Finding Community in an Independent State

Cautious Optimism and the Hard Work of Real Democracy

2009-01-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

Am I happy that this is George W. Bush's last night in office? You bet. Do I think that Barack Obama will be an improvement from the last eight years? Absolutely. Do I think that he will solve all of our national an international crises? Nope. I am cautiously optimistic. I did vote for Barack Obama because I share many of the political and social values, as well as the policy changes, that he spoke to during his campaign: investing in education and reforming No Child Left Behind, investing in alternative fuels, affordable healthcare for all, etc.

So, why am I cautiuously optimistic instead of completely confident that this country is going to become a haven of social justice within the first 100 days of Obama's term? Here's why. Obama has and continues to be deeply entrenched in the corporate government that has left millions of Americans without access to healthcare, led America into the deepest econmic recession since the Great Depression, and allowed a war based on deceit and fear to take the lives of more than 4, 000 Americans and hundres of thousands of Iraqis (at least).

While millions of Americans donated to and volunteered for Obama's campaign, Obama also accepted millions of dollars from corporations that oppose the values he preached. Obama accepted millions of dollars from top Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs -$955,223, JB Morgan Chase-$642,948, Citigroup-$633,418. No matter how well-intentioned Barack Obama may be about restoring the economy by bringing jobs to the middle-class, he will have lobbyists from these Wall Street firms reminding him daily of his debt to them.

So why am I evenly cautiously optimistic? Why am I not a complete pessimist ready to escape the country and take up the life of a disgruntled ex-patriot. I actually believe that at his core, Obama really does want to change policies so that all Americans have access to healthcare, teachers have the tools they need to educate the next generation, and that economy must be restored so that Wall Street does not bully Main Street. I also believe that he is a charismatic and competetive individual that is very susceptible to the thrill of power.

That is why it is so important that Americans who supported Obama with their $25 or $50 dollar donation do not allow him to cave to corporate interests that have already succeeded in dictating his appointments. There are some really great websites that are organizing citizen lobbying efforts. On inauguration day, celebrate your freedom an power by pushing your agenda. The corporate lobbyists are very powerful, but not as powerful as millions of citizens. Before I list these sites, I leave you with this thought by citizen activits Edward Abbey.

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."

My America Project
Center for Constitutional Rights
ACLU

Good luck and happy Martin Luther King Day.

Falling into Winter

2008-10-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's been a while since my last post. Fall in Vermont was beautiful. I use the past tense for this season of colorful landscapes and bountiful harvests because it snowed today. For those of you that do not live in Northern New England or similar climates, you may think that you read that wrong. Nope. It snowed. So, before I touch on the winter ahead in terms of weather and politics, let me just say that this was one of the most beautiful autumns that I have ever experienced. The red, orange, and yellow leaves that mark this season in Vermont seemed to be particularly intense and long-lasting this year. The picture above shows a few of the many trees that I had the pleasure of resting my eyes own this past month. In addition to enjoying this weather on foot, we were able to enjoy it from our kayaks.
So now most of the leaves are on the ground along with a dusting of snow, the long haul of winter is upon us. I don't say long haul in a completely negative way, just the reality of the fact that winter here will last well into April. In preparation fro this long winter, we have put quite a bit of food away, either freezing or canning. We invested $200 in a 7 cubic foot chest freezer and we have it about 1/2 way full with veggies, pesto, soups, and berries. A couple weeks ago, a friend invited us to harvest one row of trees in a nearby apple orchard at the end of the season. Here I am happily harvesting. It is amazing how many apples one tree can produce. The end result was (this is only an estimate) about 700 apples. I have made a ton of applesauce, Robb has baked about 12 loaves of apple bread, and we have had more than our fair share of apple pie and apple crisp. We are supposed to go over to our friend's house and press the remaining apples for cider this weekend. No shortage of fiber in our diet nowadays.

