Knitting Ramblings

OH WOW!

2012-01-25T17:51:00.000-06:00

I know I have not posted in awhile and I got quite a few projects that I finished to post I hope to get them done this weekend.

But look at the sunset tonight. It is gorgeous.

Don Harmon

2011-12-03T15:21:00.002-06:00

I keep thinking if I write about this week and the events that happened, maybe I can move on. Generally people on TV don't really affect me except for I cried when the Wolfman died and Captain Kangaroo was a large part of my life when I was a kid, but other than that, they are just people I don't know.

Don Harmon was the meteorologist for 12 years on the local FOX news morning show. I remember when he came on he was 29 and oh so young. After a few weeks I decided he was much better than the arrogant guy they had on before him. Don became a part of my morning life getting ready for work. I planned my day and clothes around his forecast.

Don was a goofy guy what was just a big kid who never grew up. He was infectious, he could make you laugh even if you didn't want to. He wore some of the most outrageous clothes but he never stopped working for some of the local charities, he would do about anything for a charity to raise money.

When Don came to town he drove a land yacht, it should have been scrapped years ago but he loved it. FInally one morning we watched as it was crushed for a charity, Don cried and many of us did as well for him. He finally married and had a child, we lived through his life for all those years. When Lauren came on board she was somewhat put off and stuffy, but Don loosened her up over the years. He was loved by thousands and thousands of people living here, everyone loved Don. There was even a Flat Donny that people would take all over the world when they travelled, he was just that infectious.

I don't know what demons lived in his head that made him end his life Tuesday evening. I had just watched him that morning and I am sure he said something to make Lauren's eyes roll at him. He always did. THis week the co-workers have been talking about Don and his antics and talking about depression as well. I am sure the entire city has been in tears all week and maybe next week we can move forward and remember the good times Don brought into our daily lives.

My prayers go out to his co-workers, his family and the viewing area as we mourn the senseless loss of someone who made our lives a little brighter. RIP Don, we loved you and you will be terribly missed.

Holiday Elf

2011-11-26T16:47:00.002-06:00

This is a free pattern from the Knit Picks website. I had some stash Palette and thought I would use it up. It does use very little. I put bells on instead of pompoms. A good project for an afternoon of bad weather movie watching. They are fun and took me about 4 hours total to make one. I will make more.

Einstein Jacket

2011-11-26T16:45:00.000-06:00

So third time is a charm. While I did not get a good picture of the jacket, it is done finally. I used Vanna's yarn from my stash in the purple colorway and buttons from Knit Picks that look like the Harmony needles. It took me 16 days to finish and now it is getting cold I can wear it. I did wash it and it stretched a bit but I wanted a longer coat like jacket to wear.

Fairies

2011-11-19T18:40:00.000-06:00

Can these get any cuter? Susan B Anderson has done it again. I wish she would quit creating, I can't knit all her stuff fast enough. I finished this in 2 days but there are so many small parts, it is like sewing Barbie clothes. I plan on making several of these along with some mushrooms and put them in Easter baskets for next year. I know I have Christmas knitting to finish but they are small easy projects for when you need something to occupy your time.

BTW you can find the pattern in KnitSimple Holiday 2011.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

2011-11-11T15:07:00.000-06:00

Never buy them again, you must make them because that is the only way to have them.

The recipe calls for:

60 maraschino cherries (drain really well and de-stem if necessary)
3 T butter ( do not substitute)
3 T Light Corn Syrup (the clear kind)
2 C Powdered Sugar
1 package (14 oz) Wilton Candy Melts

Before I get into the making of the cherries I used a large jar I got at Sam's. They are bigger and sweeter. The label says 170 but I had 162 cherries in the jar. For all of them I used 2 sticks butter, 2 lb package powdered sugar, and a small jar of syrup. I used 2.5 bags candy melts in Light Cocoa flavor. I find candy melts make a much prettier and better cherry than almond bark.

If you don't have one of these Wilton candy melt melters, get yourself one, they are $20 at Walmart and are so much better than a double boiler.

I also like the spoon in the Wilton candy maker set it works perfect for the cherries.

Get out your cookies sheets and line with waxed paper. Make sure you have room in the frig for them to sit for about 30 minutes twice.

I like to use tins rather than any other container to keep the cherries in while they are making. I line them really well with wax paper and put a layer or two of wax paper in between each layer. Store them in the attic or garage or anywhere where it will be about 35-40 degrees. You don't want them to freeze but they need to be cool to juice up. It takes about 3 weeks to juice. Do not put them in the frig they wont juice up.

You need to drain the cherries really well and de-stem if they have the stems still on them. It does not hurt to drain them overnight, they will have more juice in them than you think.

Mix the powdered sugar, butter and corn syrup until you have a kind of clay, marzipan consistency. It helps to let the butter sit out overnight and get soft.

Take a bit of white dough and wrap it around a cherry, cover as much as possible. This will turn to the liquid juice. Put them on the cookie sheet. When you get a sheet full put them in the frig for about 30 minutes to set.

When you are working on your last sheet of cherries put the Candy melts in whatever you are using to melt them and get them started. If you are using the Wilton melter you can let it sit and stay melted for a long time.

Cover the entire cherry and make sure every bit of it has chocolate on it and put it back on the wax paper lined cookie sheet. When you have a sheet full put it back in the frig to let the chocolate set and take the next sheet out. Continue til all cherries have been covered in chocolate.

Once the cherries have set in the frig for about half an hour take them out and make sure the chocolate has set. Then pack them in containers to set for at least 3 weeks. I usually try one after a week and then two weeks and then three weeks to make sure they juicing and then they are ready.

Bet you can't eat just one.

Make Your Bed Or Not

2011-11-01T10:05:00.000-06:00

There is a letter in the paper today about making your bed. This "person" says children spend 3 minutes a day making their bed and that amounts to 18 hours and 15 minutes a year wasted when they could be sleeping. Seriously I don't think 3 minutes a day will matter. She also says that a lack of sleep is a major problem in our world, again we are talking 3 minutes a day. She goes on to state that when teens are up late studying, a made bed is too enticing. They tend to desire sleep instead of completing tasks essential for being successful in the future. She says whether you make your bed or not could determine whether you find a cure for cancer, solve world peace or even end proverty.

As my friend Mike McPhee says shes smoking dope and she votes.

My parents made me make my bed, thanks mom and dad I could have cured cancer but you made me make my bed instead.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T07:28:00.000-06:00

My favorite day of the year. How perfect is a day where you can pretend to be anything you want and get candy. You can participate or not, it is totally up to you. No one really cares either way.

When I was a kid we were allowed to go out until we were 12 and then we were too old to Trick or Treat. I like that now and think it should be adhered to. I don't like it when the big kids come with no costume and a pillow case to collect candy. That is just wrong.

The best place to trick or treat was Parkview Village in Oklahoma City. When dad would go to school we would stay there, there were 243 units with 7 to a section with a yard in front and swings. Every mom was June Cleaver minus the heels and pearls, a veritable candy fest on Halloween. You could collect a grocery sack full of great things like popcorn balls, candy apples, and of course the loose candy. You did not have to be afraid of what some lowlife scumbag might put in there to hurt you (seriously why would you do that, did you not get to go Trick or Treating when you were a kid). We were only allowed a piece a day and when you have a sack full of candy well it can last until Easter.

Do you know there are 9 BILLION pieces of candy corn sold a year? There will be some 41 million trick or treaters out this evening. (For those of you buried under snow, that just really sucks that you can't go get candy). There will be 116.7 million potential stops for candy, how much money are the candy companies making today? There are 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the US. We consume 24.7 pounds of candy a year, I know I do my fair share. And there are 1719 number of costume rental establishments in the US.

So what are you doing today, Trick or Treat?

Happy Anniversary mom and dad, 57 years and still going.

The Bra You Have Been Waiting For

2011-10-21T08:07:00.000-05:00

http://swagsoldseparately.com/victoria-secret-2-5-million-luxury-bra/

Dear Victoria Secret: Why would anyone buy a bra worth $2.5 million and where would one wear it. Seriously bras are to be functionable and worn under the clothes. With all the extra bling on this year's bra you would not want to hide it. How many of these do you sell? What do you do with them when they don't sell and how many do you make a year? Or are they really not for sale but as a company you truly have too much money and don't know what to do with it so you spend it on diamond bras.

