Circular Shoulder Warmer

The top yellow blend is the last shoulder warmer I am making

It turned out quite nice with two double strand threads.

Depending on the occasion, I have colors to match lol

I might work now to see how to decorate them so they look less plain.

The top one is for fall The gray one is for winter

The multicolored one I put on before, is for spring and the pink one also from before, is for summer.

I put a lot of the things I made away in boxes and now I have enough for another box.

It just collects so fast. lol

I feel like I am making myself a dowry for retirement or for when my eyes cannot see anymore.

With climate change I think knitting will come back in style as people will require warmer things and it is nice to keep warm with the projects you make in winter.

I still have two sweaters to finish. I guess the reason I stopped is because I got disappointed in the sizing. They tell you one thing and then the things come out looking smaller but then they might stretch as wool usually does. I like the sweaters to look bulky on people because the warmth from the body is kept inside between the sweater and the clothes. I watched a program on Navajo Indian women. They have their own sheep and spin their own thread from the wool.
Their blankets are very beautiful. People come from far and wide to buy them.
I liked the lecture they gave on life and how important it is to live in harmony with nature. Their sheep would run away and they would wait for them to come back home on their own when the weather was bad. Their leader was an old hunchbacked gramma who was very active, very respected and the glue keeping the family together.
I really loved her as I saw her do her thing in a manner I could reminisce and see my own Gramma in her. The young people could not keep up with her. lol

I remember a story my Gramma told me about her Mom. She was a small woman and her husband was a very huge man cut down over night, in his prime, by fever.
Never the less, she would go to the homes of her children one by one, give them hell calling them lazy and ignorant about how to do things. She'd rampage through the house putting everything in order . She mended cooked cleaned gardened, canned and when she was satisfied the house was in order, she'd leave and go to the next child's house. lol
My Gramma said nothing was secret with her. but no one ever said a word to her because she commanded respect. lol
In fact they trembled when she would enter the door because they knew they were not up to par to her perfection.
The day for her, was an 18 hour day.
Today, we have to say, thank God for technology and the washing machine.lol
Thank God for the dishwasher, the stove and fridge.
Thank God for the heating furnaces.
All these things had to be done by hand a few generations ago.
It is only because of these things, women today, have the luxury of going to work and be a little independent.

As for myself, I especially love making blankets cause they keep your legs so warm and you see the project grow. It gives you personal satisfaction to see it finished.

I was sitting in a car watching my boy play soccer so the extra warmth was appreciated.lol

Vancouver won the Stanley Cup in Football .

It was not as exciting to watch as hockey is but we brought the cup home and we needed some joy here in BC.

So Congrats BC LIONS for a good job. Well Done!!

We also have a MLS soccer struggling to get up on its feet but they don't attract very good players because they are not paying them well.

It is shameful not to put out your best players and we have many in BC who will never see the light of day.

Have a great day!

Horsin Around

These are my two boys on horses at Langley 204.
It is run by this wonderful woman Teresa, who is a champion horse rider herself.
She saves good horses from an otherwise poor demise and she has other women with farms who help her if she ever needs a place to retire a horse to die in peace. That's what I call love.

While I was taking care of my Mom, we spent a lot of time there with the horses riding and helping Teresa keep them fed and clean and of course loved. My Mom would sit and enjoy the view and the horses.
There used to be a farmers' barn we passed along the way and they sold broken unsellable carrots, for horses. We always got 2 huge bags for these wonderful animals, who worked to earn their keep.
When they would see you with a bag, 40 horses would run to the fence post and God FORBID you didn't treat them fairly. lol They were like children and understood everything. lol

Teresa taught the kids , who came regularly, about horses. She made each person ride a different one, so as to learn , that it's not just a horse but an animal with feelings
and a character and pride. They were no different from people and expressed themselves accordingly.
---------------
As I am writing this the Canucks scored 6 goals against San Jose who scored two.
My goodness are they on fire tonight!
-----------------
My favorite time was when Teresa would have these barrel races after a work day, for the kids.
The kids had to dress up their horses and wear a costume like for Halloween. She had the same things for Christmas and other times of the year. She made it like a club to thank the families for supporting her and her horses, by giving each child a horse to do with as they wished.
Even women riders would dress up as fancy Spanish LAdies and their horses were equally gorgeous.

