The Results

of the poll on MSNBC. I must say, I was very surprised at the results, especially considering who MSNBC's target audience is.

.

~~WoW~~

You mean we gotta do this again?????

Plum blossoms



And I think these are apple:

Grade Him

How do you think Obama is doing as President? You can grade him here.

Blankie Mania

Life is slowly beginning to return to my broken heart. There is still a dull ache, but things are starting to get better. Some. As soon as I'd heard the news, I went right out--well, OK, it was a couple of days--but the next time I went into town, I went straight over to the toy department at Wal-mart and bought this

just on principle, even though I already had one. This one is going to be moving to Hawaii here in the next couple of days.

The blankie has been a real source of comfort for me. I promised an updated picture and here it is.


The new yarns can be found here

here

here

and here

Kindly ignore the big glob of dog hair. It's one of the hazards of living with them. I fear blankie production will grind to a depressing halt pretty quickly. I only have 10 more mini skeins left before I run out of yarn.

After weeks of complaining, Cody finally got out and picked me some daffodils. He calls this his Redneck Flower Arrangement. Note the Orange Crush bottle.

He cut these yesterday and is a bit upset that the flowers have started to wilt a bit already. I told him that's just the way of it.

Finally, because cat pictures are always good,

Squeaky, watching me out the back window.

Now, I'm going to go settle into bed with Atlas Shrugged. Goodnight.

Mourning

I have spent the last three days in something resembling a state of mourning. Mild, yes, because nobody actually died, but mourning nonetheless. Terrell Owens was --is-- a great football player. He is a playmaker and someone defenses fear. He made the Cowboys a better team-- something his teammates acknowledged.* Most of them were surprised he was cut, and so far, I haven't heard of a one who says the team is better off without him. Most of them say the team is now worse without him. In fact, the only ones who are saying the team is better off without him is, you guessed it, the media. Last week, the Cowboys were favored to represent the NFC in SuperBowl XLIV. Now, no one thinks they'll even make the playoffs.

Terrell Owens is a good enough player that it only took him two days to find another team. The thing is, he just got there, and the headlines are already reading "Drama in Buffalo". That was his biggest problem. The media just wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't even pick his nose without huge headlines splashed all over everywhere saying "Owens boogers in Dallas" or something equally ridiculous. It'll be the same in Buffalo, and it saddens me to know how many Buffalo fans will be taken in by that. And much of it wasn't even true. T.O. got a bad rap from the media, just because he was T.O. Shortly after the season ended, I wrote a post that I regret not getting posted. I'd intended to find and link all these interviews that I'd taken these quotes from before posting it, but then I got so sick and it all fell by the wayside.

I decided to post it anyway, without the links, and out of date as it now is. Here it is:

Chris Collinsworth is an idiot. Earlier this season, during the pre-game show before the Cowboys-Giants game, he said that Terrell Owens is a cancer and Dallas would never be able to accomplish anything until he is gone.

He was at it again at the Pro Bowl. He said that Ray Lewis needs to go to Dallas and put an end to all the fighting and bickering that's going on down there. He said that somebody needs to put a tent over that circus. He said, "so much talent and they wasted it with all the infighting and bickering."

It amazes me how he knows so much considering he wasn't even there. And what saddens me more is that there are going to be so many morons out there who actually believe what he is saying. As if it were true.

Back to the cancer remark. Ever since he said that, people have been commenting, posting on message boards, e-mailing the site, calling into the radio shows parroting this very statement. T.O is a cancer. He's got to go. Because he's so disruptive. Because he's such a cancer, you know.

IN fact, it seems that everyone is calling T.O. a cancer and saying he's go to go except for---What's that, you say?--his team mates. That's right. His team mates. In all this talk and blather, I have yet to hear a single one of Terrell Owens' team mates say anything negative about him. Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams neither one say he's a problem, and he were, they would be the ones to know. Jason Witten says this whole thing is blown way out of proportion. Tony Romo says, sure he wants the ball more, but if you asked every player in the league that same question, every one of them would say the same thing. Jason Witten said he wants the ball more, but nobody cared about that, because he isn't Terrell Owens. Tony also says that when T.O tries to step up and be a leader, he's being made out by the media to be the bad guy. T.O. comes off the field yelling, screaming, and cussing, and the media spotlights him, saying, "there he goes again. " Full back Deon Anderson says, "I come off the field after every play yelling, screaming, and cussing everybody out, but nobody cares because I'm not T.O." Even DeMarcus Ware says that T.O. has been trying to keep things low key. When asked earlier this year if T.O. would be back, DeMarcus replied, "He's a playmaker. He's a leader. We need him."

