The Nation Exhales

 Over 50% of the United States has just exhaled... 

Joe Biden is our President-Elect and Kamala Harris is our VP-Elect. 

Maybe we'll get some sleep. 

And I'm going to say this right here and right now: I don't CARE that conservatives or Trumpers are upset. Don't. Care. Not. One. Whit. 

As they said to us, "Get over it."

It was a long, hard road. There were questions and there was stress. There was a lot of breath-holding. 

Sanity has been restored to the White House and yes - we have a CRAP-TON of work to do. We need to celebrate this weekend. Absolutely. 

But then realize what needs to be done. And get to doing it. Here's my wish list (off the top of my head, in no particular order).

• Make Roe settled law - no more "we're going to overturn it" crap
• Rebuild the Voting Rights Act
• Pass the ERA
• Balance the Supreme Court
• Overturn Citizens United
• Restore Environmental Controls
• Green Energy
• Clean House...
• Undo the Billionaire Tax Breaks
• Secure Social Security & Medicare
• Fix the USPS

The Knitting...

So I set aside the Kid Afghan for a brief minute. I started some quickie wash cloths for Xmas gifts. I have to order the soap to go with them, but they're really easy to whip out. I have 4 more to do and they'll go quickly. 

I also have to get skippy on the baby afghan and then get even MORE skippy on the Kid Afghan. 

I really want to make a pair of "pedicure socks." Those are basically socks with no heels or toes. Today, it's a gorgeous 70-degree day and we're about to go on a walk and take some pictures of what's left of the fall colors. I got another - what may be final for 2020 - pedicure. I don't do them in the winter because my feet freeze in flip flops. 

But with a pair of pedicure socks, I could do it without frozen toes! That may be next in January. 

The Cooking...

So I'm almost done with my Whole30. And I found a few great recipes to add to my toolkit. Though tonight, I'd rather go face-first into some chocolate (see first section of blog!).

I love Avgo Limono Soup - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. But on Whole30, it's a no-go because of the orzo pasta (or rice - I've had it both ways). But I found a Paleo version, and this is what I did:

Lemon Chicken Soup

2 scallions, diced

2 carrots, sliced thin

2 stalks celery, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, diced

4 qts chicken or veggie stock

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 sprig fresh Rosemary

1 tsp EACH: Oregano, basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lemon

1 pkg. frozen spinach (chopped variety)

2 T. your favorite oil (ghee, avocado oil, olive oil)

In a large soup pot, add your oil and heat it up. Add your carrots and celery, stirring (heat is about med-hi). Let them brown a bit. Then add your scallions, let them get translucent. This is about 7-8 minutes total. Then add garlic and get it a little soft. 

Add your stock to the pot. Nestle the chicken in there, add the Rosemary, oregano & basil and put a lid on it. Turn down to simmer, and let it simmer about 25 minutes. 

When the chicken is done, pull it out of the pot and set aside to cool slightly. 

Roll the lemon on the counter to make it juicier. Slice in half and juice. Then use a micro-plane and zest it. Set aside. 

Take the meat off the chicken bones, and chop it. Discard bones & skin, returning meat to pot. Add the block of frozen spinach and put the lid back on. Simmer about 5-8 minutes, till spinach loosens up and heats up. 

Add the lemon juice and zest. Add salt & pepper to taste. This serves 8. And you can either freeze the extra or just cut the recipe in half. 

There's an awesome-looking chicken & artichoke soup I want to try. Though it was nice today, it's not going to last and soups are very comforting, whether you're on Whole30 or not!

The Random Picture...

Since I haven't had a guitar lesson since March, and I haven't been able to arrange another one because the morons in our county can't behave and our rolling positivity rate is over 14% -- and our two hospitals are screaming that beds are getting scarce...

I decided to polish my nails. This is Ella Mila color "Yacht Club" which I bought years ago when the first female Dr. Who was announced - this is the color of her TARDIS. 

It's only coincidental that it's also blue for the new Democratic president. Honest, I didn't do this for Election Day. I was a judge, and I'm impartial that day.

It's a pretty color. And I'm a klutz at doing nails. I'm out of practice. 

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OK, let's see if this works... No comments, so either people couldn't read the last blog entry or nobody had a problem with the font change. 

So teacher training is still kicking my butt. My last Body Reading assignment and my last sequence were...not received well. But unlike Graduate School, I can just re-do them. It's not graded. 

This week, I started the Apprenticeship segment. Now NORMALLY, we'd have a "Head to Toe" yoga class and we (the trainees) would be the apprentices to the master teacher. We'd learn by doing. But, now, COVID has changed all that. Now, there are 8 of us, and we have to figure out how to learn to do these therapeutic techniques when we can't even touch each other. 

So, this picture has nothing to do with teacher training...but it IS a great reminder. Left to right, it's amethyst, green aventurine, and raw black tourmaline. These are gemstones that I got in barter for knitting a baby hat. They're lovely stones. I have them on my table next to my little "yoga gnome." 

Friday night, we had a lot of lecture and a few teachings where each of us was chosen to demonstrate a technique. We then had to discuss how we wanted to go forward. In that, I mean, we need to learn in this module how to sequence for therapeutic yoga, we have to learn a myriad of adjustment techniques...and we have to do this without student to practice on! 

All I can say is that it's going to be interesting. 

But this weekend's Therapeutics module -- today I had fun. Prenatal Yoga!!! I've wanted to teach prenatal yoga since I started my 200-hour training, but I never felt like I knew enough. We've managed to talk to the master teacher who presented today, and might be able to get a class together to do the actual 85-hour certification. Yeah, I know - I'm probably nuts. But it's something I've always wanted to do.  

