Happy Halloween from Rosie the Riveter!!

Yes, this is my little Rosie, the Riveter!  

My little Esk in her first Halloween Costume.

Ok, guys!

  It can't get much cuter than this!

I think I am going to melt!

💖 💖 💖 💖 💖

A Cemetery Visit

In keeping with the Halloween spirit,

  I want to share a recent cemetery visit with you.  

 A very charming, quiet, and a very cherished (finally) cemetery called Whipps Garden Cemetery located in Howard County, Maryland - right in the middle of a housing development.

Back story:

I have lived in Columbia, Howard County Maryland since 1973 and never visited this cemetery until 2018 - despite the fact I have passed it ... oh, maybe 100 times or more!

Old private family cemeteries can be unusual depending on where you live in the country.  Development on the east coast of the US, however, is invasive.  I cringe at the thought of how many old graves  sites have been lost in time or just paved over with the steam roller of developers.

Many original Howard County farm homes dot the landscape within Columbia, a planned city that is 50 years young.   On occasion you will find a small family cemetery attached to one of these original properties.  In fact, when I lived in my former neighborhood of King's Contrivance, Columbia, there was one such house right in the middle of our development - with a small attached graveyard.  What is really amazing is the fact that any of these small cemeteries remain in this area ... in spite of the march of modernization and development.

Beautiful iron works 

The Whipp Garden Cemetery:

The Whipp Garden Cemetery is located in Ellicott City, adjacent to Columbia - in Howard County, Maryland  The cemetery sits in a well establish housing development called St. John's Community, right off St. John's Road.  I vaguely remember catching a brief glance at this cemetery as I sped past in my car during its neglected period prior to 1987.  I remember thinking it was sad to see its decline.  But I also remember years later seeing people working in that cemetery.

Today, I finally stopped!

I was moved by all I saw and learned!

This one acre plot of land was established as a cemetery in 1833, yet some gravestones were from 1820s.  William Whipps bought the land in 1855 for $73.25, and the deed noted the presence of an "an old graveyard."  The Whipps were well-known farmers and merchants of the day who also served as blacksmiths at Oakland Manor -- now Oakland Mills in Columbia.  The last burials at this site were in 1915.



The Whipps burial ground was always just a little country cemetery, not affiliated with any church.  In the later 1800s, burial lots were sold to other families.  Over time the cemetery was forgotten, over grown, and suffered from vandalism.


Not much thought was given to this cemetery until 1984 when building stakes went up in the weeds and bulldozers began clearing the brush!  A group of neighbors - members of the St. Johns Community Association, Inc. led by Barbara Seig - decided that this little wooded cemetery had suffered enough neglect and abuse.


Thank God for concerned citizens who saw a wrong and took steps to make it right.

Marker with no writing on it.

Restoration began in 1987 by the community association assisted by the descendants of the Whipps family, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts, area garden clubs and neighborhood volunteers.  It is now owned by The Friends of the Whipps Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, Inc., a non-profit organization.


This precious gift of a beautiful old cemetery for the residents of Howard County is maintained by Master Gardeners who plant and maintain heritage and native species in a variety of different settings, interspersed by pathways, benches, iron works and tombstones.

The plants are typical of Maryland in the 1800s.

I will visit again.  

I am sure that the face of this special place changes with the change of seasons ...

Just as it has changed over its long history.

For now that face shows beauty, care and reverance for the history of this
small one acre cemetery.

Here's hoping it's future is bright.

** Note
Information about the Whipps Garden Cemetery was pulled directly from 3 sources - A brochure created by The Friends of The Whipps Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, Inc., A Self-Guided Stroll through the Gardens booklet and their web site.

Blogger Commenting Issues

Just a 'housekeeping' observation about Blogger - the Blog Platform that I use to house and write my blog ...

