Pat Bagley's Cartoon

A friend just sent this cartoon, and since I'm still smarting over the choice, not that I'd vote for that old buzzard anyway, but really, a right wing evangelical when there were so many other better choices among Republican women? He's calling this gal his "sole mate"? I think he's really lost his mind.

See all of Pat Bagley's cartoons on his new page HERE

Code Tweakers Dilemma

Well! I'm through tweaking my way into problems until I can solve them sufficiently by getting around the widget grabbers! Nothing either Seitherin suggested, DH could noodle out, or geek wannabe me could slash away at, worked to solve the problem of getting that photo frame to behave on both sized monitors. So, the solution was to just put a border on the darn thing in my photo wrangler!

Take that Blogger!

Knitting.. It's too darn hot, and it's muggy! But 77 degree weather is coming soon; it is foretold. Gustav is bearing down on friends in Texas and Louisiana. This calls for something beautiful, a sunset from Chris in Tassie. So without further adieu, here 'tis.

Blog header Tutorial for all Us little Tweakers

The new blog header was made from a flower photo that I had laying around from the time that DH bought flowers at the Farmer's Market. The lettering was inserted with a photo shop sort of program, and when I saved this header n Blogger I chose the "instead of description" option on the new Gadget that flings code out into your blog.

Many of you may already be convinced I'm a crazed tweaker, but this is fun stuff to do and harmless if you are careful to save the Code before hand.

Before you change anything, be sure to save your template code. I sort of don't bother with this step anymore because I've learned to switch back and forth between the Preview page and the Edit HTML page on my bar. Blogger will auto save a copy anyway, since it knows we mess things up sometimes. But I would still save a page in Word.

This is what the code looks like in your widgets and I've commented, BELOW each one, for each section:

#header-wrapper {
margin:0 11% 10px;
border:5px solid $bordercolor;
}

I changed this to 11% after Blogger shrunk my 740 pixel wide image down to whatever they shrink to. That shrinking leaves the two ends of the border hanging out in space. So, I started with the original % number, which will be on your code, and played with it until it fit, at 11%. Yours may be different.
--------------------------------------------------------
#header-inner {
background-position: center;
margin-$startSide: 1px;
margin-$endSide: 1px;
}

Here, I played with the px numbers so that I would get 1px surround on the inner wrapper ends, instead of what was there when it was far too large a space. I found 1px to be my perfect number but yours may be larger.

-------------------------------------------------

#header {
margin: 5px;
border: 1px solid $bordercolor;
text-align: center;
color:$pagetitlecolor;

Here, after the word "margin", I changed the margin to 5 pix for a wider outer wrapper. You can leave this alone if you like the thin outer wrapper, or REAAALLY crank up that outer margin. If you go too wide with it, though, it can get problematic, just so you are aware of this limit. heehee

When you are done with each section, and are happy with it, then save your work. I do this after each section because I don't want to lose what I'm already happy with.

Enjoy playing if you are so inclined.

PS. See Seitherin's comment about what happens on wide screen monitors. I'll come back tomorrow and mess around with this thing some more. Thanks, Seitherin, for the heads up.

Finally, The Allen's Hummingbird

Working Bird

 

Resting bird

 

This tiny fellow is definitely a male and a tease. See him keeping an eye on me while he's feeding? Just after the second picture, one that I had to take from a lot farther away, he chittered a little "Here's Laughing at You" song and flew right over my head for the front yard.

It's very overcast today and dark towards the North, so I hope that this means it's going to stay cool today. I have no idea where all the clouds are coming from, here, in August. Enjoy your long Holiday weekend if you have one!

Placemat Purses from Dritz

I want to make some of these for small project knitting bags, as they are so cute, especially the oval one. This project page is no longer available through their website so I'm posting it here to flush out copyright police who can lay a nice trail back to wherever they came from. Na.. I'm just wanting to share it. These are easy to make, and make a pretty good sized bag, already lined. If you want to, you can make them wider by adding material in a strip between two cut pieces. Otherwise it's pretty much a fold and sew project. The picture pretty much is self explanatory.

 

I Wanna Play!

 

 

Our 12 year old's recent Good Days.

er... please ignore the ratty and scruffy floor. I am not responsible for it! Honest! DH's Room!

