10-19-2008 Crocheted Slippers

I thought that I would put a quick picture here of the slippers I finished last night. I'm not too sure if I like these so I will be keeping them for myself and not giving as Christmas gift. Let me know what you think.

10-17-2008 On this day 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

On this day 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake strikes near San Francisco. Go here to see an amateur video of some of the destruction -->
http://www.archive.org/details/1989.Loma.Prieta.Earthquake.Marina.District. To learn some facts and figures concerning this disaster, please go to http://seismo.berkeley.edu/faq/1989_0.html.

10-15-2008 This day 1914 Clayton Antitrust Act Passes in Congress

President Woodrow Wilson

1913-21

15 October 1914: The U.S. House of Representatives approves the Clayton Antitrust Act. Here is a link to the text of the act http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=488. This act ammended and clarified the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.The act prohibited exclusive sales contracts, local price cutting to freeze out competitors, rebates, interlocking directorates in corporations capitalized at $1 million or more in the same field of business, and intercorporate stock holdings. Labor unions and agricultural cooperatives were exempted from provisions of this act. It also legalized peaceful strikes, picketing, and boycotts. It declared that "the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce."

p.s. President Woodrow Wilson was in office then.

10-14-2008 Round Afghan Free Patterns--Links

Note: After today (11-04-2010), I will no longer be editting this page. You may access the list of these patterns and newer ones from this blog's homepage up by the header. So, if you have this page bookmarked you might want to change it. Hugs...

• For those of you who like to crochet here are some links for round afghan patterns that are free. The posted pictures are examples of some of the ones that I made. The 2 purple ones are full-sized and the others are for babies. I used a pattern by Aggie May of crochetville.org. To get this pattern you need to become a member and send her a pm requesting it. She is very generous offering this pattern for free.
  
• http://www.tamemymind.com/blog/2007/05/16/6point_to_24point_round_ripple_blanket_greens_blues_multi.php
• http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showpost.php?p=517890&postcount=4
• http://mikknits.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-8-point-wavy-ripple-pattern.html
• http://stormdracscrochet.blogspot.com/2008/04/9-pointed-round-ripple-with-solid.html
• http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-NWrFT_Eyc7TeuqtfnrpJ4GC1qwA-?cq=1&p=56
• http://thekidneybean.wordpress.com/crochet-patterns/chromium-star-blanket/
• http://woven-stars.tripod.com/rippletutorial/
• http://mikknits.blogspot.com/2007/03/gentle-waves-round-ripple-afghan-pdf.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977275501
• http://woodhilldesignpatternpage.blogspot.com/2005/10/around-rosy-baby-blanket.html
• http://project-angel-kisses.150m.com/roundripple.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977270508
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/patriotic7pointroundripplebabyafghan.html
• http://www.sewonfire.com/round_ripple_afghan.htm
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/sixpointroundripplebabyafghan.html
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/spidermanroundrippleafghan.html
• http://innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/starry_starry_night.html
• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976910272
• http://yarn-diva.blogspot.com/2006/03/free-star-shaped-afghan-pattern.html
• http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/knitting/msg0517262029167.html?9 scroll down the page and you will see it.
• http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/round-jacobs-ladder.html
• http://web.archive.org/web/20070125045535/http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/lffunt/skipstone.htm Updated link for archived copy (11/03/2009)
  
• http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70629AD.html this is a membership site so I think you'll have to become a member.
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/55678/rose_ripple_crochet_baby_blanket_in.html?cat=24
• http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/sabraellen/roundblanket.html
• http://yarn-diva.blogspot.com/2006/03/free-star-shaped-afghan-pattern.html

Added on 01 Dec 2008:

• http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80436AD.html

Added on 19 Feb 2009:

• http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/Jeanaries/RoundRippleBedspread.html
• http://www.meibythepug.com/2009/01/6-point-star-afghan-pattern.html

Added on 16 Apr 2009:

• http://crochetme.com/patterns/9-point-round-ripple-solid-center

Added on 22 May 2009:

• http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977688297&grpId=3659174697252379

Added on 25 May 2009:

• http://inspiredcrochetdesign.blogspot.com/2009/05/rosereds-12-point-round-ripple-free.html

