For the sake of context, I usually sleep in the guest room because it is closer to where I needed to be if Mom needed help in the night, and because I tend to be a toss and turner and no surprise Talker when sleeping.

FORTUNATELY I also tend to fall asleep while reading so the light was on.

About 1:30am I woke up and felt something cold and dampish around my upper arm.

Thought we had a roof leak since it seemed to be moving – That must be dripping … right

WRONG – Sat up in time to see a SNAKE almost hidden under the pillow I HAD, up until about 4 seconds ago had wrapped around me. Something I would have missed had the light not been on.

After a non-crucial (it turns out) one or two seconds to take a fast deep breath, dump the waste basket and slam it over the snake.

OKAY NOW WHAT DO I DO?!?!?

Oh my good Lord in Heaven, there is a portion of it sticking out, but if I lift the edge minutely to shove it back in will it escape like the rattler that bit Valerie. What would Valerie do (our cousin who raises snakes) Vaguely I remember seeing Valerie using a flat piece of cardboard to slide under their Snake boxes

I used a 14 inch Double Ended Crochet hook to push its bits under the basket.

and thought, yet again

MMOG, NOW WHAT

All I can say is THANK GOD FOR COLOR CARDS and the fact that most are done with “over sized” cardboard. Better yet thank goodness I was working on some color cross refs yesterday .

Wait, I can’t leave that color card under the snake, what if it makes a mess and damages the samples!

By this time, the colorful words have reached sufficient volume so that TheHenry has somewhat awoken and comes in to see if I am Okay, why are there tissues all over the floor, and why am is standing with my weight baring down on the top of the waste basket where the tissues belong.

No, I AM NOT OKAY, there is a snake under the waste basket and I have

ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TO DO NEXT?

Following the careful replacing of the Presencia Color Card with an appriopriated size Priority mail box (the guest room is also my “shipping center” but the color card was closer”

After several minutes of discussion, ending with you cannot kill it and are you sure you did not just have a nightmare?

“FINE I will take it outside – but if it is dumb enough to come back, before it is large enough to catch mice, then its safety is NOT assured.”

The boring end to this little adventure. I carried it outside and dumped it into the road (as far as I willing to go in sleepwear.

For those interested in the details. I came back in and sat down to GOOGLE Maryland SNAKES – it appears to be a Black Rat Snake – not a poisonous breed but still not welcome in most people’s beds

Based on the picture in the Wiki entry, it appears to have been a young Black Rat Snake.

Now I need to go call the family herpetologists and find out what to do next – to determine how it got into the house. Likely the same way the field mice do.

I think I will go read email. Hopefully that will be less exciting.

Wheat

P.S. I solemnly promise never to complain about the odd size card stock used by most YARNandTHREAD manufacturers to make their color cards no matter who awkward it is to try to mail them or the awkward shape of that particular (shoe box) priority mail box.

Tiny URL : http://tinyurl.com/snake-blog

I love the Olympics and all it represents, and admit that it was a very moving moment when my children and I got to see the torch bearer traveling to Lake Placid so many year ago.

So naturally will follow any intriguing headlines related to the Olympics and then who knows where those news stories can lead your mind.

As I was reading about the things China is doing to clean up – its air, its labor practices and lots of other things leading up to and for the duration of the Olympics,

Some articles gave me the impression these were pretty much unexpected…. among the passing thoughts these stories generated…

… what will these closings will do to those business who rely on Chinese imports to stock their shelves.

… how it may effect those who offer goods produced elsewhere?

… will it be a good thing for our economy

… will its effect on independent retailers

… will Chinese manufactured goods sold in Maryland end up like eggs, milk, bread & toilet paper sales prior to a reported snow storm, something to be purchased in bulk, hoarded so that during the scarcity you can sit in the bathroom eating french toast.

Just something to think about when mindlessly scanning and preparing web graphics (probably the most boring albeit most necessary part of preparing any sort of web presence)

Whatever you think or do, I hope you will consider helping to support our US Olmypians, by donating or shopping at the USOC Road To Beijing Maybe use of that money you won’t be spending on Chinese goods to so some good for our
US Athletes.

