It’s September 11th, of course. Four years since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

We live about 30-35 miles from New York city. At lunchtime on that day, Mom and I walked up the street and over the hill, and took this picture–that huge plume of smoke on the horizon? The one that, by dinner stretched far, far to the right, well out of the bounds of this photo? The one that’s bigger than any of the clouds in the sky? That’s where the World Trade Center used to stand. When the light was right in the morning, or when they were lit at night, we could see the towers clearly. All the smaller buildings were–and are–mere smudges on the horizon, but the WTC stood tall.

I bring this up today for two reasons. One, because I don’t think we as a country can afford to forget that attack. It’s so easy to get caught up with the political quagmire of the war in Iraq, and forget that we at least started all of this for a reason. A good reason. Should we have invaded Afghanistan to get rid of the Taliban who helped formulate that attack? Yes, I think that was entirely the right thing to do. Should we have invaded Iraq? No, I don’t think so. But the point is that we were attacked and it was horrible; it was huge; and we can never, ever forget that. Nor can we forget that our proudest moments that September came when we as a country pulled together. For a few weeks, a few months, political parties didn’t matter. Instead, we did what we had to do to help the people, the cities, the country.

But the second reason–we’re obviously facing another huge catastrophe down in Louisiana and Mississippi. This one, there’s no one to blame for the disaster itself, of course, but the blame game following this crisis nevertheless is going on and on and on. City government wasn’t talking to State government which wasn’t talking to Federal government, which wasn’t talking to anyone. Red Cross wasn’t talking to FEMA which wasn’t talking to the Coast Guard. Human rescuers weren’t talking to Pet rescuers. No coordination of effort, which means some things were duplicated, and some actions never happened at all. But everyone was talking to the Press to tell about how hard they were working. It’s getting better now, of course, but really, it’s been almost two weeks–could it really have gotten worse? I’m appalled at what I’ve heard about FEMA (and that debit card idea that they decided they couldn’t handle because they didn’t have enough people? Don’t get me started.)

However, I am proud of the way the American people have handled this. Personal donations to charities like the Red Cross have broken all records. People have opened their houses to those who lost their homes. Schools all around the country have opened arms to displaced students. Food, water, clothing, diapers, afghans, backpacks of school supplies . . . all of these and lots more have been donated to help. Volunteers are wading through that muck in New Orleans, looking for lost pets. And the stories out of Baton Rouge and Houston? Wow. Those cities (and many others) are going above and beyond to squeeze in thousands upon thousands of suddenly homeless people.

There is no question that all sorts of things were not done, or were done incorrectly during this crisis. We need to fix that; we cannot afford to ever let this happen again. I mean, sure, geographically this hurricane was huge–I heard that the devastated area is the size of Great Britain. How DO you fix that all at once? You just can’t. There are going to be logistical nightmares and failures, because on a scale like that, it’s simply not possible to do everything right. But it seems like we really should have managed to do more, on a governmental level. What’s the point of having a department for Federal emergencies that can’t handle emergencies? We have to fix that.

What really grieves me, though, is that–on just about every official level–this seems to be tearing us apart. Everyone seems to be so involved in spreading the blame, pointing fingers, that even though so many individuals are giving time and money and homespace to help, there are more who are taking this opportunity to say, “It’s all their fault,” and pointing fingers, instead of asking, “How do we fix it?”

And now, on the anniversary of the greatest attack on our country in recent memory, and barely two weeks after the worst natural disaster of our country, it seems to me that we need to learn from both of these disasters. As individuals, we obviously know how to pitch in and help one another. This is twice in four years that we’ve proved that. However, we also clearly need to have a direction to point our anger when these things happen (heaven forbid), because otherwise, that rage blows up in our face. As if the disaster itself wasn’t horrific enough. As if we can afford to splinter off into bitter groups so busy placing blame that we never do anything to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We need a strong leader to help us focus–we had that on 9/11/01–both Rudy Giuliani and (yes) Pres. Bush did a great job of getting people to work together. For Katrina, though, nobody filled that role, and in that void, we instead have a whirlpool of hatred and anger.

And–let’s not forget this–we have good neighbors. Yes, a lot of people in the world wondered why we, the richest country on the planet, could possibly need help–but for the most part, when we really needed help, it was offered, willingly, generously, from other countries, even many of the ones that hate us.

What does all this mean? You’ve got me. It just seems to me that one disaster we handled wonderfully, and one we handled disastrously. They were completely different kinds of disasters, of course, with different requirements and different difficulties. But since the one comes so close to the anniversary of the other, there are parallels that you can’t help but make.

Even though it’s too late to save the people who died in either one–I could wish that we would allow our common grief in Katrina’s wake to pull us together, rather than to plow deeper chasms between us. I think if there’s any one lesson, it’s that in both catastrophes, we saw the best of humanity–its caring, its generosity, its willingness to help, to share. I don’t think the people who offered their spare rooms, or who are donating hours of their time at the local Red Cross bothered to stop and ask “Are they Democrats?” “Are they Republicans?” “Are they White?” before they jumped in to help. Why should the rest of us? What’s the point of pointing fingers? We are all humans. We all failed the people of the Gulf coast in this disaster–because, let’s not forget, “we ARE the people” of the government, no matter who we voted for. And yet, we also all selflessly helped–regardless of personal politics, race, or class. Isn’t that all that really matters?

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
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This has really been a lovely day (another one). Perfect weather, again, about which I’m still feeling obscurely guilty. But, what can you do?

Mom and I took Chappy (aka Drool-Face) to the park today. He’s been asking to go all week. (“Park! Park! Park park park!“) Then, he was so excited to be there, he just drooled . . . and then covered himself in drool every time he shook his head.

