I Promise That I Haven't Forgotten

I had mentioned a few weeks ago that as the Scarves for Special Olympics website was updated, I would update you as to changes in numbers needed in each state (Ah, see, you thought that I forgot).

As of this point, there have been no updates posted on the site.  I contacted the program, and they said that they have not yet received any numbers from the individual states, but as they do, they will post them.  When that starts happening, I will post them to you.

Until then, I will continue to post upcoming deadlines with the number of scarves needed for each upcoming state.

Good luck, and happy crocheting (and thanks again for the patience of my non-crocheting subscribers).

Just Over One Week Left for Kansas!

The next deadline for Scarves for Special Olympics is Kansas.  They need 400 scarves by a postmark deadline of January 5, 2010.  Scarves may be sent to:

Special Olympics Kansas
Attn: Scarf Project
5280 Foxridge Drive
Mission, KS  66202


Please remember to follow the scarf and shipping guidelines presented in my previous post entitled "Be the Change."

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Review: Murder On Parade

OK, so I’m back to the cozy mysteries. Well, I’m sure you’re wondering if I ever really left. But, I figured that since I have reviewed three out of four of the books in Melanie Jackson’s Chloe Boston series, I should at least complete the package.

Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, I thought that it would be nice to review Jackson’s Murder On Parade. This book is $3.99, and at that price, it’s certainly worth it.

A wedding is drawing near, and Chloe is right in the thick of the planning. When her cousin has a minor (but potentially major) accident, Chloe decides to check it out. She suspects sabotage. And, once you’ve met Chloe’s cousin, you wouldn’t doubt it.

Of course, a murder occurs. And Chloe wonders if it is somehow related to the accident. Chloe solves the murder and the accident (no doubt, this is Chloe Boston that we’re talking about).

I am on the fence about this book. A bit ambivalent. Because it runs a little short. I love the Chloe Boston series, but this one was a little bit less meaty than the others. It never really feels rushed, just like the solution came too quickly and easily. And without much help from her team.

I would still recommend it if you like the series, it’s nice to round out the whole series with the final book (although I do hope that Mrs. Jackson will eventually write more in the series).

So, a series recap: The first two books were excellent. The third book was very good. The fourth book is somewhere between OK and good.

One thing that I did like about this book was the murderer. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you like your murderers to be offbeat and a little loony, this killer is for you. This killer is loony with a side order of nuts. Yum.

Again, I highly recommend this series. It’s some really nice independent cozy fiction, although the fourth book missed the mark just a tad. Had I not read the first three books, I wouldn’t be disappointed. The author just set the mark very high with the first three.

In addition, this book contains a nice sample of The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis. This is a book written by the author and her husband (Brian Jackson) as a joint effort. It is not a cozy mystery. I would classify it as a Sci-Fi / Fantasy book.

I read the sample and found the concept and writing both very intriguing. I do expect to read the book and review it for you (although my TBR list is fairly lengthy, and it may be a few months for that one). What I read of the sample was very interesting and easily worth the $3.99 price tag.

There are currently three books in the Book of Dreams series, so if you prefer your reading in series format (which I do) it’s worth checking out.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to? The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links: with WiFi only or with WiFi and 3G.Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind, Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day, and You Be the Editor. unkemptruminations@comcast.net.Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:
For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at

Review: The Assistant Murderer

I purchased The Assistant Murder and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammett for $1.99 in the Kindle store. This is a book of pleasantly entertaining short mysteries from the author who created Sam Spade and Nick and Nora Charles. I have always been a fan of Hammett, and this book did not change that.

There is remarkably little Hammett available for Kindle, but what there is is worth a read. Hammett was an actual private detective turned writer. His inside knowledge of the business and his distinctive style made his work an essential part of the mystery lover’s collection. If you like mysteries, I would encourage giving Dashiell Hammett’s work a try.

I could find none of Hammett’s complete novels available, but this collection of short fiction would do nicely as an introduction to the man.

Hammett’s fiction tends to be very character driven, allowing the action to create a backdrop for his splendid characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it.

