let's show them!

i found this at norma's blog. apparently, this person is trying to track a meme. shall we knit bloggers blow their doors off? go here, read the instructions, then ping here. Let's rock the web!

AIDS fundraiser

Bristol Meyers is donating $1 for every time someone "lights a candle" on their website. go here. let's give them a run for their money.

Hokey Pokey

The Hokey Pokey - Shakespearean Style

Original Lyrics
Put your left foot in,
Your left foot out,
Your left foot in,
And shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey
And turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.
Shakespearean Style

O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke.
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from heaven's yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt.
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.


ok, now to some irritation. i realized tuesday night that liam did not have a hat that fit him (he's growing too damned fast, i tell you!) so, i found some yarn he had picked out last year, and made a fast hat:
this isn't showing the colors very well. it does go in rainbow progression, but it shows more green than this does. i started this yesterday morning, and finished it last night just before supper. it's in red heart grande. (gotta love machine washable). now, last night, when i showed liam, he said cool! i had made it too big for me (it covered my eyes) and it still barely fit him. just covered his ears. he said he liked it.

however, this morning, after he'd taken his shower, and gotten dressed for school, i told him to put his hat on, since his hair was wet and it was 10F outside (yeah, damned cold!). "I can't wear that, mom! It's embarassing!" what happend to cool? i got him to wear it in the car, but he took it off once we got to school. i told him to at least take it with him. however, after i dropped it off, i found it on the floor behind the passenger seat in the van. growl. ingrate. i'm tempted to go back to school, and take it into the office, and ask to deliver it to him in class! now THAT is embarassing, lol.

anyway, i had some of this left, so i decided to use it with some double-stranded mohair stuff, and i'm making another hat for dulaan. the only reason why i had the mohair double-stranded is that it came to me that way. i had bought it at the used store in blair that way. i miss that store. they always had something interesting in the craft section. i got 3 balls of mohair that way.

so, i'm eagerly awaiting sit & knit tonight. haven't been in 2 weeks, and the last time i did, it was only me, and carin, until she had to go to work, and tara, who ended up working on her SWG sale stuff. i hear there will be many more there tonight. yippee!

What I'm reading now:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Raising and Keeping Dragons
Angels and Demons

i know, i know, i'm slowing down. i'll fix that, lol.

you might be a redneck if most breeds of dog are represented in your dog.
.. . you missed your prom because you were on your honeymoon.
. . . your main business sign has three misspelled words.
. . . you've had five weddings but no anniversaries (hello, brittney!)
. . . the neighbors complain about your snoring.
. . . you taped WWF wrestling over your wedding video.
. . . your living room curtains are beach towels.
. . . you've broken wind into a telephone.
. . . you've had more court dates than dinner dates.
. . . your central heating system consists of leaving the oven door open (raise your hand if you've ever been guilty of this!)
. . . your "what i did this summer" essay includes having twins.
. . . drying your clothes depends on the weather.
. . . most things you enjoy carry a surgeon general's warning.


TTFN!

don't say i didn't warn you!

go here you know you want to. it's a matching game

this is too cool!

i got this in the mail the other day:
well, apparently, this is as big as this is gonna get. if you can't read it (and i can only because i know what it says) it says greetings from mongolia. i think this was mailed in the us, though, because it only has a us stamp, and no international markings. it is still cool though. there's a short blurb by F.I.R.E. about handing things out stuff, and thanking me once again for my contribution. i suppose my question at this time is this:

did the person who sent this to me do it on her own dime, or did F.I.R.E. pay for it? while i appreciate the card, i'd much rather they spent their money on materials to send to Mongolia. i'm odd that way, lol.

