Kind Crow's Random Thoughts

Remember progressive radio?

2010-01-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

We loved Air America's Morning Sedition program with Marc Maron and Mark Riley, and we were bummed beyond belief when it was cancelled (Holy crap -- according to Wikipedia, it's been four years!).

Now, Air America Radio is no more.

PZ Myers at UC Davis

2010-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

After almost three days of being housebound, I dragged my sorrier-than-usual carcass to the PZ Myers talk at UC Davis on Thursday night. I checked his blog earlier in the day, and was a little disappointed when he wrote "I also think I'll break up my next talk [UC Davis] a bit more; this one [UCSB] bounced about over some fairly dense sciencey stuff, and a little more variety and more opportunities to discuss should be more fun." I would have preferred a skosh more lecturing, but overall, I enjoyed the event. The room holds 422, and it appeared to be more than half-full. There were some other people of color there (awesome!!), but I think (and I could very well be wrong) that I was the only African-American there.

I am very grateful to my kind husband for negotiating the campus (this includes avoiding pedestrians that crossed the street nowhere near a corner or crosswalk, without looking for traffic, in the dark and rain!! WTF? How fucking oblivious can they be? It's a univerity with numerous STREETS that are used by CARS. It's this weird and dangerous sense of entitlement that afflicts some of the bicyclists in the Town of Davis as a whole, too, but don't even get me started on that.) in the dark and the rain to drop me off near the building so that I wouldn't have to walk as far; walking back and forth from the parking structure in the rain; letting me lean on him to pant and regain my strength; and for being an all around wonderful person.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Embroidery for Skeptics

2010-01-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

Double-click on photos for a skosh more clarity.

I have loved rainbows (so pretty) and hated religion (so irrational) for a very long time. I did this in backstitch with three strands of floss, and even though I didn't quite center it when I framed it (I always screw centering up), I still love it. My husband pointed out that it's to the left of center, which is just fine :-) I got the clever phrase/slogan from this bumpersticker that I saw in a cafepress.com shop. The hearts are from an image I found on the interwebs. Font = Monotype Corsiva. I placed the text and graphics in a three-row, one-column table in Microsoft Word.

I ran a strip of purple ribbon around the entire frame, and topped it with a bow.

It's getting hard to find wooden embroidery frames at craft stores (I always check the embroidery AND the quilting sections). When I finally found some, I bought a ton of them, including some cool oval-shaped frames.
Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

International Year of Biodiversity, etc.

2010-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. The site has a map of celebration locations; I don't see any in my neck of the woods, but I'm sure they'll appear. I'm not looking to attend a celebration/party, but it's good to see this issue brought to the forefront, and perhaps some interesting speakers will come to town :-)

Oh, and my lung collapsed again today, damn it! I have an appointment with a thoracic surgeon next week. I don't like the word "surgeon." At the ER today, I was like "don't I need to see a specialist before I see the surgeon?" and the doctor said "Well, the surgeon is the specialist."

Darwin Day is less than a month away ...

2010-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around February 12th, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. Events are listed on the web site of the International Darwin Day Foundation.

Zoology videos

2010-01-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

Terrapin Procrastination's favorite biology videos. Via Pharyngula.

Short and Sweet

2010-01-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

A man with a watch knows what time it is.
A man with two watches is never quite sure.
Source: an email someone sent to my husband

Skeptic with a column in Oprah's mag

2010-01-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Acording to the December 2009 issue of the Sacramento Area Skeptics Newsletter, "Skeptic Magazine columnist and contributor to the Science-Based Medicine blog, Dr Harriet Hall (SkepDoc), was hired as a regular columnist for O magazine. O or The Oprah Magazine is the official magazine of the media mogul and day time talk show host Oprah Winfrey, famed among skeptics as one of, if not the top, promoters of woo-woo. Starting in January, Dr Hall will have a column limited to 250 words dedicated to ‘debunking’ medical myths. The very tip of the wedge for skeptics in the Oprah wackiness."

So, how can she give a platform to that anti-vaccination idiot, Jenny McCarthy, and a column to a skeptical medical doctor? I mentioned some of the health mis-information that Oprah peddles here.

Science, atheism, and ironed trousers

2010-01-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Adam Rutherford on why 93% of scientists are atheists, depending on who you ask. Give it a listen.

Arboreal goats?

2010-01-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Via Pharyngula.

Happy Solstice!

2009-12-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Brighter days ahead!!!

Mexico City is about to legalize gay marriage

2009-12-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Mexico City is about to legalize gay marriage -- according to this 12-21-09 BBC News article, "City legislators passed the bill 39-20, with five abstentions. The city's mayor is now widely expected to sign the bill into law." The article is interesting -- there are several other places in Latin America that are supporting the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Via Pharyngula.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Must-See Octopus Video

2009-12-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

The article and video are both awesome!
Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus, by Kristen Gelineau,
The Associated Press, December 15, 2009

Post-Rapture Pet Care

2009-12-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA. When the Rapture comes, what's to become of the loving pets who are left behind? Never fear -- these animal-loving atheists will step in when you step up to Jesus.

WTF, Animal Planet?

2009-12-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

I saw a trailer on Animal Planet the other day for a show about paranormal activity. It said something like "IF ANIMALS BELIEVE, SHOULD YOU?" I nearly died laughing. I'm guessing that it was an ad for "The Haunted," which according to Discovery Press Web, "chronicles true, chilling and terrifying ghost stories of animals and their owners haunted by paranormal spirits."

PZ Myers is comin' to town

2009-12-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well, he's coming to Northern California (UC Davis on Thursday, January 21, 2010), and we'll be there! A room full of non-believers? Hot damn! Details are available on this Facebook event page.

I really like this one

2009-12-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished this ornament. At a quilt show, I picked up some pictures of birds on little squares of fabric, and this is my first project using one of them. I will try to use some of my own photos in the future. The loop is made of a pale, rainbow, sparkling thread (oooooo, shiny .......).

It's a gift for my mom.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Two more ornaments

2009-12-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

I made them with postconsumer recycled content craft felt. The snowflake pattern is from Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Jack Chick Documentary

2009-12-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

It's called "God's Cartoonist." Via Pharyngula. Check out the trailer here.

Bob Dylan's surreal Christmas song video

2009-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

In the video of Bob Dylan's new Christmas song, "Must Be Santa," Bob is at a party where a bunch of annoying people are dancing frenetically; Bob is wearing a top hat and a long straight wig (reminds me of Tom Petty) that goes from dark brown to gray; Bob is more animated than I've ever seen him; and 2/3 of the way through, a young man (Dylan's alter-ego, perhaps?) trashes the place. I'm a big fan of Bob's music (especially the older stuff), but once again he has confirmed his insanity.

Do you remember his Victoria's Secret commercial? Here's an article, which includes a link to the ad, in Slate.

A random thought

2009-12-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

I want a dirndl-esque dress -- nothing costumey, nothing pastel, and I wouldn't wear the apron, and the skirt should hit just below the knee, and I wouldn't have my breasts spilling over the top. Some of the fancy knee socks and Mary Jane shoes worn with dirndls are so cute. I like the "Elke" style here.