J is for Jazz aka Jasper, and LRD

Our Little Brave Heart. He is still plugging along at 12 years and we love him so much. He's a very well traveled dog, but hates snow and he hates the ocean waves.

I've tried and tried to add a video of him playing with his devil (favorite toy since puppyhood), and it just won't stick.. So I will stop trying! lol

Six weeks old and before first haircut

 

Two years old and out camping with our gang

 

Six years old at the Craft Club

 

8 years old and raggimuffin camping in Santa Cruz

 

Red Scarf Society is accepting donations again

Read about it HERE. Many of you know about this enterprise being so very successful that they have had to limit the time period of acceptance. It now runs from September 1st to October 31st. This is a wonderful thing to do for the kids.

I've been getting my life straightened out and organized, and after knitting the Hedgerow sock her mate and getting ready to send those two off on their honeymoon, I've taken up my book and read it through to the end.

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING.. for real.. hehe

Jane Smiley has written another amazing book. The All-true Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton has really made me think once again about how huge the division was between the two sides in the Civil War as well as the struggle of African Americans and their supporters that just raged through the conscience of the country until past the middle of the last century.

I've never been able to understand how a person could be someone else's "property" in the first place. Or how a person could ever EVER have been considered to be merely an animal. Or how the Bible story about Ham could have been used to justify such a mind set. I'm also afraid that it still exists in the minds of some otherwise intelligent people. To deny the humanity of another obviously human person seems to be the first step to hatred not based on reason of any sort, individual or societal. And the step beyond that is genocide.

SkyWatcher Post

 

After a hot day, I woke up to tropical skies and cooler weather today. This is a busy day as it's Monday. It won't be such a lazy day.

PS: We even got some rain just a half hour ago. Wow. This could mean a rainy September like we used to have 50 years ago.

The Tale of two Socks

 

 

 

The Maker Goddess was suffering a dreadful malady called Second Sock Syndrome. SSS... First sock was lonely, so lonely that she agreed to pose with manly red sock when all she really wanted was a mate of her own, a twin and kindred spirit who know what it was like to be blue all the time. The Maker Goddess was cruel and worked on many things unrelated to yarns or even to Threads, which are a mutant sort of yarn, in a manner of speaking.

Then along came Ravelympics. This was a challenge world wide for all Ravthetes to join into for the good and the glory of the side, the Team, the special few. Those who would pull out their UFO and go all the way with them to a finish line however many hurdles were in the way. Maker Goddess worked diligently on second sock, to the delight of first sock, who rode around on the shoulder of the Goddess to remind her of the length of this part, or of that curve, on first sock's own body.

Tonight the two socks, made for each other, met, and it was love at first sight. Many in the world of more animated creatures will understand the longings and the triumph of having finally been transformed into a pair.

The pictures tell the story.... Love, and delight and toe curling happiness! Love's not just for humans!

Teapots! Ravelympics sock..

 

Hi Sandy, I have finally taken a piccie! This is most of the teapots. We are still looking for some in storage in a box in the garage. I know there are more little ones, and some other patterns.

The sock is finished, film at 11. :)

A Tale of an Old Afghan + Ravelympics Sock update

I made this afghan in 1970, the year I took it with me and knit the panels in the cafeteria at a college. It was used a lot to snuggle under while reading to our DDs. It's wool, which was an unusual find in that decade in SoCal. The LYS had the pattern, which was a typed sheet with the title "The Beautiful Afghan", and it was free with the yarn.

I took it home and started to work. One panel finished up well but the next?!! Mon Dieu! It was a good five inches longer than the first! Back to the LYS to say that one skein and the other must not have the same amount of yarn. The owner smiled at me and checked my gauge. She showed me the finer points of knitting lacy patterns, and off I went. Everything from that time forward came out splendidly. Well until Moths invaded....

