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| Friday, June 27th, 2008 | | 4:38 pm |
Reading Preferences
At my Doctor's office today, the reading table contained only 2 things: A Holy Bible, and a stack of Avon catalogs. What would you call this weird juxtaposition? The Sublime and the Ridiculous? Body and Soul? C'mon, Bax, I'm counting on you for a zinger... | | Saturday, March 15th, 2008 | | 4:02 pm |
Oh, no, Terry!
I just found out that Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's. What kind of stinking irony is that? | | Thursday, December 6th, 2007 | | 7:59 pm |
Sellout? Career Advancement? You choose...
Remember 'Serenity'? Remember Mal, the Captain? He is now a regular on 'Desperate Housewives'. I kid you not. | | Friday, November 2nd, 2007 | | 1:30 pm |
A little more help, please?
It seems I am always asking you guys for help. Or at least input. Currrent dilemma concerns knitting needles. I have many many needles already, but I am about to embark on New Adventures in knitting, via Cat Bordhi and her magical method, involving lots of various lengths of circular needles. Also got Barbara Walker's book on knitting from the top down, also involving circular needles. I think the best solution would probably be a set of interchangeable tips with various lengths of cables, but there are lots of different kinds out there, and I don't even know where to start. Wood tips? Metal? Resin? And who makes the best? Heeelllllp!
While I have your attention, a couple more questions:
What is 'teh'? What does it mean and how do you say it? Also 'woot'. Same inquiry.
Is a 'klingon' the same thing as 'a bat in the cave'?
Inquiring minds want to know.... | | Friday, October 26th, 2007 | | 2:08 pm |
HOME!!
We are home. HOME. Unburned, darling little house home. The town is still pretty deserted, and the crush to get re-entry is backing up at the checkpoint, but we should soon be back to 'normal', whatever that is. I had to stop at said checkpoint, and was told that the wait was about 40 minutes. I buttonholed the nearest Sheriff's deputy, told him my husband was 'with' the Sheriff's in Twin Peaks, and that I had cats in the car. Cats, he says, hmmm. Follow me. And he put me second in line at the permit desk. Cats Rule!!
Kent had preceded me up the hill so he could help with the Sheriff's Citizens Patrol, so he had no trouble getting in. Just flashed his badge.We had boarded our kitties at my step-son's vet, and when I picked them up, they refused payment. Great folks.
Magick wet his pants as we pulled into town, so the car isn't reeking too badly, but he is not a happy guy right now. He was unceremoniously rinsed off in the kitchen sink and rubbed down with a dishtowel. I have had a minute to brew some coffee and dump my catpissy clothes in the washer, so life is good.
We had a nice few days with Kent's son and family, and I managed to get almost all the junk food I was craving. Our town only has Round Table and McD's, so all the finer things, like Rubio's and Quizno's are rare treats.
I am leaving behind, in Redlands, my friend Sue who has a house in the Arrowhead area. She may not get back up for another week or so. She is comfortably nesting with a friend there, so should be OK, but is still anxious.
I must thank you all for your good wishes on our behalf, and for my birthday wishes too. Thanks. Oh, btw, we had to evacuate the day after the aforementioned bridal shower, so I didn't get to tell you all how that went. With your help I decided on a cookbook written by a Food Channel cookie, it looks perfect for a new bride, and then wrapped it with a bunch of little utensils on the front instead of a bow. Cute, and much appreciated. Thanks for the input! Bax, your mention of the embroidered blanket was great--I may do that for them down the road a bit.
Whew. I am going to bring in our stuff from the car and get re-settled. Kent should be home in time for dinner. We never lost power, so our refer food is still good.
Rhylar, hope your folks are OK in Del Mar. San Diego Co was really hard hit. And today is the anniversary of the deaths of the 5 firefighters in the Esperanze fire. Life in So Cal...
Hey, Wendy, you said your folks are "f'ing PC." Does that stand for Politically Correct? Which we are, of course...
Bye for now.
| | Thursday, October 11th, 2007 | | 1:52 pm |
A Little Help Here?
I have been invited to a bridal shower for a young woman I have met only once--she is the fiance of my step-son's stepson--so I know very little about her. I am appealing to members of her generation to give me an idea or two for a shower gift. If there is anything you remember getting, pre-nuptially, which you still value today, and haven't relegated to the back shelf of your pantry, I would like to know the identity of said object. I am feeling hopelessly 'out of it' and also suffer from 'live in Hickville-itis' so your assistance would be more than appreciated.
My line is open... | | Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 | | 12:50 pm |
Graduation Day
On Thursday, my husband Kent and I went to his grand-daughter's graduation from High School. It was a pretty typical graduation ceremony, and maybe the family gathering was pretty typical too, I don't know. Here's a list of the attendees:
Tom, my husband's second son, my step-son, father to Brittany
Brittany, the graduate, my step-grand-daughter
Sally, Brittany's mother, Tom's ex-wife, my ex-step-daughter-in-law
Tyler, Brittany's brother, my step-grand-son
Dottie, my husband's ex-wife, another of Brittany's four grand-mothers, and Tom's mother
Bob, Dottie's current husband, Brittany's step-grand-father
Lindy, Tom's girlfriend
Christian and Paul, the elder of Lindy's four children
Daniel, Brittany's boyfriend
and Duane(?), Sally's boyfriend
Children like Brittany have twice as many relatives as a child in a 'normal' family would have, due to divorce and remarriage. The adults have trouble remembering who belongs to whom, but the children have no problem. They know everybody and where they all fit in. Naturally, since the world revolves around them!
