Monday Headlines

Y’all do realize I rarely read blogs on the weekends, right?  There are a host of reasons, from being busy, to a weird glitch with my laptop where Reader doesn’t load properly, EVER…

So, here I am at work, with dogs finally napping, no billing to do, and all caught up on my reading.  There’s a lot going on, so let me bring you up to speed.

Nancy is having her 300th post contest.  Be sure to tell her I sent you.  I’m also supposed to share a knitting or crocheting tip.  I don’t know that I have one, really.  Oh!  Duh…  When using a chart, I like to use the Post It flags to mark my spot when I set the project down.  (That is, when I secure it safely beyond Sissy’s reach…)  They’re inexpensive, portable, and terrifically re-usable.

Robin’s also having a contest, to guess the yardage of her wonderful recently dyed yarn. 

My awesome Sockapalooza downstream is raising money for a great cause.  Pop over and give her your support, will you? 

The first email I read this morning was from Firefly.   She sent me to THIS site for some entertainment.  The results were surprising.  It’s called the Birthday Calculator, and everything you didn’t know about your date of birth is there.

For instance, I was born on a Tuesday, and mostly likely conceived on a Tuesday.  I already knew my Chinese Zodiac critter was the rooster, which I learned AFTER I’d fallen for the bird.  What shocked me this morning is that

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Woodpecker; your plant is Wild Rose.

That’s interesting because the first bird I recall being really interested in was a woodpecker, and wild roses bloomed outside my childhood window.  I loved those flowers, and the rose is still one of my favorite flowers.  Is there something to this?  Let me know if you have any fitting results! 

Also, check out this awesome sock pattern.  It’s for a great cause.  Thanks to Stacey for pointing it out!

For those hearing about our wildfires, here’s an update from the VA Emergency Operations Center, or rather, my cliff notes version.  Six homes have been lost to the fires.  The Governor has declared a state of emergency.  Over 115,000 homes or businesses are without power, and it was in the teens last night.  Ten different counties still have fires not marked under control, with more than one fire in several of those places. 

This ain’t California.  We don’t do wildfires like this.  Sure, every year there’s one or two remarkable brush fires (and the two terms aren’t really interchangeable; brush is well… brush, the low stuff near the ground) and that’s about it.  We just started our fire season, so this is pretty scary, to be taxing our resources state-wide.  Once you get beyond the urban centers – Northern VA, Richmond and Virginia Beach areas – there are no career firefighters to speak of.  Guess where these fires are happening, folks?!  The fires aren’t in the urban areas.  That means the volunteer systems, assisted by the Forestry Department, are spread THIN. 

Come on rain, sleet or snow, whatever’s due in tonight.