Zippiknits........Sometimes

Where They Are Now

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:43:00 +0000

Here's one of them, willing to take a stand against the madness and greed that has dumped us into a chuck hole economy where many of those who served the call of their country are still trying to survive in some mean streets. I know because most of the people I saw, when I volunteered at a specialist aid group to the homeless for two years, were Veterans of the war against Vietnam..

Some of those who occupy

It's Officially Spring in SoCal...

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:42:00 +0000

The "Carolina Cherry" trees are all blooming!

SoCal's Harbinger of Spring! I'm no longer sure this tree is a Carolina Cherry.

And there is a boat load - well a dingy load - of new green ware on my table

This doesn't bode well for advancing too far in the knitting, but I did get down a Nancy Bush book called, Knitting on the Road and picked out three patterns for the 10 sock kit thing. Or was that 13? *Throws up hands!*

So, back to ceramics. I always loved playing in the mud. My brother's Tonka trucks were always partly mine, to the chagrin of my mother and my poor brother. We built Cities in the sides of the riverbanks with those trucks. We had cities with Ponds and water systems. Believe me it's only a very short, winding path to ceramics from mud pies and mud cities. Of course we made mud pies for our mother decorated with willow leaves. Today I went back for three more greenware pieces- a giant Snail, Halloween tower, and a Fall Welcome sign to make during summer. I'll show those tomorrow or Friday.

Bro and Sis and I feel we should have been born Zuni, or even Hopi. That would have been more fun. After all, Life, with a capital "L" has to be fun, and making fun for others, including animals, should be a life goal for more people. Making HUMUNGOUS stacks of dollar bills is a stupid waste of energy and tends to make a person mean.

My knee feels like it's been dancing the flamenco but really, it needs the workouts. But now it needs the rest, so Good night and sweet dreams!

Beauty is It's Own Excuse for Being.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Farmer's Market Beauties

And if you also like "poof" here's a spoof of Downton Abbey. What a scream! Hahahaha!!!

I've gone to Silver sneakers, jumped around a lot and come home tired enough to sit and knit. I'm hoping to cast on the SF gloves and starting the sleeves for the Noro, but I'll be digging in the Wall of Yarn for a few things, basically where in the Hobbs I've put the extra needles!

And if someone had told me that I'd need an entirely new skeleton at this age I would have taken better care of the one I'm using now.

Oh goodness, you have to take this quiz. Who are you in Downton Abby? I'm Lady Sybil. Whooot! Thanks Be to Nancy and the other fun loving wenches at Knitter's Review.

And, of course the part two HERE With bits of commentary Lol!

Crisco, among other things FYI

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:41:00 +0000

I'm sorry, I'm not knitting at all again. And, I'm not tossing stuff. It might be the weather - rainy, over cast and wet! - or it might be that fitting three more partial days of disruption in daily routine do not allow for a leisurely retired life - a life that formerly permitted time at home to be pleasantly employed. It's like having a part time job again. I'm old and cranky, as well as creaky. Dammm!

So, lacking energy, both physical and mental, I poke around the blogishere for interesting things.

This is a partial quote of a post at a blog I follow called Crisco,etc.

"Dear Mr. Shannon,

Thank you for contacting Crisco®. We are always pleased to hear from consumers who enjoy our products.

" In response to your inquiry, Crisco Shortening was reformulated to contain zero grams trans fat per serving. The reformulation includes many of the same ingredients as the previous formula; we have reduced the level of the partially hydrogenated soybean oil and added several ingredients, including TBHQ, required to maintain the superior taste and high performance requirements consumers expect from Crisco. TBHQ is an antioxidant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is used commonly used in food products. It was added in 2006. . . .

Sincerely,Susan
Consumer Relations Representative

So Crisco and Smucker's, who owns them, have decided that adding a butane derivative is better for them because they can use less soybeans and it will last longer. They have done this without considering the future of our children, and for that reason, Crisco becomes a thing of the past and one of the many examples of companies that make changes in their products for financial reasons and not for our long-term health."
-----------------------------------------------

The food and Drug administration approved this for use inside of our children? Do we even know what this stuff is?

Then I Found the Molecule of the Day site. I found the discussion, for the most part, very enlightening, especially the questions about life loads of this thing. Anyway, know what you are eating and read those darn labels!