Added on 30 May 2009:

• Caitlin's Circle Afghan

Added on 16 August 2009

• Merry-Go-Round

Added on 04 September 2009

• Circle Afghan

Added on 28 September 2009

• Stratford Circle Afghan

Added on 21 December 2009

• Kew Gardens Afghan

Added on 03 January 2010

• Circle Lapghan  

Added on 23 January 2010

• Circle Afghan  You will need to scroll half way down the page to click on the pdf link 
  

Added on 16 May 2010

• 7-Point Star Throw
• Woodland Circle Afghan

Added on 11 July 2010

• Washed Ashore Afghan

Added on 28 July 2010

• Spiral Baby Blanket

Added on 13 September 2010

• Valis’ Circular Shawl Pattern
• 
  

  9-Pointed Star Round Ripple

Added on 25 September 2010

• 8 Point Granny Round Ripple  You need to be a member of Ravelry to access this pattern.  It's free so give it a try :)

Added on 13 October 2010

• Simple Round Ripple with No Gaps

Added on 25 October 2010

• Lilly Pond 8 Point Round Ripple for infant/child

Added on 04 November 2010

• Round Ripple Bedspread

10-10-2008 This day in history 1845 U.S. Naval Academy Opens

On 10 October 1845 the U.S. Naval Academy, known then as Naval School, opened at Annapolis. You may visit the academy online at http://www.usna.edu/PAO/welcome.htm. They offer a short history of the school at http://www.usna.edu/VirtualTour/150years/.

10-09-2008 Crochet Projects Completed

Here are some crochet projects I recently completed.

One is a doorstop. You are supposed to put the crocheted part over an old milk bottle filled with something to make it heavy like sand. I "lost" the pattern for this and had to "wing" the turbin.


The other project is a round ripple afghan for dgd's Christmas present. She asked for one and I had enough stashed yarn to make it in what I thought was her favorite color. She recently informed me that her favorite color was now PINK! Oh, well...I think she'll like it anyway since her bedroom is done with a lot of purple in it.

10-08-2008 Sgt. York Behaves Heroically in 1918

On this day in history 1918 Sgt. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 in the Argonne Forest in France during WWI. Sgt. York became one of the most highly decorated members of the US military. Go to his foundation's web site to read more about him http://www.sgtyork.org/index.html. Another good page to visit is at http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/sgtayork.htm

Crochet update--I finished the rr afghan that I was making for dgd's Christmas present. It is a gloomy day today so when I have better lighting I will take and post a picture of it for you to see. It's time to start crocheting slippers and maybe some hats and scarves for this years Christmas presents. Hugs!

10-06-2008 A Crochet Site I Just Found & Crochet Update

Here's a really nice site with free crochet patterns. There are only a few but they are very nice and not "cheesy" like so many sites offer. Hope you like it. http://www.mylifetime.com/lifetime-topics-search/article/385

Currently, I am working on a round ripple afghan for my granddaughter's Christmas present. She told me she wanted one when she saw my purple one--purple is what she always claimed was her favorite color. Now, she tells me that her favorite color is PINK! Oh well, she should like it anyway. I'll have it finished in a couple days and I'll post a picture for you.

09-28-2008 Son Turns 30!

Today my handsome son Matthew turns 30. I can hardly believe the hyperactive little boy is now getting to be so OLD! He's a great guy. Hope you enjoy this picture of him. Happy birthday Matt! Hugs...

