Helen Caldicott debates George Monboit

This woman is amazing.  And being a child in the 50's, I really appreciate the effort that Dr. Caldicott put into studying and publicizing the dangers of strontium 90, and thyroid gland mutator, radioactive Iodide.

Dr. Caldicott, I never thanked you before, so here it is:

Thank you for trying all these years to open eyes to these killers.  I know how tired you are.  You are one of my heroes for the planet, and a personal hero, as well.  Blessings upon you!

Flowers for the Heart

May you Walk with Beauty all Around you!  

Make the flowers BIG so that you can see them in all their glory!

Australian Protea Bloom
From the Santa Cruz Arboretum

Tiny cactus, blooming in my garden

I hope you all have a lovely week.   I'm going to be knitting the Manly Beastly, Jane's Hedgerows in some beautiful Iceland color from Sundara which was a gift from a sweet friend, and waiting for the new Alpaca Silk yarn to arrive from Knit picks.  So exciting!  Yay!

PS.  I have to rip back two rows of the Manly Beastly sweater, to get the plain rows of the crossing cables to align with the right side row but it will be very easy to do after that.  Big Thank you's to Klara from the KR, and some very nice people at Ravelry for their tips on where to "find things out".

Accidental Art, and The Elf Socks all done..

Accidental Art 

Fractals in my Cuppa, this Morning

Elfin socks all ready for Christmas

The heels are different because the first sock heel looked too thin when the yarn was carried up to form the first gusset stitches.

I love the length of the leg, and will probably make all my socks that long from now on. It's a very comfortable feeling length for me. I can wear them with my boots I bet! But, today I have to get my knees treated so I'm not wearing hiking boots into the clinic for that. especially with a long skirt, though that has been the style in some past years amongst the young. The young looked cute doing that.

I'm a senior so a little more limited a Fashionista. hahaha

More boring Geology

This interesting link to a PDF paper discussing the slowing down of the Pacific plate, the largest one on the planet, is why I'm concerned about the meddling done by way of a very large uber mega ton atomic test, practically down the throat of a volcano in Amchitka, in 1971.   There is turbulence enough in the area without the addition of something man made.

These man apes really piss me off sometimes with their macho stupidity.

I promise, if you read this slowly and let your imagination flow, you will be able to understand the models.

Remember, the "skin" we all live on is like the skin on an apple.  We are like the bacteria on the skin of an apple if you will.  It's that thin.  We should be a little more respectful, you would think, eh?

Two things.  The lithosphere is what we live on top of generally, and the Asthenosphere is what is just underneath that.

A couple of rose buds from my sister's complex

The rain and wind beat the open roses to death but the buds did alright.

This one is an Angel Face rose.  Not sure what the one above is called though

I took the pictures with the camera phone, and it did an amazing job considering that this was full sun and I'm as blind as a bat.  hehe

And, last but not least, for photos, some new things to make in Ceramics.

I'm not able to get there for a few weeks, but hopefully they all will be waiting for me there.
 

Sis came over yesterday, and we watched Downton Abby.  I warned her that once we started watching it, it would be hard to quit!    We watched Six of the Seven episodes and were enthralled.  If all the Aristocrats were as nice as the Earl, well, we'd just have to be living in Heaven.

The scrappy socks are almost finished! Just a toe left and some tying up. I've decided to knit a whole sample swatch, flat, of the most complicated pattern in the Aran sweater, to make sure that I know how to knit it flat. I do NOT want to rip back those crossing cables. Everything else is easy, but they will be dreadful if I have to rip them back.

Also, today, in a nod to the future, I bought yarn for a second sweater.  It's Alpaca Silk -from Knitpicks where the original yarn comes from - in the color called "Aegean". They have a sale of 30% off, and I just couldn't let that go since the project was already planned. Wish my hands luck!

THIS is the pattern, from Drops. I know, I know...but at least this is simpler.  I mean I hope it is. Actually it looks awfully complicated.   Wish me luck?  This one is going to be for me.  Since the Manly Beastly has taken four years ( right?) I have to hope the Good Lord let's me live long enough to make this next one!