Flowers. These are from free gardening clipart. I'm on the netbook,which has a very tiny brain.

Sorry about the knitting drought.

Interesting Reading that won't keep you up at night.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:31:00 +0000

Black Holes Article in Discover Magazine.

Let your mind go where your body cannot. This beautiful project bounced to me from DH who received it from DD1; they share a love of numbers, scattered on pages and pages of lower case letters interspersed with strangely shaped symbols like >< or ( or ), even ^!! I just like to dream about the very Astrophysical Vedas coming to life! At last!

Ceramics tomorrow. It's been raining buckets and, apparently intends to keep on doing so. I hope we can keep the green ware dry on the way from the parking lot to the club room! Brrr!

Yes, I know the 49ers lost. But now the whole west coast doesn't have to watch the super bowl! Yay! Is that when you all knit? Not me, I'll be watching Downton Abbey and eating biscuits with tea! Go Bates!

Yes, it's political but it's also Economic And, it's SAD!

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:10:00 +0000

On this page, not ripped down by RonPaul's incessant demands directed at YouTube about copyright infringement, there is the video below, which tells the tale of how JP Morgan is profiting off the hungry in America.

This bit of "Too Big To Fail" drama reminds me that Bank of America is doing all the direct deposit for disability payments made from the US Government Social Security Disability, unless that has changed in the last two months. Bank of America, who then issued debit cards to recipients? Was there a bid put out for this?

Or more to the point,who had their hands in the cookie jar at SSD? And, are the two reward events part of the "rescue package" promised for these two delinquents if one of them bought the flailing Bear Sterns (only to let them fail), and the other one bought Merrill Lynch.

Oh my it's such a tiny planet, and the brainy bunch has still not got the point of that asteroid belt out there in the missing planet's place, have they?

Knitting, well I added all the new items in the progress bars with 1% so that they will show. The Ceramic pics will come on Tuesday because I don't have the energy to think about the future too far in advance. Y' know?

Three Months Today

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:37:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went back to exercise class. It wasn't too very hard a workout, very mild really, but today is payback day just the same. We all know about that and what it means. The leg hurts about as much as a nagging toothache. lol

Most of those I'd met there a year ago have moved on but there were lots of enthusiastic people and a good instructor who understands the limits of the over 55 crowd. My hip is a little sore but the knee is not quite so bad, yay! I'm not going to be using the pool, which is a disappointment, but I can't take the miasma of chlorine that is trapped in the air around that inside pool.

Thursday I went to see my sister for a few hours. She was just not feeling up to coming to spend the day here. I've been wanting to take her to the giant bead shop up the hill, but that will have to wait. I took along Jane's Hedgerow socks to knit.

After we left there we were supposed to go buy green-ware for the year. I've decided to try to make my own glazes, engobes and Crystal glazes, because I do know how to do all these things, and they are are over the top expensive!

Alas, I was so tired and stiff from sitting in a bad chair that we just came home. A nearly three score and ten aged spine does not take kindly to hard chairs. So it was the comfy chair for me and the little doggie, and we watched screaming brats turn into human beings while their parents learned to calm them down and act like Senior diplomats. Who knew?

Today, Friday, which is now officially yesterday, (the clock struck midnight) the bike and the treadmill got a half hour each of my attention, and then it was off to the green ware sale! I'll show you what I bought to tomorrow. We found the cutest things! There were some tiny tortoises and "dwagons" coming out of eggs. DH wanted that one. Anyway, I'll have to start selling ceramics again if I'm not careful.

The knee still gets hot but it's doing great! I have a very messy looking leg, it looks like it was skinned and then it all was put on again but I'm not into gams anyway. At my age I just want them to get me from point A to point B with as little trouble as possible.

Oh and while we are on gross subjects, if you are bothered by those teensy black heads on your nose because the paper is printed with soy inks that love to get into your pores when you rub a tickling nose, just get some white glue, smear it on sort of thinly but not too thin, let it dry to clear, and peel it off. If you keep after it, repeating several times and thena couple times a week thereafter, it's going to give you a nice smooth looking nose. I used Aleene's because that's what I had. And you all thought that craft glue was for wood, fabric, and paper!

