This year closes with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Although I am not a political person I have watched this woman over the years. It is a testimony to her country that she succeeded where so many others have failed. She represented the hope of democracy not only for her country but also for all women in the Muslim world. Benazir accepted the legacy of the PPP party that was founded by her father. Her father and brothers were assassinated also. When she returned to Pakistan she knew she was in danger. I watched an interview with her that was filmed this month. She said,"I know I am in danger but the results are worth it and I am willing to accept the responsibility." That wasn't an idle aggrandisement comment. She knew there were factions that would be happy to see her dead. Now, my rant on our politicians. What the hell are they thinking? "We encourage the people of Pakistan to go forward with the elections on Jan 8th." Well, Duh She was the opposition! Who exactly do they think is going to run? So they have an election there is no one to run against the president and then he can say he was elected fair and square. The words "politics" and "common" sense will never be found in the same sentence. According to their tradition, political leaders can name their successor. Benazir's husband is not held in high regard in Pakistan. Actually many feel he is personally responsible for the charges of corruption against her that resulted in her being removed from power twice. BUT, the people kept electing her again and she would have won this time. So now the hope of democracy in Pakistan rests on the head of a 19 yr old boy. He has accepted his legacy and his mothers name of Bhutto. He will also have accepted that now he too will be a target. Does anyone believe for a second that his age will deter an assassin's bullet? When will we hear the voice of reason in the world today? Where will he be a year from now? Where will we be a year from now?
I have made this before but just with coca cola and dry onion soup mix and it was fantastic. This time I am going to be more adventurous and make this one. It seems spicier and is making my mouth water. The last one froze very well also. I will let you know how it turns out!I will probably cook it on low for 6-7 hours. did you know if you take the lid off the crock pot to look inside you have to add another 20 minutes of cooking time? There you go tip for the day!!!!!!
Crockpot Cola Roast
Ingredients :
4 pounds bottom round roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups cola
12 ounces chili sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce
Procudures
Combine salt, pepper and garlic powder; rub over surface of roast. If desired, brown roast on all sides in vegetable oil in Dutch oven. Drain off drippings. Place roast in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over roast. Cover with lid; cook on high (325~) for 3 hours or until tender.
I can not mow grass in nice straight lines. You can imagine what happens when I use a snow blower. I got the garage door up and rolled out the snow blower into the snow storm. The theory is if you use it before the drive is up to the door handles in snow and it will be easier.... ya right. This was my second foray into using the snowblower. I have learned several things: : don't bother cleaning off the car until after you have cleared a path to move said car. : stay upwind...frig I looked like a snowman : when cleaning the front walk turn the ejector thingy AWAY from the front window. The living room feels like an igloo now. : when leaves and bits of grass come shooting out you have missed the sidewalk : and the most important thing....... Shut the garage door! The man next door was blowing out his drive and almost peeing himself every time he looked in my direction. Carl rolled up to the front door on his computer chair to watch for a while and wisely retreated back behind the front door.. ....sigh
Surgery is over and its back into the plaster cast for now. Poor guy, at least we are on the mend now.
I talked with my girl friend the other night and she has a coined a new phrase..at least new to me.."Chateau de Cardboard"....That would be 4 litres of the finest white wine in a recyclable container....I can hear my daughter screaming...Nooooooooo..lol
I have finally started my Christmas shopping. I have discovered that you can do all your "window" shopping on line and then spend 10 minutes in the store. Just like going to Chapters with the ISBN number, anything to avoid the crowds. I'll save my browsing in the book store for the summer.
I have the politest grand daughters. Congratulations to their parents.
I will be glad when Christmas is over. I find this a poignant time of year. The little girl in me wants the magic that is gone..Christmas Eve, before he went to bed my father used to rub ballons on his head and then stick them on the ceiling. Christmas morning they would start to flutter down on our heads while we were unwrapping our presents.... Sigh.. How did I get so old?
My Nana would have been 109 years old today! I can remember when I wasn't much older than my grand daughters are now and I was in Toronto. We were going out to dinner and my Nana was getting ready. Ernie (my grand father...another story) and I were sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting, as she kept walking past us back and forth from the bathroom to the bedroom. She was wearing a tailored navy suit, 3 strings of pink beads, high heel shoes, stockings with seams (straight too), and an aura of Evyan's "White Shoulders" swirled behind her as she clicked past. My grand father was watching her and I remember his voice to this day. He said, "Your grand mother is a beautiful woman." I looked at him and thought he was nuts. Just the day before I had heard her say that she was 63 yrs old! I mean really! Sophia Loren or Elizabeth Taylor were considered the beautiful women of the 60's. How fantastic that my grand father knew she was beautiful too......OK *wiping a tear*... Christmas does this to me.........
