Tuesday Tails, The Bee, Wally and the Wolverine, and some bits and pieces of a fit of knitting.

Happy Spring!




Thanks go to Pina who is an amazing Webest!  Huzzah!

Wolfie gets a bath today.  He won't be is adorable scruffy self but at least he will smell better and feel cooler in the hot days to come.

Isn't Wally Cute?

Oh, because Wolfie looks a little like a Wolverine when he's running down the street after a bicycle (which has only happened twice and will never happen again, so help me God!) I thought I'd add this worthy fight to save them. There is a Wolverine in the appeal - in full pursuit and with fur flying. of something, they will tenaciously chase anything I'm told! 

Appeal:

Help Us Fight for Wolverines

They are the cutest rascals out there - besides the bears.  Bears are very cute, really.  They are just VERY large, VERY hungry,  plus they know exactly what they want, and they will NEVER take "no" for an answer unless they hear close gunfire. Well, sometimes even that won't stop them.  If someone tells you that you can keep them out of the cabin with bleach, don't listen.  It just doesn't work.

Knitting Report:
I'm taking the Manly/Beastly sweater to ceramics because I wanted to shake out any moths or eggs that might be in it and do this at a place where said wildlife will not by flying up into my ceilings but would be let go in hostile barren territory.  I also wanted to get a good look at the sweater on a table that would serve as a photo op place, and in a room that has excellent lighting!

Snaps very soon! I will get this thing done before I die, God willing and the Crick don't rise.

Music Monday.... Sheila E on Drums with linkie to first part of The E Family sessions.

I love this woman!



If you would like to hear more, here's another link:

The E family... Long, VERY long, but great stuff!
Just put it up if you like latin drums and go to webbie stuff....  Yeah!

Sheila E has started a music program for Los Angeles City Schools, well not just music.. go have a look in?

Elevate Hope Linkie.  

Sunday Matinee, "Where the Yellowstone Goes", and Sunday Stealing meme

Sunday Matinee:  "Where the Yellowstone Goes".

I can't tell you very much about this film without spoiling the cadence of it, which is sometimes slow and semi dream like; to be honest,  it is as beautiful, fragile and poignant as the river that it tells about.

The film makers also tell about the damage done by the huge oil spill on the last more-or-less pristine river in the lower forty eight States.   You will meet many very different people who are banding together to try to save the Yellowstone.  You'll also be there at the very moment in which Montana agate leaps into the consciousness of the drift fishermen, and as it makes itself some avid, rockhound converts.  And you all know how I feel about rocks.  Agate madness!



The story is compelling and timely.  It's a beautiful film with a beautiful musical score.  I fell in love with the whole crew, and only wish I was young and spry enough to take one of their float trips down that gorgeous river.  The film is available for download on Netflix but it is likely found in other places as well. 

Sunday Stealing:  THE BLURB:  "Today we ripped off a blogger named regular player, Kwizgiver, from her blog What If This Is As Good As It Gets? She doesn’t say where she got it–but it was probably stolen from somewhere cool. Tracing back the thefts of those that we steal from could take a while. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!"

The Wish List Meme, part one

1.) What are 3 things on your Wish list and why?

1. I'd wish I could live on a Vegetarian planet, or maybe a place where a person doesn't have to eat at all. The "why" of this is that the food fight would basically be over.  Isaac Asimov wrote a book, or maybe it was just a part of a book, where one of the characters survived on Moonlight. 

2. I wish I could fly, and the reason is that I want to see things from way up there.  I reckon I'm pretty much big enough to be left alone by raptors. ;-)

3. I wish that I understood everything I hear, no matter what the language. This is because I want to understand everything I hear.  It would make me more able to deal with life, I think.
 
2. What do you miss about your childhood?
My mother, our tiny family farm, and the river valley we lived in.

3. What do you do on your spare time on the weekends?
I laze about almost all day Saturday, doing all the crosswords, and doing some research on the internet.

4.) What do you appreciate most in your life?
All the animals, and then all the People - the ones that I admire and cherish which is basically a ton of folks, including my family and neighbors and practically everyone I know.

5. Would you rather be rich or healthy?
I would rather be healthy. Healthy connotes causal factors in genes and environment and some of the illness I have is caused by environmental stresses, so IF I was healthy, so would be the Earth. And, by extension, that means everyone else would be healthier. The fish wouldn't be dying of cancerous growths. You know....totally better.

6. If you could go back in time would you and why?
If one thing is changed, everything changes, so I'm not very interested in experimenting with my present. If I went back I probably wouldn't drink the water in the river. Maybe I'd probably go back far enough to help my mother marry her sweetheart, but then, what if???? Would my daughters be here? Would I have met my Dear Heart at the absolutely perfect time to save us both? 

7. Favorite game as a child?
We used to play Indians! It was great! We played Indians and made bows and arrows, and had woods all around us up and down the river valley.

8.) What is your dream career?
To be a successful seascape/portrait painter.

9.) What do you do in your free time?
I make stuff, sew, knit, read, putz around in the garden, watch Netflix and eat.

10.) Favorite clothing stores?
I so don't need to buy clothes. I'd have to say the Good Will is my favorite place to find clothes, especially up north.  Though, of course, it's not strictly a clothing store, it has some very nice threads, indeed!

11.) What TV shows can’t you live without?
I don't watch TV so I honestly can't say.  There are many I see on Netflix, however, that I wish I could see more of, such as, "3rd Rock from the Sun", "Big Bang Theory", "Hoarders", "Medium", "Lie To Me", and "Frazier".

