May 2006 Archives

The Precious

This doily, named Precious, is designed by Patricia Kristoffersen. It was made using size 10 Steinbach Wolle Maxi Ombre thread on a size 0 Clover Soft Touch steel hook. The diameter is about 16 inches from point to point.

The pattern comes from the booklet Simply Delightful Doilies, published by Leisure Arts #3129. I have also made Memorable and Impressive from this group of patterns.

This doily now resides with its current owner. All images are clickable to view greater detail.

Taken at the Nation Museum of Health and Medicine

When you are done reading my Monday Memories, seeing my Wordless Wednesday, or checking out my Thursday 13, stop on over at Long, Slow, Beautiful Dance and say hello to Laci.
Her blog features Thursday 13, memes, rants, and contests!

Her blog seems to be fairly new, so help her out and give her a little traffic!

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Visiting Graceland & Memphis? Our Elvis Experience I'm not a real Elvis fan. I have seen some of his movies. I have heard his songs, yet I am more fascinated and curious by the popularity of Elvis. Which is why I wanted to tour Graceland. Elvis lived larger than life. He had his own style, and wore flamboyant clothing that on any other man would be construed as being gay. But Elvis carried it off with ease. Just about any souvenir or item you can think of has been Elvis-tized. I found an Elvis shaped cookie cutter at one of the many gift shops across the street from Graceland. It's almost surreal. Our tour to the mansion was on a rainy day. When we got inside the house I was amazed at how small it really felt, but then we were only allowed to walk through hallways and look into rooms behind a velvet rope. The Jungle Room had to be the weirdest. All of the walls were carpeted in a thick green pile. Even the stair tower. The kitchen was preserved from the 70s. Olive appliances, yellow and orange. A special building housed Elvis' records and suits. I always thought he wore polyester jumpsuits. Turns out that they were really a fine wool blend. My favorite was the gold lame suit. Found Downtown One of the most curious things we found was a street named November 6th Street. That just happens to be Pooky's birthday. It's just an alley that suddenly ends and then picks up again on the other side of buildings. I didn't find out about the history behind the name until a couple of years later. Part of our exploration of Memphis was Beale Street in which we spotted a goat tower. Right in the middle of the block between two brick buildings was a grassy patch and goats were wandering around and they had their very own tower to climb. Duck March I had heard about the famous Peabody Hotel marching ducks. Twice a day the ducks march: in the morning they descend from their mallard condo and swim in the hotel's fountain. In the evening they march back up to their penthouse and do whatever it is that ducks do.The hotel was grand and I wish we could have stayed there. We had fun exploring all of the stuff that was open to the public. I was amazed at how many people came to see the ducks march. It's quite the tourist attraction! Real Barbecue Memphis is known as being the place to go to eat barbecue. So we grabbed some local brochures and decidedt o try barbecue at a place called Neely's. I was new to the world of barbecue so I had no idea what wet or dry ribs meant. I only knew I wanted ribs. Lots and lots of ribs! Looking back on our visit to Memphis, I would now want to eat at other barbcues because I can't get enough of slow cooked meat and secret formula barbecue sauces. We left the state of Tennessee and drove through Arkansas on our way to stop at Mansfield, Missouri, the final home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, which will be next week's Monday Memories. Links to other Monday Memories

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I've Been Officially Canadianized!

Noricum sent me an official Canadian maple leaf and finger puppet beaver in the mail making me bona fide Canadianized! I am completely giddy with glee over this, because well, I admire Canada! Many of my favorite authors and entertainers call Canada their home.

Thank you, Noricum for bestowing this great honor to me!

C'SP Goodies

My C'Ville Secret Pal sent me a package of goodies! Included is a cute story about fireflies and there are blinky lights at the end! A strongly scented lavender sachet, some purple beads, a Baby Stewie fridge magnet and a crocheted book thong!

She's been sending me way-cool e-cards, too! One was of a cheeseburger and I thought it was a hoot! It made me realize it has been awhile since we made the pilgrimage to Fuddrucker's. Hmmmm.....

Thank you, Secret Pal!

Perfect Score!

The winner of the Ostomy Anniversary Quiz/Contest is Stacey! She answered them all correctly. She chose to receive a $25 gift certificate to Knitpicks.com.

Honorable Mentions

Trish had the second best score with missing only one question. Joy had the third best score with missing only two. They will receive a consolation mystery surprise!

