Happy Birthday Dad!!

January 8 is one of the special days on my calendar for a great reason - it is my Dad's birthday! This is a photo of my Dad and my sister taken today at his birthday party. Wish I could have been there but alas, no vacation time! Dad has always encouraged me to learn all that I can. I am sure this is why I enjoy taking classes and learning about anything that intrigues me.

Speaking of something that might intrigue, have you ever wondered what cats are saying to each other when they play? Let's listen in:

No matter how you play it, hope you have a wonderful weekend!

KZ

Frank, the Working Duck

When I was in elementary school, Mom and Dad bought me a pet duck for Easter.  This duck grew up to be best buddies with my toy poodle.  The two of them spent so many hours playing together. Anytime I was outside, my duck would follow me everywhere.  So when I recently saw this news story about a man who takes his duck to work, I could not resist posting it on my blog.  It takes a moment to load the video, so be patient.

Memories Monday

I originally placed this under Music Monday but have now decided to periodically have a Memories Monday for those times when I find something that elicits a memory.   A friend had a link to this video on her blog and when I saw it, I knew I had to share it with you. Enjoy this duck and dog who are obviously inseparable:



This reminds me of some pets I had when I was younger. I had a poodle who grew up with my pet Easter duck. They were the best of buddies and would play together every chance they had. I wish I had pictures to show. Here is a video that reminds me of the two of them:



Fifi and Gomer would take turns chasing each other and sometimes they would roll over and over together like they were wrestling. People who came by to visit would often comment about seeing the two of them play. One time when Granddad was visiting, he was walking his dog in our backyard and while they were standing there, he saw the funniest thing.

Gomer quietly waddled over to Fifi who had his nose buried in the grass investigating something. Fifi was so intent on what he was looking at, he did not hear Gomer coming. Granddad said it was very obvious Gomer had this planned and was trying to be very quiet because a lot of times when Gomer and Fifi played Gomer would be quacking while he waddled. This time Gomer was in stealth mode. Fifi had the typical short poodle tail and when his nose was to the ground, his short tail was straight up in the air. Gomer got right behind him and just as he got to Fifi's tail he put his beak right over Fifi's tail and let out the loudest quack Granddad had ever heard. Fifi shot up into the air because it was a total surprise. Granddad said he laughed so hard at their antics. That would have been so funny to see!

Hope I have brought a smile to your face as you finish out your Monday.

"That's Something" Sunday

Those who know me well know animals are also a part of my life's tapestry.  I recently learned about a lion named Christian and the wonderful reunion he had.  I thought you might like to see it also.

In researching this story online, I learned the reunion took place in 1974. The gentleman who walks up at the end is George Adamson. The two men who raised Christian had contacted George because he had devoted his life to working with lions and they felt Christian would have better success if George assisted. Perhaps you will remember this wildlife conservationist if I mention the movie "Born Free" which tells the story of George and his wife Joy raising 3 lion cubs.   

John and Ace had made sporadic trips to Kenya to learn how Christian was doing in his relocation but mainly had to be content learning about it from a long distance. Christian and his parents were born in captivity, so this was no easy feat to introduce a captive born lion into the wild. When John and Ace decided to make one last trip to Kora in hopes of seeing Christian and saying goodbye, Adamson wrote them to say it would probably be a wasted mission as no one had see Christian for at least 9 months. John and Ace insisted they were going to come there anyway just on the off chance they could locate him.

Even George was surprised when Christian and his pride showed up right outside of camp the night before the British born lion's two former "roommates" arrived. Isn't it amazing how a lion who had not been seen in months shows up at the exact spot where John and Ace were going to be the very next day.  Now "That's Something!"

Do Ghosts Knit?

Something Knitty to ponder this Halloween

by Knitted Zebra's Brother

Ghost seem to be a hot topic on the late night radio talk shows. I did a search on the internet for ghost pictures. After looking at several hundred pictures, I came away with more questions than answers. All our lives we are told, "you cannot take it with you."

As I looked at all the pictures I realized something was not right. All the ghost had clothes on. They say a ghost is made up of high energy. We know that clothes have no energy. I looked at three ghost pictures of the same great grandmother taken three years apart at an annual family reunion. In each picture she was wearing a different color dress!