12.) 3 things you need in your life are:
People - all of them - good Lord I have a HUGE family- and there is Love, and animals and especially Dogs, Cats, bunnies, and those adorable wee ratlings.  No, I don't drink.  I'm just enthusiastic!

13.) What can’t you sleep without?
The presence of my DH. 

14.) What are you currently a nerd for?
If a nerd can be defined as "a four letter word with a six figure income", I am not a nerd.  I do wear eccentric dress and my fav shoes are sandals - Tevas, with socks that I knit out of pretty wool yarns.  

15.) What is your favorite seasoning?
I love to pick wild sage and use it in things.  It tastes better than anything you buy.

16.) What is your favorite wild animal? 
I love birds.  Of course, I'm allergic to them.  Figures.

17.) Name 3 of your favorite childhood shows:
Rockie and Bullwinkle, and that's it.  I was just a little too old  for cartoons by the time we got a TV.

18.) If you could live as a character in a movie who would it be?
Absolutely, it would be Legolas.

Gorgeous picture from HERE.  
It's a screen saver.  Yay, though  I'm not sure it's free.

But, I can't remember.  Does he get killed?  Oh well...we just won't let the legend end.........

19.) Favorite vegetable?
How about the only one I don't like?  I can't stand black eyed peas.  Just the smell of them cooking makes me ill.

20.) Favorite Fruit?
Organic Navel oranges, and a close second is the Mango but it arrived late in my life.  *Sighs*  

21.) If you had a dragon what would you name it?
I have four dragons and a White Worm, a special kind of dragon, actually. And I have a drake, a smaller version of dragon.  Firebird is my Drake's name.  But you should see my ferrets.

22.) What do you put on hotdogs?
Lots of mustard and lots of chopped onion.  In days of old, every Halloween, our family had something called coney island hotdogs.  That's a buttered bun, mustard, hot dog, grated cheddar cheese, chili con carne (yes, from a can).  On top of all that went finely chopped onion and then fresh sauerkraut.  Yummy!  There were Fritos on the side.  We just don't eat like that, any of us, anymore.

23.) Do you play online games?
Game.  Yes, I get time to do this because I don't watch TV.

24.) What’s your favorite way to get inspired?
The natural world is my greatest inspiration.

25.) Do you have a middle name?
No, I wasn't given one.  I think I'd like one like Kali or something like that.  

Mother Kali, defender of the defenseless!

or maybe..  Hangatu Gozen

Female Samurai, late 19th Century

You can read about them both in THIS spot.

I plan to have a happy week sorting through my buffalo.  I must fearlessly Cull that herd!

Saturday Comics and some other flowers. Xylophones from the park

It really is time to start gardening.  Most of the weed eating migrants are moving on, and the three Alan's Hummingbirds that were in the garden for several years have flown away.  They've been replaced by the more normal flights of battling Anna's Hummingbirds and Costas.  I love to see the tiny Costas but I really do miss the Allen's.  They were so friendly they were almost like pets.

The big Lady Fern broke through it's pot.  It and it's sister have to be divided and I hope to get one more plant out of the two.  The picture is not quite exactly like the ferns that I have but close.  We came hope to these beauties the other day:

You may get sick of seeing these year in and year out.
But this year they really set out so many blossoms that it was a shame not to show them off.  They only bloom for a day or two.

The best rose of the bunch.  Apricot Nectar had about 40 roses on it last week.

I'm tired and I'm going to bed. I had a very busy day doing so little! I'd love to not be so tired. Who would think that doing mostly nothing can  make a person tired, but it does. Sweet Dreams!

Mustache Day!

I got the idea from Kwizgiver's Wonderful Blog 

I have a feeling this thing will go international, though, so added that.  But go look at the Headwaters of this river!  

As she said in her post, "...sometimes you just gotta have fun!"

TGIF, railing at the How-Two-Year-Old-Minds-in-Three Piece Suits-Blew-the-World-Up machine, and some Buddhist and Taoist legend

But, just think!  In a few days it will be Monday again.  *Sobs*

One of the most wonderful people in the world died a couple of weeks ago.  And her daughter is devastated.  I'm trying to think of ways to help this great kid.  I call her kid because our girls were nearly the same age.  My heart breaks for my friend's daughter.  

Friday Fill-ins:  If the gals who do Friday fill-ins do come back this week, their MeMe will be here just above this line of words.....

I think that all of us who give a flip are trying to recover our sense of balance in a world where the escalation of violence roars frightfully along toward some sort of unthinkable brink.  I truly don't see enemies here, but I do see that, globally, most people are trying to stop something like a chain reaction of atoms under intense pressure.  But ,sprinkled in among these people are those who have decided, for whatever reason - either that everything belongs to they themselves even if someone else has it - or Conversely -  it's because they are tired of seeing little children getting blown to bits half an earth away and not enough people caring about it.  And, I see that, all over the world, there are still wonderful people trying to stop this madness, insanity if you will.  You probably know what I mean, as there are those needing to be cured of "this insanity".  Think "Avatar".

Spirit trails:  Today, I found out that I have too many "buffalo" (bits and pieces I do not need, even for an avid crafter). So, I'm busy tidying up after all the "buffalo", so I probably won't post as much but will try to keep up with all of your blogs.  I call the detritus of crafting "buffalo" because there is a Buddha story about this.

It is written that a very upset man came running down the road toward where Buddha sat with his followers - at a "Y" junction in a road.  The man was hot and out of breath, and asked hurriedly if any of them had seen his herd of water buffalo.   They all said that they had not, so the man rushed off down the other leg of the "Y", in search of his animals.  The Buddha turned back to his followers and said, "Now, that man has too many Buffalo!"  Well, the lesson's been taken.

