Hit By A Really BIG Bus...

...that's what I'm feeling lately. Not sure I can talk about it yet. But I will. 

And I have a "migraine hangover" so please bear with me... It was a 2-Maxalt headache, but it seems like I've got a bit of a fog going on.

Just A Few Things...

Just a few things have happened lately. The Cubs won the World Series. Yes, they did!

And we elected a bullying moron for president. Yes. We did. 

I watched the Cubs, though I admit I went to bed in disgust when they and their bats didn't show up for that one game. But I did it. I'm glad I was able to do that because being a life-long Cub fan, it's certainly something I've never done. So I guess I can cross that one off my bucket list. 

I would like to go to a game at Wrigley just once. I hear that it's the atmosphere more than anything else. You certainly won't have the amenities one has at home, like multiple camera angles, your favorite chair and a quick trip to the bathroom! But it would be nice to see it. I suppose I could find some knitting to bring along with me. 

I love the chalk wall. This is on one wall of Wrigley Field (probably two walls, by now) and grew organically. The management let it be, and people have been adding "In memory of..." messages since the Cubs won. Management is going to preserve it in photos though they've already said they're going to eventually power-wash it all as they continue to renovate the ball field. By all rights, my grandmother and my great-grandma should be on that wall. But they're in my heart, so that's all that matters. I will be making some small "W" flags and will, come spring, plant them at their graves. 

The cemeteries clean the gravesites to prepare them for winter, so if I do anything now, it's likely to be removed. 

We can wait. 

We've waited this long...

Knitting...

So, I was an election judge this year, and I knew it was going to be busy. Despite what the national results were, our polling place was constantly moving. We had over 560 voters (we're tiny - this was a big turnout), and I think our longest break was perhaps 20 minutes. 


I knew the baby sweater wasn't going to cut it. I was at the only fiddly-bit on the whole thing: adding the curve to the neck. Instead, I grabbed the Shape-It scarf since the wings are straight knitting. 

I sat next to Nick, a newbie judge who was THE. SLOWEST. TYPIST. EVER. We have tablets to check people in, though we still vote on paper. Nick was the absolute slowest person on the planet, and it was all I could do to not snatch the tablet from beneath his fingers. 

He was trying, bless his little heart...

And in a lull, he says to me, "Are you crocheting?" Hey - I give him props for KNOWING enough to ask. So I explained that I was knitting, and I let him pet the baby alpaca yarn. His mother "did one or the other, I don't know" and he has a "blanket" that was done for him. 

Very nice guy. And he appreciated the alpaca (or he was a great faker about it!). But I really didn't get more than 2 rows done, maybe 3. I'm going to try to put a few more rows on in the next day or so. I want to get it done so that I can block it out and wear it when the weather finally turns. It'll look lovely with my leather coat.

The baby sweater is growing. I'm on the sleeve, got about maybe 10 rows to go before I bind off there, and finish the body. Then - done. Just the buttons. 

I realized, to my chagrin, that the buttonholes are askew. Blast! It was the World Series. I'm going to have to take the sweater to a priest for a blessing as it is, since during a few of the games, I wasn't saying anything nice... I'll just tell mommy that the whole thing is asymmetrical and this is a design component. 

That works. 

I think I can pull a matching hat out of the yarn I have left. And maybe a pair of booties, but I'll have to put some brown tops on them or something. Haven't gotten that far yet. Or maybe I do the hat with a brown ribbing edge? Or stripes? It could be cute. And the buttons are brown, that's why I'm veering in that direction.

Christmas Baking 2016...

The Great Potica Bake Part I has happened. Ten. Count 'em. TEN long loaves, 2 small ones. Kid #2 came down to help, because of Hubby's chipped wrist bone - he didn't have enough flex in his wrist to help roll. 

I tried something different this time. I did the prep in stages. I did the filling and stuck that in the fridge on Friday. Then, on Friday night I did the dough.

I checked with my friend and chef Carolyn - and she said, "yeah do up to the first rise and stick it in the fridge - it'll rise a bit and should be fine."

Well. It doubled in size and popped the lid off the sealed bowl. Hmmmmmm. 

I was off to a church function on Saturday, and The Kid was going to come down around noon. We serve lunch at the local homeless shelter as part of our outreach. Sadly, I was kind of verging on a migraine, which didn't help (and yeah, it "bloomed" after the last bake, thankfully). 

I asked Hubby to take the dough out of the fridge, and I think we had a bit of a problem estimating how long it would take to warm up. Just as, I think, we underestimated how long it would take to cool off - the rising happened because the dough was warm and it took a while to chill, so the yeast did its thing...

The Kid took charge of the filling and did the "drudge work" of greasing pans and flouring the cloth. I wanted him to help roll, but seeing as he's a large guy (tall - just about 6'2") and has hands that are "basketball hands" -- that didn't work out well. 

I ended up doing the rolling, and as the dough came to warm up, the rolling was - even though I hesitate to say it - perfect. Seriously, no trouble after the first one, which was still too cold. 

See, here's the issue: Potica dough is notorious for being more finicky than you can imagine. It's bothered by temperature. It's crabby about humidity. It's cranky about the amount of flour on the cloth... And it's picky about the rolling pin. 

I ended up with my marble rolling pin. (Hey mom, since I've been doing these for 6 years now, can I have Dad's ball-bearing solid oak rolling pin, please???) It worked well, and the cloth, being fairly new, actually behaved better than last year. 

There's also mythology about the cloth too. We had a damask tablecloth. It was, in my estimation, about 40 years old. I finally retired it the year before last, when it got too hole-y to patch anymore and the darns were so large that they were tearing the dough. 

The dough has to be thin, and the cloth was already worn. The darns didn't help. So we bought a new one a few years ago, and it's taken some punishment to break it in. It's good now, I think. 

I rolled, he prepped the rolled dough (and no, I can't give you details. The mythology also involves secrecy about the exact components of the recipe. My granny would haunt me.), and we got it all put together. 

