Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”  ~Groucho Marx

Like PurlEwe, and Lanea, I am IN!

This is something I should do.

I have books that have travelled with me over many miles. Time to read them instead of admire them.

I am also a 2 days late and 2 dollars short.

“12 Books, 12 Months Challenge

(The Rules)

• Pick 12 titles from your To Read Pile.  These should be titles you currently own in whatever format you prefer.
• Acquisition of other formats or translations is permitted.  So, if you have a paperback but want an audiobook, you can get one.  If you have a library copy but want to buy your own, that’s kosher.  Heck, if you own a copy and want to check another out from the library, I’m not gonna stop you.  (I edited this rule to suit me a bit more.)
• Post your list in your public space of choice bySeptember 1, 2010.  If you prefer not to post, you can just leave a comment with your list.
• Read all 12 titles between now andSeptember 5, 2011.  Might as well tack on an extra long weekend at the end for cramming.
• When you finish a title on your list, post about it in your public space of choice.  If you prefer not to post, you can just leave a comment with your review.
• Once a month, I’ll post a round-up of the reviews posted from that month so that we all know what everyone else has read.

I am also adding a 13th book in case I want to stab myself with a soul crushing book.”

My list (Aside:  when we renovated (last year) a bunch of books got stowed under a desk.  I just dug out 13 random titles.  (Well, more like 20 -> 7 were replaced under the desk.))

1.  Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand

2. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas S. Kuhn

3. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith

4. Half a Life, V.S. Naipaul (because I think I’ve read everything else he’s ever written, but not this one.)

5. In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat:  Quantum Physics and Reality, John Gribbin  (I had several other works by the same author but decided not to read them all at once.)

6. Walden, Henry David Thoreau (another author for whom I have multiple (original print!) volumes)

7. The Art of War, Sun Tzu

8. The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi   (These last two must be from my Tai Chi period.  A number of others were returned to (under) the desk.)

9. Possession, A.S. Byatt

10. My Land and My People, Dalai Lama of Tibet

11. bird by bird, Anne Lamott

12.  The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck  (hmmmm … another original edition)

13. The Natural Step for Communities, Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti   (O.k. not only is #13 a cheat but this one hasn’t been in the house very long.   I still need to read it.)

This one came just in time; I spent most of yesterday oscillating between “my Newfeeeeee” and, well, stunned.

It occurred to me that this list looks an awful lot like all my other lists:

10 Things to Bring Camping

10 Things to Bring on Vacation or

10 on Tuesday: No TV edition

(I could even make  10 Reasons to Love Bacon work.)

Simplicity, that’s me.

10 Ways to Lighten Your Mood

1. Dude  (Don’t tell him, he’s first!)

2. a good run

3. walk the dog

4. gardening

5. yoga

6. something creative (take pictures, write)

7. knit

8. dinner out (or take out or yummy healthy leftovers) – the point is not to cook (or clean).

9. read a book

10. nap with a furry critter

Repeat as needed.

p.s.  Item on previous lists (mentioned above), not included here:

From the camping list:

- s’mores and beer:  These are food treats and I consciously try not to use food as comfort, unless it is broccoli.  Ymmv.

- hiking shoes, bathing suit:  These are variations on #2 and substitutions are made on my whim.

From the vacation list:

- the internet:  This surprised me that it wasn’t included.  I’m not sure – but I think it’s because ya’ll are so inspiring I come away from the internet with 2 bazillion things I want to try.  And I can’t do it all.

Newfie is gone.

The Big Black (Stinky) Sweetheart of a Dog walked away from her people, laid down in the ferns, and passed on.

I suppose that is the best way to go.

But it doesn’t make me feel better.

Newfie has some genuine heroic accomplishments to her credit. And many Goofy Newfy moments.

And one entirely empty couch.

First, an aside:  I thought I would use ‘Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers’ as the title.   I thought it was a tongue twister.  Apparently, I am old. It is now urban slang.  And other slang.

ahem…/moving on

Dude is building a robot (Atlas) to walk (well, roll) in the local Labor Day Parade.

I made the bumpers and the Lisa decorated them.    (Which means that I don’t get any credit for cutting out a hundred or so fabric robots.)

And then we took them apart, turned the fabric upside right and put them back together again.

(Odd that:  frogging and reworking – just like knitting.  Except for the power tools.)

Nickie is ever-vigilant.

10 Things I Would Tell a College Freshman

1.     Get Oriented. The faster you learn your way around, the more at ease you’ll feel.  Meet your professors.  And your advisors.  (And request another adviser if you don’t click with the first one.)