Teresa had this pony and no one wanted to ride it because it was small. However, for barrel races, it always won because it had the extra touch of being small to make quick turn arounds and the area covered was not that big. A big horse needed more time to turn and could not gain speed this way to make up for the lost time. When the kids saw this they all wanted to ride the pony but Teresa refused because there was a weight limit.
Lots of disappointed kids was the result when they learned they were too big for the pony. lol
--------------------
Oh my God! They scored again 7-2. Geez! 3rd period.
San Jose must be pissed. They are a great team with Niemi as their goalie.
San Jose will not come back now. No time left.
They just put in a goal so its 7-3 . San Jose is not taking this very well and there are a lot of fights.
Will be a lot of disciplinarian stuff going on
------------
The young man on the gray horse is my son Alex. He really enjoyed going into the National Park with the horses. They ran fast and boys like thrills.
Behind him is little Nick who rode like he was glued to the horse. He was a natural.
But then Nick was a natural at everything he did. Even bike riding. He just got on and rode.
Alex would close his eyes and not realize he was alone and riding lol
Two boys, totally different, just like horses.
Alex careful and Nick a little confident risk taker.
I got into learning how to sew the face masks for the horses so the flies would not bother their eyes and thick blankets to place under the saddle as pads, to prevent chafing.
Blankets would need washing as they got dirty quickly but I would imagine it would be hard on the washing machine. Face masks were expensive to buy and sometimes during play the horses would rip them, so making them at home was much cheaper and easy. I made 40 to give Teresa that summer. The kids also learned about salve for the hooves, special brushes, and soaps to make the horse shiny. Needless to say, maintenance for one horse, was very expensive.Then there were the leads and the horse mouth bits.

Anyway. If anyone loves to ride horses, I recommend Langley 204 in British Columbia.
You will love Teresa and she deserves merit for saving so many horses.
:)

A Back Yard Bliss

My yard is an overgrown forest.
I love keeping it this way as everything fits in.
The birds, flowers, trees, wild life and most of all, Beau.
Like everything else in the back yard, he is growing older and scruffier but he is the same
loving smart pup we got 8 years ago.
He likes to hide behind branches and play hide and seek with you because he never wants to come inside, thus keeping his old inherited dog traits
Coaxing him back in is not exactly my cup of tea.
He still needs a 10 year old boy to play with him but my youngest has already outgrown dogs.
Beau watches the wild life and keeps the coons and cats at bay.
He says this is my turf. No trespassers but it seems no one cares and trespass anyway. lol
Spring is a beautiful time in my back yard as things begin to grow again.
You forget winter and all the rain and concentrate on the glory of rebirth.
The smells of new fresh grasses and chirping of birds makes your heart flutter.
Nothing like nature at her best.

We finally moved on in Hockey to the next level.
This is the first time in 17 years that we got so far.
The Canucks played an aggressive game because they said they needed the rest in between series. The next series will really be a difficult one. Both Detroit and San Jose are stacked with excellent players and goalies.It's going to be a difficult haul.
Ryan Kesler really did a lot for this game and ended up the teams' MVP


Nicole Kidman was in the Nashville Audience. We saw her at two Nashville games.

With a bursting heart I wish you all a very beautiful day!
:)

-----------------------------------

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, British scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 200 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 150 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Brit's, in the weeks that followed, an American archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet, and shortly after, a story was published in the New York Times:
"American archaeologists, finding traces of 250-year-old copper wire, have concluded that theirancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network 50 years earlier than the British".

One week later, Canadian Dept. of Mines and Resources in Newfoundland reported the following:

"After digging as deep as 30 feet in NE Canada, Jack Lucknow, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely bugger all. Jack has therefore concluded that 250 years ago, Canada had already gone wireless."

Just makes one proud to be Canadian, doesn't it?