Everything was right with it until it developed HOLES sometime in the 90s! A couple of other victims were tossed. Immediately I put my Beautiful Afghan into the freezer. It stayed there until DH found it, last week, underneath the frozen veggies and fruits, and loaves of bread where it lay silent and forgotten in it's plastic bag(yes, I know, very bad!). All the past six or so months I'd been periodically searching for it in two (stash)rooms of the house. In my mind's eye, I could see it completely chewed up - suffering in it's pain - inside a plastic bag or cardboard box which is, as any knitter knows, no protection at all from marauding moths. Wool eating moths are so small that they seemingly have the ability to slip between molecules and lay their eggs on woolens.

 

The next task to figure out is how to mend this pretty thing, and to find the colors to do so. I've looked at Needlepoint wools, but now, maybe Brown Sheep has the right stuff. Soon, I will head to my favorite shop and have a look see.

The Ravelympic sock will not set any records but it will probably finish. That's important, too, yes? And, DD1 will have her pretty, periwinkle blue, shortie (but not too short!) socks. Trying to knit with a hot little doggie in my lap in this muggy August weather has been a challenge. So, fortified with ice tea and a fan, I leave you to your entries, and may the best WIPwrestler win!

Mid-summer flowering trees

This is a crepe myrtle tree. The flowers are there in the thousands and it's a very cheerful sight for the passerby.

 

Sex in The City, Patio style

 

The fly who could and did.

 

Evidence for the Bee that could and did.

Guerrilla Gardening!

Have a look at this! Santa Cruz and England(Go Brits!)has this sort of action going. I think Santa Cruz may be the friendlier place to do this, but England definitely has more of a self watering system. All that rain!

Have a look at Guerrilla Gardening and especially have a look at the YouTube on the bottom of the piece.

It's fun, and my DD2 sent it to me. She and her sisters work in public gardens with permission, but I think she's a little tempted to work those abandoned spaces, too. So am I!

Go GGs!!

Rose shaped Pine Cones

 

Let me call this, Walks with Beauty because without going walkabout I would never have met this beautiful tree.

Once upon a time there was a unknown conifer down on another street and it had these beautiful pine cones growing on the tips of the branches. The looked just like a fully opened rose.

I picked a few up very day whenever I walked that way. Soon there where quite a few of them and certainly enough to make a wreath with. Most of them came from the tree after it had to be cut down. A wind storm blew a big limb over into a neighbor's roof, from which it took a healthy sized chunk. It was expensive to fix, so the owner of the tree, deciding that he now had a dangerous tee, just cut it down. Drought had made it weak, and there was no choice.

The day it was cut down, I ran home for my big laundry basket, and hot footed it back down to grab all the fabulous cones I could before their beauty had attracted a crowd of crafters. These are what I have left from that time.

Have you ever seen ones like this before?

Ravelymics event sock is about three inches long. So much (too much) excitement in this last week. There was a lot of activity at our neighbor's house, and it may be that the man is finally being moved down closer to his family. I certainly hope so. So long as the memories are happy, being close to one's family is very important at any age of the life cycle.

We almost got a spiffy new cell phone but the man selling them at Costco was misinformed. DH regrets the four hours of trying to sort it all out, so that our daughter could be in the family plan. I wanted to text message like a mad woman, too, as I hear that it's lots and lots of fun!

Happy knitting to Team Resolutions 2008! May we win ourselves something cute and "hot" even. I'd go for "hot" myself.

African Star flower

In a comment someone said that they hoped the bottom flower was not the one that attracted flies..

I am sorry to have to tell you this, Anon, but it is, indeed, the one for flies. It smells like something we would run from. It has a cadaver scent but a gorgeous flower.

Here is an URL for a page with a relative. The common name is African Star Flower, or Carrion Flowers the last of which doesn't do the flowers justice as they are beautiful but it does warn you that they are a very "different" sort of bloom.

Oh, forgot to say, the top flower glows so beautifully in the soft light of the moon but hard to capture that with the camera, however. That's what the translucent structures inside the petals do best, inviting moon light encounters. ;)

A flower for the Moths, and One for the Flies

 

 

Michievious Mouse in the Grip of Test Cat

This is the acid test. Would a thoroughly dignified Persian actually play with a little wad of wool with a tail. His Royal Majesty's resident Human, who is very capable of reading His Highness like a book, informs that he likes it very much.

