Hallmark Card Contest

     Creative writing, blogging, and now the Hallmark greeting card contest - the things I won't do trying to become famous!  Mike and I just submitted entries for the All About Pets contest. Hallmark might be looking for pets that are alive and kicking in this present day, but we chose to make our cards from old family photos.  Take a look and tell us if you think we might have a winner.

Inside message: Happy birthday.  Will there be pony rides?

Inside message: The one on the right is cuter.  Congratulations on your new fur baby.

Inside message: Thanks for making me feel like royalty while the folks were away.

Inside message: That first step is a doozy.  Good luck with your pet adoption.  

Inside message: Don't let another birthday get your goat.

Inside message: Keep looking.  The gift has to be somewhere.

Runcible Spoons

     I attended a memorial service this morning for my friend's mother.  I never knew the deceased,  but her family did a fine job of celebrating her life.  By the time I left, I thought I knew her very well.  I learned that she was a crafty woman who loved to knit and sew.  She hated bad grammar.  She believed in hard work and thrift.  She was patient and practical.  She had a deep faith in God.  One of the things I found most interesting was her love of the poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat."  She had committed it to memory, and she entertained children by reciting it.  Her own daughters heard it so many times, they might have rolled their eyes a few times during their teenage years.
     Edward Lear published "The Owl and the Pussycat" in 1871.  Like nursery rhymes and "Alice in Wonderland," the poem is an example of nonsense literature.  This type of literature defies language conventions by using made up words like "runcible" and "bong-tree."  Events in the poem also defy logical reasoning.  Animals can't talk, and birds and cats don't get along.
   

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea     In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money,     Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above,     And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,       What a beautiful Pussy you are,           You are,           You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!     How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried:     But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day,     To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood     With a ring at the end of his nose,           His nose,           His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. III 'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling     Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day     By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince,     Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,     They danced by the light of the moon,           The moon,           The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

     So why was this bit of silly verse the favorite of a woman who was more about good sense than nonsense?  It's true that a little whimsy is necessary when you're bringing up children.  In this case though, "The Owl and the Pussycat" might have been her mantra.  My friend had to laugh when she told us that her mother even recited it when coming out of anesthesia.  I'll bet my friend's mother was in favor of inter-species marriage, and taking a 366 day honeymoon before making things official.  I am absolutely certain she would love to attend a wedding officiated by something other than the usual kind of cleric.  I am also certain that she's dancing tonight by the light of the moon.

Boon Companions

     Did you hear about Joseph Katz and Al Spiegal?  These two guys just celebrated their 100th birthday together.  They have been celebrating together for the past 91 years.  They met in elementary school, and their friendship has continued through childhood, marriage and raising families, careers, and retirement.  The birthday bash occurred in Florida where the best buds live.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/friends-91-years-celebrate-100th-birthdays-together-184216023--abc-news-topstories.html

     Parent-child relationships and marriage relationships have been studied to death by psychologists.  Friendship has been studied a bit less.  What we do know is this:
     1. Friends boost your happiness.
     2. Friendships help reduce stress.
     3. Pals help you deal with traumas, like illness, divorce, or job loss.
     4. Belonging to a social group gives a sense of purpose.
     5. BFF's will help you live a healthier lifestyle by telling you when it's time to exercise more or drink less.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/friendships/MH00125

     Another thing we know is that friends don't have to be homo sapiens.  Pets keep us happier and healthier.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/08/11/are-people-with-pets-happier-and-healthier.aspx

     Whether your little buddy is a dog, a cat, or a goldfish, eventually the sad day arrives when the pet dies.  My sister's cat died yesterday.  Chloe was a feral cat who came inside to live when she was less than a year old.  She was also pregnant.  Her kittens went to good homes, and Chloe was spayed.  Chloe's common law husband was another feral rescue named Edgar.  While Chloe accepted Edgar as her life partner, her attitude toward him would best be described as lukewarm.  On the other hand, Edgar's love for Chloe knew no bounds.  He worshipped the carpets on which she walked.  The two felines lead an exciting life including moving to Belgium for several years.  Chloe was widowed last year when Edgar passed on.  Now the two of them are in kitty heaven.  I've heard it's a place filled with catnip mice and big bowls of wet cat food.
     Sometimes people will think you are a little crazy if you mourn an animal too much.  Friends, sisters, and fellow animal lovers know otherwise.  This might also be helpful:

http://www.pet-loss.net/

Edgar is on the left.  Chloe is on the right.  