I see Kuan Yin as inspirational, sort of like an Oriental Mother Mary, and I do so love Mother Mary.

This next piece, of Taoist Legend, is from HERE, and pretty much tells how I feel about the World as circumscribed by humans:  Make this picture BIG.  She's lovely....and expensive.

Gorgeous Guan Shih Yin Statue
Borrowed from the internet.
Most beautiful one I've ever seen.

"Guan Shih Yin

Guan Shih Yin, called “Guan Yin” or “Kuan Yin” for short, is the Bodhisattva of Karuna, or Compassion. Guan means “to observe, watch, or monitor”. “Shi” means “the world”, and “yin” means “sounds”, specifically the sounds of those who suffer. The name therefore translates to mean “one who hears the cries of the world”. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was depicted in the Lotus Sutra as male and female, so that he/she could assume any form necessary in order to help others. The word “karuna” means “to weep”. Karuna is our ability to relate to another so intensely that his or her plight affects us as much as if it had been our own. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was apparently so overwhelmed with the task of saving so many people that Amitabha Buddha (the Buddha of boundless light) gave him 11 heads and 1000 arms so that he could hear the cries of the suffering people, and help as many as possible. Eventually, Avalokitesvara was able to deliver all sentient beings from suffering, so that they were all enlightened. Enthused, he reported the success of his efforts to his spiritual father, Amitabha. Amitabha asked Avaolkitesvara to look behind him.

Turning back, Avalokiteshvara saw the world being filled with new sufferers, and shed tears of compassion. It is said that Avalokitesvara’s tears gave birth to the female embodiment of compassion. When Buddhism came to China in the 12th century, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara morphed into a female figure named Kuan Yin. The legend during that time was of a Buddhist saint named Miao Shan. Miao Shan was the human personification of Kuan Yin. She was a Chinese princess who refused to get married. She wanted to be a nun and dedicate her life to spiritual matters. Her father, enraged by her decision, ordered the nuns to give her the most detestable and difficult chores at the nunnery. This did not deter Kuan Yin, and she eventually received help from all of the animals surrounding the nunnery. Her father, seeing this, became so frustrated that he attempted to burn down the temple. Kuan Yin put out the fire with her bare hands and suffered no burns. Struck with fear, her father ordered her to be put to death.

After she died, Kuan Yin was transformed into a goddess for all of her kindness and began her journey to heaven. She was about to cross over into heaven when she heard a cry of suffering back on earth. Kuan Yin asked to be sent back to earth and vowed to stay until all suffering had ended. Due to the fact that Kuan Yin symbolizes compassion, Kuan Yin is associated with vegetarianism."

I truly hope that you do

All this makes me think, therefore I should knit as an antidote!   There are so many beings still stuck in the mud.  I'll gladly help if only I can figure out how to accomplish this task!

Thankful Thursday Ketchup Day

 As promised:  And I think there ought to be a national holiday in honor of this "vegetable" so declared by a rather in over his head poly from the last century.  I decided to go to the DARK side for the so called real scoop on this controversy.

C/o THIS PLACE
and I must say, it's an incredibly clever ad, too

Tuesday Tails:

Can I have my cookie?

Wee Wolfie is fine.  He would like his fans to know this.  [Now can he have his "cookie"?]  Also, Mom has long claws and gives the best back scratches but not necessarily the best belly rubs.  [Now, please, please, can he have his "cookie"?] 

Tuesday Ceramics involves four new comers to the House of the Mad Potter (Well, ceramicist):

Ceramics 4, Knitting, nil

A small but deliciously handsome bowl for unguents.
That word was in a crossword, and I just had to show off.

Beautiful Nubian Vase with bad BAD staging (gah!  Really, the end of the ironing board?)
and sketchy flowers stuffed in---- horrors!

Dusty, "I've been digging up the garden", Real Tort (Churchy) for comparison to:

Trompe l'oeil (sort of) Tort joins Froggie in the flower bed
This one doesn't dig, and thank the Gods for that!!

Huge new species of Common Garden Snail,
recently discovered in Antarctica,
giving credence to the ancient, but disputed, theory of continental drift.

Wordless Wednesday - Zee Belly Flowers:

Scarlet Pimpernel - star of stage and screen

Blue Eyed Grass, a spy for the GIA

Early bird specials!

Thursday Thankfulness consists of being alive and well, and still running around like a human being.  I'm not sure I deserve that honor but am thankful that the Lord lets me stay here, extracting myself from the mud every morning.  The job now is to extract as many others from it as possible before I fall off the twig, yes?

Remember, we do this for Love and Love Alone...  Well, some of us also get to laugh, and so, Word of Advice: remember that no matter what, make sure you get a lot of laughing in before your dotage. 

PS.  Yes all the torts are fine, and they are wondering where the sun and nice warm weather went.  Rain should start in the wee hours,  and if it does, I am going to go out and dance in it when I wake up! 

Earth Day 2013, Heart Leafed Tree at the park,Mid Pacific Gyre Art from Monterey Aquarium

This little tree is growing in the Children's garden, I call it that, at Briercrest Park.

Pacific Gyre Art made from trash from the Gyre.  Make all of these next BIG so as to see the amazing detail.  Also, I'm not sure about all the artists, because I'm not sure I got all the plates with information on them.  But, trust me, all are spectacular. 

