-04-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we've all got colds now - where'd that come from??? Arghhhhhhh

All said, it was a pleasant day - yes, the workmen arrived, thumped and banged - surprisingly little yelling, though - that was nice. It was also nice to be outside on such a lovely (20 degrees!!!) and soul-saving day. After a week trapped in the house, I NEEDED outside time! I got the feeling that the dogs did, too and we let them have a lot of play time, with us and with each other. All said, Jack was a good egg throughout the ruckus and I am really proud of how much work he's done in such a short time. There's a lot more ruckus to come so let's all pray that he can keep his poop in pile, as a my dear friend MC likes to say. From what I understand, it's the governmentese for 'keep his shit together'.

Much thanks to Sara for telling me about the macro feature on my camera - we went for our morning stroll through our riverwalk and when I mentioned it to K the elder, he said 'oh I think that we have that, too'. Whhhhat!?! Sure enough - we do. Color me stupid for not knowing that - d'oh! I managed to get some beautiful shots throughout the day and I just may try to shoot some jewelry, too. Wish me luck.

Here's a little hint of photos to come

This is my first "macro" shot. Wherever you are in the universe, you could probably feel the ground moving when I was jumping up & down in excitement when I took this shot and it was CLEAR!
My neighbour's crocus - this plant always makes me homesick. Anyone who has traveled the Tirol or the Laurentians knows how prevalent this plant is to alpine climates. Our yard back home was always a blur of soft crocus blooms every Easter and my heart is always lightened by their beauty.

I had a nice, long chat with my neighbour to the South and learned a bit more about Almonte history. Being an almost lifelong resident, she knows all the corners (and a lot of the skeletons, too). I would love to write a book about all of these wonderful, older people around here. Let them share their stories about the region and teach us all about the history of this special corner of the planet. I have told you all before how I feel about my County but the more I learn, the more I love it. Years of study as a historian have felt wasted, until I speak with someone so knowledgeable. This might be the book that's been residing in my heart all this time.... Who knows if this is the project that I've been waiting for but it still feels like a good starting point. After years of dry writing, filled with lesson plans and grant proposals, do I really have the ability to switch back into historical writing? My passion has always been driven by how interesting our young country is; when others in my class looked southward to the US for ideas for their theses, I looked to new Canadians who were living the experience faced by my mother and her family, the older people who had lived through so much and were so grateful for the country that we took for granted, and the chance to teach younger people about a country of relative privilege and dignity.Our conversation today started with talk about a missed trip to the War Museum and led to a tale of all of the young men who left this small, farming community and dared to fight for Canada; of her brother, Cyril who sneaked into their house after a five year absence and little communication, and of a mother's joy that her son was not one of the missing, the dead. In an age of almost instant email connection, we forget the real sacrifice of those in that time of uncertainty. Those left waiting at home, praying, hoping, wishing that their sons, nephews and neighbors would come strolling up the walk, intact of body and spirit, safe to the arms of their family. I grew up during Viet Nam and I remember the black cars, the MPs, the officer who would march solemnly up the walk to the front door, cap in hand. We would drop our bikes on a neighboring lawn and wait for the officer to come back out. Even as a little kids, we knew that Jim or Bob or Sam wouldn't be coming home. They were just gone, like a memory, a scream that has left a mouth. Even now, these memories are emotional. I knew that my dad wouldn't make those men walk up our drive because he stayed on base usually. As Crew Chief, he was responsible for making the crafts airworthy and they cut him a lot of slack. Still, there were dads and brothers missing and it wasn't uncommon for kids to miss school because they had received that news. Maybe that's why her stories had so much resonance - because on some level, it had been my story too. A different place, a different time but a similar fear, a common thread. I was such a morbid child that I loved old cemeteries and found cool stones wherever we traveled. Someone told me that the stones are really for the living, because once the living who knew those buried are gone, the memory of those long-dead people are too. Maybe that's what this book will be - a gift to those who have gone so that they are never forgotten.

More moo stuff

2007-04-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

Cuz they're just that cute (and I've got the network cooperating), I've got a few shots of the little Moo-sters

I was sort of winging it with this batch; the next batch has much better images. I love the concept, though - a little card to hand out. How many times do you meet someone and want to stay in touch with them. It's pretty non-invasive to simply hand the person a Moo and say 'hey, drop me a line sometime' - nothing creepy 'bout that.

This has been such a stressful week - my astrologer-mother will tell you that it's because we're wrapping up a Mercury retrograde so things are starting to consider moving forward again. I rushed to complete that huge grant application, copy it and deposit it at the office. It wouldn't have been half as bad if I had planned better - so much of it should have been completed during the week, not at the last minute. I've been trapped in the house during these much-needed sunny days, calming the pets and ignoring the screaming, foul-mouthed workers who have taken over my space. My blood pressure has been through the roof... I didn't eat so I had foul-mouth low blood sugar breath, there were loose horses running the length of the Appleton side road (my chosen route), mapquest couldn't locate the address, I was feeling panicky and then, the person who accepted my application told me that it was 'very long'. Oh, just shoot me now!

I don't know what you're doing today but whatever it is, I hope that it brings you joy and smiles. I, for one, will be working in my yard, playing ball with the dogs and laughing at daredevil Pablo as he struts around the scaffolding, meowing for attention. That should be enough to make up for this past week Maybe my cardinals will be nest-building today, too

Ahhhh Crap - the workers just showed up. Is there no peace to be had?!?

In the middle of chaos,

2007-04-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

little Flashlight rests

She cracks me up - most of her days are spent hiding in the dark at the top of the basement stairs, hoping that the banging and yelling outside will end. The sun was so strong yesterday that she decided that my office was safe enough to curl up into my mail basket, on top of my purse and nap. She's so funny.

I've been trying to snap some shots of the dogs lately - usually, they're the 2 headed dog, wrestling and tussling when they're not sleeping or eating. Jack's been a little wigged out with all of the noise so in the evenings, he sticks close to me, looking for comfort. I've been trying to wean him off of the need to be comforted when he's scared and we've made big strides in the past few weeks. We still have along way to go, though. I managed to snatch a few photos when he was climbing under my work station. It's hard to believe that just last year, he was a young dog; now, he's a white bearded old dude. In his mind, yelling is followed by a beating and despite the fact that he's never had us do that to him, the memories of his first year still haunt him. He likes to take preemptive strikes and pretends to be vicious, barking and hackles raised when the yelling outside starts. The big command that we've been working on is "no noise" with a finger touching our lips. I learned with Ilka to use both words and hand gestures so that even at a distance, as long as she could see me, she would understand what I wanted. Jack is so bright that he understands most of what I ask of him and the "nn" command seems to make sense to him. He needs to understand that there's no threat and that I'll defend him if a threat would be made. His poor little brain cannot process that news, though. He is such a sweet-natured dog usually...except when he's afraid. I cannot imagine how awful he must feel when the panic hits. And to think that another human did this to him. How powerful that person was (hrmph!) to beat a silly little puppy and break his spirit. It used to anger me to think of it but now, it saddens me.
I wrote my Member of Parliament, asking him to support a Private Member's bill to up the penalty for animal cruelty. No response from his office - guess you don't want my vote, do you Mr O'Connor? When we do not protect the weakest members of our society - children, the elderly,the disenfranchised and animals - we are not a fully evolved society. Why should I be surprised that he couldn't have a staffer reply - he was too busy sending our men and women off to die. If he doesn't respect other humans, why should I expect him to respect the rights of animals?

Urinary woes

2007-04-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that grown tradespeople need to urinate constantly -apparently they do, and they urinate everywhere. The burning question is 'do they really need to do it in front of me?' (can you tell that right now I'm wishing them a little visit from the cystitis fairy?)

This construction lark is starting to wear thin right now - the 'pee pee team' as I've started calling them seem to delight in peeing, right in front of me. Isn't that what wild animals do to mark their territory ? Or maybe wild animals are more sophisticated than that. I am starting to believe that wild animals have better vocabularies than these creatures, too.

Apart from the public urination, the f-bomb seems to function highly in their communication, too. It's a noun, a verb and an adjective - who knew?!? Wow, at least this experience has built my communication skills. "Keep your f-ing pe%$*er in your f-ing pants and stop f-ing pissing on the f-ing lawn. What the f#$% do you think this is? A public f-ing toilet?". My mother will be so proud.

Bugaboo Bad Review ( rhymes with "Poo Poo")

2007-04-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

A Well Meaning Rant – and a request

(Or, who knew that I could get angry about a baby apparatus, so long after my kids were little – HMMMPH! )

If you have kids, you totally get how important your stroller purchase is – right? When I had Pat, some well-meaning folks bought me a stroller as a baby gift. The only problem is that the purchaser was about 5’5” – and I am quite a bit taller….pushing a stroller intended for a shorter person was killer…backaches, torn muscles after wrestling it through the sleet….just crap. I was too cheap to replace it and switched to a Gerry pack soon after he graduated from the Snugli. With K the younger, we splurged on a new stroller but it was still too short (there wasn’t a lot of choice back then). Once again, I tucked him into some sort of pack and went about my business. That was old me, the ‘don’t make a wave or behave unseemly’ me. Thank God she’s dead and buried; the new me is a lot less accepting of crap. Like my local constable noted after a run in with some local brutes, ‘phew T, you don’t take shit from anybody’. Yup, no shit - I expect idiots to leave me and my family alone and I expect a company to live up to its reputation. After all, a bully in a corporate suit is still a bully. In the case of Pink Mohair, her corporate bully is a bit of a dumbass, too. Just for good measure, I suppose…

A good stroller is worth its weight in gold – at least that’s what the Bugaboo stroller company seems to think – I mean $750 USD!!! Holy Flying Monkey Crap! What would you expect for that price????

If you spend a small fortune on ‘the perfect stroller”, one that allows you to link from car seat to stroller without waking up the baby and to carry everything that you need for the little one, you’d think that the company would be appreciative. “Wow, thanks for purchasing our over-priced but well worth the money stroller – we care so much about your happiness with our product that our customer service team is there to take care of your questions and concerns’ – as a Customer Service trainer, I know the routine inside and out – and I believe in the message. If you’re the customer left in limbo with a legitimate complaint, you start to believe in it too, don’t you?

Here’s the scoop – busy mom, with hectic career and personal life buys super-expensive stroller system, spends extra on (what the company claims are) compatible parts – car seat, etc etc.. One problem – none of this is actually compatible and refuses to snap together – FOR ANYONE! Talk about your high-priced rip-offs! The story only gets better. Read here and see how ineffective (read “Useless and unresponsive, excuse-making and dense”) this company has been in resolving the matter. Just like the Jet Blue fiasco, Bugaboo needs to get its shit together. Do not leave customers stranded without a solution and try to cover your ass with excuses (especially ones that don’t make sense). In a letter sent by the company, they claim that they had not received a lot of emails about this situation. Over 75 of us fellow Bloggers sent in our notes of ire - but somehow, they didn't get them? Ok, maybe their communications system sucks - but that’s not our problem. Address customer concerns in a logical (read – professionally, politely, timely and one that is a solution, not an added worry) manner. What they've offered so far is inconvenient and makes extra work for an already busy family. Any company worth its salt would be sending them the necessary replacement parts, to their home, at the company's expense, not the customer's inconvenience. Think about it...

I tell you what – let’s start them on the path to improving their customer service plan, ok? Let’s all send them an email about the situation – nothing too racy or mean-spirited, just plain language telling them what we think of companies who try to screw us around when we have a problem with their products. As women, we need to stick together and fight this type of battle. Alone, we’re one voice in a crowd. Together, we can make an impact. Ladies, send them an email, put “Pink Mohair Supporter” in the subject box and let rip. Tell them that we, as a population are tired of being patted on the hand and being told to go to our corner, where we can be ‘good girls’. Once, back in the day when I was a ski mechanic helping premiere athletes reach their (and our country's) goals, I met a sales rep who refused to demonstrate a new product to me. "Let the big boys worry about that", he told me. In my youthful arrogance, I looked him in the eye and said 'sir, I am one of the big boys!'. Don't let my response fool you - I was pissed, just like I am about Pink Mohair's situation. I haven’t been a ‘good girl’ since I was about 15 so I don’t think that I’ll regain any ground on that front but there’s a lot to be said about being true to our opinions. Speak out, ladies – if you don’t, who will?

Well-behaved women seldom make history.

Snow, Rain and a new Gazebo....

2007-04-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that makes sense... This morning, we woke to heavy, wet snow tumbling from the sky. This was followed by a day of rain, snow and sleet - so deep, wet and cold that even the dogs (who swim in the frozen river if given a chance) outright refused to stay outside in their run. Last night, I woke up from a dream that our ancient cloth gazebo collapsed in snow so it was kind of odd when K the elder screeched, "it's going doooooown. The gazebo's going down!' and dashed outside. The old girl split her connectors and the tent came down, never to rise again. It's all right, though. We had already decided to replace it with a nicer one this summer. This one was for my market booth after I had got a really bad sunburn working one Saturday. I suppose that 6 years of life is as much as you can expect out of a cheap garden tent, eh?

We were going to replace our ancient, peeling Adirondack table with a spanking new patio set but Frugal Freida that I am, I could not condone buying a whole new set when we just replaced our patio chairs a year ago... Yeah, I'm just that cheap. So, after our construction success with the fence, I figured that we were up to building a patio table, too. That leaves the cash that I counted on for the patio set which can be for our new gazebo. Don't you love it when a plan comes together????

On a really bright note, I received a surprise set of stitch markers from Robyn, of the SME! Yay - they're so cute (I'll try and snap a shot of them ASAP - but you know me and my out of focus close up shots.... I suck). I mailed off the set for my partner. She's in Montreal so they should arrive shortly. I love a good swap!

Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2007-04-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

I was so buzzed about Moo cards about 2 months ago. Couldn't wait to make them and get them into my hot, little hands. Then they lost my order. Ok, things happen - they were nice and offered to reprint them. Ok, I'm a grown-up. I can be patient....to a point. But wait... there's a problem? Again? Yup, because I had removed some of my photos from Flickr (long after they had told me that my order was on its way), they had several cards in my order that didn't print. Deep breath...it's only a business card. It's not like some heavy machinery pulled into my front yard and totally destroyed my lawn and garden and forced me to park far away from my home and to shlep my groceries to my front door, yeah the front door that doesn't unlock because there has been a key for the past 20 years and oh yeah, there is no walkway left unless I want to fall in a hole and break my f-ing leg- oh wait, that's a different story...So, back to our scheduled rant - nice folks that they are, the Moo guys gave me a credit for a free set of cards to make up for the lost cards/ reprint kerfuffle. That was nice - thank you. And so, I waited some more

Then, they finally arrived late last night. I was STOKED - "like totally gnarly, duuuuuude" - yeah, I said that!)and they weren't so bad. Actually they're pretty cute. Right away, I set to making my 'free' set, knowing so much more about the layout of these tiny little cards. I think that, just like baking cookies, the second batch will turn out so much better than the first. Where my first set was all about the 'calling card' with my personal contact info, this time, they'll be for the business. Rock!

