A Curious Statistical Anomaly

We live up a dirt road. It’s not bad, it’s hard packed and not too filled with dips and holes. However, the driveway off the dirt road to the house is another matter all together. Part of it is okay but other sections look and act great during sunny and cold — rain is another story.

It’s been raining. Raining a lot. I’m growing gills. The driveway near the carport and the area between the carport and the house is sinking as the rain looses the base. Could it turn into quickmud? I don’t know. Last year we put 6 60-pound bags of gravel into a section of it and it’s been better but not great. Today we bought 8 60-pound bags of gravel and they got sucked into the driveway like dehydrated sponges soak up water. At least after we dumped the gravel and smoothed it with a hoe, you could walk from the carport to the downstairs door without being ankle deep in water. Now we have to see how much of this gravel shows after all the rain — and it’s sinking into the soil.

We’re in the woods and while we have dirt/ground all around it’s porous. We tried to use 8 foot iron rods to help hold up a fence that fell over — the rod pushed in and down and down until barely enough to hold onto was above ground and there was nothing to stop it from sinking. Bit scary when you think about it — so I try not too.

My arms ache from helping with the gravel spreading and all I did was smooth it into the dips — Hyperion did the heavy lifting. Home ownership seems to mean hard work, never ending hard work. I still think the Money Pit was a funny film but I certainly see it from a new perspective now.

Lavishly and lovingly illustrated with characters and other bits from the operas of Gibert & Sullivan, the story centers on the argument that these two great men had over artistic differences. Sullivan wanted to write a great opera and Gilbert wanted to entertain. This breach in their partnership caused the two men to stop speaking to each other.

Gilbert, knowing that Sullivan’s main complaint was that no matter what the opera was about the basic story was the same, had an idea for something really different. Japan and all things Japanese was really popular and he set about to write the story and words for an opera that would be very different. When Gilbert presented his new idea to Sullivan he was excited by the new story line — while the humor and comedy remain intact and it isn’t a serious opera the two patched up their differences.

Here’s a clip of “Three Little Maids Are We” from the Mikado:

While the Japanese influence filtered through a Victorian filter is definitely something different for the time, it’s really not that different from, say The Pirates of Penzance, “I Am the Very Model Of A Modern Major General”:

So, while the story was very different and had no magical spells or castles — the witty use of words and comedy remained the same. So, their argument this time was solved without a winner or a loser. While both men were very talented, they never could quite seem to make it on their own, but together they made opera a very English experience and it was Gilbert & Sullivan who paved the way for the modern musical.

What this books does is let children, young adults (and dare I say adults) realize that sometimes feuds and arguments are not bad things. Sometimes arguments are a way of clearing the air, of making the participants in the argument aware of the need to do things differently, to find another way. This wasn’t the only feud or argument that Gilbert & Sullivan had in their long career but many of the others were eventually solved by looking at the problem and finding a solution that they could both live with.

So, if you have a disagreement, calm down and take a close look at the item/idea/situation that the disagreement is about. Can something be done? Think long and hard about alternatives. Because the Mikado turned out to be one of their most famous operas. Maybe if they hadn’t had that disagreement they would never have changed the way they told stories to music and their names might not be as well known as they are now.

Feel free to share your opinions about this book or Gilbert & Sullivan. I love to hear what other people think.

This month’s cup has the simple clean lines that I like. I bought this on super sale in Home Goods but I almost think it was one of the cups that Starbucks had for sale last winter. It just seemed that since June, for many people, is summertime, it might be nice to have a cup that said relax in silly droopy letters. I also liked the rounded shape and the splash of red on the rim — then the not so subtle hint to sit in a comfy chair with a big bowl of popcorn. It made me smile and, for me, that’s one of the most important jobs my monthly coffee cup has — other than holding the beverage without leaking of course.

This past weekend we caught a squirrel on the deck trying to drop the bird feeder into the yard. We’ll I don’t mean we actually caught him — those guys are sly and crafty — we saw him. Hyperion got out the super-soaker, charged it up, and managed to catch him with a spray of water twice (or it might have been two squirrels and we got each one once). We thought we’d discouraged him because while we made noise and frightened them off the deck all weekend and the feeder stayed in place. You see a week or so ago, I went out to get the mail and the feeder was on the ground. Since it hooks over one of those cast-iron garden planter holders, we thought it was pretty had for this to happen by chance. Some pretty big birds eat on the feeder by holding on and curling under it. But it was one of those things where you shrug and move on. It also seemed that a lot of the food ends up on the ground for the ground feeders but then some of those birds are really messy eaters.

