Likely Story

Knitting and Shrubbery

First the knitting.  Jemima almost has a back!  She should be fully backed by the start of the weekend and so far, though she isn't much to look at, I am quite pleased.

As for the shrubbery, I lost my mind this weekend at Lowe's and came home with an assortment of cacti and succulents, herbs, 2 blueberry bushes, a blackberry and a raspberry bush and a pear tree.  I'll post pictures of the canes and tree when they actually start to take, otherwise, it will look a bit like I've spent a lot of time and money planting dead sticks of assorted sizes in large pots and in the ground.  Actually, now that I've said that, that WOULD have been a much cheaper option, though I doubt that at the end of the day the dead sticks would produce fruit salad.  Then again, there is a good chance that my berry  canes and pear tree won't produce either. Hmm.....economically, I've been doing this all wrong.  Well, it's too late now, but it's definitely it's all about dead sticks in 09.  Count on it.

Much Needed Update

Well, I live.  Just barely.  We are drowning in pollen here and my defenses have finally caved in causing me to have a head weighing about 4 pounds heavier with snot than usual.  But I have been busy.  And I bring you pictures to prove it!

New TV on DVD Obsession:  Carnivale
My god, that show is awesome!  What is it with my love of cancelled tv that leaves so many loose ends?  Bring back Carnivale!  At least a Carnivale movie that ties things up a bit.  Please?

Knitting:  Hot Lava Cardi in Peace Fleece.  In progress:

Gardening:  Tomatoes!  Heirloom Pineapple and Mr. Stripey Tomatoes to be exact:

More Gardening:  The front of our house has been overhauled.  We replanted everything and filled it with loropetulum and lantanas.  The photos are weird, but you get the idea:

YIKES!

All of my environmental apocolypse science fiction is coming true.  Wake up, people!  It's getting scary out there.

Scientists: Warming triggers 'dead zone' from PhysOrg.com
(AP) -- Bottom fish and crabs washing up dead on Oregon beaches are being killed by a recurring "dead zone" of low-oxygen water that appears to be triggered by global warming, scientists say. [...]

Better get used to killer heat waves from PhysOrg.com
(AP) -- In Fresno, the morgue is full of victims from a California heat wave. A combination of heat and power outages killed a dozen people in Missouri. And in parts of Europe, temperatures are hotter than in 2003 when a heat wave killed 35,000 people. [...]

Japan rivers could spawn drug-resistant bacteria: report from PhysOrg.com
Major rivers in Japan are so contaminated with ingredients of antibiotics and other medicines that they may spawn drug-resistant strains of bacteria, a team of Japanese scientists said. [...]

Alterknits PDA Case, et al.

Well, I just finished up the PDA case in Leigh Radford's Alterknits but with a twist.  I knit it completely in BULKY weight Lambs Pride (instead of worsted weight) and it felted down to the perfect small handbag size.  Big enough for a cell phone, small wallet and keys!  I can't post pictures b/c it was a gift and I've already shipped it off, but gosh, I just love the patterns in that book!

Also, got to spend some time with Teva Durham's Loop D Loop.  The patterns in this book are really lovely.  It's so nice to see real fashion in a knitting book.  I'd say most of the patterns look like really expensive, cutting edge knit wear.  A good amount of the patterns even feed my fantasy of a post-apocalyptic wardrobe (think Blade Runner, not Steel Dawn), and that makes me very happy indeed.

You see, in my post apocalyptic world, we are all devastatingly fashionable in perfectly torn and worn, occasionally asymmetrical, utilitarian fashion in an assortment of colors like....

nuclear winter gray
mudslide brown
ash white/off-white
steel cold blue
etc. etc.

Of course, we are all slightly rotting from some super flu/nuclear war/environmental collapse but I guess that's the price we pay for SUVs.  You know, I really didn't intend to get political here.  I really just wanted some light banter about the end of civilization as we know it.  Hmmm.  Well, to make it up to you I will share a little gem.  The title of my absolute favorite sci-fi/environmental apocalypse book.  It's not easy to find.  I trolled many a used bookstore and library sale for this baby, but I promise you, it is well worth it.  Nature's End by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka.  Some people love this book, others hate it.  I devoured it.  Now go out there and have some knittin' for the apocalypse fun.

Undergarments (and other naughty things) In The Park

My friend Mary has started a photo collection on Flickr about what she finds on her hikes through a Long Island, NY park.  While I am saddened and dismayed at the apparent state of our parks system, I am also strangely drawn to these pictures.  They leave me with so many questions.  My cynical side immediately wonders about the rape rate on Long Island.  My optimistic side thinks about all of the people out there in the Long Island park system who just had to get it on right now!  Or had to get those damn pantyhose off immediately!  And I guess we can't forget the sex workers.  Oh, the sex workers! 

Its much like the age old conundrum about the shoe on the side of the road. Yes, where is always important, but why is even more interesting.

Hopefully, this will be an ongoing series for her.  I believe she has made the collection a public group and will accept submissions.  Check them out for yourself.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid

Here it is!  I look windblown but the car looks stunning!
I love this car.

 

I can actually say that it was worth the wait.
Go, buy one now.

Josh is very proud too.

Ninja Style!

Why Stokes Honda Should Burn In Hell

Because my FREAKIN' CAR  WON'T BE HERE UNTIL 1/10/06!!!!! 
THAT IS ELEVEN WEEKS AFTER I ORDERED IT!!!
(I was told I would have it in 4-6 weeks)

Warning to consumers:  If you are buying a hybrid car and you don't live in sunny California, be prepared to wait and wait and wait (ie: don't wait for your old car to break down).

9 more days!

My car comes in only 9 more days!  I have been waiting for it for at least 5 weeks now.  Its the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid in Magnetic Pearl.  OOOOOH I can't wait!