Auto-deletion

I discovered recently that the Kindle blogging system auto-deletes older entries when you have more than twenty-five entries.  Because of that, I will be removing some less important entries (such as the entries about my recent injury / illness.

I would prefer that subscribers get more of the meat of the blog than minor updates.

Of course, this is a minor update and will be my only post for today (as I am spending a good bit of time deciding what needs to be deleted). 

In a few days, I will likely delete this post as well.  That way new subscribers will be able to access some of the older, more interesting content.

I wish a lovely holiday season to all subscribers (and non-subscribers as well).

Merry Christmas Ginger!!!

For the first time in my almost forty years, I was wooed out of my house to shop on Black Friday.  I worked retail in college, and I had worked a few Black Fridays, so I never shop on them.  I avoid Black Friday like the Black Plague.

However, this year I was drawn out by a really good sale on something that I had wanted for a long time.  A local store had a deluxe dog bed on sale for half-off.  And I love my dog.  And she needs a deluxe dog bed.  As a matter of fact, she needed two of them (one for upstairs and one for downstairs).   And the bed really was deluxe.

My husband and my sister actually fought over which one of them would get to test it out.  I have to clarify here, Ginger (my dog, who is black and gray, but came to us from the shelter already named Ginger) is a bit picky.  I think that it is much because of her need for deluxe items.  I’ve created a monster.

Anyway, back to the point.  She’s picky.  And that means that she won’t sleep anywhere that doesn’t smell like a loved one.  We tried for months when she first came to us to get her to sleep in a dog bed that I got her.  She only weighed twenty-five pounds back then, so the bed was a bit small for a human.  My husband, out of deep love (for Ginger, the money he spent, and myself) climbed in that little bed and sat there for about ten minutes.  After that, she slept in that (considerably less deluxe) little bed until she outgrew it.

We’ve been through several beds in the eight years since that happened.  Something about that girl, she can wear out a bed.  So, when her most recent bed wore out, I decided that she was getting old enough to require a deluxe bed.  Top of the line.  Nothing is too good for my girl.

I braved Black Friday alone (quite the feat for an agoraphobe).  I got to the store and they were out of the large deluxe dog bed.  I know, right? 

And, usually, with it being a Black Friday sale, that would mean that I was out of luck (and so was Ginger).  But this store was lovely.  They agreed to a nice discount off any dog bed in the store.  40% off.  Which means that Ginger, who simply will not fit in a medium dog bed, got an extra large deluxe dog bed.  Well, she got two extra large deluxe dog beds.

And here’s the best part.  The extra large dog bed is less popular than the large (most people prefer the large), so it was LESS expensive than the large.  So, I got the extra large bed for the same price that I would have gotten the large.  That’s right - extra large minus 40% equals large minus 50%.  Holy cow, what a deal.

So, back to the argument.  My sister and Dobby both wanted to be the first to lay on that bed.  And, yes, the extra large bed was big enough for a human to lay on (in the fetal position).  So, it came to me to settle the argument.  I did.

I simply said, “You DO realize that I got TWO beds, right?”

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Update on Scarves for Special Olympics

I will be posting some scarf patterns over the next few days (for my non-crocheting readers, I will be alternating posts between other topics and Scarves for Special Olympics, I hope that this is OK with everyone).

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Indiana's deadline is fast approaching.  It is December 24th (that's a postmark deadline, so as long as you get it mailed by then, you're in good shape).  If you have a scarf ready and would like to send it to Special Olympics Indiana, please send it to the following address (and remember to follow the guidelines mentioned in my previous post "Be the Change"):

Special Olympics Indiana
Attn:  Scarf Project
6100 W. 96th Street, Suite 270
Indianapolis, IN 46278

Also, we have two other deadlines in December:  Iowa (12/30) and North Dakota (12/31).  Again, these are postmark deadlines.  If you would like to send your scarves to either of these programs, here are the addresses:

Special Olympics Iowa
Attn:  Scarf Project
551 SE Dovetail Road / P.O. Box 620
Grimes, IA 50111

Special Olympics North Dakota (SOND)
Attn:  Scarf Project
2616 South 26th Street
Grand Forks, ND 58201

If you are participating, thank you for participating!!