Recently I received a private email from one of my long time blog friends, Michelle.  She writes at Boulderneigh Blog - and you should stop in for a visit - especially if you love sheep and dogs and cats and horses and gardening and photography and knitting and spinning.  Yes, it wore me out just to write all that ... she is a very busy lady.

She was having a new problem commenting on my blog.  She had other blog readers/friends who also reported similar problems with Blogger and suggested a fix for that problem.  I took her advice and the problem on my blog disappeared - I think.  She, at least, can now comment.

If you notice similar problems on your blog or other blogs ... on Blogger, here is the fix I made:

Change comments from "Embedded" to "Pop Up Window" on your blog.

Not to get too technical ... but I did notice a minor change on my end of the blogging experience as the blog author using "Pop Up Window."

When comments were set to "Embedded," I could visit my blog without signing in, and respond to individual comments using a 'Reply' option button available after every individual comment.  Now that 'Reply' button is gone.  Now that I am set for "Pop Up Window," the only way I can reply to comments on my blog is to leave another new comment  (like I am an external reader) and prove to my blog that I am not a Robot.  But I can't reply individually any more.  Odd.

Not a big deal.

But it does seem like the Blogger Platform has experienced a series of problems in the last year.  It does make me nervous.  I would hate to start all over again on a new platform (with their unknown problems) and/or loose my history here.

Anyway, let's hope that the Blogger problems are now under control.

Binge Watching

I watch a lot of shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime in the evenings.  I seldom watch anything in "real" time (beyond Dancing With the Stars and America's Got Talent) preferring to binge watch show after show of a series until I reach the last season.  This evening TV time is also my knitting time - and a quiet space when I control the TV remote and the choices.

Thought I would share some of the titles I have watched and my impressions.

24

Counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) fights the bad guys of the world one day at a time.  With each episode unfolding in real time, "24" covers a single day in the life of Bauer each season.   (9 seasons with 24 episodes per season)

You know, I am really not into counterterrorism topics, but this show is ACTION, ACTION, ACTION.  Non-stop action and you simply cannot pull your eyes away from the screen.  I completely enjoyed the series.  Sorry it was over.  Rating:  A++++

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

Former US Marine, Jack Ryan, now is a up and coming CIA Analyst.  He is thrust into his first dangerous field assignment.  One season only available at this point but I understand another season is in the works.

It was ok.  I enjoyed some of Tom Clancy's books and the Jack Ryan character.  But will I seek out another season ... maybe.  Rating:  C

Designated Survivor

As a lower-level cabinet member, Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is catapulted into the Oval Office as President by a devastating attack on the night of the State of the Union address.  Two seasons available.

I think the first season was pretty good - and the second season was ok.  I am a fan of Kiefer Sutherland.    This show was cancelled.  There is no third season.   Rating: C+

Suits - currently watching

Big time Manhattan corporate lawyer Harvey Specter and his team are launched into the play for power.  Eight seasons - 16 episodes each season.

I will admit I had no real interest in a legal themed show.  I started watching so I could find out who this Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is/was.  The show is very good, interesting, funny at times and the characters have grown on me a bunch.  The one thing I know after watching this show is that I could NEVER be a lawyer.   The show is still in production.   Rating: A+

Absentia

After being declared dead in absentia, an FBI agent must reclaim her family, identity and innocence when she finds herself the prime suspect in a string of murders - 1 season, 10 episodes

The draw for this show was actress Stana Katic who plays the missing FBI agent.  She was the star of another TV series called Castle that I enjoyed.  This show was a little brutal at times to watch but good enough to watch all the 10 episodes. I think a second season is planned for 2019.  I probably won't seek it out when it is released.  Rating: C

3 Wives 1 Husband 

Documentary series offers a rare access to a fundamentalist community of 15 Mormon families that live in the desert of Utah.  They are polygamists - the practice of marriage to multiple people at once.    This series examines the personal politics of courtship, how to behave correctly in front of sister wives, complicated sleeping arrangements, and also acts as a catalyst to a wider selection of relationships, love, family and faith in the contemporary United States.   4 episodes

