B-O-M Club

I'm looking for a BOM club that is 1) free, and 2) for intermediate quilter.  Where are some places I should look?  When I google BOM all the clubs cost... I'd rather pick my own fabric and all.

Thanks ahead of time!

::Edited Later that evening::

And so quickly Kelly of IHAN had a couple of links for me!  Viola!  So I'm going to try a free, yes free BOM at Craftsy.  I'm going to try using my wonderful Christmas stash.  I think I'll have to decide if I'm going to use the more traditional fabrics or the more modern ones.  I don't yet have an eye for mixing and matching, so I'll be back to y'all begging for help.    And you BIRDER types can chime in on selection~~so many of you have a great eye for color and design and pattern.

Rainier National Park Ranger Shot and Killed. Mother of 2, 34 Years Old.

Edited 1/2/2012
From NPS Digest today:

Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot and killed on the road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park on Sunday morning.  As of this time (early on Monday), the assailant is still at large and a manhunt is underway.

The incident began when a car failed to stop at a required tire chain checkpoint. A ranger tried to pull the car over, and, when it failed to stop, Anderson established a road block with her vehicle.  The assailant jumped from his car and opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding her.  He then fled on foot into the woods. Rangers and law enforcement officers from various agencies responded.  The Pierce County SWAT team arrived on scene and they, too, were fired upon while rendering aid to Anderson. 

Law enforcement officers closed the park road, evacuated park visitors from Longmire, and locked down Paradise, with all visitors in the area taking refuge in the Jackson Visitor Center.  There were 125 park visitors and 17 park staff in the visitor center as of late on Sunday.  The visitor center has a restaurant to provide food, restrooms and water, and law enforcement officers are on hand to provide protection.

The search for the murderer continued into the night, with fixed wing aircraft using forward looking infrared to scan the ground.  There are a more than 100 officers from a variety of agencies assisting with the manhunt for the shooter, including National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff, FBI, Washington State Patrol, US Forest Service, City of Enumclaw, and Lewis County Sheriff.
Mount Rainier National Park will remain closed today.

Anderson served at Mount Rainier for four years.  She is survived by her husband, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and by two young children.

Director Jarvis issued this statement early today:
“Yesterday morning, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while making a traffic stop at Mount Rainier National Park.  As I write this late Sunday night, the murderer is still at large in the park, which has been closed.  We are working closely with the FBI and local law enforcement to protect visitors and staff and to track down Margaret’s killer and bring him to justice.
“This is a heartbreaking, senseless tragedy.  Margaret was just 34 years old. She and her husband Eric, who is also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, have two young children.  Margaret was killed while doing her job – protecting the visiting public on one of the park’s busiest days of the year.

“Last week, we mourned the death of U.S. Park Police Officer Mike Boehm, who suffered a heart attack while responding to a serious incident in Washington, DC.  Mike left behind a wife and a son.
“Our hearts go out to both families, and I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the hard days ahead.

“As updates from Rainier are available we will share them with all employees through InsideNPS.  These losses are painful reminders of the risks faced by National Park Service employees every day. Please be careful out there and watch out for each other.”


Contact Information Name: Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education







Edited info from 1/2/2012: from the Seattle Times
Updated at  6:22 p.m. MT

From Staff Reporters Craig Welch, Steve Miletich and Carol Pucci
Seattle Times staff reporters
A 34-year-old park ranger was fatally shot Sunday morning in Mount Rainier National Park after a routine traffic stop led to a chase up the road near Paradise. The gunman remained at large, triggering a massive manhunt.

The killing appears to be related to an early morning shooting in Skyway in which a man and woman were critically injured and two other men wounded during a house party, said Cindi West, spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff’s Department.

Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, a mother of two who was married to another park ranger, was shot about 10:30 a.m. after setting up a roadblock to stop the fleeing suspect.

“Margaret is just a wonderful, wonderful young lady,” her mother-in-law, Cynthia Anderson, of Hanson, Mass., said in a telephone interview Sunday.