Katherine Harvey, "To the Depths"

Turkish artist Gülnur Özdaglar created the clear bowls that follow.....Meffie, I couldn't find the oomlot "g" form. :-(

Meet the Artists:

Sunday Stealing: The so called Unlucky 13 MEME

Today we ripped off a blogger named Avery 11 from the her blog. She states she grabbed it from Nakeisha. But it was probably stolen there as well. So, tracing back the thefts of those that we steal from could take a while. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing! 

1. On average, how long does it take you to get ready for work/school/a day or night out?

It takes me about an hour to get ready to go on a day long trip.  I credit haven taken so many in my life with being able to gather what I need.

2. If you could ask your favorite author one question about the book(s) they wrote, what would it be?
I would ask her how she apportions her time, per day, to writing.

3. What do you think is the hardest thing about growing up?
Having a very bad parent who crushes your spirit and mind.

4. Who would you rather switch places with for a day: your favorite celebrity, or your favorite fictional character?  My favorite celeb, Sandra Bullock.  If I had to switch places with her though, I wouldn't get to pal around with her for a day and that would be sad.

5. Who would you rather have point out a flaw that you weren't aware you had: a close personal friend, or a total stranger?  A friend.  And this is because they know me better, and if they saw this flaw, it wasn't just a momentary lapse that revealed it.  I'd know it was something I needed to do some work on.


6. Do you get jealous easily?  If so, what sorts of qualities or characteristics in other people are you most jealous of?   No. I was never very jealous anyway but now, I'm really beyond it.  I rejoice in the good fortune of others.  It is just another reason to be happy for someone.

7. Which version of yourself would you rather have a conversation with: the one from ten years ago, or the one you turn into ten years from now?
The only conversation I'm likely going to be able to have is from ten years ago.  My ten years ago self would be very happy for my now self, I'm certain.  I've come a long way, baby!

8. Were you ever bullied in any way as a child? If so, how has it shaped you today?
I was bullied, and mistreated, even by adults,  because I carried a French surname that was perceived as being Spanish, or worse yet, Mexican.  I was beaten up in the second grade.  I suffered many other indignities.  The Los Angeles School System was rife with racial prejudice, and it made me want to outthink, outplay, and outshine everyone else who belittled me.   Today, I won't stand for racial prejudice or any of it's wicked brothers and sisters.  The end of it can't come too soon.  It sucks.

9. What is one fear you would like to overcome in your lifetime?
Walking on a tight rope

10. What is one food you haven't tried yet that you would like to?  I've never had a a fruit on THIS LIST except for kumquats because we had a tree for several years.  I'd like to try all of them.

11. Is it easier to forgive someone for the wrong they've done you or to seek forgiveness from someone that you've wronged in any way? It's much easier to forgive.  The only thing you can do is ask for forgiveness, and then follow that with a completely genuine attempt to make amends for the wrong.  More you cannot do.  I would ask the Deity to guide me in this.

12. Let’s go random: What did you do for New Year’s Eve for the turn of the millennium?
Well, I simply do not remember.  I am sure we had some good things to eat, had a little champagne as we usually do, and went outside to look at the stars and greet neighbors.  We also ate something sweet for the first taste of the New Year  to ensure, as the Swedes do, a sweet year.

13. What else around here have you noticed?
From the original blog? 

A word about Friday Fill-ins, and about Sunday Stealing

The internet was down for awhile, so I used the netbook's minor facilities.

Friday fiill-ins was not updated, and that is worrying.  We hope our dear producer of that page, and family, is alright.

I have the hooves elevated today, Achilles tendons are cranky from the stress of this bloody horrid week, and so, I spent most of today completing section five of the 5000 Question MeMe.  I lost the whole thing trying to transfer it from the netbook to my blog.  Therefore, I will not do the 5000 Questions meme again.

I consider it a, "Message from God."

I will do most everything ( MeMe's) that is put up at Sunday Stealing as long as it's family friendly, and some Sunday Matinee, too.  I'm really disappointed that word pad is such a puny, little program that doesn't auto save.

"In the evening of life we will be judged by Love, and Love alone"

St. John of the Cross

Stay safe and warm.  See you in a few.  Hugs. 
   

Tuesday wanderings and trying to settle a bit.

On Karen's Blog, Living in My Valley, she has a link to a tutorial for some truly gorgeous paper roses.  They look like David Austin's!  And are made from re-cycled stuff.

The paper roses from this site look like Hybrid Teas.  Emmalee Elizabeth has made a wonderful tutorial, too.  If you like all roses, these two tutorials are a couple of the best.

I  think I'll go make something lovely for a song.  Hopefully, just being able to hand these beautiful things to random people, here and there, will help to heal their hearts.   

Wolfie report:  He is doing well.  His meds are stepped down to almost nothing, and I think he will be doing well, though he is still "iffy" about jumping up, even into a big comfy chair.  We think things will work out.

Knitting Report:  The mitts are done.

Knitting them has helped my sanity, though I did eat an awful lot of sweet stuff today.  I'll have to get a grip by tomorrow.  I want to send these out with some bee'swax hearts, and start on Elle's sweater fronts, and the Manly Sweater, too.

Good night sweet friends.  I hope that you and yours are safe and out of the bad weather, and bad news.  Wishing you the blessing of peace.....

Tax Day, and Music Monday, Jason Becker, a couple of Documentaries

It's tax day!  Happy Tax Day, USA!  There were a couple of very good cartoons about it, but not appropriate for this post at this time.  Check out Fusco Brothers, and Bizzaro, today.

Music Monday is about   Jason Becker .   I would like to have Mr. Becker speak for himself with his guitar artistry.   So I hope you  find the time to view this 20 minute film about an incredible prodigy and musical genius, and a truly wonderful human being.