But on Saturday, we were sitting in the living room (from there you can see the feeder on its hook), and a squirrel was on the railing climbing up the garden rod and trying to get the feeder off the hook. We bolted for the door and slide it open and he took off down the deck and stairs. So, the mystery of how the feeder ended up on the ground was solved. We now only fill the feeder 1/4 full and keep a closer eye on the feeder to check for squirrels. The super-soaker is right by the door (I don’t use it but Hyperion does — we got it when the woodpeckers were using our house as a mating drum).

Today a Mourning Dove was sitting on the railing when I went to look out at the feeder. It sat there long enough for me to get my camera, come back, try to focus through the door and screen, and take several photos. I haven’t been able to get a photo of the cow bird or the tufted titmouse yet. By the time I gather my camera and get back they’re gone. The birds have started pecking on the window when the feeder is empty. Guess since we put less in it when we fill it they figure they have to ask for seconds — or firsts.

Remember when I said I was putting myself on notice that I had to finish up some of my unfinished knitting projects. Well, after finishing two pairs of socks, I dug out Sausalito (from dolce handknits, 2005). I feel in love with it when I saw it in one of the knitting catalogs I get. That spring I picked up the pattern at Maryland Sheep & Wool from Koenig Farm, Spinnery & Yarn Shop. I’d also picked up two cones of cotton yarn one cream and one a really sort of strange green. I didn’t have the yarn the pattern called for but I found knitting the gauge swatch with one strand of each color that I made gauge and I sort of liked the green toned down by the cream. It made a nice soft fabric that seem perfect for spring and summer wear. So, I cast on and knit like a house on fire until I finished the back, and got up to the decreases on the left front. Then I made a mistake. Then I corrected for the error and kept on going. Then I made another one and corrected for that one too. Then I remembered that I’d have to make the same mistakes on the right side to match and I knew that was just asking too much– I knew I had to unravel the front down to the start of the decreases and do it right so it went into a zip-lock bag at the back of the closet.

I dug it out after the socks got done and sat and stared at it. I still like it. I loved the pattern and this was coming out really well until I goofed. So, since I didn’t have a rescue line in the front and the pattern is a butterfly stitch, the only way I was going to unravel it was to unknit it. Secondly, since the yarn was on cones I was going to end up with a huge pile of yarn in knots. So, I got an empty toilet paper roll and started to unknit…and unknit…and unknit. I’d then wind the yarn onto the TP roll to keep it from tangling and unknit some more. Then I started to reknit the decreases on the front. Unknit the mistake. Reread the pattern. Start the decreases again. Unknit. Reread. I think I did that a total of six times before I finally got it right.

Now, I have to say there’s nothing wrong with the pattern. If you follow it, it works. The problem was the reader — me — for some reason, I’d read the directions and then go off and do my own thing. The instructions just went in the eyes and out the ears not stopping at the brain. Once it finally clicked — boy did I feel like an ID-10-T. But now the left front is done. I’m only 2 1/2 inches away from doing the decreases on the right front and hoping that the lessons learned will stay with me until that’s done. Then it’s just two sleeves. Sew it all together. Crochet along the edges. Make a button loop. Add a button. And I’ll have a new sweater for spring, summer, and fall. I expect to have it done by the end of the month — sooner if I can get my time organized a bit better this month. At least we’re not changing servers, so that should help.

So, who else is working on UFOs? I’ve got three more I’ve found digging through the knit storage area. But now that I finished my sweater I don’t have any socks on the needles or in the unfinished pile so I got yarn out and a pattern (haven’t done one of those in a while) and plan to start a new pair of socks for take-along when traveling. Socks are great for that.

There’s still a couple of tiny things to do but basically the content is in and the magazines are live — and on our new host/servers. Hurrah for our side. Of course, teeny tiny hiccups in the code having been showing up since everything upgraded and some of the code was pretty old and not quite up to specs — but it looks like everything is fine now.

