Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

What a week! I posted Website Wednesday on Tuesday and I got to see enough of Prometheus that I think I can write a Move Monday next week. Things are still hectic around here so I don't think MM will be up and running regularly for a while. I have never spent so much time cooking except when the girl was very little and a rotten eater so every meal was a challenge. I'm going to try sweet potato burgers this weekend. That should be interesting.

It's unbelievable how little knitting I've been accomplishing since I do have a lot of down time, though I'm beginning to think that has just become cooking time. Didn't realize how much stirring it takes regular pudding (not instant) to thicken. 

Today, I do have some pictures where I solved some construction, and other, problems. But first let me show you what's on my knitting wish list: (Sorry that you must join Ravelry [free registration] to view it.)

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/roundabout-dk-ribbed-baby-vest

All you observant souls will see "baby vest" in the link and that it is. But you cast on 68 stitches for the neck (I CO 70 on my top-down tops) and after the collar you double your stitches and join them to work in ribbing rounds to the bottom hem. Does this construction sound familiar to you? It's my generic top-down top, minus the ribbing stitch pattern. I have always wanted to work one of these tops in ribbing and I have a little less than a full skein of Lion Brand brown fisherman wool (the large skein) so this is going to be my next project.

OK, I really don't like the look of this top. It looks messy for an adult but cute for a kid. I'm hoping to improve on this; more later.

The hospice nurse comes on Thursday so yesterday I  wore a blouse with one of my generic tops over it. That's when I noticed the top had a really bad knitting error. So bad that the whole thing is in the frog pond. It's a wriggly mess of cotton yarn which is only good for the trinity/blackberry stitch unless I wash it and hang it with weights to unkink it. And this was one of my favorite tops! More on this later also.

It was when I put on this top (before I discovered the knitting error) that I noticed the saggy stitches at the underarm and I thought this might be a good time to expand my "how to fix a saggy stitch underarm" lesson from an earlier posting.

#1 Saggy underarm

In pic #1, you see the orange top I'm currently working on. I have cast on the stitches for the underarm (top needle) and knitted one row on them. You can see, to the left middle, single threads of yarn between the needles. I'm just about to work a second row on the underarm stitches and if I just knit along all those single threads will just remain there and look like this finished top (#2).

#2 Single threads on finished top

As you can see in picture #2, this top is done but I have 4 single yarn threads in the center. (I'll show you have to fix this later.) Back to the orange top.

#3 About to fix it

The crochet hook in #3 is through the left-most single thread in pic #2.  (The one on the diagonal.) That's the thread I'm going to work through the other threads to the right of it in #2 and up onto the needle. By doing this I'll be tightening the area and turning these single threads into a firmer construction.

#4 a new stitch

In #4, the first stitch on the horizontal needle is the new stitch I just made. Since this row is a *YO, K2tog* lace row, I'm going to have to K3tog here (new stitch with the two to the left of it) because you want to keep the stitch count. But you can see already that the problem in #1 is gone. In #5, here's the underarm section a row later.

#5 Problem solved

It's obvious that the saggy underarm look in #2 is gone.

I know I showed this technique before but this time while working it I thought about all the tops I made before I figured out a solution, like the top in picture #2. So I got out this top and did the same thing as I do when I'm first knitting the underarms. That is, working a new stitch up to the needle. Except with a finished garment there are no needles so I just tacked the new stitch at the back of the underarm.

#6 T-pin holding new stitch

Looking at picture #2, I picked up the 4th single thread to the left (there is a 5th single thread to the left but that's part of the design) and worked a new stitch through the other threads to the top.  As you can see in #6, a T-pin is holding the new stitch in place and in #7, you see the finished product with the new stitch invisibly tacked to the back.

#8 All done

Thinking about methods, fixing the problem as you work or making the new stitch and tacking it to the back later, I really can't say which way is easier. But I am happy that I was able to fix the problem long after I created the top. (P.S. This saggy underarm look is a major problem with knitters according to Ravelry.)

Which brings me to a minor rant against the expensive antiperspirants which advertise: only on your skin, not on your clothes. Liar! Liar! Pants on fire! They don't work and they lead to a lot of pre-prepping of the underarm area of the garment as you get ready to wash it.

