28 November 2007

You Could Be a Winner!

Although Ed McMahon won't be coming to your house ...

Kristin Nicholas (yes, that Kristin Nicholas), is having a Virtual Book Launch Party and Yarn Giveaway to celebrate her new book Kristin Knits. You have until December 10 to enter, and the rules are on her blog. There will be 5 winners chosen, and I just entered, so that means that 4 of you still have a chance to win a prize ... (hey it could happen!).

She also mentions that she would love to be interviewed on a blog or two, and that would be tres cool, but I know that I would probably come up with only lame questions related to knitting and/or her book, and then get nervous and start asking her how she felt about cake and shiny things. So I'll leave it to the likes of Carol, though I have no idea if Carol and Kristin are BFFs like Carol and Veronik Avery are ...

I have, however, seen Kristin's book at Barnes & Noble, and it's really a visual experience - so much color, for one thing! I love color, but I'm not all that sure I have much color sense. I know what I like, but I can never envision color combinations in my head. And the prize for the contest is a kaleidoscope of yarns that are featured in the book, so you really can't go wrong. Unless color offends you. In that case, you'd be better off not even looking at the cover.

However, since I do not actually have to interview Kristin Nicholas, the pressure is off, so here's what I would ask her:

1. How long have you been working on the book? Because I'm always interested in how long writers/designers have had the ideas roaming around in their brains.

2. Do you have any suggestions for those of us who have not done a lot of colorwork, and are intimidated by the idea of more than one or two colors in any given knitted item? What would you suggest as a good starting project - in the book or otherwise?

3. Do you think that people have an innate sense about color, or do you think it's a talent that is acquired through study and/or practice of some kind (i.e., knitting, painting)?

4. Do you get to actually see every animal on your farm every day?

5. Do you like holidays?

6. How do you feel about cake and shiny things?

As you can see, I have missed my calling as a hard-hitting investigative reporter. I could have probably been a one-person Woodward and Bernstein, no??

Speaking of color ...


Your Brain is Purple


Of all the brain types, yours is the most idealistic.

You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.

Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.


I must admit that this is mostly true, at least the part about spending a lot of time thinking about fictional people and places - I have a whole 'nother life going on in my head most of the time!

24 November 2007

The Not-So-Magic Touch

We had a great Thanksgiving! Lots of relaxing, cuddling with kitties, watching parades, a fantastic dinner, pumpkin pie ... sigh. It was worth every second of anticipation. I got the stuffing just exactly the way I like it, The Tim tried a recipe for mashed potato casserole, which has the advantage of being something you can make the day before, and he and Seb had baked pumpkin pies on Tuesday.

Channeling Martha Stewart - it was a good thing!

Except. I decided that since I had finished Fetching mitt #1 last week, I'd at least get the second one started while I was watching the parades. Then I did a bit more during the dog show, and during the original "Miracle on 34th Street." Stopped to have dinner, and clean up, and then worked on them more while we were watching some television shows we had taped last week. All of a sudden I realized I had only about four rows left, and weaving in the ends, and mitt #2 would be finished! Then tragedy struck. I ran out of yarn!!! I bought the yarn at the store near where I work, and no way was I going to walk over there this weekend, so I'll get another ball at lunchtime on Monday. But honestly ...

On Friday, we ventured out late in the morning to do some shopping. Yes, I know it was International Don't Shop Day, and I should only be buying hand made items, or making them myself, but as much as I agree in theory, it doesn't work in practice for a lot of the gifts I am giving. So I do what I can and live with it.

Besides, we were walking to the area of town where the shops are, and since it's so hard to park in the city, and you have to be OUTSIDE, there are never that many shoppers. Because, well, people would have to be OUTSIDE, and apparently that is just too shocking for most people to consider ...

So anyway, we had two stops we wanted to make, and when we got to our first stop, we found the things we were hoping to find, and they were on sale, plus an additional 25% off. Great. We got in line to pay, and when it was our turn, this is what happened.

The clerk would pick up something that The Tim had carried, and zip! it would scan immediately. Then the clerk would pick up something that I had carried, and try to scan. Then try to scan again. Usually on the third or fourth try, it would finally work. Needless to say, this did not make the disinterested young person working at the register very happy. And to be honest, between this and the whole running out of yarn thing, I was beginning to get a complex! Fortunately, our next stop was not in any way problematic, so I felt vindicated ...