09-15-2008 This day in 1954 Marilyn Monroe Famous Photo Taken

On September 15, 1954
Marilyn Monroe's skirt scene filmed
The famous picture of Marilyn Monroe, laughing as her skirt is blown up by the blast from a subway vent, is shot on this day during the filming of The Seven Year Itch. The scene infuriated her husband, Joe DiMaggio, who felt it was exhibitionist. The couple divorced shortly after.
Monroe, born Norma Jean Mortensen and also known as Norma Jean Baker, had a tragic childhood. Her mother, a negative cutter at several film studios, was mentally unstable and institutionalized when Norma Jean was five. Afterward, the little girl lived in a series of foster homes, where she suffered from neglect and abuse, and later lived in an orphanage. At age 16, she quit high school and married a 21-year-old aircraft plant worker named Joe Dougherty.
In 1944, her husband was sent overseas with the military, and Monroe worked as a paint sprayer in a defense plant. A photographer spotted her there, and she soon became a popular pin-up girl. She began working as a model and divorced her husband two years later. In 1946, 20th Century Fox signed her for $125 a week but dropped her after one film, from which her scenes were cut. Columbia signed her but also dropped her after one film. Unemployed, she posed nude for a calendar for $50; the calendar sold a million copies and made $750,000.
Monroe played a series of small film roles until 1950, when Fox signed her again. This time, they touted her as a star and began giving her feature roles in the early 1950s. In 1953, she starred with Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, playing fortune hunter Lorelei Lee. Her tremendous sex appeal and little-girl mannerisms made her enormously popular.
After her divorce from baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, Monroe searched for more serious roles and announced she would found her own studio. She began studying acting with the famous Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York. She gave an impressive comic performance in Bus Stop in 1955. The following year, she married intellectual playwright Arthur Miller. She appeared in the hit Some Like It Hot in 1959.
She made her last picture in 1961, The Misfits, which Miller wrote especially for her. She divorced him a week before the film opened. She attempted one more film, Something's Got to Give, but was fired for her frequent illnesses and absences from the set, which many believed to be related to drug addiction. In August 1962, she died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Her death was ruled a possible suicide. Since her death, her popularity and mystique have endured, with numerous biographies published after her death. Her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio continued to send flowers to her grave every day for the rest of his life. "Marilyn Monroe's skirt scene filmed," The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=3616 (accessed Sep 15, 2008).

09-01-2008 Conservative or Liberal?

Are you a conservative or a liberal?

• 
  CONSERVATIVES - believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.



• LIBERALS - believe in governmental action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Believe that people are basically good. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve people's problems.

To read about how conservatives and liberals view the issues go to http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/other/conservative-vs-liberal-beliefs/
Hope this helps.

08-27-2008 This Date 1859 1st Oil Well Drilled

On August 27, 1859 The 1st successful oil well was drilled, near Titusville, Pennsylvania by Edwin Drake. Thus began the oil rush and what ultimately became the world's dependence on this natural resource. Go to this PBS page to read more about this event http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/drake_hi.html.

08-24-2008 On this date in 1963 I Have a Sister!

On this date in 1963, I have a sister! Hurray, it's a girl! In those days, you just didn't know what the gender of a child was going to be before it was born. I remember a "trick" I heard of as a child that would tell you what the sex was of an unborn child. The mom should be lying down. Someone else should hold a piece of thread with a needle attached to it over the mom's tummy. If the needle moves in a circular motion then a girl will be born. If the needle goes up and down or side to side then it will be a boy! Interesting but not too scientific. Has anyone tried this?

08-20-2008 Some Old Family Photos from My Cousin

A very nice cousin of mine has sent me a few of these pictures and I thought I would share them with my family members who stop in and visit my blog. A couple of them (the "newer ones" I had but the ones he sent I didn't) and I am soooo happy! Enjoy!
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08-19-2008 Household Hints

I received this list in an email. If anyone has tried any of these things let me know what you found out.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.


• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.


• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!


• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.


• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. I've done this for years and it really works. I usually do it when I don't defrost the ground beef and I toss it in the skillet to brown.


• To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.


• For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.


• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. I have heard that this works the same for all spices.


• Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm! Let's be honest here, who has left over Snickers???


• Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.


• Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.


• Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.


• Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.


• Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and for- get about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.


• Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.


• No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.


• Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.


• Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.


• Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and .... ta da! ... static is gone. Fabric softener works good too. Another trick I've used is spraying a little hairspray on the offending garment and it works too.


• Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.


• Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car . When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! I don't know about this one. Seems like it's just another item to cram into a too small glove box.


• Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.


• Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.


• Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! Tried this without any luck. Left it out for a couple of days when I saw some fruit flies in the kitchen and this solution did not attract even 1 fruit fly.


• Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

08-18-2008 On this Day in 1587 The Dares Have a Baby! Plus Save Money!