More mice of many colors will be on their way after the Ravelympics are over, though I have lost all hope of winning any actual prizes. One of the problems is that I'm not sure if there are any prizes at all, and therefore my motivation is threadbare. Ooooo.. bare threads might make some interesting yarn, like the sweepings from off a weaving floor. Ever seen any? I have. They are amazing. One spinner actually got a first prize for her yarn spun with fleece and sweepings. See, it pays to sweep those floors every once in awhile. Dust bunnies aren't spinnable though. Staple's to short.

Oh good night, you poor things. You don't need to try to stay up with me anymore. Sweet Dreams!

How to Pretend you Give a Smeg About the Election

Today Now!: How To Pretend You Give A Shit About The Election

The Onion of course..

What to do with left over malt balls.....

Now that's assuming there are any left over ones.

Go here and see an amazing cake. As soon as I'm halfway well, I am going to have to make this cake!

Triple Malt Chocolate Cake

This is on Chow.com

So, all you foodies should go over there and have a look. Whenever I am losing weight, I can't resist foodie sites.

Be one with the maltball. I am the Maltball. You see, I must be up most of the night with Jazz, so I have to entertain the brain. I'll get us a sunrise shot if it's nice!

A Pugh Cartoon and discussion of failure to knit

This is from the TimesOnLine, London Gallery of Pugh's Political Cartoons. Enjoy!

I have a sicker than a dog, tiny doggie, and sicker than a dog, big old me. The only good thing out of this is that my eye has stopped dripping, almost; the bad thing is that the tummy does not like the powerful medicine that it's been forced, well, to "Stomach" two times a day until -Oh God don't tell me- the 16th. *whining sounds drift out the window and startle the neighbors from sleep*

Jazzie has faired worse with his, but it's over.. Thank Heaven it's over. He took the last of his antibiotic this AM and has been pooping mightily ever since. I'm so glad for bleach and all tile floors. Poor little fellow, he's sleeping on my arm right now. He's worn out. But the infection in his head is gone! Tomorrow my smelly pup gets a BATH!

And I get to knit the little blue sock. I'm so ready to knit my Ravelympics blue sock. Jane, if you read here still, tis a beautiful thing, this little blue sock. Thank you, luv.

Blesséd Beautiful Moon

 

We are lucky to have this moon, inspiring us and moving the tides. Lucky indeed.

ColorPlay Bamboo

 

Maximize it, and just dive into the blues and the greens.. Rest there....

Ripped out the Ravelympic sock, starting again.

Ravelympics should have a section for the knitting impaired, particularily those impaired by uber-antibiotic foggy brain and symptoms of terminal malt ball ingestion.

And no, I haven't quite recovered my bon vivant. It's just a little too soon.

There's a skunk outside, traipsing through the garden, and the "fragrance" of it is wafting in the window. It is said that once you have been sprayed by a skunk, they smell good to you for the rest of your life. I believe this is true, as it's happened to moi.

Yes, four posts in a day! There ought to be a law!

Prague watch

This is a warning of sorts. I'm going to go veering into Caucasian Territory so as to vent my sick feelings about what is happening there. I'm trying to find a group of reliable sources for material and I'll be posting them from time to time as this develops.

I will say one thing, if Israel can be warned off of supplying drones to Georgia by Russia, then it shows a major shift of power away from what we've grown to believe is our invincibility.

Prague Watch

Article about an Oil Deal to bypass Russia in 2007

And digging a little further... Gee, I think we are seeing the emergence of yet another big player's Army, marching for the sake of Oil. Well, well...

Another site, commentary by Edward Lucas, author of The New Cold War. He's put this into a nutshell.

I'm sitting here with a cuppa and the deadly tub of malt balls.

You may read, since we have a press that likes to bury the really bad news in stories about kinky death pacts and such, that a woman has killed herself by eating too many malt balls.

I'm trying to gain fame by eating all my malt balls and hoping it kills me. It's a protest against Russia.

Pardon my Wikipedial abstract

I sure as hell can't knit today.

REAL time Olympics:

Russian Invasion team VS Georgian Defense Team... Go Georgia!

Like to fly? Try this from Electric Oyster

It has sound, too. This is just the thing for armchair pilots.