This habit of his, I’ll tell you, came as quite a shock to me in the beginning. None of our other dogs ever drooled this much. Don’t even get me started on the amount of drool he used to emit in the car . . . he used to get carsick . . . and, well . . . rivers. But that, at least, had a reason. So does a mouth-watering reaction to food. But drool just out of sheer excitement at being at the park? Who knew? I try to carry paper towels with me for this kind of thing . . . I don’t like drooly kids (I accept that it happens, but that’s what bibs are for, and you at least try to stay on top of it), and I don’t want my dog covered with it either. Naturally, though, I always forget to actually bring the towel with me . . . it’s usually back in the car, and so Chappy happily meanders through the park, looking like, well, this.

After our lovely (if wet) walk through the park, we went to Wightman Farms for some apples.

And some pie. (They have really good home-style pies).

And, oh yeah, some doughnuts, which Mom particularly loves.

Unfortunately, it’s still a little early in the season for my favorite apples (Macouns and Honeycrisps), but I did get some Ginger Golds, so I’m happy. I love really good, really crisp apples in the fall.

And you should have seen all the pumpkins they had already. I mean it’s only September 10th. (I bet you didn’t know they grew with faces here in New Jersey.)

After Wightmans, I told Mom and Chappy I wanted to make one stop–Barnes & Noble, to see if they had Stephanie’s bookbookbook2. I looked on the shelf, and didn’t see it, but since somebody had left her a Comment about finding a copy yesterday, I asked. (Something I almost never do in bookstores, since I’m usually pretty good at finding what I need.) They had two copies in stock . . . but couldn’t find either of them. The fellow helping looked, and asked around, in case somebody had shelved them in the wrong place, but . . . nope. Nowhere to be found. I mean, if they hadn’t had the books at all yet, well, fine, but they had them in the inventory. Sheesh. So . . . no extra yarn-harlot-ness for me this weekend. Disappointing!

Now, you hear me talk about Chappy all the time. (All the time, I know.) You even hear me mention my dear, departed Katy, his predecessor.

But you rarely ever hear me talk about the dogs we had before. Partly because they were the family’s dogs, not my dogs. There were two of them, both miniature dachshunds–Muppy, who we got when I was 11, and Jilly, who lived to be almost 15 and a half. Today would have been her 21st birthday.

We got her when I was 17 and she was 8 months old, about a year after we lost Muppy. We were actually going to get a puppy, but her breeder tricked us–she let us meet Jilly first, before we ever saw the litter of puppies. (Sneaky!) By the time we made it into the next room, Jilly had worked her wiles. A good thing for her, too, since the first full day we had her, when Dad and Patty went to work and I headed off to school, my mother almost had a break down, Jilly reminded her so much of Muppy. (She really didn’t want another dog, I might add, but Dad and I ganged up on her.) I got home from school and said, “How’s the puppy??” and Mom almost burst into tears . . . she went upstairs and shut the door (rare, rare thing), and I spent the afternoon running up and down the stairs from my mother, who wanted nothing to do with the dog, and poor Jilly who was still so confused and scared and uncertain . . . it wasn’t a good day. But then, a day or so later, Mom was vacuuming and realized she didn’t know where Jilly was . . . the poor thing had been so terrified at the vacuum, she squeezed herself behind the toilet and just shook . . . Mom felt so terrible, and cuddled her to calm her down, and I think that pretty much did it. After that first week, Mom loved her as much as the rest of us did . . . it was just getting through the first week that was hard!

What can I tell you about Jilly? She was sweet and lovable, of course, but a little neurotic at times. She hated the car, because she was convinced that it would always go to the vet. She went more often than she should have–generally healthy, but periodontal disease (lots of tooth extractions). She ate baby food for almost her entire life–Cheese & Macaroni was her favorite flavor. She thought she was a little girl, or at least acted as if she did. She loved to get dressed up–if we tied a bow around her neck (as in this photo, taken on my sister’s wedding day), she’d preen with it . . . right until it started tickling her ears. She wore perfume–would roll on the carpet whenever any of us would spritz ourselves with it. She loved to flowers–never ate them, but would sniff every, single one of a bouquet. She loved dolls–we could have our dolls “pet” her and she would lean in to the pets as if they were just really small humans . . . but stuffed animals, she would treat like, well, animals. She loved tea–preferably with milk, no sugar–and I always gave her the last mouthful when I had a mug. (Her nose was perfectly shaped for reaching down to the bottom of the cup.) She did bark quite a lot, being a dachshund, but she was such a sweetie to have around. I feel guilty sometimes that I don’t think about her as much since my Boykin Spaniels have come into my life, but that doesn’t mean I love her any the less!

Anyway, in honor of Jilly, today’s links for Katrina Aid are for the pets: Noah’s Wish, ASPCA, the Humane Society.

Tags: Chappy, Family, Katy, Jilly, Muppy, Weather by Deb
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And another Friday comes ’round again. At least things are looking a little less bleak than they did last week, though still far from good down South. They’re thinking that the death toll in NOLA may not be as bad as they’d feared, which is a huge relief, if true. I mean, it’s still awful whether 5,000 people died or 10,000 people, but still, I’d opt for the smaller number any day.

Still, at least some people are home who weren’t before. Or at least, they’re closer. The first planeload of National Guardsmen from Louisiana came home from Iraq today–though it wasn’t the homecoming they’d hoped. Some lost family members to the hurricane; some lost their homes; some have their families scattered around the country; some no longer have jobs. (Although I think I heard that the Army was offering an extra year’s employment, if they want it, until they can get on their feet again?)

