All I Can Say is.. WOW

During this political time in the USA, emotions run high and, in some cases, logic and understanding go by the wayside. Everyone has a viewpoint and many feel theirs is the only one.

My viewpoints are my own but I do appreciate those with a wonderful way of expressing themselves with words. Therefore I'm borrowing from My Tangled Life and an essay by Eve Ensler regarding Gov. Palin of Alaska, the Republican candidate for Vice President:

by Eve Ensler

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice.

Whatever it is, I need the polar bears. I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not. She does not believe in sex education or birth control. She has stated that she will do everything in her power to overturn Roe v Wade.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. She has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air. Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialog and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain. Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

I do not believe 100% in all Ms. Ensler has written but I do admire her way of stating her views. She makes you think - and thinking is a very good thing to do.

To those who are eligible to vote in the US Presidental election: please think and research and make an intelligent choice when you go to vote in November. Please do not allow others to make your choice for you.

Observation and Commentary

In the past few weeks, there have been some events that are disturbing me. At a construction site, two separate incidents of nooses being found have been reported. Also reported is the FBI investigating because of racial overtones.

Friday a bomb threat was called in to the company that will be at the construction site when the buildings are completed. Right now, the company is located in 10 sites around town with the majority being downtown. People were evacuated from all sites and I haven't read any media reports of any device or suspected device being located.

Each day I drive by a hospital. Several times there has been a man standing on the edge of the sidewalk with a sign about his mother's final days at the hospital. If all he reports is accurate, there were some really terrible mistakes made in her care. I'm not medically trained but I would think at least one of those mistakes could have contributed to her death.

I have said for years that there are at least 3 sides to every story. One side, the opposing side and the reality. The above demonstrations are the result of people wanting their side known. One does it in a peaceful manner - standing, holding a sign. One is sneaky and disruptive to many others, not just the one or the few that the complaint is with.

I do not know the hospital's side of the story or any actions being taken by the hospital to investigate. I would hope they are checking what is on the sign. I have respect for the man with the sign. I have sympathy for him and the pain he's going through with the loss of his mother and his feelings of why she died.

I also don't know if the nooses and bomb scare are related but I'm going to assume (dangerous word) they are. The person(s) behind this does not have, nor deserve respect. There are more effective ways to try to resolve a situation which someone feels is unjustified.

I've ranted long enough. I was once told "You are SO 60's!" Yes, I am. I do wish for peace and for people to try to understand each other and their viewpoints. I'd love to live long enough to see that happen.

First Day

My first day at work today - new employee orientation. This is the absolute first time I've ever had a formal orientation with a job. This is also about the 12th permanent job I've had in my life - plus a bunch of temp work. Things I liked: friendliness, humor injected into dry subjects, free lunch. Dislike: the -20F temperature in the room - even with over 50 people in there - I think it got colder as the day progressed. Even with windows on at least 2 sides of the room. Most of us were cold and found sun during breaks. I also walked back to the parking area - about 2-3 blocks away - to warm up that way. I seldom feel cold but this one took the cake. Training begins tomorrow at another location and I'm going to have to hunt for a quicker route. I'll be at that location until March when we move to a new campus about 15 minutes (in traffic) from my home.

On the knitting front - I finished my first McGregor's Garden sock and started the second. Toe is done and I've finished 1/3 of the pattern before Peter appears in the garden. Knitting group is tomorrow so I can head there after work and meet folks. I'll take my spinning there so can work on the spindle for a while.

I'll try for photos either later this week or early next. Meanwhile, Enjoy!

Thank you to Blarney 'n' Grits

1 Put the logo on your blog
2 Add a link to the person who awarded you
3 Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4 Add links to those blogs on yours
5 Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.


Thank you again to Claire at Blarney 'n Grits

Now for 7 other blogs... hmmmmmmmm

Ok here goes:

Knitting and Spinning with Ewe - Peggy always has something wonderful to say about everyone in the kal's we've been a part of. She's a good enabler too.

Fugue State Knits - This lady is so interesting - attorney, singer, musician, friend, mother, grandmother and on and on... I always enjoy reading her blog!

You can call me Al, formerly Love as Is... Al is a wonderful lady - as much in her blog as in person. She's a warm, funny, super person.

A Few Stitches Short - This lady has a beautiful way with words and with her knitting. She's a terrific designer too.

And back to both Claire and Dani - both of whom have blogs I love to read.