We thought at first that we'd have to re-do the last batch of dough because of the extraordinary rise it got overnight, but it seemed like everything went well. 

We may do another single batch over Christmas break so that we have extra for Easter. It freezes well. And I've got 4 of them sold for Christmas already. Thankfully, I got 4 "pretty" ones out of this day's work. Kid #2 got one of the half-loaves for his help.

Frankly, I missed Kid #1 - he's our "premier roller" and he's working out of state. He may not even come home for Christmas. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. But I don't have a choice in that one, that's for sure... All I can do is send him a care package and hope he's doing ok. 

So here's The 2016 Cookie List. It's mostly final. I may put together a biscotti, just to lighten up all the heavy flavors. 

Kid #2 has his list and he usually brings them to our family celebrations. 

This is the list that ends up on my holiday platters for gifts. So there also may be some pumpkin bread or some date-somethings. 

I like to have variety, and while I appreciate the tradition of the same cookies, I always try a few different ones every year to shake things up a bit. I noticed that I didn't add any "bread" or "bar cookies" so those might make it on there. 

The "walnut tarts" -- those are a new invention of mine. I have more potica filling left. I didn't make it as "wet" as Hubby thinks I should, but I think it's too wet and doesn't cook well when the filling is too heavy. And my dad never put a lot of filling in. And the dough was especially thin this year, as I mentioned, so I went with a little lighter hand. 

Hubby has been bugging me. Nay - he has been positively NAGGING me to try his grandma's Never Fail Pie Crust. I've been avoiding it, because I don't do pie crusts. But Kid #2 tried it (he also stinks at pie crusts) and told me (ha!) "The Curse is lifted...it works, so go for it." 

So what I thought, since I only have about a half-batch of filling left, and there's no way I can make only a "half-batch" of dough, is that I might try a tart. Tiny tarts. Like pecan tassies, if you know what those are. If not, I've provided a link. My granny used to make these, too. 

This is the experiment for the day. It may flop tremendously, but it might be ok. We shall see. 

Garden Bounty...

The garden has given up everything but the carrots, and those are coming out soon. 

This is the last of the kale, and Hubby got a 2-quart bag full of Brussels Sprouts, which isn't bad for our first year. 

It's getting cooler, so I'm not in the mood for smoothies. I did The Google and found that I could just bag it and freeze it (after washing, of course!). I bought a can of soup for the office and it's Kale, Quinoa and Red Lentil. That shouldn't be too hard to duplicate. Or even a creamy kale soup? Or adding it to a veggie soup. Once it's frozen, I can chunk off a hunk and dice it up, toss it in a stew or soup, and there ya go. 

Or I can let it stay in the fridge and use it next year for smoothies. Either way. Didn't want to waste it, so this is a great alternative. 

If anyone has any decent recipes, I'm all ears. I know I can't do my usual sauteed kale. Like most greens, freezing changes the texture. Maybe I can fiddle with Mario Batali's Kale Pesto recipe. Boy, I wonder if that would be too strong? Kale makes itself known, and sometimes that's not always good. 

I'm also wondering how the Brussels Sprouts will be, and I'm toying with a potatoes-and-sprouts recipe for Thanksgiving. We still have Rosemary in the garden, and I've frozen some basil and parsley. 

As has been our practice, we're doing most of Thanksgiving again, though my mom is hosting. I don't mind, and in past years, we've been parceling out the side dishes to the grandkids - they have to learn somehow, so it's a good thing to do. And for the most part - they're mostly boys; they'll eat anything. 

The Election...

OK, I think I'm ready to talk. 

I was devastated by the results of the election on a couple of levels. First, in full disclosure, I am not a fan of Hillary. I was a Bernie voter and I would vote for him again in a heartbeat. And I think he'd have beaten the bullying moron (or BM as I shall hereinafter refer...).

Do I believe we need a woman as president? Absolutely. Just not her. 

Is she qualified? Absolutely. But we don't do political dynasties here in the US. It was bad enough with Pappy Bush and Shrub. And then Jebbie tried again - and failed miserably. 

Hillary, despite her qualifications, has more baggage than O'Hare International Airport during the Thanksgiving weekend. It was never going to happen. I'm sorry to burst bubbles, but it wasn't going to happen. 

As usual, Democrats sat on their laurels and underestimated "the base." That nebulous group of individuals who vote and always, always stun the professional data-geeks spoke, loudly.

That being said, many people spoke by silence. The voter turnout was at a historic low for a presidential year - especially given the contentious nature of this election cycle. 

Stuff is whirling around about the Electoral College being overturned, and maybe we need to have that discussion - when tempers and emotions have cooled. We really do need to at least talk about it. It wouldn't have mattered which way the election had gone, because the discussion about the institution itself needs to be had. We have drilled into our kids' heads that "your vote matters," but really, in a presidential election, it doesn't seem to. Hillary has won the popular vote. But she lost the EC vote, at least for now. 

The Federalist papers say that the Electors have a duty to make sure the president is fit and to determine if there are any things or issues which would disqualify the candidate. The BM clearly is not qualified. The terrified visage portrayed during the ceremonial White House visit is clear. 

While I cringe at the thought of Kim Jong Il and Vladmir Putin at a state dinner, I feel for my younger sisters-in-life - the women of child-bearing age who will clearly have all choice taken from them if that guy gets hold of the Presidential Pen.  

So my choice is to sit and wring my hands; do "Facebook activism;"** or actually, you know, DO SOMETHING. 

I'm choosing to do something. I'm not sure what, but I'm taking Bernie's advice as seen in this clip here. I posted this and a friend of mine, who for some reason HATES Bernie, said she "couldn't bear his sneering face." 

I don't think Bernie sneers. But I appreciate her bruised feelings. I don't like her tone, but I can only control my own reaction to others. 