The gunman escaped on foot and was carrying a long rifle. Authorities said it took 90 minutes for backup to reach Anderson because the assailant continued shooting at law enforcement as they arrived.  KOMO-TV reported that a man named Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, was being sought as a person of interest in the shooting. KOMO displayed what appeared to be a law-enforcement mug shot of a young white man. The station did not say how police had identified Barnes or why he was thought to have information about the shooting.

About 86 park visitors and 20 or so employees were still locked down at the Jackson Visitors Center at Paradise as of about 4:45 p.m., but visitors below at Longmire had been allowed to leave.
“It’s really not safe right now,” said park spokeswoman Lee Taylor. “We’ve got a guy on the loose with a gun and he’s obviously willing to use it.”

The incident started about 10:15 a.m., Taylor said, when park rangers attempted to pull over a vehicle on the road just above Longmire. The car kept going.

When officers radioed that the suspect failed to stop, Anderson, in another vehicle, set up a roadblock by pulling her car across the road a mile or so south of Paradise at a pull out known as Barns Flat.
“He just jumped out and shot her,” Taylor said.

A maintenance worker and his colleague had been driving up the road toward Paradise when they heard on the park’s radio system that rangers were chasing what appeared to be a blue Pontiac the same direction. They pulled over and let the car and law-enforcement officer pass them, the worker said.
“As soon as they went by, we pulled out and started to follow,” said Steve Young, who was in the passenger seat. “At that point we heard they had an officer who was coming down who was going to try and stop the vehicle from above.”

Young said the ranger’s vehicle was around a corner about 100 yards ahead of them, when he heard at least five shots. Suddenly, the ranger’s vehicle he’d been following started backing down.
“His windows were shot out and he started backing down the road,” Young said by phone from Longmire.

Lisa Pyle, from Auburn, said she and her husband Derek Pyle were on their way up because their daughter had been camping at Paradise, but a ranger turned them away. They saw a ranger’s car near the visitors center with three bullet holes through the windshield. Their daughter and other guests were locked down inside the park.

“We have a ton of police here,” said a volunteer Park Service guide in Longmire. “They’re everywhere. A lot of people are camping in the backcountry. What happened here happened pretty quickly.”
Ed Troyer, a Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, told The Associated Press that his department received a report around 11:30 a.m. of shots fired. When authorities arrived, he said, they also encountered gunfire, but no one else was hit.

The Park Service was asking people to stay away from the park because officers are actively looking for the suspect. The Washington State Patrol and Pierce County Sheriff’s Office are involved in the investigation.

In Skyway, King County sheriff’s deputies received a 911 call reporting the shooting around 3 a.m., according to West.  Deputies arrived at the home and found that three men and a woman had been shot. All four were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Witnesses told the deputies that a man had been at a party at the home earlier in the evening and was asked to leave after an argument. The man returned, and began firing a gun at people in the home.
At least one person at the party appeared to have returned fire, West said.

Children were in the home at the time but none were injured, West said. West said all of the victims were in the 20s, and the victims knew the shooter.

Mount Rainier has never had an officer shot and killed in the line of duty, said  Lee Snook, a public information officer with the Park Service.

Anderson and her husband, Eric Anderson, both worked at Rainier for about four years. Their two children were described by federal authorities as ages 4 and 1.

Margaret Anderson’s mother-in-law, said the oldest, Anna, was born on Feb. 14, 2008, making her 3. The youngest, Katie, will turn 2 in May.

Eric Anderson has been left “devastated” by his wife’s slaying, said Cynthia Anderson in the telephone interview.The couple, who lived in Eatonville, met when both worked as park rangers at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, Anderson said, her voice choking with emotion. 

They then moved to Harpers Ferry, W. Va., where they worked nearby in different parks, Anderson said. The couple became engaged in December 2004, according to a wedding announcement in The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood Times of New Jersey. About four years ago, they got the opportunity to work in the same park at Mount Rainier, Anderson said.