Anyway, it was a fun gathering, we all went out to dinner together, and caught up on each other. There have been rough patches in the past, hurt feelings, estrangements, and general ill will, but all seems smooth now. We've all grown up. | | Sunday, May 6th, 2007 | | 5:52 pm |
Dragons
I recently saw 'Eregon' on DVD, and although I liked the story and look forward to the sequel(s), I have to take issue with the appearance of the dragon, Safira. Her face is way too flat, and her eyes too small and forward-facing. The presumed descendants of dragons, lizards and birds, have long central ridges from brow to snout (beak), and large protuberant eyes that are more situated to the side. Safira has a brow stop, for crisake! Any comments? Bax? | | Monday, March 5th, 2007 | | 1:58 pm |
More on knitting... I have been going to weekly knitting sessions with my knittingfriend, Susan, and learning alot. We also go to yarn shops here and there, and she has introduced me to Sock Yarn, which is really cool. It is very fine, usually, and sometimes variegated, but most of the time it has a self-striping pattern. I haven't done any socks yet, but there are lots of other applications for sock yarn, and I am all into that. There are several books specializing in scarves, hats, and gloves made with sock yarn, and they are all quite interesting looking. A nearby yarn shop, the Yarn Deli, has as its motto. "Sit. Knit. Be." I love it. It's so Zen. Current Mood:  cheerful | | Monday, January 22nd, 2007 | | 4:56 pm |
Happy New Year Gads, it has been an age since I posted anything! How about a little 2006 wrap-up first? Our first whole year of retirement, in our little mountain home. Fan-freakin-tastic. Learned a lot about the flora and fauna, adjusted to the weather. Had a few great trips: Death Valley, Washington DC, Alaska. Got to enjoy the local scenery from high atop a fire lookout tower. Had some interesting visitors—notably, Redtail, AKA Baxil, in May. Bax, it was a pleasure to give you shelter for while, and learn more about long-distance hiking. You have the world’s sweetest parents, BTW, did you know they sent us a New England ‘care package’ with yummy local treats? Lobster bisque, maple syrup, a fantastic spice rub…so thoughtful. I have learned a lot about knitting this year from a talented new friend who has also taught me to appreciate the better yarns. Susan has showed me how to join shoulder seams with a saddle that then goes down the sleeve, and how to apply an i-cord to the edge of a finished piece, easier than Zimmerman’s. I am diggin’ it. 2007 so far… COLD!! We still have ice on the ground from snow which fell 2 weeks ago. There is a thin skin of ice on Lake Gregory, our nearest body of water. (Some axhole has already fallen through trying to walk on it.) The wind has played havoc with items on the deck, firewood cover, trashcans, and the power source. We lost power off and on over 2 days early this month, but didn’t suffer too badly. We have a good fireplace, plenty of wood, and an old gas wall heater left from when this little house was a mountain cabin, 50 years ago. We have emergency supplies for food, oil lamps and candles for light, Coleman stove and gas barbeque for cooking. We didn’t have as hard a time of it as Lori and David, for sure. Also, I hear you can drown in your own basement in Seattle… Lori, I have jury duty coming up too. Over in Big Bear, which requires about an hour’s drive over mountain roads, including a stretch called the Arctic Circle, for reasons I would rather not know. Will post this experience… I have meant to comment on many LJ entries over the past weeks, but read the entries too late to have the comments be relevant, really. Believe me, I have enjoyed keeping up on y’all’s adventures. Kady, how exciting that you are going back to cooking school! Best of luck. Sandy and Lori, I have laughed at the new-kitty stories and would love to meet the babies. To all those we saw at DM’s Solstice night—so good to spend that time with you, love you all. Sandy and Eric, I know you will grow in this rich new environment. Devon, I’m still waiting for pics of your new room… OK, that was a good start at catchup—I promise to be more timely in future. Happy New Year! | | Thursday, December 14th, 2006 | | 10:28 am |
Lemon Chicken, Revisited To follow up on the lemon chicken saga, I made the recipe suggested by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kadyg, from the link below. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19367,00.htmlIt was reaalllly good! I would maybe cut back on the broth a little, and I would put in some quartered lemon slices to make it closer to Chang's presentation, but otherwise just follow the recipe. The lemon curd is an essential ingredient. And you gotta make the Special Rice to go with it! Yum!!! | | Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 | | 5:38 pm |
Just let me say this about that... Here it is, Christmas time again--wait, what do you call it? Is Christmas just for Christians? It seems like the whole country celebrates this holiday, or is more or less forced to celebrate this holiday, as Christmas. Sure, the cards say Happy Holidays, or Best Wishes of the Season, but we all know what the real deal is. Don't get me wrong, I love this season and all the stuff that goes with it. I was raised in a Christian household, we went to midnite services on the 24th, sang in the choir, the whole bit. But in the house, in the actual house, we had no nativity scene, no overt Christian symbols. Santa was there. Santa gave us gifts. We sang Santa songs. We celebrated Santa-mas.