On a different note, I had a wonderful surprise visit from two of my most favourite people in the known universe - Francois & Rita, who had just wrapped up their latest pilgrimage to the Sugar Bush. It was so nice to have their company in our hectic lives - thanks for making my Saturday, guys :) Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Freakin' Vegas - yeah you heard me L-A-S V-E-G-A-S (or at least Scottsdale/Snotsdale LOL)

Don't Fence Me In (but keep the dogs safe)

2007-04-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

Jonquils in the snow - yes, this is April in County Lanark...
Phew - to quote the wonderful Jerry, What a Long Strange Trip it's Been! The fence is as good as it's gonna get, the dogs are adapting (so far, so good - still keepin' the fingers crossed), Flashlightie is looking good (and is a total purr factory - hey, if I spent all day snoozing in the sun, I'd purr too), some of the plants have been moved (and I've only lost 2/3 of them, not all). The back hoe will be arriving later this week and once they dig out the foundation of the new buildings, the driver will dig out my new flower bed. We're exhausted - it rained hard all day Wednesday when we were trying to get set up for the weekend's construction, so we were soaked to the skin, cold and tired. K the elder worked Thursday but had Friday, Saturday & Sunday off - so it was full tilt boogie for every hour of every day. And, because the universe has a sense of humor - it snowed every day! Mein Zeyde used to used to say, 'if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans'. Ok, I get it, Zeyde, I get it!

On Friday, we managed to get the main structure set up, but were missing 10 feet of board that we needed to finish up (of course!) - with the store closed, we had to wait. At 7h00 the next morning, K the Elder was in the car, off to pick up the last bit of board. With the frame and wire fencing installed, we were roughly finished by 13h00 but K (typical...) fussed around for the next 3 hours, looking for fault and things to do. I was ready to shout, 'good enough, Boris' (hee hee hee Russian humor - yeah!) but I left him to his fussing.
It doesn't look like much despite all the work, eh?
I was going to stain the bugger (the fence, not K the E) but it looks good the way it is. It'll grey out nicely and blend into the landscape. I really like the wire fencing - it 'disappears' and it's nice to be able to see into the yard on both sides without worrying about the 'boys' running loose and getting hurt. Jack is so damaged by his first year and the abuse heaped on him that he just wants to 'do right'. He is really frightened by change and has been on tenterhooks this past few months, with the construction going on around him. Because we now need to escort the dogs to their run, we need to do one dog at a time but Jack has decided that he wants to please us and is going straight to the run all by himself, no leash. I wonder how long this will last - once he relaxes, the good behaviour usually drops off and Gentleman Jack is replaced by his uncouth cousin, Silly Boy Jack. If he was a human, he'd be a good ole boy at this time, looking for fun, driving too fast. If it wasn't such a pain to try and correct his behaviour, I'd like to see the silly guy more. There have been days when I've prayed that he would 'just be a normal dog'... but I knew that I was bringing home a 'problem' when I adopted him. We were his last chance and I do not regret any of it (but I do wish that I was wiser, more patient, a better dog owner).

Pat made his usual weekly call home (yay!) - this is what happens when your kids pair off with good partners - They call home 'just to chat'!. I think that Val has brought Pat closer into the family and it's just another reason to love her. He was telling us about his last show at Zaphod's and how some of the guys he had gone to high school with were there. Pat was an 'artsy' kid in high school and marched to his own beat. Once, just 'because', he took an online "course" with a virtual church and obtained the faux-title of Reverend. His teachers were NOT impressed with him signing all of his papers with the 'Honorable Reverend Pat XXXX' (I think my favorite comment from on of his teachers was 'Pat, cut the garbage and be sensible!'. Yes, he was just that weird. He had a close circle of friends (most of whom are still his friends today) but like a lot of kids, took his fair share of teasing and abuse by the bigger 'jockocracy' that dominates small town life. So when those past bullies turned up at his show, wanting to be his friend because he was playing there, he was pissed. "I didn't want to be their friends then so why would I want to now?". Pat, darling - sometimes people will not get you when they should. Sometimes, in their ignorance, they will hurt you. Whatever they do or say, stretch your wings and be who you are supposed to be. I would rather have you 'odd' than have you unhappy. Anyone who knows Pat knows what a happy soul he is - he's living his purpose. I can only pray that those sad souls who bullied him back then find their purpose and a little happiness.

On the knitting front, I've churned out 11 pairs of LK mittens in the past 10 days - how? I have no clue... I've set a steep goal for myself this year - 60 pairs by September 30th. Think I can do it? Not sure but I'll give it a brave try. Last year, I knit 36 pairs in 3 months so I should be all right with 60 in 6 months. That is 9-10 schools worth of mittens so it's well worth the effort. If you know of a local school that would benefit from receiving a 'mitten bag' next winter or if you'd like to knit along with me (1 pair is just fine - don't worry about the other 59; I'll do those) - drop me a line.

I wanted to take a few seconds to all of the kind souls who were there with kindness when we were so worried about our little Flashlight - she seems fine and is back to being silly and even cuddled up with me the other evening. I suspect that she really wanted to sleep on this blanket but I'm telling myself that it's because she loves me. And don't even get me started about those who commented about the garden woes - a lot of people 'get' the need to till the soil and I was touched by the concern. I am always amazed at the 'strangers' out there who take time to leave a comment and there are times when those comments get us through the hard times. In this virtual neighbourhood, no one stays a stranger for long - here's to this brave new world and many, many new friends!

Panic in the Thrift Shop

2007-04-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hey kids!
It's been a crazzzzzzzy weekend (and even week preceding, to be honest) and I'm still not back from 'digupafrozengardenandmoveallthestuffandbuildafenceeventhoughweveneverbuiltanythingtogetherbefore-land'. In all of this panic and mayhem, I haven't even visited the thrift store in at least 2 weeks (apart from my foray into Goodwill on the holiest of days on the thrifting calendar, 50% off day. I have a 'new' project in mind for the last few weeks and call upon you, my Ottawa Valley Friends to help out. I'm building a thrift store site and want to know, 'what's the best thrift store in the Valley?'. Where do you like to shop? Find anything cool? Bizarre? Just to strange for words? An amazing deal? Let me know and stayed tuned for the new site

I am so behind on all of my correspondence (and my life) that I'd better get started...

Talk to you soon!

Meanwhile, on the fabric front....

2007-04-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

I've shared my 'materials' obsession before so it should be no surprise that I am working my way through this fabric jungle. Considering the title of this little weblog, I should be focused more on the yarn that looms in three massive storage bins in my den but the fabric has been calling...and calling...and calling

I have a series of built-in drawers in the den, which houses my fabric, wrapping paper, fabric dying supplies and patterns. The only problem has been that the wrapping paper is next to impossible to get to and wrapping a gift involves moving the yarn, and wrestling with the sticky drawer. When you have limited mobility, this is a bitch. Trying to open that drawer has landed me on my tuckus more than once! My solution? To hang the paper, of course.
It probably doesn't look like much but the long green pockets hold rolls of wrapping paper; on the other side, I've put 2 smaller pockets for gift bags. Two of these holders now hang in my huge downstairs closet. I love a cool storage solution. I'll try to write it out at the end of this post - drop me a line if you need more clarification

Because today was the day to dig the garden, it snowed. Not a lot but enough to harden the ground and to make it impossible to wedge a shovel into the soil. ARGH! It looks like Monday will be the only day that we (actually, "I" not "we" - K the elder is working that day) will get the chance to do this... we figure that we can put the plants into heavy garbage bags and tuck them into the crawl space until we can get the new beds dug. I'm a little worried about the cold, about disturbing the roots at this sensitive time of year, about the health of these plants and shrubs. Why do I worry about my plants? They're 'only plants', right? Not to me, for whatever reason, just like my dogs or cats are not 'just dogs' or 'just cats'. The day before we were about to euthanize my beloved Ilka (her cancer had spread and she was in such pain, I cannot imagine living through) I went to work. My colleague asked why I was so withdrawn and I explained my sorrow, the loss that I saw coming and that I needed a little space so that I could make it through the day. Her response was , 'well, it's just a dog - what's the problem?' - yeah, I know... I was at a loss for words and left the room before I boxed her ears. My Ilka was not 'just a' anything, she was my companion, a 3rd child in our house and a loving member of our little family. In some respects, our long-lived garden plants have fit into a niche of sorts, too. Maybe not family members but companions, of a sort, beautiful living creatures under my stewardship. When I read articles about whether or not plants 'feel' or 'hear', I'm hard-pressed not to believe that they do. Maybe not in a human sense of being sentient but as a living organism, their own reality must have some form of experience, of feeling. But hey, who knows - maybe I'm just a nutty old lady? Get ready for me to start loading my pets into a shopping cart and roll around town, talking to myself as I dig through the garbage. If this experience doesn't push me to an extra-wacky state of mind, nothing ever will.

Back to the wrapping paper hanger!
I've overloaded this pocket, so it is saggy. Once I had made the second set of hanging pockets, I unloaded half of this stock and there is less strain on the pocket, the paper is hanging nicely and these pockets should live a long, long time.
They're very simple to make up and I should have drawn up a tutorial (and taken better photos). In a nutshell, the process is very short.
You will need:
1 metre of fabric for the body of the hanger (I used sheets that I picked up a Wally-World for $4.97 each - because of their size, they go a long way)
1 meter of fabric for your pockets
A sturdy clothes hanger
Matching thread
Paper for your pattern (I use brown parcel wrapping paper) and a sharpie or marker
A long straight edge, like a yard or metre stick
-------------------------------------------------

1. Lay out your wrapping paper (I found that I needed to hold it down with weights as it had been tightly rolled and wanted to spring back every time I rolled it out flat)

2. Take your hanger and lay it at the top of the paper, leaving enough space for a seam allowance. Trace around your hanger top, leaving an opening for the hook. I left a 3" opening and left a hem allowance so that the top was neatly (for me) finished. Continue tracing along your hanger - where the hanger curves to form the bottom rail, keep going down the sides until your pattern is as long as you need to be. At this point, I laid out my rolls of paper to see how long I needed it to be. Mine are 36" long, plus hem length. Use your straight edge to make a nice clean line all the way from the place where the hanger curves to the bottom hem, making sure that you include a minimum of 3/4" seam allowance.

3. Once your pattern is ready, hang the hanger and pin your pattern to it to make sure that it will work. Ready?

4. Lay out your main fabric, doubled and pin your pattern. Cut out your 2 main fabric pieces.

5. Time to draft your pocket patterns - measure the length of your wrapping paper rolls and the width of your main fabric pieces (minus your seam allowances). My large pocket is 26" X 16", plus seam allowances.

6. Lay out your pocket fabric, doubled (if you want 2 large pockets) or single (if you only want 1 large pocket). Cut your pocket. Press and sew top hem. Press edges under and pin to 1 piece of your main fabric. Sew, taking care to reinforce your stitching at the top of your pocket. This will ensure that your pocket survives the strain of heavy rolls of paper. Repeat the pocket application for side 2.

7. Once your pockets have been attached, take your 2 main pieces and hem the opening (where your hanger will poke through to hang your hanging pockets). It pays to reinforce this stitching with a little piece of interfacing and extra stitches.

8. Lay your 2 main pieces, right side together and pin along the top of the hanger and sides. Stitch, reinforcing your stitches along the hanger edge, where the fabric may wear against the clothes hanger.

9. Once you've finished the main stitching, turn right side out and press. Place your hanger inside and poke hanger top through. You're almost finished (mine took less than 30 minutes, including time to consider the idea and draft the pattern!. Now you need to finish the bottom hem. Turn up the hem, press and pin and stitch along the bottom. Clip your threads and hang it up! You are done!

Ginormous sigh

2007-04-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

What a week it's been. I'm sorry for being AWOL but you know, it's hard to be three people - worker bee, haus frau, mischief maker extraordinaire and find time to blog. Flashie seems to be trotting along all right but I don't want to celebrate just yet. I need to see a total turn around before I'll say that we're out of the woods...

Thanks to all of you who sent us your good wishes for my little kitty-grrl. It's nice to know that all of you love your pet-kids too and understand how hard it is when they're not well. Your kindness is invaluable - thank you :)

We're entering into phase II of the big construction project and unfortunately, the builders will be destroying my front garden so that they can put in the new neighbours' foundations. Not only do I lose my little flower bed in front of the house (filled with all sorts of tulips and jonquils, just ready to pop out of the soil) , we are also losing the huge strip garden that I busted my back (and 2 shovels) to build almost 10 years ago. The ground isn't even properly thawed yet and I have to move about $2000 worth of heritage varieties of plants like irises and lilies that I have collected over the years. We also have to build a new fence to keep our dog-kids in a safe place. Nashville, the little scamp has discovered that he can jump over the snow fence by belly-flopping on it, then he tears around our busy neighbourhood, hackles raised, scaring everyone he meets. Hey, he's an 18 month old Lab puppy - he wants you to pet him not run away. I felt really bad yesterday - we were inspecting the area where the new fence will go and he decided to pull his Houdini act and tore off after our neighbour's son-in-law. The SIL decided that he was under attack and tried to get into his car but the door was locked. I'd like to say that hilarity ensued but, judging his reaction, we'll be lucky if we don't get sued. I tried to apologize but the SIL just glared at me. Nash was really sweet when he reached the guy but.... guess that introduction didn't go too well....

If only he was still this cute
We'll be working on his etiquette as soon as we finish the fence and move the garden.

Sara, who always seems to be doing something charitable - where do you find the time/energy, girl??? - asked if I'd been to any Fred shows lately and I hang my head in shame. No, no I haven't. Once again, I missed the big Texas weekend. Maybe next year... He was supposed to do a show up in Perth but we had to forgo it to take care of things around Rancho Bumbershoot. This 'being an adult' thing sucks sometimes... Fred is still near and dear to our hearts (and ears). Yesterday, I took part in a collage workshop and a fellow collager remarked that she had noticed my Fred mug - and that her respect for me had increased 'tenfold' (I assume that it is a good thing? Did she not respect me a lot before? Hmmmm). I cannot wait until the big Cobalt weekend and a weekend spent in the cool, Northern woods listening to Fred and gang (oh yeah, and drinking tequila - remember kids, it's one shot for every year of age!) Love that Fred-dude!
On a bright note, Brock is playing at Jersey's next weekend and who is accompanying him? None other than the extremely talented Dan Walsh! Love that baritone gee-tar, dude!
I was extra-super blessed this week - a crate of vintage men's sewing patterns arrived from Texas and a giant "thanks" goes out to Kim from Dioramarama. I mean, a briefs pattern?!? WTF!?! High-larious! I showed it to K the elder and asked what color he wanted. All I got from him was a strange look, and a 'um, no thanks'. At least I thought it was funny. There's a really nicely shaped tennis jacket that I think I'll make up for K the elder and Pat has already asked for a leisure suit - love the curved pockets!

I did a little thrifting and hit Goodwill on their 50% off day - found an armful of vintage sheets that are just gorgeous and are screaming "den curtains" at me. At our local thrift shop, I picked up this beat up sewing box

It's in the middle of a paint transformation (orchid and lime green, no less) so stayed tuned for updates. It'll be a great place to tuck all of my thread and needles, etc instead of the plastic storage containers that I've been collecting stuff in. Not bad for $3, eh?