On the plus side, though, this soldier from Mississippi found out that his family was safe because he saw his niece in an ad from the American Red Cross, asking for aid. That’s a great story, isn’t it?

And, Margene and Susan’s Give a Little site has raised over $77,000 for the American Red Cross and other charities. Seventy-seven thousand dollars! From knitters like you and me! Wow.

Read Annie’s post from yesterday, too. She’s thinking of diverting some of the John Glick Memorial Afghan Squares to this project. I can’t imagine anyone would object to that, and what a nice head-start she’s got!

Now, to head off on a different tangent, Juno posted an interesting link today: The Birthday Calculator. So, here are some interesting things about me:

As of right now:
You are 2,026 weeks old.
You are 14,187 days old.
You are 340,506 hours old.
You are 20,430,384 minutes old.
You are 1,225,823,069 seconds old.
There are 58 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 39 candles on it.

Those 39 candles produce 39 BTU’s,
or 9,828 calories of heat (that’s only 9.8280 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.46 US ounces of water with that many candles. (I think this is my favorite of these statistics!)

And, who knew there was such a thing as a Birth Tree? (Show of hands? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) I didn’t, but apparently mine is a Walnut tree: Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises.

I don’t know, I don’t think that sounds particularly good . . .

Oh, and according to this site, there are 107 days until Christmas . . . so you’d better get hopping on that shopping! If, of course, you celebrate Christmas. I do, and it’s my favorite holiday. And for the record, yes, I have started my Christmas shopping.

No, really.

Honest!

I always start my Christmas shopping early, and give myself a deadline of Thanksgiving for the shopping, and I’ll give you my reasons. (1) I like to think about what to get each loved one, and by starting early, I have the time to find just the right gift–rather than making a mad dash to the mall at the last minute and grabbing the first thing I see; (2) Starting months early spreads the cost out, instead of it coming in one lump sum at the beginning of January; (3) By finishing by Thanksgiving, I can enjoy the month of December–carols, gift-wrapping, family . . . it’s not crazy and hectic. (Well, except for Stollen Weekend, but I’m not thinking about that right now!)

Tags: General by Deb
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1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

————-I suppose if you put it that way, I’m a yarn snob–though I prefer the term “connoisseur.” Natural fibers (though some small amounts of manmade blended in can be fine). Soft is one of the main criteria—I like it soft against my skin! Oh, and generally speaking, I hate knitting with cotton. Wool and silk are the favorites. Cashmere would be lovely. Alpaca can be really nice . . .

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
————-I spin, though am not an expert by any means. It’s great fun, though! I’ve been known to crochet, but not recently.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

————-Not really, but I’m very sensitive to scents—they trigger sinus headaches in the blink of an eye.

4. How long have you been knitting?
————-Not counting the endless garter-stitch squares when I was little? My entire adult life, since college, around 1988.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
————-I do have an Amazon wish list, and it’s linked on my blog.

6. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
————-See note above about scents (grin). Only the subtlest of fragrances, fruity rather than flowery or musky. And please, don’t send me any candles. They’re nice enough, but I have no place to put them and never have a chance to use them.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

————-Well, I do like chocolate, but I’m a purist. Really not a big fan of hard candy.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
————-I’ve been focusing on knitting and spinning lately, but I also quilt, embroider, and crochet. And reading. There’s always the reading! (Not that that’s a craft, really, more like a way of life.)

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
—————I like music with a good melody and good harmony—looooove good harmony! But no, no MP3 player. Beatles. Showtunes. Harry Connick Jr. Neville Bros. Paul Simon. George Gershwin…

10. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand?
—————I like warm, autumn colors—oranges, golds, reds. Also greens and blues. I like really saturated colors, not pastels.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
—————I’m single, but still live with my folks, and have a wonderful dog named Chappy, for whom I named my entire blog.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
—————Um, happiness? World peace? Really, being happy, with a healthy family is about it. I’m content, though I really would like to get my novel published.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
—————-Soft, wooly ones. Cashmerino, is lovely, silk. Anything that feels great in my fingers.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
—————-Cotton. Can’t stand it (except for Rowan Calmer, which is nice and springy). Don’t like eyelash at all, or anything too “novelty.” Some texture is okay, but I like knitting with the basics.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
—————-Lace! Shawls! I’m starting to think of colorwork again, though… or maybe cables….

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
—————-Sweaters, mostly. Shawls a lot lately. Socks.

17. What are you knitting right now?
—————-A sweater, a hat, a pair of socks, some lace.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
—————-They’re not evil, but I’ve never made one and can’t imagine ever wanting too.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
—————-Circular!!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
—————-Addi Turbos, though I’d love to try some circular, ebony lace needles, but they are hard, hard, hard to come by.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
—————Yes. Though I haven’t yet tried any elaborate patterns–been quite content with the basic, toe-up sock. Don’t really like self-striping yarns, though–but variegated ones are nice.

22. How did you learn to knit?
—————Books, pretty much. A neighbor taught me garter stitch when I was little, but I learned purl and continental knitting (my preferred method) on my own. Nothing is as good as a great reference book (unless, I suppose, you have an extremely knowledgeable person handy).

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

—————Only a couple months—the Union Square Market sweater I’m working on.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
—————I don’t have one . . . well, I mean, Chappy is my favorite animal, of course, but cartoon characters? I haven’t had a favorite since my crush on Mickey Mouse when I was about 4.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
—————Christmas. And my birthday (not that that’s actually a holiday for anyone else, but I like to pretend it is).