The Answers

1. 15 years ago 2. Ian Sophia 3. 1.125 inches 4. A colostomy is a stoma coming off the colon; an ileostomy is a stoma coming off of the ileum 5. ulcerative colitis 6. 1,000,000 7. Mt. St. Helens has a major eruption 8. Longview, Washington 9. Kittens were rescued from the window well 10. February 23rd

Thirteen Words You May Never Use in Conversation omphaloskepsis. It means to contemplate one's navel (during meditation). micturate. It means to pee. crapulence. Nowadays we just say "hang over". coprophagia. It says if you do this, in a human, it means a symptom of insanity. I guess for dogs this is business as usual? uxorious. The more common term for this is hen pecked, with pussy whipped being the most vulgar term. qualtagh. I really wonder why there would be a word for this? tyromancy. The use of cheese for divination or magic. I think what it really is about is you eat the moldy parts, suffer hallucinations, and think you're seeing through space and time. zenzizenzizenzic. If you can pronounce this word, the listener may think you are just making a buzzing bee sound, or perhaps sleeping. vernalagnia. I didn't know there was a real word for this condition. I just thought it was "mating season". ultracrepidarian. I think we all have a family or relative who is like this. Maybe even a college professor, fellow employee, or friend. jumentous. Hmmm. I wonder if horses have their own word for the way our stuff smells? lalochezia. "The use of foul or abusive language to relieve stress or ease pain." So that's why people swear so much! I thought it was just bad manners. floccinaucinihilipilification. You can't use a word unless you can say the word. Actually, this sounds like a process that could take place in organic chemistry, like saponification.

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When life imitates art

Reasons why you should stop by and visit my new blog renter:

1. She has a new knitting blog
2. She likes Family Guy (hopefully Baby Stewie is her favorite!)
3. Two of her favorite movies are The Princess Bride and Star Wars

Stop by and check her out!

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Pip & Sprout's Awesome Roadtrip: Churchill Downs & Nashville? After the Derby We arrived in Kentucky in the afternoon and made our way to Churchhill Downs, site of the famous Kentucky Derby. The Derby had taken place the Saturday before our arrival. We took the tour of the race track and spent some time inside of the historic museum. Being a professional jockey has got to worse than a fashion model. The men starve themselves so that they can remain paper thin. Somehow they are strong enough to drive a one-ton animal at 35-40 mph, too. What I liked best was the tradition of the Southern ladies wearing gaudy hats. Being a Shrone, I am drawn to outrageous headgear. We placed a bet on one of the horses that was racing that afternoon. We didn't win. It was fun to see a real-live horse race! KFC HQ While in Kentucky I figured that it would be a good thing to slink on over to the KFC Headquarters and go tour the Colonel Sanders museum. Only thing is, the museum thought they needed to be closed because of 9/11—even though it had happened over six months' earlier! Well, we got to step inside the Colonel's office and I sat at his desk and the secretary took our picture standing around the fiberglass colonel likeness, and as a token for not letting us into the museum, she gave us a sheet of postcards (retail value $1). Inside of the musem I could see they had the Colonel's original white suit. I wonder if they had a preserved cooked chicken, too? It's Greek to Me The next day we were in Nashville and we stopped in the downtown to get a gander at what it looked like. While roaming the streets we saw a Willie Nelson look-alike and I snuck a picture of him. Seems that there was more historical stuff to see in the downtown of Nashville, if we only knew what to look for, such as that during the Civil War, legalized prostitution was enacted to help prevent the spread of STDs. Instead we found that Nashville got the idea to make a replica of the Parthenon. At the time of our visit, the statue of Athena hadn't been guilded as you can see from this photo taken most likely after our visit in May 2002. During our visit a bunch of local school kids swarmed the building and it was weird hearing the teacher explain things to the unsuspecting children. All of that controversial stuff about Goddesses and their symbology was left out because there is just too much about Greek culture that is upsetting by southern standards. Once we were finished with seeing Athena we had lunch at Fuddrucker's. I fondly recall our meal there because they make the best burger in the country. We departed to Memphis where we were headed toward our Elvis Experience.

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My friend April tagged me for this meme!

Name six of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick six people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

1. A nice soft bed, preferrably adorned with snuggly cats
2. Beautiful moon rises in the summer over Mt. Rainier
3. A good steak cooked to perfection
4. Not having to wait in line
5. Creating anything that you make with your own hands
6. Bringing a little joy or happiness into someone's day

Second

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a list with 6 facts about yourself. In the end you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

1. My first date with Pooky lasted from Friday until Sunday evening.
2. I have a very large bucket (an old Costco laundry detergent bucket) next to the dryer that is filled with lint. I've been collecting it for almost 3 years.
3. Whenever I stay overnight somewhere, I take my memory foam pillow and body pillow.
4. I can be a real evil Medusa in the morning until I've awoken, which takes a couple of hours.
5. I sing goofy, often made-up songs to my cats, about how wonderful they are.
6. My daydream is to move to a southern community where I play the role of the oddball outsider who is eventually accepted and known as the local crazy cat lady.

I tag:
1. Stacey
2. Noricum
3. Nancy
4. Sara
5. Joy
6. Pam

1. Which yarn is most like your personality?
It depends on the time of day. In the morning I am knotted fun fur (or I can be). In the day I am something basic, like Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. In the evening I become Patons Brilliant.

2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with?
I like purples, burgundies, the jewel tones

3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns?
Yes.

4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns?
I prefer natural fibers or natural/synthetic blends. Pure synthetics are ok only if they are soft and of high quality.

5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn?
Either way, I am bound to get it into knots, so it doesn't really matter!