i've gotten a lot done this weekend, crafting-wise. i made a pair of leg warmers, and a matching hat, to be sent to the Pine Ridge Reservation, as a part of this month's AC4C project. i also finished another square. the other thing i did craft-wise, which actually upsets me a bit, is that i wound off the halloween yarn that ms. vi gave me as a bridal shower givt. somehow, parts of it got cut. and it's sock yarn, so there's not gonna be any spit splicing. i have approximately 6 little balls sitting here, looking sad at me. i don't know if i'll still try to knit socks with it, and use russian join, or if i'll do something else with it. any ideas, gang?

on other fronts, i have a sinus infection. this is becoming an annual headache (literally!) i have had some sort of headache since last monday, and, well, need i go into the details of a sinus infection? it's nasty. fortunately, i've got a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so i'll be medicated shortly. also, because of the headache, i have not been sleeping well. blech.

sean was fantastic over thanksgiving. absolutely no trouble. same on saturday, he was very very good. however, it seems he's clashing with the fosterdad's fiancee. it's turning into a 6th grade teacher thing. in 6th grade, his teacher did not like him, and was very poor about not showing it. sean picked up on that, and it became a battle all year long. this seems to be what has happened here. when i picked him up saturday, he immediately grabbed his coat (the fosterdad was at work) and his book, muttered "let's go" and went outside. i asked her if anything was wrong, and she said no. when i asked sean, he also said no. however, when i dropped him off that night (after a very good day, including meeting tonya at wild oats, to look at two yummy fleeces (i got the grey one, i'll show it to you when i get it, she's gonna wash it first)), she told me that she had told him that she would respect him when he respected her. while i can't point fingers, i feel this is the wrong attitude to have with sean. she has revealed her buttons to him, and he's pushing them. prime example. apparently she had made chicken and stuffing last weekend, and he said it was good, but not as good as mine. his fosterdad thought it was kinda funny, but she took it badly. sean does not have a great deal of tact. we are working on that, but since he's still emotionally much younger than his actual age. how many 7 or 8 year olds do you know that have tact? oh well, it's still looking good for him to come home soon. maybe at the end of the semester in january!

liam spent the weekend doing homework. will that boy never learn?

we got a dumpster on friday morning, so the weekend ended up being a toss-fest. we cleaned out the garage, and found 2 possums in a nest, behind some boards that mark had not moved for at least a year. i had told him i had seen possums going in and out, but we did not know they were living in there, lol. we called animal control, and they told us to just wiat for dusk, and they'd leave, and then block the garage door well, and take out the nest. the danged thing filled 2 kitchen garbage bags! so far, so good. no possums. we also cleaned out the spare bedroom, and tossed some carpet mark had had in that rooms closet. we can actually move around in there now! the basement is next. since i don't know what mark wants to toss or keep, it will wait til he gets home from work, and i will be the stairs lady. joy.

What i've been reading:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (booktape at my house)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (booktape in the car)
Harry Potter and the Order of the PHoenix (booktape in mark's house)
Frogs & French Kisses
Care and Handling of Dragons
Angels and Demons

yeah, iknow, i k now, but yes, i can keep them straight.

TTFN!

thanksgiving day meme

thanks to deb

1. Which do you like better: Cooking at your house, or going elsewhere?
i'd rather go somewhere else. that means the burden is not on me. of course, i've had it two years running, sigh. the most ideal to me? casino buffet. but i won't get that, mark is too much of a homebody.

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen bird?
we always do frozen. they always want too much for fresh turkeys, and since it's such an expensive meel to begin with, i try to economize where i can (i'm a cheapskate, lol)

3. What kind of stuffing?
What ever i feel like making. one year i did rice stuffing (yes, rice. it was cooked, then mixed with nummies, then stuffed). this year was sage stuffing with apples. pretty tasty.

4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie? Pumpkin pie, no question. I, personally, like sweet potato pie, but everybody else expects nummy sweet potatoes with the meal, not as dessert.