Yes, this is one of those weird late night posts that have absolutely no limits or structure and I do this without any sedative or liquor. How's that for weird.? And no, there is no knitting content AGAIN today. But I got things moved in the studio and will be out there slogging away at my devils tomorrow even if it rains! I love rain because it's the only time that good old Southern California is rank with green plants and the birds absolutely adore it. Lots of tiny bugs to eat and itty bitty seeds.

Wolfie report: He loves to come screaming around the house to launch himself at me across the gap of the sofa and the big comfy chair. I've gotten very good at defending my knee from blunt force damage. Hell, he weighs almost 16 pounds and is three times the size of Jasper. The Wolfman can take rejection, he comes humbly back and flips over to pay obeisance to my Alpha femaleness, and then he's lots nicer and cuddly even. I can see that he had to have been a somewhat feral dog even when he was someone's pet! I love him so much that I'd never hit him, just "push him in the face" when he gets too rambunctious. We have slowly come to an understanding about how I am to be treated.

Flowers you may not have seen yet:

Flowers from Yesteryear

Weather Report: We are getting some rain! I hope that it's a good amount but not something like hit our poor Friends in Washington State. In fact it was raining by morning.

Good night. I really hope to find some yarns tomorrow in my excavations - to paraphrase Meff - into the Ancient Zippi Civilizations. It's been more fun than I thought it could be, though my archeological methods are not very scientific. It's the layers you see. I don't give a damn about the layers.

Nighty night! Happy crafting and digging out!

3rd Rock from the Sun, The Next Generation.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Knitting ... there is none. But there is a LARGE search going on for less boring sock yarns!

NRCD Fuel Efficiency Article

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:15:00 +0000

Click to make BIGGER!

Let's hope the opposition will come to it's senses and at least let some of it's gravy train go for the common good. If these cars aren't built here they are surely going to be built somewhere, and they will be imported.

We need the jobs, we need the fuel efficiency, we need energy independence and we need cleaner air, and those who are standing in the way of adopting fuel efficiency standards that will support all of the above should be thrown out of office so that they can go lobby for their pet Corporations in the OPEN. It's more honest. They won't be working behind closed doors to obstruct what the People, and the Country, need most.

This Raging Grannie has her EYE on you!

For you, Mef ♥

Ok, Everyone back to their Knitting! lol!

Unicorn Poo, and it's raining..almost

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:32:00 +0000

I will hit you with a little hate mail to Facebook and Twitter, which have taken over almost half the content of the world, gluing things so tightly to their breasts that no one else can share them. Watch out Facebook, your time is coming!

Ahem!

I wanted to share a beautiful sparklie cookie with you, in full and half living color. This is a cookie named after the droppings of a fictional animal that every woman worth her princess dreams believes in.

How to Make Your Own Unicorn Poo cookies When you get there click on the button that says, "View all steps on one page". LINK

Trust me, you can get lost on that page and that's probably planned that way.

These cookies must be seen to be believed.

Uni poo c/o of the above link which cannot be shared via the vanquished Blogger Button. Vengeance will be ours with the inexorable passage of time!

Isn't t lovely? The recipe is on that page, too, but copy it soon before, like the mythical animal for which it is named, it vanishes into the mists, or the bog, or wherever it is that they all went.

Today I did nothing at all. It was Glorious! DD called and we talked until she got to the gnarly part of her commute, then DH and I played a little Escapist Computer Game, but mostly I just sat on the bed eating pretzels, or fruit, and reading Donna Leon's next to the last book, A Question of Belief . It did rain enough to wet the side walks but only after the garden was watered.

If you want it to rain in SoCal, do one of three things: Water the garden, wash the car, or wash the windows. Drat! But this puny rain will not be enough, so in two days time the sun will have sucked the stuff back into the 20% humidity of SoCal air, and we will be dragging hoses around saving the lives of the rooted ones. I know, 1st World problems.

Please don't think for a minute that I've forgotten the 95% of the rest of the world who live right at the edge of disaster, and face it everyday..

Good night. I've got more blessings than I can count but it's everyone's right to bitch about the weather, right? Off to count my blessings and look at that cookie page again.

Progress Bars and digging the detritus discovery...

