Mud, Mystery Monsters and Pythagorean Theorem

You ever hear those pitchmen on TV spouting "It costs 30% less!"  But they never specify "less than what?"  Maybe Dave and I are too nit-picky, but those vague claims drive us nuts.  So maybe I should have questioned further when Dave suggested that, since it was a bright, sunny 52 degrees here this afternoon, I take my walk outside instead of on the treadmill.  "Walk in the field, it's not as muddy."  Didn't dawn on me to question, "Not as muddy as what?  Mt. Ararat two days after the flood?"

So Gabby, the Big Red Idiot Dog, and I went blithely on our way, tromping through a little snow left in the ditch to get to the alfalfa field.  The first few steps should have made me question this choice, but "maybe it will be better a bit further from the ditch."  And sure enough, we got to where there was adequate ground cover and it wasn't bad, so off we went at a light jog.  Well, I was doing a light jog, Gab was running full tilt.  We alternated jogging and walking to the corner half a mile west of the house and turned south.  Footing remained "not as muddy" (as what? The Red Sea a moment after Moses put his arm down?) and chugged on for another half-mile.  By then the "bright, sunny 52 degree" air was causing my ears to ache and my nose to run (Why do I never think to take a Kleenex on a walk?) so I opted for the most direct route home, which would be across the open field.  

Two issues with that plan.  #1 -Terraces.  More specifically, the valleys between terraces, which were still filled with snow, and/or the downhill side of terraces.  This route took us through some corn stalks.  Who knew you could skate down a muddy terrace on corn husks? Well, you can.  And issue #2 - the mystery creatures.

This is where I was walking - flat (except terraces), brown, boring this time of year.  Closest trees are 1/4 mile or more away, closest water is about 1/2 mile.  So what animal digs a large burrow - 15-18" across, large enough for a Springer Spaniel to crawl in unless her owner goes balistic and screams in pitches even the dogs can't hear . . . I'm guessing -- in the middle of this open, relatively flat alfalfa field?  Whatever animal it is, I'm a little wigged out about the possibility of meeting him a half-mile from home with no protection but an unpredictable Big Red Idiot Dog.  

In spite of the Okefenokee Swamp and hairy-toothed mystery monsters (name that movie), we returned safely, if somewhat soggily, from our walk - much to the detriment of my newly mopped kitchen floor. 

If you have a clue what animal lives in that habitat, let me know.  The only thing we can come up with that matches the size would be badger.  But would they burrow out in the open like that?  And if so, am I or the dogs in danger of getting badger nipped? Is there a badger specialist reading this blog?

And for the math enthusiasts among you, by walking 1/2 mile west and 1/2 mile south, then traveling diagonally across the field to form a right triangle, Pythagoras and his therorem tell us that Gab and I walked a total of 1.7071067811865476 miles.  Cause that's just the type of randomness I think you want to know. And yes, I was attempting to do that math in my head while I walked. *nerd alert*

Big Game Readathon: Mini Challenge #1

For this challenge, take a look at the books you plan on reading today.  Which do you predict will come out as the winner and why? 

This is a tough question!  There are only two books on my list at this point.  IF I finish one of them, I have shelves and shelves to pick  from, but no idea what's next.  So my Reading Super Bowl will be between Bliss and Lullaby.  Let's look at how they match up.

                                                 Bliss                                                 Lullaby
Main Characters:        4 young siblings                   Spenser and his client - a 14 yr. old girl  
Pages:                         146                                       310
Genre:                         Magical mystery (cozy)       Mystery - Private Investigator
Strength:                     Magic, comedy                    Familiar characters - unique dialogue style

While Bliss has the advantage of brevity and lightness of storyline, Ace Atkins is doing an excellent job of continuing Parker's clipped writing style, which makes those 310 pages fly by.  Lullaby has the advantage of a big-name author and familiar cast.  This is going to be a close match between two good reads, but I'm giving the slight advantage to Bliss, based on the quirky factor.  Gotta root for a book that's out of the ordinary.

Are You Ready For Some Reading?