The cooler weather has also motivated me in the knitting department. I cast on and quickly knit the Odessa hat pattern (free ravelry download) in Mirasol's Hacho yarn. The combination of this very colorful yarn with the swirly pattern made it fun to knit and almost as fun to wear. In larger knitting projects department, cast on the lovely Cobblestone sweater for my DH. I am knitting it in O-Wool balance and it is lovely. Since it's a 50/50 cotton/merino wool blend, I think this will be a three season sweater. It has a lovely texture and handsome tweedy look because of the fiber mix. The 17" of primarily stockinette with a little garter stitch that I am currently working on make it a great mindless project for knit night, movies, or other times when I am trying to multi-task.

I was going to write about how the larger world seems to falling into winter, plus what we are doing to prepare, but I think we all know that and a little distraction from this economic crisis is well deserved by all.

Nothing Funny about Funny Money

2008-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember when money was something you had to earn and put away in order to purchase something, especially something big like a house or a car or a million dollar company? At some point we forgot about that little financial crisis called the Great Depression and banks had the brilliant idea that they should lend people hundreds of thousands of dollars that they didn't have so that these people could purchase things they couldn't afford (or usually need) like big, fancy houses with heliports and heated swimming pools. This money could be paid back over up to 30 years at an interest rate that seems fair only if you don't do the math. What a great deal...or not. The mortgage crisis, it turns out, has only been the prologue, to what is turning into an epic financial disaster in this country. While individuals do need to take responsibility for their financial choices, home buyers were really just the pawns in this mortgage fiasco (and pawns are easily pushed around). The lenders, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were the Kings and Queens that were making loads of money while individual home buyers sunk themselves farther and farther into debt. The American government couldn't let the King and Queen go down , it might hurt the position of the pawns that they had pushed around. So, the King and Queen (aka Fannie and Freddie) were rescued from the mess the made so that the pawns would not completely abandon the chess board.

Of course, this mortgage crisis was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of financial disaster. How could banks lend out all that money neither they nor the borrower had? Investments! Yes, take the small percentage of money that the borrower gave to the bank towards their massive loan and make it grow by funding other corporations. Sound risky? While, it was and still is. From what I can understand, investment banks don't work too well if people are not making investments.

The whole system sounds pretty much broken to me. Apparently, the already financially strapped people of Main Street America are supposed to now support throwing another 700 billion of their tax dollars at what seems to be a sinking ship. This seems like a recipe for disaster.

So far, the politician who has the most logical response to this crisis is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who said, "if a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist." So, perhaps it's time to stop propping up dangerously large corporations and figure out how to stabilize the economy by spreading out the wealth.

Just a thought.

Pete Seeger's Message Resonates More than Ever

2008-09-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I had the amazing opportunity to see Pete Seeger perform live at the Brattleboro's Latchis Theater. Seeger was joined on stage by his grandson Tao Rodriquez-Seeger and Guy Davis. At the age of 89, Seeger doesn't perform as often as he used to. His age is evident in his raspier voice, but his commitment to justice and his joyful spirit is stronger than ever. Watching the dynamic between Seeger, his 30-something year old grandson, and Guy Davis was uplifting and heartwarming. Their respect for one another and their shared belief in the power of music to guide social change sprinkled a little hope on this troubled world.

The performance, a benefit for Strolling of the Heifers (a Vermont non-profit that offers micro-loans to small family farms), included many of Seeger's familiar tunes that have accompanied peace activisits for generations. The lyrics resonated more than ever.

Take these lyrics for instance...

To everything,
turn, turn, turn.
There is a season,
turn, turn, turn.

Notice any political, social, or economic seasons changing lately?

Despite what Washington and Wall Street would like the American public to believe, it looks like the season of constant growth for the American economy, particularly the corporate sector of the economy, is coming to an end. The past year has been marked by a downward spiral of corporate America's control over the global economy. Yesterday's events on "Wall Street" punctuated the economic disaster facing the financial industry when another two of largest investment firms, Lehman Brothers and Merrill-Lynch, were forced to admit their own desperate financial situation, Lehman declaring bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch being bought out by Bank of America. Maybe there is a reason this is all happening. Maybe the seasons are changing on Wall Street. Maybe it is time to re-think an economic system that benefits only a very small percentage of the population and leaves the rest struggling to pay their bills.