The Knitting...

Well, Kid #2's Afghan proceeds apace. It's going a lot more quickly. I had a consult with my "color consultant." A/K/A the Hubby. I was trying to balance out the 2 sections of black that The Kid wanted in there but I was having trouble placing them properly. Hubby took a look at it, then we slightly rearranged my notes and you can see that I've got about 10 rows to go, then a 5-row border that matches the bottom border. For once, I think it might work out as a balanced pattern! I mean that on MY part, not Hubby's...his eye for color is amazing and I will usually consult him because I'm not good at that. My mom is actually pretty good at it, too. 

We ended up switching up the black sections; initially I had grey where the black was and it would've been almost 6 more sections (12 rows!) to get the balance right. I am totally winging this color combo. Initially, it was just the red and grey (college colors are red + white, but I try not to put white in an afghan unless it's just a slight accent). But then the request for black...(sigh - a ginormous pain to knit with, even with my lovely Ott stand light). 

You can see my "color list" here, working from the bottom up. It's rough, but if you have a system that works for you? Go for it. You are the only one using it. 

I am anxious to get back to the Baby Car Seat Blanket, because I want to stay on schedule for that. 

And I want to get back to knitting a few things I've set aside -- the Longsands Tee and the February Lady Sweater, along with a couple of shawls. 

The Reading...

I finished the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series - at least what's been published. Aside from all the yoga stuff I've been reading, I've also just purchased a couple Agatha Christie books. I mean, you can't exactly snuggle down before bedtime and read Ray Long's "The Key Muscles of Yoga." 

Well, you could, but you'd have to be wayyyyyyyyyy geekier than I actually am. 

Anyway, I have "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," which has been called "the greatest murder mystery novel of all time," and "Murder at the Vicarage," the first Miss Marple. 

For me, Geraldine McEwan was the perfect Miss Marple; Joan Hixon was the first one to play the part, and she's my #2. Just as David Suchet is  -- just "is" Poirot. 

I'm looking forward to one of those tonight; not sure which one yet. My other favorite murder mystery author lately is Louise Penny, with her Inspector Gamache mysteries set in Canada. 

And of course, I love the "usual" ones: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've been reading Sherlock Holmes since high school), P.D. James, Martha Grimes... A good murder mystery is just a balm to my imagination and restful to read. Funny, maybe, but there it is. 

I'm also re-reading The Whole 30, which I'm starting on Monday. Or I should say, "re-doing." I need to get rid of the COVID-19 that I gained. 

I suppose I should have been on the ElliptiKILL or knitting during the shut-down, instead of making (and eating) bread...

So today is "prep day." I have made ghee (so stupid-simple, why would you pay $11/jar!?), and I've got eggs boiling. So why ghee? It's clarified butter. When I was a kid, the Galloping Gourmet (just Google it...) used to talk about clarified butter and it always sounded so exotic! 

It's easy. Take a small saucepan, put in 4 sticks of butter (you can cut them up if you want). and simmer over medium-low heat. The worst part: DO NOT STIR IT. Seriously, that's the hardest part. As it simmers, you'll notice a froth on the top - that's the dairy solids, which you don't want. Skim them off the best you can; you just toss those. 

Then, put a strainer over the top of a canning jar, stick some cheesecloth in there (it's way easier than a coffee filter - ask me how I know that...), and strain the now-clarified butter into the jar. Cool before storing it in the fridge. You can keep this in the fridge for 6 months, or at room temp (easier to use) for 3 months. 

The biggest thing is to prep. If you try to do this on the fly, it usually won't work. I'm really in need of a  re-set; I've gotta get my sugar demons under control, and I think I need to do something about gluten. It doesn't make me sick, per se. But it does make me bloat. Is that a problem? Not sure it's a real medical issue; just more of an intolerance. Either way, I'm over it. 

And if I don't do something, I'm setting myself up for a gigantic lecture by my cardiologist. Wish me luck...

The Politics...

So #WeezyMussolini violated (again) the protocols and held a rally.... a "rally" on the WH lawn. In the middle of the COVID pandemic, while he's still contagious (and no, I do NOT believe the "doctor" who said he was fine). And --- he PAID THE ATTENDEES. 

Dude was supposed to speak for 1/2 hour, made it to 18 minutes. He's still got pneumonia, I'm tellin' ya. I've had it (pneumonia, minus COVID) and it's bad when it's "regular" pneumonia. I can't imagine COVID pneumonia. 

November 3rd can't come fast enough. We need a landslide and Electoral College victory that cannot be denied. And then the Secret Service can move the mendicant crime family out of the White House, fumigate it, and we can get back our democracy. 

I'm not sure we'll ever get back our "original" pride in our country. And it's goingto take years to get back our reputation - even a shadow of it. But we can start the process by ending the reign of mendacity that's occupied our country for the past 4 years. 

Maybe we will have learned something profound during this time. We've certainly learned the ugliness of our nation was really just under the surface. Maybe now we've learned that it takes all the good people to get up off their sofas to make the changes necessary for us to live in a better world. 

I watched the VP debate. God, it gave me flashbacks of every moron male boss I ever had... Mikey P. was a total jerk. Kamala's "mom look" was perfect, though sometimes, you really wished she'd have just said "SHUT. UP." 

The problem is, "angry black woman" is a real stereotype. But what angered me even more was the rubber spine of the moderator, who was a prior donor to the Republican party. I swear, they should've gotten a mom in there who's been home-schooling her kids. Pence wouldn't have stood a chance if my mom was the moderator. Then again, my kids would say the same if they thought I was the moderator! 

