The dogs in our house gave him several presents: a box of fish crackers (they really like them), a pair of boxer shorts with dogs on them, and a new dog toy already named "Gramps" by the maufacturer:
Gramps has a cane, a hat, squeaks when you touch him on his belly, and comes with an attitude. Just like my husband when he takes the dogs on their daily walk!!
Grampa Gimpy Hip was born in the old country, although he can't quite recall which country that was exactly. Most of his day is spent entertaining young chicken whippersnappers with stories of yesteryear, the vast majority of which are wildly inaccurate and historically impossible...(more)
This is my 500th post, and it seemed proper to mark it with Gene's birthday.
This cap sleeve cardigan, knit in chunky weight wool, was a very easy knit and had just enough variation in stitches to make it interesting. It is a free Ravelry download and is called the Shalom Cardigan. Designer Meghan McFarlane says of this design:
Shalom is a simple knitted cardigan with a striking appearance. This triple-yoked sweater is seamlessly knit in the round, top down, with a single button closure. The cap sleeves bow out slightly from the body to create a more dramatic shape.
On McFarlane's page on Ravelry, a picture of the Shalom Cardigan:
Paula, The Knitting Piper, pod caster and blogger, explained a different way to bind off stitches and I incorporated it into the Shalom Cardigan for the sleeve and bottom edges. It is both more attractive and sturdier than any other bind off method I have used. Here are her instructions:
My Favorite Edging for Nearly Everything
Knit to the next to the last stitch.
Yarn forward and leave it there.
Slip last stitch.
Turn work.
Knit into back of first stitch.
Then continue to slip over that stitch which you have knit into the back, creating the bind off.
Close up of the bound off edge: (disregard the blue background)
My modified and finished Shalom:
The picture is too dark and I really should have ironed that turtle neck for the picture. Oh, well.
Long time friend Sharon in Dallas encouraged me to pursue CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteerism this summer when we visited over iced tea and salads. I had been thinking of this for some time, knowing the great need for CASA volunteers in Mesa County, Colorado. But Sharon spurred me on to start the process of child advocacy due to her commitment as a Dallas County CASA.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Mesa County (CASA-MC), recruits, screens, and trains volunteers to speak in court on behalf of children who are abused, neglected or abandoned by their families. These volunteers are the eyes and ears of the Judge. Judges, make the final decision of where a child will live. Will the child be returned to the parent or will parental rights be terminated and the child be placed for adoption. This decision is influenced by the information the volunteer provides to a Judge and could be a major determining factor in the future of that child.
Casa means home, but for thousands of abused and neglected children, it's an acronym that has even more meaning – it's the best chance of finally finding safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.
A CASA volunteer performs these functions on behalf of the child who comes under the court system because of neglect or abuse:
investigates the needs and situation of the child...
has regular, in-person contact with the child sufficient to have in-depth knowledge of the case
makes fact-based recommendations to the court
seeks cooperative solutions by acting as a facilitator among conflicting parties
advocates for the best interest of the child, including providing reports that include findings and recommendations
files interim court reports of important developments in the case
advocates for the child's interests in the community by interfacing with mental health, educational and other community systems to assure that the child's needs in these areas are met
monitors implementation of service plans and court orders, assuring that court-ordered services are implemented in a timely manner and that review hearing are held in accordance with the law
participates in all scheduled case conferences with supervisory staff
participates in in-service training
maintains complete records about the case, including appointments, interviews and information gathered ab out the child and the child's life circumstances
records volunteer hours and submits times sheet to program office
maintains strict confidentiality on all cases
complies with all applicable statutory requirements pertaining to confidentiality of client information (from volunteer training manual)
This list may look exhaustive, but as with other worthwhile efforts, much satisfaction can be derived from giving of your time and talents.
To whom much is given is much required. [Luke 12:48
John F Kennedy : For of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state our success or failure, in whatever office we hold, will be measured by ...
More than a dozen of us will be sworn in as CASA representatives on November 15, 2010 by the Honorable David Bottger, Chief Judge of the 21st Judicial District in Mesa County, Colorado.