------------------------

more redneck humor

Monday Delight

This was a cake my husband couldn't resist buying this week end.
It was delicious but full of calories 450 calories is enough for a whole day.
Only thing you can add to that is a few green beans lol
But who cares. Its not everyday we get to place our piggies into whipped creme
and licking them off with anticipation of what else is to come .
I mean would anyone use a napkin to do this?
Not me anyway.

My sisterinlaw lives by her Ferero Rocher Cakes and I can see why because the ingredients put into them are beyond wonderful.
I am dying to try making one now and this is not a good idea lol

Our Canucks lost yesterday 4-3 and we knew they would when Schneider left the goal and wasn't ready for a quick puck.Then he got hurt. No one is sure how or why and then
Louongo also made a mistake and it cost us.However the refs were also not obeying rules and breaking them to give the US every chance to win. We made the winning goal they did not count. They saw it going in and blew the whistle.

One more game left now and it will be for all or nothing.
It is no wonder these two teams hate each other. The Chicago goalie, Crawford, is fantastic.
He did so much for the Hawks and it is because of him they are doing so well.

Happy Monday everyone!!


I hope we win . GO CANUCKS GO!

Canucks vs Black Hawks

Wow! Another excellent game between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Vancouver Canucks

After the two teams began to slow down second inning and their goalie certainly looking demoralized, the Hawks began to score goals third inning.
They came on pretty strong and this ,after keeping their stronger players on full time, not giving them any time to rest.

The Hawks put on a great show and we are thanking our lucky stars to win 4-3 and not having to go into overtime.

As predicted, tensions will remain high between these two teams and their fans as they continue to battle between themselves for first place.
These first two wins for the Canucks give them a small advantage but it is clear that the Black Hawks are not a team to be underestimated.
They will continue to keep us more than entertained cause
it ain't over till it's over, as they say.

We will go to sleep tonight happy with our Canuck win but
these games are not for the faint of heart.

GO CANUCKS!!! GO!!!

Vancouver Canucks....

The First Stanley Cup Game of many to come .

Well it was a big night for the Canucks against their nemesis, The Chicago Black Hawks, in their first game of the play offs.
With one of our Canuck guys missing, because of a damaged eye, it was a tough
haul indeed.
The fans were all excited and impatiently waiting for the outcome, as two fearsome
teams, enemies, by nature, ( Native Indian Hawks vs Orca's crashing out from under the ice in the form of a letter C probably standing for Canada.) got ready to show, who is the better man.

Needless to say our knuckles were white from anticipation and many finger nails were being chewed down to the bone, before this game was over.

And a battle it was till the very end. The Hawks gave up their goalie to a free net , got a power play and then lost their own player to a penalty, while the Canucks continued to pound and pound them regardless, with 4 men in.

The Canucks came to win and win they did with a 2-0 shut out.

The cheers were over whelming as we have the best fans in the world following our guys, pushing them forward, to put Vancouver on the map, as having the best Hockey
Team ever.!!
We got the bug Canada. :)

Go Canucks Go!!!

May the wind be at your back helping you along.
A Very Happy Lady's Life.
:)

Kutya For a Julian Christmas.

While the Russkies are lazying around airports, they are missing their Christmas at home, because they are a day ahead in Russia and it's Friday already out there.

After the 1917 revolution, Russia lost her Christmas holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus but the people kept the holiday alive hidden under the guise of Ded Moroz or Father Frost with a red nose.

To this day Kutya is one of their important dishes to make since meat is not allowed, if you follow tradition.

Kutya symbolizes hope happiness and peace and is served at the Holy Supper before church service.
This is when they cover the table with a white table cloth, to represent Christ's swaddling clothes.
They put a few pieces of hay stocks to represent poverty.

Pagach or lenten bread is made to represent Christ as the bread of life.

A white candle is lit and represents the light of the world.

A prayer is then said with each family member being crossed with a cross of wet honey, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, for sweetness to last in their life.

Then pieces of bread, is dipped into honey and chopped garlic to represent life as being both sweet and bitter.

Then they would sit and eat.

Kutya would be thrown up onto the ceiling and if it stuck, then this meant they would have a year of plenty. It was a custom to eat Kutya from the same bowl to represent unity between family and friends.

