Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

With Memorial Day coming up, I thought you might like to do something patriotic in memory of our service members.  Anyway, here is a pattern for a patriotic wreath.

A Couple More Links for Round Afghans.

I have posted a couple new links for round afghans.  You may find a list of all the links here.  And here are the new links!

• 7-Point Star
• Woodland Circle Afghan

Have fun!

I Have a Mutated Rose Bush!

I have this climbing rose bush that has gorgeous orange roses. Well, it's supposed to have orange roses.  Last year, the early blooms were RED and subsequent blooms were orange.  This year, the first blooms were a  mixture of big orange and little red.  Hmmmm, the bush is crazy like the rest of us here lol!.  Anyway, here's a picture to check it out.

My garden with the exception of some garlic is planted.  The blue jays think I put out a buffet dinner for them.  I have to send the "babies"--Nellie Belle and Opi out to guard the veggies.  Right now, it's a challenge to see who will get the benefit of the vegetables--the birds or us.


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SNL: Their Take on the 2010 Census

Recently Betty White appeared on Saturday Night Live.  She was in this hilarious skit on the census.  This struck home for me.  I recently finished classes to work in another phase of the 2010 Census.  I'll be going door-to-door starting Monday and I'm looking forward to seeing if any of the households I visit are like this one!  Enjoy!
You may go to the column on your right hand side and mute the blog's music player to better here the videos audio.

A Tribute to US Military Troops!

A friend sent me a link to this video and I really thought it worthwhile to post it.  So many of our troops are mere youngsters--some are still in their teens.  They're the ones who protect us selflessly.  Let's remember them in our prayers.  Hugs to all....

You may want to mute the blog's music player.  Scroll down the column on your right to the player and mute the sound to better hear this video's audio.






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Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Summer is right around the corner and it's time to break out the old tennis racket and hit the courts! Today's free pattern link is for a cover to keep that racket covered and clean. Have fun with this one!

Do Any of You Remember the Lawrence Welk Show???

I've been watching the show Major Dad on hulu and I noticed this clip for a Saturday Night Live salute to Mothers Day with Betty White.  I cracked up as I watched it! Below is the clip.  Enjoy! You may want to go to the column on your right to mute the blog's music player before watching the videos.



If you're not old enough to remember the Lawrence Welk Show, here is a clip from one of the original shows.


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Mother's Day...

It will be Mothers Day in less than an hour.  I'd like to wish all the mothers out there a relaxing, joyous day.

My mom's been gone for many years.  She passed away a week and a half before Christmas when I was 12.  Even though I'm in my 50s now, I still miss her.  I especially missed her during all the landmarks in my life--graduations, getting married and having children. However, I do have this happy fantasy about her.  I imagine her sitting in heaven with all our other deceased relatives sipping on a cup of coffee and looking down at me cheering me on when times are tough, smiling when times are good and looking after my sons now that they're grown and on their own.  Happy Mothers Day Mom!

My Mom:  JoAnn (nee Jungles) French

A Few Thoughts on Blogging...

I've been thinking about how I blog and post comments to other peoples blogs.  I use a lot of exclamation points  for one thing.  Why do I do that?  I think that I want to people to know that I want to be a little humorous, excited or impressed and not sarcastic or a smartypants.  That's the same reason I type lol or  some version of :).  All these little things seem to be rather "goofy" for lack of a better word coming to mind.

Another thing I often do is go back and edit my posts if I see a misspelled word or lack of an apostrophe to show the possessive version of a word.  I don't care to have folks around the globe think I'm illiterate!!! :) lol!!!

What do you think--is this goofy?!!!