But what about all those stories about him being divisive in the locker room? Bradie James said it best when he said, "When he was in San Francisco, it was 'Jerry Rice says...'. When he was in Philadelphia, it was 'Donovan McNabb says...'. Now he's here in Dallas, and it's 'Anonymous sources say...'. When I was in junior high, high school, college, if I didn't cite my sources, I got a flat zero. It's the same with this. Until you put a name to those sources, it's all make believe."

People read this stuff on the internet or in the newspaper, or they see it one TV, and they believe it.

They assume that just because some reporter who's job it is to find stories says it, it must be true. And we know that no reporter would ever make anything up, right Dan Rather? As for me, until Terrell Owens' team mates begin calling him out, until those who are in the locker room with him begin calling him a cancer, until those who play the game with him begin saying he's got to go, I hafta agree with Bradie:

It's all make believe.

It's all make believe. Bradie went on to say in that interview that if he didn't know better, from what he read, he would have thought they'd had to call the National Guard in to break up stuff in their locker room. Part of the problem, especially with the accessibility of the internet, is that literally anyone can publish literally anything, and someone somewhere is going to be stupid enough to believe it.

Take last month, for example. Some yahoo on Yahoo posted that Terrell Owens stormed into Jerry Jones office, demanded that he cut Tony Romo and draft Colt McCoy. Yes, Colt McCoy had said that he wanted to return for his senior year at Texas, but Owens felt that if Jones offered him enough money, he could convince him to go ahead and declare for the draft.

Now, that's the most rididulous thing I'd ever read. No way is Jerry Jones going to cut his $67 million franchise quarterback, and even if Colt did declare for the draft, there's no guarantee that he'll still be around when the Cowboys get to their first draft pick, which is the 51st overall, not to mention that while all this was allegedly going on, Jerry Jones was down in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. Nonetheless, there were people out there who actually believed that this incident really occurred.

That's the stuff the media feeds on. There is no such thing as integrity among reporters any more. So take what you read and hear --especially about Terrell Owens-- with a grain of salt because most of it won't be true. But you can believe his former team mates:

This team just got worse.


*Talkin Cowboys, Friday 3/6/09--when finding out that he had been cut, several of Terrell Owens former Cowboys teammates were heard to say, "This team just got worse."

A Semi-Productive Day

We started for Southaven early this morning, headed for the PetCo to get Scarlett a stand for her tank. Wouldn't you know, after driving an hour and a half, battling a fierce wind, they didn't even have any. The only size stand they had was for a 10 gallon. I need one for a 36" x 13" tank, so I can put Blaze's tank on top, and Scarlett's on the bottom. I guess she'll have to stay on the floor a little while longer.

The day was not lost, though, as we headed next to the yarn store, where I bought some red yarns for the blankie, which has become a bit heavy on the blues and greens of late.

I mentioned what I was making to the owner, and she said she has a friend who is making a blankie out of left over sock yarn. I was doing that, too, but now I've gotten to the point where I'm making socks out of leftover blankie yarn. Three of these have already been incorporated into the blankie. I'll post photos soon.

Next stop: Wal-mart, where Cody got himself a new watch, and I got myself some Girl Scout cookies.

Thin mints. Mmmmmm

After that, we headed to the book store, where Cody got two books. His tastes are running a bit to the macabre, and I'm beginning to wonder if he's trying to go Goth on me.

My purchase was Atlas Shrugged.

Since we seem to be living in these times, I figured it would be a pertinent read.

Final stop, Target, but we didn't buy anything there.

I got home to discover that Terrell Owens has already been signed by the Buffalo Bills. I've had a T.O. post forming itself in my head, but so far I haven't had the heart to type it out. I think I'll just go to bed and dream of the glory days B.J.J.--before Jerry Jones.


