Perfect No More

No chance, he'd said. There was no chance the Dallas Cowboys could go into New Orleans, into the Superdome, and beat the mighty Saints. The undefeated Saints. The undefeatable Saints. They'd won 13 in a row. The Cowboys had lost two in a row. They had no chance of winning this game.

He was Tony Dungy. Superbowl winning Tony Dungy. No chance, he'd said.

One really couldn't fault him, though. He'd only said what everyone was thinking, even Cowboys fans. Even Cowboys fans knew there was little chance their team could defeat the indomitable Saints.

The Saints won the toss. Let the slaughter begin. But it wasn't the Saints doing the slaughtering. It was the Cowboys who came out swinging. It was the Cowboys who held the Saints to a three and out in their first possession. It was the Cowboys who scored a touchdown on their first possession. It was the Cowboys who held the Saints to a second consecutive three and out. It was the Cowboys who scored a second consecutive touchdown. These first four possessions would set the tone for the entire game.


By halftime, the Cowboys had done something no other team had done this season--they'd held the mighty Saints to just three points. They'd hit Drew Brees more than he'd been hit all season. If it wasn't sacks, it was hits and hurrys. By the last possession of the game, Anthony Spencer had two sacks, and would have had a third if one had not been called back by a penalty. DeMarcus Ware had a sack and a forced fumble--recovered by the same Anthony Spencer.


At the start of the fourth quarter, the score was Cowboys 24, Saints 3. But the Saints have owned the fourth quarter. They'd dug themselves out of huge holes before. It's how they'd gotten to 13-0. There was no reason to doubt that they could do it this time, too. When the Saints scored their first touchdown, Cowboy and Saints fans alike thought, "Here they come." And when the Saints scored another, Cowboy and Saints fans alike said, "They're rolling now."

And when Nick Folk missed what should have been an easy 24 yard field goal to put the game away, Cowboy fans everywhere groaned. This was eerily reminiscent of what had happened in the Saints/Redskins game just two weeks prior. In that game, after Redskins kicker Shaun Shuisham missed a game clinching 23 yard field goal, the Saints came back, tied the game, then won in overtime. Here they had a chance to do the same thing to the Cowboys. But the Cowboys have something the Redskins don't.


They have DeMarcus Ware.

The same DeMarcus Ware who is the heart and soul, not just of the defense, but of the entire team. The same DeMarcus Ware who has what can best be described as a quiet fury. The same DeMarcus Ware who is a beast on the field. The same DeMarcus Ware who once again leads the team in sacks. And yes, the very same DeMarcus Ware who, just six short days ago was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field to the sound of 90,000 Cowboys fans holding their breath.


He hadn't started the game. He'd played mostly on third down situations, working his way slowly back into the game. But on this drive, with the game on the line, yeah, everyone knew he would play every single snap. And the Cowboys needed him. The Saints were driving. They were moving down the field. There were 12 seconds left in the game. Time for one more play.

Drew Brees takes the snap, drops back, and in a moment that is somehow fitting, is sacked by DeMarcus Ware.


Brees fumbles the ball, and it is recovered by Jay Ratliff. All Tony has to do is take a knee, and the game is over. Final score, Cowboys 24, Saints 17.

No chance, he'd said. There was no chance the Dallas Cowboys could go into New Orleans, into the Superdome, and beat the mighty Saints. The undefeated Saints. The undefeatable Saints.

Somebody forgot to tell the Cowboys that.

Heard On The Radio

this morning:

What we need is fewer studies like this, and more people with post hole diggers.

I missed the first part of the conversation, so I don't really know what study they are talking about, but it has to do with Santa being unhealthy because he is fat.

The same show was talking a few weeks ago about a situation up in New Jersey in which a toll booth has been taken over by a wild turkey. Not the whiskey. The bird. Anyway, the turkey has declared this toll booth to be his territory. He is causing all kinds of problems, perching on the tops of cars, chasing employees, and generally making a nuisance of himself. The employees have had to start putting traffic cones on their cars to keep the turkey off, and the state officials were urging caution, etc, etc.

At that point, the man reading the story said, "You can tell these people are from up North, because had this happened in the South, that problem would have been solved in about two hours." And the other guy said, "Apparently, no one in New Jersey has ever heard of a shotgun."