That's about half of the last week of life but my arms are aching...I'll type some more later - One of my favorite DJs, Chopper MacKinnon always wraps up with "and I love you" to which I cannot help but reply, "we love you too, Chopper" - so let me steal from the man - I miss you guys "and I love you"

Flashlight update

2007-03-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

My little Flashie is home but we still don't know what's wrong with her. They tried to collect a urine sample but when they finally got her and her tiny bladder out of the cage, she peed on the table. Because they had waited so long for this sample, they had to collect it off of their table (with all of its contaminants) so even though there were white cells in it, they still have no clue what is going on. She came home looking tired and thin. I doubt if she slept very much at the vet's - she's a pillow diva so a metal crate would have been insulting. You don't go to Motel 6 when you're used to the Waldorf Astoria, eh?

I'm monitoring her and giving her a lot of cuddles and kisses. Mein Liebchen, my little girl, the daughter I never wanted - she bears all of these titles (and more) with grace and scratches. Ya gotta like that in a girl.

On a brighter note, I wrapped up my community justice facilitation course this afternoon and begin my apprenticeship soon. It's such a worthwhile volunteer opportunity, I can't wait to start attending forums and helping people through the process. I've met some really incredible people in this course and I feel really good about what I've learned.

I'm still making purses and bags galore and man is it fun! I whipped up a couple of these quilted bags, following the tutorial found here

Bag back

Interior wristlet with credit and cash slots

I've hidden my cards by adding the slots/holders, then adding a flap that matches the lining for over the top. To the unknowing eye, it just looks like a pencil case when you open it.
I initially made the wristlet because I hate carrying a large bag - this one fits the phone,cards & cash and iPod that I tote around, without a lot of extra space. Plus I can slip it on my wrist and always know where my purse is when shopping. Once I started playing with quilting, making the over-bag was just a natural progression. I made a matching binder cover to cover up my beat up letter portfolio. I just love this fortune cat fabric; it cost a fortune (yeah, I said that) but I figured that it was a rare find. Better to splurge on something really special than to regret not having had it, right? Sewing is taking over from knitting these days and despite the snow squall going on outside right now, Spring has truly arrived. I'll do a little LK knitting to keep my stockpile growing. I have a couple of hats for loved & dear ones that will be knit soon, too (that's a hint, Ms. Tiny Head D.- measure that skull of yours, please - I gotta get your hat done LOL)

Keep your fingers crossed for Flashlight; she's such a good friend to all of us (especially me...I never saw that coming... when did she work her way into my heart? I'm glad that she did)

I miss my Kitty-grrl

2007-03-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to the lovely Rita for pointing out that something might be wrong with Flashlight - sure enough, the little lady has something going on. I'm hoping that it's just a urinary tract thing but no word from our vets yet. She spent last night at their office. She's so small and has refused to drink while there so they're struggling to get a urine sample for testing. Her bladder is the smallest that they've seen for an almost- 7 year old cat (who knew?!?)and that makes a difference when trying to collect a sample. She always was our 'itty bitty micro kitty' so the small bladder thing is just part of that parcel. I just want her home, safe and healthy, clawing at my hands when I try to pet her, attacking the dog as he tries to eat his kibble - you know, normal stuff.
Pray for my little grrl, won't you?

A Big Shout Out

2007-03-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

to all my Ottawa-area/ Lanark County homies!

I keep finding these great events all over North America where artisans and artists get together and create, sell & swap their stuff and frankly, I'm jealous. I want some of that craftiness for moi-meme. Don't you?

Are you in the Ottawa area? Want to get together, in person or virtually to create, share, learn (ok, maybe drink and laugh, too)? Tired of hearing about the cool things that other cities are putting together for crafterly purposes? Want to craft for good and not evil? If you answered 'why, yes!' to any of these questions ,we need to get together.
Give me a shout and let's discuss ways to create, together.
Some ideas that I've been mulling about -

guerrilla craft fair with local artists and artisans, selling their uber-cool wares
crafting in public days (kinda like a KIP but broader in scope)
teaching each other cool skills
materials swaps and give-aways

Who can particpate? You! (everyone welcome - totally barrier-free)

Make sense?

bumbershooterathotmaildotcom - 'k?

Still trying to figure out

2007-03-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

why Flashlight pulled a Fergie Sunday morning...yup, you read correctly. She climbed up on to the couch, right beside me. Whoo hoo, I thought, finally I will cuddle my cat in quasi-public. No more rumors that this bitchy cat doesn't like me. People will see that she does! Then, she scratched and dropped her butt to the couch and tried to pee! Yes, again you've read correctly. I grabbed her before too much could ...uh, spill (?). Thank God for Ikea slipcovers - off, into the wash and back on the now-cleaned couch in less than an hour. I'm still a little flabbergasted at the incident. She gave me a filthy look as I picked her up and tossed her onto the floor - gently, mind you. She is an older lady, you know but where do you buy kitty Depends? We think that she's pissed off (ha ha ha yes, I did say that out loud ha ha ha) because our old nemesis, the stray cat known as Matou is back, peeing on our front door and driving Pablo & Lightie to distraction. Bastardo! This mangy, old cat looks better and better every time he appears in our driveway. He'll disappear for more than a year, only to reappear the next spring. If he was one of neighbours, I'd think that he was incarcerated for some petty offence and 'got sprung' for spring.

Saint Pat's day has come and gone. At least we no longer mourn our beloved Bert, lost on this day 7 years ago. Our sailing, tennis-playing wild cat who taught himself how to use the toilet and who gave us such intense and unwavering love during his time with us. His feet had been crushed and never mended properly. I used to cuddle him when it was cold and hold those broken little feet in my hands to keep them from cramping. He'd purr, in thanks. When one of the boys would be 'in trouble and sent to their room, I'd catch Bert sneaking in to comfort them, like a gentle brother, a kind friend.

When we moved here, we discovered that we had a nest of raccoon cubs who entertained me (but drove some others to heinous acts). Bert would join them on the sloping barn roof, watching my boys and their friends play in the yard, usually around dusk. Bert would beam as he sat alongside his wild cousins, almost as if he was showing off his family. The 'coons would chirp, in conversation as they watched the human cubs and it was easy to imagine them asking the older 'coons questions ("Why do they run around like that? What is that white round thing that they're kicking about? What's a 'goal'? Oh look! the Big one has brought them snacks!") It's still one of my happiest memories of this house...

My neighbour was tired of the raccoons and complained that they were always in her garden (yeah, because I can control wild life!). A little rat poison and without warning, we were without our wonderful raccoon-babies...and our Bert. It was a long, drawn out death that I wouldn't wish on anyone and it broke our hearts to see him suffer so. At his burial, my sweet little (and ancient soul) son, K the younger urged us all to hold hands so that he could deliver an eulogy. "Dear God, please take care of Bert. He is very special to all of us here. You have to know something:Please listen. He was wild when he found us. He was sorta wild until the end. You kinda gotta like that in a guy". Through our tears, we smiled at each other, our little family. No better or more heart-felt eulogy was ever delivered. A life spent in loving is a life well lived.

March Madness

2007-03-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

It must be a good week because today is the day that brought us my SIL, Connie. Kids, please say 'hi' to Connie (pictured here with her grandbaby, Iso - who is arguing with her cousin, Matt about Candyland. Yes, wars have been started because of this common childhood game... and Iso is always right)Happy Birthday, Connie. We love you with all of our hearts

Here's her birthday present from the Bumbershoot Haus - what else? A tote!

Phew, the presentation to the U of O class went ...well, I suppose. M was there with Noah so I was in good company. I got my face licked (no one shares his love like Mr. Noah) so my nerves were quieted. I talked a little bit about the challenges of not-for-profit life and how to be respectful of assistance dogs. M was great and shared the challenges of effectively changing legislation in order to protect the rights of service animals and their human partners. The class itself was noisier than I remember any of my classes being (I pictured Prof. Longsworth tolerating the brouhaha like that... nope, he even shouted at a student sitting in front of me. His crime? He used a set of colored pens (about 15 in total, all different shades) and switched colors for every word. Apparently Early Russian historians are not amused by this type of display and the student was dispatched from our room in the drafty old Arts building to sit with his pens in the hall until such time that he would use only one color pen. No such luck with the class

So very very tired

2007-03-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm bushed...but why? I think I've picked up whatever knocked K the elder out a few weeks ago. I can barely function, I'm just that tired. My skin is pale but my cheeks are bright pink and I have a fever...just weird.

We were supposed to go to the cabane a sucre (maple sugar shack) yesterday but the threat of freezing rain kept the cityfolk in the city and us country bumpkins were firmly entrenched indoors, snacking and drinking lots & lots of good, strong coffee. We'll probably con, um, I mean "convince" the city slickers into going soon, hopefully on one of those sunny spring days that remind you how wonderful the woods are. This will be the first time in years that I'll be going to the sugar shack sans hangover so I can't wait to go. MC & I figured out that the past 2 or 3 years' trips have been spent nursing major hangovers and fatigue from the nights before. For some strange reason, it's usually a Fred show on the Friday and then sugar shacking on the Saturday so we've toddled home late and drunk, only to have to wake up, drive an hour or so and stuff our gobs with syrup and carbs. Yes, our mothers are proud of us - thank you for asking.

When we were living in the Laurentian mountains, we used to go to the BEST cabane ever! Cabane à sucre Millette knows how to really give you the full Quebecois experience - their servers wear the ceinture flechee, the food is home cooked (and delicious) and then you can walk through the snowy maple forest, watching the sap drip through the long tubes on its way to the sugar shack. For those of you who have never had maple syrup, it's synonymous with Canada. I had hoped to send some to Melissa for our swap but I was worried that their customs agency would stop the parcel at the border... Next time, I'll risk it - maple syrup candy is just that good! Back to maple syrup - Basically, you tap into sugar maple trees, collect the sap in metal buckets (the traditional way) or use the newer tube method and then boil it down to a concentrated syrup. The best part was when the syrup maker would take a little fresh, hot syrup and pour it onto fresh, clean snow. A wooden spoon rolled through the resulting taffy would put a smile on the most unhappy child. We have photos of the boys when they were little, walking through the forest after eating their fill of les pettes des soeurs, crepes, feves au lard, les oreilles de Chris' (Yup, the food names are pretty... uh... 'unusual') and pools and pools of fresh maple syrup, followed by la tire sur la neige. Sticky - the boys just look sticky (and cute). It was home to a bath and trying to calm them down after our yearly excursions to the Cabane

Pat looks like he's trying to either wipe off some syrup from his jacket or find a spot to lick off... never know with these kids of mine. K the younger is stoned on sugar. Pure maple madness to feed that to a four year old and hope that he'll sleep at night. They're grubby, they're cute and they're full of sugar - what's not to love?

Going through our old photos, I found some warm fuzzies from a while ago (and realized that letting the kids 'own' the photo collection wasn't such a good idea- check out the scratches on all of these shots!) - every year, the kids would wear costumes for Easter at ski school. I made Pat this tiger suit and he wore it a lot...even when it wasn't an officially sanctioned dress up day. I'd catch him in his room, curled up in his armchair reading - everything looked normal except he'd be wearing the tiger suit.Don't get me started about the dragon cape and helmet....

I loved skiing with the boys when they were little turtles. Pat was probably three in this shot

Doesn't he look cute? That Austrian/ Maser suit lasted through 2 tough little boys, skiing 6 days a week all winter long. The boys were always toasty warm even on the coldest of days - I'm sure that a few other kids got good wear out that little suit after we gave it to the charity shop. You definitely get what you pay for...
Just so that you don't scream "Britney" at me for Pat's lack of proper headgear - here's proof that they always wore helmets!

Just in case you were thinking of nominating me for mum of the year, I made my share of gaffes, too. Like the time I let Pat wrap himself in the banner of balloons from his birthday - strings, wrapped tightly around a 4 year old? Not such a good idea...

I believe that the quote was, "look, I'm grapes! I'm grapes!"

No matter what, these 2 boys have brought me much joy throughout my parenting experience. I made Pat a photo album of his childhood for Christmas this year and it was so wonderful to travel back in time to make copies of all of these silly photos. I spent so many years just trying to keep up with everything that was going on around me that I had forgotten so many fun memories. Be forewarned - the photo albums will be making appearances here from time to time...

How long has it been?

2007-03-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

Well over a week since we've had regular, reliable Internet access.... hard to believe. We take our DSL for granted in this household and a lot of our lives are attended to via this tool - shopping, bills, contact... so much so that we go through painful withdrawal symptoms when it's gone. Not only that but we also lose anything that we're working on or trying to do. S.U.C.K.S spells Sympatico. At least they've sent us a new router/modem. K the elder did his usual eBay rounds and scored us a cheap router. Once he finds an equally cheap modem, we'll have a back up in case this happens again.
K's also set up our network a little differently so I may, just may, be able to access files remotely - FINALLY!
One delight this week so far has been that I was treated - nay, spoiled - by Melissa, my swap partner from One Hour Craft. Not only did I get this incredible tote, it was lined in a little bit of Australia.

This flower is called 'Wattle' and it's Australia's flower; it's even on their coat of arms. We get a spray of maple leave, they get blossoms - says a lot about our relative climates, doesn't it?

Being a super swapper, she added some things that made me even more than incredibly happy, somewhere in the neighbourhood of ecstatic- like a gold brick!
Actually, it was better than that! it was a box of the most lovely chocolates! I ate something called "Lilly Pilly Gelly" - I have no clue what it is but if it's a tree, build me a treehouse, I'm moving in! Absolutely to die for!
She added a handmade lip balm made on a local farm - and in my favorite aroma, lavender!

See the seed packet? Don't report me to the CFIA but I'm planning on planting these suckers this summer - I'll be making my own wattle candy with any luck - yum!
See, I wasn't exaggerating - spoiled indeed! The bag is already filled with my work for tomorrow so I'll be proudly sporting this great bag all around - thanks Melissa!

I'm adding new fabric swatches to my Flickr account so let me know if you see something you like - bags are so much fun

It's minus 35 Celsius out there (according to my trusty lawn thermometer) so today will be spent indoors, cutting, sewing, writing and drinking warm, brown liquids - hope your day is as satisfying

2007-03-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

Pablo turned to me and asked, "so why no posts lately? Whatcha been up to, lady?"

Fighting Sympatico - that's what! After weeks of superdy-duper (thanks, Barney), mundo- craptacular ISP (lack of) service, my route/modem combo went off to the great routing grounds in the sky. Days (no exaggeration here D-A-Y-S!!!) of pleading, cajoling and finally yelling at service reps later, they agreed to send us a new model. Yeah... right... They sent out A model, just not the right one for our network (even though K the elder told them what we were using and what we needed to continue using this Internet thingy). Sent it back, and waited... and waited...and waited. Finally, K the elder stomped over to the modem, punched it really hard, um, I mean switched it off and reset it back to its factory settings. It's only bumped me off three times in the past hour which is a (good) record. Last week, I managed to get 30 minutes here and there of use but almost gave up and pretended that the Internet didn't exist. Assignments went unposted, emails unanswered. I promise, pinky swear promise for that matter that I will attend to all of this stuff, this week.

