The Escape Velocity of Reading

 

I just finished re-reading this wonderful book. It's written by a Peace Corp volunteer English teacher to Camerroon. If you love to read about people healing each other spiritually and emotionally, this is a book for you.

I have also read three books, in the Cadfael Mystery series, by Ellis Peters. I love this writer and how she used the language. Her older books are the best ones because by the 80's the proof reading must have been being done by non English speakers- probably a computer. There were five big errors in one novel. That's not really acceptable.

I have about a fourth of the sewing room straightened out, and when it's finished, I'll start with the stuff in the mending box to mend my soul. Jasper came to me in a dream and started leading me down a smooth and soft looking path in a forest. I think I'll follow him and see where it leads. He would turn to look at me every once in awhile to see if I was following him. Hopefully there will be a waterfall up ahead because I didn't have my canteen with me, and no gatorade either. I hope those are fruit trees up there in the sun, too.

Jasper loved to stop on his walks and smell the flowers. He liked the flowers in the garden, and the ones that DH brought home for me, too. His new album is covered with flowers.

Talk again soon, good buddies...

Love you all.

Now, for something completely different.

My daughter sent me this. Thanks B.

Dick Cheney is filled with evil intent. He hasn't got the right to speak for America. He should crawl back under his rock.

This man, Matthew Alexander, former interrogator in the torture of prisoners, does have the right to speak and shall we call it, the Moxie, to rebuke Cheney for his words about how torture "saved" Americans from terrorist attacks.

Tug Boats at work, Baby Luann!

 

 

 

These three little tugboats recently helped a BIG Navy ship with it's steering. The Navy ship seemed to be under it's own power but must have lost it's steering. There was black smoke coming out of the stack.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Down by the Harbor

 

Something happy. We went for a drive today, picked up Jazzie's harness from the groomer, and ended up at Shelter Island. We stopped at Mrs. Kelly's to get a fish sandwich, slaw and lemonade to share, and to sit by the bay watching the ships go by and watch the wind in the palm trees. I find it so Peaceful to watch the wind and hear it flowing through palm trees.

It is a cool, sunny crisp and beautiful day in San Diego. This is the flag standard right at the mouth of the Shelter Island Yacht Basin. That's the weather report, folks. ;--)

Mindless Knitting

 

This is one messed up little post so bear with me. I'm getting there...

I thought I'd try a face cloth, and am using broken rib in it, but it might end up with some little feather fans worked in from a sock pattern called Little Shells socks from knitlist.com page. GFTC made some that are really lovely, so I'll try the pattern in this face cloth first.

I also purchased a used copy of Lucy Neatby's book, Cool Socks Warm Feet on the web because of liking GFTC's sock so much. I'll try that heel out.

I found this amazing YouTube about chickens breaking up a bunny fight. Fuzzarelly had her video up and so after watching that this one popped up.

And, hey, check out her yarns for sale at the Woolery, by jove. She has the info. I think. I'm so confuggled..

Let's see if it goes in below or above this! Tricky old Picassa!

You take Comfort where ever you can.

Thank you Stephan..

lella

Pictures from the CODE PINK cozy project

Congratulations to all who participated. Hooray for you all!

About the picture slide show, you can super size it by clicking on the box with four arrows in the right hand bottom corner.



The Cozy getting ready to move to the White House:

And you thought Ebay was just for Grown-ups

This cute story came from HERE (My Way News Source)
---------------------
May 22, 9:01 PM (ET)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A New Zealand mom made some online bids on toys before napping. Then her 3-year-old daughter took over and bought a bigger plaything than expected - a huge earth-moving digger for a cool $12,300.

Pipi Quinlan made the winning 20,000 New Zealand dollar ($12,300) bid on the Kobelco digger with a few mouse clicks at the auction site TradeMe while her parents slept, the Rodney Times newspaper reported in northern New Zealand.

"The first I knew about it was when I came down and opened up the computer," said Pipi's mother, Sarah Quinlan.

"I saw an e-mail from TradeMe saying I had won an auction and another e-mail from the seller saying something like 'I think you'll love this digger,'" she was quoted as saying in the paper.

Quinlan said she had made auction bids on several toy sets and assumed she had bought a toy digger.

