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Saturday, 30 June 2012
Our view this morning from a home stay above havelock in the Marlborough sounds. Beautiful but freezing!!!
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Road tripping
While the holiday continues so does the knitting practice. Despite 3 attempts at the ribbing it still wasn't quite right but I decided to accept it as a beginners flaw and keep going. So now I'm in the body of the work and it feels like its starting to flow more smoothly. The size is looking a little on the large size though and I have a funny loop at one end I can't work out. But with more days break ahead of me I'll be able to get in more practice and maybe some wine. Hmmm definately wine.
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
As our trip through the south island continues there has been
- beautiful weather
-snuggly sleepy babies
-sick babies
- good food
- crafts shops
- a trip to the world of wearable arts museum.
- lots and giggles and chats with friends
See you all in a few days with some photos from along the way.
- beautiful weather
-snuggly sleepy babies
-sick babies
- good food
- crafts shops
- a trip to the world of wearable arts museum.
- lots and giggles and chats with friends
See you all in a few days with some photos from along the way.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Sewing and packing
With our holiday coming up i set about sewing a few things to make my little man more comfortable on our trip. The first thing i needed was a lining for my stroller. This is a pretty good stroller, but you can see the metal bars on each side of the seat. It's a poor design because, as sleepy babies do, when he lays his head to the side it ends up resting on the bar. Not very comfortable looking i can tell you.
So i set about making a padded inner to support his head.
I had these old cushions i had taken off the highchair and i just loved those adorable little owls so decided to recycle them into head pillows.
Luckily i had some owl fabric left over from the pillows so i whipped up
an inner and reused the pillows for the sides.
A few slots for straps and some cute little fabric ties and a snuggly little pillow inner was done. My little man seemed to appreciate it and sat there cooing at the owls on the first trip out.
Another wool sleep sack completed
Still perfecting a blanket stitch but it's getting there.
So now all remains is to finish off the packing before we head away. There seems to be so much more packing to do when your going away with little one's. I have a whole bag of food and snacks just to keep the little fella going, as well as blankets, toys, books, clothes, bottles.... and on it goes.
It will be exciting though and im looking forward to catching up with friends. So i may not be in blogging land for the next week unless i can find somewhere and sometime to get online.
Have a great week everyone and i'll see you on the other side.
Posted by Racheal at 14:39 No comments:
Labels: Craft
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Sexy socks
Sexy aren't they? The socks not the hairy legs. So my search for the perfect (and super cheap) socks for sock puppets came to an end today with these rather odd specimens. I don't know how these are supposed to be worn. It said socks on the packet so i can only assume they go on the feet. I think they are hilarious so i had to put them on and dance a small jig for the boy's amusement before i contemplate cutting them up for puppets.
'Now mummy i don't want to alarm you but something is on your leg.....'
His reaction, first he was perplexed by the super bright specimens, then assumed and then delighted. The socks then got dragged around the house for the next hour being chatted to. So once they have eyes and features i'm sure they will be a big hit.
Another high point of my day, cookies. Seriously you must all know by now how much i love food?
These cookies were made by a friends mother for her son's first birthday. She bought them to playcentre today and then kindly packed some into my bag before she left. You gotta love friends like that. I don't know what they are called but they are both delicious and pretty. Always a good combo, so i've asked for the recipe. Watch this space, i'll be sure to share.
Take care people and if your feeling a bit down i can recommend wearing some random looking socks around for awhile to make you smile.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Loving.... Grateful.....
My Monday night ritual to reset and start the week in a good place.
Salad boxes
Filling my fridge with pre-made salads so i can have a tasty nutritious selection for my lunch each day.
~ That when i leave my lunch at home someone has hot homemade pumpkin soup to share.
~ For an efficient heat pump keeping us warm as the temperature continues to drop.
~ For upcoming holidays
~ For hot cocoa
~ For a healthy little boy
~ For the arrival of new little bundles this week to 2 friends.
~ For a warm, dry bed.
~ Good lighting to help me see the details of my sewing.
~ Time for sewing!
Saturday, 16 June 2012
A lot of cooking, a little sewing. The potato looking stuff was our first try of our salsify and it was pretty good, although i would argue that anything fried in butter can't really be bad. Salsify is a bizarre vegetable it looks like a parsnip but is supposed to taste like an oyster. I've never had an oyster so can't comment on that but the other half says he gets the oyster flavour. Thats the great thing about growing your own veges you can always try a few weird things out. Well there is more sewing in the works and i am currently surrounded by a mass of threads and fabric scraps. A total mess, but a happy one.
Have a great weekend. xxx
This moment with Soulemama
. . . . . . . .
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Ginger kisses
Tonight is the final of a NZ show called Chelsea hottest home baker. Week after week we have been watching decadent baked treats being churned out. Watching it just makes me salivate and gives me the itch to bake something. So almost every Thursday night i find myself in the kitchen whipping up something delicious to share with family and friends. Tonight i decided to make an old favourite from my childhood, ginger kisses.
Creaming together butter and sugar
Add in dry ingredients
Small spoonfuls on the tray
Deliciously baked biscuits
Sandwiched together with butter cream.
These are yummy biscuits with a soft, slightly chewy texture but nowhere near gingery enough for me. They are more like a nice filled biscuit than a ginger. Next time i make this i will be adding a lot more ginger, but it was a good start.
Ginger kisses
125g butter
1/2C sugar
1 egg
1t golden syrup
1/2 t ginger ( next time i will add 2 t )
1C flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking powder
1/2t baking soda dissolved in 1 t hot water
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and golden syrup, mix well. Then add in dry ingredients and stir.
Take small spoonfuls of the mixture, roll into balls and place on tray well spaced.
Bake in a moderate until golden, about 10mins.
Allow to cool and sandwich together with butter cream icing.
Enjoy with a hot cuppa.
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Winter settling
Monday, 11 June 2012
Loving... Grateful...
My Monday night ritual to reset and start the week in a good place.
a peaceful night at home learning a new hobby.
~ for warm woolly socks.
~ for a little treat of milk chocolate after a tiring day.
~ for the feel of soft wool, even if i'm not that great at knitting it yet.
~ for upcoming holidays
~ for a happy, albeit sick little baby
~ for peace
~ for space
~ for calm and quiet.
What are you grateful for today?
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Snug as a bug
Check out my little caterpillar lol.
This is the view i got every time i tried to take a good photo of the sleep sack i made. He was determined not to model but rather crawl towards the toys which is a bit slippery when you are in a wool sack!
Sleep sacks are the best thing ever in winter when blankets just never stay on those little legs. He's just too much of a wriggler.
I already had a thin merino sleep sack but it was a summer weight one and cost me $50 on sale, the usual price being around $100. So when a friend mentioned she was making them out of recycled blankets i thought i should really have a go at sewing one. Now in truth i had a bit of a look around for a second hand rug but ended up buying some wool fabric on sale. And it turned out they were super easy and quick to make.
~How to make a sleep sack~
First draft a pattern. I traced one off the sleep sack i already had but you could use a loose top to mark the neckline/ armholes. It really doesn't need to be too precise. Note i made this one the same width the whole way down but in hindsight a slightly flared bottom would be a little more roomy for wriggly legs.
Wool fabric outer
Flannelette lining, although you could use anything you had.
I added a batting 100% cotton inner for extra warm but this isn't necessary. Lay all 3 fabrics on top of each other with pattern on top and cut out all together. You will need to end up with 2 backs, 2 inners (if using), and 2 linings.
You are going to sew the back and front sections separately. For the back pin 1 lining and 1 outer with right sides together from armhole to armhole. If using a lining pin this ON TOP of the flannelette against the wrong outward facing side (see pic). You are only sewing the armholes and neckline at this stage.
Repeat for the front and you should now have a back and front section with pinned layers.
Sew from one armhole to the other (see left) and turn inside out (see right) so the nice finished right side is now facing out. You now have a back and a front with a nice finished neckline.
Now put the back and front pieces with outer sides together and pins edges (from the armholes) and bottom together.
Turn the whole bag inside out and you have a nearly finished sleep sack. All that's left to do is sew some buttons or velcro onto the shoulders to secure.
Done! Now for a better modelling picture.
My snuggly little bug!
I hope these instructions have been helpful. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Posted by Racheal at 19:58 No comments:
Labels: Craft
Saturday, 9 June 2012
I apologise to any vegetarians out there for the following images! My partner and i are dedicated omnivores and there is nothing we like better than a good roast. The great thing about this pork is that it is locally sourced from a free range farm where they specialise in old and rare breed animals which are slowly grown and not pumped full of all those 'extra's' we seem to get with our meat these days. It's nice to enjoy a meal knowing where and how the animals have been raised is ethical.
A few weeks ago a friend mentioned cooking pork in cider. Pork in cider! i love both those things so it was certainly worth a go.
So into the pan goes 1 cut onion, the pork leg and you guessed it cider (about 1 cm deep). Score the meat and rub with salt and a little olive oil.
Cook at 250 degrees C (yes you read that right) for 25 mins until the crackling is golden and crispy. Reduce the heat down to 180 degrees C and cook until juices run clear. (about 1 hr per kg, this leg took a bit over 2 hours) Add extra cider as needed so the pan doesn't run dry. I used a full 1.5L bottle of cider. You can also put your veges into the cider and pork juices to roast too.
Yum, doesn't that look good?
Then take the meat and veges from the pan when done and add in some water or vegetable water to the pan and stir well. Thicken with cornflour and water as desired. I'm very casual with quantities for gravy. Too thick more water, too thin more cornflour mixture - you get the idea.
Delicious cidery gravy goodness.
Dinner is served.
Enjoy your weekend xxx
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Making peace with the breadmaker
Well after nearly 2 months of breadmaker war we have finally reached an agreement.
Things i know for sure -
The breadmaker is not my ally.
The breadmaker is not smart.
The breadmaker's rising times cannot be trusted.
The breadmaker makes stupidly shaped bread with a hole in the bottom.
The breadmaker was at risk of becoming a large doorstop or possibly being thrown over the back fence.
The breadmaker kneads bread just fine, which saves my hands.
A truce was reached. The breadmaker will carry out the kneading and initial rising duties of making said loaf and then shall give up all rights of baking to the oven and breadmaker owner. Failure to complete these duties may result in the breadmakers ultimate destruction.
So far the new agreement is working out perfectly. I have the right size, shape and texture loaf. I have more control of the ingredients i add which frees me up to work more with sourdough ( yes it's still alive). And most importantly all acts of violence against the breadmaker have so far been avoided.
Things i know for sure -
The breadmaker is not my ally.
The breadmaker is not smart.
The breadmaker's rising times cannot be trusted.
The breadmaker makes stupidly shaped bread with a hole in the bottom.
The breadmaker was at risk of becoming a large doorstop or possibly being thrown over the back fence.
The breadmaker kneads bread just fine, which saves my hands.
A truce was reached. The breadmaker will carry out the kneading and initial rising duties of making said loaf and then shall give up all rights of baking to the oven and breadmaker owner. Failure to complete these duties may result in the breadmakers ultimate destruction.
So far the new agreement is working out perfectly. I have the right size, shape and texture loaf. I have more control of the ingredients i add which frees me up to work more with sourdough ( yes it's still alive). And most importantly all acts of violence against the breadmaker have so far been avoided.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Pumpkin perfect
Remember these beauties?
Lovely aren't they? Almost too good to eat, well almost.......
They made a beautiful autumn table display but with winter settling in, my mind turned to thoughts of soup.
Yup those pumpkins days were numbered.......
First one on the chopping block ready for the better half to butcher.
Chopped and roasted ready for the soup and it was at this point i forgot about photos and focused on the soupy goodness. The pumpkin had a much thinner flesh than i expected.
I sauteed 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic in a pot with 1T butter until soft. Then i added in the roasted pumpkin and 3C chicken stock (you can add more or less depending how thick you like your soup.) Add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and mash the soup to your desired texture.
Pretty easy to make and i have lots of variations once cooked like sour cream, greek yoghurt, chilli sauce or my favourite peanut butter. Nothing better than a heaped teaspoon of peanut butter stirred into a bowl of pumpkin soup. Totally delicious.
The texture of this pumpkin was creamy and fluffy and not as strong as a normal pumpkin which makes me think this pumpkin would be better suited to baking recipes. So for the last pumpkin i'm thinking maybe some pumpkin, date and ginger scones or some pumpkin bread. Or maybe even some pumpkin pie? Hmmm i'm a little uncertain on what that would taste like but it might be worth a go.
Watch this space for more pumpkiny goodness.
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God is Good! God is Holy! In ALL things God is God!
Friday, August 12, 2016
God is Awesome!
When something goes the way we want it to, when God provides, when God produces one of His countless miracles, when God Shows up, we say Praise God! Thank you God! God is awesome! And we should!! But I want to be careful to Praise God even in midst of the ordinary. I want to Thank God even when things are rough. I want to say God is Awesome even when I'm in the midst of a disaster. I want to give God the Glory in ALL things even when I don't feel like it. Because God is Holy! God is all these things even if I don't feel it or even think it. So when something good happens and I say Praise God! Thank you God!! I'm so excited and am giving Him the Glory!! But remember, I'm saying these things daily, even on the hardest days! Because God is God! God is Holy! Praise His Name!! And guess what??? He blessed me with a job! Yes!! Keep posted and you'll learn more about the mystery!
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Saturday, February 25, 2012
How Can We Become Truthful?...
A Gursikh forwarded this video link to me. Really nice video of Giani Gurdev Singh jee Australia during the Sikhi Camp Malaysia Day 2 morning session. The topic of the class was "Kiv Koorhe Tuttey Paal":
Dhan Hai Guru! Dhan Hai Teree Sikhee!
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Manvir Singh
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This concert came about when a Taiwanese guitarist was unable to make it, the D'Addario Foundation had to scramble to find an American virtuoso to fill the bill. Most people spend years preparing for a NY debut in this, the most hallowed concert hall in the world, but Matt pulled it off with three days notice, and from all reports, rocked the house.
Even more remarkable for me as a teacher, I had heard that it came down to 2 main choices: both MTSU graduates! Silviu Ciulei was the other person they had contacted. Silviu told me today that Michael Newman, a prominent NYC guitarist had contacted him about a 'possible concert in NY' ... not hinting it was Carnegie Hall. The Foundation President told me she had a hard time deciding between the two. I told her to consider Silviu for next year. Silviu this weekend is competing in the Schadt Concerto Competition. God, I hope he wins it. $8000 first prize. He took 3rd last time.
I don't know if there is a higher honor for a teacher to have a student receive a standing ovation in Carnegie Hall ... save for perhaps 2 students. Next year, Silviu.
|Matt demonstrates his nail sanding technique in between pieces in Carnegie Hall
|Matt getting ready to bring it - the Green room selfie, Carnegie Hall
|Matt has come a long way from the days of heavy metal and working on cars in the tiny east TN town of Fall Branch. Here's Matt pulling an engine from a Chevelle...