That, folks, is The Rick And Bubba Show. It makes me wish my morning commute were just a bit longer.

Pictures As Promised

I finally got around to uploading the latest photos of my knitting projects. Here is the completed hat:

I didn't really use a pattern. I just knit it according to basic hat construction. I did make the ribbing twice as long as normal, and added a turning row to it. J said he wanted to be able to double it over his ears.


Next project: This is Ice Queen as it looked Tuesday night:

and today:
It's moving along pretty quickly. At this rate, I ought to have it finished before Christmas Eve. I am making it without beads, though. I would think beads in a wimple would be quite annoying. I know they would always catch in my hair.

Squeaky

and Rylea were having a glare down.

I won.

And a gratuitous shot of the Christmas tree.

Finally, as I was coming into the office to upload my photos, I found this:

My Christmas cactus, that Cody had given me for my birthday about 6 or 7 years ago, actually bloomed! And without me forcing it or anything. It had been so long since it had bloomed that I'd pretty much given up on it. Not only did it have this huge bloom on it, but it is covered in buds. I hope more of them bloom, and don't just dry up and fall off like they usually do.

Well, I'd best get back to my knitting...

Smart Mouth

I had a friend who once said of me, "You have to watch her. She doesn't say much, but when she says something, it's something."

I work in a facility that manufactures evaporator coils for home air conditioning units. We have been hit hard by the downturn in the economy, but it was not always so. One day, several years ago, I was brazing header assemblies for assembly line 3. What that means is, I was using an acetylene brazing torch and a silver alloy brazing rod to join copper components into pre-specified units.

Anyway, I was brazing and I ran out of the larger of the copper components, called headers. I went to the tubing department and requested the amount of parts I would need to finish the order. Unfortunately, tubing didn't have any of those particular headers in stock. The only thing I could do was to wait while they made some more.

While I was waiting, the group leader for line 3, whom I'll refer to as DYM, which stands for dirty young man (that's a story for another time) came over wanting some more header assemblies.

"I'm out of headers," I told him. I'm waiting for tubing to cut me some."

At this point, DYM got right in my face and began yelling at me. "I've got to have some headers! My line is fixing to go down! What am I supposed to do without headers?" Blah blah blah...just yelling at me.

I stood there and didn't say a thing until he'd finished his tirade. When he finally stopped yelling, I reached around, grabbed my --uh, posterior, and shook it hard.

"Sorry. There ain't none up there. You'll just have to wait until I get some from tubing."

.

"Little Drummer Boy", David Bowie and Bing Crosby

This used to be one of Cody's favorite Christmas songs. One day, when he was about 6 or so, we were driving down the road and it came on the radio. "SHHH," Cody shouted. "It's the "Pum Pum Song!" I still haven't let him live that one down.

In other news, knitting is proceeding at a furious pace. The hat I was working on for J is finished. I've got photos, but they are on my desktop, and, well, I'm not going to go into the other room to upload them. I've got to figure out how to get photos to upload to my laptop.

I cast on an Ice Queen for B. I'm using Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather on size 8 needles. I hope to get it finished in time, but if I don't, I'll get her a copy of The Christmas Sweater, by Glen Beck. I haven't read it, but some of my friends have and they say it's very good.

I got the last of my gifts that need to be mailed packed up and ready to go. Next on the agenda: checking my recipes and making a shopping list. I want to start baking this weekend. Tuesday is our last day of work, and I promised to take some cookies up sometime before Christmas. I didn't want to make them too early, because they'd either get eaten or go stale before Christmas.

I was going to make my chocolate fudge today, but just didn't get around to it. It doesn't take long. I'll try to get it done tomorrow.

One last bit of good news, when we were taking our evening walk, Rylea took a few steps on her bad leg. It's the first time she's walked on it since she got hit back in October.

Must Knit

Must knit furiously. Only 11 days until Christmas.

Must.

Go.

Knit

A Close One

Through three quarters, the Cowboys defense had managed to contain Philip Rivers and the high powered Charger offense. They'd held them to only 10 points. Now the score was tied and the Chargers had the ball. But it looked like the defense would contain them. The Cowboys had yet a chance to pull out a victory. But...