Vote. Please. 

The Random Picture...

Well, Raisa was not looking for toast. I actually had her huge Kong bone in my hand. The one she flung at me and that clocked me in the shoulder. She knows how to pitch. 

Her problem is that her aim is off. You're more likely to get whacked with that bone as she uses her skills as a doggie baton tosser. She'll roll the bone around her neck and then toss it up - and that's cool. It's when it goes on an angle where it gets dangerous - then, it could land on your foot. In your knitting bag. On your lap. 

Or, as frequently happens, bounces off your head. 

That's always fun. 

And remarkably, as with buttered toast...the bone always hits you with the slimy end that she's just gnawed on. 

It's a good thing she's cute...

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Current Events and Not-So-Current Events

 

Well, it's been nearly a month, and I didn't mean it to be that long. 

I guess I should go in some sort of order. The teacher training is kicking my sit-bones, in a good way. Therapeutics has always challenged me, though our population at the studio seems to trend toward those that can use that kind of yoga. I just have to get more confident. 

I finished my second body study, wrote it up and submitted it. I have a case study due at the end of the month, and I have an assignment for my apprenticeship. That goes first, then the case study. 

No wonder that this module is considered the hardest one. I'd rather do 6 months of Sanskrit and Philosophy. 

By the way, I'm experimenting. I've changed fonts - not sure what your computer will show you, so please comment and let me know. So. On to...

CURRENT EVENTS...

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is dead. The entire nation just about collapsed in short order; it's amazing what we put on this tiny, courageous woman's shoulders. Her final wish was that her replacement not be chosen til after the election. Of course, Trumpenfuhrer et al steamrolled over that before Ruthie was cold. 

Choosing a woman who was on the Federal bench for about 45 seconds, who's pro-life (which is actually only pro-fetus), has a bunch of kids and belongs to this weirdo religious group (which she FAILED to disclose on her paperwork for appointment to the Federal bench, by the way) which believes that the man is the head of the home and should direct the woman in all things.Just how did she get to law school? Oh, and her "goal" is "to bring the country to the Kingdom of God." Ummmmmmm. Treaty of Trent, anyone? We are not now, and never have been, a nation founded upon the Christian religion. So sayeth Thomas Jefferson. 

And on top of that, the GOP then accuses the DEMS of wanting to "pack the court." Just what, please explain to me, are THEY doing shoving this Handmaid down our collective throats, and why does Clementine get to do this when Merrick Garland was refused even a meeting, in the Obama years? No, you don't have to answer, I know what it is. It's the Black Guy in the White House. A/K/A Obama Derangement Syndrome. 

Then, Karma came along. 

After a disasterous debate ... um, "debate" performance, in which Clementine was all sound and fury and Chris Wallace was unable to yank his choke chain hard enough, and even Biden snapped - a "debate" in which it was reported that Clementine simply wanted to rattle Biden enough to cause him to stutter, thus being able to cull out-of-context video clips showing him to be "stupid," because those of us who stutter are often called "stupid" (you shouldn't get me started on this)...and they failed...

THEN...

It was disclosed that Trumpenfuhrer's assistant, the young Ms. Hicks, was positive for COVID-19. After which they started dropping like flies. Suspiciously, after a "super-spreader event" in the "Now Not a Rose Garden" where nearly 200 people were crammed in to meet RBG's supposed replacement, sans masks. 

THEN...

It was disclosed that the medical team, after flying Clementine to Walter Reed, had claimed that he was "72 hours in" to his COVID diagnosis. Which means he knew - or suspected - that he had it during the debate. During which time he was out of control raving, and during which time his ENTIRE mendacious crime family sat in the arena maskless, against Cleveland Clinic rules. Which, by the way, someone should've bounced the lot of 'em. What could he have done? Closed the place? 

THEN...

As he's being airlifted to Walter Reed, nobody bothers to tell Nancy Pelosi, who's 3rd from the throne, as it were. She's supposed to know stuff like that. 

And a good percentage of Americans think this is a tremendous hoax in and of itself. We've been gaslighted so often by this administration that we really don't know what to believe. Though when he got sent to Walter Reed, I started to believe that it was "real." Walter Reed wouldn't go along with some political stunt, even for this guy. While anonymous (which seems how we get any information), a source has said his breathing is labored. I am struggling to find the balance between "karma" and "kindness." I don't want to be overly sanctimonious, but I am battling my "angels" for this. 

Do I wish him dead? No. Honestly, I don't. I wish him miserable. I wish him to achieve (though I know it's like peeing into the wind) a shred of humanity and humility. I wish him a landslide loss in the upcoming election. I wish him humiliation and a prison sentence for his crimes, which are multitude, and I'm only counting the ones since he's been in office. 

The right all want us (the left/Libs) to "have compassion" for Trumpenfuhrer...though he callously had/has no compassion for over 200,000 dead. They're screaming for Biden to suspend his campaign. 

You know - much like Clementine suspended his when Hillary came down with pneumonia. You remember that, right? Because if you do, you are truly living in an alternative universe. Because it never happened. He doubled down, mocked her and called her "too old." 

Whew... 

On top of that, we are under the spell of the first of the October full moons (there will be two) and, this being Illinois, we can't really see it because it's raining. I saw it before it reached full power. One day...

THE KNITTING...

So I'm moving along nicely on the Feather & Fan Variation for the Car Seat Blanket. I'm using the same yarn I used for the Wedding Afghan but it's not for the wedding couple. If I get a Happy Announcement from them, I'll just order more. This is for a friend of mine. 

