Saturday, January 30, 2010

Fly to the Moon with Jake and Let the Cliches Flow

Get your Bachelor update before Monday night!

Yes, the Bachelor, that train-wreck of a reality show where one man is set up with a train-load of women who want to be his wife. Who can admit to watching such a pathetic display?

Me, that's who. For some reason, this season has grabbed my attention. Perhaps it is the witty recaps of Mamarazzi which have made me want to see the original episode, perhaps it is the glimpses of life as paleolithic humans that is so intriguing. Many women compete for the man. It's disgusting, it's base, it's shallow....

...the next episode is Monday, 8 pm. Spending the evening in the slimy depths of television may not be respectable, but it sure is entertaining.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Rumbunny

We have three cats, and one of them has not been featured on this website in the way that showcases her lolcat personality.

Rum is an 11-year old female. She likes to be scratched, not held. She decides when, not you.

And now, Rum says:

Gravity Cat can holds lawndree down dis way...



...or dis way. Kitteh is versuhtyuhl.



Iz reddeh for mah clows up so u mai admyur mah byootee.



Ur not clows enuf. Clowsr, plz.



Iz bettr. Now u seez mah pretteh. Iz mor pretteh than u iz.

Sawree.
One more lolcats. Another lolcat. And this one, too. We love the lolcats.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

More With the Sock

You know what's fun? Taking breaks from knitting with yarn the size of angel hair pasta and seeing what it looks like when you use it as a viewfinder.

I see a kitty. He is not amused.




I see a girl. She is highly amused, and more than a little confused at what her mother is doing at the moment. Bad news, OC, you are related to me.



She's rather patient, as I mess around not knitting her sock.

Monday, January 25, 2010

New Project

Socks!

Well, A sock. And it's not done yet.



I have to knit this part to six inches. Since this is fingering weight yarn (thicker than sewing thread, but not much) it is taking forever.

The yarn is Tofutsies a unique blend of wool, soysilk, cotton, and chitin. Chitin is material from shrimp and crab shells, and is naturally antibiotic. This is one of those times that I ask myself, "Self, who thought of grinding up shrimp shells and adding it to yarn? And, how did they figure out it was antibiotic?" And I cannot answer myself because I DO NOT KNOW. But it is cool nonetheless.

(I am not being paid to endorse this product. But I have to tell you, if someone sent me free yarn and asked me to give my opinion, I would do it. I would be honest. Hello, Debbie Bliss...Rowan tweed...)



My child anxiously awaits her sock. And as soon as I finish the first one, it's more than likely that she will want the other one.

Friday, January 22, 2010

I Like to Make Things

This morning was delightful. I sat by the window watching the snow come down while I felt the cool air from the outside on one side of my body and the warmth from the cozy room on the other. I read a book by the natural light and had a cup of warm coffee. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end.

I like the rain and clouds, or snow, because it makes me feel creative. I don't know why, that's just the way it is. I don't make the rules.

It wasn't long ago that I began beading, and OC wanted to bead, too. I even have pictures of her when she was four, beading away along with me.

Speaking of four, remember this?

I have to be careful when scrolling through the archives for 2005. There are plenty of funny, happy memories, but also land mines such as, "After the funeral for..."

It's hard to go back and read some of it. I won't link to any of that, for today is Friday and I think we all would rather see pictures of adorable blonde children than contemplate death, for now.

I remember this whirlwind trip. And after rereading that, I asked myself, "Self, why are there no pictures?" And I refused to answer myself because I don't know why there are no pictures accompanying this post. To have them would have been nice.

WARNING: Some older posts include curse words. Sorry. I can't help myself sometimes. It must be the merchant marine in me that caused the salty phrases to come out.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Moon Day: 6

Pine Mountain Observatory is operated for research through the University of Oregon's Physics Department, and is open to the public on the weekends during the summer. OC and I headed there on the last weekend before it closed for the season.



Located one hour east of Bend, the dirt and gravel road takes you to the site at the top of....Pine Mountain. What a suprise. At 6300' the air is cooler than the surrounding desert.

It was SO COOL. Evidence: OC kept saying, "This is so cool!"

It was fun. They have big telescopes inside buildings with movable roofs. Plus amateur astronomers with their telescopes set up, and people will answer all your silly questions without laughing at you.

ADVICE: bring warm clothes. No kidding. Even in summer, it gets cold at night. Bring a flashlight and snacks.

Get up there this summer and we'll geek out together.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Nine



Birthday Girl







Before fancy father/daughter dinner at Juniper Hills Golf Club.




Among the many thoughtful birthday gifts was this giraffe water bottle, her favorite animal. She was excited to dig into the birthday gifts. Getting dressed and brushing hair are hassles that can wait for later.



Imitation is the best way to goof off.



What tongues? There are nothing serious picture-takers in this house.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Breakfast

Let me ask you something: how often do you clean your toaster?

I had been tasting an essence of "burnt" on my toasted foods lately, a lot like the "smoked" flavor we pay a lot for at restaurants. This morning I thought about the last time I had cleaned the crumbs out of the toaster. The answer? Never, or at least, close to never. Maybe once.

I pulled out the tray on the bottom of the toaster, and wow! That's a lot of chicken food. There were enough crumbs that if one were to add a few drops of water, one could form an egg. It wouldn't taste like egg, but it would be the same size as an egg. That's a lot of crumbs.

Our five hens will recycle those crumbs into an egg, and it saves one day's worth of chicken feed. And for us? No more "blackened pop tarts" for breakfast.

Sounds expensive, tastes bad.