    

   

Who Irons?

     I hardly ever iron.  Most of our clothing flops around in the dryer for fifteen minutes before I put it on a hanger to finish drying.  When something has to be ironed, I drag out the 1970's ironing board. The cover, also from the '70's, has seen better days.  I thought it might be time to get a new board, but the old one was nice and solid.  The cover was really the only part that had to be replaced, but I didn't like any of the replacement options I saw.
     I'm crafty, so I decided to make an ironing board cover.  Here's how it went:

I bought some quilted fabric - off white cotton on both sides, polyfill in the middle.  I traced around the edge of the ironing board.  Be sure to iron both sides of the quilted fabric before tracing.  If you don't iron, the fabric will stretch out and end up being too big.

I cut a piece of cardboard to 5/8" width and used this to add a seam allowance to the shape I had traced.

I laid the quilted piece on the 100% cotton print I selected for the cover.  I didn't use a poly-cotton blend because synthetics can melt at high ironing temperatures.  I cut around the quilted layer leaving a generous edge.

I pinned the layers together, then sewed them together 1/2" from the edge of the quilted layer.  Next I trimmed the cotton print to match the quilted layer.  The top of the cover is ready.    

Now I cut out two strips that will cover the sides of the ironing board.  I joined the strips and made a casing along one side.

I placed the seam where the two strips were joined at the center, front point of the cover.  With right sides of the printed fabric together, I pinned, then sewed.  I did not complete the back edge of the cover.  The side strips were extra long, so they required adjustment before finishing the side strip and casing.

I turned the edges back so that the two sides just met and finished the casing.  I covered the raw edges at the casing opening with a strip of extra fabric.  I didn't want to see any frayed edges at the casing opening. 

From the top, it's all neat and finished.

I strung a cord through the casing.  You could use elastic, or you could sew a tie using left over fabric to match the cover.  The cover is done, but I decided to do one more thing.  

I picked these up during the '70's.  The stretched out elastic has a suspender clip on each end.  Their purpose was to hold the sides of the cover snug.  I was going to throw them out until I saw that I could pry up the metal tabs that held the elastic in place.  I removed the old elastic and inserted some new pieces.

Good As New

The Underside

I'll have to iron something someday.

Lizards

     I've seen lizards sunning themselves on rocks in California and Mexico, but I've never seen a lizard in New Jersey.  Do we have lizards in New Jersey?  Yes, we do.  I found a colony of them living under the evergreen shrubs at the Mt. Laurel Community Center.   From time to time, I noticed fast moving critters dashing under the bushes when I walked into the center.  At first I thought they were chipmunks.  The other day, I saw several shapes on the sidewalk, so I approached very slowly.  There must have been a population explosion of lizards this year.  I saw at least eight of them in various sizes.  They must have become more comfortable around humans.  As I stood on the sidewalk, they ran back and forth, crossing my path.
     I'm not a fraidy cat when it comes to reptiles.  If it won't bite me, I'll handle a snake or a lizard. I thought the little guys dodging the humans were kind of cute.  I consulted the New Jersey Online Field Guide to learn more about them.
     There are three species of lizard native to New Jersey.  One species is the Northern Fence Lizard.  They prefer to stay on tree trunks, and are only occasionally found on the ground.

Northern Fence Lizard - Spiny and Arboreal 

Another species is the Five-Lined Skink.  They are usually black with a five line pattern running from head to tail.  They like to live in a damp habitat with lots of rotting debris like logs, rock piles, or piles of old boards.

Five-Lined Skink

    
There is another type of skink, the Ground Skink.  They prefer wooded areas and like to live in leaf litter.  They are brown to black in coloration and have a disproportionately long tail - that is, if they have a tail.  If you give them a fright, they might drop their tail.  They have a stripe running down their sides.  I'm pretty sure the Community Center lizards are Ground Skinks.

Ground Skink 

Lizards are active from May through September.  I hope I see them a few more times before they go into hibernation.