This YouTube video made about his life, has some early playing, and the newer music he has been composing since not being unable to play his guitars.  It's long but so worth hearing.   When he was a baby, sitting in his mother's lap, he could play on a harmonica, the one end, and move his body to the music he made.  Phenomenal  musician.

There is also a new Documentary called, Jason Becker, Not Dead Yet. The Link goes to the trailer for it.





Asked if he heard a lot of music in his head, he said, "I hear so much it drives me nuts"  Jason Becker

Sunday Stealing, from the rip off of The Story Addict, and also Part four of the 5000 question meme

I am celebrating the return of the master thief, Mr. Lance, who actually came back last week, but whatever.  So, I'll do the short 11 question one for this week, FIRST!

This was taken from the following places:
"Today we ripped off a blogger named @markedforpower from the blog The Story Addict. she states she got it from Khaula. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Take the time to comment on other player's posts. It's a great way to make new friends! Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!"
1. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?  I was talked into eating a piece of deep fried rubber band, otherwise known as Calamari.  Blech!

2. If you had to go on an adventure, with elves, dwarves, or hobbits, who would you take and why? Elves win hands down. This is because they are archers. I would take three quivers of arrows and my best bow, an extra bow string, and some cheese (string of course) and bread and favorite spring water. Since we would sleep in the trees I'd probably bring a bug net and a hammock.

3. You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next? Scream? I like badgers and, by God, I'd have that Taxidermist's hide!


4. If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Coffee, please. Is this a marketing question? I always ask that.

5. In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today. I think that Tina Fey is pretty darn funny. She gets my vote.

6. If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?  I would ask people to learn more about a program called "Shelter me".  You can read more about it HERE  They  provide trained service dogs for disabled people and also for Veterans of the two wars.  The beauty is that they use shelter dogs, some of which are trained my inmates of prisons.  Wonderful program. Is that thirty seconds?

7. What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever? A rustic little cabin in the woods by a wonderful lake.

8. If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?  Orlando Bloom, because I think he's one of the most interesting, and cutest, guys around.

9. What is the worst song you have ever heard? It has to be, "Puberty Love"


10. If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?  I would live in Santa Cruz County.  I want to live there in my next life.

11. Who- in your opinion- was the greatest person to ever live?  Oddly, I think I've answered this question before.  Rachel Carson is.  It's because she literally saved the birds, if not the amphibians, too.  Time will tell if mankind, or Monsanto, are smart enough to not undo all her hard work. 

-----------------------------------------
5000 Question thinga.... Part four. 301 to 400

According to the rules I'm supposed to tell where I stole this.  I took it from HERE because I'm ahead of the roll call at Sunday Stealing. I'm just going to forge  on with the 5000 question MeMe. 

Some questions in this thing are not appropriate for my blog (children read here) so rather than answer, I' ll just be "eeeeeeeeeee" ing them out and moving on.  Sorry folks.  The title is now right.  It's part four.


Part Four
301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die.
1. I would like to drive a Maserati Grande Cabrio Sport in a closed course.
2. I would like to adopt from three to five quite small dogs, all at the same time, and train them cute circus tricks so we could perform for nursing homes and at the fair.
3. I want to see the rest of the North American Continent which I've not seen.
4. I'd like to hear a live concert by Pepe and/or Angel Romero.
5. I'd like to see Puccini's "Tosca" performed at the Met.




302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year?
Not likely, these are just unreachable dreams.


303. What do you feel controlled by?
The Space-Time continuum, and a lack of the readies.

304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him?
If someone, calling themselves "Jesus", "appeared" to me and said that, I'd have to be feeling the affects of medication.

305. What is one thing you are sure of?
I have no doubt whatsoever that there is other dimensions more "real" than this one.

306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert?
Anytime I'm awake.

307. Have you ever played in a band?
No, I did sing though, solos at school, and sang in choirs and other choral groups when I was in high school. Did one amazing impromptu duet with a guitar player.  He taught me to sing harmony.  It was heavenly.

308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking 'early creatures crawled outta that'?
 Actually, I love the ocean and stare at it a lot.  I'm an artist so I stare at things, and Geology was my second major, so I'm completely aware that the ocean now is far different than the one out of which early creatures crawled, so the answer is , "No".

309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean?
I'm actually noticing the tiny details about waves, water, and the sand that tend to make a seascape look alive; also I'm listening to the sounds of the water, and those of the wind.  If I think anything, it's that, in the eternity of Time, this ocean actually had a birth, just as we did, and it evolved, too.

310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games? Yes.  I like to play Chess Titans and Free Cell on line but like other card games too.  I'm not that good at chess but, hey, who cares if you win it?  Just keep attacking!

311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you?
I know that some of them are stardust, and that gives me peace.  Bodies replace atoms all the time.  I like to think of this when some international banker or despot thinks they are just too hot to lose.

312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you?
No, the fact that they will return to the Great Mix, back where they came from, is comforting. 

313. If you didn't know that people couldn't fly do you think that you could?
As a tiny child I knew I couldn't fly, even though I had flight dreams.

314. Are you someone that others call when they're having a problem and want to talk about it?
No.  Well, there are a couple of friends and my daughters who do.

315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author?  Why read if you can't do this?

316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts? Lamps.  I can repair them, and make them.  I just got a new one to repair yesterday, from a free box, well, sort of.  Someone already put it in the trash.

317. What are your feelings about the death penalty?
Though there are obviously people who need to die for their horrible crimes, too many innocent people are convicted.  Lock them all up and let people outside work on setting the innocent free as soon as is humanly possible.   Nothing could be worse than being put to death wrongfully, and doing such a thing, in a society that values justice, is murder.  Take the time to let the innocent be set free!

