So yesterday afternoon, Evan was napping and Aden was doing his Jumpstart on the computer and I sat down for an hour of happy knitting. Not much was on. I was flipping through the channels and heard a little advert, something about people who "have seen the other side". Sure why not, nothing good is on anyway, other than the Talk so I was thinking I could flip back and forth. So Checked the Talk, commerical flipped back to the other show. I quickly learned that the other show was in fact, none other than...The 700 club. AHHHHHHH
Run for your lives. I didn't turn the channel, I should have immediately. I already know that its a stupid show. I know I don't like Pat Robertson, I doubt he has changed much over the years. But, they showed this little boy who was talking about going to heaven and a chic who was saying she had been to hell. I could not help myself. I had to stay on the channel. So they started out with a little global news, unrest in the middle east. Yes we know, that's not exactly news. Nor do I personally believe the 'unrest' is caused by all of the 'heathen's not 'heeding' the word of God. It was probably a good thing I was alone, because after about 2 minutes I was just livid. Then they do a segment on Yoga. That's nice I thought, wrong. Did you know that according to Pat and his cronies, Yoga is an occult practice and if you do it, you are going to HELL!!!! Yes that's right, Yoga is the work of Satan. And if you think about it, it sounds just like him! Trying to get everyone all flexible and healthy! Damn that Satan!.
WTF Pat! Really Yoga? It's stretching and deep breathing. Terrible! Well you know all of those Eastern practices are Satanic. Karate is satanic too. I did not know that. I thought it was self-defense. I didn't know that people who actually do karate are getting their "power'" to break boards and stuff from Satan. I had always thought it was practice and focus. I just was not aware. Apparently according to the Grand Master Idiot himself, all martial arts are Satanic practices. Yep.
Personally, I would have thought that they would have brought up Tai chi. That has got to a Satanic practice. All of those elderly Asians in great shape, completely healthy, up at dawn. Very, Very suspicious!.
(to avoid any confusion, the above was mostly sarcasm on my part, I do not in anyway, endorse Pat Robertson or anything he says, I think he is an Idiot!)
Anyway, I missed most of the Talk, which I later regretted, because really Sharon Osborne is so cute!.
But on to the reason why I was watching the 700 club, which I will never do again. This is 'the other side" week or something, so every day they are interviewing people who have died and gone to either heaven or hell and then came back.
And believe it or not Syliva Brown wasn't on the show at all! I know shocking right.
So they are interviewing this boy's parents. Guess what? His dad is a preacher...WOW. Didn't see that one coming. So when the boy was 3 his appendix burst and he died briefly or almost died (they weren't clear) during surgery and he met Jesus, his grandfather and his baby sister that died before she was born. Now. I happen to have a little experience with 3 year olds, they are easy to coach. If you tell them something enough times they will believe it. Santa Claus is a very good example of this. Anyway I listened to these "interviews" and was not convinced. I could go on about why I wasn't convinced, but I'll spare you. But it was typical Pat Robertson bullshit.
So I was in a pissy mood all afternoon, until the boys talked me into making beads with the play dough that was getting all dry and probably only had a few days left. That was calming.
But I cannot for the life of me understand why people listen to Pat Robertson.
Although I can certainly understand why there are some people in other countries, who practice religions other than Christianity, think Americans are evil. If Pat Robertson is the example they see, it is totally understandable.
I saw nothing on the show that would lead me to believe that Christianity is a good religion. No 'Love thy Neighbor', No kindness of any kind. There was a lot of "bearing False witness against your neighbor' .
I can't wait to get back to doing Yoga! I had only thought about getting the boys in some sort of martial art, I am convinced now that they should learn karate or something!
Anyway, I need to move on. Maybe there is a Tai Chi Group around here I can join.
But Pat Robertson is still an idiot. :)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Urban Knitting
I have no trouble admitting that I am fascinated with graffiti. It makes waiting at railroad crossings a little less annoying, and we spend alot of time here waiting on trains to go by so we can continue down the road. I love the colors and the designs. Now not all graffiti is worth looking at, but every once in a while I'll see something that is just stunning! Some of graffiti is just pure art. But it is illegal and bearing that in mind, the real graffiti artist should find a venue that is not illegal. Enough of the spray paint graffiti, let's get to what kind of graffiti I am currently in love with.