The Holy Supper consists mainly of 12 dishes representing the 12 disciples.

Usually you find mushroom soup, pagach bread, grated garlic, a bowl of honey, baked cod,
(apricots, oranges figs and dates), nuts, kidney beans with shredded potatoes seasoned with garlic,salt and pepper, peas,
parsley potatoes and biscuits with sauerkraut or poppy seed with honey to be completed with red wine.

Then carolers walked from house to house singing songs.

Santa is known as St Nicholas. He is said to come from Myra of Lycia, which was a Greco Roman city. Since he was also outlawed, Father Frost replaced him. He was the spirit of winter who traveled with a snow maiden and they gave out gifts.

Since the Christmas tree was also banned, they still put up a tree for new years, decorated in fruit.

Our Christmas comes earlier because we follow the Gregorian Calendar and they, in Russia, follow the Julian calendar, which is 13 days later, on Jan 6 th.

This makes it hard when trying to figure out birthdays. lol

Kutya is a very healthy dish especially for children. It's sorta like a porridge made out of wheat berries, poppy seeds, honey, sugar, and walnuts.

I tasted it once and it was delicious!!!
Definitely worth trying to make.

Merry Christmas Russia!!!
Congrats on the Gold in Hockey!!

:)

Smiles for the New Year!!

So the unruly Russians were kicked off the plane eh?
lol

Awww Canada.
We love our beer but we don't have to be upset they don't like it as much as we do.
After all, they drank watered down whisky, not 110 proof vodka, Russia's used to.
No wooses in bear wrestling Russia
and
I'd say Gold is an excellent reason to celebrate lol
But then the Coaches should show a better example to their kids.
They are kids after all.

What r some good Russian jokes?
I don't know. You have to find em. Ever see a Miracle??
They just keep russian around.
It's understandable cause ...............
------------------------------
In Soviet Russia......pucks hit you.
-----------------------------

At the Olympic men's figure skating tournament in the US, an Irish competitor skated around some classical music in a slightly dull costume , did some excellent jumps but no artistic feel

for the music.
Judges scored : Br.=5.8 Ireland - 5.9 USA - 5.5 and Russia 6.0

Next came the US competitor. His outfit sparkled, He skated to rockinroll music. The crowd clapped .Technically he was not as good as the Irish guy but artistically very good.
The judges score for the US guy??
Br. 5.8 Ireland 5.5 USA 5.9 Russia 6.0


The Brit came out next and his jumps were good but not as good as the US guy.
The Judges gave him BR 5.8 USA 5.7 Ireland 5.9 and Russia 6.0

Finally
The Russian came out wearing a horrible costume old skates tied around his feet.
He tripped as he came out onto the ice and banged his nose which began bleeding. He got up and staggered a few paces and then again fell down. His whole routine was full of spills and falls.
As he made it to the end he was tattered and bleeding getting off the rink.
The Judges scores read:
Br. 0-0 Ireland 0.0 USA 0-0 Russia 6-0

Everyone stared at the Russian judge and asked how can you give him 6-0?

The Russian judge replies : "You gotta remember, it's damn slippery out there."

-----------------------------------
Yup ... Russia's changed or has it when judges are blind to Russia's flaws?
At least he was fair to all the competitors knowing what he was looking for lol
Don't mess with a sober Russian. lol
No more vodka to buy there, after Perestroika, so sober, they come to the US to get a little high lol

Am I bad or what ? lol
-------------------------------------

Well, I am not the only one. A Russian Comedian, Yakov Smirnoff, was truly excited when he came to the US and saw Smirnoff being advertised on bill boards.
He said teary eyed:
Everyone in America loves Smirnoff!!. lol

He said he went to the grocery store and
bought powder eggs, powder milk, and baby powder... and marvelled
...only in America!!

He read the Employment Section of the newspaper where it said:
"Part time woman wanted.
He thought.. What a country ! Even transvestites can get a job!

He was offered a job working as a barman on a grave yard shift and thought...
Amazing country. A bar in a cemetery.
Last call?
During Happy Hour, the place must be dead. lol

Russians!
Love em or hate em, we got to remember, they laugh at Borat too.