I have already contacted my senator and representative, and asked them to demand that the BM release the taxes. We have a right to see if there are any disqualifiers there (see the comment on the EC above). I'm going to donate to causes which will have an impact. I'm going to write letters. I'm going to call people (which is REALLY out of my comfort zone) and I'm going to talk to local officials, too. Nationally, we must do something about the stranglehold now on our government - and locally, we could always use the help, too. It starts locally, and grows into a global movement. 

**Facebook activism refers to those folks who "click" or "share" something and then feel all proud of themselves for "being involved."

Don't kid yourself. You're a speck on the cosmos. You're better off getting off your rear end and actually contributing something: even a little bit helps. Make a phone call. Write a letter. Join a cause. Contribute money if you can. But don't sit in your chair clicking away and thinking you're changing the world. Because you're not. 

So that's my take. I will do my homework and pick a cause or causes to concentrate on. And I will get involved. This is our wake-up call. 

Random Picture... 

So the deck is coming along. We have a "deck" part, we have railings (not up yet) and posts. The steps are all stained and coming along. Even with a chipped bone in his wrist, Hubby is plugging along. 


Today, we take down the hummingbird feeders and get them stored away for winter. He may even mow one or two more times this season. He's determined to get the deck done before the cold sets in. I will, of course, post a picture of the finished product. 

We chatted about whether we're going to put the grill out there. "Or do you want to sit out here," he says. 

We've had a lovely patio he put together about 10 years ago. Upon which we've rarely sat. Even with nice chairs. We have a porch. Upon which we've rarely sat... We're not really "outside-sitters." But maybe we should be. 

It's all part of being a part of your neighborhood and a part of society. We've lost the "porch sitter" aspect of our neighborhood, and I think that's to our detriment. I am horribly shy (go ahead, laugh, but it's true). I don't like to be in situations where I'm faced with people I don't know. 

But it's time to step out of that comfort zone. Not like I'm going to change the world, right? 

But then again, by changing my own attitude, am I not making a step toward changing the world? Margaret Mead said it best: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."

Nine Days till Spring...

...at least according to the calendar... 

Batting cages

This is what we woke up to: at least in our area, 4" of snow. Over the top of about 1-2" of ice. 

Hello, Mother Nature -- exactly WHAT did we do to annoy you??

OK, the concept of "spring" is relative in the Midwest USA area. We can have perfectly lovely weather - and that can include snow. And we can have crap. Which can also include snow.

I personally love snow. What I don't love is the thaw part, because then it gets ugly, sloppy and depressing. Before everything starts greening up again, it's perfectly dreadful. But there it is. You have to pay for the pretty winter and pretty spring with an ugly middle part there.

I had a dentist appointment - to pick up a bite splint. I'm not a grinder. I'm a clencher. I tend to clench my jaw, which is particularly bad when you do it in your sleep. I've gotten nasty headaches, and as a fun side effect, I've fractured two molars. 

Frosty trees

Yep, just as much fun as it sounds... 

So anyway, most of these shots were taken on my drive back from the dentist. Pretty forlorn looking batting cages, aren't they?

Most of the main roads were somewhat plowed, but there was one main road that was, honestly, a sheet of ice. And by the way: a POX on people who haven't got the brains of a goose. People -- as long as you're scraping or brushing off your windshields, please, PLEASE brush off your front and back lights. I can't read your mind and I don't know your signal is on when your lights are covered. And the road is icy. I can't always stop. You're just lucky I'm cautious. 

So the drive there and back took longer than it took to pick up the device. I also set up the appointment for Crown #2 - because of the clenching. Lucky me.

Anyway, I took several of these just because I know the "ick" is coming and I thought I'd like to remember the fact that it's actually gorgeous.

Frosted birch

See, here's the thing. The trees are iced over. The snow is on the trees. There's a light breeze, and all of a sudden, when you stop and listen, you hear it.

A nature-inspired wind chime. A tinkling sound that, if you're in the right frame of mind, worms into your brain and makes you realize just how beautiful and awesome Nature really is. This shot is my neighbor's birch tree. In the spring, summer and fall, this tree hosts just about every songbird in the neighborhood. Ask Kid #2, who parks under it...

The first robins of spring pop up in that tree. Cardinals, their bright red bodies popping through the pale green leaves and against the white bark - you hear their cheerful songs in the summer. 

And of course the chattering squirrels race up and down and around that tree. Annoying the snot out of our dogs, but having a blast. 

So much beauty, and it's ours for free. If we only look at it and see it for what it is. Inconvenient? Sure. There are lots of stupid drivers who haven't quite gotten the clue that this has been a relatively brutal winter. They think the sun's out so we can just zip along. Or that their 4WD vehicle is capable of stopping fast. No, it's not. To be truthful, 4WD is to PULL you out of situations. Not STOP you from having them. 

Local street

Some of the neighborhoods haven't exactly been plowed out. This isn't my neighborhood, but it's close. And as you can see, they haven't really broken any speed records for getting the streets clean. 

I saw lots of people shoveling and trying to use snow-blowers. The only bad thing was that this is truly "heart attack" snow. It's wet and heavy. Hubby said that of all the snow he's shoveled this winter (and I don't even know how I'd calculate that), this is by far the heaviest, "and it feels like I moved 3 tons of it!" 

Crocus

That's saying something, since he rarely comments on the snow. Even so, this isn't the kind that moves easily with a machine. It's down-and-dirty get-the-shovel snow. The local PD is having an enforcement field day, though. We have a "no parking after 2" of snow" ordinance. We've had it for years. And still, people are kind of dumbfounded when the cops come knocking. They see if you're home as a courtesy and you have about 4 minutes to move your car. If you don't, you get a ticket. Our streets are similar to those in the above shot: they're narrow. Plows can't come through easily. And the rationale is, hey - if the plow comes down the middle and your vehicle gets covered, or your mirrors get whacked off? That would be YOUR problem for not moving your car out of the way. 