The plaster is gone and now he is in an air cast. Looks like a spaceman high tech plastic affair. Next Wednesday he has to have surgery. There are several breaks and he has to have pins put in the bones. No work for a minimum of 4 months!! Looking for the bright side but don't see one yet. Ying and yang... it has to be there somewhere!
He is in a plaster splint from his knee to his piggies. This means the back and sides are rigid and then the whole thing is wrapped in tensor tape. He has to see an ortho doctor on Wednesday. Poor guy. It is damn uncomfortable trying to rest with your leg on 3 pillows. He didn't put in a good night last night. I left him with a packed cooler beside the bed...2 Kaisers with montreal smoke meat, havarti cheese and lettuce, 2 cans of pop ( coke and root beer ), candy bar and 3 beers, the phone, laptop and the remote controls for the TV, rogers box, dvd, volume, and the d-link box. That aught to hold him for the day..* Smile
We are having our first real snow squall of the season today. Which means I spun out in the intersection. At least I know my circulation is good. The blood pounded behind my eyes and my heart jumped up and shook hands with my epiglotis. That was when I was on my way back to the house after taking Carl to the hospital. In the fuss getting him to the car I forgot my purse and the laptop.
He came in last night around 12:30 am after driving for 12 hours. He had slipped on the ice in the parking lot and tried to stand on the bridge of his foot. Not what nature intended. He woke me up moaning in the hall. We put ice on it and he had a beer and some advil (lolol) and he went to sleep. This morning his foot is blown up and he can't bear weight at all. I think he may have broken one of those little bones. So he is at emerg and I am waiting for a call to go pick him up. Even if it isn't broken it is his right foot so it looks like he won't be able to drive for a while.
I will keep you posted.
Last night I finished the front of a beaded evening bag. New pattern design of my own creation. Ta dah! I shall post a picture when it is finished.
Michael phoned me tonight to say that Susan's husband Bill was found dead today. I just went to Susan's funeral 2 weeks ago. My poor nephews. My heart is full of pity. Sadness for a man who wasted his whole life addicted to alcohol and sadness for 2 young men who have lost their parental grand mother, their mother and their father in less than 2 months.. Bill has been trying to kill himself since the day I met him. But Susan wanted him and I stood up with them when they got married. I just never expected to be with them at their funeral. Philip came home from work to find his father dead in his chair. I truly believe that my father was right. He always said," When your time is up your time is up." Poor Bill, I spoke with him after Susan's funeral he was so sad and so drunk. To his twin sister I extend my heartfelt sympathy , the sight of him failing over the years must have broken her heart. I have brothers, it would have broken mine. Alcoholism is a disease. It robs a person of their life when they are alive, early death is just inevitable. ...sigh... For your Information I Include the following I got from the AA web site:
Answer YES or NO to the following questions.
1 - Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but only lasted for a couple of days? Most of us in A.A. made all kinds of promises to ourselves and to our families. We could not keep them. Then we came to A.A. A.A. said: "Just try not to drink today." (If you do not drink today, you cannot get drunk today.)
Yes No
2 - Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking-- stop telling you what to do? In A.A. we do not tell anyone to do anything. We just talk about our own drinking, the trouble we got into, and how we stopped. We will be glad to help you, if you want us to.
Yes No
3 - Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk? We tried all kinds of ways. We made our drinks weak. Or just drank beer. Or we did not drink cocktails. Or only drank on weekends. You name it, we tried it. But if we drank anything with alcohol in it, we usually got drunk eventually.
Yes No
4 - Have you had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year? Do you need a drink to get started, or to stop shaking? This is a pretty sure sign that you are not drinking "socially."
Yes No
5 - Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? At one time or another, most of us have wondered why we were not like most people, who really can take it or leave it.
Yes No
6 - Have you had problems connected with drinking during the past year? Be honest! Doctors say that if you have a problem with alcohol and keep on drinking, it will get worse -- never better. Eventually, you will die, or end up in an institution for the rest of your life. The only hope is to stop drinking.
Yes No
7 - Has your drinking caused trouble at home? Before we came into A.A., most of us said that it was the people or problems at home that made us drink. We could not see that our drinking just made everything worse. It never solved problems anywhere or anytime.
Yes No
8 - Do you ever try to get "extra" drinks at a party because you do not get enough? Most of us used to have a "few" before we started out if we thought it was going to be that kind of party. And if drinks were not served fast enough, we would go some place else to get more.
Yes No
9 - Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, even though you keep getting drunk when you don't mean to? Many of us kidded ourselves into thinking that we drank because we wanted to. After we came into A.A., we found out that once we started to drink, we couldn't stop.
