wendyhoo's pre-posterous

My space for random thoughts

Spinning a winter day: caution - this is addictive

Today was a beautiful winter day for both me and the family ... though we went our separate paths for most of it.  Hubby and the 5yo went to the local ski hill and then skating. It was a gorgeous day for it: sun was shining and the snow was crunching. It even seemed to warm up ... at least my nostrils stopped sticking together from breathing in the ice cold air. Isn't that the weirdest sensation? Is there even an expression for that?

But I digress; it was that kind of day. 

My day started of at the Galt Farmers' Market: which I blogged about earlier today. 

Then, I went to the Kitchener Farmers' Market for my first ever spinning lessons... and not the kind of spinning you do on a stationary bike. ;) This spinning is much more traditional. In fact, our instructor, Tabi Ferguson from the Roving Spinners, told us that spinning was originally done with a rock and stick. This "modern" spindle is not such a new design.
Brief History of Spinning 
It is generally agreed that the spinning of fibres, to form a thread or yarn, has been in existence for over 10,000 years. The drop spindle was the primary spinning tool for almost 9000 years, it was used to spin all the threads for clothing and fabrics from Egyptian mummy wrappings to tapestries, ropes and sails for ships. -excerpt borrowed from History of Spinning
I think I owe 9000 years of history a bit of my own time to learn how to spin with a drop spindle.

One of the first things Tabi told us was that she found spinning highly addictive. She's often up into the middle of the night spinning. Gawd! This sounds shockingly like my knitting. She also said that she started off as a knitter but prefers spinning.  She's also using her engineering skills and is designing & building her very own spindle though she says it's a slow, work in progress - you've heard it here first, folks!   

Many of her current spindles are rudimentary objects. If you look at the photo with the three spindles, hers are the hand-made ones - mine is the store-bought spindle. Spindles ideally weigh as little as possible - to allow for finer yarns to be spun. The heavier the spindle, the thicker the yarn will need to be.

At any rate, I actually did manage to spin something today. It was lumpy and uneven, but I filled my spindle with a single ply of gorgeous blue-face Leicester purchased from Yarn Indulgences.  
Blue Faced Leicester
Our very popular BFL, this is a white top, that is very lustrous and soft. It is beautiful with a long 5 inch staple length, definitely worth trying!  Blue Faced Leicester is a longer stapled wool (the individual fibers are longer) which is fine enough for next-to-skin wear and very hard to felt. It is considered very easy to spin, and is easy to dye with acid dyes (including food coloring and drink mix). It is extremely popular for fine to medium yarns for anything from lace to socks to light sweaters, and insulates and wears well enough for outerwear too.
Our first class involved learning the basics including drafting and spinning the fibre into a single-ply. Next week, we will ply it to make a two-ply yarn.  

By the way, if you're wondering if I managed to get outside today, especially after raving about what a gorgeous, sunshiny winter's day it was? When I got home from the spinning class, hubby & 5yo were out skating. Our poor dog was beside himself wanting to go for a walk. Instead of jumping into my spinning, I was a good dog owner and took him for a walk. Now, let me get back to my spinning. ;)

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My visit to the Galt Farmers' Market:

Img_7071

I always enjoy visiting the Cambridge - or, as I think of it - the Galt Farmer's Market.  It's located square in the middle of downtown Galt.  Nearby, is the Main Street bridge which will be covered in knitting later this year.  I love it! :)

At the market, I purchased the following goodies: 
  • bees wax candles (a "must have" after reading Secret Life of Bees) 
  • real marrow bones (one of which my dog is currently enjoying in the back porch, while the others will be used to make beef stock)
  • fresh cheese curds (mmm...)
  • garlic bulb (grown in California these days...)
  • cup of coffee (what can I say, it's a necessity!)
  • and cookies from my friend Krista at the Grand Bakery (she also makes sweet, sweet cupcakes for any occasion ;p)

No Prorogue Rally in Waterloo: photos plus rant

Today's No Prorogue Rally went smoothly.  Thumbs up to all the organizers, speakers, musicians and attendees; thumbs down to all the absentee MPs who refuse to acknowledge their constituents' displeasure.  