This year’s diamond bra named the “Fantasy Treasure Bra,” is aqua colored, and boasts nearly 3,400 precious gems, including 142 carats of white and yellow diamond, pearls, citrines, aquamarines set in bright 18 karat white and yellow gold. The center of the bra holds two large white diamonds each an astonishing 8 carats with two 14 carat yellow diamonds to give it a more opulent look. The bra is made by Long Island’s London Jewelers.

If anyone buys one of these let me know where you wear it and how comfortable it is. Oh yea I dont the delicate wash cycle will work for this or hand washing either.

It Has Been A Year Already

2011-10-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

One year ago today I attended the funeral of a co-worker. We were talking yesterday that Jerry has been gone already a year. Where did that year go? Jerry was one of those guys that everyone liked, he never had a bad day even though the cancer and other things ravaged his body. He died in front of us at work and we could not help him; it is still difficult at times to walk down the hallway. Jerry had just purchased his dream property for retirement with Linda his wife and they were planning on moving there soon. He was about to turn 60 and had the rest of his life planned to live in the country and just simply enjoy life.

Don't let life pass you by, enjoy every moment no matter what it is because we never when our time is up.

RIP Jerry, we miss you.

Roger Sings Johnny Cash

2011-10-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

I went to the Roger Daltrey Tommy concert last night. Roger is 67 but you would never know it, he still has it.

The show started out with Paul Freeman warming up the audience for 30 minutes, he has an amazing voice and range and was quite humorous as well. Check him out he is good.

The crowd was mostly middle age with a few younger in their 30's and half a dozen children. The Midland was packed, the lady I sat by was from out of town and had a flight this morning so thought she would find something to do and said at 4:30 yesterday afternoon there were 7 seats left. I still wonder about the Midland being so small but the fans were true blue WHO fans.

The concert was to promote the Rock Opera Tommy written by members of the band in the 70's. In case you never saw the Opera you can still get the movie with Ann Margaret. Roger had an amazing band and the lead guitarist was off the charts. They started with the music from the beginning of the Opera and finished with the last song. Of course the crowd favorites were Pinball Wizard and a few others but when the crowd was asked to sing the lyrics there was no hestitation we knew them all.

After the music from Tommy was sung they brought out some favorites WHO songs. Towards the end Roger explained he has been through some throat surgeries and the doctor told him to sing some low songs towards the end of the concert, so he did a medley of Johnny Cash songs. Who would have thought Roger Daltrey would sing Johnny Cash but he said he was a fan so he did and we loved it.

The show went on for 2 hours with Roger slugging down hot tea and water to keep his throat going and the crowd loved every minute of it.

When I was in High School I remember I had my Roger Daltrey poster complete with the long curls and my yellow Roger Daltrey Tee, I wore that out and wish I still had it.

It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to but then The Who along with Journey are my favorite bands. I suppose there will come a day when Roger's throat will give out and we won't have the pleasure of listening to him sing anymore but I do have my memories and he is truly a classic.

Olive Garden

2011-10-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

I have not been to Olive Garden for a very long time mostly due to the last two visits of extreme waiting times just to get a menu and finally walking out without getting waited on for over 20 minutes. This just seals that I will never go back to an Olive Garden again.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/12/2450137/restaurant-firm-responds-to-flag.html

Why Wasn't He Fired?

2011-10-11T08:49:00.002-05:00

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/5/justice-official-financed-romantic-travel-with-tax/

As a federal employee this burns my butt to no end. People like this give all of us a bad name and further more this is why the Government is broke, he should be fired for what he has done, made to pay back the money and NOT get any retirement at all. Until we clean up the government we will never get out of this mess the country is in.

This should surprise Noone

2011-10-11T07:58:00.000-05:00

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/breaking-new-evidence-show-hillary-a-mastermind-behind-gunwalker

Every since Hilary was caught up in the whole Vince Foster thing and came out squeaky clean, we know she has a lot of involvement in shady dealings. So how about we get a twofer and remove her and Eric Holder out of their jobs and try them for treason.

Let Her Eat Cake

2011-10-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

I don't care what anyone eats as long as they pay for it themselves. But don't come on TV everytime I turn around, and flouce your big butt in my face and tell me I need to eat healthy and that you feel the pain of the middle class. This is an interesting article about the obutts and their dining out. I will eat what I want and if I want to be bigger than a barn that is my RIGHT and you keep your food plate to yourself. Even if I could afford to eat like this I wouldn't because I know it is not healthy. So you need to walk the talk or be quiet.

http://thekitchencabinet.us/2011/10/10/first-lady-michelle-obamas-upscale-menus-unaffordable-for-most-americans/

Loopy Ewe 4th Quarter Challenge

2011-10-09T16:46:00.000-05:00

I dont really need to start another project as I have Christmas knitting to do but this jumped out at me. You have to use an entire skein of Madelinetosh for the project and have it posted by 1/2/12. So I admired the Catkin from the 1st Month Camp Loopy projects and thought I would give it a try. My colors are Ink and Blue Gingham.

Plus the designer is a local so that is even better.

Einstein Jacket

2011-10-09T16:41:00.000-05:00

I had started on my Einstein Jacket, my knitting group is knitting this as a group project. I had almost finished the bottom and as I was to attach the 5th skein of yarn I noticed the rest of it did not match, see the picture.

I think the ball on the right will become some stuffed knitted apples or leaves.

I remembered Ihad some more yarn from this company and it all matches and I have just enough. I like the color better it is more me and matches the buttons better.

I realize the pictures don't do the colors justice but that is ok the second one is much better.

Possum Yarn

2011-10-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

My friend Marcia just came back from Australia and brought me some possum yarn. I have enough to make this sweater, it is Paton Lace and Cable Cardigan. I also got the pink alpaca and blue wool from an outlet mill there waiting for a project.

You should feel the possum yarn, it is so soft and yummy.

Camp Loopy

2011-10-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

I finished all 3 of my Camp Loopy Projects and posted the picture on time so we each got a skein of Wollemiese. The elves could not have picked a better color for me because outside of purple I love black and white and this will turn into this: http://lilygo.blogspot.com/search/label/Reminiscence

Hermione Grace

2011-10-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

This is my oldest being her silly self laying on the floor just minding her own business.

Good JuJu

2011-10-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

Good JuJu is an antique store along with several others in the bottoms that are only open the first weekend of the month. Finally I got to go see what the rave is all about. I found this gem just waiting for, a great sewing box. It is in really great shape so it sits in my dining room waiting some project that needs a holding place.

Fall

2011-10-09T16:27:00.000-05:00

The City planted maples in our parking several years ago and now look at them. They are the most brilliant red, many are bare this weekend due to the lack of rain and wind, but the trees are gorgeous this year.

Baby Afghan

2011-10-05T18:23:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is having another grandchild soon so here is the baby blanket made out of Bernat Satin.

Pattern is Pine Forest Baby Blanket.

SugarBunny

2011-10-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

Knit Picks has this new yarn called sugarbunny. It is 80% merino and 20% angora. Trust me you want to pet this all the time. It is a dream to knit with, so light and airy and feel so good. I bought two skeins to play with and love it. I made this cowl. This would make a very snuggle blanket but kind of pricey at $7.99 for 136 yards.

Can't wait to wear this.

October Rug

2011-09-30T11:16:00.000-05:00

I decided to do a 5 sided granny square out of a large skein of dishcloth yarn. I though the colors were kind of Octoberish.

Sweaterbabe

2011-09-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

I have a membership in Sweaterbabe.com. You got a monthly pattern and there are giveaways. I won this cute little sweater kit with the pattern and yarn. The yarn is GOA, a cotton/acrylic blend and very nice to work with. I used all but about 10 yards and made the 12 month size. It took me two days to make this. Her patterns are very well written and this is a pattern I will make for charity sweaters for babies again.

Reason To Get Up Early

2011-09-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

Finally

2011-09-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

Finally he stopped long enough and posed for me to get his picture. I sure wish they were here all year long but I enjoy them while I can.

Camp Loopy Project 3 (Blue Skies)

2011-09-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

I am finally done with a couple days to spare. I made mine bigger and used about 1200 yards.

What a Beautiful Tribute

2011-09-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

In you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.~Psalm 25:2-3

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew.“- President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

I received this today and thought it needed to be shared.

Thank You Budweiser

2011-09-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k&sns=fb

I remember today 10 years ago, it did not seem real when it first happened. I know our lives will never be the same and we need to remember those innocent lives lost. Thank you to all the rescue workers and many thanks to G.W. (thank goodness he was the POTUS at this time). May God watch over us all and bless those who lost someone on this day.