Yes No
10 - Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking? Many of us admit now that we "called in sick" lots of times when the truth was that we were hung-over or on a drunk.
Yes No
11 - Do you have "blackouts"? A "blackout" is when we have been drinking hours or days which we cannot remember. When we came to A.A., we found out that this is a pretty sure sign of alcoholic drinking.
Yes No
12 - Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did not drink? Many of us started to drink because drinking made life seem better, at least for a while. By the time we got into A.A., we felt trapped. We were drinking to live and living to drink. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Yes No
Did you answer YES four or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble with alcohol. Why do we say this? Because thousands of people in A.A. have said so for many years. They found out the truth about themselves — the hard way.
But again, only you can decide whether you think A.A. is for you. Try to keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, we will be glad to show you how we stopped drinking ourselves. Just call.
A.A. does not promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we are learning to live without drinking "one day at a time." We stay away from that "first drink." If there is no first one, there cannot be a tenth one. And when we got rid of alcohol, we found that life became much more manageable.
I am jiving with the NANO Dudes! I have written the required amount of words to complete my challenge. The scarey part is that now I have some time to read it over and maybe add some more..or maybe not. I almost hate to see the end I have become so caught up in my character this year she has taken on a personality. The other characters have made me laugh and cry. Me thinks perhaps this one has some potential!
Cute graphic no I do not have hairy hands....lolol
November 2007 One Hundred Things About Me: 1. My age doesn’t bother me; after all you are as old as you feel. 2. I grew up in a border town hence my tolerance for American politics, in general, is pretty thin. 3. I think Canadians need to be more Patriotic. 4. I believe in a higher power, I have Catholic leanings but as I age I think God is a woman! 5. I am a perfectionist. 6. I have a monumental inferiority complex, I cover it well. 7. I am terrified of roller coasters. 8. I love to teach. 9. My favourite colour is teal or pink or blue. 10. I wish I was bilingual. 11. My favourite teacher was in High School, Ancient History; I am so damn old now I have forgotten his name but not his teaching style. 12. I enjoy being alone but I can be the life of the party. 13. I am a daydreamer. 14. I hated someone once, not a good idea don’t do it is self destructive. Trust in Karma! 15. I have been bankrupt. 16. I was intimidated by Nancy Grimmell and Barbara Brown in school they were smart and had perfect hair. I looked like I had been dragged through the bushes backwards hence I must be stupid. 17. I am very organized. 18. I hate to clean 19. I love to cook. 20. I can’t hit a baseball to save my life. 21. I am an accomplished needlewoman; there is an old fashioned term for you. 22. I am non violent. I have been known to burst into tears at a hockey game when a fight broke out. 23. I will kill you if you hurt my children/grandchildren. 24. I believe in capital punishment. 25. I am prepared to answer for #23. 26. I have been rejected, cheated on and lied too. 27. I did the same years later, not happy about that. 28. I am content for the first time in years. 29. I dislike talking on the phone, I do it all day. 30. My most favourite job was the Video Manager at Steve’s TV in Kitchener 31. Second favourite: Office Manager, my present job. 32. My idol is still my Grandmother, Edith Jessie MacDiarmid Cottrell, a class act all the way! 33. I regret never going to university 34. I have allowed that to intimidate me. 35. I want to write at least one novel in my lifetime. 36. This is my second year participating in the National Novel Writing Month I won last year. This year is a shoo-in. 37. I had a friend who was gay. It was sad, in retrospect I let this person down; I just didn't know how to be supportive. We lost touch; times have changed, I would like a chance to talk. I have never forgotten the friendship. 38. I have never smoked pot. 39. I have eaten a dozen donuts......gag 40. I try very hard not to favour one child/grandchild over another. 41. I do not always succeed. 42. I hate and do not understand teasing. 43. I prefer fish over beef. 44. I could be a vegetarian, easily. 45. I prefer cake over pie. 46. I spend money like water. 47. I want to be famous for something. 48. Bread and butter should be served with everything. 49. I still miss my father (1994) and my grandfather (1965) 50. I am a romantic. 51. I remember my first kiss, my first love, my FIRST. 52. It wasn’t that great. Like everything else experience is the key! 53. The first car I ever bought and paid for was a Tempo. Black, red interior, no air conditioning. 54. The second is the one I have now, red with a black interior and this time I have air conditioning. 55. I do not like anchovies. 56. Unless they are in Caesar salad. 57. I got lost in Pompeii. 