Deborah's Daily Dilemmas

My Mandela Moment

2010-02-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2010 markes the 20th anniversary of the release of South African political prisoner and father of a revolution, Nelson Mandela.

This morning I sent members of my family to South Africa for 5 days of festivities that my friend Duma Ndlovu and the South African government have planned. Because of a very serious business commitment, I could not go (sob, sniffle, wail). But I will definitely enjoy hearing all about the thrilling events to come including trips to Parliament, dinner with MosDef and President Zuma, events with Nelson AND Winnie Mandela, a symbolic walk from that dreadful prison where so many dissidents were beaten, tortured and murdered, speeches, teach ins, song, dances and great food.

No doubt had I gone, I would have found the Be Sweet folks and spent many hours fondling their lovely goodness!

So tell me, what was your Mandela Moment?

Historian Howard Zinn, 1922 - 2010

2010-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

Way back in May '07 I attended a reading of the People's History of the United States. Danny Glover, Steve Earle and others joined Prof. Zinn to read passages from the book. It was a last minute decision to go and when I hesitated my friend Barbara, all the way from California, insisted that I go. Thank you Barbara! It was a marvelous evening filled with energy, solidarity and history. Prof. Zinn died yesterday. I'm so glad I went.

An almost empty nester

2010-01-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I hear a lot of people lament about what will there be to do when they become empty nesters. It is true, your children, having been the central theme in your life for two decades or more, being without them can be scary. It is so important for us to attend to own interests and identity(s?) so we don't feel useless when our children leave the nest.

Watching a master do a bobbin lace

from a Fall day at the Cloisters, NYC

I imagine myself spending each day meandering through gardens, craft demonstrations, lectures, museums and stumbling upon street fairs....

and yarn fairs

and attending luncheons galore!

But I'm not an empty nester, I still have one more big guy to look after. And with all the lovely things I dream of doing and sometimes get to enjoy, there just isn't the kind of time I imagined there'd be when I sent the second son off to college...

Jonathan's first day of high school sophomore year this past September

Andrew's first day of school, kindergarten, with Jonathan standing by

Being a parent of a sophmore in high school is not for the squeamish. There are curfews to enforce, girlfriends to scare off (just kidding); serious homework to patrol and teaching them to take care of themselves - eventually

breakfast food cooking lessons

Oh yeah, there's football laundry

believe me it smelled far worse than it looked

football games every Saturday and Monday

helping to cater football pasta parties every Friday

Jonathan #86, Free Safety
Keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no trips to the ER

And all of this happened before December! Here, in this new year of 2010 I wonder what life will bring. I have a big surprise to share with you hopefully this spring but in the meanwhile, I am trying to find peace and blessings in the day to day adventures (and dilemmas) this new decade will bring.

My college student sons are growing up and away. I miss them so much but am so proud of their new wings.

One of the last pictures I took with Andrew (click on Freshman class)

My Marcus can be so mild mannered at times, but as a true gemini, there's that other guy....

and yes, there is always knitting

Massive Update

2009-10-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, it has been awhile. Suffice it to say that soooo much is brewing that I simply couldn't settle on what to feature that I would not regret months from now. So here is a safe update on all that's been cooking for the past few months.

#1 Son's Semester off

My oldest son is an actor. Has been all of his life, however, I wasn't one of those stage moms so he was not a profesional child actor or model. Last summer, as he was about to enter his junior year at college, he decided to actively pursue his career - for the summer. He was casted in a bunch of films and he was the standin for Corbin Bleu in a HBO tv series. Now he is working on another HBO show, How to Make it In America and I hope he gets on camara for that one.

#2 Son graduates high school and goes off to college!

The dreaded dorm shopping

Last day at a Savannah riverfront hotel before dorm move in

Vegas with #3 son

Jonathan played in a national basketball tournament in Las Vegas. That place is the debil.

Why does my child take coaching from his coaches with his full attention and I have to threaten bodily harm just to get him to stand still and listen?

A weekend vacation to French Town, NJ

I took a long weekend away to French Town. It is a really pretty place. I also drove to New Hope and Lambertville and they were nice too but it was in Frenchtown where I found this:

Visited the Spinnery

Spent quality time with dear friends

My Pal Phyllis and cat

My oldest friend, Amir

My buddy Deb

My foreign phantom friend Duma. I met Duma almost 30 years ago when he lived in the US in exile from apartheid South Africa. He returned after Mandela became president. Whenever he visits here on business, he always finds the time to give me a shoutout.

So you see, a lot has been going on. Have I been knitting? Oh sure,

Noro silk garden sock, yarn gifted to me by my pal Phyllis

A really grainy picture I took with my camera phone of my Malabrigo bolero. I love this! Fast and knit in one piece!

Whelp, that's it for now. Time does fly!

Jonathan, Marcus and Andrew - a long time ago

Marcus, Andrew and Jonathan - June '09

One on one with #3 son

2009-06-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is my darling 3rd son.

Many years ago, while the two older boys were away at school for the day, he and I would hang out in my garden.

He is now 14 1/2 and nearly 6' 1" tall. We don't spend a lot of time one on one anymore. He will not even play one on one basketball with me anymore!

A couple of weeks ago, I kidnapped him and took him out to dinner. Just the two of us. He spent most of the time asking why I was doing this and the other half of the time txting his friends. I resorted to other diversions...

The two girls in the booth in front of us were the complete opposite of us. While my son barely spoke to me at all, one of the girls in the booth in front of us NEVER STOPPED TALKING! I couldn't help myself, I had to film it. As you can see, it did get Jonathan's attention.

Even though the outing didn't go as planned, it went far better than this disaster, below:

Silk garden socks, way too big!

Prom Weekend survival guide

2009-06-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

My pal Phyllis called me up over the prom weekend to get me out of the house. She is so clever. The ruse? The sun is out, she had to buy plants for her garden, she had to drive way upstate New York and she needed a gardening friend (I'm really her knitting friend).

It was a lovely drive to this beautiful garden center she found. I didn't know where to look first - perennials, shade garden plants, trees, shrubs...

I spied lots of shrubs that wanted to come home with me

a beautiful smoke bush that I resisted

a sweet almond bush I couldn't resist

No matter how tempting, I did walk away from the wisteria. Giverney will have to wait for another life, in another garden, in Paris perhaps?

While I meandered about checking out the waves of fauna and enjoying the blazing sun that I was beginning to think was a phantom notion never to return to our planet, Phyllis was taking care of business with the garden guys

If it wasn't for the neat key to Phyllis' plans that kept our focus, we would have been wandering around this place all day just gawking at all the possibilities, well at least I would have. I have such trouble with ADHD, OCD and all the other hoarding disorders yet to be named brought on by the short fuse I've acquired dealing daily with teenagers and dumb politics, sorry, i digress...

Hungry and dehydrated, we set out to find food. While enjoying a nice lunch in a tavern that had a nice outdoor garden, Phyllis and I got to eat, knit and plot her planting schedule when BOOM!

Free Entertainment!

A car wreck where no one was hurt brought what seemed like the entire town and every first responder on and off the payroll, in and out of uniform and some who didn't bother to finish getting into uniform!

When I got home, I got a call from the prom dude that he was coming home early, yes! So, in celebration, mamma baked him a cake and made so much barbecue that I swear my hair is permanently infused with smoke. No matter, my son is safe and was all prommed out!

LIFE IS SWEET!

Prom Nite, middle child

2009-05-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived another prom nite. Will I survive the weekend? I'll tell you when he comes home from the shore. Supposed to be today, Sunday. Traditionally they stay out from prom nite through Monday morning. Don't ask. I graduated high school in the dark ages, 1977. I can't imagine what my parents would have said if I said, "Mom, Dad, I'll see you in a few days."

Another tradition here in my town is to have the pre-prom party. One of the families graciously lends their home for all of us worn out parents to come and wear out their lawns.

...and block their traffic

Then we attempt to line the promies up to get group shots.

So easy to find your child in a crowd when they have the darkest tan

parents playing paparazzi

It is amazing how much they actually look alike!

...and they took off, with the $150 tux, $150 limo, $200 prom tkts, $250 beach house rental and $25 dollar hair cut (he went two days in a row).

I was a little worried, of course, so I tried working on this back home

Piece of advice, don't try working on any lace project when something is on your mind. Even if it is a simple two line repeat, you'll regret it...

Another College Road Trip

2009-05-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

My Andrew is graduating high school next month. He has decided to go to college in Georgia. He has also received an academic scholarship to go to school in Connecticut, far closer to home. No manner of coaxing or bribing would sway his decision but I thought it would be a good idea to at least SEE the school.

We left on the Sunday after his spring break, problem #1. We left on a Sunday, problem #2. We left 3 days after he spent several days in Georgia looking at the school of his choice, problem #3. It was raining, problem #4. It was the Sunday before finals so there wasn't a soul ANYWHERE on campus, problem #5.

After Andrew decided that he would rather see the rest of the school from the car window, I went into my favorite building of any college campus - the library. There they were, all the good children, cramming for finals. But my Andrew didn't get to see any of these scholarly while hip hipsters. We left after only 40 minutes! It took nearly 4 hours to get up there and 40 minutes for the child to decide. Actually, he was decided before we even loaded up the car the night before.

My pal Phyllis, who is a repository of great advice, suggested that we stop at the Mark Twain House after Andrew got bored (how did she know?)

In a constant drizzle we walked along the grounds of this lovely restored home. I got to see wisteria in full bloom

Why is this important? I nursed a wisteria vine for 8 years with visions of Monet's gardens at Giverny in my mind. 8 years! Not a bud, nada! So, whenever I see a vine in full bloom, I stand in awe.

Inside were various exhibits of Twain memorabilia and lots of facts about his life and work. Displayed were the many poignant quotes and irreverent views he published on just about everything.

Andrew is a huge baseball fan and he was excited to see an old time exhibit on display.

But there was this...

This note was posted on a screen you had to go around to see the full exhibit. Inside were sad pictorial depictions of how nasty white america perceived blacks -

Well, it is looking backward after all and as long as we remember the history and are mindful of the odious signs, we can continue to move forward toward a better understanding

Moving forward while others prefer backwards...

Dorm by storm

2009-05-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

My son had to clear out of his dorm. The deadline was exactly 1 week after finals, 1 day before he was to leave for Ireland (to sing in the cathedrals there) and two days before he had to sing for the school's graduation. I thought he could use a hand. It was Mother's Day weekend.

As you can see I wasn't the only parent helping out, except ain't no way was I getting into the dang dumpster!

The mom you see up there, was rescuing some crap that darling daughter could not part with after dad decided he wasn't going to haul whatever it was across country. Mom to the rescue.

I didn't take pictures inside the dorm. The room should have had biohazard tape strung across the dorm door. We threw away all linen, towels, underwear, socks and all of the contents of the refridge, bathroom and whatever that was inside the microwave...

I arrived on Saturday before Mother's Day. We immediately got to work. After clearing out 10 bags of garbage, we raced to the mall to replace the underwear, sneakers (phew), and socks. We needed a receptacle converter, toiletries, and a tuxedo shirt. Imagine, that child has been wearing the same one all semester, I was afraid to ask him how often he washed it...

After we packed his luggage for the trip, I had to box up his remaining stuff and ship that home. Two boxes of books, 3 boxes of clothes.

The campus nearly silent now that all are gone. It was hard for me to leave, I did get a bit tearful. It seemed like yesterday that I first dropped him off here. Now he is about to enter his 3rd year. The time, where does it go?

Then a group of geese walked by -

They weren't even concerned that I was standing right there -

they marched right on by, slowly grazing as they waddled

My son told me that none of the animals that live on campus are afraid of the students. Squirrels, birds, bunnies - none ran away from me. Cool.

I found a huge magnolia tree that really wanted me to sit and knit next to it, so I did.

I had the rest of Mother's Day, alone. My hotel had a special Mother's Day tea and brunch. I decided on the tea.