Hummingbirds

2011-09-10T15:42:00.000-05:00

He still sits in the walnut and the other taunts me to try and get a picture.

Snow

2011-09-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

Don't the clouds look like a big snowbank today? No I don't want to even thing about snow but...

Hello, What is Your Name?

2011-09-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I noticed this little guy just hanging out in the walnut tree. He spent most of the afternoon there. Now he is back this morning. There is a feeder on the deck.

RIP Betty

2011-09-03T15:55:00.002-05:00

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
I'd stay in the garden with Him
'Tho the night around me be falling
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

Camp Loopy Project 3

2011-08-31T15:01:00.000-05:00

I was about 2/3 done and decided I did not like the yarn with the pattern, so I found another pattern and have started over, better hurry as I only have 2 weeks. The new pattern is Sunshine.

Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is Lurking Nearby

2011-08-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

I head cawing the other day and look what was on my deck, his buddies were in the walnut tree. The squirrels froze and pee'd all over the deck, I almmost pee'd my pants too. Ain't noone dead here, move along. Where is that bb gun?

Sunflowers

2011-08-31T14:49:00.002-05:00

My September Rug is made with a large skein of Sugar n Cream, they call the color fruitcake but it reminds me of sunflowers. A simple V stitch using all but about 10 feet and voila a rug. I love the rugs made out of dishcloth yarn, they last a long time, take a lot of washings and they are soft and the kitties like to lay on them especially when they come out of the dryer.

Salt and Pepper Shakers

2011-08-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

As a child growing up on Belgium, Andrea Ludden was fascinated by the little saltbox in her godmother's kitchen. Ludden now owns more than 20,000 salt and pepper shaker sets which are displayed in the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

She started scouring flea markets in the 80's when she lived in California. She was looking for a durable pepper mill to season her food. None of the contraptions seemed to work properly so she set them on her windowsill along with a few salt shakers she'd bought because of their creative designs. Her friends and neighbors thought she was collecting the sets, so they brought her bags of them.

The dispensers are in a 3200 square foot building and have been featured on the Food Network's Unwrapped show. The museum also features 1500 pepper mills. They continue to search for shakers at antique shops and malls. They still run into some they don't have. Last year they opened a second museum in Guadalest Spain.

10 Big Moments in Breakfast

2011-08-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

Eating breakfast can do everything from boosting your memory to helping you lose weight.

1600's: Pilgrim's Brew. Mornings were harsh in the New World's first settlements, but that's not why colonists knocked back a pint with breakfast. Beer or hard cider was safer to drink than the not-so-potable water. The settlers also downed "mush" a maize porridge they picked up from their Native American neighbors.

1700's: The Dutch Do Doughnuts. Immigrants from the Netherlands introduced oliebollen (oil balls) what we now call doughnuts. These deep fried dollops of dough later became ring-shaped as part of an effort to speed production time and solve the soggy middle problem.

1902: Radical Flakes. Dr John H Kellogg and his brother, Will, baked up the first batch of corn flakes in a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Kellogg was a pioneer in proclaiming grains a healthy food. His growing business of mail-order cereal soon helped him spread the word.

1906: The Presidential Whopper. William Howard Taft was a big fan of breakfast. On a visit to Savannah, Georgia in 1906, the 350 pound POTUS broke his fast one morning by eating shrimp with hominy, potted porridge, boiled venison, waffles with maple syrup, hot rolls, and a grapefruit. Fellow diners reportedly watched in awe.

1940's: Orange Juice Goes To War. OJ was just a season treat until WWII, when the government charged the Florida Citrus Commission with finding a way to ship Vitamin C packed juice overseas to prevent scurry among the troops. Their solution, frozen concentrate, was literally created in a vacuum. By the war's end reconstituted juice had reached the front lines. And by the 50's housewives were stirring up OJ for breakfast year round.

1960: Green Eggs and Ham. The Dr Seuss book became the fourth biggest selling children's title of all time.

1961: Audrey Hepburn Gets It To Go. The trailer for Breakfast at Tiffany's promised the "wildest night New York ever knew" but it was Holly Golightly's early morning idyll outside Tiffany's that became the film's most iconic scene. With takeout coffee and danish in hand Hepburn made brown-bagging it look positively elegant.

1970's: The Birth of the Power Breakfast. New York's Regency Hotel claims to have launched the power breakfast trend when its hotel chairmen met with city leaders to forge a plan to save the Big Apple from bankruptcy.

The Crunchy Set. What travels well in rucksacks, goes with nuts and berries, and doubles as code for "hippie?" When granola caught on with the kids in the 70's everyone else gained a whole new way to label the eco-friendly.

2008: Breakfast of Champions. Swimmer Michael Phelps' eight gold medals were big news, but so was his standing order: three fried egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, and mayonnaise; two cups of coffee, one five-egg omelet; one bowl of grits; three slices of french toast topped with sugar; and three chocolate chip pancakes.

The Lord Outdid Himself This Morning

2011-08-10T07:11:00.000-05:00

We have rain in the forecast to start soon and to the South of my house we have this:

And to the west we have this:

Wanna Win a Book? Little Red in the City

2011-08-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

This looks like a great book to have in your knitting library. I just entered the contest along with a gazillion other people but you never know it may just be my lucky day. By August 15 go here: http://ysolda.com/2011/08/08/how-will-you-wear-your-angostura/ and tell how you would wear this vest. I know I plan on putting this book on my list of books to buy.

From Michelle's Mirror

2011-08-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

If you are not reading this blog, you need to. It is the only thing that keeps me sane some days.

This chart tells it all, and why we need a true conservative in the WH.

My Toilet Paper Holder

2011-08-06T16:04:00.001-05:00

I posted the other day about Cottonelle and their "naked toilet paper" holders you could send off for. I don't use Cottonelle because I can get Angel Soft much cheaper so I decided I could make my own. I was at Joann's yesterday and in the paper mache area they have these containers. So I put scrapbook paper on the top and bottom and a green rafia ribbon around the top. I realize the flower on top does not really match but then it adds some bling. My bathroom on the main level is terra cotta orange so I mixed bright orange and chocolate colored paints and painted the bottom. As soon as it dries my naked toilet paper will be stored in style.

There is NO Way I Would Work Without Pay, This is NOT Right!

2011-08-03T11:36:00.000-05:00

Congress Goes on Recess Without FAA Bill
CNN reports the Senate went on summer
recess Tuesday night without taking action
to fully fund the FAA, all but assuring that
almost 4,000 furloughed FAA workers will
remain jobless for the next five weeks and
preventing the agency from collecting $1.2
billion in aviation taxes. The only sliver of
hope for furloughed FAA employees and
laid-off airport construction workers rests
with the fact the Senate scheduled nine
“pro forma” sessions during their break,
giving the Senate opportunities to consider
the funding bill. But Senate leaders gave
absolutely no indication they would do
so. FAA officials worked into Tuesday
evening looking for a solution, but it never
came. “It’s a sad day for America,” FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt said. Babbitt
said he expects a “brain drain” from the
furloughed workers, and said airport
construction projects will be set back “a
season.” “I’ve been around this business
a long time. I’ve never seen anything like
this,” Babbitt said. “And I find it appalling,
candidly.” On Monday, the House adjourned
after the divisive debt ceiling vote, leaving
the Senate with a version of the funding
extension bill that it did not like and could
not amend. On Tuesday evening, the
Senate recessed, without accepting the
House version of the bill. The FAA says the
impasse will prevent the federal government
from collecting approximately $200 million a
week in airline passenger taxes — or about
$1.2 billion during the congressional recess.

Safety Inspectors Work Without Pay
The New York Times reports FAA
Administrator Randy Babbitt said Tuesday
that the agency was depending on
the “professionalism” of airport safety
inspectors to continue their work without
being paid, because their jobs are paid for
with money that is awaiting congressional
authorization. Those inspectors are the
primary individuals responsible for ensuring
that commercial airports comply with federal
regulations. They also support runway
safety action teams, oversee construction
safety plans, investigate runway incursions
and ensure that corrective action is taken
on safety discrepancies. “The reason they
are out on the job is because of the risk
to operational safety or life and property,”
Babbitt said. “We can neither pay them nor
can we compensate them for expenses.
We are depending and living on their
professionalism at this point.” It is unclear
how long the inspectors can continue to
pay the bills for their own travel and hotel
expenses. Typically, each of the roughly
40 regional inspectors travels to up to five
airports in each two-week period, FAA
officials said.

