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May 30, 2012
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Dummy down of America?

Are we becoming a stupid society?  Does Corporate America cash in on the fact that consumers/buyers listen to how asinine they sound or the BS they feed us?  We as a people need to be heard that we are not really buying into the crap!!  When I worked at one certain brewery, at a morning meeting we were told, we, being the workers on the floor making the beer, that Corporate did a study.   They actually said this “When they lowered beer prices, people bought more beer?”  I had to shake my head a little bit and I asked them to please repeat what they said, after all it was early in the morning and it was only my second cup of coffee.  Yep that’s right that is what they said.  Now I am not a college graduate, I am a tradesman, I think any person with any amount of common sense would know that if you lower the price of something, people will find it more appealing and buy it.  Especially not a specialty product, a beer that people consume in large amounts at parties, or not.  They spent money figuring that out?  Wasteful thinking, but someone cashed in on that one?  

Milwaukee Officials are pushing pushing pushing to put in a stupid Trolley route.  Wait let’s back up.  Each Summer the city has run a trolley line on wheels that can go, hear this anywhere it is on tires not tracks that have to be put into the street.  The consensus is that it was not well used, and it was free.   It ran empty quite a bit, so the lack of being used must mean something?  Now here is common sense….the demand is not there?  the route isn’t applicable?  So what do the officials want to do, put in rail trolley that goes about 2 miles downtown?  Huh?  Dig up the streets that are too narrow already for traffic and parking and add a rail.  Oh did I mention the City just finished taking out the old rails, we live in a Snow, Ice, Salting, Sanding environment.  Here again I do not have the education that these officials supposedly have, but come on.  Are we really going to go for this.  

I am for the trolley the one with wheels!!  Make a nice route from the train station which is isolated from the City, maybe the Airport to bring tourists downtown, to the Art Museum, and guess what if they don’t get a response from these routes, you can turn the wheel and make it go somewhere else.  I would love to take a trolley ride, just not a two mile to nowhere route.

Just a little early morning bitching…

Also I don’t care who you vote for, but do your homework, do not let the television dictate your opinions.  (it is an easy fix to watch campaign ads)  With the internet, find out what the candidates have previously voted for and their opinions.  Do some research, let’s not let them dummy us down…

I’m done now

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May 28, 2012
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Memorial day My dad used to say to me, ” If you sit quietly in nature, the Earth will come alive”  I used to think he just told me that to shut me up.  It worked, I did and he was right.  If you sit quiet for a time, the Earths seems to return to it’s business.  We are the disruption, we tromp around and disturb Nature.  Today I was sitting on the deck, quietly having my coffee and it happened, the birds got louder, the breeze picked up and I could hear the leaves rustling.  The birds were drinking and splashing in the fountain, things looked greener, the World seemed so alive, and I was a very small part of the orchestra.  Today is a day to reflect on the many lives we have lost protecting our Freedom.  Freedom we have come to take as a “right” not a privledge.   We are lucky we have heros that are willing to fight for our Freedoms.  During Wars and during Peace, willing to give the ultimate sacrifice.  So many young people have had to leave families behind, go off to a foreign Country and do what it takes to keep us Free.  I thank all of the Soldiers/Veterans for this Freedom.  Freedom to vote, and speak and say things you would be hung for in another Country.  Less than 70 years ago, woman were not allowed to vote, how far we have come, when in some Countries they still can’t.  I am so happy to have been born in the United States as a woman.  I am proud to be an American!   Thanks to all who have served.

Memorial day

My dad used to say to me, ” If you sit quietly in nature, the Earth will come alive”  I used to think he just told me that to shut me up.  It worked, I did and he was right.  If you sit quiet for a time, the Earths seems to return to it’s business.  We are the disruption, we tromp around and disturb Nature.  Today I was sitting on the deck, quietly having my coffee and it happened, the birds got louder, the breeze picked up and I could hear the leaves rustling.  The birds were drinking and splashing in the fountain, things looked greener, the World seemed so alive, and I was a very small part of the orchestra.  Today is a day to reflect on the many lives we have lost protecting our Freedom.  Freedom we have come to take as a “right” not a privledge.   We are lucky we have heros that are willing to fight for our Freedoms.  During Wars and during Peace, willing to give the ultimate sacrifice.  So many young people have had to leave families behind, go off to a foreign Country and do what it takes to keep us Free.  I thank all of the Soldiers/Veterans for this Freedom.  Freedom to vote, and speak and say things you would be hung for in another Country.  Less than 70 years ago, woman were not allowed to vote, how far we have come, when in some Countries they still can’t.  I am so happy to have been born in the United States as a woman.  I am proud to be an American!   Thanks to all who have served.