The pattern is actually from The Linus Project, and it's a 3-row variation on the Feather & Fan which is super-easy to memorize. I can see this being a nifty scarf or shawl. But not now. I'd thought about one colorway and then I rearranged after I laid things out. It moves along fairly quickly, and I like it because it's light enough to sling over a car seat so that, in the event the parents can take The Peanut out into public EVER, and it's air-conditioned or chilly, it will be warm enough, but lacy enough to not feel like it's smothering. I love the color combo, but you know by now that I really adore a "sophisticated" palette for a baby. I like bold colors, strong patterns. 

I will use "traditional" colors if I know mom prefers it. But I don't ask. If I'm told, then that's different. If I'm not told, they get what I knit. 

I also have completed the hats and have given 2 of them to my pseudo-nephew and he looks stinkin' adorable!! As you may recall, I used the colors from his baby layette and then I used his mom's favorite color. The hats are for a one-year old, and this kid has a HUGE head! It may be that I knit him a hat a year. We'll see... This was part of my "hat binge." I'm over it now, thanks. I also did a batch of "Ear Savers" that I brought to yoga training. And in that move, saved the lives of several trainees...Kidding; but they did love them. And I'm glad I could just do that for them. 

Tomorrow, I absolutely MUST pull out Kid #2's afghan and get cracking on that. The Peanut isn't due till January, but I totally, really, REALLY must have that afghan done for Christmas for The Kid. I promised and I should have been doing that during the shut-down instead of baking bread. I wouldn't have gained 20 pounds...and I've had had it off my list finally and could with no guilt actually knit for myself. 

THE BOOK...

The book has not only been launched, it's in the top 10 nationally and INTERNATIONALLY in Holistic Health. So technically, I am an international best-selling author!! I got my author copies today, did a little "let's open the box" video and posted it. The book is available here on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions, and it's a great resource. If you want an autographed copy, drop me a comment and I'll ship it to you in the US (shipping on me, but I can't ship overseas at this time). All the volumes are really good resources; even if a topic seems to be repeated, there's always a different slant on it. Because each of us is a subject-matter expert, we often give our own techniques. So, if in Volume 1 you see a chapter on breathing, that's cool - because my chapter on breathing in Volume 3 is different. So now you have TWO tools for breathing. 

I'm really pleased to offer the tool I offer, and I think you'll like the other chapters in the book. The good thing is, you don't have to read cover-to-cover. You can look at the table of contents and check out whichever chapter strikes you. We each tell you why we talk about what we do, and it's quite interesting to read some of the stories. 

One of the stories that hit me particularly in the heart was my friend Jen's journey through the pain of infertility. I know so many women who've trod that path. Much of society tells us that motherhood is the be-all and end-all. And somehow, we as women are penalized if we can't carry a pregnancy through to completion or if we can't get pregnant at all. Jen's story will resonate with so many people, and I hope help them as well. 

And that's just her chapter. Hopefully, you will also enjoy mine, Chapter 6: Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Yep, it's that simple. And that difficult. I lead you through a breathing technique and visualization meditation that you can start right this moment, and "grow into," so to speak, as your practice starts to grow. 

And...when you purchase the book, you get access to a Facebook group wherein ALL the authors will periodically offer workshops and sessions, interviews, Q & A and more!

RANDOM PICTURE...

With the new Blogger (which, by the way, I really still dislike, except for the cool fonts which I hope translate to you, the reader), I would normally have a picture stuck here and then I'd write about it. But this way, I have to write first, then insert picture after. 

Not liking that at all. And on top of that, my "camera roll" function on the phone and One Drive seem to be going all wonky. So the picture I kind of had in mind? I'm not exactly sure where it went to... 

Did I tell you that I adore technology??? Yeah. Not. 

Anyway - in remembrance of When We Use to Have Family Holidays, these are Avocado Deviled Eggs which I made for last Easter. Which my sister, who adores deviled eggs, wouldn't eat because she claims to be allergic to avocado. I have never heard that, but I'm not one to mess with her gut, seeing as she's usually got a raging case of IBS and I'm not willing to put her in any more angst. 

So technically, I owe her a dozen "regular" deviled eggs. Someday. When we are all able to meet as a family. Or I drive to her house and drop 'em off. 

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Not Sure I Want This Much Change...

So Blogger changes. 

Then Facebook changes.

The West is on fire. 

We're in the thick of hurricane season. 

We're in the thick of a vile presidential campaign. There's gotta be a connection between weather and politics.

We've just found out that the #MangoMendicant knew --- KNEW --- how bad COVID-19 was back in January. Yeah, I know that there were probably some cognoscenti who probably saw this coming back in December. But one would think that if there was a scintilla of humanity in that moron, he'd have been honest. 

But there you go. That word. "Honest." He (and nobody in his family nor his administration) doesn't understand that word. Nor does he understand "Honor, Dignity, Service." 

The Knitting...

The Baby Hat Bonanza continues with ONE more hat. Then that's it. Seriously. I mean it. I have a baby blanket to work on (which, yes, I've started on, thanks). I've also done about 5 or 6 "ear savers" and just finished another one for myself. 

So this baby hat is for a friend who can't knit but wants to give a knitted gift. I do those "pro bono" things every once in a while, and if she asks, I'll ask her to make a donation to our church's food bank or something. I did have to buy a hank of yarn, but it's Encore Worsted, so it's what? Seven bucks? I can live with that. It's one of the rectangular ones; she wanted University of Michigan colors; so I've started with the gold (which I had) and I'm just now adding the dark blue. I had to buy that one. Which is fine. I use Encore for the prayer patches we do for church, too. Another hank in the stash won't kill me. 

