I am sitting around doing the quilting on the feathered start project so I watch TV while I sew. I saw an old movie today (1957), one I had never heard of, that absolutely blew my mind. It's called A Face In The Crowd and it was Andy Griffith's movie debut. It was directed by Elia Kazan, who directed On The Waterfront. There were so many sections of the movie that reflect today's news and politics even though it is more than 60 years old, including Griffith's character saying that he could murder someone and get away with it because his public loved him so much.
Anyway, if you can find it on your selection of streaming movies or other service providers. I had to keep reminding myself that there hadn't even been televised presidential debates in 1957.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Deranged Dotard
Trump says that if we don't like the way he is handling the US response to the Covid19 virus that we are siding with China. What does that even mean? Siding with China to do what? Infect Americans with a virus, destroy the economy, turn neighbor against neighbor? I don't know anyone who wants any of those ideas to happen but I do know what a piss poor response to a crisis looks like. Trump is finally showing Americans what some of us knew from the start. This is a man who couldn't even make a casino earn money and the house always wins in a casino. When you have already had six bankruptcies, you do recognize the signs of that which is why Trump is freaking out now and the rest of us should be as well.
I side with the United States. I want an organized and coordinated response with intelligent adults who understand science and understand medicine to take over. I don't want a moron who thinks because he had an uncle who taught at MIT that he is automatically a freaking genius even though he didn't even make dean's list at either of the two colleges he attended occasionally to be the face or the base on which any response to this virus is formulated. I don't want a man who lies just because he can to try to tell me that this time he is telling the truth. There is no single thing in Trump's life that has ever worked out well, not even the one place where he had fans which was television. I am completely happy to say I never even saw a commercial for Trump's TV shows let alone the show.
I can be proud of the fact that I have a written history of pointing out his faults and his self aggrandizement. If you still believe in that man, then you are siding with failure not success.
I side with the United States. I want an organized and coordinated response with intelligent adults who understand science and understand medicine to take over. I don't want a moron who thinks because he had an uncle who taught at MIT that he is automatically a freaking genius even though he didn't even make dean's list at either of the two colleges he attended occasionally to be the face or the base on which any response to this virus is formulated. I don't want a man who lies just because he can to try to tell me that this time he is telling the truth. There is no single thing in Trump's life that has ever worked out well, not even the one place where he had fans which was television. I am completely happy to say I never even saw a commercial for Trump's TV shows let alone the show.
I can be proud of the fact that I have a written history of pointing out his faults and his self aggrandizement. If you still believe in that man, then you are siding with failure not success.
Moving Forward On A Gloomy Day
While the weather here is gloomy and overcast after overnight rains, tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and 75F. I hope it is a harbinger of things to come rather than a false promise, but my husband and I are moving forward regardless on many different fronts.
My husband had hand surgery back on February 12. Subsequent to that we both got sick which might have been from exposure in the hospital or it might have been from our middle son visiting for our anniversary a few days before the surgery. This son normally travels a lot for business and he had come back from Germany, flying in and out of the large international terminal in Munich. Son's bout lasted at least ten days, presented like a very bad cold but who knows. Covid19 was not really in the forefront of American or even European brains at that point and there certainly were no tests for weeks after so when first my husband got sick and then I got sick after our son's visit, we were just treating it like a bad cold which it certainly could have been. There really wasn't much of a threat to public safety from us since we felt so poorly we pretty much self-quarantined anyway.
Husband spends most of his time fiddling around on his computer, partly as a business consultant, partly to learn more and different coding skills, and partly just for fun, watching science fiction shows that he knows I have no interest in. I spend most of my time sewing and reading, both quite solitary activities for me since I don't belong to any quilting groups and there is no particular reason for me to go to a fabric store as I purchase most of my supplies online these days or rely on my substantial stash that includes all the essentials like needles, thread, batting, etc.
In the five weeks since the surgery the world has changed. While my husband was supposed to go back for a checkup on his recovery and to get more pt recommendations; that was cancelled by the doctor and the hospital. He was also supposed to go to the dentist to get a new crown on a tooth but that has been cancelled and the office is shut for at least twelve more days and possibly longer. They have promised that he will be one of the first patients rescheduled as he has a temporary crown that has developed a hole which means he has a hole into his tooth. Our vet had asked us to schedule our senior cats for checkups but those have been cancelled and the vet is only seeing dire conditions, not regular checkups.
But life goes on anyway. We have been growing starts for our vegetable garden under grow lights in the basement and they are big and bushy and some are ready to plant outside, as long as they get some protection from the colder nighttime temperatures. We have walls of water to put around the tomatoes which already have flowers on them so tomorrow seems like a good day to get those in the ground.