5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing?
most definitely a curse. we never gt them all eaten, and whatever i freeze ends up freezer burnt and in the trash anyway. fortunately, this year, we had a small bird, and steph took a large part of the leftovers as her group of friends is having thanksgiving saturday. and they're too poor to buy stuff (payday is next thursday, lol)

6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu?
Well, i took candied yams off the menu this year, because my MIL is hypoglycemic, and i wanted to make something she could eat. so i whipped them, and added diced apples and a little artificial sweetener (it's the year of the apple, apparently, i put it in my cranberry sauce as well!). while no one else said anything, steph had a cow! refused to eat the "icky sweet potatoes" (she's 20, why do you ask?)

7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock?
yes. i have a culinary arts degree, so i know what to do to get maximum extraction. remind me to go comment on deb's blog about it, lol.

8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier?
a professional kitchen. it's the one thing i miss about not working in food service any more.

9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour?
our meal time changes from year to year. last year it was supposed to be at 2, but mark's dad got sick, and the ham was being a pain we ended up putting it off til 330 or so. we ended up with double stuffing and pies, because mark's mom had made them, then didn't bring them because she took his dad to the hospital. we assumed the food wasn't going to come, so we shifted into overdrive, and i ran to the store to buy supplies, and mark made the stuffing, and i made quickie pies. then mark's brother and nieces show up with everything mark's mom had made. she'd left the door unlocked, and called them and told htem to bring it. we had 7 pies for 17 people. you do the math!

this year we planned on eating at 4 because mark's nieces were going to have dinner with their dad in lincoln, but wanted to come eat with us as well. we actually hit the mark pretty close. i think it was 415 when we sat down to eat. who knows where and what time next year (it's his brother's turn, dammit!)

10. If you go to somebody else's house, what's your favorite dish to bring?
pie. i can bake it the day before, regardless, and it's easy (i have my grandmother's crust recipe memorized) and you rarely have any to bring back home.

11. What do you wish one of your guests wouldn't bring to your house?
nothing. i haven't had any complaints. and this year, for the first time, steph asked if she could bring a dish "like an adult would." i gave her an easy one, green bean casserole. she even ate a little, and she doesn't like green beans. it came out well! (she can cook, she just hates doing it)

12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you're happy to see?
it's usually a group i'm happy to see. there have been a few issues with some in-laws, but it usually works itself out.

13. What's your absolute favorite thing on the menu?

my own homemade cranberry sauce. i adore the stuff. i love making it, and i love making it differently every year. this year was cranberries, apples, orange zest and juice, and lime zest and juice, and a buttload of sugar, and a wee bit of water. i was probably the only one who noticed the lime (liam watched me make it, but he didn't say anything when he ate it), but to me, believe it or not, that's all that counts. i knew it was there, and everyone who ate it liked it too. i also make sugar free relish for my MIL (read further up about the sweet potatoes), and send it home with her every year, too.

happy thanksgiving, and let me know if you do this, i'd be interested in your answers!

another giggle

"True" Friendship...
None of that Sissy Crap

Are you tired of those sissy "friendship" poems that always sound good,but never actually come close to reality?Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card- just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3 When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

9. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end "Why?" you may ask;"because you are my friend".

Friendship is like peeing your pants;
everyone can see it,but only you can feel the true warmth.

a few giggles

go do this, it's fun!


I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Gardening rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

There are two kinds of pedestrians; the quick and the dead.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

How is it one careless match can start a campfire?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!!

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Do you ever wonder why you gave me your email address?? (or read my blog, lol?)

and how about a few rednecks?

you might be a redneck if you've ever released a hostage in exchange for pizza.
. . . the tallest building you've ever seen was a water tower.
. . . you've spent more time on parole than on payroll.
. . . you've ever clogged your vacuum with a small animal (do catnip mice count?)
. . . you have a recipe for catfish lasagna (hmmmm, seafood lasagna?)
. . . you're making "rabit ears" behind the bride in your wedding photos (liam tried!)
. . . your work gloves double as kleenex(ewwwwwww)
. . . your trailer has an ornamental fountain out front (i thought those were in?)
. . . the other guys in your hunting club chip in to buy you new long johns (no comment!)
. . . you think a waterbed is a status symbol
. . . your most expensive jacket is camouflage.
. . . your entire family lives in the same area code
. . . you know for a fact a sock can be used as toilet paper (let's hope they toss it when they're done!)