Good night,  M'friends!  I wish you a wonderful weekend.   

Beautiful Song...

This is a ballad I found while poking around the YouTubes.  



I've only song a duet once, with a friend playing acoustic guitar, and the LOVE that comes up in your soul is just absolutely spellbinding.  There's nothing quite like it in the world of music!  It's like singing in a two person Angel choir,  and I think it has to do with the harmonics that get going in the air around you.

Please feel free to ignore the little commercial at the last. 

We went to see Boyce Avenue a couple of summers ago at the House of Blues because we loved the single Boyce Avenue made of Stevie Nicks song, "Landslide".   You can listen to that one HERE  It's Beautiful.

The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy by Lisa Dodson

This is an Article from Yes! Magazine.

In case you were thinking of fighting back against what you know to be wrong and indecent in an economy that is failing families.

Even if you are a member of the "sort of" privileged class who still works, happily for a decent living, amongst the rest of the middle managers....

This one's for you.


The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy by Lisa Dodson



Today I went for an MRI on a fossilized knee. Over time, it's started really getting expensive to treat, so I'm thinking of going for the wooden leg, pirate look.

One eye is calling out for an eye patch half the day anyway, so all I really need now is a Tricorne hat, a fast Brigantine, and a saucy parrot, who can swear in four languages, up there on my shoulder.

Oh, and I'll be needing a motley crew full of scurvy dogs and hooligans. Wanna go sailing? Harrr!

I want to live here... And A "BlueBird" for PJ!

Certainly travel between continents would not be a problem, nor would World Peace. Thank you, Pina for the fun video.

This is fantastic!

I recommend clicking through to YouTube to view it though.





A Flower from an Aloe ...

And a "BlueBird" from California for PJ! We saw several yesterday, in a flock, on the way to the clinic. teehee

And some flowers....

Lovely Succulent plants at a Farmer's Market

Morea Blossom

BIG blossom stem on an Aoneum

Indian Hawthorne

Another similar to the Hawthorne

Spring is definitely on the way!

Wolfie's Big Adventure

At the top, and worn out!  Wolfie is not smiling.

What they saw along the trail.. @@ Yikes!

At home again, and resting.

A nice little surprise..

The Humane Society of America has an on line University?  HERE .  I found it when I went to sign their petition about Bear hunting with dogs.  They call it, A School for the Animals, on their action web page.

Imagine that.  Sort of wonderful!

Knitting report:

Today, with the new addi needles- garnered from a very pleasant LYS* on the way to the Doc, I started working on the Aran sweater front.  This is going to be quite challenging since the directions are so minimalist.  And their maths don't add up.  Oh well, you get what you pay for, and this pattern is free! hehe  Working front and back after working in the round for all this time takes my brain where it does not want to go, i.e. working in reverse!

Knee report:

When I was small, my knees and one foot were a bit mashed (quite a bit) in an accident when the paternal unit's truck fishtailed and fell over on top of me on a sandy road and trapped my whole lower body.   This was because he was driving way too fast.  My brother, who was next to me in the bed of the truck, was thrown clear, and had an almost soft landing in the berm, 25 feet away.  The upshot of this event is that I grew up with semi crook legs and foot.  The problem is that now, in my old age, this is coming back to bite even harder than it did in the early years of parenthood, etc.   So, all you parents who drive too fast.....  Please Slow down!

hehe.. That is the public service announcement  for the day.  And Happy Knitting to those who come to see knitting reports.

Take care you all and try to stay busy.  It is the only thing that saves us.  Focusing on the tiny baby that the rescue workers found in the mud, alive, in Japan is where I try to stay.   The human race has been through so much hell, hasn't it?

Speaking of Babies:



Baby, Surprise!  From Clara Parkes' post on her facebook.

* The LYS I speak of is Two Sisters and Ewe.  If you haven't seen their new shop, you will love it.  It's bigger, more light, and just drop dead gorgeous.