The baby blanket is the Project Linus variation of Feather & Fan. I'm using the colors from the Wedding Afghan - the taupe (brown), cream (bone) and Ocean (forest green)... I love to do a baby blanket in sophisticated colors. The mom just had her first scan, and I'm not sure she'll share the gender. But with those colors, it's not a big deal. It'll be fine. I should have a picture soon.

I had actually finished the batch of hats and picked up the Long Sands tee - then realized that Baby was actually going to be along sooner than I'd thought, and I'd better "get skippy" and start knitting on that blanket. If I've learned nothing else, it's that time files and I do not like knitting deadlines!

Random Picture...  Raisa turned 7... She's technically an "adult" but since she's a Siberian Husky, we actually have a few more years... (sigh)... Now, for the elkhounds we usually do a tin of sardines. We tried that for two birthdays with Raisa. She loves sardines. They do not love her. They're not cool on the "come back up" round. So - she gets no sardines. This year, I bought her a "heavy chewer" squeaky toy, since she killed her flat stuffy. This one lasted 3 days. Now all but one squeaky has been killed. She's working on killing that last squeaky. There's some "fire hose" type fabric on the underside of this one, so we'll see if she ends up trying to eviscerate this one. 

 

 

It's a hobby. We all need a hobby. She and I can't go visit Lewis University this term; we'll see what happens for Spring semester. 

So as you can see, I'm still struggling with this crap version of the "new Blogger" -- which they shouldn't have changed in the first place. You can't place pictures easily. "Give us your feedback" is a blatant lie. And margins change at whim. 

Do us all a favor and put it back. Otherwise, WordPress is going to see a heck of an increase in subscribers. And I hate WordPress even more than I hate this iteration of some programmer's nightmare... 

It's Been a Day...

Randomly, because it's been that kind of day...

1.  I frogged The Kelly Green Hat. It was too small; it took a little digging since The Mama didn't exactly tell me the size of the Kid's head...so I had to guess based on "the average head size of a ... child." 

2.  As I started to cast on, it all went mostly swimmingly. Till I tried to join into the circle. I forgot how. Seriously, major brain goof... Had to Google it. 

3.  I've been knitting in the round on a 5-needle set of DPNs for 15 years... How in the world could I forget??

4.  I also despise the "improved Facebook interface." Why do software companies fix what ain't broke? I'm talking to YOU, Blogger!!! 

5. There's persistence... This is a weed - probably ragweed, with my luck - that's growing up THROUGH a piece of Travertine marble that's a stepping stone in our garden. Not to worry; it wasn't the "good" Travertine; it was advertised as paving stone...

Our garden is mostly done. And the upcoming 5-day heat wave is likely to kill the rest of it off. Which is fine. 

I'm ripping out the milkweed before it re-seeds. All we have are the red beetles. I had one -- ONE -- caterpillar, and rumor has it that while the beetles don't harm the caterpillars, their poop does. I've grown milkweed for 4 years now; I need to see some results in the form of Monarchs. And I saw the butterflies around. They did light on the milkweed, and I suspect that at least one of them laid eggs. But not a single one survived. 

We did, however, have more than a plethora of red beetles. And these nasty hornet-looking things, too. Which I'd never seen before. So it's time to rip it out and start over. I have to do some research to figure out how to get rid of the beetles in a way that's still safe for the caterpillars. 

The Knitting...

Well, I have Friday off, so I'm going to whack through The Kelly Green Hat. Then I'm going to make a definitive list of my COVID knitting - just for myself because I'm becoming demoralized about all the folks I see who're on their "87th pair of socks" or "14th Quarentine Shawl." 

I'm not setting myself up for competition. It's just that I've knitted a lot of small things and I need to just catalog them for myself. 

So far: 1 shawlette; 1 shawl; 4 baby hats (#5 on the way, so to speak); 1 "ear guard" which I have to re-do, larger; 5 washcloths (maybe 6?)...and I started the Long Sands Tee. That's what I want to get back to, so that's why I want to whack out The Kelly Green Hat. I have time to get two of the hats off to a Special Someone. And then I might make another one just to have in stash. 

Random Picture(s)...

Tippi says: WEAR the fluffin' mask. WASH your fluffin' paws. STAY the fluff home!!! 

Our county is under restrictions starting tomorrow because we live with morons who can't wear a mask "because it infringes on my freedom. 

Let me tell you something: I've been intubated before. TRUST me when I say that a mask? A piffle. Intubation? It hurts. 




So now, everyone's whining and moaning about how "it's the bars and restaurants that are being penalized." Well.... duh!!! It's because y'all can't wait to go out and party. Seriously - there's a bar 3 blocks from me and they set up tents in the parking lot. There is NO WAY that those tables are 6 feet apart. And even if they were? I've driven by plenty of times after teaching a later yoga class -- and I've seen the patrons all "mingling." 


Social distancing isn't that hard. Stay at least two-and-a-half elkhounds away... 

PS: No elkhounds were harmed in the masking of Tippi. The mask was on for about 5-7 seconds while I took the picture. She's such a good sport!

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The Book, The Knitting, The DNC & More...

 Oh my. So much going on. So I'm writing a book - well, a CHAPTER in a book. And it's done; this weekend, we finish the last revisions. Then it goes to the publisher and in October-ish, we have a book. A. Book. We're keeping the cover a closely guarded secret for right now. This is Volume 3 - and there I am - Pat Perrier...  

