What's up with Africa?

So what is up with Africa? I've never been to that continent, but always have believed I would go someday. I believe, despite my age and financial report, that I will visit all the continents before I die. Maybe not all the countries, but at least the continents. I was amazed years ago, when I first saw an accurately drawn world map, to see how huge Africa is. All of Europe would fit snugly in one little bulge of the dark continent. Despite the huge desert, the place is rich in minerals, forests, water, diamonds, gold, oil. So why is the history of the world written so far away from Africa? Europe/US/China sure, stuff is known. But once we get beyond ancient Egypt, what happened to Africa? But I must say, when I dream of Africa, I dream of pyramids along the Nile, vast savannas, lions and elephants and hippos (oh my), Victoria falls, colorful black people living their lives, etc. The usual picture postcards. But it seems every day I am confronted on the news by horrific images of machete wielding bad guys chopping off parts of screaming victims, stories of tortured and drugged children forced into soldier roles, heads of state whose main role in life is to starve and kill the people over whom they rule. And of course, none of that even begins to touch the whole Israel Palestine thing, or the oil barons in their palaces, AIDS epidemics, starvation and disease on an epic scale or the wholesale oppression and ownership/mutilation/killing of African women. I am not a big fan of the whole British Empire and South African Dutch history what with the white guys oppressing the black guys, but I have to say, the last few decades sure haven't been a gold star on the charts for the innate ability of an entire continent of black guys to get it together. I just don't get it. Africa is purportedly the cradle of civilization. Great nations originated there. What the hell happened? Isn't there any shining light that will let me know that Zimbabwe strongmen, Idi Amin, Kenyan killers, Hutu/Tutsi slaughters, etcetcetc are just anomolies and not the stuff that the whole continent is made of?? I weep.

Victory and goodbye to George

The Diva Bag is completed!! Yippee. Yahoo. It is in fact, quite lovely, and I have received two compliments from strangers as I tote it around. Jkid says she'll post a photo for me...if only I will give her the bag. Au contraire, mon petit chou. Ha!--two with one blow. Deny her the opportunity to snag the bag and assault her with really bad fake French. I like the bag, may make another. It does put me in mind of a diaper bag, though.

George Carlin 1937-2008

• cio.us

And on to sadness at the passing of George Carlin. He was a funny guy, although sometimes I felt sad watching him make me laugh. He often seemed sad to me. Maybe it was projection on my part, but that's how it seemed. Anyway, George changed my life. I recall the joy and shock of hearing the "Seven Dirty Words" riff for the first time. I remember the door opening in my brain when the HippyDippyWeatherman told me it would be "dark, followed by light". I remember seeing words in a different way when he asked why we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway. I remember feeling so cool and so much a part of something avant guarde and special when I listened to him, and the fun of repeating his bits to unsuspecting folk who didn't know that I wasn't the one who had had the genius to come up with all that stuff. I think George was a gentle soul, who really felt bad at the injustice of the world, and I think he held on to that gentleness through the drugs and the sex and the wars and the "stuff". In your honor George, I will drink no bottled water for a week. Rest in peace, my friend.