------------------------------------------------------

Apart from the sport scene
I have to promote true artists, since the work they do is so time consuming.

This is a site I found with many artists one can click on to see their works.
Some are extremely good.



Have fun.

Canucks vs Calgary Flames

What an exhausting night!!

After watching our poor Team Canada boys loose gold to Russia 5-3, where Russia made 5 goals in the third inning, we watched our Canucks holding onto 3-0 against the Calgary Flames.

Every one was thinking the same thing. Third inning and the same thing will happen to the Cunucks , that happened to Team Canada and boy!!! WOULD THAT NOT BE a good thing lol
It was a hard squeeze but the Flames managed to score one goal just at the end and leave saving face.They have like 20 losses so far and the Cunucks 18 wins.
I understand a season has around 80 games so they have time to catch up.

I don't know who it was more tiring for, the players or the fans who sat under so much pressure, cheering for their home team.

Both teams played so well but someone in the end had to win and someone had to lose.
The Russian boys were ecstatic. This was a major thing for them for many reasons.

Now they don't have to go home fearing Mr Putin who takes losing games quite seriously lol
I loved it when they said they won for Mama but it was not clear if they were talking about their own Mama's or Mother Russia, as Russia was lovingly called. All of them sang the national anthem off tune lol (thought I'd Mention it..... to Mr Putin lol)

Now what gender would Canada be? hmmm
Probably female as would America with her Statue of Liberty.

I guess it was us gals kicking butt in the hockey arena then.
Well, we know how to keep it friendly like lol

On the comedy station one guy criticized Soccer and the yellow cards they give out.
He said what kind of a lame game is that, soccer?

Well , The Cunucks played like the soccer teams do but I noticed, they have shorter plays and change players, like every two minutes, as opposed to soccer players, some of who play both periods without going off and they have longer periods. Soccer is much harder on the body it seems than hockey is. The players are not wrapped up like mummies and still have to play in freezing rain snow and hail.

So it is not a game for pussies, as the comedian suggested. Shows how much he knew about soccer.lol
We also have our fair share of fighting and face demolition but most players keep their front teeth.
Sometimes I think they should force the players to wear helmets in soccer.

Well, I don't know why fans need all this stress but it sure feels good to be a part of a home team.
I watched the games and now feel physically tired and I bet these guys are going to take a shower and head on out to parteee.
Win or lose they are headed for bigger and better times.

and as for soccer? Well we found out it's a sad day for Canadian soccer, as CBC reported Kara Lang had to retire, due to recurring knee injuries. She is our second best Canadian woman soccer player. Well who knows, she might return one day.

Enough sports for one day . Whew!!
Good Night World :)
-------------------------

" We've got the best hockey team in the country unbeaten and no goals scored against us!"
" How many games have you played?"
" The first one's next Saturday."


In court the other day there was a case regarding the custody of a small child.
The judge asked the boy, "do you want to live with your mother?"
He replied, "No I don't want to live with her because she beats me!".
The judge then asked, "Do you want to live with your father?"
The boy stated, "No he beats me too."
Finally the judge asked, "where do you want to live"
The child responded, "I want to live with the Montreal Canadiens!".
The judge asked, "Why do you want to live with the Montreal Canadiens?"
The boy exclaimed, "Because the Montreal Canadiens don't beat anybody!"


St. Peter and Satan were having an argument one day about hockey. Satan proposed a game to be played on neutral ice between a select team from the heavenly host and his own hand-picked boys.

"Very well," said the gatekeeper of Heaven. "But you realize, I hope, that we've got all the good players and the best coaches."

"I know, and that's all right," Satan answered unperturbed, "We've got all the referees."


Three Maple Leafs fans were bemoaning the fact that their team kept losing and might miss the playoffs.
"I blame the manager" said the first, "if he would sign new players then we could have a great team".
"I blame the players" said the second, "if they made more effort I am sure we would score more goals".
"I blame my parents", added the third, " if I'd been born in another city I'd be supporting a decent team!"