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

TV Review: Ellery Queen

Recently, I’ve started watching the Ellery Queen TV series, which originally aired in 1975.  Most mystery fans are at least acquainted with the name Ellery Queen, even if they have never read any of the material related to him.  First, there is Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (which is available for the Kindle, either by subscription or by single issue purchase).  This is a long running - first published in 1941 - magazine devoted solely to mystery fiction.  If you are a mystery fan, I would suggest giving it a try.

Then there were the Ellery Queen books.  They were written by a pair of writers who wrote under the pseudonym of Ellery Queen.  In addition, they used Ellery as their fictional protagonist.  Only one of these novels is available in the Kindle store, House of Darkness.  It is currently on my TBR list.

The character of Ellery Queen was also part of a popular radio series, three of the scripts from this series are available in the Kindle store (there is another radio script as a part of a collection, but it is a repeat of Mr. Short and Mr. Long, which is available on it‘s own). 

I sampled one of these scripts (The Adventure of the Murdered Ship), and found it quite enjoyable.  I wasn’t really expecting to like it because scripts (and plays) don’t usually tend to be my thing.  I find the format (with stage directions, etc) to be distracting from a read.  I did not experience this with the radio scripts.  Maybe I am becoming more able to follow scripts as I age (I am definitely more patient and less easy to distract).  Or maybe it’s because with radio scripts, most of the stage directions (aside from sound effects) were designed to be read aloud.  This means that they tend to be written in the same style as the dialogue itself.

Whatever the reason, I enjoyed it.

Now, I’ve given you multiple paragraphs on Ellery Queen, but haven’t yet begun to review the TV series itself.  And I claimed to be less easily distracted.  Imagine what I was like twenty years ago.

The series is currently running on a classic TV station that is available locally.  I receive the station on Comcast Cable.  I am not certain if it is available nationwide.  The station is RTV (our local affiliate is RDE - Rehoboth Delaware).  I have previously reviewed this station in this blog.  Should you be a fan of classic “mystery” television, I would check for this station with your local cable provider.

So, what about the series, Christy?  (Yes, I am reading your mind again).

The fact of the matter is that the series is excellent.  It only ran for one season (the 1975 - 1976 season).  It aired for only 23 episodes.  I find this really surprising because this show was very well produced and highly entertaining.  Maybe it was just a bit ahead of its time.  I loved everything about it, right down to the credits.

The opening credits are perfect classic mystery credits.  They feature a chess board filled with clues, along with a great theme song.  The mysteries are cozy and clever.  The clues are made available for the viewer, without being overtly spoon-fed.  My favorite part of the series (and my husband’s as well) is the part when Ellery turns to the audience and asks their opinion.

Now, before you start thinking Dora the Explorer or Blue’s Clues here, realize that when Ellery Queen used this technique, the concept was fairly ahead of its time for television.  It could have been disastrous if it had been poorly executed, but in this instance, it was done quite well.  Ellery asks for your opinion, occasionally highlighting important clues, right before fading for the commercial break.  This allows for the viewers to discuss their opinions.  And we do.  

Dobby and I were fully taken in, and discussed the potential solutions over the entire break (for those keeping score, of the two episodes that we’ve watched together to date, I was correct on both, Dobby was correct on the first one).  Of the three episodes that I watched alone, I was right on two out of three (the one that I watched today was a real stumper).

The series is set in the late 1930s or early 1940s, and the period work is excellent (although not perfect, occasionally there are minor flaws).  The dialogue is snappy period specific dialogue, and Ellery’s father - Inspector Queen - has some really funny lines using slang of the era.  The costumes are lovely and make the viewer feel transported to another era.  It’s really an experience.

The plots are not the heavy-handed, shove clues down your throat plots that so often make mystery lovers cringe.  Nor are they the fifty-six red herrings in one episode kind of plots, although those seem to be fairly popular these days.  They are also not the all clues are obscured from the audience plots.  The latter type is the one where the audience is surprised, but how could they not have been, as the only one who notice the clues was the protagonist.

The Ellery Queen TV series has the clues present, notable, but not obvious.  And that’s what makes these mysteries so much fun.