When play was over, one player remained crumpled on the field. One Cowboy lay there still, in an unnatural position,unable to move. Cowboy Stadium fell silent. Eerily silent. Deathly silent.

You could have heard a pin drop.

Trainers rushed to his side, followed by emergency medical personnel. A flurry of frightening images followed.


The medical staff restraining the injured player, holding him down, keeping him still. The backboard brought out. And the cart. Jerry Jones sitting in his owner's box, his hands covering his face. His team mates kneeling, huddled together, praying.

Several team mates came over to offer a word of encouragement. Jay Ratliff. Marcus Spears. Tony Romo, walking out from the sideline.

Through it all, the stadium crowd remained silent, holding their collective breath.

Everyone--coaches, players, and fans alike--breathed a sigh of relief when Jay Ratliff turned to the Cowboys bench and gave a thumbs up. He was going to be OK, this cornerstone of the defense, this fourth quarter warrior.

This DeMarcus Ware.

As he was being carted off the field, the injured warrior gave a thumbs up of his own.

The crowded stadium erupted in cheers. Smiling, he waved to the crowd.  Moving his feet, wiggling as much as his restraints would allow, he reassured family and fans alike.  He was going to be OK.

As he entered the tunnel, the warrior gave one final sign--this one to his team mates.  



With the heart of a champion, he encouraged his fellow warriors, holding up his fingers in the sign of a W.

Win!

Road Trip

I bought Jake a new toy at Wal-Mart yesterday. The tag said, "Fun and durable," yet this is how it looked after only 30 minutes with Jake.


The day was dreary and overcast, but Cody and I set out for Southaven anyway, to finish up our Christmas shopping. Cody drove, and I knit. I could get used to having a chauffeur. I managed to get a good bit done on J's hat on the way.


I'm not using a pattern, just basic hat construction. I did put a turning row in there, since he wants to be able to fold the cuff up over his ears a couple of times.

I made Cody stop and let me drive before we got to Southaven. Those people up there are crazy!

First stop was Petco. It was a madhouse in there. They were doing pet portraits with Santa, only they had Santa set up right in the entry way to the store. To get inside, you had to wait until they were done with whatever photo they were taking. Then, once you got inside, they had pet adoption day. Puppies and kittens. They had some that were half lab, half husky. They were soo cute! I wanted one so bad, but restrained myself. We're dog poor already.

We got these toys for Jake. They were massively expensive, but maybe they'll last longer than a week. They'd better, for the bucks I spent on them.


Upon leaving Petco, we went to Burger King to eat. I hadn't eaten at the Burger King here in Grenada since they put mayonnaise on my hamburger twice. I'd forgotten how good their fries are. I may just have to risk eating there again.

After eating, we went to a store called Gordmans. I'd never been there before, but someone from work had told me about it. I was able to finish my Christmas shopping there in that one store. I also got Cody a new jacket and a new pair of jeans. We made a token stop at the book store, but didn't buy anything there. By the time we left the bookstore, it was raining, and we were both tired, so we decided to come on home.

Buuuut...B had hinted that she wanted a new scarf, so I went by there anyway. Cody waited in the car, so I didn't stay long. Just long enough to find this Plymouth Galway on clearance.


It's color 12, but doesn't have a name. I bought enough to make a scarf and a matching hat, though it may have to be delivered some assembly required. Now comes the fun part--perusing patterns. But first, I have to finish J's hat.

So we finally came home. I drove home because by that time, the weather had gotten so bad that I didn't want an inexperienced driver trying to handle it. It was so bad in parts, I was having trouble controlling the vehicle. But we made it home fine, and just in time to watch the second half of the Army Navy game, which Navy won 17-3.

Go Navy!

Whatever It Takes

If you're a Dallas Cowboy fan, unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Nick Folk has been in a slump this season. He's missed 8 field goal attempts this year, which is more than he's missed the rest of his NFL career combined.