"It wasn't until I went back and reread the e-mails that I saw $20,000 - and got the shock of my life."

She immediately called the auction site and the seller to explain what happened.

TradeMe reimbursed the seller's costs for the auction and the digger was relisted."

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

Isn't that cute?

Bill Moyers Show on Single Payer

I just finished watching this Bill Moyers show. I hope you got to see it but if you didn't, you might get another shot at it HERE

I'd like to say, for myself, that the Congress and the President are acting in a very suspicious way, and wonder if it's all the money they've ingested from Insurance Companies? How cowardly.

This is a very interesting and informative examination of "methods and motives" of the Health care Insurance Industry's past and present behavior and largesse.

Movie time.

We watched both one and two of "The Gods Must be Crazy" movies a couple of evenings ago. And then we watched this one above.... It's called "Promises". It's touching, illuminating, and may just very well point the way into a future that is better for kids and their mothers, to say nothing of their fathers. It's worth a look.

I'm still fighting some thing, and my energy level is nil, so watching movies and reading passes the time as well as anything else at the moment. The days are sunny and cool so that's a blessing. I'm very willing to just let the time slip through my fingers these days. No rushy rushy! Just a human pace, when there's not much left to do. We have avoided a big spending spree, but just. We took down the gate this am, the one that would keep our frisky little doggie from running out to challenge anything that "Jingled" like the postman or other dogs. I think dogs go after the sound that dog tags make, and of course a postman carries a lot of little jingling pieces of metal in their "kit". Dogs are so fun and funny, too. Trying to think like one for the past 13 years (almost) has given me some insights into the "whys" of things.

Well, have a happy day today. And check out the film? Bye now..

Greta Garbo Impersonator? Wow! Who Knew??

Poor dumb old Limpbah

Try a little May star gazing. You'll like it....

Whirlpool Galaxy from the Hubble Pics


If you'd like to see more, please go poke around here and watch the movie. Very soothing, and you can learn interesting things.

I have moved a chair by the window so that I can sit there and use the spinning wheel. This summer, my daughter, who is a spinner, wants me to bring my wheel so that we can spin yarn together. She has made a couple of things with her spinnings.

Enjoy your day, kindred spirits.

Peace and Love are wished for you, and that you should Walk with Beauty all around you.

Bonnie Bassler talks Bacteria. And you thought you were all alone....

Part knitting stand,part basket on top

 

As your alert eyes can see, there was a lot of stuff in the stand, but not THAT much. The spindles and combs were in the basket that was on top that didn't show up in the last picture. I'm happy to have found all the spindles! And some yarn on them that can be plied. There might be a small project's worth, including the other yarn made up.

Yes, this is very boring but boring is the best medicine atm. The slipper feet will be made up into a DH sized pair for camping. That little chicken cross stitch is what it is supposed to look like when finished. I have a little blob done in the middle. Heart's Ease, I'm thinking. The quilting project I'll finish for new quilted headrests for the chairs. There's another like it somewhere... but where???

That ball of crochet cotton matches the table cloth ones in Ravelry stash. The tiny ball of Cebela DMC? I have no idea what it's for. Likely I was going to make some knitted lace edging with it. The lacy bits are some of mother's salvaged lace from clothing. She liked to save lace, machine made or not. Ah, the instructions for the Hairpin Lace Fork. Now to find the apparatus. Ooooo Looky.. A winder for the DMC flosses. So that's where that little pest got to.

Another day.... This day was another weird day on the way to a new land. Maybe we will go nutzo and buy a brand new Winnebago and go cross country? I already told Jazzie, "You get to go!" I think I heard him ask about it.

Look what I found...

 

We are moving Furniture, breaking up patterns of life that are painful to remember, and so anyway look what I found in corner of the sewing room.

It's a knitting stand but the stuff in it is for quilting, cross stitch and just about everything else. Odd how things, when life gets really full, get put away and forgotten about isn't it? And that brown boot like sole is what you think it is. It's one of those kits for a pair of knitted mukluks. Fancy that...

Cat Yodel training. Not for beginners...

I stole this from Lanea at KR. She has been notified of the theft but is unable to retaliate, unless she is training her cats stealth techniques which are covered on another video. Teaching cats Stealth is a topic that hasn't been posted in anything but a disguised form under, "YouTube Humor".

