Social Justice in Anchorage

Okay - so I know that I originally set out to write a blog about knitting and my sweet doggie. And I know that there have been more than one occasion, particularly in the past year, where I've used the blog to express my personal beliefs about political issues. So, I edited the header of Winston's Mom to include "social justice" and "political activism". I'm not going to apologize for my views or not write about them when I'm inspired politically, if this means I lose one of my four readers, that is unfortunate.

Last night social justice came to the forefront in Anchorage. The Assembly is considering adding two new groups to the city's Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, so basically including two new categories of protected status: veteran's status and sexual orientation. It is no surprise really that no one had an issue with veteran's status, although there was one man who spoke about it. What drew the crowds and started the circus was sexual orientation. I went to support the addition of both of these groups to the ordinance. My friend Julie and I carpooled there, we wore matching shirts, and didn't realize until we arrived that many folks were going to assume that we were a couple, oh well! The side in support of adding the two groups wore blue, the color of peace. I don't know for sure, but I think this was misinterpreted by the folks who were against the change as a political party affiliation or something else, they chose to wear red.
Outside the Assembly chambers in the Loussac Library the two groups stood across the drive from each other chanting things back and forth. It was pretty wild! Inside the Assembly Chambers were packed and so was the theater next door. Julie, our friends, and I were in the theater watching the proceedings on closed circuit TV. Over 300 folks signed up to testify!
Last night they heard testimony from almost 100 citizens. Some of them for the change, some of them against the change. We heard some heatbreaking stories of discrimination, mainly from transgender citizens, but also from citizens in the homosexual community.
Probably the most surprising part of the evening - for me - was that I testified! I had not planned on testifying, I generally don't like public speaking, it makes me nervous. But, it was one of those getting "caught up in the moment" things. It would have been better if I had prepared some remarks, but I did the best I could to jot down some points as I waited in line to speak after the called my name from the list.
What did I speak about? I spoke about the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law for all citizens. I spoke about the Golden Rule, that we should treat others as we would like to be treated. I told the Assembly that I'm a big believer in both of these principles. I said that sadly, there have been some groups that have needed to have their protection under the law specifically spelled out. I said that it was time that the GLBT community get that same protection under the law that all the rest of us enjoy.
It was quite the experience all around! When we walked into the library both sides of the entrance at that point were flanked with people all in red waving signs. I have never felt so visibly different! It was probably a really good experience for me! Listening to the testimony was sometimes hard, I was trying to really hear all the points of view, but some of the language was so hateful and so hurtful. Part of my testimony was a response to what many others before me had said. They were arguing that since there is no documented record of discrimination against LGBT citizens in Anchorage that means that there must not be a problem with this type of discrimination in our community. My response was that if you belong to a group whom it is not illegal to discriminate against you have no legal recourse when someone denies you employment, or housing, or education and therefore there will be no record of it. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

There are still 200 folks that can testify. They are holding a special meeting next Tuesday, June 16th, to hear the rest of the testimony. Julie has yet to go, so I'll be there to support my friend in her testimony and to support protection of all of my fellow citizens of Anchorage!

She Returns!

For the past couple of years now we've had the pleasure of having the same moose cow come to our neighborhood to have her baby/ies. We know it is the same cow because she has some pretty distinctive scars, this girl has seen some action in her day! Last year she had twins and I made a movie that I posted of her and the twins in the backyard.

This year she has just one calf. They were eating dinner across the street and I stepped out into the yard to snap a few photos of them. It is neat to watch them eat - the way they strip all the leaves off a branch all at once! Last year when I filmed her she was feeding the twins and really didn't like me close by. This year she didn't seem to mind me at all. She occasionally glanced at me with curiosity, but then kept munching away. Winston generally goes crazy when moose are nearby and so he was locked inside the house where he couldn't disturb this sweet momma and her baby.

Wildlife outside your door, one of the great advantages of living in Alaska!

Fairbanksian Fun!

We were very fortunate the past couple of days to get to visit with our good friends from Fairbanks! Nicole, TJ, Cedar, and Coral hopped in their VW van and headed down the Parks Highway to come to "the big city", sometimes also known in parts of Alaska as Los Anchorage. We were so happy to get to see them and to help the girls check off all the items on their "to do" list. First, the Imaginarium!
The girls both loved the cave with the slide. Cedar had a whole story that went along with playing in the cave, it involved polar bears who were afraid of cameras, hidden alcoves in the cave, and sliding into the water.
The bubble station provided a lot of good, clean fun! Cedar showed us her ballet skills while dancing with bubbles while Coral gave her foot a bath in the giant bubble machine!

