Pip and Jetsam duking it out
What Pip lacks in size, he makes up for in tenacity. What Jetsam lacks in tenacity, he makes up for (and then some!) in size. Most of the time, no one wins.
Have a lovely weekend!
24 August 2012
Furball Friday
What Pip lacks in size, he makes up for in tenacity. What Jetsam lacks in tenacity, he makes up for (and then some!) in size. Most of the time, no one wins.
Have a lovely weekend!
21 August 2012
Three Birthdays
Today marks three special birthdays.
Ninety-six years ago today, my dad was born. He was the oldest of four kids, who got split up to live with grandparents when his father was killed by a train. My dad was 13 years old. He and his sister Mary went to live with one set of grandparents, while another sister, Helen, and his baby brother John went to love with another set.
My parents got married the day after Christmas in 1941, when he had just joined the Army after Pearl Harbor. They moved from base to base for a while, where - as my dad used to say - he "flew a desk." I've posted pictures of him in his Army uniform here, and I can imagine that he liked the discipline and organization that Army life provided, even if it could be restrictive in other ways. After he was out of the Army and he and my mom had a family, he always worked in the trucking industry. He died when I was thirteen years old, from liver cancer, at a time when there were few real treatments for that disease, and it was more or less always a death sentence. So I have lived most of my life without him, but I think of him every single day, and feel like I was lucky, not just because I knew him for 13 years, but because I knew from a young age that he wouldn't be around forever, and appreciated the time he was here.
The Tim's father was born on this day seventy-nine years ago. He was a Navy man, having piloted fighter jets in World War II in the Pacific. After the war, he and my mother-in-law started living their life together, having five children by the time they were finished. He worked for years in the steel mills, and had barely retired when he was diagnosed with skin cancer. He died in 1989. Of course, my knowledge of him was only as an adult, but from all accounts, he had always been the same - kind, quiet, funny, and a calming influence overall. He loved nothing more than a corny joke or a pun, and since I was a new audience, pulled out all of his old routines to try on me. I also love corny jokes and puns, so we got along really well! I think of him often, and miss him most when we are watching a funny TV show or movie, or someone comes up with a truly groan-worthy pun. I wish he was still around to make us all laugh.
And, finally, about 18 years ago today, our crazy calico Tess was born. "About" since she was a stray that we found, and to be honest, we "assigned" her August 21st as her birthday. I knew my dad would be honored, and The Tim's dad would be amused and pleased if nothing else. We always had at least a cat as a pet growing up, but Tess was truly one of a kind. We suspected that her previous owners had abused her, because she was quick to react inappropriately, and her front teeth were sheared across her upper jaw. She could be terribly mean to us and to the other kitties, but over time she settled down, and was actually truly sweet. We used to joke that she ran a jihad and was planning to a) take over the world, and b) have us killed. She just had the most unique personality of any cat ever. She died after a bout with cancer, and just as in life, did not go gently into that good night. I think of her so much, and miss seeing her, petting her, hugging her, and seeing what new thing would annoy her on any given day!
As a result, August 21 is always a little bittersweet at our house. But then August 22 comes along, with two wedding anniversaries, and another one on August 25. So today is followed by happy occasions, which means that we can't take too much time to dwell on any sadness. Sometimes I think the universe works it out that way on purpose.
Ninety-six years ago today, my dad was born. He was the oldest of four kids, who got split up to live with grandparents when his father was killed by a train. My dad was 13 years old. He and his sister Mary went to live with one set of grandparents, while another sister, Helen, and his baby brother John went to love with another set.
My parents got married the day after Christmas in 1941, when he had just joined the Army after Pearl Harbor. They moved from base to base for a while, where - as my dad used to say - he "flew a desk." I've posted pictures of him in his Army uniform here, and I can imagine that he liked the discipline and organization that Army life provided, even if it could be restrictive in other ways. After he was out of the Army and he and my mom had a family, he always worked in the trucking industry. He died when I was thirteen years old, from liver cancer, at a time when there were few real treatments for that disease, and it was more or less always a death sentence. So I have lived most of my life without him, but I think of him every single day, and feel like I was lucky, not just because I knew him for 13 years, but because I knew from a young age that he wouldn't be around forever, and appreciated the time he was here.