I am currently reading Bill McKibben's book Deep Economy in which he speaks to the danger and consequences of unrestricted economic growth. He asserts that the economy can not keep growing in this manner without dangerous political, social, and environmental consequences. So, if we as a human species are to survive, this season of greed and growth has to end.

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Thanks for putting things in perspective, Pete. Plus, it was fun to sing along.

To read Robb's perspective of the concert, go to his blog.

Married.

2008-08-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are married-Robb, the sweetest radical this side of the Mississippi (well, either side of the Mississippi, but I like that expression), is now my husband. While we have been together for more than three years and lived together for more than two years, it does feel different and wonderful.

After an incredibly rainy summer, we had a gorgeous day. The mud had a week to dry up (yes, there was a bit of a mud season this summer here in Vermont) and the sun was shining. It was a feeling of an incredible joy and comfort to be surrounded by so many family and friends who have shaped and supported us as we celebrated our relationship.

The picture to the left of the ceremony is (from left to right) my two sisters and me.

Ella T. Dogg was waiting for me with Robb as I walked down the "aisle", but was relocated to the front row during the ceremony. Just to make sure that she didn't feel neglected, one of our reading for the ceremony was a revised version of "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" Robb and I certainly are not of the mind that we really "own" Ella, but this reading was too perfect to pass up. Here's a few favorite stanzas.

On Cold Winter Nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breaths
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn't like being left alone for long
but come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for love,
but you can never be mad at it for long.

We also had a damn good party with yummy local food, including very fresh chickens from Gaylord's Farm, greens from Pete's Greens, prepared and served with love and elegance by Kismet. There was much drinking and dancing under the full moon with celebratory and soulful tunes by the Dave Keller Band.

Much joy and more to come.

Sweaters, strawberries, and summer scenes

2008-08-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post. So, here's a little visual catch up. Right about when the weather turned, I finished my simple cardigan in Fibre Company's lovely Terra yarn. Not to worry, winter will return and I will have plenty of time to wear this sweater. The pattern is A Craving to Knit from Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits. It's a great pattern when you want to really highlight the yarn itself- kind of boring, but very wearable.

About a month ago, I went on a strawberry picking frenzy at a farm about 10 miles from us. I love strawberries and they always seem to be in season for such a short time. So, I decided I would freeze oodles of these delicious berries so I can enjoy year round, while still continuing eat locally. Blueberries are now in season so I will have be heading out for more fruit picking fun in the next week. Nothing like opening your freezer in January (in Vermont) and seeing some colorful food.

Other adventures this summer have included enjoying lots of outdoor dinners with Robb and Ella on our porch, hiking Camel's Hump and enjoying this view, and swimming whenever possible.

In other news,, Robb and I will be "taking the plunge" in a couple of weeks. Here we are literally taking the plunge in the White River on a hot summer day.

Still Here, Less a Working Camera

2008-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post. This is certainly not for lack of activity. My excuse is that my camera is currently out of commission. Luckily, there are plenty of people taking pictures of my beautiful nephew, Oliver. Here he is hanging out with his chicken. I didn't knit that chicken, but I'm trying to figure out the pattern now.

Speaking of knitting projects for Oliver, I have finished 4 of the six squares for the Rocketry Blanket pattern. Of course, I don't have a camera so there are no pictures to show my progress. So, until I have a working camera again, you'll just have to use your imagination. Also on the knitting front I am one button band and five buttons shy of finishing a cardigan for myself. Just in time for the spring.

On another front, we are busy planning our wedding for this coming August, which is turning into a bit of a sociology experiment. The wedding industry is a fascinating one and seems to really celebrate the consumerism that I usually try to protect myself from. Still, Robb and I do want to celebrate our life together with family and friends so we are finding a way to celebrate not only ourselves, but our values. The chicken for our wedding is coming from a farm across the road from the inn we're getting married at. About 95% of the food is coming from farms within a 100 mile radius of where we live. So, this is actually a wonderful way to share the place we call home with the people we love. I'm sure I will have more humorous details as the plans progress and I am exposed to more ads that tell me things like, "This is the most important roll of toilet paper of your life. Why not monogram it?"