Another side of George Washington Carver

2009-12-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Did you know that scientist, educator, humanitarian, and former slave, George Washington Carver (he of peanut research fame), found time in his busy schedule to paint, crochet, knit, and do needlework (embroidery, woo hoo!)? He dyed many of his own threads and fibers with natural dyes made from local walnut, mulberry, and ochre clay. Check it out.

Yes, Virginia, you can be good without a god-belief (but there is no Santa Claus)

2009-12-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

"If your grasp of right and wrong is so shaky that you can't stop yourself from doing bad things, and you need someone threatening you with eternal punishment to keep you in line, then we wonder how safe you really are to be near."
(from the Web site of the Atheist Community of Austin)

In college, my atheism came up in a conversation with a fellow student. She was shocked and exclaimed in the tone of a terrified child, "But what makes you be good??!!" "My conscience," I replied.

Having said that, here are a few snippets from a December 8, 2009 press release from UC Berkeley News titled "Social scientists build case for 'survival of the kindest'" ...

"Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive."
"Overall, these and other findings at UC Berkeley challenge the assumption that nice guys finish last, and instead support the hypothesis that humans, if adequately nurtured and supported, tend to err on the side of compassion."
"This new science of altruism and the physiological underpinnings of compassion is finally catching up with Darwin's observations nearly 130 years ago, that sympathy is our strongest instinct."

Good night,
Sylvie

Felt ornament

2009-12-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

Side one

Side two

I hate the holidays, but I love tchotchkes. I just finished this felt ornament (I got the idea from Sunshine's Creations). (Cue Troy McClure's voice) You may remember this recycled-content material from such items as my blue crow.

I learned the fern stitch from Jenny Hart's new book, Embroidered Effects. Good stuff.

Good night,
Sylvie

Sir David after 3 hours and 15 minutes

2009-12-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here he is after 3 hours and 15 minutes:

I did the outline of his face in stem stitch using six strands of floss, and I'm doing the details of his face in back stitch with three strands.

Here he is after 45 minutes.

Good night,
Sylvie

WIP: Redwork portrait of David Attenborough

2009-11-29T17:04:00.001-08:00

Here it is after 45 minutes:

I'm doing his hair in split stitch using six strands of floss.

Close-up of the face

Here is the photo I used. My original choice was this one of him with a frog, since he looked particularly smiley and kindly (and duh, he had a frog!!) but the Photoshop process reduced the frog to an unidentifiable lump of lines.

If this thing turns out well, it will thrill me to the marrow!

Be seeing you.
--Sylvie

Birdwatching in Britain

2009-11-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

I just read an article, in the November 22, 2009 issue of The Observer, on how birdwatching is becoming even more popular in Britain. The article includes interviews with a number of birdwatchers, including some famous ones. Alison Steadman's enthusiasm is so genuine and may I say, adorable. And, it was nice to hear about another black birder, David Lindo.

Mackenzie Crook, of The BBC's The Office, is a birder (and a nature-lover in general). He bought a woodland instead of a Ferrari. See this article from the Winter 2008 issue of Tweet, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Felt Crow

2009-11-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

I made this felt crow a few months ago. I used one of my photos of a crow as the pattern. It is made of 100% postconsumer content craft felt, and its back is gray.

I used silver thread to make its bill snazzier.

Good night,

Sylvie

Pure Nerd

2009-11-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here are the results from my The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test. Well, I'm a bit of all of the above, but since I "scored better than half in Nerd" (65% Nerd, 26% Geek, 43% Dork; obviously, this isn't additive), I earned the title of

Pure Nerd.

The site provides the following definitions:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

Be seeing you.

Sugar

2009-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

Gum: Bazooka Joe has new characters, including a nerdy black kid who likes reptiles! When you get to the Bazooka site, click on "Comics."

Cookies: We had Tim Tams (Arnott's) in Australia (one of our tour leaders loves chocolate, sugar, and fat, and he loves to share, so each day on the bus he gave us soda and cookies). I saw them at the grocery store on Sunday; the American version is made by Pepperidge Farms, not Arnott's, and I found a detailed comparison of the two versions here.

On-line Hand Embroidery Exhibition: Living Organisms

2009-11-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Check it out!

Back from Australia, or I heart Solo

2009-11-01T21:25:00.001-08:00

We returned from Australia (New South Wales and Queensland) on Friday, and I'm not sure if I'm over the jet lag yet. We took a nap on Friday afternoon, and at about 7:30 that night, my husband woke up and microwaved some burritos for us; after eating, we went back to sleep and slept for 13 hours straight.

Because of my collapsed lung, I didn't know if I would be able to go, but one week before we left, I got the go-ahead from my doctor. Flying with a collapsed lung is a very dangerous thing to do, but mine had "fully resolved." After an incident-free 15-hour flight there, I felt like I really was in the clear.

Highlights include about 300 species of birds (most of them new), including Birds of Paradise, Bower Birds (and their bowers!!!),Cassowaries, Emus, rainbow-colored everybodies, and pied everybodies; platypuses, koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, bandicoots, dragons (forest and water), battling monitor lizards (goanas), green sea turtles, and the rainforest. I might have seen a flying fish. I also fell in love with lemon squash, specifically Solo, the thirst crusher. I must find something like it here.

My husband and I caught a cold a few days into the trip, but the wildlife and landscapes were great distractions from the pounding sinus headache and coughing (I was constantly afraid that I would cough at the wrong moment and scare away some much-desired bird). Our tour group included 12 participants and 2 leaders, and 6 people came down with the cold.

I took an enormous quantity of crappy photos (the rainforest is dark).

My biggest disappointment is that the pelagic trip was canceled because of bad weather, and we could have seen heaps of albatrosses (one of my favorite groups of birds). We'll just have to go back :-) And, I really want to see flocks of wild budgies, and they are found west of where we were on this trip.

OK, enough of the stream of consciousness.

Good night,
Sylvie

Remake of The Prisoner

2009-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

I just watched the 9-minute preview of a new AMC miniseries -- a re-make of The Prisoner. This is wrong on so many levels:

Never re-make a classic.
James Caviezel plays Number Six. WTF? An American?
Far too many American accents.
In conversations, the characters call each other "Six" and "Eleven-Twelve," as if they simply had flaky parents who gave them numbers as names. It's supposed to be "NUMBER Six."

Gay, atheist, vegetarian Sir Ian McKellen plays Number Two. From everything I've heard, Caviezel is a pretty conservative Catholic.

Patrick McGoohan, the star of the original series, died earlier this year.

I am not surprised that they re-made The Prisoner, but I am pissed off. The only silver lining is that this may lead more people to watch the original -- catch it on Fridays on IFC.

Be seeing you.

My Punishment

2009-10-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is what greeted me when I pulled my oft-used Tilley hat from the washing machine. I've washed it in the machine before, without any damage, but I guess that I waited too long between washings this time, and that the rot that sets in from too-little washing occurred.