Oh, the crocus? That's not my picture. I used to have crocus and snowdrops. But the bunnies liked the salad and I got frustrated. This is just a freebie - I thought you'd like to see some hint of spring. 

Knitting...

So you'll notice that (thanks, Hubby!) I have a new ticker system along the right side of the blog. It's a little more "ticker" and easier to read than the snapshot of the Excel graph. But I should probably trim down the list, huh?

Baby jacket WIP

I have created a schedule. (cue laughter) -- No, I mean it. I've drawn up a list of the days of the week and a project for each day. I'm hoping that (a) it'll keep me faithful to some WIPs; and (b) get stuff off the needles with more regularity. 

And here it is:  MON-Pink sock; TUE-February Lady Sweater; WED-Teal sock; THURS-Kid 2 afghan; FRI-Baby sweater; SAT-Crafter's Choice!; and SUN-Counted XS project (for the curious non-crafter, XS refers to "cross stitch").

This way, I can perhaps gain some control. (cue more laughter) I really, REALLY want to get some of this stuff done, and in particular, my mom's Angel and the socks. Yes, I still have tons of WIPs. And no, not everything on the ticker made it to the list. There are, after all, only SEVEN days in a week. I figure the Crafter's Choice day is for either plowing forward on some of what's listed, or picking up something here and there. I can always take knitting to work when I work Saturdays. The counted XS is a little harder now because I prefer magnification, but I could do some of the smaller projects (the XS) without too much trouble if I had to. It's certainly easier to pick up and put down than a knitting or crochet project where you may be counting a repeat or trying to do lace in public... I even put that schedule on my smart phone to remind myself. (cue final bout of laughter)

I figure I have till this Monday to start with that schedule. So for now, I'm whacking away at the Blue Stash Baby Jacket. Dang, I wish I knew what this yarn was called!! 

And Then There's This...

I just watched something gut-wrenching. As a person who's had 2 miscarriages myself, I can feel for this woman to a certain extent. But I have NOT been where she's at. Thank God. Or Whomever. 

MEN should not legislate stuff that should be between a WOMAN and her DOCTOR. This woman has gone through almost unfathomable psychological stress, not to mention whatever her body has been through. Danielle and her family have been devastated. And I don't mean that in the hyperbolic over-use of the term.

I mean truly DEVASTATED. Watch this video of her story. Have tissues handy. (Tech note: I tried to upload it but I couldn't figure out how to do it)

See, here's what fries my cheese. Some fundie lawmaker(s) decided on an arbitrary "due date" for abortions. Which are, by the way, STILL LEGAL in the USA. So far. (ahem)

The State of Nebraska decreed that 20 weeks was the cutoff. This woman's water broke at 22 weeks. The consequences to the fetus were catastrophic. As in: The Baby Will Not Live. 

Her doctor told her that he couldn't terminate the pregnancy (even by inducing early labor) because of that 20-week thing, and that she had to "go home and wait" for the baby to be born. The only reason he could terminate would be if she got deathly ill. 

Let me tell you, if you're not going to watch the video, what happens when your water breaks prematurely and your body doesn't replace it (which can happen, but in this case it didn't). The uterus is one gigantic muscle. It's built to squeeze. The water acts like a cushion for the fetus. At 22 weeks, a fetus isn't a baby - because it's not viable. Lung development hasn't fully completed. The baby uses the liquid in the uterus as a fluid in which to move the arms and legs. And the fluid keeps the baby safe. 

Danielle's baby would not be able to breathe outside her body. The baby would have "contracture" of arms and legs, because it would have been unable to move them in the uterus. The baby would have skull deformities because the muscle of the uterus would squeeze the head. The brain would also be injured.

Are you getting the picture?? Danielle did have the baby, because some cruel male legislators made up this arbitrary date and she was not free to consult with her doctor about the best course for her. The government did that for her, because of course she's a woman who couldn't POSSIBLY make this kind of decision on her own. 

So she and her husband had to endure a heartbreaking labor. She and her husband had to sit and hold their newborn daughter, who died in her mother's arms 15 minutes after birth, because she never would've been able to live without being on a ventilator permanently (that's what happens when you have no lungs)... and "live" in this case is a cruelty. There's no life there. With her muscles in constant states of contraction, she might well have been in excruciating pain. But - she wouldn't likely be able to even cry in pain. Because she'd have been hooked to a machine because the State legislature says she has a "right to life."

Doesn't "right to life" mean that (a) you care for it AFTER IT'S BORN (as in, how about we feed the hungry kids we have here, now, instead of cutting benefits) (as in how about we quit slut-shaming women who choose your version of "right to life" and stop calling them "moochers" and "breeders" - they just did what YOU wanted them to do: had the baby); and (b) you should maybe be able to HAVE a life? Not permanently and irrevocably physically deformed to the point where you can't move and not permanently and forever (however long "forever" is in this case) hooked up to a machine because your lungs are so under-developed that you can't breathe.

What kind of life is that? 

Here's what I'd like to see. I'd like to see the genius that wrote that law, and the geniuses who voted for it - in a room with Danielle and her husband, and their young son. And explain to them why that law is so vitally important. 

When will these lawmakers realize a few things?

First, statistically, (and I found this at the Guttmacher Institute website as well as a pro-choice website), ONE HALF of all women getting abortions reported that some form of birth control was used in the month in which they conceived. If abortion were used as a primary method of birth control, it's likely that a fertile woman with a reasonably active sex life would be pregnant at least 3 times in one year. THREE times in ONE year. I mean, think about the biology: women are fertile for roughly 30 years. It doesn't make sense to undergo what is essentially an outpatient surgery when there are reasonably reliable methods of birth control available. 

Second, the relationship between a woman and her doctor is sacrosanct. Having a law inject itself into a situation like Danielles? That's just foolish. That woman had to go through the physical and mental stress of carrying a non-viable fetus because a man-made law said so. 

