Baktus and Misc. Babble

A Day in the Life of.. or make that a couple of days....


Today, before any wildness starts and people go feral for the New Year,  the girls and I are going shopping to get some circular bamboo needles (which DD4 likes the best) for a chunky cabled cowl she is making for her twin.  I've seen several cowls and am sorely tempted to make a few this year as gifts.  I prefer straight scarves myself but cowls look very interesting lately.   This can be worn pulled up around the face, too.  !s this normally call a Smoke ring?


Last night, after a supper of local take out pizza and a huge salad , we watched those "Nanny 911" superstars whip families into shape.  I had told the girls that it was completely amazing to me how the Nannies could straighten out families in just one week!  I think the women are saints!  


S made us all delicious herbal tea, and we ate far too many Christmas cookies.  Well, you know!  'Tis the Season!  DH, who has a cold for the first time in several years, and who awakens at five in the morning because the dog, who is a lot like a cat, climbs up on his back and licks his ear,  was soon dozing on the couch, waking only to the screaming of parents driven mad by their horrid little kids.  Poor man, he needs to rest more during the day, or we need to kick the needy small doggie off the bed.  Remembering Wolfie's huge effort to get atop the high bed - as a sickly new found fellow to our habitat - we would be very reluctant to ban him from the pack's "den". 


And yes, those girls finally arrived yesterday afternoon (Yay!)  from Central Coast,  having spent three hours just getting through the usual horrendous L.A. traffic jam.  There wasn't much relief from it when they finally reached the bottom edge of Orange county, either!  The text messaging set a furious pace with them trying to ask us about alternate routes - there are none, and finally, resignation.  DH has some resource he can access on the computer which shows how traffic is flowing in the corridor.


Los Angeles freeway traffic is legendary.  Traffic through that huge complex of cites has been the butt of jokes and the bane of drivers for at least 60 years, starting when I was a high school age kid whose art class would take sketch boards up on the overpass that ran next to the high school and sketch the lanes for practice in perspective.  Freeways have great straightaways.  


The only time we've ever made good time driving through on L.A. freeways was  at 4 am one year when we couldn't sleep anyway so we just left here at midnight.  During the Watts Riots in the 60's, others reported no problems at all getting through Los Angeles.  So, if you pick your times wisely, you sail right on through!  Anyway,  I'd bet half the gas for any trip made through LA is used just sitting at an idle and stuck in five lanes of traffic, north or south. 


A bit of bad news:

I'm still fighting off DH's cold, and we just found out that someone near and dear to Mz. S is in the ICU fighting for his life.  He is her voilin teacher and he has pneumonia, though he seemed perfectly fine a couple of days ago when they talked.  He's been on a ventilator for the last day and a half.  



What is it with this very aggressive pneumonia flying all over the place?   We just found out that  S had it a few years ago, too.  I've had it, and didn't even know I was that sick until the day I couldn't move and my chest was on fire.  Weird disease!  So, the point of all this is this:  If you are having symptoms of pneumonia Check them out here:

WebMD page  


You do NOT want to go into the hospital or be on a ventilator.  Not fun to start the new year out this way so heed those warning signs.   You are not just being a baby if you worry about it.  Menfolk, you listen up!


Ah the Baktus...

 Baktus was fun to knit, plus I  didn't run out of yarn and here's the ball to prove it! 

Mz. Meff, you were right, just knit it!

In fact there is enough left over yarn for a catnip KorkMouser, or Korkfisshe .   Mz. Bella always has catnip growing - so she is my supplier.  


About fish and mice:
 I'm trying to avoid Chinese take-out toys since it seems that everyone (and maybe even their dog) is making them for cats, and I prefer more ordinary kitty fare.  I know some truly awesome kittahs that are ready to pounce upon them and scratch out their guts! 



Have a happy New Year's Eve, no matter if you stay home with the sniffles and aches, or go out dancing your legs off in some hot, Salsa nightclub.  The Auto Show is giving a Ball this Evening!  I would be there except that when I was resting my knee on Sister's couch at Christmas,  the Wolf ran up and over my knee -he gave it a thorough trouncing!  So, now the new knee is a cranky old hot spot on the even older anatomy.  Also there is that troubling viral stuff going on in DH's chest, and he should be resting.  The girls are merry company, so we are fine.  I'll start knitting a Korkfisshe!  Mz, S will knit her shawl, which is beautiful.  We will eat lots of veggies and stuff.  

Happy New Year to you all!


 



You can make it full screen.  Yay!

I will NOT update this anymore.  I promise I'm through with it!

