Friday Posting

GR&DF thank you all for your kind words and support for my ongoing - hair ripping problem!!! And let me tell you there ain't much hair to rip!!! I am now sure that the balcony will not be finished by the end of August - today is the last day of the month. The worker types do not EVER show on Fridays - I guess there is just too much beer out there.... I did notice yesterday when we got home that they had attached the underneath covering - so that is another minuscule step forward. Now I am anticipating the painting/staining of all the wood that was replaced - not just the balcony but all around the sliding door there is new exposed wood. If they don't do something about sealing the wood by next spring it will be all warped and moss covered - I guess we shall see what we shall see.

I worked a little bit on Sail Away last night. I also started the Fall Needle roll Exchange piece. So there are not snaps this morning. :(

The flicker last night was the first two parts of a TV mini series called "Napoleon" - 2002 - starring - Christian Clavier as Napoleon, Isabella Rosellini as Josephine de Beauharnais, Gerard Depardieu as Fouche and John Malkovich as Talleyrand. This mini series is very good and easy to follow even if you have no knowledge of Napoleons life. The production is top notch and they went to great lengths to get the look of the film correct - costumes and sets are gorgeous and authentic to place and period. There are two more discs to come but if they are anything like this one it will be well worth the time put into watching the whole thing. For those who like history or the early 19th century I would highly recommend this series.

Keeping it short today, have a great weekend.
Thanks for stopping by!!

Take care,
edgar

Will there ever be a balcony

GR&DF yesterday brought more balcony issues - as you know our balcony was removed back in February - yes February - 7 or so months ago. From the 2nd week of February up to about 3 weeks ago our sliding glass door was sealed and 2/3rds boarded over in a crappy condemned building kind of way. 3 weeks ago the door was uncovered and finally the property owners were getting to our balcony replacement. Now, we had been promised that it would be done and finished by the end of the second week of August - I, of course knew better and said at the time "I'll believe it when I see it!!" Of course the 14th of the month came and went and it wasn't completed. Yesterday we come home to our new and improved balcony railing in pieces all over the parking lot - not only were they going in the opposite direction about getting this project done but had actually broken up the new railings. By about 6 pm the railings where soldered back together, screwed onto the building and sprayed black - but that just puts us back to where we where on the 17th..... I would bet money its another month before they say we can use the damn thing again!!!! Bitter, table for one!!!!

Stitching last night was again on TiTD - I know I should have been working on the Sail Away piece but I wanted to finish up the house. Here is a snap of the finished house and what could possibly pass a a black pidge.....

I will start up the next section on Sail Away tonight. I don't want to get to behind.

Yesterday was Farmers Market Day and I have a couple of snaps of
the bounty that was out -

There was a ton of eggplants out - I passed on all of them - as Rico wont eat them and I only like them in a couple of very specific dishes - oh well - they were spectacular in color and volume. Here is another snap -


Aren't these some gorgeous peppers!! They were piles of them in many of the booths. My shopping was confined to my usual things, nectarines, tomatoes, string beans, Brussels sprouts - and of course a bag of the salty sweet crack we know fondly as Kettle Korn!! I also got a dozen lovely brown eggs from the new egg vendor. I cooked up some and made egg salad last night. So today I have egg salad for lunch - How bazaar is that piece of information!! :)

The flick last night I wanted to mention was a TV adaptation of "Great Expectations" - 1974 - starring Michael York as the adult Pip and Sarah Miles, James Mason, Robert Morley and Anthony Quayle. A very low key version of the Dickens novel. It was an adequate version but far from spectacular - for spectacular I would look to the David Lean version of the same title done in 1946. The 46 version is so far superior in acting, photography and adaptation it is almost a different story. But, as always these are just my humble opinions - if you like Dickens stick to the 46 version.

There you go sports fans!! Thank you for stopping by and for the kind comments yesterday!!!

Take care,
edgar

Some Cakes a House and a Fox

GR&DF here we are again at mid week, and not only is it
Farmers Market Day but it is only 2 more days to the weekend!! :)

On the way home yesterday we stopped off at the store
and I just couldn't pass up these beauties-

I think that Madeleines are just about the best cookie/cake around!!
Just a delicious bite of lite pound cake. One of my favorite things.

Last nights stitching was my working on TiTD -
getting bit done on the house and here is a snap of that progress -


I am really enjoying this sampler very much. I am thinking I always want to have some kind of traditional sampler going all the time - and I have quite a few in the stash pile. The next one I think I will stitch was sent to me by a dear reader of this blog - It is called Hetty Child and is one I have been wanting to do for a long time - I am not going to stitch it in the recommended DMC floss' but in Bell Soie silks - and now I am trying to figure out which colours to use and substitute. Since there is only 7 colours in all it will not be too much trouble.

The 3rd Round of the Prairie Schooler Exchange piece has reached my partner - Nicola.
Here is a snap of the Pyn Keepe I stitched up for her -

This is called Fox and Grapes and has been in my stash for a long time. I used DMC floss but not the recommended colours as they were a bit off - or at least I thought so - the biggest change was the house colour - It is charted out in an off white - I did not like that so now it is light blue. I have wanted to do this for such a long time and this was the perfect opportunity.