I'm an Aunt!

2008-03-10T20:25:00.001-07:00

On February 22nd, my nephew Oliver Daniel was born. Welcome to the world little Oliver! There he is in my arms with my sister, the proud new mama, looking on. OK, since you asked, here are some more ridiculously adorable pictures.

Here he is snuggling with his Mommy. Look at all that hair!
Daddy is a good snuggler, too.

And he is already developing his own little personality. Look at that face. I wonder what he's thinking about this crazy world. Well, he certainly is surrounded by love.

Oh, and for the knitters out there. Yes, Oliver is getting a beautiful blanket from his Aunt Sarah. Of course, it wasn't done in time. He'll just have to get used to all his knitted gifts coming a little late.

Through Their Eyes

2008-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Check out this youtube video above. A friend of mine from Marlboro has been working with this photography program in nearby Brattleboro, Vermont for some time now. They teach teenagers photography skills and send them out into the community to tell their story through this medium. The program, In-Sight Photography has a great webpage with more examples of the wonderful work they do. Seeing the world through adolescents' eyes is very revealing. They have so many the adult skills, but not have all the social editing habits that force so many adults to be less truthful. A big hand for all of the people who work to give teenagers a true voice of their own. I think these voices are the foundation of civic engagement and, ultimately, a real democracy.

Back from Hawaii

2008-01-06T17:22:00.001-08:00

We just got back to Vermont from Hawaii. Hawaii was beautiful, but it also nice to come home to another beautiful place. We spent the first 4 days on Oahu, where Robb's grandmother lives part-time and then spent the rest of the time in Kauai.
Above is a picture of the Napali coast in Kauai. We took a 4-mile hike along this amazing coastline our first day there. Below is one of the few pictures of Robb and I together, rather windswept, but very happy.

The trail was just a little bit muddy.
After our boots were covered, I figured I might as well just take advantage of this opportunity for a free pedicure by removing my boots and squishing my toes in the mud.
One of the most exciting parts of the hike was seeing this beautiful rainbow plunging into the wide open ocean.

I hope everyone had a very happy new year. More stories and pictures later.

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

2007-12-22T17:50:00.001-08:00

Wait those aren't sleigh bells, they're wedding bells. Any sweater ideas?
Robb proposed to me on a snowy evening in Burlington, but I'm writing this from sunny Hawaii. More when we return. Happy New Years!

Update from Winter Wonderland

2007-12-17T17:33:00.001-08:00

So, we got a lot of snow recently. This December is a sharp contrast to last December when we had pretty much no snow.
Remember my tomato plants from this past summer. They are hibernating. I never brought the pots in and I think the various sizes of pots make the snow pile look like a little mountain range.

And yes, Ella is very happy about all this white stuff. I put on my snowshoes and went for a little walk around town and then over to the statehouse lawn. This here dog is having a real good time at the statehouse. Who said politics can't be fun?

In addition to watching the snow fall, I have been doing some knitting. Here are some simple fingerless gloves I made for Robb. They're made from Berocco ultra alpaca. Nothing fancy, but they are the first pair of gloves I have ever made so I am pretty excited about them. I think Ella wants a pair, too.Finally, I cooked some of the purple potatoes I got from the winter farmer's market. Is that a beautiful color or what? Amazing to think that beautiful shade of purple was hiding in the dirt. It changes my whole view of potatoes.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2007-12-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

You guessed it. We got our first real snowstorm of the season. It is beautiful, fluffy snow that looks like a soft blanket over an often hard world.

No one embraced the snow like Ella.

She jumped into the snowy world with leaps of joy. So did I.