.

I Have No Words

Farewell, Old Friend. We'll miss you.

~~DOT~~

Yep, yet another idea swiped from Robin. This time it's Dogs On Thursday. Here is Rylea, enjoying the mild temperatures. Katie was out there, too, but she doesn't like the camera.

It was an absolutely beautiful day today. Mild, and in the mid 70s, but windy as heck.

The daffodils--these same daffodils that were pounded into mush, then frozen and snowed upon--bravely lifted their heads to the sun again for one last shot at glory.

Right before I ripped them out of the ground and stuck them in a vase.

I watched Nights In Rodanthe this evening, and frankly I found it didn't live up to the hype. I was actually getting bored with the movie. I'll just say, the best part was the horses. Oh, and that house. I loved that house!

The Cowboys have cut Terrell Owens. I'm not too happy about that. It kind of makes the article I wrote about him last month moot now. But then, if I hadn't procrastinated so long, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we? Maybe I'll post it anyway, and retrodate it back to Feb 9. Still, I think he was getting a bad rap from the media. He wasn't as bad as they were making him out to be. Besides, I liked the guy.

I'd intended to work on my socks today, but the blankie love is still flowing. It'll dry up pretty soon, though. I'm almost out of usable yarn. I should be getting a swap bag pretty soon. I can't wait!

Then again, I may have to spring for another starter kit. If I can catch them in stock, that is. They fly off the shelves as soon as Robyn restocks them.

~~WoW~~

Yes, I'm stealing yet another blogging idea from Robin. This time it is Whiskers on Wednesday. I'm not going to officially join, because I can't promise to post cat pictures every Wednesday. Squeaky does NOT like the camera.



Whiskers on Wednesday? I don't want to be on no steenking Whiskers on Wednesday! Um, what's Whiskers on Wednesday?

Nevermind, cat.

On the knitting front, I'm just been chillin and working on the blankie.

Sus asked if I were itching to cast on another large lace project. Well, sort of, but I want to get some of my other WIPs finished first. I want to finish my Longhorn socks, which I haven't worked on in ages,

and my two Trekking scarves.

Then I will think about casting on something else. I'm leaning towards Queen Anne's Lace (Ravelry Link).

We'll see...

It Is Finished!

Pattern: Mystic Waters, by Anna Dalvi


Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Lace
Color: Mermaid


It still needs blocking yet, but it's done!

Two Goats And A Wedding

Years ago, my uncle used to keep cattle. He didn't have a very big heard, just 10-15 head.

That's my uncle, on the left there. He is married to my dad's oldest sister, who is in the middle. And that's my dad on the right. This picture was taken about 20 years ago.

Back to the cattle...Uncle sold some of his cattle at auction, and one of them tested positive for brucellosis. Or to put it in the local vernacular, the cow banged out. Now, in those days, the only thing you could do when have a bang cow is to brand her jaw with a big B and sell her for slaughter. But then, the Department of Agriculture comes around and tests your cattle for forever, or until the entire herd is clean.

After it was all said and done, when his herd had finally been cleared, Uncle decided just to get out of the cattle business for good. In their place, he bought some goats. I often helped him look after his goats--feeding them, penning them at night, letting them out in the morning--that kind of stuff. The first time I ever saw anything give birth, live and in person, was one of Uncle's goats. Some years later, he told me that he's enjoyed his goats more than he ever enjoyed the cattle. He still has some, though he lost many of them when hurricane Ike came through.

Back before I joined the Navy, I spent most of my time--when I wasn't working--roaming the woods. One morning, Uncle called me and said, "One of my goats didn't come up last night. I think she stayed out to have her baby. If you happen to see her during your wanderings, let me know." That was right up my alley. I got my dog, and we set off to find the goats.

The dog I had then was a Chesapeake/Labrador cross. He was named Cutter John, after a character in the old Bloom County comic strip, and he was the Best. Dog. Ever. Yep, this is him.

Me and Best Dog Ever set out into the woods, and it didn't take us long to find mom and baby. Both were doing just fine. I picked up baby (this is really her)

and carried her back to the goat pen, with a worried mom trotting beside me, never taking her eyes off her baby. I was real proud that I'd found the missing goats.