Why is it beloved? Well, first of all, it comes in a size large enough to fit over my dreadlocks. I look like a total dork, of course, but it fits. Plus, it was very durable and shielded me from the sun, rain, and bird poop on many an outdoor adventure. Next time, I promise to wash my Tilley hat more often.

I am so green

2009-09-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

"A recent study by statisticians at Oregon State University concluded that in the United States, the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of an extra child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environmentally sensitive practices people might employ their entire lives - things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs."
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/07/oregon_state_researchers_concl.html

The Sunday Snog

2009-09-27T12:41:00.001-07:00

Check it out: Discover's Web site features The Sunday Snog photo. I like the sound of that. Now, I realize that today's photo is of the President, and he has really disappointed (am I being too nice?) us liberal folk by, to be brief, being a true politician at heart (having said that, in the photo, it appears that he really likes Michelle). Please check out the adorable anteaters from Aug. 2, 2009. Blood pressure lowering ...

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Vanishing Bees

2009-09-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

When I saw the latest issue (October 2009) of Discover at the bookstore with a cover that promised articles on sex (among other things, the article describes a woman who had orgasms while brushing her teeth, which in and of itself sounds awesome to me, but would my dental health suffer because I couldn't make it through a full two minutes of brushing, or perhaps due to constant brushing? Unfortunately, her toothbrushing orgasms were eventually accompanied by loss of consciousness and she was diagnosed with epilepsy), vanishing bees, and whether or not evolution shaped us to be good, I knew that that periodical was coming home with me.

I heart bees, and not just honeybees. Bees seem to be the least humorless of all of the hymenopterans. I'm not judging anyone -- wasps and ants are fascinating, too. Anyway, it appears that in-breeding has made honeybees less resistant to infections and infestations. The article says that "today's honeybees are sickly, enslaved, and mechanized," and provides the following quote from a researcher who studies honeybee behavior and genetics "We've looked at bees as robots that would keep on trucking no matter what ... They can't be pushed and pushed."

The article describes a Montana pollination outfit that trucks bees from Montana to California to Washington to Montana. The bees pollinate, and therefore feed from, the same food (an orchard crop) for a month at a time. They pollinate in the spring, produce honey in the summer, and winter in a sandy lot near San Francisco where they exist on corn syrup (which I'll bet is devoid of the nutrients in the food upon which they would naturally over-winter). Is that creepy or what?

The good news is that some people are gathering feral hives and creating healthy colonies. One guy who used to work for the aforementioned Montana company had an epiphany and now lives in his truck in New York State, where he "shuttles around in his truck, fetching hives out of local squirrel houses, conducting a one-man breeding project. His goal is not to furnish the large-scale migratory beekeepers with more robust stock but rather to create an infrastructure of small-scale beekeepers."

Now, I'm not naive. Honeybees are not native to North America, and I would assume that their introduction must have some negative effect on native species. I am also not so naive to think that large-scale agribusiness is going to disappear overnight. And, I don't know how much suffering honeybees experience at the hands of small-scale beekeepers. Large-scale agribusiness treats living things like machines, and we see the consequences in animal suffering, environmental degradation, and human illness (mad cow, Pfiesteria, etc.). I don't want to debate about whether or not bees are capable of suffering. Would you like to be sick, infested with mites, and fed what barely passes for food all winter?

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Avocado Pie

2009-09-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here I sit nursing a spontaneous pneumothorax of unknown causes. When I went to the ER on Monday, they thought it was pleurisy (a cool old-fashioned sounding word, don't you think?), but now it's a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung).

So dig: Not Martha blogged about a local pie contest, into which an avocado pie was entered. That sounds positively vile, but it brings up fond memories of one of my favorite books, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

365black.com -- WTF, McDonald's?

2009-09-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

McDonald's 365black.com Web site actually says, "Like the unique African Baobab tree, which nourishes its community with its leaves and fruit, McDonald's has branched out to the African-American community nourishing it with valuable programs and opportunities."

That is effing surreal. Who writes this stuff?

Godless rambling

2009-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

A Turkish game show is looking for atheists to convert. Via Pharyngula. They did a skit about this on the Stephanie Miller radio show. My husband said that during the show, basically the whole cast -- Stephanie, Jim, and Chris (who was already out as an atheist) came out as atheists. Turkey's government is supposed to be secular, but if I lived there, I'd think twice about announcing my lack of belief on television.

If you are an atheist who loves aphorisms, you might enjoy The Atheist's Bible: An Illustrious Collection of Irreverent Thoughts. Here's one:

What remains, then, for those who cannot pray ... This alone, and this is enough: To love virtue, to love truth.
-- John Burroughs

I would add ... to love Nature, to love learning ...

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Kale, Pasta, and Veggie Italian Sausage

2009-06-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

Kale, Pasta, and Veggie Italian Sausage (adapted from a Ronzoni ad)

One 9 oz. package Morning Star Farms vegetarian Italian Sausage
About 2/3 of a 13.25 oz. box of whole wheat rotini (I used Ronzoni's Healthy Harvest whole wheat blend pasta)
A large bunch of kale, washed and cut into pieces (remember to leave out the center stalks -- I used the fold and slice method that Not Martha illustrates here)
Olive oil
Garlic, parsley, and basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Defrost the veggie sausage in the microwave and slice it into small disks. Saute it in olive oil with the garlic, parsley, and basil.

When the water boils, add the pasta and set your timer for 11 minutes. When the timer goes off, dump the kale into the pot with the pasta and boil for two more minutes. Drain the pasta and kale.

Toss the pasta and kale with the veggie sausage. Salt to taste.

Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper and a little grated Parmesan cheese. The recipe calls for kidney beans, but I am not a big fan of their texture, so I left them out.

It was delicious!!

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Newsweek on health mis-information from Oprah

2009-06-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Check out this scathing article in the June 8, 2009 issue of Newsweek about the health mis-information that Oprah Winfrey pedals. At the beginning of the article, we learn that, in her battle against aging, Suzanne Somers injects estrogen into her vagina daily (Ouch!!), givers herself daily injections of human growth hormone (where in the hell is she getting that legally?), and swallows sixty pills (vitamins and other preparations) a day. And then there are the anti-vaccination idiots, like Jenny McCarthy. And the thread lift and Thermage and The Secret and ...

Happy Loving Day!

2009-06-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

Per Wikipedia, "Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), was a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924", unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v. Alabama (1883) and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States." The case was decided on June 12, 1967.

In 2007, Ms. Loving said, "I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights." (Source)

I am in love

2009-05-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

Gate inspection

My in-laws' new property came with three pygmy goats and two sheep! I named them before I met them, and when I thought that there were only two goats and one sheep. I met them last Sunday, and I am in love! The sheep are very handsome, but they were not interested in people at all. Two of the goats were super-friendly, and I pet them for a very, very long time and took numerous photos. The largest of the goats, Baerli II, was the most timid with people -- he let me touch his nose twice -- but he has no problem facing down the sheep.

The goats are very smart. When asked what month it is, they replied "Maaaaaaaaaaaaay!" :-)

These photos prove why I am completely besotted with these creatures:

Schwanli, the smallest goat

Schwanli nibbles Baerli II

Baerli has a cute mule-ish muzzle

Baerli -- coy or cross?