58. I am generous. 59. The most influential person in my life: My Mother 60. I put ice cubes in my wine. 61. I listen to books on tape while I knit. 62. I have loved twice in my life, deeply passionately. 63. I have been wearing Enchantress Pantyhose, buy them online, since the late 90’s 64. I love to travel. 65. Although not an animal person I am attached to my Shih Tzu, Chloe. 66. I enjoy most music, I don’t usually know who is singing but I like it. 67. When eating at a restaurant I will send bad food back to the kitchen. 68. I treat myself to a pedicure once a month. 69. I dislike intolerance in others. 70. I am not a bigot...unless you are from south of the 49th. *Big Grin* 71. I can be shallow. 72. I have worn acrylic nails since 1998. 73. I admire my 4 children. 74. I believe in spirits. The ghostly kind! 75. The best birthday card I ever received said, “ Age doesn’t matter if you have money” open the card and it says, ” Oh Crap”... that was the month I declared bankruptcy. 76. I have one, true, forgive me everything, we will be in the old folks home together, girl friend. 77. I want to give all my really good jewellery away while I am still alive. 78. I have already started doing just that. 79. I wear my Grandmother’s (the Welsh one) wedding band as a symbol of the relationship I am in. 80. I am a yarn-a-holic. 81. I am happier in a skirt than a pair of jeans. 82. I used to bowl on a ten pin league; I was the only one in a skirt! 83. I love the sound of a Scottish brogue. 84. The best modern invention after the microwave and the four slice toaster is the crock pot 85. Best sex, a Scotsman...see #83 86. The best holiday as a child : Pointe au Baril Station, Ontario at my Great grandparents cottage on Winnie Lone, an island in Georgian Bay 87. The best holiday as an adult: one week in England, one week in Ireland and 2 weeks on the continent: Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. All in the same month. 88. I detest exercise. 89. The bigger the book I am reading, the better. 90. I love lace. 91. I detest taxes. 92. I do not have a family doctor. 93. I do not watch soap operas on TV. 94. If I could go back in my life there are some things I would change. 95. The place I miss the most: Rockwood Conservation Park 96. The place I am glad I left: Milton, Ont. 97. I have a weakness for men with beards. 98. I do not like worms. 99. I like “Pomp and Ceremony.” 100. My most memorable book, "Below The Salt." by Thomas Costain. My first "grown up" book.
"What are the chances of a couple of days off"? I am knackered!
I had a wonderful weekend with my grand daughters. But I have to tell you I am getting older. whew. Sunday afternoon we both collapsed. You could almost eat the silence...lolol To say nothing of my digestion. Pancakes for breakfast and popcorn, pop and strawberry twizlers for lunch....* burp*.. sorry Can't wait until we do it again.........*Big Grin*
This past weekend two of my grand daughters have been visiting London. We went shopping at our favourite store...."Dollarama." Ryleigh bought farts in a jar called a "flarp." Teaghan bought a package of paper cut out dolls. Shades of my childhood. I didn't even know they made cut outs any more. In between madness, mayham, rollo ice cream cones, a flat tire on my car, seeing Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and teaching Ryleigh to knit I managed to write on my Nano project. I will need to go back to work for a rest....lolol Ryleigh keeps running up behind Carl and making the flarp noise and then saying, "Carl how could you." That child has an evil laugh. Ryleigh chose my avatar wardrobe and location. It says something that this is how she see's me.
My Grandfather, Ernie Cottrell, 17 years old, Queens Own Rifles. He was at Vimy Ridge WW I The following Video is a touching reminder that 2 minutes of our time is precious little to to say thank you this Remembrance Day. It is based on a true story :
On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's 'two minutes of silence' initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the 'two minutes of silence' to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect. Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channelled into a beautiful piece of work called, 'A Pittance of Time'.
So like a fool I went to the hairdresser. This would be the 7th since I moved here. Nobody listens. I was there from 10:30 to 1 pm I am going back at 2:30.
Instead of cone head now I look like box head. She cut too much off the back and I said I wanted the colour a light blond not brassy. She says well how be I do highlights and colour. I said I do not want brassy blond. Just lighter than what I have now. Now it is dark brown with blond steaks and poker straight. I said to her I don't want fuzzy but I like a smooth curl. And wax what is the obsession with wax? "Blow dry it away from my face," I say. It is straight down. That I can fix. I hope.
She is going to give me blond. Today! I am in no mood for this shit. We have tickets for Bobby Curtola tonight and I am trying to get into an upbeat frame of mind for this evening. It is not working.
Susan passed away at 6:30 this morning. How petty am I to complain about the hairdresser? Life is so brief. I am operating on auto pilot.