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The generous gift comes from the sweet and talented Angela at Define Your Space!
I am so excited about this giveaway prize, in fact, I'd like to keep it for myself! Angela is going to allow the winner of this giveaway to select one of the personalized wood signs from her site (valued at $28)!!!
Here are just a couple of her great designs:
There are many ways to earn entries into this giveaway, but only the first one is required to be entered:
1. Visit Define Your Space, look around, then come back and comment on this post with your favorite item in her shop!
Once you have done that, you can earn additional entries by doing any of the following {You must leave a comment here to let me know you have done an extra entry! One entry per comment. No comment = no entry}:
2. Post the button on your sidebar AND write a post announcing the birthday bash, linking back here!
3. Tweet this giveaway post with "@katylinvw" in the tweet.
4. E-mail a MHR prompt/theme idea, or an inspirational article to me at katylinvw {at} yahoo {dot} com (This one is worth 5 extra entries!!!
5. E-mail 3 friends inviting them to the birthday bash, and copy my e-mail address (katylinvw {at} yahoo {dot} com)!
Good luck! :)
P.S. Don't forget to check out the other party posts below!


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I actually" repurposed" a greeting card I had received from a friend. Shhh - don't tell.
I love the layers of colors with the cepia photo! These two girls could have been us, they look so much like the "Garber girls". I hope this brings a little smile ot her face over the next few days while she waits to hear from the dr.
The sketch I used for inspiration was from Skipping Stone Designs.
Various laces, ribbons, papers and embellishments were used, most from my stash pile. The main item used was the sentiment stamp "To Cheer You" from
the Skipping Stones set "Always Here".
Please keep your fingers crossed. I would really love to win Heartsong!
Sketch Challenge: Skipping Stones Designs