The Tim's father was born on this day seventy-nine years ago. He was a Navy man, having piloted fighter jets in World War II in the Pacific. After the war, he and my mother-in-law started living their life together, having five children by the time they were finished. He worked for years in the steel mills, and had barely retired when he was diagnosed with skin cancer. He died in 1989. Of course, my knowledge of him was only as an adult, but from all accounts, he had always been the same - kind, quiet, funny, and a calming influence overall. He loved nothing more than a corny joke or a pun, and since I was a new audience, pulled out all of his old routines to try on me. I also love corny jokes and puns, so we got along really well! I think of him often, and miss him most when we are watching a funny TV show or movie, or someone comes up with a truly groan-worthy pun. I wish he was still around to make us all laugh.
And, finally, about 18 years ago today, our crazy calico Tess was born. "About" since she was a stray that we found, and to be honest, we "assigned" her August 21st as her birthday. I knew my dad would be honored, and The Tim's dad would be amused and pleased if nothing else. We always had at least a cat as a pet growing up, but Tess was truly one of a kind. We suspected that her previous owners had abused her, because she was quick to react inappropriately, and her front teeth were sheared across her upper jaw. She could be terribly mean to us and to the other kitties, but over time she settled down, and was actually truly sweet. We used to joke that she ran a jihad and was planning to a) take over the world, and b) have us killed. She just had the most unique personality of any cat ever. She died after a bout with cancer, and just as in life, did not go gently into that good night. I think of her so much, and miss seeing her, petting her, hugging her, and seeing what new thing would annoy her on any given day!
As a result, August 21 is always a little bittersweet at our house. But then August 22 comes along, with two wedding anniversaries, and another one on August 25. So today is followed by happy occasions, which means that we can't take too much time to dwell on any sadness. Sometimes I think the universe works it out that way on purpose.
Just so you know, there's a space that only you can fill.
Just so you know, I loved you then -
I guess I always will.
17 August 2012
Old Photo Friday
Have a fashionable weekend!
14 August 2012
Predictable ...
This week's Ten on Tuesday post really spoke to me:
Ten Favorite TV Shows from Your Childhood
And this is where the predictable part comes in. If you have known me for more than ten minutes, you are likely able to guess my #1 pick! But here we go anyway:
1. Mr. Ed - Best. Show. Ever. This is still one of my very favorites. I longed to move to a house with a barn that happened to have a talking horse left there by the previous owner!
Plus, one of my favorite lines ever, spoken by Mr. Ed one late night when he was bored:
"Midnight: Too early to hit the hay, and too late to eat it."
I have also won more than one Mr. Ed sound-alike contest, singing the theme song ...
2. Rocky and Bullwinkle. What's not to love? Besides the two principals, you have Dudley-Do-Right, Mr. Peabody and His Boy Sherman, Fractured Fairy Tales, and another fave, Boris and Natasha! I remember as an adult being blown away when I realized there was a Russian literary character named Boris Gudenov! And they went to college at Wattsamotta U - brilliant!
And admittedly, sometimes when something goes wrong, I think to myself - "Uh oh, big trobble for moose and squell" ...
3. Lassie. Admittedly, I thought Timmy was kinda stupid. And The Tim and I still argue about whether at the end of the show, during the theme song, Lassie was waving goodbye (my claim) or raising her paw to shake hands (with whom??).
4. Fury : The Story of a Horse and the Boy Who Loved Him. It was about a black horse. His name was Fury. He was so smart, and used to save the day right and left. I have no idea what "the Boy" was called, and I'm pretty sure I didn't care.
5. I Love Lucy. Between Lucy and Ricky, and then their neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, what wasn't there to love? I was always intrigued by the fact that no matter what, Fred and Ethel (retired vaudeville performers) always had a costume for whatever scheme was afoot. And to this day, when I give Dug his vitamin tablet, I tell him it's time for his Vitameatavegemin ...
6. The Wonderful World of Disney. Back when Disney was still bearable, and they used to show not just cartoons, but also movies for kids that were never in theaters. The Misses Albert, two sisters who lived next door to us at one of the houses where we lived, were the first in the neighborhood to have a color TV. They would invite all of the neighborhood kids on Sunday nights to watch this show, and Flipper (good, but not a fave. Too many boys for me). Miss Emma always had milk and cookies for us.
7. The Hunter. He was a character on one of the cartoons regularly shown on Captain Kangaroo. "Have nose, will hunt. I hunt anything!" He was a dog. And my dad especially liked him, which of course worked in his favor.
8. The Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob and Laura Petrie, Buddy and Sally, Mel Cooley - they were a fascinating group to me. When Laura used to dance on the living room coffee table during their parties, I was fascinated. The coffee table, people!!!