Because it is all about me, you know.

In any event, I've been getting ideas of what to get for those on my gift list, which is always fun, and I think I have things well in hand. There probably won't be many - if any at all - handknit items, since I got behind when I had hand surgery. But since I hadn't promised anyone anything, I don't feel too bad about it.

I did want to ask all of you, though - do you think The Tim might like this? I'm pretty sure that no one else is getting one for him ... and it's such a bargain ...

Tomorrow afternoon we are taking Karen and Seb to lunch, and then all of us are heading to a local theater in the area to see "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," a musical by Christopher Durang. I cannot wait, as I know it will be 1) ridiculous, 2) wrong, and 3) festive! (Another good Christmas comedy is "Inspecting Carol," though I can't remember the name of the playwright.) The ad says it is "not recommended for children under 13," so Seb is excited to be going. And since I will not have touched the tickets, we should be fine ...

21 November 2007

Gobbledygook

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and I couldn't be more pleased, as I think that Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of all. It's nice and cozy, and there are parades, and yummy stuff to eat. What's not to love??

What is aggravating about it are the daily non-news news stories that you hear/read every year. True, perhaps recent arrivals from the planet Ichthrip don't know, but most of us are more than well aware that the day before Thanksgiving is a big travel day, and the weather can make a huge difference, and trains, buses, planes, and highways are all busy, no matter how much gasoline costs.

Then of course the variations on Thanksgiving dinner - for instance, how you can make it more elegant by serving some 42 ingredient casserole instead of regular mashed potatoes, or why you should add caviar to the stuffing. And the ever popular amazed/puzzled/"informative" article on vegetarian Thanksgiving celebrations. Because who would think that vegetarians would be able to celebrate something like Thanksgiving?? I have decided the title of my second book will be Vegetarians : the Freaks of Thanksgiving. (My first book, by the way, is entitled, All This and Cancer Too! I have two great titles. So far that's it.)

In any event, I am still excited that it is Thanksgiving. Because it does seem to make everyone stop - even if for just a second - and think about their lives, family, community, whatever. Actual reflection seems to occur, and people seem a little bit nicer, at least for a moment.

I have a bazillion things that I am thankful for, some more important to me than others. I'm sure that all of you do as well. Whatever they may be, I hope you will enjoy your own version of the holiday, whether you are one of the many travelers, or eating plain mashed potatoes, or waiting for the football games to start. Because each of us can be reflective and happy in our own way, whether anyone else knows it or not.

Happy Thanksgiving!

20 November 2007

This, That, and Not Much Else

First things first:

Melanie has tagged me for a meme: I am to open the book I am reading, turn to page 161, and read the fifth sentence. After I share it with you, I am to tag five other bloggers.

I'm currently reading Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson. Here you go:

"The rest of the formula was kept secret, but as best doctors and chemists could tell, the solution included substances that imparted a pleasant state of euphoria and sedation trimmed with amnesia - an effect the Chicago post office found problematic, for each year it wound up holding hundreds of letters from Dwight that lacked important elements of their destination addresses."

I'm tagging Kim, Mary, Lorette, Brigitte, and Carol in Florida. Whether or not they care to participate is up to them!

Next:

Claudia included me on her list for the You Make Me Smile Award.

I am very pleased, as over the past few months, I feel like she has become one of my very closest friends. We of course first "met" related to knitting - and she is quite a knitter! - but realized that we had the same weird sense of humor, we have both suffered through Notre Dame football this season, and we have similar tastes and sensibilities in so many things. Plus, Mr Puffy is so adorable, I would love to meet him in person as well!

Now I'm supposed to name anyone else that makes me smile. I chose the first five people who came to mind when I thought about the name of the award, and that's as good a "system" as any, so here are my choices:

1. Carol, of Go Knit in Your Hat - because she is completely nuts, and so much fun, both cyber-wise and otherwise! I mean, who else finds sites like Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians???

2. Carrie, of My Middle Name Is Patience - because she cracks me up with her writing style, the funny pictures of her cat Hezekiah (who she claims is "a pill" - even that makes me laugh!), and because I feel like if we ever met in person, we would get on like two people who have been friends forever.

3. Lorette, The Knitting Doctor - because, like me, she writes about knitting, but also everything else, all served up with at *least* a glass of wine! I just think she is the best.