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Z from ZKnits asked about the progress bars.

Z, I had to go out and get new ones when my old ones wouldn't work anymore. And, much to my surprise, the same person had the HTML code for them, but he'd added HTML for making the bars themselves. No more uploading a bar picture that had to be drawn in Paint. Yippie I O!

HERE is the link to the progress bars and how to install them. Very easy to follow.

You can change the color by looking at the widget for the code for colors.. Looks like # 123456 or something like that without the space, and go HERE for the HTML Color code, or pick from several others from an HTML color codes Google search, and then grab the color code for the one that really turns you on.

Organizing: I found two brand new sets of tank regulators in a box in the studio. They are for my oxy/acetylene tanks. I am amazed. They must have been bought in a trip to Tucson. They re-regulate the pressure so that a tiny torch can be used with bigger tanks. Sigh. I'm so over this. I want two acres of weeds, a flock of angora goats to eat them, and with a small studio out on the corner of it, next to a horse pasture. In other words, somewhere rural and sweet.

I'm working on it! I have way too many baskets. Time to gift them! And...

New yarns for socks because frankly, some of those others were just plain boring.

Fortissima Colors .. check out Mexico!

World's Tiniest Vertebrate!

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:28:00 +0000

This is when it's fair to say, OMG !! Major Cuteness Alert!

World's Smallest Frog Found—Fly-Size Beast Is Tiniest Vertebrate

I thought the baby toads we found in Northern California along the Klamath River were tiny:


Baby Toads were hopping around by the hundreds. We were very careful once we saw them.

Thanks to DD for the heads up.

Latest News on Bees

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:32:00 +0000

But this is bad for all the pollinators.

An article, HERE, at the web page Grist, sums it all up.

It would be extremely helpful if the stone heads developing these things would listen earlier before things become DIRE! Colony Collapse has been going on since 2009, approximately.

Bee Keepers have been pointing the finger at this new class of pesticides almost as long as that, making note that before that time their bees were doing much, much better. Since they are the ones who are closest to the problem, they should have been listened to. Now, here we are, 2012 and counting.

The wild bees in my yard seem to be doing well. They love the citrus trees, and Skippers are back, too. This link shows all skippers but ours are from the grass skippers.

Ours are very much like THIS one. We used to see these as kids, and in our gardens here in San Diego until they disappeared along with the bees. But, they are back in small numbers here and there now. They are very cute little guys, and bright when they open their wings. I leave Some Mallows and grasses in place so as to give them room to propagate themselves.

Kudos to DH's sharp eyes for this one...

Sock patterns, Extreme Reading, Organizing

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:53:00 +0000

These are the nine patterns, tentatively, for the sock of the month bags. The order will be adjusted for the style and colors of the yarns, and indeed some of the colors will change because I found some of the trekking yarn. Yay!

1. Broadripple
2. Java
3. Pyroclastic
4. Breeze
5. Cinderella
6. Yukon Leaves (because I love that pattern)
7. Queen of Cups
8. Plain Knit Boot Sock (developed from a Regia booklet sock)
9. Muscari

Most are from Knitty Archives.

Reading report:

I started reading the whole series of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Detective series again, after reading Jan de Hartog's very short and beautifully written View of the Ocean, his touching and traumatic biographic of his early life,as well as the story of caring for his dying mother. I've also started reading Vultures Picnic by Greg Palast.

Reading Tony Hillerman and Greg Palast at the same time is both amusing and an exercise in high definition contrast. Palast has been compared to Sam Spade, but he's more prafane. Hillerman is this graceful developer of characters and back story who lures you in and settles you gently into the scenery. Tony Hillerman writes these amazing books about another culture with fictional characters, and with all the beautiful, clever plot development and likeable characters you would expect.

Greg Palast's writing is like "Raw Story", uncompromisingly the Truth with a capital "T", or whatever you may call brutal exposé, with truly despicable real live players who have done all those dirty, rotten things to people (or whole other countries) that Grag Palast has revealed to his readers. It's worth your time to know these truths because they are the sort that come back to Bite large chunks out of the American people, without fail. At least, if you know more about the Vultures, you can protect yourself psychologically from the collateral damage and fall out. He also has a wicked sense of humor, very ironic, self deprecating, and acidic, which makes his writing more fun than most fire breathing men on missions (read investigative reporters).