On this date in 1587 the 1st English child, Virginia Dare, was born in the New World. An article that deals with the facts and legend about her is found at http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1647. A mystery surrounds the colony that the Dares resided in. All the settlers, including the young Virginia disappeared! To read more about this visit the about.com page at http://usparks.about.com/cs/parkhistory/a/virginiadare.htm.

Money saving tips: Many of the dollar-type stores offer great bargains. Be alert though because not everything is a good deal. I have found good deals on yarn there. Some of the yarn has a suggested retail value of $6 or more! Another good deal is razors. I would rather spend a buck for a pack of eight than three or four dollars! Not everything is a good deal. I don't go along with the designer shampoos and I can usually purchase my shampoo for under a dollar at other stores. Food items are another iffy deal at these dollar-type stores. Coffee creamer is a good deal but a can of corn is not. It pays to shop around and make notes about prices of commonly used items in your household.

08-17-2008 This Day in 1790 U.S. Capital Moved & I Have Peaches!

On 17 August 1790:
The capital city of the U.S. moves to Philadelphia from New York City. So you always thought the capital of the United States has always been Washington, D.C.--nope, that's not true. Congress had met in numerous cities including New York, Philadelphia, Princeton, Baltimore, Annapolis, Trenton and York before settling in the newly formed Washington, D.C. You can read more about this at http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/washington-dc/history.php . The picture is of the President's house in Philadelphia where George Washington lived.

Here's an update for you on my food preservation. For the first time, I was able to harvest peaches from our dwarf peach tree! I raced the squirrels for the fruit and I mostly won! I used splenda instead of sugar in the syrup for them. The "syrup" is rather thin and watery though. I was able to bag 4 quarts. I should be able to use the peaches and make a delicious peach cobbler. Warm peach cobbler with sugar-free ice cream on top--YUMMY!

08-15-2008 On this day in 1096 the First Crusaders Head for Jerusalem

On 15 August 1096 the armies of the First Crusade set out from Europe to deliver Jerusalem from the occupying forces of Islamic Turks. Championed by Peter the Hermit in 1093, Pope Urban II had sanctioned the crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095. An interesting article about the First Crusade is found at http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cru2.htm. Many historical sources credit Peter the Hermit as the originator of the First Crusade. However, The New Advent Online Catholic Encyclopedia disputes this. You may read this article at http://home.newadvent.org/cathen/11775b.htm.

08-13-2008 On This Day 1792 French Royals Captured

On this day in history, 13 August 1792--Revolutionaries imprison the French royals. To read more about this deed and the eventual execution of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette then go to the Liberty, Equality, Fraternity website of the French Revolution at http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap6a.html.

08-12-2008 1ST Day Back Subbing and Money Saving Tips from the Past

Today was my first day back subbing this year. Day started out on the wrong foot--I was 1 sub in a classroom that normally has 2 teachers and a teaching assistant. In the morning, it was just me! Everyone thought the other teacher was supposed to be there and I never did get the story about where the teaching assistant was. Anyway, that wasn't all that was going on or I should say wasn't going on. I didn't have class rosters, nor did I have lesson plans. One of the regular teachers ran around like crazy and got together some plans and BOOKS for the class so about 1/2 way into the first period we were on track! She was fantastic and deserves a bravo zulu for all the work she did so quickly. Anyway, I'm not mentioning specifics here because I don't want to step on toes if you know what I mean. The day was actually progressing very well and about 1/2 way through the day I did get a TA in the room--another great big help! Surprisingly, today ended up being a very good day at the school.

Something else I want to talk about today are a few of the little hints my mom used to pinch pennies. Some of these little tricks will work for us today. She did not buy little covered plastic dishes to put leftovers in; she utilized used jars from peanut butter, mayo, pickles and that sort of thing. She also wrapped our lunch sandwiches in waxed paper. Buy bags to throw out with the trash???? No siree...we lined our kitchen trash cans with grocery sacks and in those days the sacks were all made of paper. Sodas (or "pop") were a special treat maybe once a week. Usually our drink of choice (besides milk) was kool-aid or other similar powdered drink mix and she bought the unsweetened kind and added her own sugar because it was less expensive that way. She and my dad drank ice tea brewed from tea bags. I started thinking about these things when I was reading the "I remember when..." thread on crochetville.org http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57673 . You may want to check it out and see what others have been reminiscing about.