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Energy, environment and political news and opinion for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Week's top environmental & political news
Some of the top stories appearing in EnviroPolitics from Aug 27-31. Captured from newspapers and other information sources in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond.
New Jersey Environment
DEP orders work to stop on strip mall planned for Highlands In one of the first enforcement cases of the Highlands statute, a notice of violation has been issued to the developer of the proposed Liberty Square mall in Independence Township, Warren County. Developer Liberty Square 517 LLC missed an Aug. 10 deadline to build a foundation on the project in the strict Highlands preservation area, and a cease-and-desist order has been issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection, officials said. (Star-Ledger)
Sparta approves $2.1M for reservoir Despite the prospect of a lawsuit, the Sparta Township Council has adopted a $2.1 million bond ordinance to buy nearly one-third of a quarry founded by Thomas Edison that contains a vast spring-fed reservoir. (Star-Ledger)
Smoke at chemical fire sends 15 to hospital A small chemical fire broke out Tuesday at the Permacel Inc. building in the Industrial Park, forcing several people to the hospital with respiratory problems. About 60 employees of the plant at 1990 Rutgers University Blvd. and workers in the surrounding complexes were evacuated about 10:15 a.m. as firefighters spent about 20 minutes putting out the blaze, authorities said (Asbury Park Press)
Sayreville told about Superfund cleanups Twenty-five years ago, an abundance of toxic chemicals was found buried beneath the Sayreville landfill, seeping into the soil and poisoning the groundwater with pesticides. In the years that followed, state officials began a gradual cleanup of the site, removing drums of hazardous waste and installing systems to block the pollution from spreading. On Wednesday, representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection told a room of Sayreville residents their work on the landfill is nearly done. (Star-Ledger)
Somerset parks employees repay county $1,697 Somerset County parks employees have reimbursed the park commission for several expenses criticized as unrelated to their jobs, but most were legitimate or judgment calls, county officials said last night.After reviewing expense vouchers cited as "questionable" by an outside law firm, county Treasurer Brian Newman said there were no clear prohibitions against some of the payments (Star-Ledger)
Proposed power plant switching from coal to natural gas LS Power Company plans to put its Delaware River power plant online four years sooner than anticipated now that it proposes to use natural gas rather than coal to fuel the operation. (Courier-Post)
Eagles and hawks are migrating south The autumn hawk-watching season takes off Saturday as thousands of raptors begin their annual southern migration. Bergen County's prime viewing spot is in Alpine, where broad-winged hawks and bald eagles can be seen flying down the Hudson River. The viewing area, the State Line Lookout, is just off Exit 3 of the Palisades Interstate Parkway (Bergen Record)
Clean Water New Jersey to honor excellence in stormwater pollution control Polluted runoff is a major threat to New Jersey's water quality, and municipalities and other government agencies that have excelled in managing it are now eligible for special Clean Water New Jersey awards (NJ-DEP)
New Jersey Politics
Democrats seek to unload contributions from fugitive Some top New Jersey Democrats scramble to divest themselves of at least $51,000 in campaign contributions from a donor whose fugitive status also caused embarrassment this week for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (Star-Ledger)
Nursing home fixing the AC after a roasting from Codey A Newark nursing home where state Sen. Richard Codey found sweltering conditions during a surprise inspection earlier this month will replace its sputtering air conditioners (Star-Ledger)
Ex-mayor gets harsh term in graft case For nearly five years after pleading guilty to corruption charges, former Ocean Township Mayor Terrance Weldon remained a free man by quietly cooperating with investigations against others. But when his day of reckoning came yesterday, Weldon caught the wrath of a federal judge fed up with the seemingly endless parade of New Jersey politicians "hell-bent on corruption." For nearly five years after pleading guilty to corruption charges, former Ocean Township Mayor Terrance Weldon remained a free man by quietly cooperating with investigations against others. But when his day of reckoning came yesterday, Weldon caught the wrath of a federal judge fed up with the seemingly endless parade of New Jersey politicians "hell-bent on corruption." (Star-Ledger)Could it be Lautenberg vs. Booker? With Democrats Rob Andrews, Frank Pallone and Steve Rothman unwilling to mount a primary challenge against the 83-year-old incumbent, could Booker be the guy who runs Wally Edge Blog
Wesley Lance dies, shaped constitution Former Republican state Sen. Wesley L. Lance of Hunterdon County, the last survivor of the 81 delegates to the historic NJ Constitutional Convention of 1947 that created the state's modern constitution, died Saturday. He was 98. (Star-Ledger)
Pennsylvania Environment
DEP fines Hercules Cement The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has issued a $174,604 civil penalty against Hercules Cement Company in Stockertown Borough, Northampton County, for air quality violations between 2003 and 2006 (PA-DEP)
PPL Gas Utilities Announces Decrease in Gas Supply Rate PPL Gas Utilities' 76,000 customers will see a decrease in their bills this fall. The company announced Friday (8/31) a3 percent reduction in the rate customers pay for the gas supply portion of their bill. (PPL)
Hundreds protest wind turbines — Accusations flew and tempers flared Tuesday as hundreds of residents in Bedford and Somerset counties ordered Gamesa Energy to keepwind turbines off Shaffer Mountain. (Altoona Mirror)
Cleaning up coal's bad rap Is coal becoming a dirty word? It's vilified as a contributor to global warming, risky to get out of the earth -- as recent deaths in a Utah coal mine have reminded us -- and responsible for destroying streams and valleys in Appalachia, where mountaintop removal mining remains extremely controversial. Meanwhile, pressure from environmental groups worried about climate change has forced utilities from North Carolina to Oregon to drop plans for about two dozen coal-fired power plants. NRG Energy CEO David Crane says that 'clean coal' has a future, despite what critics say. NRG Energy is looking to build the country's first big coal plant to capture and store carbon dioxide.
Pennsylvania Politics
Democratic offices searched in Harrisburg State investigators last week executed a search warrant on the Capitol basement headquarters of the Democratic Office of Legislative Research in a broadening investigation into whether state employees were used to run several political campaigns last year. (Post-Gazette)
Judge: Fumo can keep Sprague as lawyer A federal judge ruled today that State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, who faces 139 charges of federal fraud and obstruction of justice, can keep Richard A. Sprague as his lawyer. The decision means the scheduled trial of one of Pennsylvania's most powerful politicians, who had been represented by one of Philadelphia's most prominent lawyers, is likely to proceed as scheduled for February. (Inquirer)
Future of Pa. six-pack sales is now a case for justices The state Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Pennsylvanians will be able to walk into their local grocery or corner store and pick up a six-pack of beer along with toilet paper and a carton of milk (Inquirer)
New York/Region/World
California aims to save fish via poison The state's latest plan to rid Lake Davis of northern pike – and protect species downstream – raises concern.(Christian Science Monitor)
Sony Develops Bio-Battery Powered by Glucose Sony's new bio-battery that uses the sugar in carbohydrates to generate electricity — as an example, the company demonstrated using a sports drink to power a small fan or a Walkman. (GreenBiz.com)
German Biodiesel Industry Peaks, Trouble Ahead Germany's biodiesel production capacity is set to rise to a record 5 million tons in 2007, but analysts have warned that the boom in the country's biodiesel industry is coming to an end after the industry failed to block the government from rolling back a key tax relief scheme in court this July. (Renewable Energy Weekly)
Posted by Frank Brill at 4:18 PM
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Beauty from Devastation
The last two years have been trying for many Coloradans in the Colorado Springs area because of terrible wildfires. At the time, it was hard not to think constantly about all the devastation and wonder how people directly affected would get through it. The summer of 2014 is quite different for most residents in this area because of better weather conditions and lots of rain—almost daily. But it is still hard to see the thousands of burned trees and chared hillsides where the flora and fauna once flourished.
Out of all that devastation, a creative artist and woodturner named Vinny Luciani at Hunter-Wolff Gallery has taken something so horrible and made something beautiful. With salvaged Ponderosa Pine from the 2013 Black Forest fire, he makes lovely little tree ornaments. His little trees include burned and unburned sections of the tree and are accented with crushed turquoise from one of Colorado's turquoise mines in Cripple Creek. These little jewels are a reminder of how quickly our natural resources can be devastated and how important it is to stay hopeful about the future.
We hope you have a safe summer and always return to find the home you love exactly the way you left it. More information about Vinny Luciani's Christmas tree ornaments can be found at our website or by calling 719-520-9494 during normal business hours.


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Right now.
I was okay with this number, until I put faces with the number. Then it became not just a number. But a sweet, innocent child, that only wants love. We introduced two in our homes for a short time over Easter and we are forever grateful that we did.
We immediately started paperwork to start the foster/adopt process. We were warned it would be a long process which can be disheartening, but then we think of those innocent faces (one of which is our child) and we continue to push on.
On our flight home from Boston, we got a call from DHS asking for our help. They said that the shelters were so overcrowded that they were about to be shut down by the fire marshall.
So many children were in DHS custody that all the beds were taken and the rooms were over capacity. There were 60 toddlers and babies in the TULSA shelter alone.
They asked us if we would be willing to take a child from Thursday evening until Sunday night while they found placements for the children. We aren't certified, but that's how badly they needed emergency homes. Of course, we agreed and we took home a beautiful 3 year old girl.
She looked like Goldilocks with her blonde hair that naturally curled on the ends. Her baby blue eyes were crystal clear and her laugh was contagious. She looked like any other normal 3 year old, except her baby blue eyes showed her sadness and fear.
When we read in the papers that there are not enough DHS workers to complete the appropriate paperwork in a reasonable time for all of the families that want to HELP and foster and/or adopt it's discouraging.
Then we meet another child that needs our help and we know that we are fighting the good fight and we will fight for the long haul.
So we march on. We completed all our paperwork and did our background checks (I called/emailed every day to make sure we didn't "fall through the cracks"...I don't care about being the annoying lady). We were approved and so we completed our next step by getting our fingerprints done at the Sheriff's office.
Izzy is a lot of help at the sheriffs office
We are set up to start our month long classes to educate ourselves on what to expect and we should be expecting a call from a worker to schedule our home visits.
The home visits could be a bit tricky, since we are planning on moving soon.
There are obstacles, but we know that just shows that what we are doing is right.
I just finished a Beth Moore study on the Book of James. It changed my life. Most likely, I am going to be the first woman to ever say these words but...I am not a HUGE fan of Beth Moore. I love her studies and I love her on paper but I don't just jump up and down to hear her speak. Maybe, I'm just a weirdo and I hate being calling, "girlfriend"...okay, I'm a weirdo.
One of the things she said that I constantly am reminding myself through this process is,
"We will miss the greatest adventures of our calling if we remain compelled by comfort. We will be bored stiff and wonder why God never called us to anything. How willing are we to just flat out GO for God? And it is important to remember that in order to go anywhere, we first have to leave someplace else (usually that means our safe place, our comfort zone). If we choose comfort to motivate us we will risk our callings....because this I can promise you--your calling will always be WAY outside your comfort. God is a whole lot more interested in your calling than your comfort."-Beth Moore
I am glad that I am being called out of my comfort zone. I hate leaving the shelter in tears. I hate saying goodbye to children that I can't promise I'll see again. I hate explaining why we have to bring them back. I hate hearing my daughter ask where they are and me not be able to give a response.
But I know that this is what God is calling us to do.
So we will continue to fight the good fight.
James 1:27