26. Is there anything that you collect?
—————No, though I accumulate books almost as easily as I breathe. But that’s practically a functioning library, not exactly a “collection.”

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
—————All I need, that’s for sure! Vogue Knitting, Knitters, Interweave Knits. Oh, and Spin Off.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
————–A couple out of print ones that are rarer than gold. Principles of Knitting by June Hemmins Hiatt, and Spinning for Softness and Speed by Paula Simmons. . . both hard to find, rare, expensive books. Also Here be Wyverns by Nancie Spies. Most current books I pretty much buy when I see them . . . I have serious problems restraining myself in bookstores!

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven’t bought for one reason or another??

————–I like the Fiddlesticks Lotus Blossom shawl, that I just haven’t gotten around to buying yet, but otherwise . . . nothing specific.

[Read more →]

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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I think I may have shot myself in the foot with my Christmas Tree hat. (Sounds like I’ve got a splinter of tinsel in my foot, doesn’t it?) I was reading Knitty’s submission guidelines today and it says, “Submissions must be new — not previously shown in any form in another mag or on your website, blog or livejournal. Once your pattern is published in Knitty, you may include a picture of your design on your website with a link to the Knitty website.” Why didn’t someone tell me! (grin) If I remove the pictures from my blog, can I still submit the pattern? Would they know? (Maybe, maybe not) Would they care?? (Probably) Well . . . darn! If I’d read the guidelines before, I would never have posted the pictures, but now that I have, I can’t go back in time . . .

You know, I’ve noticed I’m getting a lot more hits on my blog from people doing internet searches for the various charities or blogs I’ve mentioned this week, which I think is pretty interesting. I wonder how surprised they are when they find themselves at a knitting blog? And–this I thought was interesting–apparently there’s a restaurant called Chappy’s Seafood in Mississippi, and people looking for it have found their way here (which, considering the name of the blog is really quite understandable). But, now that Chappy knows there’s a restaurant out there with his name, he’s very concerned about how well they weathered the storm . . . and wants to know if they do doggie-bags.

For Katrina, read this harrowing account of this man’s escape from the city.

Or how about this article from the BBC, with lots of comments varying from “why should we help them?” to “of course we’ll help; they’ve helped us.” That just disturbs me on so many levels. Yes, we’re the richest country in the world; yes, we should have the resources needed without the help of poorer countries (which, of course, by definition is everyone else) . . . except that, as one commenter points out, nobody has enough rations on hand for this many people, in one place, all at once. And anyway, my understanding is that we haven’t actually asked for help (or, so far as I know, officially accepted any, either)–but isn’t it the neighborly thing to do? Even Fidel Castro offered some help. Besides, the American Red Cross asking for aid is not the same thing as the U.S. government asking–it’s technically a private organization, but one which tries to do good all over the world.

Today’s link for Katrina Aid: The Network for Good–because it gives you lots of options!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
7 Comments »

I just thought I’d mention . . . today would have been Katy’s sixth birthday.

It’s a little weird because, of course, six is such a young age for a dog, and yet she’s been gone four years . . . and so for her, it sounds old.

She’ll always be a puppy to me.

Katy
September 7, 1999 – May 12, 2001

Tags: Family, Katy, Jilly, Muppy by Deb
6 Comments »

I added a new button to my sidebar yesterday–for Rhinebeck. I’m definitely going, and I’m dragging along my best-friend/non-knitting mother, with the promise that she’ll get to meet some very nice bloggers. So we knit-bloggers really need to arrange some sort of meeting place on Saturday, say around 1:00. I want faces to go with all of these names, and, you don’t want me to have lied to my mother, do you?

And let’s not forget this gem–a new book from Stephanie! (And, is it wrong of me to wish another book-tour on her that would bring her to Rhinebeck on October 15th?)

Incidentally, I bet you didn’t know that I’m a rebel.

I wore white shoes today. The Day after Labor Day.

I know, they say the rule is dead, but there are still die-hards out there, and I figure I was risking people throwing red dye on my shoes or something, if I offended anyone by my carefree, taking-a risk wearing of white.

We made it home safely, though, you’ll be pleased to know.

In the “new to me” category–I finally got to see the Medium pilot episode last night. I started watching last season about the third episode, and missed when the repeated the pilot at the beginning of the summer–I was afraid I’d never see it, but to my relief, they aired it last night, so now I understand why Alison likes that crusty Texas Ranger so much, and will better be able to appreciate the season finale repeat next week. Phew!

Here’s an interesting site: a News Consumption Meter. We people really do like our headlines! Or, how about this wonderful open letter to the country from the residents of South Louisiana? Or this “Why do people live there?” map. How about this very amusing “Most Clueless Man” post?

Today’s Katrina Aid link du jour: The all-new Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. I read somebody today who commented that the world must be coming to an end for those two to get together on anything, but the friendship between Former Pres. Bush and Pres. Clinton is actually fairly long-standing. Or at least, the respect the two have for each other is. When Mom and I had a chance to hear Bill Clinton speak in April, one of the things he said was that there is a danger in demonizing your political opponent, that just because you disagree doesn’t mean you can’t work together. And anyway, I tend to think that the things that bring us together (like, yes, this Katrina tragedy) are stronger than the things that pull us apart.