Third, laws based on someone's religious belief are wrong. The Founders didn't want this to be a theocracy. They were perhaps men of God or some sort of spirituality, but time and again, historical documents have proven that this nation was never intended to be a "Christian" nation. We are founded as a nation where, at least at one time, you could believe as you pleased - or NOT believe as you please. It was freedom OF religion. You pick yours, I pick mine and as rational adults, we respect each other's choices.

If MY religion doesn't approve of something but yours is opposite, that doesn't make YOURS wrong. It doesn't make MINE right, either. Laws should be based on public safety. Pure and simple. 

Not "public safety" viewed through the lens of someone else's faith. 

Random Picture...

Sure, it was rough to wake up to the mess. But look at how pretty it is with the sun shining on it. 

Frosted Maple

The snow isn't melting very fast, though chunks are plopping down off the trees. But while it lasts and while the sun's on it, it all looks like fairyland. 

The bird feeders are all tipsy with the weight of the snow. And the hooks are a bit cattywampus with the heaving and freezing and thawing of the ground. 

But that'll be changing soon. 

In a few short weeks - maybe - this tree will start to bud out. It's a maple tree, and it provides shade for 90% of our front yard. And in the fall, it turns the most brilliant flaming orange you'll ever see. You can spot this tree from almost 2 blocks away. It's the pride of our yard, and right now, it's dressed in some late-winter finery that I'll hold in my mind for quite some time. 

While I'm scraping mud out of my truck, off my dogs, and off my jeans...

It's TOTALLY Ironic...

...to awaken on your 56th birthday to a period. 

Seriously. I was just at my gyno and I asked him. He said, "You are among a handful of my patients that I term over-achievers so don't worry."

Thanks, doc. I appreciate that. 

Anyway, we have a cloudy, snow-ish day. We shall see how things go today. Of course, it was supposed to snow TOMORROW, so I have totally the wrong shoes on - I have the Shoo-booties on. They're fine as long as we don't get a lot of snow. One of my lovely professors, upon finding out that it was my birthday, handed me 2 squares of Ghirarelli dark chocolate. My kind of guy!

No big plans. Not planning a dinner. Having Raisa come on Saturday is probably all the excitement I need right now. 

We have her training set up, and she'll be going to Puppy Play at the end of this month, on a Sunday. We'll be training her alongside Quinn, so they bond a bit. Bobbie, our trainer, said that she doesn't recommend that Raisa go into a puppy obedience class, since our girls are 7 and 3 respectively. She should learn more about being around older dogs. 

Of course, being a Husky, she'll be smart. Stubborn, but smart. And I think she'll be fine at the regular Basic Obedience. By the time we get her there, she'll be almost 4 months old, so it will be ok. We just have to be careful to watch when it's about "heat" time. She'll be fixed after her first heat, so she gets the full benefit of all those hormones. 

Hopefully, as SHE goes INTO heat, I'll come out of it, right? 

Knitting...

 
The hat is coming along nicely. I started it out on 3 DPNs but since it's a DK weight, I really think the needles weren't long enough. So I did end up with the size 7 circular, even though it's a 24" cord. It works well, and I will still end up using the DPNs when I decrease.

What I can do, if I want, is make it a tad shorter. I'm supposed to knit 8" on the body of the hat, but I measured my head... I can probably do fine with 6" or so. But I'm really thinking I will probably do the 8". First, I have the yarn. Second, I did a 1" Garter Stitch band, so if I have to roll it, it won't be awful...It'll be Garter Stitch inside or out. I'd rather have that extra length because I want to wear this when it's cold! 

I still would like to knit a beret. If I could find a nice felted one, I'd buy one, but hey - I knit. I can MAKE one!

The afghan is in temporary limbo right now. 

And tomorrow, after my board meeting, my knitting friends are going to go with me to Le Mouton Rouge Knittery to take a peek. Doris needs some yarn to match beads and work up a shawl. I want to get a yarn bag. 

Yeah, I know - like I need one. But Kelly's got some good ones and I would like to pick up one of those, and perhaps that set of size 7 circulars with the 16" cord. If I'm lucky, maybe they'll have the square ones. 

I did finally go on Ravelry to see what was going on. I had an "ancient" message about some Cascade I had in stash. Well, I would had to have remembered WHERE it was in stash! I answered the lady, and it took her forever to reply. She found another yarn to do her project.

I may try to pull a cloche pattern out of my binder and do that as a felted hat. That would be cool. I saw one at Knitty Magazine that had kind of a shell design done in a contrasting I-cord that was built into the construction of the hat. It looked really nice and it seemed to be an easy-enough pattern. 

With this Kauri hat, I tried it on last night, and perhaps it might be a tad loose. I figure I can make a dart and add a really cool button. That would be a nice addition and a 'special' touch to a rather plain hat. I'll be bringing the hat with me so that I can find a button that I like. I would like to get one that obviously I can hand-wash, but also something unique. 

If I can't find anything, maybe I can get Kid #1 to make one out of glass for me. Or metal - if it won't rust. That would also be very nice. 

Full Moon...

Well, that's why my yoga students were all confused on Monday! It was nearly a full moon. So last night, as I'm driving home, I see this lovely moon. The sky really was that navy-blue color, it's not my crappy phone! The moon was low in the sky at that time, and I stopped outside a park gate (they close at sunset) and snapped this. 

It was lovely. I really like the full moon and especially when it was as huge as it was. The picture is deceiving, because you all know that what you see with your eyes is dramatically different than what you see through a camera. Though Hubby has a large telescope to which we can hook the camera, I think we've only taken it out twice. It's hard to do because the thing needs a vehicle of its own. And it's fussy. And, where we live, in order to really get the good pictures? We'd need to be out after midnight. Which doesn't work with our schedules right now. 

