A little possum followed me home

I have a thing about New Zealand possum. I haven’t seen a live one yet. But I know if I did, I would love it’s little furry body. I certainly love their fur.

Yesterday, I had to make a quick drive (i.e. 3 1/2 hours each way) up to Colorado Springs to interview some people for the newsletter I write. I got this shot.

This was taken in the afternoon after the opening festivities for the newest lineman school in Colorado. I’m not sure the young men in this program would approve of their photo being used on a blog devoted primarily to knitting. But, there are many things in life over which we have no control.

I kept this in mind as I listed to POTUS08 on the XM radio on the way there and back. I heard good news. I heard bad news. I decided I needed to do something to make me feel like I did SOMETHING to help so I called today to volunteer to drive people to the polls on Tuesday. A small gesture. But a small gesture is better than no gesture.

Anyway, while the linemen-to-be were taking a lunch break, I ran over to the Knitting Kove on Union and found some lovely Cherry Tree Hill Merino/Possum sock yarn. The store owner also has a rat terrier who was in typical ratty little mood so I didn’t get a chance to cuddle and pet her. However, it was entertaining to talk “dog” to the little rat’s owner who had, coincidentally, also owned a dachshund before the rat. We had a grand time swapping dog tales.

Meanwhile, a little possum followed me home so I will get my cuddles in. Gorgeous stuff.

Three in a row

Theoretically, it’s not. Three in a row that is. There was this weekend-thingy that got in the way. However, as far as I’m concerned, a post on Thursday, Monday and Tuesday counts as three in a row.

What has prompted my sudden urge to communicate — frantically, I might add — with the world? I’m in a mess over this election. The resident non-knitter just called to tell me that he spoke with another customer today who is voting McCain-Palin. Why? He doesn’t want that Muslim in office. “But,” the resident non-knitter pointed out, “Obama is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. Besides, what would be wrong with having a Muslim in office?” “Never mind,” the old buzzard grumbled. “I wouldn’t consider a non-American as president.”

“But,” the RNK pointed out, “he is an American citizen. In fact, he must be an American citizen to run for such an office. It is confirmed at the highest level. Obama is American.”

Where do these people get these ideas!? RKN pondered the same thing. So he asked, “Did you hear these things on Fox News?” “Nope,” the man replied, “I don’t watch that stuff.” What does he watch? Or read? Or does he?

Are we a nation of dimwits? Is the unspoken message here that this old geezer does not trust an educated black man over an aging white man? I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.

On one hand we have a candidate offering more of the same. I don’t know how all of you out there in cyberspace feel about our economy; but, I for one, shudder when I check my 401K.

WAKE UP AMERICA! What’s good for corporate USA may not be good for all us average people who like to have a little extra cash on hand for a good yarn sale now and then. Please, someone tell me it’s going to be OK!

Edited this afternoon to add the following:
I went out to get the mail, and there were two political flyers from the Colorado Republican Committee. I’ve been throwing these lying garbage sheets out; but, it occurred to me that this might be the source of the untruths people are spouting this election season.

Indeed. I picked one item from one flyer at random and researched it on the web. Here’s the quote from the flyer:

Against tougher penalties for street Gangs. Obama voted against making gang members eligible for the death penalty if they kill someone to help their gang. (H.B. 1812, 2/15/01)

I looked into that. It is true, Obama voted against H.B. 1812. That bill “up-ed” the penalty for any crime committed by gang members. In other words, in a description of the bill offered by the Justice Coalition of Greater Chicago, that bill “Enhances the sentence for murder, assault, and battery, using the status of the defendant – i.e. that he is a gang member or commits the crime by reason of his allegiance to a gang.”

Hmm. To me that doesn’t sound right. Let’s say I am a member of a knitting gang and I commit a crime. Should I really get a harsher sentence in the courts, possibly even the death penalty, just because I belong to that gang? Is my affiliation with the gang more important than the nature of the crime?

You may scoff at my knitting gang reference; but, who defines gang? In fact the Illinois Republican Governor George Ryan vetoed this very bill. The State Journal-Register editorialized that the Governor’s veto was warranted. Among other comments, they said:

“[H.B. 1812] adds a fuzzy extension of the most serious punishment — a punishment that cannot be reversed. Exactly what is ‘furtherance of gang activity?’ Chances are it will vary from case to case, jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Illinois is in the process of trying to clean up its capital punishment system. That task must be completed before any more laws are passed adding people to death row — especially laws as ambiguous as this one. We urge the General Assembly not to override the governor’s veto on this bill.”

Tough on crime? Here’s a quote from Obama regarding capital punishment from “The Audacity of Hope.”

“While the evidence tells me that the death penalty does little to deter crime, I believe there are some crimes — mass murder, the rape and murder of a child — so heinous that the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage by meting out the ultimate punishment.”

Gosh, doesn’t that sound reasonable?

I know this isn’t the most exciting blog reading. I appreciate those of you who have hung in here to this — and I promise it will be — final paragraph. I am just so OUTRAGED by these political manipulations and lies!!!

I’m over it

The blah’s that is. I had a really nice weekend. The resident non-knitter and I have some friends who have a hot air balloon. They invited us to go to Taos to help out as their ground crew for the Taos Mountain Balloon Fiesta. “Our” balloon is in the center:

One might think that hot air ballooning is all about being in the balloon. Au contraire! It’s just as much fun to be in the chase vehicle, wondering where the balloon will come down, trecking back and forth down dirt roads, wondering if you’ll be able to reach the balloon when it touches down. Finally, you are sure you are in perfect position. Radio contact to balloon. “We’ve got you, no worries.”