Volcanic Activity in the Red Sea

Just for fun. I wonder who will lay claim to this new bit of land?

Volcanic Activity in the Red Sea

Wolfie thinks about life...

He must think a lot about what these two leggéd dogs have in common with the rest of the dogs

All about Bees...

That other title was just too long.

Cinderellen put up a lovely YouTube tribute to pollinators on her blog.  So it got wheels turning.  DH and I have been following the news about bees for some time now so a news search was in order.

I found a newish article and put it under the Bee picture in the side bar.  Here is an excerpt from that article from CNN:

"Dr. Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the health group at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that while the Bromenshenk/Army study is interesting, it fails to ask the underlying question "Why are colonies dying? Is it because they're getting weak? People who have HIV don't die of HIV. They die of other diseases they get because their immune systems are knocked off, making them more susceptible." In other words, pesticides could weaken the bees -- and then the virus/fungus combination finishes them off. That notion, however, is not explored in the new study."

A few days ago, DH and I  watched a documentary on bee keepers, and  I went on a "man hunt" for the causes because I knew the class of pesticides were suspects.  We really have some Frankenstein stuff out there being sprayed all over Kingdom come.

The fact that the huge die off all over the world is on going points to some other factor, and since the newer pesticides, called  neonicotinoids, also coincide with this massive world wide kill rates, this scientist's ties to Bayer, and his omission of that fact to the New York Times, are most disturbing indeed.


More and newer news from a Grist article

This Image comes from THIS blog

If you love flowers, and indeed if you like to eat fruits and vegetables, You have to respect our tiny pollinators. Hover Bees are in decline and they aren't in man made hives.  Something is hurting them, too.

Worldwide, we have to push the obstructionists out of the business of real Science.

2012 Resolutions

It's that time of the year, so I'm so very ready to do this. I make my resolutions on the 26th of December but now I'll post them here on that day as well.

Last year only a portion was done because of injury to a major limb in June, but this year should see progress!  My woggy knee, now replaced, should be completely well, and I will be able to hop around like a feisty Scrub Jay.

Things to get done in 2012

Besides surviving the Death of this 4th World, and the Creation of the 5th, I plan to . . . .

1 .  Finish those two UFO sweaters -Manly/Beastly and the Noro Cardi, THIS YEAR preferable before June!

2 .  Finish a quilt that I've had planned and cut out (for years) for a once baby girl, and give it to her.  She is absolutely as adorable as she was as a baby, and now almost as tall as I am.

3 .  Clean and organize the remaining jumbled portions of my habitat, namely the ceramic areas, paper craft area, and jewelry/beading bench of my studio. I must see to it that the bloddy big troll of a work bench gets moved to better lighting.

4 . Redraw, start, and finish a needlepoint wall hanging for DH that he saw done, and he loved, at the LYS.  He has been been kind enough to not keep reminding me of my little "out-of sight-out-of-mind" problems in finishing things.

5 . Sit down and spin some wool at least ten minutes every weekday.  Include the hand spindles, too, in the same ten minute rule. I've found a lovely area to set up the wheel with the best possible light, which is from a skylight, bolstered with a lamp over my shoulder.  When yellow looks like pink in dim light, you need more light than normal people do.

6 . Always look for beauty and for Accidental Art, everywhere... I've stopped seeing accidental art, though it's got to be out there. As everyone knows, it is always out there!

7 . Make new short fingered gloves for DD2, the sweater top for DD1, and cat-nip toys for my many kitty friends and the Grandcats.  Just because one can no longer have a cat doesn't stop one from loving them and wanting to make their lives happier.

8 . Do what OfTroy at Golden Apples has done, which is to make sock kits to knit a pair a month. Do this before the end of 2011.  Meaning today...Now!

9 . Make that long planned for area for card making in the small part of the SR and get busy making cards!  Keep reminding myself often that by my age I have I've earned the right to play with all my crafting supplies every single day if I so desire.

10 . Plant Buddlea along the fence in a new bed created by making the dry stream bed we always talk about.  It's time to stop all the talk, talk, talk and just do the side yard.  I want more butterflies in my life.

11 . Paint the hallway, AND if there is time,  the main eating area. Other old people have managed it; so can I.

12. Listen to my body more.  When it needs to rest, I will rest!

13 . Go back to spark people to lose 13  more pounds.

TAWANDA!!!

My Mission is now clear.

Today my horoscope according to the daily rag:

"Scientists have yet to figure out exactly why flowers make people smile but they do. You will use flowers, and other methods, to put a smile on the faces of those around you." 