318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be?
Will Love win this horrid experiment thinga here on Earth?

319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets?
If it does, I have little hope we three dimensional people will ever find it.

320. What is something worth suffering for?
An education from a great school.  And taking care of, or teaching, a bunch of little kids so they can have better lives.

321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it?
I have no need of more than two, unless it's a spare one inside my body, or something. Spare eyes can come in very handy at times.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to grow our own spare parts?

322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature?
Yes, and no one alive today, not a single one, is not in touch.  Many are just out of tune with earth and nature, like Monsanto.  The work they do should not exist.

323. Would you rather live simply or extravagantly?
Simply suits me.  I do like to make many different things, so that sort of clutters up my life.  I guess it sounds nicer if you say that it decorates one's life, eh?

324. Have you ever been camping?
We have done lots and lots of camping.  Tent camping ruled!  We love it.

325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new?
Always. And, being this way, I got the shock of my life when I met some  important new relatives in my life.  Brrrr!

326. Are you able to have conversations with and become friends with people who are not like you and are interested in different things than you are?
Yes.

327. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you?
Beautiful, though I do remember question 325 issues now.

328. What stops you from doing everything you want to do?
Age, energy and money.

329. Can you think of three adjectives that do not apply to you at all?
Aggressive
Mean
Passive

330. How do you feel about Jeremy Jaynes, who got a nine year prison sentence for spamming people with junk email (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jaynes )?
I don't like spam but I do have the option of stopping it.  I'm dumfounded that a person IN THE UNITED STATES could be convicted under such a law and receive a nine year sentence.  What a waste of resources.  Happily he is not behind bars because another court came to it's senses.

331. Do you know who the current premier of China is?
No, not anymore, and I don't care who it is, either.  They are not elected in a fair election.  (It's our own elections I've begun to worry about. )

332. Are you very active?
As much as I can be.

333. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain?
Do you know what the inside of a human brain looks like?  How it works?  I have to say that no human city  looks like that.  Now a circuit board.  Those look like little cities.

334. Have you ever loved someone who has loved you back?
Yes, only once.

335. Is it really being 'in love with' someone if the other person doesn't love you?
Loving a person and being in love are not the same.  Yes, you can love people who don't love you. (See 325)  You just love them anyway.  It keeps your own heart from icing up and failing on you.

336. Do you believe that there is someone perfect for everyone or that people just fall in love with who ever they are with at the time?

There are people who were meant for each other.  Sometimes they meet but a lot of times they don't and that is a great sadness for them and the world.  Mostly I think we find that imperfect people for us, if there is enough love in the mix, can work out well, too.

337. Do you know secret things? Yes, and I keep them that way, too.

338. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have? No.  Even though I was crazy in love, all through grammar school and part of high school - even when I'd  moved away - with one boy.  And there was nothing wrong with that.  It is part of growing up.

339. How do you overcome your fears?
My anxiety?  I remember what my Sensei told me about fearful thoughts, and I calm myself down. 

340. What can you do better than anyone you know?
There is always someone, sometimes my hubby, sometimes the daughters, sometimes friends, who can do anything I can do and do that thing better.  I don't really care because I can paint and draw well enough, and still sing a bit.  So, all the things I love I can do well enough to be happy.  I used to be a very fast, and I do mean fast,fast runner.  Hardly anyone, including boys could catch me.  I feel a little proud of those swift and fleet days.

341. Would you benefit from a wilder existence?
I would love to live more in the country and gather wild herbs and grow lots and lots of stuff around my little cottage which would be built just big enough for hubby and me to have the kids over, like they do in Italy, for meals outside in good weather.  I would roam the hills taking snaps of grassland birds.  Too "Sound of Music" is it?

342. Does it seem to you like the range of socially acceptable behavior is getting smaller or larger?
Do you mean dress, because that's part of social behavior.  Clothes have always sent a message.  I'm not sure what this question actually means.

343. Have you ever fired a gun?
Yes.

344. Are people becoming more afraid of each other?
Yes, and that's why we see them arming themselves like a war is coming.  I'm worried about what policemen will have to face if this hysteria doesn't abate!

345. If you had to choose the percentage of freedom vs. safety what ratio would you decide on (ex: 100% free 0% safe)?
No one is ever 100% safe.  It's a totally unrealistic goal to think about.
 If this is a gun question, I'm not answering to that, but I will say that  mountain roads, and all buildings or bridges should not be let get unsafe so far as to fail.

Also, people should not carry fire arms onto a plane, and no one should be able to buy a firearm without a legitimate background check being done.
No parent should have a gun laying around for a two,three,four or fourteen year old to find.  Handguns are dangerous and serious weapons.  They should be respected for what they are, weapons to kill people mostly.  Why every Tom, Dick or Harry - sorry Harry- should be allowed to have one is beyond me.

Rifles are something like a Rite of passage in the West.  Most fathers who hunt make sure they train their kid with this firearm before letting them loose with it.  We should make sure handguns get the same respect.  Registered, trained, responsible.

346. Does safety stifle you?
By safety, you are asking how far am I willing to see freedoms stifled to make it safer to live in the U.S.?  I'm sick of the uses to which "Homeland Security" laws have been put.  Also,  I don't think we need to take all the guns away, if that's what you are asking, but I would like to see our children and policemen be able to be safer.  So, whatever we can do toward that end, as a Nation, we should do. 

347. Who or what needs to be stopped?
A Club that Shall not be Named.  They should keep their big-money noses out of the handgun problem because it is a VERY big problem we ALL have to work together to solve.   Looking at the handgun deaths in the US, it is appalling that a so called, civilized, "First World" nation would not have done something about it before now.