Landslide.... Beautiful rendition... Fleetwood Mac

Since we left the Veterinarian Hospital yesterday, this song has been going through my head. It's always been one of my favorite songs.

We want to thank everyone for their kindness, and their emails. It has helped a lot, and thank you. Jazzie was a very sick little dog but he had the happiest of hearts and a sweet temperament to the end. He was a very Good Boy.

Jasper Jazzboy .... Jazzie

Jazzie at Ten and a half years. Valentine's Day 2007



Jazzie at Three years old. October 1999
June 27th 1996 - May 16, 2009...

"The forehead and little ears, have gone where Saturn keeps the years."

Fragment of an E.Robinson Poem

Our Little Brave Heart died in my arms about 1:50 pm today, while being rushed to his vet at the emergency hospital. He was an amazing and brave little friend and knitting buddy. We are so lucky to have had this wonderful little dog in our lives, and grateful we could give him the care he needed, and that his wonderful groomer and vet loved him as we did, too. He was adorable and sweet, and always happy to be going places with us. He was called the littlest Rock Hound by our rock hound buddies.

This is fun, An interview with the author of, The Match King.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Frank Partnoy
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Sayingthings asked ....

Why there were not any Single Payer reps at the Senate Hearings. They were not allowed a table and tried to protest this and were all thrown out.

Huffingtonpost Article, May 10th 2009

" WASHINGTON — Protesters pushing for a government-run health system have been thrown out of a Senate hearing room after disrupting the meeting.

It happened at the start of a Senate Finance Committee session on overhauling the health care system to cover some 50 million uninsured Americans.

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has said that a so-called single-payer system _ one that's run by the government _ is not on the table. Many liberals favor that approach but Baucus and others say it's not practical or politically feasible.

Single-payer supporters repeatedly interrupted as Baucus tried to convene Tuesday's hearing.

When one protester shouted "we want a seat at the table," Baucus responded, "We want police."

Capitol Police removed eight people."

It's not just liberals who favor it, it's many people who simply escape any political label who see it working in other industrial countries and want it here, too.

Meanwhile, the so called Health Industry met privately with Administration, and they have made a "pie in the sky" offer to trim Trillions off their own fat dollars over the next ten years to, "help out". Now we know why there was no seat for the Single Payer System at the table. A deal has been struck that is voluntary, and will be affective until the clamor dies down amongst the masses. Then it will all go back to what we have now, and even more than 46 million will be without basic health insurance, while those who have it will still be asked for hundreds of thousands of dollars,upfront, for expensive procedures that aren't covered by their health care plans.

Is this really the best thing that the wealthiest nation on the planet is willing to do for the people who cough up the money to run government? We are pathetic, if that is so.

This isn't political, this is basic human rights. It's like water, or air. Our money should go to help our people when they find themselves in dire straights. It works for other people in other democracies around the world. Why don't we have it here? I'll tell you why. It's the same selfish greed that started it in the first place.

Scrub Jay Dinner time

I wanted something nice to go out on for the day... something more benign and eternal. Jays have been around for a long, LONG time. Bless em.

Picture one:

A parent Jay has dug up something delicious from the wood pathway in the rose garden, and has taken it to the edge of our duck tub. When we had a duck, she used to swim around and around in this tub under the water. This was a full sized duck. It was an incredible sight, let me tell you.

 

 

Picture 2: Resting after tenderizing and eating what was probably an earwig.

I apologize for the pictures. The wrong setting and the low light combined to make a grainy sort of enlargement situation.

Health care yet again.

To dumazzlibs, and yes, I get the name....

I've been very patient with you but you are nothing but a troll for a group of jerks who have caused more than enough trouble in the world without being given anymore space even on a knitting blog. No more! The first article was printed in 2003, and only accounts for ONE doctor's opinion. ONE!

George Soros has nothing to do with the Physicians for a National Health Program, other than at least one of the physicians being a Soros Fellow. And the doctors who are signatories to the PNHP are not Marxists.

That is as maybe in your strange ultra right world they are, but you are a nation unto yourself. I won't be publishing any more of your comments.

Free Health care, Sweden... A Socialist HELL

Happy Mother's Day

Girlfriends, I don't care if you nurture and love only a single, tiny goldfish, Happy Mother's Day!