Urban Knitting aka Guerrilla knitting to me is so freakin' cool!!!!!
Check this out!
I saw somewhere and I think it was Japan, were someone had covered a park bench. Now that's just flippin' thoughtful! and the knitting on the stair rail? Also very nice. It's colorful, its fun and just seems to make people people smile.
Now personally, I am not at this level of knitting, but I do have aspirations that someday, I may be good enough to do something this creative. I probably wouldn't do it in a public place, because this is illegal too I think. But it would be nice to knit a few trees in the yard, just to spruce up the place a bit.
The other day, Bill told me I might need to slow down on the knitting, so I don't run out of things to knit....... That does not seem like it will ever be an issue :)
Wonder what kind of wool they are using??? Acrylic? Wool? Some sort of Blend? What weight? I just have to wonder, what kind of wool do you use to knit on a tree? What would the tree like?
Thinking about that ought to keep me busy today. I'm off for my first trip out of the house since before the surgery. Well to someplace that isn't the hospital or doctor's office, although I will visit the doctor this afternoon. Hope that appointment goes well, I am tired of sitting on my ass:)
Urban Knitting aka Guerrilla knitting to me is so freakin' cool!!!!!
Check this out!
 |
| This is an abandoned Gas station in syracuse, new york |
Now personally, I am not at this level of knitting, but I do have aspirations that someday, I may be good enough to do something this creative. I probably wouldn't do it in a public place, because this is illegal too I think. But it would be nice to knit a few trees in the yard, just to spruce up the place a bit.
The other day, Bill told me I might need to slow down on the knitting, so I don't run out of things to knit....... That does not seem like it will ever be an issue :)
Wonder what kind of wool they are using??? Acrylic? Wool? Some sort of Blend? What weight? I just have to wonder, what kind of wool do you use to knit on a tree? What would the tree like?
Thinking about that ought to keep me busy today. I'm off for my first trip out of the house since before the surgery. Well to someplace that isn't the hospital or doctor's office, although I will visit the doctor this afternoon. Hope that appointment goes well, I am tired of sitting on my ass:)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Well before I get started with the complaining .. I have to give a little shout out to Denmark, if we had had a contest on the most readers from countries other than the US, Denmark certainly won yesterday :) Still not sure why, but alrighty then, Thanks Denmark.
Moving right along to the pressing issues of the day.
This is a bit of older news, but I just heard about it. This 14 year old boy was expelled from school, for the entire year, for spit balls. here is a link
http://weblogs.dailypress.com/news/columnists/herenowblog/2011/02/va_school_makes_pea_shooter_a.html
I really do believe that the school was right in having a no tolerance policy on weapons. But for weapons. No one was hurt, the boy in question had never been in trouble before and if I heard correctly had dreams of joining ROTC and eventually going to Westpoint. He can probably forget that now. The boy does have a good lawyer so you never know.
But, I can't believe that a pen that has been taken apart to use to "shoot" spitballs, even if they were little tiny plastic disk things, should be considered a weapon.
Now I really hated when I was a kid and would hear adults say things like "when I was a kid..." but I have to go there. When I was kid and granted it has been quite awhile. You really had to work at it to get kicked out of school. Bill and I talked alot about it and he thinks it has alot to do with the size of the school. He is probably right. My graduating class had 40 people in it, His had a few thousand. So I can see were you might need to be alot stricter at bigger schools, I really do get that. But, this was a 14 year old boy. 14 years old. He is a boy. Yeah it was stupid of him to do that, I am sure he gets that now. But, really expelled for the entire year? Most 14 year olds do stupid stuff. I did stupid crap like that when I was 14. Expulsion? Not a fitting punishment. Detention seems alot more fitting. Perhaps it would have been a fitting punishment if he had been bullying another kid or if he had taken a crossbow to school.
It makes me nervous that the school in question, who does have alot of room to interpret the Gun Law, choose to classify this as weapon.
It makes me even more nervous when I think about my kids going to school. Especially my youngest who seems to excel in stupid behavair. But he is also being a boy.
