Out of Office

Will return shortly.

Please do not adjust your set. Normal service will resume shortly.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

457 days

Hmmmmm... Interesting.

Sewmouse - a dash of confidence - 1/4 cup of loyalty - a pound of honesty Combine in a blender until smooth.

'What is your personality recipe?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Grazillions of Grackles

Mondays aren't really my favorite day of the week. Especially rainy, gloomy, dreary mondays, and this one started out like that. Fall is definitely in full swing, the chill in the air of a morning makes me want to burrow back under the quilts - not toss them to the side and leap into action.

This morning I opened the back door to head to the car and heard the most amazing sound - it was the soundtrack to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Amazing that someone would be playing that at such an ungodly hour...

And then I saw them. On the TV antenna of the house opposite... 20 grackles, at the least. And on their roof - at least 2 or 3 dozen more. A chorus of birdnoise from behind caused me to whirl about and see in the tree behind our fence another group - hundreds of grackles... grackling.

I made a break for my car - all the while listening to the scratchy cries of the birds - hoping they wouldn't attack and peck me to death. The noise of the Grazillions of Grackles (exact number) was loud enough to drown out the sounds from the expressway nearby. Every single TV antenna, all the roofs - much of the shrubbery and all of the trees - covered in Grackles.

Damn that lady across the street and her stupid bird feeder!!!

462 days

Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 10

Part 1.....Part 2.....Part 3.....Part 4

Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8

Part 9

Today is the day - we're going to take all the leftover cut bits and finsih the top of our quilt! Grab the 5 rows of squares that you assembled last week, and the six very long strips of Color A.

Take one strip of color A and sew it along the long edge of one of your rows of squares. Do this to each of the 5 strips.

The next part is to attach the 5 strips to one another, keeping an "A" strip between each of the rows of pieced blocks. You will want to make an effort here to keep the squares in line with one another. The blocks should look as if the pointy bits of each triangle-mini-block are pointing to the ones in the next row. We strive for Symmetry. The lovely part about using these intervening "Sashing" bits (the long "A" strips) is that if you are off by a small amount, it's less noticable.

Sew the final "A" strip to the edge of the pieced blocks that doesn't have one - and you should end up with a lovely pieced quilt-top that looks like this:



For those of you who have made quilts before - now is the fun bit - you know how to finish. For those of you who have not - I'll begin next week with the basics of how to assemble the quilt and turn this pieced top into an actual blanket.

Geese on a Date

I really do need to learn to bring my digital camera along with me more often, although I'm not sure there would have been time to capture this "Kodak Moment" even if I had brought it today.

My office is in an "industrial complex" - lots of small manufacturing/warehousing buildings in a 3-4 square block area. Traffic usually fairly moderate at all times, a bit heavier at morning, noon and evening rush. Substantial 18-wheeler use.

One street does a dog-leg turn from the E-W street to the N-S street - and I have to navigate that one to get to our offices, which are at the end of a cul-de-sac off that dogleg. The morning haze had not yet entirely burned off, and as I approached the curve, through the mist I see 4 "poles" sticking out of the road up ahead. Slowing down, I realized the "poles" were, in fact, Canadian Geese necks - two going South together, and 2 going North together.

Looked like geese on a date. I LOL'd.

Fortunately, they were conscientious geese and got out of the road before I got too close. It was so cute.

We have too many Canadian Geese around here. The area cannot support the numbers, and they are crowding out some of the other waterfowl - especially my favorites, the Mallard ducks. Some towns have taken to having patrols that go around and find nests and break the eggs before they hatch. I sure hope the right-to-life (Anti-Choice) Xtians don't find out about this - it's GOOSE ABORTION!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CALL THE POPE!!!!!!!!

467 Days

Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 9

Part 1.....Part 2.....Part 3.....Part 4

Part 5.....Part 6.....Part 7.....Part 8

Welcome to the latest installment of our drive to making a quilt.

As you will remember, we now have 25 somewhat rectangular "squares" with a stripe down one side, that look like this:

Take five of these and the last 5 of the "A" 12 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips, and add a strip to each on the opposite side from the one there already - thus:

Iron the new seam, then grab the rest of your pieced rectangles. Add 4 rectangles to each of the rectangles you just finished with, "nose-to-tail" in the same fashion as an "elephant parade". When you are finished, you will have 5 rows with 5 squares each, separated by "A" strips.