#8 Antiperspirant white

Since my lace tops are made to go over camis they come in contact with the antiperspirants and unfortunately "wear the white streaks." I noticed it when I went to fix the underarm of this top in #8. You can see the whiteness by the single thread.

So I decided to finally "cure" this problem. First, I soaked the underarms in conditioner for 20 minutes. Nothing happened, still white. Then I took out fels naptha soap which is an old family remedy (if fels can't remove it, nothing can) and gently scrubbed the area. Well, the white is gone but I'm pissed that I had to use fels (it's not gentle.) However, I don't know what the solution is to these white streaks except removing them in intensive washing.

Right now, the blue top is drying and I'll post a picture next week.

That's it for this Friday. See you next week. Happy knitting.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich 

Edit: I am so embarrassed! This is Tuesday, not Wednesday and I'm a day early. Obviously, I'm under more stress than I realize. Sorry about that.

 

Website Wednesday 

Keeping up the same theme as my opening last Wednesday (The computer ate my homework.), I just discovered that an e-mail I read yesterday on my laptop computer is not in the mailbox on my desktop computer. I hate when computers start making mistakes like humans; they're supposed to be infallible.

But I did transfer my lost website picks of last Wednesday to my desktop so today will be an easy ride for me. Which I need since life has settled into a hectic routine around here with little time for "light" computer fun or knitting (as of right now, I only have an inch of new knitting ready for Knitting Friday.)

http://beautifullybellafaith.com/blog/30-organization-tips-tricks-and-ideas-that-will-make-you-go-ah-ha/ 

OK, I have been doing a lot of organizing and rearranging lately so the 30 Ah Ha! organizational tips and tricks in the above website really seem appealing. Check them out because many of these are very good ideas. Beautifully Bellafaith is geared for the young mom but has a lot of universally interesting topics. 

 http://www.thephotomag.com/2013/05/hyper-realistic-sculptures-are-made.html 

Tom Eckert is the featured artist in the above site and his medium is wood. Not like in the big wood bears you see along some highways but in fine art which you look at and say: How does he do that? Scroll to the bottom for a video interview with the artist. Also, be sure to click Home for other very interesting artistic/photographic sites, though I'm a little spooked with the photos of the friendship between Milo the little dog and Bonedigger the big lion. Bad idea to me.

But keeping in the dog motif: 

http://post.barkbox.com/37-funny-dog-gifs/

OK, roll your eyes if you want, a lot of it's corny but I'm a sucker for dog videos and a lot of these are worth the click to see the entire video.

And now for something completely different:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/29/anton-chekhov-8-qualities-of-cultured-people/

Here you find out what Anton Chekhov thinks is needed to make a person cultured. Chekhov, that master of play writing where nothing seems to happen but really everything is happening, is writing about culture in 1886. Are his points still valid? Were they ever valid? If our definition of culture has changed, is the change for the better? Cripes! I sound like an old maid school teacher! But as the protagonist says in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when he is given a laundry list of bad behavior examples of his enemy from an old man who thinks this information can be useful: In your day, perhaps. Today, such bad behavior is applauded. Would Chekhov shake his head in dismay today? Be sure to click around Brain Pickings for a lot of well researched and interesting topics.

Finally: 

http://www.earthalbum.com/ 

Wow! is all I can say. Talk about being an armchair tourist! Just follow the simple directions to travel the world and be sure to click on the links for full screen pics. And don't just travel to popular travel sites; I just came back from Chad. Be sure to bookmark this site so you'll be ready for armchair tourism whenever you want.

That's it for today. See you next week.

  

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

If I were bringing excuses into the teacher, I would have to use: The computer ate my homework for Website Wednesday's excuse. (I did find the e-mail with my website picks on another computer's e-mail so this excuse is valid and, I have my picks done for next week.) For today's dirth of pictures however, I would have to say: With the grind of caring for a hospice patient it gets more difficult to knit. (Though I'm not complaining because, of course, the grind of being a hospice patient is so much more difficult than finishing knitting projects.)

I've learned something interesting about hospice and heart failure patients: a family caregiver with a few web clicks can become as informed as and even more informed than the hospice nurses. This is because less than 18% of hospice patients are heart failure patients probably because most heart patients keep taking treatment and surgeries to the end: their treatment of choice is aggressive, not pallative.