I had scones, finger sandwiches and the most delicious chocolate truffle I've ever eaten (even though the truffles Barbara brought me from California were pretty good too!)

Then, the sweetest thing happened. Stacey, my Crimson Purl blogger buddy called! She said that we could meet half way between Charlotte and Greensboro at a Starbucks she knew of. I jumped in my rental and drove. Did you know the speed limit in North Carolina is 70mph?? It is only 55 in most places in Jersey. I felt like I was flying!

We talked and talked for hours, like old friends. Knitters are the best! Thank you Stacey for filling my quiet Mother's Day away from home with knitting fun, friendship and laughter!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2009-05-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Coming in From the Cold

2009-05-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

I've been missing in action, burying my face in CSPAN programming watching everything and anything associated with the new White House trying to convince myself that while the economic sky is falling it is way better than listening to those clowns from the former administration f%$#up the country. Now, with that said, and to keep from indulging in a full on pity party, this is some of what I've been up to.

went to visit son #1 in North Carolina to hear him sing with the North Carolina Symphony

This is a partial sound recording of the Carmina Burana. Not my favorite choral piece, sort of reminds me of a scary movie but it was my chile singing so...

Got caught in the historic nor' easter snow storm. Tried to get out of town before it hit and the lady at the airline checkin said, "honey, if anybody in North Carolina thinks it's gonna snow, we close down the city! Better find you a hotel and sleep in." Well, after I checked out of my very nice hotel with a great wine list and midnight cheese and fruit platter room service -

I found myself thankful for any room at the airport hotel. Even the crows were confused.

Made this gorgeous Radiating Star Blanket as a baby gift (pattern found on Ravelry).

Tried to follow the Harlot's advice with the stash...

FAILED

Why did I keep these??

There were months that brought me little or no joy - except for this occasional backyard visitor.

My pal Phyllis tried hard to lift the gloom, we explored yarn stores and old fashioned soda fountains. I had my first vanilla ice cream soda in many years!

She even baked me a cake and brought me some noro sock yarn and those cool square needles!

I pulled myself together long enough to host one of those local Obama house meetings.

There were a few of them around my town. My friend Arlene, a professional chef, did one with desserts and champagne!

Went to hear a Cornel West lecture with my boys. That was a really good day.

Attended my town's library's author luncheon. Guess who?

I auctioned off several baskets with baby hats. And, the poster below from the Democratic Convention's Women's Caucus that Michelle Obama presided over.

So, hope still remains and is perhaps all that is left when we succumb to our darkest worries and can't seem to see the light. Thanks to all of you who have written to encourage me to write again and to report on my whereabouts. I'm sorry I've been gone so long.

P.S. if you would like one of these historic posters, I have another that I would like to share so, just comment here with your name and I'll do one of those random selection thingies and send one to you, sorry, it is not signed and I won't be able to frame it.

Time...

2009-01-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

Next month I turn 50. I've been thinking about time a whole lot. What have I achieved in these adult years and have I healed from those childhood fears?

I tend to look at everything with a sociological lens, so obviously much has changed but I wonder about those pitfalls, you know the ones that keep us divided, away from our common selves, our human selves? I've grown a lot since those post Jim Crow years.

That's me on the right with my bestest friend, Toni. It's my 8th grade graduation from P.S. 11 - an all white school black children were bussed to. Wasn't fun.

Can I imagine a post racial world? I've been reading Randal Robinson's, The Debt. Trying to understand the ways in which I may have been damaged because of America's ugly past. How have I been affected by the exclusion of Africa's contributions to world history? Has this affected my sense of self?

I saw this sign while visiting the New York Botanical Gardens. Finally, the story of my culture, my history are unfolding in the places I so adore

Will time help me to figure out how I can embody the hope that President Obama is challenging us all to realize? How is it we teach our children the best ideals that we, ourselves, have difficulty believing?

My middle son, Andrew, watching the inauguration. My oldest son was there somewhere in the crowd!

So, I wonder about time. Nina Simone's, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, echoes in my mind more frequently now. I recently found this picture of me taken when I was 21 and my first trip to the Caribbean. I've always remembered the water, it's clarity and the warmth but now, looking at me standing there, I wonder why I can't clearly remember what it was to be so young...

Well, one thing has improved, if nothing else. I couldn't knit then!

My favorite felted bag

My curious case of benjamin buttons hat, knitted while sitting spellbound watching that movie!

Well maybe there is still more to learn. I can't seem to be able to knit a tam that isn't too small or too damn large!

A New Day in the United States of America

2009-01-21T06:16:00.001-08:00

Check out the new White House website!

Our national nightmare is finally over...

2009-01-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

What if.....

2008-12-24T05:22:00.000-08:00

Pre-Game Coin Toss Makes Jacksonville Jaguars Realize Randomness Of Life

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

Researchaholic

2008-12-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

My Andrew announced that he'd like me to make him one of those hats with the ear flaps. I was shocked and amazed. Shocked that he asked me to knit him something and amazed that he chose an earflap hat.

I immediately began running this search program I had installed in my head (mothers have super powers of course - and, y'all know that ain't me in the picture with him). I wanted to be certain that I would pick the perfect pattern using yarn that I have "in stock". You see, like many of you, I have tons of knitting books and binders and folders stuffed with patterns. Last night, rather than sit and start knitting the first hat pattern I found that met the "hat with earflaps" requirement, I decided to rummage through ALL of my pattern books and patterns.

No way could I just be satisfied with Kirsten's Thorpe. I had to consult Ravelry too and well, I don't need to tell you the hundreds of possibilities that I found over there: the Snowboarder Hat that Rocks, and the Andean Earflap Hat, the Large Earflap Hat... The choices and the yarn possibilities were endless. I wanted to press onward until I found the one pattern that I felt was absolutely, positively the best choice and would become the most perfect first hat for my '17 year old and soon to be off to college senior in high school'! Then, this dark desire overtook me and I ventured out of the safe confines of Ravelry and went to the Google. That is where danger awaited this humble and unsuspecting knitter...

My pal Phyllis commented that she hoped this wasn't where all those helmet liners ended up...

Grand Theft Auto

2008-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

For years I had successfully imposed the, "No violent video games in my house" rule. If any of my boys even hinted that they wanted one of those games, they would have to endure endless hours of my stories about how unglamorous it is to grow up in the projects or the ghetto or a major city if you can't employ several body guards to walk around with you.

I'd make my sons listen to me go on and on about how I could not walk or drive through any number of sections in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan or the Bronx because I could be attacked by bigoted mobs with baseball bats, mobs intent on robbing me, wilding police or just plain ol' sicko rapists. Why, having lived this, would I want my children playing with a game that celebrates this madness?

Well the other day, I happened into the living room and there they were on the $300 plus xbox playing this "game". I went crazy! Their response? "Mom, we are responsible teenagers now, not middle school dorks who don't know the difference between a game and a bad influence..."

Ironically, while my AP and Honors student tried explain why he lost his mind, playing in the background on my kitchen TV was the CSPAN hearings of even bigger car thieves - the CEOs of the so-called Big 3 auto manufacturers. Visions of Michael Moore's Roger and Me converged in my brain with flashbacks of my risk soaked days living the viva loca in New York City in my way cool pre-war apartment and how I traded in all in for a Chrysler mini van, 3 kids and a mortgage with an interest rate scheduled to reset in a few years. WHY????

Well, there is always knitting...

And escapes to cool knitting spots -

Charity yarn being sorted at Creative Knitworks in Hillsdale, New Jersey. The many bins of yarn will go to afterschool programs in Paterson, NJ and other youth programs in and around New Jersey!

That's Sharon, the owner, enjoying being in textile heaven!

Too Chicken

2008-11-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

There's something I have to do but I'm too chicken. Ever had that happen to you? I know I'll feel better after it's done and just like the picture suggests, it should win smiles. If only I can make the first move...

Thank you

2008-11-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for your kind notes and words of encouragement and sympathy. The funeral was this past Saturday and our family was comforted by so many of my brother-in-law's friends and colleagues who traveled from all over the world to be with my sister, my niece and nephew during this time.

Funerals are strange events for me. Reluctantly, they become giant family reunions...

That's my Jonathan there in the tie. Yes, that is a smile. He was so glad to see all of his cousins again especially his buddy, Daniel my baby brother's youngest son.

...and/or massive networking extravaganzas which is such a bummer because it all takes place at the same time my mind is trying to figure out mine and my loved one's mortality, ugh.

Former Olympians Marty Liquori, John Carlos outside after the funeral

Funerals don't stop requests for autographs - Vince Matthews agreeing to one

Driving from the funeral to the burial was a sobering experience despite the prodding of billboards whizzing by...

I wonder if I would have cried less had I had a shot before the buriel??

We had a mile long processional that passed through 3 towns

During the drive to the burial, I couldn't stop reflecting on the many drives my Dad took me and my younger sister, Antoinette, to visit Cynthia and Larry.

I remember these roads so well. As soon as I got my driver's license, me and my sister Antoinette would take the 2 hour drive to see our new niece and nephew, Tamaiya and Bonn, in a heartbeat. We loved those kids so much, we wouldn't think twice about driving way down South Jersey to see them. Now they have their own children, and it was strange to realize time passing through the faces of the next generation -

my brother with the children of our niece and nephew and Larry's grands

The long ride through Atlantic City showed the changing landscape from marsh and brush

to Casino towers and remarkably -

WINDMILLS

All in all, I am often left a bit weaker after any funeral. It is just too difficult to comprehend. There are never any words or expression of sympathy that ever seems appropriate. Oh, there is one expression, "We all want to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die."

So, for now, whenever I feel kind of blue, I'm going to look at pictures of my children, nieces and nephews, who seem to love each other's company, and find a way to smile.

Larry James 1947-2008

2008-11-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law died on his birthday. He was 61. Below is a reprint of one of the many obituaries written about him.

--------------------------------------

G. Larry James dies at 61; runner won gold, silver medals at 1968 Olympics

Richard Stockton College

When Richard Stockton College honored G. Larry James, left, for four decades of excellence on Dec. 1, 2007, (from second left) Vince Matthews, Ron Freeman and Lee Evans joined their fellow Olympian for the festivities.

By Claire Noland
November 8, 2008

G. Larry James, a middle-distance runner known as "The Mighty Burner" who employed his streaky speed to win gold and silver medals in track at the 1968 Summer Olympics, died of colon cancer at his home in Smithville, N.J., on Thursday, his 61st birthday.

His death was announced by the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, where he spent 28 years as athletic director.

James won his gold medal in Mexico City by teaming with Vince Matthews, Ron Freeman and Lee Evans in the U.S. 4-by-400-meter relay. He also won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual race.

James was a sophomore at Villanova University outside Philadelphia when he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 1968, a year when the nation was rocked by the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and riots in several U.S. cities.

Some of the African American athletes on the U.S. team proposed a boycott of the Mexico City Games as a way to make a statement protesting the treatment of blacks in America, but James wanted to race.

"For me, it came down to: Do you want to go there and be seen, or do you want to be an asterisk in the record book?" he said in an interview with the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., in 2007.

Lacking consensus, the athletes decided to compete.

But the issue came to a head after U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos won gold and bronze, respectively, in the 200-meter race.

At the medals ceremony, while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played, Smith and Carlos stood on the podium and raised their gloved fists in a Black Power salute.

The athletes were booed, and the International Olympic Committee insisted they be expelled for making a political statement during the Games.

Two days later came the 400-meter race. The U.S. runners swept the event, with James taking silver in 43.97 seconds, second to Evans' world-record time of 43.86. Freeman was third.

All three men recorded their best times ever, and James and Evans were the first to break the 44-second mark.

"When we had the press conference after the race, all anybody wanted to ask about was Tommie and John," James told the Star-Ledger. "I was thinking, 'Doesn't anyone want to talk about what we just did?' "

Next up was the 4-by-400-meter relay, held two days later. This time the U.S. runners set a world record in 2 minutes, 56.16 seconds, with James running the third leg.