Look at My Son's Latest WIP

My son is building cabinetry for one of my neighbors office/den in a basement. It is still a work in progress. Some of these will have doors on them and he needs to put a finish on everything. Everything has been built from scratch. He did not go to school to learn this. He worked with my uncle rehabbing houses when we lived in Illinois. He's always been artistic and it has carried over to working with wood.  He renovated my walk in closet for me and I LOVE it!  There isn't sound with this one so you don't have to mute the blog's music player if you don't want to. Anyway, here it is:

New Facebook Group

Hey, I just started a new group on facebook for the former crew, family and friends of the USS Harold E. Holt. If you happen to have an association with this group stop on by and visit!  The name of the group is

U.S.S. Harold E. Holt FF-1074 Former Crew, Family and Friends

So far I am the only member lol!  I have talked with a couple former crew members and they expressed interest in a group when I mentioned that I was thinking of starting one.  I hope they join because I'm kind of lonely as the only member. ;)

Parenting Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

One of my favorite ladies in history is Eleanor Roosevelt. Behind the great man Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greater woman--Eleanor Roosevelt. Not only did she do the political campaign bit for him she was also his legs and ears out in the field where and whenever he was unable to go because of his paralysis. On a more personal level, she was a loving mother to her children. In 1931 she wrote an editorial for The Parent's Magazine that is as relevant today as it was then.  "As parents, we must realize that modern life tends to make us soft, and we must let our children meet their own difficulties, find their own solutions to knotty problems and gain experience for themselves.  It may seem hard but what a sense of satisfaction there is when one feels sure of the ability in one’s self to meet a difficulty."   Go here and you  may read the entire editorial.
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Bloom Time!

I'm sharing more of my springtime blooms with you.  I hope you enjoy...

Azalea in front yard

Flowering bush in front (don't know what kind)

EDIT:  After sleuthing around google, I believe this bush is called firethorne.  It has these flowers in the spring and orange berries in the fall.  It also has lots of thorns.

"Changeling rose" former carpet roses but now they climb!

Irises in front

Lambs' ears in front

Miniature rose I bought myself because I deserve it!  :)

Pansy in chair planter.  I "rescued" the planter from a burned out house.

The rose bush was a rose tree but it broke in a storm.  Looks like a bush is growing from it but it doesn't have any buds.  We'll have to wait a bit to see if it gets flowers.  The pot in front of it has lilies and I'll plant another flower in with it

Snowball bush.  The "snowballs" are rather flat this year!

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Happy Birthday Pete Seeger!

On this day, May 3rd, in 1919, Pete Seeger was born. That means today is his 91st birthday! Pete Seeger is a musician, singer, songwriter, folklorist, labor activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate. He was born in Patterson, New York. A couple of his songs that you may remember are Where Have All The Flowers Gone and Turn, Turn, Turn.  Here is a video of Mr. Seeger singing one of his compositions.  You may want to go to the column on your right side and mute the blog's music player before playing these videos.




The rock band Byrds, made Turn, Turn, Turn famous.  Here's a video of the Byrds singing it:



Go here to learn more about Pete Seeger.


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Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Sorry I didn't have this posted first thing this morning; I almost forgot (I'm getting old so forgetfulness is to be expected lol!).
Here's a link for a Christmasy afghan.  It is made of squares and is very festive.  Squares can be a pain to sew together but on the other hand an afghan made of squares is a great summer project.  Make the squares in the warm weather and sew together in the fall to have a special afghan ready for the winter holidays! Go to Bonnie's Poinsettia Afghan to see this cute pattern.

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On April 26, 1862 Civil War Cartoon about Union Naval Victories

This Cartoon was printed in Harper's Weekly on April 26, 1862. Cartoonist Justin Howard uses a sports analogy to praise Union admiral Andrew Hull Foote's victories in the Mississippi River campaign.  His capture of Island Number Ten from the Confederates is represented as a game of ten pins (a type of bowling).  Go here to read the complete article about these victories.
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Look What Happened to Iroquois Point Military Housing in Ewa Beach, Hawaii

A friend just sent me this.  These townhouses and duplexes used to be military housing that we lived in when we were stationed in Hawaii back in the late 80s and early 90s.  It is hard to believe that the military built new housing and got rid of these.  We had a great time when we were there and I really would like to go back someday.  You can go to the column on your right and mute the blog's music to listen to this video better.


NOTE:   The video seems to be marked private now. DRAT!!! Here's an article about this place that might interest you: 2,000 Military Homes to go On the Rental Market
.
ps--I'm leaving the video thingie here in case they decide not to keep it private.

