Hope Everyone is Having a Good Labor Day Weekend

Our weather has turned cooler for the weekend, but it hasn't rained...yet. I hope the weather is decent for next weekend for the Greek Fest.

Nothing to report really; I'm going to take the long weekend at a relaxed pace and what gets done, gets done, and what doesn't, I'm not going to fret about.

I'm working on a project for work and have made the batter for a batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream so far today. I want to make one more batch of salted caramel ice cream and see if I can hit the right balance of ingredients. That will be a treat to take to work.

I finished my sewing project last Sunday evening, a linen blend short sleeve dress; and the tempeature was warm enough for me to wear it to work on Tuesday. I was happy with how it turned out. I was working on the needlepoint a little after that. I think my next sewing project will be quilted pillow covers to go with the Bear - Paw patterned quilt I use in the winter. I don't think that I am going to get to a refinishing project this year after all, which bums me out, because that's two summers in a row.

Sunny Wednesday

Bizarro - August 1 2014

A few comic strips from this month that tickled my funny bone. I also added 2 new GIF's from Colossal.com; too much cool stuff ALL the time!

I am taking another vacation day, and the weather is beautiful still. The prediction is now for a wet Labor Day Weekend here, which is somewhat of a bummer because it's our first 3 day weekend of the summer at work where the office is completely closed.

I can't really complain too much, we have had a beautiful summer. I'm going to work in the yard today and get things done while the weather is nice. Maybe I'll finally get around to posting some ice cream recipes this weekend....

The Duplex - August 19 2014

Sherman's Lagoon - August 20 2014

Summer Picnic Today!

Get Fuzzy - August 17 2014

The sun is coming out and it's supposed to be around 75 degrees today for the Around The Corner Picnic - woo hoo!

Irma - Save Me

IRMA / Save me from SUPERBIEN on Vimeo.

Saw this last night on Colossal.com - Irma from Cameroon with her song "Save Me" from the album Faces. She has a nice voice, it is just a pleasure to the ears and visually, very cool, enjoy!

Goodbye Robin

Robin Williams 1951 - 2014

I was waiting for the bus after going shopping after work yesterday, and went to check out The Bellingham Herald briefly on my phone when I was kicked in the gut with the news that Robin Williams took his own life. I was so shocked and thought, fuckin' A, I can't believe it.

It's sad for me to think that someone who brought so much happiness and laughter to the world and the people that he personally touched, was so profoundly unhappy and isolated to the point that he wanted it all to end. I think mostly of his children losing their father, but also the incredible pain he must have felt. I don't think of the money and fame as things that made his life rich, it was his heart and soul that made his life rich. I wish that continuing to give and receive the love of family and friends would have been a stronger force to keep him going.

In the past week I had been thinking about two of my favorite bits from his early comedy albums "Reality What a Concept" and "Throbbing Python of Love"; he was unlike anyone that came before him, and there could never possibly be anyone like him again. "World According to Garp", "The Fisher King", and "Insomnia" are favorites that will have a built in sadness for me to watch now.

Seeds of Peace International Camp

On NBC Nightly News this past week there was a feature story about Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine that brought together teens from Israel and Gaza during the current conflict.

This is my first post about it, but the war going on currently is on my mind almost daily. If I am remembering correctly, this latest outbreak of war started with the abduction and murder, first of 3 Israeli teenage boys and then a Palestinian boy as retaliation. And I remember thinking that retaliation and religious intolerance is the mindset that makes virtually every conflict that is never ending, never ending.

Back when I was still in high school I think, I saw a segment on 60 Minutes about the conflict in Northern Ireland. I remember this part where these kids that were elementary school age, probably 2nd grade, throwing rocks at British soldiers. It really hit me (pardon the pun) the aspect of attitudes being passed on from one generation to another, and how until people chose to break the pattern, things never change.

In one part of the NBC segment where they are interviewing the teenagers at the camp, they are referring to each other as the enemy and that is a real sad thing to hear. I've unfortunately felt that there will never be peace in the middle east in my lifetime. Israel absolutely has the right to defend itself, but they are killing Palestinian civilians by the thousands and why would anyone want to make peace with them when that is happening. The insanity needs to end.

Megan Washington: Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking

I just watched this TED Talk and was moved to tears by her incredibly personal talk about having a fear of public speaking because of a stutter. She shares it all with humor; and stick around for the end when she sings, she has a beautiful voice.

GoPro HD: Cats vs Laser

Yesterday was World Cat Day, and this was on LOL Cats as part of the celebration. It is a kick, with the music and the editing, it feels like a nature show watching a tiger in the wild hunting it's prey.

We have beautiful weather still and I was going to start stripping the drafting table top that Susan shipped me this winter, but ended up cutting out a bunch of dead branches out of the snowball bush. I am absolutely beat! I cut out 25 to 30% off it, and my entire body aches. True to form I just went at it whole hog and spent half the day working on it.

Life with Munchkin

Munchkin's First Day

It was 4 years ago today that I adopted Munchkin from Laurel Feed Store off of the Guide. I went in looking for a container to feed the deer, and I came home with a kitten instead.

He was in a cage by himself, apparently all of his siblings were adopted but him, and he was so full of energy and bouncing around I knew that he would make a great playmate for Boo. I debated with myself for 10 minutes about getting him, and couldn't bear the thought of him not going home with someone that day (I'm such a sucker for tigers). It was one of the best decisions I ever made, I love him to pieces.

Munchkin in the Italian Prune tree in 2010

It was super hot that day, and I ended up letting him out of the box in the car so he didn't suffocate. He explored the entire car by the time we got home. I wanted him to get assimilated with the other cats for a few days before I let him outside. Naturally the first day I did, he went straight up the Italian Prune tree 15 feet off the backdoor. My first thought was "Great!", thinking it would take me hours to get him down; he was about 25 feet up in a few seconds. But he surprised the heck out of me, and came down on his own within a few minutes. He doesn't climb trees as much now, but when he was little he did ALL the time. He was mostly chasing birds and squirrels thinking he could catch them, maybe he just is older and wiser now!

Munchkin July 2014

A Nice Way to Start the Weekend