In the mean time, I managed to get some work done. If January's focus was on lessening the strain of an unruly yarn stash, February's was surely all about the fabric. I did toss a few new pieces into the pile but I also managed to use about 16 metres of fabric, plus the metres and metres of drapery-to-be-born that Pat & Val will be getting later this month. I'm sure that I'll be moving out even more fabric once the Etsy-mobile gets going.

So what have I been doing instead of posting? Making lots of new bags ready for their owners

postcards have been sent to much missed people (you know who you are),
plans have been drawn,
news has been digested,
a few tears shed (mucho gracias, MC for patient ears and kind words)
AND (one of the most wonderful inventions EVER)

Possibly the best licorice known to humankind HAS BEEN DEVOURED...but could someone explain 'soft eating licorice' - does that mean that you can do other things with other brands of licorice?

Most importantly of all, a symposium attended. Yup, symposium -great word. The local (and not so local) arts community came together for a really interesting day to learn 'how to make a creative living' in one of the most beautiful locales on earth. It was a bit of drain to drive up so high into the Highlands in white-out conditions but typical for this area, the sun came out once we had all arrived and by closing time, the roads were clear and the vistas were snow-covered and heartbreakingly beautiful. We've been considering moving further away from the urban encroachment almost since we rode into this little burg but I was surprised when K the elder asked about my drive, last evening. I related how grateful I was for good tires and 4 wheel drive; he added 'I'd still really like to live up there'. I countered with 'yeah but what about the commute?'. Smart little cookie that he is, he replied 'well, you drove further for years - maybe it's my time to drive a little?'. So, he wasn't just paying me lip service during all of those conversations.... hmmm

For those of you who've been in my life a while, here's someone you might remember

Yup, it's my 'foster daughter', Beau. Our little girl is all grown up now and placed with someone who needs her very much. For some reason, she's been in my thoughts lately. People still ask me how she is doing and who 'got' her. She is one of the smartest 'persons' I have ever known and from what I understand, her new "human" is a special man, as well. I'm so glad that she'll be a working dog, enjoying her purpose and helping him to live a good life. Even with her pacemaker, she's strong, smart and as ready to please as ever. I could tell you so many stories of how she trained, comforted and amused me.
Beau,in her various incarnations, has been a muddy little scamp,

FredHead concert-goer (she likes trains, too), activist (ask Beau how you stand up to a bully who orders you to leave a concert because 'no dogs are allowed' - you smile and return to your seat to enjoy the show - yup, Beau is just that much smarter than I am -and she knows the law!) and all-around good friend - if only I could have convinced her to get off of the sunroom couch!

2007-02-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

You scored as Hermione Granger. You're extremely hard-working and will not feel satisfied with yourself unless you've given everything your all. You're very intelligent and make good use of your witty remarks and astounding ability to insult people. You tend to be a stickler for the rules but are smart enough to know that rules sometimes need to be broken. Your major downfall, however, is your fear of failure, which you should have no reason to fear. You love your friends but also like to keep them in line.

Hermione Granger

78%

Neville Longbottom

72%

Harry Potter

69%

Percy Weasley

69%

Ron Weasley

66%

Bellatrix Lestrange

66%

Luna Lovegood

63%

Oliver Wood

56%

Sirius Black

53%

Lord Voldemort

50%

Draco Malfoy

47%

Albus Dumbledore

44%

Severus Snape

41%

Remus Lupin

28%

Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test
created with QuizFarm.com

Blogger, why have you forsaken me?

2007-02-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Why is it that Blogger bounces me out when I try to post these days? How frustrating is that - write out a little essay, share a giggle, vent a frustration and *poof* it's gone BECAUSE BLOGGER HATES ME?!? WTF redux!

I am really trying to rein in the fabric shopping; like a lot of craftspeople, I feel the need to hoard, store, gather, plan. The one with the most, wins right? Nah... it's just that all of this stuff (yarn, fabric, trim - whatever) is like holding unlimited potential in your hands. Piling up in your dining room. Suffocating your pets. Hmmm, maybe not.

Besides being thwarted by Blogger, it's been a fairly productive week. I've visited my small business advisor (Negative Ned, as I like to refer to him as - why do I get the feeling that he doesn't want this to succeed?), filled out countless forms, written a lengthy business report, sucked up my pride, got a filling replaced, sewed, knitted and tried my damnedest to keep smiling. What is good however is that, unlike months ago when the smile was forced, the smile is real (and really big, to boot). I am starting to feel like the path is the right one and also to understand my good friend, D when she says to trust my instincts. If it feels right, then it is right. The best news of all is that both D & K the elder have expressed interest in working with me, when we finally get this monkey out of its cage.

I got news that my swap partner received her bag so I can finally post about it. What an uplifting experience this has been and even though I haven't received mine yet, I feel as if being able to make something for someone else, a person whom I don't even know, was a gift in itself. It's so nice to make something special with your own hands and a bit of fabric. I got to put myself in the place of a younger mom, running around with a small child - what would she need? Then, apply those thoughts to the final product. I'm so impulsive that I had to undo a lot of work to add new details but the amazing thing is how little the experience felt like work. It just felt right.

I can't wait to get mine but with the strike in the port in Vancouver, it may be a while. Still, I'll keep checking the post and hoping....
I added an elastic topped pocket so that she could put stuff in it and it would stay in there - what a concept, huh? I get tired of having things fall out of pockets so I thought that it was a nice touch. Psst, can you see my label? I made it all by myself hee hee hee (just a little short bus rider, me)
I added a change purse, attached to the bag so it wouldn't get lost, as well as a key holder - I always hated trying to dig through a bag, looking for keys with a squirming toddler in one hand. Being such a proud Canadian, how could I resist the temptation to add a little bit of our beautiful flag? Well, I couldn't of course so I lined the change purse in it! The fabrics were an easy choice - I had this piece of lovely turquoise linen in my stash. It has flecks of green hiding in it and when you look closely, it reminds me of a cool, shallow bay back in the Keys. The splatter print fabric was a great find - it reminds me of the Northern Lights and I have to say it makes me homesick to think of evenings spent walking with our necks craned upwards, looking at the dance and shimmy of the beautiful Lights. That's my Canada and I really wanted to share this with M, my wonderful swap partner. I wish her and her family all the best. Use the bag in wonderful health and happiness, M!

And because I just can't stop sewing, I made a little bag for her little darling
That made my smile all the bigger

Tip Down Mitten Pattern

2007-02-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Wanna finally use that Noro that you got for Christmas but are struggling to find a pattern? I used 2 skeins of Noro K for these little monkeys

Short Attention Span Mittens
I love a simple knitting project that I can make while traveling, waiting for an appointment or chatting. And everyone knows about my preoccupation with the noble mitten
With my recent infatuation with toe-up socks turning into a full-blown obsession, I decided to try to find a basic fingertip-down mitten, using the same shaping that I’ve been using for my sock-toes. I found a couple of patterns but none of them suited my odd-shaped hands. What to do? Make my own pattern!

The challenge was creating a pattern that required little thought, something that I could pull off, without referring to a pattern. So, the repetitions included here are simple (24 for the tip, 28 for the hand, 24 rows for the wrist and 20 for the thumb) – it doesn’t get easier than that.

You will need:
*100 grams of light to medium worsted weight yarn (you should have lots left over but just to be sure that you have enough – 100 grams should do it)- I used some left-over Red Heart Comfort for my test pair, 2 skeins of Noro for the 2nd pair
*4 or 5 X 3.5 mm. double-pointed needles (depending on your taste)
*a note pad & pencil (essential for your first pair – jot down the number of rows that it will take, in your own tension, to reach the end of your hand, your wrist, your thumb ect.)

I started with a provisional (crochet) cast-on and the excellent tutorial found on Knitty. It’s simply 24 stitches, worked in short rows until you have the toe of a sock (or in this case, tip of a mitten). I use 3 needles, with 1 to work my stitches (4 needles in total) but you can use 5 if that’s what you’re comfortable with. You should have 48 stitches all around so place them on your needles according to your preference; I have 24 on needle 1, 12 each on needles 2 & 3. These numbers will of course change if you are using 5 needles – adjust accordingly

Keep in mind that a narrower or shorter hand will take less rows/ stitches. If you need your tip to be narrower, cast on less stitches – try 20 or 22, and see if that suits your hand.

After your mitten tip is finished, knit XX rounds (I knit 28 rounds); this should be as long as it takes to reach your thumb crotch – get your minds outta the gutter, folks – crotch, like a tree crotch. You know - the spot between your thumb and hand?
Right here
Yes, my hand is that warped and gnarly – thanks for noticing. You’re my favorite!

This pattern was an excellent reference to help decide how long to make the top if my mitten, as well as how to decrease for your wrist. For the thumb, I was torn – how to proceed? Follow my normal thumb? No, let’s try something new? But new is scary…Long story short, I used this tutorial to make my thumb for this project.

Mitten 1 - Knit 46 stitches, then work thumb like this – in waste yarn, knit the next 8 stitches (yes, you will be knitting into the next round – breathe - everything will be fine), slip needle 1’s stitches back onto needle 1 and the stitches knit on the waste yarn back onto needle 4; re-knit these stitches in your regular yarn.
Your new starting point will be exactly ½ way around your mitten from where you began (trust me, this will ensure a symmetrical mitten)
Complete the round and continue on to knit 5 more rounds.

Mitten 2 - Knit 18 stitches – in waste yarn, knit the next 8 (yes, you will be knitting into the next round – remember? we just discussed this! Geez wouldya breathe already!?!), slip these stitches back onto their original needles; re-knit these stitches in your regular yarn. (On this mitten, your starting point does not change – use your original start)
Complete the round and continue on to knit 5 more rounds.

Your decreases for the base of your thumb/ top of your wrist will be equally balanced around your thumb’s base (d’uh!)

Begin wrist decreases: what was your beginning (where you cast on) will now be the opposite side of your new ‘start’ (see notes above for 2nd mitt)
Knit 20, ssk, knit 8, k2tog, k 16 (changes for Mitten #2 = knit 16, NOT 20)
Knit 1 plain row
Knit 17, ssk, knit 8, k2tog, k 17

Repeat decrease row every second row until 40 stitches remain (4 decrease rows followed by plain rows, end with plain row) Knit 2 more plain rows . In the Noro, I added an extra 8 rows to compensate for the thinner bits in the spinning – does anyone else find their spinning extremely tight?

Begin k2p2 ribbing (I prefer a long cuff because of the cold, damp winds along the river; this way you can tuck them up under your coat sleeve cuff. You can make your cuff to suit your preference and climate)
Mine was 24 rows. Cut yarn and weave into wrong side of knitting
At this point, you have an odd fish-shaped object that looks like this – do you see that yellow thread? That’s the scrap yarn where your thumb will be!

It’s hard to see with such little contrast so here is the same mitten, this time knit in color-saturated Noro K. Look closely at the purple yarn – see? It’s hiding right there and you can see how the thumb ‘lives’ behind the hand, offset to fit a real human hand

Yeah, I know – it’s hard to see – look harder, dammit! Yellow on purple – you can’t miss it!
Start thumb! You’re almost finished! Pick up stitches on scrap yarn – you’ll have 8 on needle 1, 4 on needle 2, and 4 on needle 4.

I slip my needle under one of the 2 parts of the stitch that is on the scrap yarn – if you do it this way, make sure that you’ve picked the same side of each stitch so that your work hangs neatly – the other option is to simply pull out the scrap yarn and slip the open stitch onto your needle like this

Knit 8 stitches on needle 1, pu 1 stitch, knit next 8 stitches, pu 1 stitch – 18 stitches

Ta-da!

Knit 20 rounds and begin decreases. Knit 2tog all the way around – cut yarn (about 12”) and with a darning needle, thread yarn through the remaining 9 stitches and gather. Pull thread to inside of thumb, secure and weave yarn end into thumb

Gratuitous Noro Shot

Yummy, yummy, yummy Noro
Totally gratuitous Austria/ Ski reference
This pattern is intended for free sharing – NOT commercial reproduction. Do not re-print this pattern without my express written consent. Play fair folks – give credit where it’s due. Otherwise, enjoy it!

More sewing, more planning, more energy

2007-02-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

In a flurry of fabrics, thread and the whirrrrrr of fly wheels, I made some small cases - perfect for CDs, pens, cosmetics - anything smallish that you need to carry around

The pattern is fairly straight-forward - I used the cardboard that a pair of pillowcases came wrapped around as a template, cut out 2 of each - fabric, lining, interfacing. A super simple idea but just perfect for a pencil case (big enough to hold my addiction, post-it notes), a CD holder or even a cosmetic bag. Some of them were made using fabric swatches that I procured when I worked in the furniture business. I kept thinking that they were intended to be something but what? Now, I know. Have I told you how good it feels to use up fabric that I've hung onto FOREVER? Freakin' ahhhh-mazing!

a light dusting

2007-02-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

Is there nothing cleaner than a little dust cover of snow? It always makes me smile. Even the dirty snowbanks down Merivale yesterday, that constant reminder that yes, you are now in an urban area, will be be refreshed this morning by that powdered sugar of snow.
I am busily planning and creating, working towards my own re-freshening of sorts. It's been cathartic to go through my fabrics and yarns, inventory them and create new objects. There's a school of thought that clutter is stored energy, sitting there but inert, draining energy from your life. By using those resources, I've noticed a definite energy shift - and to think that it all started with a simple tote bag swap...
I've made quite a few in past couple of weeks - I think that this one will be
for one of my SILs - I don't know which one yet but I'll figure it out . somehow...maybe good old Rock, Paper, Scissors will sort it out for me
Then, I made my first apron

no pattern of course - that would have been too easy. I'm sure that I've over complicated this simple project but it was fun to play - use my embroidery stitches on the Kenmore, serge the waistband... put fabrics together. Beulah liked it enough to wear it for a week; doesn't she look hot?
Then, I made this one

even more simple and again, no pattern
but wait - there's more!

that embroidered strip on the bottom is really a set of pockets... to put stuff in!

When your internal fog clears up, you get to see things that really matter - like good friends. For those of you who read through this chronicle and 'visited' for SIPD, you 'met' my dear friends, Rita and MCC. What I didn't share was that I was especially gifted that day - LOOK!!!!
First, the D.A.W.G.S. got this (and some homemade cookies)

I cannot imagine using it as a floor cloth and have to rig some way to hang this gorgeous bit of canvas on a wall so that I can enjoy it every day - isn't he the perfect dog!?!
Then (yes, it gets even better)I got this cool bag
Isn't the best message EVER?!? It's filled with workbooks for my next class, too - yum!
But wait, not only did I get that and that but I also got THIS (doesn't this feel like an infomercial?)
Yes, a shawl - my very firstest shawl, perfect for curling up with a cuppa and a good book. In it, I finally finished the Last Harry Potter book (for the 3rd time, secure in its warmth and the comfort of a good friend
One beautiful thing about this electronic age is how we meet friends from all over and yet never meet face to face. It's really opening a series of new possibilities, isn't it. Maybe the world that our parents protested for isn't so far off - maybe we can stitch this new reality together, via the Internet. More friends is never a bad thing

2007-02-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

Zombie Letters from e-zombie.com
Everybody, meet my zombie legion - zombie legion, everybody - now go sit down somewhere - no gnawing on your neighbours...gawrsh!!!