Cold, But Colorful (and PIF)

2007-12-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

It is 9 degrees (Fahrenheit) here in Montpelier, Vermont. We have a couple of inches of snow of the ground and a big storm, that is supposed to dump a foot of snow by Monday is headed our way. Actually, I kind of enjoy the cold weather and I love how the snow makes a messy world look perfect. The thing that gets me in the winter are the short days and the limited colors in the natural world. So, I was really excited when I found out that there was going to be a winter farmer's market the first Saturday of the month after the summer market ended. Going to the farmer's market is a Saturday morning ritual that I really look forward to late May through early October. When the last one comes, there is this feeling of sadness, both for the end of the growing season and the absence of a social ritual during the darkest months of the year. So, today I headed up to the winter farmer's market. I purchased these beautiful purple potatoes and cheerful orange carrots. Of equal importance, I got to chat with those acquaintances in town who seem to disappear in the winter. Even if I did have a root cellar or had managed to preserve enough food for the winter, I think I would still go just for the joy of being around people, food, and crafty things on a cold Saturday morning.
Of course, another way that I fill my eyes with color in the winter are knitting projects and stash enhancements. I picked up an abandoned cardigan project that I started over a year ago, abandoned for about ten months, and have finally picked it back up and made some real progress in the last few weeks. The yarn is nothing short of delicious-Fibre Company's Terra yarn in nettle. It is a merino/alpaca/silk mix that makes for a lovely texture and color variations. I am determined to finish this project before the new year. If you don't see it a finished object posted by the end of this month, I give you permission to remind me of this promise.In addition to WIPs, I have also justified light deprivation as a reason to enhance my stash and plan my knitting project the forseeable future. I just purchased this lovely skein of Real Vermonter yarn from Jessie at a Piece of Vermont. It is made entirely from Vermont fiber (romney/corriedale, mohair, and alpaca) and dyed in lovely shades of blue, grey, and a hint of purple. I am planning on making the koolhaas hat from interweave knits holiday issue with this skein. Finally, I am working on my first pair of fingerless gloves. This pair is for Robb. The yarn is Berocco ultra alpaca. I find projects that require new skills, such as a thumb, are best given to people who already love and appreciate you. That way if the thumb is in the wrong place or some other major knitting error is made, the recipient will still wear them and tell you how talented you are. Finally, I have jumped on the Pay it Forward bandwagon. Here is the official wording explaining this crafty gift-giving opportunity.

The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog - this means you must have a blog, sorry blogless readers.

So leave a comment if you want to receive something from me, and post about it on your blog.

Sinus Infections: An Environmental Impact Analysis

2007-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

First, let me preface this post by acknowledging the disgusting nature of the above photo. Second, I would just like to say that this photo was not taken by me or in my home. Thirdly, this photo could have been taken in my home at any point in the past two days. My evil cold from several weeks ago returned this past Sunday, but this time it quickly became a sinus infection. For those of you who are not lucky enough to experience a sinus infection , aka sinusitis, let me tell you the pleasures associated with this condition. It is like having a really bad cold with severe congestion with the added bonus of feeling like you have a piece of granite sitting on top of your forehead. So, I have finally turned to our friend (and foe), western medicine, and started a dose of antibiotics. Still feeling like shit, but hoping I will be able to sleep tonight. At the same time that I have been in this condition, Robb is in the final throws of his first semester in the master's in environmental law program at Vermont Law School. He has been busy working on writing all kind papers in legalease about topics such as land use and zoning regulations. We always share our writing with one another so I have really been trying to be a good listener and editor despite my compromised condition. The picture above of the sick little wolf with the academic-looking racoon reminded me of what Robb and I have looked like over the past few days, only with a little less fur. Robb is a really supportive and loving person so I know it is tough for him to try to balance his studies with my sickness. Still, he has brought me lots of juice, soup, and love. While I sit there looking rather pathetic with my red and runny nose, he "happily" reads his legal briefs and tells me how cute I look (In this case, beauty is really in the eye of the beholder).
As I try to rest, I have been thinking about the environmental impact of this sinus condition. First of all, I have used an obscene amount of tissues and other paper products. I was feeling mildly guilty about this until I learned that you can compost tissues. So, my winter infection could turn into a summer tomato. How cool is that! I have also been taking lots of hot baths and showers and using more than my fair share of the water supply. It is the only way that I ever achieve the feeling that I can breath through my nose for more than a nanosecond so I will just have to ask for forgiveness. On the positive side, I have been spending a lot more time in bed and consequently using a lot less electricity. So, I think it all balances out. So, if you are environmentally minded and suffer from sinus infections, take comfort in the fact, that during this sick period, you just might be carbon neutral.