Organization report:

Organizing has been temporarily halted because of a cranky spine. This too shall pass! I've kept the inspiration levels high by remembering better times when I had the energy of a wolverine and the stick-to-the-task mindset of a badger. Yesterday found the Christmas tree half undecorated, and three more pieces of the detritus of life in the trash barrel. These three pieces never will be completely useless to any other creature, human or otherwise, as now anaerobic bacteria will likely find a home in them.

Also, while poking around the Thrifting groups at Ravelry, I've found a new purpose for a tattered old cotton ski sweater. Yes, some one actually manufactured these for the market here, covering the mild SoCal Winters for people who shiver at temps of 50 degrees. Anyway, it will be re-purposed into some nicely patterned Dish cloths. Yay!

Sister was too ill to come to my house so we'll have to settle for the phone this AM. She can recover better at home. I'll go see her later, maybe bring something really good to eat.

Speaking of eating! The Lime chips I fell hard for over the visit from the kids, and have eaten off and on since then have whey, sour cream and milk solids in them. Be sure to READ your own labels, friends; what CAN I say? Isn't Eating While Old a good title for a freaking adventure novel?

Speaking f writing books, someone is using Accidental Art, as in Accidental Artist, in a book title now. Who knew? Look! Free lives for the taking, and on the internet, right out there to grab! Don't use your own brain and talent, use ours!

Oh, yes. Weather Report: Houston, we have Clouds! This will have to pass for the weather report.

That's about all that's fit to print of my life at the moment.

Sock of the (Ten) Month Club and baby tort progress report.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Knitting report:

Finally, I've decided on 9 sock yarns to knit this year, not including the Sundara (Ice color) that I'm making into Hedgerows by Jane. A very generous friend of yore had sent me the Sundara Yarn, and since Jane loves that yarn I decided to knit the pattern she created with it. I know, they are a hold-over from 2011, (perhaps even 2010?) but what the heck.. These are keepers so they are staying with me! Yay! I weighed the balls of yarn and there should be plenty. Fingers crossed after that last thing.

That last thinga, and some other stuff, is in the mail to my friend North of here. Friend to the North, watch your mailbox. :-)

Here are the nine other finalists. There is no trekking because I can't find it! It's in there in the stash, somewhere!

You can see all the labels except for the wine colored stuff on the right. That is from Garn studios. I've never used that yarn nor the Elann, so we'll see how it goes, too! I've been waiting a long time to knit socks from the Opal, and that will be next on in line.

The patterns I'm not sure about yet, but I'm not crazy about a lot of fancy patterns. I've found a few that I'm willing to try, including a weird new knit the heel first one, but it will be the LAST one I try because my frustration level is already high. Helen at Golden Apples just finished a pair of that pattern, and it looks impressive.

Tort Report:

Button eats, therefore he lives. We almost lost him a couple of times.

Dusty faces down his Big Bro.

Even though they are from the same clutch (nest) Milagro eats twice as much as Dusty. I've put a quarter in the boxes so that you can see how small Button still is, though he is growing! He's a good eater now that he's decided he wants to stick around! I think he spent at least a year pining for his lost life out in the wilds of the backyard, under the warm, bright sun, and his tiny digging spot under the last unexcavated root of the elm .

In the bottom picture, Milagro, ever the Hoggie, is a lot bigger than Dusty. I take Milagro out of the box so that Dusty can eat more. Other wise M hauls out on top of him and rams him away from the food. That's just the way tortoises are! They are little eating machines who don't want to share. Milagro usually just climbs up on top of the food pile and eats it down.

PJ is in town! I hope to meet up with her tomorrow or sometime this week. Happy Dance! The weather is post card Southern California Sunshine. I have to water it has been so hot and dry and the heater only comes on in the early morning and after the sun goes down. It is, after all, Winter in SoCal.

Organization Report: Well, off to the excavation site. Now that there is a largish path out there, it looks a lot more normal. Studios are always a little messy but that place just got ridiculous! At one time, it actually looked really nice, in a working studio sort of way. If I want beauty all around meat the back of the house, I have to step outside and go stand next to the lime trees and look at the sky!