Another case that really bothers me is a case of some kindergartens who were on the play ground and were using their hands as 'guns' and they were pretending to shoot each other. 5 and 6 year olds. Yes it is not appropriate behavior, but these are little boys. They were also kicked out of school. I may be confused a little about why kids go to school, but isn't it to learn? How about the teacher take the boys aside, call in their parents and everyone can sit down and discuss why you don't pretend to shoot someone.
Kicking a kindergartner out of school for that seems a bit harsh. I saw that and am very concerned about my boys. They are pretty rowdy. Should I just plan on homeschooling them because I am sure they will do things that are stupid. Do I need to worry about them getting kicked out of school because Aden has a thing about screaming and throwing a fit if someone doesn't play a game the way he wants it to be played? Or that Evan will get kicked out because he really hasn't played much with anyone other than his brother, so we do have some social graces that will need to be learned? He has been known to hit and while we have solved this problem at home that doesn't mean that in a new environment he won't do it again. What about if Aden takes a toy away from another kid? Will this be considered assault? Will he be arrested? What if Evan hits another kid with a toy? Is he going to go to jail? Should I start saving up bail money?
I have probably made it sound like my kids are really violent. They are not. They are just young boys and they are brothers who are very close in age. They fight. They are still learning what is and what is not acceptable. That's part of growing up, doing stupid shit and learning why you shouldn't have done the stupid shit in the first place.
My boys have learned that it is really really bad to embarrass me in public. Things just go better for everyone involved, if they act really good in public. So, we have had very few instances of tantrums being thrown in stores. Its only been a total of 3 times in their entire little lives that I have been mortified by their public behavior. So I am very lucky there. Maybe that will keep them from getting kicked out of school. Home however is another story. Evan will jump off anything, throw stuff, jump on the dog and act like a monkey who has drank an entire truckload of mountain dew. Daily, this is a daily thing. Aden is a bit more subdued, but sneaky. He can basically be trusted. But he is the instigator in most cases. He likes to tell Evan to do stuff that he knows isn't allowed. He will pester Evan until Evan hits him so he can tattle on him. If Evan is playing with a toy, Aden has to have it. Typical little boy stuff. I know I shouldn't worry to much about them in school,but I do. The crap we pulled as kids will land you in jail now.
I guess there is no sense in worrying about it now. But just in case, I am going to start saving up bail money and checking out homeschool programs :)
Moving right along to the pressing issues of the day.
This is a bit of older news, but I just heard about it. This 14 year old boy was expelled from school, for the entire year, for spit balls. here is a link
http://weblogs.dailypress.com/news/columnists/herenowblog/2011/02/va_school_makes_pea_shooter_a.html
I really do believe that the school was right in having a no tolerance policy on weapons. But for weapons. No one was hurt, the boy in question had never been in trouble before and if I heard correctly had dreams of joining ROTC and eventually going to Westpoint. He can probably forget that now. The boy does have a good lawyer so you never know.
But, I can't believe that a pen that has been taken apart to use to "shoot" spitballs, even if they were little tiny plastic disk things, should be considered a weapon.
Now I really hated when I was a kid and would hear adults say things like "when I was a kid..." but I have to go there. When I was kid and granted it has been quite awhile. You really had to work at it to get kicked out of school. Bill and I talked alot about it and he thinks it has alot to do with the size of the school. He is probably right. My graduating class had 40 people in it, His had a few thousand. So I can see were you might need to be alot stricter at bigger schools, I really do get that. But, this was a 14 year old boy. 14 years old. He is a boy. Yeah it was stupid of him to do that, I am sure he gets that now. But, really expelled for the entire year? Most 14 year olds do stupid stuff. I did stupid crap like that when I was 14. Expulsion? Not a fitting punishment. Detention seems alot more fitting. Perhaps it would have been a fitting punishment if he had been bullying another kid or if he had taken a crossbow to school.
It makes me nervous that the school in question, who does have alot of room to interpret the Gun Law, choose to classify this as weapon.
It makes me even more nervous when I think about my kids going to school. Especially my youngest who seems to excel in stupid behavair. But he is also being a boy.