The series is also a cavalcade of stars.  Anyone my age will remember how much fun it was to watch The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.  Part of that fun came from the bevy of familiar faces that we got to see as guest stars each Saturday night.  Many of the guest stars were people who were considered to be “great actors of their day” but that weren’t getting much work at the time (often because of their age).  Ellery Queen also utilized these actors.

They had David Doyle as a guest star (before Charlie’s Angels), as well as Donald O’Connor, Guy Lombardo, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joan Collins, and Craig Stevens (just to name a few).  And, if you want a guest star that will be fully relevant to the younger generation, they have one of those for you as well.  That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the lovely and talented Betty White had a guest starring role on the series as well.  And we all know that she’s having yet another career renaissance (and with good reason, I’m a fan).

All of these things make the Ellery Queen TV series worth watching.  Mystery fan or just classic TV fan?  Then this one’s for you.  But none of these things is the reason that you MUST watch this show.  TV lovers MUST watch this show for one reason only:  Jim Hutton

That’s right.  Jim Hutton.  He’s plays the title character.  He does so beautifully.  In his day, he was often cast (and classed) as a modern Jimmy Stewart.  He had a similar casually loveable style to Stewart’s.  And, yet, he was an actor all his own.  Handsome and talented, with a simple likeability that is often missing in actors today.  You just loved to watch him on the screen.  You thought that if you ever met him, you and he would instantly be friends.  Whatever it is, he had it.

You may or may not have heard of James (Jim) Hutton.  In all likelihood, if you have heard of him, it’s because of his famous son.  The late Jim Hutton is the father of actor Timothy Hutton.  I am a huge fan of Timothy Hutton as well.  I could have mentioned this relationship earlier in the article, and I think that most authors would.  I didn’t.  For a reason.  It’s not that I don’t think that this fact is relevant, it is.

My  reason for not mentioning it sooner is that I feel that it would be a shame if a famous son is all that the elder Hutton is remembered for.  Not that it’s not a great legacy, it is.  Timothy is a talented and well-respected actor and producer.  Any parent would be proud to be remembered for having a great child like that.  I just don’t want that to be all that Jim Hutton is remembered for.

James Hutton was a talented and handsome actor who many have not heard of today.  That’s not because his career was not sustainable.  It’s because his life wasn’t.  He died in 1979 of a heart attack (just four years after the production of this series).  I can only wonder how lengthy his body of work would have been had he not died so young.  And if everyone would now remember his name, just like we do with Betty White.

Do yourself a favor, watch this series, if for no other reason than to see the late James Hutton in one of his final roles.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Review - The Lord Is My Shepherd: The Psalm 23 Mysteries

Let me start off with the fact that I did enjoy this book. Most of this review is going to sound very negative, but I liked the book. I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars if I was giving stars. It was not great, but it wasn’t a waste of my time either. It just had some problems. Small ones, mostly, but quite a few of them.

First, I thought that a book called “The Lord Is My Shepherd” by Debbie Viguie from a series called “The Psalm 23 mysteries” would be a cozy mystery. To me, it seemed a given. Inevitable. I was wrong. This book qualifies as a cozy in it’s use of an unconventional amateur sleuth (actually two amateur sleuths, but one of them is primary), as well as in it’s lack of sexual content. The small community setting is in effect here, and does a nice job of melding two small communities (and some of their biases) into one community.

This book doesn’t qualify as a cozy, in my opinion, because of the level of violence. The book deals with a serial killer (many cozies do), and this serial killer’s crimes are described in fairly explicit detail. While it’s not extremely gory, it is a little gory for the cozy category.


I’m not saying that a mystery has to be a cozy to be a good book. I love all mysteries. There are bunches of non-cozies in my mental list of loves. I just think that the title may mislead the reader into thinking that it will be free of all graphic gore, and this is not the case. I also do not feel that the author is being intentionally misleading. I just feel that the reader may mislead themselves.


That being said, the crimes were not too graphic for me. That was OK. I actually found the killer’s modus operandi intriguing. I was even more intrigued that the crimes had occurred in other cities as well, but that no one had recognized the pattern. It was a really nice book concept.