I still haven't touched the spinning wheel. I'm still getting over not having my kids here. I know, they could be living in South America up a dirt track. I try to be grateful that they are not that far away but it's hard.

Ormie the pig

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:54:00 +0000

Very Cute Video

Enjoy watching Ormie trying to get his hands on the cookie jar. Pina posted this at Stitcher's Guild.

It's way too late to be awake. But, Rho, I've been eating my bread crusts so my hair is getting curly again. I suppose the chemicals are leaving my system finally. Yayness!

DH and I have finally discovered "3rd Rock From the Sun". When you are tired of scary documentaries and reading piles of books that scream "Apocalypse!!!" inside of your tired old brain, two episodes of 3rd Rock can make kife fun again,

Sadly, these shows were part of the Bread and Circuses, eh? But still, we are happy there are over a hundred and 130 episodes of this "circus", and we've found where it's camped!

I better take another Benadryl and get some sleep!

TED talk about Mitochondrial Research, bits of Knitting blah blah and a flower report.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:40:00 +0000

This link was sent to me by my DD. I think this is absolutely essential to know. What the diet recommended by this MD - who was in a wheel chair with fairly advanced MS and can now stand and talk about her discoveries - is now called by some a "Paleo" Diet.

Please check out the video, because you want to stay as healthy as possible, considering how the Insurance industry views you.

You know.... "Mooooo"!

OK something else besides Health now.

I've started Six Sock of the month bags , without patterns; those will be picked tomorrow. I think I'll raid Golden Apples' lists for some of them. :-)

I've gotten a pathway cleared between both ways - into and out of - the studio end of the great room. The wall of boxes is next, in that I'll be re-cycling magazines to entities which can use them. Or back into the paper stream they will go, to become other things.

I now take Sunday off to rest and give the knee some up time so it doesn't feel abused. When my Bro was here, he told me that it takes about six months to feel like you can actually abuse it without payback hammering you.

I found another color of zygocactus blooming along side the heirloom plant in the same pot, but will have to come back and plug in a picture. The net book doesn't have access to the 30,000 pix, and has a very little brain, too! Shhh! It thinks it's a grown up.

Here's the new kid with a picture of the other kid in the pot with it. These new ones are from a friend who gave me all her colors. What I want next is the color in that link up there! The Purple one! I will be looking this next blooming season for plants of that color. Wow!

Enjoy the beauty around you!

Gosselin Says Health Insurers Prospering Since Overhaul

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:54:00 +0000

You have to watch this on YouTube, probably to support all the ads there. Just click on through.

This Video supports the article in the Union Tribune from yesterday.

Thank you Pina.

This is what enrages me. There are Companies filled with unmentionable wretches, who may well have been laughing all the way to the bank on the backs of sick and dying people while spending over $87 Million to defeat what they are now profiting on, and continue to position themselves to profit from even more in the future.

Healthcare Hogs..back at the trough

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0000

This is rather small but you can enlarge it with a click or two. This little article was buried in the want ads, that's what is shadowing through.

The article is fairly damning. The Insurers fought the Obama administration with money they themselves had extracted from their subscribers with extortion level insurance rates.

They are now making money on the new law, anyway. And, they are rapidly re-structuring so that they are in a position to make even more money off those who will be getting Medicaid - and in other words, off the taxpayers who pay for Medicaid. Be sure to read the last three paragraphs carefully.

Is this just some sort of game called "Misery" that they love playing, just because they CAN? There has just got to be a Hell, and may it have a special place for Ghouls like this. After all, they can't be called snakes or vultures because that isn't fair to the animals.

What a slap in the face for people who are sick or have a sick child.

Day at the Park Dinner.. Good eats for good prices.

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:07:00 +0000

This is a very good eatery and a favorite with our crowd. I had a chicken taquitos special, the best I've ever had, and I'm not kidding! DH had a carnitas bowl. Yum! They make their own very tasty salsas, and I think they make their own tortillas. Everything is very fresh and nice. It's in a small strip mall just a short distance from Balboa Park.