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Which should come as no surprise to most of you.
Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn explains to Kathryn Lopez at NRO why she voted no to the bailout. First of all, she was influenced by her constituents, who called and e-mailed by the thousands. I figured that would be the case, but I didn't know this:
Lopez: Are you concerned by your vote you might have played a role in a pending market collapse?
Blackburn: The markets like certainty. We know that. We also know that the bill before us today did not solve the underlying problems. Some provisions that could have immediately addressed the liquidity issue, such as mark-to-market, uptick rule, increases in FDIC insurance could be done with immediate rule changes should be done.
So we can immediately address the liquidity issue? Then why don't we do that? Like.... now.
Lopez: Are you worried you might have just helped hand the election to Obama?
Blackburn: I don't think this is handing the election to Obama. A more solid solution, crafted this week, will restore confidence in the market and in Congress. I do think it is important to get this done right so that we preserve free markets for the future.
Lopez: Some on the Right are arguing "no" votes were irresponsible. Why do you think they're wrong?
Blackburn: The responsible action is to pass the most effective legislation in as short a time frame as possible. The bill before us didn't do that. It leveraged too many federal assets and too few Wall Street assets. It also ignored some market-oriented solutions that could be carried out immediately. Again, I'd look to options like mark-to-market reform, increases in FDIC insurance, etc.
I think all this sounds great and I totally trust the integrity of people like Blackburn. But my concern is the timing. Let's get the changes done. Let's force Pelosi's back against the wall.
I feel like we are in a TV movie and the bomb is ticking. Let's get a move on. Let's go.
I don't want the last frame to be the bomb going off.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I learn something new every day
Which should come as no surprise to most of you.
Posted by RightwingSparkle at 4:17 PM


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Jan 5, 2009
The Shadow Over Innsmouth - Part six of eight
Furthermore, it's time to continue our swim through bleak Innsmouth. The gloomy shore approaches; we are almost done.
Obed Marsh, the man who first drew the Deep Ones to Innsmouth, thought himself a greater man than he was and spurned his Fishy masters. Well, "spurned" is a subjective term. Really, he just stopped offering his townsfolk up as sacrifices to their Old Gods. Of course, somebody's blood must be spilled into those cold seas to slake Cthulhu's endless thirst. Might as well be the regular folks of Innsmouth.
When Obed goes too long without offering flesh, the Deep Ones come for it in the night. At this point in the story, Zadok Allen goes into something of a drunken rage at the recollection of certain other things the Deep Ones brought with them from the ocean floor. Just some of the unimaginable (and thereby unillustratable) things from the Lovecraft mythos.
Anyway, that one is a really simple image. Not the best, not my favorite, but a story-flesher.
This next one was a lot of fun, and is probably the most detailed of all of them.
This doesn't partane to any particular point in the story, other than the general impression that the people of Innsmouth have access to an infinite supply of fish and sea-life because of their pact with the Deep Ones. I kind of went nuts with this one and just put more and more different types of sealife into the net, whether they were logical or not. You might notice a few funny things in there.
I bought a ton of books over the holiday break that I am slowly tackling. Part of it was the backlog of books I simply didn't have a chance to read when I was first recommended them by whomever. There was also the rapidly approaching start of this next and last semester which brings with it yet another bout with Allan Comport's Illustrated Book class, which yielded these submarine fever dreams. I will do a post later about my acquisitions and my findings therein.
I also had a chance to see The Wrestler and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The former is, as you have heard, a spectacular character study by the famously inventive Darren Aronofsky (pleasantly restrained here). The latter is beautiful and well acted, but ultimately ends up being a pointless retread of Forrest Gump with an interesting premise that never comes to fruition satisfactorily. Very nice effects, though.
You may perhaps remember these three charmers? Well they have all been accepted into Society of Illustrators West 47. Congratulations to all who got in. I'm not sure if I'm sending these off to the show at Gallery Nucleus, but I may yet. I may yet.
I might also be headed into New York this weekend with Kali and Jeremy to see the James Jean show at the Jonathan Levine Gallery. God, it's going to be spectacular/crowded. Hope to see you there (if I am there).
4 comments:
NOICE. The one with the net makes me cringe when I think about how I'd attempt to pull that off. See you at teh JJ show. (hopefully, i dont even know if I'll get to actually see the art with the crowds an all)ReplyDelete
hooray society! NICE WORK MR. BOSMA.ReplyDelete
a few things:ReplyDelete
-i will also be going to new york for mr. jean's opening so we should chillax or something
-that fish net is ridiculous in the best way possible
-congrats on sila47! was it for the student competition or the regular one?! because depending on what you say i might be shaking my fist at you for booting me out of scholarship monayz
-keep up the fantastic work mr. bosma, i look forward your kick-assery in the upcoming semester
I have to say, I've been creeping around your blog and LOVING these Innsmouth drawings.ReplyDelete
It actually gives me the drawing ITCH everytime I look at them, thanks for being so inspirational!


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This is one of my favorite cookies! I've always loved them since I was a little girl. My children never loved them as much I do, their loss because they are soft and yummy!
Peanut Butter Crisscrosses Cookies:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Thoroughly cream together the shortening, sugars eggs and vanilla.
Stir in peanut butter.
Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well.
Roll into one-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Press each cookie with back of a fork - one way and then the other way - making a crisscross pattern.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9 minutes or until lightly brown. Be sure not to over cook - which makes the cookie hard and not soft. I just always go for 9 minutes.
Melt in your mouth deliciousness!
Love them!


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As some of you that understand French know, movie name is the imaginary love(s) and did translation because film literally is about that subject matter, the love that is more imaginary than real. Very good exploration of this not so-common explored kind of love which confirms that Xavier Dolan has a unique style to tell his stories and most of all a true unique style to visualize his films. After watching so many bad movies this film came like a fresh breeze that delighted my eyes and also my ears with a score totally integrated to the narrative.
Film tells about two friends that "fall in love" with the same guy and how Nico becomes first an object of their attention, later almost an obsession, to finish with both suffering as Nico does not returns their attention/obsession/love. As in his previous film Xavier Dolan does everything including the beautiful clothes that Marie (Nonia Chokri) wears and is one of the leads with an excellent performance. I liked actor's performances and most pleasant is the little surprise at the end of the film when Louis Garrel does a cameo that starts all over the story.
As a film is very Xavier Dolan with the use of primary colors, beautiful sights of Quebec in autumn, great framing of many scenes, slow pace to allow watching and feeling absolutely everything, with a great music score/songs that will sound too familiar and inviting to sing along. As we know film premiered in 2010 Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section where won the Regard Jeune award.
The film is non-conventional thanks to peculiar and particular Dolan's narrative and visual storytelling style, so know that is not suited for general audiences but for those that like art in their films. I liked the film more for the visuals than the story that was a little bit predictable for me, but film is not about destination, is about travelling the little details and nuisances of human behavior.
Watch trailer @MOC


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Shades of grays, muted dark browns, blacks are all I can see. Blurs that loom up and then rush past me. A twilight run in the forest on the shortest day of the year at 42 degrees North latitude.
The sun set two minutes before I hit the three kilometer loop through the woods and over the rolling fruitless zone prairie. A run racing the darkness down in the hollows. Forested ridge backs hide backside cliffs, the trail threading past them. In the gathering darkness widow makers loom over the trail, helping mark my path over the forest floor.
Amidst the trees I run at full open gait, time is against me. The dying of the light drives me ever harder in growing gloom.
At speed – alone in a chilling forest – I am on fire, my mind completely focused on the run at hand. Form is everything. Drag my feet for even a single stride and I pick up a branch with my foot. Tripping is not a useful option in darkness.
Sometimes you only have a single shot to get something right. Sometimes there is no second chance. Running reminds me of this. Running happens fast, raising children happens more slowly. There are still times in your relationship with your child when you have only a single shot at getting it right. At those times focus on placing your words as carefully as footfalls in a dark forest.


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It's X Factor semi-final week and, with a place in next week's final (which will be coming to you live from Manchester) at stake, the pressure is well and truly ON.
With Rylan leaving last week, we're left with four semi-finalists battling it out. And something tells us they're going to come out fighting (not literally, although that would make top telly).
And, thanks to our Sunday People X Factor poll, you can cast your vote on your favourite performances without having to write down a phone number.
Union J found themselves in the bottom two last week - can they do enough to get an automatic ticket to the final? Will Jahmene's nerves hold out? Can James Arthur avoid another shock sing-off? Will wildcard Christopher Maloney *finally* find himself in the bottom two? And who will miss out on X Factor final glory?
Here's how it works: just watch all of the acts (they have two songs each again this week, remember), and then rate them out of ten below...
We will be tweeting the results before tomorrow's live show on our Twitter, @thesundaypeople.


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Gosh, It Sure Would Be Nice...
...if Bulls' players cared about winning games as much as they care about teaching young teammates "valuable lessons." Although I suppose with Griffin, it makes sense. Take away his "professionalism" (i.e., kissing the ass of coaches), and you have a dude who's struggling for playing time in the HEBA, much less the NBA.
As far as Wallace goes, see the post below.
As far as Wallace goes, see the post below.