Last night was a double feature DVD evening - starting off with "Hocus Pocus" - 1993 - starring Bette Midler, Kathy Nijimi and Sarah Jessica Parker. I have loved this film for years and seen it many, many times. I know it has its detractors and nay sayers but I think they forget a few things.... first off - it is Disney, secondly it is for kids and it is not to be taken seriously or be historically correct by any stretch of the imagination!!! It is a fun, clever Halloween Flick that is lots of fun - and I totally recommend seeing it !! The second flick of the evening was "Canterbury Tale" - 1944 - from the film making team of Powell/Pressburger - A wonderful look at England on the eve of D-Day - using the stories of three very different characters to propel the movie froward - it is not a love story - yet all three have unhappy loves in their lives - it is not a typical mystery - yet there is a mysterious figure and situation. Beautifully filmed in and around Canterbury and the Cathedral - at a little over 2 hours this slow paced film moves along at a very nice pace telling its own story.

There you go sports fans!! Thanks for dropping by!!

Take care,
edgar

Giving Away a "Rare Treasure"

What a wonderful way to start off.
This beautiful sampler "Rare Treasures" is a first in what I hope is a huge collection -

Click here to enter in the drawing. Congratulations Jan on a super beginning!!!!!

Tuesday Posting

GR&&DF - Thank you so much for your very kind and supportive comments!! I am far from a hero regarding Baby Pidge - I think anyone would and could change the course of events that were playing out in BP's life.

Each one of us, I believe, have to make 100's of decisions during our lives - be they big or small - and we can choose when making those decisions to make our little parts of the world better or not - I try to make things better where I can. I didn't even tell you that I am such a sucker for that baby pidge and her trauma - and I thought the mama would abandoned her - I went a ground up a piece of bread and poured it at one end pf the box. It got eaten by someone - probably one of the first BP's since they are still hanging around - I don't think it was the new baby - as I still see Stink Eye sort of hacking up tasty bits from here nether regions. When I looked in yesterday the bread crumbs where all gone. I immediately went and ground up another slice of bread. When I tried to slowly slide the window open - the baby pidge started peeping and a hopping around and then swoop.... in came the Mama Stink Eye just a flapping and flying around - I never even saw her until then - there is gratitude for you. I closed the window and have just left the family alone. In the comments it was mentioned about the pidge poops - I tell you, if the car didn't have at least one plop on it somewhere all the time it would be a miracle!!

Carol mentioned the gingerbread house mold and recipe - I found a copy of it online here. I think I might just try out this recipe some time over the holidays as it seems very easy and straight forward.

I really didn't do much stitching last night - I finished up an exchange piece.
So there are no snaps at all in today's posting. :(

I did see quite a few movies over the weekend. A couple of WWII flickers where especially good. The first was "Back to Bataan" - 1945 - starring John Wayne, Anthony Quinn and Beulah Bondi. A really good film about the Philippine resistance during the Japanese occupation. This was John Wayne's first war film and he and Beulah are superb in their rolls. I totally enjoy Beulah every time I see her. She is best know for her roll as Ma Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life", 1946. Don't get me started on "Wonderful Life" as it is one of my favorite top 10 movies of all time!! The second war flicker was "Across the Pacific" - 1942 - starring Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Mary Astor. This companion piece to the "Maltese Falcon" is a total war propaganda film that takes place of the eve of Pearl Harbor but in the Panama Canal Zone and not Hawaii. I had never heard of this film and really enjoyed it. Although not quite up to the "Maltese Falcon" it is very good at the espionage and spy thing. The last film I will mention is "The Reluctant Debutant" - 1958 - starring Rex Harrison, Kay Kendell, Angela Landsbury and Sandra Dee. A really fun film directed by Vincente Minnelli. Rex and Kay are delightful to watch as they move through the "problems" of the London Season and launching Sandra Dee into society.

There you sports fans!! - Thank you for stopping by!!

Take care,
edgar

The Last Week of August begins...

Another fun weekend is over and here we are at the end of August - can you believe that summer is over and the best part of the year is almost here!! The Fall of the year is my favorite time of the year followed closely by Winter. Living here is this micro climate year round without much change in the weather it often feels wintry or fallish most of the time - and with the fog rolling in all summer long I forget that there are temps reaching into the 100's just 30 mins from the city - when I think of those roasting in the San Joachim Valley I thank my lucky stars I am here wearing shivering in a sweatshirt.

This weekend started off on a high note with dinner on Friday evening.... we ordered a pizza from one of our favorite places - Haystack Pizza -

Not only is this place about 2 mins from our house but they deliver!! Which means I don't have to take off my slippers or go out into the cold dark night!! This is what we usually order - the Haystack - and it was very tasty. Usually ordering on a Friday night it can take an hour or more to get a pizza from here but this one got to us in about 25 mins - I guess we hit it just right!!!

On Saturday we did our usual thing and ran around to the estate and garage sales - and here is my haul for the week end - will I never learn!! :)


As you can see it was a kitchen heavy collection this week - starting in the top left - I acquired a Pampered Chef Gingerbread House mold, a Blue Willow tray, a push potato masher, a fluted pastry wheel/ravioli cutter, a couple of tea diffusers, 3 Indian tree plates - a commemorative mug from 1969 when Prince Charles was made Prince of Wales, a cute little angle with a trumpet, a few little Christmas ornies - a Dr Seuss Book - leaning against the Blue Willow tray is a copy of a 10th Century Ivory Plaque - German - of "Christ in Majesty" - the original is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Not too bad for not much cash. We spent the whole day out running around eventually we ended up in the mission so we stopped at Los Jallitos for a delicious lunch.