In Mesa County, contact 970-242-4191 or email to casamc@wic.net for further information about how you might become a CASA advocate. (Children from birth to six years of age are the age group under the "expedited permanency planning process" in most states.)
I am studying for my PhD at Oxford Brookes University. My PhD title is ‘The Domestic Soundscape and presenting everyday sounds to audiences,’ and my major interest is in our imaginative relationship with everyday sounds. I think of sound in a very material way, as a substance which is around us all the time, and a texture which can be played with, deliberately listened-to, framed, and celebrated.
I think the world would feel completely different without the constant wash of traffic, the chorus of birdsong, the snap of twigs when one walks in the woods, the happy pops that emanate from an open fire, the comforting drone of a boiler heating the house in Winter, the bubble of a stew when one is hungry, and the rasp of toast as it is being buttered. I love the busy murmur of the streets on a Saturday morning, the aggressive banging and hissing of a really good espresso machine in a coffee house, the pinging of pedestrian light-systems signalling that it is safe to cross a road, the strange noise my car makes when I drive over a cattle-grid, and the sizzle of pylons in a rainstorm.
Saturday nights are a favorite radio listening date night for my husband and me since we listen to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion (PHC). And this sound is one which makes me happy (click on arrow to listen):
Why does it make me smile? Because the opening song for many productions of PHC contains the lyric "I smell the onions, I look around for you." It is a familiar phrase, and I have been known to sing along with it as my husband often sautes some onions for a dinner sauce.
Go to the London Favorite Sounds website for more information about sounds. (The project is also being carried out in Chicago, USA, Berlin, Germany and Bejing, China).
Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Poet
Hometown: Laugharne, Wales
Thirty-one Craftlit fans (thank you, Heather Ordover found here and here and here and here and thank you, Holiday Tour Guide Dianne Read-Jackson) saw Dylan Thomas' hometown, house, and boathouse in Laugharne, Wales. His boathouse was where he wrote and spent the better part of his days.
Dylan Thomas, often described as a "classic Welsh writer", never actually learned the Welsh language himself. Though he achieved much notoriety during his short life, he received little financial gain. It was only after his death that his work truly began to be appreciated. There is no doubt, however, that he is one of the great English (language) poets of the twentieth century, arguably the greatest poet of our time. Dylan Thomas' incredible use of metaphor, meter, and a comic wit, allows his work to stand alone, balancing a reckless neo-Romantic sensuality against the more staid Puritanism of his time and culture. Thomas' lust for life and love of drink may well have contributed to his premature demise, yet his work remains, a testament to both his skill and mastery of The Word.
Are you familiar with this? It is a quick reading by Dylan Thomas himself of one of his more notable works:
The stage play, Under Milkwood, was a mystery to me when I was first assigned it as a class project in a 20th century literature class. So I bought the CD (an original New York recording from 1953 which Thomas narrates himself). His voice is unique (yes, an understatement) and I get lost in his voice, but with a little concentration, it becomes more understandable with its mischievous use of language.
Peter Ffrench, tour guide extraordinaire, gives a blessing to Craftlit travelers at the end of our journey. Peter is a retired actor with a flair for the dramatic. He was knowledgeable, friendly and a true extrovert who was thoroughly loved by all of us.
This 30 second mp3 file is definitely worth a listen, although it was recorded on a noisy tour bus.
For all these years, homemade tomato soup was not in my recipe file. When you have good ol' Campbell's Tomato Soup in the can, why bother, right? But friend Shirley convinced me that after I made tomato soup with garden vegetables, I'd be convinced it was worth the bother.
And Shirley supplied 6 orangish-yellowish heirloom tomatoes.
The how-to:
Peel 6 tomatoes by putting in boiling water for a minute. Retrieve, cool a bit and the skins fall off.
Saute 1/2 an onion in olive oil in one pan while the tomatoes are cooking on the stove top in another sauce pan.
Add 1 Tbsp sugar to the tomatoes
Make a quick roux by adding some flour into butter and stir along with some water until thick. You'll add this at the last to help the soup thicken.
Combine the onions to the tomatoes and then the roux and cook it all til thickened. Either dump into a blender or use an immersion blender to blend on top of the stove, leaving a few tomato chunks for texture.
Now add 1/8 tsp. baking soda, but don't ask me why.