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li·bel/ˈlaɪbəl/ Show Spelled [lahy-buhl] Show IPA noun, verb, li·beled, li·bel·ing or ( especially British ) li·belled, li·bel·ling.
1. Law.
a. defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
b. the act or crime of publishing it.
c. a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
2. anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents. verb (used with object)
3. to publish a libel against.
4. to misrepresent damagingly.
5. to institute suit against by a libel, as in an admiralty court.
..................some people should take note.
*****if you want to know what I'm talking about, feel free to message me privately!*****


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Today we will look at BOTH ... our Fear Index and the VIX (Volatility Index) because they both are indicators of fear or confidence.
Below is the updated chart on our "Fear Index" which is a measure of what smaller investors are feeling.
June marked the end of an "Extreme Fear" level for investors. That turned out to be the bottom of the S&P 500's drop.
Investor confidence improved from there, and has improved in the past week ... but the red/blue trend lines remain in Fear Territory. The fast green indicator line is showing that confidence is accelerating to the upside and is now in Mild Fear Territory which obviously means confidence levels are increasing.
If anything, this is showing a positive expectation of Bernanke's upcoming decision on Tuesday.
The VIX (Volatility Index) is more of a reflection of what traders think about the market and what their confidence level is.
Interestingly, smaller investors are showing more confidence than the market traders.
The VIX's chart is showing that it remains above the red horizontal support (which is negative). The red, horizontal support line marks when the stock market went into a correction mode and is an important level that the VIX needs to drop under for traders to go into a "confidence mode".
If both groups can reach levels of positive confidence next week, then that would initiate a nice summer rally.
Please Note: We do not issue Buy or Sell timing recommendations on these Free daily update pages. I hope you understand, that in fairness, our Buy/Sell recommendations and advanced market Models are only available to our paid subscribers on a password required basis. Membership information


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The MOP Up: Guns of Icarus has relaunched as Guns of Icarus Alliance (April 2, 2017)
The MMO industry moves along at the speed of information, and sometimes we're deluged with so much news here at Massively Overpowered that some of it gets backlogged. That's why there's The MOP Up: a weekly compilation of smaller MMO stories and videos that you won't want to miss. Seen any good MMO news? Hit us up through our tips line!
Let's kick things off with Guns of Icarus' reimaginationing. It's the thing to do these days: relaunch your game with a new mode and name. But Guns of Icarus Online is taking the trope a step further toward the MMORPG genre instead of away from it with its replacement release of what it's calling Guns of Icarus Alliance; it's basically adding co-op PvE to the existing PvP mix. It's also adding a new pricetag: Even former Guns of Icarus Online players will have to shell out for the new game, though with a nice discount.
This week we have stories and videos from RuneScape, Defiance, Space Engineers, and more, all waiting for you after the break!


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|Skyline of Ft. Wayne, Indiana
In a month I will leave for FGS in Ft. Wayne. Yes, a miracle happened and I was able to pull off the trip registering on the last day for the early bird discount. Even better, I am squeezing in a visit to my extended family before the conference. Yay!
Potential family finds and a genealogy conference, what more could I wish for. Oh, and I am dragging my parents along for the ride. Yep, mom and dad will be attending the conference as well. This is going to get crazy!
Is a month out too soon to start thinking about packing? I have attended a couple conferences on other topics, but, like I have said before, never a large genealogy conference. There has to be something I just can't live without right? On the other hand large conferences are pretty much the same so I should be able to rely on past experiences.
I have spent the last few hours trying to figure out how much I should stuff into my car. Oh…did I mention I was driving from Virginia? Yeah, 14 hours-ish on the road, meeting mom and dad in Indiana for family visiting, and then off to Fort Wayne. Wish me luck. Or even better buy me a drink at the hotel when I get in.
So…let's dive into what I think I should bring. I will rely on you all to tell me if I am being a little too ambitious. Oh, and I will limit it to conference stuff only. I won't bore you with what I am packing in the truck for on the road entertainment.
See you in Fort Wayne!
General Needs:
Sturdy large bag: Bigger than a purse but smaller than a duffel bag is what I like to bring. Something sturdy enough to put shopping in as well as carry everything I think I will need to have a happy conference.
Comfy shoes: I am all for being stylish but now that I am mumble mumble years old I can appreciate comfortable footwear. Some sort of loafer or sneakers will be in my bag for the trip.
Layers: Dressing in layers is always a must. While it might be sweltering outside you can bet that there will be at least one room that is a freezer inside. A light sweater or jacket will be with me.
Snacks: Having a few snacks on hand when you can't get out for a real meal is a must have. Protein bar, some nuts, a piece of fruit, or anything that will give a boost of energy, but is small, is great to have. I also tend to carry some hard candy or gum just in case I need it after lunch.
Water: While my morning coffee is important I have become addicted to carrying a water bottle with me. Now that you can get bottles with built in filters I will have one of these in my bag as well. I can have water with me at any time and no worries about where the recycling bin is.
Electronics: Cords, cables, iPod, head phones, and etc. A techie girl has to have her toys in tow!
Conference Needs:
Schedule: I have already highlighted and dog-eared the FGS conference schedule that I picked up from my local society meeting months ago. However, my organization streak has not stopped there because now that I am actually going my spread sheets are out. I will have as much of my time planed out and arranged as possible before I get there.
Business Cards: A few months back I had a bunch of business cards made up with my contact information printed on them. They have come in handy at meetings and presentations or when I meet someone else in the genealogy world and I want to keep in touch. I hope that I can pass them out to new friends here too!
iPad: Do I need to say more?
Notebook/Binder: Yes, sometimes an old fashioned paper and a notebook/binder is the answer. I can keep my schedule (in plastic page protectors), important papers, contact numbers, itineraries, maps, and what not in one place.
Writing tools: Stylus for the iPad, pens, pencils, highlighters, colored pencils, you name it I will have at least one of it on me for making the written word happen.
Mailing labels: I use filled out mailing labels to save my hands and time in filling out things at conferences. They can be used to label your handouts, enter a contest, in a pinch as a business card, and many other things. It would surprise you what you can use a mailing label for. I put my full contact information on it as well as my social media contacts.
Laptop: I can't leave home without it.
Thumb drives: For those lucky times when you can copy files directly onto drives instead of having to cart loads of paper home.
Strategy: A prioritized list of what I want to look for. I plan on visiting the Allen County Public Library (or sending my parents on an excursion) several times during our time in Fort Wayne. This means I need to spend the next month looking through their online catalogue and creating a game plane to make the most of my time there.
Folders: For those papers that I pick up. I can keep them separate by topic or family, whatever I need.
Cash: for the copy cards in case I really do need to make photocopies.
Camera: I never go anywhere, particularly a research opportunity, without my camera. Included in my bag are the cords to transfer images, extra batteries, and camera lens cleaner.


text:
Pirates 3, Giants 1: Despite all of the gum-flapping, Zito went out there and pitched a perfectly respectable five innings (5 H, 2 ER, 5K). Unfortunately for him, his teammates couldn't get anything going against the Pirates. Reported attendance: 9,788, though that's probably more a function of rain in the area than the low-wattage matchup.
Reds 9, Cubs 0: I had read enough about Joey Votto's exploits by mid afternoon yesterday, so we won't dwell on it here (note: the box score indicates a 21 MPH wind, so let's not get too enthusiastic about all the homers). How about this: Edinson Volquez: 7 IP, 4 H 0 ER 10K. Yeah, he walked six guys, but he was pretty great otherwise. Here's a question: how does a game with 21 hits, 11 walks, and six pitching changes come in at under three hours? This one did somehow.
Indians 3, Yankees 0: The Cliff Lee sample size continues to grow, yet he continues to dazzle (7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 7K, 0BB). He's now 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA and has only walked two dudes in six starts. Not bad for a "fairly sucky pitcher."
Mets 12, Dodgers 1: Talk about spreading it around: half of the Mets' RBIs came from the combined efforts of the likes of Angel Pagan, Marlon Anderson, Raul Cassanova, and John Maine. Maine pitched a little bit too (8.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER). As for the Dodgers, you know you had a bad day when Chan Ho Park turns in your team's best pitching line (3 IP, 0 ER, 3K).
Braves 5, Padres 2: And just like that the Braves have won five straight (home series against the Reds and Padres can do that for a team), and now find themselves in a four team logjam around the top of the NL East. Worth noting: despite all the injuries and gray hair, the Braves have the best offense and, surprisingly, the best staff in the division thus far, which leads to them also having the best Pythagorean record as well. If they can get anything from John Smoltz going forward, they could be sitting pretty.
A's 6, Orioles 5: APBA Guy is no doubt smiling at the extra-inning heroics from Mark Ellis.
Marlins 6, Brewers 2: Milwaukee starts May 1-5. Ryan Braun (.762 OPS) and Prince Fielder (.769) ain't gettin' the job done, but there is plenty of blame to spread around.
Blue Jays 6, Rays 2: Shaun Marcum pitched a shutout for 109 pitches. Unfortunately for him, he threw one more, giving up an RBI double that put the kibosh on his shutout. He still won, though, so it's all good. The Rays bullpen gave up five of those six runs, which is the sort of thing a lot of people were predicting about them before the season began.
Royals 9, Angels 4: Another solid outing for Zack Greinke (7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 8K). I'm sure Rany Jazayerli or someone has gone over this before, but I wonder how much of the action in that arm of Greinke's is attributable to that sabbatical he took in 2006 and the time he spent coming back in the bullpen in 2007? Instead of the close to 400 innings he would have pitched in his age 22 and 23 seasons had he been healthy, he instead pitched 128.1.
Twins 13, White Sox 1: Carlo Gomez hits for the cycle. Good for him, but I've always thought that if I were in his position I'd trade the requisite single for another homer.
Rangers 2, Mariners 0: Vicente Padilla makes the Mariners look foolish (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8K). After only scoring one of Ponson the night before, Seattle really needs to break out today, because it's really not cool to be stymied by Ranger pitching.
Rockies 4, Cardinals 3: Tony La Russa normally gets criticized for making multiple pitching changes in an inning, but he probably should have made even more than he did in the Rockies' 8th as three relievers -- Kyle McClellan, Randy Flores, and Jason Isringhausen -- combined to cough up four runs and the game to Colorado, wasting seven innings of shutout ball by Adam Wainwright.
Tigers 10, Red Sox 9: On Tuesday night, Joba Chamberlin proved fallible. Last night it was Papelbon, who gave up two runs in the ninth to blow the save. He had help, though, in the form of a Julio Lugo error and a bunch of not-all-that-hard-hit balls just goin' to the wrong place. This one took almost four hours, by the way.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
And That Happened
Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 5:56 AM
2 comments:
- Mark Runsvold said...
I guess Gomez' cycle would be considered unnatural, because he went home run, triple, double, single.
- May 8, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Anonymous said...
APBA Guy-
I can only say that the Mark Ellis bobblehead on my desk was going beserk in the bottom of the 10th yesterday.
The beloved A's are tied for 1st in the division.
This is the kind of streak they usually reserve for August/September. They are 4-2 in this last homestand after a 4-3 roadtrip. Now they are on the road for 9 with the final 3 in Atlanta against somebody's favorite Braves.
- May 8, 2008 at 12:32 PM
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Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is playing offense in the entertainment industry, buying Dick Clark Productions Inc. in a deal valued at $175 million and planning to digitize the company's extensive library of live-music performances.
Snyder's private-equity firm, RedZone Capital, acquired a 60% stake in the Burbank-based company. Six Flags Inc., of which RedZone is the largest shareholder, took the rest.
The deal, announced Tuesday, gave Snyder, 43, control of a big cast of television shows -- including the "American Music Awards," "The Golden Globes," "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" -- as well as the live-music library.
"These are historic brands with fantastic footprints," Snyder said, likening them to TV broadcasts of NFL games and calling them "TiVo-proof, appointment viewing."