I hear these little voices in my head. They are my children, when they were small. "Auntie Sue look, Auntie Sue see." The only sister I have ever had stopped breathing while driving her 80 yr old mother home from shopping. Ingrid grabbed the wheel and the car went off the road through a chain link fence and hit a tree. In a school yard. The children were in class. Susan had taught junior school for 33 years she retired this year. She was Susan "I" I was Susan "A". She is in intensive care in Niagara Falls Hospital. The prognosis is about as bad as it can be. There is no brain function and she is on life support. She is 58 yrs old and has 2 wonderful sons. A year ago last September, her younger sister Sandy passed away leaving a wee boy without a mother. The family will have to decide the "when" there does not appear to be any hope. She is already gone. My children are devastated. Although I am now technically a sister-out-law as opposed to "in" she always was happy to see me. We shared 30 years together. My mortality is crashing around me.
There seems to be a problem with the Nano web pages and I will be unable to post my word count until they get their widgets fixed. So I will post here. Goal for today is 2000 words. I think this one is going to be better than last year!
Just to let you know I won't be around too much...at least I hope not, over the next month. I have started my novel "Remember Me." Emily Malone, an agoraphobic, lives and works in the same building. Her employer, Mr James of "Hybourne Antiques" is found murdered right after a shipment has arrived with inconsistencies in the inventory. Emily's safe world has now been invaded. Not only does she want answers why someone would kill Mr. James but ....................... Time to get down to some serious work!
Sat Nov 10th we are going to a dinner dance with Bobby Curtola. Shades of my High School Days....Sigh...Nice that Canadian Boys made it big........ Let's hear it for 1963!
Oh sure it is pretty. A sign that summer is over and fall is approaching. Some floral designers even have the crust to use it in their arrangements.
Well don't send any to me. This extended Indian summer is killing me. My allergies are really bad this year. I am taking an antihistamine but it is not working. At this rate I will need shares in the tissue conglomerate. I can't afford kleenex I have to buy the cheapy stuff 8 boxes at a time.Last night I was cooking supper and I dumped chili powder into the stew. Well, I suffered all night. The chili dust, I guess, got up my nose and I was very uncomfortable all night. I woke up with a killer head ache this morning. I took an anti histamine last night it took 3 hours to work! It seems to wear off in about 12 hours. It is supposed to be non drowsy and good for 24 hours. Not!
Had a wonderful weekend away but of course ate waaay to much . No wonder obesity is a national disease in the US. everyone goes out to eat for every meal. The portions are gi-nor-mouse and every thing tastes soooo good. I am on water and water skip even the bread for at least a day. Found a wonderful wool shop. Very friendly and lots on sale. Unfortunately I had a car full of non knitters waiting for me so I felt a little pressured not to keep them waiting. If we go again next year I will just take a taxi. Mind you I managed to buy something anyway. It wasn't hard. The weather was heaven sent. Sun shine and no coats....perfect. Got back to the computer to find reams of e mail from NaNoWriMo. I signed up for some forums. Yikes my in box is about as bloated as I am. Here it is 7am and I have to find something to wear to work. I just put all my warm weather clothes away too. Now it is supposed to be 24 C today. This just isn't right. Not for the last 10 days of October. So 10 days huh? I have an idea but no plot for my NaNo. I have a couple of characters but only one name. I have no locale. I do have my pages of pictures to inspire me. Sounds pretty pathetic and out of that I am going to make 50,000 words...?
Now I wonder where that originated? Probably from Toledo Spain. Home of Toledo steel, and El Greco...........Ole So tomorrow we leave for Toledo.....calm down.....it's in OHIO too. Yeah I know I would rather go to the "other" one too. But hey it has been forever since we have been anywhere so I will take a weekend in Toledo Ohio. Better than nuttin'. We are going with Gord and Dot. He is playing hockey and we will swim and relax and maybe go window shopping after all the dollar is up and bloody time too. My dear one will want to look at "electronics" I will be looking for wool shops......hehehe. We are booked at what appears to be a very nice hotel...pool, spa, microwave in the room..memo to self "take Orville Redinbocker". How much do you want to bet he packs more for 2 days than I? Speaking of which I better get my stuff together....TTFN
What can I say? I am addicted to Dexer. Showtime Sunday's at 10 or Rogers On Demand when ever you can watch it. Now that is just for me. Tonite is going to be another boring evening at home alone. Carl is working so I am going to watch Season 2, #3. So far it is every bit as good as Season 1.
Oh the sweater fit and other than the fact I have to "snug" up the buttons holes the verdic is "Perfect."
I feel very crappy today. I was up in the night doing a "Linda Blair" imitation....Yak Yak..
I am tired and freezing cold (I am wearing 2 sweaters) and my tummy hurts. I ate rice pudding and arrowroot biscuits for breakies and lunch. Even peppermint tea seems to make my tummy ache. Oh another yawn....and a shiver.