“That is why they decided to go out there,” Anderson said. “It’s beautiful out there.” Their dream was to work together and raise a family, Anderson said,

“They’re both very outdoorsy,” Anderson said. “Andvery religious, too,” Anderson said, explaining that both are Lutherans and that Margaret Anderson is the daughter of a Lutheran minister. A woman who answered the phone at the home of Margaret Anderson’s parents, the Rev. Paul and Dorothy Kritsch of Scotch Plains, N.J., said Sunday the family was too distraught to talk. 

Anderson said the her son and daughter-in-law were “thrilled” about their life. “They have a home, two beautiful girls,” Anderson said.

The couple’s next-door neighbor, Adam Norton, said the Anderson family had only lived in Eatonville for about a year, but said he regularly saw Margaret walking with her little girls. “You could tell they really adore those kids,” Norton said. “Margaret was always outside with the girls pushing the youngest around in the stroller while the other girl was on her bike.” 

Rangers have one of the most widely varying jobs at Mount Rainier. As the park’s front line law-enforcement officers, they drive lonely rural roads by themselves and do everything from issue speeding tickets to respond to car accidents to arrest lawbreakers. But they also hike trails, respond to fires and are some of the first called out to search for lost or injured visitors. During winter, rangers may even help set up signs and prepare recreation spots for snowshoers.

The park has about 15 law-enforcement officers at this time of year, said Snook.

Say your prayers and hug your loved ones tonight. 

Our hearts go out to Ranger Margaret's family... husband and children.

Happy Cyber New Year!

When Gaelyn said, "I'm having a cyber masquerade ball for the new year, I signed up.  But as usual, life gets in the way of a great party!  But wait!  Tomorrow's a state holiday, so we'll party tonight!

I already had dibs on the National Building Museum in Washington DC.  For a girl who lives in the Big Woods, I must say I love cities--in small doses.  So here we go:

The Venue: The National Building Museum in DC.  (I've actually been there, for the 50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Gala and workshops.  Wow.  Really, really wow.)

Stealing a photo makes it blurry.  But that might be champagne induced...

The official Presidential Inaugural Balls are held here.  So I should throw a party, too.

The Dress:

I've searched long and hard for the dress I want.... saw it years ago in a catalog~~gorgeous red polar fleece with white trim, worn of course with Sorrel boots.  Okay, I've got the boots.....

Add a little bling to this one....

Make a grown up version of this.....

or a nice vintage dress from etsy.... I'm an old fashioned kind of girl

 The Guest List:  First and foremost and most importantly...  All of YOU!!! We'll invite some lesser folks, too...

My Queen peep... in red of course.  Probably called 'claret' in her case.

Eye Candy.  Still. 

Still the best eye candy around.  Whew.  And you all know what every good Scotsman wears under his kilt? Shoes.

A funny guy from the Midwest....

Favoritest author... and NPS peep, Nevada Barr.

Okay, President Lincoln probably can't make it, but my Boss could.

President Roosevelt and Mr. Muir.  Wouldn't that be just bully?

Sir Paul teamed up with.....

Tom Paxton, the greatest singer/songwriter evah.

And the Divine Miss M!!!!!!!  Let the games begin!!!! Woot!

The Dinner:  Hey, deal with it, it's my fantasy!

Ginger Bread Martinis.  You haven't tried one?  Silly you.

Start with French Onion Soup... or even Italian Onion Soup.

Filet Mignon  ....  be still my cholesterol choked heart.

The taste of summer.... corn on the cob from Ryan's Farm in Whitehouse Ohio.  None better.

Dutch Apple Pie... my recipe of course.

Wilcoxson's Montana made Moose Tracks.  Many have tried to make this, but it ain't the same.

Madison Salmon Fly Rye.  Good beer.

Whew.  I'm whipped.  But it was a fun party.  Or at least that's what they tell me..... maybe a few too many Gingerbread martinis......

Thanks for the invite, Ranger G!

Winter Break

I couldn't bear the thought of spending 10 days home with the boys, and having them spend all day telling me they wanted to be somewhere~~anywhere~~else.  That comes under the heading "the grass is always greener....."  So I surprised them with a mini-vacation to.... wait for it..... Columbus Ohio.

Yeah, that's basically pretty pathetic, but it was very do-able so we did.