I Lucked Out: My Thrift Store Find

Today I decided to stop at the local Goodwill thrift store.  I wanted to pick up a few paperbacks since I find it ridiculous to spend the "big bucks" on them at WalMart and other retailers.  I only do that for a select few authors that I really like. I checked out the very small selection of craft-like items.  Usually, I don't have much luck finding crochet patterns or yarn at thrift stores in our area.  Today, however, I lucked out and found a small book of crocheted patterns for afghans at only 50 cents!  Yippee!  Here it is:

Afghans to Crochet (Crochet with Style from Simplicity, 0423)

"Old Timers" Making Lace

Many of us enjoy crocheting gifts for family and friends.  In the days when my grandparents were children, crocheting or tatting was not always a leisurely pursuit but rather a way for women to supplement the family income. Often, they would work in their tenement homes with inadequate light and ventilation.  Here are some photos of a few of these craftswomen that are posted at the Library of Congress site.  The titles of the photos are the original from the LOC.

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Title: Carmela Picciano, 311 E. 149th St., 3[rd] fl[oor] rear. 12 years old. Making Irish lace for collars. Works until 9 P.M. sometimes. Dirty kitchen. Location: New York, New York (State)

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Title:  Antoinette Fazzino, ten years old, makes Irish lace for collars and waists after school.  Her younger brother (by the stove) said, "Lace is too dam-cheap."  Antoinette wears glasses. 303 E. 149th Street, New York, New York (State)

***

Title: Celina Anzalone, 2264 First Ave., making lace for Cappallino's factory, near by. She said she was doing it only until Christmas. Location: New York, New York (State)

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Title: A typical view of Carmina Caruso, a ten year old Home Worker as she walks around crocheting as she goes. Location: Somerville, Massachusetts.

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Title: Italian family living 428 E. 116th St., 2 floor back. They were so illiterate I couldn't get their names. Have been in U.S. only one month. Mother is learning to make lace for factory near by. Location: New York, New York (State)

***

Title: Katie (13 years) and Angeline Javella (11 years), 311 E. 149th St. 2[nd] floor front, making cuffs, Irish lace. Income about $1 a week. Said they work some nights until 8 P.M. Location: New York, New York (State)

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Title: Mrs. Maggie Conte, 428 E. 116th St., top floor makes about $2.00 a week working lace collars, yokes, etc. for Cappellino's factory. Husband is carpenter. Work not steady. Brother-in-law boards with them. Location: New York, New York (State)

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Title: Mrs. Tony Totore [or Totoro?], 428 E. 116th St. 2nd floor back, makes from $2.00 to $2.50 a week making lace for a Contracter, Mrs. Rosina Schiaffo, 301 E 114th St, 3[rd] floor. Mrs. Sohiaffo, in turn, sends her lace to a manufacturer, M. Weber Co., 230 E 52[nd] St. Husband and two children, 4 and 7 yrs. Old. Mrs. Totoro said, "I rather work for a factory. They pay more." Husband is a cement laborer with irregular work. Location: New York, New York (State)

***

Title: Mrs. Palontona and 13 year old daughter, Michaeline, working on "Pillow-lace" in dirty kitchen of their tenement home, 213 E. 111th Street, 3rd floor. They were both very illiterate. Mother is making fancy lace and girl sold me the piece she worked on. Location: New York, New York (State)

***

Title: Home of Mrs. Rosina Schiaffo[?], 301 East 114th St. 3[rd] floor. She is a Contractor, getting lace from the home-workers in the neighborhood, (woman in black has just brought in some work), and the lace goes to M. Weber Co., a manufacturer, 230 E. 52[nd] Street. On the couch with Mrs. Schiaffo is seven-year-old Millie, who is learning to make lace. Father is a street-cleaner. Another little girl, about seven, was at work on the lave when I came in, but she fled. Location: New York, New York (State)