The Sky Says It All 1/1/11

Sunset was absolutely stunning from my window yesterday.
Such bright colors and luminous clouds reflecting them, is an artists' dream.

I found this to be a good omen for the New Year and decided to take a photo.

We had no snow to speak of but one can see the roof tops sprinkled and frozen.
The streets are quiet but it seems the stores were all quite busy.

Our Canucks have been kicking butt lately and became so interesting to watch especially when they played the Black Hawks, my cousins' home team. She is so passionate about them and very annoyed when they lose. lol

Today we watched Pittsburg vs the Washington Capitals. Washington won.
The young lady who sang the American National Anthem, did such a fantastic job.
She hit all the high notes so well it was a pleasure to hear her sing.
She is on her way to becoming famous with that voice.

My roast was excellent and we have plenty of leftovers for today. lol
So an easy day for me. :)

The only thing that is not so good is that the day is very chilly and it gets warmer at night.
Go figure.
:)


Husband Down

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.
The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.
'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.
'They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans he replies.
'Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.
What do you think you're doing?' asks the husband.
'Its my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.'
He never knew what hit him.

CONGRATULATIONS BLACK HAWKS ON WINNING THE 2010 STANLEY CUP!

A LADY"S LIFE WISHES TO CONGRATULATE
THE BLACK HAWKS ON A JOB WELL DONE!!!
In Winning the Stanley Cup 2010!
This is the last time they won in 1961
but they also won in 1934 and 1938
NICE!!!!
And to the 20 Canadian players on the team,
GOOD JOB!!!!:)

:)

WE ARE CANADIANS

 

Well said by someone who knows Canadians.


So We're Not Perfect!
February 19, 2010


Do you believe?

We never claimed to be perfect,
That means we’ve learned to be humble.
We say excuse me and I'm sorry…as well as please and thanks,
Even when its not our fault we apologize.
Sure one arm of the torch didn't rise,
But when the earthquake struck Haiti, Canadians raised their hands to say…”We’ll help.”
And yah, there is a fence around the torch,
But you can walk right up and shake hands with our prime minister and most famous Canadians.
We put Gretzky in the back of a pick up, in the rain, not surrounded by police…and he was okay,
And by the way... the great one is Canadian…and HE wasn’t complaining!
We do have security at the games, of course, but most people don't even have a gun they have to leave at home.
The medals ARE under lock and key, but our doors and our hearts are open to the world.
It has been pointed out that some buses broke down last week…they came up from California and couldn't handle our steep hills,but let’s not overlook the fact that our banking system didn't break down.
We didn't get the "green ice maker" right this time…but we will, eventually,
Just like we did when we invented the zamboni.
Citius altius fortius
If you don't reach higher how do you get faster and stronger?
Was the first quad jump perfect?
Should we not have given snowboarding to the world "in case" it didn’t take off?
So big deal…one out of four torch arms didn't rise. Good thing we had three more! It’s called contingency planning!
But remember…the Canadarm works every time…in outerspace…and insulin turned out to be okay.
We couldn't change the weather, but maybe we can help to stop global warming.
We don't have the tax base of the US or the power of the Chinese but, per capita, we ponied up for some pretty kick-ass venues in the worst global recession ever.
Sure, some folks couldn't afford tickets, but our health care is universal.
We have shown the world that we can raise our voices in celebration and song, but moments later stand in silence to respect a tragic event...together...spontaneously…and unrehearsed.
What's more, we don't need permission from anyone to have a slam poet, fiddlers with piercings and a lesbian singer tell our story to the world while our multilingual female haitian-born, black head of state shares a box with her first nations equals.
We’ve shown the world that it doesn’t always rain in Vancouver, that you can strive for excellence, but not get hung up on perfection.
And we’ve learned what it feels like to be picked on by some no-name English newspaper guy and we don’t have to take it lying down!
So the point is not the snow, or the hydraulics or a couple guys being 5 minutes late to a ceremony,
We know we’re lucky that these are the biggest problems we've had to deal with in the last couple weeks.
So take your cheap shots…Guardian newspaper and cynics of the world,
We're bigger and better than that.
What's more we're finally starting to believe it!