Another case that really bothers me is a case of some kindergartens who were on the play ground and were using their hands as 'guns' and they were pretending to shoot each other. 5 and 6 year olds. Yes it is not appropriate behavior, but these are little boys. They were also kicked out of school. I may be confused a little about why kids go to school, but isn't it to learn? How about the teacher take the boys aside, call in their parents and everyone can sit down and discuss why you don't pretend to shoot someone.
Kicking a kindergartner out of school for that seems a bit harsh. I saw that and am very concerned about my boys. They are pretty rowdy. Should I just plan on homeschooling them because I am sure they will do things that are stupid. Do I need to worry about them getting kicked out of school because Aden has a thing about screaming and throwing a fit if someone doesn't play a game the way he wants it to be played? Or that Evan will get kicked out because he really hasn't played much with anyone other than his brother, so we do have some social graces that will need to be learned? He has been known to hit and while we have solved this problem at home that doesn't mean that in a new environment he won't do it again. What about if Aden takes a toy away from another kid? Will this be considered assault? Will he be arrested? What if Evan hits another kid with a toy? Is he going to go to jail? Should I start saving up bail money?
I have probably made it sound like my kids are really violent. They are not. They are just young boys and they are brothers who are very close in age. They fight. They are still learning what is and what is not acceptable. That's part of growing up, doing stupid shit and learning why you shouldn't have done the stupid shit in the first place.
My boys have learned that it is really really bad to embarrass me in public. Things just go better for everyone involved, if they act really good in public. So, we have had very few instances of tantrums being thrown in stores. Its only been a total of 3 times in their entire little lives that I have been mortified by their public behavior. So I am very lucky there. Maybe that will keep them from getting kicked out of school. Home however is another story. Evan will jump off anything, throw stuff, jump on the dog and act like a monkey who has drank an entire truckload of mountain dew. Daily, this is a daily thing. Aden is a bit more subdued, but sneaky. He can basically be trusted. But he is the instigator in most cases. He likes to tell Evan to do stuff that he knows isn't allowed. He will pester Evan until Evan hits him so he can tattle on him. If Evan is playing with a toy, Aden has to have it. Typical little boy stuff. I know I shouldn't worry to much about them in school,but I do. The crap we pulled as kids will land you in jail now.
I guess there is no sense in worrying about it now. But just in case, I am going to start saving up bail money and checking out homeschool programs :)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Suffering from SSF
SSF is a growing problem. I believe that this year it will reach epidemic proportions. There are no shots to prevent it and only one cure. Yes, SSF affects millions of people all over the world, every year. But we never see commericals about fantastic new drugs, with frightening side effects, that have been developed to treat the disease. No, like the common cold, people suffer in silence.
It has hit my household very hard this year.
SSF, more commonly referred to as Severe Spring Fever, is in fact somewhat treatable.
You can see the masses searching for relief from the terrible symptoms at such places like Home Depot, Menards, Lowe's and other home and garden stores. You can spot the sufferers in places like Walmart, by their shuffling feet, vacant eyes, searching over and over for things that just aren't out on the shelves yet.
Symptoms will vary from person to person and in some cases can be quite severe.
Symptoms include, but are not limited to;
Constantly looking out of the windows to see if the snow has all melted yet.
Frantic searching of Internet sites looking at "spring" projects.
Drawing up plans for landscaping projects or gardens.
Searching through seed and bulb catalogs, going through stashes of seeds on hand and putting them in the order that you plan to plant them.
Strange urges to pick up accumulated dog crap in your yard the first day it hits 50 degrees (I think that is about 10 Celsius).
Making unnecessary trips outside.
Wanting to turn off the heat and open the windows.
Planning trips to above mentioned home and garden stores with the intent to look at seeds, bulbs, plants and fencing.
There are just too many symptoms to mention, but beware, this dreadful condition can strike at any time, without notice.
While the symptoms in adults are in most cases, fairly benign, they can be devastating in children.
It seems to cause destructive behavior, even violence. It is believed that these symptoms such as breaking an unusually large amount of household items by children are best treated by sending the offending small people outside so they won't tear the house down. This is exactly what this diabolical disease wants! But it is alot safer than leaving the affected children inside to wreak havoc on yet another unsuspecting piece of furniture.
