Laughter

About 18 years or so ago, the ex and I purchased a home in the town in which we live. It had been a three-bedroom rancher, but a previous owner had been a builder and added a two-story brick attachment with a sunken family room and a nice master bedroom suite upstairs. It was a good deal, and I liked the house...not the neighborhood so much, but the house.

Until. We had a serious gully-washer come through, and our house received a lot of run-off from the hill behind us. The rain started pouring in and the sunken living room lived up to its name. The ex, of course, wasn't home as he never was during a crisis (up to and including Hurricane Hugo!), and I frantically tried to save furniture and carpet.

Long story short, this builder didn't bother to waterproof the outer wall. We had one more deluge before we could have it fixed, and we couldn't save the carpet a second time.

What does this calamity have to do with laughter? I'll tell you. You knew I would. Around this same time, the British series of "Who's Line is it Anyway" was on Comedy Central. If you're only familiar with the Drew Carey version, that was limp and pale in comparison. The Brit version was hysterical. Rolling on the floor stuff. And I watched every single day throughout the mess. I'm not too sure it wasn't the only thing that kept me in my usual semi-sane state.

I'm a firm believer in the healing power of laughter. The DH and I have had some serious rocky times - almost all, I hasten to add, from external sources. We get along exceptionally well, mainly because I know how lucky I am, and he because he doesn't realize how heavily I keep him drugged. But there has never come a time when we couldn't laugh together, and if at times the laughter was a little bit on the hysterical side, well, it was still cathartic.

Almost two years ago, it was the last time we saw my father-in-law. We all knew he was passing, and only a couple of us could be with him in his hospital room at once. I stood in the hall with the DH and his older brother, and listened to them reminisce about their dad. They told camping stories, and house painting stories, and car trip stories, and throughout all of these warm memories was the thread of laughter. When I think of that day, I think of holding Dad's hand, telling him I loved him and trying to quiet him...and I think of that laughter.

Now, to quote Bill Cosby, I told you that one to tell you this. I stumbled (gracefully, naturally, as befits your goddess) across a blog today that had me laughing. Not just laughing, I should say. Guffawing till I was breathless, wiping away tears, and struggling hard to sober up when the phone rang. Now, I know humor is subjective, and what I find funny you may not, especially if you're a conservative about adult language and situations. I'm a bit like that in public (when did it become okay to drop the F-bomb in the middle of a crowded store?), but to read or watch as humor, I'm okay. If you are too, enjoy.

If you don't find her amusing, feel free to say so. I need a good laugh, and you'll do. :-)

Green...the color of Earth's life

I'd appreciate it, if you like my design best, if you'll go vote for it on Bloomingdale's site. Ta!


Green...the color of Earth's life: "

Country view of trees and birds, all in green, with the word GREEN descending on the right, and "...the color of Earth's life" across the bottom."

Gifted

No, for a change I'm not talking about myself, except in the sense that I was the recipient of an unexpected gift.

Not but what I should have expected it, but I am a true blond and occasionally have to act like one so as not to completely explode the stereotype which so comforts all you brunettes out there. I should have expected it because, at the beginning of the year, my new Terrier Twin requested my bust and hip measurements. And if you don't think taking them at the beginning of a new year is depressing, you have not been paying attention to just how abundant your Goddess is.

To back up a smidgen - if you've been following this blog at all, you know I own (or am owned BY) two Scotties. Jack is black, and almost nine. He has only one eye due to an accident that we think was caused by another puppy's claw (wince) poking him in that eye. It had to be removed. It doesn't faze him, other than he walks to the non-traditional side of me because that's where he can see me. He is a very devoted dog, one of the most so of all the Scotties I've owned over almost 29 years.

Benny is what is known as a wheaten Scottie. Most people think all Scotties are black, but that's not so. There are brindle Scotties, which are mostly black with sort of striping of various shades of brown or silver or red, and wheaten, which are never white but may be anything from a light silver to wheat to something like Benny's lovely coat, which reminds me of nothing so much as creme brulee. He has a fairly deep wheat cast, but the tips are pure cinnamon. Benny will be 8 this summer.