Finally - From Lorchen's Lair... I hope she will see this but Lorchen has such a busy life. She teaches children with special needs - and that takes a very special person. I have two grandchildren with special needs so I do know just how much time, patience and love is needed.

I raise my glass (of ice tea) to all of you!

Here Come de Photos

Here come the photos as promised...












Here's my new drop spindle with Glacier Lake in process. See the sparkly stuff? That's Angelina, something I've never spun before. Lots of glitter with this one.
Next is Winter Jewels, being spun from a 80/20 Merino/Silk roving from All Spun Up on Etsy.com. This stuff is a dream to spin. I've only spun about an ounce so far - out of 8 oz.












Next is the last of Blue Suede Shoes. This is a superwash Merino (machine washable) in a 2-ply. I think I have enough for a shawl with this one.
Last but not least is B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bag) from Knitty.com. This is being knit in a cotton yarn. I'm almost done with this one. The next one will have something else instead of the lace insert. It's a big shopping bag - bigger than I thought it would be.
More photos when I have more to show. I've picked up the new hire packet and had my photo taken for my ID card. Now I have lots of reading to do and papers to fill out to take on my first day - next Monday. I'm so excited about this!

One final note. My DS has a birthday tomorrow. He'll be mumble.mumble years old (I can't have a child That old) and I'm wishing him a Happy Birthday with many more happy years to come. Here's to you, kid.

Busy Life

I see I haven't posted in over a month so I'll do an update on my life. First of all, I'm going to be a grandma again! Baby is not due until February and I'm not a patient person so this is going to be hard on me. As long as there are 10 toes and 10 fingers and everything is in the right place, I'll be very happy.
Next, I'm employed! I'm going through all the pre-employment stuff right now but I've been hired and start work Aug 11. This will be great!
I've been knitting - started B.Y.O.B. (Bring your own bag) from Knitty.com Summer 2008 and I'm on the upper band and handle area. I have enough cotton yarn to make another one too but will do basket weave instead of openwork on that one.
I've also been spending time spinning. I've done about 800 yds of a 2-ply finishing my Blue Suede Shoes from Crown Mountain Farms. It needs washing and whapping and drying then I can figure out what to knit with it.
Next is a fiber club/spinning group with fiber from AllSpunUp. She created a special color-way of merino/silk for us. Photos can be posted after Aug 4 so I'll wait until then to post any photos. I love the colors and the yarn has named itself. I've spun 1/8th of the first roving - maybe 1/2 oz. Love the way it is spinning and the shine from the silk is beautiful.
The other spinning I've done is on a spindle. It's been years since I've done much spindling but I bought a cute spindle and some beautiful fiber from Butterfly Girl on Etsy and am having fun learning again how to do this. It's a new-to-me blend with merino, bamboo and sparkly stuff. Only 3.3 oz to spin but... I should be able to make something pretty with this when it's done.

So I'll do photos next week of all the projects above and update on the other stuff. In the meantime, enjoy!

Oh, almost forgot - both my sisters have birthdays in August. One is tomorrow and one is on the 10th. So here's a photo of the 3 of us and happy birthdays to both. Ignore the doll. I think that was my Christmas present.

Busy Busy Bee

I have been busy with my knitting and stitching - and some visitors, both welcome and not so welcome. There is a split in the frame of my front door and some yellowjackets moved in. Today was the second trip by the exterminator - hopefully the last. I had been out of town so discovered them when I returned. Also waiting for me was this:
This is a Luna Moth. The color is flaky as the shutters (in the background) are dark green, not blue. The moth is actually almost a lime green. I believe Luna Moths are the largest moths found in the US. Feel free to jump in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Unfortunately I don't have a macro lens so I can't show details. Moths and butterflies fascinate me. If you look at them under magnification you can see the actual scales that make up the wings.

On to other things. Caledonian Mist socks are finally done!
The last stitches were done tonight and the ends woven in. So that's one happy dance for me.

I've also been working on Magic Carpet Ride. This is so much a dream to work on. The pattern is lovely and the yarn is magnificent.

I've started something new. This was
inspired by the current issue of Spin-Off. It's the cover scarf, Morning Surf. The yarn is Dream In Color Smooshy and the color is Cool Fire. It will be gifted to DDIL when done.

On the stitching front, there is no significant progress on Queen of Roses so no photo there. I finally got the fabric for Wisteria so had to start that one: It's on 22 ct Hardanger and stitched over one. I do use magnification and don't stitch
for very long at a time - but enjoy the challenge.