One day. At least I hope so. I'd really like, at some point, to take a weekend perhaps at Starved Rock State Park and maybe see if we can get some good photos. 

Politics...

Antonin Scalia is an idiot. Well, maybe you already knew that. But in case you didn't, he is. 

In today's Chicago Tribune, there's an article entitled Justices question need for clinic buffer zones - and it relates to a Massachusetts law that sets a thirty-five foot (35') buffer zone to prevent protesters from approaching women's health clinics offering abortions.

Opponents have, of course, called the law a "violation of free speech" and said that it hinders "peaceful conversations" on a public sidewalk. 

Proponents of the law defended it as a way to "deal with the violence and disruptions that have been seen at abortion clinics in the Boston area."

Justice Scalia, the lead conservative, said that his banc of justices feels that the law "clearly violated the First Amendment."

The liberals on the court wonder if it needs to be a wider buffer than the original 35' stated in the law. 

What fries my cheese is the quote from Scalia:  "Surely, you could have a law against screaming and shouting within 35 feet. ... These people want to speak quietly in a friendly manner."

The man has lost his reason. If he ever had any.

I have seen this up-close-and-personal. Back in the days when I lived in Virginia, in the town where I lived, my credit union shared space with a women's clinic. That was in the early 80s. Well before direct-deposit or online banking, right? So every 2 weeks, I'd stop by to deposit my paycheck. And every 2 weeks, there were protesters lined up with their signs, their banners, their garbage cans of "bloody babies" for us to look at as we went into the credit union door. 

At one point, I had Kid #1 with me. He was asleep, so I heaved him onto my shoulder to take him into the credit union so I could do my banking. Suddenly, he screamed and jerked... Some moron shoved a "bloody baby" in his face and started berating me for "going in to kill a baby."

I stopped in my tracks, whirled around and said something along the lines of "Get that out of my face or YOU will need a doctor."  My kid had a total melt-down, as most 2-year-olds would when so abruptly awakened by a stranger who was shaking a bloody, beheaded doll and screaming in his face. I mean, imagine. You're sound asleep, dreaming toddler dreams. Feeling mom holding you securely and feeling all safe and sound.

And then a total stranger starts hollering in your face and shoving something in front of your eyes. You don't know what's going on. You hug your mom's neck tightly and start screaming yourself because you're afraid. 

You readers who are moms out there - you tell me how YOU would react. I'd like to know. 

As you could imagine, the encounter got slightly worse and the security guard at the credit union had to come out so that I could go in.

Ultimately, there WAS no "quiet, friendly conversation" with ANY of us. If you were FEMALE and you were in the parking lot, you were "going to have an abortion." A lawsuit was brought by the credit union and at least one other tenant of the building because obviously, their clients were being harassed. 

I ended up having to give a deposition. They were subsequently barred from the parking lot. They could stand on the easement alongside the sidewalk, but they could NOT trespass on the sidewalk (which butted up against the parking lot), which had a hedge about 4' tall next to it. 

So... They stuck their "bloody babies" and their signs on 6-foot poles and waved them in our faces. Hey, THEY weren't in our way. But their signs were. 

It was incredibly disgusting. 

Scalia has obviously never been anywhere near (a) the outside; and (b) a women's clinic. Because some of these zealots would protest a women's clinic no matter whether they provided abortions or not. 

I mean, right now as this lawsuit stands, it could affect these kinds of zones which are now being used to protect government and military facilities... Really - you want a crazy near a military facility?? 

And let's be perfectly clear here: GW Bush had protesters put MILES away from where he was. Where was THEIR "First Amendment" right? Was that any different? Was him staying in his little "everybody LOVES ME" bubble more important? Apparently so... 

But women? Obviously, we can't be trusted to have a body and make decisions about that, even though we are making a lawful decision about a legal medical procedure. Or maybe just getting a check-up because we're poor. We felt a lump. We have a problem. Or we're just picking up birth control. You know, being responsible about our sex lives. 

Well. We can't have that. The protesters must have their pound of flesh. And if Scalia and the extreme conservative judges on the SCOTUS have their way, of course women will pay the price. As we always do.

Random Picture...

This is Sallie, my little stuffed alpaca. I bought her at a Stitches, I think. For a while, she was on my desk at school. But I brought her home and she's sitting on the shelf in my knitting room/office/yoga room/music room/studio/junk room/used to be kids room.  Really, it's my office. Well, in name. 

Actually, it's all those descriptors above, including "the place we wrap Christmas presents" and "the place we stash our junk when people come over." 

One of these days, it'll all be sorted and it'll just be my office, yoga room and studio. Or, when Kid #2 leaves, I will get HIS room and make THAT my yoga room! I can dream. He hasn't left yet. 

I don't suppose that Sallie means much to anyone, but I thought she was cute. She's very soft. The dogs thought she was their toy, but I quickly moved her out of their reach. Alpaca is actually one of my favorite fibers.

And in my "dream life" I have enough land to not only have a small herd of alpaca, but to have a canine rescue section. Oh, and a horse rescue. 

Oh, and a bazillion dollars to make all of that work!

Truckin' Through Thursday...

...as in "truckin through the mush." 

Big news: It's snowing again. Now, I don't mean I'm all "Henny Penny" about it. Just saying that our current weather is 19*F with "feels like" at 10* and snow showers. 

Tomorrow, it turns to rain. Saturday it turns to sleet. Welcome, January. We went from -45* at the beginning of the week to Sunday's upcoming high of 40* - ABOVE zero, mind you. Darn nearly spring weather...

So now that 2014 is here, let's get back to the interesting stuff. Not that food, reading and knitting are NOT interesting, but I did take a slight holiday break from "The Insanity." Let's have some discussion, though. It's time.

Women...

From a study done by a Harvard economist which indicated that flexible hours would lessen the gender pay gap to those good ol' boy Republicans who want to legislate women back into servitude. We're head-slappingly going back to fight fights we oughtn't have to fight in this century. 

