Paterno and Pets

Joe Paterno was a great football coach that made a horrendous mistake. He is dead and can no longer defend his actions or answer our questions. I must say I am appalled by the witch hunt that has started around him since the very beginning. Within the first week, we saw a former Pittsburgh Steeler booted from a community service organization simply because he voiced support for his former coach. This was just after Mr. Paterno was fired. His  name was also removed from a trophy around the same time. Now, some people are calling for his statue, his name, and his image to be removed from Happy Valley and the Penn State main campus. I think people have forgotten that he was human, and humans make grave mistakes in judgement all the time. What happened to those young boys was and is criminal. Those involved should and will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, this attempt to remove Mr. Paterno from the Penn State consciousness is a form of censorship we have not seen in a long time .I can only compare it to the removal of communist party members and leaders who fell from favor in the Cold War. We cannot and should not strike the man's achievements from being remembered. He was the head coach for a long time, and he did influence and guide his players, many of whom have become successes on and off the field. He is a part of the Penn State story. In my opinion we should not remove his statue and name from the campus. We should learn from his mistakes, remembering both his football legacy and his fall from grace.

On the pet front, Peanut woke me up around 2:30am today not to go outside, but to inform me that she was hungry and could not find any food. Lovely. She went from dish to dish to show me their emptiness. Now, before anyone thinks I do not feed my pets, let me say that Princess Peanut is a fifteen year old baby girl who has always lived for food and treats in any form. (Some, of which, were disgusting but very dog like.) She has become a tad overweight due to my inability to walk her the last year or two. I could barely walk myself. Peanut did eventually go outside to get a treat, and we all went back to bed. This morning around 6am she was up and showing me all the empty dishes once more. She is now happily napping in her bed, having had breakfast. People, I sometimes wonder who is in control around here. Chalk this up as a win for team canine.

Zombie cutout cookies in new 2013 Wilton book!

Like a lot of my friends, I think Halloween is the best holiday out there. Garfield said it best: 'You go out, you get candy. Plain and simple.' For my zombie loving friends who watch anything and everything zombie, Wilton 2013 Yearbook has four pages of zombie fun. The cutouts use royal icing - not fondant - and they are cute. Imagine making a zombie horde to eat while you indulge in a movie or two. The zombie cupcake tower is very nice, as well.

Now, all I need are classic monsters of the 50's and 60's like Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, the Thing from Another World........ and don't forget the giant cucumber monster fro It Conquered the World. I'd like to see Larry's reaction to that one.

Off to watch the original The Thing and maybe The Blob.

Or the first Night of the Living Dead.... but only if I have cookies!

Returning to the madness

Hi! It's hot around here, but so much has been done in my flower beds in the last week! Now, the driveway is the best on my block, the versa lock wall is lovely, and I am no longer the disgrace of the neighborhood. However, the flower beds.... Gone is the impossible to maintain front bank - replaced with mulch over landscape cloth. Where the five pines once stood, there is a large bed with three weeping cherry trees. The vast jungle bed in the back of my land has been cleared out and mulched, too. Blank canvas for gardening! As soon as I get my camera in order, I think pictures should follow.

On the cat vs. dog front, Oreo and Lily still amaze me. I never know when they are playing or fighting. As long as both are in one piece, everything is okay. Peanut just ignores them unless there is food involved.

Craftwise, I am still jumping around from knitting to embroidery to quilting to spinning to watercolor. Art journaling looks so neat, but I am not good at that yet.

As I said, pics will come.... of gardens, ball jointed dolls, pets, and such.

Keep the faith, baby!

Memories of the past

This morning I looked in the mirror and saw a thinner face. Or I thought so. It frightened me.

A good friend died from anorexia. She was getting better and gaining weight but her heart couldn't take the added weight.

My mother died from lung cancer and lost eleven pounds in one week. My heart remembers how thin and frail she became, although her iron will didn't change.

Did I see my Mother's face or my own? I resemble her somewhat.

I won't own a scale because of her illness. I'm happy if my weight stays the same at my age.

Funny how life conditions you to fear certain things and not others.

It was my face I saw, but there were memories of the past seen, as well.

More UFOs than the law allows

I did it! I conquered all the yarn in the lower closet -- before spring really sets in and I go outside to garden and knit. Weaving yarn - found and in a bag. Felted bags - seven in various states of construction and lots of feltable yarn. Dishcloth cotton - I think I can open a store.

In the UFO category, we have an Einstein coat, two pairs of socks, a crocheted shawl, and a sweater. The Einstein has been a three year project....

The size 8 needle I couldn't find yesterday -- found it. Crochet hooks -- I must love size H. This doesn't mean that I am not going to stockpile circs in 8, 10, and 10 1/2. For each JoAnn's coupon, one set will come home. That way I will have a supply of them, placed and stored in a safe place, that will vanish into the black hole of the house....

The Optical Illusion dishcloth is still a WIP (work in progress) and progress is slow. Onward!

Continue on!

Yesterday I started the Optical Illusion dishcloth for the Ravlery Dishcloth KAL this week. This is going to be a challenge -- I can tell.

First, I prefer using a size 8 bamboo needle. Could not find one. Anywhere. Settled for a size 7 and continued on....

Second, printer and PC not speaking to each other. I don't know if it was something one of them said or did. Had to copy instructions in longhand. Instructions did not make sense. Should I log on the check them and miss Jay Leno or (yep) contiune on....

Third, what's one stitch more? It's a dishcloth. I should have 25, but in reality, there are 26.
This is a dishcloth -- continue on...

Sometimes you just can't stop - you just continue on. Sometimes continuing on may be silly, but it's better than stopping and staring into space.

This is life.... continue on!