I admit I watched these 4 episodes mostly because I was curious.  I am drawn to reading books and watching shows of different life styles.  On the surface, the documentary answers many questions about the lives of this segment of our society.  Just like any other small and different group (Amish, Hasidic Jews, etc.) there is curiosity, mis-information and, at times, fear.  Watching this show I felt some questions were never addressed:  how do they support such large families.  The family in the documentary had anywhere from 12-19 children, 3 wives and 1 husband.  At a minimum, the funds to feed and clothe that many people were not explained.  It could also be argued that so many dependents of one man could not be an easy life - stressful even.  I could not see myself accepting any of that, but I wasn't raised as a fundamentalist Mormon as these people were.  And even with their upbringing, they had some problems with this life style.  It was a very interesting show.
Rating: B

So what shows have you been watching?

Grand Parenting

Sometimes it is still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I have a grand daughter.

She is here in the world.

She is growing in size and personality.

And still ... part of my mind stutters as the idea that 

she is really is here!

So many of my peers have grand children and even great grand children, and have walked this same path before me at a much earlier age.

This is 'old hat' to them.  "Oh yes, grandchildren, part of living if you have children of your own.  

No big deal."

And yet, when you reach a certain point in your life and your children are in their 40's

you start to accept the fact (you force yourself to accept the fact)

that your life choice to be a parent

might not be their life choice.

You learn to accept ... sadly and grudgingly (maybe) that they desire

something different in life - that children are not part of your children's life plan.

You learn to accept.

I always knew I would be a parent.  

The choice to be a parent was hard wired into my very being.

And if I had to choose all over again, I would choose the same path.

Parenthood is a vocation.

It is not everyone's vocation.

Becoming a grand parent is different.  

You have no control over achieving that status.

You can't choose it for yourself.

But one glorious day, after having accepted the obvious ...

a grand daughter graces your life with light and beauty and joy.

Dear Eskarina,

 you cannot begin to understand

 what a miracle you are to your grandmother!

Grand dog sitting

So I am watching these two sweet dogs this week - my grand dogs.  Ragnar, Rags for short, is the white English Bulldog on the left, and Olivia, Liv for short, is the hound mountain dog mix on the right.  Rags came to us as a puppy.  Olivia was a rescue coming to us at approximately the age of 2.  They are buds.

This week my son and his wife are out of town and I am their regular dog sitter.  At times in the past I have kept them at the condo with marginal success.  They are big dogs with lots of strength.  Together they can easily overpower me if they are on leashes.  Individually I can manage them.  But they are really 'house' dogs - not 'condo' dogs - and they don't always understand the noise limitations of living so close to other people.  And they are used to their large fenced in yard - as pictured above - leash walking is sometimes hard.   So I decided to 'live' at their house with them and come back to the condo to visit with my husband each day.

And usually, dog sitting at their house is uneventful ... except when it is not!  Like Saturday.

Saturday I arrived at the house.  My son and his wife had already left.  The dogs were waiting excitedly for me.  A full week of Grandma - who spoils them, and loves them, and gives them treats for just breathing!!

To blow off some of their steam at my arrival, I opened the kitchen slider and let them run in their yard.  I proceeded to get myself unpacked.

At some point I opened the door and called for them.  Rags came running from somewhere deep in the yard at full gallop.  He raced for his water bowl.  He was alone.  No Liv.  I called for her again.  Nothing.  No worries.  She probably was fully engaged with a delicious scent she could not let go of (part hound after all) and I let Rags back out in the yard again.

I walked along the back of the house to the far side of the yard - calling her name, stepping carefully to avoid poop and dodging Rags who was still exuberant.  I didn't see her.  She didn't seem to be anywhere in the yard.  A small little voice of worry crept into my mind.

I turned and started walking carefully back the way I came, looking in the bushes and up the hill.  I was about halfway back when I realized that Rags was circling me and running back to where we had been - over and over again.  Hmm... I turned around and walked back.

