Witch-hunting as a Congressional Sport...

Aside from the obvious, what is WRONG with Darrell Issa (R-CA)??? He cuts the microphone on a colleague and decides that apparently, it's all over. 

Check out that link. He's cut off the ranking Democrat on that committee. Where does he get off doing that? Apparently, while he was out witch-hunting (this is what, the 4th or 5th hearing on the non-scandal of the IRS??), he neglected to review his Code of Conduct. Here it is if you want to see it in its entirety. But the passage we're most interested in, is amazingly enough, RULE NUMBER ONE:

1. A Member, officer, or employee of the House of Representatives shall conduct himself at all times in a manner which shall reflect creditably on the House of Representatives.

Darrell, dear... You blew it. You cut off Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). First off, let's just get this on the table. Your "scandal" on the IRS? It's a non-starter. There's no scandal. You are wasting OUR money. 

Don't the members of your Committee have anything else to do but try to score political points against the first black POTUS? Apparently not.

Do you even CONSIDER the veterans that could be helped by the BILLIONS of dollars you've spent investigating "scandals" for which there are really no facts. But why let facts get in the way, right? That would surely gum up the works.

And then there's math and manners. Darrell, darlin' -- you've been in your position 14 years. Rep. Cummings has been there EIGHTEEN years, and while there's not a huge age difference between you (Cummings b. 1951, Issa b. 1953) there's still this whole thing about playing nice, being respectful of each other and perhaps NOT dinging the already-bashed reputation of your House and your Committee.

Or can we use race? Are you being a snot because you're a white guy and Cummings isn't? He's the Ranking Member. He deserves respect, and you're probably upset that this man has called you out on your foolishness.

Darrell, doofus: Back off the IRS non-scandal and prepare to eat crow and apologize to Rep. Cummings. You did wrong. Man up. 

Weather...

Whether or not we like it, we're not done with snow yet. About 3" this morning, more called for through the week. I think we'll be breaking the record... 

It's not Arctic-style cold, but I think we're all snow-weary. The plows are sporadic now and you can tell salt stores are running low. 

I slipped around every corner I took this morning on the way in to work - and I wasn't speeding. Actually, the only benefit of all this snow is that apparently drivers have recovered their "snow-driving" skills and they're not acting like lunatics.

The plow came just before noon; I had to move my truck to the back and once everything was plowed, I moved it back. Note to self: wear your snow boots. Your in-the-office Birkenstocks are not snow-proof!!

The Great Lakes are about 90% frozen over. That hasn't happened since I was a kid. Groundhog or not, Spring will be late. If it shows up at all.

Wine...

Pumpkin-head wine

You all know that I know zip about wine! Well, we have a charitable event coming up and every board member was asked to buy a bottle of wine. I actually bought some champagne for the donation (which I recognize because of commercials) but then I saw this in the "bargain bin."

And Hubby says that's where it should have stayed. Hey, it was $5.... It's from Illinois Valley Winery and it's a blend of "pumpkin, apples and spices." I told him he could stick it in his wine stash if he wanted, and all he said was, "Ummmmmmm. No." 

I thought the label was cute. And I liked that it was an Illinois wine.

This is why I do not buy wine. 

Knitting...

The pink sock is coming along. I decided I needed "brainless" for a while, and this sock fits the bill. For now, till the heel, it's just about 6" of mindless round-and-round and I can do that and watch TV or read (yes, it's possible) or just zone out. 

I have to figure out what kind of percentage system I want to give to myself for completion rates. Maybe if I divide the total number of inches by 4, that might give me a good comparison, considering 25-50-75-100 as a ticker. But my chart shows all the gradients, so maybe 5% gain on the chart for every inch?? Happily, the sock is 15" long from cuff to toe, so if I did the math, I could arrive at a fairly sensible result. Or I could guess. Hubby says it's about 6.6% per inch. 

It's only us. I'm cool either way. I found the "macro" setting on my phone's camera. You can see my poor winter-ized hand!! There's not enough hand lotion, I think!

I'll probably zip along with this awhile, but I did find these adorable Penguin Jackets. No, seriously, jackets for penguins. 

See, it's right here.  The Penguin Foundation has called out for knitters to help them. When penguins are caught in oil slicks, they are covered in gunk, which really messes with their coats. They get rescued (hopefully) and  cleaned off, and they have to be protected till they're all fixed. When they're wet, they can't stay warm. They get wet to the skin because the oil removes the insulating properties they have, and then sometimes they try to clean themselves off and die because they're basically sucking down oil.

