Gunsmoke and Knitting

What do I remember, remember?

November 5, 2014

The Fifth of November – Guy Fawkes Day . . .

The year was 1605 and some English Catholics were angry because the King of England, James the first, was treating them badly. In November 1605 a group of men made a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament (the government buildings) in London. An enormous explosion was planned for November 5th. This was the day that the King was due to open parliament. The plan is known as the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and the leader of the group was called Guy Fawkes. The men put 36 barrels of gunpowder (a type of explosive) in the Houses of Parliament and they waited for the King to arrive. The group decided that Guy Fawkes should light the gunpowder and cause the explosion. Did they succeed? No, they didn’t. The police found the gunpowder before it exploded and they caught all the men involved in the plot. The men were tortured and killed. To celebrate his survival, King James ordered the people of England to have a bonfire on the night of November 5th.

Read more here.

A penny for the Guy

Go have a baked potato stuffed with butter and cheese, and be careful around the bonfire!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bonfire Night, Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, history, holidays, travel | Leave a Comment »

Whose birthday am I noting on tattoo Tuesday?

November 4, 2014

Today is the birthday of Pauline Trigere, American fashion designer, who had a long career spanning the decades from the 1940s through the 1990s. Her NYT obituary (2002) states:

She was noted not only for her designing skills, but also for her tailoring and such touches as constructing dresses with no obvious seams.

Miss Trigère wore only her own designs, and she generally punctuated them with several of her trademark turtle pins. She was known both for her meticulous grooming and for a charm that surmounted her blunt, sometimes impolitic comments, spoken in a Gallic accent she never lost.

I remember sewing this dress, or something similar when I was in junior high or high school. It was not as simple as it looks.

And I forgot that you had to stand all funny when wearing her dresses:

I could not find a Trigere tattoo, but I did find this super tattoo dress by Alexander McQueen:

Want.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fashion, Pauline Trigere, style, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos | 2 Comments »

What am I full of?

November 3, 2014

Hot air is the answer. Enjoy the timelapse video from the Albuquerque Balloon Festival 2014.

My link came from wordlesstech.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Albuquerque Balloon Festival, hot air balloons, New Mexico, travel, whimsey | 5 Comments »

What am I sappy cat blogging?

October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween from Simon’s Cat

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, cats, Friday, sappy cat blogging, Simon's Cat, whimsey | Leave a Comment »

What am I carrying?

October 31, 2014

Bluesmart carry-on bag is a high-quality carry-on suitcase that you can control from your phone. You can lock and unlock it, weight it, track its location and more…

The Bluesmart carry-on bag connects to your smartphone enabling features that will forever change the way you travel.

You can lock the suitcase from your smartphone, and it will automatically lock itself when separated from you.

It has a built-in digital scale so you can find out its weight and whether it’s approved by the airline.

Includes a super-powerful battery charger that can charge two devices. There’s more here at wordlesstech.

It reminded me of, you know . . .

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

What am I loving?

October 30, 2014

I don’t know why, I just do.

I’m going home now to lie down with my crayons.

Penwald Drawings by Tony Orrico. Tony is an artist and dancer who has been called the human spirograph, performing for up to 4 hours continuously taking the concept to the next level by using his entire body in the drawing process.

Reblogged from Hovercraft Doggy

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, drawing, hovercraft doggy, whimsey | 2 Comments »

Whose birthday am I celebrating on tattoo Tuesday?

October 28, 2014

Dedicated on October 28, 1886, today is the 128th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, standing on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. A gift from the people of France, the statue is 305 feet high, is composed of copper, wrought iron and steel, and was designed by architect, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. For “the true story of the Statue of Liberty, click this link.

Want more views? Visit the crown cam.

I remember traveling to NYC with my sister and two aunts when I was nine. We did all the tourist stuff including climbing to the top of the statue. I loved it.

And the tattoo:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged architecture, art, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, history, Statue of Liberty, style, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos, travel | 2 Comments »

What am I eating/drinking?

October 25, 2014

Rummy Bears from Serious Eats ( Mark Falkowitz)

This is brilliant! Why did I not think of this? Think about jello shots . . . how much more fun with booze-infused gummy candies.

Here is the How To by Erin Zimmer:

Pour enough liquid over the gummies to completely immerse and cover them, with a little liquid peeking out on top. How long should they infuse? Many sources suggest three to four days in the fridge. We left them sitting out on the countertop and after a few hours, their little bear bellies swelled up and they already tasted pretty boozy. Between five to eight hours was the sweet spot for us to achieve the best squish. The bears will lose their firm chew and take on a texture of jiggly Jell-O. They should still be pleasantly squishy, not liquefied. Over-infuse them and they’ll just become a gelatinous mess of bear ooze.

I am on my way off to the candy store. Here are a few other delicacies to consider:

Gummy Coke Bottles in Jack Daniels

Tequila Worms – forget the worm in the bottle and add your own gummy worms!

And Little Green Apple Frogs in Vodka

Hа здоровье!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, food, gummy bears, Jack Daniels, tequila, vodka, whimsey | 8 Comments »

What am I sappy spider blogging?

October 24, 2014

“When I turned on the light, I couldn’t quite understand what I was seeing,” Piotr Naskrecki said about his encounter with the Goliath Birdeater Spider in the rainforest of Guyana.

Okay, this is not sappy spider blogging – this is Creepy, Enormous, NIGHTMARE spider blogging. This specimen has a leg span of up to a foot, 2 inch long fangs and a fist-sized body. The Goliath also has hardened feet that make it sound like horses hooves when it walks.

It gets better:

When Naskrecki approached the imposing creature in the rainforest, it would rub its hind legs against its abdomen. At first, the scientist thought the behavior was “cute,” he said, but then he realized the spider was sending out a cloud of hairs with microscopic barbs on them. When these hairs get in the eyes or other mucous membranes, they are “extremely painful and itchy,” and can stay there for days, he said.

I’m never going there, nope, never.

What am I looking at now?

October 23, 2014

I’ll be looking through welder’s glass to see the partial solar eclipse this evening. It will most likely be overcast, but I am hoping to see a bit of it before nightfall. I hope you get a good view.

Take a look at the cool animated graphics at Shadow and Substance. Scroll down to see all the info.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged astronomy, geeky science blogging, photography, science, solar eclipse | 1 Comment »