Baerli II, the largest of the goats, sitting like a dog
Another shot of Baerli II sitting like a dog

At times, the goats would stand up on their hind legs and butt heads ever so gently.
I wasn't able to get a picture of that,but believe me, it was effing adorable.

The goats have a three-way head butt ...

... as the sheep head for the larger pasture. Each time the sheep headed for the larger pasture, the goats followed. Their bottoms are adorable!

Baerli II considers head-butting Nasturtium II. It didn't happen.Nasturtium II

Nasturtium

Nasturtium nibbles coyly

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Thanks, but no thanks

2009-05-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Invitation to Jehovah's Witness District Assembly

This lighthearted invitation was left at our front door today. Geez, the Jehovah's Witnesses are getting desperate. When I was a kid, we didn't leave invitations to our District Assemblies on the doorsteps of total strangers. A few weeks ago, they left a flyer for their Memorial Service -- that's where the chosen 144,000 eat wine and unleavened bread (JC's blood and flesh). I was surprised to see them inviting the general public to attend such an important event.

Numerous flyers, pamphlets, and saddest of all, handwritten notes have been tucked into the security gate in front of our doorway. It's sad, really. When you go out in Field Service, as the JWs call it, you have to return to each house in your territory until you finally find someone at home. Knowing this, I do feel kind of bad when I don't answer the door. Then again, when I went in Field Service as a kid, it was a huge relief when no one answered the door. That meant I didn't have to try to convince some impatient stranger to listen to my schpiel. So actually, me not answering the door makes some of them happy, right? :-)

The laziest form of Field Service is “street work.” I kid you not; that’s what they call it. Basically, you go downtown and stand on a corner or stroll about, while carrying the Watchtower and Awake! in front of you like a garlic shield that deters all but the mentally ill. Most mornings, on the way to work, we pass the same minivan of JWs unloading themselves onto the downtown plaza at 5:45 in the morning. Street work lets them avoid talking to people, hang out with their friends, and get their Field Service hours in before work so that their weekends are free. It makes me sad to see JWs in Field Service (such a waste of their lives, plus there is always a chance that they'll convert someone to the cult. Yikes!), but I am glad to how these street workin' folk are making it a bit easier on themselves.

Ta ta for now, Sylvie

Lazy Risi e Bisi (Rice and Peas)

2009-05-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Peas and rice make a simple and nutritious vegetarian meal. I am no chef, so the easier, the better. I made this yummy recipe twice this weekend while my husband was away. I made it for him tonight, and he loves it, too.

(Lazy) Risi e Bisi (Rice and Peas)
adapted from the April/May/June 2009 Issue of Something Extra from Raley's

1. Combine equal parts cooked rice and cooked peas (I used frozen peas and microwaved them with a few tablespoons of water, but I only cooked them enough to thaw them to a warmish temperature).

2. Add freshly ground black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and dried basil to taste.

3. Mix everything together and enjoy!

The next time I make this, I will use fresh basil -- if it's this good with the dehydrated stuff, imagine how great it will be with fresh basil! For more flavor, you could add pine nuts and cook the rice in vegetable broth.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Prezzie

2009-05-17T09:26:00.001-07:00

I made this gift card holder out of the 100 percent postconsumer content (PC) craft felt I mentioned here. Inside is a present for my friend's 60th birthday. He has a new dog, so I got him a gift certificate to PetSmart. This friend loves trees and recycled-content products, so I think he'll like this gift.
To make the leaf as realistic as possible, I used a scanning of a leaf from a Valley Oak in our front yard (it's a small, volunteer tree that grows over our driveway and blocks our car; since we have to trim it occasionally, I scanned some leaves from a trimmed limb). I also tried to follow the leaf's veination.

Ta ta for now, yet again,
Sylvie

Animals

2009-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

A local wildlife rescue group brings some neat animals to
Walk on the Wildside each year.
Here are a few of this year's visitors:

Poquita, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, or Coendou. She is from a zoo in Florida that was shut down because it wasn't "caring for the animals properly." She has the funniest face and is effing adorable. What a neat animal!!

A 16-month old black bear cub munching on grapes

The position of the logo on the handler's shirt makes it look like
this alligator is wearing a flaming crown at a jaunty angle :-)

What a handsome brute!

My in-laws are moving, and their new property comes with a ram and two goats. I haven't met them yet, but I have named them -- I plan to call the goats Schwanli and Baerli and the ram Nasturtium.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Embroidered lotus

2009-04-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite Vogart patterns. It's the second time I've embroidered it. This one is for a friend at work that I walk with every Wednesday at lunch (she made some pretty beaded jewelry for me last year). I painted an embroidery hoop and "framed" the piece in it.

You can't really tell from this photo (see below), but I used sparkly metallic thread to add some subtle highlights.
Well, the baseball game is about to start.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Embroidery patterns for vegetarians

2009-04-09T23:52:00.000-07:00

Embroidery patterns for vegetarians. The lobster is my favorite.

Recycled-content felt at Joann

2009-03-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

I was shopping for yarn at JoAnn, and I found recycled-content craft felt there (it's from the Kunin Group). Most of the colors are 100 percent postconsumer (PC) plastic (the red is only 50 percent PC). What is really cool is that, of the pre-cut craft felt choices at the store, almost all of them are recycled products. Another great use for old soda bottles.

3-24-08

2009-03-25T17:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of things from a walk that we took yesterday.

On our way to the river parkway, we found this hummingbird nest on a neighbor's lawn.

Umbels please me.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

At the Coast

2009-03-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

We birded along the coast today -- we saw the Yellow-billed Loon that's been hanging out in Tomales Bay.

The Horned Grebes and Common Loons are coming into breeding plumage -- very pretty (I didn't get any decent photos of them).

The Brant numbers were high, and we really enjoyed watching them feed on eelgrass. The Coots like the eelgrass too, and this one has a bunch of it on its back. Hope the Brant doesn't try to eat it!

Same photo as above

We saw the most adorable French Bulldog puppy at The Tides in Bodega Bay today. While this tiny puppy is very cute (in a bat-like, gargoyle-like sort of way), I must say that I don't approve of most animal breeding -- especially breeding animals that are prone to health problems. French Bulldogs have serious respiratory problems, and their heads are so large that they are usually born via C-section. Plus, there are so many cats and dogs that are already here that need good homes -- we don't need to make more. If you want a pet, please rescue one from a shelter!

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Happy Vernal Equinox

2009-03-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the Vernal Equinox. It is also NASA's Sun-Earth Day -- the theme for 2005 was ancient observatories. Cool!

One more thing

2009-03-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, and I am aware that Pullman borrowed ideas from authors who preceded him :-)

Good books

2009-03-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

I just finished the last book -- The Amber Spyglass -- in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I don't usually care for fiction (I prefer to learn things when I read), but this trilogy was some of the best fiction I've ever read. Pullman deserves every award that he received for these books. I've read the first two Harry Potter books, and while they were entertaining, they cannot hold a candle to this trilogy.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

And ...