SSF can also affect pets. Most notably dogs. It can cause them to run about the house at top speed and crash into things, usually small children who don't move fast enough to take cover. They also have been know to leap hysterically from one piece of furniture to another, all while running as fast as they can.
It can be a dangerous time, when SSF has presented itself in your home. So here are some helpful tips, that may help keep you safe and sane.
Just get out the mud boots, dress the children in old clothes and kick them and the crazy manic dog outside. Make frequent trips to home depot, menards and lowe's. Go to Walmart at least once a week and wander around in the garden center. Ask everyone you see when they are going to put the gardening stuff out.
The symptoms are however, short lived. By mid-June all symptoms in the US should have passed. To be followed by WDSSS (When Does School Starts Syndrome).
So Best of luck making it though SSF season. I'll be at Home Depot :)
It has hit my household very hard this year.
SSF, more commonly referred to as Severe Spring Fever, is in fact somewhat treatable.
You can see the masses searching for relief from the terrible symptoms at such places like Home Depot, Menards, Lowe's and other home and garden stores. You can spot the sufferers in places like Walmart, by their shuffling feet, vacant eyes, searching over and over for things that just aren't out on the shelves yet.
Symptoms will vary from person to person and in some cases can be quite severe.
Symptoms include, but are not limited to;
Constantly looking out of the windows to see if the snow has all melted yet.
Frantic searching of Internet sites looking at "spring" projects.
Drawing up plans for landscaping projects or gardens.
Searching through seed and bulb catalogs, going through stashes of seeds on hand and putting them in the order that you plan to plant them.
Strange urges to pick up accumulated dog crap in your yard the first day it hits 50 degrees (I think that is about 10 Celsius).
Making unnecessary trips outside.
Wanting to turn off the heat and open the windows.
Planning trips to above mentioned home and garden stores with the intent to look at seeds, bulbs, plants and fencing.
There are just too many symptoms to mention, but beware, this dreadful condition can strike at any time, without notice.
While the symptoms in adults are in most cases, fairly benign, they can be devastating in children.
It seems to cause destructive behavior, even violence. It is believed that these symptoms such as breaking an unusually large amount of household items by children are best treated by sending the offending small people outside so they won't tear the house down. This is exactly what this diabolical disease wants! But it is alot safer than leaving the affected children inside to wreak havoc on yet another unsuspecting piece of furniture.
SSF can also affect pets. Most notably dogs. It can cause them to run about the house at top speed and crash into things, usually small children who don't move fast enough to take cover. They also have been know to leap hysterically from one piece of furniture to another, all while running as fast as they can.
It can be a dangerous time, when SSF has presented itself in your home. So here are some helpful tips, that may help keep you safe and sane.
Just get out the mud boots, dress the children in old clothes and kick them and the crazy manic dog outside. Make frequent trips to home depot, menards and lowe's. Go to Walmart at least once a week and wander around in the garden center. Ask everyone you see when they are going to put the gardening stuff out.
The symptoms are however, short lived. By mid-June all symptoms in the US should have passed. To be followed by WDSSS (When Does School Starts Syndrome).
So Best of luck making it though SSF season. I'll be at Home Depot :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Completely Freaked Out
I have completely freaked myself out! The Culprit?? Knitting. I love it! I can't believe it, but I really truly do. It's freaky. I have always fancied myself a creative person trapped in a very uncooperative body. I really would love to be creative, however, I just am not.
Having married into an obnoxiously creative family, I tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
Every single one of them has something they are disgusting good at, a couple of them more than one thing. We'll start with my father in law. extraordinary painter, awesome drummer & singer. Disgusting really. When I found out that his band had opened for Aerosmith, many, many years ago, I thought I would just die. Really, that just floored me. Then there are his paintings. OMG. You have to see them to believe them. I couldn't in any stretch of the imagination describe them in a way that would do them justice, so I won't. But they are unbelievable. My mother in law.. What isn't she good at?? Her cooking is to die for. I am not talking about one or two dishes, its everything she cooks. Little bit of Heaven on a plate. My youngest sister in law makes fabulous jewelry! That's irritating too, although I do enjoy it when I get something she has made for me. Even Bill. He can draw, omg can he draw. Not just pictures of crap of stuff he sees, he can draw anything you ask him too. But designs for building the kitchen, etc. He does all of that. Its like living with an architect, which he did go to school for, but I doubt a lot of them can actually build personally what they drew.