Ok, yes, that is utter rubbish writing - this is what each row should look like:

If you have been totally conscientious with your measuring, cutting and maintaining consistant seam-allowance, you will have lovely, perfectly straight rows. If like me, you are a bit wonky with all this, you will have rows that do a bit of an up and down dance. Do yourself a huge favor now and "straighten" your rows. Make sure that you have nice, straight edges on both long sides, and nice "square" 90 degree corners at each end.

Making this bit look really nice is going to make a large difference in your finished product - we'll finish up the top piecing next week. As always, if you have any questions, or quilt-related complaints, leave a comment and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Don't be shy about leaving a question - could be someone else wants to know too!

More Snibbits, because I can't think of a clever title

A blog I read from time-to-time, "The Sneeze" has prompted me to have a gigglefit, thanks to the following quote: "Okay, look. There might be a day when I need a little chemical enhancement to get my soul set on fire, but I’m sure not going to hit a dusty roadhouse, pop Viagra with my old gang and lay down tunes until we all pop trouser tents." If you've never visited The Sneeze before, you might want to take a gander at his
Steve, Don't Eat It posts. I suggest doing so outside the normal mealtime window.

In the interst of maintaining a "FAIR AND BALANCED" news view - Here's some proof even the Democrats can have their "Wide-Stance" moments. Apparently an Ohio state representative decided to download some pr0n on his way to giving a Power-Point presentation to a group of highschool kids. Bet those nude models had some "POWER POINTS" of their own?

Back to work.
Smile! People will wonder what you are up to.

472 days

Snibbits

Larry "Wide Stance" Craig has had his Whine and Cheese party in Minnesota court and been denied the motion to retract his guilty plea. I'm laughing.

SCHIP has still been vetoed. Please check the post below and call your Congresscritters and tell them to get that override done.

The Cubs are one step away from the World Series. They will choke. You read it here first.

I really do need to find a "fabricaholics anonymous" group. Yes, I did. I got 6 yards of various blue and white fabrics. I have this idea.........................

I need a plumber. Who doesn't charge an arm and a leg and several major internal organs. To fix a leak. In the shower. Preferably with his clothes on, unless he is really cute and single, in which case I'll waive the last requirement.

Rabbits ate my rhubarb plant. I am thinking of hiring Elmer Fudd. I had thought it was the roofers, actually, but Carol at work told me it was rabbits.

When I got home last nite, the roofers were removing the dumpster unit from the driveway next to mine where nobody lives, and once it was on the truck, they swept the driveways, which was darn nice of them and all. Then I went into my back garden and saw that they had swept my whole patio, which was also darn nice - swept it even better than *I* usually do. Although they knocked over my Smokey Joe - but I can fix that easy enough. But then I looked at the plants to see if anything needed to be pruned or pulled out or anything - and MY RHUBARB IS GONE.

So I thought it was the darn roofers. But Carol says rabbits, and I believe her, so I shall go looking for an Elmer Fudd.

473 Days

Compassionate Conservatism

Matthew 25:41-46

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

“The immediate goal is to make sure there are more people on private insurance plans. I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, just go to an emergency room.“

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

George Walker Bush has vetoed health insurance for the poorest of this country's children. Call your senators and representatives NOW. DEMAND this veto be overturned.
1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

474 days

Dog Ears in the Wind

I see the most amusing things on my way to and from work every day.

Today the first thing was an SUV with a Dog Accessory hanging out the rear window. Not entirely certain what flavor of dog it was - IANTAKC - but it looked vaguely like an anorexic Labrador with unusually long floppy ears.

Unlike the dogs I grew up with who used to stick just their snouts, or their noses, or on rare occasions their whole head out the window, this canine critter had his whole neck and shoulders out as well. And he was LOVING it. The wind would turn his ears inside out and he'd wiggle around until they flopped down, then the wind would do it again. Happy pooch on a joyride.

Before someone makes a big deal about him being loose in the car - he wasn't really. He had a leash that kept him from jumping out - and I do think he would have jumped out given a chance. I know that it probably wasn't safe and all for him to be doing it, but the look of sheer joy on his face was priceless, and maybe we've legislated and "safetyed" our way out of a lot of joy in our lives.

About 2 miles further along I saw what has to be the stupidest vehicle I've seen since Lombard stopped painting everything lilac. A pink Hummvee. And not just a tasteful deep rose... oh no...

1970's Dennys Retro Vinyl Seat Cushion Pink. LOUD pink. IN YOUR FACE, THIS IS REALLY PINK, PINK.

I lol'ed. Somehow I could see Jaghdwulfe driving it... (now Lea will LOL)

475 days