When I got to the end of the yard, I noticed that Rags was walking behind a shed and running back out again.  It didn't take long for me to discover this ...

There she was!  Obviously under the shed and stuck!  She had squeezed in a small spot closer to the other side and could not figure out how to back out.  Actually she may have had very little room to make any adjustments except to go forward.

And, of course, Rags was so frustrated because Liv was 'having all the fun' and he couldn't get his chunky little body in that space.  (Liv normally is the brains of the pair - but she didn't show good judgement this time.). I had to take Rags back into the house - because he was 'helping' just too much.

And then I had to dig her out.  When we were done - she could squeeze out and she was very joyful.  Grandma had saved her.  The space, however, looked like this.

Just too inviting for another visit.  

One episode like this was enough for me.  

So I spent some time lifting and repositioning some cement blocks in that space.

That little episode took a few years off my life.  I don't have that many to spare.  But I knew I was getting her out, even if I had to call Rescue 911 - and have the fire fighters come.  

When we were done with this little escapade, the sun was starting to set.

Olivia has proven to be an exceptionally smart dog in many ways since we got her.  

Her vocabulary is impressive.  

She is very careful around my legally blind husband

 and waits patiently for me when she and I are going down my condo hall steps together.

But this day, she let her 'hound brain' take over!!

Love her bunches!!

Even the hound parts.

The Words of Charles P. Pierce

I don't know how many of you watched the recent Senate hearings in the confirmation process for the new Supreme Court Justice.  The interviews and the resulting outcome was so discouraging and sad that I thought to avoid any mention on my blog.  This is not a political blog, after all,  and I don't want to offend readers whose opinions are different from mine.

But then I read the words of Charles P. Pierce on Facebook.  

Those words are worth repeating here.

  I hope you feel they are worth reading.

I must warn you ... it won't make you feel any better!

"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing "Amazing Grace" in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, god knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless.

And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House.

The scion of a multi-generational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. Watch him again, behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now." ~Charles P. Pierce

********************************

I couldn't have expressed this better, Mr. Pierce.

Per Wikipedia
Charles Patrick Pierce^[1] (born December 28, 1953) is an American sportswriter, political blogger, liberal pundit^[2] author, and game show panelist.^[3]

Circle of Friends

Yesterday was my knitting group meeting!

It was my turn to host!  As I prepared I got to thinking ...

Social contacts ...  in the bullet list of a healthy life style for seniors, a circle of friends should be #1 - ahead of medications and shots, ahead of a healthy diet and an exercise regimen.  Ahead of just about everything.  After all ... who really knows what contributes to a long life - but whatever minutes we have in that life, it should include regular time with friends.

I didn't read that idea in a book or hear it on a TV show.  I watched it play out in the real lives of 3 elderly relatives.  Friends would move away or die and the social circle would shrink until sometimes there was no one left.  I remember my mother-in-law talking about her 'friends:' the cab driver who took her to the grocery store every week, the grocery store checker whose line she always waited for so she could 'visit,' the hair dresser who gave her a wash and set every week for years.  These folks were her 'friends' toward the end of her life.  It made me sad and a little uncomfortable knowing just how common this situation is.

So I have made it a priority to take a different path as I got older.

The second Monday of every month 6 of us get together and knit for about 3 hours ... well, it is more like knit, laugh, snack, share .... repeat!  We take turns hosting this group in our homes.  We make time for each other.

Our small group was drawn together by a share interest ... knitting.  The idea of a private knitting circle was birthed through a public knitting circle that I frequented for many years.

In 2010 I joined a new local drop-in group called Columbia Sip and Knit.  When I joined there were only 7  members.  The group met in public places and was open to all.  Because it was held in a public place, folks passing by would often stop and talk with us.  Over time the membership grew from those casual encounters.  Initially we had only one meeting option a week.  Last time I checked the membership stats for that group have grown to over 1000 and there are 5 or 6 choices of meetings each week - different times and locations - something to suit any schedule.  The growth of this group was directly related to the growing popularity of knitting over the last 20 years.