Kvetching

2007-11-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a rough few days in the land of Sarah (at least according to Sarah). That is why I have spent much of the time kvetching. For those of you who are not familiar with the yiddish term "kvetch," I will translate. To kvetch is to complain incessantly- you know, ramble on about how this sucks or that sucks. This is not a focused argument we are talking about. Mostly kvetching is a verbal expression of excessive self-pity. So, it all started out with a nasty cold that came on Tuesday afternoon, which turned my nose into a faucet the likes of which Atlanta would have been thrilled to see (except there was not water coming out of this faucet). So, then I laid around in bed for the better part of 36 hours in a state of cold-feverish delirium. When I finally pulled myself together to go to work today, it turns out that I probably should have stayed put. Apparently, my psyche had caught the cold that had been residing in my nasal passages. This meant that everything at work felt foggy and irritating. I tried to snap out of it, but all I could think about was how I wanted to go home, sit on my couch, and work on my monkey socks. I realize in the scheme of things, I live a very comfortable life and really should not be complaining about little annoyances that pop up in life, but that's what kvetching is all about. So, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Maybe tomorrow, I will use my chutzpah for something other than kvetching. Oh, and here's something that doesn't suck. I have made some progress on my very own pair of monkey socks. Ain't they pretty in that lovely Schaeffar Anne yarn? Things are looking up already.

Cloudy Day Creature Comforts

2007-11-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

The change in time and temperature have me feeling sleepy and a little grumpy. I love fall and winter, but this in between season, has me needing lots of creature comforts. Luckily, I think I that I live with one of cutest furry creatures on the planet, Ella T. Dogg. When I come home after a long day, there she is jumping up on the other side of the door and wagging her tail. When I am checking my bank account online in a financial panic, there she is just waiting for a scratch behind the ears. When I can't sleep at night, she curls up against me and keeps me company (Yes, she sleeps in our bed). Look at that face. How could you not be comforted?

Quiet Season? Stick Season ? Fiber Season!

2007-11-04T20:04:00.001-08:00

What is this season in between Fall and Winter? The time where the trees are almost bare, but there is no snow on the ground. In Vermont, I have heard this time referred to as stick season and, more recently, as quiet season. While I think stick season is a better sell to the canine tourist industry, quiet season sounds a bit more romantic from the human perspective. To me, this feels like fiber season! I have dug out several projects that were hibernating in the warmer months and I have started working on my spinning. The picture to the left shows my most recent spinning efforts. In honor of this season, I did choose some fiber that reminded of the current landscape. I acquired this fiber at Vermont Sheep and Wool festival back in September. It is a wool/mohair mix from Fantom Farm. I have spun about half of what I have and, in a moment of spinning confidence, decided that I am going to spin the other half on another bobbin and try my hands at plying. I think I may have officially caught the spinning bug.

"I Can't Hear You!"

2007-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks, the United States government and corporate media, which currently seem to be one and the same, have demonstrated their political strategy of selective hearing in terms of current events. I have also observed plenty of evidence that many American citizens seem to be voluntarily plugging their ears to some of the harsh realities that our world is currently facing.
The devastating fires in California, drought in Atlanta, and flooding in New Orleans that have made the headlines over the past several weeks, seem to provide substantial evidence that something with our earth is not right, especially for human habitation. Just when I thought that maybe the politically driven corporate media might begin to publicly acknowledge the devastating toll that human action is taking on our planet, they came through again with another politically driven explanation of these events. Apparently, terrorism may be to blame for the recent fires in Southern California. That explanation seems like a really good way to shift the blame away from climate change, land use policy, or anything else connected to the ever-innocent leaders of the United States.
So, I 'm back to thinking that even if you are screaming the truth in someone's ear, if they do not want to hear it, they will find a way to literally or metaphorically plug their ears. So, perhaps the best way to move forward is to try to work with the public that is listening, particular to the youth in this country, to become critical consumers of a corrupt media.

More positive blog next time, plus knitting content.

