I want to ride it where I like.

The past three weeks have been hectic, for a few reasons.

First, the Tour de Fleece, the yearly companion event to the Tour de France, where spinners around the world spin their wheels and spindles making yarn every day of the bike race that inspired it. I was really productive this year.



The colors are more accurate in this photo, but it's blurry.


Chain-plied sock yarn, 433 yards of merino wool




650 yards of two ply laceweight corriedale.


910+ yards of fingering weight falkland


and 1100+ yards of laceweight wensleydale.


I really pushed myself hard this year and actually had another 4 oz of the corriedale to spin that I did not finish.

So knitting has been generally on hold but I did finish this.

and started another one of the same. I'm also working on socks of course, but they're unphotographed as yet.

The other thing is that my mom took my kids on vacation to europe for two weeks, and we're dogsitting.

My sister Mini, a 13 year old, blind, insulin-dependent diabetic and

my sister Polly, an emotionally needy powderpuff chinese crested who stays right by my side all the time, to the point I've been calling her "polly pocket".

Dylan, our Wheelydog, is getting really bad. He's losing weight, often doesn't want to go outside even in the cart, and is spending most of his time sleeping and being short-tempered with the other dogs, even Lily. We have an appointment for their regular annual vet visit next weekend and if the vet says he's suffering, we will do what we need to do. I don't think he's very happy. Poor thing.

Lily's fine. She's getting pudgy from lack of exercise, something to which I can certainly relate. I would like to find something I can do that I will continue doing that I won't come to resent, and I prefer something weight-training related. Any other exercise, besides swimming, always feels like punishment to me. I have issues. We've had a big heat wave lately and it's making me so tired and lethargic, and having four dogs in the bedroom at night along with us is not helping me get any rest. Ugh.

I also have an appointment next Monday to see why I can't hear out of one ear. I thought it was the usual allergy/congestion related stuff but it hasn't gone away, and the doctor wants me to see a specialist.

So that's about all I have for now. Lots on my mind, but limited time and energy. And this house is a mess, yarn and spinning fiber everywhere!

What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and little donuts?

My bus goes by this restaurant every morning, and recently, they started carrying "Peace, Love and Little Donuts", by a local company, operating out of Pittsburgh's Strip District. So one morning, I stopped in and got some.

They were good, not great, but decent. I decided to google the company and see if they had a facebook page or any more information on who they are. Here's the logo, by the way.


(logo from http://www.peaceloveandlittledonuts.com/)

They use a whole "tie dye" theme thing along with the psychedelic-type font and the color scheme reminiscent of hippies, Heads Together, and Woodstock.

Note the tag-"Feed Your Inner Hippie". What sort of person do you think would run a business like that? Where, for instance, do you think he'd fall on the "tolerance for differing lifestyles" spectrum?

You'd be wrong.

The first article I found was this.
Post Gazette-Owner's Opinions can affect the bottom line

The owner is an open homophobe, right-wing zealot, religious fundamentalist, and zero tolerance (except for taking your money of course) of politically liberal and personally counterculture.

Which is fine, actually. Because he has a right to feel how he feels. But to appropriate the symbolism of a movement that espoused tolerance, love, acceptance, progressive politics, and peace for your own financial gain? Tastes pretty bad to me. I won't go there again. In fact, I literally felt sick to my stomach, having eaten some of the donuts and given some of my liberal, aging hippie, birkenstock-wearing, gay-loving, leftist dollars to this deceitful, angry man.

There's direct quotes from the owner's blog (since taken down) here.

Homophobic Donuts and Free Speech

My money does not need to go to a person who diametrically opposes everything I find decent and just. I just feel bad for the people who have to work for him. I'll cheerfully continue getting my baked goods fix at Dozen, just down the street, a lovely little locally owned bakery, delicious cupcakes and more, incidentally owned by a gay couple. It may cost a little more, but it doesn't leave the bitter taste of hatred in your mouth.