Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Round Up

I just have a few things for the round up this week.

61 essential postmodern reads.

Ahh, two of my favorite things-books and a castle.

Care2-make a difference.

Top science blogs.

This is so clever-MrsSewandSew.

Congratulations to Ursula M. Burns, the first American woman of African descent who is head of an S& P 100 company, Xerox. More information about this trailblazer.

Growing up in the country everyone had a garden. We had gardens, plural, and they were huge. We canned so many things. My mom even made her own ketchup and bread and butter pickles. After eating her ketchup for so long, I never wanted Heinz. I always thought canning was a lot of fun. When I was really little my job was to listen for the POP that the canning lids made on top of the Mason jars. I miss all of that so much.

With these hard economic times canning is making a resurgence. If you are a canner, tell your story on Cans Across America.

So, you have adopted a lovable pup from the pound. Is he part poodle and part beagle, part Komodor and part collie? If this is something that is keeping you up at night, perhaps you should purchase the Bio Pet DNA Breed Identification Kit.

I thought virgule was a cool word for a puncuation mark. Has so much more panache than SLASH. What do you think about interrobang?

Today I leave you with some old school soul. My girl Chaka Khan with Ain't Nobody.

Now for some old school soul. My girl Chaka Khan with my absolute favorite song that she has

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

Friday, July 24, 2009

Round Up

So, once again racial profiling rears its ugly head. Dr. Gates, "I hope you sue the pants off of the Cambridge police department." I hope the cop loses his job, which I know is never going to happen. This sort of crap needs to stop. I could go on and on, but I will move on with more cheerful information.

Pug head tilt

When I used to where heels a lot I seemed to always get my heels stuck in the grass or even worse mud. Now some clever person has invented sole mates so no more messed up heels.

I am so guilty of helping to create desire paths. Desire path is a landscape architecture term used to describe a path that isn't designed, but casually worn by people finding the shortest route. I have always been a walker and I have always tried to go "as the crow flies". Of course if there is signage indicating you aren't supposed to walk some place I abide, but if not, off I go. Apparently I am not the only one who finds these paths interesting.

These teddy bear chollas are adorable, but don't get stuck by one.

A woman is baking cakes to help pay her mortgage.

Growing up in the country everyone in the area had a clothesline. There was just something about taking the sheets and towels off of the line and that wonderful fresh smell. The dryer just doesn't provide that wonderful scent. Or my mother and I running out the door giggling to grab the clothes off of the line before a thunderstorm would hit. I miss all of that so much.

Project Laudry List is a non-proft organization that is promoting air-drying laundry to save energy, and also it's fun.

Why are ice cubes cloudy in the middle?

Folks, I am going to have to shorten this post. Google/Blogger are giving me fits this morning.

I was told by a friend that people either love bagpipe music or hate it. I love it.


"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." Will Rogers

Friday, July 17, 2009

Round Up

Stumbled across this site Significant Objects the other day.

The Codex Signaiticus is said to be the oldest bible in the world. Written over 1600 years ago the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek. The Codex Signaiticus Project is an international effort to unite the manuscript in digital format.

As much as I love technology and think email is the cat's meow, I still love a handwritten letter. I go nuts if someone sends me a thank you card, and I get so ticked if they don't. I get so annoyed with myself when I realize that I didn't save any of my pen pals letters from when I was a child. I had an international pen pal that I am really fuzzy about her name at the moment, and a pen pal from Ohio named Debbie Kozar. We were the same age and she signed all of her letters Love and Lollipops, Debbie. I have saved so many letters, a good many things with my beloved Gran's beautiful penmanship, post cards from my brother from all over the world when he was in the Navy, and love letters. I have every single card that A. has given me in the 18 years we have been together. Every-single-one.

Speaking of Debbie Kozar. Through her letters I became very aware of the disparities of the United States educational system. Debbie and I were the same age, but we had totally different text books, different subjects and different extra-curricular activities. Debbie's elementary school had a swimming pool. Come to think of it, none of the schools I attended had a pool-not Star Junction Elementary School-torn down years and years ago, but I can remember every single thing about the building, even the smell. Not Mary Fuller Frazier Jr and Sr High School, not Shadyside Nursing School, not Seton Hill College- now University(grrrrr!!!) and not Catholic University-they may have one, I'm not really sure about them. I guess this is more of a sore point with me than I realized.