I did find an excellent, but preliminary study (only 40 white males studied; published 2013) in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine which was very comforting to my patient. For the first time, she was able to realize that her symptoms were not unique. It's interesting that heart failure is still the "orphan" care in hospice though it is the number one killer.

So reacting to lack of sleep and time, let me post "My Knitting Day on the Net." Similiar to what I did on Wednesday but with a craft emphasis.

My first knitting hit is usually Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/

where, as I said on Wednesday, I can spend a mother-lode of time. However, sometimes my first hit is All Free Knitting patterns:

http://www.allfreeknitting.com/

which comes in frequently as a e-mail with new patterns.

Then there's Knitting Pattern Central, which has a sister site of Crochet Pattern Central:

 http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/

This used to be a cornucopia of new patterns (twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday) but the site has been sold and the new patterns only trickle in periodically now. However, all the old patterns are still listed and it's a excellent site for that sudden brainstorm of: I wonder where I could find scores of  knitted jewelry patterns stat. (or pet, coaster, Halloween, you name it; plus your "typical" clothes patterns)

Garner Studio's Drops patterns:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/kategori_oversikt.php

is another treasure trove for the advanced beginner and beyond knitter. I say this about Drops sometimes short-hands their instructions and the true beginner may find an easy looking pattern which presents a challenge. (Drops has one big advantage for me: all the patterns are on this site, you don't have to click other sites and perhaps register to view the patterns.)

And finally, knitting videos for the simpler knitting procedures:

http://www.knittinghelp.com/ 

While a simple search will get you a panoply of excellent knitting videos, Knitting Help has some great, free ones on some of the basics of knitting like casting on. And, while you may say Cable Cast On videos are for the beginner, a German Twisted Cast On video is not. Take a look at Knitting Help. There's a lot of free good stuff there.

OK, I'll leave you now with a lot of sites to explore, I hope. Next week, I should have an orange cotton knitted top to show you. Happy knitting.

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich 

Website Wednesday 

I have nothing! I carefully selected interesting (well, I thought so) picks for today and e-mailed them from another computer but the computer mailman has not delivered them! Bummer! It's much too early to call Sherlock Holmes in on the case so I'm going to do something entirely different today. I'm going to lead you through my early morning on the web. Here's what I read every morning. Hope you don't get bored. First, I get the coffee.

Then I visit is The Huffington Post: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Which since its merger with AOL has many headlines leaning heavily towards tabloid sensationalism and many worthless articles.

Next stop is Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/  

where, on a good day, with a lot of interesting postings, I could spend a mother lode of time. However, Ravelry has always had an uncomfortable group of members who see themselves as the morality police. For example, they are sticklers for copyright laws though I think most don't really understand them.

Then I'll visit "smaller" liberal/progressive blogs:

 http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/


Tbogg presents some of the best liberal writing around and some of his sentences are jut museum quality. Though I'm sad that his real-world life interferes with the quantity of his writing.  

I also have a list of many other liberal blogs but I'll single out:

 http://www.alternet.org/ 

I always come away from Alternet depressed but informed. These articles are long reads but very worthwhile and their contributers call them like they see them so Obama comes in for criticism often.

If I have the time (I usually reserve an early Saturday morning for this), I'll go to a game site:

http://www.gamershood.com/forum/forum.php

The Gamershood's forum is a good example of a game site with variety though I only head for the Room Escape games. And if I really want a challenge, I'll head for the Melting-Mind room/house/asylum escape games which can be found here or at:

http://www.melting-mindz.com/

All these games are formulaic with the best of them having you use logic and the worst of them leaving you to luck.

So that's my early morning internet life.

See you next week with, I hope, the picks which are now "lost in the mail."

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

 

Knitting Friday

 

Well, my knitting was not "full of sound and fury", the phrase Macbeth uses to describe human existence in his famous 3 Tomorrows speech but I feel I can grab another phrase from that speech because all my bits of knitting this week seemed to be "Signifying nothing." There was no: Oh, I knitted up this intricate-patterned shawl in just two days, as some other knitter say. All I got is this almost completed red shawl which I have been working on for months. (Note: Pic #1 & #2 loaded incorrectly.)