Today's shopping wasn't as productive as I has hoped but I did score the ever elusive silver grommets for my new drapes. Can you say "hallelujah"? Sure, you can.
What happened to those giant dollar store bags of buttons? There are none to be found ANYWHERE... not even one filled with ugly buttons. *Sigh* Do you have my buttons?

Last night (and keep in mind this is third hand news - I didn't witness it), K the elder accidentally stepped on Pablo's tail - Pablo squawked and in a zip, Flashlight raced downstairs and started beating on Jack. WTF!!!! Poor dog gets blamed for everything, I tell ya. She did this once before, when I was away in Vancouver for an extended project. It's like she's ready for war when she's in this mood - bully cat on the loose. Take no crap, yeah that's my girl. Probably why I kinda like her but I just wish that she'd pick another target for her rage. Jack runs and hides when it happens. He has no clue that he outweighs her by about 90 lbs. Poor old man

I'll leave you with a happier moment in his life - enjoying his visit with Santa

Man, I've been busy....

2007-02-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

Too busy to post but I've thought about doing it... I swear!
With so much sewing still going on, the Kenmore and the serger are now residing in my dining room instead of my work room, much to K the elder's chagrin. After completing my bag for the swap, I started making bags and more bags... and even more bags. This is the first tote that I made - jerry-rigged a pattern together and started sewing like a madwoman. I've made a couple to send off to New York and Key West to the SILs and am planning a pink/ cat one for Val and a Nintendo- controller style one for Pat. He'll need one to tote stuff from gig to gig these days - he's got bookings coming out of the yin-yang (but I'm not bragging *rubs fingernails on shirt front* because he's so talented *ahem* ;) )

When will it stop? Maybe after I run out of material and interfacing...and thread. The quilt shop up the road has been calling to me as I go by and their new line of Japanese fabrics is really torture to walk past. You know my love of things Asian. I'm even going to Ikea ON A SATURDAY to pick up a roll of drawing paper to sketch out new patterns on; the thin tissue that I used for my original pattern has finally collapsed into several pieces that I've been piecing together every time I make another bag. ON A SATURDAY - if that doesn't say "addiction", I don't know what does...

I have to transport K the younger to his game today so that leaves me vulnerable to shopping madness. You'll be happy to know that I've made a list...when you ride the short bus to school (as I do), lists get lost...then I have to wing it. You never know what I'll find. I'm thinking that I'll hit Vsquared and maybe Sally Ann. I went to Goodwill last week and scored some lovely African fabrics...now what to do with them? Maybe as linings for totes?

I love mixing fabrics and this pink (yes, pink!) tote makes me smile

It looks like the daisy band is crooked but I think it's the way I set up the photo - being a very neurotic person, I took it down and measured after I noticed that it didn't look straight. I added a few things like a built-in key holder

and hid an interior pocket by camouflaging it

Never mind the loose threads - I did tie them off. With 2 sturdy fabrics, this is a perfect bag for library-trekking and trips to Baker Bob's

I've been thinking of new ways to do 'business' lately and was wondering if anyone out there, visitor or lurker who wants to swap - something that I make for a little graphics help? Instead of spending cash (which is very much a finite resource in this household), we could swap creativity. I need a banner/ logo for my business web site -something fun and a bit bold to advertise my consulting group,that's high enough resolution that it could be used for business cards and other printed materials. What do you think? Drop me a line if you're interested

Today

2007-02-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

we went to Moscow
and Beijing.

then we went under the sea
and met a mermaid
and into a kingdom where the citizens had blades instead of feet

Then we fought off intergalactic spider-monsters at the National Gallery

We slayed the mighty beaver and devoured his tail
Um actually we bought them, here

and met some disgruntled penguins

Personally, I think that they moonlight as Mounties in the summer...
actually, we just spent the morning at Winterlude
I'll explain tomorrow, after I've slept off the excitement of the day

Let's play tag

2007-02-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

With the eyes of a child watching the action on a playground, not quite getting the rules of engagement, I've been watching all of this tagging/'meme'ing going on. It was a real surprise to find myself tagged by fellow knitter, Zia

At this early hour, I had to laugh - 6 weird things about me - only 6!?! Hey, this shouldn't be a stretch seeing as I'm weirder than most.

6. I can't 'watch' TV so as I listen, I knit or work on a craft project. If I can't do that, I write or plan other projects. I don't feel productive if I don't make something (or plan on how to make something while watching TV). We didn't watch TV at home when we were kids, except for special occasions and for very special shows (Star Trek & Bugs Bunny *sigh*)and were expected to be productive with our time. This must be a residual habit, from that time. We just got digital cable and I find myself having to break away from this habit long enough to figure out what channel I'm watching and when the next episode of the Simpsons comes on
Here's a little proof of this habit - my turquoise socks on a pair of my vintage sock stretchers, a farm auction score (6 pairs for $1 Cdn!!!)

5. I could eat breakfast foods for every meal... and have some days

4. When I was little, I dreamed that I would wake up with a mermaid's tail (I've shared this before but it is a little weird, isn't it). Can you imagine swimming with a real fish tail!?! It would be divine! I have total Koi envy when I visit a fish pond - if I can't live a life as a human, I wouldn't mind being a sleek, colorful pond koi. I live vicariously through my koi-friends who live in the aquarium in my dining room

3. I am working my way out of my bird anxiety by visiting the 'bird' room at the Superpet petstore. I should add that my grandfather kept birds. The Macaw (Henry) used to try to hurt us children ...because HE WAS A JERK and my brother has a scar on his forehead from being pecked by the evil, crotchety old man. Zeyde also had a Finch room/ aviary but he was the only one that the birds wouldn't attack upon entering. Considering the constant bird threat of my childhood, mastering this uncomfortabilty is a big step forwards... I am really starting to enjoy conversing with the birds and sometimes, the staff let me hold some of the smaller birds (and I don't shake or feel like crying any more!)I am even considering adopting a conure, the clowns of the birding world.

2. Speaking of fear, I have developed an anxiety disorder (geez that makes it sound as if I cultivated it, doesn't it) and have had days when I was overwhelmed by strange waves of fear that came out of nowhere. It was worse when I worked for the Übles Reich; then I had a car accident and it got much worse but I feel less and less frightened. It still rears its head from time to time. Seeing that half the people I was working with expressed the same fears and waves of anxiety, maybe this is more common than not?

1. I have very 'wet' ears and need to wipe out the ear canal with a Q-tip at least once a day. No ear wax, just damp. I had some serious bouts of swimmers ear as a child because our summers were spent in water and maybe this has contributed to this condition. I cannot stand a damp ear canal and will even wake up some nights, just to toddle to bathroom to wipe them out. Who can sleep with wet ears???? K the elder added this one when I told him what I was writing and I had to agree - I complain about wet ears all the time and carry a small container with swabs, just in case. No, I do not clean my ears in public but I have to know that I can... just in case.

On a really happy note, the Winterlude snow sculpture contest is on and one person has designed hands knitting!!!! I will try to score some photos for sharing. Maybe I can drag myself over to Jacques Cartier Park this weekend... It's certainly cold enough that the sculptures won't melt. Other years, I stumbled through Confederation Park (a little inebriated, yes, it's true - that's why I was stumbling, folks)and enjoyed some of the works of art there. I've never made it over to JC Park, though so this would be a nice way to spend a cold winter morning. It takes a lot of courage to make a snow and ice creation that is so beautiful and to do so knowing how impermanent it is. If I can drag K the elder into the cold, we could actually do something together. It's funny that this person who skied for a living doesn't like the cold. I grew up on skis and can't stand the heat. Even with my arthritis, I love winter and would spend every day in the snow, if I could live with the aftermath of pain and immobility. I've caved in and am taking some drugs to keep some mobility (yes, I know... I swore that I wouldn't but I had the choice - to walk or not... admit it, you'd take them too if that was your choice)

I'd better get off to wake the boy for his first day of co-op - he's pretty excited about this practical work experience and is already discussing possible summer employment! Mommy's little Capitalist ;)

Be warned, folks - some of you shall be tagged for weirdness-sharing, too. Put on your drinking, um, thinking caps and start listing now!

A-Sewing we shall go...

2007-02-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

With all of the sewing taking place in the Bumbershoot Haus, it's hard to believe that I remember how to knit. I managed to get the turquoise cabled version of my toe-up socks off of the needles in time for Super International Pyjama Day. Speaking of this holiest of days, R & M came and spent the day; we wore PJs, ate, laughed, ate, knit, ate... you get the drift. It was a total delight to spend the day with two of my most favorite people in the Universe and the fact that they brought snacks - sheer joy!

In preparation for the tote bag swap, I've been practicing my sewing; it's been months since I approached my sewing machines so I was surprised that they still remembered me. I've made 6 totes in the past week and still have several more planned. I did manage to make my swap bag and I hope that my swap partner likes it.

What I learned from all of this sewing

Although I plan (A LOT!), I am an impulsive crafter who jumps to make something and forgets the great ideas that she has collected for the project
I love the transformation process - whether knitting, sewing or anything, I love the idea of taking one thing and making another out of it
A thimble (esp. one from the Gaudi museum - thanks Rita!) helps save your fingertips. Because I have so much nerve damage in my hands, I can't always feel the needle pierce my skin until it's too late
I love the idea of a surprise gift...but hate the wondering if the recipient will like it (typical middle child, huh? Always trying to please)
I made my first iron-on labels and fought the printer ALL BY MYSELF. K the elder was in the city, attending a seminar so I couldn't fall back to calling him to trouble shoot. Not only did I manage to make a mirror image of my labels (so that I could iron them on and have them be readable), I also remembered to switch the settings back. Yeah, I know - remember, I am still riding the short bus to school so this is monumental

Rita's Bag in Green wool and lined with

possibly my most favorite fabric in the world
I made 2 other bags in this design
This is MC's - in Shocking Pink Boucle
and lined with denim daisies

Then, there's mine...lime green and red - cabbages, lady birds (or - laylee bugs, as K the younger used to call them)and polka dots - yay!

and lined in lime green checks. I've found that this style of bag is good for knitting -it's wide but not too deep and skeins fit into it easily. I also made 2 Jordy-style bags and a little CD tote (plus a few other surprises that I can't share until their recipients get them. Patience, my lovelies, patience)

I had a pleasant morning, dropping off mittens and enjoying the drive out to the 'country'. There were lots of bunny and deer tracks in the fresh snow. I also saw coyote or small dog tracks, running down through the ditches along the farmers' fields that follow the river. My love affair with County Lanark has been a slow burn but now, I couldn't imagine another or better home county. I am dismayed by all of the new houses going in where there once were corn and soy bean fields and I worry about the growth of this special region. I don't want to stop growth but the prospect of a small city instead of a small town is disturbing.

It's hard to believe that it's been a month since I posted about our community potluck but here we are... and it's time for another. I've made a giant batch of brownies for sharing. I wasn't sure that K the younger liked this whole socializing idea until he called me an hour ago to tell me that he was volunteering at school later than usual, when was our potluck? Hello, are you my surly, wii-loving son? The one who doesn't even come down to say 'hi' to Val (or anyone else, for that matter)? I kinda like this reinvention of disposition

Green Mitten Round-Up

2007-02-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to post patterns on the blogola but writing out my patterns never appeals to me...EVER.

I know that this one is probably full of oddities - drop me a line if you see anything too glaringly confusing and I'll do my best to clarify. This pattern makes an nice loose mitt suitable for a long adult woman's hand. I'm 5'9" and have looong feet and hands - all of my mitts and socks patterns are a little bigger than the average bear so feel free to make modifications as needed. You'll notice that I don't include gauge - I don't usually pay attention to gauge but I do measure my work against my hand to see if I'm getting close to the needed size. It's really just a fun and easy mitten pattern so have fun with it

Green Cabled Cuff Mitts a.k.a Kermit

3.5 mm dbl pointed needles (4 or 5, depending on your preference)
100 grams of light worsted weight yarn (you’ll have lots left over)

Simple cable rib (multiples of 7 and 7 rows)
Rows 1-3 Knit 4 Purl 3 all the way around
Row 4 slip 2 stitches to the front of work on cable needle, knit the next 2 stitches, then the 2 from the cable needle, P3 all the way around
Rows 5-7 Knit 4 Purl 3 all the way around

CO 49 st. and begin cable rib round.

Instead of lining up my stitches on all needles and then beginning the rib, I find it easier to start my first row on 1 needle and then move the stitches over to the other 2-3 needles and then joining the round. I find it easier to get my stitches straight using this method and never have a problem with the “dreaded Mobius stitches” a.k.a DMS (knitting in the round that has that twist, instead of lying flat)

Continue cable rib until you have 3 repeats and then begin mitt hand

Knit 6 stocking stitch rows and begin thumb increases. The first row will be: K10, K2Tog, P1, K3, P1, K32 (48 stitches)

You will then have:
K11, P1, K3, P1, K32
Repeat this row 2 more times
Next row: K11, P1, M1, K3, M1, P1, K32
Repeat these rows (1 Increase row followed by 2 plain rows) until you have K11, P1, K13, P1, K32

Slip the 13 stitches for thumb onto a waste piece of yarn and co 3 stitches to join mitten top into a round. Continue to knit in round until you have completed 28 rounds. Begin to taper the top of the mitten. The first step is to make sure that your stitches are balanced between front and back. If you’re a new knitter, try the following step. More experienced knitters can just jump ahead

I find the best way to ensure that your mitten is correctly lain out (yes, when you’re a new mitten knitter, sometimes your mitts can be a little crooked – be patient and practice. It’ll work out), lay your mitt flat. You should have your thumb, folded in half, to one side and the remaining stitches should be balanced between the front and back. If you find that you have more stitches on one of your sides, you’ve caught it before you’ve started knitting and can easily remedy the situation. It sure beats noticing much later and having to frog your work. Rip it, rip it…yuck!

K1, K2Tog, knit18, SSK, K1 – K1, K2Tog, K18, SSK, K1

Next row- K all around
Next row – K1, K2Tog, knit17, SSK, K1 – K1, K2Tog, K17, SSK, K1

Repeat these rows until you have completed 5 or 6 decreases, depending on how tapered you would like your mitten. Knit one more round and close top of mitten. You can use a Kitchener graft but I prefer to slip my stitches onto waste yarn (1 piece for each side) and carefully flip the mitten inside out. You can easily (and neatly) knit the top together to close.

Now, you can begin the thumb. Place stitches for thumb onto needles and PU 4 stitches on mitten body. Knit 17 or 28 rounds, depending on how long you need your thumb to be. Then begin decrease rows - SSK all around, K1. Next row – SSK all around and cut yarn – leave about 10”. Take this thread and with a darning needle, gather the remaining thumb stitches, flip mitten inside out and secure yarn ends.

Let me know if you have any questions 

so shoot me - I couldn't resist

2007-02-02T17:51:00.001-08:00

You Are 28 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

In Prep Mode

2007-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

As the count down for SIPD begins, I'm list-making and house-tidying (Ok, I admit it - I'm list-making...maybe not the tidying part, though)
Snacks to be readied, dogs to be calmed, places for the cats to hide arranged, movies to be procured, music line-ups assessed, cushions to be plumped - you get the idea

Consider yourself invited if you happen to be wandering my neighbourhood, in your pyjamas. We won't ask any questions. No,really....your coffee will be waiting for you, just the way you like it.