Columbus is the capital of Ohio, and the kids have done drive-bys of about a dozen other state capitals, but not ours.  My bad.  They did attend the 200th celebration of Ohio's statehood by attending events in the first capital, Chillicothe.  That was a fun year, 2003.  Except for going to our lake in Jackson, Michigan, all of our travels that year were in Ohio.  But we still managed to miss Columbus.  Frankly, it ain't that great of a town.  For a hundred years the only things that were there were state government related stuff and The Ohio State University.  Big whoop.  (Sorry to all you OSU types.)

The Columbus Zoo, of Jack Hanna fame, is there.  I've heard lots about it, but had never been there.  I gotta tell ya, I'm not that impressed.  Like so many zoos now, you can walk from stem to stern and never see an animal. Weird.  There was also a lot of 'built environment' compared to the number of animals, which of course includes the ubiquitous snack shacks of every imaginable kind.  (They even have beer!) Zoo pics are pretty hard to get right, but I managed a few.

Huge fake moose.

Real moose-let.

Those are some bigass feets. I like the reflection of DH's hat, too.

Which is scarier?

Hat hair.

Best pic of the day.  Zoo pics are hard to take.

DD, the younger.

FTD, the elder.

So now we've been there.  We started our trip with the guided tour of the Capital building.  The boys put up with it.  Every time the guide said, "Does any one have any questions?", FTD went into Rainman mode and told her some totally unrelated Ohio factoid he has stored in his weirdly wired data bank. That's my boy all right.

Best part of the trip was dinner with our 'old' neighbors.  They were our closest neighbors for 18 years, and since The Dad got a super-duper promotion (can you say General?), it meant a move to Columbus.  We've known it's been in the works, but this summer they all moved down there.  I told The Mom that I was kinda glad I wasn't here for the actual moving day, because I would have been bawling my eyes out.  In addition to being great neighbors (mind you now, their house was a half mile from us), their son was in Scouts with FTD and a good friend, and their younger daughter is one of my honorary grand-daughters.  What a sweetie.  I made her this little quilt last spring.

Since I fussy cut the material, I have quite a bit left so I made her a relax pack with it, along with one for her Mom and Big Sis.  I do so miss them.

I've got lots more completely useless info to write about, but I'll call it quits for now.  It's time to get ready for tomorrow's Audubon Christmas Bird Count after all! And then it'll be time for Gaelyn's cyber New Year's Masquerade Ball.  Did I mention that I have dibs on the Building History Museum in DC?

Merry Christmas!

On this, the holiest night of the year, I hope you find love and joy.  From our home to yours,

My Daddy, Brother, me, Lil Sis. 1962.

DH, FTD, me, DD, 2005.

Merry Christmas.

Elfing Time Again!

Oh, goodie goodie!  One of my nieces came over today to elf for a while.  We made 5 pairs of jammie bottoms in various matching combos and another surprise, which I can't blab about now, on the bizarre chance that a recipient will read this (not likely but ya never know.)

It was sorta like we got to do our Friday Night Sew In on Wednesday!  Today was her last day at work until after New Years, so it felt like Friday anywho.

I'm going to suck it up and go to a mall tomorrow with BadAmy.  I used to go at least once around the holidays to do some people watching, but since I people watch all summer, it's not as much fun as it used to be.  There's a slim chance that we'll drive up to Ann Arbor, in which case we'll hit the Genius Bar at the Apple Store and hope someone can find where the hell my Powerpoint stuff went.  I know where I had it last......  and that was about 3 hours before an Evening Program.  So that day I had to find a back up copy (Thank you baby Jesus for the new portable back up hard drive), transfer it to the office PC laptop, reformat it, and look like I wasn't stressed out.  Yeah, I rocked it.  But still, I need it to magically reappear. So cross  your fingers for an A2 trip tomorrow!


Can you spill the beans about your elfing adventures?

I Now Pronounce You . . .

 . . . legally licensed to perform weddings in the State of Ohio.  Yep, I sure am.