i'll post more later, i'm just getting ready for the home invasion known as thanksgiving dinner (ugh)

there is hope

there is hope for our kids. i was watching GMA, and saw a piece about this. go. read. grab the tissues. i know i need them. this is absolutely amazing.

this is interesting

marcia is contemplating doing a different kind of holiday KAL. for 2007. lol. go read this post. it's a definite thought, and i think i'm going to get in on it. my first KAL! well, sorta, lol.

in other news, Liam's school is irritating me. liam told one of his teachers that we weren't living in my house, and now the school insists on having this address. WTF! the other house is the official address, i get all my mail & bills over there, and even my credit card billing is over there. just another instance of bureaucratic crap. oy.

it just makes my head throb that much more (big weather front came through over night, and my PMS is going through the roof).

and, apparently, i'm getting old. i have never had knee trouble. never. the last 3 days it hurts to go up and down stairs. getting up from chairs hurts. no fucking fair.

and who's up for a little redneck? i've rescued my calendar from my house.
(i'm way behind, btw, this first one is from july 1/2, lol)

you might be aredneck if you've lived in the same house at five different addresses.
. . .you've played air guitar in church.
. . . the fire that burned your yard was started with a bottle rocket.
. . . you were baptized in an above-ground pool.
. . . getting married doesn't mean leaving home.
. . . you inherited a stolen road sign.
. . . you always watch the Super Bowl, but never know who won (i never know, i usually don't watch!)
. . . you proposed to your wife while working under your truck.
. . . locating everyone for your class reunion took less than an hour.
. . . the first drive-in movie you saw was from across the road.
. . .your preacher is also an Elvis impersonator.
. . . you've been banned from karaoke night.
. . . you practice holds on your dog while watching TV wrestling.

what i'm reading:
i'm on a harry potter kick, lol

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (book tape at my house)
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (book tape in the car)
Eldest (book tape in mark's house)
The War of the Jewels by JRR Tolkien
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Sir Orfeo, and Pearl, by JRR Tolkien.

ok, i'm going to lay down now.

what the heck

this is breakfast this morning:
i'm tired of the normal every day stuff, and isn't popcorn good for you? that, and a glass of milk, and my usual handful of supplements, and i'm off like a herd of turtles!

now, i know this is a knitting blog. so i suppose you want to see knitting. ok, here ya go:
i actually thought this hat was kinda ugly, but warm. however, i've had other opinions. the kicker: i started this hat about 2 yesterday afternoon, and finished it at sit & knit last night. it's two strands of patons symphony for the cabled brim, and the main body of the hat is some yarn i got in a swap over a year ago. i got it because it was over 75% wool, which is a requirement for A4A. however, this is going to dulaan. and it fits me tightly, so it ought to fit a 8 or 9 year old well.

and the piece d'resistance (i know i'm not spelling that right):
the limenviolet superwash from Lisa Souza (if i need to link it, you need to crawl out from under the rock first!) this is 160 yards of navajo-plied tastiness (i can hear miss vi drooling now, no licking, woman!). now, to tell y'all my devotion to showing this yarn in all it's yumminess. i finished spinning this tuesday, and washed it and hung it under tension to dry. wednesday night, i pulled it off the shower rod, and immediately dropped it. you can gasp now. yes, it tangled. so i took it home, and started to untangle it. both ends are the dark purple. imagine, 9 o'clock at night, and me hunting for dark ends. it took me half an hour to FIND an end. i wound part of it into center pull balls (i did eventually find the other end), then gave up and went to bed. i spent probably a half an hour at the car dealership untangling it (i had to get the oil changed) and then went to village inn and spent another 10 minutes untangling it. finally, i wound it all into one center pull ball. when i got to my place, i got out my niddy noddy, and wound it on, and put it into a skein. just so y'all could drool appropriately.