Little does Flashlight know what will befall her on Feb. 4th! I managed to catch her in playful mode when the sunbeams had the better of her, teasing her into flip-flopping on the couch

This was before the kids visited on Wednesday, of course. We didn't see Flashlight for hours once she figured out that Valerie was on the prowl, looking for kittens to molest. Long after I returned from driving them back home, I found her huddled on the basement stoop, shivering and hungry. "Oh, Mummy. It was terrible!"

Why I hate the Internet
If you have a short attention span, you'll understand me when I declare, "I hate the Internet". Ok, maybe it's just that I love it too much
I was all prepared to finish my Refined Raglan but then I made my rounds of the blogs I love to read and found this Tubey. Now what am I supposed to do???? I want to start the Tubey with the yarn that's been sitting patiently in my stash baskets. In the words of the immortal Lucy, "Whaaaaaaaa"

I'll leave you on this chilly, grey day with my new socks, just waiting to be finished

oh where, oh where have I been?

2007-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

Well, it sure wasn't in London, to see the Queen
Actually, it's been a craptacular pain week and even typing was beyond annoying. My right arm has been joined in its screaming with its sister, Lefty LeRoux. Keep screaming, arms of mine... I'll be sleeping in the arms of Prince Valium at this rate. You'll excuse me if I didn't consider posting a priority... I was busy devising ways to rip my arms off.

With so many people around here reproducing at an alarming speed, they should be thankful when the gift they open isn't one of these cruel, uh I mean, unusual animal hats. Aren't you glad that I stick to the traditional baby gifts of booties, dolls and booze? Oh yeah, and chocolate

What's on the needles these days?
My toe-up traveling cable socks (my own convoluted pattern) in a Caribbean turquoise
Max, the wild doll (maybe with a crochet crown?)
Refined raglan
The next big thing will surely be this incredible jumper/ sweater in a rich purple

Even this knitting is proving to be too much... my doctor told me to cut back but I thought he meant to 3 0r 4 FOs a week, not just doing some sporadic knitting. If this is the way it's gonna be, I'm glad that I've remembered that I know how to sew. I've been on a sewing tear lately and have whipped off 4 totes in the past few days. I realized that for every skein of yarn that I had, I had 2 metres of fabric. What's with the hoarding? Was I concerned that there was going to be a wool and cloth drought and my supplies would dry up? That I could barter yarn and cloth for a small sheep farm? That WWIII would start and I would need to buy our freedom with craft supplies?

I had a Great-Uncle who hid money all over his house ($65k in shoeboxes and paper sacks, tucked into strange corners, closets and drawers - yeah, I know...) and had a small, packed suitcase in the front closet (we found this after his death); his sister claimed that he was convinced that in the event of another war, this time he'd be prepared. I guess last time, all he had were the clothes on his back when 'they' came for him and his siblings. Maybe I picked up this need to hoard away 'just in case'?

At any rate, I've decided to "use it or lose it" so a- crafting I shall go. Consider yourselves forewarned

I've been meaning to post some photos of Mississippi Mills for quite some time; it really is a picturesque town, surrounded by an inky-black river and historic mills and buildings. We were once considered the Manchester of Canada because of the mills and woolen production of this fertile town
This is the biggest railroad trestle (there's a sign warning people not to dive off of this monster - yeah, people are really bright - 'hey, there's a tall structure with rocks and rapids below - let's jump off of it!'). If you look closely enough, you'll see our town pigeons bathing in the cold, black water

This is a shot just above the biggest waterfalls. At this time of year, the water is very high. Sometimes, in the summer, you can actually see the layers of limestone shelves and caves that erosion has made. There are many signs warning people not to wade into the river because of the sudden changes in water level. Still, every now & then, someone risks it...

And this is below that set of falls with the trestle above it - the building beside the trestle is the Ironworks, an old mill that is now a restaurant where the knitting group meets. Nice folks, good food and drink and yarn- doesn't get much finer than that. I hear that they have great music too - you should really check them out when you come to visit

This is old Town Hall (the new one is a modern construction, no where near this beautiful)

They're doing some repair work on the basement, where the police station was until water damage ousted them up to the new town hall
and finally, our China Town... well, hmm, actually it's a Chinese restaurant but it's the closest thing to a Chinatown that we have

Where ever I travel, I seek out Chinatown in the particular city I visit. Vancouver, for example, held many delightful hours of travel, shopping & adventure. Almonte, on the other hand, offers good egg rolls and maybe some kung pao chicken

I hope that you've enjoyed your vitual visit to my corner of the world. I've grown fond of this little town of 4400.When you come to visit, you'll see why

I knew it!

2007-01-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam.
Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

What's that? I couldn't hear you - I was fishing the cheese out of my wooden shoe as I was riding my bicycle through the Red Light District

Toes Up!

2007-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Here's my prototype toes-up sock; like I said, green like Kermit. The tutorial from Knitty was so simple - I added my normal cuff-down sock numbers and came up with this low-cut version. It's more of a boot liner than a sock but it works well as a slipper

Once is never enough so I made a second pair, this time in Briggs & Little New Brunswick sock wool. It's a lovely shade of lavender that shows off its flecks of blue and cream once it's washed. Because it's so scratchy, it nearly demolished my hands. Luckily, my Little Library Friend, Savie helped me by knitting 8 stitches! pretty good for a 6 year old using 3.5 mm needles, huh?!? Once this wool is washed (hot water, old towels and tennis balls - just like you were felting), it softens up a lot. I will need to repeat the process once more to get a nice, thick bootie. Well worth the scratched hands and tired fingers
I've got another pair on the bamboos right now and will post them later this week. I am going to start adding pattern to this sock, maybe a leaf lace or soft cable, just to spice it up. I have to admit (once again) that I have never had such well-fitting socks. The lavender ones look baggy but I purposely made them larger so that I could quasi-felt them into a nice slipper or boot liner for my too-big LL Bean boots

Here are the baby socks and booties that I whipped up for J's baby, "Gaston". I hope I get to give these before his feet are too big to fit in them

And finally, here is my animal snuggle and catnip mice for donation to Hugs For Homeless Animals. Don't they look like they're up to no good?

I've been knitting so much lately; time to get started on my tote bag for the swap

lost friend

2007-01-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

I came down this morning and flipped open the lap top, figgering I do a little work, read my emails etc as I watched Corrie. I was excited to see an email from a dear friend... until I read the subject. Her wonderful Border Collie, Clancy had passed away at age 15 1/2. He was a special friend to all of us and never failed to reach out when he sensed that you were sad or uncomfortable. He had a genuine heart and I considered him a good friend. We will all miss his soft furry head and gentle, knowing eyes. He was a precious dog who transcended the boundary between dog and human - he was a kind person.
For a lot of us, our dogs become our partners in life, sharing important moments and feelings. We don't own them as much as we share with them, as guardians and friends. We swim and walk and dance with them. We hug them and hold them close throughout our stress-filled lives, reminding ourselves to make plans for our next lives - 'come back as a dog in a loving home'.

I didn't have a photo of Clancy that I could share so here is one of Gentleman Jack, sleeping on his favorite landing, as evidenced by all of the dog fur on the carpet.For years, I've wanted to rip up the threadbared old red carpet, the last in the house after all this time but K the elder refuses to allow it. Where would J get comfie if we did? That's K in a nutshell - it's all about the comfort.

My friend's bad news was tempered with some wonderful news - I have "met" my One Hour Craft swap partner! I am so excited to get started and want to ask her a million and one questions. She's probably going to think 'what have I got myself into???'. Friends, say 'hi' to Melissa:) It's the first swap for both of us so I think that we're going to have fun with this project.

My ISP Eye Ess sucks

2007-01-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

More than three days of craptacular ISP service
First, only sporadic email access for days on end then our good friend, Blogger refused me access to add posts...WTF!?!

In the meantime, I've been knitting up a storm...and finally knit my first toe-up socks using the tutorial on Knitty
I started off with simple boot liners in what else but lime green. I bought three giant skeins of the stuff and still have one left over so why not. Once I wrangled those little suckers off the needles, they slipped onto my size tens, where they are happily residing. They tell me that they resent being left at home; I'm forced to wear them everywhere. Bossy socks...

I had a lot of Briggs&Little homespun in a lavender, flecked with blue. I'm making them a bit larger than my snowshoes, I mean feet so that I can quasi-felt them. I don't know about you but B&L never felts for me but I figgered even a little feltish would work. Once I can download the photos, I'll post them and a quick pattern run-through. I was a bit sceptical at first but after wearing these socks, I am reluctant to go back to knitting from the cuff down.

I finished the body of the "Infamous White Doll", a pair of ribbed baby socks (yes, I caved a bought a small skein at Yarn Forward last Saturday. It wasn't my fault - K the elder dragged me in. He's such a yarn whore), a pair of lacy green booties with slate blue ribbons. The pattern is totally foo-cak-ta but I switched a few stitches here and there to make a smaller bootie. I never ever thought that I'd turn into a bootie knitter... Is that 'your grandma's knitting'? I keep reading "not your grandma's knitting" on magazines and books and always wonder, 'what was so bad about her knitting?'. It inspired me to knit so whatever the story for this rebellion-in-print, I am grateful for her knitting.

I also finished the H4HA snuggle-blanket for our January CraftBlitz-o-rama, and a hat and scarf for February's while I was at it. I think that I'll donate my red Amelia Earhart hat, too. The bags for my mitten donations are sitting on my dining room table, stuffed with mitteny-goodness. They sure are cute

I was also swimming in happiness with the completion (after serious modification) of my calorimetry in SWS. I think the colorway is called "natural earth". I had to wrestle this yarn a bit, with its thick and thins (as in non-existent) areas. I found that 88 stitches was more than enough and like reports on Craftster, I only did 10 short rows to keep it wearable.

To keep this de-stashing going, I'm working on a master list of yarn to knit up; that should make it easier to find suitable projects. Watch me as I virtually destroy this damn stash

Small Town Pleasures - Small Town Concerns

2007-01-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

I live in a special community

On Tuesday evening, we ventured out to our first ever community potluck dinner. A new acquaintance introduced me to the event by simply saying, 'you've got to come to this!'. Because it's hosted by the local youth group, I thought that it was limited to members of the group - WRONG! There was a bit of all sectors of the community, apart from the 'old school blues' (as I like to call the uber conservative - you know, 'blue'- members of a certain corner of the business community. We have a sizable population of assisted-living and community-living citizens and some of them were there, too. A few seniors, a lot of families and a lot of good food. I made a giant batch of iced brownies - there were none left by the time we cleared off our plates so they must have been good ;). K the younger seemed sad that we didn't have any more when we got home.

The organizer was telling us that there was only about a third of the normal 'eaters' because of the big town council meeting, where they were discussing a new housing development that may be going in. 200 houses in a town of 4400 is too much... I fear that it will change this little corner of the world, but not in a good way. I'd hate to see us end up in a fragmented, neighbourhood-based town, not the small town that I found 10 years ago. I look at our neighbour-towns of Arnprior and Carleton Place where this is already the reality. Their development has been virtually unchecked and they are now bedroom communities of Ottawa, not special small towns. With the Walmart and Home Depot being built in CP, the downtown core looks deserted on a weekday afternoon. No signs of life. Contrast that with Mississippi Mills and you'll find people walking down Mill street, stopping to chat or wave to friends, running to Baker Bob's for a coffee or buy a newspaper, dropping into the LYS to grope the wool, checking on the mail. I m just starting to really appreciate this town and now this news...

Like my new acquaintance said, if we wanted to live in Stittsville, we would have moved there instead of Almonte...

FinePix Camera Cozy Pattern

2007-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

front view

Like I promised, here's the pattern for a little camera cozy that you can adapt to fit your own camera. I knit it on Xmas day for my DIL, Valerie. She recently purchased a lovely little camera (in pink, of course) but was worried about scratching the finish. It came with a suede case that she found heavy in her bag and she asked (!!!! first request from her ever!!!!) if I would knit her a cozy. Well, let me think about it - Yes! She even raided my stash to find the right colors

I used Red Heart Simply Soft (leaf green) and Bernat Satin (plum) and size 3.5mm needles. You will need some form of closure, as well. I used an antique button that I had at hand but you could also opt for velcro.

back view
Basically, it's a rectangle that tapers at one end, with a cable down the center

The cable pattern is very simple - the first 3 rows in the pattern repeat are just plain stocking stitch (knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side); the 4th row, you hold the first plum-colored stitch to the front using a cable needle, knit the next 2 stitches then the stitch on the cable needle. This is a nice, simple cable pattern to start learning how to cables

CO 6 st. in green, 3 in plum, 6 in green

following the above CO and the cable pattern, knit 20 repeats of the cable pattern (80 rows).To make sure that there are no holes, wrap your yarn like you do when you knit intarsia.

Begin to taper the front - at this point, you will need to make a space to slip the wrist strp through, too - to do this, I did not wrap my threads for one row. This creates a small hole.
Front taper - dec. 1 stitch each side every row until only 3 st. remain (in plum). These 3 stitches turn into the i-cord loop that holds the case closed.
knit enough i-cord to go around the button
side view

To finish off, pick up 30 stitches along the sides of the untapered/ rectangle part of the cozy. Purl 1 row then split into 2 sections of 15 stitches and knit the 2 sections together. You will need to do this on both sides of the cozy. I used a small crochet hook and plum yarn to work 1 row of single crochet around the edges, to neaten them up. Sew the i-cord into a loop and attach the button. Voila!

This is the first pattern that I have ever written up and shared with others; please email me if you have questions
(bumbershooter at hotmaildot com).

More Holiday Knitting

2007-01-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Before I forget, I thought it best if I added some more of my Xmas knitting
Here are some 'dorm boots' that I knit up for Valerie, with a little felt applique for good measure

and here they are in an action pose

I also whipped up a frog-topus bag with googly eyes and 'emerald' eye lids, for another dear friend

not quite a frog, not quite an octopus. Personally, I like his shifty eyes
The pink band in the background is Knitty's Shocking Pink Coif, knit in, well... shocking pink, again for DIL Val. I found a cool pin at one of the local antique stores and put it on the hat for her, which I suspect she liked more than the coif...
In an attempt to add a little to my contribution to the Craft Blitz for January, I made up a few catnip mice to send to the shelter along with the snuggles that I'm currently making up. Here you see the unstuffed mice - I did take some photos of the stuffed versions, lined up in a row but they looked like some ungodly army of the damned and I thought it best not to post them. The rainbow mouse did not survive Pablo's fun & games, mind you - he stole it off of my bed, ran around the house in pure joy... that is until Nashville Tee stole it and chewed it to bits... (my name is "Bad Dog", what's your's?)
I don't know how much more knitting I can endure - I was up most of last night in extreme pain, even with the tiger balm and drugs... just about ready to rip my right arm off
And finally, proof that I'm knitting far too much - yarn ends!!!! Lots and lots of yarn ends!!!!

Later, I'll post the FinePix Cozy that I whipped for Val on Xmas day- it's the first knitted object that she actually asked for (and kinda liked) - Yay!