So.....If you have wool and a little time, do some charity knitting for the penguins... You'll be happy, they'll be happy. Why not?

I think everyone should do some sort of charitable knitting. It's good for the soul. Pick your charity. Or do one organization per "whatever time span you want." Maybe a year of doing Warm Up America blankets. Maybe a quarter doing knitted cage throws for the local animal shelter. Maybe 6 months of chemo caps. You can even ask your local hospital if there's a program for newborns - blankies and hats. Or your local homeless shelter might be very happy with some afghans. Your local nursing home might need some lap robes. Depends on how fast you knit, your stash or ability to purchase appropriate yarn, and your desire to do something good. And your ability to commit the time to do it. 

Pick an organization and devote some time to it. You'll be a knitter who's earned your Golden Needles in the afterlife. Or you'll have brought a smile to someone else's face. 

Either way. It works. 

Hairy Houdinis...

Where's Raisa??

That's what some folks call Siberian Huskies. And it's true. A determined Sibe can be cat-like in its ability to escape. Or contort itself into the oddest positions. Or try to hide. Or dart, at the speed of light, at a 1" opening of a door.

In Raisa's case, it's a situation with my knitting chair. It's a lovely Queen Anne-style La-Z-Boy recliner. Which hasn't really reclined much. 

Because there's usually a dog under it. It started out with Quinn hiding under it, till she couldn't fit anymore. Now, she just puts her head under it. 

But Raisa has figured out a way to worm her way sideways under the chair. I'm sure that she's trying to be friendly with Quinn, but there's clearly the matter of one of them jumping up and tipping the chair (with me in it) over. Or even if I'm not in it -- someone canine will be mushed. 

Granted, my camera on the phone is slow. When I first caught this, you could only see her tail. 

What to do with that dog??

Quinn naps in the sun

And here's Quinn, early Sunday afternoon, snoozing in the sunny spot on the couch. I guess she wasn't interested in what was on TV. Come to think of it, neither was I. I was finishing off a novel, and then I was knitting. 

Everyone was napping or just very quiet that afternoon. Kid #2 was off running errands. Hubby was off getting a haircut and delivering a server box to a client. 

I was home with the dogs. Which is where I like to be most often. I know - I probably should have rolled out the yoga mat and done something "constructive." But to me, knitting and reading ARE constructive. Not active, to be sure... I can't get up enough speed while knitting to make any significant calorie burn. But even mindless knitting is good for your brain. 

Napping

Here's another Raisa shot - she was napping as well. Alongside the table. Turned upside down. It's not a great shot, but she's quick to move when she thinks we're taking a picture, so it is what it is. 

She is also apparently a yoga-dog. I'd forgotten how they can all up-end themselves. 

Some say it's to keep their bellies cooled off. I'm telling you: Elkhound and Husky bellies are rather warm spots! Maybe this helps regulate their temperature. 

Whatever it is, it's cute. 

Random Picture...

Speaking of cute, Tippi and I had a gig yesterday even though it was Spring Break at the campus. I knew there wouldn't be many people there, but I thought that the students might appreciate a visit from their favorite therapist and I wanted to show off her Mardi Gras beads. Which she broke in an excess of shaking herself. 

We had a nice visit with those that did come by and this gal hit the jackpot. She got the first Belly Rub of the Day. And it was a full-blown one. 

Click on the picture to see the sheer bliss of a dog who's totally immersed in the moment. 

Ahhhhhh, bliss!

Maybe this is the picture I have to show my yoga students when I tell them to "be in the moment." Believe me, Tippi's not thinking of a single thing there. She's enjoying the attention. 100% -- just as we all should enjoy what we love. 

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm "wasting" my time. Sometimes, I feel totally overwhelmed with working full-time, teaching yoga, community involvement that's somewhat mandated by my job.

I wonder if, by doing all this, I'm spreading myself too thin. Yet I see women who do more. I wonder how they do it. I wonder if it's just me. My natural tendency to be introverted exerting itself? The fact that I have such trouble sleeping, making me have less energy and less motivation to do things?

The fact that in all truth, I'd really rather be retired? Who knows. 

All I know is that I look at that picture of Tippi and I think that (a) it was a good thing we came to the school that day, even if there were hardly any students there -- this gal got a charge out of it; and (b) Tippi takes her bliss where she can get it.

There's a lesson in there somewhere.