The winning time was matched in 1988, but the record remained unbroken until 1992.

For their medals ceremony, the relay runners chose to wear black berets and black socks, but when the national anthem played, they removed their caps and stood at attention.

"Pictures of us . . . appeared in Black Panther newspapers," James recalled in a 1991 interview with Sports Illustrated. "And in the main media, we'd won for our country. We had something for everybody.

"We were agents of change, but . . . we were so unprepared," he said. "We were suddenly expert on everything, man, on toothpaste. You get caught up in it, the love affair the public has with athletes. You learn how it embraces you, and then you learn how it tires of you."

James returned to Villanova, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business in 1970. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve, attaining the rank of major, and later earned a master's degree in public policy from Rutgers University.

He was hired as track coach and assistant athletic director at Stockton College in 1972. He used to tell people he had planned to stay for three years, but they stretched into 36.

James became athletic director in 1980 and transformed the athletic program into a Division III power, the highlight coming when the men's soccer team won the Division III national championship in 2001. He also led efforts to build a $17-million multipurpose recreation center in 2000. He stepped down as athletic director Aug. 1.

James stayed involved in the Olympic movement over the years and held a variety of positions with USA Track and Field. In 2003 he was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.

Born and raised in Greenburgh, N.Y., George Lawrence James was 15 when his mother, Martha, took him to Washington, D.C., in August 1963 for the March on Washington at which King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

"I realized there was more to life than just me and my neighborhood," James told the Journal News of Westchester County, N.Y., in 2004. "There was a whole world of people that wanted to make a difference."

Survivors include his wife, Cynthia; son Larry B. James; daughter Tamaiya Forbey; five grandchildren; his mother; and a sister.

Contributions in his name may be made to the G. Larry James Legacy Fund at Stockton College, www.stockton.edu.

Noland is a Times staff writer.

claire.noland@latimes.com

A New Day

2008-11-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

It is safe to be smart again

It is safe to learn about other cultures again

It is safe to be humane again

It is safe to know who we are again...

...and where we came from

It is safe to know the immigrant in all of us again

It is safe to love our President again

We all have work to do now. We must work together to heal our country. We can't leave that burden to President-Elect Obama alone.

Fear and Loathing in New Jersey

2008-11-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

Anything can happen with this election. Stuff has been happening, voter purges, vote flipping, false information, threats and long ass lines.

I'm not one for doing the fear thing. But, on the front page of my local newspaper last week featured some stuck in the past people invoking fear. They went on about how America should be fearful of a black president and that as white people, they can't bring themselves to vote for a black man. Nevermind that I've been voting for white men ever since many black and white people died so that white people would finally allow me to vote.

Anyway, fortunately for most Americans we are all trying to deal with this race problem in more constructive ways. Ron Howard has weighed in to share how he is dealing with this election:

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Regardless of the outcome of this election, Obama's candidacy has moved this country forward finally after having gone so far backward in these past 8 years under Bush. Now is the time to get to work and clean up this mess for our own sake.

Better than Rhinebeck?

2008-10-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

For those of us who live in the Northeastern United States, what, you ask, could be better than Rhinebeck? Sure there are millions of vendors and sheep and goats and llamas and all of that out door flava going on, but man, let me tell you about this amazing experience I had a few weeks before Rhinebeck.

WEBS!!! You know, Yarn.com

Phyllis and I left around 8 in the morning to drive all the way from New Jersey to Massachusetts. We were going to see our knitting pal, Carol, who just relocated there. Carol was going to take us to lunch and we'd get to hear all about her new life in New England.

Meet Carol, that's her absolutely beautiful sweater she made with Louet.

On our way up (3 hours of driving), Phyllis said if we had time, we'd visit her daughter at college too but most importantly, that no self-respecting knitter would ever go to Massachusetts without visiting Webs. So, I say, why not? I'm always up for seeing another yarn store wherever I go. People, I was not prepared for this -

Mountains of yarn in every brand

and in every colorway!

I felt myself hyperventilating. I was at a major dilemma. Do I blow my Rhinebeck budget now (and entire bank account) here at Webs or do I just buy the stupid hat attack yarn, SWTC Therapy, that I said I would limit myself to (Why stuipid?? it cost $10 bucks a skein - seriously overpriced.) What would you do?

I managed to calm myself and simply buy the Therapy yarn and a random skein of Kureyon which is what I do each time I visit a new yarn store, I buy a random skein of Kureyon, yeah I know, big whoop.

We left and headed off to a lovely vintage hotel and had lunch. I had authentic New England Clam Chowder which is so much better than anywhere else even better than the Jersey shore.

So what else? Oh right Rhinebeck. I think the Webs trip affected my appetite to buy too much at Rhinebeck, and, it didn't help that the stock market crashed and my bank practically went into receivership before it was purchased by another bank (whose stock I own but is now waaay below the price I bought it at) and life will probably get really screwy for me by christmas time but as there is practically nothing I can do about that now, I might as well enjoy life this moment before I find myself on some charity's soup line selling random skeins of Kureyon but I digress...

The Mason Dixon ladies didn't seem at all worried about the stock market, they gave a fun talk about their new book. As soon as I'm able to deal with the subliminal message that 'mason dixon' has on my psyche, I may one day buy their book.

I just had to bring Phyllis and Elaine to see the Socks That Rock booth. People go berserk here every year and it is so much fun to see it live!

Did anyone spot this lady? She was near the Socks that Rock booth, spinning angora and seriously wearing that gorgeous sweater she spun and knit.

Well, yes, Rhinebeck is fun. But I can't wait to get back to Webs!

Phyllis' daughter's equestian class

Long time, no see

2008-10-21T10:22:00.001-07:00

Hey yall, bet you thought I had abandoned this ol' blog. Nope. My dang computer is sick with the slow disease and I've not had a spare 4 - 5 hours to talk with some call center geek to get it fixed. I've decided to use my son's brand new computer while he is at school during the day.

I've been a good knitting girl though. I have lots of goodies to show you. Not the least was my fabulously fun day at Rhinebeck with my pals Phyllis and Elaine. Elaine and Phyllis took the pictures of me wearing my new pinwheel sweater!

Rhinebeck '08 yarn finds

lovely silk and merino laceweight

5 bucks a skein wool for felting

I got this group for $6 bucks, hopefully for felted mitts

Ooh, Socks that Rock - mill end for $16

more silky lace weight

So who'd we see?

The Ravelry Oracles themselves! All together now, everyone stand and salute!

Thats Phyllis with the very funny Yarn Harlot, Stephanie

I was so glad to run into some Modern Yarnies. There were others in the group (Kristine...) who were a bit camara shy...

So what have I been knitting?

Still working on My Inauguration Day scarf - I decided to do it as a sampler stitch idea. I'm using Black Bunny Fibers Unity Yarn.

Finished a pair of Dashings for my brother-in-law

Ugh, hat attack hat. Still waiting on where to send her...

Argrosy wrap in 5 different Kureyons

There's lots more to tell and more pictures of Rhinebeck that I'll save for another installment. Take care, and don't forget to vote!

Predators in the night

2008-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, at around 2 am, I heard noises. Sounded like someone had a pick ax and was whittling away at something. I got up and went downstairs. The sound was louder - in the wall. Dammit. It was coming from my new, state of the art electronic thermostat that is part of my 3 zone heating system.

I take the cover off and dropped it when all of this fuzzy stuff falls out. Guess what was inside?

Need a closer look?

and that ain't no mickey mouse... why me?

Thank You Everyone!

2008-09-22T22:08:00.001-07:00

one of my feathered friends who visits daily

Thank you all for such warm wishes and kind sentiments. I'm feeling pretty good except for an irritating chest cold brought on because stubborn me didn't finish the course of steroids I was told to take. As soon as I'm able to breath again, maybe I'll run that marathon, swim the Hudson, or just work on this bloody pinwheel sweater that has almost 1,000 stitches on a too small circular! Pictures soon!

Mother was right, always wear clean underwear

2008-09-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, while enjoying the opening luncheon of my Garden Club, I had nothing better to do but to have an allergic reaction to a delicious salad. Well, it wasn't an ordinary salad actually. Buried inside were some exotic nuts that I don't get along with.

If you or anyone you know has severe allergies, you know what came next. My blood pressure dropped, my throat began to swell and well it was downhill from there. Fortunately, the last two things I remember was dialing 911 and telling the operator that the paramedics had to treat me aggressively or I wouldn't do well. They listened and I'm here to blog another day!

War, Disasterous Diaster Relief, Bank Failures, Torture, Cronism - had enough?

2008-09-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Real Debate

2008-09-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

With all of this talk about Republicans vs. Democrats; premarital teenage sex vs abstinence education in schools; the meltdown of the glacial shelf vs. pipelines; curable gayness vs. curable downs syndrome; community organizing vs. lobbyists on steroids; pigs in shit wearing lipstick... We crafters know what a true controversy is.

-thanks to Marce over on The Brown Berry Chronicles for sharing this video!

DNC Diary - Day 3

2008-09-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

No trip, no experience would be complete for me without finding the local yarn shop. So, as I mentioned in my previous post, Wanda suggested we meet here. I wanted to show you a few more pictures of my afternoon here.

The selection was amazing and there were tables and knitting nooks tucked here and there where groups of knitters gathered. I met two nice ladies who never heard of Ravelry!

It was Day 3 of the Convention and I was playing hookie sort of. I snuck out desperately trying to avoid any high drama on the floor of the Convention that perhaps these two might have had something to do with -

But, as it turned out (and as my son txted me with details of) it was during the delegate role call that Hillary stepped up and nominated Sen. Obama by acclamation.

I didn't anticipate such swift dispatch of the much talked about drama! So, all went swimmingly, as I was told. And Pelosi's gavel came to be known as the fastest gavel in the west! Oh, and speaking of Nancy Pelosi, it is her daughter, Alexandra whom I consider my hero. She did this amazing documentary on Bush before he became president, called Journeys with George . If you haven't seen it, you must buy it! If more Americans had seen this before the first election, well, I guess that's water under the bridge...

As all of that was going on, I was sitting with Ms. Wanda watching her deliberate over which skein of sock yarn she should gift herself for her birthday!

Certainly her indecision was more fun to watch!

Back at the Convention, I was told that the air was heavy with anticipation and that I better get my behind back to business. It was Biden's night and after that nomination vote was over, everyone seemed to be relaxed and ready for the evening's speeches. Wanda tried to drive me back to the Convention but of course, security was tighter than a you know what. My credentials got us past the first set of road blocks but I had to say my goodbyes soon after and walk the rest of the way to the Pepsi Center. Security only allowed secured cars and drivers beyond certain points.

I passed the Colorado Convention Center (this is where most of the conferencing took place) to see if I could find a DNC driver who felt sorry for me and my blistered feet and give me ride over to the Pepsi Center. As I walked through, I saw this nice photo op taking place and there in the middle of the crowd was Congressman Bobby Scott with whom I had a brief conversation with the day before, and, to my surprise, he remembered me and flashed a smile!

That's the Congressman on duty chairing a judiciary subcommittee hearing on some hanky panky the bushies were up to...

I would tell you, or rather show you, the excitement that went on after Biden spoke

but when Obama came out onto the podium, the place went wild! I did too and totally forgot to use my camera except for this one quick shot...

My son, Marcus was also having the time of his life. He was sitting backstage cooling his heels when Sen. Obama came through just before he joined Sen. Biden onstage. He told me that Sen. Obama called to the Pages, "hey 'yall!" and gleefully" shook all their hands before he went onstage!

Well, I never had a chance to touch the hem of Obama's garment but I did have this lovely sister touch my garment...

The mystery actor revealed!
Tatiana Ali (Ashley from Fresh Prince) on Hillary's night at the DNC wearing my shawl!

DNC Diary - Day 2

2008-09-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Is this really a knit blog? Yup, so I'll tell you about two great things that happened to me while in Denver. I met Wanda, of Wanda Woman Knits blog!