On Sunday morning we did our usual running around which includes a visit to the grocery store, gassing up the car and running the car through the car wash (at someone else's insistence as I could care less if the car ever got washed and think it is a waste of time, water and money - but I wont bitch and be bitter :) )

When we got home we checked on the last baby pidge since the mama stink eye and the two older babies where off some where pooping on something. Looking into the flower box we saw it was empty - now this baby is way to young to fly off since she still has her pin feathers and is fat but small - then all we could think of was she had fallen out..... I ran in the house and grabbed a big wire bamboo strainer thing and then downstairs to see if I could find her. She was cowering in the corner scared all to pieces. I slowly came up and she started flapping and peeping and running around .... so there I was chasing this crazy flapping peeping baby pidge around in the yard below our apartment. Eventually after trying to grab/trap/contain this frightened little bundle of feathers I got her cornered and picked her up and got her back into the box. She snuggled up tight against the box and seemed fine. Before I went off to bed I checked and the three other pidges where back and all crammed into the box - so all is well with the pidge family.

I did get some stitched on TiTD - here is a snap -

It is coming along just fine - It is a really nice stitch - sorry the picture is such crap - but it was late when I took the picture and the light was super bad.

I will leave off with the sampler for today - Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Take care,
edgar

Sweet Stitching and Summer Treats

GR&DF - Once again the week is ending and we are looking at two blissful days of "numb butt." Maybe not two days but at least a portion will be NB'd.

The first part of the title for today's post is in reference to the Sail Away SAL - I finished up the third part last night - and the piece is so delicately coloured that it reminds me of pale Easter candy for some reason - It has a spring feel to it - Here is a snap of where it stands now -

The flash just blasted it and even with some basic manipulation on the computer it is a bit washed looking. Yesterday Glenna commented about how she thought the SB people where all little men - I thought exactly the same thing but this little figure is wearing a petticoat so the gender is pretty well set at female - I know - living here in the Bay area a petticoat means nothing - Drag comes to mind quickly - but I am sure it is a little lady waiting for her sailor to return from the sea. I am not sure about the telescope - this is the second one I have stitched as I pulled the first one I stitched here out - it was really crappy and looked more like a billy club than a telescope, but am I happy with this second one or not??? You can also tell that I pulled out and restitched the big fish in a darker piece of the olive colour.... I may do that in other places, just choose a darker section of the over dyed silk to stitch with or eve substitute when the colours just fade away... the anchor comes to mind instantly......

The second part of the title is a reference to something we picked up on the way home yesterday. We stopped for a summery treat at Mitchell's Ice Cream
- picking up a 1/2 gallon of Peach deliciousness -


- growing up I can remember making peach ice cream all the time - Peach ice cream always conjures the summer in my mind - it is one of my favorite flavours - it is also one of the seasonal flavours at Mitchell's, they only have it June through October. Mitchell's is pretty famous here in the Bay area and there are usually lines out the door for blocks - but the wait time yesterday was only about 5 mins.

The flicker for last night was "Hell to Eternity" - 1960 - This is the true story of Guy Gabaldon (1926-2006) "The Pied Piper of Saipan." A really good film about a Latino boy fostered by a Japanese family. Guy became one of the family attending Japanese Language classes and learing the Language. After Pearl Harbor his foster family was interned at Manzanar Relocation Camp - he joined the Marine Corps. This movie was very brutal for 1960 and was probably right on the edge of what could be shown and gotten past the censors at the time, but is pretty tame by today's standards of gore. I would highly recommend this flick for the history alone, but it is a good and believable picture - Guy was a consultant on the picture which made a difference. The DVD copy was pretty good and very watchable.

There you go sports fans - Have a great weekend!!! Thank you all for the kind comments - warm words for a cold a foggy Friday!!!

Take care,
edgar

A Post with Many Snaps - Wednesday was a full Day!!

GR&DF where to begin...... well, yesterday was the weekly farmers market and I trotted on over there and got my usual - onions, tomatoes, kettle korn, nectarines...I also picked up some pistachios and cucumbers - I got a couple of pretty snaps - this first one is of the larger of the two flower sellers.....

The colours of the flowers are becoming a more fall palette - and I thought this was a nice snap. The second picture is also because I liked the composition and it was pretty...


The peppers were so nice they almost look fake. I also noticed an egg seller has joined the ranks of farmers - I think next week I need to get some farm fresh brown eggs. Sometimes there is music and yesterday there was this group playing...

They had lots of flute type tunes and it was very nice and added to the mix of the visit for me.

The mails brought a bounty of wonderfulness - starting off with Margaret's package - I won her 200th posting Give Away - and I must say - it was a super package to receive!!!!


It was beautifully wrapped as you can see - lovely fabric for finishing and a gorgeous ribbon for an extra special package in the future. Here is a snap of what was it contained -

Starting in the lower left - there is a lovely piece of linen and some NPI silks - some delicious chocolates and a super notebook with a piece of Margret's stitching on the cover - what a great finish!! I see this finish in my future.... :) Thank you so much Margaret!!!!!