Visit from the "Magi", Balboa Park, Knitting Blah blah, Organizing, and Accidental Art

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:31:00 +0000

The twins came for a visit at New Years, and though they went on huge hikes with their Pa, up mountains (two) and down, and around lakes, the Ma had to stay home because of CJS (Cranky Joint Syndrome).

But, we all did go to Balboa Park to see the Big Fish, and the Natural History Museum on the free day. Sis wanted to come but got too sick to do so on the actual day. I will take her on another day.

At home we drank lots of different teas, ate lots of Christmas cookies, watched fun movies on the Netflix box, ate the very last of the tomatoes from S's little seedlings, and we knit. Actually, S knit and I just wove in some ends on the Baktus- yes, I know.. two whole ends- and R not at all. She's the one who is studying History at the BIS (Big Important School), and she hasn't had a pair of knitting needles in her hands for well over a year. The class lecture and reading load at these schools is absolutely BRUTAL!


We used all the various cups and saucers from the china sets, and drank lots of tea! S made the tea cozy last year. It's the one from Little Vogue Knits Book, or something like that. Noro yarn, and it was a #*@& to try to felt it in my front loader. GAH! She took it home for more heat and pressure torture than my machine could inflict.

S is knitting her sister a lovely hoodie. Lots of lace and cables around it, here and there.
I got the pattern for myself. because

I didn't actually knit a stitch. But this is how I "felt" since I was "Grounded" by a "gammy" leg. But that's enough whining. This is a no whining zone.

Big, Lovely Fish at the Lotus pond in the Park. Very friendly fellow!

Accidental Art # 24 or maybe it's 25?
This is such a graceful imitation of the female torso, dancing...

This tree was very interesting, and, since I spent a long time in it's shade, I tracked the ants who were making a mess of it's leaves. They are just innocent small scale farmers making a living. They were all taking advantage of the sweet sap that passes from the leaves, into and through their little "cattle", in this case, not aphids but scale insects. Ah, the entomology, biology, and botany of the park is endlessly entertaining!

Pods from the same tree. I'm glad I didn't try to dig those interesting looking seeds out.
They can have some nasty, itchy little "pins" to stick into your fingers.

Enormous leaves! I found this family of trees on the web.
The tree is from the land of OZ and is called a Kurrajong, in the Brachychiton Family.

It is most likely a naturalized hybrid, as the flowers (I have a very dull picture of them) are different than any others on the web. These trees will hybridize if they are close to each other so I am guessing that's what happened. Here are the flowers:

Sorry it's so fuzzy. The camera phone is usually very good to me!

Find more about the tree family of Brachychiton HERE.

Organizing and weather report:

I have blazed a pathway to the storage drawers in the end of the big room. I've tossed out old things and trashed other things, just the sort of things no one else in their right mind could use. There is lots more to do but now there is a WAY to get at the rest of it! What a jumbled heap full of Important Stuff! I've unearthed the Foredom flex, and the hand cranked pasta machine. I'm tired.

The weather Report: It has been hot and dry. This means that everything has had the life sucked out of it, and must be watered. Tomorrow is another day. Cheers! Time for a glass of Muscato Wine!

UPDATED....Stately sandhill cranes become Kentucky-fried farce - Tampa Bay Times

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

You all know I love birds.

Kentucky has made it LEGAL to shoot Sandhill Cranes. I think this is absolutely appalling. I don't know how to deal with such stupidity as this. What's next, Trumpeter Swans and Whooping Cranes?

Stately sandhill cranes become Kentucky-fried farce - Tampa Bay Times

UPDATE:

There is now a $7500 reward for information leading to conviction of the perpetrators. And authorities are Persuing "persons of interest" in the case.

LINK to Article at Birdwatching Magazine.

♥♥♥LISTEN TO YOUR HEART♥♥♥

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:58:00 +0000

Listen to your own heart... it's talking to you.

Thank you Pina, from the bottom of my heart.

Baktus and Misc. Babble

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:18:00 +0000

A Day in the Life of.. or make that a couple of days....

Today, before any wildness starts and people go feral for the New Year, the girls and I are going shopping to get some circular bamboo needles (which DD4 likes the best) for a chunky cabled cowl she is making for her twin. I've seen several cowls and am sorely tempted to make a few this year as gifts. I prefer straight scarves myself but cowls look very interesting lately. This can be worn pulled up around the face, too. !s this normally call a Smoke ring?

