According to This Garden Is Illegal

Wheat is a Sunflower, ah well, A Rose by Any other name…..

I am not sure I want to admit how close to reality this amuzing little article is, but

Just for Giggles, take a moment and see how Pauline Rogers views Quiilters and their relationship to the Zodiac.

Now maybe I should do some delving into a version for YARNandTHREAD people as well.

Abby Tagged Me

So, according to the rules, of this sort of an Internet Version of Truth or Dare:

a) Link to your tagger: Abby Yarns .

b) Post the rules

c) List of eight (8) random things about yourself.

d) At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people,

e) visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

I absolutely HATE chain letters in any form, but because it is Abby, just this once…..

1. I blame Abby’s dad for my love of complex braiding –

2. I love History (read my school textbooks the first week while growing up) but am addicted to “Alternate” history – like Eric Flint’s “Ring of Fire” series that begins with 1632. Lately it had been Jane Lindskold’s Firekeeper series.

3. There was a period of years when the State of New York requested me not to drive and except for one trip to the emergency room, I honored that request. (don’t tell anyone, but I could have resolved it sooner, but there is something nice about always being “chauffered” about. )

4. I get up at ungodly hours of the morning so that I can always start the day with some sort of hand fiber work that has NOTHING to do with any business interest (usually spinning or weaving or Kumihimo, but it can be anything else so long as it involves touching fiber. The first cuppa coffee and quiet.)

5. I can Knit, but prefer not to.

6. I would rather do without than make do with something I don’t really want.

7. One more color to acquire and I get to start my Molly Sweater.

8. I am an information addict. It used to require access to encyclopedia’s now just a high speed Internet connection.

Now off to tag these poor unsuspecting and hopefully equally superstitious souls …

Kim, Darla, Yvette, Alaska Jen, Joan, Deb, Jackie E-S, Beth

So please do let me know if you find anything not quite working correctly

November is the anniversary month of this blog, in just a few days, it will be one Year old and I will be, well let’s leave it at a lot older than that For many, the Holiday season and our birthdays are often a time of reflection. I just happen to have both in same time frame.

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Each year as we all reflect, it seems there is just no end to the natural and man made disasters that call on the charity of us all each year.

It is both heartwarming and utterly fascinating to see how the on-line community so often, so generously and so quickly responds and especially those very special people who like to bend string respond with comfort by whatever means they can.

Generous as those who practice the NeedleArts always are, when I read a note that saying someone wanted to help a friend who lost her home replace your yarn, hooks and needles, I thought how generous, but then I remembered something written September 1st, 2005, by Karey Bresenhan of Quilts, Inc wrote:

” I am terribly concerned about the urgency of the short-term needs of these poor souls–(Katrina evacuees) … for shelter and perhaps long-term living arrangements. Most of them left New Orleans with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I know there are other projects that are being started for quilts for long-term needs, but right now, folks, these people have NOTHING and most of them have NOTHING to go home to. They need help NOW! ”

In other words, comforting as new craft tools and materials might be, there are/were more urgent needs. So Karey’s words have stayed with me, and admittedly coloured how I have chosen to help since then. As we each decide how or if we can respond, some by making squares or afghans or quilts; others by remembering that the Red Cross is a wonderful way to see that their ability to provide immediate relief and necessities not just to major disasters such as fire or flood create wide spread devastation, but also locally to that family whose home has burned to ground, or to firefighters in communities across the country.

I am fortunate to have many “fiber art” friends and much loved family who live in Southern California and especially in the San Diego area. So, this year, in lieu of the usual “nice dinner” to celebrate my birthday, we are sending donations to the American Red Cross– divided between our local chapter and the San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter

I will be using the donation link for San Diego on-line donation service and designating the monies be used in both cases for:
Local Disaster Relief Fund

I would ask my friends and family who would normally send me even a dollar birthday card in the mail, to donate those dollars to the Red Cross Chapter of your choice instead. Email good wishes are enough for me – there is so much more needed by others.

I encourage you to use the On-Line method and add the amount of first class postage – even pennies can makes a difference.

If you can, please do participate in other initiatives to bring hope and comfort to victims, be it afghans or quilts for local law enforcement to have and distribute, or larger efforts to benefit the San Diego folks,

Not sure how to find your local chapter? Just plug in your zip code here:

And, if you can, be a regular Blood Donor – you can get information about this by finding and contacting your local regional center. – it just might be your life that is saved as a result of your generosity.

And yes, as the subject implies, I have a few more “Charity Challenges” in mind. So stay tuned.
Even if we don’t have a lot, it is so easy to share just a little.