#2 H hook edging

 

#1 Red shawl

It's done in frogged, crinkly red crochet thread; always a delightful yarn choice. In Pic #1, the right side is the top and the left side is the bottom of the shawl where you can see some  edging. This edging is triple  crochet clusters (trc) (*8 trc in 1 st, single crochet in next st* across) using a H hook, but that looked sloppy. In Pic #2, you can see it in its full sloppiness. 

#3 G hook edging

However, I switched to a G hook and this made the edging tighter. I also changed the pattern to 10 trc in each stitch, up from 8. I don't know if pics #2 & #3 show the difference but in real life you can see it.  The pattern for the shawl is a variation of Take It or Leaf It. Truth be told, I really wanted to crochet this pattern but I just couldn't get the hang of it. Here's the link if you want to try it:

 

http://crochetvolution.com/archives/fall-2011-archives/take-it-or-leaf-it

 

I just used her basic stitch pattern and added my typical increases at each side of every row. So while she got more of a triangle, I got a crescent. Of course, she has a gorgeous pattern in her edging that I didn't even attempt. Oh well, there will be another day. After all, there was a time when I ran screaming from crochet charts; now I find them very easy to read.

The only other new pattern I started this week is another Birch Vest from Knitting Daily:

http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/95296.aspx

 

I've linked to this pattern before (it takes a free registration to get it) and, if you remember, I only use the yoke pattern in this pattern. Then I pick up the stitches and work a knitted pattern for the body. Here's a picture of the latest yoke:

 

#4 Birch Vest Yoke

It's done in a very, splitty cotton/acrylic yarn which is producing a very soft, loose weave. Probably the yarn would be better as an lacy summer shawl but I don't need an orange summer shawl.

 

That's it for today. Let me leave you with a pattern for a crocheted vest (sorry knitters, I just seem to be crocheting up a storm lately) from Lion Brand:

 

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/clc-vest.html?noImages= 

 

This pattern is designed by Doris Chan who is a big name in the crochet world. It's free but its rating on LB is only 2.1 stars (5 is max) because the directions are, as one reviewer said: Wow! And I mean WOW! Tricky, tricky pattern! It really is expert level.

 

I think this vest looks lovely so I'll throw you that old challenge from Mission Impossible: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to tackle and conquer this pattern. The pool opens tomorrow and I may bring paper, pencil, hook, yarn and these pattern directions and accept my challenge. (Of course, based on the weather forecast, I'll also be working in the rain.) More next week.

 

Happy Knitting. Happy Crocheting. See you next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

 

Website Wednesday

 

The joke around here is that I think I've reached the end of the internet. Just like Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green remembered when the earth was green and lush, I remember when the internet was a toddler and the depth of its educational output was unbelievable. Of course, that hasn't changed (though then, almost all these sites were free) but I remember when capitalism/commercialism was still just dabbing its toes into this great new medium not knowing if it, the mysterious "web", was going to be the correct venue for its products. Back then, search a word and perhaps the 20th hit would be aimed at selling you something; today, you're lucky if you reach a non-commercial hit by number 20.

 

Having said all this, I'll give up my internet "when you pry it from my cold, dead hands"

 

Grousing over and on to one of my site-type-favs:

 

http://freshome.com/ 

You know, you get to see rooms where every bit of space is utilized and they take a closet and make it a liveable apartment. Be sure to click all around this site for ideas and don't forget this page:

http://freshome.com/2011/08/03/best-ikea-bedroom-designs-for-2012/

I have been into IKEA designed homes of 500 to 700 square feet and it's amazing all the "living" they can put into such a small area. My only quibble (and I have this with all interior design sites) is that these rooms/houses are in pristine condition and it doesn't look like anyone lives there. Mess it up, guys, and show us what it looks like the day before the cleaning help arrives, not the day after.

And now on to pictures:

http://thedraftingclub.com/blog/ 

Currently, this blog is featuring the US Old West and Civil War and these bleak black and white images eerily bring up thoughts about a time, as blogger Derekh says: These photos ... are sobering (and much needed) reminders of just how real it was.  They provide faces, emotions, and settings for all of the facts and figures I’ve read in history books.