Take care and have fun!

08-09-2008 This Day in 1910 Electric Washers Patented, Canning Update

August 9th, 1910 Alva Fisher patents electric washing machine. Throw out the scrub board and stop beating your laundry on the rocks by the stream! Yippppeeee a washing machine! With my overflowing closet and my procrastination about doing laundry, I would spend a month of Sundays at the ol' river washing my clothes if it wasn't for Mr. Fisher. Go to this url to check out a little bit about the history of washing machines http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/washingmachines.htm.

Check out the picture I have posted here of a concept washing machine that may even clean itself every time you flush it. It is a washing machine-toilet that flushes with the washer water! Go here to this link to read a little bit about it http://www.envirogadget.com/recycling/combined-washing-machine-and-toilet/.

Pickles are all pickled! What a time-consuming job and recipe I used. I was getting really frustrated trying to use my big stockpot to sterile jars and do the hotbath of the canned pickles in. When I splashed myself twice with boiling water because I didn't have the whatchacallit to move the jars in and out of the boiling water with I stopped what I was doing and dashed over to the local discount store to buy a big canning pot with the basket in it and the canning tongs (I guess that's what they're called). I had about a 1/2 dozen tomatoes and a small bowl of cherry tomatoes that we weren't going to use before they went bad so I made tomato sauce and canned it. I only got 2 small jars but hey, at least it didn't get wasted.

08-07-2008 Update on My Food Preserving

Corn is done! About 1 dozen ears of corn I processed and froze on the cob. The rest, I cut from the cob and froze in packets of about 1 3/4 - 2 cups sizes. What a lot of work! I asked my son to come over and help me. He shucked the corn for me and I cut it from the cob, cooked and bagged it! I'm glad that's over with. I never realized before that corn had a smell. When my husband got home from work, he thought I was eating raw corn because it was stuck to my face and in my hair! What a vision of domestic loveliness to come home too!

My ds sliced the cucumbers for pickles. I must have selected the most detail orientated recipe to make. I soaked the cucumbers in a lime solution overnight. In the morning I had to rinse them 3 times. Then I had to soak them in ice water for 3 1/2 hours. The next step was to make the pickling solution. That's done and the part I'm at now is to let the pickles soak in this solution overnight. In the morning I have to boil them and then do the actual canning thingie. I may get them done yet! Stay tuned...

08-05-2008 Canning and Freezing Vegetables--Money Saving Tip

Today I am freezing corn and making pickles. The cucumbers came from our very first garden! The corn came from a farmer. Today's money saving tip is about buying produce. What you must do is SHOP AROUND!!! In order to conserve gas, you and a friend or 2 should go around to different farmers' markets and produce stands and carry cell phones with you. Then, while at the stands, call each other and compare prices. Then, either the proprieter of the stand you are at will lower his price or your friend can buy for you at the cheaper price! We relied on word-of-mouth. Corn was going for $40 a bushel at the farmers' market by our house. A neighbor found a place to get corn for $16 a bushel so guess who we went with??? Anyway, I'll keep you posted with my first time canning and freezing produce! Later...

08-05-2008 USS Houston CA30 Sunk During WWII

I was honored to meet and correspond with some of the survivors from the USS Houston back in 2002. I wrote my college thesis on the heroes of this ship wreck. The ones I met were humble men and surprisingly did not hold a grudge against their captors. Back in 2002, the survivors received back pay from the advancements they were eligible for during their captivity. These pay raises were in WWII dollars without interest being paid. I have a cousin (once removed) and her half-brother was killed in the Battle of Makassar Strait the previous month. Anyway, before you watch this video, scan over to the music player and turn the music off so that you can hear this video without interference.

For more information

• visit the USS Houston Organization at http://www.usshouston.org/
• Or a blog http://usshouston.blogspot.com/
• University of Houston special collection http://info.lib.uh.edu/sca/digital/cruiser/cruiserh.htm
• Dive team http://www.usshoustondive.com/Dive%20Team.htm

Enjoy...