4. Kim, of hand eye crafts - because of her celebrity crushes, and ongoing "feud" with her friend Rox on her blog. Earlier this year, she had a contest to determine The Knitter's Hunk, and it was a blast! (I think I have talked her and her two kids into visiting us in Philadelphia in 2008!)

5. Melanie, of Tea Leaves - because during The Knitter's Hunk contest, she was willing to let me give her a hard time about nominating Jeremy Irons, and because she will be writing along, and all of a sudden, there's a zinger! She was also one of my first knit-blogger friends, and we hit it off immediately after being paired for a swap.

Odd But True ...

Over the last year (plus a few months), it has occurred to me that I feel as close, and sometimes closer, to my various knit-blogger friends than I do to most of the people I see every day. I've been thinking about it lately, and for me at least, part of it is that if I have a day when I just really don't feel like having to talk to anyone, they are not offended or upset. Whereas, when you see someone every day in person, you have to actually interact with them in some way, even if just to request that they leave you alone (which of course usually guarantees that they won't).

Does anyone else find this to be the case with them? Just wondering.

18 November 2007

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!


Happy Birthday to my best friend and true love!
May you have many more birthdays
to celebrate.

14 November 2007

Art or Craft?

Every once in a while this debate rears its head among groups of knitters, and those on each side can justify their claims in a thousand different ways.

Personally, I enjoy knitting and a few other crafts, but I really don't care whether anyone else thinks what I produce is art, craft, or crap. As long as I'm happy with it, then it's fine with me. Of course, I have my own opinions about the things that other people create (including their children, but I digress).

For instance, when I was little, and we would visit friends of my parents or certain relatives, they had these knitted or crocheted "dolls" in their bathrooms, whose skirt covered an extra roll of toilet paper.
I always found this fascinating, as our extra toilet paper was in the closet, and the only thing on the back of our toilet was a box of tissues, and the Congressional Record. But these types of dolls were fairly common, some more elaborate than others. I figured we didn't have one because my mother neither knitted nor crocheted, and the only family member who did was an aunt of my father's who was crazy (medically. As opposed to the rest of my family, who were just regular crazy. There is a difference, trust me).

I remember once my mother dragged me to a bridal shower, because she hated to go alone, and my sisters were old enough, and smart enough, to have other plans. Anyway, the soon-to-be bride was opening her gifts, and she opened one box to find an Infant of Prague statue:

I remarked to my mother, "That is the fanciest toilet paper cover I've ever seen!" I did in fact recognize the icon, but had never actually seen a "statue" that had cloth on it. As a result I assumed that big fancy red skirt was meant to cover something ... (she replied "Oh for God's sake!") **

But this particular "statue" had been bought by the soon-to-be bride's aunt, who had sewn the robes or whatever, and there were a lot of oohs and aahs at how it was such a work of art.

Is one art, and the other craft? Which one, and who decides? I will admit to never wanting to own, or make, a doll toilet paper cover, or an outfit for an Infant of Prague statue, but I'm sure that for others, having one that belonged to/was made by someone special, made them count as treasures. Others probably think that toilet paper covers are the perfect example of kitsch. Is kitsch art?

I don't have any universal answers, but I have decided that even though I'm all for creativity, and using resources at hand, this is just plain wrong ...

Pass that Infant of Prague statue, please!

**The happy ending to this story is that I never had to go to another bridal shower.

11 November 2007

The Return of Knitting!

This past Friday, I had a follow-up appointment with the doctor who had performed my hand surgery, and he was very pleased with how well my hand had healed, and also with how well I have regained my range of motion. He said that any residual pain and/or tingling was just a matter of the nerve still recovering, and that as far as he was concerned, I had no restrictions, and should just go back to any activities that I wanted to do.

So yesterday, I decided that I was going to knit for a while, no matter what! Admittedly, I took a Vicodin to see if it would dull the uncomfortableness enough for me to get started, and it did. So while The Tim, Sebastian, and I were watching the movie, "Fido," I finished knitting the bag I had started back in September, and here it is, pre-felting:

I'm so pleased with how it turned out, and am especially pleased that I managed to make the twisted handles! Yes, I know that i-cord is short for "idiot cord," but until yesterday, it has always alluded me. (Apparently I need to be drugged in order to be able to grasp the concept ...)

It took a couple of times through the washer, but it is currently stuffed to create its shape, and drying. Once it's really finished, I'll post another picture and info on the pattern and yarn.