Making the Diva Bag

I'm on a roll with the sewing thing. I finished my daisy quilt...that sucker is huge...and am now working on completing the "diva bag". This pattern is something I have had for about 2 years, I bought it at the Quilt Expo in Houston. Very cool pattern for a roomy quilted bag with lots of pockets and just the right space for everything, it folds up into a backpack type thing or lays out like a sort of duffle, etc. I loved it. Had to have it. Spent the money and bought it NOT ON SALE. So far the only thing I've done with it is move it from one pattern box to the other. But, in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Scandinavia, I've pledged to complete and carry it along. Of course being who I am I was required to complete the Block of the Month Daisy quilt from 2007 first. I cut myself some slack on the stained glass quilt, as I want to work on that with my Ydaughter who is not currently in town, but will be soon we think, but can't really be sure cause she is a free spirit, no pinning her down, no siree, she'll know when she's coming when it happens thank you very much. Come January 2008, I had only completed 6 of the 12 blocks (of the month....you can fill in the idea for Block of the Month lovingly known as BOM here.) And of course, this quilt has not only 14" blocks, but then another set of fussy cut piecework surrounding each of them to make each block 24 inches, then a plain border and a daisy border that ended up making the whole thing a king size quilt (queen size bedspread). I'm not quite sure how to quilt it...need to find batting and backing that fits first, but my guilt only went as far as requiring I finish the top in order to move on to THE DIVA BAG. At long last. The first challenge was the fabric. I had some really spiffy gold on black butterfly fabric that I planned to use, but decided that the butterflies were too big, and would get hacked on the smaller sections. So then I looked at the koi on black (see I thought black would be good cause I'm not too tidy) but the same problem came up. Searched my stash, everything was either too big a pattern, too small a piece, or designated for some other project which is waiting in the never ending line. Eventually, I decided to use the Monet like floral fabric...very pretty, pastel not black, but no big things to get hacked. Of course, to get the yardage, I had to first deconstruct the tacky fabric skirt stuck on a t-shirt that I made for E-gkid (who quite rightly rejected the thought of actually wearing same). Then went to the store to try to score fabric for binding the daisy quilt. No luck there, but came up with some deep purple sparkly stuff for the lining. So far so good. One day down. Cutting all the assorted pieces of outside, lining and batting absorbed Day 2. Assembling the liner (including cell phone pocket, multi-sized inside pockets and the secret pocket, which is a very big deal...every bag should have a secret pocket) then ripping it apart and putting the pockets BACK on right side up was Day 3. I thank the friendship gods that a friend loaned me her (completed) bag so I could review a real world item when trying to figure this out. The instructions are very good, but I am a Piaget flunk-out. Then a day to fuse and quilt the main and end pieces, create the two outside pockets, and fabricate the zipper plackets. Of course this required re-learning how to free motion machine quilt, apply a zipper and activate a decorative stitch function on my beloved Janome. Hmmm, wait. The outside pocket (6X9) that was supposed to be for a water bottle has somehow turned into a short fat pocket that may or may not hold a water bottle (9X6). To recut/refuse/requilt/resew or not? We shall see. Nevertheless, Only 4 days down and I have completed step 8 of 22!! Yes, this is the hobby for me. Let's see: Pattern-$12, Accessory pack (pre-cut batting, velcro, etc.) $14, 3 yards of fabric $30 well really only $10 (cause I used the Monet stuff from another project). So far this bag has cost me $36 and 4 days, and has yielded a lining plus a bunch of pieces-in-waiting. I sure hope I like this thing when its done....Ah yes, an ancillary benefit: the dogs are all bent out of shape cause I'm sitting in the sewing room and not throwing the ball. A note about my sewing room. Very nice. I moved my bed, clothes, etc. out of my big bedroom (big room, high ceiling, one wall of sliding glass doors and an attached bathroom) into a little bedroom. This allowed me to have a palatial craft/sewing/reading/TV room which has lots of light and space and storage and lets me be near my dogs without them sitting, shedding, watering on my projects. However, they love to lay against the screen door (close enough that their hair sticks through the screen) while I work. This demonstrates their distress at being so very far from me...and on the far side of a dastardly barrier to boot. Now, if they were in the room, they would be no closer, but hey, its the principle for the thing, you know. Edward sits and sings his distress. Makes a nice counterpoint to the hum of my Janome. Back to the bag saga...2 weeks and 14 more steps to go...think I'll make it??

Meandering mind

K9s awakened me around 1:30AM (potty/drink call) and I couldn't fall back asleep. So I lay in bed, enjoying the breeze and the quiet and just sort of let my mind meander. What an interesting way to spend time. I landed on recollections of a post from my g-son in which he objects to being labeled as a "boy" now that he has reached the remarkable vantage point of 13 years of age. I started thinking about what really makes a boy a man...when I would say in happens. Can't go for the physical hair/voice/nocturnal emmission/testosterone poisoning def, that's just adolescence. I don't buy into the Hollywood "coming of age" thing, where a good drunk and a sexual encounter help you make the grade. Don't buy into the ritual of some religions where they have a ceremony at 13 or so and come out saying "and now you are a man". But what is it? I was circling around some sort of responsibility/economic model, where you take responsibility for your actions and for economically supporting yourself and the others you've bonded with. But that wasn't enough, or in some ways too much. Too many exceptions came to mind. There has to be an emotional component, being able to discipline yourself without closing off the softer side of your emotions. Guess this is a hard question...maybe that's why there are volumes written on the subject. I suppose I'll have to not sleep on it again. In the meantime, I responded to the post by suggesting to my g-son that he do laundry and mow the lawn. Yep, that's me...caninegranny.

Getting Started

I confess to little knowledge of the wonderful world of blogging. Inspired by my daughter who has recently begun her "superfluous miscellany" blog, I thought I'd try what seems to be a form of online journaling. So, first a name: CanineGranny. Why? With 6 1/2 dogs and 6 grandkids I think they are a big part of who I am, and I like the way it sounds. More importantly, at some point a fellow dog breeder referred to her dog, who was an actual caninegranny, as a "retired brood bitch", and that title is one I have mentally adopted for myself. But since the "B-word" has been hijacked for use by baggy pants wearin' pseudogangsters, I didn't want to put it in my blog title. But, when you read CanineGranny, please think RetiredBroodBitch. Enough for now...