Wanda and I have been visiting each other's blogs now for a while so it was so cool to finally get to meet her in person! We spent the day at this very cool place just 5 minutes from downtown. Man, these places outside of the New York metro area have square footage! She did a few rows to my Unity scarf that will become my Inauguration scarf.

Oh, and I also met this cool lady (a washington exec) at a camera store in downtown Denver. I was buying a video camera and she saw my knitting bag, she struck up a conversation about her knitting exploits. She was so thrilled to meet a fellow knitter at the convention that she called over her two teenage children to meet me! I asked her to do a few rows to my scarf.

Anyway back to my diary. I really wanted to name this post, Lies for Free.

When I was in Denver, all the papers were for free at my hotel. I don't generally get my news from the print press anymore. I prefer the internets. Sometimes the same publication publishes different stories on the internets than in print. Why? Is better news available to people who can afford broadband? Anyway, on the internets I get to dissect rumor and innuendo from corporate and washington press releases by simply moving my mouse. A lot easier than plowing through reams of newsprint. It becomes a sporting event, I'm eager to see who wins in my mind...

But, last night I was smacked back to reality. McCain's wife's speech and his own was scary. So I've decided to interrupt my diary and lament. While I consider myself fortunate to have attended the DNC's convention and be a witness to history, I regret allowing myself to get pulled into a sort of naivete. True, the convention was indeed historic. Those 4 days were miraculous. How could a Sen. Obama, a black man who is the product of a formerly illegal miscengenated union, be in such position of possibility? His mother, the product of a working class white family, his father, an immigrant from a continent ravished by slavery, colonialism and war. How could they produce a constitutional attorney only decades after Jim Crow where it was practically illegal for black children to even learn to read?

Talking politics, I'm starting to get hung over. Last night after watching the RNC's nauseating proceedings I was reacquainted with why I was on a 12 step program to begin with. I have a problem. I know too much about politics while at the same time, I know little about politicians. They make stuff up, they talk about poverty while wearing diamond earrings, that could fund an entire village in India (see my side bar). They defy logic and lie in your face. They talk about the horrors of torture on one night and complain about Miranda rights on another. They talk about being victims of torture and be a part of an administration that builds secret torture prisons called black sites all across the world. They degrade community organizers which is probably one of the most thankless jobs (if you can call it a job because many do it as volunteers) while they hire lobbyist and travel to Washington begging for handouts. They tell you that family dramas are private while they constantly try to legislate what your's and mine family can and cannot do in the bedroom, in the classroom, in the doctors' office and what we can read in our libraries.

They lie to our faces with pomp and circumstance knowing that we want to be lied to, we want to delude ourselves, we demand more for others than we demand from ourselves.

My second day at the convention was filled with great hope. My naivete allowed me to ignore what was coming.

These are my children and I still maintain a glimmer of hope. Even though there are those who will try to confuse me, the issues and continue to plot to stay in power. I'll keep trying, for these guys...

...and the hope that this 78 year old woman maintained, who drove all the way from California to be witness to history at the DNC.

Car pooled democracy

2008-09-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well folks, you heard it. America is now supposed to go from a guy that guys want to have a beer with to a woman we can call up to car pool. No thanks. I prefer my country and my corporations to be run by smart people. Dumb people create Savings and Loans fiascos and FEMA diasters. If you are not sure if a bar boy or a hockey mom can fix this mess, start by checking out America's balance sheet after 8 years of the bar boy's reign...

Hard to find words after such a spectacle last night, but silly speeches ain't gonna get this country out of the mess created by the bar boy and his incompetent, greedy cronies.

Anyhoo, here are more pictures from the DNC convention.

If any of you are CSPAN addicts like me, you are familiar with Code Pink. A group of women who have decided to respond to our nation's wacky priorities by using wacky tactics to protest.

Now, I've seen many protests in my day but I must admit that this Code Pink lady used one of the best tactics I've ever witnessed. She got off of her bike when she saw these two policemen. She told them that they were so cute and strong, that she'd hate to know that they would be shot up in Iraq or ravished by sand fleas just so Halliburton could make another billion dollars. Not only did she get a 'rise' out of them, she got them to smile!

Did I tell you that there is a Starbucks on nearly every corner of downtown Denver? So much better than a bar on every corner like so many neighborhoods in Jersey. Here, right next to a Starbucks, was one of the DNC's credentials pickup offices. My first day in Denver, I stood on this line for well over an hour but it was cool because I got to drink coffee, have a great conversation with two women from Ms. Magazine and I got to knit!

One of the places I had the privilege to watch the Convention from included a popular actor who was getting a bit chilly in her lovely satin dress. I gave her my shawl that I had in my knitting bag.

my son snapped this picture of me wearing the same shawl at an outdoor festival in Denver on our last day there. Now my son thinks my shawl has been touched by hotness. I thought about giving the shawl to my son's hearthrob but it was made from Karabella's silky something or other and done in one of my favorite lace patterns - the candle flame shawl, I couldn't part with it. Can anyone guess who the actor is?

Well Kumar brought his own shawl, 'er vest. Actually he was volunteering and working quite hard too. He was trying to be inconspicuous but my son recognized him straight away!

One of the best dynamic speeches given during the entire convention was Congressman Dennis Kucinich's speech. He reminded us all that people can make change if we would just stand up!

Now, after watching the RNCs totally boring convention these past few days, I thought this picture my son took from the floor of the DNC best illustrates the difference in each party. Can you figure it out?

'nuff said

DNC Diary - Day 1

2008-09-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

My original intent for this trip was to be a passive observer, you know, to watch the ceremonial democracy thing in action. As a life long cynic, I thought I could lose myself into my knitting.

My two oldest boys were Pages

and I planned to "hang out" at the convention and not really feel anything other than my sweet skein of Black Bunny Unity yarn as I knitted up my election and inauguration day scarf. Wrong. As soon as we arrived in Denver, Convention fever was warming up. The entire city, it seemed had been transformed into Obamaville.

And, as a true stroke of luck, my hotel was Obama central with the entire Chicago delegation staying there.

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.

As much as I resisted, I got lured in. Hope and change flooded the city and was a constant reminder everywhere you went. It was OK to feel good about America again. It was OK to not feel embarrassed every time somebody from the white house spoke. It was OK to believe that civility could be brought to our country and perhaps, perhaps, we won't pick on the poor anymore, and religion is something you practice and not beat people over the head with and fear is not preferred over reason. Is it wrong to want these values even though our economy is based on selling anything that isn't tied down?

Ugh, I think I bought one of each

It was only the first day and already I was smiling at the possibilities!

Mile High Emotions

2008-08-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

I cried. I think my entire section was crying. A mother of a very blue eyed little girl and a Mississippi Delta lawyer were standing together cheering and crying. Yeah, I know Obama's acceptance speech felt like a Disney produced tent meeting but after these past tragic 8 years of Bush government, it was a moment of pride again, of exuberance again, of possibility again.

There were a few moments that were like WHAT? moments, such as - can anyone tell me what the hell is "clean coal"?

And the whole thing with pursuing the terrorists to their caves (which, by the way, were constructed with the assistance of the USA during the Russian/Afghan war so that the American sponsored terrorists could hang out to attack the Russians - but I digress...) I guess politicians say that kind of stuff.

All in all, I'm hopeful again. Not necessarily for nirvana or good government but for 'smart'. Hopefully something smart can come out of the white house again...

I've had one of the best weeks of my life. It does something to your psyche when you see thousands of people interested in making life better for others, whose activism is not about their careers but their conscience. Falling off the wagon, never felt so good!

Convention Update - Hope

2008-08-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

Many of us hanging out at the Convention tonight thought that the highlights were going to be: The delegate vote and the official delegate nominations; Bill Clinton and Biden's speeches. Well, when Obama came out at the end of the evening, I can't begin to relate the energy, the surprise, the utter astonishment the crowd expressed when he walked onto the staged. It was electric. People were cheering, stamping their feet, jumping up and down and crying - grown men! I was near many celebrities, and they too lost all composure. It was beyond incredible.

Tomorrow is the big speech at the stadium. We were all instructed to arrive shortly after 1pm for an 8pm acceptance speech by Sen. Obama. I have my knitting true, but, I haven't been able to fully focus on it. This entire experience of being at such an historic event has caught my imagination and turned it toward hope. I find myself transfixed.

Regardless of what the media people have said on the air (except for Faux News, of course); you should see the faces of the various reporters. They are overcome too. I see it in their haste to get to work each morning rushing to arrive at the Pepsi Center. I see it when they take their breaks and I see it when they pack it in at night. They don't quite grasp what the feeling is either. They know something is shifting and they too seem hopeful.

CONVENTION update

2008-08-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Quckie post as I don't have access to any computer or upload feature for my pictures. My laptop has decided to go on vacation without me.

If you don't have credentials in this town, you shouldn't have shown up! Security is tighter than a _____________ fill in your own visual!

I'm knitting up the Audacity Yarn I received from Blackbunnyfibers.com. I decided to do a pair of Dashing and I'm hoping I can slip them to Michele Obama before the big speech on Thursday. I finished up one glove while at the convention on yesterday. I was at the Pepsi Center from noon until nearly 11pm!

I'm staying at the Marriott Hotel, the same hotel as the Chicago delegation so the entire place has been transformed into an Obama oasis! Everything for sale in Denver, it seems, has something to do with Obama - I saw Obama water, Obama sunglasses, Obama suits and ties... If you were a silk screen genius, you would have made a mint here!

I can't imagine how I'm going to ship all of this crap back home. I have these giant Michele polls that were being waved around as she spoke. I have Kennedy posters, Change posters, Yes We Can posters... maybe I can sell off my dirty clothes to make room in my luggage??

Ok, going to go right now. Today at the convention, I'll beg a media person to use their laptop to upload some pictures. Wish me luck!

P.S. Check out the Jon Stewart show tonight. My college son just txt me to say that he and a bunch of other Pages did some kind of skit involving Healing - the theme for the convention tonight!

Falling off the Wagon

2008-08-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

For the past 7 years or so I've been on a self-imposed 12 step program. I am a recovering political junkie. Knitting has been my therapy and it has worked, for the most part. I kept this blog, for the most part, clean from politics. Right?

Staying "clean" during an election year is too much for anyone who suffers with my addiction. The worst part of politics, for me, is this elusive thing called truth. I don't think truth is possible in politics, I mean it could be fatal. Fatal to the liar and fatal to the 'liee'. And, it seems, it screws up marriages (and most countries) faster than any high speed beemer could! Unlike knitting. Truth is easily found with knitting. Like the time I attempted my first lace project without knowing how to read a lace pattern and not even bothering to reacquaint my 10 year old dormant skills with ssk or passo. This was my result

Notice the ginormous gaps randomly placed. duh? What was I thinking? I wasn't being truthful that's for sure.

In addition to not always being truthful with my knitting, I have knitting ADHD. I start lots of projects depending on my mood. I tell myself, "self, you're not hurting a soul by starting something else." You see you can't do that with war. It is advisable to finish one before you start another.

Here's a sample of all that I have on my needles right now and, fast fanny me, signed up some of these projects for the Ravelmpics!

My 2nd Shalom cardi
Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed

Margarita tank, Rowan cottan braid

Clapotis, Classic Elite Bam Boo Print
ran out, must find 1 more skein...

My first Shalom Cardi

My 2nd Pinwheel sweater
Ultra Alpaca

A mohair stadium sweater coat

Whelp, with all of that said and done, I'm off to the Democratic National Convention this weekend therefore falling off my 12 step wagon big time. What will I be doing? Knitting, of course, and I hope trying to get some of those delegates to chill and knit some too. I came across some great yarn at Black Bunny Fibers that I'll be bringing called Unity yarn.

I hope that by publicly knitting this yarn I can coax up some Unity. Am I being naive? Aw geez, cynicism crossed with expectation can equal farce but I'm hoping that I can get some delegates to help me knit up a unity scarf or something. I have to be hopeful, after these past 8 years of Katrina and war and rumors of war, it would be easier to go back into my knitting closet and shut out these issues and dream of color in smooshy socks. But, even Rumpelstiltskin woke up after a while...

