Monday, July 30, 2012

just a-thinkin'

I'm still here... just a-thinkin' about what the next endeavor will be.

Plus... it's getting really hot again.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

HOOKOPOTOMUS 2

I stopped crocheting for a while after the hat business died down.  During this time, I dug into my creative crafty muse to see if I could come up with something else original. I decided on a case for reading glasses with an elastic band that you could attach to a book. 


My hubby always “remarks”  about my obsession with bags (shoulder bags, overnight bags, shopping bags… you get the idea).  My first response was: at least it’s not shoes. My next response was to make these:
They have pockets on both sides: one for a cell phone, one (with a button) for whatever. My cell phone kept slipping out so I added a very small piece of velcro to the back of my phone.

The next project was a pillow.
As you can see, I still have to add the logo. Then hubby wants one for the San Francisco Giants – orange & black (maybe for Halloween… maybe Christmas). 
I also crochet 6”x 9” rectangles for HAP (Handmade Afghan Project to thank our wounded troops).
And I got involved in Share-A-Square. This involved crocheting 6” squares that made afghans for kids with cancer.
S-A-S has disbanded; and H.A.P. will disband next spring.

I got carried away with the afghan-thing last fall. After I made squares for S-A-S, I  designed and made this one:


And crocheted these two:




And… there is MORE to come in Hookopotomus 3
Thanks for stopping by.... :D

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

just saying...

One week ago today, Tuesday, July 10th, 2012, at this same time of day, the temp was around 85* and eventually the day's high temp was 103*.


It is 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012. The temperature is 62*.




Monday, July 16, 2012

Garden Update

On Saturday we blanched and froze some zucchini and yellow summer squash. We also shredded and froze more zucchini. We picked cucumbers and our spaghetti squash is growing (my sister turned me onto to this squash the last time I was back East).  Once the tomatoes start to ripen, we will have to start canning; there are soooo many.  Since June 23, our garden has grown!!! 

June 23, 2012


July 15, 2012

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Friday, July 13, 2012

OUR National Anthem

The following is a partial reprint of an article I read on Yahoo Sports. Bryan Luke sang like a true amateur. And, although he was very apologetic, practice makes improvement. However, this just adds to a long list of MY complaints about the way the National Anthem is sung. I call most of these personalized renditions or our beloved “Star Spangled Banner” warbling. In my opinion, our National Anthem should be sung AS WRITTEN. If you can’t sing it without warbling, do NOT do me the favor of singing it! Can you even begin to imagine “God Save the Queen” or “O Canada” improvised in the manner many singers use on our glorious anthem.

LUKE BRYAN:  SORRY FOR ALL-STAR NATIONAL ANTHEM
By David Brown
Big League Stew – Wed, Jul 11, 2012 4:33 PM EDT

"The Star-Spangled Banner," it has been said, is one of the more difficult songs to perform well under any circumstance. When you add degrees of difficulty such as a big venue, an important event and a vast TV audience watching at home, it only compounds the challenge.

And, boy, country music star Luke Bryan was not up to it Tuesday night at Major League Baseball's All-Star game in Kansas City. Not only was Bryan's singing flat and uninspired, but cameras caught him checking his hand for lyrical reminders, along with his watch for the time, as he plodded along for two excruciating minutes.

Bryan's performance was so bad, he apologized by making a series of statements via Twitter on Wednesday:

• Morning everyone. I really wanna explain the national anthem performance from last night.
• I had a few keys words written down to insure myself that I wouldn't mess up. I just wanted to do my best. I promise it was from the heart.
• If I offended anyone with my approach I sincerely apologize. Anytime I sing the anthem it is an honor and my heart beats out of my chest.
• I did check my watch because I knew the stealth bomber would fly over 2 minutes in and I knew a started a little late.
• Being a part of the all star game was amazing and I look forward to the next time I can perform the anthem. Thanks y'all. Love ya

The next time. The next time? No way. In the name of Enrico Pallazzo, no more singing at baseball games for you, buddy. …
It was a three-person race to find who had the worst outing at Kauffman Stadium: Robinson Cano in the Home Run Derby on Monday, Justin Verlander in the first inning of the game, or Bryan just before the first pitch. Even professionals can have a bad day. At least we can assume Cano and Verlander came prepared. …

It's for the best — safer, more humane — if we just ban good ol' Luke from ever singing the anthem at a sporting event ever again. Even NASCAR. And let's be real, here: Hank Williams and Johnny Cash already are spinning in their graves over how bankrupt country music is. Guys like Luke Bryan can't even hold Merle Haggard's beer. ...

The upside: Someone ought to be able to write a pretty good country tune about how sorry Luke Bryan was at (and about) his woeful All-Star anthem.

Off my soap box now… just had to get this off my chest…
Thanks for stopping by…

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sonora... again, at this time of year :D



Most years, when Major League Baseball celebrates the middle of its season with the Homerun Derby and All Star Game, we travel 110 miles southeast to Sonora, California. Our friend, Ed (a.k.a. Mr. Moose), is also a baseball fanatic.  And, during the past few years I have managed to sway the hubby-person, into the fold of those who enjoy a good baseball game. This year was a good one :D  

Ed has been an ardent New York Yankee fan.  Lately he just enjoys seeing a good game and all the new talent making the way through the ranks of the major leagues; although he still wears the tiresome old NYY baseball cap.   


Hubby is a fan of the San Francisco Giants. 

There was a bit of a controversy over two of Giants’ players who were voted to participate (Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera), and over the Giant pitcher who was chosen to start the game (Matt Cain).  No one was denying that both Matt Cain and catcher Buster Posey deserved their places on the team. Many fans and sports personalities felt that R.A. Dickey from the NY Mets should have been chosen to start the game.  Sure the SF Giants fans “stuffed” the ballot boxes… just like the NY Yankees fans did – and the Dodgers, and the Angels and the Mets.  

And, to quickly recap … Pablo Sandoval hit a triple with the bases loaded; Melky Cabrera hit a single and then a home run for two runs and was dubbed MVP. I saw no more controversy.  Their National League won the game 8-0, which means the National League has homefield advantage for the World Series.





And, as a final note, there was the fashion statement. Some of the players made with the shoes they chose to wear. One of those players being Melky Cabrera…




We had a great time in Sonora... good company and too much good food (including Ed's famous lobster tails)... We were going to stay longer but the heat was getting a bit oppressive for three people in a 600 square foot house. Hubby and I decided we should drive home in the middle of the night.

The past few days have been soooo hot that warm water comes out of the cold water tap.  It was 105* yesterday and the a/c has already come on this morning (9:15 a.m.).  I am so thankful for a/c... so, so thankful.

Thanks for stopping by...