Free Toilet Paper Holder

2011-08-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

OK so we are gonna talk tp for a minute, if you want a cute little canister to hold a role of tp go here, but first you need a UPC code from a 12 pak or larger, so if you use cottonelle get yourself a little free gift.

https://www.cottonelle.com/respect-the-roll/roll-cover-offer.aspx

Camp Loopy Project 3 (Blue Skies)

2011-08-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

Itis that time again to pick a pattern and yarn for Project 3. It has to have at least 800 yards in it. I chose Ferceis Reversible Shawl and am doing it in Kauni blue/white, kind of a pretty blue sky color. Now to get me yarn and wait til the 15th. Should have plenty of knitting time since I will probably be on furlough til after Labor Day.

Happy Birthday Harry

2011-08-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

My tomcat Harry Will is 11 today. He has diabetes and takes two shots a day but he still plows on and torments his sisters.

Hellow Mr Butterfly

2011-08-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Ihave orange milkweed in my front flower bed. I just read an article in the paper that said due to a shortage of milkweed the monarchs are getting fewer and fewer. Look what is eating on my milkweed in the 104 heat. Isn't he gorgeous?

What to do when on Furlough

2011-08-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

I decided since I am on furlough (thank you Congress) I may as well take advantage of the vacay compliments of Congress not doing their job. So Christmas is only less than 5 months away and what better use of my time than to work on gifts especially when it is over 100 outside.

Camp Loopy Project 2 was cable socks, mitten, or gloves, so here are my socks, FaFaFa Socks pattern using Studio June Yarn. Love the pattern and the yarn but the yarn is too busy for cables.

I found the supplies for these duffle bags that I had purchased last year for Christmas and so now they will be this years gifts, the day of the dead bag is mine as wellas the black one. I am experimenting with various weights of interfacing for the bags.

More grocery bags for a dog person.

A rug with enough left over for a dishcloth

And my August Rug

More cabbage rose potholders and dishcloths

It was a very productive week.

Camp Loopy Project 2

2011-07-07T17:49:00.001-05:00

Project 2 is cable socks or mitten or gloves. So I am making the FaFaFA socks using Studio June Yarn in Autumn Night colorway. You can see that it kind of blends in the yarn I plan on making an Einstein Jacket from so I thought this might match.

Where Are The . . .

2011-07-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

This was emailed to me, but gives you pause...

WHERE ARE THE GIRLFRIENDS?

I hadn't thought about this - but where are O's past girlfriends -
surely he had at least one? No past girl friends popping up anywhere? Strange - strange to the point of being downright weird!

OK, this is just plain old common sense, no political agendas for either side. Just common knowledge for citizens of a country, especially American citizens, who know every little tidbit about every other president (and their wives) that even know that Andrew Jackson's wife smoked a corn cob pipe and was accused of adultery, or that Lincoln never went to school or Kennedy wore a back brace or Truman played the
piano.

We are Americans! Our Media vets these things out! We are known for our humanitarian interests and caring for our 'fellow man.' We care, but none of us know one single humanizing fact about the history of our own president.

Honestly, and this is a personal thing ... but it's bugged me for years that no one who ever dated him ever showed up. Taken his charisma, which caused the women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, looks like some lady would not have missed the opportunity....

We all know about JFK's magnetism, McCain was no monk, Palin's courtship and even her athletic prowess were probed. Biden's aneurisms are no secret. Look at Cheney and Clinton-we all know about their heart problems. How could I have left out Wild Bill before or during the White House?

Nope... not one lady has stepped up and said, "He was soooo shy," or "What a great dancer!"
Now look at the rest of what we know... no classmates, not even the recorder for the Columbia class notes ever heard of him.

Who was the best man at his wedding? Start there. Check for groomsmen.
Then get the footage of the graduation ceremony.

Has anyone talked to the professors? Isn't it odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him.

When did he meet Michele and how? Are there photos? Every president provides the public with all their photos, etc. for their library. What has he released? Nada - other than what was in this so-called biography!
And experts who study writing styles, etc. claim it was not O's own words or typical of his speech patterns, etc.

Does this make any of you wonder?

Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from Obama's past, saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc. ?
Not one person has ever come forward from his past.
This should really be a cause for great concern. Did you see the movie titled, The Manchurian Candidate?

Let's face it. As insignificant as we all are... someone whom we went to school with remembers our name or face...someone remembers we were the clown or the dork or the brain or the quiet one or the bully or something about us.

George Stephanopoulos, ABC News said the same thing during the 2008 campaign.
Even George questions why no one has acknowledged that the president was in their classroom or ate in the same cafeteria or made impromptu speeches on campus.
Stephanopoulos was a classmate of Obama at Columbia-class of 1984.
He says he never had a single class with him.
Since he is such a great orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him?
And, why won't he allow Columbia to release his records?
Do you like millions of others, simply assume all this is explainable - even though no one can?

NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA

Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but not one remembers him. For example,Wayne Allyn Root was (like Obama) a political science major at Columbia, who graduated in 1983. In
2008, Root says of Obama, "I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all know me. I don't have a single classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia ... EVER!

Nobody recalls him.

Root adds that he was, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that. Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him."

At our 20th class reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack! And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was. The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York, 'the macha' who knows everybody, has yet to find a person, a human who ever met him."

Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook, and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia, provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia.

How can this be?

NOTE: Wayne Allyn Root can easily be verified. He graduated
valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major in the same '83 class in which Barack Hussein Obama states he was.

Some other interesting questions.

Why was Obama's law license inactivated in 2002?

Why was Michelle's law license inactivated by court order?

According to the U.S. Census, there is only one Barack Obama - but 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases.

WHAT!?

The Social Security number he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is never reported to have lived.

No wonder all his records are sealed!

Please continue sending this out to everyone. Somewhere, someone had to know him in school...before he "reorganized" Chicago and burst upon the scene at the 2004 Democratic Convention and made us swoon with his charm, poise, and speaking pizzazz.

One of the biggest CONS this country has ever seen, and getting away with it. Go watch the movie The Manchurian Candidate, with Lawrence Harvey! Good movie!

56 Men

2011-07-07T12:20:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.
He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.
He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste.
For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free! The 4th of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

When Will Obama Crack in Public?

2011-07-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Mychal Massie

When will Obama crack in public?

Posted: April 19, 2011
by Mychal Massie

At a time when many Americans can barely afford Burger King and a movie, Obama boasts of spending a billion dollars on his re-election campaign. Questioned at a recent appearance about the spiraling fuel costs, Obama said, "Get used to it" - and with an insouciant grin and chortle, he told another person at the event, who complained about the effect high fuel prices were having on his family, to "get a more fuel-efficient car."

The Obamas behave as if they were sharecroppers living in a trailer and hit the Powerball, but instead of getting new tires for their trailer and a new pickup truck, they moved to Washington . And instead of making possum pie, with goats and chickens in the front yard, they're spending and living large at taxpayer expense - opulent vacations, gala balls, resplendent dinners and exclusive command performances at the White House, grand date nights, golf, basketball, more golf, exclusive resorts and still more golf.

Expensive, ill-fitting and ill-chosen wigs and fashions hardly befit the first lady of the United States .. The Obamas have behaved in every way but presidential - which is why it's so offensive when we hear Obama say, in order "to restore fiscal responsibility, we all need to share in the sacrifice - but we don't have to sacrifice the America we believe in."

The American people have been sacrificing; it is he and his family who are behaving as if they've never had two nickels to rub together - and now, having hit the mother lode, they're going to spend away their feelings of inadequacy at the taxpayers' expense.

Obama continues to exhibit behavior that, at best, can be described as mobocratic and, at worst, reveals a deeply damaged individual. In a February 2010 column, I asked, "Is Obama unraveling?" I wrote that it was beginning to appear the growing mistrust of him and contempt for his policies was beginning to have a destabilizing effect on him.

At that time, I wrote that not having things go one's way can be a bitter pill, but reasonable people don't behave as he was behaving. He had insulted Republicans at their luncheon, where he had been an invited guest. I had speculated that was, in part, what had led him to falsely accuse Supreme Court justices before Congress, the nation and the world, during the 2010 State of the Union address.