*I updated the 22nd because DH found it for me..the "horrorscope" for that day.*


So, you may expect to see even more flowers this coming year, and lots less politics. That is, less politics unless it's human rights or animal rights. I'm going to stick up for the other Earthlings - meaning those with articulated limbs. Trees and plants, who do not have articulated limbs, can also expect my very vocal support.

Cookies were all baked and cooled by 10:30 last night, and stored by 11. I will pack the Christmas Fudge in spiffy bags from Michaels this AM. My back was so sore that I walked bent over to brush my teeth and crawl into bed but this morning it's fine, though tired. Today is mostly rest and definitely a lot of fun. There will be Lots of eating,laughter, babble, and fun playing games with the kids. Tomorrow will be the big day it usually is.

You all have a lovely time!

Merry Christmas!

Ringing of the Bells, Muppets. Hahahaha!

Thanks B!

Don't forget to check out Kermit's Pirates gig. LOL!

Busy, Busy day! Getting ready for company,too.

Four batches down, and two to go.  My aching back. lol

Those are Kiss Kookies, of Kourse.  And I'll tell you, the dark chocolate kisses are better because they don't stay soft.  I love that!  Tonight there is a double batch of Cranberry Pecan cookies to bake.  That should be easier. The Jam Thumbprint cookies are half strawberry and half raspberry.  I used my melon ball cutter and the tiny apothecary pestle that has been in the family for 50 years or so.  It's the first time that little thing has actually been useful!  And, the cookie sheet from King Arthur- he willed it to me in my infancy *wink* - is worth every penny it cost.  It's fully as good as the truly huge one that flew into my hands from the shelves of Smart and Final many eons ago.

Wall Swag is finally up!

I have a piano swag that is HUGE and of course we gave the piano away over a year ago.  So, now, there's one of the halves up on the wall in the tiny hall.  We have to sort of squeeze by it if we have hats on. 

The tree just has a few more things to go onto it. 

This tree is only 5.5 ft tall so we can really jam things onto it.  I love that it looks like a fairy land tree.  Some of you from OZ will see ornaments you sent.  This is an "everything" tree and it's wonderful.  If I find the rest of the stuff, it will be truly laden.  The big fancy satin balls are old, made by my sister, older daughters and I when they were wee lassies in the 60's.  That was before the twins joined the family.

PS.  I SO want that ugly bookcase somewhere else.  I'll move it because it just doesn't belong there.  I hate it!

UPDATED: Cookie baking day has arrived!

Today is a flurry, and tomorrow is a race to the finish.. the rest of the week is easy!

I'm finishing up gifts that it got too late to send in time, but they will get there! 

There is just no good time in the year to have major surgery. lol

Where is that tiny violin when I need to play it?

Update: With DH's help, I found the special horoscope for today:

"It's a year of "tough choices". You'll shine as a decisive, sincere and devoted individual. Community involvement help you establish a new niche. Actions that "help your work" will be quite pleasurable,and vise versa. February is lucky for finance. March will end a hot pursuit with a satisfying outcome. Aries and Gemini people adore you. Your lucky numbers...blah blah blah.

Tough choices because I want another dog and DH doesn't?  Big Vet Bills.. possible sibling rivalry for poor Wolfie..all valid reasons to not do this.

A new niche as a dog walker at the animal shelter?

Actions that help my work means we get another dog?

February so far is only going to cost us money that I know of.

March and the " hot pursuit with a satisfying outcome" sounds like we are going to get another dog!

About who adores me, we'll have to let that unfold. I'm willing to wait. I don't actually KNOW any Aries people.

Let's Dance!  Is that Mistletoe?

Flash Mob Christmas Time!

I love this worldwide performance art.

God Bless Us, Everyone!

Merry Christmas!



Random Acts of Culture.  May the Love of Music make us all one.

Golden Skies, and Last Tomatoes, More Code tweaking.

  
Yesterday was cloudy and it even rained some times. Later, at the time that the late afternoon air would normally be filled with shades of gold from the lengthening rays of the sun, the clouds drifted apart and took up the afternoon colors.  I was so thrilled that I gave thanks to The Creator for all the beauty of the Earth and the Atmosphere that makes Life possible on the planet.



These are the last of this year's tomatoes. I keep wondering if the possum will get them or we will.

Knitting report:  Happy Face spit spliced the Baktus yarn, and now all she is worried about is if there is enough yarn in the ever shrinking ball that's left to make it to the other tip.  It's going to be a nail biting race to the finish I suppose, even though the Almighty grams scale said that there was ample yarn left.