So, please take a look at:
Gumshoe Review
SFRevu
TechRevu

We’d really like to get some feedback on the zines to know if were providing the content that readers want. It’s been an exciting, frantic, and busy month but I think we’ve got some great June issues.

I haven’t posted for a few days and doubt I’ll get to anything before Monday, June 1st. I’m on deadline to get two of the magazines up and live by June 1st (SFRevu and Gumshoe Review). So things always get a bit hectic at this time of the month.

What’s making things even more chaotic than usual is that we moved the magazines from one host to another. That necessitated repointing the DNS (Domain Name Server) and that takes several hours to a day or two to percolate throughout the world’s internet system (very general and not completely accurate but you get the idea).

To make the switch we had to disable administrative functions. Basically, that means that while readers could go to the sites and read the May issue, I (and the other staff) couldn’t enter books, paste in reviews, edit/proof, write material…. In short about a week and a half of work has to be done in the six days before the end of the month. But wait there’s more … the usual six day’s of work also has to be done.

So now I’m down to two days left and about 5 days of work to do. I think I’m going to need a few gallons of caffeine to get me through the run up to our June issues.

So, thanks for dropping in but there probably won’t be anything new here until Monday….

My father was in the Army during WWII. My grandfather was in the Navy. One of my uncles was in the Marines and I think the other was in the Army but he didn’t live in the same state and I hardly know him, so I’m not sure. When I lived in Mexico, Maine we’d go to the cemetery on Memorial Day or the day before to make sure there were flowers and a flag on my father’s grave, and later also on my grandfather’s. I spoke with my mother yesterday and she put a wreath on each of the graves of our family members.

Memorial Day was once called Decoration Day and it was a time to reflect on those who had been lost with an emphasis on those who’d lost their lives protecting their country — a day to remember Veterans. Time passes and now it seems with hardly anyone staying in one place anymore that the graveside laying of wreaths and flowers and leaving a flag have past. My mother was complaining that when she was at the cemetery that there were hardly any flowers on any of the graves. I reminded her that most of the youth have had to move away for jobs, and graves are now handled by the groundskeepers.

I’m in Maryland and my son is in Rhode Island. When my mother moves down here, in the sometime future, there will be little family left in the town I was born in — an aunt,  a niece,  a nephew, a sister-in-law once removed, and their families. The graves will probably then just get the usual groundskeeping and maybe a veterans group will remember to place a flag by the headstones of veterans.

Memorial Day has changed. It seems to me now that it’s a celebration of family. The living — with picnics and bbqs. And, as is usual at family gatherings, remembrances of those who are no longer with us except in our memories and our stories. The newspapers are filled with stories about how the holiday has lost its significance. I don’t think so, I think it has broadened its scope to include remembrances of all the fallen no matter how or when they past from present tense to loving memory.

Each of us, whether a veteran of a war (current or past), must do our part to preserve our nation’s heritage and now to restore our country to one that is looked up to as a beacon of hope and freedom — from oppression, from tyranny, from the misuse of power, and from torture and the abuse of human rights. Over the last few years, those “froms” have becomes “fors” and we, as a nation, need to stand up and put our country back on track. We’ve lost, as a nation, credibility in the eyes of the world and each of us must do our part to see that we never lose sight of the rights and freedoms guaranteed for all in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Those documents have always applied to all citizens of this country and anyone under its jurisdiction and we need to reaffirm our commitment to the principles that our founding fathers saw as the underpinning for our government.

In this fight to regain our status and credibility, we may not all risk our lives but we all have a duty to do our part to watch our elected officials and stay informed of their actions on our behalf and to make sure that we once again become a “shining beacon of freedom” for the world.

Those that gave their lives to defend this country did so because they held that freedom and those principles to be more important than their own lives.  When we remember them on this one day of the year, shouldn’t we also think of the kind of country that held such meaning for them?  Doing the right thing can be hard.  It’s far easier to just let things go and say that there was nothing that you could do.  I think the generations of Americans who have fought to the death against those that would currupt our country deserve a little more.  They gave their lives … is a letter or e-mail to your congress critter really that much of an inconvience?