Now here is a thought to weave this Halloween ~ Do ghost knit? Maybe that explains it. Ghosts that knit continue to appear in their family photos. The ones that cannot knit do not have the guts to stand naked in a family photo. Could it be that simple? I hope when I die some friendly ghost will knit me some Boo-jeans for family photos.

KZ's Brother


I think talking about ghosts has scared the Zebra!

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

That's Something! Sunday ~ October

Having heard that squirrels can be quite cunning, I was amazed at the lengths this squirrel went in order to get to the bird feeder. When I saw this video, I thought "That's Something!" and knew I had to share it with you. After the obstacle course, you will have a bonus view of a sneaky squirrel stealing something he worked to get. Double click on the arrow to start the video:

I am sure all of us will agree Moms say a lot in the course of a day. A friend from Texas recently sent me the link to the following gem set to the tune of the William Tell Overture:

In a couple of days I will have a guest writer with a special knitting related query for you to ponder this Halloween. In the meantime I leave you with the picture of a cat painted up for Halloween. In case you have not heard, for years people have been paying large amounts of money to have their cats painted.... for real! How would you like this furry kid walking around your house this Halloween?!



Carpe knitting,
KZ

"That's Something!" Sunday ~ September

I cannot believe it is the last Sunday and the last day of September. I guess Summer 2007 is but a memory now. When I saw the following clip, I thought "That's Something!" and knew I had to share it with you. {Double click on the arrow to start the video.}

A seagull in Scotland has developed the habit of stealing crisps from a neighborhood shop.
The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn't looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos. Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.The seagull's shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen, Scotland, and helped himself to a bag of crisps. Since then, he's become a regular. He always takes the same type of crisps. Customers have begun paying for the seagull's stolen bags of chips because they think it's so funny.

I am sure the golfer in the next clip did not think the following incident was funny. It gives a whole new meaning to "birdie" in golf:

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

Flat Stanley visits Oklahoma

We have had the pleasure of hosting my nephew Trevor's Flat Stanley for 2 weeks. What a fun time we have had together! The Flat Stanley concept was developed from a book by Jeff Brown, Flat Stanley. Mr. Brown's Flat Stanley was smashed by a bulletin board that fell on him. His family was dismayed but soon learned being flat could have it's advantages. Flat Stanley no longer needed a plane ticket to visit relatives and friends. He could now travel in an envelope. Thus began his adventures determined by those who host him.

Shortly after Flat Stanley {FS} arrived, we went to visit Margaret at Hummingbird Hill Farms {Sapulpa, Oklahoma}. What a great time we all had there! Margaret gave me a spinning lesson and I was able to try my hand at three different types of spinning wheels, including a Schacht Matchless wheel and the Schacht-Reeves Saxony wheel shown below with FS.
{Hopefully I have correctly remembered the names of the spinning wheels.} I was so impressed with the quality of these wheels!

When we took a break from spinning, we went outside to meet the Alpaca and other animals. Here is FS with Margaret and Juerga:


I have been intrigued with dying wool (roving and spun wool), so
Margaret gave me a lesson using Jacquard dye. The roving on the right was color set in a microwave. When I got home, I spun the water out of the roving in my washing machine and hung them up to complete the drying.

The fun didn't stop there! We saw a baby Boers goat, along with sheep and other goats, plus the farm dogs and cat.
"Ewe" are right, FS! We had a great time!!

The next weekend FS and I went to a Renaissance Fair in Tulsa where we met a lot of people in medieval costumes. I did not have a chance to ask permission to post their pictures on the internet, so I will not be able to show any here. Each person was gracious to allow their picture taken with Flat Stanley so Trevor could add them to FS' photo album.

While we were at the Renaissance Fair, FS got to meet Jane of Angora Jane's Fibers. He was tickled to once again see his new friends, Margaret and Vince from Hummingbird Hill Farms.

For any spinners who might be reading this, I leave you with a "never die" joke I saw on the internet:

"Old spinners never die, they just whorl away."

{To get a closer look at any photo in this blog,
click on the image and a larger version will come up.}

Carpe knitting,
KZ