The Seeeecret Ingreeeedient

Dear Hubby and I have been involved for the last year and a half in a cooking club: once a month we get together and meet for a themed potluck-type of meal. We call our little group the Norman Noshers Nine, and we are comprised of the following: a vegetarian gas and oil attorney and his vegetarian social worker wife, who, by the way, are also TTC; a fledgling criminal defense attorney and his quadriplegic attorney girlfriend; a gay, Jewish attorney and his ballroom-dance instructor boyfriend; the social services attorney; and us, the environmentalist military officer and the environmentalist officer's wife (yes, that's a job in and of itself).

We are an interesting and odd lot.

This month's NNN included:

The Walskes hosting
An pseudo-Iron Chef theme with pears as the secret ingredient
No new news on the TTC front
A new girlfriend for the social services attorney
A new client for the fledgling criminal defense attorney
Lots of wine
A Dirty-Santa gift exchange that was rather tame considering the crowd involved
Chatting in front of the fireplace until midnight

Thanks, NNN, for another great gathering.

What if...?

What if you only had one small, all-purpose general store in your town? And what if from that store you were expected to buy all your clothes and toiletries and, well, basically everything? And what if that store was meant to serve over 10,000 people? And what if that store only got small shipments of random stuff at irregular intervals? What would you do?

What would you do if one week they got a shipment of socks and deoderant and that was all, and the last time they got a shipment of these things was 6 weeks ago? Do you think you would buy all the socks and deoderant you could afford, just in case?

Let's add to this scenario. What if you couldn't use a check or a debit card to pay for what goods you could get at this store? And what if the closest place you could cash a check was an hour's drive away over roads that on any given day you could get killed by driving on?

My brother, as you may know, is currently in Iraq. And he is dealing with just such a scenario. I tell you these things because, even though our politicians are talking abot bringing our men and women in uniform home, they are not home yet. And they are not able to get the basic things they need, such as socks, T-shirts, shampoo, and toothpaste, much less frivolities like chewing gum and books. We have set up a new blog that will detail our endeavors to get my brother and his troops some of the things they need.

Please visit and do what you can to help.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It has been the worst winter storm to hit Oklahoma since December 2000. And let me tell you, when it snows here, the city shuts down. Dear Hubby is from Wisconsin, where ice and snow such as we currently have laying about is a daily occurance. Schools and government offices shut down? Ha! They'd need feet of snow before such a thing came to pass. But here? Three little inches of snow fell yesterday -- of course that was on top of the inch of ice that coated the streets the night before -- and the city has shut down for two days. Ok, maybe I'm underestimating things a bit. The folks north of OKC did get upwards of 10 inches. And, after living here for a few years, I believe that the main reason the city shuts down is to prevent the overly confident SUV and 4-wheel drive owners who normally dominate the roads from piling up in the ditches like so many snow drifts. See, these folks seem to believe their vehicles make them invincible to ice on the roads.

But all this inclement weather has enabled me to catch up -- and catch you up -- on all the fabulous knitting that yours truly is up to. Ah winter. Nothing like a little frigid weather to put one in mind of fabulously warm knitted things made with alpaca and other fabulous fibers. First off, I finished the two-tone red scarf scarf last seen as a WIP (work in progress) in the Dallas-Ft Worth International Airport. It is oh so clever with a hole in the middle to tuck one end through to tighten it. Then, I picked up some grey and green alpaca from The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop in Ellicott, Maryland for which to knit Dear Hubby, he of the shaved head, a fabulously warm hat. Unfortunately, said hat is still a WIP, a serious issue what with the below freezing temperatures currently entrenched throughout the OKC metro. And my final side project currently in the works is a lucious slip-knit scarf worked in a Noro silk-angora-wool blend.

Projects upcoming: knitting for soldiers in Iraq. The Ships Project and Operation Toasty Toes are two such groups that connect knitters stateside with sailors, soldiers, airman, and marines deployed around the world. I plan to support my brother's unit with as many hats as my little fingers will knit, all made from Super Wash wool that my local yarn store has ordered for me.

For other charity knitting this holiday season, check out Knitting for Peace, by Betty Christiansen. There are loads of projects, organizations to knit for, and charity knitting history and lore in this little book.

And just remember, when it's cold and blustery outside, there's nothing like knitting to keep your fingers warm. Knit long and prosper.