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This uses Molecular Nuclear Fusion again. A 50x1cm steam plasma at 4 atmospheres produces 1.2MW of heat. So we enclose a plasma tube, so air is forced along the pipe, heated and expelled – just like a jet engine, with no fuel burn, or CO2 production.
We do have a small engine, which drives drives a fan. To get the plane moving, then we feather the fan blades, and turn off the engine.
We are flying at supersonic speed, off nuclear fusion. For a large jet, we have three plasma tubes, where the combustion chamber is today.
When not running, we turn down the plasma pressure, into a tick-over mode. So no aviation fuel burnt! No CO2.


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Well this has not been a good week at all. This is the only piece I have finished with the exceptions of some warm ups earlier in the week. I really have a lot on my plate at the moment and will have to figure out how to make time for my art. The grandchildren will be out of school in10 days for the summer and it will be much harder to fit in my projects. Any way this is a collaged page of cubbie children playing upon the clouds. I used scrapbook paper for the background. The coloring is watercolor pencils, markers and gel pens. As always it is sprayed with sealer. Hope you all had creative weeks and I am going to try to do better next week. If you would like to go back to see other participants I am adding the links. Have a great weekend. http://illustrationfriday.com/http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/2013/06/paint-party-friday-week-14-year-3-check.html
This is my place to keep my journal pages all in one place and it is easier to post for challenges.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Illustration Friday-Paint Party Friday
3 comments:
Nice piece.ReplyDelete
Hoping next week allows you more time for creativity!
Happy PPF!!
Mixed-Media Map Art
I enlarged this so I could see better. Your little bears are adorable.ReplyDelete
The bears are so sweet. Yes keeping the kids busy will be a challenge to find time to make art. Happy PPF xoxReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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North Dakota is involved in several initiatives and rapidly providing essential broadband services and health technology needs in the state. Today, the Dakota Carrier Network (DCN) CCI Broadband project provides high-speed fiber connectivity to more than 175 largely rural and underserved areas where many community anchor organizations lack access to necessary last mile broadband speeds. DCN received $10.7 million in grant dollars but will provide a cash match of $4.6 million. DCN will complete 100 percent of the project by August 2013.
DCN intends to deploy 169 miles of new fiber with backhaul speeds as fast as 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to enable last-mile service across the state. The project also proposes to enhance e-health in the state by deploying a dedicated 10 Gbps healthcare network to over 200 hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. They are committed to providing telemedicine, teleradiology, telepharmacy, and enabling the exchange of health information electronically. For more information on DCN, email Seth Arndorfer at email@example.com
The procurement of an HIE system began in late 2010 with the release of a RFP. At that time, the proposals and demonstrations by the top three vendors were reviewed. In June 2011, the team recommended to the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) that the contract be awarded to Optuminsight.
The first phase of the HIE project will deploy "Direct" functionality by November 2011. "Direct" is a bridge to meaningful use while the state HIE is being implemented. Direct is a simple and secure method for participants to send encrypted health information directly to known trusted recipients.
Once the HIE is fully implemented in 2011-2012, participants will be able to use a robust bi-directional HIE to fully support meaningful use and health IT requirements. The state Department of Health, Division of Disease Control, will be able to receive electronic messages to include laboratory results, surveillance data, and be able to update immunization registries.
HITAC has formed HIE Domain Workgroups currently being rolled out. These workgroup teams are playing a key role in planning, advising, and providing guidelines that will cover topics related to governance, business opportunities, legalities and policies, technical infrastructure, and also tackle issues related to the clinical workforce, communications and education, and finance.
The Clinical Workforce Team was specifically formed to:
• Support HIT and HIE adoption and meaningful use among state providers
• Develop and evaluate the project in terms of data collection and performance measurements
• Define and address high-value/high priority uses and/or use cases for HIE consistent with proposed meaningful use of certified EHR technology and additional clinical priorities
To help providers obtain the skills and tools needed to make technology changes in their practices, the Regional Extension Assistance Center for HIT (REACH), a nonprofit federal HIT Center is helping Minnesota and North Dakota primary care providers advance HIT. REACH provides readiness assessments, practice and workflow redesigns, help selecting a certified EHR product, help connecting with vendors, and provides information on privacy and security best practices. For more information, go to http://www.khareach.org/.
To provide financing assistance, Senate Bill 2332 established a HIT planning revolving loan fund with the Bank of North Dakota to provide low-interest loans to healthcare entities to help build their HIT infrastructure. The loan fund can assist with the purchase, installation, and be used to support functional standards based interoperable HIT systems.
It is anticipated that available funds for loans could be $5.4 million which includes the additional $5 million appropriated by the 2011 Legislature. The maximum loan amount per applicant is $100,000 for standalone individual practitioners not affiliated with a multi-professional entity, provider system, or network, $400,000 for hospitals and multi-professional entities, and $800,000 for entities with three or more provider-owned facilities as in the case of a hospital with two or more clinics or three hospitals all under common ownership/governance.
North Dakota residents are eligible for the loans to purchase install and/or support software and hardware required to implement a fully functional, standards-based, interoperable EHR system certified by ONC. The loans can be used towards systems containing patient medical histories, electronic personal health records for people with chronic diseases, along with using the system for electronic prescribing.
Initial applications are due by August 22, 2011 with applicants to be notified by September 9, 2011 if their loan has been approved. For more information, go to www.healthit.nd.gov/loan-program.
There is also a Federal financing option available to help meet the expense for EMR software to help rural areas and towns with up to 20,000 in population. The USDA Community Facilities Program provides flexible financial tools including the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program, the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program, and the Community Facilities Grant Program. For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.com or call (701) 530-2037.
For more information on North Dakota's progress, go to http://www.healthit.nd.gov/.


