Learning to Knit, Knitting Circles

I'm hoping to know how to knit sweaters by the time I have grandkids.

Portland, Oregon in the Fall

Portland, Oregon (the home of Powell's Books) is one of the prettiest places in the Pacific Northwest. Of course we tell people it rains all the time - to keep them from moving here ;-)

Actually, it rains in Seattle a whole lot more. Plus, Seattle seems to always have gray clouds hanging over head. And, I love Seattle.

But Portland is only an hour from the Mountains and some amazing winter sports. Mt. Hood is about 50 minutes away and offers so many ski resorts I couldn't name them all. But a few of the best known are Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Meadows and Ski Bowl.

Then travel an hour and a half the other direction and you'll be at the ocean.

Still, it's about two hours to the high desert, and we live smack dab in the middle of the valley.

Oh, and the Gorge, is right down the road, (hwy 84), which offers some of the best windsurfing in the world.

And Portland is the home to Forest Park, which covers over 5000 acres and is the largest city park in the country.

Only about 5 minutes from downtown Portland, Forest Park offers a 40-mile loop trail system.

And then there is still Washington Park and the Rose Gardens to see and the Japanese Gardens, and . . . there is just too much to cover it all in one blog post.

With all this to offer, it couldn't be any prettier. Plus, a river runs through it.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Just look at these photos, which I took from inside my office.

Halloween Corn - and I don't mean candy

What kind of mistakes do spooks make?
Boo boos.

What would you call the ghost of a door-to-door salesman?
A dead ringer.

What's a haunted chicken?
A poultry-geist.

Where does a one-armed man shop?
At a second hand store.

Why did the ghost go into the bar?
For the boos.

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
He had no guts.

Why do demons and ghouls hang out together?
Because demons are a ghoul's best friend.

Who are some of the werewolves cousins?
The whatwolves, whenwolves, and whywolves.

What's a cold, evil candle called?
The wicked wick of the north.

What do you call serious rocks?
Grave stones.

How do ghosts begin letters?
Tomb it may concern...

What do you call a person who puts poison in a person's corn flakes?
A cereal killer.

What's a mummy's favorite music?
Wrap Music!

Why did the ghost cross the road?
To get to "THE OTHER SIDE."

How do you make a witch stew?
Keep her waiting for hours.

Why didn't the skeleton dance at the Halloween party?
It had no BODY to dance with.

What happens when a ghost gets lost in a fog?
He's mist.

What do you get when you cross Bambi with a ghost?
Bamboo.

Why did the Vampire get fired from the Blood Bank?
He was caught drinking on the job.

Why do guy ghosts have so much trouble dating?
Women can see right through them.

What do you call a little monster's parents?
Mummy and deady.

Why don't mummies take vacations?
They're afraid they'll relax and unwind.

ANSWER to Thought for Thursday - and EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: Here is a list of the most searched for candy during 2007, according to yahoo.

The ever popular tootsie roll was the most popular Halloween candy in 2004. See the statistics here.

So, what will it be this year? We'll have to wait and see.

HAVE A GREEN HALLOWEEN

1) Stainless is Sustainable: Use stainless steel silverware, regular plates, and cups – don’t buy paper plates and plastic silverware. They just cost more money and waste space in our landfills.

2) Carbonless Footprint Costumes: Instead of buying a new costume you’ll soon throw away or shove in a box to be forgotten, “Go Retro” and make your own outfit using items you already have sitting around the house. (Of course, when I was a kid, this was just called being cheap but now it’s cool and called being sustainable.)

Have your kids go as ghosts. Use an old white worn out sheet. Just cut out eyes and mouth holes. It will be fun making the costume and won’t cost a penny.

3) Don’t Brown Bag It – Make it Green: Use an old pillowcase for a treat bag, decorate it with sharpie markers, or use a cloth or canvas bag. You can find these eco-friendly alternatives to paper and plastic at your local grocery store.

Americans use more than 380 million plastic bags and more than 10 million paper bags. These bags kill thousands of marine mammals annually and pollute soil and water. Plus, paper bag production consumes more than 14 million trees annually. Go Green!

4) Seasonal Support: Buy local pumpkins, apples and other farm fresh produce. By buying locally, you’ll help your own community by keeping your dollars circulating where you live. And, in the United States some food travels over 1000 miles before reaching its destination. This wastes fossil fuels along the way.