***

Title: 4:00 P.M. Making lace collars at home (usually in kitchen). Mrs. Vencique, 309 E. 110th St., working with baby asleep in lap. Her sister, Tessie Amendola, 15 years old, works all the time. Some days she says she makes over $1.00 a day. At times only $2.00 a week. Been working at it three years. One of them was making lace for a contractor, Marchina, 207 E. 109th St., top floor (in an old dwelling). The other was making lace for factory, P. Cappellino, 401 E. 116th St. Husband is plasterer and "works some." Location: New York, New York (State)

***

The above photos were all taken by Lewis Wicke Hine (click on his name for biographical information source). Hine was an American sociologist and documentary-photographer born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he studied at the State Normal School, completed courses in drawing and sculpture, and worked in a factory before studying sociology at Chicago University in 1900. A self‐taught photographer, he moved to New York in 1901, becoming an instructor in nature studies and official photographer to the Ethical Culture School. In 1905, informed by his training in sociology, and with his reformist interests sharpened by his experiences at the school, he began using the camera to study social problems by recording the arrival of immigrants at Ellis Island. These images led the National Child Labor Committee to hire him for its campaign to ban child labour in agriculture, the canning and textile industries, mining, and other places progressive reformers regarded as unsafe or morally unfit for children. While working for the NCLC, he completed his master's degree in sociology at Columbia University. He first published his photographs with accompanying text as an essay in Charities and Commons, later better known as Survey magazine, in whose pages his passionate opposition to child labour appeared regularly. Between 1908 and 1918 the NCLC sent Hine throughout the eastern states to document the prevalence of the problem. Using flash-photography techniques pioneered by Jacob Riis, he documented young boys working underground in coal mines in Pennsylvania. Plant managers at southern textile mills tried to exclude him from their premises. Always he accompanied his images, intended for use in posters, pamphlets, lantern lectures, and other NCLC campaign media, with detailed captions describing working conditions, the ages of the children, and, if possible, their wages. Hine also did occasional photographic work for the American Red Cross between 1910 and 1914, and between 1918 and 1920 documented post‐war conditions in the Balkans, Italy, and Greece, images which became part of The Human Cost of War.  Hine began to receive recognition as a photographer rather than simply as a reformer, when his first one‐man show was mounted. He continued to work as a photographer and photo director for Survey and for the Red Cross. Notwithstanding his standing as a reformer and photographer, his experience photographing construction of the Empire State Building, New York 1931, and the work of the Tennessee Valley Authority 1933 and Rural Electrification Administration 1934-1935, Roy Stryker did not hire him for the FSA's monumental documentary photographic effort. Instead Hine became photographic director of the National Research Project of the Works Progress Administration.

***

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Squares Made for a Crochet Throw

Tonight, I finished the last of the squares for a throw I'm making.  Now I need to sew them all together and then weave in the ends.  I wove in the ends of the squares as I finished them (except for 1 square that got away from me) so there won't be nearly as many ends to weave in.  Although, there will be a lot just from sewing the squares together.  Anyway I made basic granny squares, sometimes smaller ones crocheted together so this isn't a complicated job.  I mentioned before that this was a relatively inexpensive ghan to make.  The burgundy color was a mills end and the grays are from a buy at a Goodwill Store for 50 cents per skein.  A couple squares have centers made from left-over dark reddish color from a previous project.  Here are the squares...

I'm lucky I don't have overnight company expected because these squares have taken over the guest room and bed!  Take care everyone...



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Thunder Over Louisville

This time of the year, an enormous fire works display and air show called Thunder Over Louisville, takes place in Louisville, KY. It kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival. One of these years I may actually see it in person.  Also, one of these years I may actually go see the Derby too although I'll have to win the lottery to afford decent tickets.  For my friends and readers who, like me, didn't make it there this year, here is a video of a previous display.  We really missed something spectacular!

To better hear this video you may mute the blogs music player that is located in the column on your right.




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Monday's Link for Free Crochet Pattern

Here is a pattern for an afghan that is promoted as a Christmas afghan but would be suitable anytime of the year by using  non-Christmas colors.  Afghans seem to promote the coziness of a home and this one looks relatively easy to make.  Enjoy...








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