[Soapbox Alert] I think that the government–all levels–failed the people in New Orleans (well, the other hard-hit areas, too, but especially the city of NOLA), but I don’t think that the President or the govenors or the mayors did anything less than their best to try to help–it just wasn’t good enough. It’s one thing to point fingers and assign guilt once the people have been taken care of, but smug though I often find our President, I think he’s a well-meaning human being like most of the rest of us, and wouldn’t have let it happened if he could have stopped it. Nor could his father. Or Bill Clinton. Or Ronald Reagan. I can’t think of a recent President of any party that I believe could have handled a catastrophic disaster of this magnitude, that hit with this speed, with no infrastructure, and almost no communications . . . Washington, maybe, or Lincoln. Either of the Roosevelts. But really, could Jimmy Carter have managed this? Gerald Ford? Johnson? Eisenhower? Kennedy? Or how about John Kerry? Doesn’t matter where you are on the political spectrum, this was just a disaster, plain and simple, and one which was handled very badly indeed–not through uncaring, not through ill-intent, but just through human incompetence. It’s just a crime that so many people had to die because of it.

Okay . . . I’m really sorry. I’ll really try not to get this political again! I’m a registered Independent and can usually see both the Left and Right spectrum from where I sit and am pretty mellow on most issues. I’ve just been reading a lot of really angry (justifiably angry) commentary blaming the current administration for not caring. I believe that they do care (whether they were shoe-shopping or on vacation or not), they just did a bad job at a really bad time. But if a hurricane this size had come along at any other time, under any other adminstration, would we really have been able to handle it better? I’m just saying . . . trying to be a voice of reason. (Dangerous, I know, but !)

So, to temper that semi-political rant, here’s an encouraging article about Mardi Gras, and the prediction (which I happen to agree with) that come Mardi Gras in February, there will be some kind of celebrating going on in New Orleans.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
6 Comments »

And then there were two. Two Christmas Tree hats, that is. And you know, these are the only two in existence. (Sure, there are other patterns out there for other so-called Christmas Tree hats, but let’s face it, they’re not this cute. You’ll just have to trust me on this one.)

Now, I offered to donate my cute, brand-new, almost one-of-a-kind hat to Margene and Susan’s Give a Little campaign. They’ve got over $56,000 so far!

Next up–a white one with green “trees” to test the wintery mountain idea for those who like the hat but don’t want to wear a tree on their heads (grin).

Here’s my Katrina Aid link of the day . . . speaking of DOUBLE: Via the Ellen TV show. Ellen DeGeneres grew up right outside New Orleans, and her talk show started its third season today, with an appeal for help. She told how her 81-year old aunt has lost everything–and that they haven’t even heard from her yet. And also that Warner Brothers was donating $500,000 with an offer that they would match every additional dollar (up to another $500,000) she raised through her show. So–if you visit the American Red Cross site through the link from www.ellentv.com, not only can you make a much-needed donation, but rest secure in the knowledge that whatever you donate will be doubled . . . and help people like Ellen’s aunt.

An article on evacuees/refugees looking for work. It’s a sobering thought–so many formerly-employed people who now have nothing. Also, of course, the news about abandoned pets just breaks my heart (and scares the bejeezus out of Chappy). It’s incredible to think of the scope of this disaster, though. Even once the people in NOLA get food and water and medical care, and the people who have no homes get shelter . . . there are literally thousands of kids who need to be enrolled in school . . . somewhere . . . and parents who need to find jobs, and homes, and an income. And in the efforts to get these people aid as quickly as possible, they are being dispersed around the country in huge numbers–to hundreds of miles away from what had been their homes. Not just those who, say, had family in New York and are moving in with them for a while, but the ones being evacuated to shelters in Arizona. Even if they want to go back, and they have something to go back TO, how are they going to get there? Travel’s not cheap! And, the colleges that are offering class space to displaced Tulane and other university students . . . that’s wonderful, but didn’t those kids all pay for their semester’s tuition, room, and board already somewhere else? The ripple effect–not even counting the gas prices–is going to be huge.

Now–a couple books I think are interesting. Rising Tide by John M. Barry–an absolutely fascinating look at the devastating 1927 Mississippi flood, which includes a good look at the levee system, its faults, its strengths, and New Orleans’ particular vulnerability. And then there’s Isaac’s Storm, about the 1900 Galvaston hurricane which was the worst storm ever in terms of loss of life (though I’m so afraid that’s been topped this time around . . . heaven forbid). Or the Great Hurricane: 1938. Or the scientific rather than historical Hurricane Watch. The danger of reading about historical storms and death, though, is that there’s the danger of anesthetizing us to the real-world life-and-death disaster going on right now. Sort of like watching a movie about terrorists right around 9/11/2001 . . . you can’t afford to let the real-world impact lessen when it’s so vital to send real aid. If you let the victims become just faceless numbers, like the ones in the books (who would, in any case, have been long-dead by now, anyway), it lets you think you can get off without doing anything to help–they’re just images on tv, after all. Like special effects in a disaster movie . . . but they’re real. And it’s happening right now.

Look at this list, too, on Amazon of records by “local” people who are donating to relief efforts. Harry Connick Jr. Aaron Neville. Tim McGraw. Wynton Marsalis, and others. I know there are two songs I’ve had in my head this week–Harry Connick Jr’s version of “More than I Miss New Orleans,” and Aaron Neville’s “Louisiana 1927.” These folks are doing a lot themselves and they have great music. I figure they deserve a little back.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading by Deb
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We’re having a wonderful day, today. My sister and her family came down for a visit–the first one since July–and we had a really nice time. The weather is perfect, for starters–so perfect, I’m almost feeling guilty about it, what with the post-Katrina situation down south. Mike, Tyler, and Chappy played a lot and right now, Chappy is completely exhausted, but in a really good way. (And he’s going to be so excited when he finds out he can sleep on the bed tonight, since it’s a three day weekend.) Mom made a lasagne and salad, I made lemon meringue pie. Everything tasted good. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood (though my sister was fighting a headache). Just, a really nice visit. I even did some more work on my second Christmas Tree Hat.