6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them?
I tend to think that things that are labeled organic are highly overrated. Unless it actually costs less (which organic never does) I am not that interested.

7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year?
Doilies, sweaters. Repeat.

8. Will you be crocheting any gifts this year?
Yes, for Secret Pals and for family/friends.

9. What is your favorite one skein project?
Doilies

10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it?
I store my stash in 3 large plastic storage containers. One container is all thread. One is all UFOs. The other is yarn waiting to be transformed into something.

11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it?
I've the ability to part with most yarns, but there is a silk yarn that I have that I don't know what to do with it, and I'm not parting with it.

12. Do you crochet less or differently in the summer?
It all depends. I have cycles of not crocheting and then heavy productive periods. I need to get motivated and finish up some projects so I can enter them into the fair by August.

13. Do you belong to any crocheting groups (online or offline)?
I belong just to Crochetville. It's all that I need and can handle! LOL!

I Owe It All to Pooky and the T4 Virus

Meet Grubnuck the Space Alien! He proudly sits on the comfy chair (usually dominated by one of the cats) as his new throne of command. He comes to me courtesy of Lady Linoleum and her fabulous contest. If it weren't for Pooky's master carpentry skills, my space ship would not have launched. I also owe a big thank-you to the T4 virus. It's unique shape is truly out of this world—I mean, it looks alien!

I request to Pooky that he periodically change the location of Grubnuck as to scare me out of my wits. Currently when I go downstairs I am occasionally surprised by Grubnuck just sitting there. If Grub requests a morning newspaper, cup of strong coffee, and a pack of menthols, I'll have to send him back to his alien planet.

The box that Grub arrived in turned out to be our nightly entertainment as Mr. Doo (resident evil) staked his claim and the unsuspecting kittens had some jack-in-the-box style fun. All pictures below are clickable.

Evil in a Box

My summer is filled with mystery as I have two Unknown to Me Secret Pals! One is from the SP8 exchange and the other is from C'Ville.

My SP8 pal says she lives in the Seattle area and is familiar with Archie McPhee! Woo-hoo!

My C'Ville Pal is technically known to me, but she's still unknown to me as we just met. (She's known to me because I assigned her to me as I'm the coordinator for this round.) She asked me what size of sweater I'd wear. Could she be thinking sweatery goodness?

As for the two gals I am being secret pals to, I am having fun! The whole secret pal concept appeals to me because as I child I used to play that I was a spy-in-training. I thought those nifty gadgets that James Bond would use were to die for, and I thought it was so sleek to be able to pretend to be someone else.

Contest Extended Until Sunday (May 21st!)

In celebration of my one year since going permanent with my ileostomy, I thought I'd run a little 72 Hour Contest. Below are a bunch of multiple choice questions. The person who gets the most correct will win a very special surprise! (No, it will not be poop related I promise, but I am tempted!)

Many of the answers can be found by reviewing my archives, or by searching the Internet. Yes, a little bit of work but it will be worth it! The prize is that good! You won't believe how fantastic it is!

I tried my best to make this test interactive, but it will still need to be hand-scored. I'm not that tecnically advanced!

If you already took the test you'll have to redo it as I realized I forgot to ask your name and e-mail! Eeek!

13 Things About Mt. St. Helen's 26th Anniversary It was 26 years ago today that Mt. St. Helens erupted. I was not quite 8 years old at the time. What I remember most about the eruption was that a week later in a lesser known eruption, we got ashed. School ended early that year. I was thrilled. I used to play in the ash that remained after all of the rain. Here are 13 bits of information about the mountain. The Native American name for the mountain is Loo-wit, which means Keeper of the Fire. The mountain has also been called Louwala-Clough and Lawelatla. As a child I thought of the volcano as being female. Turns out, so did the local Indians. They have a story about her being in a love triangle with Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. Harry Truman is the most famous fatality of the eruption. He refused to leave his residence at the lodge. What may not be commonly known about him is 16 cats died with him, and he was once a resident of my hometown of Chehalis, Washington. My first visit to the mountain was in July 29, 2004. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the lung disease contracted from the inhilation of volcanic ash. I am amazed I didn't contract this as I did play in the ash quite a bit! On the 25th Anniversary of the eruption, I had surgery that finally killed the rectal dragon. 4 days after my 32nd birthday, the mountain awoke from her 24 year long nap. The rapidly growing lava dome inside the volcano has an impressive 300 foot tall spire of rock called The Slab or The Fin. Spirit Lake Memorial Highway (Highway 504) is the scenic byway that leads visitors up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The Johnston Ridge Observatory is only 5 miles away from an impressive view inside of the crater. A local news commentator, Ken Schram, would like to offer up Britney Spears as a sacrifice to the volcano. If the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens had been more explosive, it could have become a caldera like Crater Lake. The Ape Caves are lava tubes that can be explored while visiting the volcano. Exploring a cave is called spelunking, which to me would be the sound a person would make if they fell while inside a cave.