Going to go watch more Christmas movies to try to keep my head from tipping over to Angry Face again.  I went to the gym yesterday and started to use the big boy's toys.  I think it was a mistake.  We did meet an interesting self confessed farm boy there who has been body building all of his life, almost, since reading that 97 pound weakling ad on the back of comic books.  It is something that has made him look 20 years younger than his actual age.  Very interesting fella.  But, my knee is cranky again, and needs ice.  I'll stay off the gym equipment until I know what the H I am doing!

It's going to rain again but the white tree is almost all decorated.  This is a camera phone shot, so a wee bit blurry, but the tree is looking very good.  When I can stand for any length of time, I'll get the rest done.

Merry Christmas!

By the way, Blogger is letting you widen your blog and I've got mine all the way out to 1200.  It makes the pictures look small but what the heck.  AND... with a little CSS tweaking that is easy as pie, you can center your header, too.  I am in Code Tweaking Heaven right now.  AND did you know you can Schedule posts to be Automatically posted at a certain date and time?  Now if ONLY they would expand the amount of Photo space you can use, free of charge.  Well, I'll dream on....

Happy Knitting!

Code tweaking drama and Wolfie's cowlick/mohawk

I found out an interesting thing about the new format for Blogger.  IF you want to use the Compose option, and want paragraph-or any other sort of break- to show, you have to set it that way in Options, from the compose page.  I found this out yesterday while poking around in stuff in my blog's nuts and bolts. 

On the side of the compose page, open "Options" and you will find the bullet to highlight.  Bingo.  No more huge globs of wording to separate with break tags in HTML code.

Wolfie has a cowlick now where his scar is.  It's sort of cute.

I'm sure that when the rest of his head hair grows out this will blend in.

The Mail room, and a cute little baby animal that grabbed my heart

 For me, life is best when it's filled with animals and the people who love them. 




The Mail Room:

This beautifully embroidered and sewn knitting tote came in the mail with the amazing embroidery spoons.  There is a knitting teddy bear on the other side but her picture was a little blurry.  I'll do another photo shoot asap, because she is so cute!

 Spoon Theory is how people with auto immune system diseases have learned to cope, and that's why they are such a powerful symbol to us. 

Thank you m'friend!   :o)  You made that a gray day into a recharged day!


Knitting Cold Front:

I haven't even bothered to try to spit splice the yarn on the Baktus.  That's something for another day.  But, I did find this site containing patterns that we thought were probably gone forever, since the books (or at least some of them) were out of print.  Knitting Pure and Simple pattern page

And I got THIS pattern as a PDF download.  Easy as pie to do.  I just am in love with little bolero.

Porcupine eating corn on the cob, so sweet!

It's late, I'm tired and found this at cinderellen's corner,  Listen to the cute vocalizations of Teddy,  the porcupine.  I don't think a little human child could be enjoying that corn more. lol  Be sure to go to the little Owl video, too.



We share the planet with many other Earthlings who are content in our presence as long as we take the time to gain their trust.   It's a real pleasure to be the sort of human being that animals have accepted.  David Attenborough is such a one. 

Bits and Pieces of life in the Fog

I'm fighting with myself to put good news up, so here it is.  A package has arrived, and the contents are overwhelmingly beautiful.  Someone made a knitting bag as well as two spoon ornaments (Oh my Gosh, the Symbolism!) for the Christmas tree.  I will share pictures very soon. 

The Knee is great!  The last PT appointment was Wednesday, apparently, so I will do all the exercises on my own for the rest of the six months.   I will not miss having to "Haul Out" three times a week, but I will miss my PTs! 

Ah, back to spoon Symbolism.  We who have all these auto immunes know about Spoons:

It's a foggy day, not the weather sort but the brain sort.  I confess to having CFS, which is complicated by many stupid little indignities that don't add up to a "Trumps SA, RA, Lupus and/or Parkinson's" but it does throw monkey wrenches at your head in a well planned attack on plans, hands- even whole body assaults are not unknown either - and eye sight.

The only defense left to me is to fight back with the excess of dust bunnies which live in their hordes in my home.  I've formed these tiny warriors into armies that have been equipped with double edged fog slicing razor blades and speedy wheels, or, to be even more deadly, toxic chemicals!  Having tile floors in the house tends to make dust bunnies easier to catch - even a few really big ones get caught in the net.  The Dust Rhinoceroses tend to congregate at the edges or in little eddy pools in the corners of rooms.  I herd them semi-weekly and put them to use.  They are amusing when they charge blindly, but are not very smart.