I'm so tickled to bring this to you, and as soon as it's available, I'll let you know. I have Volumes 1 and 2, and they're great resources to use during these chaotic times. Laura DiFranco has organized all of these for us and I can tell you that writing the chapter was a great experience. I've been writing since I was a kid. I've written stories, I've written articles. I've edited textbooks. I've written columns, both in the "traditional" newspaper and in the e-zine elephant journal (yes, no caps in the title). My dream has been to write a whole book. And I feel like a chapter is a good start. 

Maybe the whole book will come. I've looked here, and I've been on Blogger for 14 years. Fourteen. Years. So of course, Blogger just recently changed its format. 

The new format sucks. 

SUCKS.

And nobody will help or answer you. They've made it infinitely more difficult to blog. To select pictures. To manipulate the way the pictures work in the blog. 

Now, I'm perfectly willing to tell you that I am not the center of the Universe. Blogger (for that matter, Google, which owns the company) doesn't have to accommodate my process. Usually, I have a topic in mind. And I have pictures. I write the first paragraph, then dump all the pics in. Then write the rest. 

But now? I can't dump pics in; they don't play well with the text. Text doesn't wrap properly. You can load one picture. At a time. For a photo-heavy blog like this one, that's a major pain in the patoot. The "new" Blogger? FUBAR. F-U-B-A-R. 

*normally, "f'd up" but in my clean version: Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition. Anyone in the military will know this one...

I hope that they listen to the multitude of us who've used the platform for over decades - and take it back to the "legacy" version. Don't fix what wasn't broken. 

The Knitting...

It's a baby binge. No, pets -- no announcements are imminent. Though I do have a few "parents to be" - none of them are actually related to me. 

I've done a stash into the "Oddments Bag" - which is where I keep the scraps from FOs (finished objects). So, left to right, the stripey one is Encore Worsted. The center teal one is the leftovers from The Dreaded Teal Sock (bet you thought I'd burned that yarn, didn't you??) - Trekking XL. And right, the other Encore Worsted, with a lighter yellow held double there. Not sure I'm really jazzed about that, but I like the I-cord top knot. All of these are free patterns, from Rav. The two worsted weight ones are Julie Taylor's Tegan Baby Hat, which for the striped one, I just omitted the top knot. 

The teal one is Sesia Bimbo (don't even ask, I have no idea) - Plymouth Yarn's rolled brim baby hat. 

The next one is a combo from a baby blanket I knitted where the yarn was held double - but this time, I separated them and did this rectangle hat. It's from Katinka Knits, on Ravelry, and called "Easiest Baby Hat." Truth. 

The pompoms were my idea. I finally found a pom-pom maker that works. So I'm addicted to them. But not to worry - they won't show up on anything but hats! 

And the final baby hat is a pretty obnoxious green. But that's ok. I'm sure the recipient will adore it. It's the Emergency One Day Hat, which in my case takes more than one day. This is the pattern I used for the 4 Christmas hats I knitted last year. Also free on Ravelry. 

Lest you think I'm a cheapskate, I do actually BUY patterns. I've got a few Wooly Hooligan tee shirts and a few others. They're in the line for production soon. Like Long Sands, which is set aside for a minute till I finish this hat. 

I'm enjoying whacking out these hats. A few will go to definite babies. I still have to work on that one Feather & Fan car seat blanket. And Kid #2's afghan has GOT to get finished this year. In 2020, with all the crap floating around, the Kid is GETTING that afghan this year. 

I Do More Than Knit...

Which you all knew. But here is a shot of just a few of my needlework projects. And a new mask for tomorrow's yoga training. I'm futzing with the elastic and it needs work. But it'll do for the weekend training. 

So, upper left, upper right and lower left are counted cross stitch. Lower right is crewel embroidery. 

This kind of needlework had been my main crafting for decades. Of course, BB (before bifocals)...when I could bring these small projects to work and stitch during my lunch breaks. Now, not only do I have a few that are on big stretcher bars, but I don't see well enough anymore. Not like it's fatal - just being in my 60s has changed what I can easily see in "office lighting." So I keep those home, and pull 'em out every so often and put in a few stitches. 

I couldn't resist this fabric. I went into JoAnn Fabrics SPECIFICALLY to buy pizza-themed fabric for Kid #2. More masks needed for when they go back to the classroom. Right now, that district is remote for the first quarter. But eventually, there will be a wardrobe of masks. 

I'm doing that for myself, too. Because it looks like we'll be doing this for a while. Our rate in our county is 7.9% and 8% is the threshold for going back a phase or two. Time will tell. But I'm not happy about the prospect of closing my yoga studio again. 

Ahem. Back to masks. So I saw this flamingo fabric and got a half a yard. I already had the plain muslin for the back and I did a "ring" of elastic. I need to tighten that up a bit. It has to sit kind of high on my head. But that's ok. I also bought seam binding, which I can stitch up and use as ties if I need to do that. 

They're not exactly heirlooms. And I'm still making the 3-pleat ones for a fundraiser. I believe the fabric is multiplying in the dark because the pile doesn't get shorter. But then, I need to stop shopping... 

Perception is Everything...

I love chocolate covered graham crackers. If I have a "vice," this is it. So I bought some and I didn't pay attention to the package. Normally, I don't buy Keebler - the store brand is usually good, but they didn't have any of those. 

Look. A scandal. Normally, they're about 2.5" square. 

These are not. They are tiny. They aren't "grahams" -- they're "snippets." You can see my index finger as an example of scale. What kind of trickery is this? What bamboozle is being played on unsuspecting fans of chocolate covered graham crackers?

Reminds me of sugar. Used to be, you'd buy sugar in 5-pound bags, but about 5 or 6 years ago (could be more, I'm not sure), they squidged the bags down to 4 lbs. Same price, of course... just less sugar. 