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July 29, 2004
Mt. St. Helens two months before she re-awoke
Click for larger view

I admit I was a bit suspect if I would even like Artemis Fowl, as there is a rash of young adult and children's literature that is taking advantage of the Harry Potter popularity of fantasy, wizardry, and magic.

Artemis is a 12 year old criminal genius, so the back cover says. He tries to steal some gold from fairies to save his family's reputation and power. Don't let the simplicity of the plot summary lead you away from reading the story! It is funny, cleverly written, and incredibly entertaining. I can see this book being adapted into a movie with all kinds of CGI effects.

I can see why kids are snapping up the books. I have already requested the next two in the series from PaperBackSwap.com ad can hardly wait to read them!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

This store is for the thurificationist!

It's also just a nifty blog to look around. Lots of stuff to see, possibly buy, and spend some hours getting lost.

They also have a way-cool blog lay out.

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Pip & Sprout's Awesome Roadtrip: Johnny Appleseed? An Apple A Day After visiting my great-great grandmother's grave site up in Pleasant Lake, we headed to Fort Wayne were we spent the night. We discovered that Fort Wayne doesn't switch over to Daylight Time, and so we had no idea really what time we should be on, but nonetheless, we figured it all out. On our trusty road atlas we found that our hotel was very close to the resting place of Johnny Appleseed. I thought it would be cool to visit this and see what kind of tribute would be available for a photo op. At first I thought they had dismantled the memorial to Johnny, because we investigated the park and found nothing of interest that would indicate Mr. Appleseed had been laid to rest. As we were leaving I saw the historical marker pointing to his gravesite! So with a swift U-turn we doubled back and were able to scope out the area in which he lies in peace. Factual information about John Chapman an be found here.

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Yesterday we accompanied my sister and BIL on a tour of wooden boats in downtown Olympia, and once our stomach alarms went off we discussed where to eat dinner. My sister had a list of places to choose from, and when an Italian restaurant was mention&mdash&a real Italian restaurant—came up, I said I was interested. I know Pooky isn't fond of pasta, but real Italian food is much more than pasta, and the way that my BIL talked of this place, it sounded like a place to try. The owner, he said, was an import from Italy. Yes!

So we go there. It's a small place, nicely decorated, and upon entering we are greeted by a middle-aged man, obviously Italian by birth and upbrining, and he greets us with such friendliness, as if he knows us personally (I like that kind of treatment) and seats us at a table where we're tucked a bit out of the way.

Each table has a bottle of oil filled with garlic and other fresh particles of something. It is for the bread, I am told.

He hands us menus to review. I see an appetizer of shrimp scampi wrapped in prosciutto ham. I imagine the salty, garlicy goodness, but realize then realize an appetizer of $10 was a lot and the entrees were $15.95 and above. I scan the meat dishes and let my mind imagine what the chicken parmesan would taste like when the owner returns to tell us about the day's specials.

Between the noise of the restaurant and his slurred English I am not really certain what he is telling us. I hear a few words like "veal" and think not, but then at the very end he says "cheese ravioli" and I am there! So was my sister. We each got that, and Pooky the veal, and my BIL went with a pork in some kind of reduction sauce.

I like cheese ravioli and this was in a cream sauce with a light lemony essence with a suggestion of crab meat floating in the white, creamy goodness. I think I started eating and didn't stop until I was done, and then I was wanting seconds, perhaps thirds!

We were all inhaling our food. But, the funny part of it all is, about 10 minutes into our being at the restaurant, it is revealed that this is the first time my sister and BIL have eaten at the restaurant! I had been under the impression they had eaten there before.

We ended the meal to die for with shared slices of tiramisu. Drool. Marscapone cheese and espresso soaked lady fingers....

And Pooky had some pasta on his entree plate and guess what? He ate it! Yes, the pasta they served with a basic red sauce was divine! We all fought over the extra plate of pasta the owner brought to us.

Today I looked to find if the restaurant had a website and I couldn't find it listed. I'm not even sure of the name. For all I know the food was simply a very nice dream we shared, one in which I hope to repeat again some day.

To celebrate the anniversary of discovering the kittens and rescuing them from certain death, let's have a fun-filled quiz to test your knowledge of each respective beastie! Note: You can answer via e-mail or by using the comments.