348. Are human beings becoming more domesticated?
Kinder, more inclusive and compassionate?  I think so, but I've been wrong before.

349. Do you follow the lives of the British Royal Family?
Not much, since Diana died.  Though I do like that great comic, Flip.

350. How did the death of Pope John Paul II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II ) affect you?
Again, not much, though I did like him.  Now the new Pope, I adore!

351. Have you ever lost something and never found it?
Many times.  I think it may be Karma for being a used car salesman in another life - or several.

352. Do you listen to any talk radio shows?
No, sometimes I will listen to NPR but I mostly like silent sources of news or opinion. Written so I can read it without all that hysteria and bombast crashing into my ears.

353. Who do you trust more, your friends or your parents?
My parents are long gone out of my life.  I have a few friends I trust completely. 

354. Would you ever date someone outside of your race or religion?
If I dated I'd have no problem with that at all.  If someone of another race can give my family their life's blood, they should be able to date one of us.  We are all ONE people.  

355. Which of the 7 deadly sins in the worst (gluttony, greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, sloth)?
They are ALL deadly, right?  Wrath is likely to be deadly to other people, so if I picked one of the SEVEN DEADLY, it would be that one as worst.  Well, they are all bad.  There is no worst.  I take my pick back.

356. Which one are you most guilty of?
I'm too old to be guilty of anything but sloth.


357. Are you afraid to be alone with yourself?
No, I'm never really alone.  I have a playmate. lol  Remember what George Carlen said,  "It's never too late to have a happy childhood".  It was George, right?

Do you try to avoid thinking?
I try to live within the Mind of Tao, no easy task in modern America.  "Right Thought" is how Buddhists put it.  I think all the time, If I am awake, I'm thinking.

358. Would you venture to tell someone you loved him or her if they didn't say it first?
If I love someone I tell them so.  Love is not just for romantic couples, it's a universal force that surrounds us.  We should express this when we feel it.

359. What are you the most sensitive about?
How people treat animals, children and other people.

360. What can you talk about for hours?
For Hours?  Nothing.  My sister and I can talk a long time but not for hours.

361. Do you talk about yourself, other people, or ideas the most?
We talk about how to make things, and ideas.  We also talk about animals and nature, or anything funny we've seen or heard.  chit chat.

362. Do you believe that spell casting can work?
Not really, not in real life. With this proviso:  Spells can be a lot like prayers, and insofar as they are like prayers, I do believe they can have profound and beneficial affects.  They still, if they do that is, come out of the Heart of Love, and that gives the potential to be very affective. 

363. Are you a fan of The Legend of Zelda games?
Don't know what those are.

364. What old movie would you go see if it were re-released in the movie theaters?
It would have to be a theater where I could stop the movie when I wanted to so that I wouldn't miss any of it. if I could see "The Life of Pi" in a theater, I'd go.

365. Is there a celebrity that you would be too starstruck to talk to if you met them?
No, but I'd sort of like to meet that old jokester, Prince Philip, Duke of  Edinburgh.  I might call him Flip.

366. Have you ever left a mean unsigned note?
No, The Deity knows all these secret, hurtful things, and is not well pleased.

367. Do you think it's cheesy to paste things you didn't write into your diary?
I don't keep one but if I did I'd fill it with anything that I liked.  It's my diary, after all.  Anything goes!

368. What are three things that you try not to think about?
I try not to think about children getting killed by bombs from the sky and/or being sold into slavery or mistreated.  Also, I try not to imagine the hopeless animals who are so innocent who die in their millions, unseen or mourned.  It breaks the heart.  

369. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

370. inappropriate question?
Yes, very.  There's no reason to ask such things, is there?

371. What is expected of you that you feel is unnatural or not right?
Nothing in my own quiet life, but......Though I live in a country that upholds freedom of speech as a right, I'm getting more anxious about actually speaking my mind.  All of my life, I haven't feared it until the 2001.  I feel that the Government has been prosecuting activists unjustly, and that it's clear they intend to squelch Americans who want to resist it's efforts to limit rights.  When I say government, I am talking about the same thing that Eisenhower warned about, that shadow government, that Permanent Bureaucracy that exists as a revolving door in the Pentagon, the CIA and the Congress.   The Big Money Boys, ya know?

372. Do you sometimes place your own expectations on other people?
Government, yes.  They are paid by the people and I expect them to always be honest, and have good ethics.  After all, why would we hire them to be crooks? 

For others, I don't do this because they have their own path in life, though I do discuss ideas with others.  I will ask people what they think about events if I need more info to form an opinion.  My daughters are all thinkers, so I would like to talk to them more than I get to.  Besides my hubby, I have another friend I like to talk about stuff with because he is very well educated and grounded.

373. Do you sometimes act overeager to make friends when you are around strangers?
No, I have always been shy enough to be calm and I try to be pleasant, and smile, so that if someone wants to talk they can feel at ease.

374. Do you take everything that is said literally?
It's pretty bad with me -notoriously so.   I don't get jokes sometimes because I'm so darn earnest.

375. Do you take most things others say seriously?
I'm usually saying what  I feel so expect they are also.  I don't get that people are teasing me sometimes.

376. Do you have a quick wit?
I'm good at one liners, but I'm very careful around some in-laws.  I've learned to be quiet and smile, mostly, as they like to tease each other and it's fun to hear, mostly. But I keep out of it.  My bro and sis and I have a jolly good time kidding and joking.