i'll get the mop now.

did YOU let the dogs out?

go watch this

this is for deb

deb is having a contest. she claims that all the calendars she had as a kid had gloomy pics for november, and that sucks. so everybody is supposed to post pics of their pictures for november. since my camera has gone awol, i'm doing scans, although they were much bigger than my scanner bed :(.

still, they're funny.

here's calendar #1:
the subtitle is how to survive waiting in line at the movies. mark is my biggest kid, and loves spongebob. i got him this calendar for christmas last year.

here is calendar # 2:
and this picture is correct. the giraffe is upside down. this calendar came from mutual of omaha, and all the animal pictures are just as good.

not your ordinary november calendar pictures, eh?

i'll be demo-ing my spinning at the school today, to the knit club. apparently, the sponsor is absolutely fascinated by spinning, and wants me to bring my wheel, lol. i haven't quite decided what i'm going to spin, since i finished the first L&V roving bump, and it's yummy. i promise i'll bring it thursday, girls! i could continue with the roving that erin gave me while ago (i can't find the post, lol). or i could break out the new stuff i got from mama c*eye*berfibers (go see amie, she's got the goods on it), or the silk/merino that i got as a wedding gift last year, or...... hmm. i'll have to think, lol.

and then there's this:

i'm a chacha guide. it's a new search engine that uses live guides. you put your search string in, and you can choose with or without a guide. a guide will interact with you, and give you specific results. a great example is a search i did yesterday. someone put in ziggarut. however, there are several different meanings for this (most of them are brand names, lol). i asked some questions, got the scoop, and gave that person exactly what they were looking for. the website is www.chacha.com. go check it out!

and that's the end of my commercial, lol.

more later

this is ridiculous!

see this!
ok, i do believe i've figured out the issue with pics. apparently blogger doesn't like bmp files, which is what my puter defaulted to. so i saved it again as a jpg, and see what i've got!

guess where i got this from. go on, guess. liam's school, during parent teacher conferences. he's in EIGHTH grade, folks! no wonder kids are running around shooting schools up. if this kind of pressure is being applied now, what's it like in high school? oy.

anyway, go back to the flapping post, i'll have a pic of the hat there.