The mail also brought back home my Halloween RR piece from Carol. She was the last stitcher on my piece and what a great job she did (as always!!!) Here is a snap -


Carol stitched the skeleton in the grave from BOAF's "Remember Me on Halloween." How perfect was this choice!! I couldn't have asked for anything better - I am so very grateful everyone that stitched on my piece - and all I can say is THANK YOU!!!! I loved doing this Holiday themed RR. I am still planning to go back and add another tree, and some more pumpkins, leaves and other bits to fill in around the motifs everyone has stitched.

My stitchity evening was filled with the "Sail Away" SAL - here is a snap of the bits I got to last night.

I got the wreath done and all the white on the little lady - I will finish her up tonight. This piece is such a great stitch - so even and calm - I am really happy to be doing it as a SAL.

The flickers for the evening where both based in real life - the first was "The Fighting Sullivans" - 1944 - about the lives of 5 very close brothers growing up together - then enlisting in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor. They all served together on the USS Juneau and all perished with a day or so of the ship being sunk during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. This was a nice movie but a tear jerker - the print that was used to make the DVD sort of sucked in places but what can one do. The second flicker was another WWII film called "The Colditz Story" - 1955 - this is a film about a castle called Colditz that is used a "escape proof" POW camp. There a various nationalities incarcerated in the camp and they are all trying to break out. Very entertaining and some great photography. I enjoyed both flicks very much, but you know how I like my WWII films!!

There you go - I have bent your ear enough today I think!! Thank you all for stopping by - do come again!

Take care,
edgar

Wednesday go to Market

GR&DF - once again you brighten my day with your kind comments!!! I do thank you for your indulgence of my dip into the cup that is insanity -
but you just have to break loose every now and then. :)

Today is the Farmers Market - which means farm fresh veggies and fruits and I was told this morning to get some more Kettle Korn - so I better not come home without a bag!!

Not too much going on yesterday -
a visit to Trader Joe's last night and dinner a la Micky Dee's - so quick, so easy.

The flicker for the evening was a big star studded "drama" - "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" - 2004 - starring Kathy Bates, Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, F Murray Abraham, Geraldine Chaplin - a beautifully photographed and gorgeously costumed film - I think it fell far short of where it could have gone. It was very slow paced, I think building to the climax that was more fizzle than pop. The narrator was Gabriel Byrne as a Jesuit Priest investigating a rope bridge accident - I can't say too much as anything said would end up being a spoiler. I will say that for a rainy afternoons viewing or just to see Kathy Bates in this film it is worth the trouble. I enjoyed it but would not go out of my way to see it again.

I also worked on TiTD - again on the lawn - here is a pretty boring snap -


That lump is where the tree will sprout. Tonight I will probably start on part three of Sail Away, but then again I may just finish out the lawn on TiTD - who knows what the mood will be in 12 hours....... such mystery.

There you go sports fans - a shortish post today -
Thank you again for the kind comments and stopping by!

Take care,
edgar

And we have a winner....

...but first there must be the ceremony of the BOD - (bowl of Destiny) - an icy - sparkly - miracle of light and fire - yet no chihuahua was harmed whilst dancing....... the fog clears and out from the mist come our sniffing Who-Hounds. Around and around they go....... then into the bowl for the decision......

...yet they were hesitant - and why we ask????? no thumbs - silly - so from the misty nether regions comes forth a hags claw - from whence did this horror occur? Yet into the sparkle and fire dipped the claw..... pulling forth.... a paper on which a single name has been scibbled. The mysterious HC (hag claw) doth present the winner -


We must now leave the worn and slumbering chi's....

Her Highness - The Peach - and we hear her catch phrase -
"Scratch my butt fool - don't just stand there!!"
and

His Imperial Snackasaurusness - Pete - while lolling about he thinks upon which item he must wet before sleep comes - or - in other circles - he is wont to utter "That better be a piece of ham, or there'll be trouble!!"

and we must thank the claw - Merci!!!

The flicker for the evening "Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning" - 2007 - the title in the USA - Released elsewhere as "Emotional Arithmetic" - a Canadian film that is full of beautiful crane shots and vistas. Starring Susan Sarandon, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer and Gabriel Byrne. A film about a reunion of deportation camp survivors and the residual emotional baggage each carries after 35 years. Not a happy film - but a thought provoking piece about a noy so nice piece of WWII history with a story line that plods along at a steady clip clop.

I worked a bit on TitD -

Getting the grass in.

There you go sports fans that wraps up another blog-babble. - Into the mail this morning goes my PS Round 3 - that should take a week or so to reach its new home overseas. Thank you for stopping by and for entering my little Give-a-way - there will another soon.

Take care -
edgar

After a Lazy weekend....

..... should one be able to think or not???? GF&DR - both new and old
- welcome once again to my corner of blogland.

The weekend here in San Francisco was glorious - low 70's bright and sunny - no fog, no rain, no earthquakes (or at least none I could feel) :) - the little ones happen all the time but you never REALLY feel them!!

Saturday followed our usual pattern with the running around to different sales - We usually drive over to Dale's - he lives out in the Sunset district- and then hop in his jeep to tool around the city. Well, he had the top down on the jeep and it was so beautiful - needless to say that with the top down the four hairs on my head hardly protected my pate!! So here I am with red face/and scalp - can't wait for it to peel - how loeverly will that be!!! I really only thought about it for a second during the day as it is totally fun riding up and down the hills with the wind blowing and the sun shining.