Last night, after a supper of local take out pizza and a huge salad , we watched those "Nanny 911" superstars whip families into shape. I had told the girls that it was completely amazing to me how the Nannies could straighten out families in just one week! I think the women are saints!

S made us all delicious herbal tea, and we ate far too many Christmas cookies. Well, you know! 'Tis the Season! DH, who has a cold for the first time in several years, and who awakens at five in the morning because the dog, who is a lot like a cat, climbs up on his back and licks his ear, was soon dozing on the couch, waking only to the screaming of parents driven mad by their horrid little kids. Poor man, he needs to rest more during the day, or we need to kick the needy small doggie off the bed. Remembering Wolfie's huge effort to get atop the high bed - as a sickly new found fellow to our habitat - we would be very reluctant to ban him from the pack's "den".

And yes, those girls finally arrived yesterday afternoon (Yay!) from Central Coast, having spent three hours just getting through the usual horrendous L.A. traffic jam. There wasn't much relief from it when they finally reached the bottom edge of Orange county, either! The text messaging set a furious pace with them trying to ask us about alternate routes - there are none, and finally, resignation. DH has some resource he can access on the computer which shows how traffic is flowing in the corridor.

Los Angeles freeway traffic is legendary. Traffic through that huge complex of cites has been the butt of jokes and the bane of drivers for at least 60 years, starting when I was a high school age kid whose art class would take sketch boards up on the overpass that ran next to the high school and sketch the lanes for practice in perspective. Freeways have great straightaways.

The only time we've ever made good time driving through on L.A. freeways was at 4 am one year when we couldn't sleep anyway so we just left here at midnight. During the Watts Riots in the 60's, others reported no problems at all getting through Los Angeles. So, if you pick your times wisely, you sail right on through! Anyway, I'd bet half the gas for any trip made through LA is used just sitting at an idle and stuck in five lanes of traffic, north or south.

A bit of bad news:

I'm still fighting off DH's cold, and we just found out that someone near and dear to Mz. S is in the ICU fighting for his life. He is her voilin teacher and he has pneumonia, though he seemed perfectly fine a couple of days ago when they talked. He's been on a ventilator for the last day and a half.

What is it with this very aggressive pneumonia flying all over the place? We just found out that S had it a few years ago, too. I've had it, and didn't even know I was that sick until the day I couldn't move and my chest was on fire. Weird disease! So, the point of all this is this: If you are having symptoms of pneumonia Check them out here:

WebMD page

You do NOT want to go into the hospital or be on a ventilator. Not fun to start the new year out this way so heed those warning signs.   You are not just being a baby if you worry about it. Menfolk, you listen up!

Ah the Baktus...

Baktus was fun to knit, plus I didn't run out of yarn and here's the ball to prove it!

Mz. Meff, you were right, just knit it!

In fact there is enough left over yarn for a catnip KorkMouser, or Korkfisshe . Mz. Bella always has catnip growing - so she is my supplier.

About fish and mice:
I'm trying to avoid Chinese take-out toys since it seems that everyone (and maybe even their dog) is making them for cats, and I prefer more ordinary kitty fare. I know some truly awesome kittahs that are ready to pounce upon them and scratch out their guts!

Have a happy New Year's Eve, no matter if you stay home with the sniffles and aches, or go out dancing your legs off in some hot, Salsa nightclub. The Auto Show is giving a Ball this Evening! I would be there except that when I was resting my knee on Sister's couch at Christmas, the Wolf ran up and over my knee -he gave it a thorough trouncing! So, now the new knee is a cranky old hot spot on the even older anatomy. Also there is that troubling viral stuff going on in DH's chest, and he should be resting. The girls are merry company, so we are fine. I'll start knitting a Korkfisshe! Mz, S will knit her shawl, which is beautiful. We will eat lots of veggies and stuff.

Happy New Year to you all!

You can make it full screen. Yay!

I will NOT update this anymore. I promise I'm through with it!

Volcanic Activity in the Red Sea

noreply@blogger.com (zippiknits) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:42:00 +0000

Just for fun. I wonder who will lay claim to this new bit of land?

Volcanic Activity in the Red Sea