Way out in the Middle of Nowhere

If I could find a working razor, I'd shave my legs and wear a dress today! Ah well, the pasty white skin reflects light..might not be a good day for that. So I read this article yesterday about these cruel farmers who live pluck the crap out of their geese for some chi-chi down coat industry.  The picture showed these poor Toulouse geese denuded and just looked so wrong. I went outside and stared at Buddy, our goose and just cried. Let's take another look at the cutie goose we call, Buddy : Buddy is the most easy-going, calm, upbeat goose we have.  I've been told it's the breed: Toulouse are very docile geese.  Buddy, however has not been forthcoming on his/her real sex, so I had to pluck 3 feathers and send them to a DNA Sexing business to get Buddy's real gender.  I suspect Buddy's a she, but I could be wrong.  Heck, plucking 3 feathers made me feel real bad, could you imagine plucking Buddy until he/she was bald? Not a nice sight.   It's jus...

Still can't get into the Christmas Spirit, not in any way shape or form. I am really trying to figure out how to get there, but it is not happening. Everyone else is singing their carols, bedecking trees and I could give a crap less. So why DO we put up trees? Why DO we spend all our $$ buying crap for others. Ok I know that they are termed 'gifts' but really............what do you remember of last years' 'gifts'?  I mean, think about it: I am a knitter.  I knit. All the time, everywhere. It's not a secret.  Now you'd think a gift of yarn would be greatly appreciated, right. Any kind of yarn, even that fun fur stuff.  I'll use it. I've got charities that I knit for. How much yarn have I received for a Christmas gift? NONE.  Really? I mean REALLY? How freaking hard is it to go to Wal Mart and pick up Red Heart? I'D USE IT! I'd REALLY use it! Instead I get more body creams.  Do I smell bad? I DO shower and stuff. Or Candles.  Scente...

Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone. For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth, But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air. The echoes bound to a joyful sound, But shrink from voicing care. Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go. They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all. There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life's gall. Feast, and your halls are crowded; Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live, But no man can help you die. There is room in the halls of pleasure For a long and lordly train, But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain.  -The interesting note about this poem is the fact that Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote it in 1...

There was a wonderful rant here, but I cut it out because it was pretty harsh.  Face it people; no one really wants to hear what you say it it means upsetting their pretty little world.

1. If I can avoid it, no more professors of the female gender.  No, I will not expound on why because it will just tick off many of my gender.  Suffice it to say that you cannot have it all and do it all well. 2. Online classes? No. I need on campus classes.  I need the structure. 3. No Friday classes if I can do it, and try to schedule more than 1 class /day to make it pay.  This one hour a day in class M-W-F is killer. 4. Eating in the cafeteria is actually pretty cheap.  $5 gets me a decent meal.  Though I won't do the chicken fingers any more.  They sat like a rock in my gut all afternoon. 5. Stick to my study schedule. It works and even if a prof throws a monkey wrench, it will work. 6. Expect some sort of nervous breakdown weekly.  It helps to expect it. 7. Check that d2l more seriously because of #1 Random photo: The antlers off the deer we last put in the freezer.  I'm having fun walking around constantly chewing on v...

Sounds like fun doesn't it? Kicking pools.  Except I've been doing it for a few weeks now because of the ice. The pools are used for the geese and ducks.  They're just kiddy pools, but it gives them a chance to bathe and get clean.  Apparently the pools also play a crucial role in mating for both ducks and geese. That happens in the big pool There's a larger pool that's deeper and more uh...mating friendly over by the house.  In this picture, Buddy is in the blue one, Percy is in the pink one and Ron is in front.  Now wait for it............. Up pops Sissy! Isn't she adorable?!?! The interesting development over the last two weeks is that Sissy and Ron have bonded.  Geese are one of the animals that chooses a mate for life. I checked the forums on this and it's not a hard and set rule that the ganders won't go astray, but they do have their favorite gals. Ron likes Sissy.  Oddly enough, Ron is not our biggest gander and he does bully Percy on ...

Usually I don't throw down the pre-Christmas rant until closer to the actual day, but what the Hell.  According to the Mayans we'll be dead by then. In 2007, I made all my Christmas gifts.   In fact I spun and knit two of them from soft wool and gave them to my Mother and Mother-In-Law.  So lets roll on some photos, shall we? This one actually was taken before I washed it. The color changes were actually *dirt*. It came out snowy white with green glass beads on it.  I gave it to m Mother In Law. She folded it, put it away and I've never seen it again.  She said it would make a lovely table runner.  *facepalm* it's a STOLE! Onto #2: My Mother's shawl, Mystic Waters I think it was called.  Also spun from Targhee, with no beads. My Mom doesn't do that frou frou.  She opened it, Dad said, "Oh look, it's an old lady shawl!" and that was it. Mom keeps it on the back of her chair in the sewing room.  Hey, at least SHE didn't throw it out...

Knitting has been done, really. I've made two Rikke hats, finished off a lace scarf from Kid Seta, finished off a pair of fingerless mitts and now I'm working on the 2nd of another pair.  Problem is, photos aren't taken.  But I'll uh...wax nostalgic on it. Rikke Hats:  One is handspun camel-colored alpaca.  The cast-on is more stitches and I start decreasing at 7" instead of 9.  I just don't have the need for another 2" in the hat.   The second is a handspun merino in shades of red.  That's the one that I have enough yarn left over for fingerless mitts. One is done, the 2nd one is on the needles. The lace scarf: From Cascade Kid Seta. White in color, this thing took forever.  Not because it was a hard pattern, but because I just lost all interest in it 1/2 way through the skein.  It's now done, but I have to block it. OH I found a hat that I really have a picture of: It's a hat made from Knit Picks Palette.  I made up the patte...