One of the highlights of the day was visiting the 26th annual Alamo Square Yard sale - Once a Year the Alamo Square Home Owners Association has a yard sale around the square. Now you think, I don't know where that is in SF - but you really do - as one of the iconic snaps of the city happens there - you recognize this.......


I took this snap form the top of the square looking out to downtown with the painted ladies in the front - and without any people - this grassy area was just packed with folks - so I was lucky. We used to live on this square and walked the hounds in the park all the time - before moving to Noe Valley. Here is a snap of one of the attendees...

Her name is Jackie O. and isn't she a darling!! Here is a snap of the crowds.....

There were about a gazillin people and not many bargains. So we walked around and left to go have some lunch.

My estate/ garage sale haul for the day were these things....

I think the deal of the day was from a yard sale - and is the really cute Peter Rabbit Cookie jar I picked up for $3. I probably spent less than $10 for everything - The little tea pot - from a child's set I think - is really super and I think pretty old. The two DVD's I didn't have and wanted. We did pretty well over all - Dale got some really great deals on some pretty rare McCoy pieces - but it was just fun running around as always!!!

On the stitching front - Terri made a fob for the Sail Away SAL and I got mine in Friday's mail -

Isn't it great - I have hooked it to one of my favorite Dovo's. I just love the turtle on the end!! Thank you so much Terri!!!

I finished up an exchange and worked on the TiTD sampler - here is a snap of the sampler


This is working up nicely - now with the borders mostly done I can get the middle part started.

I did want to announce that we finally have our balcony back - it only took a short 7 months to get done but it is back. Rico threw his back out moving the Norfolk Pine back out - but he was determined to get things in order. I will leave you with a family snap of the pidges....

It is a crappy snap as I had to take it through the window but you can see the two older babies and the mama stink eye (with the white spot on her nose) sitting on the one baby left. It is pretty funny to see them all out there, but they are our pack of city chickens!!

Mel is having a super Blogiversary Giveaway -

Go check it out and enter - Congrats on 8 Blogging Years!!!!

I will have the book drawing tonight and announce the winner in the morning so do check back!!

Thank you all for stopping by and for your kind comments.

Take care,
edgar

Happy Friday Dancing!!!!!!

GR&DF - Here we are at the end of the week - on the cusp of a weekend of delightful doings and goings on..... or just a veggie tale (or is that tail?) in a comfy chair!!!!! :) So silly, I know.....

Thank you all for the info about "following", it would seem that it sort of does the same thing about keeping one notified about updates - like the side bar - and it is a warn loving "fan" base for the blog - who knew!! I love so many blogs out there and usually pop about going through other blogs to get to ones I read. My side bar is OOC - and I know if I had all the blogs that I read listed it would just be embarrassing. I will have to think about doing the following thing - what that actually means if that I will think about it for two days and just jump in on Monday or Tuesday.

That kettle korn stuff is certainly addictive - and just thinking about fair food makes me drool like a Pavlovian dog in heat!!!! Sausage Sandwiches, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and fried anything you can put on a stick and dip in batter....... yummy!!!!

I wanted to welcome all those new readers to my little corner of blogland !!

Yesterday the mail brought me a chart I have been trying to get my hot little hands on for a couple years.....

I have tried over and over again to acquire this - using eBay, different stitchity sites here and abroad and every time I got close to getting a copy I have been denied. That just was not working for me so always in the back of my mind simmered this image and I knew one day it would be mine!!! Last week on one of the stitching message boards I read I found a stitcher who was de-stashing and this was one of the charts she was willing to part with - I immediately emailed to see if it and another chart where available. They both were so I swooped them up like nobodies business - woohoo!!!! The other chart was the South Battery of Charleston. I don't know why this so appeals to me - or why I became so obsessive about getting one, but it does and it was and now I am thinking this may be a new start in January. The goal would be to get one square done a month. It is pretty big and square but so nice!!

I also worked on and finished up the second part of the Sail Away SAL - here is a pretty sad snap - but you will get the idea -

This is till a great stitch - the only issues I am having is how so many of the details are melting and fading into the background - Once I have it finished I may have to do a frog and restitch - but for now I will stitch it up as directed. Can't wait for the third part to post.......

While stitching I was watched a few flicks. Yesterday was Gloria Grahme day - she of the Novocain lip - and wry comment - what a stunner!!!! The first flick I caught was "In a Lonely Place" - 1950 - her costar was Humphrey Bogart - a very interesting film with a little twist at the end - the acting was top notch as both Gloria and Humphrey were playing to type and very believable without going overboard. The second flick of Gloria's was 'The Greatest Show on Earth" - 1952 - I saw about 3/4's of this as I have seen it multiple times and it is in my library of DVD's. Between these two films I got to see a Netflix selection - "Vicki" - 1953 - a film Noir starring Jeanne Craine and Jean Peters. Basically a Cinderella story with murder - both Jean's were beautiful and the story was full of twists and turns but the over the top acting, the extra silly good cop bad cop routines and the odd cat & mouse power play made this a hard film to watch. If you like the hard boiled Noir with "Cops" and "Dames" you should check it out.

There you go sports fans!! Thank you once again for stopping by and for commenting!! I do enjoy them. See you on Monday and don't forget about the drawing on last Wednesday's post - if you want to be entered leave a comment there - the drawing from the BOD will be Monday evening.