What I'm Reading

A kind friend loaned DH this book to read.  She also loves dogs.  It's a book told by a dog, over many lives.  A little Dogma joke would follow if I could remember it.

Fighting the Bank and Winning...

If your bank has been playing fast and wide with you, here is a heartening story, thanks to B, about someone who took on his bank, Wells Fargo, and won.

HERE is the story


Knitting report:
I have reached the dividing point on the Manly Aran. After putting what would be the front onto some baleen needles, circa 1980's, I knit some twelve stitches and the needle snapped into a few pieces.  Today, with luck, there will be an LYS on the way to getting knee treatments.  I can purchase some long, good and Metal circs as a "cheermeup"!

The second Elf sock is up to the heel flap, and today I'll sit in the comfy chair or the bed, with feet up, and knit on both these projects.  I've frogged the scarf project sadly, but, even when you frog something, you still have your beautiful yarn; so it's sort of a winnish-win situation.

Japan has my whole head and heart.   There just are not any words.

I'm looking for some flowers from the files .....

Meanwhile, like you all, I'm going to do what I have to do to stay sane, and do whatever I have to do to find some beauty where ever it hides, and to think of ways to give other beings a bit of happiness, too.

Miniature Roses

 Some Major Cuteness from the web a long time ago

1971 Nuclear Test document from Amchitka Island... Nixon

I just want this here.

This document is from the University of Virginia, Miller Center of Public Affairs.

Nixon and Amchitka Nuclear Test document.

Google Maps

Heart-shaped Rocks Cartoon....

Ahipara Girl and I both love heart shaped rocks, and we collect them.

This was in the Sunday comics a few weeks ago.   I love cartoons and "Zits" is very cleverly done and always amusing.  Thank you to Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman for all the laughs over the years!  

Petrified Wood, Arizona

My favorite stepping stone in the garden. 

This late afternoon while I was knitting the second scrappy sock, outside my window the courting mourning doves were cooing, the tiny Gold finch male was calling, and the Wind chimes were sounding their beautiful tones gently in a balmy wind. 

This is the best time of the year - before the heat of summer and after the frosts of winter.  It was so peaceful that I wished every sentient being could have this feeling of peace that was mine.


I wish you Peace, and all the good things of life in abundance. 

Orchid trees.

Ellen is right about that tree.  And, I should know have known better.  I only see Orchid trees all over the place in horticultural plantings.  Gah!


Orchid tree from Flicker   This is from Natasha P.s very beautiful photo stream.


I'm still hot on the trail of the Tulip tree, which is an entirely different critter.  They are Big and very Beautiful, too.  They were on the hill that fell down the canyon but there may be one or two left there. 

Today we went trekking to find the illusive Tulip Trees of San Diego County

Tulip Tree Orchid Tree on the hill behind the Mission. There was a cave in on the grassy area, a huge area went crashing down into the canyon a few years ago. So the big trees went with it.  As you can see, I didn't find them but did find the Orchid trees! 

Senior Moments!  The Tulip trees are just harder to find than I thought!  ;o)

We went to dinner at Mrs. Kelley's, as it used to be known- now it is Pt. Loma Seafoods. We had a great GREAT chinwag with a couple of other dog owners who had their little rescue dogs at the outside tables, too. Wolfie was mostly good until the other little poodle mix tried to "install" Wolfie into his own pack, thereby a short and jaw snapping tussle ensued. It was a great time. One of the things talked about was foster care for dogs. I will probably be a foster carer when we are older because I've always wanted a little pack of dogs. I'm always jealous when I see people out walking three or four little dogs, all together.

This is a sunset just before it got really beautiful. We just couldn't stay any longer as we needed to get to the Gas station before it closed.

We listened to Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo`ole all the way home. Today was a Beautiful "Hawai'ian" day, 79­ºF and balmy. Somewhere, somehow, I will be there I think. There, in Paradise where the Tropic Birds fly free.

Farmer's Markets and Good Bye to a Palm tree.....

Cynthia Nelson- whose blog, "A Taste of Home", has sparked a book and lots of great things for this wonderful cook - has been traveling to Farmer's Markets.  HERE is a blog entry about those special  Farmer's Markets in Barbados and Guyana.