While most of America is gearing up for the big game and laying out a buffet of yummy foods, we're gathering up our books and plugging in the Nook.  We're Denver Bronco fans in this house - with nods toward the Cowboys, Saints and maybe a couple other teams.  But since none of those teams are playing today, we're spending our day reading instead.

Our son, Mitch, and his new fiance, Mackenzie, are visiting this weekend and will be headed home after lunch - so technically our readathon won't start till then.  But I'm going to sneak in a few pages while everyone else is still snoozing.  Here's what's kicking off my reading line up:

Robert B. Parker's Lullaby is due back at the library soon, so I'm focusing on it.  Spenser stories are always fast reads.

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood is what's currently up on my Nook.  This was a Free Friday selection from Barnes and Noble and it's adorable.  A totally fun story of a family who runs a "magic" bakery.  And B&N's marketing ploy worked - I'm sure I'll buy the soon-to-be-released sequel, A Dash of Magic.

Dave has been working his way through Stephen King's It for several months (his reading time is usually limited to a few pages in bed).  He hopes to make some more major progress this afternoon.

If you're not attending a Super Bowl Party today, find a good book and join the readathon.  You can sign up at Jenn's Bookshelves.

Pin It/Do It: Terza Parte

Trish is at it again!  February brings another Pin It/Do It Challenge.  The name pretty much says it all - the goal of the challenge is to actually accomplish some of the things you've been pinning on Pinterest for "someday".  This will be the third time I've participated in Trish's challenge - thus the "terza parte" or "part three".  In October I completed 12 pins.  In December (the Holiday version) I completed 16.5.  (That ".5" was the Christmas quilt I posted about yesterday.  It's closer to ".8" now.)  My February goals are not as lofty.  Most of those previous pins were Christmas related and I had great motivation.  Last night as I looked through my Pinterest boards for likely projects, I just couldn't get interested in working on Christmas decorations or crafts as gifts.  I briefly considered declaring it Fuzzy February and testing only cocktail recipes, but that seemed slightly inappropriate - and detrimental to the weight-loss goal.  

I did find 2 practical pins:

• Fabric covered blinds for the back porch - before the summer sun starts beating in.
• A dog backpack - so Gabby can carry water bottles, etc. on hikes.

3 recipes:

• Baked Zuchinni Strips
• Grilled Cabbage
• Beer Crockpot Chicken

2 craft/sewing projects:

• One-seam pajama pants - made for a child, but cute enough for a woman
• Card memory book - a way to store special cards I've received, using an old book cover.

1 summer yard/garden project:

• Butterfly feeder

And a Georgia Peach

A girl's got to have SOME fun.

I'm not deluding myself into believing those will all get done, but it gives me a starting place.  And I'll get right on that . . . as soon as I finish this Georgia Peach.

Needlework Tuesday . . . on Thursday

It's been ages since I posted a Needlework Tuesday post (sponsored by Heather at Books and Quilts) and, yes, I know it's Thursday but there was work and books and snow and that darn Ruzzle game my daughter got me hooked on . . . Time just got away from me.  However, just because I haven't been linking up doesn't mean I haven't been stitching.  As a matter of fact, I have too many projects going at once, which contributes to nothing getting done.  So the focus for awhile ("awhile" being defined as "until some new brainstorm distracts me") is to take care of UFO's (Heather's term for UnFinished Objects).

Carpal tunnel and aging eyes have kept me from cross-stitching for the last few years.  Now that the hand pain is gone and I have new bi-focals, I'm giving it another shot.  Just to be sure I was ready to return to a former addiction, I picked up this kit at Wal-Mart as a quick, easy test run.  Obviously didn't get finished by Christmas.  The problem wasn't hand pain or tired eyes - it was project overload.  But I'm still stitching - determined to be done before Spring thaw.

My Christmas quilt, a lap-sized quilt to use up all the large-scale Christmas prints I had left over from various projects, is finally assembled and ready for binding.  I'm still madly in love with that flannel print on the back.  Since this quilt is just intended for me to snuggle with on chilly evenings, I tied it rather than struggling to quilt on my small machine.  