My first Tuesday morning knitting group in 2010.

Early on I volunteered to be the organizer of a Tuesday morning session. I believe that group still meets at a local restaurant.

Beautiful days in our local shopping center court yard.

Three years ago I got restless.  I wanted different things from my knitting group experience.  I wanted stability - not new faces every week.  I wanted true friendships - not acquaintances.  I wanted to develop these friendships into lasting relationships - where not only light casual conversation happened, but where serious and sometimes sad sharing could be safely expressed.  A circle of friends that were committed to each other, made time for each other and not just committed to knitting.

I reached out to another member and shared my idea for this new group.  She felt the same way and before you knew it, we had identified 8 members.  All were excited to start anew within a private framework.

That was 3 years ago!  We have shrunk from 8 to 6 members when 2 of our group moved out of state.  But 6 is good number and we are open to new faces should the opportunity present itself.

I pondered all this as I was setting out the munchies for our gathering yesterday.  Thinking back to our beginning I realized how well it has turned out.  We care about each other - we have shared many things sitting around the kitchen table knitting and we have developed a support system of sorts.

I think it is still evolving and who knows what the future holds.  But a circle of caring friendships is as important to my wellbeing as taking that morning vitamin or going for a daily walk.

Camping in August

So ... did you picture me out in the wilderness,

 sitting by a tent where I slept on the ground in a sleeping bag,

 swatting at bugs, cooking over a fire, 

pooping in an outhouse or in a hole in the ground, 

grubby, hot and sweaty in the humid August heat of Maryland?  

Be honest - you did, didn't you.

Even my son's dogs, Olivia and Ragnar, look on in disbelief at the
thought of their 'grandmother' camping.
In fact they do not see themselves camping either!

Silly person!

Give me a nice hotel room with a balcony over looking a lovely cared landscaping or a comfortable arm chair set by a roaring fire in the lobby with a hot drink by my side and knitting in my lap enjoying the comforts of the 21st century.

But I did take a weekend to ride down with my son's family to
see their version of camping.

The trip to Southern Maryland does take you through
some lovely wooded areas.  But no stopping
to set up a tent.

My son checking the camper before he releases "the hounds."
They appear to be supervising.
Obviously, this is not their first trip!

Their version of camping falls somewhere between the 'true believers' sitting in a tent and the folks like myself who like the enhanced version of camping out in a 4 star hotel with room service.  Their version of camping takes place at Dennis Point Marina in Southern Maryland, where other 'campers' of their type can be found.

Although they have done this for more than 10 years, it never seems to grow old for them.  Recently they upgraded their camper from a fairly standard previously owned RV to a new 'Cadillac' version of an RV.  More space for 2 dogs and a baby and 2 adults to spread out.

Their new home away from home.

Check out their 'tent!!'

Complete with air conditioning, heat and a central vacuum cleaner.

The kitchen - I mean 'cook fire' - is fully equipped with a self cleaning oven, a nice size freezer and fridge, an oven and a microwave.  The sink is located on the center island.

 The view from their dining and kitchen window.

They do have a fire place - electric - no smoke!  Lots of atmosphere.  Above the fire place is a large flat screen TV - and as you can see space to lay on the carpet and play with your baby.

You can enjoy TV or just read a book in the comfy recliners.  There are two.  And there are two other couches that open into 2 queen size beds.  The master bedroom has a king size bed.

And there is a ton of storage.

Needless to say, there is no need for an outhouse.  Although I don't have pictures, there is a very lovely bathroom.  Sink, shower, and flush toilet - complete with toilet paper!  Very civilized.

The 'neighborhood' is pretty cool as well.

Lots of water views.

Space to sit a spell.

Just a lazy weekend doing nothing but relaxing.