Bidding on Bad

       I just read an article about the house where Adolph Hitler was born.  Officials are in a quandary over what to do with it.  The structure, located in Braunau am Inn, Austria is vacant, and the owner is in the tricky situation of finding a use for a building with a notable past.  One camp wants to highlight this past by turning it into a "house of responsibility," a place where people could coordinate social projects.  The other camp wants to close the book on the Hitler connection, and turn the house into a private residence.
http://news.yahoo.com/austrians-debate-baby-hitlers-home-155322216.html
     The story about Hitler's house reminded me of another story about, of all things, Hitler's toilet.  This historic piece of porcelain is still in use at Greg's Auto Repair located in Florence, New Jersey.  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/22714  Anything belonging to Hitler causes a stir. His golden gun and his Swastika ring were taken as souvenirs by an American soldier named Ray Bily.  Mr. Bily kept these treasures in a bank vault for years.  Eventually, he sold the gun to the Military Academy at West Point.    http://www.editinternational.com/read.php?id=47a882ad5592a  The Fuehrer's desk went up for sale in May 2012.  http://www.bornrich.com/adolf-hitlers-desk-set-sale-nazi-military-memorabilia.html  A place called Snyder's Treasures advertises Nazi collectibles that include some of the artwork painted by Hitler.  http://www.snyderstreasures.com/   Besides inanimate objects, the dastardly dictator might have left behind an illegitimate son.  Jean-Marie Loret was born in 1918 and he died in 1985.  He wrote a book in 1981 titled Your Father's Name Was Hitler.  Mr. Loret's children might be entitled to the royalties that still pour in today from sales of Hitler's Mein Kampf.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9088865/Hitler-had-son-with-French-teen.html
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/did-hitler-have-a-secret-son-evidence-supports-alleged-sons-claims/
     Many people object to collectors and auctioneers (and grandchildren) profiting on the sale of items belonging to a demon.  Let's face it.  The Devil's pitchfork would fetch at fine price at Sotheby's.  Whether the individual is famous or infamous, there is somebody out there who wants their stuff.  I wouldn't touch Hitler's handkerchief with a ten foot pole; but oh, what I wouldn't give for a set of George Washington's false teeth.        

Onesies®

     My friend's daughter is having her first baby.  That's all I needed to hear.  I decided to embellish some Onesies®.  The mom-to-be is a Pennsylvanian.  She and her husband live in the state of Washington now.  New Jersey is dear to the couple's hearts because they became engaged in Ocean City.  Onesies® come in a three pack, so I decided to applique each garment with the shape of one of these states.
     I bought white Onesies® since I don't know the baby's sex.  Next, I shopped for fabric to make the appliques.  These colors also had to be generic.  I got a blue print that looked like flowing water.  It represents the ocean at the shore.  I appliqued it with sand colored thread.  I found a yellow, black, and grey print that made me think of arches.  Pennsylvania is the Keystone State.  The third fabric was brick red with an apple design - Washington apples, of course.

Sand and Surf

Arches?

  

   

Apples

     I'm no artist, so I went to Google Images to find outlines of the states.  After adjusting the size, I printed the shapes and cut them out.  I pinned my paper patterns to the fabric and to some fusible webbing, Pellon Wonder-Web®.  The webbing is the glue that holds the applique to the Onesie®.  I layered the Onesie® on the bottom, the webbing in the middle, and the applique on top.  I covered it all with a damp white rag and pressed with a steam iron (wool setting) for ten seconds.  The Pellon product worked, but it would have been a little easier if I used a paper backed webbing.  This video demonstrates how to use the paper backed product:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1OahzmtM50

Here's how I did it:

These are the paper patterns

Place the fabric cut-out on top of the webbing, then place these two pieces on the front of the Onesie®.

I inserted a piece of white paper into the Onesie® just in case the glue penetrated the fabric.  The paper prevented the front and back of the garment from sticking together.

The last step was to sew around the edges of the applique.  If you don't have an applique stitch on your machine, a zig-zag stitch works just fine.  Be sure to  put some paper under your fabric.  You can use the same paper from the pressing step.  The paper ensures the knit fabric will go through the sewing machine without stretching or catching.  The paper pulls off easily when you are done.  Any little pieces remaining will dissolve in the wash.

These things are too stinking cute!