Anyway back to letters. As much as I love letters, I love stationery, pens, stamps-all of it. The New York Times has a very nice article about stationery.

The New York Times also had an article about one of my favorite poets Mary Oliver.

Help urge the Postal Service to create a stamp commemorating the Ezra Jack Keats book The Snowy Day. The Snowy Day won the Caldecott Award in 1963. This was the first children's literature to feature a black child as a main character.

Top 100 Poetry Blogs.

I can't wait to get my hands on this adorable book-Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo by Ayun Halliday, illustrations by Dan Santat.

Virtual tour of famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company.

Orthographer-a person versed in spelling or orthography; a person who spells correctly.

Box Vox-packaging as content.

Epic voice actors. Life.com is just a treasure trove. Love it.

1776: An Online Magazine of American History.

The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Award is celebrating its 60th anniversary this years. In honor of this impressive feat will present a book-a-day blog on the Fiction Winners from 1950-2008. Just click on the active book images and you will be educated, let me tell you. I have only read a couple of the active images so far, and I learned so much from reading these reviews. I may have to add this to my list of things to do when, and if, I ever get to retire. Read all of the Rivers of America series, Presidential biographies, go on factory tours, and now read all of the National Book Foundation fiction winners.

Oh no, not only is Virginia Wolf's lighthouse beach for sale; so is Daphne du Marier's Frenchman Creek home.

I really like these tiffin boxes. Happy Tiffin has a blog.

Really enjoying Grannies on Safari on PBS.

And more very active older gals-Raging Grannies.

An adorable timeline to my favorite-chocolate chip cookies.

I leave you with Bela Fleck and Chick Corea (yes the banjo player and the pianist)playing Mountain.


"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Round Up

R.I.P. Jerri Nielson Fitzgerald-this doctor showed remarkable courage when stationed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station discovered that she had breast cancer. Her brave story was chronicled in the book Ice Bound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, written with Maryanne Vollers.

I am a nut for household tips. I have lots of them, but the one that everyone gives me odd looks about is the plastic wrap tip. I have been keeping my plastic wrap in the refrigerator for years. It's the only way I have found that keeps it from wrinkling and sticking to itself when you are unrolling it to use.

Well, this tip tops that one. In all of the literally hundreds of boxes of plastic wrap and aluminum foil that I have purchased through the years I have never looked at the ends of the boxes. Check the ends the next time you use either of these products. On each end is a perforated circle that you can push in-Why you ask? If you do this it keeps the roll from falling out of the box. I still can't believe I never noticed this before.

Have any interest in learning how to drive a Bobcat? Attend Bobcat Boot Camp.

This is why I am a such a huge fan of Maira Kalman.

I am always touched when people go that extra mile for an animal in need.

Newsweek wants us all to read these 50 books now and they also tell us why.

People's collections have always interested me. I thought I had heard of everything possible that people collect, but some folks collect envelope security patterns, and I am beginning to see why. More and more used for crafting.

I recall when the entire Bernie Madoff case broke some of the media pronounced his last name as "mad off". The more that came out about this case, the more the media started pronouncing his name "made off". I wonder which is the correct pronunciation. If "made off" just seemed better to use for this person who "MADE OFF" with millions of dollars.

Oh, I so want a Pashley bike.

















Yes, there is site that chronicle the neckties that President Obama wore in his first 100 days.-Neck of State.

Hamburger cupcakes.

If Wikipedia were a book.

Having a bad day? Maybe a shot of frosting/icing will perk you right up. There was a time when I would have loved this. Lets face it, I would still love it. However, my body would slip into a sugar-induced coma and/or I would have such neuropathy that it really wouldn't be worth that 1 minute of pure, culinary bliss.

Diggin' this Morris Traveler.

Finally, finally, finally-colorful garden hoses.

Even though I don't like summer, I like the various and sundry fairs and festivals that "greet the heat" so to speak. Here are some, let's say, different fare than the usual funnel cake, quilt and pretty cows show.

PieLab-don't go there just for the pie alone. Nice story-great idea.

Two librarians had a wonderful idea. A blog devoted to truly Awful Library Books.

That's all. Have a fun weekend.

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.” Wendell Berry