08-03-2008 History: Gas Rationing Starts This Day in 1941

On 03 August 1941, gas rationing begins in the eastern states. A nation-wide rationing of gas began in December 1942. This is an interesting topic to read about with modern day gas prices becoming more and more expensive. A short, interesting article about gas-rationing during WWII can be found at http://www.bookrags.com/research/gas-rationing-ahwt-01/. A good online article about WWII rationing with lots of photos is at http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm . Enjoy!

08-03-2008--Preserving Vegetables from Garden

Hi, I thought that I would share with you today one of the things I'm doing to conserve on my food bill for this winter. We grew our first garden this year! It's pretty small because we didn't know if we had what it takes to maintain one. Next year it will be bigger! Anyway, we are up to our ears in cucumbers and I've been giving many of them away. My best crop is the green beans. Every Saturday for the past few weeks I go and harvest my little crop then I bring the beans in and process them for freezing. I was able to get one of those whatchacallit machines at Big Lots that vacuum packs food items. So, for the past several weekends I've been able to put 2-7 packs of beans in the freezer. It's just dh and me so that will go a long way. Anyway, I've been scouring the Internet looking for a basic tomato sauce recipe and I found on at a New Mexico State University web page http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/. I only have a few tomato plants because I don't care for tomatos but I do enjoy dishes that have tomato sauce in them. The recipe sounds like a lot of work but it's worth it when you look at how high food prices are now and financial experts predict even higher prices this winter. Here's a few more places to visit for tips on freezing and canning food

• http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/


• http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm


• http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Canning_Food


• http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/


• http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

I have some onions coming in and I want to chop them up and dehydrate them to use in cooking. I would like to buy a couple bushels of corn to process and freeze but the going price at farmers' markets is $40 a bushel! Between the summer storms, higher transportation costs and the increased use of corn to make ethanol corn prices have soared! Anyway, if anyone has some more hints, recipes or comments please write me.

For more information, go to your favorite search engine and type in "preserving foods," "canning foods" or "freezing foods." Good luck and have fun!

Take care...Sharon

08-02-2008 On this day 1943 Pt-109 and JFK sunk

On this day, 02 August 1943 - The U.S. Navy patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, sank after being attacked by a Japanese destroyer. The boat was under the command of Lt. John F. Kennedy. National Geographic has an online article about the discovery of what is believed to be the wreckage of this vessel. Go to http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/07/0709_020710_kennedyPT109.html to read this article. A good article about the sinking of PT-109 is located at http://www.orwelltoday.com/jfkpt109.shtml . To learn more about President Kennedy, you can visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum at http://www.jfklibrary.org/ .

08-02-2008 My Crochet Project Update

This is the same pattern that I used to make the slippers I posted pictures of July 29th. I used a larger hook with these. They now fit my big feet! I didn't put the motif on because these are just for me to wear in the house.

Anyway, I'm back to work on the coat for the fur baby of my good friend in California. This pattern is very frustrating. It is very poorly written, the counts don't come out correctly. UGH! This is the 2nd pattern I'm using so I hope it starts working out. If it doesn't, I'm going to BUY a sweater for the fur baby and use the yarn and some of my yarn stash and make an afghan or throw for them--lol! The pattern is at this link http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=194 .

The other project I'm working on is a baby blanket that is NOT a round ripple. It is a ripple pattern that is made of baby yarn and is worked in panels. It is very easy but is slow going because the yarn is finer and the hook is smaller. The pattern I'm using is a solutia pattern at http://web.archive.org/web/20050227234845/www.thesmartyarns.com/patterns/march03/babyripple.html

08-01-2008 This Day in 1794--Whiskey Rebellion Starts

01 August 1794--Whiskey Rebellion begins. This rebellion was instituted by farmers, angry over taxes on whiskey because this virtually wiped out the farmers profits. President George Washington called out the militia to suppress these farmers. If you click on http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/whiskey/page1.html you will see a copy of President Washington's original proclamation on this rebellion.