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May 26, 2012
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New signage The excitement is growing with each skein of yarn that goes into a bag and leaves the shop.   Some people think this is  a sad thing, for me, I am doing the happy dance.  Visions of sugar plum fairies dancing around in my head, actually French Shabby Chic is more like it.  Sue delivered the armoir and vanity yesterday and I squeezed them in, till I can make more room.  When you walk in I want the atmosphere to be a step back in time, to a little French shop, with Wearable Art, Gifts and the scent of lavender wifting through the aire.  Lace doilies and hand made soaps,” j’ai saccage”/translated “Got Trashed” clothing and gifts, which is the name I chose for the recycled items!  Paintings hung on the wall…I have so much to do.  I am painting accent walls a Robin Egg Blue and distressing them.  My mind is buzzing and it is hard to shut it off.  

New signage

The excitement is growing with each skein of yarn that goes into a bag and leaves the shop.   Some people think this is  a sad thing, for me, I am doing the happy dance.  Visions of sugar plum fairies dancing around in my head, actually French Shabby Chic is more like it.  Sue delivered the armoir and vanity yesterday and I squeezed them in, till I can make more room.  When you walk in I want the atmosphere to be a step back in time, to a little French shop, with Wearable Art, Gifts and the scent of lavender wifting through the aire.  Lace doilies and hand made soaps,” j’ai saccage”/translated “Got Trashed” clothing and gifts, which is the name I chose for the recycled items!  Paintings hung on the wall…I have so much to do.  I am painting accent walls a Robin Egg Blue and distressing them.  My mind is buzzing and it is hard to shut it off.  

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May 23, 2012
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Low Key vacation

I am going on a really first vacation for, I can’t even remember, when.  I am going with a friend to New Mexico, Santa Fe to be exact.  To say I am thrilled is an understatement.  Since I was young I followed Georgia O’Keefe’s artwork and life.  I have admired her techniques and life and have read so much about her.  When I was working a guy took his girlfriend to see her museum and I was so envious and now I am going to see it too.  We are actually going to her home in Albiqui and the guide is a man that lived with her for 10 years, this is a special tour.  We will take a trip around Taos and the mountains, I love mountains.  Then we are taking a cooking class, Tapa’s at Sante Fe cooking school!!!  Then a museum or two or three and I get to take photographs and draw, my friend will knit.  I am trying so hard not to think about this because I am so excited, my hair stands on end. I will not talk about this anymore..it seems so not real.

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May 22, 2012
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Huge Litter box

I am preparing to have my knee surgery.  Tomorrow I go to the Dr. and get another cortisone shot.  It is too soon to get more grease, insurance only allows it every 6 months and I am one month shy of that.  I am leaving on vacation in a couple weeks and twisted my knee, cleaning house, warning house cleaning can be hazardous to your health.  So I am gearing up for a summer surgery.  That is if the Dr. approves and all the paperwork is in order.  My biggest worry is my dog, Iggy, he is walked four times a day, early morning, afternoon, 4:00 poop and an evening pee.  This poses a problem because I live upstairs from my business.  I am pretty sure steps are not involved in the first few weeks of rehab. So I can live without clean clothes and my friends will help with everything else, but taking a dog for a couple of weeks is asking a lot of anyone.  Boarding him that long is expensive and I really couldn’t do that to him, not that he likes me but….So Garett and I built a litter box, some recycled rubber chips so it can be washed down and charcoal layer and sod.  a drain on the bottom.  He checked it out last night, but I figured it will take some time this is a pre-emptive  move, no hurry, other than my knee is killing me.  So this morning with a full bladder he peed on his little piece of turf…he got a treat and we all know how he loves his food.  I will walk him to poop or maybe not he is a fast learner.  

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May 13, 2012
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What’s wrong with Mother’s day?

What is wrong with Mother’s day?  Several things I can think of.  First of all, sometimes you don’t need to give birth to a child to be a mother.  Woman can mother a lot of things, their parents, their friends, an animal, someone hurting or just comforting a stranger.  Then there is the one day that we supposedly celebrate it.  For most mom’s and dad’s for that matter their work is never done.  There is no vacation from raising a family, and once you have a child you have that child for life.  They may grow up and leave home but you never stop thinking about them.  You always wonder if they are doing well, or how their day is…It is nice that someone, probably Hallmark decided it was nice on one day to celebrate all that woman do.  We need to be nice to each other all the time and appreciate what we do for and with each other too.  So remember all of the woman, those with children or not and with them a Happy day!!  