Where the book lost me was in the motive of the crimes. I can’t go into too much detail here, as I don’t believe in spoilers. The fact of the matter is that there are several elements in the killers motive. Each of these motives would be plenty of motive for any author. They run along the lines of personal jealousy, professional jealousy, betrayal, revenge, moral outrage, and a few others that I hesitate to mention as they start to head into the range of spoiler.


The problem with this book is that it uses all of these motives. The story behind the motive starts to read like a long running soap opera. You know the ones that I mean. It’s not just that Sadie is pregnant. It’s that she’s pregnant by her sister’s husband. Who also happens to be her father’s brother. And her husband’s arch rival. Because they had a fight in grade school. The grade school fight caused one of them to be a pillar of society. The other chose to live his life on the wrong side of the tracks. Oh, yeah, and the rivals are also identical twins. And that’s how Sadie got pregnant. The nemesis was actually pretending to be Sadie’s husband. She didn’t know that it was the evil twin. But Sadie can’t tell her husband because he’s insanely jealous; he won’t believe that it was an accident. He will feel betrayed. Oh, and Sadie is also an alien from the planet Zaphron. Which means that she will have eight babies. Because the Zaphronese always breed in litters.


OK, so none of that ACTUALLY occurred in this book, but you get the idea. The motive of the book continued to become more and more ridiculous. Any one of the motive points in the book would have been sufficient for the purpose of the story. But those points just kept coming and coming. That’s where the book lost me.


In addition, I found roughly 100 minor typos and formatting errors in this book. None of them is significant enough to distract the reader from the story, but I felt that that many errors was important to mention. I did attempt to contact the author about these errors over a month ago, but at the time of the publication of this article, I have received no response.


To summarize, this book was well-written with a nice writing style. It was not well-edited. It was also a little heavy on plot points, which made the willing suspension of disbelief a bit difficult at times.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Newsflash: Iowa Has Joined the Program!

Scarves for Special Olympics now lists a 35th state in the list of participating Special Olympics programs.  Iowa has joined the list.  They need 900 scarves with a postmark deadline of December 30, 2010.  I have added them to our previous list of programs and deadlines.

Also, as I announced previously, when we get about 2 weeks before a postmark deadline, I will be posting the shipping addresses for each program.  We have one program which is just over two weeks away.

Indiana has a deadline of December 24, 2010.  They need 400 scarves.  If you have scarves available and would like to send them to Indiana, you can ship them via USPS (regular mail), UPS, or FedEx to:

Special Olympics Indiana
Attn: Scarf Project
6100 W. 96th Street, Suite 270
Indianapolis, IN 46278

Thanks so much for your support of this great cause!

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Review of RTV

I have been watching a bit more TV lately. I don’t usually watch much, but I like to watch it when I crochet, and I am working hard on getting ready for the Scarves for Special Olympics campaign. So, my TV watching is up.

I started watching the classic mystery station RTV. I receive this station through Comcast Cable, and my local affiliate is RDE - Rehobeth Delaware. I am not certain of how widely available RTV is, but if you are a mystery fan, you might want to check with your cable provider.

I have really been enjoying it. I have been watching shows that I remember watching as a kid (The Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Mysteries and The Rockford Files) and realizing how well they still hold up. This is in sharp contrast to some of my other favorite series of the time like The Dukes of Hazzard (not airing on RTV) which should really only be watched for nostalgia’s sake.

I’ve also been enjoying the ability to see famous classic shows that I have never had the opportunity to watch. I Spy and Peter Gunn are two that I really like.  They were originally aired before I was born. Ellery Queen was on when I was a toddler, so it was really outside of my comprehension level at the time.

It was really cool to see the actor Craig Stevens (who played Peter Gunn) as a guest star on Ellery Queen. I’ve been recording episodes on my DVR, and I have decided that it must be a really hinky time machine.  I watched an episode of Peter Gunn right before the Craig Stevens episode of Ellery Queen.  That meant I saw an actor who was on a series from the 1950s which was set in the 1950s. A half an hour later, he’s on a show that is filmed in the 1970s but set in the 1940s. So, a half an hour passes in my world, and this poor guy went back in time ten years, but looked twenty years older. What a time warp.

