Friday, October 26, 2007

stamps

the postal service is offering a set of winter stamps featuring KNITTING! way cool, huh




For the 2007 holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic Christmas-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl: ThereĆ½s a dignified stag; a snow-dappled evergreen tree; a perky snowman sporting a top hat; and a whimsical teddy bear.

Friday, October 19, 2007

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm PASTA (with special sauce)




this was inspired by mark bittman (the minimalist)








i made a few changes based on MY likes and of course what i had on hand. if you make this in the summer you can use FRESH tomatoes of course




1 large can of tomatoes (whatever. they can be chopped or whole or whatever YOU like)


1 box of pomi tomatoes


1 T of balsamic vinegar


onion (I used a vidalia. chopped. however much YOU like)


1 large sweet potato shredded


1 cup of dried mushrooms and a few sun dried tomatoes (whatever. i used black trumpet, oyster, porcini and morels. OR you can use fresh if you have them. i didn't happen to. my sun dried tomatoes do NOT come packed in oil. they are in fact, just dry)


Olive Oil


herbs and spices dried or fresh (i used basil, sea salt, a few flakes of hot red pepper, just a TAD of freshly grated nutmeg, oregano)


a bay leaf or two


1 T of sugar (optional. use it if your tomatoes aren't sweet)


pasta of your choice




rinse off dried mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. pour boiling water over them and let sit 20 minutes or so. in a bit of olive oil, saute chopped or diced or minced onion for a couple of minutes. toss in the shredded sweet potato and saute (stirring constantly so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot) a couple of minutes more. add the tomatoes and vinegar and stir. then add the bay leaves and herbs and spices. put mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in with a bit of their liquid. (save the rest of the liquid. as your sauce cooks down, if it's too thick for you add more mushroom liquid). turn heat down and simmer anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, stirring on occasion.

cook pasta and top with sauce! there you have it AND VEGAN TOO

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

web site of the day











TONS AND TONS o' STUFF. look around




















Far Away from Home








Welcome!
Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.
- Kurt Vonnegut
This site grew (and grew!) out of an investigation into a disastrous investment in New Zealand forests. It has morphed into a reference site covering a variety of topics.
Sympathy would be appreciated for the difficulty in categorising the hundreds of articles this site contains - at least until I can migrate off FrontPage and start using something flexible enough to allow more real-time operations.
For example, when students visit prisons, take drugs, or have their values tested, where would these stories be filed? Where do I put animals found in Wellington? Information and technology professionals given preferential immigration status? Does an article about patriarchy belong in Politics, Society/Culture or Men?
You get the idea.
Below is a computer rendering of the "shape" of this website followed by a few words on the navigation structure. I add new items almost daily. Usually I stuff them in where they seem to relate best, which may make them difficult to find. (If they're important, I'll put a link to it from the home page "News" column.) Suggestions for a better way to organise things would be gratefully received.........

Monday, October 8, 2007

the boop



image: liketelevision.wordpress.com/2005/03/

cool


a felted candy corn bag. original crochet instructions found at lion brand


converted (for knitting and loom knitting) at purling sprite

Thursday, October 4, 2007

the mother bear project











the reformed pirate will now and again mention some volunteer activities you can get involved in.




this one is








The Mother Bear Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of hand-knit and crocheted bears.
The response has been overwhelming, with people wanting to help from all over the world. Thousands of patterns have been distributed, and wonderful bears have been received from people of all ages, backgrounds and knitting abilities. It has brought people together to do something kind in the face of a horrible problem......
.........To date, 21,330 bears have been sent to South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi, Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries as we find out more about children in need.........

all of the info needed is on the website. c'mon now, let's start knitting bears (or even crocheting them). you can make a donation too if you want

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

artists of the day


1994 gt9

is NOW 7307 takei

cool huh!

Group Renames Asteroid for George Takei

By SAMANTHA GROSS
NEW YORK (AP) — George Takei already had a place among the stars in the minds of millions of "Star Trek" fans. Now he's taking up permanent residence as the namesake of the asteroid formerly known as the 1994 GT9.
The asteroid, located between Mars and Jupiter, has been renamed 7307 Takei in honor of the actor, who is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the original "Star Trek" series.
"I am now a heavenly body," Takei said Tuesday, laughing. "I found out about it yesterday. ... I was blown away. It came out of the clear, blue sky — just like an asteroid."
The celestial rock, discovered by two Japanese astronomers in 1994, joins the 4659 Roddenberry (named for the show's creator, Gene Roddenberry) and the 68410 Nichols (for co-star Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura). Other main-belt asteroids are already named for science fiction luminaries Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.............

Monday, October 1, 2007

if you could do ANYTHING


in the whole wide world, what would it be? i'll bet you're JUST like me AND would immediately enroll in an online yodeling course