It’s been a heck of a month. It seems like all month, I’ve been running as fast as I can just to stay in place. There’s been so much going on. So, finally, here is the May Coffee Cup. It’s bright and cheery and I’ve been enjoying it all month. It’s just the right size to fill and sip on at the computer and the coffee stays relatively warm in it. Though I have to admit that I will drink my coffee hot, warm, tepid, and cold. Comes from years of work in IT where often you’d forget to go heat it up if you were deep in the code and on the right track.

We’ve been moving the zines from one host to another. That means transferring the DNS and that means a lot of backups and waits to see when the change would go through and the administrative functions were disabled and all I could do was let the work pile up. We’re nearing the end of the month and tonight the last magazine is being moved and the administrative functions restored. The email addresses are being reinstated on the new server and hopefully they’ll work okay. There’s a bit of a problem with sending email out and I’m hoping that gets resolved before I have to send out the notification to the publishers that a review is now up on our site. The monthly announcement can, if necessary, be sent from another server as a backup plan — hopefully we won’t need it.

So, I’ve been trying to get more books reviewed this month and have managed to do several graphic novels for the June issue of SFRevu, including Jim Butcher’s The Dresden FIles: Storm Front: Vol. 1, The Gathering Storm adaptation by Mark Powers and illustrated by Ardian Syaf (so check out our June issue for the review.

We’ve managed to keep the bird feeder going. We thought the little guys were going to eat us out of house and home but now that it’s getting into late Spring/Summer we’re finding that while they still cluster about the feeder, the birds aren’t eating as much. We do have a Tufted Titmouse that is coming about and fluttering at the windows by where we sit in the living room. Not the window closest to the feeder but the ones where we sit. He’s even been at the kitchen and the dinning room window when I’m there doing something. The hummingbirds are back in force and we’re making food regularly for them. We had to buy a new feeder since they didn’t like one of them and now they’re eating from both of them.

We’ve had some new birds show up also. We started getting Yellow Finches, Tufted Titmouse (Titmice?), Blue Jays, Brown Headed Cowbirds, and a strange looking black bird we haven’t gotten a good look at yet. I’m enjoying trying to identify the birds that stop by and I’m getting a better understanding of why people enjoy bird watching.

I’ve also been knitting. Trying out new techniques and more importantly trying to finish up some projects that have been sitting around for a while. First, I’m trying to keep socks on the go all the time for traveling and away from the house waiting times. I finally tried the magic caston. I watched the youtube video. Well, actually there are several just search on Magic Caston and a long list shows up. I tried several before I found one that worked for my brain. The others were well done but I just didn’t get it until I meshed with the right video.

I used an after-thought heel and did a very loose cast off for the cuff on these toe-up socks. That makes it easier to get them on if they shrink a bit in the wash. Here’s a photo of the needles in for the after-thought heel and another of the finished socks (well, one finished sock though I’ve got both done now).

So, in spite of the fact that I’m running as fast as I can to just stay in place, I might just have accomplished some stuff this month — or rather I hope I will. I don’t know how other people cope with unexpected or even expected inconveniences that through their schedules all out of whack. Luckily for me, I cope with these things by either knitting or reading — too things that I need to do anyway. How do you cope?

Today was one of those days eaten up with little things but satisfying in its own way. I slept late — that great, I slept. I actually closed my eyes and slept through the night. After this latest bout of insomnia that is so wonderful.

Unfortunately, Hyperion was up at 5am with a call from his work that he had to deal with. Later, we went to get some deal with some last minute stuff for Memorial Day. We also did a couple of quick errands and checked out a pet shop’s adoption candidates — some really cute ones. There was a little girl and her mother and they were picking out one of them. The girl was so excited. I enjoyed the joy she radiated.

Then it was home and gardening. We got the rest of the plants in the ground. Well, not the stepables. Then I watered and clipped back some of the dead limbs on the hydrangea and other plants. Hyperion weeded part of the strawberry bed and mulched. Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll finish the strawberries and get working on another project.

We watched Nim’s Island again followed by Stardust. Makes a nice double feature. It was long enough for me to unknit the four inches of my sweater — back down to where I went wrong. Now I’m ready to start this section over again.