If you take a look at pictures from today's event, it's obvious that attendees are not just political activists, university kids or grandmothers.  People from all walks of life are upset about what they see happening to our democracy.  There is a serious decay of democratic process in this country.  No amount of hyperbole and erroneous historical examples can erase what people are starting to recognize as fascist actions by our current government.  

Unfortunately, I am certain that Harper will NOT return to work on January 25: he would not be able to bring himself to eat such bitter, humble pie.  From what I've seen of this man, he is incapable of saying, "Oops, my bad" sarcastically, or otherwise.  Instead, he'll stick to his guns, and continue refusing answers to any question that makes him uncomfortable. To be sure, he'll be holding an election at the next moment the polls are in his favour.  He is fully aware that the Liberals don't have a charismatic leader, that the NDP is weakened and that the Green Party does not yet have enough popular support to be a threat.  

At this point, I fear that many people might be pacified by the Olympics.  Harper is, after all, giving us bread & circuses. Bread in the way of matching funds for Haiti and circuses as in the Olympics.  Please, PLEASE, do not forget your anger, dismay, indignation and disgust at what this government has done to our democratic process.  This is not acceptable and should not be condoned nor forgotten.  

Parliamentary reform needs to be our next step so that this manipulation of Parliament cannot happen again.  

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Yummy oatmeal with raisins: affordable, easy & hearty breakfast (recipe)

Oatmeal with raisins is an easy hot breakfast and tastes like oatmeal cookies and milk in a bowl. :p

3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1-1/3 cups quick oats
2/3 cups raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Bring water (with salt) to a boil.  Add oats and raisins. Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir to get rid of any lumps.  Add cinnamon. After 3 minutes (longer if NOT using quick oats), remove from heat and cover for a minute.  

Serve in 4 bowls. Top with cold milk and maple syrup or brown sugar.  Delicious! 

Response from Gary Goodyear, Cambridge MP

Well... at least the response I received from my local Member of Parliament was quick - having only sent my letter last night. 

However, you may recall what I said about form letters?  This letter didn't even attempt to pretend it was anything else: notice the different fonts from one paragraph to another.  Unfortunately, this letter is a cut and paste job.  

Also, Mr Goodyear did not address what he was going to be doing over the next three months.  He only listed what he has done.  

Mr Goodyear also explains what PM Harper has been doing on the international stage;  though, he chose not to address the fact that Canada's global reputation is in now tatters.   

Wishing I could take a three month paid leave of absence and not have to explain my actions.  

Sincerely, 
Wendy 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <info@garygoodyear.com>
Date: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 2:43 PM
Subject: RE: Feedback Form

Dear Wendy,

Thank you for your email regarding Parliament resuming on March 3rd, 2009.

The next phase of our Economic Action Plan will be launched following the Olympic Games, with a Throne Speech on March 3rd and a Budget on March 4th. The three economic themes of the new session will be: (1) completing implementation of the Economic Action Plan, (2) returning the federal budget to balance once the economy has recovered and (3) building the economy of the future. This demonstrates that our government’s top priority remains economic action to protect existing jobs, to stimulate new job creation and to help families, workers and businesses cope during this global economic recession. 

This past year has been a difficult year for Canadians and Canadian families as our economy struggled in light of the global recession. Canadians from all walks of life, regions, were and continue to be affected by this global recession.  This is why our government responded quickly by introducing Canada's Economic Action Plan, which included the largest stimulus plan in Canadian history. In Cambridge, for example, I have worked hard to secure approximately $121 million of federal-provincial stimulus funding towards job creation and getting shovels in the ground for infrastructure projects throughout Cambridge-North Dumfries.