Here Coral is demonstrating what she would look like if she was a bee. Coral told me there were, "many, many Margarets"!

Our second stop is a visit to 'Ol 556, a place I affectionately refer to as train park. It is an old coal powered steam engine from the Alaska Railroad that has been retired and has been in service as a park on the Delaney Park Strip for as long as I can remember.
Here Cedar has climed through one of the windows from the engine room and is walking along the side of the engine. I have many, many memories of doing this as a child, but when I looked at the windows this time I have to say I didn't remember them being so small. So, I just helped Cedar through instead of going myself!
Coral poses for a pretty picture beside 'Ol 556 - here she is showing us how BIG the wheels on the train are!

Stop three on the girls list was H2Oasis, Anchorage's indoor water park. I didn't go with them on this adventure, Winston had an appointment to get to. But, I heard from everyone later that a good time was had by all!

The final adventure was a visit to see Sleeping Lady, also known as Mt. Susitna. There is an Athabascan legend about Mt. Susitna that she is actually a giant who sleeps until the return of her true love. He will return when there is peace in the world.
Here Coral and Cedar take in the beauty of Mt. Susitna (in the distance) from the Coastal Trail by Elderberry Park.
Coral communes with nature after taking in the Sleeping Lady. :0)

It is always so great to get to visit with good friends! We will have to make a trip to Fairbanks soon!

So, what's on those Needles?

I spoke a couple of posts ago about doing an update on what knitting I'm currently involved in. So, here's that update! First, Cleopatra's Stockings. I'm knitting these two at a time using the magic loop - I love socks that are toe up and I love doing them two at a time, so you would think this pattern was meant for me. It wasn't. While it is a pretty pattern and I have no complaints about the yarn, it is a fiddely pattern that, for me, doesn't flow. These are a gift for my friend and department chair from work. The school she is counselor for has purple as it's color, so it seems that these were destined for her.

As I said, they are pretty to look at, but they are fiddely and honestly I'll be happy to have them done and checked off my list. They were also the RSC installment from May 2008, it's time to move on and get them done! Says the woman who has only thus far finished one of the six RSC installments from 2008...

Next, is a scarf for my cousin Martina. For me, 90+% of my knitting is a gift for someone else or is destined to call home someplace other than my home. Usually a combination of patterns and yarn "speak" to me, I look at it and I think, "Hmmm, that looks like so and so", and so the knitting goes from there. This yarn combination said "Martina" to me! I don't know if it is because her birthday is in November and it has an autumnal feel to it or because she lives in a big city in a cosmopolitan sort of lifestyle which in my humble opinion scarves fit nicely into. It is a pattern I learned from Sandy two years ago - a Fleece Artist kit - don't actually know the pattern name.
One of the best things about this scarf is that it truly is a pattern that can go anywhere! I'm not making lightening fast progress on it simply because I tend to save it for travel when I need something that I can knit on anywhere - like meetings and things like this.

Next, is a sweater for my beloved. This picture doesn't look like much, but the not much in this photo is the top of a top-down sweater with a v-neck. I have a couple more rounds to go and then I set aside the stitches for the arms and start the body. It is in shades of blue, which is my sweetheart's favorite color.
This is another great, knit anywhere kind of project, albeit is a little more bulky than the scarf. I did take it with me to an Aces hockey game recently and it was perfect! The yarn is Cascade 220 Painted - great yarn! For those who are not already aware, Cascade 220 is some of my favorite yarn! If there was an election I would vote for it as the best all around yarn! :0)

There is a fourth project on the needles, but I can't show it here, it is a top secret endeavor only to be reveled to the light of day upon completion! So, to make up for it I thought I'd show you some of the things I have "on deck" for this summer:

First, I'm going to make my first attempt at knee-high stockings!
This is the Rhiannon Sock Pattern by Cookie A. If you aren't familiar with this pattern you should click on the photo so you can see how crazy this pattern is! I don't expect to have these done by the end of summer...if I tried that I may lose the fragile grip I have left on my mind entirely! I'm hoping by Christmas. They are a gift for my sister Lou, she loves stockings. Next to it is the intended yarn for this endeavor.
It is Korppi from Blue Moon's Raven line of yarn. It is fully saturated color, so it is mostly black but has hints of underlying colors in it too. You can kind of see that in the picture above. According to the pattern I may need 4-5 skeins of yarn to do the stockings...that gives an idea as to what kind of stockings these will be. I may need to buy a special needle to be dedicated to this project alone...that's an idea! I took a photo of one skein outside in the sun to try and get a better idea of the colors:
There are hints of green and purple in it which I thought was suitable since purple is Lou's favorite color and green is mine.