Deciding to do this was a long, thoughtful process, And I'm content with my decision.  As a life long Presbyterian who was ordained as an Elder at the tender age of 17, it's been an odd journey from every Sunday in the pews to my current spiritual state.  I'm extremely thankful that I attended churches where it was not necessary to leave our brains at the door.  I see so many alleged Christians today who even violently believe that their way is the only way that it scares the daylights out of me.  To see an alleged Christian governor pay for a political ad where he blasts so many good people is reprehensible.

I also know now that the pews aren't for everyone.  For my children, for example.  Autism and church didn't go well together, and was exacerbated by the fact that my kids didn't go to school with the kids at church. (In actuality very few of the kids at our church went to school together.  We were sort of a regional church.)  I made the tough decision to stay at home on Sunday mornings, knowing that my kids wouldn't be under any extra stress.  I still don't often go anywhere on Sunday mornings, and I truly miss hand bell choir, but there it is.  Lots of church friends said well, I should come anyway, but if my children weren't welcome, was I?  I felt not.

Anywho, when our daughter married, she and her husband chose a friend to officiate.  Dig this, he owns a really cool bar in town.  When we first heard about their plans, DH and I just stood there looking stupid.  But the alternative would have been a judge, with no family or friends in attendance. The ritual of standing before friends and family to say you'll be good to one another is powerful. And it was indeed a beautiful ceremony and many years later, they are still the happy couple. 

I've been thinking a lot since their wedding day, about what constitutes a wedding and a marriage.  And I feel strongly that I can help folks start their lives together, with dignity and ritual. I've followed all the legal steps needed and now can perform services.  Awesome.

So if you're in NW Ohio, and are looking for a happy, cheery officiant for your wedding, give me a call.  I've set up blog, to wrap my thoughts around the whole deal.  Check out Kirk o' the Pines.

I'm also working on finding out how I can perform weddings in Wyoming.  At first blush, it seems that the officiant need only be ordained, not licensed by the state.  I'll keep looking.

Gaelyn's Cyber Masquerade Ball

So Ranger Gaelyn is having a New Year's Masquerade Ball!  It's going to be a cyber-ball, so you needn't even stay up on New Year's Eve!  Go visit Gaelyn to check up on the details.... then dream up your fancy schmancy ball!  I've got my location picked out all ready~~dibs on the Washington DC Building Museum.  Awesome!  Details later!

9000 and Counting

I feel so humbled--I hit 9000 page views on this here blog.  For a long time, it was just me reading my own diary, but somewhere along the line, you all joined me on the journey.  I thank you for that.  I also look forward to seeing what's happening in your neck of the woods.  Since my interests vary widely, the blogs I read do, too. 

I'll try to come up with something more profound later this week, but for now

Thanks.

Why I Don't Chase Birds*

* Yeah, please note that there may be exceptions to the following story.  For example, if a California Condor showed up and was able to be reliably seen in an hour or so drive, yeah, I'd chase it.  Or maybe a Harpy Eagle, or a flamingo in Ohio . . .  but otherwise:

Chasing birds is a waste of time, talent, and treasure.

There. I said it out loud. My objections to chasing can also be applied to Nascar fans, sports nuts, rail-fanners, wolf watchers, and anyone else who is obsessed with something.  And yeah, I am equating bird chasers to Nascar fans.

Yep.  That's a Mountain Bluebird, right here in Ohio.  Third state record.

Did I mention..Ohio Yard Bird?  No chasing needed.

This topic comes up all the time in birding circles.  And I'm in the no-chase camp.  Some folks call this listing, but I'm going with chasing.  I do keep a life list.  Right there in my very first 'grown up' bird book, Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 

I pencil check birds I've seen that I'd never be able to re-identify without a lot of help, and I mark with ink those birds that I really know.  I usually don't date the find, although my Lil' Sis writes the dates on the bird's page in her Peterson's.  Wish I'da thought of that years ago.  I don't keep a yearly list or monthly or weekly.  Or a state list, although living in two very different states would make for interesting lists.  So if I check off Great Grey Owl, I can be pretty sure it wasn't in Ohio. But whodathunk I'd ever see a Mountain Bluebird here in the Oaks??  We sorta keep a yard bird list.  I'm pretty sure I could name most of the stuff we see/hear here.  I have lots and lots of other field guides, but my list in in my Peterson's.