Take care,
edgar

Salty and Sweet - crunch, crunch, crunch

GR&DF - Thank you for your comments - always kind and always so nice!! I am so happy that there is interest in the book - as I found it very interesting - and don't worry about the post costs - I don't mind sending anything anywhere - so if you are picked from the BOD - no matter how far from Baghdad by the Bay - that is just my little bit of PIF into the world.

Yesterday was the farmers market - and the post title today is referencing that - sometimes thinking up a posting title is harder than just blogging - and if you have been reading this blog for a while or just look back over the titles - sometimes they can be pretty lame!! The farmers Market is changing - with summer ending and fall knocking on the door - there seemed to be less of things I usually get - I was able to get some basics, tomatoes, grapes, nectarines etc... I also got some Kettle Korn - I usually just pass the stand up as it always seems to have about a bazillion customers and I ain't fighting a crowd for nothing!! But, yesterday I caught him between crushes as he was starting a new kettle of deliciousness....

This stuff is so addictive - I just love the combination of the salt & sugar - not too much of either but just enough!! He packed up a bag of this warm ambrosia and once I got it home last night - I poured out ......

and it may look ordinary but it isn't... yummy!!! ( great Batman angled snap)

Walking back from the market I snapped some government art -

There are a pair of these bas relief sculptures on the electric sub station that I walk past. this one I think illustrates where electricity comes from for SF - water turning turbines - I couldn't remember if I had ever put them on the blog or not - they are nice enough to look at twice. Next week I will put up the other one - I bet you can't wait for that can you!! :)

Stitching last night was mostly on exchange pieces - I did manage to get a strand of two into Sail Away but not enough to warrant a snap - so no stitchity pictures.

The flicker for last night was "This is the Army" - 1943 - starring Joan Leslie, George Murphy, George Tobias, Alan Hale and Ronald Regan. Basically a musical built around the armed forces putting on musical shows - first in WWI then their sons in WWII. A very flag waving, feel good flick with some great Irving Berlin songs. Made as a fund raiser at the time and as with most films made during the war - it is another propaganda picture - and I am not saying that as a bad thing. This film along with two other films was released recently as "the Home front Collection." The other two films are "Thank Your Lucky Stars" and "Hollywood Canteen" - all three films are great patriotic musical gems.

I did want to ask - as I am not sure myself - what exactly does being a "follower" do for blogging or bloggers? Or what do you get - better updates on others blogs or just what????

Once again - thank you for stopping by do come again!!!

Take care,
edgar

A mid-week Posting and a Drawing

GR&DF - Thank you once again for so many nice comments -
I do appreciate your time a trouble!!

I think I Will answer some of the questions that were asked.. I looked around on line and found that the name of those scissors is "Criss." Last night while I was stitchin' away on an exchange and was using them that they are pretty heavy for embroidery scissors. or at least in comparison to the Dovo pair I usually use. They work very well but they a thicker and heavier - just an observation.

I was thinking about what might have happened to the baby pidge - I think that it was a weaker and smaller bird - like a runt in the litter. A sad point in nature.

Mary Beth - what Musicals are you watching???? I got my "Now Playing" TCM Guide for next month and the actor they are highlighting is Claude Raines - such a great actor be sure to catch some of his films. Colleen - I love that movie "The Nun's Story" and it is also in my collection.
Last night the flicker was "Frances" - 1982 - starring Jessica Lange and Kim Stanley. This is a flick I had never seen but had heard of - a very gritty biopic of the life of Frances Farmer - from her super rise to stardom on the screen and the stage - and her fall into mental illness - a really compelling film at 2 1/2 hours it moves along a good clip - I would recommend it just for a look at how the studio system in the 30's could create and destroy actors -

I finished up a very good book that I wanted to pass on - so lets have a little drawing-giveaway...

This is the book - The Sisters - about the Mitford family as a group but focused on the lives of the five girls -

Jessica, Nancy, Diana, Unity and Pamela -

A really good book - that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you would like to throw your name in the BOD (bowl of destiny) then leave a comment on this post and I will have a name drawn on Monday evening 8/17 with an announcement of the winner on Tuesday - leave a email or way for me to contact you so I can get the book in the mail as soon as possible.

There you go sports fans - Thanks for stopping by - do come again!!!

Take care,
edgar

Summer House Arrives in SF and some snaps

GR&DF - Thank you so much for you kind comments yesterday about my earliest attempt at x-stitch. I don't remember much about the making of the piece but it was the the little bite that has now become a feast of fun!!!

Yesterday the mail brought me my Summer House Exchange piece from Irmeli who lives in Finland. Here is a snap of the cutest pillow....


Irmeli included some treats as a surprise - she explained that since I was the organizer of the exchange and knew who would be sending to me - that I should get a surprise treat!! I just love this darling piece!! So perfectly stitched and finished - she used a 28 ct linen and DMC floss - but I forgot the card at home so can't tell you the title of the piece.

I also got some snaps of the jamming from the weekend....


and I got a snap of my "new" bowl....


AND I forgot about my new pair of scissors.
We stopped into Joannes and these were 1/2 price -

...how could I pass!! Now, I am not a mess about scissors - in fact I reach for the same pair over and over again - but I really like the colour of these!!