It appeared, at that time, as if he were "fraying around the emotional edges." That behavior has not abated - it has become more pronounced. While addressing the nation, after being forced to explain the validity of his unilateral aggression with Libya , America witnessed a petulant individual scowling and scolding the public for daring to insist he explain his actions.

But during an afternoon speech to address the budget/debt, he took his scornful, unstable despotic behavior to depths that should give the nation cause for concern. Displaying a dark psychopathy more representative of an episode of "The Tudors" television series, he invited Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to sit in the front row during his speech and then proceeded to berate both Ryan and Ryan's budget-cutting plan. Even liberal Democrats were put off by the act. MSNBC's Joe Scarborough questioned the sanity of Obama's actions.

Today, criticism is coming from all sides. A senior Democrat lawmaker said, "I have been very disappointed in [Obama], to the point where I'm embarrassed that I endorsed him. It's so bad that some of us are thinking, is there some way we can replace him? How do you get rid of this guy?" ("Democrats' Disgust with Obama," The Daily Beast, April 15, 2011)

Steve McCann wrote: Obama's speech "was chock full of lies, deceit and crass fear-mongering. It must be said that [he] is the most dishonest, deceitful and mendacious person in a position of power I have ever witnessed" ("The Mendacity of Barack Obama,"AmericanThinker.com, April 15, 2011).

McCann continued: "[His] performance was the culmination of four years of outright lies and narcissism that have been largely ignored by the media, including some in the conservative press and political class who are loath to call [him] what he is in the bluntest of terms: a liar and a fraud. That he relies on his skin color to intimidate, either outright or by insinuation [against] those who oppose his radical agenda only add to his audacity. It is apparent that he has gotten away with his character flaws his entire life, aided and abetted by sycophants around him."

With these being among the kinder rebukes being directed at Obama, and with people becoming less intimidated by his willingness to use race as a bludgeon, with falling poll numbers in every meaningful category and an increasingly aggressive tea-party opposition - how much longer before he cracks completely?

The coming months of political life are not going to be pleasant for Obama. Possessed by a self-perceived palatine mindset, that in his mind places him above criticism, how long before he cracks in public? Can America risk a man with a documented track record of lying and misrepresenting truth as a basic way of life, who is becoming increasingly more contumelious?
***************************************************
Mychal Massie is chairman of the National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives-Project 21 - a conservative black think tank located in Washington, D.C. He was recognized as the 2008 Conservative Man of the Year by the Conservative Party of Suffolk County , N.Y. He is a nationally recognized political activist, pundit and columnist. He has appeared on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, NBC, Comcast Cable and talk radio programming nationwide. A former self-employed business owner of more than 30 years, Massie can be followed at mychal-massie.com.

Patrick Henry

2011-07-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Of all the Founding Fathers Patrick Henry was the most ardent advocate for Liberty. He was born in Virginia and was a self educated lawyer and captivating orator. He became a 5 term governor of Virginia, owned a plantation and was a father of 18. He was considered a hero by many of his fellow countryman for challenging British authority to tax the American colonies, and in doing so, became the first Founding Father to defy the threat of death for treason.

It is felt that without Patrick Henry speaking up Americans would probably not have defeated the British and own independence.

He felt the Constitution would give the federal government too much power and threaten state sovereignty and individual liberties. He warned that the document set no limits on congressional taxing powers and gave the POTUS the authority to lead the nation into undeclared wars. He argued that the Constitution failed to protect individual rights and would let the federal government encroach upon every facet of an American's daily life.

He adamantly championed the passage of the Bill of Rights which guarantees freedom of speech, press, religion, the right of trial by jury, and other individual liberties.

Give me Liberty or give me Death!

For more information on Patrick Henry check out the new biography Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation by Harlow Giles Unger.

Independence Day

2011-07-07T10:17:00.000-05:00

I am a litle behind in my newspaper reading but some interesting facts regarding the 4th:

2.5 million people lived in America in 1776 and today we have 311.7 million.

$190.7 million is the value of fireworks imported from China last year while we spent $197.3 on fireworks.

31 places have Liberty in their name, 35 have Eagle in their name, 11 have Independence, 9 have Freedom in their name, one place has Patriot, and 5 have America in their name.

More than 1 in 4 cookouts will have hot dogs or pork sausages. Most probably come from Iowa which has 19 million hogs and pigs. Half of the country's spuds come from Idaho for that tater salad and Florida leads the country in watermelon production (nearly 750 million pounds).

Cantaloupe

2011-07-06T16:03:00.002-05:00

I have been on a cleaning spree perhaps because in 18 months I will retire and will look forward to doing all the crafts I have in the basement. Anyway I found this skein of yarn, who knows why I bought it, not really my style but anyway it is Sinfonia and I can make a basic pair of 6" cuff socks and they are great for wearing with my safety shoes. Doesn't it remind you of cantaloupe?

My latest addiction

2011-07-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

I found these potholders and have to say they are very addictive. It is a great way to use your scraps. Go to delights-gems.blogspot.com and look for the fanciful flower potholder. Once you get past the first one you can easily memorize the pattern and get one done in about two hours. BTW some of you may be getting some of these as gifts, so be on the lookout.

June Rug

2011-07-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

I wanted a June Rug for my front door and did not have any washcloths that spoke June to me so I found in my stash one of the large dishcloth skeins and crocheted half a poinsettia from a Drops pattern for my rug.

Camp Loopy Project 1

2011-07-06T15:51:00.001-05:00

For the first project for The Loopy Ewe Camp Projects you had to knit a scarf or shawl in two colors. I chose Waves of Leaves Shawl in Loopy Ewe yarn in strawberry and ivory. On to Project 2 socks with cables.

Summer Mystery Shawl

2011-07-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

Wendy knits is one of my fav blogs plus she does great patterns. She recently had a kint a long and we did this shawl. I used about 350 yards and would have loved a bigger shawl but it was fun and it is cute.

New Newtons

2011-06-02T15:12:00.002-05:00

Have you tried the new Newton cookies. I have to say if you asked me for my fav cookie it would have to be a Fig Newton. Now newton has new cookies: The Fig and Honey are good, and the chocolate and raspberry are good as well. I have not tried the blueberry or the citrus one. They are kind of pricey at $3.50 a bag at Wal-Mart for 30 cookies, but hey they beat the price of Girl Scout cookies. They are 140 calories for 3 cookies with 5 g of fat, 21g of carbs, 2 g of fiber, and 2 g of protein. They are thin and not too sweet but they are so good. Go get yourself a bag with a cup of coffee and put your feet up and relax.

Headache for Satan

2011-06-02T15:02:00.002-05:00

This morning on the news they were talking about apps, iphones, smartphones,etc. I have no idea what those things really are nor do I care. Many of the people they interviewed said before they even got out of bed they checked their apps. Really, WHY? I barely have enough time to get myself ready, feed all the animals, grab my lunch and get to work on time let alone check apps. I have better things to do with my time than that.

It got me to thinking about why do people live on their electronic devices, are they missing something in their lives, yes i do email and facebook only because it is my way of connecting with family and friends who don't live in my town. Otherwise i wouldn't care. I do search for craft stuff, recipes, etc but I would almost rather clean the litter box than spend all my free time on electronic devices.

I see so many people driving and they are on their cell checking who knows what, more apps? I like to spend my time singing at the top of my lungs and giving the devil a migraine. No my singing does not give the devil a migraine, my talk with God does. I go to work when it is still dark and there aren't that many people on the road. The sky is all colors and the clouds are swirling and make pictures and it is the perfect time for me to spend the 30 minutes talking to God. My aunt sent me this email:

Did you know that when you carry “the Bible”, Satan has a headache, when you open it, he collapses, when he sees you reading it, he loses his strength, AND when you stand on the Word of God, Satan can't hurt you!

I figure me talking to God for 30 minutes should give him a migraine. So i prefer the prayer app I guess, I dont have to turn anything on, I just talk and He listens. So devil I hope you enjoy those migraines I plan on giving you every day.

May Rug for Front Door

2011-05-14T20:52:00.003-05:00

I used Reynolds Utopia for this rug (3 skeins). I chained 100 and did the shell stitch until I was happy with the size. I noticed I am off a half row becuase evidently I put it down without paying attention and started back down the row. But I am not re-doing it.

Je Suis Finis

2011-05-14T20:49:00.004-05:00

Lily is finally done. Now all I need to do is block her and I can finally wear her. It is to be 38 Monday morning, thought I might have to wait til next winter to wear her, but who knows. It was a challenge, one I am glad I took on and yes I would do it again.