2009-02-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

I saw the most awesome rainbow on my way home from the bookstore today! The clouds were gorgeous, and one particularly striking one cut across the middle of the rainbow. Mind-blowing, to say the least.

I was at the bookstore because I was looking for a new book titled I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing. It won't be out until March, though.

Felt fish, etc.

2009-02-23T17:45:00.000-08:00

I made this fish last Wednesday night. His (yes, it's a male -- he has a bit of a kype :-) back was supposed to look like his front, but I screwed up. Anyway, I'm very happy with him.

The back

I finished reading The Golden Compass Saturday night (I wrote about the movie here). It's an excellent book! Last night, I started The Subtle Knife (the next book in the trilogy).

Good night,
Sylvie

Random Thoughts of 2-16-09

2009-02-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

A year ago, I mentioned my crocheting woes (here and here). I finally bought one -- the egg-shaped one -- of the ergonomic hooks I mentioned a year ago, and I think it’s helping.

OK, I’ll try to be nice here: I actively avoid the company of very young humans. Having said that, I am participating in a tradition in my office -- when a co-worker or their partner is pregnant, a bunch of people pitch in and make a baby blanket. Each person knits, crochets, or weaves a 9-inch square, and a couple of people assemble the blanket. For the latest one, someone has volunteered to sew a fabric backer to the whole thing. So, while I do not approve of the rampant breeding taking place, nor do I wish to cuddle any of the resultant spawn, I do like to sit around with my co-workers during lunch whilst knitting or crocheting, and I do think that it’s a sweet gesture that the parents really like. Another cool thing was that for for the last blanket, my co-worker was expecting a girl, and the mother said that she didn't want any pink stuff or any of those stupid and embarrassing games at her baby shower. How refreshing.

Last weekend, I attended the local Darwin Day event and the annual quilt show. Over 300 people were at the Darwin Day event, which was very encouraging. I only saw three familiar faces, which was also encouraging because that means that there are more freethinkers out there!

Remember the quilt show that I was too sick to attend last year? Well, I went this year -- very nice (I got sick a week later, though). I went with a friend from work. It was our first “Furlough Friday” as government employees, so we decided to live it up a little. We had an excellent breakfast at a little café and then checked out the quilts at a couple of locations – 1) a gallery, which included some really old pieces (very cool) and 2) the quilt show, which was all new stuff.

As I mentioned, this February, my body waited an additional week to get sick. I just had five days (well, this is the fifth) off of work – the result of a couple of holidays and a funky (I hate that word; can’t believe I just used it) schedule caused by the furloughing of government employees. The will to live is returning to me after feeling like cat shit (the worst form of animal feces) for several days – I’ve never had a headache that lasted for so long. My eyes are bloodshot from coughing and my throat feels like it’s been sandpapered. Oy vey. This morning I feel like dog shit, which is an improvement. I hope to be upgraded to some form of herbivore shit soon, so that I can return to work tomorrow. Speaking of the furloughs, I don’t mind having my pay reduced by 10% if it means that people don’t get laid off. Of course, the governator is still threatening to lay off people. He is such a bully.

On a more positive note, a Pacific Treefrog has been croaking outside of my window for quite a while, and it makes me very happy. A couple of weeks ago, the treefrog and an Oak Titmouse were calling at the same time, and it was so wonderful that it was almost more than I could bear. I nearly plotzed with joy!!!

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

One more thing Obama said

2009-01-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Oh, and Obama also mentioned restoring science to its rightful place. Props to science AND a polite acknowledgment of non-believers. I know it was just a speech by a politician, but woo hoo!!

The American Humanist Association congratulates Obama

2009-01-20T20:01:00.001-08:00

The American Humanist Association is running an ad focusing on Obama's lack of religious upbringing. Via Pharyngula.

I am still pissed off that Obama allowed that anti-gay bastard Rick Warren to pray/perform at the inauguration, and that the inauguration was laden with religion. Obama did make a small gesture toward freethinkers by acknowledging the existence of "non-believers" in this country without any negative overtones.

A bunch of us watched the inauguration on-line at work, and we cheered as Bush and Cheney left.

Good night,
Sylvie

Number Six is dead

2009-01-14T17:03:00.001-08:00

Some recent deaths in the world of sci-fi, etc.

Patrick McGoohan, who played Number Six on The Prisoner (a great show)

Majel Barrett Roddenberry of Star Trek. Remember that she played the dark-haired Number One in the pilot episode? She got to wear pants in that episode, and she was second in command. Then they turned her into a blond nurse in a mini-dress. How insulting.

Ricardo Montalban (Khan from Star Trek)

Darwin Day is less than a month away

2009-01-13T19:09:00.001-08:00

Check it out: In honor of Darwin Day (February 12th), Aphra at The Answer's 42 is sharing some lovely copyright-free wood engravings. And speaking of evolution, let's not forget Alfred Russel Wallace.

Visit this site to find a Darwin Day event near you.

Cat hair handbags

2009-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

Cat hair handbags, via the Craft magazine blog

Stuff

2008-12-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Incredible Animal Videos: Readers' Choice, Wired, 12-7-08

Lake Superior State University's 2009 List of Banished Words

Top 10 Skeptics of 2008

2008-12-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Skeptics Who Kicked Ass in 2008, from Skepchick. Via the Pharyngula blog.

12-27-08 CBC

2008-12-30T16:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 12-27-08, was my first of three Christmas Bird Counts (I’ll do a couple more next weekend). The weather was good, and the count circle produced what was probably the second highest count in its history. My feet and calves are still sore from tramping around in rubber boots all day. Most of my bird photos from Saturday were blurry, but I still have a few things to share.

Two Socks, 12-27-08

This is Two Socks, who is sweet, soft, happy, and quiet. He lives with O.D., an elderly gentleman who got him from a rescue organization. O.D.’s backyard faces a private lake, and every year, he lets us into his backyard so that we can count the birds on and around the lake. Highlights on the lake included a female Hooded Merganser and a female Red-breasted Merganser. This was our eighth or ninth year counting this area, and it’s the first time we’ve had a Hooded Merganser.

The damp weather has produced some awesome mushrooms.

Some of these white ones were at least four inches tall.
This one has a little collar!

Check out this drippy one – kind of creepy, oooooooh.

How elegant

Some orange ones

What could be cuter than a Ruddy Duck? Nothing!

Soothing Tree Scene

I wonder if this sign works?

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Chester

2008-12-28T14:23:00.001-08:00

Chester, 12-25-08

This is Chester, a dog that my husband's parents care for when his person is away. You can tell that he is part hound by his dark saddle and floppy ears. His ears are INCREDIBLY soft, and his paws are huge. He is a sweetheart, and quite handsome, yes?

The Pacific Treefrog is croaking outside of my window -- very nice.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Important Dates in December and January 2008

2008-12-15T17:29:00.001-08:00

December 10th: 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

December 15th: Birthday of the Bill of Rights

December 21st: The Winter Solstice -- longer, brighter days ahead!