Recent UK news is not so good because now the three disease processes - ME, CFS, and FBM are being slowly interconnected.. well at least SOMEONE can connect the dots of this murky world!  I just read and try to understand half of what is being written.  But I've run around inside old mines since I was a preteen, and many old desert dwellings as well.  Add all this to the fact that I've had wild mice as hand tamed pets and you can see that the "mouse virus theory" rings big bells in my head.  I wonder, has it been proven, dis-proven, or did this research news just sunk behind all the road crashes during the holidays news or perhaps the celebrity glue sniffing and bed hopping news?

The comfort knitting Baktus burped up a knot.  I threw it back into the bog ( bag) with a note from my Angry Face that it would have to stay in there until Happy Face returned.   Happy Face is busy with Christmas surprises that are going to be late this year, again!  Next week is a full out baking week, breads and cookies, and then after Christmas, some of the Kinder are visiting.  Meanwhile, Happy Face is putting up decorations as best she can.  Angry Face has just received a new Volcanic Book to read with the rest of the Volcanic Library.  This library grows practically weekly!  But, it's important to stay informed and to support those willing to speak out about the madness.

more knitting... I ordered Cat Bordhi's Anemone hat pattern, but I can't get the PDF file (PDH? what is that?  Portable Document Hell?)  to open and that's probably because Adobe and some program are duking it out for possession of the right to open it.  I'll have to beat one or the other off with a stick, here, and then figure out if I have to do some mutant sort of knitting to make this cute hat.  

A pretty for you:

Wolfie is fine, he just has a little cowlick now where the scar from "Big Scarey Night"  made his hair stand up in a half of a half-hearted Mohawk sort of thing.  He's very cute.  But, since he's mostly black, he is very hard to photograph in any light setting.  He's getting his eyebrows back, too.  They got shaved off as part of BSN ..see above.


I know there were other things that are supposed to go in here ( I need to learn to ALWAYS make lists) but they will not come strolling out of the mists for me.  I hope you are not as tired as I am, m'friends.  But I know some of you are, so here's some big hugs.

or rather, mugs.  Sorry,  I lost all the neat smilies when the hard disc crashed in August.

How to cook Christmas Dinner for relatives

 I've seen a lot of things about how to use engine block heat, on a long trip,  to cook various aluminum foil packet meals but those were rather staid cooks who did that.  This is much more "rustic"and manly.  Thank you Pina for pointing the way to this informative and creative "cooking" show.

Rain, Flowers, and Wilson's Warbler in the Garden, Bits of Knitting Blah Blah

No Rants today, only beauty shots!

First Moarea Bloom of the Season

Mother's Pink Zygocactus has finally bloomed again.  I almost lost this Heritage Plant.

Tiny Wilson's Warbler Feeding on the Cape Honeysuckle.

Keeping an Eye on the Woman With the Camera

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting Report:
I am decreasing finally on the Baktus, and here we go to the home stretch. I've enjoyed knitting on the 16 inch needles which I thought might cramp my hands but didn't. I wouldn't like to knit something on them in the round though. Maybe I'll try a hat next, color work. Hahahaha!

I must now put the camera down, and get off the computer to put up the hoof before DH starts bellowing, bull like, in my ears. hee hee.. He just frowns at me and levels those "storm at sea" colored eyes to mine. He's got my best interests at heart, and it hasn't been 8 weeks yet so he has a point. Yesterday at PT was good for me but can my PT ever grind her strong small hands into my sore and tight quad. OUCH! But, I have got 123 degrees out of that knee! Yay!

Bye! Happy Christmas Shopping!

Skywatcher Post

Today from Spring Valley. It was glorious after the heavy thunderstorm.

A Trained Observer spotted a funnel cloud in this storm yesterday. I believe it! We were on the freeway and couldn't see out of the windshield the rain was so heavy. I want to be a Trained Observer and so Off I go to find out how you can do that.

A little something about Taxes and Job creation, from Business Week

"Let’s tax the rich like we once did and use that money to spur growth by putting purchasing power back in the hands of the middle class. And let’s remember that capitalists without customers are out of business."

HERE is the whole article for your perusal.  Thank you to L.

Doing all this wealth building would work best if we ended up with customers who were not in debt to their eyeballs,too.  Anyone think there is a hope in Hades of that happening in our life times? 

The header, again..

I re-size all header photos to 760 pixels wide in Paint.  That is the perfect size for my blog.  The height changes along with the width.

