Watch the 47th Grammy's and look for DVR's Wife and Producer, Andrea Vuocolo Vanronk, and our beloved Christine Lavin [who helped edit it] February 13, 2005 8PM on CBS.
William Valdez is our Son-in-Law Extrodinaire. You can support our troops via this site, and support William, personally, if you wish. His TFT ID is 1862195 Thank you!
Fabulous news! Sable had her baby girl (a week later than expected!) on March 11th, named Amen. She had to stay in the hospital for 4 days, but she came home on Wednesday (the day we were there) and her sister was there to help out! I asked if Saron was jealous, Nic laughed and said she was. She is no longer "the baby" nor "the only girl" so it will take adjusting for her.
Now I have to try to find the perfect prezzie for her as Nic and Sable, Abel, Jonathan, Saron and now Amen are absolutely my extended family. They are so loving and their hearts so open and huge. Mom and I are very lucky that they are in our lives. Hapte and Matthew too of course. ##
On a much smaller scale but troubling enough for us, Gordy just went to the workroom to find that the roof has leaked, and worse, it is on the fabulous work table he and Douggie built. This is gorgeous, sturdy wood where he does the leather stripping (and some product photography) on.
It's still pouring out and blustery. Tomorrow we'll contact the appropriate folk, but this is not good now. I hope it hasn't gone down the entire wall. Think good, dry, easily fixable thoughts. ##
"I want to show everyone the news media we are being presented with here in Japan. I think it's quite different from what you see on CNN and other Western news outlets. One thing about Japan--there are professional cameramen EVERYWHERE! It reminds me of the Vietnam war, and how it was the first time the US got real-time, color footage of a war zone. Since the quake, we've had lots of steady, HD video playing non-stop, showing you exactly what it would be like to witness the disaster first hand. Watch it in full-screen, and please share on your wall!!" -- James MacWhyte FB
I have to admit that FB has got me for better or worse. You can find most of my posting there at my facebook account but I will try to come here more frequently.
Anyhoooooo, Mom is doing well. She is now living at Bright Family Home in Lynnwood!!! The family that own the Adult Family Home is absolutely fabulous. She has 5 other "housemates", everyone has their own room.
Mom still can't communicate well, but she still has comprehension when we talk to her. And she still tries to read out loud when something shows up on TV (yes, we caved and put one in her room since her most recent hospital stay made walking so difficult for her without people holding her up on each side), or when we hand off a package of chips to her or something like that, and she'll try to read (we still try to stop by with special home made food and goodies for Mom). She succeeds in reading pretty well!!! She's a fighter (thank god /dess)!!!
The family is orignally from Ethiopia. The AFH house is attached to the family's own home. Besides Nic and Sable, there are 2 other people, Hapte and Matthew, who care for Mom and her "roomies", Victoria, Jackie, Bill, Alan and George. George can move around on his own, Bill does well in his wheel chair. Jackie has to be wheeled around in her chair, but she's quite lucid, and surprisingly young. The other two roomies are bed-bound.
Nic (Nigusso) and Mom have a brilliant love affair. She adores him like no other. Sable is a beautiful, refined and nurturing woman ..and she's due with her (their) 4th baby, four days ago!!! I stopped by on Tuesday, and Sable was sooooooo tired, but still came over from the other house to stop by to say hello and grab a hug. I can't wait to meet the newest family member! Mom will soon have another "baby to squish".
Abel and Jonathan are too old for "the squish", but little Saron is a beauty like her Mama, and often stops by this part of the house and Mom lights up when she sees her. Oh, yes, one more member of this extended family is Frankie the cat.
All in all a warm and lovely family, one couldn't ask for more love and care. ##
By ROY JACOBSON South Whidbey Record Reporter Mar 11 2011, 5:28 PM Langley’s local “yarn bombers” apparently ran afoul of the law, and new Police Chief Randy Heston found himself tangled in a bind in only his second week on the job.
“It was no big deal to me,” Heston said Friday. “In fact, I think they’re really beautiful. But they were on city property without permission.” He was talking about the poles of two traffic signs on First Street — a disabled parking sign in front of the Dog House Tavern, and a restricted parking sign across the street.
Both poles had been wrapped with brightly colored yarn by “incogknitters” belonging to a clandestine group calling itself the Whidbey Island YARN Bombers Society.
On Thursday, Heston, with the law squarely on his side, instructed the city’s public works department to remove the yarn from the signs. His action created a Facebook flurry of good-natured indignation, with even a few calls for a march on city hall.
“Trees and poles need sweaters too,” explained Langley resident
Sharen Heath, who said she was not a member of the yarn bombers, nor knew any members, but who seems to be familiar with the whole thing. Heath said the local group, made up of craftswomen of many ages, is part of an international movement to change knitting’s utilitarian image to something surprising and unexpected.
She said the movement’s bible is a book called “Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti,” and that buses, motorcycles, trees, tanks, buildings and uncounted other items have been blitzed with yarn from Australia to China to Europe. “It’s knitting’s answer to graffiti, but much more pleasing to the eye,” Heath said Friday.
She said she thinks the local “attacks” began about a month or so ago with a yarn cozy on a tree behind Useless Bay Coffee. Another appeared on a tree across Second Street at the South Whidbey Commons, and in other locations around town. “A ball of yarn has become a dangerous weapon, I suppose,” Heath said with a sigh.
Heston said he interviewed Heath, and contacted a couple of South End craft stores to try to determine who was responsible for wrapping the two street signs, without result. “I didn’t want to start off as chief by having city ordinances violated,” Heston said. “It was low-key and no big deal.”
He said he thinks wrapping things in the city with yarn for special occasions such as festivals would be great, with city permission. But altering any kind of traffic sign is also a violation of state law, he added.
“I did my best,” Heston said.
Heath said the yarn bombers are a perfect fit for an artsy community such as Langley. “They have a passion for art in surprising places,” she said of the group. “They just want to inspire people to smile. Smiles are a good thing for Langley.”
“Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, graffiti knitting, guerrilla knitting, or yarnstorming is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk"
I hope they stop chez moi at HLCC (Honeymoon Lake Community Club)
We salute the Grammy nomination of the late great
Dave Van Ronk's final concert album: 
