Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Valentino Day August 23, 2016

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebration Valentino Day

Valentino Day commemorates the death of Rudolph Valentino (or Rudolfo Alfonzo Raffaelo Piero Filibert Guglielmi De Valentina D’Antonguolla), 1920’s film star of The Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseThe SheikBlood and SandThe Eagle and Son of the Sheik.



Word of the Day

odium 


Definition:(noun) Strong dislike, contempt, or aversion.
Synonyms:abhorrencedetestationexecrationloathingabomination
Usage:He rather deserved the odium which he had incurred.

thanks, cher, for all the memories.
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Idiom of the Day

grind (someone's) gears 

  To greatly or specifically irritate or annoy someone.


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History

Gene Kelly (1912)

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Kelly was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and movie director. After training at his mother's dance school in Pittsburgh, he moved to New York in 1938 and danced in Broadway musicals. His athletic style later became a hallmark of the movie musical. His most famous performance came in Singin' in the Rain, which he also helped choreograph and direct. His achievements earned him a special Academy Award in 1952

Vulcanalia

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Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of volcanic or destructive fire. The Vulcanalia, or festival in honor of Vulcan, was held on August 23, right at the time of year when forest fires might be expected and when the stored grain was in danger of burning. For this reason, Vulcan's cult was very prominent at Ostia, where Rome's grain was stored. At the Vulcanalia, which was observed in Egypt, in Athens, and in Rome, the priest or flamen Volcan is performed a sacrifice, and the heads of families burned small fish they had caught in the Tiber River

Surprising Find at the Smithsonian: An Ancient Dolphin Skull

Sometimes, the most fascinating scientific discoveries happen not out in the field, but in dusty archives and museum boxes.
READ MORE:


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1838 - The first class graduated from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, MA. It was one of the first colleges for women. 

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1892 - The printed streetcar transfer was patented by John H. Stedman. 

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1902 - Fannie Merrit Farmer opened her cooking school, Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery, in Boston, MA.

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1904 - Hard D. Weed patented the grip-tread tire chain for cars. 

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1959 - In the Peanuts comic strip, Sally debuted as an infant. 

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1979 - Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defected while the Bolshoi Ballet was on tour in New York City

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1984 - South Fork Ranch, the home of the fictitious Ewing clan of the CBS-TV show, "Dallas," was sold. The ranch was to be transformed from a tourist site into a hotel. 

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2000 - Richard Hatch was revealed as the winning castaway on CBS' "Survivor." Hatch won $1,000,000 for his stay on the island of Pulau Tida in the South China Sea. 


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DAILY SQU-EEK




If You Were Born Today, August 23
Your mind is sharp and you love to talk! You may grow into this quality–beginning life as a quiet child and, over the years, you discover your voice. An interesting conversationalist, you are appreciated for both your sense of humor and sense of fun. Your creativity is strong, although you are often more of an "idea person". You believe in your dreams, and you are more than willing to put effort into materializing them. In love, you easily attract others to you, but you can experience your share of ups and downs in your relationships. Part of the reason for this is a strong idealistic streak. You are generous and warm-hearted with your lovers, and you are willing to bend over backwards for them. However, your expectations in love may be high. Famous people born today: Barbara Eden, Gene Kelly, River Phoenix, Shelley Long, Kobe Bryant, Ray Park, Scott Kaan, Rick Springfield.


Pictures of the day

Coventry Cathedral

The interior of Coventry Cathedral, an Anglican church located in CoventryWest Midlands, England. This Modernist structure was designed by Basil Spence and built between 1956 and 1962 to replace a 14th-century Gothic church which had been destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. This cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry.

Picture of the Day: Over 242 Million Years Old
Partial skeleton fossil of an animal that lived 242–247.2 million years ago, discovered in Guizhou, China

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pantie hose totally changed my life when they came out. no garter belt .. yippy!
knit

knit

knit

knit

knit
Img_2190_small2


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i grew up with my 2nd father's (lenny) baby shoes on his parents' shelf in 
their living room! he was a remarkable person .. mmm

crochet

crochet

crochet

crochet

crochet
Flower Afghan Motif

Carriage size flower afghan


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i had a massive collection of rock and roll 45s. my older cousin taught me how to
dance. she had been on 'american bandstand.' i thought her a star!

RECIPE
Sesame-Crusted Salmon

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i always wonder why i gave up my 'perfect' telephone. 

CROCKPOT RECIPE



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my mother was the oldest 'girl' in the family. i remember that all the females
would gather in the bathroom to watch my mother put on her make up. it was only 
years later that we all realized that every single one of us put on the same 
exact make up my mother did (recall the 'cat's eye?")

SWEETS
Bread Pudding With Peaches & Pecans


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i recall always being in awe as i stood in front of the 
library's index file.

ADULT COLORING

Freebie: Garden Gate Coloring Page
garden gate


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see this pic? although my table is far more (hehehe) attractive (red and white),
i have exactly this in my dining room (i love kitsch)

CRAFTS


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my mother's scent, 1950s.