Health care again...

A comment under the health care post has me thinking that misinformation highways run wide and deep, so I went looking for information on the Canadian form of single payer plans. I want to have an intelligent conversation about this very important subject. Mostly I wanted to know why it is so feared by so many vocal and somewhat ruthless people. After all, under the system we have now, there are 46 million people who have no health care coverage at all, and most of them are children.

Here's what I found; it's from PNHP, Physicians for a National Health Program. It's the clearest statement of why 16,000 physicians across the country think the Canadian system is best for us.

HERE is a FAQ page on Single payer that was put together by the PNHP.

As tangled as our own political system has gotten with the wants and wishes of very, VERY big businesses involved in health care industries, I think we have to start thinking that there may well be a concerted effort to dissemble, both here, in Canada, and world wide.

After all, it's hard to expand our system to other countries, which they would very much like to do, without making some sort of trouble for the countries that already have a more humane and sensible system in place. Big Pharmaceutical companies especially do not like the Canadian government telling THEM how much it will pay for it's big drug purchases.

And more on the subject from YES! Magazine. They have a very interesting take on this.

Just look at Infant Mortality rates in that 2006 article! Woah!

Dawn and the Cactus lily

 

This cactus is now putting out long trumpet flowers in it's maturity, and this is a chancy shot at dawn in low light. I think it looks a little like the entry to maybe a cavern, or a ladybug's cathedral? DH took the picture for me, and I "shopped" it a little bit. Inside one of the other blossoms, a bee took refuge from the night, and sadly, died there. Poor thing.

Finished the Orange mitts

 

I just have to tie up a loose thread. I'll make more of these if B likes them and they work for her.

Last baby fledges... Yay!

It happened today, the 9th. It's sweet how she/he turns for one last look, and then flies off into a new life. The video is below the webcam, for May...go see. :o)

Good work Klaus and Klaara! Good work little owls!

Healthcare scuffuffle coming soon to theater near you....

For years, my doctors have ordered tests or medicines for me. And it was because the insurer didn't approve them that I didn't get them without extravagant charges.

Now, before the Democrats have even finalized a program, Republican conservatives are being told this:

" 'The most successful attack is, "It will lead to the government setting standards instead of the doctor who really knows best. '"

The above is a quote from an article off the AP wire shown on Yahoo News pages, today. What the hell do the republican politicians think the people of this country have already been subjected to? Are they out of their minds?

More Owlet...

When you go to the page for them, look down the page a bit and you will see the two oldest Owlets from outside the tree, sitting in the opening. Also, there is a picture of one of the ones left in the nest, at the opening. This has been so wonderful to watch. Thank you to all who made it possible. Thank you!

Fledging! How exciting!

The smallest Owlet has finally started to go up to the edge of the opening at the owl cam. It's sitting next to it's sibling, on the opening.

The picture is from a few hours ago on the Owl camera forum.

California, The Swinish Flu, and Pooh

Good Lord, this is so funny Pogonip! Thanks! You've improved my swinish mood, so you have.

A Cast of Thousands.. well, dozens

 

This tiny - the Babe is about the size of my thumb pad- nativity was in a box from a friend. She had it for YEARs she said, and had no idea what was in it, having received it from yet another friend.

The trouble is that there are a dozen wise men, four Josephs, four Babies, four shepherds(which is just right), and one Mother Mary, with both hands broken off. That's not counting the animals - four cows, four lambs, and five camels. Without Mother Mary, complete with hands, you haven't even got a story!

Mother's Day Radical Act of Knitting..

The Deadline for getting your squares to the project headquarters is Monday, so I hope you've sent them off.

There are knitters from all over the world participating in this event.

Check the Code Pink Button in the side bar if you need the address. I'm sure if you miss by a day or so, they can still use the squares.

Thank you, who ever you are out there, for participating in this "Knit in"! Terrific and Huzzah to you all!

Klaara's bebes

Two of them have flown up, or whatever the clawing and use of the wings to climb can be called, to the edge and stood in the cavity opening. They are getting frisky! Two should fledge in the next couple of days, I think. They are so cute!

This picture was taken from the Owl web site in Estonia that is linked on the side bar. It's the first of May still photos. Whooot!