Now on the next project.

2012 Special Olympic Scarves

2011-05-07T07:23:00.004-05:00

So we finally have the colors for next years scarves. Soft Navy and Cherry Red both by Red Heart. For those of you wanting to participate in this event please go to the website for more information: http://scarvesforspecialolympics.org/ It truly is worth your time to knit or crochet a few scarves for these participants. If you go to the 2011 website you can see they did a video with some of the scarves sent in. Hope you feel like helping out, I have started on my first one and will be posting pictures as I go.

Lily

2011-04-24T10:10:00.002-05:00

Lily is progressing nicely. I only have to knit the front borders and all the knitting will be done. She is quite warm, itchy and gangly to knit right now and will be glad when she is done. I do not look forward to weaving in thousands of ends.

Whirly Socks

2011-04-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

These socks were fun to knit but you do need to pay attention. I used a skein of Opal I found in my sock yarn drawer. Make sure you do the socks so they whirl in opposite directions. You can find the pattern at http://biscottecie.com/blogue/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Whirly-Socks.pdf

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

I received this from Political Chips:

Happy Easter to you and your families! As we continue to fight for our country, let's never forget our victory has already been declared!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.~John 3:16

A Prayer for Easter
How wonderful, how marvelous, is Your love, Jesus! To think that You were willing to go through that for me!

What a day of rejoicing that must have been when You rose and realized it was all over--You had won the victory! You had accomplished Your mission. You had made the way for the world to be saved. You had gone through the horrors of Hell and death for us, and it was over.

You arose in victory, joy, liberation, and freedom from the hands of evil men, never to have to go through that again--and You did it all to spare us the same. Now we can say with the apostle Paul, "O death, where is your sting? O Hades [grave], where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

As I think of the seemingly terrible defeat that You suffered and how it resulted in such a tremendous victory, it fills me with wonder and gives me such hope and peace. Surely You and Your love will see me through whatever troubles may come my way, from now till eternity! Amen.

Bleeding Hearts

2011-04-10T16:12:00.003-05:00

My bleeding heart has taken off like a spaceship and looks beautiful. I planted it last year. Mom has had one for as long as I can remember; she always said to plant it on the North side of the house. So mom here it is.

Redbud

2011-04-09T14:10:00.003-05:00

The redbud is budding out, they are so pretty.

Spud

2011-04-09T14:05:00.007-05:00

Spud is done and Spud is done. I made two lambs, they were fun but a lot of work. I am not really good at embroidering faces but I think they are cute anyway. The one picture shows all the pieces. Since they are going to girls I made the hair pink.

Lily

2011-04-06T19:33:00.002-05:00

I was going to leave Lily til this Fall because she is so hot to work on. However the two pieces of Monet's Water Lily are arriving and will be here til August. Now I have that incentive to get working on her and get her done. I want to go see the real Lily and wear my Lily and take my picture. If I could only finish knitting Lily with the real Lily for inspiration. Alas the second sleeve is almost done, then on to the border and weaving in 8 gazillion ends and block her.

Is Spring Finally Here

2011-04-06T19:29:00.004-05:00

The Bradford Pear are finally in bloom, they are beautiful but not very wind resistant and many don't get real big here before the high winds take them down. The jonquils are gorgeous and I was gonna pick the bouquet and bring in the house but they last longer and they add that splash of yellow to the yard. The chickadees have been eating a lot lately, wonder if they are leaving soon. They are so cute.

Who Needs a New Rug?

2011-03-30T09:40:00.004-06:00

I had purchased quite a few of these washcloth packs at Kohl's. They are regularly $9.99for 12 and come in all colors and some are larger than others. They were sitting in my craft room and as I walked by a pack one day I thought I can make rugs out of these for my front door. That way if they get dirty or happen to become a hairball catcher you can throw them in the washer and dryer and voila your rug is clean. I don't need to spend $500 on a rug that I made and had to search the world over for the perfect color and fabric for something that is gonna have mud and hairballs on. BTW you can wait til these go on sale and you have your discount coupon and pick them up for about $2 for a pack of 12, pretty cheap rug if you ask me and it takes about an hour to sew. Just lay out the squares and sew them up, I use the blanket stitch on my machine. The all green one is for March and St Pat's day and folded over as they come out quite large. The yellow/green/white one is for Easter and April and Spring and will be folder over as well.

Spud

2011-03-26T18:13:00.001-06:00

Well the body of Spud is finally done, it is a lot of work. I learned an easy trick to save your twist finger, use a needle instead to twist each of the twist stiches, and then you can slide it back on the needle, goes faster. I can think of lots of things to use this stitch for. Now on to the head.

Spud and Chloe

2011-03-26T09:20:00.006-06:00

Can I just say how much I love Susan B Anderson's patterns, I now have all of her books. The latest in great books for kids is Spud and Chloe at the Farm. When I retire I want to knit toys and take them to the Ronald McDonald house for kids who are there for extended periods of time who may not have had the time to pack something to play with. The "farm" book is the perfect book for this. You can check it out at Knitpicks, Amazon, over there, and maybe even your lys.

There is a barn, fence, bales of hay, mice, pigs, cows, dogs, cats, sheep, and of course Chloe who is in charge of them all. They are way too cute.

I wanted to start on them but where to start, well I need to make some Easter things so I started with Spud. I can't find the called for yarn locally so I thought Sugar and cream would work, I got 2 colors and then I found rose that is scented so the lambs will smell good.

I have started on the body and the twist stich is cute but a lot of work. If you like to knit toys get the book and have some fun. Will post pics as Spud gets done.

Sugar and Cream

2011-03-26T09:17:00.002-06:00

While I prefer Peaches n creme (I think it is softer and I love their colors more) I can't get it here anymore (thank you WalMart who thinks selling food is more important than yarn-can you imagine). I found these colors at Michaels and it was on sale too, so I see new ballband dishcloths in my future.

Bunker Blue Swap

2011-03-26T09:14:00.002-06:00

March 14 was the 2 year anniversary of most of The Bunker being removed from that place over there and so we had to have a swap. Here is my package from New Mexico, I love it all.

Snow Day

2011-01-10T13:34:00.005-06:00

Just one more reason I need to retire. I gave myself a snow day today.

Lily

2011-01-10T06:58:00.003-06:00

So I finally got to sit down this weekend and work on Lily. I have one sleeve done. I have one sleeve left and the border around the neck and front edges, sew down my steeks and tuck in a gazillion ends, then block her and I can finally wear her. I was hoping to wear her this winter but we shall see.

Sherrif Joe

2011-01-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!
Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part?
His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the
Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO. HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the
'Tent City Jail':
He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.
He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. Cut off all but 'G' movies.
He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.
Then he Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination.
He took away cable TV until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again . Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied, 'So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs.'

He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The Ritz/Carlton...... If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.'

More On The Arizona Sheriff:

With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:
About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before. Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS. 'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. 'It's Inhumane.'

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna
sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Mouths!'

Way To Go, Sheriff!

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

I say put him in charge of Gitmo as well.

Cedar Wrap

2011-01-04T09:55:00.004-06:00

I finished my Cedar Wrap over the weekend. (As soon as I can upload the picture I will post it-otherwise you can pop over to facebook and see it). I used Chunky Mochi in colorway 803. I really like this pattern from Spud and Chloe. (I could not find the yarn locally so I used the Chunky Mochi cos I loved the colors). I would add an inch or so to this because my width with my arms included is 44" and when I put this on to set the buttons it was a tad snug, so another inch or so would work for me to make it more comfortable. So if you make these and I suggest you do cos in 2 days you can have this cool wrap, you measure including your arms and lengthen it up a bit. I need to find the buttons and add them and then I can wear it. I will definitely make more and I am thinking some Christmas gifts or prayer shawls would be great with this in any super bulky yarn.

Can I just say I love the patterns from Spud and Chloe, they draw me to them like flies to honey. I love the simplicity and ease but yet they look great and make you want to knit all the patterns. I also love the toys (I love to knit toys) and can't wait to get the new farm book.

http://www.spudandchloe.com/blog/2010/12/cedar-wrap-free-pattern/

Why Did Harry Reid Get Re-Elected, What Were You Thinking in Nevada?

2011-01-04T09:53:00.003-06:00

This is from my daily email from The Heritage Foundation:

The Fight for the Filibuster

When does a day last three weeks? When Senate Democrats want to rewrite the rules of the Senate to make it easier for the Majority Leader to end debate and block the amendment process.