Next is a pair of socks for my BFF Wendi. A year and a half ago Wendi was looking through a small selection of the sock patterns I have and picked out the Acorn Lace Socks as a pair of socks she'd like to have. Then she went through a small selection of my sock yarn (we weren't at my house, I was at Madrona, so she only was looking through things I had bought) and picked Jewel of the Nile as her yarn of choice. I meant to have these for her birthday in March...clearly that did not happen. Ahh best intentions...
Finally, my family continues to multiply in number. When Lou had A-star & K-man I decided that making a baby blanket for family member's babies would be my "thing" that I do. After the boys were born there was a three year period in which eight babies were added to my family, including two more sets of twins. There has also been another born this past year. So, despite my best intentions, I am again down by two baby blankets. This is the yarn that I purchased awhile ago to make Amber's blanket:
I use acrylic yarn or some kind of acrylic blend on the baby blankets because I figure the last thing new moms need to contend with is fussy care instructions. Machine wash and dry are the way to go! The blankets are crocheted...no particular reason except that the patterns I have are crochet patterns. It is also good to mix things up a bit I think. So, I need to get started on this project this summer - Amber just turned two and her brother Caleb will be one in October.

That is my knitting update! Hope that everyone is enjoying summer, finding time to relax and play and knit!

Walking the Dog

I've learned that there isn't anything better than going for a nice walk with Winston. Lots of folks, and I'll admit that I have been in this group too from time to time, think of walking the dog as this chore that has to be done. When it is -20 degrees or when there is horizontal rain and wind that can be easy to understand. But those days are rare, even at this northern latitude, and most of the time I find that a nice walk is one of the best things going. I have thought on many occasions that Winston is saving my life. I don't have any terminal illness, or even chronic condition, but Winston helps to keep me grounded and prevents me from getting lost in my own head. He depends on me and reminds me of the greater world.

I have a tendency at this time of year to fall into a slump, it feels more like a pit, and it can take an awful lot of effort on my part to crawl back out of it. I guess it is part of the change from being so busy and interacting with so many people on a daily basis to having a much shorter "to do" list and seeing only a handful of folks. All of a sudden I find that I have a lot of time on my hands where most of the people I know and love are at work and it is easy to walk right into that pit. Winston keeps me from falling too far and he helps me to get out quicker. He looks at me with those big, brown eyes and says, "Come on mom, let's go for a walk". Getting outside, out of my pj's, out of my house, out of the dialogue in my head saves me everyday. If I didn't have Winston I wouldn't have to go - or more correctly - I would have to go but I would be able to rationalize that it was not required.

So, although Winston needs me, I need him too. I've had people (people who don't have dogs) say that they can't believe that I walk him everyday. And to be honest, I don't walk him everyday; he goes to daycare two days a week, so I'm only walking him 4-5 days a week. Unless I want to go on a daycare day; Winston is always up for a walk with mom. But, what these folks don't get is I don't know what I would be like if I didn't walk him those 4-5 days a week. That's how he saves my life a little bit everyday. That, and walking with Winston helped me quit smoking.

There isn't anything better than going for a nice walk with Winston.

Happy Birthday Sandy!

Happy Birthday Sandy! It's hard to believe that you've managed to pack so much life and love into such a short time on the planet! Today in particular we celebrate you and are thankful that you are a part of our lives. I wanted to look and see all the things we've been able to do together...


We have walked important paths of history...
We've communed with nature... Big birds...
And small birds...
And bears - oh my!!
We've bought yarn. Lots, and lots, and lots of yarn! ;0)
We've segwayed around the greater Anchorage area...so sexy in those helmets! Can you sing with me, "I like Ike, I like Ike..."??
We've cuddled with glaciers, so cold and hard, must be like cuddling with a Cullen!
We've rocked out to Rush! And Pink Martini - I just don't have a photo of that one!
You've let me Kinnear you from across the room. Wait - did you let me if you were Kinneared? Probably not, but I got away with it anyhow!
We've enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on the deck of your houseboat!
And to think - the thing that made all of this possible is our shared affection for these two! Who woulda thunk it?! Thanks for so many wonderful memories and fun times! I hope that on your special day you get everything that your heart desires! I look forward to many more memories with you!

We love you! - Dave, Mags, & Winston

SUMMERTIME!