But, yes, I periodically thought about those folks down on the Gulf, not knowing when they might again have a day like this, with family, good food, good weather, a good home…

So, some more links for you:

This couple was lucky enough to have their wedding, though not the way they’d planned it. They had planned to be married just as the hurricane hit, carried pretty much nothing but their wedding license out of New Orleans, but were married yesterday in a shelter in Mississippi–with a donated wedding dress, tuxedo, cake, flowers . . . It’s so good to hear some good news . . . and that people are really going out of their way to be kind to these survivors.

Apparently, the word “refugee” is demeaning now, according to Jesse Jackson and Bruce Gordon. They are, he says, “Citizens displaced by a disaster.” Um, isn’t that pretty much what “refugee” means?

Some sobering numbers (from AOL news):

• 220,000=Hurricane refugees (er, citizens displaced by disaster) believed to be camped out in Texas
• 27.4=Percentage of people below the poverty line in New Orleans before the storm hit
• 80= Percentage of New Orleans underwater
• 54,000=Number of US military personnel committed to provide relief to hurricane survivors
• $10.5 Billion=Amount of disaster aid approved by Congress and Pres. Bush.
• 100,000=Homeland Security estimate of how many hurricane victims received help by Saturday.

Meanwhile, we’ve got evacuated-citizens spread all around the country . . . which only makes sense if you think about it. Just New Orleans alone–you can’t take the entire population of a major city and put it all in one place.

And now, there’s a newly-named Tropical Storm Maria . . . let’s hope she’s nothing like her big sister.

  The Katrina Aid link for today: Network for Good.

Incidentally, Interdicter is still going strong, holed up in their office in downtown New Orleans. The blog is fascinating, even with its occasional military jargon (or maybe that’s part of the appeal?) Be sure to check out the webcam. SciGuy from Houston remains an interesting one to read these days, as well. And MetroBlogging/New Orleans, too. And let’s not forget our fellow-knitter, Rachel!

Tags: Family, General by Deb
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I got my final package from my SP5 today–Sarah (who, in turn, is one of the hostesses for SP6). It’s so nice to have a name to place with the packages. That’s some Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in Cranberry, a very pretty color indeed. Also, some very interesting little balls of Chocolates Britt chocolate-covered fruit . . . a brand I’d never heard of before. Thank you, Sarah. This has been fun.

My SP5 recipient, by the way, was Paula. And, thanks Rox, for organizing the whole thing.

My mail carrier, Sandy, though, says I’m getting too many packages. My SP5 package, the yarn I got yesterday, an order of baking supplies from King Arthur Flour and then these hair products. A large bottle of Elucence Moisture Balance shampoo and conditioner (since Mom and I both use the shampoo), also some Elucence deep conditioner, Devacurl‘s Angel hair gel, and bottles of Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream and Aloeba conditioner. You’ll notice, though, that that bottle of conditioner is only about 2/3 full. I sent an e-mail to Naturallycurly.com to ask if I could return it for a full one, and they offered to send me a replacement bottle, free of charge. Isn’t that nice of them? Not only do they have some of the best products around, and the most informative hair-care message boards, but their customer service is just wonderful. I highly recommend them. (And, you don’t need to have curly hair for all the products–the Elucence shampoo and conditioner are just wonderful.)

And, for Katrina: I’m delighted to see that New York and New Jersey have sent caravans of help southward. They say that they gave us so much help after 9/11, it’s the least we can do, and it’s great to see.

Here’s a really great idea for aid: DoSomething.com. Their “Got your back” idea is to donate backpacks–fully supplied with school supplies–for displaced school kids. Isn’t that nice? Something solid that might help all those kids feel a little more cared for.

My Donation du Jour: Habitat for Humanity. Remember, please give all you can! I’ve been making small donations every day, because it makes me feel like I’m doing something, and it will all add up. Susan and Margene and their Give a Little group have over $31,000! Wow!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Uncategorized by Deb
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Well, I’m all ready to make a snow-covered mountain hat (aka a Christmas tree hat in white). And, you know me, I like to be prepared, so I’ve got three different kinds of yarn there–Elsbeth Lavold’s Silky Wool (which I’ve wanted to try), Rowan’s 4-ply Cashsoft (which I’m so enjoying on my Union Square Market Pullover), and Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (which certainly worked for the other two hats). I like choices, and I’m sure I can come up with something else to do with the two I don’t pick.

The yarn is more off-white than pure white . . . a winter white, if you will . . . but that seems reasonably appropriate. Is it obvious that I’m smitten with this little pattern of mine??

My webring neighbor, Moze, had some very interesting comments on the social contract between a government and its citizens today. She starts with, “Reading blogs and email lists over the last few days I’ve been astounded to read how many people are horrified by the looting and the reports of crime coming out of New Orleans. The tales of rapes and abductions in the Superdome are shocking, of firing at rescue helicopters are disturbing, but what I don’t understand is why people are surprised this is all happening. Do people on the internet, as a group, suspect people of being noble and selfless?” and goes on from there with her reasoning. Like I said, very interesting, if somewhat sobering. Please take a look and read her post.