Breaking News....

2008-08-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

In a previous episode, your heroic heroine here was informed that it was critical that she discover ways in which she could cut back her spending. After much knashing of the teeth, a miracle happened

hubby's new car

Don't ask me nothing, I don't know what it is, the year, make or model all I know is that it showed up exactly 1 week after the budget conference. Oh and it is a 2 seater (we have 3 boys) which suggests that somebody ain't gettin a ride!

I am relieved actually, because I won't have to give up 3 of my favorite things afterall -

yarn, books and thai food

So, let us review:

Beemer $45 grand plus; yarn $8; LeCarre novel $7.95; lunch at favorite thai resturant: $14.90. Being left the f%$# alone - PRICELESS!

Let 'em eat cake

2008-08-12T07:24:00.001-07:00

All of this talk about money and the economy is making me grouchy. I don't like being grouchy, it is not my nature. But now, it has been suggested that my talents as a knitter don't transcend into my general domestic skill set. Unfortunately for us domestic workers, our jobs can't be outsourced. Talk about a budget crisis. Imagine if every man had to bring in private contractors to tend to all of their needs?? Yes it is true, some of them do privatize some aspects of their lives (see Elliot Spitzer and a zillion other politicians). We know how expensive that becomes for just one measly (well maybe not so measly) outsourced job!

At a recent budget conference, it was suggested that I review ways that I could cut back. Hmmmmm. Immediately, ideas came to mind. I could stop buying diamonds but DeBeers would probably go bankrupt which wouldn't be a bad thing except I haven't bought diamonds since I learned what happens to miners who work to get those lovelies out of the ground.

It was suggested that I not buy too many clothes. While I don't sew my clothes, I wonder just how much longer I could stretch my size 8 clothes into my growing, perimenopausal size 10 frame? Which brings me to groceries. Cutting back on groceries was seriously reviewed. If I didn't eat so much and encouraged others to do the same, we could save a mint (I used to grow mint but nobody really noticed). I am a bad domestic engineer it has been determined. I pay too much for food. I reluctantly had to agree this point due to the recent Whole Foods beef recall. I've been buying Whole Foods beef forevah thinking that the 50% markup helped ensure that I wasn't eating diseased, penned up and barely- alive- stock. So yeah, I could save with groceries by cutting out those nice juicy steaks and organic burgers. Did somebody say dollar menu?

Let's see, what else. Oh, right, the yarn. Which my shrink (if I had one) would probably say is the real source of the conflict. I could stop buying yarn. And by extension, I'd have more time to clean and cook and launder and contemplate "reclaiming the home". I contemplated drugs instead...

Then, the existential in me wondered, WWJD?

After close reflection, I realized that for twenty five years, I had been getting it all wrong. My one indulgence

could have been solved by just saying no. Who knew that Nancy Reagan was right afterall...

Anyway, is it obvious I'm in a funk? My Pal Phyllis came to the rescue. She brought some yummy wild blueberry muffins that she picked and baked...

Brought tears to my eyes...

And, Phyllis and I have been doing this sock KAL. Yes the yarn cost $11 bucks (a 20% sale at her LYS). Where else in America can you get great friendship, and stuff to do for 11 bucks and end up with a pair socks in the process?

Simply Lace Socks, Interweave, '06

My first attempt at the pattern was done totally wrong. When you are blind with rage, I guess lace charts can be misinterpreted. I had to frog it. Here is the improved version...

I was so excited that I was able to "self correct" and catch up with my buddy, I took the one sock out to the pool, and in solidarity with the USA's swim team's successes we took a dip -

Don't try this at home, the pool hasn't been chlorinated in days due to budget constraints so there was no real danger of bleaching out these lovely Louet Gems Opel orange tones.

Phyllis then suggested we go on a really cheap adventure to a local flea market to just enjoy looking at all of the old stuff...

Imagine having to wash clothes in one of these buckets? Talk about domestic servitude??

I bought a bag of buttons for a buck and two mason jars for two bucks! You see, I am good at this economics thing.

To shake off all of these worries, I've decided to throw myself into Ravelry's Olympics. Lots of knitting without buying new yarn, lots of hours watching some of the best physiques in the world and I'll get lots of finished garments in the bargain. So, stay tuned to my progress and what I hope to finish before China's closing CG ceremony. Sometimes virtual ain't so bad.

News we could use...

2008-08-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Guest Blog, my pal Phyllis

2008-08-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Deborah for letting me guest blog- I had a lovely New England vacation in July, two nights in Boston while DH attended a meeting, and a week in New Hampshire.

I spent part of Friday in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the old mill.

Here's the loom room

There were only a dozen or so machines running, but still quite noisy. I'm sure that the workers had hearing problems, with them all running it would have been incredible. The looms are making fabric to become dishcloths-

Apologies for not having the camera during Saturday in Boston- we strolled through Beacon Hill side streets to the Common. Not only were the local canines getting their morning exercise, but two groups were doing Tai Chi. As we watched one group DH commented that "they really need swords". They took a break, and came back with swords! After the next break a small group worked with fans, excellent timing in the opening snap!

Then it was north to a hiking camp in New Hampshire. It's been described as a hiking camp with an eating disorder- the food was great, the camaraderie wonderful, the weather very wet. So the hikes were shorter, and at lower elevations than at some other times.

There were knitters galore- most evenings at least four sets of needles were going in the Lodge. I worked on socks, there were also afgans, sweaters, hats and scarves. Of course we needed a knitting related skit for the talent show. Performance art? Knitting in unison? A song? Someone mentioned the installation at MassMoca in 2005. Wonderful inspiration!

Below is our interpretation- brooms for needles, with climbing rope as yarn.

The presentation was well received. And of course you all need a view of the mountains….

Scenes of summer in my yard

2008-07-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

WTF???

2008-07-23T09:19:00.001-07:00

by Bethany Sanders Jul 21st 2008 9:15AM

Here's the good news: Disney is finally creating their first African-American princess. Here's the bad news: They just can't seem to get it right. The first version, The Frog Princess, was scrapped due to complaints that it was too stereotypical. The princess, named Maddy, was to be a chambermaid who worked for a spoiled white woman. Maddy is saved from a voodoo magician by a white prince, with help from her voodoo fairy godmother.

Disney's second version -- The Princess and the Frog --is still a musical set in New Orleans, but the company is keeping mum on most of the details. The heroine will be a 19-year-old named Tiana, and the film will be set in the Jazz Age. Disney says, "Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity." Let's all hope they do exactly that.

- from Parentdish

No woman no cry

2008-07-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's been an adventure this summer so far and it's only early July. I've wanted to post many times but first I had to clean out the hard drive in order to load more pictures.

So what happened?

It started with a ginormous oak falling in my front yard. No detailed pictures, too depressing. It was 9pm at night when I heard this loud crack and bam! I guess I should be glad that it didn't fall on the house but at the time, I sincerely thought that it fell on something - a moving car, a couple walking a dog... Fortunately none of that happened but it did cost nearly 3 grand to get the dang thing hauled away and get the cables to the telephone and internets fixed.

all that's left

I think I told y'all that I have a mouse. Well, obviously there is no such thing as a "1 mouse" infestation but I can't even go there right now imagining the possibilities. One night, I think, a mouse got into my bird's cage trying to rob some seed and, I think, the male bird fought it back because the next morning the PETA college son (who is responsible for me not calling in the exterminator in the first place) woke me up yelling that something weird happened to the birds. The male was really beaten up. His wing was hurt and all of his feathers on the injured wing was gone. Who the hell knows what really happened but that adventure cost me $175 for the vet.

happier times

I finally got to open the pool. The pool guys informed me that the chipmunks turned my heater into a chipmunk hotel. It is totally destroyed. The little buggers chewed up and redecorated everything inside. A new heater will cost me $3 grand but guess what? WHO CAME UP WITH HEATED POOLS ANYWAY? Pools are for cooling off. It ain't a bath tub! My boys will have to get used to swimming in a chilled pool.

With all of that going on, my hubby had nothing better to do but to paint my house. On a Monday morning these guys show up and commenced to totally destroy all of my flower beds around my house. Hydrangeas, specially selected hostas, perennials, roses - all trampled over or splattered with paint.

Even with a gorgeous face like that, he can make me so mad!

And, if that wasn't bad enough, it was the sulky 13 year old's graduation day and last day of school. So all of my last day of school/graduation preparations plans got shot to shit because I'm fuming over painters.

Graduation or the NBA draft? You don't want to know what I went through to get him to tuck his shirt in and take off that do-rag!

In order to prevent myself from totally wigging out, I decided that I required some pharmacological intervention. I reached for the Ativan. But, as I was so blind with rage, dumb me swallowed a couple of Ambiens instead! I don't need to tell you what happened at the graduation not that I could anyway because I have absolutely no recollection!

It was all a blur...

Several days later, the painters return. This time with power washers. They are now going to power wash the deck. Now the perennials in my flower beds are destroyed - coreopsis, lavender, dahlias... too many to list. I am now in the market for zoloft...

Then my new friend, Beate, tells me that she is moving back to Denmark. There was so much going on but I had to find the time to get together one last day to knit with her. Here we are with her friend Erin.

Erin then organized a group dinner where we could all say good bye.

Beate

So, have I been knitting. Yes, absolutely. How else would one survive?

Dream in Color's Smooshy

These are Kirsten's Achillea.

Interweave Knits Cable Rib Socks in ONline Supersocke Cotton color Beach

What else? I'm also almost finished with my pinwheel sweater that I frogged, I made a nice lace cotton scarf and I finished my mother-in-law's shawl. I'll show you when I take more pictures.

Oh, did I mention that the painters destroyed the cables to the internet, the tv and the telephone. At first I refused to intervene and have it fixed. Let the hubby painter/contractor deal with it. But then the children waged an insurrection and I had no choice (and no zoloft) so I called in the repairs.

When I was talking to my pal Phyllis about not knowing what to blog about because so much crap has happened, she suggested I keep it simple and show you my socks. But, alas, I need pity. So, here I am, trying to survive summer with 3 teenage boys and two teenage nieces (a whole 'nother chapter I'll talk about later) and a hubby who feels he can now (after 20+ years) "get involved" with fixing up the house.

But, when I tally it all up something so simple made all the dilemmas worthwhile.

A lovely yellow finch. I'm so easy to please!

Garden Club event

2008-06-24T03:54:00.001-07:00

My Garden Club hosted its Secret Garden Tour earlier this month.

This is the one time of the year that I feel like a little girl free to wander into strangers' yards and secretly smell all of their flowers.

This year we invited local artists to paint the gardens...

And while I got to enjoy the seasonal beauty of my neighbors' gardens, I couldn't help but wonder when I would find the time to finish my own...

Pool not opened, beds not prepared...

Sometimes the demands of life compete with all that I want to do in a day - reading, writing, gardening, knitting, laundry...

Only on the 7th day of June, it was no contest, I knew where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing...

I really need to consider becoming a vegetarian...

2008-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

About a dozen pigs, including this one, escaped from a flooded Iowa farm and made it to a levee. But they were shot and killed by authorities who said the animals threatened to weaken the barrier.

Dove Love

2008-06-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have this basket hanging on a hook on the wall on my back porch. I like baskets and I, er, well, sort of collect them. I can't pass them by at house sales or flea markets. For whatever reason, several years ago, I decided to hang one on the side wall adjacent to my back door.

One day I see this dove perched on it and I thought it was strange.

I really didn't think anything of it because I've had this pair of doves hanging out near my bird feeder for several years. I thought she was looking for food.

As it turned out, she was actually nesting... In the basket!
Wait, I have some better pictures...

That's the baby!

So now no one is permitted to use the back door. Then one day I see this...

THERE'S TWO!!