I do love this season. I love getting presents for everyone, I love the trees and the lights, the music--well, for the most part. I pretty much hate Oh Holy Night. I love that I get to see most of the family, we really try to make contact and celebrate together. This is also the one time of year that I hear from my cousin Kathy, the one time I write to my old neighbor Jean. There is this spirit thing going around. What about the non-Christians of various ilks? What are we supposed to do? Can we just cherry-pick the good parts, the aspects that make us feel good, or nostalgic, or generous, or connected? Why not? I have a tree. It is a live green tree covered with ornaments and lights. Don't take that away from me. I have holly stuff on the mantle, and candles everywhere. I will probably do this forever. I love it.
Merry Santa-mas!!! | | Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 | | 10:45 am |
End of Fire Season (?)
December 2 marked the official end of fire season in SB Nat'l Forest, all the fire lookouts closed and shuttered. Ironically, 2 or 3 new fires have broken out, though not in our Forest, due to the high winds and low humidity. If red flag conditions persist, we may have to re-open and re-staff our lookouts until the first good snow. Can you say 'global warming?'
The humidity is around 12-15% some days, and Magick goes around looking like a cartoon cat, fur all zapped out around him. Fiona seems less affected, but still sparks if you touch her without discharging current beforehand. Hubby and I have learned to lay a hand alongside the other's cheek before a kiss to prevent lip-zap. Ow.
Holiday preparations going apace. Cards all done, awaiting stamps. Sis's scarf almost knitted (I am trying a short-row pattern which coils at the ends, it is really cute!), Amazon on the list of things to do today. Harry and David visit scheduled for next week. Hmmm. Oh, yeah, we'll get a tree this weekend. Our living tree from last year is happily growing in the back yard, occupying the only remaining sky-hole, so this year's tree will have to go in the front yard. I love this time of year with the lights everywhere...
Does anybody have a recipe for the kind of Lemon Chicken they serve at P F Chang's? | | Wednesday, November 29th, 2006 | | 7:42 pm |
X-men Trey(?)
Just saw X-men3 on DVD. Did anyone stay through the credits to the bitter end? The hospital scene? What's THAT about?!? | | Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 | | 4:04 pm |
Thanks, Crafties!! Thank you all who responded to DM's plea for yarn shop info. I made it to Purlesence, a GREAT shop with exotic yarns (bamboo, slubby nylon, etc.) and fair prices, but didn't buy anything (!). I will revisit in December, maybe. A shop in Los Altos, on the other hand, was a warm-fuzzy experience, and I bought a 'few' things there...They have a good selection of beautiful yarns, some outstanding cotton and Merino wool, plus some heathery stuff from China (wool + soy fiber) that I could not resist. There were people milling around, greeting each other like old home week, and there was a table at the back where children were learning how to knit. Awwwww. It's called Uncommon Threads, and it is definitely worth a look. On State St. in Los Altos.
Since time was a bit short, I did not venture to Campbell, but that rug and yarn place might see me in December too....
Again, thanks! Knitters rule. | | Sunday, October 22nd, 2006 | | 10:57 am |
Upcoming Election
I am a green-ish, liberal Democrat looking for a reliable source for evaluation or analysis of the issues, and recommendations or endorsements of candidates. Any suggestions? | | Wednesday, October 4th, 2006 | | 11:30 am |
| | Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006 | | 8:47 pm |
Adventure, Conclusion   OK, here's what happened. We took an excursion boat out of Juneau to see some whales. The boat had a naturalist on board who told us we would be lucky to see orcas, but humpbacks were common. Soon, however, he got a call from a sister ship that had spotted some orcas, looking like they were on a hunt. Sure enough, as we approached, it was clear that the whales were hot on the trail of a small porpoise (see previous post). The two pictures above show the orcas in pursit, and then the kill. Look at the second picture, in the splash area of the orca's mouth, you can see the tail of the porpoise. It was totally thrilling to have a ringside seat to this drama, but my heart was in my throat, and I was sorta pulling for the porpoise. Ah, well, circle of life and all that.... The cruise through the Inside Passage was beautiful, we had good weather, it was spectacular, and I won't bore you with touristy details. If you ever get the chance to go on such a trip, LEAP at it. | | 4:43 pm |
Adventure, Cont.  Here is an orca closing in on a Dall's porpoise. I really don't mean to drag this out, but I need to get the critical pictures re-saved in JPG to post them, and I need assistance to do that. Mr. Assistance is due home in about an hour... | | 3:46 pm |
Along the Inside Passage  This was taken outside Juneau, a bit after sunrise. We had a grand adventure with some whales later this day, and if I am successful in uploading those pics, I will continue this narrative. |
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