Then, a wind shift. Everyone runs as fast as they can back to the vehicles, piles in and darts around to another spot. Opps. Dead end. Back up, turn around, (meanwhile all of this pulling a balloon trailer). Then, the guy in front of you realizes he’s going the wrong way for his balloon and he pulls a frantic U-turn right in front of you. Wait, no, he’s not even a balloon chase vehicle–just a lookie lou! What the . . . Lock wheels. Blare horn. Give dirty looks. Start rolling again.

Finally, you’re there, and they are almost down and the chase rig barely comes to a stop and once again, everyone jumps out, racing out as fast as they can to reach the balloon. Hands on, hold it to the ground, passenger switch, then off they go again. It is quite exhilarating!

Plus, you get views like these:

There were close to 40 balloons at the event and I think every one of them was in view at one point in the morning. My photography just didn’t do the event justice.

Not only a balloon adventure this weekend, knitting and horseback riding too. Oscar was a complete angel on the ride, even when I approached the intersection of a busier road with our dirt road and a friend pulled up in her car to talk and then, on the other side of us, a pickup truck rolled up with a horse trailer behind. Yes, this did make Oscar nervous, I mean, he is an Arabian after all. But a brisk walk up and down the road and we were back in fine form again. We walked across the paved road, did a short trot and turned around to come back home. He is a lovely animal!

Meanwhile, the Sixth Sense socks progress. Maybe I’ll finish them by next weekend. I hope so. I’m chomping at the bit to start on another pair.

Do you ever get the blahs?

As in, everything feels OK physically, it’s just that the whole world feels a little off-kilter from your current perspective. Or maybe a better description would be that everything feels a little unsettled, like every aspect of your life is wrong. Hmm. Maybe that’s more than a little unsettled. Anyway, today is one of those days.

The good news. I am confident it will pass. The bad news. Who knows when.

Meanwhile, I’m chugging along with work and finally have caught my breath enough to fit a post in. That doesn’t mean the office is clean. Hah! Far from it. It looks like wild banshees had a paper-throwing contest in here and I lost. Not only do I have papers scattered in little semi-organized piles EVERYWHERE, the little wildebeest, Opal, found some business cards in my customer sample stash. She did her best to shred as many as she could drag out of the stack before I caught her. 16 pt card stock. Nice heavy chewing weight. Little tiny pieces.

Meanwhile, as a means of calming her down so I can get some work done (i.e. she trained me) I have been letting her use my nice comfortable padded chair while I sit on the hard wooden one. I even washed a thick fleece blanket so I could wrap her up in it after she settles. Here’s how it looks:

“Now calm yourself!” I tell her. As if she responds to commands.

“You are getting sleepy, very sleepy.” Sometimes it works.

Meanwhile, I have gotten some knitting done. Here are the last two pairs of socks:

The pair above used The Knittery cashmere merino yarn. It is so soft!! Lovely stuff. The pattern is Embossed Leaves from Winter 2005 Interweave Knits. If the top looks all stretched out on one sock, that’s because I wore it every time I worked on the other sock. I am not one for delayed gratification.

The pair that follows used Evelyn Clark’s Girlfriend socks pattern. I’m not wild about the frilly hem. Oh well. I did it and I am wearing them. The yarn is Sundara’s sock yarn in Ocean that I won in a contest on Cara’s JanuaryOne blog.

And because I haven’t put a picture of them up before and they are so wonderful, here are two pairs of socks knitted by the lovely Chris in Germany and sent to me as gifts. Doesn’t this help to make up for the fact that I fell so woefully short of my summer of socks goal!

She made a tiny little sock that I have on my keychain that matches The Joker pair. But alas, I forgot to take a picture of it. So, that will have to wait until another post. Which I presume I will do. Someday. Maybe even with a shorter time lapse between posts.

I am currently working on a pair of socks using the Sixth Sense Socks pattern I got via the Six Sox Knitalong. Designed by Susan Pierce Lawrence, this is a very soothing pattern to knit and it looks great in the Jojoland Melody yarn I am using. Nice subtle color changes and pleasing in spite of the fact that the colors are not all that similar between socks (a challenge for my anal-retentive side). Fortunately, they are not unpleasantly dissimilar either.

And finally, one last parting paragraph on the election. Are you as angry as I am that one of the vice-presidential nominees is dumber than a bag of rocks? Can you believe she thinks the earth is 6,500 years old and that she doesn’t believe in evolution? If they get elected, and if she trips McCain on a steep flight of stairs–don’t put it past her–can you picture how that will go over with foreign heads of state? “Hi there, had any moose meat lately? Got any soccer moms in your country? Joe six-pack’s doing great over here except for the fact that he doesn’t have any beer money any more. Spent it all on gas.” OK, I exaggerate–but only slightly!!! Could this be attributing to my general malaise? I guess November 4 will tell.

I am still alive

It’s just been next to impossible to find time to post. September was a bust. One week at the photography workshop, one week trying to get a full month of work done, two weeks in Tasmania. Yep. We traveled around the world to get a good look at that Australian state.

I really don’t have time today to post pictures from the trip. But I will. I’ll also post the latest and greatest house flyer (our house is for sale) for anyone who might be interested. Or not. Either way, it’s going to get posted. I spent from 1:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m working on it last night and then a few more hours this morning. This, in spite of the fact that I have a newsletter deadline looming for the monthly newsletter I prepare for one of my clients.

So. Bad girl. No biscuit. You get in your cage.