I have been working on the applique borders for the feathered star project. Below is a picture of the top as it stands now. I am not sure I am going to put a pieced border on. Right now I am considering a sculpted ogee curve border and then either a plain red band or a line of curved flying geese around the sculpted border but I am not decided yet. What do you think?
My husband had hand surgery back on February 12. Subsequent to that we both got sick which might have been from exposure in the hospital or it might have been from our middle son visiting for our anniversary a few days before the surgery. This son normally travels a lot for business and he had come back from Germany, flying in and out of the large international terminal in Munich. Son's bout lasted at least ten days, presented like a very bad cold but who knows. Covid19 was not really in the forefront of American or even European brains at that point and there certainly were no tests for weeks after so when first my husband got sick and then I got sick after our son's visit, we were just treating it like a bad cold which it certainly could have been. There really wasn't much of a threat to public safety from us since we felt so poorly we pretty much self-quarantined anyway.
Husband spends most of his time fiddling around on his computer, partly as a business consultant, partly to learn more and different coding skills, and partly just for fun, watching science fiction shows that he knows I have no interest in. I spend most of my time sewing and reading, both quite solitary activities for me since I don't belong to any quilting groups and there is no particular reason for me to go to a fabric store as I purchase most of my supplies online these days or rely on my substantial stash that includes all the essentials like needles, thread, batting, etc.
In the five weeks since the surgery the world has changed. While my husband was supposed to go back for a checkup on his recovery and to get more pt recommendations; that was cancelled by the doctor and the hospital. He was also supposed to go to the dentist to get a new crown on a tooth but that has been cancelled and the office is shut for at least twelve more days and possibly longer. They have promised that he will be one of the first patients rescheduled as he has a temporary crown that has developed a hole which means he has a hole into his tooth. Our vet had asked us to schedule our senior cats for checkups but those have been cancelled and the vet is only seeing dire conditions, not regular checkups.
But life goes on anyway. We have been growing starts for our vegetable garden under grow lights in the basement and they are big and bushy and some are ready to plant outside, as long as they get some protection from the colder nighttime temperatures. We have walls of water to put around the tomatoes which already have flowers on them so tomorrow seems like a good day to get those in the ground.
I have been working on the applique borders for the feathered star project. Below is a picture of the top as it stands now. I am not sure I am going to put a pieced border on. Right now I am considering a sculpted ogee curve border and then either a plain red band or a line of curved flying geese around the sculpted border but I am not decided yet. What do you think?
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Bright Spots
While all the county libraries are closed until further notice, Hilary Mantel's third volume of the Cromwell trilogy was released so I have a nice new book to read. And yes, I did get the hardbound copy since I already have the other two in hardbound. After this book I will probably just switch to kindle editions for other reading material but sometimes, most times, there is nothing like a book in one's hands.
The other bright spot is that I have been diligently working on the applique borders of the feathered star project and will have pix soon. After the applique border comes a half-square triangle border and then I can mark it and quilt it. Nice bright colors for a very gloomy time.
The other bright spot is that I have been diligently working on the applique borders of the feathered star project and will have pix soon. After the applique border comes a half-square triangle border and then I can mark it and quilt it. Nice bright colors for a very gloomy time.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Stay Well
COVID19 is wreaking havoc in multiple areas, most having nothing to do with the virus itself. What I mean by that is that even areas that have few cases are being hit by panic buying of goods or predatory buying of goods. Clearly people who do not have anyone's interest but their own are buying stuff hoping to cash in on the need of other people. One guy was exposed because he bought more than 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and tried to use Amazon to sell those bottles, but he clearly isn't the only miscreant. In his defense, when exposed he donated his hand sanitizer but even that was probably to avoid prosecution.
Do we need to be concerned about the virus? Of course we do, especially those who like me are over 60 years old with underlying conditions that make getting the virus a bigger risk. But do we need to worry about manufacturers not being able to make toilet paper? That should be the reason that folks are buying carloads of tp but unfortunately it is more likely that they intend to gouge other people.
People will be hurt by this virus beyond what has already happened. When the US decided not to use the WHO tests because Alex Azar, who happens to not only be the HHS secretary but a former pharmaceutical company lobbyist, wanted American pharmaceutical companies to benefit from developing a test, the US fell far behind other countries in testing for the virus. When Trump and his minions, including many on Fox News, kept saying it was just a cold and less dangerous than the flu, the US fell far behind other countries. When Trump voters are taped saying that this is all because the Democrats want to get rid of Trump, violence isn't far behind.