Christmas Bird Counts

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Southwest, Part 2 of 4

2008-12-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

On (or near) Bosque del Apache NWR, 11-27-08

Th, 11-27-08

We spent the morning in the lower elevations of the Sandia Mountains looking for an Abert's Squirrel. Sadly, the only one we found was a roadkill.

Next, we searched for the Sungrebe that had been hanging out at at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We didn’t find it, but there were lots of other beautiful things to see, including birds, the landscape, and the sky.

Here are some photos from Bosque del Apache:

Sandhill Cranes

Northern Pintail and Mallards

The beautiful sky and grasslands

Part 1 of 4 is here.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

A video to lower your blood pressure

2008-12-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Cat rubs his brother's tummy. If you listen carefully, you can hear purring.

Southwest, Part 1 of 4

2008-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Black Rosy-Finch, 11-26-08, Sandia Crest

We’re back from a road trip to New Mexico and Arizona. Here is my entry for W, 11-26-08:

Gorgeous sunset east of Flagstaff, AZ on Hwy 40

Sandia Crest is the 10,678-foot high point of the Sandia Mountains, that are located just northeast of Albuquerque, NM. At the feeder on the deck of the Sandia Crest House Gift Shop & Restaurant (it’s at the peak), we saw three species of Rosy-Finches – Brown-capped (a life bird for both of us), Gray-crowned, and Black. It was quite a treat. Rosy-Finches are such charming and beautiful birds. The Rosy-Finches, along with the Steller’s Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and several races of Dark-eyed Juncos were very cooperative and allowed us to observe them from a few feet away. We also saw two Peregrine Falcons harassing a Red-tailed Hawk, and a Raven mobbing a Golden Eagle. Ravens are large, but the Golden Eagle made the Raven look rather small. We met a NM birder a couple of days later, and he said that seeing Peregrines up there is pretty rare.

The following photos are from the Sandia Crest. Many of the birds were banded.

Black Rosy-Finches

Rosy-Finches at the feeder (bottoms up!)

Steller's Jay (banded)

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

And the view ...

Good night,
Sylvie

P.S. Part 2 of 4 is here.

CVBS 2008

2008-11-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Lewis's Woodpecker, 11-21-08
CVBS field trip to Eastern Contra Costa County

We're back from the 12th Annual Central Valley Birding Symposium (CVBS, November 20-23, 2008) that is hosted by the Central Valley Bird Club. Jack Laws, who wrote and illustrated the new field guide to the Sierra Nevada that I've mentioned several times (here, here, and here), gave a talk and several bird drawing workshops. He is a funny, goofy, enthusiastic naturalist.

More photos:

Another picture of the Lewis's Woodpecker
Webs with dew, CVBS Cosumnes River Preserve field trip, 11-22-08

A Pacific Treefrog is croaking outside of my window.

Ta ta for now, Sylvie.

This weekend

2008-11-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

I altered these photos of wild grape vines in Picasa (Saturation! Warmification!). They really were a rainbow of colors, but I, um, brightened them a bit :-) I took them near my husband's "office" yesterday, 11-15-08.

We birded the Sacramento County Delta today, 11-16-08. Here are some photos:

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Savannah Sparrow

A "Tufted" Duck swam up to us with his posse.

We saw lots of artichoke thistle (an invasive plant).
This plant is several feet wide and several feet tall.

Good night,
Sylvie

Things that will lower your blood pressure

2008-11-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

From Cute Overload: Hover Pup and Rick James Horse

The video of the day at www.sacpaws.com was a crate full of puppies. Oh, their bellies and haunches and little legs that twitch when they sleep. You could even hear the cute sounds they made when they yawned. They had a big stuffed carrot toy. Speaking of watching puppies, do you remember this episode of This American Life?

Today and Sunday

2008-11-11T15:15:00.001-08:00

Hermit Thrush, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, 11-11-08

We had today off (government holiday). We visited the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. It's nice -- lots of Black Oaks, cool lichen and moss, tons of woodpeckers (including a Red-breasted Sapsucker), and historical exhibits. I got a penny wooden doll kit from the park's gift shop. It comes with the doll, cloth, and a pattern to make her outfit. We'll see how the sewing goes :-)

Here are some more photos from today:

Web with dew

Lots of lichen and moss

We visited my in-laws on Sunday, 11/9. Here are some photos:

These holes are all over their property. Who lives in there? We don't know .

Here is their dog, Presto
(aka Prestorini, aka Hey Presto, aka Mr. Prestidigitation Jones; only I call him that last one :-)

Here is their dog, Dylan (after Bob!)

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Environmentally preferable craft felt

2008-11-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Oooo, craft felt made from 100 percent postconsumer plastic bottles! I want the 28-color bundle. I found out about this product from the Craft magazine blog. I'll have to pick up their latest issue, which focuses on "green" crafting.

Frog!

2008-11-08T16:16:00.001-08:00

A Pacific Treefrog just started croaking outside of the window!!!

Just sharing

2008-11-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

Clouds, Placer County, 11.2.08

Today, 11-8-08, we visited the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. I always enjoy the displays of avian profusion -- waterfowl by the gazillion, set against the backdrop of the Sutter Buttes (the world's smallest mountain range, they say).

My photos of the Snow Geese are crappy, but hopefully, you can get an idea of the numbers -- all of that white stuff in the water = Snow Geese.

We saw large groups of Ross's Geese and at least one Blue Goose. Greater White-fronted Geese and American Wigeons were plentiful, and we saw at least 10 Eurasian Wigeons.

I don't like hearing or seeing the hunters, but their dogs are cute. It was funny to see a young hunter in full hunting garb, with his dog and gun, standing by the side of the road talking on a cell phone.

We saw a number of Tundras Swans on the drive there.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

About yesterday

2008-11-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

To paraphrase a Chris Rock quote that I saw in The Nation a few months ago: George Bush fucked up so badly that he made it hard for a white man to run for president. But seriously, I was a little verklempt last night. Did you see Jesse Jackson start to cry numerous times? I know that everyone has been saying it, but I didn't think that I would live to see this day. I always thought that the only way we would get a woman and/or a person of color as a president is if they were some right-wing wacko.

After eight years of:

the president and his neocon death cult puppeteers using the Constitution as toilet paper and giving the rest of the world the middle finger (a gross understatement when you consider the baseless, preemptive war in Iraq)
my fellow citizens scaring the crap out of me with their acceptance of creeping fascism
having our country ruled (not governed) by a dumb ass (is that one word or two? should it be hyphenated? But I digress ...)

... it's beyond refreshing to look forward to a president who is not only brilliant and believes in giving diplomacy a try, but who is also not an ignorant, arrogant bastard. A deep thinker as president? Wow, what a concept.

I tend to be pretty cynical, but I am so relieved that this country is starting what I hope is a U-turn.

Good night,
Sylvie

Ha!

2008-11-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a snippet from the Billings Gazette (I heard about this from the Pharyngula blog):

HELENA - Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown this week accused Democrats of spreading a false rumor that he is a vegetarian in this meat-loving state.

"I am not and have never been a vegetarian," Brown said.