I have just signed up for NaNoWriMo again this year. The month of November will not see very much knitting being done. It will be write write write. I finished Carl's sweater which I think he wore to work. It was missing from the dining room table where I had blocked it last night. I hope he likes it and it fits. He will be home around 7:30 so I will find out then. Back to NaNo......topic this year will be Mystery/Suspense/Victorian/Gothic. OOO I can feel the hair on the back of my neck rising. Yes, I am still torturing myself at Curves. I have been there for 7 workouts. I am just trying to get to 10 and the woman across from me was saying 3 more and she will get her 300 work out t shirt. Geeze what did she look like before she started? That was not meant to be cruel but I did wonder. One of the women lost 50 pounds in a year. Interesting. OK I have to go make with the pots and pans I am starving!
Voting is our democratic right. A right that has been fought for and won. Anything you gain you can loose through complacency. Or to put it bluntly if you don't vote you can't bitch about the outcome! I have enjoyed the commercials that have been on the radio and TV. If you don't want someone else to speak for you then step up and speak up. Too many, so called, citizens complain that one vote won't make a difference well it does make a difference . Our survival as a democracy depends on our defence of the democractic process. New Canadians value this opportunity to exercise their mandate. We, "homegrown Canadians" need to appreciate our freedoms more!
Wow, fifty years ago Sputnik was beeping its way around the world. One lonely little hunk of metal up there. I wonder just how many satellites there up there now?
I remember everyone thought that by the time the year 2000 came we would all have flying cars and live like
Well, I survived...barely. I knew and had a certain sense of pride, albeit pathetic, in the knowledge that I am out of shape. But even I did not know to what depths I had sunk. OMG I can't do a thing. I thought I would blow a blood vessel just trying to back kick this plate with the ball of my foot. My legs shook, my knees hurt and who knew how hard it was to keep your back straight while you bend your knees. She says,"OK that's right back straight now squat!" What? "This is good as it gets," I said," as I balanced there knees slightly(and I mean slightly) bent." I was encouraged and inched along the program. What should have taken 30 minutes took me over an hour. In all fairness she was explaining everything to me too. So I had planned on going to night after work but it is Birthday dinner tonight for Carl. So I will go tomorrow after work. Oh and I have a hell of a time finding my frickin' pulse. The one trainer is a trifle sarcastic. She says,"Well you are standing here breathing so you obviously have one." If I hadn't have been so weak I would have bit her. Just wait till I get better. She is on my hit list!
Mother Nature is a bitch. Getting older is even bitchier. Do you know that as we (females) age we develop an estrogen which deliberately and with malice a forethought causes us to pack on fat around our waist. Which means that if you weigh 120 pounds at 30 you are not going to fit into the same size clothes if you weigh 120 pounds at 60. Now isn't that just the crapper? Of course there is a solution. Rip out my finger nails.......It is the dreaded word.....exercise !! For the last 6 weeks I have been using the exercise glider, much like cross country skiing without freezing your nether regions, whilst I watched the TV. Now that I didn't mind because I could disassociate myself from what I was doing.....until one of the "skis" suddenly snapped. Which of course I am never going to live down. Why couldn't it have broken when HE was on it?...sigh...I don't take teasing very well. So, for the last week I have wondered what to do 'cause I had noticed a difference and once I got into the routine it was practically painless. Yesterday, in a fit of restlessness, I dragged my kicking and screaming butt into "Curves." Where I "got the tour." Yup, I signed up. It is my way home from work so I plan on stopping off each day. It's only half an hour of "unmitigated torture" ( I lie) and costs about the same as a pedicure/manicure each month. I was not thrilled to find out that 49% of my mass body index is fat and yes they do take into consideration your age, sheesh and that is cutting me some slack cause I am now oversixty. I thought we were 98% water? Somebody lied. Bastards. I shall report in a month as that number goes down. I was relieved to find out I am only..ha.. "overweight." It is shocking to find out what, medically, is considered "obese." So I fully expect to hate and despise the first two weeks of this. Crap, I just hate the thought of anything remotely like ..gag..."gym"...shudder. What a masochist and I am paying money for this too. Weeping and wailing. OK I will stop whining now.