This Wednesday, the United States Senate is set to meet for its first “legislative day” of the new Congress, and a group of progressive Senators are expected to introduce changes to the Senate rules designed to limit the use of the filibuster. But the left has not settled on a single rule change plan. To buy time to get his troops in line, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV), rather than simply adjourning until January 24, is expected to recess the chamber, meaning the Senate will technically still be in the same “legislative day” when they reconvene on January 24. Maybe if Reid spent less time manipulating the rules to his narrow partisan advantage, the minority would not need to resort to the filibuster in the first place.

The filibuster is unquestionably constitutional. Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution states clearly: “Each house may determine the rule of its proceedings.” And from the founding of the country, the Senate was designed to be a more deliberative body. In his Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, James Madison wrote: “In order to judge the form to be given [the Senate], it will be proper to take a view of the ends to be served by it. These were first to protect the people against their rulers: secondly to protect the people against the transient impressions into which they themselves might be led.” This is why all 435 Members of the House—but only one-third of the Senate—face election every two years.

Contrary to what the Progressives believe, the slow progress of legislation through the Senate is a feature, not a bug, of the Framers’ design. In his 1833 treatise on the Constitution, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story explained that “a good law had better occasionally fail, rather than bad laws be multiplied with a heedless and mischievous frequency. Even reforms, to be safe, must in general, be slow.” The first effort to speed legislation through the Senate came, of course, from Progressive President Woodrow Wilson, who pressed Senate Democrats to create Rule 22, which allowed the Senate to end debate on a measure if two-thirds of the body agreed. That number has since been lowered to today’s 60-vote threshold.

The left and their media allies love to bemoan the fact that the minority in the 111th Congress set a record for filibustering legislation. Left unreported by the media is that Reid manipulated the rules of the Senate to shatter a little record of his own. A tactic commonly referred to as “filling the amendment tree” allows a Majority Leader to offer up a series of non-substantive amendments that take up all the time allotted for debate. This prevents the minority from offering any amendments to a bill. Reid justified this tactic to The Huffington Post in July: “This isn’t a new method that I dreamed up. Anytime there is an election there is not a leader who is dumb enough to put a bill on the floor that is subject to amendments.”

So how many times has Reid used this “filling the tree” tactic that is specifically designed to shut out substantive amendments from the minority? According to the Congressional Research Service, Reid employed the procedure a record 44 times, more than the past six Majority Leaders combined. Senator Olympia Snowe (R–ME) took to the floor to protest its use during debate on a defense authorization bill:

First and foremost, the Senate should have the ability to debate more than the three amendments the Majority Leader is allowing, especially as this bill is the largest discretionary authorization measure that Congress considers, that the bill describes the policies and programs that provide resources and direction to the nearly 2.4 million men and women of the military—active, reserve and civilians, including the courageous Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that two of the three amendments don’t even relate to the military. It is therefore imperative that Senate deliberations on the defense bill be conducted without limitations and in a manner that allows for the consideration of all related amendments that Senators may wish to offer.

If the Senate narrows or eliminates the filibuster, Reid will have even less incentive to allow debate and amendments. The Senate will cease to be a deliberative body, and the majority party will have unfettered power to pass legislation and confirm nominees with little or no debate. This is not what the Founders intended.

The fight over the Senate filibuster is one of limited government versus big government. If you believe that ideas should be debated openly and transparently, and meet the test of intellectual opposition before they are voted into law and affect our lives, then you want the filibuster to stay. If you prefer an unchecked activist government that can more easily legislate bad ideas into law through a more rushed process, then you may be open to the left's latest gambit.

Today, at 2 PM, Senator Lamar Alexander (R–TN) will speak at The Heritage Foundation in defense of the filibuster. In his planned remarks, which you can watch live later today here, Alexander says: “Voters who turned out in November are going to be pretty disappointed when they learn the first thing Democrats want to do is cut off the right of the people they elected to make their voices heard on the floor of the U.S. Senate.”

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T12:15:00.002-06:00

Well here we are with a new year again, it just seems like it was 2010 yesterday. Where does the time fly? I was going to retire this year but life changes and in 2 years I will be one of the unemployeed or better yet retired. I am ready to quit working, I don't enjoy it anymore and I sure don't like working for the government anymore, it is not the FAA I joined up with 32 years ago.

I wish you a very Happy, propserous and safe 2011. What will the year bring, only God knows.

Diabetes

2010-12-22T07:28:00.003-06:00

I found out yesterday my tomcat has diabetes. I remember as a child there was a lady in church who periodically used to eat candy. I found out she had diabetes. I always wished when I grew up I could get it so I could eat candy. The things we don't know as kids.

His blood sugar was 450 yesterday, he had been throwing up and straining to poop. He had also lost some weight but I was trying hard to get his weight off as he was at 22 pounds in September, he is a very large tom but still did not think he should have lost 5 pounds already, well it wasn't me.

Yesterday I learned how to fill the syringe and give him his shots. He never whimpered or probably felt it, which is good cos if he freaks out I will freak out too. (All the more reason I need to retire to take care of my "kids."

So today I go get insulin and needles so I can give him two shots a day. He gets some new food and I have to find a way to keep him away from the dry food the girls eat. (Note to self never have 4 cats again especially when they all need different food). He is not eating this morning nor do I think he got all his poop out cos they gave him 2 enemas so we will probably be back to the vet again today.

I have to say I am a little shell shocked this morning and will need to find out what this is all about later. But for now I need coffee and then head to Walmart to get his meds and try to get him better. I do have pet insurance so will have to see how much they pay and thank goodness pets aren't covered under Obamacare.

Lily

2010-12-16T19:56:00.002-06:00

This is the latest picture of Lily that I have taken. she looks like a mess now because i have all these stitch markers holding stitches at the neck, she is partly steeked and i have started on a sleeve. The fear in steeking is not the cutting but the fact that you cut your stitches and shouldn't they be unraveling, well not they don't. It truly is magic. I will try to get a current picture of Lily up but I warn you she is messy right now. She has set for awhile as I have to get Christmas gifts and frankly I need that mental break from her. I really want and need to be done with her, but alas there are several more weeks of work on her. I plan on wearing her everyday I don't care how hot it gets after all this work.

Grocery Bags

2010-12-16T19:48:00.007-06:00

My niece is a penguinholic so I made her some grocery bags for Christmas. She especially loves blue penguins, well at least I found blue fabric.

Table Runners

2010-12-16T19:44:00.002-06:00

My aunt sent my mom a table runner and said it only took 10 minutes to make. Yea right nothing takes 10 minutes to make. Well it does, you cut two pieces of fabric, make 3 seams and voila done. I put buttons on mine which took longer than sewing them together but they make great quick gifts and you can make them for each holiday and people will think you worked all day,kind of like the Rice Krispie commercials where the lady throws flour on her face to make her family think she has been slaving away all day.

Today was my last day at work

2010-12-16T19:42:00.004-06:00

this year. It seemed different than going on a regular time off for a vacation. Everyone seemed to be in a different mood as many of us said our goodbyes today for two weeks. It is only two weeks but somehow it seemed more final. Maybe it is the fact that we won't see each other until next year and that 3 of us can not come back if we want, and many wonder if we will. I can't put my finger on it but today seemed somewhat final. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

Lily

2010-11-18T19:24:00.002-06:00

Lily is done to the area where you start decreasing for the neck. I had to rewrite the sleeve steeks as the right armhole was behind the underarm stitch and the left armhole was in front of the underarm stitch. So I suppose it would look ok if I wore her with my right arm behind me and my left arm in front of me. I think not. I am ready to steek and did so in class last night sort of. we cut about 6" and are left hanging for two more weeks. I need to do myback and forth rows now for 18 rows to finish the neck/shoulder area and then wait for the next class.

Lily when will you be done?

Can I Just Say We Told You All So

2010-11-08T07:08:00.002-06:00

So it seems BHO is coming unglued. Half of us knew he was not up for the job, he is just the spooky evil dude's puppet to destroy America. If you don't know who spooky evil dude is you should watch Glenn Beck.

Read the following article and you will see what a child sits in the Oval Office. I can only imagine the pouting that was done last Tuesday night as he got his progressivenessism throw back at him and WE THE PEOPLE said no way.

http://www.opinion-maker.org/2010/11/white-house-obama-conducting-reign-of-terror/

Lets not do anything rash until after John Boehner is sworn in; we don't need the Botox Queen moving up in position.