In the Chicago Tribune the other day, Professor Claudia Goldin (gasp! a WOMAN!) states that gender salary differentials "would be considerably reduced and might vanish altogether if firms did not have an incentive to disproportionately reward individuals who labord long hours and worked particular hours." 

Translation: How come women 25 - 69 years of age, working full time, still make 77% of what men earn? She says that the pay gap in industries with more flexible work schedules (science, technology, health) is smaller than that of other industries with more rigid workdays (those professions include financial and legal professions). 

"Quite simply, the gap exists because hours of work in many occupations are worth more when given at particular moments and when the hours are more continuous," says her study. Here's her solution to closing that gender pay gap: workers must get more autonomy in determining their schedules. Read the entire article here. 

I'm 55. I have worked in office settings where I had to be at a certain place at a certain time. I actually had to pay my kid's Catholic school a fee every month because I was unable to do my monthly "lunch monitor" work. Well, because I had to WORK to pay the tuition. Plus, of course, the fee for not being able to volunteer because I had to work. 

Can you see where this argument goes? Now, I have my MA and my MBA and I work a more flexible schedule. But there are still so many women stuck in "pink collar" jobs - and whether they're stuck by training or inclination, they're still stuck. And I'm not saying that we don't need those kinds of jobs. We do. 

Crap - ANY jobs now are good ones! 

That being said, why must it only be the women who've been able to break the mold of traditional office jobs who can take advantage of that lesser pay gap? Frankly, it's the ones stuck in the cube farm or in other work where the day is fairly regimented who really need the smaller pay gap. 

But of course, we're talking about women. Who, even though they are in large part major contributors to their family's incomes, are still considered "less than" by employers. Men still get more than women, for doing the same job. 

It is 2014, right? 

Of course, with jobs at a premium here in the US anyway, I suppose I shouldn't carp on it, but it bugs me that the fights that were fought in the 70s and 80s are now either being re-fought or aren't won yet. How long will this take?

Sooooooooooo... The Republicans are trying again to legislate birth control and abortion, battles we thought we'd already dealt with. Because, you know, nothing else is going on. 

But there's good news on the ACA front: Breast cancer prevention drugs must be covered. See this link and rejoice! Now, if we can get more research money toward lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer, we'd be golden. 

Yesterday on Make it Plain, I heard Dahlia Lithwick talk about Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor and her rather interesting decision regarding the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order with one of many ACA "I don't want your birth control mandate" lawsuits. The issue appears to be a release form. 

Here's how it goes. You object to the ACA mandate. Okey-dokey. Do you fit into one of the categories that qualify? Yes. Okey-dokey. Please sign this form. 

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, says Little Sisters. If WE sign this form then it means SOMEONE ELSE has to give our employees birth control. And we object to THAT. Their ability to give our employees birth control violates OUR religious views. Here's the story. 

Now just hang on a pea-picking moment here, good Sisters. My take on this is thus: It's none of your business what I do. If you object to providing birth control, peachy. Object. Sign the form. Move on. 

But no. You have to force YOUR religion down ANYONE else's throat. That makes no sense. Well, maybe a warped manner of sense. 

So if I object to the war (Doesn't matter which one. Pick one.) and I register that objection, then that's the end of the argument. I don't get to object to anyone else's stand in the issue. Because that slope is more slippery than an Illinois freeway right now. 

That would cause whole segments of commerce and society to collapse. 

Oh, and it would likely cause the ACA to collapse. Regardless of the good the ACA does (see the cancer drug mentioned above), regardless of the countless people it'll help. "Ye Gods and Little Fishes, we WILL NOT HAVE BIRTH CONTROL." (stomp your foot here)

Just because the Little Sisters (or insert your favorite religion here) have that belief does not entitle them to push that on anyone else. Because that, my children, is then called a theocracy. 

And let me remind you of the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli. See the first sentence? This treaty was written under the presidency of George Washington and signed under the presidency of John Adams. 

"As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion..." 

While every one of the Founding Fathers were "religious" - they were most often "deist" - they believed in a God, but nowhere is that God mentioned in the CONSTITUTION, which is our governing document. The Declaration of Independence, a lovely document, is not a governing document. Big difference. 

Fewer Republicans...

I liken this to slavery or indentured servitude. A small percentage of the people decide that they know what religion is best. And the rest of us are forced to go along with it. Remember the old movies? What the master of the house believed, everyone had to conform with. When he prayed, the servants prayed. When the plantation owner prayed, his slaves prayed. What he believed, they believed. 

Because that's what will happen if we keep to the current trend of legislating freedoms. 

Sr. Joan Speaks

How come it's "legislating freedoms" when they do it to those of us with ovaries and a uterus, but when it comes to guns it's all "restricting my rights"? 

How come y'all are "all about the fetus" but, making Sr. Joan Chittister's point, you all could give a lamb's left leg about the baby AFTER it gets here. In fact, not only that, but you slut-shame the mothers of said children as if the fathers had no earthly responsibility toward the child now living in this world surrounded by your condescending hatred of its very existence. Because it's a CHILD now, not a fetus. As if one has more value than the other. 

According to a recent Gallup poll, "record numbers" are registering as Independents. Not Republicans. Actually, the number of registered Republicans seems to be declining. Hey, when you have to have sensitivity training to deal with over 50% of the population (and that's only the gender split, not counting racial lines), then you have problems, kids. 

Now, if the Democrats could get as good of a message-making machine, we'd be golden. As an example, we have the redoubtable Chris Christie...Bridge-gate. But on Fox, nary a whisper. What Christie scandal? 

We Democrats/Progressives should have such a news network. Though we're not really into suspending belief in the face of evidence...that could be a problem. 

Polar Vortex...

Speaking of flying in the face of evidence, there's the "isn't he dead yet?" Pat Robertson claiming that global warming must be a hoax because there are no SUVs on Jupiter.