Just didn't make my day. In spite of the fact that they were, actually, pretty good. I really love the dark chocolate ones I can find at Starbucks, but I don't love the price. So, these were a good choice, because they "fixed" my craving. But still. The size. 

Size matters.

The DNC...

For the first time in a long, long time, I actually watched most of the Democratic National Convention. Full disclosure: Biden/Harris wasn't my dream team. Warren/Harris was. Or Warren/Duckworth... 

But. It is a ticket I can live with. Like you read on social media: This isn't a marriage. It's a way to get us from Point A (#MangoMussolini) to Point B (actual reality, rule of law, and progress). 

It's COVID time, so of course it wasn't IRL (in real life). So while that took away some of the energy, it substituted something better: You could actually concentrate on the platform. On the speeches. You could hear everything. 

Some highlights, in my opinion: Tammy Duckworth's speech. Just listen. And of course, Michelle Obama's speech. And Barack Obama's dire warning. It's not "over-done." It's right on target. And if you're not scared, you're not paying attention. Listen here.

Then there was the music. John Legend and Common. The Chicks. The kids singing the anthem. Jennifer Hudson. 

Joe Biden did the best job on his speech. Ever. I've heard him speak for years. But this? He nailed it. 

Kamala Harris did a good job doing what she did: introducing herself to us as a human being. A friend said, "I was afraid they'd label her An Angry Black Woman if she went after anyone." Yeah, she could have. But Barack did it for her. So she could show us that she wasn't just a prosecutor. 

And besides... She made Brett Kavanaugh cry. That's perfect. She doesn't have to prove herself as "the attacker." She's proven that with Barr and Kavanaugh. I'm good with it, and I'm anxious to watch the show over the next 70-some days. 

Please check your registration. Vote. Our democracy depends on it. Go here to do that. Takes less than a minute. Do it now; I'll wait...  

Random Picture...

So in the spirit of a new day.... This is a picture out the back door of the studio from 2017, of a beautiful rainbow. 

During the Obama years it was about Hope and Change. 

Then, it was about .... I'm not sure, but hate and discontent happened and then the rich got richer. Then xenophobia. 

Then a pandemic. And chaos. 

We need a rainbow. We, as a culture, are a rainbow - a blend of people, ideas, cultures. We need to begin to celebrate that again. We've lost it and in the process lost what was good and kind about our country. 

Let's work to get that back. 

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It's the Constitution, Stupid...

There's been a lot of buzz about #MangoMussolini wanting to "defer" the election. But then again, today he tweeted that he wants it sooner. 

Here's the thing, folks: HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING about the date. Period. Full stop. End of sentence. This is what the Constitution (you know, that document he keeps trying to set flame to) says: Article II, Section 1: ‘The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.'

Back in April, 2020, the website Constitution Daily started speculating that, due to COVID-19, there might perhaps be a delay or postponement of the upcoming election. But before you start clutching your pearls, here's what they ultimately said:

What remains clear is that only the states and Congress have the power to delay that part of the election process. “Unlike the practice of some states that allow the Governor to postpone an election during emergencies, neither the Constitution nor Congress provides any similar power to the President or other federal officials to change this date outside of Congress’s regular legislative process,” the report says.

Congress also would have the power, by changing the appropriate statutes, to change the general election date and as well the dates electoral votes are received in Washington and counted in Congress. Such changes would require the consent of the House and the Senate and would be extraordinary since “the presidential election date has never been changed in response to an emergency,” the CRS concluded.

In essence, if we didn't change the election during the CIVIL WAR, there's not a snowball's chance in an Illinois August that we're changing it now. Even the Republicans are walking back (quickly) from that, with - gasp! - TEXAS saying, "Yeah...no. Election day is November 3, 2020." Even #MoscowMitch, TED CRUZ and #LeningradLindsey aren't budging on this one, though Cruz did kvetch about the "voter fraud" problem*.... Which isn't...

A professor of law and political science from University of California's Irvine School of Law (you will agree that this isn't exactly a schlock institution, ya think?) said, "Election fraud committed with absentee ballots is more prevalent than in-person viting but it is still rare," and he cites a dataabse created by News21, a national investigative reporting project that tracks cases of election fraud. The findings? Absentee ballot fraud comprised about 24% of reported prosecutions between 2000 and 2012 (twelve years). The number of cases? 491 - in a period where literally BILLIONS of votes were cast. 

Want a bit more irony? #MangoMussolini himself voted via absentee ballot in the 2018 midterm elections... 

Really. If the news media is going to publish every piece of manure that drips from his disgusting lips? At least have sense enough to do some basic research. 

The Garden...

Well, the wildflowers are in a riotous burst of color. And I've managed to harvest a couple of pods of poppy seeds. The Monarchs are looking a bit bedraggled, as you can see from this picture. Poor baby... I hope that the one caterpillar I saw is a survivor. My milkweed also looks a bit worse for the wear, too. 

OK, so I'm not liking the new Blogger interface... TWICE -- having to upload the same picture and now it just ate my text. Bah!!! So let's see how it reacts now; I'm just going to type what I wrote before, and see what the picture does. Hmmm. Not what I want it to do - I sort of thought that the text would wrap around the pictures. This isn't useful if it's not going to do that. Anyway, in this picture you can see the dill is even getting scraggly. I need to take the "weed whacking tool" and scrape out the weeds; without dislodging the wildflowers. Hubby still has a hard time telling one from the other. I'd love to get some Queen Anne's Lace in there - maybe next year. 