O.K. here it is, do you ever watch TV and see these programs where someone is talking about all the weight they have lost? As wonderful as that is, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they ate all that weight on in the first place. I mean no one holds us and I mean me too, down and rams the food down our throat. We blithely go along consuming enough food and drink to keep the third world going for a month and then suddenly, if your lucky, the body hits TILT and you know it's time to diet. No one ever says anything while we are getting progressively larger but loose 2 pounds and we are all put out that no one says anything. The moral dilemma comes when you want cudos for loosing weight BUT and this is the BUT you have to admit how much weight you put on. The Dr's say that most people have to loose at least 20 pounds in order for it to become noticeable enough for anyone to comment. Even then there may be no comment because now you have engendered "pound jealousy" and have made your friends uncomfortable. It is no wonder we yo yo diet. O.K. I have lost 12 pounds. There I admit it of course that means I put 20 pounds on after I had my gall bladder out. Crap. Which was a year ago. When my weight is where I am most comfortable my mother will tell me my face looks drawn and haggard. Hello? looks like I have to make a choice. Pillsbury dough Boy or 60 yr old woman who feels great?? No brainer.
I am gathering pictures to inspire me for my NaNoWriMo this year. There will be a distinct Victorian feeling to this story. I can almost feel the chill emanating from this icy railing. Hmm ??Looks like this picture could set the time of the year too.
I phoned CNS Yarns, they market TheLily Chin Yarn Collection, in Montreal and I e mailed them also. I got home last night to find I had received an e mail from Lily heself. She is on her way to Ancorage to teach a class and had heard of the screw up. The Vogue chart is wrong and so are the directions, funny enough the only right thing is the yarn. It really is Greenwich Village. She emailed me her original instructions and I photo copied the chart and cut and pasted it back into the correct order. You would think Vogue would get their web site back up and running. I wonder how many other screw ups there are? So if anyone else wants to knit that dress I have the corrected instructions. Sorry Lily but I am really not crazy about the yarn and I think I will shop around for something a little more "up market." If I am going to put all that work into knitting lace it had better be spectacular!
Lovely expression that one... cock up ... something like ... foobar... anyway...I went back to the store and they don't have "Park Avenue" and as they don't do refunds I was forced (snort) to exchange it for other yarn. The stash has been extreemly low since I got rid of everything so I felt the need to replenish. I ended up getting 10 balls of Socka colour 1050 for a nice fine 4ply weight jumper. A good mindless project to have on the needles when I watch TV. By the way the Silky Wool man's cardi, in denim blue #32 is progressing nicely, thank you. I have passed the pocket opening on the last front. Looks like I won't have it finished for his birthday after all. Nuts. It's all my fault I added a complicated cable pattern up the front on both sides which slowed me down. Back to the lace dress.... Sigh, now I am back to square one. I am going to have to go and see Ellen at Needles and Pins and see what she has in that weight of yarn. Between Rowan and Debbie Bliss I know there will be something. The question is, how much am I going to be forced to spend this time?...
How is this for inspiration? Wipe the drool off my mouth. I want this dress for Christmas! Bless Lily she has the best of intentions but writing this pattern to fit, and I quote, an X Large and an XX Large I am not sure how flattering that would be. But hey if you can carry it off why not. I couldn't not unless I loose some more weight. I refuse to knit this any larger than a medium. So I went yarn shopping yesterday with this dress in mind. Ya Ya I know broke my rule again....sheesh I found the yarn the pattern called for ( Vogues 25th Anniversary Issue) but I thought it didn't look at all like the picture but decided to reserve judgment until I got it on the needles. The more I looked at the picture (page 156) and then looked at the instructions on page 215. I thought this is not right! Sure enough. Page 156 says it is knit in "Park Avenue" but the instructions say "Greenwich Village" OMG what a booboo. So after work I am taking the yarn I bought back to the store where I bought it and I will exchange it for the correct yarn. I am going to have to guess at quantities due to the screw up. I emailed Lily Chin's Yarn website to ask for help. Now I don't know what colour to get. I really don't want another red project. I am thinking black with a silver satin slip underneath. or beige with a chocolate brown satin underslip..or..or Nuts, I can't make up my mind.
Sigh....What is it about hairdressers, they never listen. I said, " I don't want the length cut just shape the top and the sides. He proceeds to whack off about 2 inches off the top and started moving down the back. I said, "whoa! I don't want it short." "It's OK," he says," I won't cut it short." OK it's not short but it is 2 inches shorter all over. I won't know just how short until I wash it and go to style it myself. THEN there is the colour. "OK," I said," it is to light. But, I still want it blond." "You are going to like it," he says. I have no idea what they call this colour. In the sun it is entirely different than in the house. Antiquey browny goldy something. (Wiping a tear). I was there 3 hours! I was bleached, steamed, washed, coloured, washed, deep moisture treated, steamed again, washed again, cut and blow dried. I scare myself every time I go by the bathroom mirror. I guess I will get used to it but it is a LOT darker than I wanted. So back to my first question. Why don't hairdressers ever listen?