Uncle only had three babies that year, and the baby I'd found in the woods was the first to be born. Here they are:

Just a few weeks later, wild dogs got into the goat pen and killed about half of Uncle's goats. Some they killed outright, others they left so badly wounded that Uncle had to shoot them. His big billy was badly wounded, and Uncle tried so hard to save him, but he ended up dying during the night. All three babies were also lost.

About a week later, one of my former schoolmates got married. She and I had not been friends in school. She didn't like me, and I knew it. I didn't like her either, and she knew it. She always seemed to think that she was better than me, and didn't bother to hide her opinion.

When my cousin asked me if I was going to Lisa's wedding, I said no, and she exclaimed, "You're not going to Lisa S----'s wedding!!!????" with much the same horror and disbelief as if I'd just told her I'd declined an invitation to Charles and Diana's nuptials. "Didn't you go to school with her?" cousin asked. I replied that I had, but we weren't really friends. She responded, "You have to go to Lisa S----'s wedding. Everybody is going to be at Lisa S----'s wedding."

"Not me," I said. But Cousin was so insistent that I reluctantly agreed to go.

The afternoon of the wedding arrived, and I went out to feed the goats before I began getting ready. Uncle had gone out of town that day, so he didn't turn them out into the pasture, but he did ask me to go give them some feed, which I was glad to do. Best Dog Ever was, as always, with me.

We got out to the goat pen, and who should be there but one baby goats that we thought had been killed! This one:


She was outside the pen, bleating and wanting in. As soon as she saw me, she took off running, and I took off after her. So, here I was, less than an hour before I'm supposed to be at this wedding I didn't really want to go to, running headlong through the woods with Best Dog Ever, trying to catch this baby goat. Best Dog Ever finally trapped the goat in a ditch and held her until I could get there to catch her. I carried her back to the pen, and put her inside. I fed the goats, then went to Aunt and Uncle's house to tell Aunt that I'd found one of the babies. Cousin and Other Cousin were also there. I told Cousin, "Well, I guess I'm not going to Lisa S----'s wedding after all."

"Why not?" cousin asked.

"Just look at me," I said. I was covered from head to toe in mud, and I didn't have time to take a shower.

"You'll be fine," Cousin says. "Just wash your face and hands and put on some makeup, and let's go."

So I did. Reluctantly. I went to Lisa S----'s wedding, and the reception afterwards, though I didn't really want to. Lisa, the one time she did speak to me, was as condescending as I'd expected her to be. I was polite, but it was forced.

At the reception, I sat alone in a corner, because I didn't know anyone else there, listening to the harpist. I had mud under my fingernails and under my toenails, and mud in my hair, and I smelled like a swamp. It was then that I realized

I'd rather be chasing goats through the woods.

But that's just me.

Snow Pictures

Falling snow:

The car got a nice blanket:

The ground didn't:

The snow pretty much did the last of the daffodils in:

Squeaky says, "I'll watch from inside, where it's warm."

What's On Your Calendar?

My bedroom calendar:

My kitchen calendar:

My office calendar:

What's on your calendar?

Saturday Snow

What cold couldn't do, what frost couldn't do, a day of driving rain managed to accomplish. My daffodils have been pounded into mush.

This is one of the better looking bunches left. The rest are gone.

And now it is snowing. Tiny little flakes that won't stick, but it's about all the snow we get around here. I tried to take a picture, but it was just black.

This is what my sky looked like today. It never got any better.

Feeling in a rebellious mood, I didn't knit a single stitch on the shawl. Instead, it was the blankie who got my attention today.

This is the width of it. When all is said and done, it will be about twice as long as it is wide.

I also spent some time adding the blogs I have in my Ravelry reader to my Google reader. I'm much more likely to read them in Google. I'm also going to try to comment more on what I read. I'm always whining and moaning about how nobody comments on my blog any more, so I figure I should comment more myself.

Kinda like the old saying, if you want to get letters, you need to write letters.

Yeah.

Paul Harvey

And now you know the rest of the story.

The author of those most famous words passed into immortality today at the age of 90.

Rest in peace, Paul Harvey. The world will miss you.