Ok. And pickles have feathers. 

Because that sentence makes as much sense as Robertson's statement. And for good measure, Hannity, Limpblow, Trump, and the rest of FakesNews chimed right in. 

"There IS NO GLOBAL WARMING because it's cold."

Ok, guys, here's the thing. GLOBAL. That means the ENTIRE world, not just the silly little bubble you seem to inhabit. See, Australia (Remember, that's on the OTHER side of the Earth) is having summer now. That's how it works. The seasons rotate and while WE have winter here in this hemisphere (follow along, it's not hard), the OTHER hemispheres have other seasons, so Australia, in its hemisphere - the SOUTHERN hemisphere - is having SUMMER. 

And they're baking. Record high temps. Heat wave. Massive problems with heat, including wildfires, bats dropping out of the trees and destruction of homes and property. That's why it's called GLOBAL warming. Because the temperatures all across the GLOBE are changing, too rapidly, and because of us stupid humans. 

So while I'm sitting here watching the snow fall in Illinois, Queensland is having a raging fire. Because of the heat wave. 

Because of global warming. 

If you're interested, here's a story on the polar vortex. 

Religion...

As if we weren't already bashing enough, right? Well, look at this video and just let the chills go up and down your arms. Scientology. Religion for profit. Urgh. 

Again, hearkening back to the news lately, it seems like we're on a crusade. Or I should say a Crusade. 

Now I'm the first one to say that, since the dawn of "reality TV" (an oxymoron of massive proportions) society and civility have been going down the flusher. But I don't think a massive swing back to "Puritania" will cure this. 

Common sense will. But as the sage said, "Common sense... isn't."

Knitting...

No pictures. Just a note that my mom likes the Nephew Afghan. I saw the bridal registry. Sorry, but I'm sticking to my own gifts: the afghan, and then I got them a convertible punch bowl/cake topper/dip thingie + a "First Christmas" ornament. Done and done. 

I'm cool with gift registries. But I'm a renegade. I'm the weird aunt who buys the kids books. Obscure books. Reading is cool. 

Oh, and I find I need to knit myself a hat. I've got a cloche pattern for a "fancy church hat" (just for fun, and I have the wool) and a really cute beanie style. I have hats; I just don't have the "right" hat and I have a ton of the grey/black/cream yarn left from the Charity Afghan. I may as well use it. 

I don't particularly care what my hats look like, because like I told Roberta from choir, I have very few (read: NONE) "cute" hats. They're all functional. 

So I've just searched something like 16 pages of "free knitting hat patterns" and I came up with several. Now to just get the time to knit one before spring...

Raisa...

Raisa, f/k/a "Dolly"

We had the home visit. It went fine, for the most part. There were a few stumbles. Like when the volunteer brings Raisa up the front porch and Quinn goes ballistic. Dude... it's HER territory. We should have met down the street. 

Or when, as the dogs were licking faces (and I'm talking Raisa licking the faces of Tippi and Quinn, just like a puppy does) and the volunteer kept sticking his hand between them. Great way to lose a finger or encourage a bite. 

Ok, there's "puppy licking" and the "stare and flick." The "stare and flick" you really want to avoid, because that's the precursor to trouble. With a capital "T" - which we didn't want. But Puppy Licking is submissive behavior. I learned a lot because after we were done, I contacted a friend in England with masses of years of dog experience, and a friend in TN who not only fostered, but bred, and also had years/decades of experience in huskies, elkies, wolf hybrids, you name it. And I talked with our trainer. To a person, each said, "Pfffffffth - he didn't really know what he was talking about." However, our trainer did say that perhaps he had a placement go really wrong, so he was overreacting to what was going on in our house. 

So Tippi responded quite well to Raisa. Then she became oblivious, which is a good sign. Quinn took a while, and it would've been easier if the volunteer hadn't gone all "Cesar" on us and talked about being "the alpha in the room." 

Really? It's MY house. Thanks. Aside from the fact that Kid #2 was there, and Hubby, let's face it; I'm really the alpha female in this household. Either way, the kids grew up with northern breeds and this isn't exactly Hubby's first rodeo either. 

Nonetheless, we are approved!! Raisa comes on the 18th of January. Puppy all over again. As you can see, she not only found the couch, but found the grunting hedgehog. We have the crate ordered; along with a pad for it. I have spare toys, Kong bones and dishes. We're all set except for the first few sleepless nights. 

And realistically, she's our last puppy. I'm in my mid-50s and perhaps at some point, I'll retire. We will have 3 dogs. And when Kid #2 moves out, we more or less lose our in-home dog-watching service. Though he's already said that he's kidnapping -- errrrr - DOGnaping Raisa. "After all, you have THREE and you're only supposed to have TWO." Um, dear child - we will count paws when you leave. 

Anyway, you have to add up the vet costs; the fact that you have to train each of them; the fact that you can't exactly up and take off for a trip. Of course, after everyone's housebroken and trained, we can take them with us, or leave them home longer. But you still have to think about things. Particularly since neither Huskies nor Elkhounds are small dogs. 

Random Picture...

Eskimo Snow

I used to do a lot of counted cross stitch. A lot. Masses. Of course, I still have a cache of WIPs in that media as well. You guessed that, though, didn't you?? Anyway, here's one of the pics in the hallway. I love it. I used a glossy floss on the snowman and I only outlined him. I mean, the fabric is white, so why stitch it over? I don't remember its exact title. But the frame is a lovely denim-dark-blue and it's on the Wall of Fame. One of these days, I have to get a long shot of that. When we repainted, I had hubby gather up all the stuff I'd done and put it all up there. May as well display it, right?

I should put up my Curtis Boehringer snowman for January. I also have one for February, but March is sitting in the cross stitch frame waiting on me. We won't go into the WIPs for counted cross stitch right now. 

It would make me want to retire. Well, a lot of things make me want to retire...