There are lots of factors contributing to his slump, though you couldn't really put your finger on one specific cause. It could be that he had surgery on his kicking leg during the off season, and late in the off season at that. It could be that the holder he'd worked with for the last two years was cut. He was a good holder, but isn't there any more, and Mat McBriar was --well, he was the best of what was left. It could be that he missed a couple of field goals early, and just lost his confidence. Add to that that Mat McBriar has botched a few holds, and Folk is probably a bit leery of kicking with him now.

It all adds up to a kicker with the yips.

Now, Nick Folk is a good kicker. He'll work through this eventually. the problem is, with only 4 games left in the season, the Cowboys don't have "eventually" on their calendar. Something has to be done, and now.

Now, normally, a team's back up quarterback is the holder, but Kitna has never done it. The last thing you want is to be in a clutch situation with someone who has never done a job before. Several other players tried out for the job, and while some were better than others, none were really any good at it. Until one man stepped forward. No, he didn't really want to be the holder, but he knew the job needed to be done. Leadership, he said, is doing what needs to be done. That one man knows it's all about the W. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get that W. So he volunteered. That one man stepped forward and said, "I'll do it."

That one man was Tony Romo.

Better not ever dare question his leadership again...

Just a Quickie

I watched the new Star Trek movie tonight, and --though I think the word is overused in this pop culture, I have to say it, just this once. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!

Still working long hours, so I need to head on to bed.

I got one Christmas present done, and I'll try to get a photo up of it soon. The recipient doesn't read this blog. In fact, I don't think he even knows it exists. Then again, I have made mention of it, so he probably knows it's here, but doesn't know how to get here. All that to say, expect hat photos soon. When I was picking out the yarn for it, Cody said he needed a new hat, too. So I got enough to do him one, as well. I cast on for it this evening.

Conversations with Cody:

Me: I slept all night last night.

Cody: Stranger things have happened.

Never a dull moment with that one...

Dentist Visit

I had to go to the dentist this afternoon, right after work. I was brushing my teeth a few days ago, and one of my fillings fell out. I don't remember doing anything to it. It just fell out. Anyway, today was the first day they could get me in without me having to take off work, but it was ok. My tooth wasn't hurting or anything. But, getting home an hour later than I usually do has thrown my entire rhythm off.

It's bee dreary and rainy for the last two days. It's supposed to clear up tomorrow, and get cold, but then it's supposed to start raining again.

A couple of the ladies at work asked me if I made cookies for Christmas. Yep, I do, but I told them I won't make them until closer to Christmas. If I made them now, I'd eat them all up before Christmas even got here. I've become known as the cookie lady.

Don't Blame Romo

Everyone wants to blame Tony Romo for the loss to the Giants. Because he wasn't focused. Because he wasn't concentrating on football. Because he went to Las Vegas on his day off. It's got to be his fault. Really, who else is there to blame?

Well, they could be blaming Marion Barber. After all, he's the one who dropped the ball--literally. He fumbled the ball late in the second quarter, and it was recovered by the Giants and returned to the Cowboys 26, which led to their second touchdown of the game. But they aren't.


They could be blaming Nick Folk. After all, he missed two field goals, even though if he'd made them the Cowboys would still have fallen one point short. But they aren't.


They could be blaming the punt coverage unit for allowing Domenik Hixon to return a punt 79 yards for a touchdown. But they aren't.


They could be blaming the defense for giving up too many big plays, including a 74 yard touchdown reception by Brandon Jacobs. But they aren't.


They could be blaming the offensive line for not opening up the holes to get the running game going. They could even blame Marc Colombo for breaking his leg in Green Bay. After all, the offense just hasn't been the same without him. But they aren't.

They could be blaming Flozell Adams for getting into a fight with Justin Tuck right before half time and getting the Giants all fired up. But they aren't. By the way, ever notice how Tuck likes to talk big, but every time he and Flozell get into it, it's Flo who comes out on top? Oh, and how many tackles did Tuck have in this game? Two. That's right. Two tackles and no sacks. Who did that to him? Flozell Adams.

They could be blaming Sam Hurd for touching the ball before it went 10 yards on the onside kick, thus awarding possession to the Giants and sealing the win. Or they could blame David Bueher for not kicking the ball right. But they aren't.

Fans could be blaming the loss on any one of these things, or more realistically all of them put together. But they aren't. They are blaming the guy who completed 41 of 55 pass attempts for 392 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 112.1 quarterback rating. They are blaming the one guy on the team who actually did something right.