Just passing thoughts on this Holy Saturday…

This has been in interesting few weeks. As several of us are working together to keep a good thing going – the community of the KnitDesign group – I have been amuzed to see how many folks do not read even the simpliest of directions,

And while doing my monthly “delete messages” I re-read a number of thoughts written by others …. well lets just skip the rest of the twisted paths of my thought processes…. Here is what they led to:

It occurs to me that part of the problem in understanding, among other things, copyrights are the underlying semantics for words used in the discussion.

The following definitions are from the online version of Merriam-Webster

PATTERN:
1: a form or model proposed for imitation
2: something designed or used as a model for making things i.e., a sewing pattern

DESIGN:
1: to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan

AUTHOR:
1 a: one that originates or creates :

- as some have mentioned, There are many elements to “Design” but I think if we put the three words together,

PATTERN DESIGN AUTHOR

It gets a bit easier to see at what point “it becomes your own” and when you can lay claim EVEN for utilitarian objects, to copyrights. (or see where you may be infringing)

In other words,

If you did not start with a blank piece of paper, then you did not DESIGN it and so have no copyright to claim.

Peace of the Season

Wheat

When you read as many NeedleArts related groups as I do, hardly a week goes by that someone is not looking for instructions related to a “licensed” logo they want to use in an afghan or a pillow or any other number of useful things to decorate the TV room of devoted team fans.

The NFL & MLB have a web site set up JUST to give out preliminary licensing info, including if you don’t have $100,000 to hand over up front for the minimum first year royalties, do not even submit an application.

Here’s the excerpt that proves yet again, if you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it

2. Minimum Requirements. In order for your unsolicited proposal to be considered for the NFLP licensing program, your company MUST: …

c. Have the ability to pay 100% of minimum royalty guarantee upon execution of a license agreement (typically about $100,000 per year) and be able to generate sales sufficient to meet the minimum royalty guarantee on a yearly basis;

d. Maintain from a licensed and admitted insurance carrier with a rating not less than A-VIII from an A.M. Best-rated insurance company a Comprehensive Commercial General Liability policy in an amount of Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) per occurrence and Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00) in the aggregate; and

Probably explains why there are no “team” needlework patterns & charts “in print”

I doubt we could sell enough before some of Robin Hood Rationalizers had them copied and “Mulitplied” throughout the internet.

Whenever I need an acid dose of Yarn commentary, I spend a few minutes visiting “What Not” blogs.

Often times I agree -especially when “Fun Fur” is involved – although it has its place, like maybe for the manes and tails of Knitting At Knoon’s Safari Animals

Certainly much of what is being offered today deserves at least a passing “What Were They Thinking”

Although it should be pretty obvious, quite Simply they may not have been.

• Besides, they have every right to their opinions. What I don’t accept is the claim it is not personal. Satiric humor is always personal.
• Ridicule is always personal. Both are sometimes amusing, but always personal.
• So… IF you are going to play the dozens, at least be honest about it

.

Now to those passing thoughts or some might say, some snits & tizzys:

1. Why do the author and many of the commentators fear what is obviously intended as art

2. Why is the recurring commentary theme almost invariable related to “fit” – and it is the same over and over. Always talking about how the style is not fitted at the waist, shaped to the human figure.

Do the blogger and her commentators realize that some of the designs were not intended for either the anorexic waif or the hourglass figure shapes. Probably not, at least not anymore than so many of the those offering their work have “done their homework” in order to properly author a pattern.

3. One wonders what they look like and what they choose for themselves, but like so many who hide behind a “screen name” and a “free” server, we may never know.

So with a small WARNING, the following are NOT G-Rated and likely will offend many – but then you are reading this blog, so although I avoid profanity and sexual content, you likely can take strong opinions – even if written by those lacking the courage of convictions to sign their name.

Here are the links:

• What Not To Crochet
• What Not To Knit