Come to my house and celebrate

2007-01-09T05:32:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for a knit-together chez Bumbershootska, jammies de rigeur:)
What's better than knitting? Knitting in your PJs, surrounded by buddies and snacks!
If you can come, drop me a line - all are very welcome!

I knit.... a lot

2007-01-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am pretty proud of myself (wait- when you hear why, you may not be so proud. In the short bus that is my life, this felt like a major achievement but it wasn't much at all)

I made not one but two Amelia Earhart hats! One that is too big for my peanut head and another that in is, in the words of Goldilocks, 'just right!'.

Here's proof

it goes pretty well with the Cleopatra neckwarmer that I made from the worst-to-work-with Red Heart that I have ever encountered - scratchy, knotty and uneven... apart from the cool colorway, it just plain sucked!
and here is the one that I challenged myself to conquer on New Year's Day
in bright red

I am finally able to post one pf the gifts that I crafted for a dear friend - Later Gator Mitts
here ya go!
Gator Mitts in action

and in repose

When she unwrapped them, the first thing that she made them do was to bite! Just like I expected, she is a closet biter who can now walk to work, biting whomever strikes her fancy. Bite away, little Grrl, bite away.
I was extremely fortunate in return. I got this!!!!

a double-sided polar fleece blanket which has been named "Froggggeee Babeeee" (you old school Sesame Street kids will get this reference, fer sure)It (the blankie, not the quote) has become my new best friend/ love of my life all wrapped into one. I feel very blessed

I also knit this cool hat, using this wonderful graph - the creator of which used it for illusion knitting. I'm not that smart... I just made it in messy intarsia

yes, it is stuffed with plastic shopping bags - thanks for noticing
I love a blurry photo...

This is only a small fraction of what I managed to crank off my needles in the past little while; there's more to come

The path to Hell is truly paved with...

2007-01-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions
Normally, I try to make my resolutions for the new year when it's actually my new year, in July. This year, I'll wade in with a few resolutions for 2007 and see how far along I get

1) Shed some Stuff (forever after known as "SSS" - books, clothes, yarn, fabric, shoes, furniture - whatever I can get out of my life and (hopefully) into someone else's life, for the better. What I mean is that I will donate whatever I can to good causes (my local thrift store which helps so many people reestablish their lives, friends in need - whoever I can, really). I will use my crating supplies to make things to help others, give them joy (or a laugh), keep them warm - whatever I can. But - I will also trash whatever I need to, without guilt

2) I will use up as much of my yarn stash as humanly possible (see point #1). Thanks to a fellow Craftster- alum, I am able to do this with ease.

3) I will read through my 'to read' pile and not just pile up books in comfortable corners throughout the house. Yes, actually read them...eventually

4) In a past post, I claimed that I would not buy any new yarn until June...I now realize how foolish that claim is. I'm only human. I can't hold off forever. If I come across a good deal, if I need to make a gift, or if a yarn calls out to me - I give myself permission to buy, but only a little bit. No massive yarn purchases. No skeins and skeins of goofy pleasure-filly silly yarn that I adore but cannot fathom using; just good ole yarn

5) I will begin the journey to find the farmhouse that I dream of... I may not buy it right away but if I don't start looking, it'll never come to me. I want a kitchen garden, dog run, grape vines (I can always transplant the type I have now), some wilderness and with luck, water.

6) To re-establish my career/ business... this is the sticky wicket

Is it telling that this is last?

Thanks to Ooak_Diva's guidance, I have already started my January contribution to our crafts blitz. I got a lovely coral- red- orange (think Campbell's tomato soup red) Red Heart Comfort, bought on sale many moons ago. As it has been sitting in yarn storage for so long, I thought that it deserved to be knit into my first project for this challenge. Hugs for Homeless Animals is accepting 'snuggles' or small afghans for animals in shelters. What's really cool is that you can find a shelter close to you; I chose LAWS because they let me adopt my Jack there. This little afghan should provide a little warmth to a dog or cat, waiting to be adopted, loved and cared for.

Ooak_Diva has also very generously allowed me to add the Mitten Project to her monthly CALs. How cool is that?

Empty the house...fill it up again

2006-12-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

Normally, my house is filled with guitars and amplifiers
see... these are a few of my companions

In order to make room for the crap, uh I mean the tree, I asked K the elder to haul his ass off of the couch and take some of the guitars and amps upstairs. Oops, I mean that I politely and respectfully asked his assistance in carefully placing them in a quiet corner of my study, upstairs where no one will injure themselves or the equipment. Through the use of his male-female translating device, he heard, "take them upstairs and toss them willy-nilly all over the bedroom. Put as many on my side of the bed so that access to my much-loved place of sleep is totally blocked. Then turn off the light without warning me that they're there. I really want to put my foot through my new Fender". 12 guitars, 3 ukeles, 4 amps and one lone banjo are too much for one woman. Just ask my bruised calves

I'll distract myself with photos of my new wellie-boots (thank you L.L. Bean's clearance section!!!)

Aren't they the happiest boots ever? They're already nicely soiled with garden muck, just like all boots dream of being. Man, $10 can buy happiness - who knew?
I'm going to need them, as the freezing rain is dropping from the sky like millions and millions of little accidents waiting to happen...

Bubbi, I love you

2006-12-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

My Grandmother, Edith was a very special person. 4'11", red-haired and with a strong sense of self, she ruled her home with love, kindness and a very sharp understanding of what was 'right'. Born to an urban doctor who helped insurgents in her country's civil war, she learned early in life to stand up when necessary, be counted, do right. She adapted to a culture that was not hers and mastered a lifestyle that she could not have dreamed of in her tumultuous, war-filled childhood. She was elegant, well-mannered and civil. She was also strong-willed, decisive and imbued with a need to guide her daughters to become the kind of young ladies that she thought appropriate for their station in life. My mother fought her all the way, from birth to death; my aunt was her pet and garnered the benefits of the position.

In turn, her girls grew up and went off to school. Bubbi kept herself busy but the house didn't feel 'right' during the day, with no one there but her and the housekeeper. Despite her charity work and running a very busy household, she was lonely. Mein Zeyde, my beloved Zeyde had his Buster, his little brown dog who went everywhere he went and no one understood her emptiness better than her loving husband.

One day, in his overcoat pocket, he brought home a little brown, white and black ball of fluff. He offered Edith the chance to reach into his pocket to 'see what he had found on the street'. The truth was that he had contacted every breeder that he knew to find a suitable dog for his lady. In that odd way, Trixie came to be a member of the clan. Who knew that a little Pekinese with the personality of an empress could fill such a void!?! Trixie was her pride and joy, a replacement child and an irreplaceable friend and companion. She was long gone by the time I was born but she was still a fixture in our lives. When I was five, my mother took me to a toy store to buy my birthday present (we chose our own gifts, usually - yes, I have that kind of family). She was shocked when I trundled over to a stuffed Pekinese doll and proclaimed her to be 'the new Trixie'!.

This photo is but one of the many that dotted the table tops in their home, my Grandmother looking on Trixie as she would a baby. Even if I don't have Edith's loving hands and sensible words, somehow I was lucky enough to have inherited this photo... and the knowledge that a good dog, well-loved, is worth much more than any riches you can win. I aspire to be the kind of person my dogs believe me to be. I also aspire to be like Edith - Grus Gott

I miss you, Bubbi und Zeyde. Shluf mein feygele - a malakeh a tu git.

Eastenders, down & dirty

2006-12-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Omigawd, it was embarrassing! I was watching my beloved Eastenders and the whole plot about Kat and Zoe (and that awful, sleazy Uncle Harry) was finally revealed. When K came in the room, he asked "why are you watching that crap?"...uh I mean, "what's happening?". I started to explain and then in a total PMS moment, started blubbering about how sad it all was, how well-written, blah blah blah - he looked at me with the eyes of man who has just met a rabid raccoon in a dark alleyway and doesn't know if it will tear his face off or just share its rotten garbage-finds with him. I pretended that it wasn't happening but I kept sneaking a peek at him through the corner of my eye. Panic, definitely panic...

Brains or testicles - I strongly believe that the human body can only hold so much mass. Just before we jettison off from Heaven before we are born, God gives us the choice - brains or testicles. You stand in a line, get your 'item' and then parachute to Earth. K stood in 'that' line and so, he just doesn't get hormones and a well-written, sad story and what it can do to a grrl...

I do love my Eastenders, much to the chagrin of most of the Brits that I meet. One of them, a refined young man (Hi, Daniel!) was horrified that I preferred EE to Corrie... some things ya just can't explain.

Destruction in 8 Short Hours

2006-12-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

I realize that I have not shared my recent visit with extreme destruction. Milles Pardons - here is a short photo-essay
The trucks and monster-chewer machine pulled into the driveway. K the elder said, "I think that today is the day". Then, we heard a loud 'crack'!

The monster chewed and chewed - he took out the office first

and then he chewed and chewed some more

I think that he was still hungry because he chewed some more

until there was nothing left

In 8 hours, we went from

to this

It's sort of a shame - Pablito really liked the barn roof

When I was little, mein Zeyda told me about escaping as a young man - the family walked for 6 weeks, praying for safety, food and a warm place to sleep. Just when things looked their worst, the sun came out. Even when we face a challenge that feels like the end of the world, the sun is there

He was right, as usual
I miss you, Zeyda

Pheew!

2006-12-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

Why ,if this is the 'most wonderful time of the year', is it so hectic? We try to cram so much into so little time... and resources. I'm frantically trying to get some work done around the ranch before the kids come home. As a 'mixed' family, we celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas, just not in the way that you might expect. Being more 'spiritual' than 'religious', we use this time as an excuse to give gifts to show our love (well, we do this all year 'round actually...), we celebrate our ever-growing collection of family and friends and to take time to cook a couple of really special meals. On Friday night, I made a (truly blended) meal of onion & apple latkes and shublek, with kraut and pickled beets! The first batch of latkes were too big and a little mushy inside. The smaller ones were filled with crunchy potato goodness. A little apple sauce and sour cream and we were all good. I'm sure that the shublek had some non-kosher content but what the hell, it was good. We'll repeat the latkes tonight, I think and maybe some cooked-until-it-falls-apart sauerbraten, too... YUM!

There's a heck of a lot of knitting in front of me right now but I think that I can get through it - 4 pairs of mitts, 3 hats, 3 pairs of socks, and numerous pet toys... as well as anything else that catches my fancy. Yeah, in my knitting dreams!

I bought my last three skeins of yarn last Thursday. No more 'purchased yarn' for me. Now, that doesn't mean that I can't receive gifts of yarn. It just means that I will not be buying any more yarn until June, 2007. Do you think that I can hold out for this long? I'm not sure, myself... If I try to shove some money into your hands to "buy" me a gift, smack some sense into me, please!

I was going through my digital photos and found something very personal that I wanted to share.

My two white-bearded guys, Jack & Kevin, in all their TV-viewing splendor

and I also found something not-so-personal to share

My son, Pat's band (which shall remain unnamed to protect our older, more conservative relatives who would definitely disapprove of its name)
and

My other son, KC's creation - Strongbad the Pumpkin. He made this a couple of Halloweens ago and it's still one of my favorites. He's such a creative kid.

Bye Bye Rara

2006-12-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

When I was born, my father was stationed in North Dakota and couldn't get home in time to see me make my debut. When he finally managed to wrangle leave and get back to the City Unique, he rushed into the tuck shop and purchased 'the only teddy bear they had left' (or so the legend goes - Dad is kinda dramatic, sometimes...). Rara was my constant companion through all of the normal childhood trials and tribulations (and a few abnormal ones, too)

And then, he was gone...
Actually, I sent him on his way... to the dump. I had hung onto him until I left home but my mother, inexplicably, stuck him in my hands when I decided to move "away" for the "last time". He ended up in a damp coal cellar, moldy and stinky... and falling apart. He had seen all the life that he needed to see and with my allergies, he was making me seriously ill. So long, old friend. You of sleepless nights and story-time under our pine-tree tent. Of cocoa and toast and Star Trek on Sunday mornings. Of childhood and of childish things...

More free kntting patterns - this time, stuffies!!!!

2006-12-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Once again, I’ll compile a knit-list – this time of stuffies and fun things… of course, there’ll be some that you’ve seen before…maybe not. Please let me know of some that I should add

Pablo is not a stuffy...

Pocket creatures – is that a stuffy in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTpocketcreatures.html

I particularly like the crosses-for-eyes, just like the dead bunnies I used to draw when I was a child
http://ysolda.me.uk/patterns/stuffies.pdf

So long and thanks for all the fish
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=35131.0

When robot met muffin
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=91027.0
father of wrmm
http://www.johnnysstew.com/pattern/gir.html

Ok, I like cat-sized toys that I can make in a hurry because my dogs eat them in a hurry
http://craftylibrary.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=28

Nothing says “I love you, mom” like a severed finger
http://monstercrochet.blogspot.com/2006/09/free-pattern-severed-finger.html

What’s better than a monster? A spaghetti monster!
http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/523

Imagine the possibilities!?!
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-littledudes.html

Every baby should know where they come from and this takes it to an all new level
http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns.html#dna

One of my most favorite of movies ever!
http://verasunshyne.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-knitted-jack-skellington.html

Reminds of my DIL’s stinky stinky hedgehog, Jerry Lee (maybe a stocking stuffer for her?)
http://warmfuzzies.typepad.com/pdf/sammy.pdf

No matter how evolved you think you are, you can always use one of these – admit it
http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/samhain05/badjuju.htm

This was K the younger’s nickname when he was little (and when I’m feeling mommy-esque, now) – it’s a cute, child-friendly little doll that looks quite simple to make up
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/kiki/kiki.html

K the younger also has a thing against tomatoes….maybe he knows something that we don’t? (I love this girl!)
http://www.monstercrochet.com/TomatoPattern.html

can't... log ...in...