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Saturday, April 11, 2009
Whoopie Pies and Butterflies (or, Blogging Chronologically Is for Wimps)
A Zebra Finch at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Sunday, March 15 was the last morning of our Space Coast birding orgy. We had birded nonstop from Thursday at 1 pm on (with lengthy breaks only for dinner and sleep.) I never though I could spend enough time birding, but weirdly enough, it felt like time to do something else.
So instead of getting up at 4:30 to catch birds as the sun rose, we slept until the decadent hour of 7:30, ate the (mediocre) Continental breakfast included in our hotel tariff (which we'd had to miss on the first days of our trip because of our pre-dawn commitments elsewhere such as this and this ), and went to a nearby air show featuring various vintage military aircraft. Appropriately enough, the show was partially sponsored by the Warbird Museum in Titusville. So it was (sort of) bird related: it involved flying objects whose origins and taxonomy are sometimes still up for debate.
Around noon, we began our two-and-a-half hour drive back to Gainesville. Just before the two hour mark, we began seeing odd hand-written signs by the side of the road: WHOOPIE PIES: 3 MILES.
"What's a whoopie pie?" Glenn asked.
"I'm not sure."
"I think it has marshmallow cream in it."
I thought about this. I'd heard the term "whoopie pie" before, and I remembered that it didn't refer to an actual pie, but some sort of cookie/pastry thing. Definitely a sandwich cookie of some sort. Maybe that's where the marshmallow cream came in.
We continued on. Three miles passed.
"Hey, no whoopie pies!" Glenn said.
We continued. Then up ahead was a complex of shops for vacationing fishermen and boaters: a tackle shop, a restaurant, and a general store. And a big marquee sign: WHOOPIE PIES.
Glenn pulled a hard right into the parking lot.
"Wait, you actually want one of those things?" I said.
"Well, I thought this would be a good place to rest."
"But we don't even know what they are!"
In the little general store, we found that whoopie pies were, just as we suspected, big soft sandwich cookies. They were like large cupcake tops glued together with icing. Glenn got one with chocolate cookies and vanilla icing; I got one with chocolate cookies and cherry icing. Meh. Okay, but nothing special. But it was almost 2:30 and we hadn't had lunch, so this would have to do.
We munched on them as we continued our drive north. We both decided they'd be more interesting with marshmallow filling. And then we marveled at the fact that we actually went out of our way to eat them. For lunch, no less.
And only a week later, I found this article in the New York Times: Whoopie pies are officially the new frozen yogurt/ cupcake/ whatever trendy dessert you can think of!
I've noticed this before: whenever Glenn and I get into something, about three months later the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times puts out an article about how trendy it is. First it was kayaking. Then birdwatching. Now whoopie pies.
We eat whoopie pies on Sunday, and the New York Times declares it a trend by Wednesday. Are we awesome or what?
We got back to Gainesville about an hour later, and I realized my spring break was over: Monday would bring 4 hours of lecture (which I'd already prepared). But there was still time for one more outing.
The Butterfly House at the Florida Museum of Natural History is known locally as one of those places where one goes only with out-of-town guests. But it's still pretty cool: an enclosed, climate-controlled area filled with tropical birds and butterflies, all within arm's length. Photographers love it, so I knew I had to take Glenn there.
Here are a few of his shots. The butterflies in the enclosure come from all over the world (so not all are native to Florida). The big green one is a Green Morpho:
I'm not sure what this one is; but I loved its colors: it reminded me of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. Mmm.
And thus ended my spring break. Tomorrow I'd be back to the grind—but at least Glenn would still be in town, and would have his adventures to tell me about when I got home.
Posted by Felicia at 5:04 PM
2 comments:
- dAwN said...
Lol...funny whoopie pie story..Makes me want to go out and buy one..yummy
Love the butterfly shots..gorgeous.
- April 12, 2009 at 6:13 PM
- Felicia said...
Hi Dawn,
If the NYT is right, you can probably get whoopie pies at any trendoid joint. And for some reason, I think you'd like them, especially with marshmallow filling (I wasn't wrong about this; these do exist, according to the NYT). Keep having fun, wherever you are!
- April 12, 2009 at 6:39 PM
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It is a very cold night in December 2015. In a train station, a sexagenarian is yelling at a station staff member. The old man is furious because he had intended to travel from the city to a certain station but rode the wrong train and ended up at another, unknown station on an unfamiliar line.
Due to the late hour of his arrival, the last train back has already departed, so he screams at the station attendant, "Pay my taxi fare!" This is just the start of the elderly man's unreasonable demands.
Obviously, railway companies are not responsible for passengers' taxi fares, so the attendant refuses the infuriated passenger, who yells back, "I have a business meeting tomorrow for a deal worth hundreds of millions of yen. If I don't make it in time, the deal will be broken off. How do you plan to compensate me for that?"
When the station attendant refuses to respond, the man continues, "You're nothing but a worthless underling, so of course you can't help me. Get your manager out here now!" He continues to demand money for his taxi fare, and, when the attendant realizes things are getting nowhere, he suggests to the passenger, "How about we call the police and discuss it with them?" The irate man suddenly settles down and, in the end, walks sullenly away.
"Younger customers realize that missing the last train late at night is their own fault," explains the same station attendant, "and they aren't likely to make such ridiculous demands of us. It's the older customers who tend to become nasty, and they don't stop at taxi fares—some demand that we pay for their hotels and other such things. On rainy days, there's always the possibility they may use their umbrella as a weapon, which makes the situation more dangerous."
According to a survey of the Japan Railways (JR) Group's six passenger-line operators, statistics on perpetrators of violence against railway staff indicate that customers in their sixties account for most incidents. This trend has continued for five years running as of the FY 2014 survey.
Moreover, nearly 60% of these assailants were inebriated at the time, and more incidents occurred between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. than at any other time. Based on this data, it seems that problems tend to be caused by intoxicated customers around last-train departure times at night.
Pride seems to be a pronounced trait in many elderly Japanese people. "When they are given a warning or even taught how to do something, many of these customers tend to take offense," adds an employee of another railway company. "Problems related to purchases at reserved-seat ticket machines are quite common. When an elderly patron is unsure about how to operate the machine, they may continue to struggle without asking for help, causing a large line to build up behind them. When a member of the station staff tries to step in and help, the customer refuses. This results in the people in line getting mad, yelling, and sometimes starting altercations."
One fourth of the population is over 65 years old
Today, one out of every four members of the population is at least 65 years of age, and, by 2060, one out of every two-and-a-half persons is expected to fall into this same age group. With a rich range of knowledge and life experience, senior citizens in Japan were once highly respected throughout society. In recent years, however, there is a prevalence of senior citizens who cause problems by suddenly becoming furious or violent, or by making unreasonable demands.
The number of demanding and unreasonable senior citizens is also growing at hospitals. In 2004, The Jikei University School of Medicine Hospital in Tokyo set up a "Hospital Police Box" liaison office inside their facility, where former police officers are stationed. The purpose of this office is to respond to violence committed by patients, unfounded complaints and claims, and other such issues.
"Senior citizens who become ill or injured believe that consolation is their inherent right. As a result, many of them act in very self-centered ways, which can lead to acts of violence within the hospital," explains Akimitsu Yokouchi, a former employee of the Metropolitan Police Department who served as an honorary adviser in the The Jikei University School of Medicine liaison office from its initial establishment until March of last year.
According to a survey of 11 medical facilities (23,000 valid responses) carried out in 2011 by the Liaison Council for the Promotion of Safety in Private University Hospital Medical Care, more than 40% of medical facility staff surveyed indicated that they had been treated violently by a patient or member of a patient's family. In these facilities, violence was most commonly committed by persons in their 70s and sexual harassment by persons in their 60s. In addition, persons in their 60s were also the second most common perpetrators of verbal abuse.
More crimes by senior citizens
Crime has become a major problem among senior citizens. When the number of persons arrested for criminal offenses is examined by age group, persons aged 65 or older accounted for approximately 47,000 cases, second only to the 14–19 age group. Despite a more than 30% decrease (to approx. 250,000 cases) in the total number of crimes committed among all age groups compared to 10 years ago, the number of crimes committed by senior citizens has risen by about 10%.
The most common crime committed by the elderly is theft (approx. 35,000 cases, an increase of about 30% compared with 10 years ago), followed by assault (approx. 3,500 cases, a roughly fourfold increase) and infliction of bodily injury (1,600 cases, an approx. 50% increase).
Many people think that people grow more docile as they get older, but the reality is that many senior citizens engage in verbal abuse as well as eccentric behavior and speech, inevitably becoming more quick-tempered and self-centered. The human brain, which handles our emotions, atrophies with age, and its ability to function effectively withers relative to the level atrophy—this is what causes increased forgetfulness among the elderly, for example.
The frontal lobe, which controls such things as impulses, logic, and desire, begins to atrophy before other parts of the brain. This leads to a reduced ability to control one's emotions as well as weaker decision-making skills and decreased desire. Additionally, common habits among senior citizens, such as smoking and drinking, also contribute to decreased brain function.
The true problems of Japan's elderly citizens are just beginning to surface, and society is not yet sure of how to handle them. Adopting an erroneous approach to these problems could lead to an irreparable generational divided. There is one thing, however, we must always keep in mind: each and every one of us will grow old someday.