"I am disgusted by the baseless allegation that I am a vegetarian and that my personal eating habits should somehow be construed as opposed to the economic interests of Montana's livestock industry."

Nimbus Fish Hatchery and Surrounding Area

2008-10-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Salmon numbers in the American River are very low this year -- so low, that we didn't see any on our visit to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery today. What a downer. According to the The Sacramento Bee:

The American River salmon run estimate for this year is just 6,000. Average numbers in the past year have been 35,000, with as many as 80,000 in some years, according to Mike Healey, an associate fisheries biologist for the Department of Fish and Game.

Burks [manager of the hatchery] said there is a combination of factors behind the decreased salmon population, including ocean currents and changing water conditions.

The California wild grape crop on the American River Parkway near the hatchery is great this year (as it is at the Cosumnes River Preserve). Look at the rainbow of colors ...It's always a treat to watch the Cedar Waxwings feeding on grapes along this stretch of the river. We got to watch them eating at eye-level just a few feet away from us. My husband pointed out that the Cedar Waxwings in the sky were acting like swallows. Very interesting.

They have put out fishing line recycling bins near the river, which is a good thing.

MallardCalifornia Fuchsia

The acorn crop (no photos) is great this year, too.

The World Series is in a rain delay.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

A fiber I will never use

2008-10-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

At the risk of alienating my fellow animal lovers, I have to say that, at a gut level, the concept of dog hair knitwear weirds and grosses me out. Just how many washings does it take to get that wet-dog smell out? What if you think that you got all of it out, and then you get caught in the rain, or maybe just sweat a lot, and the smell starts to seep out? Awkward!

I know that it's better to make a sweater from the waste product of your family pet than a sheep that was sheared against its will (not to mention how the sheep might have been treated).

Having said all of that, check out this photo gallery of people wearing clothing made from their dogs' hair.

There's a book, too -- Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You'll Never Meet.

Good night,
Sylvie

One more thing

2008-10-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

The wild grape crop in the Tall Forest is HUGE this year. The grapes are delicious (even the skins are sweet), but very small. To paraphrase our friend, it's as if the grapevine said "how can I surround my seeds with as little flesh as possible and still have my seeds distributed?"

Tall Forest, 10-18-08

2008-10-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick sights from today's Tall Forest Bird Count at the Cosumnes River Preserve:

I found this blue vervain with strange cockscomb-like growths on it. I can't find this on the Web or in my galls book. Hmmm ...

Turkey Vulture warming up

We had numerous flyovers of Sandhill Cranes. They were our constant companions.

An orthopteran. Such delicate wings. Pretty, yes?

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Tomorrow is Dictionary Day!

2008-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

In honor of Dictionary Day (October 16th, which is Webster's birthday), here is a word about words (thanks so much to my husband for sharing this Word.A.Day gem with me):

WORD: epeolatry (ep-i-OL-uh-tree)

MEANING:
noun: The worship of words.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek epos (word) + -latry (worship). The first citation of the word is from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., in his 1860 book Professor at the Breakfast Table.

USAGE:
"I read my dictionary for a few more minutes, until tiredness eventually brought my epeolatry to an end for the day."
-- Roger Day; Anurada Negotiates Our Wobbly Planet; Lulu; 2006.

My husband and I agree that it sucks that "epeolatry" does not fall trippingly off of the tongue -- it's a pretty awkward word to pronounce. Having said that, this is one "religion" that I could get behind.
Oh, and I totally grok the Roger Day quote.

From what I can gather from the internet, Dictionary Day (and every day) should be devoted to celebrating words and building literacy skills.

Well, I'm off to catch the end of the Phillies-Dodgers game.

Good night,
Sylvie

I see ... I see ... a woman in a lavender scarf

2008-10-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

... and her favorite shirt.

Here is what my nervous little paws have been up to:

I used the shells with double crochet pattern from Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting. I got the instructions for the fringe from Maran Illustrated Knitting & Crocheting. I am pleased.

During my walk at lunch today, I heard what I thought was a Nuttall's Woodpecker approaching me from the rear. I turned around, and saw that the sound was coming from a moving car. Uh oh.

Well, I'm off to rustle up some grub.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

This makes me happy

2008-10-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

So dig: I'm in line at Jo-Ann, and what do I see? Glow-in-the-dark Mod Podge!!! I knew this stuff existed, but I've never seen it in a store. I wonder if it's just around for Halloween?

Random Thoughts of 9-16-08

2008-09-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

Just a short entry today -- my back is killing me. It even hurts to walk, and that usually helps my back. Oy vey.

Anyway ...

Michael Kuo, one of the major contributors to MushroomExpert.com, is co-authoring a book titled 100 Cool Mushrooms.

Check out this awesome solar system quilt from 1876. Via the Craft Magazine blog.

Wesley Fleming's Glass Sculpture. Insects, birds, sea creatures, etc. Via the Craft Magazine blog.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Stinkhorns, what else?

2008-09-09T18:32:00.001-07:00

Here is my friend's 9-5-08 photo of a stinkhorn in her yard. It is her best photo yet!

I had to shrink it because I don't have much space on my blog, so just know that the original photo is much better -- you can really see the mushroom glistening. Scandalous!I really hope that she submits her photo to the Stinkhorn Hall of Fame. She and her husband agreed that the smell is like dirty socks/dog poop/rotting flesh.

My husband and I stopped by the aforementioned friend's yard after work today. We knew that any stinkhorn we saw this late in the day would be shriveled, but we just had to give it a try. We saw a couple of them that had shriveled and fallen over, but it was still nice to see them, and to see that the flies were still interested in them. Even though they are fairly small, I spotted one from the car. My friend wasn't at home, but she had marked the location with a stick and had drawn a map of her yard indicating the blessed location. She said that we could try pouring water on the mushroom to try to reconstitute it. We tried that. It didn't work, but I'll bet her neighbors were wondering about the strangers standing in her yard, staring intently at the mulch, and pouring water on it.

After that, we went out for crepes and returned home. Well, I'm going to bed early. I have a bad headache, and neither prescription decongestant, nor Advil, nor nasal moistening gel are having an effect on it. Oy vey. The weather is changing (it was cool and windy today), and I've found that changes in barometric pressure really mess with my sinuses, inner ear, etc.

Good night,
Sylvie

Random Thoughts

2008-09-06T17:34:00.001-07:00

Article from Psychology Today on a study about broccoli's health benefits. A dietitian quoted in the article used the term "broccoli and its vegetable friends." Hee, hee!

Cool: Not Martha found a sugar and shea butter scrub that didn't leave her tub dangerously slippery. Why do they sell so many oil-based products to use in the tub and shower? I tried one once, slipped, and scared myself to death. Speaking of scrubs, what is with the obsession with exfoliation? I mean, apart from your feet (and maybe your elbows?), do you really need to be sand-blasting your poor body?

Speaking of poor bodies, my poor husband has a case of poison oak, and I'm finally able to hug him again (very gently) without setting off some serious itching.