Of course, today my hand is killing me, but I have a lot of other things I want to do today, so if I try knitting at all, it will be later. If it's still so sore, I'll just wait another day or so. None of my current projects have deadlines other than ones in my head, so it's not like it will ruin anyone's birthday or Christmas gift.

It was so nice to be able to knit again!

In Other News ...

Friday night, we went to see "To Kill a Mockingbird," at Sebastian's school. He played Walter Cunningham, and he did really well. You could both hear him speak, and understand what he was saying. Plus, we all agreed he was very believable in his portrayal, and voted him Most Likely to Head a Lynch Mob ...

Really though, Seb did a wonderful job, as did the other kids in the show. It was an impressive production, and the actors all seemed to be well-prepared. Fortunately for me, there were no missed cues, mishaps of other kinds for the actors, or anyone who froze on stage. The reason it's fortunate for me, is because if any of those had occurred, I would have had to leave the play and wait in the car, due to excessive laughing. (Because I'm apparently 12 years old when it comes to stuff like that.)

No matter how you look at it though, Seb was the best. And we were really proud of him.

While I'm thinking of it ...

I am always thrilled when someone leaves a comment, but wanted to let you know that I don't always receive your comments with a return e-mail address from Blogger. So if you have left one or more comments, expecting to hear from me, and you haven't, I do apologize, but if I can't locate your e-mail address otherwise, you won't get a response. I just didn't want people to think I was ignoring them!

Now I must sign off, since I am off to a few shops to see what else I can find for a birthday gift for The Tim, who will be celebrating said event a week from today.

Before signing off though, I would like to wish you a Happy Veteran's Day, and ask that you take a moment to say a word/prayer/whatever of thanks to those who have served their country. Even though my political views are not very miltaristic, I think it is important to remember that all veterans deserve our thanks and respect.

08 November 2007

October Book Report

Alas, no knitting in October. But lots of reading!

Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery. These were the first two titles in the Anne of Green Gables Knit and Read Along. I actually read the first one right at the beginning of October, and the second one towards the end of the month. I never read the Anne books as a child, and didn't really know anything about them until a few years back when PBS showed a dramatization, which I just loved. Reading the books was a treat, because I had forgotten how enjoyable the whole story was, and the books of course also provided more in the way of characters, story, Anne's adventures, etc.

Anne Shirley is an orphan adopted by a middle-aged brother and sister, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They think they are getting a boy, to help on their farm. The first book covers Anne's arrival, and her efforts to stay at Green Gables (the Cuthbert home), make friends, and have "adventures," most of which get her into all sorts of trouble. She is a dreamy, imaginative, sensitive child, and although you completely understand Marilla's frustration with her, you can't not like Anne. The second book starts with Anne having finished school, and teacher's training, and having her first job as a teacher at the Avonlea school, where she went to school, and where some of her old schoolmates are in her class. Though she is older, she is still very much the same, and it's interesting to see how she changes into a young adult by the end of the book, while still being unmistakably Anne. I can't wait to get to the third book!

Next, was The Impersonators, by Jessica Anderson. This book won the 1980 Miles Franklin Literary Award in Australia, and was part of my reading list for the Book Awards Reading Challenge. Sylvia, a woman who is Australian by birth, but a citizen of the world as far as she is concerned, comes home to Australia after approximately fifteen years to visit her siblings, and her parents, who divorced when she was a child (both since remarried to other people with children of their own). Though she doesn't find out until she arrives, her father is close to death, and her stepsiblings assume she has come home to make a grand effort to impress everyone.

The book takes a look at each character's viewpoint of both Sylvia and the various other family members - how they feel about one another, what is going on in each person's life at the moment, and Sylvia's growing relationship with one of her stepbrothers. As the only daughter of her father, she is somewhat the favorite, and when he dies she inherits his money. Needless to say, this makes for interesting reactions from others, and Sylvia finds herself deciding whether or not she wants to stay in Australia and begin a life there, instead of returning to a new life she had planned in England.

I enjoyed this book, the characters were well-drawn, and the story did not take the path I was expecting. Though there was plenty of conflict between the two families, they also gave the impression of people who realize that for better or for worse, they are somehow tied together, and they try to make the best of it. Some of the dialogue between Sylvia and her mother was really funny, as her mother tried to pump her for information on her stepmother, the same thing she had done when Sylvia was a child. I will admit that I didn't really become very fond of anyone in the book, but they were all interesting people to spend time with, and get to know.

