Help Save These Beautiful, Innocent Cows from Slaughter

These babies graze on land where one of my vegan friends on Facebook lives. She learned that they were going to be sold for slaughter TODAY!!!! She negotiated with the owner to halt the sale. He will allow her to purchase them for $3600 but we have only two weeks to raise the money. Can you imagine these innocent faces being marched into die in the slaughterhouse? I can't! Please donate whatever you can to help them!

Ravelry Stitch Marker Swap

Stitch Markers
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

I am participating in January's tropical themed stitch marker swap on Ravelry (group: Mark the Spot). I received a great package from my swap partner with a fun summer bag pattern, a smoothie recipe, jelly beans, and great flip flop stitch markers. With all the snow in Ithaca, the beach-theme was a fun diversion!

Countdown

The Spring Semester begins in one week, on Monday, January 25, and this week, there are meetings as well as class preps.

In other news, I am stuck at home because the driveway is too icy and unsafe for driving--as I found out last night when I tried to get a Diet Coke. I got all the way to the street but couldn't get the truck over the hump between the driveway and the street. Had to reverse, and got stuck. Luckily, Chris and Gary are in town, and they helped George get the truck unstuck.

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

Merry Christmas!

Walter, Aimee & Harvey
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

What I Want

Some folks have asked me what I want for Christmas, so I set up an online wish list.

Check out Ellis's 'I am greedy, aren't I?' WishList.

Happy Thanksgiving

IMG_9161
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

Accidental Knitting Party at Knitting Etc.

Last week, when I went to Knitting Etc. for my Hover Scarf class, I learned that four (!) classes were being held that night in the shop. It actually was great fun to have so many knitters together under one roof! Steven wrote about it at the Knitting Etc. blog and if you look close, you can see me (looking quite ghastly) in one of the photos.

Halloween Turnips

Halloween Turnips
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

Undulating Waves Knitting Class

Undulating Waves Swatch
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

Another knitting class today, this one with Laura Nelkin. She the Creative Director at Schaefer Yarn, and it's fun to take classes from the person who designed the pattern. Undulating Waves is a lace pattern with beads worked from charts, so we did a swatch in class. By the end of class, I'd ripped out the swatch and cast on for the scarf (18 vs. 38 stitches).

Amigurumi Owl

Owl
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

I spent Halloween at Knitting Etc. taking the "Crash Course in Crochet Critters." From the book Amigurumi World, we could select any creature we wanted to make, and I decided to do an owl in non-traditional colors. (Classmates made a cactus, bear, octopus, and apple with worm.) It was a fun day, I learned more about crochet, and had fun, as usual, with the Knitting Etc. crew.

Fountains at Ithaca College

IC Fountains
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

I love watching the fountains, especially at night when they are lit with different colors.

From Cayuga Deer

I received this email from the Cayuga Deer organization, and I am outraged by the proposed actions of Cayuga Heights. When there are humane methods to control deer population, murdering innocent animals should be off the table!

Dear friends,

The latest news is that the Cayuga Heights trustees are now lowering the number of deer they will allow to live to as low as 20 (all of whom will be sterilized), and they want to speed up the killing process, killing more deer sooner than their original plan proposed.

A reliable source tells us that this is due to their wanting to save money, as they will have to hire a person each year to oversee the process, and if they can kill more deer faster, they can pay out less money to this employee over time. You may have heard that the 10-year projection was that they’d be paying $1 million for their deer-killing plan and as a result, have to raise taxes by 5%. So this is how they propose reducing costs — kill more deer more quickly and allow fewer to live, as sterilization is more expensive than killing. Meanwhile, far cheaper non-lethal approaches to reducing human-deer conflicts exist, and are proven to be successful (see http://www.cayugadeer.org/alternatives.htm ) Yet, the mayor and trustees will not open their minds wide enough to save the tax payers money by trying these alternative approaches, nor have they indicated a willingness to consider changing the fencing ordinance to allow residents to adequately protect their gardens.

You can read the latest Ithaca Journal article here:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090914/NEWS01/909140388/1126/news/Cayuga+Heights+wants+to+speed+culling+process

It’s important to understand that this is essentially an extermination plan, and the massacre they are proposing — to be carried out in residents’ back yards -- will be violent, bloody and a disgrace to our community.

PLEASE JOIN US ON MONDAY SEPT. 21st TO PROTEST THIS OUTRAGEOUS PLAN!

The trustees will meet at 7 PM at Marcham Hall, 836 Hanshaw Rd. (across from community corners). Protesters will be assembling a half an hour before the meeting. To all of you who came out last month to protest, THANK YOU! We hope you will join us again this coming Monday. If you have been receiving these emails and not yet participated, NOW is the time to become active! Doing nothing will result in the death of hundreds of animals and the tacit acceptance of having firearms discharged near homes and roadways, endangering our community and turning Cayuga Heights into a killing field for wildlife.