Which leaves me. I would love to draw. My stick people look deformed. Writing? ah maybe but I am really too lazy. See I get my big ideas when I am in bed, trying to sleep and am really to lazy to get out of bed to write them down. I am a pretty good cook, most of the time but nowhere near the level of Fran, may her name be praised :) I like to do crafty things, but I have the attention span of a 2 year old, so unless it takes under 3 minutes I will get bored and move on.
However, this knitting thing is amazing. I am big on multi-tasking and this is it!. I can knit while watching tv or refereeing the boys. I am working on reading while knitting. That in my opinion will be the ultimate. But right now I am just not good enough at the knitting, but I am working on it.
It just surprises me that I like to do it. I find myself getting all excited looking at patterns and different types of stitches. Freaky. Knitting is so not me. Or rather I don't feel like it should be, but apparently it is. I get so excited thinking about yarn. Yarn? It's right up there with picking out a bottle of wine for me now. I can't wait till I can have some wine again. Stupid medications. I love knitting like I love wine and chocolate. Creepy and strange. Knitting is oddly calming. I just can't seem to get over that it doesn't bore to me tears. Doing the same thing over and over and over.
I am really looking forward to making things for everyone for the holidays. Now the big questions are what? Since very few of the people who will be getting presents actually read this blog, I feel safe in revealing what I have in mind. I am sure those people can keep their mouths shut and act surprised when the time comes lol. besides this list is subject to change without notice.
For the boys I am thinking blankets, hats and booties in their favorite colors.
For Rich I am thinking a lap blanket in Red and Black checks.
For Bill I am thinking possibly camo socks that he can wear around the house, since Sam has this thing about his slippers. Maybe a beer coozie?
For Jana, a slouchy beret style hat with matching fingerless gloves..maybe
For Fran, Hat, headband and scarf maybe still thinking about it.
For Dunkle Phil, Aunt Miss Andrea and Barry....Wine coozies. I was thinking hats and scarves for everyone, but I saw this pattern and its really way cool, since they like wine I thought it may be a good idea. Maybe the hats & scarves anyway.
And that is all I have come up with so far. I still have some more people on the Christmas list, you know who you are :) but still not sure of what to do, so I will ponder it.
I have another doctor's appointment Friday and I am actually looking forward to the long wait in the waiting room. I will knit.
Having married into an obnoxiously creative family, I tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
Every single one of them has something they are disgusting good at, a couple of them more than one thing. We'll start with my father in law. extraordinary painter, awesome drummer & singer. Disgusting really. When I found out that his band had opened for Aerosmith, many, many years ago, I thought I would just die. Really, that just floored me. Then there are his paintings. OMG. You have to see them to believe them. I couldn't in any stretch of the imagination describe them in a way that would do them justice, so I won't. But they are unbelievable. My mother in law.. What isn't she good at?? Her cooking is to die for. I am not talking about one or two dishes, its everything she cooks. Little bit of Heaven on a plate. My youngest sister in law makes fabulous jewelry! That's irritating too, although I do enjoy it when I get something she has made for me. Even Bill. He can draw, omg can he draw. Not just pictures of crap of stuff he sees, he can draw anything you ask him too. But designs for building the kitchen, etc. He does all of that. Its like living with an architect, which he did go to school for, but I doubt a lot of them can actually build personally what they drew.
Which leaves me. I would love to draw. My stick people look deformed. Writing? ah maybe but I am really too lazy. See I get my big ideas when I am in bed, trying to sleep and am really to lazy to get out of bed to write them down. I am a pretty good cook, most of the time but nowhere near the level of Fran, may her name be praised :) I like to do crafty things, but I have the attention span of a 2 year old, so unless it takes under 3 minutes I will get bored and move on.
However, this knitting thing is amazing. I am big on multi-tasking and this is it!. I can knit while watching tv or refereeing the boys. I am working on reading while knitting. That in my opinion will be the ultimate. But right now I am just not good enough at the knitting, but I am working on it.