Bunch of Random Stuff.... How to make a Header, Catch of the day sort of thing

Having PT yesterday with weight, I'm resting up.  Let me tell you about PT.  I went three times a week but it's coming to an end.  I will miss my therapists but I won't miss being sore the next day.

Level Tangerine Rant Alert!:

Yesterday, I did bring home a magazine, a big mistake,  the latest editon of Time, which added to the post PT pain because in it was an article about how letting inflation rise would help settle the economy by letting it grow.
 
This was so obviously stupid that I took note of the author's picture, something of a kid really.  I surmised that she had not lived through the hyper-inflation of the 70's, of which she spoke so glibly.  It is beyond me how something as unsettling as inflation, which we are already experiencing without benefit of pay raises, AGAIN, could help our faltering economy.

All these theoretical "fixes" being proposed are just more experimentation that will hurt everyone below the hyper insulated upper earners. To support these experiments, because they should just be described as, "Let's try this and see if it works",  are worker bees just supposed to run up 70K $$$'s  on credit cards to float the economist's boat which is currently in favor?   I mean, really, all the happy crowing about the populous going on a buying binge at this time is maudelin.
 
Back to reality: Wage earners were not the cause of the original inflationary bubble because real wages never rose after 1973 ( this is sometimes forgotten) during a time when prices were rapidly accelerating.  I know, because I was buying groceries, and paying for everything else essential to life, and that bill went up with every other one, including utilities, housing, clothing, fuel, etc.   That last mini depression was also blamed on the Oil Producing nations, which had gotten thoroughly sick of being forced to take payment in devalued U.S  dollars.

{end Rant-Return to Apple Green Alert Level}

Something nicer.... We watched A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott last night, but two nights ago we watched this one:

We've been watching Christmas fliks for me to calm down.  A new one popped up in Netflix and it's a beautiful film.   "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey".  So I grabbed one at Amazon from whom I grabbed the piccy, too. This calming, well acted, visually beautiful, and perfectly paced film about the healing power of human love will be a favorite for those nights after a hectic day when you want some relief from the "Santa Claus Syndrome".  I really want to read the book now, too.

The knee ...I must tell you, if you are getting this done, the recovery curve varies for each person, and it fluctuates, sort of like an ailing economy.  One day you are elated; the next day you can start to think, " God, why didn't you stop me from doing this!!?"

Moving around helps.  If you aren't allowed into the garden (like I'm not), go look at it anyway and enjoy the exuberance of the young weeds which you know will draw a ton of small birds this winter. O, if it's snowy, just gaze out at anything beautiful that is available, and tell yourself that you are getting better every day, because -in truth- you are.  The body is healing and at a pace that is unbelievable considering what it as been through.  Something else that helps is to remember the horrible pain that brought you to the decision to have the surgery.  I have no trouble with my now minimally cranky knee and twitchy scar.

Header Ways:

Paula has asked about how I did this new header.  So, here we go...

Firstly,  I have a program called Picasa, which is free, stable and great.  That's what I use, mainly, for a photo wrangling program.  It has a feature called "Create a Collage".   The header was created from photos that I ran through Picasa first to clean up so that they looked fabulous on a monitor.  And after doing that, the next thing is to SAVE each element (photo) with the save feature under the file tab at the top of the browser window while you are still in Picasa.

With the photos I wanted, I used "Create a Collage" and saved it with white space around it.   After reselecting the  collage just made, I wrote in the title using Picasa's handy dandy little ABC tab. Using white space lets the collage float on my white blog background.  You don't have to use white.

Then I chose SAVE again and made sure all my hard work showed up when I uploaded the thing!  This is lots easier than it sounds.

In Blogger, you just go to your Design tab, choose "Layout", then edit your Title Bar.  Viola!

Any photo handling program you have that makes collages and let's you write on the pictures will work.

That's all folks except that I continue to read the half dozen non fiction books with increasing dread that anyone responsible for making this mess will ever be called out.  That is,  unless they commit suicide after sending a detailed note of their sins, and they make sure it's been printed in the Daily Mirror before they "86" themselves.

Oh, dear God, go look at some beauty now to recover from reading this.  I have too much time on my hands.  I have been banned from killing Frost dragons, too!  Mon Dieu!

Amazing Archive of 20th century Scottish Crofter's Arts.

At beebonnet report, I found a link to this treasure called In Sheep's Clothing at the Scottish Screen Archive.

This is an absolutely fascinating film of crofter's herding, and plucking the sheep, carding and spinning the wool.  Take note of Mrs. Jamieson's little black cat.