2006-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

A while ago, a nice bunch of ladies invited me to join a new blog called Mittenfest - which is great.... except that I can't get Blogger to cooperate and let me log-in to post

I'll just have to post my mittens, etc here instead. I've been knitting like a mad-woman lately, immersing myself in the satisfying warmth of small, gratifying projects while I dream of the bigger projects that I want to accomplish...soon.
Here's just a bit of the holiday knitting that's going on in the Bumbershoot Haus

I finally moved my bead jars out to the office, in an attempt to claim it for my own... I have a mile or so to go before I can totally clean out my (old) bead cabinet but it felt good to move these guys out there

I had all but given up on my jewelry business and then I met a former client. K the elder and I went to Baker Bob's for a coffee along our walk and as we wandered around his lovely new store, a lady approached me and asked if I was "the lady who used to make jewelry at the farmer's market?". It started a nice conversation about some pieces that I had made for her, years ago and how much she loved them. What a nice pat on the back! I love beads, I love glass, I cherish the creative process that goes into putting elements together into something special and beautiful. I see it as an extension of the sacred, as part of everyday life connected to our souls. It was very affirming to know that a little thing that I made a long, long time ago had meant so much to this lady.

more free hat patterns (and maybe some other junk)

2006-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

I gave in and knit a bit yesterday, working on a beanie with this cool graph on the front. Since I've fianlly mastered the mattress stitch, I don't feel so bad about knitting hats flat and then stitching them together. I'm using Bernat Super Value and Bernat satin for the kitty - s/b nice

Again with the freebies - this time, I'll add a few more hat patterns that I dig

Pav was good enough to remind me of http://www.marniemaclean.com/patterns/Comet/index.html - one that I've had on my to-do list for quite some time but somehow have never found time to do. I just figured out though, that I would need to shorten it a bit to make it fit my weird head

Why have a baby if you can't dress them up in silly hats? http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTbabytart.html

http://elann.com/ShowFreePattern.asp?Id=184024
This is a sweet lace leaf and cable hat that would be good for a grandma or mom gift

Not exactly a pattern but I am going to work something up along these lines…how does black and pink sound? If I can come up with something, I'll add the pattern to this site, to share
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=29545.0

again, I love the swirly top of these types of decreases
http://www.redlipstick.net/knit/martext.html

Heeeeeeere’s Noro!Love it, love it, love it!
http://www.xs4all.nl/~tdpj/HTM/Norohat.htm

My hero!
http://bleuarts.blogspot.com/2006/09/free-pattern-leia-hat.html

My youngest son DID look a lot like Yoda so why not?
http://verasunshyne.blogspot.com/2006/11/felted-baby-yoda-hat.html

I really like the texture of the Hayden hat - Thanks, Miss Finch! http://www.poormissfinch.com/index.php?id=D20041101

Ok it’s not a ‘knit’ pattern but it is just what you need if & when that big bank heist is on your agenda and you just don’t have a thing to wear
http://www.crochetme.com/2005_Oct_Nov/pattern_incognito.html

Rumor has it that Elvis is alive and well and living in Tweed – haven’t met him myself…lately but let’s all celebrate the life of the King by whipping out the yarn and needles and crafting a head of hair
http://www.theshed.co.uk/elviswig.html

I adore this girl! She’s has given me so many things for my knit-list!
http://vintagestitchorama.blogspot.com/2006/06/it-aint-vintage-now-but-it-will-be-in.html

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=113885.0
Who, I ask you, doesn't need an adult sized chicken helmet?

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTlacecap.html
it’s lacy and it’s a cap – it’s a lace cap

I love water .... and beanies
http://www.islandofmisfitpatterns.com/2006/07/07/cowabunga/

Once again, Kody May surprises with this little delight
http://kodymayknits.blogspot.com/2006/10/kmays-eyelet-lace-elegance-hat.html

Free Hat pattern bonanza!

2006-12-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a knit-free day for me.. the pain of my PA is pretty heavy duty and I will need to slow things down, once again. I figure that is it's bad enough to wake me up at night, it's pretty bad. I've been trying to get my Holiday knitting done early but I'll have to slow down. Another focus has been, of course, the Lanark Knits project. I've only managed to add another 3 pairs this week and I am driven to get them out to the local kids. It was another freezing drizzle morning and I watched my neighbor's kids slipping and sliding down our road on their way to school. The only thing that's worse than cold hands are cold, wet hands....

I have to get my newsletter finished today and proofed tomorrow, 1st thing. I hope that it looks good. My ED has great ideas and I just hope that I can incorporate some of them into the final product.

Since my knitting will have to sloooow down for the next few days, I thought it would be nice to share a few of my favorite hat patterns. The Internet is such a boon for people like me - short-attention span knitters looking for variety and color. I routinely scan the 'Net, looking for future projects and ideas and here are some of the finest out there in Blog-land.

http://www.amandaknits.com/download/code88hata.pdf (if the link doesn't work, try http://www.amandaknits.com and scroll dowwwwn) I love the message of this cool, ribbed cap - I'm a sucker for a good crown design and this one is pretty special. Besides, Morse code is coooooool

Rumor has it that K the elder will be hiding some Noro in my stocking this year - I sure hope that he meant for Xmas... If and when that does happen, I think that I'll make this simple beanie
http://acunningplan.typepad.com/andsheknitstoo/patterns/silk_garden_beanie.html

I'm also a sucker for Fair Isle anything and this hat is the best of many worlds - good pattern, nice colors and a beautiful crown!
http://www.johnnysstew.com/pattern/fihat.html

This cap has a sweet pattern that flows beautifully around the head - something that I appreciate in a hat. It's a nice solid little cap but with a special design
http://whimsicalknittingdesigns.blogspot.com/2006/10/touch-of-whimsy-hat-pattern.html

Back in Salzburg, we have hats similar to this one- I love the shape and the color work. Plus, it's from MagKnits - one of my favorite resources EVER
http://magknits.com/Mar06/patterns/G8.htm

This cap is a nice balance of lace and density - I can see it keeping your head stylishly warm and the lace gives it just enough ooomph to make you feel special. I was thinking of making it in buffalo or mohair...
http://www.carylldesigns.com/wavy_feathers_qiviut_cap.htm

I adore vintage anything and these head wraps fit the bill perfectly. The romance and (perceived) glamor of the 40s makes my knees weak and I think that you couldn't help but feel transported back in time if you were to wear this
http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/13095-popup.html

It's probably a good thing that I didn't spawn a daughter 'cause I would've made her wear hats like this.http://knithats.tripod.com/id9.html I mean, it's a daffodil!!! I love it:)

Anyone who knows me would never guess that I like Hostess cupcakes. I was introduced to these sweet treats rather late in life but have made up for lost time in my (only occasional) consumption (but more than anyone who knew me back in my granola and whole grain childhood would have ever believed). This cap is a fitting tribute to the cake, in all its glory
http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2006/10/22/fauxstess-to-the-extreme/

Before I get carted off to the Demented, Screechy Old Ladies Home, I want to wear hats like this around town. I can just see me going into the post office wearing this beauty and watching the postal agents try not to giggle or make eye contact with me. I still think it's a beautiful creation!
http://www.maggiesrags.com/freewitchhat.html

Fair Isle? No, Fake Isle - yes! using variegated yarn to make a FI fake!!! Pure genius (and pretty to look at, too!) http://magknits.com/Nov06/patterns/fakeisle.htm

I've only recently discovered this Blogger and can't say enough good about her creativity - great hats!!!!http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/12/swirl-hat.html. If you like that, you might want to check this pattern out, too - http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/10/claudia-hat.html - pure delight!!!

I recently saw a KAL that featured a baby hat that looked like this one but the fact that the designer has set out to create a Hershey's Kiss beats the band!!! I love it http://www.articlepract.com/patternpages/hershykiss.html (and no risk of contamination LOL)

Once again, a lovely lace beanie that I really want to make. The biggest decision will have to be what color????http://www.spunkyhats.com/boogie_3hat.htm This is actually a trifecta - whether child, man or woman - there's a model for you :)

Knit ... like a pirate???? Yes!!!!http://knitlikeapirate.com/projects/tricorn.html Who doesn't need a tricorn hat? It may not be practical for 2007-wear but I think that it would be fun for those days when the world just doesn't feel sane

A real stocking cap! yeah, my kids would give me 'that look' if I tried to gift them with this but I think that I would wear it, once and a while http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTstockingcap.html

http://mogknit.blogspot.com/2005/02/life-aquatic-beanie-pattern.html
I love this movie and when I told K the elder about this pattern, I could see a spark of interest gleaming in his eyes...hmmm, maybe I'll have to pick up some red yarn this week

Another recent discovery for me, this grrl knits!http://kodymayknits.blogspot.com/2006/11/bead-my-skull-cap.html I love the possibilities of a beaded design like this - just think of what you could put on this cap!?! I love beads and I love knitting - this is definitely the best of both worlds!

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATKSmadge.html This simple, lacy beanie may be another option for the phantom skein of Noro which may or may not be coming my way

I could see this little sweetie on my little niece, Allie-Pallie (or, Mini-Me as I like to call her)- a rough and tumble hockey player by day, a sweet little cuddler by afternoon - this 11 year old is a doll! A simple ribbed cap, it's specialness is found in the darling rose and leaf embellishment http://community.livejournal.com/trians_patterns/847.html

For all of us Star Wars fans, this R2D2 cap is pretty neat http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=113657.0 - way to go, grrl! I so want to try my hand at this one!

Old chickens like me cannot pull of this hat http://community.livejournal.com/knitting/75126.html
but I can see it on some SYT. I think that I may have had a similar hat when I was 3... The designer has kicked but on the sides of this hat - neat texture and lovely hat!

A nice balance between lacy and solid, this cap will keep you warm and fashionable http://members.aol.com/JSchlossma/blancheh.html

Another FI wonder - this is a really nice hat but I think that I would use a variegated yarn instead of switching colors http://theknittinggarden.com/gallery-march/mar-free-5.htm

It's a hat.. or a glove for a very very big person http://www.wilflunn.com/hats/hat_moses_knitted.htm I love this guy and personally, I think that wearing a giant glove on your head might be fun...

A nice lace hat, I think that this will be fun to run up http://shazzaspatterns.blogspot.com/2006/02/muse-hat.html

Another vintage pattern that reminds me of Newfoundland, fishers and the Atlantic http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/hats/monmouth.htm It's a blend of beauty and practicality.

Are your needles ready? Need to make a quick dash to your LYS? On your mark, get set, GO!!!!

Ok, I give in - what tarot card are you?

2006-11-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Social Knitters Unite

2006-11-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

You can change the world with a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn, or at least you can make it warmer, nicer place to be

On Saturdays, I take my youngest son to a card game/ get-together that he takes part in (holy awkward sentences, Batwoman). So, no matter how tired or wiggy I am, I get to drive 2 hours to spend an additional 4-5 hours hanging around, trying not to shop...in a corner of town where shopping is on of the few diversions. Just bliss for a recovering shopaholic during the busiest shopping season of the year... ummm I'm being sarcastic here, folks. I know, I'm subtle...

Lately, I've discovered the Ottawa library branch in the neighbourhood where the game is held- it's full of families and older people so it's good for a place to sit, read or knit but it's really noisy. I like this good kind of noise. I get to hear some funny conversations and sometimes, when I'm lucky, I get to hear impromptu songs (like the one the little boy was singing about his favorite cats - bobcats, tiger cats, red cats, lion cats - you get the idea)

I've noticed that they also have a homework club where kids can come and get mentoring and help with their reading. What a good idea. Older kids get to rack up some volunteer hours and the younger kids get a role model and tutor, all wrapped in one package.

Last Saturday, there was a young mother and her 2 children - a son, who was waiting for his tutor and a daughter. The daughter didn't have any homework so the mother designed a reading sheet that the girl could complete after reading a short book. Well, the best laid plans often get side-tracked by knitting . You and I know this

The little girl (Savvi) decided that she liked my knitting and that she didn't want to do her 'homework' but her mother quietly convinced her to complete the work. When she did finish, she asked if she could sit and watch me knit. What?!? You just can't say 'no' to a question like that? Where is the next generation of warmth-givers going to come from if we don't give them a little of our warmth now?

She sat in the comfy chair next to me and silently watched but I could see her mind whirling with questions and comments. I started to engage her to see what she was thinking. Then, the conversation turned to, 'could I try?'. I took my 5 needle-hat in bright blue Red Heart cheapo but fun yarn and put it in her hands. Guess what!!! She, in all of her 7 year old wisdom, had been paying attention and understood where to put her needles and where to wrap her yarn!!! Slowly, surely, cautiously, she knit 5 stitches then 7 then 10. She would probably be knitting still if I hadn't had to go pick up the Boy.

In passing, she mentioned that she liked the royal blue hat... maybe she would like one? Is it creepy for a stranger to make a hat for a child? Are people that cynical that they would be concerned by this type of gift? Sometimes, I struggle with this very North American perspective. In my mother's culture, a gift is a gift and thanks are offered; here, I find people want to know why it was given and what is expected in return. How about we change that part of our culture this holiday season and give for the joy of giving, expecting nothing but our own joy in return. If the recipients feel joy too - well, we've all won then, haven't we?

How to piss off the cat (tutorial attached)

2006-11-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

(or why I love Flashlight, my cat)

For those of you with normal cats, pissing them off may become quite a chore. For the rest of us, it's a simple as dressing them up in our clothes.

I've tried to demystify the act of pissing a cat off for those of you who may be wondering. 'exactly what does a pissed-off cat look like?'. Have no fear - now you too may learn my ancient secrets for destroying that annoying sense of trust that our domestic animals begin to feel after days and days of non-events and sleeping

Step 1. Pick up cat
Step 2. Put cat on kitchen counter for ease of pissed-off-edness
Step 3. Pretend to be getting cat treats to appease the cat's need for snack-treats and to lull them into a false sense of security
Step 4. Instead of cat treats, whip out scarf hidden on shelves under counter
Step 5. Have partner in crime (and in life) distract cat with loud noises and funny faces
Step 6. Wrap scarf around cat's neck quickly and dash to safety
Step 7. Have partner snap photos
Step 8. Continue to dash for safety as cat escapes counter top and claws at your ankles
Step 9. Swear and laugh at the same time as cat continues to attack your legs and feet

Life is good

Knit happens, and happens, and happens

2006-11-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished Brea purse - it's a good size for tucking my knitting into for a trip over to the Ironworks tonight.It's the 2nd Wednesday so it's Knit Happens again... don't know what to bring - my Pasadena cardi or if I should start another pair of mittens... oooh, such planet-altering decisions, huh?!? If only they were all so simple. At least I'll have a nice bag to carry my stuff there.

I've got to get more mittens done and a pile of editing done and some articles to complete and the dogs to walk and the yard to clean up and the laundry is still sitting there and the shelves need dusting and the hall ceiling needs painting and the basement needs to cleaned out and I'm pretty sure that the dust bunnies are making babies under the stairs and the mice have been stealing my brown rice again and I need to put the rice in a mouse-proof container because the cats are obviously too well-fed to do their job and get rid of the mice and the wool is lonely and it's calling me to come & play...what to do...what to do...

Every morning, I give myself an hour to read through my favorite Blogs and assorted other sites, to laugh (or cry) at stories, to ‘oooh’ at photos and to bookmark projects to make. I only started doing this after the start of my recent illness, when all I could do some days is read, sleep and well, feel bad. It was a pastime that gave me light during dark moments, reminded me about the pleasure of planning, of sharing and of enjoying the creative energy that surrounds some people like an aura.
I’d like to share some of my favorites with you, so that you may enjoy them as well.

Katurah is an amazing writer, sharing her stories about raising her children in Zambia. I love the energy that she relates here and the gentleness with which she describes her beloved children

This woman is so cool that someone sent her stitch markers with the words “arse” and “bite me” on them!!!

Over a year ago, I was stuck in the wilds of Vancouver and lonely, without crafts. Then, one of my students slipped me sheet of scrap paper with a whole whack of URLs on it. Craftster was the first and probably the bestest link of all. I am stunned to see what people allover the world are creating and sharing. What fun!!!

A new friend sent me this link and although it’s not a blog, I thought that I’d share it any ways. ef is a really interesting piece about gentle leadership – too many ‘leaders’ are using out-dated and less-than-useful practices to manage their teams; this article advocates a different approach

Here’s another fun article forwarded me by some over-bright superstar - http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,66209,00.html – have to say that it made me laugh!

Send me your favorite un-craft sites - I need some good ideas for my first ever (but not my last) Guerilla Craft Day and the Homestead - come along and craft with us:)