I did want to let you know about the two new pidges - we lost one of them over the weekend - so now Mama stink eye is only looking after one new baby pidge.... and the older two from the first nest are still hanging around. We often see them crowded into the single window box together - and wonder if that had anything to do with what happened.

Last night TV just bit the big one all over the place so I popped a DVD in -
"Four Jill's in a Jeep" - 1944 - a great WWII feel good movie I hadn't seen in a while.

There you go - Thanks for stopping by and once again I do appreciate the nice comments!!!

Take care,
edgar

Some Stitchity Snaps and a Lazy Weekend

Gentle Readers and friends - I once again thank you for the kind comments!! It was again a wonderful way to start the Monday morning.

This weekend was very laid back... so laid back that we were basically comatose for two days - I can't think of anything that we did that was too strenuous. Dale was off in the hinterland camping - something he wanted us to do with him - but my kind of camping involves being able to get room service and TCM!!!! needless to say we did not go.

Rico and I did get to two Estate sales and all I got was a yellow ware mixing bowl - I forgot to get a snap - but it is of medium size and from the 30's. I also made two more batches of peach preserves - no snap - (what's up with that??).

Let's see....stitchity stuff - well I finally got back the piece I had at the framers - here is a snap -

This is the very first piece of cross stitch I ever did - if you look in the lower right corner you see it is dated 86 - so it has been kicking around for about 23 years. It is done on a cream Aida cloth and if I remember correctly it was a kit - but I could be wrong. This was framed by the new Michael's in South SF - for the amount of hassle getting this done - I am not too sure I would ever have them do anything else - and I am probably going to write some sort of letter letting those that need to know just what went on..... I know first hand that a letter put in the correct hands often does a world of good.

On the stitching front I worked on a finished up my section of the AEoL RR piece - here is a really crappy snap -



I am really happy with the way this is working out - I left off the date that will go into the lower right corner until it makes it home again. I wanted to do this section as I needed to change up a couple of the little pieces. I also got my extra floss and will now need to get it all together and sent off to Deb. Our first shifting isn't until September so I will wait a bit. I did have a question from Luned about the abbreviation AEoL RR - it is only the title of the piece we are doing - if you click the title it will take you to the blog for the RR (round robin) - "An Emblem of Love."

I also worked some on TiTD (This is the Day) - (no snap) and an exchange (no snap).

It was a big Movie weekend - with Bette all day Saturday and then Cary Grant all day yesterday. I got most of the Bette movies in - but since they are all on DVD and in my collection - I was sort of tuning in and out. I broke away from the Cary movies and watched "Cleopatra" - 1934 starring Claudette Colbert. It is way over the top and historically off on many things -but for shear movie star presence what a flick!! It is also interesting to note that 1934 was a banner year for Claudette as she made four super films - Cleopatra, It Happened one Night, Four Frightened People and Imitation of Life. I had a question about my obsession movie watching - and how do I watch so many movies - well, I watch for my own pleasure and the opinions I give are mine about the flickers I see. I also watch very few TV shows as most a either poorly acted, dumb in the extreme or so repetitive in dialogue or story line I want to gouge my eyes out!!! I also can not stand 5 mins of show and 8 mins of commercials - that makes me insane!!!! So I watch movies and usually there is either something on TCM or I have a Netflix DVD from the mail. If neither of those holds any promise I can always turn to my own library of film - so I watch a superior film instead of inferior TV schlock!!!!

I did want to mention to Berit how wonderful those illustrations are - and to welcome Elise to the Blog.

There you sports fans!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Take care,
edgar

A little More stitching.....

Thank you all for the nice comments about the box I made for Nicola!! I have always liked LHN designs as they are nice to stitch and easy to adapt to many different finishes.

Last night saw Part 1 of Sail Away finish up. Here is a snap -


It was VERY hard not to continue on stitching away on this piece all evening - but I made that commitment so I refrained from doing....... the heart, 1/2 medallion to the right and the flower on the left.... I really enjoyed stitching the 1 over 1 part and at some point will probably do some whole Quaker thing that way. I am thinking that the band beneath the words may be some sort of rope like bar - it is alternating Smyrna crosses and rice stitching and looks to me like bumpy twisted rope..... I wonder? Most of the stitching is really hard to see.... the herringbone beneath the bar/rope is a pale grey and that stain stitched triangle just melts into the fabric, but that's what is called for so on I stitch.

After I finished up the SA section I picked up AEoL RR piece and worked a little on it
- Here is a snap of that...


I finished up the medallion I was working on and started the flowers in the pot. I am going to try and get my section done this weekend. I have also ordered some back up floss to send with this and am praying that the dye lots are not too far off.

Here are the last two Questions and my answers.....

Question 5 - Finally, what do the cross stitch magazines on the market offer you? Do they relate to you as a cross stitcher? Do you look at them and think to yourself, who do they think buys this magazine? I guess what I'm asking, when you see the current cross stitch magazines do they make you feel like they know their readers or do you find it's more of the same? What could they do to be ambassadors for the art of cross stitch other than putting a sampler on the cover with "F-U" on it? What are we missing on a PR level that could change the opinion of cross stitch itself?