Well, I'm off to get a smackerel of something to eat and then settle down for tonight's Giants game.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Stinkhorn ID

2008-09-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

My friend thinks that her stinkhorn fungi could be Lysurus mokusin. See also, the "Other Descriptions and Photos" heading at the bottom of that site. My rough estimate is that, as of yesterday, they've had 11.5 of them (she and her husband are not in agreement about whether they've had 11 or 12).

Her husband found this cool time-lapse video of mold and mushrooms. Check out the stinkhorn with the lacy veil-like skirt.

My other stinkhorn entries are

here

here, and

here.

My husband and I are on stinkhorn standby alert -- up until this point, we've only seen photos, but to see one "in person" would be awesome. My friend's husband checks every morning to see if any stinkhorns have popped up. They only last a day, and look better in the morning, so I told my friend to call us as early as she would like this weekend if anything new pops up. Fingers crossed!

Drat!

2008-09-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

MLB just used instant replay for the first time -- Tampa Bay was contesting an A-Rod home run. Wouldn't it have been sweet if the first use of instant replay had been to deny the Yankees? Unfortunately, whatever the ump saw made him uphold the home run. Damn it!

8-3-08 Trip to the Coast, Part 1

2008-09-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Point Reyes National Seashore and Bodega Bay on August 3rd. Point Reyes and Bodega Bay, and their general surroundings, are probably our favorite coastal birding destinations in California. Today's post is about the Point Reyes portion of the day. I'll share my photos from Bodega Bay later.

Here are some photos from Abbotts Lagoon at Point Reyes:

Brush rabbits were abundant, and effing adorable! This one flipped over on its back (lighting fast!) in the middle of the trail and then back onto its stomach -- very acrobatic. Perhaps it was taking a dust bath? Here it is right after the flip:

Just look at those chubby haunches!

Beautiful clover flower

Brown Pelicans

We spotted a doe and fawn. They crossed the trail in front of us.Monkeyflower

Some kind of sea plant? Neat-looking, yes?

Pretty thistle (note the insect in the second photo)

Bee on a different thistle

A female California Quail strikes a regal pose
A Harrier coursed by

A true bug

GBH stridin' out across the dunes
We saw this scruffy White-crowned Sparrow on the trail on the hike in and the hike out. Judging by its scruffiness, and serious lack of tail feathers, I think it's a young of the year.

Note how its meager tail is jauntily cocked to the side.

Well, I have to go. The Giants game is starting soon, and Lincecum is pitching today, which means that they might actually win. By the way, the only nicknames that have been suggested for him that I approve of are definitely "Seabiscuit," and maybe "The Franchise." "The Freak" is the only one that has stuck, and I hate it.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Just sharing

2008-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Just some random photos ...

Very cute pink and green striped hat spotted on 8-24-08 Sac Audubon trip.
Unfortunately, the green doesn't show up in the photo.

Yummy-looking grapes from the same trip

Action shot of Goldfinch on 8-2-08 walk by the river.
These action shots allow you to really appreciate how amazing birds' bodies are.

Acorn Woodpecker spearing something with its bill, Folsom Lake, 7-26-08

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Continued Blessings of the Basidiomycetes

2008-08-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Geez! My friend's husband found a FOURTH stinkhorn (my other posts are here and here) in the mulch in their front yard. The mulch in question gets some water from their neighbor's yard, and I assume that this moisture helps. This morning's stinkhorn was very "fresh" -- bright pink and it had white stuff on top (how phallic is that!?). They seem to be fairly ephemeral -- their turgidness and smell don't last long.

According to MushroomExpert.com, "Traditionally, two families of stinkhorns were recognized. The Phallaceae held stinkhorns with unbranched stems, including species of Mutinus, Phallus, and Dictyophora (now synonymized with Phallus), among others. The Clathraceae included stinkhorns with branched stems and those with funky, latticed structures--including Clathrus, Lysurus, Colus, Laterna, and others." The Mushroom Expert also says, "In some parts of the world--not my part, mind you--stinkhorn eggs are considered delicacies, and are eaten with relish (the emotional kind). To my knowledge, no stinkhorn is known to be poisonous--and I have heard from several morel hunters who actually cooked and enjoyed mature stinkhorns, thinking they were July morels. But I do not recommend you eat them--mostly because the idea seems too disgusting, but also because, given the spore-dispersal strategy outlined above, a mature, slime-covered stinkhorn may be unsanitary. A further consideration may be the various chemicals often associated with urban soil and woodchips."

On a side note, doe-c-doe provided this nice embroidery pattern (scroll down to the end of her post) that includes mushrooms, a snail, insects, and plants.

Ta ta for now,
Sylvie

Albino Raven and Noctilucent Clouds

2008-08-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Some neat photos:

Albino Raven (thanks to my husband for sharing the link). Note that the site says, "It appears this Raven family has two Albino fledglings and three black ones."

Noctilucent or "night-shining" clouds on NASA's Web site. "Noctilucent" is a very cool-sounding word, isn't it? The actual clouds are awesome, as well. I read the article, and their exact cause appears to be a mystery.

Coming soon: Sylvie's kitchen disaster.

Good night,
Sylvie

Stinkhorn, Part Deux

2008-08-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

My friend found more stinkhorns in her front yard yesterday!! WOW!! Here are a couple of versions of her photo:

She said that they smell a bit like dirty socks.

According to MushroomExpert.com:
Stinkhorns occur "naturally" in North America, especially in subtropical and tropical regions--but some stinkhorn fruitings in temperate and north-temperate climates may be caused by human endeavors, resulting from the transportation of soil, sod, wood chips, trees, and so on.

and:

The method the stinkhorns use to disperse spores is quite ingenious, though a little disgusting to human sensibilities. The foul-smelling slime is calculated to attract flies and other insects, who land on the slime and gobble it up. Little do the insects know that they have been duped into covering their little insect feet with stinkhorn spores, and have ingested spores into their digestive tracts! Later, these spores are dispersed by the unwitting insects, and the stinkhorn life-cycle continues elsewhere.

I think that's how she first found the stinkhorn -- she saw a gathering of flies.

All hail the mighty stinkhorn!!!

Knitted cuff bracelet

2008-08-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

I made this bracelet last night and wore it today with a ring that I got from Target. I really like it. I used size 6 needles and Patons Grace 100% mercerized cotton yarn in Spearmint. I cast on six stitches, knit until it was the right length, and added a button. I did not make a buttonhole -- the yarn stretched around the button well -- but perhaps I will next time

Good night,
Sylvie

Stinkhorn!

2008-08-14T21:36:00.001-07:00

My friend found a stinkhorn mushroom in her front yard the other day! Here is her photo:
She was digging in the mulch, and there it was all phallic and smelly and covered with flies. She didn't know what it was at first, but she did a some research and found out. She did not get a photo until a few days later when the stinkhorn was, as she described it, "unfortunately, dried and shriveled and a non-stinky shadow of its former self, as we all shall be someday."

This is truly a great fungus sighting. It seems so exotic! It makes me want to dig in the leaf debris in my backyard. Check out The Stinkhorn Hall of Fame.

By the way, I think that this is my 100th post. I'm glad that I had something cool to share for it.

Good night,
Sylvie