Derekh has a panoply of other topics here also (Atlas of America for the Blind from 1837) so be sure click around.

http://www.findingninee.com/admitting-special-needs-and-saying-autism-is-hard/ 

The above page from Finding Ninee is a must-read for all of us. It tells the regrets of a mom who missed the perfect opportunity at work to discuss autism: I had the opportunity to spread autism spectrum awareness, or – at the very least –  inform a co-worker about speech and language delays in children.  In my child. And I didn’t take it. In no way should this mom feel any guilt in not doing "autism education" at this perfect moment (and many of the article comments echo this.) But, to me, the saddest part of this story is that she only tells this half-truth to her co-worker: (I) shared that Robert was in remedial reading in first grade. With the rate of US children in the autism spectrum reaching 1 in 50 (a shockingly high number and a national scandal), parents should not be reluctant to talk about it and must feel comfortable to do so. Because if they don't, this talking vacuum will be filled with know-nothing Yahoos commenting that these stats are phoney. (Note: I do think that with the growing intolerance towards different learning paths/maturation paths among children, some younger children may be classified in the autism spectrum/ADD spectrum incorrectly. Having said that, I have taught severely autistic/moderately autistic children; this is a real and terrible condition. Finding a "cure" for autism should be as important as the Manhattan Project was in developing the atomic bomb.)

And finally, some more pictures, with a twist:

http://smashingpicture.com/awesome-illustrations-by-nacho-diaz/ 

Truth be told, I may be denser these days because I missed a few of the allusions here. Most I got though and many are wicked!

That's it for today. See you next week.

 
 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

 

Knitting Friday

 

Two ibuprofen at bedtime seem to keep my aching bones at bay, at least until 4 am which is usually the time I bound out of bed. Also, walking around the perimeter of the house 20 times (on the inside, of course, I don't want the neighbors to think I'm a complete loon) is a nice, easy, doable exercise which, while it can't top a treadmill, does count as a healthy exercise if it's done often. OK, those are my pain and exercise tips for today, on to the knitting.

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-a-Knitting-Pattern

 

I have another knitting website pick this Friday: How to Read a Knitting Pattern. It's a basic and thorough "how-to" guide for understanding what is sometimes as challenging as a foreign language, the knitting pattern. Don't dismiss it with: Well, I'm too advanced a knitter to need this, because there are tips even super-experienced knitters should remember like: read your pattern through first before knitting and mark rows so you don't skip instructions. One basic knitting rule I have: Never get knitting hubris, it will trip you up every time.

#1 Rainbow Shawl

I won't go into the genesis of the Rainbow Shawl again (see last week's KF for more info) but picture #1 shows you the finished shawl with the crochet thread ball still attached (upper left) because I'm such a wimp when it comes to closure. It took about two and 3/4 small skeins of typical No. 10 crochet cotton (available in big box stores; I got mine at A. C. Moore) and I used a H hook. Here's the very fast pattern complete.

Rainbow Shawl: Chain 78 and keep the first and last 3 stitches as double crochet throughout.

Row 1 - 4: Double crochet across starting in the 4th chain from hook. (Note: Ch 3 does not = a double  crochet.) Turn.

Row 5 - Increase Row: Chain 3 and work the first three stitches as DC, then *2 DC in next stitch, 1 DC in next stitch* across ending with 4 stitches to go. 2 DC in next stitch and 1 DC in each of the last three stitches (edging.) Turn. (Note; I fudged it so the pattern worked on 78 stitches because the variegated thread hides a lot. If you work this on different yarn, the CO should be 2x stitches plus 1, plus the 6 edge stitches. )

Row 6: Chain 3, and half-double crochet in each stitch across.

Continue in this 6 row pattern until you have increased the shawl to your desired length. At that point, make Row 5 a no-increase row (work it as you work Row 1 through 4) and continue in pattern until you reach your width. End your shawl by working Row 6.

Edging: With the yarn still attached and a larger hook (I think I used a J hook), work your way up the one side of the shawl, across the top and down the second side in the crab stitch evenly placed. When you reach the bottom edge: Chain 10 and slip stitch into first bottom edge stitch. Repeat this is every stitch across the bottom and you're done. Block or don't.

 

This shawl overlaps at the top so I fastened it with a colorful Knit Picks wooden cable needle and I was good to go. As usual, the Rainbow Shawl is really a generic pattern and you can tweak it to fit your size and tastes. Obviously, I'm not married to the double crochet/half-double crochet pattern so you can try all sorts of wild and wacky stitches if you like. (I liked simple stitches because I wanted the colors of the crochet thread to be the "star.") Even the edging is just a suggestion.