1. What is Smee's first name?
a. Luck Dragon
b. Mister
c. He is just Smee

2. What is Smee's nickname?
a. Smee-Baby-Smee
b. The Ami
c. both a and b

3. What is "Stash" short for?
a. Stash-Attack
b. Moustache
c. Stash-a-magee

4. How long is Stash's tail?
a. half-length
b. full-length
c. crooked

5. What is Theodore Montague's favorite snack?
a. tuna crunchies
b. potato chips
c. salmon snacks

6. Often Theodore thinks he is a:
a. sea otter
b. teddy bear
c. prairie dog

7. Who weighed the least as a kitten?
a. Teddy
b. Smee
c. Stash

8. Who weighs the most now?
a. Teddy
b. Smee
c. Stash

9. Which of the three is most like Mister Doo?
a. Smee
b. Stash
c. Theodore Montague

10. Who is most likely to pass gas while being loved?
a. Teddy
b. Smee
c. Stash

Thirteen All-Time Favorite Restaurant Chains Burgerville. The local one in Centralia is the northern-most outpost of this Northwest chain. Their signature BV Spread is now sold in jars and is so good! Checkers. I first found this chain when one opened in Wilkes-Barre, PA, but then mysteriously it was demolished! If I am ever in a city where there is one, I go out of my way to eat there. Fuddruckers. My nearest franchise is in the Portland, OR metro area, about 90 minutes away. It is worth the drive! They have the best burger ever made! Famous Dave's. I credit my sister for introducing us to their MEAT fests. Steak 'N' Shake. We need one of these places out west. We stopped at one in Indiana and I was hooked! Cracker Barrel. The nearest one is in Boise, Idaho, a 6 hour one-way trip. This summer we're going there so I can enjoy the pot roast and hashbrown casserole. It's been 4 years since we were able to indulge in their comfort food goodness! This is also where I learned that there is salty ham and sweet ham. Claim Jumper. The portions here are HUGE! I always get the potato cakes, and their cream cheese pie is so good! Don't eat here if you are dieting. There isn't anything low-calorie on the menu—not even the water! Pagliacci Pizza. A pizza chain in the Seattle area, it's got a style all its own. California Pizza Kitchen. I am addicted to the pear and gorgonzola pizza. It is all that I ever order. Red Lobster. Once a year I go here for the endless shrimp special and load up on their scampi. Shrimp-butter-garlicky-goodness! Don Pablo's. The chain doesn't exist out west, but we had one in the Allentown, PA, area, and when I needed a fix for Mexican style food, this is where we'd go. Of course now I have an authentic Mexican restaurant to go to that has "Death by Pork Taco" (which means I eat so many I swear I'll die!) Kidd Valley. A Seattle-based burger chain that has some good food. Cold Stone Creamery. Not really a restaurant, but the calorie content of even the small size portion is equal to having a steak and lobster dinner! I have two favorites: the cake batter ice cream or the cheesecake. I cycle between the two.

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24 Church of Elvis that used to be in downtown Portland, Oregon

I was wondering what Ruari and I would do over the summer since orchestra is only September through June. Last night the conductor announced that out in Morton (this is the edge of civilization in Lewis County) the college extension campus is putting on South Pacific! That means pit orchestra players are needed, and that means a cellist (even a rusty one like me!) would be welcomed.

I heard back from the musical director, and sure enough, I am wanted. Rehearsals will start in June, on Mondays. Sounds good to me!

South Pacific is one of my favorites. I know all of the songs. It will be a treat to get to play them. Making music is in many ways much better than listening to it.

I really like how Ruari feels when I play her. She's got a nice sound and feels "silky". The $11 rosin I bought is dreamy. It doesn't shed all over the fingerboard and strings like a cheaper rosin does, so there is less cleaning up. The rosin stays on the bow and so I am not having to re-rosin all of the time.

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Pip & Sprout's Awesome Roadtrip: Niles & Lydia? Day Two: Niles, Ohio, Where Boredom is Manufactured On our first night of the roadtrip we stayed in Niles, Ohio. This town's claim to fame is being the birthplace of President McKinley. We visited the presidental library erected in his honor. While we took pictures of the statues, the people inside the library gave us queer looks and must have regarded us as idiots or incredibly too happy people. My impression was that the town had consumed too much sedative and that the large factories is where all of the boredom gets made. As we drove through the city looking around we did come upon this welded sculpture of a giant man doing something with scrap metal. It was the most creative and unusual thing we could find in this soporific town. When we drove across the state of Ohio, I couldn't get over how flat it was! There were farms scattered everywhere, but this didn't make the landscape interesting. The flatness disturbed me and I was glad we got through Ohio quickly. We didn't have anything we really wanted to see in Ohio. We were heading toward Pleasant Lake, Indiana, to see the gravesite of my great-great grandmother, Lydia Biery. Finding Lydia As a child I often thought that the drawing that hung in the house hallway was of my mother. Many people who came to visit would comment on what a nice drawing of my mother, only to find out that the woman in the portrait was Lydia Biery, an ancestor on my maternal grandmother's side of the family tree. Lydia was married to Theophilus E. Biery, a physician. He served in the Civil War. Both were originally from the Ohio area (I think they probably sensed the boredom and moved to Indiana). The family story was that she died due to taking some medicine from her husband's cabinet as she wished to terminate an unwanted pregnancy; this story is now urban legend. The real cause of Lydia's death I was able to find from this posting on at a geneology site. Theo did remarry and he had more children. But it is one of his sons that he had with Lydia that is of interest to me because that son moved from the midwest to Washington state. His son, Theophilus Ocelus Biery is my great grandfather. Interestingly, Theo married his second cousin, Harriet Biery. They surmised they had to be related because they both had the surname of Biery. Long story short, their youngest child and daughter is my grandmother, who is now almost 86 years old. When I found out that Lydia was bured in Pleasant Lake and was left there, I felt the need to stop by and say hello to her, that she hadn't been forgotten, although it had been about 150 some odd years since anyone took notice of her. We almost drove past the town because it was just a wide spot in the road. We found the cemetery once we got into the town, but we soon realized we had no idea where her marker was located. Luckily a caretaker was present, but he told us that it was unlikely they had records dating that far back, so Pooky and I split up and decided to look for large markers since T.E. was a doctor. Pooky was the one to locate the stone. It had considerably eroded, but the text was legible enough to make out the name and dates. I am not able to decipher the saying at the bottom. The town of Pleasant Lake is now a ghost town. The main street had buildings that once had businesses.