2.     Get social. Get to know the others in your dorm and your classes.

3.     Get Organized. Buy an organizer, a PDA, a big wall calendar — whatever it takes.  If your school offers a “library skills” or “research techniques” class, take it.

4.     Find a good place to study.  Do not tell anyone you know where it is.

5.     Go to class. Become an expert on course requirements and due dates.  Do the assignments.

6.     Study abroad.

7.   Try new stuff. You may hate it.  You may surprise yourself.  Take ballroom dancing if you have the chance.  If you have electives, take them way outside your major.

8.    Stay healthy/Eat Right. Get enough sleep.

9.    Be prepared to be overwhelmed.

10.  Engage in at least one massive, clever, harmless prank.

11.  Smile

Summertime, summertime, summertimesummertime (sung to the tune of Snoopy’s Suppertime)

Little is the word for it:  1 pound, 12 ounces  (794 g)

I believe it was supposed to be seedless.

We have had a (singular) bigger one:

It was 21 pounds.  (Same hands, same Dude.)

This was my first time growing watermelons.  (OH! That watermelon smell when you first cut into them!  Yum!)

I’m in the right climate so I will try again (and we have 4 more plants with baby melons on them and plenty of time for them to ripen.)

Alas, we also have an invasion of stink bugs and squash vine borers (bah!  My first gardening season with insects.)

But it’s o.k.

I’m done with the zucchini  (well over 50 55 pounds – found another bomb tonight.)    And if I pull the vines, the tomatoes will last longer into autumn without zucchini shade.

And now that I have pickle salt, there won’t be enough cucumbers for canning (and besides:  stink bugs).

The tomatoes are still producing.  The basil is finally growing (slowest season ever for basil – I started it from seed this year.  I may try that one more time but not without a backup plan few purchased starts.)

So I can clean up and fill one bed with garlic starts.

(It’s not even September.  It is the hottest summer on record.  AND I’m all ready planning fall planting.  What world is this?)

Except: how do I make sure the bugs move on???

Two cats.  Two Personalities.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Nickie is the good cat.    Ned is busy into everything.

Nickie snuggles.  Ned wants to be close but don’t touch him!

And then there’s the robots:

Nickie has a thing for the robots.

She supervises.

And she gets right in there and helps.

Mr Problem-child snoozes.     It’s such a little role reversal.

p.s.  I’ve got tons to show you.  To tell you.  And no time.  /sigh

The organizing continues:

One of those 14 bins held 10 skeins of KnitPicks Decadence in a yummy Chocolate color.   (That’s been discontinued.)

If I recall correctly, it was intended for a heavily cabled shrug.

I now realize it wouldn’t look good on me.  Except for the color.

And because I had nothing else to do (stop laughing!) I cast on for an EZ Ribwarmer (Rav Link).
I’m only 3  years behind everyone else.  (Oh looky:  The Harlot called her post “Organizing”  too.)

So … I may have mentioned that I’m sorting through yarn.

(I’ve got, uhm, 14 bins to go.)

(Sock yarn doesn’t count.)

(Or the Sonja’s grandmother’s china cabinet stuffed with special yarns.)

(Or that (small) box of Peaches and Cream for a bathmat for my sister. …  I wonder if the colors are still o.k.??  Must check that…)

(/damn.  This is embarrassing.)

So,

after taking pix of one bin of nothing but worsted-weight singletons for felting and dog beds (and it’s a big bin), I cast on for a(nother) pair of socks:

(Sock yarn isn’t even in The Resolution.  Sock yarn is safely corralled in its own cabinet.

It is under control.  (Cue soundtrack:  Evil laughter by Knitting Muses.))

But this colorway isn’t working in this pattern.

(Socks that Rock, Light Weight, Garden Daze colorway.   I think this colorway may be wonderful in a slip stitch pattern of some sort.   Or possibly if it pooled – spots of color like flowers in a garden.)

So I started over with Mini-Mochi:

Much better color.

(Gads.  This not an efficient way to organize.)

I’m a bit concerned about the yarn durability.  But not enough that I care to swap out yarns.  Again.

p.s. Pattern is Perpendicular, by Anne Campbell (Rav Link) from here:

Love the book.

I was just about to tell you that I’m about 2 steps away from turning this**  into a Productivity Blog.

I’ve been busy researching procrastinating  – desperately trying to figure out my time-management problems.

I read about getting unstuck and how to get rich and marketing for small businesses.

How to have  a creative career or how to find your voice.

How to write and how to find simplicity.

(And Dude is standing there, making squeaky noises about being careful not to cut his little toes.)

Oh.

Right then.  My problem is The Help.

** This Knitting Dog-Cat-Gardening-Sometimes Travel Blog