Chaperone Adventures

2008-05-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me how this happened, but I allowed myself to be talked into chaperoning my 8th grade son's 3 day school trip to Washington D.C. A few parents backed out at the last minute so how could I say no especially if it meant a solid 5 hours of bus knitting and a private room.

When I told the 8th grader, I thought he was gonna die.

I reminded him that mothers always have the last word

Meanwhile all of his friends (boys and girls) CHEERED when they learned that I'd be going. So while my son was embarrassed to know me, nearly 200 other kids appreciated my "coolness" and the child that I nursed until he was 4 years old and who is also responsible for everything that sags on my body, sulked. He also lobbied the principal to be on a separate bus. So, I baked cookies and bought boxes of the best donuts for my bus. I made the sulky child a bologna sandwich (my last word).

But as you all know, life (especially mine) is full of surprises...

THIS

AND THIS

FOLLOWED BY THIS totally screwed up the day.

Of course I would be on the bus that broke down. The only consolation was I got to see a black and tiny female state trooper. Ok, for all of you Non-Jerseyites, New Jersey State Troopers have a dubious history. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would have never believed my eyes when this very petite trooper with a giant trooper hat was for real. After I adjusted my eyes, and my camera, I realized that she was issuing instructions to the bus driver to get our bus off the highway, pronto, by getting it towed - WITH US ALL ON BOARD!!

The tow truck started to hitch our bus 'cause trooper girlfriend don't play, we had to scurry to get the kids back on the bus.

Then our very Irish tour guide who for obvious historical reasons that I don't need to recount to you all, matched attitude for attitude with trooper girlfriend and said that we were all going to sit and wait until our replacement bus shows up and if we were going to get towed it would be to Washington, D.C.!!

Trooper girlfriend left in a huff!

So, we waited

And waited...

And waited some more...

And started to lose all hope

I started getting bored and began taking pictures of traffic... Then I spot a bus!

Oops, wrong bus!

Help finally arrived 2 hours later and then we had to transfer stuff from the dead bus to the other (sans cookies and donuts - long ago devoured)

The rest of the trip went as most school trips go, you spend most of the time on the bus and enjoy drive by history -

Mount Vernon

Don't ask

The requisite Starbucks

Evidence of unending war esthetically displayed at Arlington National Cemetery

Evidence of national pride - baseball stadiums - we build these better than schools

Lord, we sure need him again

We were able to de-bus at the Capitol Building for a photo op (yes "they" still let us lowly citizens climb the capitol steps)

There were some museum stops (no pictures allowed) and a fabulous dinner cruise around the Potomac. We were also treated to a zany guided tour of Old Towne Alexandria, Virginia.

I found a 1792 Apothecary but tragically no yarn store

But I did find the chance to have a cup of java with Obama!

LYS chatter

2008-05-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

I have the best abbreviated conversations at my LYS. This week, after surviving a marathon week of too many school volunteer activities, I stopped in to just hang out and unwind. Phyllis was there talking about an upcoming dinner party she was hosting with her extended family. Another woman was there telling us about her successes with the cupcake hat. Check out the pom pom cherry, it is my humble contribution.

We got to talking about families and the their different occupations. One family member was in China during that dreadful earthquake. Another person was sharing the statistics of how many trees it takes to make chopsticks. I suggested that while it is true that losing so many trees to a table setting was not very earth friendly, I'd like to meet the guy who came up with the idea of using depleted uranium to make knives and forks. It was meant to be a mumble but another woman giggled. I forgot that she was a former engineer brainiac who knew all about weapons systems. Seriously though, you all should really be aware of the metals that are being used today. Buttons, jewelry, zippers, pots and pans, there is an entire industry that uses spent weapons metal and some people have shown to be allergic or dead but I digress...

We talked about the science of pom poms and pom pom makers and how many skeins of Cascade 220 it takes to make that Noni Medallion bag.

And speaking of bags, I've been making a bunch. It started one evening when I was visiting a friend who just closed her restaurant, Jezebel's

She's now semi retired. Because so many of us can't live without her food, she decided to open a small take out service instead. You should see the lines! Her restaurant is in the theatre district and on any given night you'll see all kinds of starving actors, bus drivers and wanna be rappers lined up to get potato salad and fried chicken!

Seriously, her restaurant attracted all kinds of people, Denzel, Stevie Wonder, DeNiro... I had been a client of hers for over 25 years. When I was working in New York, I was at her restaurant almost everyday after work.

As we were talking about old times she noticed my felted purse and asked me to make one for her. That began a marathon purse making phase trying to find a style that I could make over and over with some variations.

There's the Sophie bag, a cute idea but too small. There's the Clutch You'll Never Give Up - my new favorite - fast and functional. Booga bags, hobo bags, bucket bags, I've tried a bunch but so far, I prefer the clutch.

Felted pink Sophie

Prefelted

This striped bag started out as "My Constant Companion" but I somehow decided to change it - didn't keep any notes so I have no clue what I did.

This was supposed to be the Deco-Ribbon bag, an unfelted purse done in seed stitch. I used a felted handle. I found the vintage button at a craft fair.

Another bag that I knit from my stash. I think I used Plymouth's Boku for this one. It started out as a Booga bag and well, I went off somewhere.

I finally settled on a pattern that Berta K. of Karabella once wrote out for me. It is ginormous to knit but one of my favorite bags

I'll let you all know how it turns out!

Time for a Spanking

2008-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

You all know how much time I've spent driving my two sons to basketball practices, camps and games, right? I've never complained because I've heard many books on tape and finished lots of knitting in the process. But...

I'm pretty certain that with all of their talent and gorgeous genius, neither of them will grow to be a Lebron James. And, I'm equally certain, without any doubt, that LeBron's mamma spent far more time driving that giant from one basketball event to another. Having said all of that, I don't care how big or rich any of my children ever become, if any of my boys, evah think about telling me to sit my %$#& down because some fool decided to foul said son and nearly knock me out of my chair in the process, let it be known that I would pull out my belt, water bottle or even my shoe and beat the living daylights out of that child.

That's Lebron's mother in the white tee... the tiny woman he is yelling at

My Favorite MOTHER'S DAY video

2008-05-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Horsing Around

2008-05-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

What is it that drives someone to leave the comfortable streets of a Jersey suburb to the outskirts of... Queens, New York?

For years I shopped online at Smiley's yarns before the recent crop of yarn stores popped up around my town. Their website offers lots of closeout type stuff. I'd buy basic wool for felting and on occasion I could get some rather nice alpaca.

A few weeks ago, after dropping my oldest off at the airport, I realized that LaGuardia Airport is in Queens, New York and that Smiley's "warehouse" is there too. I punched the address into the ol' GPS and voila, I was driving down the combustible streets of Jamaica Avenue. Dang that was a mistake. It is one noisy street! Far noisier than Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn or any other street I've been down in the last 15 years.

Inside the store, the place was virtually empty (pun intended)! I guess they reserve their stock for internet sales.

Disappointed, I couldn't let this hare brained idea to go unchallenged so I set the GPS toward Manhattan and drove to Purl Soho in well, Soho.

Sorry about skimpy pictures but it's actually a good representation of how small the store is. Remember, New York City real estate is EXPENSIVE.

I couldn't not buy any yarn right? I bought a skein of this curly locks stuff intending to use it for an icord handle

Well it doesn't quite look like what I had intended so I'll have to figure out what to do with this

A few doors down from Purl's yarn store is Purl's fabric store.

Of course I bought some fabric. Who cares I don't sew

Oh and speaking of sewing, I bought this from Etsy, this girl can sew!

I got an entire set of double points to go into their neat little compartments!

Yeah, so I've been making lots of bags for gifts. I made this one for one of my sisters-in-law.

I used some stash yarn I bought last year at Rhinebeck. I found the brooch in North Carolina at a vintage store.

This bag was intended for my mother. I bought these cool leather straps for the handles but I'm not sure if I'll give her this one yet. Gifts for her are always so hard...

Finally, after horsing around driving here and there, would you believe that I stumbled upon a retirement home for horses? I was driving my youngest to a basketball event when out of the blue I saw these adorable horses. They were in various stages of recovery from something or another. I didn't want to leave. They were so sweet.

May Day

2008-05-01T07:07:00.001-07:00

As we celebrate spring and our adoration of yarn and all things fibrous, please remember the textile workers who perhaps cannot enjoy our enthusiasm because of harsh working conditions and/or poor wages. May Day is International Workers Day:

The mill owners often took in orphans to their workhouses, they lived at the mill and were worked as hard as possible. They spent most of their working hours at the machines with little time for fresh air or exercise. Even part of Sunday was spent cleaning machines. There were some serious accidents, some children were scalped when their hair was caught in the machine, hands were crushed and some children were killed when they went to sleep and fell into the machine.

In the late nineteenth century, the working class was in constant struggle to gain the 8-hour work day. Working conditions were severe and it was quite common to work 10 to 16 hour days in unsafe conditions. Death and injury were commonplace at many work places and inspired such books as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Jack London's The Iron Heel. As early as the 1860's, working people agitated to shorten the workday without a cut in pay, but it wasn't until the late 1880's that organized labor was able to garner enough strength to declare the 8-hour workday. This proclamation was without consent of employers, yet demanded by many of the working class.

In the spring of 1911, a fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. It is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This incident should be remembered because it reminds us of the inhumane working conditions many industrial workers endure in order to have a job. Factories, for many, epitomizes the extremes of industrialism and greed.

Many of the Triangle factory workers were women, some as young as 15 years old. They were, for the most part, recent Italian and European Jewish immigrants who had come to the United States with their families to seek a better life. Instead, they faced lives of grinding poverty and horrifying working conditions. As recent immigrants struggling with a new language and culture, the working poor were ready victims for the factory owners. For these workers, speaking out could end with the loss of desperately needed jobs, a prospect that forced them to endure personal indignities and severe exploitation.

Fits and Starts

2008-04-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Fits
I've been collecting Obama stuff. I mean, you all know, I collect yarn. I've not shared all the other ~~crap~~, ~~junk~~, collectibles I enjoy ~~hoarding~~, collecting.

Who could resist, Obama lip balm? Right? I mean who came up with that idea?

I have Lady Bird Johnson pens, Kennedy biographies, Nixon videos, Johnson tapes. A compulsion you ask? Hardly. Look at this, it's what my pal Phyllis sent me this morning. Now collecting Pyrex is a compulsion!

Starts

Remember I told you all about this project. Not done anything with it since I started it. Who knew that knitting with nubby, bulky yarn could cause your wrists to seize?

Fits
I spent the day in the ER on Saturday. I was coming out of the bank and all of a sudden I felt panicky, my palms were sweating and my heart started racing. I've been to the bank in the past when they were just about ready to slap me because of my poor accounting but that didn't happen this time. I honestly thought I was about to have a heart attack!

I drove myself to the ER, we have a hospital right in town. Five hours later, I'm hooked up to all kinds of machines and some kind of IV drip to inject dyes into my blood so that the CAT scan could see where it is my last serving of Fettuccine Alfredo got clogged in my arteries. But they found Nada. Nothing. Good thing I suppose. My doctor asked me how many kids I had. When I told him that I had 3 teenage boys. He actually gasped when he noticed my age (49) and said that I was probably starting perimenopause or my kids were working my last nerve. Actually he didn't say any of that but he did channel those thoughts into my head by the look he gave me when he said that living in Ridgewood is very stressful. What the %$#$ does that mean? Sarcasm, I hate it when other people use it against me. Geez.

Starts
As I was getting dressed I overheard a nurse pleading with a very old woman across the hall to take off her girdle. This was going on while I was pulling and tugging with my jeans to get them over my hips and fastened. Girdle? People still wear girdles?

"I don't feel dressed if I don't have on my girdle." says the old lady
"Well exactly, Mame, I'm trying to get you to unwind and relax until the doctor comes in."
"I would never see the doctor without my girdle on, nurse."

As I fumbled with my zipper, it hit me. I could buy a girdle and this would go so much better. Sure, I'd probably do irreparable harm to my internal organs but I could finally tuck my shirts in again.