But some of the reactions to the pandemic seem ludicrous. How does closing state alcoholic beverage stores completely subdue any spread? Who is going to cover the bills of restaurant workers if all restaurants close? How do people who are encouraged to shelter in place and stay inside (my husband and I are both well over 65) even get food, if it is available at all?
Wars and emergencies bring out the best in people and the worst in people. Right now, mostly we see the worst starting with Trump who takes no responsibility at all for any of the problems including the people packed cheek by jowl at Chicago airports, most of whom look from the photo to be older folks who are more susceptible and at greater risk. This is FUBAR and SNAFU from top to bottom.
Do we need to be concerned about the virus? Of course we do, especially those who like me are over 60 years old with underlying conditions that make getting the virus a bigger risk. But do we need to worry about manufacturers not being able to make toilet paper? That should be the reason that folks are buying carloads of tp but unfortunately it is more likely that they intend to gouge other people.
People will be hurt by this virus beyond what has already happened. When the US decided not to use the WHO tests because Alex Azar, who happens to not only be the HHS secretary but a former pharmaceutical company lobbyist, wanted American pharmaceutical companies to benefit from developing a test, the US fell far behind other countries in testing for the virus. When Trump and his minions, including many on Fox News, kept saying it was just a cold and less dangerous than the flu, the US fell far behind other countries. When Trump voters are taped saying that this is all because the Democrats want to get rid of Trump, violence isn't far behind.
But some of the reactions to the pandemic seem ludicrous. How does closing state alcoholic beverage stores completely subdue any spread? Who is going to cover the bills of restaurant workers if all restaurants close? How do people who are encouraged to shelter in place and stay inside (my husband and I are both well over 65) even get food, if it is available at all?
Wars and emergencies bring out the best in people and the worst in people. Right now, mostly we see the worst starting with Trump who takes no responsibility at all for any of the problems including the people packed cheek by jowl at Chicago airports, most of whom look from the photo to be older folks who are more susceptible and at greater risk. This is FUBAR and SNAFU from top to bottom.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Census
I filled out our census form this morning. There are several parts that surprised me, starting with only electronic responses. The form said that was for citizens' safety but anyone who has ever ordered anything online or even used online entries for stuff knows that hacking happens all the time so it clearly is no more safe than a hard copy although it is surely easier to tabulate results. The second surprise for me was that no longer can anyone not answer when asked what race they are. I have been filling out these census forms for fifty years now and previously one could simply politely refuse.
Now, not only is the answer required, you cannot simply say Caucasian (or whatever) but must get down in the weeds about it, providing the ethnic background whether that is German, or Irish, or English, etc. Given all the marauding raiders over the centuries, the differences between say German, Danish, and English are minute and depending on where one's relatives came from in Ireland, even the Celts aren't distinctly separate from most of those other ethnic groups. Plus they insist on calling them "race", as in English race, rather than ethnicity. Sure, there are some groups that have heritable traits such as Tay-Sachs in Ashkenazi Jews, but the census is not intended nor designed to identify those at risk for disease.
It did not ask for citizenship but it certainly got weird about where your ancestors came from or what they identified as. This weirdness was amplified by the bold print that said something to the effect of, "For the purposes of this survey, Hispanic is not a race." I certainly don't object to that statement but why is English or German a race in that case?
Keep in mind that the census is primarily for allocating resources based on population numbers. That's why the governing language describes counting "persons" not whether people are white or black or yellow or brown or Republicans or Democrats or citizens. The census is to have an accurate count of the number of persons resident in the US. It is not important to the count of persons if those persons are Irish, Japanese, German, or anything else.
Now, not only is the answer required, you cannot simply say Caucasian (or whatever) but must get down in the weeds about it, providing the ethnic background whether that is German, or Irish, or English, etc. Given all the marauding raiders over the centuries, the differences between say German, Danish, and English are minute and depending on where one's relatives came from in Ireland, even the Celts aren't distinctly separate from most of those other ethnic groups. Plus they insist on calling them "race", as in English race, rather than ethnicity. Sure, there are some groups that have heritable traits such as Tay-Sachs in Ashkenazi Jews, but the census is not intended nor designed to identify those at risk for disease.
It did not ask for citizenship but it certainly got weird about where your ancestors came from or what they identified as. This weirdness was amplified by the bold print that said something to the effect of, "For the purposes of this survey, Hispanic is not a race." I certainly don't object to that statement but why is English or German a race in that case?