This week notwithstanding, I rarely comment on political issues, despite my poli-sci degree, but I’ll just say the discussions I’ve been reading this week are fascinating. (You know, as an intellectual exercise, when you disregard the human suffering.) I think so many people–especially those outside the U.S.A. don’t realize that we are primarily an optimistic people. We’ve got it written down, right there at the beginning of the nation, “We hold these truths that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable lights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That’s an optimistic statement (yes, again, disregard the lack of women’s rights and, oh yeah, slavery), and it’s right there in black and white. We want to believe in the purity of human nature, no matter how often we’re proven wrong–by terrorists, or looters, or criminals in general. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re such big fans of the whole “democracy” thing–we believe that people as a group will choose to do good rather than evil. It’s just always so disappointing when we’re proved wrong. It’s not a large number of people causing havoc in New Orleans–just a few bad ones, causing trouble for the rest of them, when they’re already suffering under greater troubles than they ever deserved.

  Don’t forget to help all you can! Margene and Susan’s “Give a Little” is already tallying $15,432–and they just started yesterday! You knit-bloggers are just amazing.

I’m grateful it’s finally Friday. Be safe, everyone, over this long weekend.

Added: Did anyone watch the benefit concert fundraiser tonight on NBC, with Harry Connick Jr, Winston Marsalis, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Aaron Neville? Here‘s an MSNBC blog with covers the details. I was glad to hear some upbeat tunes, in addition to more serious ones. And I agree with Mike Miller that I could have watched Harry Connick Jr and Winston Marsalis all night. But, my the impassioned rant by Kanye West (whom I have never heard of before). Clearly off prompter, and when he accused the President of hating black people? Just a quick glimpse of the shock on Mike Myers’ face before they quickly cut away to someone else. Whew! Boy, that live television–it’ll get you every time.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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First, the life and death stuff.

  You did all know that today is Hurricane Katrina Blog Relief Day, didn’t you? And not just knitting bloggers, either! See who else is participating here for flood aid. Margene and Susan had excellent timing!

Okay–the looting in New Orleans. Now, I entirely understand that desperate, starving, normally-honest people would steal food, water, and diapers; and so far as I’m concerned, they are more than welcome to them. It’s a survival thing, and . . . well, sure. I understand. You’re trying to stay alive, keep your kids alive, but would normally never do it. Got it. Do what you have to do.

But what kind of people would not only steal anything they can carry (though, where they expect to put anything is beyond me), but would fire guns at rescue helicopters? What kind of sick animal do you have to be to do such a thing? (I say “animal” because that surely isn’t a human thing to do.) Sure, let’s shoot at the people who are trying to evacuate the people from the hospital. Yeah, that will be fun.

Yesterday is the first time I’ve heard anything about reactions or offers of help from the rest of the world. Does that surprise anyone else? And it just makes me sick that the Islam extremists are so happy about this–all this suffering, pain, and disaster, and we can’t blame them for a bit of it. They must be just tickled. But it’s sick that they’re calling it “Corporal Katrina” and claiming her for a soldier in their jihad. Yay . . . death and suffering! Let’s celebrate! Ugh.

And of course, the celebrities are getting involved….

Now for other, normal matters….

I’ve started my second Christmas Tree hat, and this time, am keeping notes. The yarn for this one is still Lorna’s Laces, in the color “Forest.” It’s full of variegated blues, greens and browns and I was a little skeptical, but am very happy with the way the colors are falling. I found beads in my collection that I like quite a bit, although I’m not going to have enough for the whole hat–so I’m inserting some in another color every once in a while.

And yes, I do plan on submitting it to Knitty, though I have no idea if they’ll want it or not. But it’s cute and I’m proud of it, so . . . why not.

Speaking of patterns, look at Marnie‘s very cool scarf in the new Magknits, not at all a fashion crime.

I got a couple comments on yesterday’s entry about gas prices and mileage, saying that too many people consider their cars as necessities rather than luxuries . . . which can certainly be true . . . except that in this country–if you live outside a major city (well, one that’s not underwater)–they are necessities. I live in a nice, suburban area, but it’s 3 miles to the nearest grocery store–and all uphill to come home–making that impractical for anything heavier than a loaf of bread. About the only thing remotely in walking distance is the 1.5 mile (one way) walk for coffee. My sister, just over the border into Pennsylvania, is at least 5 miles to the nearest bus route, and about a 30 minutes’ drive from the grocery store or from the kids’ schools. Her car is absolutely necessary. And our area is jam-packed compared to, say, Texas or Montana. They don’t call them wide-open spaces for nothing!

Let me make clear–just in case “tone of voice” isn’t coming through properly–I’m not disagreeing with those commenters. Using your car for trips of a mile or less is wasteful, and if you have a good public transport system like that in New York or Chicago it’s definitely more practical than trying to drive a car. If I’m not mistaken, those commenters all live in Europe, where the public transportation system is unparallelled–and they should be proud of it. I’m just pointing out that we’re a big, open country and you can really only walk so far.

And anyway, a jump of 50-cents or more in 24-hours is insane. (And, for heavens sake, they were as high as $6/gallon in Georgia today! Now that’s a useful combination of price gauging and driver-panic.) The price hikes just this week are just crazy.

Our house was very confused this morning–the actual house itself. When I woke up, there were no lights in my room. No clock. No running ceiling fan. So, I figured our power had gone out . . . again. But when I opened my door . . . there were my parents, lights on, watching television in their bedroom. Um, huh? Turns out, some things were working, some weren’t. No power in any of the bathrooms or my room. The ceiling lights in the kitchen were working, but none of the outlets. The stove clock was working, but the stove wasn’t (or not at full power). No television in the family room, but the garage doors worked. Weird! We have a temporary fix, courtesy of the electric company, but they’re going to have to do something more permanent . . . and it’s possible that they might have to cut through our brand-new driveway. Uh-oh!