Roast was yummy. I would only cook for 5 hours instead of 6. It didn't need the extra hour. The cheaper the cut of beef the longer you would need to cook it. It was a little sweet and I see why they describe it as "Kid friendly". If you don't like "weeds" (onion bits) in your gravy just strain it. I ended up with a lot of gravy that just needed to be thickened with corn starch and add a little salt. This would be great as "Beef on a bun" just fork shred the beef and put it all back into the pot. Suggestion for Super Bowl parties. It passed the "man" test.
I am getting very aggravated. I have started a pair of fair Isle mitts about 3 times. First the rosewood needles I bought were too small. So I dug out some casein needles I had. They are too long. The rib is alright but the pattern in the mitts is lumpy. My Fair Isle knitting is flat thank you very much and these mitts are just not up to standard. I bought some Misti Alpaca yarn for the job. Yummy and soft and warm. BUT I am not happy with the fair Isle transition from one needle to the other. I am knitting with 4 needles in the round. So, now I think I will knit them flat and then sew up the side seam. Seems like a cop out but if I add one extra stich and use a mattress stitch the seam will be invisible. Crap, it also means I have to purl in fair Isle...sigh.... I found the pattern whilst "googling" in "Google Images". It is amazing what you can find if you type in a subject and then google in images instead of the just the web. I can't show you a picture cause my daughter reads this and I want to surprise her (*waves to Feyrhi).
Today I am being experimental. I bought a crock pot book at Loblaws and came across this really interesting recipie. Here goes: 1 - 3 pound roast ( I can knit and sew metric but I still cook Imperial) 1 - envelope Lipton's onion soup mix 2 - cans Coca cola 5 quart crock pot
Srinkle the soup over the roast pour in the pop and cook on high for 1 hour then low for 5-6 hours. Now how is that for easy?
Did you know? If you take the lid off the crock pot while cooking you extend the cooking time by 20 minutes!! When cooking the crock pot should only be half full. The hot moist air above the food is need to cook properly. I will let you know how it turns out.
I have been trying for years to find a lost pattern. Once upon a time..long long ago the Toronto Star published a pattern advertisement. It was buried in the classifieds I think. You never knew what they were going to advertise. It could be a sewing pattern or knitting, embroidery, smocking what ever. My mother used to order the "Grace Knott Dots" for smocking from this advert. I ordered a lot of patterns for children's clothes as well. When Julia was a baby.....um 2007 minus 1976 equals ... no than can't be right?...crap...sheesh...anyway like I said a long time ago I bought this crochet pattern. It was for a zig zag poncho. Which I crocheted in a denim blue yarn. I also changed the pattern into a cape and used reindeer horn buttons. I wore that cape till it fell apart. It was the handiest thing and because it was a neutral denim colour it went with everything with out screaming "Look at me I am a poncho". Every time the weather turns cool I think of that handy thing.
Sometimes a phrase, a word or a tune lodges in your memory. I love the sound of "cherry coloured silk." This is a line from one of my favourite Beatrix Potter books, "The Tailor of Glouster." (Sunday afternoon I watched the movie "Miss Potter") I had all the books when I was a child and even found a copy on cassette tape, read by Claire Bloom, for my children .
Having said all that, I have a weakness for all things cherry, jam, jubilee and lately mohair. Aha you say, now she is going to mention the Knitter's Fair. I met my daughter there and we had a marvelous time. Our plan was to have a walk around first and then begin the serious task of spending money. Half way around we spotted these pewter buttons. OMG they look very "elfin" to me so we each bought 3. In the latest vogue Knitting, 25th anniversary issue, there is a mohair coat in a dark colour. I have to have this coat so I decided that was going to be my major purchase. I was looking for something safe, neutral and practical. That would be IF I was shopping with my mother. I was shopping with my daughter remember? Suddenly we both glam onto this CHERRY coloured mohair from Fleece Artist, Nova Scotia's finest. I need reassurance from everyone that I can "carry" a cherry coloured coat. It is so gorgeous. Now I see my daughter has referred to me as the blond bombshell so I guess I have no worries..lolol
It is the KW Knitter's Fair on Saturday. Now, It is a given that I will buy something. Or maybe a couple of somethings.....just fess up and say I am going on a "yarn bender." Whaw hooo!
It's Latin for, Remember Me, and it's a hint for my Nanowrimo project for November. So I was googling "Memento Mori" for some ideas when I came across this artist, "Kako Ueda's Cut paper Art"
This is made with an exacto knife and paper. totally amazing!
Catarina was Henry's first wife and was probably the only one of his six wives to truly love him. He tired of her, and she spent the last decade of her life in lonely exile. Yet when she was dying, alone and unloved, she wrote: "Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire thee above all things. Farewell."
You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com Take this quiz!