Even a place for kids to play, a pool, and an enclosed dog park.

Cute street signs.

And quality time spent with this little cutie!!

Ah! Camping!!

The Struggle is Real - Act 3

Just to review ...

1. Act 1 can be found here.
2. Act 2 can be found here.
3. Pride is bad. 
4. Tantrums are worse.
5. Yarn Bee Acrylic from Hobby Lobby is good for crochet - not so much for knitting.
6. I am 4 months behind on my Christmas knitting.
7. If you don't know what I am talking about - go back to the top of this list.

Everybody with me now??

Challenge 2 - pick the yarn! (again)

Challenge 3 - pick the color! (again)

Enter stage right ... Caron Simply Soft.  I love this yarn, used it many times in the past and for some unexplainable crazy reason I looked right past it on my shelf when deciding on a yarn for these sweaters.  My old friend ... Caron ... looked back at me from my yarn shelf.  A beautiful bright and cherry pink!  "Pick me" it said.  "I have never failed you."

Eskarina, girl, pink, perfect!

I had one pink skein and the green pink variegated in stash.
I purchased a second pink skein just to be sure I had enough.

While at the store they had a complimentary variegated yarn
 that matched the pink that I like even more.
Bright and cherry for a baby girl.

The sweater requires 2 buttons.  And, oh, these buttons.
They are just too cute for words.

For my grand nephew I moved away from blue (too many bad memories there), to a sweet Burgundy.  I had many skeins of burgundy in my stash but a contrasting color needed to be obtained. I decided to go with a deep charcoal.

The soccer ball buttons were a great find as well.

The next step was to pick up my knitting needles and begin again.

Much better.
 The stitches are even and any minor issues
 will definitely block out.
And I love the color choices better than my first 2 tries.

I

As you can see I am working on the collar now
 and the sleeves need to be finished.
But I don't have to be a mile away
 from this sweater to enjoy the project.

It amazes me that yarn can make such a difference in the
quality of the stitches.  Not an error can be found - so far!  Ha!

Just a few pictures to prove the point.

I will be very proud to give this sweater away to my
Grand Nephew.

One final note about this sweater - it has not yet been blocked!  Remember, I blocked the other yarn/sweater twice - and could not get what Caron Simply Soft gave me without blocking.  Also the stitch pattern at the bottom has better definition.  With the other acrylic, the stitch patterning seemed to blur as the yarn became fuzzy with use.  (Fuzzy ... another problem with the Yarn Bee Acrylic that I didn't realize till I did the same sweater in Caron Simply Soft.)

Thank you readers for your kind comments in the previous posts about my knitting efforts. My angst about the minor problems I couldn't get past (not one problem, mind you, but many) might have seemed puzzling.  I see that "perfectest streak" in others as they look at their creative works ... and I wonder how can they be so critical of themselves.  The fact is that experienced folks of any skill or art form are their own worst critics.  They know when a product they have produced is subpar.  I am no different.  I want my knitted gifts to others to be "hand crafted" and not "home made" in appearance.  There is a difference in my mind.

I'll post finished pictures at some point, and after Christmas, pictures of the kids wearing their sweaters, but for now this play in 3 acts has a happy ending.  Challenge 4 is ahead - Complete Two Sweaters - my deadline for these is the end of October.  This is the easiest  and "fun-ist" of all the challenges for me.   The decision parts always make me crazy ... the doing parts are my happy place.

I learned a few things from this exercise.

• Not all acrylics are equal.
• Yarn Bee acrylic was shiny and showy but splity and slippery - more chances to mess up. 
• Caron Simply Soft behaves and feels and looks more like regular wool.
• A "pretty face" (i.e. Yarn Bee) does not always produce a pretty product.   
• Yarn Bee escaped the trash can this time. I had success with it previously and will save it for crocheted blankets and toys ... and maybe weaving. 
• Note to self: Whiskey DOES works better than temper tantrums.  😁