Once internet groups really took off, I joined one for Scottie owners. I didn't care for it. The group owner played favorites, was very autocratic and the group was too large for my taste. A new group, AngelScots, formed in memory of the owner's dog who'd recently gone to the Rainbow Bridge, was more to my liking. I joined it a few days after it was formed, and that was over 10 years ago now. Eventually, the DH and I were asked to take over ownership, and there it stands.

A few years ago, I got the idea of doing a secret pal program to foster members getting to know one another better. Being prone to alliteration, I named it Terrier Twins. The idea is to learn about the other person, send a few cards and a present or two, and be supportive when they need someone in their corner. For the most part, it has gone very well.

This year my friend Liz Lovick drew my name. You've seen her mentioned here many times before. She is an extraordinary font of information on knitting and spinning, specifically as found in the Scottish Isles. Liz is very generous in teaching others, and was doing just that on one of my knitting lists, when she happened to mention she was about to rescue a Scottie. She had owned one before and was involved with the local rescue program. I am sure you won't be surprised to hear that I pounced and invited her to join AngelScots. She's been a great asset to the list.

Now to the present, and the present. Liz had warned me a few weeks before Easter to watch for a package in the post. I was startled to receive the vest you've been seeing here...in fact, I was blown away. She used yarn from a company with which she is affiliated and one that is very popular with knitters, Colourmart. It is incredibly soft, and as you see, has wonderful Scottie motifs. It's part of a group of patterns Liz is creating to help raise money for her Scottie rescue group. We're helping by providing pictures of some of the items, like the hat
which I knitted from a previous gift. And as of yesterday, I am a test knitter for a lace Scottie scarf for her. Liz sent me the pattern, some scrumptious yak-blend deep lavender yarn, and some stitch markers she made for me, and I cast on last night. I got 27 rows in and found a typo, so I feel very useful. LOL.

Liz had my name for Christmas when she sent me the hat pattern and yarn. She also sent me an incredible spindle by Michael Woods, and some silk hankies and roving to match that she had hand-dyed for me. I spun a singles of each and plied them together recently for about 160 yards of two-ply yarn in what I would call a heavy laceweight. I have a lot more to spin, but this first skein is really pretty, and as soon as I get a picture I'll post it for you.

Anyway, two weeks ago we did a fundraiser day for the local no-kill animal adoption center, Briggs. We did pet pictures and donated part of the sitting fee to Briggs. I wore my vest that day, got many compliments and had the DH do some photos for Liz. The shirt I wore under it is, I know, big on me, but I figured I'd better wear loose clothing if I were dealing with dogs all day. It was a lot of fun.

Meanwhile, a gentleman just brought in two photos for me to restore, so back to it!

Limberlost Luna

That turned out to the name of this gorgeous shawl that was the MMario MMystery knit. You may recall I posted earlier that I was working on this, and shared a few pictures. Now you may see it in all its glory:



I will say this was a bit trickier than many MMario designs. I could almost hear the single brain cell he claims to possess firing off repeatedly.


The yarn was Blue Moon's Laci yarn in the colorway "Bleck." I have no idea where the name generates, but it does not, in my so-not-at-all-humble opinion, suit the lovely grayed lavender that it is.


Many have said they wished it were a bit bigger, and I admit, I had to block it very hard to get it as large as I did. The edge points were my own doing...if anyone did it, and they may have, I just haven't seen it. It simply felt right as I was blocking.

A really lovely, challenging knit. Many thanks to the DH for his wonderful photography.

If my mother ever appreciated anything I knit for her, this would be her mother's day gift. As my ex used to refer to her collection, she is "infested" with butterfly items. I don't know. Maybe I'll take it up at Easter and if she seems covetous, she may have it. We'll see, but don't hold your breath. :-)

Gone to the Birds

I'm reminded of those essays we had to write as kids: "Here Is How I Spent My Summer." This blog is How I Spent My Blizzard.