Colorful Cuddling

2007-10-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we took a drive up to the Northeast Kingdom, specifically St. Johnsbury. The colors were brilliant. We finally got a bit of rain and the weather had cooled down a bit, which provided the perfect conditions for the green trees of summer to transition to various shades of orange, red, and yellow. It was one of those days that you try to file in your brain for times to pull out and cheer you up during less joyful times. Two other great thing about the fall weather finally arriving is that it motivated me to finish a few knitting projects I had put aside and it means increased cuddling opportunities. Below are Robb's fit adorned in the lovely handknit socks that I made him. I had cast aside his socks a couple of months ago since it was sandel. The combination of his September birthday and the beginning of fall inspired me to pick them back up. Aren't they handsome? Oh, and my feet are adorned in the finally completed socks made out of soft merino yarn in Pippi's gorgeous Jammin' colorway. Now those are four happy feet!

Foliage and Fiber Unite

2007-10-06T18:52:00.001-07:00

First of all, congratulations to Brenda for winning my Blogiversary contest. Brenda informed me that she has been involved in that backbreaking fall ritual of stacking wood and I think she deserves some nice new yarn to sit down and knit with. If she were going to Rhinebeck, one of the Vermont vendors that she would like to visit is Shepherd's Flock, a company that makes lovely slippers. Excellent choice.

It's Vermont and it's October, which mean colorful trees and usually cooler temperatures. The trees have been changing, but the temperatures have been more typical of July than early October. While I am concerned about the unusually warm weather, I have allowed myself to take advantage of it. This past Monday afternoon, I went for a wonderful hike with Ella T. Dogg up Worcester Mountain. It was a little cloudy near the the top, but I was still able to enjoy the view in the photograph above. I have done this hike probably 5 times in the past year and, as the seasons change, it always feels like a completely different experience. Ella, as usual, was full speed ahead, zigzagging across the trail and running off the trail periodically to mark her territory.

Here is Ella considering a little bath and showing a stick who's in charge.

Inspired by the colors and beautiful sunshine of the past few weeks, I decided I would do some outside dyeing. So I gathered my 5 skeins of undyed Sylvan Spirit, which is 50% tencel and 50% wool, and set up a work space in the driveway. I used jacquard dyes, which have a very brilliant color, but muted them by overdying. I had a lot of fun playing with all that color and fiber. When I was done, I had 5 skeins of beautiful yarn (if I do say so myself). I

Blogiversary Reflections and Contest

2007-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries are a time to take a walk down memory lane; to re-trace the steps of your path. My path with knitting began 2 years ago when I innocently went into a yarn store and touched some blue Frog Tree Alpaca. That alpaca became part of my first scarf. That scarf became the beginning of an obsession that would lead to hours of fiber fondling and needle clicking until I learned to turn yarn into hats, sweaters, socks, etc. essentially using sticks to make a series of knots. A true miracle! I joined a knitting group. I am an extremely social person so I figured if I was going to spend hours upon hours doing this hobby, I better find some other people who liked to knit, too. I loved watching other knitters' projects develops, seeing their yarn and pattern choices, and generally having a couple of hours a week where my primary concern was whether or not I had dropped a stitch when I was laughing at a fellow knitters joke.
My knitting obsession grew and I learned that sometimes I wanted those knit night connections when there was no knit night. That's when I discovered knitters in blogland. Oh, the joy! At any hour of day, I could look at and read about the knitting and non-knitting escapades of my fellow fiber fiends. I think one of the first blogs I stumbled on was Pippikneesocks, who also happens to live about 10 miles from me in the real world. Pippi's blog quickly led me to Amy's (aka Spunky Eclectic) blog, and then the snowball just kept rolling, picking up the voices of talented and often hilarious blogging knitters along the way. Before I knew it, some of my blogging buddies became non-virtual buddies as we met up at fiber festivals and other common feeding grounds for our species. Pictured above are Pippikneesocks (aka Symeon North) and Amy (aka Spunky Eclectic) at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. That's Pippi watching over her booth and Amy doing the bunny fingers. I also met up with blogger Jessie Raymond (aka A Pie ce of Ver mont), another Vermont fiber enthusiast and also a really great humor writer.
The list goes on and some of the other blogs I now read regularly include Pam's Flint Knits, Lolly's Lolly Knitting Around, Knit My Dog, Now Norma Knits, and Wool Girl. Of course, that is just the tip of the iceberg because knitters love putting links in their blogs that I can't resist. Knitting bloggers are also stash encouragers and sometimes enhancers. Finally, the work of others inspires me to try new things. I don't know if I would be learning to spin if I hadn't spent all that time reading about and looking at other knitters who expanded their horizons through spinning. The spindle to the left is some fiber given to me by known other than the lovely PippiKneesocks when she heard I acquired a wheel...a very generous and welcome enabler of my growing obsession with fiber in every state.
OK, now for the prizes. Let's see, first of all I am about to get the best prize I could wish for on or near by blogiversary. Yesterday, on my actual blogiversary, I received my RAVELRY INVITE! Yeehow! Woopee! More time to putz around in cyber fiber land.