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April 22, 2012
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Baby sweater success!!!  So after many failed trys, I have finally found something I like.  I am not a baby color person, pink stinks, baby blue is still girly but this is all around unisex.  This is Poems sock yarn tripled by finger chaining as you knit, it is fun and easy and you control the color blending.  A very basic baby cardigan and voila!!!

Baby sweater success!!!  So after many failed trys, I have finally found something I like.  I am not a baby color person, pink stinks, baby blue is still girly but this is all around unisex.  This is Poems sock yarn tripled by finger chaining as you knit, it is fun and easy and you control the color blending.  A very basic baby cardigan and voila!!!

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April 21, 2012
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World’s ugliest sweater

It started out so innocently, such a small challenge and such an ugly outcome.  I downloaded Lucy Neatbys, Baby Venus sweater. Lucy always has a twist on things, nothing is “normal” and that is what I like about her.  I proceeded and not really pleased with the arm shaping kept going, and then all the short rows and that was Ok.  She had you use this fun cast on for the side of the sweater, so it is seamless…totally cool, and then more short rows, but the stopper was, try it on the baby to check the fit? What baby?  I didn’t download one did I?  I don’t have a baby on hand…is there an average length?  So my thinking is no baby sweater should take this long and calculating to do.  RRRRRrrrriippppp.  This is the great part, too lazy to go downstairs and get my go to baby sweater pattern, I will just pick on off of the net.  Yeah this one looks cute…so why are patterns making baby sleeves for small stick drawings?  Do they realize baby’s arms have limited rotation or so we think and you don’t want to dislocate a shoulder dressing a child.   I continued knowing this was not looking too good. and guess what it doesn’t it didn’t and blocking is not a magical process that makes it all OK.  So I have made the world’s fugliest sweater ever.  No doll or stuffed animal is even getting this puppy!!!  

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April 15, 2012
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Learning to Tat

I had a wonderful surprise visit from an old friend that I used to go to the Spinning Guild with.  She was always such a nice lady and I often wondered what happened to her.  I got an email from her daughter, she had seen me on Real Milwaukee and Caroline remembered me.  They came in the shop on a Friday and it was a fun reunion.  Caroline is a talented and very active senior, she is 87 years old and is just now leaving her home and is living in a Senior Living Center.  I laugh because all old people think they are not as old as the other old people…my mom included.  I guess we see or don’t want to see ourselves like others see us.  I thought Caroline was old 34 years ago when I was young, now I am Caroline’s age back then….wow.  As we were talking, she showed me some darling cards she makes and they have tatting on them.  I asked if she did it, “of course she did”  So tatting is something I have always wanted to learn.  I can needle tat but I wanted to use the magic shuttle, the shuttle you see zips in and out and does some kind of magic under your fingers, that makes a little lace picot.  I got out my shuttles, (of course I have shuttles)  and Caroline began….Wow, her nimble fingers flew in and out and boom there it was a row of little loops made with sewing thread…..Ok Ok so show me the magic that happens under those four fingers.  She did and she was pretty darn patient.  I got it well upside down that is, my knots are not “flipping”  I guess this is the hardest part of tatting and that is what I am having problems with.  After Caroline left, I headed to You tube, still the same flipping problem.  So now I am on a mission, how to flip my knots….it’s always something.

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April 12, 2012
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Lucy Neatby love hate relationship!

I must remember, when I knit a Lucy Neatby pattern, that Lucy knows what she is doing…do not I repeat second guess Lucy.  I however feel I am better than that….I know better than her and once again she has brought my yarn into a heap of plyed madness.  If only I would let her take over….give into her patterns and relax, let it happen.  NO no not me….I am knitting the Venus baby sweater, Lucy writes one heck of an awesome pattern with little pictures of what she wants you to do…however I don’t listen  of course I don’t I am bossy hog, super knitter, Ms. Know it all!!  When Lucy says to Navajo ply the yarn and she doesn’t say on a Spinning wheel, guess what, she is smarter than I am, she means what she says.  Ha says I, I have a wheel, why not skip the hand plying crap and go for the gusto.  Heck I have my choice of wheels Lucy, I am going to save so much time prespinning the whole ball of yarn….take that Lucy.  Yeah not so much, the pattern says it will be a bulky weight yarn, not a twisted DK wirey yarn?  Still I am good at fudging, well maybe at eating it.   I proceed to knit this cute cuff to cuff all in one sweater with the wire and guess what you get?   A wire sweater, so back to her original directions, I am hand plying it as I go along and guess what ???  It looks good…damn Lucy.