But . . . I’m not complaining. At all. I’m not complaining about anything this week. I’m just glad to have my house, my family . . .

God bless, everyone.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
3 Comments »

It took about a day longer than I thought it would, but knit-bloggers have come through as they always do.

I’m talking about Margene and Susan, who are hosting a charity drive for the victims of Katrina.

Just make a donation to the American Red Cross (or call 1-800-435-7669) and then send an e-mail to givealittle at gmail dot com to let Margene and Susan know, and to be entered for an actual reward for your generosity.

How can you beat a deal like that?

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
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Here’s my reading list for the month of August. Twenty-seven books–and it would probably have been more, except my concentration has been on the television news this week, rather than on my reading.

1. GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett (541 p)
2. QUEEN’S PLAY by Dorothy Dunnett (432 p)
3. DISORDERLY KNIGHTS by Dorothy Dunnett (503 p)
4. PAWN IN FRANKINCENSE by Dorothy Dunnett (486 p)
5. RINGED CASTLE by Dorothy Dunnett (521 p)
6. CHECKMATE by Dorothy Dunnett (581 p)—The Lymond Chronicles, a historical fiction series of 6 books. Amazingly good, complex, challenging, and just really, really good. It’s my third reading of the entire series in less than two years. It’s that good.
7. KNITTING OVER THE EDGE by Nicki Epstein (391 p)—more knitting edging patterns, one of which I’ve already used. Great collection.
8. IDIOT’S GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY by Roger Woodson. The title pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
9. THE BIG OVER EASY by Jasper Fforde (383 p)—The latest from the man who’s imagination brought us Thursday Next. This—which was actually his first book, and so predates T.N.—tells the story of the murder of Humpty Dumpty, as investigated by Jack Spratt and Mary mary (who’s not as contrary as you might think). I admit I enjoy the T.N. books more, but this was amusing, though I feel like I should have studied up on some of my nursery rhymes beforehand.
10. THE TRUTH-TELLER’S TALE by Sharon Shinn (276 p)—a YA book to accompany last year’s “Secret Keeper.” What can I say? She’s a wonderful author, and I love her. I liked this one better than the last one, too.
11. THE HAWK’S GRAY FEATHER by Patricia Kennealy (381 p)
12. THE OAK ABOVE THE KINGS by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (388 p)
13. HEDGE OF MIST by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (460 p)—One of the most creative re-tellings of the story of King Arthur you’ll ever want to read. It takes place in her sci-fi world of Keltia (founded in Earth’s 6^th century by interstellar refugees from Ireland). (Yeah, I know, it sounds weird.) It’s sci-fi, but with a fantasy feel, and in one of the neatest sci-fi universes.
14. TEACH YOURSELF PHOTOGRAPHY by Lee Frost (146 p). Again, pretty self-explanatory.
15. THE TROLL’S GRINDSTONE by Elizabeth Boyer (342 p)
16. THE CURSE OF SLAGFID by Elizabeth Boyer (341 p)
17. THE DRAGON’S CARBUNCLE by Elizabeth Boyer (311)
18. THE LORD OF CHAOS by Elizabeth Boyer (312 p). A fantasy quartet I’ve had in the closet since college. She was one of my favorite authors when I was in high school—fantasy in a Skandinavian-type world, and a sense of fun. This is the only distinct series of hers (that I know of), the other books were stand-alones, but I always loved them. (“The Elves and the Otterskin” will always be my favorite.) It was good to revisit these.
19. THE HOUSE BETWEEN THE WORLDS by Marion Zimmer Bradley (244 p). This was actually the first book of MZB’s that I ever read, and while it’s not my favorite, I’m grateful for it’s springboarding me into her Darkover series. It’s a little to otherworldly-fairy for me—I’ve never really liked those alternate-world of fairies with changlings and such, but this was enjoyable enough. A college professor at Berkeley participates in a drug-trial for a street drug that is supposed to heighten psi-powers like E.S.P. An okay book.
20. AMERICAN GOTHIC by Steven Biel (172 p). The story of America’s most famous painting—the man, the woman, the pitchfork, all in front of a white house. An interesting enough story, I suppose, but the book wasn’t exactly gripping.
21. BELLWETHER by Connie Willis (247 p). What a hoot. Take a sociologist studing the origins of fads, put her at a company with a scientist studying chaos theory, a completely inept office assistant, and mix it all with Connie Willis’ unique way of looking at the world . . . thoroughly enjoyable.
22. THE MAGIC AND THE HEALING by Nick O’Donohoe (324 p)
23. UNDER THE HEALING SIGN by Nick O’Donohoe (337 p)
24. HEALING OF THE CROSSROADS by Nick O’Donohoe (321 p). Another series for the month. Fantasy that kicks off from a modern Virginia veterinary college, whose students suddenly find themselves practising medicine on unicorns, griffins, werewolves, centaurs . . . some delightful spots, but also some dark ones.
25. A BIG STORM KNOCKED IT OVER by Laurie Colwin (259 p). A delightful book from a wonderful author that I wish were still around. This is my second favorite of hers. It’s not an exciting book, but a happy, gentle, serene exploration of Jane Louise’s life as it changes as she gets married and has a child. Just . . . pleasant. Perfect for this last week.
26. FIFTY ACRES AND A POODLE by Jeanne Marie Laskas (252 p). An entirely enjoyable book about one woman’s desire to move to a farm—even though she’s lived in the city her entire life. Sweet and comforting.
27. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS by Rafe Esquith (210 p). A book about an extraordinary school teacher from LA. Not a normal book for me since I have neither children nor am I a teacher, but it was good. He sounds like an amazing man.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by Deb
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