 

#2 Lacy Feather & Fan

Also this week, I worked on  the Lacy Feather and Fan scarf whose link is here:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lacy-feather-and-fan-pattern

 

#3 Close-up of F & F

This is crocheted with a H hook in lace weight wool. I don't know why the right edge wants to curl but the scarf it supposed to be blocked when finished. It's a beautiful, simple pattern which, as usual, I keep screwing up. Finally, I wrote a cheat sheet and all is working well. The pattern calls for a chain of 76 but that was just too wide so I'm using 57 for better results. A closer picture of the pattern is in #3. It's such a pretty pattern and looks like knitting without the angst of lace knitting. Plus, this is one lace pattern which could be a traveling project since it's so easy to memorize.

I'm also working on a knitted project this week, the Elann Pasticcio Circular Vest, which is no longer available as an Elann free pattern. A little back story: about 6 years ago when this vest was available, I chose not to copy down the pattern but chose to work on another free vest also offered by Elann. Fast forward to today when I'm older and wiser and I realize that the Pasticcio vest is worked in one piece, as a circle, and really is the easier of the two patterns. Luckily, although Elann no longer carries the pattern, you can find it on this site:

 

http://sharonwatterson.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/circular-vest-free-knitting-pattern/ 

 

Sharon Watterson has kindly provided the pattern pages (scroll down) plus a detailed explanation on the how -tos of this vest. As you can see from pic #4, it's knit from the center out. (I did my usual crochet hook "button" at the CO and did not divide 8 stitches on DPNs as suggested.) As usual, this vest is being made on my "swatch" yarn, that is, cheap stuff, because the armholes may be tricky and you're at 28 stitches in each of your 8 sections before you start them; much too late in the game to pull out good wool if I make a mistake or if the

#4 Pasticcio Vest

pattern needs tweaking. Having said that, as usual this prototype is working up so easily and if I don't have any problems at the armholes, I'm going to kick myself for not starting this in good yarn.

But more of this saga next Friday. It's time to say good-bye for today. See you next week. Happy knitting.

 

 

Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Website Wednesday

I get the true meaning of "bone tired" now and it's not a good bone tired like "Oh, I'm bone tired but did I get a lot accomplished today." but more like: "My bones ache getting into bed at night and still ache the next morning." But I am finding a lot of ways to make pasta so life still has some meaning. Putting Movie Monday on hiatus for a while is helping time-wise and I have been watching snip-its of Scoop (later Woody Allen) when I can, so all is not lost.

What is most surprising me is that for some wacky reason, I have no desire to write about politics. In fact, the crazy, greedy antics of so many of my species just bemuse me lately. I can't believe I have moved beyond the indignation towards the self-destructive, hypocritical nature of man. Maybe that's also only on hiatus, like Movie Monday. We'll see.

OK, maybe the indignation is not dead because you have to take a look at this:

http://www.castlesphotos.com/2013/02/the-hearst-castle/ 

This is San Simeon, the once private residence of William Randolph Heart (the Citizen Kane of that famous Welles movie) which is now part of the CA park system. What an unspeakable obscenity! As that late-great Ozymandias once intoned: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!

But there is joy in the world and nothing proclaims it like pictures of animals:

http://onebigphoto.com/category/animal-photography/page/2/

Be sure to click on individual animals for full screen pictures. 

I can't believe that I haven't linked to One Big Photo before; it's a treasure trove. And don't forget to go to its main site:

http://onebigphoto.com/ 

and scroll through all the Categories listed there.

And now for some "light" reading at Classic Reader:

http://www.classicreader.com/browse/1/title/ 

Well, I lied about the "light" part but this is an excellent site to bookmark. It contains scores of public domain books from assorted categories (how can categories not be assorted?), though I think the Young Readers choices may just draw hoots of laughter today. While there are many public domain book sites on the web, this one is special because the font is very readable and the books are divided into chapters, making for easy "pick up and put down" reading. I'm even thinking about starting Adam Bede by Eliot which is kind of spooky. You get your best selections in Fiction and Young Readers and the site hasn't been active since 2010. But, hey, public domain books have been "dead" a long time and they're still worth the read, or re-read. Take a look.

That's for today. See you next week.