EVERY PERSON COUNTS! Please don’t turn your back now. Your community, and the inncocents who live amongst us, depend on you to show up. Bring your own sign, or there will be extra signs there that you can hold. And don’t forget to spread the word!

Best wishes,
Jenny Stein, on behalf of CayugaDeer.org

PS: We still have a pressing need for more people to volunteer and become more active in organizing these efforts. Now that we are getting closer to the point where the deer will actually be killed, this effort needs to ramp up and more people need to get involved. Once the killing begins, it will become much harder to stop it. So please contact us if you can help! contact@cayugadeer.org

Walk for Farm Animals 2009

Every year, George and I participate in the Walk for Farm animals to benefit the Farm Sanctuary, the country's leading advocacy organization for farm animals, not to mention my favorite non-profit organization and one of my favorite places on earth. Farm animals suffer more than any other creatures because they are viewed as commodities, not beings with feelings. Despite the hard lives of the abused, neglected, or abandoned animals, the sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, ducks, and rabbits at the farm are sweet, loving, fun, and intelligent. Looking into a cow's eyes, rubbing a pig's belly, getting a head butt from a goat or a soft cuddle from a sheep... these animals are so lucky to live at the Farm Sanctuary and we are lucky to have the chance to know them. Their counterparts in factory farms in unspeakable conditions deserve better, and the Farm Sanctuary is working for them.

Last year, I raised just over $500 through Walk sponsorships for the Farm Sanctuary for the animals, and this year, I hope to double that amount, but I need your help. Please sponsor me--your donation will be responsibly used by the Farm to protect and support the animals who need it most. You can sponsor me online at Firstgiving or send me a check made to THE FARM SANCTUARY. Any amount is much appreciated. Thank you in advance for helping me help the animals.

September 2009 Monthly Scavenger Hunt List

Since I finished the August hunt with only a few hours to spare, I could definitely use ideas for these clues!

September 2009 Scavenger Hunt

1. Saved by the bell (Please tag as msh0909-1 and msh0909)
2. Acceptance (msh0909-2 and msh0909)
3. Bella Detesta Matribus (msh0909-3 and msh0909)
4. Mug (msh0909-4 and msh0909)
5. Cassava (msh0909-5 and msh0909)
6. Tongue-tied (msh0909-6 and msh0909)
7. Hats, hats, hats (msh0909-7 and msh0909)
8. Bun in the oven (msh0909-8 and msh0909)
9. Halal (msh0909-9 and msh0909)
10. Race Day (msh0909-10 and msh0909)
11. Autumn (msh0909-11 and msh0909)
12. Skid lid (msh0909-12 and msh0909)
13. Copper (msh0909-13 and msh0909)
14. Sleeping dogs (msh0909-14 and msh0909)
15. Stargazer (msh0909-15 and msh0909)
16. Bodacious (msh0909-16 and msh0909)
17. Baby animal (msh0909-17 and msh0909)
18. Hunky Dory (msh0909-18 and msh0909)
19. Magnetic (msh0909-19 and msh0909)
20. Blackout (msh0909-20 and msh0909)

Weekend in New Hampshire

Weekend in New Hampshire
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

We spent the weekend in New Hampshire with Diane and Shae. On Friday, we saw the Sugarland concert at Meadowbrook, which was amazing and broke attendance records. (No cameras were allowed, so I didn't take mine to the concert; little did I know the rule would not be enforced.)

Saturday, we drove around Lake Winnipeaukee, ate a very tasty dinner, and then Shae treated us to a tour of the lake on a beautiful replica of a 1920s speedboat. It was so much fun to be on the water!

Sunday, we had to get back, and George didn't want to take interstates, so we drove FOREVER, although we did see some very cute towns.

Help Save Orangutan Forest

The following message is from my dear friend Jen. Please visit the link to help save the orangutan's habitat!

Please help!

There is a proposal to clear thousands of acres of orangutan forest in Indonesia. Orangutans have been recently released into this area, and approval of this proposal will be devastating to their habitat. You can sign the petition to stop this proposal at the Australian Orangutan Project site below.

You can also read more about Palm oil issues on the site. Please take time to read a little about Palm Oil and how not only is it affecting orangutans, but tigers, rhinos and elephants too. I urge you all, please read labels and avoid whenever possible purchasing items containing palm oil.

www.orangutan.org.au

Thank you,

Jen

Officially Engaged

Did You See My Ring?
Originally uploaded by aimeedars

George and I agreed it was time to get married--we have been together six years after all--and I received the ring last weekend. Hooray!

PUG PUSHES STROLLER-PORTLAND OREGON

This is adorable!

Sunday in Connecticut