08-01-2008 List of Links Updated

I just finished bringing my list of links from Yahoo 360 to this blog. I "checked" those that I do not use very often so you should not have problems using any of them. If you see that one of my links doesn't work, please let me know and I'll be glad to fix it or delete it. Keep on hooking!

07-31-2008 This day in 1704, Defoe is Pilloried

On 31 July 1704 English novelist Daniel Defoe is made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and church with his political satire The Shortest Way With Dissenters. To read a short biography about DeFoe go to http://www.online-literature.com/defoe/ . Another interesting biography is athttp://enlightenment-revolution.org/index.php/Defoe,_Daniel . You can go to http://www.bartleby.com/27/12.html and read this literary work. If you are not sure what a pillory is, it is defined as

• a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked 2 : a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule (From: "pillory." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 31 July 2008 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillory)

07-29-2008 On This Day 1890: Van Gogh Commits Suicide

This day in 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Van Gogh is well known as a prime example of an expressionistic painter. However, while he was alive he only sold one painting! He suffered from mental illness, probably depression and ultimately this most likely was responsible for his suicide. To read more about him, go to http://cvc.csusb.edu/VincentVanGogh.htm to read a short biography about him. The painting displayed here is a self-portrait done after he cut his ear off.

07-29-2008 Latest slippers I made

I made these slippers from a pattern I found in an old Annie's Pattern Club newsletter. (Number 19, Feb-Mar. 1983 pp 54-55). They were quick and easy but definitely NOT one size for ladies as claimed. These will be put away to give as Christmas present for a "tween" girl. I was able to make the slippers in one sitting while watching a movie with dh. The motifs took another session while watching the news. I will have to adjust this pattern to adapt it for most of the adult ladies I know. Another very nice thing about these slippers is that they take so little yarn that they are a great buster of the left-over yarn stash.

07-28-2008 History: As American as uhh Well...Potatoes!

On this day in history 1586 Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe. Many of us have heard of the Irish and potatoes, German potato salad and fish and chips in Great Britain but did you know that potatoes are native to the Americas and not Europe? Go to this link http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PotatoHistory.htm and read a little bit more about this staple in many of our diets.

07-27-2008 Clothes for Leslie's Doll

Leslie came over Friday night and she brought her doll with her. Leslie usually spends the night on Fridays and I tutor her in math and reading on Saturdays. Anyway, back to the subject of this post, the doll came over with a diaper and t-shirt on and that was it. I couldn't have the poor thing dressed like that no siree! So, I broke out some scrap yarn and proceeded to make her some clothes. I couldn't find a pattern for that size doll so I loosely based the design on a few different baby patterns I found on the Internet. Hope you enjoy the pics...

07-24-2008 Grammar Hint for Crocheters

Greeting crocheters! When finishing up our beautiful crochet projects, one of the last things we do is weave in the loose ends. I had questions about the past tense of "to weave." It turns out that "to weave" is an irregular verb. This means, you don't necessarily slap a "d" or an "ed" on the end of the word to make it past tense. The correct past tense is "wove" or in the case of past participle "woven" or "wove." The regular imperfect and past participle weaved is not commonly used. I actually broke out the dictionary for this one!

07-21-2008 Let's Talk About Copyrights

Nowadays, we hear a lot about copyright and what you can and can't do with things you find on the web and elsewhere. "What is copyright?" This is a valid question that you may have asked yourself more than once. OK, according to the official government copyright website article (that I will make reference to throughout this entry {found at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf }) :

• 
  Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States
  (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including
  literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This
  protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

Now the question is, if I post an original article on my website, do I have to send a payment off to the copyright office in Washington, D.C. to secure ownership of that original article? The answer is no. The above mentionned article also states: "The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action
in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright."

Most web pages that you will visit will have a copyright date posted. This is a nice reminder but not necessary for newer copyrights. "The use of a copyright notice is no longer required under U. S. law, although it is often beneficial. Because prior law did contain such a requirement, however, the use of notice is still relevant to the copyright status of older works." So you see, as soon as you post an original work on your web page, it is copyrighted although not a registered copyright.

Now we come up the question of the advantages of registering a copywrite. The official copyright website (on this page http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#cr) gives several reasons for registering your work. They are:

• Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim.
  Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U.S. origin.
  