Exhibit A:

I'm going to order a dozen!

Fits
Etsy. It's become an illness. You could actually go shopping there and never hit the same store twice. Look what I had to have for just $15 bucks

It's a kit I bought from Heather Knitz. It's knit with strips of fabric. Really nice but I feel my wrists seizing...

Starts
One of my favorite blogs is, Through the Loops. You can find lots of great stuff to knit over there. I'm doing these, now that I'm out of Jaywalker purgatory:

Achillea and Anna's Socks. Isn't it pretty, I'm using Dream in Color's Smoochy

I've got a whole lot more stuff on the needles but I enjoy the variety, I make no excuses just enjoy being able to knit what I want when I want, no pressure, no goals just knitting.

Karma

2008-04-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Whelp, I survived the play. It actually was pretty, pretty good. My son's love scene was a fully clothed one so I remained fairly conscious even with all of the apparently real kissing and rolling about the stage.

The weekend away wasn't without other adventures. My telephone didn't cooperate and I missed many attempts to be contacted by Stacy over on Crimson Purl. Bummer. It would have been fun to have finally met her and take in some shop visits.

Traveling out of town wreaks havoc on one's calendar. I had to handle lots of business by phone - like planning my 13 year old's Africa Day at his school, overseeing huge homework projects and a myriad of other things. Stacy, that's how I burned out my cell phone and missed your calls!

I also missed my 16 year old's big track meet.

And the terrific spring weather that got all the trees to finally blossom here in New Jersey

All in all, I was so glad that my husband insisted that I go to the play even though I knew that it was going to be ~~a bit~~ really weird. It was so worth it.

So, what does all of this have to do with Karma you ask? Well, as with all addicted knitters, one of the first things I attended to when I returned was to run by my LYS to see what I missed. Phyllis was back from her first cruise vacation and I so wanted to hear all about that. Then, as if on queue, this guy shows up

A Buddhist monk stopped in to ask Phyllis if she would put up an announcement in the store window. If that is not confirmation that my LYS, Phyllis and I have good Karma, I don't know what is!

Cloud Nine

2008-04-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

No, I am not on Cloud Nine. That, is the name of my college son's play. I'll be flying out to North Carolina to see him in his first college theatre production. Once you've read the play's synopsis, below, you'll understand my trepidation:

CLOUD NINE is about relationships -- between men and women, men and men, women and women. It is about sex, work, mothers, Africa, power, children, grandmothers, politics, money, Queen Victoria and... sex. It unlocks the imagination, liberates the mind, and leaves you weak with laughter.

I'll certainly be weak, for sure, from cringing...

What I've been knitting....

A nubby, slubby vest

I sweet silk scarf

And, I'm making this shawl for my mother-in-law.

I love my mother-in-law. She lives far away in central america.

Of course this is many years ago when she was a very young woman. I don't think I ever looked that good.

It has been many years since we've last seen each other and I miss her wisdom, her laughter and most of all, how she keeps my husband in line!

This is a photo of one of the last times she visited us here in the States. Oh, and that's my father-in-law in the center, he's way cool too!

Well, I'm off to pack for my brief trip. Wish me luck 'cause how I'm 'spose to handle my son doing a love scene, I'll never know!

Life just seemed so much more simpler when they were young...

A Ravelry Adventure

2008-04-05T22:45:00.001-07:00

Those of you who haven't enough knitting and tend to waste your hours away on Ravelry vicariously checking out what other knitters are doing would appreciate this. Over on the Jon Stewart Group, I decided that it would be fun for a bunch of us to meetup for one of his tapings.

That's Kimberly, me Hila and Kimberly's sister Tracie

We stood on line and happily chatted and knitted/crocheted the hours away. Just before we were led into the studio, we had to pass through an official looking xray machine and empty our belonging into a plastic tub, airline style.

My addi turbos holding my jon stewart beenie was unceremoniously confiscated! A very cute black security guard placed it into a lock box. I pleaded with him and his face said that he wished that he could "hook a sista up", but his job was a bit more important. Even after I explained that my addi's have blunt tips and only the addi lace turbos have pointy tips... He wasn't impressed. He liked his job and wasn't going to be seduced by a 49 year old knitter, not even one from Jersey.

He did, however, give me a dreamy look of regret and promised me that they would be safe and that he would personally return them to me after the show. So went all of our knitting, put away in a dinky plastic safe as if they were dangerous. Oh, world, how little you know ye. Knitters are the most peaceful, law abiding, generous....

Inside the show, with absolutely nothing to do with my hands, we waited another hour until the warm up show began. A very funny comedian comes out to "warm up the crowd". It was funny but I was still pouting about my incarcerated knitting. Then we were instructed on how to clap and and when not to clap. Since I had nothing in my hands I guess I could be a good clapper.

When Jon Stewart came out he was very perky. He said that he likes to start the show by asking if anyone had any questions:

Me: "Do you knit?"

Jon: "Er, no?"

Me: "Precisely, because if you did you would not have instructed your very cute security guy to confiscate my knitting BEFORE I got to finish your hat."

Jon: "So you think that two sharp implements that you could theoretically gouge the eyes out of any unsuspecting guest isn't reason enough to lock up those weapons."

Me: "They aren't weapons they are addi turbo needles."

Jon: "So those needles have names, do they? What other kind of needles are there and why are YOUR needles so special"

Me: "There are many kinds. My needles ARE very special and as a matter of fact, some people are so devoted to them they refer to themselves as 'Addi Ho's'."

Jon: "For some reason, when I think of 'Ho's' I don't think of knitters...."

unclaimed Jon Stewart hat

Knitting Through It

2008-03-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Knitting Through It, is a lovely book by Lela Nargi. She has gathered together sweet and inspiring stories from knitters here and there who find comfort in this therapeutic art. My friend, Barbara, shared this book experience with me and it has been a comfort indeed.

Diversions

2008-03-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

bootie experiment

My knitting habit(s) is becoming more and more bizarre. I think it is because of the election. I'm trying so hard not to get too hopeful but I can't help it. Our country is in bad shape. I've almost run out of ways to explain it all to my teenage sons. I'm now resorting to these lame remarks:

My response to College son when he asks about the economy: "Well, the Great Depression was pretty bad."

My response to High School son when he asks about the whittling away of our civil liberties: "Well, slavery sucked and Jim Crow wasn't fun either."

My response to my Middle School son when he asks about why we are hassled when we travel: "Think about Ann Frank, she couldn't leave her room... "

The dozen or so projects I've got going keeps my mind off such depressing thoughts. I've got a variety of things on the needles: baby stuff, garments, bags, scarves, hats, dishcloths, toys (why?). I've got to get some order to this stuff.

My First Sophie bag

And, to complicate things even more, I OD'd on that bag sale at my LYS. I'm ashamed to say how much of a haul I have but suffice it to say I won't be buying any yarn for a few years, at least!

Play date Diversions
A couple of weeks ago, I got to hang out with two blogger buddies. I met fellow knitter, Nancy, at Expressions Yarns in Englewood. She is a professional singer.

One of Nancy's album covers

She was at Expressions finishing up the most beautiful burgundy mohair coat. That's right I said coat - floor length! Later, that week she called to invite me to see Mos Def at the 92nd Street Y.

It was fun. I really enjoyed his talk and it was a blast to be with such an eclectic audience. Thanks Nancy for getting me out of the house and into the New York City for some non-knitting fun!

And more Diversions still
My button stash was kind of low so I was eager to visit my town's annual antiques fair to replenish my supply.

whimsical buttons from Modern Yarn, Montclair, NJ

Hope is a blogger buddy I met at the same yarn store as Nancy. She recognized me from my blog! She joined me for lunch and a trip to the fair and we both ended up buying tons of vintage buttons!

Diversions as Delusions
Well, life goes on even if something as personal as religion has become a central focus in a country that is supposed to separate church from state -

Well, I guess, at least, we are now talking about the hard stuff.

But no Diversions here
Spring break has just ended for my gone-off-to-college son. He was happy to just come home to eat.

I was too happy to oblige and not have to worry about having to find him hung over on some far flung beach!

Diverting our Attention
So far, with all of the problems in our country, the robins still migrate in spring. They don't care if I've cleaned out my flower beds or not. Mother Nature never waits for me, nor does time, history, or the facts of life - even if I don't have the answers yet...

RUN, DON'T WALK

2008-03-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here Ye Here Ye
Yarn Sale
Close Knit Yarns
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

$40 Bag Sale

Fill up a Close Knit shopping bag with their sale selection yarn. I filled up a bag of Jo Sharp cotton -

nearly 20 skeins!

Marathon Knitting

2008-03-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Last week was my Library's annual author lunch. It is our biggest fund raiser for the year. We host anywhere from 500 - 700 guests!

This year we featured Lisa See and her book Peony in Love. I must say she is a delightful speaker and was one of our best.

Each board member has to drum up gift baskets to auction so that means a bunch of marathon knitting for me. Why I don't spread this out throughout the year, I'll never know. Marce, over on Brown Berry Chronicles, has started a KAL to do just that but I've not compiled my list as yet because of the auction and some Easter knitting I'm doing for my lovely nieces.

I made several little girl baby hats. Our basket maker, Sharon, did a lovely job bundling up all of the goodies.

I also contributed a Yarnaholic's Yarn Tour. A day of touring local yarn stores and learning about different brand names and artisan yarns. I made a small clutch too and included the fantastic book by Clara Parks, The Knitter's Book of Yarn.

Pattern: The Clutch You'll Never Give Up, from the One Skein book

My terrific LYS, Close Knit Yarns, donated a basket too -

I also got a couple of my neighbors to donate baskets. Tim Harper is a local author who recently published, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Constitution (there is one aspiring politician I sure would like to give this to!). Tim donated some books on beer he authored and I included some exotic brews to go along with it.

My garden club did a basket featuring an event we are doing with the extraordinary Simone Pickering, the florist to Prince Charles, Elton John and many others. She is visiting our club from England on Thursday, May 15 from 7-9pm. If you are interested in attending, drop me an email at deedeenet@aol.com.

A neighborhood dad donated a signed football.

Jeff Feagles, kicker, New York Giants, Superbowl champs!

There were tons more baskets and we all had the best time. Now to get ready for my lovely niece's new baby. Marce I need help!

Turning the page

2008-02-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of you have heard that phrase once or twice (and very often during this election season). My experience with it recently came by way of a shawl that I endeavored to create. I just remembered that I own one of the very wonderful Barbara Walker Treasury of Knitting Patterns book -

I decided to try one of the lovely lace stitch patterns for an over sized stole that I plan to wear to my library's annual luncheon. I had just gifted myself nearly 750 yards of some delicious Habu yarn that I bought for a mere $20 bucks from Purlsoho.

After about 3 repeats of a 12 line pattern my lace didn't look anything like the picture.

What could possibly be wrong? I began to wonder about my lace knitting skills, could I be so lame after all of these years and not know it?

Then, in an attempt to find a more mindless lace pattern, I turned the page and Voila! There were 18 more lines to the dang pattern!

Now that's much better

There were other surprises to my weekend. I turned 49 and that feels as bad as I imagined it would. A blizzard blew in out of the blue

and screwed up any attempt at fun canceling a weekend trip to Boston that was to include a basketball tournament (yeah big whoop). I had dreams of lunching on Boston clam chowder and touring yarn stores while my son ran around some basketball bubble. Instead, I got to be tormented by the child because I decided not to risk my way too old life and drive among New England's historically bad drivers in 20 degree weather on 2 feet of snow!

In the end, I managed to divert my attentions by watching the rerun of the Obama/Clinton debate.

National politics is sometimes a lot kinder than the dirty tricks my 13 year threatened me with if we didn't at least try to drive to Boston.

I'm not ashamed to say that I ignored him while I instead yelled at the TV, jabbing points with my needles and otherwise pretending that I could solve the nation's problems if only my son would stop whining about his bad fortune for have a wussy mother who is afraid to drive in a blizzard.