Cats: The Care & Feeding of your Human

Useful Advice for Cats - How To Care For Your Human By Martine Carlsen For us cats there are several sweet advantages in having a human as a pet. However, remember you are taking on a big responsibility when you adopt one or more humans. Humans are demanding pets that need daily care and attention. With responsibility come both advantages and disadvantages. If you adopt a human, you must get used to spending time at home. Your human does not deal well with being left alone - they will get into all sorts of mischief. For example, if you are gone just two or three days you run the risk of seeing posters put up all over the neighborhood. Your human will put out an APB on you ! Often with an embarrassing text that reveals all sorts of personal details - and usually accompanied by an unflattering photo of you - with morning fur and crumpled whiskers. Exactly the kind of thing that attracts ridicule from all the neighbor cats. So please consider carefully if you are ready for a life with humans. In addition, remember humans generally grow very old, so there is a big chance that you will spend the rest of your life with your human. Entertaining your Human The litter box provides a great opportunity for entertaining your human. Naturally there is all the fun your human can have cleaning and scooping out the box. A lot of human time can also be used getting fresh litter - going to the pet store, transporting it home etc. However many humans like new challenges. Utilize your litter box time in the best possible way. Make interesting and artistic renderings of countries or well-known islands. Your human will have lots of fun guessing which one you made. Humans like game shows - so this should be a popular activity. When your human increases in skill, you can also make portraits of family and friends. Start with profile portraits - this will make it easer for your human. Shedding Make it a priority to shed indoors on appropriate surfaces. Fleece is a particularly suitable material to shred on. All you need to do is pass close by your human when he or she is wearing fleece. All cat hair within a radius of 2 feet from the fabric will immediately be transferred to your human. No brushing necessary for several days ! Another good solution is to get access to a filled clothes hamper. Jump in and give all contents a good work over. An extra bonus with this method is that most cat hairs will survive a trip to the washing machine. Your human will be stylishly accessorized with cat hair on all outfits. Extra Food All chances for a bit of extra food must and should be taken advantage of. Whenever your human is in the kitchen, you have a prime opportunity of getting an extra snack. When your human is busy at the kitchen counter place yourself in your humans blind angle (just behind the ankle is usually a good spot). And the second your human moves one or both feet you jump back screaming your most heart-wrenching cry. Your human will automatically assume that he/she stepped on you. When your human looks back scared to see what is happening look up at him/her with a painful expression on your face (practice this before hand in front of a mirror). Your human's bad conscience will often result an edible apology. Grass Etiquette Before you eat grass, make sure that you are close to a suitable place to throw up. Delicate furniture fabrics, precious carpets, and shoes are all good places. If you choose furniture: aim for the part that has non-removable fabric. When you are getting down to business, make sure you back up a step or two so that you cover the largest area possible. Another technique is to do several items with pauses in-between. Persian carpets will give a good camouflage effect and your little gift will often not be discovered until somebody steps in it. Preventing your human from wasting valuable time One of the most important tasks we cats have is to prevent humans from wasting their time. Humans love to spend their time on things with no relevance for cats. For example watching TV, reading, talking on the phone - and many other things that have no entertainment value for us cats what so ever. Many methods are available to prevent human time waste - use your imagination. Some especially effective techniques will be mentioned here. Watching TV make sure that you always position yourself between the TV and your human. On the coffee table for example. You can also lie on the TV and let you tail or paws swing down in front of the screen. This method is most effective with small screens where you can cover a large percentage of the screen. It is a bit trickier with a flat screen - and only recommended for the agile kitty. A variation can be used with a computer screen. Flat screens often leave a lot of empty space on the desk - so just get up in front - remind your human of how wonderful you are. Cleaning; stalk the vacuum cleaner and attack when it passes by. You can also pretend that you want to attack the vacuum cleaner but "accidentally" catch a foot instead. Garden work; jump repeatedly up-and-down and scatter any leaves that your human has raked together. Attack gardening tools - especially while they are in use. Immediately dig up any newly planted seeds, plants and flowers. Closed Doors Under no circumstances accept closed doors that separate you from your human. At all times you have a right to know what your human is doing. If by accident you have been placed on the wrong side of a door you need to make your human aware of this ASAP so he/she can remedy the situation immediately. Loud meows and scratching on the door should be sufficient to get your humans attention. If this is ignored you need to take more drastic measures: Make a sound as if you are going to throw up. All humans in a 50 feet radius can hear this sound. This sound can also be heard through closed doors. The "puke sound" will always result in your human's immediate presence. Sleeping Time It is important for us cats to prioritize our sleeping time. The objective is to get as much sleep done as possible while your human is awake. You will then be especially well rested and bushy-tailed at night when it is your job to keep your human awake. There is the classical "play with toes" approach: attack everything that moves under the duvet. You can also reenact highlights from last year's Grand National Steeplechase by repeatedly galloping across the bed. A couple of loud meows will give it an extra exiting dimension for your human Houseguests Houseguests require special attention and handling. The following procedures should be followed: Houseguests that either do not like us or are allergic to us: As soon as they sit down - jump onto their lap. Noisy children that run after you and/or pull your tail: It is your duty to punish them - it can be necessary to use both claws and teeth. However, be prepared that this can result in noise that is even more annoying and of an even louder decibel level. Guests that try to get in contact with you by ingratiating themselves and speaking in a sweet voice: Should just be ignored. If they try to approach you, back away 5-6 feet - but never further away than they feel encouraged to try again. With a bit of practice this game can he kept going for hours. Bad Weather Even in bad weather, it can be necessary to go outside. The rain and wet ground will result in an unpleasant layer of dirt and mud on your paws. However, this can easily be dried off on certain appropriate indoor spots. Find a light carpet, a duvet cover or nice piece of furniture and walk over it a couple of times. When your paw tracks are almost invisible, your paws are clean and you are ready to go outside again. Training your Human Sometimes it can be necessary to discipline even the most well trained human. However, do remember never to hit a human. At the most, mark with a soft paw on the human's arm or hands. Try first to make your human understand what it has done wrong. And most importantly: be patient! The human intellect is relatively limited and it can be difficult for them to understand our wishes and needs. Even after approximately 5000 years of domestication, the human species still has primitive instincts and it does take time to train your human completely. Door Training One of the first things you need to teach your human is to open the front door, the garden door and backdoor when required. This is done by walking up to a door and making an impatient and very loud meow. Make some tripping steps with your back paws obviously indicating that you need to go to the outdoor litter box. When your human has gotten up from the couch and opened the door you decide that you do not really need to go outside right now. Just for appearances, you can stand in the open door and pretend that you are thinking about the situation for a few seconds before you turn around to go inside again. Repeat this procedure several times a day. This will keep your human in good door opening form. Inspection of the House A house usually has unlimited possibilities for suitable sleeping spots. Every possibility no matter how theoretical should be investigated and tested. Cardboard boxes, cupboards, drawers, couches and beds are obvious localities, but places such as old slippers (size 11 or higher) open gym bags or kitchen cupboards should not be overlooked. The house should further be investigated for all possible toys. An old sock can represent several hours of entertainment if you get your claw on a loose end and unravel a couple of miles worth of yarn. You human will love to tidy up after your play.