They are blaming Tony Romo.


Because that's what it means to be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
.

Christmas Parade Photos

Finally, here are some photos of the Christmas parade.

The local Police Department leads things off.

Followed by the NJROTC.

The junior high band.

the Holmes Community College band.

And the Grenada High school marching band.



I apologize for the shaky video. I have a tendency to not look at the screen while I'm filming. That is Cody --second in playing the tuba. He was telling that guy beside him, "Don't look! Don't look!" but he looked anyway.

And here are the only three floats to appear in the parade.



And finally, Santa Claus, bringing up the rear.

The rest of the 62 entries were just cars with hand lettered signs taped to the side saying things like "Merry Christmas from Fred's Hardware" or some such like that.

We really do have a boring parade here. Once Cody graduates, I probably won't even go any more.

Brrr!

Woke up this morning and it was COLD! It got down to 24', but we never got any snow. It seems like it snowed everywhere but here. I wanted nothing more than to stay home and knit, but Cody had spent the night with a friend, and I needed to take this opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done. So I braved the cold and the crowds and went to Wal-mart. I got Cody's main present, and a few other things, so my Christmas shopping is mostly done.

The Christmas knitting is also coming along nicely. I did have to rip back to the beginning because I found, not really a mistake, but I just didn't like the way it looked. Fortunately, I hadn't gotten very far, and I'm already back to where I was when I frogged it.

A Christmas tradition started by my father many many years ago is to buy a new family ornament every year. This is this year's ornament.


Even though our tree is up, we don't have any presents under it. They are here:

You will also notice that our stockings are hanging all the way up by the ceiling.


And this is why:


Remember, he only looks sweet and innocent.

I spent the rest of the day watching football. Alabama won the SEC championship by putting a pretty good smackdown on Florida 32-13. Tebow cried just like he does every time he loses a game.

Then I watched the Texas - Nebraska game. Boy what a nailbiter that one was! Both offenses struggled for most of the game. Finally, Nebraska scored the go ahead field goal with just under two minutes left in the game. They thought they'd won, but I guess they forgot they were playing against Colt McCoy. A penalty on the kickoff put Texas starting position at the 40. A big gain by wide receiver Jordan Shipley, plus a horse collar penalty put Texas in field goal range. Three incomplete passes later, there was no time left on the clock. Nebraska again thought they'd won, but the replay showed clearly that when Colt McCoy's last pass bounced on the ground, there was one second left in the game. Mack Brown ran the field goal unit out there (Hear that, Les Miles?), and Hunter Lawrence became the hero of the game when he booted a 46 yarder to put Texas up 13-12.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Colt McCoy now has 45 wins in his career, and a championship title. He doesn't have a Heisman and with this performance, he's not likely to get one, either. You can't blame him, though. Nebraska's defense ran through the offensive line like it wasn't even there. They're going to have to protect him a whole lot better if they think they're going to have a chance against Alabama.

Is this going to be a first? Two undefeated teams playing for the National Championship? That's going to be interesting to watch. Still, the game isn't until January, so until then, here is your second to last

Gratuitous Colt McCoy photo:

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

I'm too keyed up to sleep right now, but that's probably a good thing, since I have a huge pile of junk on my bed. I'd better go clean it off, now, and maybe by the time I'm done, I'll be tired.

And I've got Cowboys/Giants to deal with tomorrow, too. Whew!

It's Snowing!

Everywhere but here, it seems like. It snowed in El Paso. It snowed in Dallas. It snowed in Houston. It snowed in Baton Rouge. It snowed in Jackson. The only place it hasn't snowed is Grenada, Mississippi.

Sigh...

It is bitterly cold, though. Already down to freezing, and supposed to get colder. Must remember to drip my faucets. I'll tell ya, it was so nice to have heat in my Jimmy this evening when I went grocery shopping.

Cody has gone to spend the weekend with his pal, Grayson. I'm going to try to get up to the store and get his Christmas shopping done before he comes home tomorrow evening. I've already got most of his presents bought, but I do need to get The Big One.

I'm knitting, too, but I can't show you what it is. It's a present.