377. Do you believe in the need for political correctness?
In some places, yes.  For the sake of World (and Familial ) Peace, I won't talk about politics at most family gatherings, or religion.  I try to keep truly religious and political things off this blog, too.  When it's the environment, racial equality, animal rights, healthcare or the treatment of women, it's not politics.  It's Human rights or Animals rights, or to be honest, we are all animals.  Anyway,  it is also worth risking a dust up, and I'll rip right into it.

378. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs?
 Oh yes.  But I have had my eyes opened a few times.  No one is ever right all the time and every one has a right to an opinion whether you and they can come to terms, that fact is the most important thing.  People have opinions and should be able to express them if they can do it within the bounds of human decency.  There I said the Grandma thing.

379. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you?
I do it all the time.  As a social justice advocate,  living in the reddest dot in California, if I want friends, I have to hang out with the people who call me leftist.  They don't know what they are talking about in that regard but actually I like being left of them. 

380. Are you uptight?
Wound tight?  As a tiny child I was fine, then my paternal unit came sailing back into my life and ripped it around.  After leaving home I once again became very calm, and serene.  Then, a horrific event occurred in our neighborhood, and it changed me radically.  I didn't have time to deal with it, so developed a rather severe anxiety problem from it.  I've learned to relax again in the last 15 or so years, with the help of meditation, talks with DH, my daughters, and my friend, G.  Believe me, if you go through something that is really bad, get help right away!  Talk, talk, talk to someone!

381. Do you sometimes do risky things?
I used to run around in old mines.  It was terribly exciting!  I didn't stop until our rockhound friends found out about this dangerous proclivity, and they started telling me about the dangers hidden in the dusty shafts.  There was that, and the fact that Hantavirus came into public eye about the same time.

382. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes?
Yes, people are interesting, even when they are shy. Even someone considered a pompous ass can hold my attention for ten minutes, I have to admit.  I like to study them.

383. Are you self-conscious?
I used to be very shy.  I still am, to a certain extent, but working in retail sales for a few years, and with the homeless for several more, I gradually got over it. 

384. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon?
Santa Cruz, with DH, to have a meal and a chin wag with our daughters!

385. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing something embarrassing?
I really doubt it. My life is quite peaceful and did I say, Dull.

386. What is Kevin Smith’s(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith ) best movie?
Blat!  Marketing Question!  Anyway, who is that?  I only know of the Running Back.

387. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights?
Nowhere!  Blissful stay at home nights!  I spent my life up to 65 running a business and with club work, having to be somewhere or do something constantly.  If we were in Santa Cruz, we'd go have a pizza and some beer with the kids somewhere nice.

388. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes?
Accept it.  Life's more fun with friends who need to vent, cry on shoulders, hang out and chill.  It's good.

389. Do you often feel like other people are judging you?
Less than one would imagine.

390. What do you think other people judge you to be like?
Old and not worth bothering with. When you get old you also get invisible.  Trust me on this.  It's sort of fun to be invisible.

391. Are you quick to judge others?
No I am not, normally.  On the other hand, if they are waving a knife or gun around or are otherwise obviously "packing", I get out of the way and make the call.

392. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk?
I never fight with anyone but DH, no one else can get to me.  I cool down and then want to talk.

393. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is?
Love is the true Force that drives the Universe, seen and unseen parts, it permeates the entire Universe, things like Indra's Gorgeous Web!

394. What is the worst fault a person can have?
Failure to love enough, it is the worst fault, as that lack will allow a person to become a tool of those who are bigoted, aggressive or greedy.

395. Do you have it?
I'd stake my life on not having it.

396. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment?
Environment.  That sucker can ruin even the best genetics without some sort of  intervention.


397. Who was your first best friend?
V was my first best friend


398. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you?
She was blond and blue eyed.  I was not.  (Heck I didn't know; my mother was a blue eyed blonde!)  Anyway, someone, maybe an adult, told her something regarding my questionable "race", and one day she wouldn't speak to me, at all, just said we couldn't be friends anymore.  We had been best friends for three years.  L.A. county was rife with racial bigotry. 


399. Who have you read a biography about?
Most recently, John Adams. Further on back in time, are George Elliot, and  Mango Elephants in the Sun;  Robert Frost by Lawrence Roger Thompson, several others over the years.  I can't remember all the books I've read anymore.

400. What would your own autobiography be called?
Saved by the Dance

Knitting update, and "Sunday Matinee, one day early -"The Life of Pi"

I was too excited about finishing the mitts to notice that one was a half inch shorter than the other one.  So I'm picking out the bottom stitches and adding that half inch- going the other way.  Oddly, it works.  I just have to be sure not to add too much. lol  Snip snip!

We watched "The Life of Pi" last night.  I don't think I blinked once through the second half.  I've never seen a movie like it. Not even "Avatar" had the same affect.   When I took the CD out of the player, I cupped it in my hands, and was instantly overcome with a strange rush of emotion.  Big tears started running down my cheeks.

I told DH that I felt like I was holding a true work of art in my hands..  It was a very spiritual feeling.  And no, it has nothing to do with Estrogen because he understood it, too -  complete Awe in the face of the Beautiful.

Saturday Komeekz and an old but very funny April Fool from Toshiba

Wow, Friday the 13th came on a Saturday this month!  (ik, old joke, couldn't resist)

For all who think that
Justice is not only blind, but has become deaf and rendered speechless, too.

Old April Fool's day:

Toshiba TubeTop, The World's First Inflatable Laptop | Toshiba

Don't forget to check out the dog at the computer - on the end of the pop up ads you get when  you try to click through to "buy" a tube top.