Saturday Stitching On Sunday

Sometimes you need to take a day off to just stitch and relax.

This week's progress on Villa Mirabilia. I added some more to the pink rosette in the ribbon. Then I was tired of stitching in pink, purples and teal (how did that happen) and started on the gold and brown check of her dress.

A close up of the stitching.  I love to look at close up pictures of other people's stitching.  I don't know why, really.  Another thing I love to do, is run my hand over large areas of stitching.  There's something about the texture of the stitches against the cotton evenweave fabric.

Birdie update:

The one on the right is two weeks old now and the one the left is about 10 or 12 days old.  I think the alien looking one on the bottom might be just about a week old.  Duane poked around a bit and there seems to be about five babies in all so far.  We shall see when they get big enough to start emerging from the nest.

The oldest one should start growing his permanent feathers this week and soon we'll see what color he/she will be.  It's looking like blue same as the Dad but maybe darker.  Mr. Bird is a powder blue with light grey lines.

If they all survive, and they should, we will have 18 total.  I'm trying to take a video of them when they are all chirping.  It sounds like the bird room in a pet store here.  Except, every time they see me point the camera at them they all shut up.

Thank you to all of you who are sending up the positive vibes for my job interview, please continue to do so. I will post as soon as I know something.  I'm making sure everyone is keeping their paws and wings crossed over here.  The crew is rather annoyed with this as it makes it hard to get around and fly about.

I've been watching a discussion on Ravelry Needlework News this weekend.  It appears a freelance writer wrote as her first blog post on Hufpost about how women aren't tough anymore.  This is really getting old.  It seems it's getting around the media that if you want lots of hits, comments and attention just insult the knitters.  I remember an article from some journalist complaining about knitters on a plane, then there was one about knitter's aren't tech savvy, there was also a British music journalist and of course (MoRocca who got a sweater out of it). (I wouldn't waste my time or the Red Heart to knit any of them so much as hat.)

I can't tell if this writer was being serious or a pitiful attempt at being funny, tongue in cheek sort.  If she was trying to be funny, it didn't work as nobody seemed to get the joke.  I think this is a hack writer's attempt at generating lots of hits and comments her first time out, since she went to so far as to insult everything that is considered domestic qualities of woman.  I wonder if she'll write a follow up like some of the writer's in the past about how if you piss off the knitter's they'll get stabby.

In the paid blogosphere world it's considered successful if your post generates lots of hits and comments which generate ad revenue.  Except you need more than one popular post to keep being successful.  Which makes me slightly wonder what her next dog and pony show will be.

Yawn.

I simply don't care what some journalist/writer on the web thinks about my hobbies.  It's not going to change who I am and what I like to do.  I remember the feminazis of the 80's corporate world that used to yell at me in the lunchroom when I pulled out my knitting.  I was taking women's rights all the way back to the dark ages.  Which I would give them a wide eyed stare and reply "Really, I thought I was just knitting a sweater for (intended recipient)."

"Knitting is for when you're an old lady sitting in a rocking chair." They would sometimes say.

"Oh my, I think (intended recipient) will have outgrown this by then."

To me feminism is freedom of choice.  I'm glad that some women who are able and want to can be firefighters ,police officers and construction workers.  Really dating myself here, but I remember looking for through the want ads in the 70's and seeing the employment section listed with "Jobs For Men" and then "Job's For Women".  I wasn't old enough to work, just really bored.

If I really want to be outraged about something, I just have to think about all the homeless people we have in this country, how many are going hungry, that there are more people than jobs available for them, the uninsured and underinsured needing medical care and the callous ways our politicians are handling the situation.

I like to do "girly things" and prefer to wear dresses.  Those of you who have been reading my blog this year wouldn't put to question my strength.  Strong women aren't afraid to do what they like, handle day to day life, are there in a crisis then keep on going and not giving it a second thought.

In other news:  Some pictures of the dinners Duane made this week.

Grilled chicken with barbeque sauce, dilled potatoes and fresh asparagus.  The asparagus was on sale really cheap this week and I bought a ton of it.  He makes a great asparagus soup.

Then there was German style spare ribs with homemade German potato salad, horseradish sweet pickles and a special mustard sauce for dipping.  The mustard sauce was so good that even the border ate it and he says he hates mustard.

Last night we were talking about cake our favorite cakes.  Duane has always told me his favorite is German chocolate cake, but last night his favorite was Sara Lee's Black Forest Cake.  Today, when I took the bus up to the store, I picked up the ingredients for Black Forest Cake.

 On the way back, the shaded bus stand was full and I had to sit on the outside bench in the sun.  It was ok, as today started out cloudy.  The homeless people sit in the shaded bus stands to get out of the heat (I can tell who they are as they are there every time I take bus).  Then the clouds broke up and the sun was beating down. (The Tucson sun is no joke.)  One homeless man gave up his seat, came out and insisted I come out of the sun and helped me to bring my heavy bags to the shaded area.

I'm off to bake cake for my man (such a softie, I am).  Pictures will be posted later.  Duane is making his beef brisket pizza for supper.  Then I will sit in my rocking chair, in my night gown (it's more girly than pajamas) with my knitting and eat cake.   Too bad it's so hot and dry here in the desert, I really would like to grow some Heirloom tomatoes.