"Now it's time for flower power"

Real bird?

No, just a do-dad on the lamp

My neural circuits today

feel just like this winged euonymus looks (empty spaces).

Just finished

My latest knitting project. Someday I'll have to learn how to make something other than scarves, but in the meantime it's a pleasant winter passtime and the weather's about to turn quite cold.This hand dyed and spun alpaca yarn is from Beach Girls Purls in Long Beach, NY. I found it at a fair out East last summer. They advertise one-of-a-kind items. www.beachgirlspurls.com.

My solution to the debt ceiling problem

First thing to do, Uncle Sam (Obama) is to put the Capitol Building on the market. The government owns it, right? and we the people are the government, and if we want to sell it, we sell it. Mr. Obama, you have my permission.The asking price is one trillion dollars. Current tenants, their belongings, chattels, and parking spaces are included in the deal.

A corporate buyer, handily named "the American people", is invited to purchase shares in the property, each share costing one thousand dollars. No down payment required, only an email signature, money to be due in five years time. The one trillion dollar price is quickly raised.

The offer is presented, accepted and the sale is quickly concluded. The tenants are told to vacate the premises. The announcement is made that the new owner has plans to convert the premises into an Insane Asylum where the inmates (those who chose not to vacate) will do piecework (slippers? watches?), will be closely supervised by Chinese supervisors (who are making a market in the shares, offering a high premium for them) and will be paid little or nothing.

In case the House of Reprehensibles, I mean the ...you know ... wishes to avoid this course of action, it can simply pass legislation raising the debt ceiling and add the proviso that in future there will be no such thing as a debt ceiling, i.e., control of spending will be the responsibility of those whose job it is to pass bills about spending. There.

And so much for hostage taking!

Boar hunting vase

I love it when new things turn up from antiquity!

 This vase was probably obtained from an illegal dig in Spain.

Read on the newly discovered vase from 2nd century B.C.

Little Drummer Bear

Happy New Year!