CHILDREN'S CORNER ...
CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCES? (10)

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how many boxes of these have i bought over the years?
of course, only used for the first few pages, then it was boring to do! lol

PUZZLE




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this is the game i played. however, my mother told me that her family would eat turkey and save the spine bones, dry them, paint them, and then play jacks with them. 1930's
QUOTE
It looks like the future's really bright. - Michael P. Anderson



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i collect 'kitsch' so i have one of these collecting dust!

A bizarre armored spider, Electroblemma bifida, was recently discovered in a piece of 99-million-year-old amber—it sported horned fangs! Submitted by Nate Westbury -------------------- After compulsively pulling her hair out and eating it for over six years, Sophie Cox, of Gloucestershire, England, had a 14-pound hairball removed from her stomach! -------------------- Bardsey Island, Wales, is home to just four living residents—but 20,000 graves!


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before i knew knitting, i knew this! lol
CLEVER

Get rid of stubborn carpet stains with an iron and vinegar.

No need to buy pricey carpet stain removers—just spray the stain with 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water, lay a damp towel over the spot, and iron on the steam setting for 30 seconds. You may need to repeat the steps if the stain is really stubborn.

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EYE OPENER
thanks, helen

CYNTHIA, BLIND, CRAFTING

After writing about my plans for a new community project, I received an email which simply said "I am a blind crafter - would my story be of interest and of help to encourage other visually impaired people ?". Of course I immediately wanted to know more, so I got in touch and asked Cynthia to tell us about her crafting, how she manages to knit when she can't see the stitches, and what it all means to her. This is what she had to say... 

"My name is Cynthia Easeman (71) and I have a guide dog called Olivia who is 8 years old. I am a blind crafter. No sight in my left eye and shapes and colours in my right with not much detail. I have been knitting since my grandmother taught me when I was about 7, as we listened to the radio. My first project then was a scarf which I seem to remember every row took me half an hour, we then went on to dolls clothes.

Me and Olivia
My eyesight has been a problem since birth, especially in my left eye but it has worsened in my right eye as the years went on, due to cornea scaring, uveitis, glaucoma etc. Worsening until I knew I needed to admit I needed help and was registered severely sight impaired. During all this time I used coping strategies and early on did a part time adult education teaching certificate in crafts, majoring in macrame and crochet. This proved to be useful in not only teaching but the social side as well, one lady who had a baby who died at birth came along to the classes and despite that being over 40 years ago, moving away from each other, we are still friends. Coming to these classes saved her sanity.

When my husband and I moved to Hunstanton, I opened a craft shop, very successful for 8 years and we taught there mostly paper crafts. My daughter in law helped me design some metallic prick and stitch card kits and I appeared on Create and Craft TV, with Alan and Barry for 18 months, which was very enjoyable.

As my eyesight got worse I began to wonder if I could continue crafting, I saw a friend was asking for people to make items for a WW1 film and I asked could I help. It was suggested that I might make a garter stitch muffler and I was given some lovely wool which needed to be washed to make it soft after knitting up. I found I could manage garter stitch by feeling with my fingers and using what sight I had. As this was successful I then went on to making a "Tammy" or beret. Both were used in the film and indeed featured in a WW1 knitting book (Centenary Stitches) and a small article about me and Olivia was included.

From Centenary Stitches by Elizabeth Lovick (Editor)
This spurred me on and I then tried other knitting, a friend needed help with making some Angel baby items, initially I found it very difficult to get the sizing correct and then I found Marianna's Lazy Daisy Days patterns and these have helped immensely. My friend (an Internet friend who I never met)  was killed just before Christmas and so in her memory I run a Facebook charity knitting group, and we support a wide variety of projects, Angel baby clothing, for the homeless, Neo natal, assisting charities with their Christmas parcels something we have become most known for - "memorial sets" which contain the Angel babies name on some hand knitted blankets, teddies, hearts, gown or sleep sac.  

A sample of our memorial sets
The most difficult things I find now is lace or open patterns, I cannot see to unpick when I go wrong and often cannot see when I am going wrong, I have found the "safety line" a thread sewn though every now and again at least makes the unpicking just to that line, although I must admit I try not to do many lace patterns.

I don't beat myself up about my knitting, I know a baby will not worry if there is a stitch or two out of place, they will just be happy to be warm and cosy and the parent will be pleased to know someone out there knits love onto every stitch. The Angel knitting of course brings a little joy at a very sad time and if followed up on the Angelversary then makes it even more special.

I still do crochet as well having made some beautiful little cribs and some bunting for my grandson's birthday. Card making is still on the cards too, rather simpler designs these days but useful when you want that extra special and individual card.


At 'Knit and Natter'
So what I want to say to visually impaired people is please have a go, if you can find a blind knit and natter group that would be good, but if not why not ask a friend to help teach you? Life will have so much more to interest you, keep your fingers moving and give your life a purpose."








1 comment:

  1. Wouldn't it be great to roam the attics at the Smithsonian? I'm sure there are many hidden treasures:)

    ReplyDelete