Okay, I've been totally remiss on regularly posting to my blog! My apologies! I could come up with a list of excuses, but what it basically boils down to is there are a limited number of hours in a day and other things win out for my attention. Here is some fun stuff I've been up to that has happened since my last post on March 31st (eeegads!):

The boys turned 7!



My wonderful, talented friend Nicole came to Anchorage where she did some of her amazing performance poetry for "The State of the Hood" poetry event celebrating Alaska's 50th birthday.



Julie Bean wore her new socks to school!

Winston turned 5, Dave turned 37, and Dave & I celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss!
This is us at Kincaid Park on our anniversary. We got married at Kincaid and so every year for our anniversary we go there and take a picture. Since it is generally just the two of us, sometimes Winston is with us, they are generally self-portraits like this. We haven't figured out how to get Winston to take the picture without drooling on the camera! ;0)

Jennie had her baby boy, Jared! (Jennie I can't believe I'm posting this before you...oh wait - I can - you have a new infant and I don't!)


Look at Ana - proud big sister!

Winston started getting acupuncture treatments for his allergies - these seem to be helping him. He generally doesn't mind the needles and he really likes his acupuncturist Dr. Palmatier.



Winston - Yes, there is a needle in the top of my head, and one behind each of my ears, and a bunch down my back!

All of these pictures were taken with my iPhone. I love my iPhone! I never knew that I could have such a strong attachment for a phone! In addition to my love, Winston freaks out at the sight of a camera, which is not a good idea when he's getting acupuncture, but with the camera on the phone he doesn't realize that I'm taking his picture (no flash).

I worked on some finishing of knitting and a lot of tie-dye for little people. Not as much knitting to show as there should be but there you go.


This is the finished Baby Surprise Jacket #1. It has sewn seams on the shoulders and the buttons have been put in. It is for Bump Barry. There are plans to make a BSJ #2 also for Bump Barry before Bump Barry arrives. I'm going to alternate the color combos - so where there is lavendar and toffee in this one there will be celery and terra cotta in #2 and so on. It was a very addictive knit, perhaps because it was so easy!


I also did some tie-dye for Bump Barry in the form of 4 onesies.
This is the front of my favorite one - it turned out so bold and colorful!
The back of the same onesie. Pretty cool! I'm fairly new to the world of tie-dye, but I have to admit that I think I'm getting better at it, these certainly turned out better than some of my earlier attempts. Some of these turned out better than others though.
This one I'm particularly proud of because it worked with what I was trying to do with the color. I need to learn more on how better to control what I want the color to do, but at the same time I love that with tie-dye anything can happen and you have to be open to all possibilities.
This one was my attempt at a homage to Notre Dame. Both Julie Bean and Ben attended Notre Dame and so I was trying to get some blue and gold for Bump Barry. Here the color didn't work as well for me, the dye didn't saturate quite as well as I wanted it to and that was largely due to me trying to keep the blue and gold from blending too much into green. It is still pretty cool though.
This one is a bit of a homage to SWS - where JB and I worked together and became friends. It again had the issue of the color not saturating all the way through. But, it's still pretty sweet.

I also did some tie-dyeing for my cousin Ben's babies. My cousin Ben and I share a deep love for Elvis. When I went to Ireland 3 years ago I gave him my 24-hour Church of Elvis t-shirt, a shirt that I had worn and loved for ten years (it was laundered and Ben understands what that kind of giving means - he still has not managed to get from me my first Run for Women tee and he's not going to!). Ben and his lovely partner Kiri have two children: Amber and Caleb. Ben also has a son Dubletach from a previous relationship, he's now fourteen. When Caleb was born this past October I was told my sources that will remain unnamed that his second name was Elvis. So, I set about trying to convince the woman who runs the 24-hour Church of Elvis to make some wee shirts for me. She gladly did and I got three made. One I left white, but I tie-dyed the other two:

This is the first one. With these I decided to do one in warm colors and the other in cool colors. I show both the front and the back on this one because with this particularl folding pattern the front and back turn out quite different.
Here's the cool colors one. I think they both turned out really well. I hope the wee people like them!

Finally, we had a surprise baby shower for Julie Bean, Ben, and Bump Barry!

She seemed really surprised and happy. It was a lot of fun! Ben was there too, but we didn't get a picture with him before the battery in the camera died. Sorry Ben!

I have now surpassed my own record in longest post ever! That's what happens when I go so long between posts! But, it's not that life wasn't continuing, it certainly was. I'll have more about knitting soon - I currently have four projects in the works that I need to get pictures of and get posting.