So let's address my three objections to chasing: Time, Talent, Treasures.

Time.  I don't have 3 hours to spend driving to see a bird that may or may not be see-able when I get to the location, and then drive 3 hours back.  I have a real life.  Laundry to be done, meals to prepare, yard to tend, family care, you know, mundane stuff like that.  Now if I were driving 3 hours to see an entirely new ecosystem (especially one with geysers) or museum or city and can multi-task along the way, it bears some merit. I do plan trips like that.  We, in fact, are trying to plan a trip to our state Capitol, since the boys have never been there.  (Been to capitols of a dozen or so other states, but not our own.  Sheesh.) Along the way, we'll find something of interest to all of us--trains for DD, caves or something like that for FTD, quilt shops for me (I wish), and friends to visit.  It will be a Big Deal, not a lark to see one single thing, hoping for a glimpse and then turning around to come home.

Chasers who don't have family responsibilities or jobs or whatever would better serve the planet by spending those three hours teaching a child to read, taking an elderly friend out for a walk in the park, working at the local animal shelter or re-hab center, or feeding the homeless.  With all my heart, I believe chasing is a waste of precious time.  All that, to make a checkmark in a book? I think not.

Um, that would be Talent, OR.

Talent.  This lines up with my concerns about wasting time.  Again, chasers would better serve the planet by teaching children about the wonders of our local environment in those 3 hours, by using their own love of birds (and hopefully) nature to share their knowledge.  And it doesn't count to say, "But I do all those things, too."  It's like playing the carbon offset game.  See below.

Treasure.  This is the biggie.  Talk about a waste of fossil fuel.  And even if gas were cheap, you're still wasting it.  I could see maybe loading the car full of chasers, but then you're back to wasting all that time and talent in multiple numbers.  And even if you "offset" your carbon foot print, we ain't gunna get that fuel back.  The whole offset issue has issues of it's own.  It's like paying at church to light a candle for someone.  And that is a waste of treasure, too. (Light a candle at home for free and say your prayers.) (Better yet, walk to your local park and say your prayers--candle optional.)  I won't go to the grocery store (nearest from Ohio home is 4 miles, nearest from Wyoming home is 14 miles) unless there's a whole slew of stuff on the list.  I just can't see using the fuel for extra trips.  If I have say, a doctor's appointment coming up, I'll plan shopping/visiting/etc. around that.  Yeah, sure, a good chunk of the reason I do it this way is that I'm cheap.  But now that we're also on a fixed income it's even more important.  But even if I had all the money in the world, it still wastes fuel. It's fuel we won't get back in my life time or my kid's or ......

I write this knowing how many bird chaser friends I have.  But you could replace the words bird chaser with Nascar fan and my same objections hold. (Yeah, DH did take DD to see time trials at MIS once.  And yeah, Nascar is a super-duper waste of fuel, and time, talents, and treasures. Big Time.)

And yep, I'm a hypocrite.  I have chased animals.  I turned around and drove back a hundred yards to get a good look at the Great Grey Owl this fall.  And yep, I've driven miles to try to see wolves and bears. And I drove 3 miles to see the Ohio Mountain Bluebird, and three miles to see a Pine Grosbeak. And of course the 3 miles back home.  But would I drive all day just to see one bird?  No, not really.

I'm not nearly as adamant as many of my more 'science research' based birder friends. I know one woman that comes totally unglued every time you mention chasers and listers--and I mean really unglued.  I'm more of a roll the eyes sort of objector.  To each his own and all that.





And after all this ranting, I might just go chase a snowy owl in Wood County tomorrow.  My Mom and Dad are buried in a cemetery near where a snowy has been seen.  I like to go down and leave some greenery every year, and I don't have anything else on the schedule for tomorrow.  'Course I'd rather go down on a nice snowy day, but maybe it will turn out to be a nice snowy owl day instead.