Then add 1 can of evaporate milk to the soup and heat until it is hot, but DON'T BOIL the milk. Salt and pepper and croutons on top!!
I'll make this again, especially if Shirley provides the tomatoes!
Several weights of watercolor paper are in my stash, ready to be used for painting with tubed watercolors.
This newly finished "PANSY in BLUES" was painted onto 170 lb. canvas paper.
A thorough explanation of why various weights of paper are used for watercolors can be found here.
If anyone with camera expertise can tell me how to get that flash blur off the glass reflection, please let me know. I did take the flash off, but then the colors did not show through the glass.
Rivka, an amazing, generous, loving, faithful, Zionist (blogger friend) who went to Israel a while back, wrote a post Called "Choose Life" that can be found here. She believed so much in fighting that dreaded disease of cancer that she made herself available to speak publicly about how to treat adversity while continuing to live the good life. Rivka has several YouTube videos that can be viewed here and here and here and here.
In her words, on her blog, she says about herself:
Diagnosed with DCIS (stage ZERO breast cancer) at age 39 (June 2005). Three surgeries and 2 years later (July 2007)... I became a statistical anomaly: breast cancer mysteriously metastasized to my bones, liver and lungs. 2 years later (July 2009), we discovered metastases in my brain.
Diagnosis: Cancer is a "chronic illness." You can live with it.Translation: I hope to be on chemotherapy for a LONG time!
Sadly, Rivka's battle ended this weekend. Her many friends sat Shiva for her and her funeral was Saturday night at 10 pm in Jerusalem at the Kehillat Yerushalayim Beit Hesped in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, across from the Herzog Hospital (on Har Hamenuchot). Over 1000 people attended. Loudspeakers allowed those outside the building to hear tributes to Rivka.
To learn more about Rivka and her strong faith, I would encourage you readers to go to her blog and read over her past few years of writing and encouragement. Her blog can be accessed at http://www.coffeeandchemo.blogspot.com/ if you are not used to clicking on links. Again, the web link is the same: CoffeeandChemo.
I did not know Rivka personally, but she had a very positive impact on my life. Likewise, here is what Baila, another virtual blogger friend, said (go to Baila's blog here):
Some of my friends think this whole blogging relationship is just plain weird. They wonder why I talk to "strangers". They don't quite understand why I am so saddened by a death of someone who, in their mind, I barely knew. It's hard to explain to you non-bloggers. I don't quite understand it myself. But after blogging for some time, we find that the lines of our real and blogging lives somehow blur. RivkA wrote so honestly about her disease and her struggle that I feel like I did know her. I will miss her--I checked her blog daily, even before the last week. She posted almost everyday.
Baila said it well and I agree with her sentiments.
Rivka ended almost all of her postings this way:
Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.
With love and optimism, RivkA
(June, 2009)
I believe this is what her friends say now and may I also say that her battle is over and Rivka, may you rest in peace.
Please daven (or send happy thoughts) for the memory of RivkA bat Yishaya.
Weezalana at Ravelry gives a free, quick pattern for fingerless mitts on this website. It was fun to put in a few cabled stitches, but the screaming colors in the yarn obfuscated don't let those cables shine through. So why would you NOT wear fingerless mitts? (Don't answer that.)
Here is my pair:
Jelliebean sold me the blue Faced Leicester 4 ply sock yarn, individually hand painted by none other than Jelliebean herself. We passed pounds under the table in Cardiff, Wales, at the Knit Up held at a pub this month for this and other yarn bounty. It was great fun and the beer and camaraderie made it even more festive!
Jelliebean Yarns and her dye partner can be found here on Etsy - All Things Handmade. I previously purchased some yarn from her long before I met her in the flesh, so it was a treat to get to meet that talented young lady while traveling.
Yes, it has lots of butter and cream cheese and sugar in the frosting. That is why it is so delicious. My bargain is that I won't eat any too much leftover Halloween candy if I eat cake. But, my, my, that pumpkin cake is good. We'll see if we can keep it around a day or two.
Can you tell that Libby is not crazy about the doorbell ringing tonight for tricksters? She and Mercy get in such a frenzy over that noise.