Hope you enjoy it, too.

I could have happily spent a whole life doing this but now I'm a spoiled Southern Californian who gets chilly if the temperature is less than 68 degrees.

Out and About, a little mundane knee maintenances

My sister was feeling a little below par, so we went to see her for a couple of hours of chat, Carol listening, and cuppas. Over the years she has gathered many pretty paper elements of Victorianna and used them for her Christmas decorations. Some of them are in the new header, so you can all enjoy them, too.

I'm starting to worry about my sister, as her windows of feeling good are diminishing, but she's a feisty lady. She did manage to re-paint her kitchen cabinets this past summer, one door at a time. She is amazing at pacing herself to get things done when she has a brief window of energy during any given day. Her hubby would take down and help her set up the doors on saw horses in the garage. He's good for the heavy lifting parts. She's got our mother's touch at home repairs, gardening and making do.

When I see what my sister can accomplish with only being able to work for short periods, over time, I think of Fran's Ten Minute Rule. Fran was such an Angel in life, I think she is definitely an Angel who watches over this entire Planet Earth.

The new white tree to replace the old stick tree (the one that turned up it's toes last year )arrived on Wednesday but we haven't had the time to unpack it. I'm so excited about this new tree but we have had to wait. It's not a stick tree but a Spruce so we'll see how that plays out in the world of Fake Trees. I'm not that good at waiting for anything that has to do with Christmas. I want it up so I can start to decorated now!

It's been a busy week so far, with two luncheons - back to back - for our two clubs. After being under almost house arrest for so many weeks it was terrific to get out and see old friends, and to share a meal with them. The Rockhound club met at Marie Callendar's and I like that a lot. It was all decorated for the Holidays and is such a pretty place anyway. I ordered cob salad and my favorite holiday pie, pecan pie. Also, one of the members makes table decorations, two of which I was lucky enough to receive to take home. Pictures coming up..

Rough and tumble snow man from a paint roller

Tree Ornament or candy dish. Your wish is it's command

Flower pot Angel from a few years ago

The ceramics club met for Chinese buffet at one of our favorite haunts, I had some delicious sweet bean balls rolled in sesame seeds as well as the usual egg rolls and other tasty favorites, and we all talked a lot about everything but ceramics. Along with me there were four other people using canes, but the Rockhounds have bragging rights to the Cane Club title, with at least seven hopping around on canes. Mine, I hope, is temporary.

The balky knee, being a bad boy since Thanksgiving, has not given over yet. But it better toughen up because there are cookies to be baked! I plan on making Cranberry Pecan, Jam Thump prints, and I hope there is time for some Kiss Kookies. I'm just doing the simple stuff this year but it still will require some standing, which the bratty knee doesn't seem to like any better than anything else besides bed rest. I'll just have to whip it into shape over the next few weeks, eh?

Baktus is gathering steam and is with in a hair's width of being half way done.  The yarn weight was actually a whopping  124 grams, and the scale is fine, there was just something else going on that day of the first weigh in.  So, I've been able to make the shawl just a little longer before the decreases.  I'm really pleased at how it's come out; simple though the pattern is, the lovely yarn was the right thing to use.  I may end up giving this little beauty to one of my green eyed DDs.  :-)

Have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas.  And if you celebrate something else, like Kwanza or Chanukah, I wish you Peace and Blessings upon your lives and homes and families as well.

I'll post some pictures of the new tree when it's up and decorated.  We are going to put the green tree up, too.  Why not I say!  What can it hurt?   :+)

Take care, drive carefully, and enjoy the beauty of the Season and all the beauties of Nature when and where they cross your paths.

Shepherds watch their flocks by night....

as well as teaching them to sing and stand still in a row.

awwwww. So sweet! Merry Christmas!

Salon Corporate Challenge: Citigroup, Little Clipper,and Backtus

I'll share some choice words for this corporate brigand from the article itself:
"In the realm of corporations that play an oversize role in the civic and economic life of the United States, it’s hard to think of a better choice to kick off Salon’s Corporate Citizenship Challenge than the gargantuan Citigroup Inc. As announced last week, we’re starting off our corporate reviews with a look at the companies that benefited the most from government bailouts — and Citigroup stands right near the head of that list.
From every angle, Citigroup demands attention. The multinational financial services company boasts 260,000 employees and operations in 140 different countries. In 2010, it reported total global revenues of $86 billion. Citigroup was a key player in the irresponsible mortgage-backed-security wheeling-and-dealing that precipitated the financial crisis, and of all the banks that gorged at the federal trough, it required one of the largest dispersals of government funds in order to stave off collapse: $45 billion in direct loans and share purchases, and another $300 billion in guarantees insuring it against the potential failure of its toxic securities."