Finally, Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky. I read this as part of the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge, which was a good excuse to read it, as I had wanted to since it had been published. The book takes place in World War II, as the Germans are occupying France. The book is written in two parts (it was originally planned as three parts), and the story is told from the viewpoints of different characters, some from Paris, some from the countryside, and all from different economic levels in French society at the time. There are a couple of times when one or two of the characters or families cross paths with others, but for the most part, each story is its own.

This book was really evocative of place and time, as far as I'm concerned. The chapters about families preparing to leave Paris at a moment's notice before the Germans arrived, or the people in the country hiding their treasures so the Germans won't find them, were written in a way that made you feel as if you were there, trying to think of what you needed to take, when you didn't have a lot of time to decide, or know if you would ever return. The characters were interesting, and Nemirovsky managed to paint many of the German soldiers who interacted with the French characters as human beings with feelings, hopes, and human desires.

I found the book to be poignant, even more so when I read the afterword, which included her notes for the trilogy, and information about what happened to her and her family. As mentioned earlier, she had planned three parts, but only two were written, and what is published is the draft she left behind. Nemirovsky was born in Russia, and though her family was originally Jewish, they had converted to Roman Catholicism and moved to France. Though she never became a citizen of France, she considered it her home, and had a successful career writing for several French newspapers through the years. At the time the Nazis were rounding up Jews, they arrested her and sent her briefly to a work camp, and very shortly thereafter to Auschwitz, where she died in the gas chamber. Her husband, left with their two young daughters, had no idea where she was, or what had happened, for quite a while. He was eventually arrested and immediately sent to the gas chamber, while the two girls were raised by friends of the couple. Though both girls survived into adulthood, only one lived long enough to see her mother's final work published.

I enjoyed each of these books, and they were all different enough to make for an interesting month of reading. I would recommend them all, albeit for different reasons. But I felt that each one was well worth my time and attention.

06 November 2007

Another Great Package!

My package for the Knitters Tea Swap 4 arrived this past weekend. Well, actually it arrived on Friday, but since no one was home to receive it, our mail carrier left one of those pink slips you take to the post office to retrieve your packages. I will admit to being intrigued, as in the little box where it says "Sender," he had written "Canada" - I was quite overwhelmed to think that the entire nation had put together a swap package for me ...

In reality, of course, my package was from Dave, and it was a good one!

(I must apologize in advance for the poor quality of my photos - I got tired of fighting with the camera and the lighting, and took the best available for posting.)

So, without further ado, I shall unveil the contents of the box:

First, 4 (c0unt 'em, 4!) different teas! There's Maple, Iced Wine (wine??), Winter Holiday, and Morning something (the actual name has totally escaped me at the moment). The item on the right in the photo is a gadget that you place onto the spout of the teapot, to keep it from dripping after you pour the tea. (I have never seen this before. Who knew??)







Then, three kinds of treats, all involving large amounts of chocolate. This is never a bad thing ...







Next up, two kinds of yarn! One is Regia, "Canadian Colors," which will likely become a pair of socks for me. Then two skeins of Apple Laine yarn, color name "Yoda," which cracked me up. It's actually more of a light green than my crummy photo, which makes it look blue.














Dave also sent me three post cards from Ottawa, where he lives, but I forgot to photograph them. I have taken them to work to put on the bulletin board at my desk, so I have something pleasant to look at while I'm working.

When I found out that Dave was my swap partner, I was really intrigued, since he is somewhat famous. But he was an excellent correspondent, and really hit the nail(s) on the head, choosing what to send me.

Thanks Dave! And thanks to Suzie, for once again, organizing a great swap!

Last but not least, thank you to Canada for making sure the package was "sent" ...

"Oh man ... another swap where no one sent tuna. What's the point??"


03 November 2007

Vacation pictures, rounds 3 and 4

I was feeling bad because I haven't had any knitting to show for a while, and then I realized that I had never finished posting pictures from our vacation in September. So I thought, "Well, why not finish up the vacation shots, and at least anyone who is still reading will know that topic is finally finished ...

Previously in The Tim and Bridget's Excellent Adventure to Places in Virginia, I showed you shots from Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg, where we started out. When we left Williamsburg, we decided to stop in Yorktown, since it was more or less on the way to our final destination, Virginia Beach, and neither of us had ever been there.