Wow - what a loaded question. Lets take each piece at a time... For me Cross Stitch Magazines as a whole offer me very little. I only subscribe to a single one now - SANQ - as I do enjoy reading the articles - and at some point may even stitch something from the pages - I also pick up occasionally JCS - the ornament issue for sure and any other one that has something I want to stitch, but JCS rarely has anything I want to stitch. I did take an online magazine for the last two years and not once was there anything that I stitched from its "pages" - and there where only a very few things I could even see myself stitching so I let that subscription expire last month and will not renew. I would guess that creating a magazine is very hard - as you are constantly trying to include so many different kinds of stitchers. I would hope that the few magazines for cross stitchers would know their audiences - but sometime it is hard to see who on earth they are targeting as so often I think to myself what a waste of paper and could not imagine who would ever do the projects they print. I haven't a clue how to change how cross stitching is perceived by the masses - if in my own home it is still either called "sewing " or "needle point" how is someone that doesn't have a clue going to understand. I think that most cross stitchers either grew up in a home that had a needle worker or had a friend that crafted with a needle.

Question 6 - And Finally, finally, do you do other crafts and if so what are they and why do they pull you away from cross stitch?

I don't do other crafts as no others hold any interest for me - so my focus is only on cross stitch. I have in the past done quite a bit of needlepoint and would do more if the project interested me, but for now cross stitch does it for me!!

Last night the flickers where a couple from Judy Garland Day on TCM as part of their Summer under the stars month. I got to see two films - first up was "The Clock" - 1945 - starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker. One of the rare non-musical Judy flicks that really show off what a superior actress Judy was. It is basically a cute love story during WWII movie set in New York. The second flick was "Meet in Saint Louis" - 1944 - starring Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Margaret O'Brien and Lucille Bremer. One of my all time favorites!! Great songs, great story, just a feel good movie!! I would recommend both of these films to anyone!

Tomorrow is Bette Davis day and the line up is top notch!!! - 24 hours of Bette - starting with "Pocket Full of Miracles" - 1961 - a really cute remake of "Lady for a Day." Then "Return form Witch Mountain" - 1978, followed by and interview worth watching The Dick Cavette Show: Better Davis - 1971, then a really good, gritty film - "Marked Woman" 1937 - this is one of those 30's films that was "ripped from the headlines" that Warner's did so well!! Next up is a tour de force - "Dark Victory" - 1939 a quintessential Bette Film that if you haven't seen you should. "Now Voyager" - 1942 is next and is Bette at the top of her game. Then a film biography that is very good called Stardust:The Bette Davis Story. At 8pm EST or 5pm PST is one of the Essentials - "The Man Who Came to Dinner" - 1942 - One of the rare Bette comedies and really not her movie but Monty Woolley's movie - more of an ensemble piece, very good and pretty funny!! The last four movies in order of showing and all superior flickers.... "Deception" - 1946, "The Letter" - 1940, "In This Our Life" - 1942 and finally "Watch on the Rhine" - 1943. All of the films are available on DVD so if you can't catch them on the TV you can always rent them.

Thanks once again for stopping by - have a great weekend!!!!

Take care,
edgar

Summer House, Sail Away and a couple of questions....

Thank you all for the kind comments about Chris and Mo's accident. I had some emails about it so I will try and answer them.... The lane they where in is a turning lane for both cars and trolleys. There is no way to drive from behind once stopped here as you are boxed in on the left by a high curb and the right side by the load and unload platform for the trolleys. The car was sitting waiting for the light to change, it was completely the orange trolley drivers lack of attention that brought about the wreck. I have used this turn lane frequently as Noe Street goes up over the hill and drops down into Noe Valley where I live - and every time I get stuck at that light I have thought how trapped like a rat I am. The past few weeks have seen the MUNI system in quite a few major accidents. I wonder at what point something will be done?????

Now on to more pleasant things.... I saw on the HOE Blog that Nicola had received the Summer House exchange piece I made for her. Here is a snap -

The padded top is from LHN called Natures Beauty. I used a 36ct Sugar Maple linen and most of the recommended DMC floss colours. I am so glad she likes this as I really enjoyed making.

Yesterday also started our Sail Away SAL. We got home a little later than usual so my start is much less than I had hoped for.... here is a snap of what I got done....


I am loving this piece already - I have some more to finish up for this weeks stitching. it will be very hard to not stitch ahead, but I have other pieces to get moving on....


I didn't answer any of the questions yesterday so today I'll get two more done...

Question 3 - If you're only option for cross stitch supplies and patterns happened to be the major chain craft stores would you just walk away from the little X? Kiss is goodbye? I think that if my only option were the local craft stores (none in SF at all, I have to go to So SF to even get to any) I would not be doing x-stitch and I would find some other crafty thing to do or do my own thing (see question 4). The only two options are a Michael's' - which caters to the scrapbook an artificial flower crowds and a Joanne's - they both have very small selections of xstitching stuff, only DMC and some prepackaged Aida - I don't care to stitch on Aida since I found out how nice linen is and DMC is very good for some things but not everything - IMHO.

Question 4 - Also are you passionate about xstitch that if indeed your only option was the major chain craft stores, would that inspire you to create your own xstitch pieces because you have to stitch and you've stitched your way through the whole of Dimensions catalog -- because you must stitch and the thought of life without a relationship with the little X leaves you feeling empty? I think that if push came to shove I would start to make my own designs - because I figure that those stitchers that came before could do it then why not me!!

There you go for today!! Thanks for stopping by and the great comments!!!!

Take care,
edgar