5) Have a Heart-Healthy Halloween: Don’t drive the kids around this year, walk with them and stay close to home. This will help you save gas, and money, while giving your heart a little exercise.

6) In the Fall - Use it All: After you’ve carved your Jack-o-lantern, clean the seeds off and bake them in the oven with a little olive oil and salt. It’s a healthy homemade snack and if you don’t like those seeds feed them to the birds (wet or dry). And, last but not least, after the holiday compost your pumpkin. This will feed your garden and reduce the waste in our ever growing landfills.

SEVEN FACTS MEME - Tagged by Cindy Pon

I found this challenge on Cindy's blog.

Seven facts about me that some people don’t know:

1) I was a professional tennis player in college (NO-No, not like Billie Jean King or Chris Everett – wait!! that tells you how old I am – not like Serena or Venus Williams, I got paid to teach tennis at Tennis Village in Mt. Bachelor Village.)

2) I went cliff jumping a couple years ago when we went white water rafting – call me crazy – looking back I agree.

3) I’m tone deaf – oh wait, a lot of people already know that – at least anyone who’s heard me sing.

4) My sister and I have rhyming names: Kimbra Fay and Tambra Kay – Mom had nine kids and must have been running out of names.

5) My grandfather (Dad’s Dad) was an Indian, okay “Native American” for all you politically correct people. He was born on the Indian Reservation in Pawnee, Oklahoma. So, that makes me part Indian too. You can’t tell from looking at me – but you can see it in my brothers and sisters. I took after Mom’s Irish/English side of the family.

6) My grandfather (Mom’s Dad) was the Vice-President of Union Oil when he died. So Mom came from a wealthy family but like I said (see 5 above) she married an Indian and that was not something to be proud of back then.

7) I grew up VERY poor. See 5 and 6 above. But Mom was the kindest person I’ve ever met. She put absolutely no value on material possessions.

8) WAIT, that’s more than 7. But, I could go on all night talking about my Mom – she passed away in April of this year – (sigh) I soooo miss her.


Okay, and I tag Adrienne, Rena, Kelly, and Ello.

Thought for Thursday - Halloween ?

QUESTION: What was the most popular candy in 2007?




And what was the most popular Halloween candy in 2004?


Two chances to win here.

Blogapooloza - Halloween is Right Around the Corner

There are pumpkins in these photos - at least two of them. Vampire Mickey - is a pumpkin head, we decorated this guy for a pumpkin carving contest. He blends Disney and Horror in one pumpkin head.









It's been a long time since my kids went trick-or-treating. But here are a couple of my favorite photos from way back when. Jacob was only 3 and he wanted to be a mean dinosaur. When we told him he was soooo cute - that really made him mad. Luke has always loved Wolverine and Kara never wanted to be an angel.

Jacob always says if acting and/or art don't work out for him, he might go back to school and try medicine. A Mom can only hope. . .

I want to encourage all of you to do two things:
1. Visit lots of other blogs and make comments.
2. Enter the drawing on Angela Nickerson's blog for one of three fabulous goodie bags just click on the Blogapalooza below.

NOW ON TO MY BLOGAPALOOZA POST:

"You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twillight Zone!" Narrated by Rod Serling

Well, almost . . .

We were driving to Reno.

Imagine a station wagon filled with nine kids, heading off on a 13 hour drive – or an eternity of “Are we there – yet?”s.

Dad didn’t like to stop. Finally, when everyone’s bladder was about to burst, we pulled into a gas station to refuel and unload some human liquid. Mom and I rushed to the women’s door but just as we were about to go in, a little girl pushed her way ahead of us and ran in. We waited and waited . . . and waited some more. Finally, Mom started knocking on the door, saying, “Are you all right?”

I was the one who wasn’t all right, my bladder was literally about to explode. Finally, Mom tried the doorknob and the little girl was gone. She’d disappeared. We looked around and couldn’t find her anywhere. I still HAD to go. So Mom stood directly in front of me, watching me go, and even kept the door slightly open – just in case some alternate dimension opened up and tried to swallow me down into the toilet.

We never did find out what happened to that little girl. And Mom always said, “We’d entered the Twilight Zone.”