It just surprises me that I like to do it. I find myself getting all excited looking at patterns and different types of stitches. Freaky. Knitting is so not me. Or rather I don't feel like it should be, but apparently it is. I get so excited thinking about yarn. Yarn? It's right up there with picking out a bottle of wine for me now. I can't wait till I can have some wine again. Stupid medications. I love knitting like I love wine and chocolate. Creepy and strange. Knitting is oddly calming. I just can't seem to get over that it doesn't bore to me tears. Doing the same thing over and over and over.
I am really looking forward to making things for everyone for the holidays. Now the big questions are what? Since very few of the people who will be getting presents actually read this blog, I feel safe in revealing what I have in mind. I am sure those people can keep their mouths shut and act surprised when the time comes lol. besides this list is subject to change without notice.
For the boys I am thinking blankets, hats and booties in their favorite colors.
For Rich I am thinking a lap blanket in Red and Black checks.
For Bill I am thinking possibly camo socks that he can wear around the house, since Sam has this thing about his slippers. Maybe a beer coozie?
For Jana, a slouchy beret style hat with matching fingerless gloves..maybe
For Fran, Hat, headband and scarf maybe still thinking about it.
For Dunkle Phil, Aunt Miss Andrea and Barry....Wine coozies. I was thinking hats and scarves for everyone, but I saw this pattern and its really way cool, since they like wine I thought it may be a good idea. Maybe the hats & scarves anyway.
And that is all I have come up with so far. I still have some more people on the Christmas list, you know who you are :) but still not sure of what to do, so I will ponder it.
I have another doctor's appointment Friday and I am actually looking forward to the long wait in the waiting room. I will knit.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentines Day!!
Another Valentine's Day. Peachy or should I say Strawberry because that goes better with chocolate? Either way, this ranks up there among holidays that I find to be rather silly, cute, but still silly.
I like flowers. I love chocolate. Cards are nice. However, I like flowers that are alive and in my garden so I can look at them for more than a week. This has alot to do with my pollen issues. I like pollen to be outside. The flowers will die and end up setting around and shriveling, a living plant or a few packets of flower seeds would be in my opinion, alot nicer. I can't think of many things more delicious than chocolates, but do I really need to eat an entire box? No I don't. But that would be exactly what would happen because I flunked sharing in Kindergarten and never have the desire to share chocolate of any kind with anyone, unless it's nasty and I just want to see if someone else will eat it. That is some good info to tuck away for future reference. If I offer to share some chocolate, I probably think its nasty. Unless of course I am trying to get something from you, in that case, most people don't need to worry, Bill might need to worry ;)
And well its hard to complain about a card, but one could always just save the money and say it. Saves Time and Money. But I know some people, sometimes have a difficult time expressing themselves, so cards are okay, I guess. But 80% of Valentines day cards are purchased by women. Hmmmm.
Moving right along to another issue with Valentines Day. Just one day? Really? Every single day should be an occasion to express to someone how important they are to you. Not just once a year. Everyday. This can be done quite cheaply. Little notes are good or hey you could just say something. If the point of today is to celebrate the deeds of Saint Valentine, which might be hard to do, since there appears to have been more than one, We should probably do something nice for people in general. But what would depend on what story you believe.
There are alot of stories concerning how the day came about and exactly who St. Valentine was. Apparently there were three or so. All were martyred. So we have three men, who in one way or another, believed in something and were killed for their beliefs and we get flowers and chocolate out of it.
Here are a few quick rundowns of the stories I like best.
#1
One story says that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II felt that single men made better soldiers so he outlawed marriage for them. Valentine, thought this was a dumb idea and performed marriages in secret. When Claudius found out, he had Valentine put to death.
Now, that is pretty romantic, not for Valentine, but from this one I can almost see the reason to celebrate. But maybe with wide scale marriages.
#2
Another popular story is that Valentine helped Christians escape from Roman prisons, where they were probably tortured and beaten.
That's the whole story, so not seeing any romance there. So if you go with this one how would you celebrate? Freeing political prisoners?? Maybe. Not sure on this one. Unless maybe we could make it a "let's not torture or beat anyone today', Day.