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You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

I am not a math whiz. I struggle to figure out the basics. I'm always off by a factor of ten. So why in the world did I score so well on this quiz? No, I didn't use a calculator, nor did I figure anything out on paper. I did it all as mental arithmetic! I betcha that there's an error with the scoring of this quiz!

I decided that I may better understand Wicked by Gregory Maquire if I read some of his other work. I selected Confessions of an Ugly Step-sister during my last shopping excursion to the book store.

This book was easier to read as it was shorter, and it flowed better in my mind. I've picked up on Maguire's writing style and now have a better sense of what he wishes to convey. Like all authors he has pet themes and manners of writing. I construe his retelling or re-imagining of the classic fairy tale stories as if they had met today's favored manner in which to tell stark reality and truths. Even the presence of the mystical or magick are not flights of fantasy, but rather used to focus on the harsh nature of real-life. I can appreciate his perspective, but I don't share it. I need a little bit of whimsy and fantasy because reality is so darn harsh that I like to escape from it, and not have to constantly be reminded of it.

In this book we are retold the story of Cinderella from the view of the maligned ugly step-sisters. He explores like he has done in Wicked the story from the villain or antagonists view, what motivates them, what their thoughts are, why events happened as they did. He attempts to humanize the characters that have for so long been portrayed as evil monsters, and often turns the tables making the good characters appear bad or flawed.

I'm not sure the reason to retell these stories if other than to lessen the cruel image of the villains while simultaneously repainted the good characters as having secret streaks of evil. Granted he writes cleverly and has something to say, but I think that from the two stories I've read of his, he keeps to a set style and pattern of re-imagining the classic tales, and to me that gets old and predictable. Perhaps his sequel to Wicked reads less formulaic being that it is an original work not trying to retale a story?

Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommendation: 3 out of 5

Stop by and give Dana a northern or southern welcome, depending on where you're from! She's my newest blog renter and I chose her because I harbor a secret desire to live in the south, or to have been born there. I am fascinated by southern culture: any group of people steeped in the rituals and traditions of barbecue has something special about it.

Here's some more about Dana to tempt you to check out her blog:

I am a writer of southern humor. I have been published on the web on sites such as USA Deep South, Southern Humorists, Muscadine Lines - A Southern Journal, Mosaic Minds and Long Story Short. I am also a contributor in Dew on the Kudzu and Weight-Loss Articles.com where I write dieting humor.

And this is my blog... Kudzu, funny family stories, poems, family ghosts, snakes, sun-kissed southern memories all inside! Plus some travel reviews, recipes and more!

I think I'm in love!

Mister Doo has been a member of Postcrossing long enough now to realize that it is really the national pasttime of Finland. Other than that, he's received a rather positve response from fellow global citizens, and the species barrier has been harmoniously crossed to the mutual pleasure of both. People like sending him a card and so far he has been happy to share his life of suffering (only one can of tuna a day!) with absolute strangers. He divulges that his hobbies are attacking clean laundry, chattering at birds, and slaying his fellow cats. What he doesn't inform his postcard recipient of is his plan for total world domination. There is only so much space on a postcard, and since I lack the skills to write an entire poem on a grain of rice, which is what I'd need to be able to do if I were to write his manifesto on a postcard, he is mostly pleased with my pathetic efforts.

According to my records, I'm only two books off on my 50 Book Challenge! I'm sure if I keep at it I can catch up. Plus I feel good about cracking into my scholastic books on the list.

The second installment of Cornelia Funke's trilogy, Inkspell, has Meggie, Mo, and Resa enter into the Inkworld where the three of them have an adventure like none other. Joining them are Dustfinger, Basta, and The Magpie. The source of conflict comes from a new enemy The Adderhead.

Because Funke has planned for third installment this book leaves the characters lingering at the end. If I say how they are lingering I'll have to write a spoiler and well, I'm just not going to do that!

This book moved much quicker than the first. The story gets underway right at the start, and there was never a dull moment, which was good considering that it is over 600 pages!

Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

I don't watch regular TV very often, but the other day Pooky and I were watching The Simpsons or something and a Burger King commercial came on promoting their new Texas Double Whopper and the theme of this commercial had to do with a bunch of modern-day guys tired of "chic" food, and they proceeded to stage a 1970s-like feminist rebellion against all of the "healthier" fast food choices. There is a scene in the commercial where the guys tip over a vehicle and a disclaimer flashes on the bottom of the screen: DO NOT ATTEMPT.

I suppose if you are crazy enough to eat this double whopper of death, then maybe you do need to be told not to tip over vehicles. But I was thinking a step further. What BK should also tell these young men who are in need of showing their maniless through the over consumption of calories and fat is this: A king-sized meal consisting of the said double whopper of death, fries, and regular Coke weighs in at 1,980 calories! The standard allotment of calories for a man is about 2,000-2,500 per DAY, not per MEAL. I won't even discuss the fat percentage.

OK, so the typical guy won't care about calories. Only women count calories. Yeah, but what are they going to do when they get adult onset diabetes or heart disease or heaven forbid, both, and then suffer from erectile dysfunction? Will they want to sue Burger King for selling them food that (they chose to ate) made their dick limp? Will the BK commercials in ten years show the same men, now morbidly obese, promoting healthier food so that they might actually have sex without the need for Viagra?

Or am I missing the entire point—that being since there are drugs like Viagra it doesn't matter what is eaten because a pill will rescue us. Everyone supposedly profits in the end, even the lowly consumer, but I think it is a false benefit.

I'm not against fast food. As I'm typing this I've eaten a cheeseburger and fries from my favorite local joint, but I don't order the mega-burger of death. It could be that I need to be a guy to understand the need to eat a double whopper of death. All I know is, if I had a penis I'd do what I needed to to keep it working!

Thirteen Ways I Used to Spend My Day Before Blogging Took Over My Life Write letters to pen pals from all over the USA and some foreign countries. I would voraciously read, often reading a book in a day (now I take two weeks!0 Watch TV. I didn't have cable but I would find interesting shows to watch. I was known to make scrapbooks. It got expensive. Blogging is cheaper. I'd actually study and do scholarly things, like read assigned books and broaden my horizons. I'd take walks just to go places. I'd watch rented movies or movies on TV. I avoided housework much less. I wrote and published my own personal 'zine. I'd make quirky little video movies using puppets and plush toys that involved Snagglepuss, Secret Squirrel, Yoda, and a Pink Brain. I volunteered at my local Planned Parenthood, at a historical site, and major medical hospital. I crocheted more, getting projects done in almost record time! I attended college (I had an hour commute one-way and took morning and evening classes so I was gone 8-12 hours from home) and was seldom near a computer.

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Stonehenge

Thirteen Favorite Movie Quotes I've deliberately not given the movies to provide you with some trivia fun. Name the movie titles and see how many you know. Answers will be posted on Friday. And so it was that the pig..found his place in the world of the farm. Aand he was happy, even in his dreams. We're on a mission from God. Big city, hmm? Live. Work, huh? But. Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay? I am not afraid. I can be brave like you. But I know I shall be homesick for you, even in Heaven. Every being in the universe knows right from wrong, Mark. If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right?

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I read an actual scholarly book for school! You Just Don't Understand by Deborah Tannen is about the conversational style differences between men and women. She explains that women approach conversations to build intimacy, connection, and community. Men approach a conversation through the lens of hierarchy, competition, and independence. This all gives rise to the typical uxorous complaint of "My husband doesn't talk to me!"

While she gives many good examples of the differences between the genders, her ending is weak in how to find a solution or compromise, or even how to learn to modify your gender-specific style. It is one thing to have an understanding or an awareness of how the sexes approach conversations, yet it doesn't help a person unlearn or learn how to break out of their gender molds.

She also says that women are damned no matter what gender style they use. If a woman takes on too much of a masculine way of conversing she is thought of as aggressive and unfeminine. If she uses her own gender's style she is thought of as passive, too feminine, and dependent. You can't win. You can't break even. You can't even quit the game.

The book is written for the layperson and is useful in inciting awareness regarding communication problems in all relationships.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5

4 Year Wait

We arrived at CB around 9pm Mountain Time. I knew what I wanted to eat: The Roast Beef Dinner. I had been dreaming about the fork-tender goodness for many years. The gravy, the beefy taste, the onions, and the way salt enhances all of the flavors...I was in a state of comfort food bliss that night though I was tired from the long journey through cow speckled nothingness land.

Our travels crossed through into Mountain Time, and we found ourselves at the 45th Parallel, meaning we were half-way between the equator and north pole. Once we left Pendleton we climbed the Blue Mountains and peaked at 4100 feet or so before slightly dropping back down. Most of the countryside consisted of enormous hills that are tawney in appearance with water eroding channels creating a wrinkled appearance that I think of as looking like lion skin.

It came to my attention that my frame of reference to judge distances was totally skewed because everything is rather featureless and there aren't any points of reference to gauge distance other than the occasional range cow. It dawned on me that I was seeing miles into the distance whereas I had previously thought things were much closer to me. The hills have to rise up to 500 feet or better in some areas, even into the thousands of feet because we did see peaks in the distance still snow capped. In fact, as we passed through the Blue Mountains we saw lingering patches of snow.