DH says of this,"You already knew they were bad; this just confirms it more. No wonder they are such a good stock for investors to own."

I guess birds of a feather flock together. What other heartless Corporate Vultures and Bustards will Salon pillory? Be sure to check back to Salon in coming days to see.
Salon Corporate Challenge: Citigroup


Sally forth Good Citizens and.... "just do something". Taking their money away would be a good start, donchathink?

Knitting report: Not wishing to slip further down into the political mire, I've been knitting more. In past generations that wasn't a cure for politics, but close. Last week we weighed that delta winged bird of our own. The Baktus is almost half way done and will surely be buzzard sized when finished, the yarn weighing in at a whopping 81 grams. The trusty old gram scale revealed a heck of a lot more weight than I ever thought possible so this is going to take longer than anticipated. Since I must sit around more with a semi wounded knee, "that is a very good thing", as Felon M would say. The happy thing is that I can now leave Baktus on the needles while weighing it in, knowing that the needles weighed a mere 4 grams.

Clipper's Story:
Let me introduce a family pet named Little Clipper. He was named after a big doberman that preceded him in the long line of family dogs. He was my mother's dog and he never met a single being he didn't love. He went to job sites with the paternal unit, to see all his friends and fratrinize. He also went on long walks with me. He was my mother's boon companion for several years, happily staying close to her while she read a book or worked in her lovely gardens.

He was the probably the happiest dog I can remember from my childhood. He loved my little sister, and would follow her almost anywhere, participating in her making of mud pies, and whatever she was doing. We wouldn't take him into the wilds but he got to go everywhere else with all of us.

Sadly, Little Clipper was hit by a car while running back to my mother after a child let him out of their yard where Mother was visiting. Mother brought him home cradled in her arms but he died on the way. When she handed his body to me, so perfect, as if he were just sleeping, we both cried our hearts out.

I held him for hours, and then buried him in the late afternoon, digging a hole as deep and wide as I could in the pony's field. I never wanted his grave disturbed, ever.

Our Mini Pin Little Clipper

Mind Blowing consolidation of Media

Frugal Dad had a graphic on his blog, cinderellen posted it on her blog, and I'm stealing it. I am switching to a link to his web page HERE

I remember in the 1990's when the FM bandwidth was split, giving two bands for each existing one, because newer technology made it possible. The FCC doled the new spaces out. Local Free Radio broadcasters tried to get access to the new channels. Nope, it didn't happen. Part of the reason was totally unfair competition from people like these who want to own it all.

Why did this happen? Control.

We have been witness to what happens when tired, stressed and overworked Americans try to get any decent or true info even from once trusted news outlets. What a disaster for free speech!

Bites, doesn't it?

Various things about daily life and only a little whining.

Beauty wrapped in sadness. I thought this would show the beautiful photo of footprints past a curb in Japan, but it didn't. It's still worth seeing even if you must click through.

Photography - Desktop Wallpaper - National Geographic Magazine
I've gotten behind in reading my favorite blogs, sadly. But I will catch up very soon!

Knee report: As luck would have it, I have been hit with a session of Gout, or maybe CPPD in The %#@*& Knee. This is not unheard of but it's not common. So here I sit, completely stalled out and spinning my wheels, with a knee elevated that is not as bad as it ought to be but there is NO truth whatsoever that knee replacement puts an end to gout - or CPP - for that matter. I didn't really believe it when told that by my PT, because it's a soft tissue problem. We got the bill though, yikes! I'm glad our portion is small.

So, many days of trying to entertain the brain have ensued. I've been watching Christmas movies (Muppet's Christmas Carol today), Netflix junk TV like "Whose Wedding is This" (so many of them about spoiled brides with first-world wedding angst!) and "Cake BOSS" - I love cakes, hate the bossy Boss. When I can fit it in, The knitting of the Baktus as reconnected me to the knitting world, and I'm reading the small backlog of "The Reader", plus also drinking copious cups of tea.

Weather report: For once, the Major (!!!!) Stuff that hit L.A. did not hit us. I'm sorry for L.A. County and all points East, but so glad that Central Coast wasn't hit as hard, nor were we. What a mess but it could have been much worse.

Back to the Muppets. Big hugs to any of you who got caught in that terrible wind storm!

Occupy Wall Street Declaration

Let's see if this works Power to the People!