Category Archives: Random

Happy Birthday, America

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“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. ”

“God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Words and music by Irving Berlin

Every time I gear this song, I tear up. I also tear up when I hear America the Beautiful but especially when I hear the Star Spangled Banner.

Secret painting project

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For the past few weeks I have been working on a secret painting project.  It is now finished.

Ever heard of this game?  They have an official site with rules and everything!  Our daughter told us about the game and we thought it would be a great way to get everyone to play together from the two-year-olds on up.  It’s great for family reunions, tailgating, outdoor parties, or any time!

I bought the raw 2-foot by 4-foot plywood game boards already assembled sight unseen and decided to finish them myself.  The plywood was the worst I’ve seen and I think I overpaid (an understatement) for them.  They are solid construction-wise but the quality of the top was pretty poor.

I used an 8-oz. container of wood putty to get them semi-even then sanded them as smooth as I could before the painting on the primer.

Next was a base coat (or three) of white paint.

Then I taped around the edges and painted one blue and one yellow.

The final design with five coasts of polyacrylic.  No, those are not decals.  I painted the flying WV myself with the aid of painter’s tape and an Exacto knife.  Fortunately you can’t see the up-close and personal details.  They look great from a distance…there are “inconsistencies” when you get real close.

Now we just need a party!

Wildlife

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No, I didn’t see another bear but we do have some not-so-“wild” life around our house.  Or rather living under our deck and shrubs.

We have rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, a ground-hog, and mice surrounding our house.  And I really hope they stay outside.

Deer and turkeys run through our yard.

Gabriella de la Crescent

Gabby was our miniature Schnauzer.  (BTW miniature Schnauzers are the perfect dogs for handknit sweaters.)  She defended our property as though she were 10 times her size and kept the wild and not-so-wild life away from the house.  She’s been gone since 2001 and the wildlife finally figured it out.

A few nights ago Mr. Aitch and I were sitting out on the front porch when a mouse scurried across the entire length of our front porch.  He said, “This would never happen if Gabby was still here.  We need another dog.”

And I agreed.

Then we weighed the pros and cons.  A dog and all the associated responsibilities just won’t fit into our lifestyle right now.

SKUYD?

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Do you Secretly Knit Under Your Desk (SKUYD) at work or school?

I take my knitting to work but feel guilty knitting there unless I’m away from my desk.  I have an hour for lunch.  Most of the time I eat lunch at my desk and can’t bring myself to get out my knitting bag even though I have plenty of time.  I mean, how long does it take to eat a piece of fruit and carton of yogurt?  I feel like I’m knitting on company time.

Occasionally I do knit during lunch but always feel guilty if I’m knitting at my desk.

So do you SKUYD at work or school?