First day of Ravelympics and I have the ribbing of a sock to show for it. Only 12 more days left and I don't think I'll make it to the purple Hempathy gloves. But I did ace two health test, one a fasting blood panel, before 10 am this morning. I'd celebrate with a huge banana split if I could eat ice cream. lol

Have a great weekend all you Crackerjack Pilots you...

Today I found a fish school

I had to spend some time at the vet today, and started reading magazines that she has out in baskets. One of them had an article about how to train your pet fish to do tricks. I could think of nothing more fun than schooling a fish. You can see a gallery Here though a lot of the pictures may not be really good quality - for some reason - you get the idea. There are videos posted of fish training as well. It seems to be catching on very fast! THIS is the article I saw. Go have a look if you are intrigued. It's a commercial site but you can ignore that part of it. I just wanted to share the joyfulness and the fun.

Good Morning!

 

We have a weather sky. Today is the beginning of Ravelympics I think.. Maybe it's tomorrow, but I really can't think well. Sick DH, Sick Doggie, lots and LOTS to do today. But a bit of beauty showed up so I wanted to share it with you..

Time to put the roller skates on and get busy with the day! Ciao!

David Goes Home after Two Years in the United States

His proud sponsors, a bunch of very well known fast food companies, shall remain anonymous

Our DD sent this to us in an email,

What I think of the Olympics this year in China

Sarah-Hope had asked me, in comments, what my thoughts were on the overall boycott of the Olympic games.

I can only speak for myself, so I've decided to state plainly what I do think. I don't expect anyone else to think the way I do and I respect what they may chose to do, but I cannot watch the games. I also refuse to support companies that donated to the IOC. Since my $$$ are all I have to fight with, so be it.


Human rights issues are my only focus. I never will support any government, Democratic, Socialist or Communist when they engage in abuse of Human Rights. It is far too late in the Human Experiment, and we've had lots of warnings, to think that we can turn a blind eye to things that involve Human Rights abuses.

Obviously, I won't support a government like China which is now jailing citizens for speaking out in the past, and is actively pushing people off their land so that Olympic facilities can be built. All that puts the abuse squarely in the middle of human rights violations, and into my consciousness as so egregious that I can't watch, or support those who sponsor, the Olympics this year.

No should mean no in anyone's language. They, the Chinese Government, didn't keep their word about transparency, as I see it. They have been very unkind to their people in this and I don't like it one bit.

Today and exhausting day - Bits of Everything!

I did see a couple of interesting birds in the garden today. One was a Western Kingbird who was picking flies and other flying insects off the roses, and the other was an Allen's Hummingbird which was straffing the resident Anna's and Costa's. Actually the Allen's was staying in the front big bush mostly with only small raids to the backyard Cape Honeysuckle. At one point these two tiny birds were having it out about three feet from my face over the day lilies. I love hummingbirds. When we get misters under the shade patio, the hummingbirds will go sit in the mist to get a bath.

This evening we talked to our neighbor to find out what is happening with her, and she finally got a decent night's sleep. I think she will be alright but DH and I came home and hugged each other. It's hard to get a caretaker enough relief that they don't just nearly collapse themselves. I stood for about an hour and a half, talking with her in the twilight, and my back, hips and legs were like stiff iron rods when I walked back across the street. I reminded myself of the tin man trying to walk right after he cried and rusted.

This disease is a terrible thief and another fine mind and delightful person has been shot to hell. The medical establishment still does not know what causes it or how to slow it down very much. Hug each other!

Mouse has a new home! He arrived and has performed well. I'm going to make a lot more of that mischievious little creater. Patterns HERE, and don't say I didn't warn you, it's a Completely cute over load site!

Jazzie needs to see the vet. He's got to have some anti-biotic unless he's at least 50% better tomorrow. He is just having a bad few days with a sinus infection since coming home from the groomer.

Leaving you with something beautiful, from Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Musical "Cats":

"Moonlight, Turn your Face to the moonlight
Let your memory lead you..
Open up.... Enter here...
If you find there the meaning of what Happiness is
Then a new Life Will begin...."

My favorite little "cat" sings that solo lead in.. She's just adorable.

I was going to put a little video of Jazzie playing with his devil a few weeks ago but it's not something piccasa will do.