flapping away madly

here's my ear flap hat:

well, i think it's my hat. blogger is showing me a black square. Edit: i figured it out, no more black square! what do you think? this is made with the wensleydale that carin gave me at my bridal shower (i still think that so rocks to have it at a LYS!). i spun it up, and then knit this. lemme know what you think (if it ever appears!) i've been making 12" squares for AC4C, for the november project, which is the Pine Ridge Reservation. i'm not sure where the blankets are going, but i'm sure it's a good place, lol.

now to the exciting stuff! remember the story about sean and the needle? it gets better. halloween night, sean's character needed red hair, so i bought red hair spray. by the time we were done trick-or-treating, sean's head had started to itch. so when i took him back to his foster dad's, sean washed his hair twice. his face was red, but i figured it was from bending over, and it had been very cold that night (28F by the time i got him there).

however, this was not the case. just as i was getting to school wednesday for sean's IEP (individual education plan, since he's in resource), his foster dad called and asked me if i was close to sean's day care, because sean had been sent home because he was covered in hives. unfortunately, i wasn't, but we did get him some benedryl, and that helped. everybody thought it was the make up, because of when it hit him, until i was sitting in the car, waiting for school to get out, and realized that sean was on antibiotics, and the same ones he'd been on before. i called the doctor, and they said to take him off the one he was on now, and they'd call in a different one.

i didn't see sean until the next day, when i picked him up from daycare. the benedryl had made him woozy enough that he lost his balance, and fell, and smashed his glasses. he had also forgotten his benedryl at home, and was breaking out again. so we had to get him some over the counter benedryl, because the foster dad couldn't get back home, and no one else was there. he ended up sleeping most of the afternoon and evening, which i don't mind, because if he was sleeping, he wasn't scratching, lol. his rash has now cleared completely, and his foot is doing well. the doctor chewed on him a bit for losing his shoe, but gave him another one, and said to bring him back in a week. whew. maybe this will help sean with his "boy who cried wolf" problem.

now if only we could get liam to cooperate. sigh