lolajl: July 2005 Archives

It's been a pretty hot week. We've sorely neglected our garden since we had to take care of our houseguest, Bruce's brother Rick, who returned to California Sunday. Consequently, the garden have been taken over by weeds and straggling plants that aren't welcome anymore. I would show a picture but I think it would scare y'all and I wasn't in the mood to take one, to begin with. Yesterday we worked on the active parts of the garden in the evening. About six and it was still rather hot. Whew. Better in the evening than at noontime (when we're at work anyway).

I'm finally seeing green tomatoes. So that is good which means I will at least be able to get a decent amount of tomatoes to eat up before the season is over. Got to remember to mark my calendar for spring garden work so that I can get it prepared in time next year . . .

I've decided to go with Blackberry Ridge yarn. I've been looking at the samples; the yarn is so yummy and the colors are brillant. So now I've got to decide on the pattern. My Sock Pal likes crew socks and brillant colors. Thinking about this, I went to “Knitting on the Road” (Nancy Bush) and found the Road to Oslo pattern. This looks like the perfect solution. One problem is that the cuff is a bit too short, and I'm not too crazy about the picot edge. So, I'm going to take this idea and combine it with my own. My current thinking is to get a skein of the Kaleidoscope line, and pick a basic color and use the basic color to make the feet plain, and then use the basic along with the variegated yarn to make a fair isle pattern, and have the top coming out as 2x2 rib.

It's been a busy week due to Bruce's brother visiting us. Today we're off to see the memorials - he wants to visit the Vietnam and WWII memorials. I'm going to have to bring lots of tissues because I think I'll get weepy. That's one of the reasons why I've never visited the Vietnam memorial, because it was such a divisive war, so much that it fostered a defeatist attitude in our society that still persists to some extent to this day. I had only one relative who was in Vietnam; thankfully he came back alive (at the time he was a dentist, so I don't think he was stationed in the frontlines) but I've never known him to talk about it.

I've managed to find the time to work on the carseat blanket. I'm now just above the bucket hole, and then from on it should be smooth sailing. My aim is to get it done halfway by end of the weekend.

Genia has tagged me to answer the Meme questions. So I'm going to be working on this over the weekend.

This morning I picked up a copy of The Examiner at the metro station, as usual, and read the article about the metro evacuation plans in case of emergencies like what happened in London. Here's the advice that the metro officials gave: Stay calm. Stay within themselves and be composed. Listen to the announcements. Don't use the cell phones (much good that would do me; T-Mobile doesn't have a contract with WMATA). Oh, and by the way, you're safest when you stay. on. the. train.

Umm . . . that's what they told the folks at the Twin Towers and we all know what happened. If I know the natives well enough, they're going to laugh this moronic advice right out of the monument grounds.

Please, please take advantage of your blogger software and use the “More” feature if you're going to post your thoughts about this or that in #6. I was reading through the blogs on an knitting exchange list . . . the topmost post said “no spoilers”, and then I scrolled down to earlier posts and there was a post commenting on this or that character, with a page number. I have yet to get my copy from sister and I want to be surprised, amused, or saddened for the first time reading this volume. Sheesh . . .

It's hot and muggy, I'm comfortably seated in my office watching the minutes tick by as the clock counts down to quitting time, and thinking about all those piccies from Bruce's grandmother's photo album that my BIL Rick has bought along as he stays with us for the week. There's some really cute photos of Bruce from babyhood through teenage years that I've just got to scan and put some of these up on this blog. It's interesting to notice some of the family resemblances - Bruce's hair has exactly the same wave pattern that his father had.

I've been trying to get going on Baby Hall's car blanket and had to rip back a few rows but I'm back on track. Was going to work on it during my ride to work but I was just a bit too sleepy, having drunk two glasses of very good wine last night and having to get up just before midnight to drag Bruce up to the bedroom (put him and Rick in the same room and they'll talk for hours and hours).

Now I'm thinking about what to make for my SockaPal. I've been looking at my samples from Blackberry Ridge Yarns. They also sell sock patterns and kits, so I know they use their own yarn. But what I can't figure out is which weight do they use - fingering or sport weight. There are some colors that I really like and would work just right with my SockaPal's color preferences, plus be warm enough for the area where she lives in. So, folks, got experience with their yarn products? Which line would you recommend?

I'll keep the comments and trackbacks open for about a week or two, and then close these down (as I have a problem with the Soulless Spammers).

Genia's asked when we're going to see a pic of me in my sari. Well, here it is!

I love this color combination. Bruce left his vest in the car, so that's why he's only appearing like this. There's a picture with him wearing his vest, but we have to first get the permission of the bridal couple. I'm sure they'll oblige. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have a copy.