One project did make it from start to finish in only two days.  My niece, Kristi, requested a table runner to match the kitchen in her first home.  I've made several of these before and they go together quickly. 

1.  Assemble the squares in strips:

2.  Sew strips together through batting and backing - creating a "quilt-as-you-go" panel.

3.  Trim edges.

4.  Add binding and you have a quilted, reversible table runner.  

Now that it's finished, I'm wishing I had swapped the fabrics in the two center rows to show less purple and more of the pretty paisley print she chose.  But too late now. :)

As happens so often, I have made several of these for gifts, but never one for myself, so I decided to rectify that.  Mine is still in the "strips" stage while I debate swapping the dark brown and tan rows.  Opinions?

Come back next Tuesday - or whatever day of the week I get around to posting Needlework Tuesday - and see if any or all of these projects are finished.

What projects are you working on?

Where in the World . . .

Where in the World Are You Reading? is a monthly themed meme co-hosted by Trish, Kelly and Lisa.  The theme for January is "unusual reading places", in which participants share the out-of-the-ordinary places where they read.  So far, readers have confessed that they read in their cars, at the dog park, on the treadmill, in the laundry room, and in the office, among other quirky spots. 

I had two reading spots this month that were w-a-y outside my norm.

I read on an airplane - actually, four airplanes.  I'm not exactly a frequent flyer so, while I have read on an airplane before, it is certainly outside my "norm".

I read on the beach - a little bit.  I got a lot more read on the plane because, traveling on overcast days, the view wasn't nearly this distracting.  This is definitely a new favorite reading spot that will be repeated as frequently as possible.

Where in the world are YOU reading?

She Said "Yes"!

Our son, Mitch, got down on one knee to ask his love, Mackenzie, to be his wife.  We are so excited that she said "yes".  Although we've suspected this would happen at some point, and never really doubted her answer, we were so excited to get the text while we were in Florida.   Probably more excited than the total strangers I forced to look at the picture and listen to me babble on.

As soon as wedding plans began flying (date is set for August 2014, but nothing wrong with some advance prep), I browsed through Mackenzie's Pinterest wedding board and came across a pin about the perfect proposal.  It required these six items: 

1) Ask for my parents blessing. 

2) Make it a complete surprise. 

3) Use my full name

4) Get down on one knee.

5) Have somebody catch it on camera.

6) Make sure my nails are done!

Although he denies ever seeing this pin, Mitch got all six correct.  (Pretty sure he lucked out on #6.  I'm sure he never considered her nails, but in the close-up shot of the ring, they are beautifully painted.)  It's possible that his formal proposal had something to do with how many times he's heard me tease his father about his "non-proposal" thirty-one years ago.  Whatever the reason, I'm so proud!

We were amazed that our introverted, non-public-speaking son chose to pop the question in front of a crowd.  As a high school project, Mackenzie, founded Heartland Heroes.  This is an awsome organization that is, naturally, very dear to her heart - so totally appropriate that the sponsors and volunteers of that group got to witness her surprise at their annual banquet.  

Congratulations Mitch and Mackenzie!  We love you!

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

You can find out more about Heartland Heroes on their website - but here's the basics:

The first Heartland Heroes hunt was created by Mackenzie Nix as her senior “Buff” project at Garden City High School.  She was inspired by her step-father, Tim Telinde’s desire to find a way to bring combat veterans to Western Kansas for a weekend of pheasant hunting. Through their combined efforts and the support of their community, they made the project a reality.  In December 2008, 22 soldiers and their families from Fort Riley Kansas took part in the inaugural Heartland Heroes Hunt. They were able to take wounded soldiers pheasant hunting for two days, and give their families fun and relaxing activities.

Participant’s lodging and meals were donated. Funds were donated to give each soldier numerous gifts as a token of appreciation. The families were also treated to a craft workshop by Home Depot, cookie decorating by the American Legion, and spouses were treated to free massages, manicures and shopping with donated gift cards. 

As the event grew in size and support, it became evident that an organization needed to be formalized to coordinate and expand.  Heartland Heroes, Inc. was formed in 2010 and is committed to continuing Mackenzie's vision.