Keep in mind that the census is primarily for allocating resources based on population numbers. That's why the governing language describes counting "persons" not whether people are white or black or yellow or brown or Republicans or Democrats or citizens. The census is to have an accurate count of the number of persons resident in the US. It is not important to the count of persons if those persons are Irish, Japanese, German, or anything else.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Expected Outcome From Mike Pomposity
Years ago when George W. Bush was president and ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, I asked my husband what Bush intended to do with all of the men who were the Taliban. It seemed obvious to me that unless there were some sort of unthinkable mass execution those men would still be there even if American troops won all sorts of skirmishes and held land. So Bush declared victory that wasn't victorious, Obama tried to withdraw down to a manageable number of troops to supervise a fragile coalition and Trump and Pompeo trumpeted to the heavens that they had signed an unprecedented peace deal just a few days ago. Of course the unprecedented followed a clear precedent because the deal that was signed was practically identical to other deals but Secretary Pomposity made it sound as though peace would fall like rain from heaven on the Afghanis because of the unprecedented actions of the great leader.
The US has launched heavy defensive strikes against the Taliban today. What happened to that glorious peace deal? When will we learn that none of this nonsense will work? We throw billions of American dollars and thousands of American lives at a problem that has no solution. I do pity the Afghanis, especially the women, who will still be living in abysmal conditions but sending Americans to change this country is never going to work. We might build schools, we might enlighten a few of the women and girls, but if there were ever a country that was both corrupt and a basket case it is Afghanistan.
The US has launched heavy defensive strikes against the Taliban today. What happened to that glorious peace deal? When will we learn that none of this nonsense will work? We throw billions of American dollars and thousands of American lives at a problem that has no solution. I do pity the Afghanis, especially the women, who will still be living in abysmal conditions but sending Americans to change this country is never going to work. We might build schools, we might enlighten a few of the women and girls, but if there were ever a country that was both corrupt and a basket case it is Afghanistan.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
First Photo
This is the center of the new project. The star pattern is paper pieced with each block ending up 15 inches square. There will be appliqued borders about six inches wide and then a pieced border about two inches wide so the finished quilt will be about 46 inches square with the binding.
I enlarged the photo so that you can see the older fabrics I used, specifically the yellow and the green. On the borders I am enlarging the fabric selection with two more greens, sort of the same vintage, and a newer blue in tiny amounts. So far I have appliqued most of two side borders but I haven't really even decided just what the other two borders will have. Decent spaces for nice quilting, perhaps some trapunto. That is the red fabric that shouted at me in the fabric store, such a nice red.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Devious Machinations
I am still having a good time making my newest quilt project. It's funny that most of the fabrics are so old but at my advanced age I am glad that I am using up old fabric. I mean who would take care of my stash when I die? It used to make sense to tell my sons that the Utah Quilt Guild would undoubtedly take a donation but now that I live in Pennsylvania that seems unlikely and somewhat unproductive to ship across the country. I have no doubt that there are quilt groups around here but I don't know who or where they are. But seeing all this old fabric in a new guise is delightful. I will have photos next time.
I did give the small quilt top to a friend who came visiting from Utah. She is not much of a quilter though she does have aspirations. From my point of view she just lacks the confidence to make the improvements she needs because she looks at the work she has done and despairs at ever getting better. Since she has run multiple marathons and trekked across the Himalayas she is certainly capable of focus. The little quilt doesn't demand a lot of skill so it offers her an opportunity to improve while also allowing for the small errors in developing a new skill to hide in plain sight.
So the scuttlebutt now is that Trump picked Mike Pence to head the coronavirus response team because he knew he would fail and look bad because he wants to put Nikki Haley in as VP. That makes a certain twisted sort of sense but I doubt Haley can ever emulate Pence's faithful dog look or sycophantic behavior. There is no doubt at all that Haley is smarter than Pence and Trump doesn't really like smart people or people who contradict him in any way. If she falls for his blandishments she begins her national exposure with an impediment.
I did give the small quilt top to a friend who came visiting from Utah. She is not much of a quilter though she does have aspirations. From my point of view she just lacks the confidence to make the improvements she needs because she looks at the work she has done and despairs at ever getting better. Since she has run multiple marathons and trekked across the Himalayas she is certainly capable of focus. The little quilt doesn't demand a lot of skill so it offers her an opportunity to improve while also allowing for the small errors in developing a new skill to hide in plain sight.
So the scuttlebutt now is that Trump picked Mike Pence to head the coronavirus response team because he knew he would fail and look bad because he wants to put Nikki Haley in as VP. That makes a certain twisted sort of sense but I doubt Haley can ever emulate Pence's faithful dog look or sycophantic behavior. There is no doubt at all that Haley is smarter than Pence and Trump doesn't really like smart people or people who contradict him in any way. If she falls for his blandishments she begins her national exposure with an impediment.
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