It appears that now, I have to figure out how to use the new interface; and it's going to mess up my process again. It used to be that the pictures kind of lead what I was writing about. I'd upload a bunch of them, write, and then insert them where they were supposed to go. But now??? Jeeze, Blogger!! Don't make it easy. Change for the sake of change is useless to me. Please pardon how wonky this will look till I figure it all out... 

Hubby's orchids are looking good - there's a beautiful cluster of the blossoms on one of the miniature phals. He's so excited! There's also a blossom on the wonky little butterwort plant we have near the orchids. It's supposed to keep away any "fruit flies" that come around; I haven't seen it do anything one way or the other, but it has tossed up a blossom, so there you go. He fusses over his orchids like a mother hen over her chicks, which is fine with me. We have two large cattleyas which I hope bloom soon. They're certainly throwing up the leaves! Now, let's show some blossoms, kids!

Crafting Away...

Today, I spent time in the sewing/yoga/music/office space... One day, it'll be a defined space, but then again, maybe that IS the definition. I still have to continue to organize and declutter in that space. It's taking a while. 

A few pics here. I tried a new way to do the ties for my masks and I finally did my alpaca ones. The tie, which is binding tape, goes over my head and ties around the back of the neck. It's a bit fiddly - and I should have just split the binding tape length in half. One of these is shorter than the other, but they both work. It's going to take a bit of messing around to get it to fit correctly. But I like the idea of being able to untie ONE tie and take the whole thing off. 

Isn't that alpaca fabric fun? I just love it. I also finished a green-ish mask for Kid #2. It has regular ties. I asked my sister if BIL would like one, and she said, "pattern is too flashy." To me, this looks like a Grandpa tie. But what do I know? I ask you -- does that look FLASHY?? Hubby even raised an eyebrow at that. But who are we? I'd rather make a mask for someone who'll wear it. The Kid said he had some "old cotton shirts" and wants me to make masks out of them. This should be fun. Hopefully, they're not t-shirts. I hate sewing jersey!

I have about 10 more of the 3-pleat masks to do to add to the "Mask Fundraiser" pile. Got several of them pinned, and will do the rest of the sewing over the weekend. I also have to mail Kid #1's birthday gift to him soon. It's going to be late, but I think he's not home anyway - at least his GF's social media feed looks like that's the case. 

On the other hand, I did also get my Backpack Buddha order of Mayan masks. The masks are made by the indigenous people and the proceeds go to help the local community, which I like. They're well-made and reasonably priced though there's not much information on how to care for them. I can't imagine just tossing them in the wash, mostly due to the velcro on the ties. It's all recycled cotton, which is always good. And it's tightly woven, also good. These are certainly different, particularly in the way they attach to your head!

I'm not entirely sure how to keep them clean, but I'll figure that out. I like the nose piece on these. They did not fog my specs and they stay away from my mouth. I just can't handle the masks touching my mouth because it feels like I'm swallowing it. And the ties are velcro! One over the head, one behind the neck. I had no choice of colors; I have one that's "Navy tones" and this one is "tan tones." I'm fine with that. I love the Aztec pattern and while the black on the nose and under the chin might be a bit dark, I can't help but think these might be more comfortable overall. I like the ones that are more fitted, as  you can tell. And so do most people. 

Hubby wears one that's got a washable, changeable filter. We got one for Kid #2 for school (in case they're going back - still not sure...) and I have one. I just have a hard time with it -- I really think it's more for guys because I have a hard time keeping it on my head. The velcro (points for that) is all the way at the smallest size when I've tried to wrap it around the back of my head. And it slips off my hair. But it has its good points - fitted and the filter thingie is handy. 

The Long Sands tee is moving along. I'm almost at the point of knitting in the round. The drop stitch row went ok -- I did find that I didn't exactly do the "P1, YO" row correctly - I did a couple purls in a row in more than a few places. But I don't care. Really. If you get close enough to the hem of this shirt to notice that? You and I had better be married! Belive me, Hubby won't even notice. 

And I have a Knitting Story to tell you, sweeties... I was reading the pattern, kind of figuring out what was going on. I saw StSt (stockinette stitch) and it said "Knit all rows." I pondered that for a moment or 10...and then I looked it up. 

Stockinette stitch is clearly NOT "knit all rows." That's actually Garter Stitch. But the photo of the project definitely shows StSt as the body of the tee. I'm now confused and doubting myself. And I'm staying up wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too late... So I fire off a query to the designer about the whole thing and I toddle off to bed. 

At 4 a.m. (I swear...) I sit bolt upright in the bed and say, "You moron... When you're knitting in the round, StSt automatically happens by knitting every row. Think of every single Vanilla sock you've ever knit, stupid!"

Later that morning, checking my messages, I find a very sweet message from the designer explaining exactly that, only nicer. I reply back with my "before dawn epiphany" and the designer replies, "Can't even tell you how many times I've done that!" I love me some Quince & Co.!

Random Picture...

We've been trying to see a comet; and I think it's gone now. It's been too light (too much light pollution) or too cloudy. Tonight, Hubby points outside...I thought, "This is it."

It wasn't. But it was beautiful. The sunset would've been perfect if the houses across the street weren't there. Not like I want to get rid of my neighbors. 

Maybe I just want to live where there's lots of sky... That being said, this does remind me of the old adage: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; Red sky at night, sailor's delight. 

Whatever Mother Nature wants to show me in the evening? I'll take it. There are a lot of things wrong with Illinois. But the one thing we do really well here in the collar counties is "sunrise and sunset."                                                                                                                     Right now, we're on the cusp of taking every gain we've made in the past 4 months and flushing it.  We're doing crap on our COVID rates as we speak, but this sky is saying something: night follows day as day follows night.