KnitForKids Sweater # 3 for 2008

KnitForKids sweater #3 for 2008 is finished. This has been done for about a week, but just needed to take a picture and post. Behind on my knitting goal for 2008 KnitForKids. Need one for the month of April. Must select the yarn and get to "throwin." Yes, I knit by "throwing" the yarn and not "picking" the yarn. This is the way I learned to knit many years ago. I can knit "picking", but like my pace by "throwing". I guess each to their own way of knitting.

EARTH DAY 2008 - WHY RECYCLE?

Today is EARTH DAY 2008. A day to celebrate our great earth, the air we breath, the land we walk on and the beauty we enjoy. Do we take these things for granted? Some evidently do. Do we try to preserve our earth so that we can continue to celebrate its beauty? We should start somewhere in our quest to keep our air and soil clean and toxin free. Have you tried recycling?

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Why recycle? Think of everything you put in your trash cans and then to the curb for pick-up and then it is toted off to a landfill somewhere. How many tons of garbage do Americans dispose of every year? Check out Keep America Beautiful for some interesting facts and figures about how we are treating our earth and, in particular, our great nation.

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I set a personal goal to recycle plastic bottles, milk jugs, aluminum cans, glass, paper and anything else that our local recycle center will accept. It takes a little more effort, but I couldn't believe how much my family and my extended family next door accumulates in just one month. When I thought this through, how much have I contributed to the landfill problem?

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The starting point for me was a program I watched one day on PBS about Rachel Carson in the 1950's and early 1960's. A woman ahead of her time. Her quest was to take care of nature and eco-systems. The end of the program focused on plastic bottles and batteries that are thrown into landfills. I could not believe how much waste. Better yet, what did not decompose in landfills--plastic. I cannot begin to imagine how our trash is affecting any eco-system? I would like to put my head in the sand and not think about it, but I can't stop thinking about the eco-systems. My choices can affect life.

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This is something I truly truly support. I have been able to see the eco-systems in the Great Lakes Region of the United States and on the Gulf Coast. Both areas of the country worry about how to maintain healthy eco-systems. One life supports another life and so on and so on. When this breaks down because of our polluting air, land and water, we have problems.

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Okay, I'm trying to get off my soapbox now.

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Help in some small way-- RECYCLE.

SAM, I AM !

This post is about a rescue. A small bundle of wonder that weighed 8 lbs. found by the side of the road that is now almost 20 lbs. and still growing. This bundle of energy is a chocolate lab. Luckily for him, my little sister (who has a soft heart for animals) found him and gave him a caring home. She came walking over to my house with him all wrapped up and I thought I had another member of my family. She said this one was hers and had already named him. MEET SAM!

Sam now has a backyard full of toys, a new doggie igloo, plenty of water and food, a vet who is watching out for his health, a master that walks him almost every night (let's correct that, Sam walks his master) and a German Shephard next door that thinks Sam belongs to her. The shephard runs the fence when Sam is in training mode. He has a lot of "puppyness" that he will grow out of with age. He is a pure joy. We are glad to have this chocolate lab as part of the family. SAM, I AM!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIECE # 3

Happy Birthday niece #3, my namesake. It does not seem possible that you are 24 today, April 14, 2008. Thank you for all of the many years of fun and laughter that you have brought to my life. I wish you the very best birthday possible!

1928 - 2005 In Memory of My Dad

April 4, 2005 seems like yesterday when you quietly went to sleep and left us. You are missed each and every day. Thank you Daddy for always being there for me. Words can not say thank you enough for always being my protector. I wish I could have protected you from the disease that ravaged your mind and took your memory. With all that you lost, you did not forget my name. I pray that a cure will be found for this disease called Alzheimer's. Rest in God's loving care Daddy! You will always be missed!

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Please support research for Alzheimer's. Help those with Alzheimer's and those in the blogging community as well who may have/had family members with this disease. Check out Through the Loops for a wonderful way to help in the research and treatment of this disease. When you donate for the knitted vest pattern in memory of Dr. G, you will be helping support Alzheimer's research.

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Sobering statistics regarding Alzheimer's:
• As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.

• 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's in their lifetime.

• Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.

• Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death.