While on the metro, I was reading through the blogposts that I'd opened in tabs prior to disconnecting from the work net, and I came across this comment by Too Much Wool:

So, I guess what I'm wondering is, does this idea of saving the best for when I'm better make sense? I've always thought along the lines of using the best materials for whatever it is I'm setting out to do, be that cooking or textiles or building materials. I guess it depends on the situation, mostly. But I like to think that someone who is working with something nice will be happier down the road with the finished product and enjoy the process more.

She's got a point. I think one of the things that contributes to this is lack of time. You get something that is just too wonderful not to pass up but for which you haven't had much experience, such as a nice brick of silk. And then you get busy with other stuff, and time goes by. Before long, it's been 3 years since you purchased that brick of silk.

And then when you start out learning to spin, you're in a mania where you just got to stock up on everything, until you end up with a huge stash and precious little time due to working or taking care of the family. Plus, what are you going to do with these when you spin it up? Right, you guessed correctly.

Meanwhile, I've been busy fooling around with my laptop yet again and installing and reinstalling software (yes, it's a geeky thing - if you're not into programming or keeping up with the latest, it can be hard to understand). Hint for the geeky - always keep meticulous record of passwords for software setup, especially when you've got to install manually following a complex set of instructions. And be sure to put the passwords in a location that you can easily get to, such as putting that slip of paper into your computer files or immediately entering it in your favorite password program.

The coming week is going to be a very interesting one - my BIL is coming to visit us from California. He is quite a character, and let's just say, that he can be very talkative.

I've had to temporarily disable comments because I'm being bombarded by these soulless spammers. Hopefully in a couple of days I'll be able to reopen.

In light of the barbaric, cowardly attack in London, I thought you all would like to visit this blog “We're Not Afraid”.

This year the focus is on food, Hispanic music, forestry, and Arab culture. And, also, it's the first time that an Arabic country has been featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Now, I remember when I was a young teenager, I think, or at least in my late childhood, that Saudi Arabia sponsored a big exhibit of their culture, through the Smithsonian, I think. It was an interesting exhibit, but rather strange, because all of the people were male, and there wasn't really much about women, for instance, clothes, their role in the Saudi culture.

This year, Oman was invited to be part of the Folklife Festival. Oman is to the east of Saudi Arabia, right on the coast of the Arabian peninsula. there are three distinct environments to be found in Oman - the sea, the mountains, and the oasis. These environment has played a very large part of the type of country that Oman eventually became.

At a time when so many countries have rushed on to the future and the old ways are forgotten or not regarded as important as it once was, Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled his country since 1970, realized early on the need to preserve the Omani culture as he continued to modernize the country. So he commissioned a large study of the musical traditions, from instruments to songs. Over the year there have been studies to document craft, from woodworking to embroidery.

As a result, Oman is one of the few Arab countries that have managed to preserve their unique culture. And sometimes, the old ways are the best. Fishermen are returning to usage of dhows as they've learned that these boats can maneuver better at sea than modern boats. They're also diversifying their economy, looking ahead into the future when oil starts to run out. They've made sure to include women as part of their economic development.

Two weeks ago I left work a bit early to get my first view of the culture. Here is what I saw when I arrived at the mall and followed the sound of music. Watching this dance, you could see quite a bit of African influence on the music and dance. On my second visit, I learned that this dance can last 3 days. I was surprised to see a bagpiper player. I'm used to seeing the bagpipe played in solemn occasions and during marches in a military band. This was played energetically, the player dancing as he played the instrument. I learned that bagpipes came to Oman by way of Egypt. Now there are British troops stationed in Oman, and I'm sure there are some from Scotland stationed there. It's hard to see in this shot, but if you see that purple dress to the left of the picture - that's one of the women in this troupe. If I'm not mistaken, women do dance in some of these dance in public view, just not with the men but in their own group a bit to the side. What is interesting to know is that in the towns, women don't cover their face, but out in the desert and oasis, I think, bedu women do cover their faces with a mask; the cut of the mask varies and they will usually choose the mask cut that accents their best features.

There is a certain tree that only grows in south Oman, and it produces this sap that is called frankincense. It's been used for thousands of years, for cosmetic and religious purpose. It was so valuable that the Romans tried to keep the location a secret. And it's one of the gifts that the Wise Men gave to Jesus the Child, as told in the Bible. The Omanis love fragrance, and one of the customs to signal an end to a feast is to offer incense to the guests, who then immediately leave after partaking of it. How do they partake of it? Simply come near to the pot and wave the smoke to themselves so that the scent will linger on their clothes. I think that's a wonderful custom.

Hey, all you Americans, wherever you are in the world, a happy Fourth! B and I will be having friends over here for our first cookout since we got married. Should be a fun day, to be topped off by the fireworks over the park that's just across the street.