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Marcella's grandmother would bark at her, "Girl, you look like a picture done fall out the frame. Stop lookin' so down. Fix your hair! Brush your teeth! Put on a clean shirt and don't go out lookin' all hootchy like your mama did."
Marcella's grandmother taught her that what the world sees is what the world believes, so it's no good showing up half-done. Marcella spends her money on quality first and once she buys, she never looks back. Take, for example, this leather jacket from Paul Lapointe and BastChild Lotus. Marcella always appreciated their family-run boutique and excellent service. Mr. Paul was a master of shaping leather into pieces of perfectly shaped jackets. His wife, BastChild, attended to all the details, and their helpers, Kym and Gil, were top notch. She always felt absolutely happy when she walked out with a pile of bags in her hand.
Marcella had in mind her grandmother's warning about hootchy, so she was always particular about what covered her bottom half. Shorts often did the job of a mini without showing the world her treasures and tights made her legs look even longer, especially when she had stiletto boots on—her sexy ones from Tawny Mirror. These shorts, from her favorite designer, LeeZu Baxter, were designer goodness—pinstriped, short but not too and covered her assets well.
Makeup was always sophistcated and she chose NatalieWell's brows, blush and lips to do the job for her. With its beautifully hand drawn appearance and gentle attention to her facial features, it was a great look.
Finally, her hair of choice was always wild and natural, emphasizing her kinky curly locks, which she let her stylist, Queue Marlowe, tint with a subtle red. Men loved her hair—how she tied it up so nonchalantly, how it smelled of coconut and musk. It was her defining feature (so she thought). She was picture perfect, right square in that frame.
"She would be a new person, she vowed. They said no matter how far a mule travels it can never come back a horse, but she would show them all." ~ Junot Diaz
Hair: rebel rebel scorpio with .b scorpio hair base by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog *
Skin: Deesses Skins: Isabelle: Natural with Deesses Skins: Isabelle: Lipstick 3 by NatalieWells for Deesses *
Eyes: IKON Utopia Eyes – Dark Brown (ML) by Ikon Innovia for IKON *
Jacket: .:L&B:. S'Wear Mesh Womens "Moto" Leather Jacket by Paul Lapointe for Lapointe and Bastchild *
Shorts: [LeeZu!] Heather Hotpants /black by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu! *
Tights: * **MIS** Hard to Break by Janie Marlowe for Mischief (no longer available)
Earrings: Earring 3ROW HOOP Gold and EARRING HOOP GOLD by Ryca Doobie for RYCA
Nails: Candy Nail #P000 Basic Prim Nails Red by peche Bury for Candy Nail
Boots: [DD] Elegance Boots Black by Tawny Mirror for Domina's Duo *
Poses by Dove Swanson for Long Awkward Pose (no longer available)


text: Here are some screen grabs from 'Ghostlands', a promo for a feature directed by Joseph O'Malley and produced by Juliette Bonass. Shot in various locations around Kildare. Starring Declan Conlon, Tara Lee and Zara Lynn. Some great production design by Padraig O'Neill. Thanks to Tommy Fitzgerald and Albie Sheridan for their work in the camera department. RedOne with Nikon lenses.


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Blow wind, blow wind, blow my baby back to me.
Well, you know if I don't soon find them,
I will be in misery.
Those of us living on the Front Range need no explanation for this week's title. Yes, we have Chinook winds throughout the year, but thus far, 2012 has been a blustery, gale-filled blowhard, and I for one am done! I believe I've yet to arrive anywhere in 2012 without looking like a scarecrow having a bad hair day. Enough!
Fortunately for us, these strong winds are blowing the Mike Zito Band into town, and they arrive tomorrow! There are still tickets, but I suspect we're going to have a solid crowd tomorrow night. Mike's a house favorite (or maybe that's just me...). Boulder Outlook, 7:30 p.m.
Once again, Mike is having a great year, having secured yet another BMA nomination for 2012 Best Blues Rock Album, with the wonderful Greyhound. The BMA's are in Memphis on May 10th, and if the travel gods are smiling on me, I'll be going with Lionel (who's nominated for Best Instrument - Other/Violin).
For some reason (probably having something to do with the winds), I'm waxing poetic today, in the mood for sweet reflection, and with my dear friend but 24 hours away, I think I'll wax rhapsodic about Mike. We first made our acquaintance via email, by way of Jason Ricci. It was about three years ago, and Mike and the band had two nights off during a tour, Jason advised him to contact me about a musician rate at the hotel. Within a week or two, Mike had filled those dates, so we didn't meet for another couple of months, backstage at the 2009 Blues From the Top. I walked over to where he was sitting, and said, "Mike?" He looked up at me (like I said, he was sitting...still didn't have to look up much), quizzically, and said, "Yes." I said, "I'm Honey from the Outlook." Without another word, he stood and gave me the kind of hug customarily reserved for close friends and family. And three years later, we are just that.
The last time he was here, in September, we had more concentrated time, just the two of us, to talk. No, Talk. We rarely go more than a few weeks without an email exchange, a quick phone call, etc., but those long, uninterrupted times are sparse, and I treasure them for the jewels of time they are. Like I said, Mike's family, so join us tomorrow night at the big reunion. I love you, Mike!
Speaking of pretty (and when speaking about Mike, it's implied), tomorrow night Stone Soup is back with Deborah Stafford, and that Don Finan is all kinds of pretty! They pack the dance floor, so wear comfortable shoes.
My Beloved Delta Sonics return Saturday night for their first Outlook gig since returning from going to the semi finals in Memphis, so let's dance a lot and eat bar-b-q. Tuesday is Dan Treanor's jam, he also having recently returned from Memphis where he accepted the KBA for Education (Bob Corritore told me he said a lot of touching things about John-Alex in his speech), so another big "welcome home" is in order.
Tickets for Tommy Castro and the Painkillers are still selling, so call today if you've been procrastinating. Today is Leap Day, so make use of the extra 24 hours and get some live Blues tickets. Make the day count!
~Honey Bee Sepeda~


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Hi Ladies,
Sorry I have been so quiet on my blog recently. I have been keeping my Facebook and Instagram accounts updated daily, but have not had time to sit down at my laptop and schedule some posts, but I promise there will be more coming soon.
I posted this look today, and have had lots of requests for a list of the products I used, so here it is girls -
Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse foundation in Nude
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NC15
MAC Harmony Blusher as contour
NARS Orgasm blusher
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Soft and Gentle to highlight
Rimmel Stay Matte translucent powder
MAC Coppering and Cranberry eye shadows
NYX Black matte liner
NYX Liquid liner in black
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara
MAC Whirl and Stone lip liner (Mixed)
NYX Nude Matte Lipstick
I also used Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray, an absolute must if you want your make up to last all day and night!
Have a great Saturday night girls… have a bop for me if you are out on the town!!!
Lots of Love,


text:
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It is easy to see what is bad in people, organizations, countries, and, in our case, public companies. We believe digging for what is good is harder, but more rewarding. Therefore, we make a concerted effort to stay positive and encourage what is exemplary in corporate America. In keeping with that fundamental objective, it is our normal company policy to only publicly commend or bring to the attention of the public the exemplary practices of any specific public company.
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The people or companies we have featured in our articles may or may not endorse our company. They may or may not agree with our goals or investment strategy. The views presented in this publication may not always reflect the current opinion of American Values Investments on the values or the prospects for investment performance of any company mentioned. Each of our stock holdings performs differently and it should not be concluded that all of our stock selections have performed as well as the ones mentioned. Our goal is first to support companies that best reflect authentic American values and only then seek market competitive returns. We reserve the right to buy or sell any stock from our current portfolios or add or subtract companies from our American Hero Universe. Investing in stocks involves risk including the loss of principle. American Values Investments research criteria limit the number of stocks available for investment. Stocks eliminated may have potential for higher returns. Companies acting on higher ethical standards may sacrifice short-term profits, which could be reflected in lower stock price. Investors should carefully consider their investment objectives, risk tolerance, and the expenses of investing in our portfolios. Past performance is no assurance of future results.


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A follow up on my last post about my Chalkboard Eggs...
I have had a number of requests for the little 'love bunny' on eggs, which made me think that I should offer another option. If you would like a bunny permanently painted on your Chalkboard Egg I can do that at no additional cost. So one side of the egg will still be blank for you do your own thing in chalk. What do you think?
Painted Bunnies
20 March 2009


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text:
I am a fan of Jennifer E. Smith's books. She writes young adult realistic fiction with romance, comedy and friendship.
I just finished reading What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott. It's a suspenseful thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. You will also probably rethink that next camping trip after reading this book.
I also read The Time Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antionette by Bianca Turetsky and illustrations by Sandra Suy. I enjoyed this fantasy, historical fiction novel. The combination of fashion and time travel through history made this story fun for me to read.


text:
"But few that court Retirement, are aware
Of half the toils they must encounter there.
Lucrative offices are seldom lost
For want of pow'rs proportion'd to the post."
Perhaps it's merely an urban legend fueled by the bitter among us who still must work for a living, but folklore claims retirement after long service amounts to a death sentence. The newly emancipated with their fat pensions find leisure appalling. How much golf can one man play? Idleness breeds boredom, irritability and self-loathing. Bad habits follow – drinking, gambling, daytime television. Death comes as respite.
We are confident, however, that another fate awaits Dave Lull, the Omnipresent Wisconsin Librarian (OWL), who on Friday served his final day as Technical Services Manager at the Duluth Public Library. Dave, I trust, has no plans to retire from his other job as the tutelary spirit of Anecdotal Evidence. Modestly, Dave calls himself "nitpicker." I call him copy editor, fact-checker, hunter-gatherer and friend. My foolishness would appear even more blatant without his unheralded assistance. The ominous lines quoted above are drawn from William Cowper's "Retirement" (1782). Here are the subsequent lines:
"Give ev'n a dunce th' employment he desires,
And he soon finds the talents it requires;
A business with an income at its heels,
Furnishes always oil for its own wheels.
But in his arduous enterprize to close
His active years with indolent repose,
He finds the labours of that state exceed
His utmost faculties, severe indeed.
'Tis easy to resign a toilsome place,
But not to manage leisure with a grace,
Absence of occupation is not rest,
A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.
The vet'ran steed excused his task at length,
In kind compassion of his failing strength,
And turn'd into the park or mead to graze,
Exempt from future service all his days."
Have an industrious retirement, Dave. As always, I'm grateful there's a Lull in my life.


text:
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