Zentangles

Zentangle is a style of doodling with pen and ink that is said to be a ritual that allows one to get in touch with life, solve problems, be innovative and more creative. I don't know about that. I still have a lot of problems. There are specific design elements one can use but basic doodling also seems to do the trick.
I used a rubberstamp of a young girl's face as my starting off point in 'Princess with Crown'. Actually, this is a joke since my doodling doesn't lend itself to titles.
Wonder if my therapist should see these...

Farewell Knut

This week saw the passing of Knut, the polar bear, at the Berlin zoo. He was only 4 years old.
From the moment he was abandoned at birth by his mother and hand-reared by zoo keepers, he achieved great notoriety. In his short life he starred in his own film and made the covers of German Vanity Fair as well as the American Vanity Fair where he posed with Leo di Caprio. His antics were a great source of joy to the public and he will be greatly missed.

When is spring coming...?

As I sip my morning coffee and watch the swirling of another mini blizzard with winds to match, I wonder if the weather will ever lighten up. I'm afraid to venture out with the winds so strong for fear of being blown over. And I have things to do out there. My only consolation is the blooming of my miniature orchid. This year there are 2 extra buds despite the plant being so pot-bound. There's nothing like a blooming flower to remind one of kinder, gentler days.

Keeping warm against the elements

My dog knitting days are over for now and I'm making myself a sweater instead. It's the perfect past-time for sitting in front of the tv.
Last night I tried to ignore the howling wind which was so strong it threatened to push in my windows. They were shaking and rattling in terror. The gusts were 96 km/hr which falls into the definition of blizzard if there had been snow along with it. Since there was no snow it was just called 'windy'. What a joke. Certain streets in the city were closed because of flying debris which included a plaza roof, business signs, hydro wires and little bags of doggie-do. It seems calmer today but that's probably because the wind has shifted to the north. At least I made it out to the grocery store to pick up my favourite marinated artichoke hearts by M'Lord. I'm addicted to them and if I'm going to be a shut-in from the weather, I can chow down on this special treat.
My knitting meanwhile should add further comfort until such time as I have to sew the whole damn thing together. I hate that part like crazy. Wonder if I can pay someone to do it for me. What a coward I am...

2011 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

You're looking at the winner of this year's Best in Show, the Scottish Deerhound. A kind-looking dog with long, gangly legs that moved with ease and grace. This year the show was broadcast live on TSN. So many breeds I never heard of including 6 new ones admitted this year to the Kennel Club. By next year, the show will be adding another hour for judging as the field of contestants grows.

Photo credit: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Rick Mercer and the Superdogs

As a result of Leslie's posting of Rick at the Weather Network, I found this amusing older offering of Rick with the Superdogs at the Royal Winter Fair. Go ahead, have a laugh.

The View From Here

This is my frosted up window - the souvenir of the 'big' storm we had last night. In fact, it's somewhat disappointing after the news sent waves of panic throughout the city using words like armageddon, apocalypic, blizzard.... Six hundred schools closed for a snow day but I'm still looking for snow. What little there is around here is not ploughed so that poses a problem for getting around. I plan to stay in most of the day. Maybe I'll venture forth to examine things on the east side (the direction of the wind) of the building.

I remember 1999 when we had so much snow the mayor called in the army with tanks to dig us out. Western Canadians had a big laugh over that one. I was talked into staying overnight at work so that there would be staff available should patients show up the next day. For this sacrifice, the CEO gave all employees a movie pass for being so generous. Needless to say, I was pissed since the majority of pass recipients didn't even come into work the following day.

Tayoh examines the outdoors.