Enjoy the lovely photos and all the interesting fruits and vegetables and even some enormous fish!

My hands are tired so there won't be any knitting for a few days, but this morning the neighbor had to cut the big palm tree down because it was leaning dangerously. I am glad that I made a video of it, swaying in the wind a short time after Jazzie died. It was very comforting to watch it over the intervening years. I'll see if there is a link to it.



Another tree goes out of my life. A wall is leaning and the palm lost it's support. This is known, geologically, as soil creep on a hillside. The whole top two feet or so are slowly dragged down, and the wall holding it has to be strong enough to withstand the force of gravity. We have skin creep, we humans. heehee

Women for Women Meet me on the Bridge Project...

There may be an event near to you. This can be huge because it most certainly is a world wide movement of Women for Women.

Here is the URL and the map of planned EVENTS for Bridge Meets.

Have a look. Maybe you and your family can come to one of these or start one! I've been looking for one in my city but we really don't have that many bridges that allow foot traffic, but there is the Laurel Street Bridge that goes into Balboa Park. Yay!

OH! Winter Knitty's up! I just discovered it about two months too late! But the link works now!

Baktus Scarf

I've given up on ever finding out how to do short rows on the Drops triangle scarf, and just decided to knit THIS one. So much less stress. I will add the edgings and the small tails on to the Baktus, as I think they are cute. It's just too much of a hassle trying to find out what the pattern means in the description of making the short rows at the neck edge, and I am WAY beyond caring if it's for a better fit. I just don't care anymore; I just want it DONE!

Sometimes a project just loses it's appeal over all the trouble it is to try to figure out directions, or get them from the pattern maker. They did try to help, but they just basically said to do it the way it's written. OK, Fine. Whatever!

Today we watched the third Harry Potter Movie and just loved it. I told Nielsen that we just didn't watch TV. They sent us something anyway, and were very kind about it as well. We hadn't had the TV on at all this whole week except to watch DVDs. I wonder what that will do to their ratings? Of course, I should have watched all the PBS productions while I was knitting. Ah! Culture! We did watch, "Dirt, The Movie". That was fun to write in the little spaces.

Good night! Good Luck! If there is a war on the Middle Class, and it seems to be developing, we are going to have to arm ourselves well with counter culture options. I vote for alternative barter systems with food producers, it can be done, and lots of paying down our debt so we can afford to get to work with the $5 gas gallons.

Nighty night! I'm off to bed to read my subversive little library books. Hmmm, Librarians- now there were some good paying jobs that went *phhhtttt!*

Spring is here in California, and trees are flowering all over the half acre.

My sister's complex has these Ornamental Plum trees planted all along the median. The leaves of these small trees are dark purple. Lovely things.

Santa Cruz has plantings of small ornamental pear and plum trees around several cul-de-sacs and they make lovely little flowering trees for small spaces.

I'm tracking down some "native" tulip trees....

San Diego Mission De Alcala Photo gallery...

Since I mentioned the Mission De Alcala in a comment on the last post, I found a lovely online album by Rich Strobel.

HERE is his album of Mission Photos.  Gorgeous work!  Enjoy!

Balboa Park in late January...

Very prettily arranged Urn that I want to duplicate in my own garden..Kudos to the Park Groundskeepers!

Little buds on a cactus arm just getting ready to burst open with a blaze of glorious luminescent petals, one by one as they mature.

The Carolina Cheery Cherry Trees (heehee) that always tell us that Spring is just around the corner. Glorious blossoms just like an apple or cherry tree that actually gets an edible fruit.

A close up of the same tree and it's lovely blossoms. These trees are planted all over the city and are harbingers of Spring. I am ecstatic when I start to see the trees blooming.

We also have Tulip trees, Coral Trees, and Ornamental plum trees here, and they are all blooming. I'll try to get some tulip trees which I've never shown you, and some of the dark rosy pink flowers on the Ornamental Plums. The rain and wind probably knocked them all off, but I will try.