Sweater Quest Continues

2010-11-06T07:59:00.002-06:00

Progress so far: I had to go down to size 4 needles. When I started I had to go from 6 to 5 to get gauge and now I must be getting looser because I am at a size 4.

I am on the second repeat of the pattern and must right out each row as Dear Alice your pattern is not well written at all. So last Wednesday in class the lys owner and I worked on the next section to take me through the steeking of the armholes. Onward I go. Why am I writing out each row because Chart A has 12 rows, Chart B has 6 rows and Chart C and D have 20 rows and you must work A and B in sequence and since they don't divide evenly into 20, well you do the math.

Alice you will not defeat me. One of the other ladies in the class is making the most beautiful sweater, dont know which Alice sweater it is but I think I might have to try that one as well and a few others.

Off to write out the next set of 20 rows and knit on.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2010-10-31T17:20:00.001-06:00

It is finally my fav day of the year. Also Happy Anniversary to my parents, 56 this year wow.

Be safe out there tonight and enjoy yourself.

Off to catch the ballgame in between kids.

Sweater Quest

2010-10-31T17:11:00.006-06:00

Ok so tam is done, now on to the sweater. While I think most of Alice's sweaters are gaudy in her color selection I found Water Lily to be a pretty sweater and one I would wear. Ok I can do this one. Yarn ordered and class begins. Lily is done in worsted yarn so you know this is gonna be one warm sweater, almost coat like. Cast on did the border and started the sweater. Chart A done and move on to the next part.

Holy crap batman each row has 33 charts in it. I better write these out. 20 rows at 33 charts each and it takes me 26 minutes to write out the row. That is time wasted when I could be knitting but..... trust me writing out each row is much better than going back and forth between 4 different charts each with a different number of stitches and rows. (I still need to write out 5 more rows.)

Ok off we go and I am at row 11 of the first repeat, hey it actually looks like it should. While coffee was brewing this morning I thought I would read ahead and write down some questions for class this week.

What is this? In the paragraph below the one with the 33 charts spelled out for each row it says to change the colors of Chart A and B to match Chart C and D. Well I got Chart B because it has two colors, background and pattern, that was a no brainer. So I had been doing Chart 2 in the colors the chart calls for and wondered why it had a second colorway in the middle of the back but thought it kind of looks ok and I can't see a picture of the back so it should be ok.

Nope I ripped out 9 rows and am starting over. So here is the sweater from the book and my progress so far.

Sweater Quest

2010-10-31T17:05:00.003-06:00

So I read the book about knitting the Tudor Rose Sweater by Alice Starmore. I though the book was kind of boring as I wanted more about the sweater and some pictures.

I wanted to learn how to steek so I signed up for the beginners fair isle and advanced fair isle class at my lys. I know how to fair isle but figured I would take the beginner class just to get back in the swing of 2 strands of knitting together.

We did the tam from Alice's Fair Isle book. Here is the one in the book and mine. I need to weave in the ends and block it. I think it turned out pretty well. Ok tam down and no issues.

Obama Phones

2010-09-15T09:33:00.002-05:00

Just when you think you’ve heard it all,, our illustrious Congress quietly comes up with a new zinger to put their hands in your pockets, and pick them while you aren’t watching.

Isn't this just wonderful! I wonder if our Democrat-controlled Congress used its favorite phrase ("We have to pass the bill, to see what's in it") when it passed this gem of pork barrel legislation.

“Welfare recipients are now eligible to receive” what he described as (1) a FREE new cell phone, and (2) approximately 70 FREE minutes of air time every month. SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers. In other words, your tax dollars are being distributed to a wireless phone provider to provide welfare recipients with free cell phones and airtime.

We are $14 Trillion in debt, Congress is balking at continuing unemployment payments to those who want to work, and Congress is increasing the dole-out to dead beats.

The ship of State is sinking, and it’s sinking fast. The old concept of getting ahead through hard work has flown out the window. It has been replaced by Obama’s and Congress’ idea of “Hope and Change.” The country has changed all right, changed to "Why should I work for it, when I can get it for free?"

You can click on the link below to confirm for yourself that the “Obama Phone” is real. Just have a barf bag ready.

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/Home.aspx

You are Eligible if:

You already participate in other State or Federal assistance program such as Federal Public Housing Assistance, Food Stamps and Medicaid. OR
Your total household income is at or below 135% of the poverty guidelines set by your State and/or the Federal Government. AND
No one in your household currently receives Lifeline Service through another phone carrier.
You have a valid United States Postal Address. In order for us to ship you your free phone you must live at a residence that can receive mail from the US Post Office. Sorry, but P.O. Boxes cannot be accepted.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/politics-other-controversies/636800-more-obama-welfare-welfare-recipients-now.html#ixzz0wRVQSRpu

Not Bush's Fault

2010-09-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

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

Remember the day...January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress. At the time: The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77. The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%. The Unemployment rate was 4.6%. George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Remember the day...January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee. The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy? BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!!!

THANK YOU DEMOCRATS for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment... to this CRISIS by (among MANY other things) dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac! (BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - starting in 2001 because it was Financially risky for the US economy):

And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac???? OBAMA. And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie??? The HYPOCRITE in Chief Obama

So when a LIB tries to blame Bush...REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!

This Gives a New Meaning to Stimulus Money

2010-09-15T08:35:00.000-05:00

Feds Spent $800,000 of Economic Stimulus on African Genital-Washing Program
Monday, September 13, 2010
By Matt Cover

The AIDS awareness symbol is used for earrings and pendants made at a counseling center in Chennai, India. (AP File Photo/M. Lakshman)

(CNSNews.com) – The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spent $823,200 of economic stimulus funds in 2009 on a study by a UCLA research team to teach uncircumcised African men how to wash their genitals after having sex.

The genitalia-washing program is part of a larger $12-million UCLA study examining how to better encourage Africans to undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling – however, only the penis-washing study received money from the 2009 economic stimulus law. The washing portion of the study is set to end in 2011.

“NIH Announces the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications,” the grant abstract states. “We propose to evaluate the feasibility of a post-coital genital hygiene study among men unwilling to be circumcised in Orange Farm, South Africa.”

Because AIDS researchers have been unsuccessful in convincing most adult African men to undergo circumcision, the UCLA study proposes to determine whether researchers can develop an after-sex genitalia-washing regimen that they can then convince uncircumcised African men to follow.

“The aim of the proposed feasibility study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a post-coital male genital hygiene procedure, which participants will be asked to practice immediately post-coitus or at least 12 hours after,” reads the abstract.

Entitled “Community-Based HIV VCT: South Africa,” the name of the broader umbrella project, the program plans to test how well received the penis-washing regimen is among South African men.

If most of the men in the study wash their genitals after sex, are willing to do so after the study ends, and report that their partners accept the regimen, the researchers will develop another study to see if the “penile cleansing procedure” actually works to prevent HIV infections.

“If we find that men are able to practice consistent washing practices after sex, we will plan to test whether this might protect men from becoming HIV infected in a later study,” the grant says.

The study’s lead investigator Dr. Thomas J. Coates was the fourth highest-funded researcher in the country in 2002 and is currently conducting HIV research on three continents.

CNSNews.com asked both Coates and NIMH the following question: “The Census Bureau says the median household income in the United States is $52,000. How would you explain to the average American mom and dad -- who make $52,000 per year -- that taxing them to pay for this grant was justified?”

Coates, who was unavailable for comment, directed CNSNews.com to ask grant-related questions of his assistant, Darya Freedman, who did not respond.

The NIMH also declined to respond to CNSNews.com’s question.

Roller Derby

2010-06-15T13:28:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid and we lived in LA I used to watch Roller Derby. It was not like Roller Derby today, they were much rougher, bigger tracks and slanted upwards. I would put on my skates (the old fashioned kind with the key that was strapped to your shoes) and pretend to be a Roller Derby girl.

I went to the Roller Derby Saturday night, what a hoot. We started with the Color Guard and the National Anthem. Then two games, the B team and A team that travels. We skunked NW Arkansas. Anyway if you have Roller Derby in your town go to a game, it will be some of the funnest 4 hours you ever spend. I know I am going back.

Maybe when I retire I can start my next career as the oldest Roller Derby Girl. Now all I need is my roller derby name: I think "Crabby Knitter."