Thinking...oh no!

I have a few things to say about the next weeks and what the current president has in store for us. And how difficult President Obama's job will be in turning all of the bad things the Bush administration has left him with around. I'm happy about the change in administration but realistic about my expectations for change. It's not going to be as easy as just stating intentions in a campaign speech.
In Bush's last 70 or so days in office, he plans to do the following damage...
#1. Make it legal for health care workers to deny birth control on personal religious beliefs.
#2. Gut a huge portion of the endangered species act.
#3. Block new worker safety standards.
That's just a few things on their plate! The Bush administration is the most insidious our country has ever endured. And they've only stayed in office because of all the cheating the Republicans have been able to get away with in both the 2000 & 2004 elections. They have committed numerous impeachable offenses & criminal offenses as well! I am galled by the fact that Clinton was impeached over a personal indiscretion but these people will probably get away with real harm!

Not only that but Bush will be able to place his evil plans into action without veto from congress because Congress did not pass their budget for 2008 and so are unable to use their power.

Anyway! I AM thrilled, I really like Obama, I think he is a good person really dedicated to public service: But I believe it's even more important to become vigilant now and hold Obama to his promises, and be watchful of the inevitable schemes the people who control George Bush will cook up to attempt to reinstate their power. My personal theory is that the Republicans pretty much knew they didn't have a chance of winning the election and they used McCain as a puppet to bring Sarah Palin, previously unknown, to national attention as a future puppet and poster child of the religious right.

One of the most important things the American public can do is to become as educated as possible about the issues and to consider the sources we obtain news and information from. If we listen to news from sources that are funded by corporate interests then guess what? That will slant they way they bring us information. It is a difficult job but CONSIDER THE SOURCE kids!!!! Here is a great source that I love and guess what? You can listen online! It is publicly funded radio Pacifica Network! I listen to KPFK 90.7 in Los Angeles, there is KPFA in San Francisco. I don't know all their stations but here is a link....
http://www.kpfk.org/
http://www.pacifica.org/
and a particularly good show Democracy Now!!
http://www.pacifica.org/program-guide/op,program-page/station_id,4/program_id,4/

I think I like yarn best!

Is that weird? I think I like it all coiled up and just nothing useful really! Ok not always but here is the mermaid yarn knitted up into a scarf...

Mermaid yarn finished

Well the first skein anyway...

I kinda like it...

Riley likes it too....

why?

I don't understand why prop 8 passed...It's the proposition to change the California constitution to ban same sex marriage. How can this happen in our state which is so progressive? People were so motivated to get out and vote for Obama which was great, but I wonder sometimes if the fact that we are 3 hours behind the east coast affects our attendance at the polls. After all, I left the rec center, a polling place, where I teach dance at 8pm last night, when the polls were closing, by the time I got home 15 minutes later the news was announcing that McCain had ceded the election. They hadn't even started counting the west coast when that announcement came through! And much earlier, before I went out to teach it was already being said on CNN that even if McCain won the middle of the country there was no way he would win.

What is the lesson here? And why do we have to have a lesson? I feel that I could have done more than have a sign in my yard saying NO on 8...I wish that I had helped out by making calls or something like that. The other night when there was a BIG yes on 8 protest near my home and there was one lady standing on the corner by herself with a NO sign, I stayed home and cooked dinner, because Riley was hungry...was it the right thing to do? Should I have given her a sandwich and gone to stand with the lady? Did the liberals not come out to vote because the BIG issue had already been settled?

And the issue here is not whether you are heterosexual or homosexual but do you believe in separation of church and state? And do you think that issue is important enough to stand up for? I do. This morning as looked at the election results for propositions around the country I saw there were so many issues motivated by people's personal religious beliefs. I totally believe in freedom of religion, but those beliefs are a PERSONAL matter NOT a government matter. And there is a major irony here, the same people who say they want government out of their personal lives are the same ones saying they want laws passed protecting their religious beliefs.

This is just another form of bigotry!

Mostly I feel really sad for two beautiful kind & funny women friends of mine who just 4 weeks ago told a group of us the story over dinner of how they went out the first day that they could to get married. They are such a sweet and loving couple, how is it a threat to anyone else that they are allowed to be married? HOW?

This is one of the best days ever!!!

I'm so thrilled that Obama has won! Now for the hard work! How can things be turned around for the positive in this country? There is such a wake of damage, it's hard to imagine. But I know we all feel so energized by this! I feel it's more important now than ever to be active and vigilant. Listen to good information, read a lot, speak out for social justice. I don't know what I'm going to do but I know I want to do something in the coming years to help.

For now! Crack open the champagne! YAY!!!

Etsy shop updated

I added some new little yarns on my Etsy shop...I will be adding more yarns with more yardage, but these are just little tasty bits of yarn for now.
I'm slow, very very slow! Like a snail, but I want to clean out the craft room and there are tons of more goodies in there waiting to see the light of day!
Here are some samples...
go to etsy to see more schtuffff.....

Mermaid yarn

I haven't been posting much and it's sad all through Halloween and the cute pictures I could have had! : ( It is all because I broke my camera! That is usually what happens when it gets flung across the driveway (accident). Really I should try it on my cell phone because I really need a new one!

Anyway Robert bought me a new camera yesterday and I am working on this turquiose yarn which was inspired by another spinner from Ravelry, Indigonightowl. She has some incredible yarns and I was drawn to one called Africa yarn here is a link to it...
http://www.ravelry.com/people/indigonightowl/stash/africa-yarn

The yarn consists of a thick & thin wool that is plied with linen thread that has been strung with beads.

So with that as my jumping point I am working on my Mermaid yarn. The wool is from Louet unfortunately I didn't have my camera so I didn't snap a picture of it in it's pre spun roving form, but here it is spun up and patiently waiting on bobbins...

In the basket you can see the silk hankies that I had dyed up a few years ago and have been hiding in my stash. Instead of the commercial linen I'm spinning up the silk hankies. I am trying to use as many materials that are already living in my stash of goodies in the interest of thriftiness and to justify my hoarding tendencies.

here are some pictures snapped by Robert of me doing the spinning...