And now, a contest and prizes for the readers. Rhinebeck, aka NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, is coming up in just a few weeks. I know many of you out there in blogland are getting exciting and making your list of booths to hit. So, in a shameless effort to promote Vermont's local artisans, here is how you can win 2 skeins of Green Mountain Spinnery Sylvan Spirit or 1 skein of beautiful Vermont handspun (don't worry, not mine yet).

List 2 Vermont vendors who will be at Rhinebeck, what they are selling, and why you like their "stuff." You can still join the contest even if you are not going to Rhinebeck. It's a good way to find out about some talented fiber artists from the Green Mountain State.

Rules: You must list the full name of the Vendor's business. You need to be specific about what they are selling. For example, a description such , "merino-alpaca hand-dyed roving and yarn" is preferable to "yarn and roving". It is obviously up to you why you like their "stuff"-color, texture, organic, etc. The deadline for entries is Thurday, October 4th at 11:59 P.M. EST

Oh yeah, you wanted pictures. Here is a picture of the 2 skeins of Green Mountain Spinnery Sylvan Spirit and the handspun.

That's it. I will enter all correct answers into a drawing and choose two. Oh yeah, and here's a picture of the prizes.

Surrender to September

2007-09-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

Despite the unseasonably high temperatures here in Vermont, the autumnal equinox has passed and there is plenty of evidence that the seasons are changing- the leaves are starting to turn color and drop from their summer residences, the days are becoming noticeably shorter, and my favorite crossing guard is back at work.

At the beginning of September, I always feel a tinge of sadness and panic. Even though I no longer work as a classroom teacher, I still have that feeling that I need to get my but in gear and start thinking a little less about the water temperature and a little more about work. At the same time, there is something about September that feels like a relief. During the dog days of July and August, particularly here in Vermont, I always feel this need to be outside accomplishing things while there's still plenty of warmth and daylight. I'm sure that when people really had to store enough food to make it through the long New England winters, this feeling of limited time to accomplish summer chores was much more profound. I did do a little bit of canning and freezing this summer, but I certainly did not spend the majority of August in the kitchen ensuring that we would have enough food to make it through the winter. Still, the feeling must be embedded in my psyche from generations past. In September, there is enough daylight to still get out and play, but a sense that it is also okay to take things a little slower. It reminds me a little bit of how I feel about being in my 30's. There is still plenty of time to play, but I don't feel like I have to burn the candle at both ends just because I can.

This past Saturday, we went up to a friend's cabin on Caspian Lake. The temperature was in the 70's, but there had already been a frost. The water was still swimmable and the warm air made a bathing suit seem like appropriate attire, but it also seemed like a good time to pull out an almost finished knitting project. Those are Robb's socks, an overdue birthday present. So, there I am lapping up the September sun with a pile of wool on my lap. It seems like a perfect activity to celebrate the autumnal equinox. Ella enjoyed the water, too.

An Important Message From Bob Dylan

2007-09-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

Peace, No excuses.

2007-09-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

"The world is too dangerous for anything but truth
and too small for anything but love."
- William Sloan Coffin