Knowing that the bad...okay, intense, since I don't consider snow bad...weather was coming, I decided to get prepared. We got bird seed, and I took home a camera with a very long - and heavy! - lens.

Then I went semi-insane. We've had a bird feeder in one of the trees in our back yard pretty much since we moved in 16 years ago, and I've gotten a few good pictures over the years, but hey, nothing like a blizzard to drive the birds to your feeder! I perched myself in an open (!) window in our dining room, and began shooting. For hours. And hours. And days. And I've never been happier. Half-frozen, fingers stiff, DH bringing me the occasional hot beverage, bless him, and me with no idea of the amount of time going by.

Obsession? Check the dictionary. I think my picture is there.

But oh, gentle readers, how I think it was worth it. I culled literally hundreds of images down, then sorted out some more, and I was still thrilled with the number of images I felt were good. Then I showed them to DH, and got his opinion, pulling out a few more. The rest he felt were good enough to offer for sale, and I put a few in my Etsy store.

But he did me one better than that, opening a gallery with all the images. We sorted them by type of bird (mostly cardinals - at one point I had over 20 in one tree!). If you visit the gallery, there is a drop-down menu on the bottom right you can use to view different birds. If you're interested in ordering...and I hope you will be!...click on the cart button under any image to view options and pricing. We can do standard luster prints, fine art linen paper and even canvas wraps. The prints are mounted on strong art board, and the canvas wraps are ready to go on the wall. Of course, we can frame and mat them for you, either separately, or with multiple images in one mat. I have one up in the studio that I love that is a male and female seated together in the center, flanked by the facing male and female you see above. Just ask, and we'll work with you. And soon, we plan to have note cards and other items available.

Then the DH blew me away. He has a blog for his work at our studio, and he featured me. To quote a bit, and stroke my ego more:

"I’m going to go out on a limb here (pun intended), and tell you about Diana’s nature photography. (snip) The results, quite honestly, are stunning. Diana’s eye at capturing wildlife has always been spot on. But the nuance she shows in this gallery is pretty much the eye of a years-experienced professional."

Can you imagine how moved I was? Understand, I don't just adore this man, I truly respect his opinion and admire his work. His words meant the world to me.

I hope to get several more types of birds up too, so keep the site bookmarked. These make great gifts. That's a subtle hint.

Comments are most welcome, but remember, your Goddess is sensitive. ;-}

Livid

I know I haven't posted for awhile. Yes, we were socked in by multiple snow storms, and you'd think I'd have written something then, wouldn't you? But I was actually very busy with something else, about which I'll share more presently. We're also thankfully busier at the studio than usual.

I knew you all were simply panting for a PAI (People Are Idiots) rant and since a prime example came up today, I thought I'd share.

We have six local high schools, and a few private schools, in this area. Many of the seniors, whether the school has a contract photographer or not, choose to come to us. Without bragging, we have the best facility in the locale, and with bragging, the best photographer in my DH. The kids come here knowing that we go the extra mile for them. We even take care of digitally submitting their yearbook photo to the various advisers, usually via email attachment.

Today we were told by one senior that her adviser, whom I'll call Ms. Lint Licker (LL for short), informed said senior that her photo would not be in the yearbook. Naturally upset, she posted on DH's Facebook page, asking why. He immediately emailed LL.

She responded by saying she'd never received the 13 senior photos we'd sent....btw, well before the deadline. Now, doodoo happens. Other yearbook advisers have not received or lost an image. You know what they do? They ask the kids, "Where is your picture?" They call the local photographers and ask if we have any to submit. They are conscientious, knowing the importance of their senior yearbook to these students.