• If made before or within 5 years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.
  
• If registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.
  
• Registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service for protection against the importation of infringing copies.

To me, registration of copyright would be desireable on anything that was financially beneficial to the holder. The photo albums some folks post of their cats are cute, but normally they wouldn't need to register a copyright on them unless the owner wanted to publish the photos in a book or calendar of cats. I think you get the idea of what I'm talking about.

Does that mean that because something has a copyright (registered or not) that you can not use it? Nope, not at all. Fair use is the phrase used to basically give limited permission to use copyrighted material (from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html);

Section 107 of the Copyright Act contains: list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered “fair,” such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

• the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  
• the nature of the copyrighted work;
• amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  
• the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Some of this is common sense. If you are going to buy a crochet pattern to make a stuffed animal of let's say a Care Bear then you may not crochet these bears and sell them nor may you post the pattern on the Web. You may however, make them to your hearts delight and pass them out as gifts to every child you may know or even not know. You may NOT gain financially from your use of this pattern.

Now let's say, you have designed your own teddy bear pattern. You are confused about how to embroider the facial features on your original creaton so you look at the Care Bear pattern you have. You like the way the nose is embroidered on these creations (I really don't know if the nose is embroidered or a pompom is used, this is just an example) and decide to use the method of nose embroidery from the Care Bear pattern. Is this a copyright violation? Probably not because the "nose" is a very small part of the pattern and is not a "substantial" part of it. If you have any questions, your best bet is to consult with the copyright holder.

Another example of fair use of copyrighted material is when I was in college, the instructor a time or 2 copied a few pages out of a text book that the students didn't have. Because these pages were a small portion of a much larger work and were used for educational purposes, fair use came into play.

You are probably asking yourself why I am writing about this. The answer is simple. I am tired of "witch hunts" and censorship on the Internet in regards to this issue. There are forums blocking websites because of "suspicions." There is "fair use" authorized of copyrighted materials and the exclusion of this is harmful not only to the browser but also to the copyright holder who loses potential future financial gains by the lack of exposure to the public.

Source: Library of Congress. "Copyright United States Copyright Office." Available from http://www.copyright.gov/. Internet; accessed 21 Jul 2008.

07-17-2008 Crochet Portraits!

I am posting this to let you visit this fantastic web site where crochet artists have created beautiful portraits in crochet! For some reason this link was "blocked" by crochetville so I am posting it here for your enjoyment! http://www.crochetbynumbers.com/ .

07-15-2008 On This Date in 1149 Holy Sepulchre Dedicated

On this day, 15 July 1149: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is dedicated at the site where Jesus is said to have been entombed after his crucifixion. The online Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent, has an article that might interest you. It is located at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07425a.htm .

07-14-2008 #2 Another rr for Baby

I finished this rr baby afghan this morning. It is for a very good friend's soon-to-be-born granddaughter. I had 7 baby afghans to make this year and I only have 1 more to go! I'm thinking about doing a graphghan. I'm pretty stuck on these round ripples so we'll see what I ended up making. Anyway, I have to launder this one and pack it for shipping and drop it in the mail when the little one makes her appearance. I hope they like it.

07-14-2008 My Goofy Little Opi

Recently, Opi has been having problems with dermatitis. He has been cranky and we've been trying all sorts of recommended treatments to soothe it and calm him down. The other day, he stood in front of our chimenea just yapping his little head off. My MIL picked him up and put him inside of it. Opi loved it! It was full of old ashes and sand but Opi didn't care. He just laid down and relaxed. What a goofy little fur baby!

07-10-2008 A Finished Round Ripple Afghan

I finished this round ripple afghan earlier this year. I'm very proud of it! It was the first one I did. Originally, I didn't post pictures of it because I was going to enter it in the fair. Well, I didn't so I decided to go ahead and post pictures for you to see it. I made it out of double strands of ww yarn in 3 shades of purple. I started out with 2 strands of the dark, then 1 strand of dark and medium, then 2 strands of medium, l strand of medium and light and then 2 strands of light. One of the great things about this afghan is that I found 2 of the colors at a thrift store! It is a couple inches shorter than 6' across.