Yorktown

The outdoor exhibit area in Yorktown is small, and can be seen easily in a couple of hours. It's situated right on the James River, and is quite scenic. There's also an indoor museum, which had a lot of really great exhibits about the Battle of Yorktown, but they didn't permit photography, so you'll just have to buy a book for that, or make the trip yourself ...



This is the "punishment horse," which is where enlisted men who had committed minor infractions against the rules had to spend the better part of a day. Besides the public humiliation, it was (and looks!) very uncomfortable.

This is the camp surgeon, in front of the surgical tent, with various drugs, potions, and instruments on display. This presentation was really fascinating, in spite of the incredibly annoying people who were our fellow tourists, and kept asking questions that made it clear that they had not been paying attention. (The Tim: "What a shame that you can't determine how others should act at something like this.")

Sometimes I'll be reading something, and think that it would have been so interesting to have lived in the past. Then I see and hear a presentation like this, and realize how glad I am to be alive now!

The two pictures below are examples of living quarters. On the left, the colonel's tent; on the right, a tent for enlisted men, where there were 3 to 4 people assigned to a single tent.









And on to Virginia Beach ...

We had visited Virginia Beach a few years back, but it was to visit with The Tim's sister and her family. His brother-in-law is in the Navy, and they have been stationed there for the last 8 years or so. This time, we were going strictly to go to the beach, the boardwalk, and to look at the ocean!

When you turn off the main road leading to the beach, onto Atlantic Avenue, this statue of Neptune greets you. It's hard to see in this photo, but he is surrounded by sea creatures, and it's a very impressive sight. (If you look to the lower right, the teeny figure in the light shorts and dark shirt is The Tim, added for scale.)





Once we settled into our room, we walked along the boardwalk, in search of lunch. We came across this sculpture, which I had to photograph since I *heart* dolphins.




The Virginia Beach boardwalk - at least where we were - was just a nice place to walk along the beach, past hotels, high rises, restaurants, some shops, and a band shell. The beach-type stores and places you expect to see were primarily one street over, on Atlantic Avenue.

We stayed at a nice hotel, where all the rooms had a balcony that faced the beach. Here was the view from our room:

And, looking north:
One morning, someone was flying this kite, which seemed so appropriate!


The last morning of our trip, we got up to watch the sunrise:

Just before sunrise



Just about sunrise ...







The grand finale!

01 November 2007

Oh, the Horror!!

What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping?

I must admit to being more or less a coward when it comes to horror stories, in books, movies, etc. I know intellectually that it's not real, but the minute I go to bed, or I'm home alone at night, my intellect seems to totally disappear. Some years back, when I was reading The Silence of the Lambs, I was fascinated, and had to keep reading. My "solution" to not being totally freaked out and scared was to hold the book as far away as I could when reading ... as if reading something at an arm's length away would save me!

(BTW, don't ever tell anyone that a Great White Shark is "about the size of the living room," and then expect them to be willing to be the first one to go into the living room ...)

Thanks!

A thank you to everyone who left such nice comments, or sent e-mails wishing us a happy anniversary. We had a nice, though quiet day, where much wine was consumed. Sadly, we consumed so much wine, we forgot to drink the champagne! But there are always other weekends, and The Tim's birthday is coming up, so it will not go to waste. So please do not worry.

Pre-Halloween Horror!

Well, for Tess at least. Doughboy was visiting this past Saturday, and he was hanging out with us, watching movies. He *loves* Tess, and is always trying to kiss her. She thinks he is one of the most appalling creatures ever to exist. Anyway, she had moved out of her kitty bed to walk across the couch to see what The Tim was eating. Doughboy apparently thought that it looked pretty darn cozy in that cat bed, so he would give it a try.

As you can see, he is enjoying himself immensely, I'm laughing, and Tess is giving him her very strongest Death Ray Glance. Needless to say, a half-Chow/half-Newfoundland dog is too big for a kitty bed ... This is the kind of thing that pretty much assures that Doughboy and I have both moved up a notch or two on Tess' list of Those Who Must Be Eliminated.

The really funny thing is, that for as much time as Doughboy has spent at our house, he's never before shown any interest in getting on the furniture. Of course, once he ruined the kitty bed by sitting in it, Tess would not use it for about 24 hours ...