Not LL. When the DH called her, she informed him - yelling so loudly I could hear her from about 10 feet away - that it was "Not her job" to call photographers. Even after she admitted to him that she sometimes has email difficulties at her school account! I guess it's not her job to talk to students, either, because she didn't trouble herself to ask them about their images. The DH got her to finally admit that the pages could still be changed, but essentially, it would take too much effort for her. Thirteen seniors won't be in their yearbook, and she can't be BOTHERED?!? What could BE more important when you're taking money to be the yearbook adviser?

DH offered to take his time to help with the layout to get it done. No, LL responded, that would violate state law about privacy. Really? For images that are being published in a public forum like a yearbook?

Two minutes. That's all it would have taken for her to call or email the area's top photographer. She knew she had email issues, she knew we would have images for her, she knew she had at least 13 seniors for whom she had no pictures...and she did nothing. I cannot fathom that level of irresponsibility. We are, of course, taking this to the principal, and failing resolution from that source, we'll be contacting the parents of the students. One has been a client for years, and a friend, and saints preserve LL if we sic this lady on her!

As a last note, I'm the daughter, niece and the sister of teachers, and proud of it. The DH has taught at the local university. Teachers are some of the best of people doing a job that should pay a helluva lot more than it does given the importance of it. If my kids got in trouble with a teacher, I took the teacher's point until I knew any differently. Bottom line, I admire teachers. A lot.

I hate having found a teacher that doesn't hold to the high standard I grew up with.

And the Knit Goes On.

First, a quickie little project from Through the Loops by Kirsten Kapur. It's called Laurie's Beret and is in a lovely honeycomb pattern. There's also a pattern for matching mittens. I used Noro Kureyon from my stash, the first time I've used this yarn. It overshadows the pattern a hair in this photo, less in real life. The plum is actually a bit deeper, otherwise the colors are pretty true. It's fresh off blocking, so I expect a bit more drape as the yarn relaxes.



Now for the MMKKMMystery on Yahoo. This is a spin-off from the MMarioKKnits group, set up just to host the mystery shawl. I'm not working mine with beads. I like beads, I just wasn't in the mood.
I'm using Blue Moon Laci in Bleck, which is a much more grayed lavender than this quick snapshot shows. I didn't try to block it out or anything, just laid it on the chair. I've thought the same thing as my dear friend Olivia-Lee since clue 1...it's a luna moth. Especially since MMario gave us a suggested color list and at the top was a green with hints of yellow. NOT a good color for your Goddess; my greens are forest-y to match my eyes. (batting same) I dove in the stash and pulled up this extravagance that I allowed myself a year and a half ago at MD Sheep and Wool. It's just gorgeous.

Anyway, this is up to clue 3. I'm love the results, knit on a size 5 Knitpick Zephyr circular. I'm using the circular to hold the anticipated weight; the shawl is worked flat, with lace and cables. I'm in heaven.

At least as far as knitting goes. Business is good for this time of year, but I'm worried about my daughter and grandson. Her soon-to-be-ex, aka Dorkey, is doing nothing to help provide for his son, and lied about paying some bills, leaving her stuck with them. He's shacking up with someone else, and driving on his rescinded license. Such a peach, hmmm? Then DD's home was broken into (IMHO Dorkey did it, but that's only an opinion) and several items stolen - camera, computer, jewelry, and worst of all, my grandson's saving jar. Photographer friends of the DH have been sending him amounts from $1 to $50 to replace it, and it's all going into a child's saving account at the bank for safety. Bless them all.

And now, my daughter just lost her job. She's an incredibly resilient young woman, and I KNOW she'll come out on top. But I'm a big one for doing my duty, and right now, my duty seems to be to try to help as much as I can...and to fret. I'm way too good at it.To end on a happier note...this will be a Valentine's gift for her hubby. I just love this image. The DH did a fantastic job (as always) with the lighting, and it just cried out for spot color. These Days of Beauty we do are so much fun - hair, makeup and photography, then my touch afterward. And it doesn't hurt when friends are there to egg one another on and bring their own champagne!