On the international stage, our government has been working extremely hard as well. Last year Prime Minister Harper traveled to a number of countries, including India, which has the world’s fastest growing economies, as well as China which is Canada’s third largest export destination. In regard to the latter, our government’s aim was to advance human rights and strengthen economic ties. For example, during this trip the Prime Minister raised the plight of imprisoned dissident Huseyincan Celil. Furthermore, our government took bold steps in boycotting Iranian President Ahmadinejad's speech at the UN General Assembly, both due to his ongoing denial of the Holocaust and his hostile views towards our democratic-ally Israel and because of the continual violation of the human rights of the people of Iran. The crackdown on legitimate democratic protests and arrests of Iranians and foreign nationals is both unacceptable and abhorrent to Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

In closing, you should be assured that bills which were previously before Parliament will be reintroduced in their original form, including; Bill C-6, the Consumer Safety Law and Bill C-15, a law which will see stronger sentences for serious drug offences. As your Member of Parliament and the Minister of State for Science & Technology and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, I will continue to work hard for my community and my country in the next session of parliament.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your views with me. I appreciate hearing from constituents on matters which are important to them.

Sincerely,

Gary Goodyear, MP

Cambridge – North Dumfries

From: webmaster@garygoodyear.com [mailto:webmaster@garygoodyear.com]
Sent: January-05-10 10:17 PM
To: info@garygoodyear.com
Subject: Feedback Form

emailTo: info@garygoodyear.com

Commentaires: Hello Mr. Goodyear, I\'m writing in good faith, and hoping for a response from you. My previous letter went unanswered [Sales tax on used merchandise 9/23/09]. At any rate, I\'m writing today to show my displeasure about our federal government\'s choice to prorogue parliament. I hope you have noticed the Facebook group called \"Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament\". It is quickly gaining support and it\'s numbers have doubled in 24 hours (currently at 52,000 supporters). I am excited but not surprised by the overwhelming response of Canadians against prorogation. Members of this group, and certainly other Canadians who can\'t access Facebook, are now speaking out proving that Canadians do care. From many statements I have read, it\'s clear that we need to settle our national issues democratically and openly. Parliament must be allowed to do its job. Otherwise, I am forced to question the reality, and the efficacy, of our democracy. This country is being insulted on the international stage and now it has been crippled at home. Let\'s get down to work. You need to do the work that you were elected and are *still being paid* to do. If you are interested in my vote next election, please respond to my request. Please avoid form letters; I find them insulting and easy to recognize. Sincerely, Wendy Hood-Morris, BA
Submit: Send!

An open letter sent to Gary Goodyear, MP for Cambridge, Ontario

I thought I'd make this an open letter to Mr. Goodyear, Member of Parliament for the City of Cambridge, Ontario. I'm hoping for a response from him and will certainly post his answer if/when I've received it. As you can read below, I'm fairly upset with the fact that our government has chosen to cancel parliament for three months.

If you'd like to send Mr. Goodyear a letter, you are welcome to do so through this website: Contact Gary.

One more point, I am a little bit dismayed about Mr. Goodyear's motto on his banner. I do hope that we can somehow bring leadership back to this country. I also hope for a better Canada. So far, I'm not predicting a good year for Cambridge or Canada.

Hello Mr. Goodyear, 
I'm writing in good faith, and hoping for a response from you. My previous letter went unanswered [sales tax on used merchandise 9/23/09]. 

At any rate, I'm writing today to show my displeasure about our federal government's choice to prorogue parliament.

I hope you have noticed the Facebook group called "Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament". It is quickly gaining support and its numbers have doubled in 24 hours (currently at 52,000 supporters). I am excited, but not surprised, by the overwhelming response of Canadians against prorogation. Members of this on-line group, and certainly other Canadians who can't access Facebook, are now speaking out proving that Canadians do care.

From the many statements I have read, it's clear that we need to settle our national issues democratically and openly. Parliament must be allowed to do its job.

Otherwise, I am forced to question the reality, and the efficacy, of our democracy. This country is being insulted on the international stage and now it has been crippled at home. Let's get down to work. You need to do the work that you were elected and are still being paid to do.

If you are interested in my vote next election, please respond to my request. Please avoid form letters; I find them insulting and easy to recognize.

Sincerely,
Wendy Hood-Morris, BA