Knitting is my salvation for now, look what I got done in just a couple of hours!

Lamb's pride bulky, 2.5 skeins

If only I could stop pondering what it feels like to be as old as my mother. I guess I'll just turn the page on that one.

It's all Ravelry's fault

2008-02-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

So, I'm minding my own business, checking out the pages over on Ravelry when someone posts a picture of some Peaches & Cream dishcloth yarn. It caused me such a dilemma. I had sold off most of my dishcloth yarn some months ago and thought I'd give that fad a rest for a while.

Alas, I couldn't resist those colorways

Those people over at Elmore-Pisgah must have used magic to process my order because I got my package in just a couple of days. And, to make matters worse, I learned that their plant is in North Carolina, the grand state where my son's tuition payments goes! Now, I can't wait for Homecoming weekend!

I did set some rules with this repeat fad. I must churn out a bunch now. So check out what I've done so far. Instant gratification love:

I made several Valentine's themed cloths to give away

Mary Anne over on Miss Wolly Knits shares her lovely Feather and Fan recipe. It is a breeze to knit. I could make these all day.

I've always admired Hakucho's ball band cloths so I thought I'd give it a try myself

Chairpads are now in my future!

And a whole lot of knitting going on

2008-02-01T18:41:00.001-08:00

As you all are well aware by now, I'm stuck sitting around a lot. I sit for hours watching my boys play basketball. I sit in lots of school and community meetings. So, I get to knit a lot. This week alone, I totaled over 10 hours of meetings and games. So what did I get done??

My LYS had a few balls of Rowan Ribbon Twist in the 40% sale bin. The trick for me is to USE THE YARN RIGHT AWAY. I made the tam the same afternoon.

My weird and wonky cables

I finished up my second pair of Dashing using this fabulous Zara yarn that I bought the same day I met two blogger buddies for the first time - Ina and Monica. Monica, who works at Stix-n-Stitches and hosts the group over on Ravelry, told me about the first Ravelry meetup at her store in Montclair.

There, as I was leaving, I met Ina -

She called me by my name having recognized me from my blog. As I looked beyond her bicycle helmet, I realized who she might be because Ina often blogs about her bike riding adventures! So cool.

Over at my LYS, Close Knit in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, Jen, was finishing up her pinwheel sweater. It was soooo nice, I said to myself, "self, you should make one for ourselves." And so I am.

After miles of veritgo inducing, ever expanding stitches for that dang pinwheel sweater, I decided to try something a bit more fun. I had a few skeins of Silk Garden in the ol' stash so me and my ADD self, started this simple tank top from Vogue's Winter '04 edition.

Ribbed U-Neck Vest

And speaking of knitting stores, I saw this great blocking board and table over at the Skein Attraction in Teaneck, NJ that I've been saving my pennies to buy. I hope to pick it up this weekend so I can block the vest and seam it up.

Last but not least is my 3rd pair of Dashing. The yarn, Bernat's Cashmere, inspired by Beate's friend,Erin.

Properly placed cables

This weekend, if all goes well, I'll get some reading done(Free Lunch, David Cay Johnston) and a few Valentines Day dishcloths I'm making for Mom.

God don't like ugly

2008-01-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

I don't get to watch a lot of TV. I prefer watching a movie and I almost always knit through it. I do watch Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report and the occasional network news performances but for hard news, I prefer to get serious analysis from the internets. There is one tiny exception to all of this, I watch Larry David when I want to laugh out loud.

Well, last Friday night, my boys didn't have any scheduled basketball so what did they want to do with all of their spare time? Go see some basketball. I managed to get last minute, cheap Knick tickets (yes, they do suck) and I grabbed my knitting bag and we rushed for the 6:50 to New York City.

It was on the trip home, that I got some excitement. When former New Yorkers are sequestered too long in sterile suburbia, we tend to marvel at the pageantry of strangers. So when this lady grabs a seat across from us with this little chihuahua tucked in a bag, I perked up and got ready for the show. As she fussed over the dog getting him comfortable, I noticed that she and the dog had matching knitwear! My children are always eyeing me when we are in public. They like to get some indicator before they think I'm going to embarrass them. My sons saw me looking at the lady and noticed the knitted garments too, gave me the signal - "pleeeeze don't say anything to that lady about her and her dog's scarf."

"I'm not going to say anything but can I at least admire it?"

Then the lady pulled out a book on Freida Kahlo. I just thought the whole thing was so cool so I started to take pictures. My children, who only lived in New York for a couple of years, had the nerve to tell me that I was being rude and that everybody knows that you don't take pictures of strangers without their permission. I told him that those rules don't apply in New York. Wink, wink.

They begged me to put the camera down. I obeyed only because at that moment I remembered that Larry David episode, Rat Dog and I started to laugh out loud!

The boys knew exactly what I was laughing at as if they dreaded the moment when I would see the coincidence beyond the knitting and told me to be quiet. I told them that as a former New Yorker, I knew personally that people can be anything they wanted, act anyway they wanted and certainly laugh at anything they wanted without the fear of drawing attention to oneself. So there.

They were rescued by the conductor who called our stop and the boys bolted for the doors. I hurried after them and LEFT MY CAMERA ON THE SEAT!!! Fortunately, a man ran off the train with it and kindly handed it to me. I stood there in shock, the end of my photographic life flashing before me.

That's when my son, not missing a beat, said, "tsk tsk, I guess God don't like ugly."

Where do children get the nerve?? Anyhooo, how can you not take pictures of that face!

Uneasy EZ mittens

2008-01-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

I'm not one for fads. I am very impressionable though when it comes to knitting - is that the same thing? Last week I got together with fellow blogger Beate and her friend Erin. We sat in Beate's lovely kitchen and drank delicious pressed coffee and ate homemade cookies while we knitted and chatted about knitting projects as if we were planning dinner (projects that were marinating) or what to do about misbehaving children (projects given a time out).

I realized that the 3 of us were knitting a bunch of internet popular knits: Dashing fingerless mitts; Grumperina's Jaywalker socks; Knitty's Colorimetry headband and Jared's Elizabeth Zimmerman's Mitered Mittens from EZ's Knitter's Almanac.

Beate's friend was knitting up a pair of Dashing using a shockingly scrumptious Bernat yarn (65% acrylic, 30% nylon and a mere 5% cashmere but what the hey?). It really did feel like true cashmere so the next day I bought 2 skeins.

This is my version of Dashing, demented isn't it? I don't know how I did those crooked cables but I tried to divert attention away from them with the cutesy bow.

That's Beate modeling one of her lovely shawls and the mitts that got my attention. For the next two basketball games I tried making my own version but instead of using Silk Garden as Beate did, I decided on Kureyon. I've got a bunch of skeins to burn since I've decided not to knit that other internet fad - the Lizard Ridge afghan.

Ok, so when I got home, I dug out my Knitter's Almanac and browsed through Jared's blog to see if he translated oracle Zimmerman's pattern into something spazzes such as myself could follow. Nope. His is equally vague. So I say to myself, "self, you are a self respecting knitter, figure it out!"

My thumbs fit fine but they look oh, so wonky! Onto the superfriends site, Ravelry. There's bound to be some instructions that are not pitifully "pithy". I found that Grace, had some ideas and she even emailed me to help but I'm sorry to say that my results looked nothing like her lovely ones.

I decided to plunge forward and do my thumbs the EZ way. I almost wanted to close my eyes before I snipped -

EZ says to cut into the finished mitten just where you want the thumb to be. Yites!

Then pick up the loose stitches...

So far so good...

Not bad, right?

EASY afterall!

Politics, knitting and banking - oh my!

2008-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

During this campaign season, I'm getting a lot of knitting done. I used to be a political maniac until 8 years ago, when the political landscaped changed to a totally unsurveyable cesspool of partisanship. That's when I picked up my needles again. I decided then that I was going to knit my way through all of the confusion. I read Greg Palast's, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. I learned that our voting rights ain't all that it is cracked up to be and that campaigns will probably go the way of that American Idle tv show.

Enough about that except after the crazy New Hampshire primary, my manic knitting has begun again...

Do you think if I cried, I'd be able to get out of Jaywalker purgatory?
I'm not allowed to move on to a different sock pattern until I master this one.

Which candidate is the most photogenic?
I finished this hat at one of my son's marathon basketball games (he plays Varsity and JV) 3 hours of basketball = 3 hours of knitting!

I gussied up the hats I made for my son's coach's new baby.
Do candidates kiss babies anymore?

These cute buttons are from Modern Yarn in Montclair, NJ.
Now that those pesky FDA regulations have been removed, it just might be healthier to eat these!

Look!

My pal Phyllis gave me this fun gag gift. It's a bank for me to save up for yarn! This will seriously come in handy with the recession looming. I wonder what Neil Bush thinks about the mortgage crisis?

Don't you just love this!

Post Holiday Roundup

2008-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well the holidaze are over and I've recovered somewhat. It would have been way easier if there weren't two Christmas basketball tournaments that had me driving up and down the eastern seaboard when I should be home eating fruitcake and sipping eggnog. Anyway, the 13 year old's team won their division so he was filled with good cheer.

At 13, that's about as broad a smile you'll get

Things were a bit more complicated with the 16 year old's team including the fact that his coach's wife give birth to their first child on the second day of the tourny. I decided to whip up a few infant hats during one of the marathon game days.

Overall, Christmas was sweet and the children grateful. No more standing on line waiting for the new power ranger toy or trolling ebay for something equally stupid. When your children grow older and you've managed to sufficiently counterpropagandized them, they don't demand the latest consumer over priced item. Well, er, except for these -

I'm ashamed to admit this but I was at Finish Line at 6:30 AM to buy these size 13, Jordan retro something or other sneaker. Limited edition of course. I know, I know, I'm guilty.

Santa and I agreed that the 16 year old should have his own computer so I decided to wait. Besides it is high time that I reacquaint myself with 21st century technology and figure out how to fix this dang thing myself the way I could have 20 years ago.

Santa knows I like yarn. But Santa believes that I don't need anymore yarn. Santa then decided to gift me with these...

I'll let them speak for themselves

Did someone say knitting?

I finally finished the swing coat I started over a year ago. It is from Expressions Yarns in Englewood, New Jersey. Don't ask me what it cost.

An unintentional sailor hat

I've discovered, too late, an ugly Kureyon colorway

When your college student comes home for the holidays

2007-12-19T20:05:00.001-08:00

I have a book idea. It's called, "How to Live With A College Student".

Chapter 1: Laundry 101.
Chapter 2: Why your living room is not a dorm.
Chapter 3: Why your sofa is not a spare room for touring college friends.
Chapter 4: Snack food is not breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Chapter 5: How to get your child to stop texting while they are asking for money.
Chapter 6: How to get your child to text you to say they will not be home for the night.
Chapter 7: When should the family car be returned to the family.
Chapter 8: Laundry 102.
Chapter 9: Chores, and how to inspire a college student to do them.
Chapter 10: Prozac is your friend.

Lots of knitting, not many pictures

Dashing

I love this pattern from Knitty, the companion to Fetching. I made the first pair using Patons Wool. This one is Zara I think. I snapped this just before I frogged it because I did the cables in the wrong direction.

As some of you know, many of us here in Jersey are snowed and iced in. I shouldn't complain considering what my nephew is dealing with in Oklahoma. Still, December, in my mind, should never include snow - I don't care what that song is dreaming about. I need December to get adjusted to winter. To get cold and snow in the same month makes me want to just sit in my kitchen with a hot cup of java and simply spend the day looking out of the window -

Fortunately, there are some fun and games in December, not just lists, shopping and cooking. My garden club had its holiday party at a local restaurant this year. I was on the decorations committee. We gathered in my kitchen the night before and made 10 centerpieces and decorated a small tree.

My computer is still acting weird. For some reason, it won't let me comment on many of your blogs, some pages won't load and my bookmarked list of my favorite blogs isn't recognized in Firefox. Hopefully, during the holiday, I'll either get the time to fix it or Santa will bring me a new machine.