9. The Flintstones. I loved that they had a pet dinosaur, and their household appliances were so great. I longed for a bird-beak record player.
10. The Jetsons. I am pretty sure that I never thought it was any kind of accurate depiction of the future, but I did love that they had a maid who was a robot, Rosie, and that their dog Astro spoke with an R at the beginning of his words.
Well, that was fun! I can't wait to see what others have to say.
12 August 2012
Project Fail
Well, like so many other high hopes I have, that may be unrealistic, my project for the Ravellenic Games was a failure.
Remember this yarn, that was going to be a Caeles?
I did actually cast-on and get started during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies - I had already done my swatch the day before! - and things were going along pretty swimmingly. I got a little bit beyond this point
when I ran into the type of directions that say, "Begin to decrease for the armholes, while also shaping neckline, decreasing 4 stitches every 8th row 6 times, and at the same time, begin neck shaping by knitting the first 10 stitches for 2 rows in stockinette stitch, and every 18th stitch on every 12th row in seed stitch, while also baking a cake and paying your bills, when not doing backbends."
OK, it didn't really say that, but at the point I was reading it, things sure sounded that way! I realized I would need time to slowly read through the directions, perhaps make notes, and be sure I could actually read said notes, before going any farther. The problem being, that the last couple of weeks turned out to be really hectic, and particularly busy at work. I'd come home in the evening, and the last thing I would have been able to do was concentrate on the pattern directions.
So nothing else was accomplished. I am disappointed, but not really upset, since I know that even though I'm putting it aside for a time out right now, I will go back to it. I like the pattern and the yarn well enough that I don't want to NOT end up with a completed project!
I also realize that in the real world, I would not even make it to the Olympic trials, so it's not that I didn't win a medal, I didn't even go to London. And that's fine, since it was more of a personal challenge than anything else. I am willing to keep plugging along with my knitting, even if I am not patient enough in most other activities in my life.
I want to finish three other projects that are in different states of development before I even pick it up again. And I've started to think about holiday gifts, even though I only have one project in mind that is a sure thing, and it's a quilting project.
Congratulations to those of you who accomplished your goals! I hope you are feeling proud of yourselves. I know that I'm impressed, truly.
So tonight, as I watch the Closing Ceremonies, I'll be sad that the Olympics are over, since I do enjoy them, but I'll also be enjoying watching those who were there celebrate just the fact that they made it in the first place, whether or not they are toting home medals.
(I probably won't be knitting though ...)
Remember this yarn, that was going to be a Caeles?
I did actually cast-on and get started during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies - I had already done my swatch the day before! - and things were going along pretty swimmingly. I got a little bit beyond this point
when I ran into the type of directions that say, "Begin to decrease for the armholes, while also shaping neckline, decreasing 4 stitches every 8th row 6 times, and at the same time, begin neck shaping by knitting the first 10 stitches for 2 rows in stockinette stitch, and every 18th stitch on every 12th row in seed stitch, while also baking a cake and paying your bills, when not doing backbends."
OK, it didn't really say that, but at the point I was reading it, things sure sounded that way! I realized I would need time to slowly read through the directions, perhaps make notes, and be sure I could actually read said notes, before going any farther. The problem being, that the last couple of weeks turned out to be really hectic, and particularly busy at work. I'd come home in the evening, and the last thing I would have been able to do was concentrate on the pattern directions.
So nothing else was accomplished. I am disappointed, but not really upset, since I know that even though I'm putting it aside for a time out right now, I will go back to it. I like the pattern and the yarn well enough that I don't want to NOT end up with a completed project!
I also realize that in the real world, I would not even make it to the Olympic trials, so it's not that I didn't win a medal, I didn't even go to London. And that's fine, since it was more of a personal challenge than anything else. I am willing to keep plugging along with my knitting, even if I am not patient enough in most other activities in my life.
I want to finish three other projects that are in different states of development before I even pick it up again. And I've started to think about holiday gifts, even though I only have one project in mind that is a sure thing, and it's a quilting project.
Congratulations to those of you who accomplished your goals! I hope you are feeling proud of yourselves. I know that I'm impressed, truly.
So tonight, as I watch the Closing Ceremonies, I'll be sad that the Olympics are over, since I do enjoy them, but I'll also be enjoying watching those who were there celebrate just the fact that they made it in the first place, whether or not they are toting home medals.
(I probably won't be knitting though ...)
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