Basque Food Is Good

Boise has one of the few Basque communities in the country. We toured the museum which was mostly a bunch of small displays that revealed very little about Basque-ness. However, I did get the feeling that there is more to this mysterious group of people than they were telling.

The Basque restaurant I had wanted to eat at is a small place and is booked until the end of time, so we supped at another one called Leku Ona. We opted for the family style meal in which we got to sample various Basque dishes. It was too much food, but delicious to the point of where I thought it would be very good to have multiple stomachs. Everything was salty and I didn't need to attack the shaker as I usually do.

We opted for the Lamb Stew (pictured) and we had six courses to eat through. Salad, green bean and potato soup, the cod platter, then mixed paella which is a rice dish with various meats. I thought the paella tasted similar to dirty rice, but Pooky thought it was different. The lamb stew had a tasty gravy that I couldn't stop eating!

When we left the restaurant I noticed a big, black rain cloud in the west and we surmised a storm was approaching, but nonetheless we headed to the local bookstore. Sure enough the cloud burst while we were inside and we delighted in the prospect of seeing a real thunderstorm (as we do miss them from our days in Pennsylvania). Now, the lightning in Pennsylvania could be scary at times, but the Idaho bolts seemed to strobe and burn on and on for an unreasonable amount of time, then fizzle out with sparks or embers dripping off, as if the lightning was burning something up in the air! I found it to be very unsettling and t-storms usually do not phase me.

Uncle Heart Attack's Breakfast

Our final meal in Boise was back at Cracker Barrel so I could indulge in their maple pancakes and country ham. I tease that their Uncle Herschel's breakfast should be renamed Uncle Heart Attack's breakfast because everything they serve is linked to heart disease.

We ate breakfast on Saturday at a local restaurant and I got a delicious hash brown scramble. I kept salting it thinking that the salt was rather weak tasting, then I noticed that the salt crystals looked more like flakes, then I realized that it wasn't salt but sugar I was shaking onto my food! Apparently a disgruntled bus boy had swapped the salt with the sugar and had done this trick at all of the tables. The waitress said he hadn't been back into work for over a week. Get a clue: he wasn't returning.

The farmer's market wasn't terribly exciting, perhaps due to it being the beginning of the season? Being that we had many hours to spend we decided to go look at the LYS's in the area. Gosh! The yarn was $2-3 more expensive! I did find some Manuela thread in one shop and they wanted $6 a ball whereas here I pay $4.95. I didn't get any thread, but I did get a pattern book of 50 edgings as I think this year for my stepmom's birthday I'll edge some hankies for her.

Much of Boise is brand spanking new. All of the farmlands are being sold off and turned into housing developments or strip malls or mega stores. The city was neat and clean, rather freakishly orderly and polished to a shine. The Mormons have a large presence in the area as we passed two large temples. Amazingly, we saw absolutely no potato patches!

In reality, I think Oregon grows more potatoes than Idaho, and we passed by the big Ore-Ida plant in Ontario, Oregon. The plant had the distinctive aroma of French fries as we sped by it.

It's Lonesome in the Nothingness

While checking out the local entertainment newspaper over breakfast I spotted an ad for men regarding gay and bisexual dating. Then we spotted this condom shop on our way out of town. I got the feeling that there is something going on in Boise that is not openly spoken of.

Too bad we didn't see this shop earlier because my curiosity would have gotten the best of me and I'd have had to stop in. After all, I am a Shrone destined to go cruising for penis when I am old and withered!

New Word to Enhance Your Vocabulary

It seems whenever we go out on a roadtrip or somewhere I create a new portmanteau. While we were at Mt. Rainier I created necessiment (necessary requirement). Long ago during the tortures of physics labs I came up with anguinizing (anguish and exsanguinize) to denote the bloodletting like agony of the labs. On Saturday I came up with "visorcilities" to refer to "visitor facilities" which were posted frequently at points of interest. I imagine that visorcilities would include bathrooms. Also there are hobcessities, those things which are now hobbies that used to be necessary, such as making soap, paper, knit, and crocheting.

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about Pip & Sprout's Awesome Roadtrip: Seeing Phil? It was on May 5, 2002, that we travelled in our truck from Pennsylvania to Washington state. It was our intention to visit key points of interest along the way, and to also discover the unexpected. Our first day took us to the town of Punxsutawney, home of the prognosticating groundhog known for his annual proclamation on February 2nd. Naturally, the town was quite "dead" since it was the beginning of May. We went to Gobbler's Knob and went on the official Phil stage, and in the town square we saw the Real Phil, only it was hard to tell which was the real one because there were 3 or 4 groundhogs in the cage. I wanted to buy Phil souvenirs, but the town had none to be had. Apparently they are only available during the one day of year that people visit this town. Interesting to note, the movie Groundhog Day was not filmed in the town of Punxsutawney!

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