TGIF! You Betcha!

Thanks for all the well-wishes from yesterday's post. We'll be fine (she says over and over again, trying to reassure herself!) No, really, we will!
:)
We'll just be busier than the proverbial one-armed paper hanger for the next 7 months!

Anyway, as if that's not enough to keep me going, I finished the Goodlatte hat for Warm Hats for Hot Heads...

That's the Marsan Watchcap that I've now made three of (the first two were for Shanti's Navy crew at Christmastime...I've pretty much got this one down pat, but...you know what?

Well, that's Representative Goodlatte's hat, and in light of some rather negative comments I've gotten about this project being a tad on the ... hmmm ... idealistic (that was the nice word used) side, well, I got a mite "exercised" and volunteered to make hats for both Senators Webb and Warner!

Yes, I did.

Because you know what? This project isn't idealistic in the sense that was meant when it was hurled at me. It's not wrong-headed (oops, that's kind of an unintentional pun). It's idealistic in exactly the same manner that being idealistic created this country. Heck, in exactly the same manner that idealism caused the overthrow of the Egyptian president today.

Idealism about democracy and what that involves. And the one thing it doesn't involve? Shouldn't involve ever?

Intolerance.

Right now, we've got about three "political leanings" in this country, maybe four, okay five: We've got far left/progressive, moderate liberals, moderates, moderate conservatives, and far right/Tea Party-ers...okay we've also got the Greens, so that's six.

I've not heard that too many of these six groups seem to think any of the other groups has a clue. And that belief fosters intolerance. And it also tends to generate nastiness.

And it's that nastiness we don't need. That's what breeds hatred and dangerous behaviors towards others.

We really, really do need to figure out about compromise again (yes, we used to know how to do it). Remember when you were playing in the sandbox with your toys and the kid next door arrived and for about 5 minutes you got along? Then he grabbed something of yours and you screamed "Momma, he took my ___" (you can fill in the blank if you want, but it's not really necessary) and Momma came out on the porch and said, "you need to learn to share little _____" (fill in your name, please) and you said, "NO!" and he said, "MINE" and you screamed "NO NO NO NO MINE!" and grabbed the toy back...and he went *SMACK* and you screamed "MOMMA HE HIT ME!"

Do you remember?

Now a few years later, what did you do? You learned that the kid next door wasn't such a bad looking thing and you'd better play nice or he wouldn't take you to the prom...so you shared. And you listened to him pontificate on whatever topic it was that he thought he understood (which almost always included politics).

But you knew better. So you gently and quietly (you did want to go to the prom, right?) explained some of what he didn't get. Except that he did get more than you realized, and he had a few insights of his own to share with you...

So. He suggested that you get all gussied up and he would, too, and off you'd both go to the prom, and the next thing you knew you were both in grad school getting advanced degrees in politics. You didn't fully agree with him, and he didn't fully agree with you, but you had excellent discussions, along with a few other, more interesting things, and eventually you walked down the aisle and you both said "I do," and "but I agree to disagree on his/her politics."

Remember?

Okay...maybe not (or maybe you grew up to be Mary Matalin and James Carville?).

Still. It's the way it works. We have to agree to disagree intelligently, sensitively, knowing full well that there's not a single one of us that wants to hurt this country. And we have got to find a way to live in it together.

So that's why I'm making two more hats. And why I don't give a fig if someone calls me idealistic. I am. I fully believe in this democracy thing that started right here in my state all those many years ago. You know, that old, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death?" Yup. My high school was named after that fella...I'm idealistic to the core and proud of it. I do believe "a small group of thoughtful people (can) change the world." And that "indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Thank you, Margaret Mead.

And I'm proud to be in Ellen's small group of thoughtful people. And I'm hopeful we might have just a tiny part of changing the world. As of this evening, we have 100 hats promised - every one of those hats, once handed to the Representative or Senator it's designated for, we will encourage to have donated to a shelter to warm the head of a person in need. I don't think any of us is expecting our representative to wear the hat. We're expecting them, however, to *get* the purpose behind the hat. And to start to use their inside voices and work together for the good of us all...

Ok...climbing down off my soapbox now...

In the rest of the week I've had time to do a few interesting things:

I made this lovely Grand Mera in a fabric that just plain knocked my socks off...

And also realized that I never showed you a photo of the booth at the Star City Cat Show last month, so here ya go:

(I'm wearing the little Sidekick bag there, with my sock in progress...)

Then this week, I got a bunch of interesting stuff in the mail to read. And yes, there's another idealist there in that photo - one I've had a crush on for years, and the fact that Robert Redford is 75 makes not a whit of difference to me. He's just as sexy and gorgeous as ever...and I love his politics, too!

(The Tonk, however seems a lot more interested in the article in Cast On about Brioche stitch, and the other one in Interweave Knits on Fair Isle. Frankly, I think I'd best stick with those, myself...it's more my speed. Robert Redford is on a playing field way above me.)

Tho' you know? I'd like to think that maybe since Weight Watchers, he just might look twice if I walked by...
(*wink*)