#3
Now in this other story, Valentine sent the first 'Valentine' himself. Supposedly he was in prison and fell in love with the jailer's daughter. At his death he sent her a love letter signed "From Your Valentine". Ah isn't that sweet, but wasn't he a priest? celibate? She was probably very cute and nice he just forgot. Another romantic one.
Here is another theory.
Perhaps the Christian Church decided to celebrate in the middle of February, to further Christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. At the time, in Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout the inside of the home. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Now, I will skip gory details but in a nutshell, animals were sacrificed and women were touched by the hides of the animals, believing it to make them more fertile. The woman put their names in a large urn and bachelors picked names out and they paired off. These usually resulted in marriages. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.
So there you go. Your guess as to what is true, is as good as mine.
But what I want to know why more people don't get married on Valentine's day? If you think this little rant on Valentine's Day was irritating, just wait till Easter. I have plenty to say about that holiday. :)
Enjoy your Flowers, Chocolate and Cards :)
I like flowers. I love chocolate. Cards are nice. However, I like flowers that are alive and in my garden so I can look at them for more than a week. This has alot to do with my pollen issues. I like pollen to be outside. The flowers will die and end up setting around and shriveling, a living plant or a few packets of flower seeds would be in my opinion, alot nicer. I can't think of many things more delicious than chocolates, but do I really need to eat an entire box? No I don't. But that would be exactly what would happen because I flunked sharing in Kindergarten and never have the desire to share chocolate of any kind with anyone, unless it's nasty and I just want to see if someone else will eat it. That is some good info to tuck away for future reference. If I offer to share some chocolate, I probably think its nasty. Unless of course I am trying to get something from you, in that case, most people don't need to worry, Bill might need to worry ;)
And well its hard to complain about a card, but one could always just save the money and say it. Saves Time and Money. But I know some people, sometimes have a difficult time expressing themselves, so cards are okay, I guess. But 80% of Valentines day cards are purchased by women. Hmmmm.
Moving right along to another issue with Valentines Day. Just one day? Really? Every single day should be an occasion to express to someone how important they are to you. Not just once a year. Everyday. This can be done quite cheaply. Little notes are good or hey you could just say something. If the point of today is to celebrate the deeds of Saint Valentine, which might be hard to do, since there appears to have been more than one, We should probably do something nice for people in general. But what would depend on what story you believe.
There are alot of stories concerning how the day came about and exactly who St. Valentine was. Apparently there were three or so. All were martyred. So we have three men, who in one way or another, believed in something and were killed for their beliefs and we get flowers and chocolate out of it.
Here are a few quick rundowns of the stories I like best.
#1
One story says that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II felt that single men made better soldiers so he outlawed marriage for them. Valentine, thought this was a dumb idea and performed marriages in secret. When Claudius found out, he had Valentine put to death.
Now, that is pretty romantic, not for Valentine, but from this one I can almost see the reason to celebrate. But maybe with wide scale marriages.
#2
Another popular story is that Valentine helped Christians escape from Roman prisons, where they were probably tortured and beaten.
That's the whole story, so not seeing any romance there. So if you go with this one how would you celebrate? Freeing political prisoners?? Maybe. Not sure on this one. Unless maybe we could make it a "let's not torture or beat anyone today', Day.
#3
Now in this other story, Valentine sent the first 'Valentine' himself. Supposedly he was in prison and fell in love with the jailer's daughter. At his death he sent her a love letter signed "From Your Valentine". Ah isn't that sweet, but wasn't he a priest? celibate? She was probably very cute and nice he just forgot. Another romantic one.
Here is another theory.
Perhaps the Christian Church decided to celebrate in the middle of February, to further Christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. At the time, in Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout the inside of the home. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Now, I will skip gory details but in a nutshell, animals were sacrificed and women were touched by the hides of the animals, believing it to make them more fertile. The woman put their names in a large urn and bachelors picked names out and they paired off. These usually resulted in marriages. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.
So there you go. Your guess as to what is true, is as good as mine.
But what I want to know why more people don't get married on Valentine's day? If you think this little rant on Valentine's Day was irritating, just wait till Easter. I have plenty to say about that holiday. :)
Enjoy your Flowers, Chocolate and Cards :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)