I also had the chance to view Emergency and Adam-12. I have to confess that I didn’t really like either show all that much. I realize that in their day, the half-hour drama was popular. I just feel as though a half-hour is not enough time for a drama. By the time that you start getting into it, it’s over. It just didn’t work for me.

If you haven’t checked out RTV, you might want to. If for no other reason than to hear the Peter Gunn theme song (often touted as the most famous and recognizable TV theme song of all time). Better yet, watch it to see the great Bill Cosby in the ground breaking role that took him from the comedy circuit to the star that he is today (I Spy). While working on this series, he broke some major milestones.

One milestone was that his role in this series made him the first African-American to co-star in a dramatic television series (thereby making it the first television drama with an African-American in a lead role). This made NBC the first network to air a drama with an African-American lead.

Dr. Cosby also won three Emmys for his role in the series (and it only aired for three years), making him the second African-American to win an Emmy, and the first African-American actor to win an Emmy a series role (Harry Belafonte had was the first African-American to win an Emmy.  In 1960, Belafonte won an  Emmy for Best Performance in a Variety Show, based on his musical performance).  

These three wins made Dr. Cosby the first African-American to win consecutive Emmys.  It also made him the first actor to win consecutive Emmys for a dramatic role (Dick Van Dyke had previously won consecutive Emmys for his comedic role on The Dick Van Dyke Show).  And all of that during a time in our history when racial tensions were at their highest.

In addition, I Spy also broke ground by allowing Robert Culp to write several episodes, including the first episode. While this may seem like nothing today, actors as writers were rare in television at the time.

Check out I Spy, as well as these and other shows on RTV. If this station is not available in your area, many of these shows are available on DVD at the links listed in this article.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

More Information on "Scarves for Special Olympics"

Earlier in the week, I promised that I would post the participating states and deadlines.  Here they are, in alphabetical order by state.  The list contains the state name, followed by the number of scarves needed by that state, followed by the deadline.  All dates are for 2011, except for Indiana, Iowa, and North Dakota, which are in 2010.  The deadlines are post-mark deadlines.

Alabama 30 1/24 

Alaska 350 2/25

Arizona 600 1/21

California 115 2/25

Colorado 1125 2/19

Connecticut 1950 2/19

Idaho 650 2/25

Illinois 900 1/18

Indiana 400 12/24

Iowa 900 12/30

Kansas 400 1/5

Louisiana 1400 2/25

Maine 800 1/14

Maryland 600 2/11

Michigan 1250 1/18

Minnesota 1000 2/11

Mississippi 1200 1/24

Montana 750 2/11

Nevada 50 2/25

New Hampshire 1200 2/19

New Jersey 1000 1/23

North Carolina 4500 1/21

North Dakota 400 12/31

Ohio 500 1/19

Pennsylvania 1000 1/29

Rhode Island 400 1/29

South Carolina 50 1/23

South Dakota 500 2/22

Tennessee 225 1/14

Texas 3500 1/20

Virginia 1700 2/28

Washington 1300 2/19

West Virginia 250 1/12

Wisconsin 600 1/14

Wyoming 400 1/24

Total Scarves Needed - 32130 

 Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Be The Change...

Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  The quote is often stated as, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”  Or as “We must be the change that we wish to see in the world.”  Whether it’s you or we, wish or want is irrelevant.  What is relevant is what this quote is telling us.  And no quote has affected me more in my life.

It is the last thing that I think of before I fall to sleep every night.  It’s the third thing that I think of when I wake up in the morning (right after “bathroom” and “water”, c’mon, I’m only human).

There are tons of changes that I would like to see in the world.  I also recognize that I can only make one of them at a time.  Small changes.  Small changes that will hopefully become great changes.  And so, here is one way that I would like to be the change.  And I’d like to ask you to join me, should you desire.

This year, I am participating in the 2011 Special Olympics Scarf Project from www.redheart.com.

This project asks knitters and crocheters to make scarves for the participants (and volunteers) of the Special Olympics.  Special Olympics programs in 34 states are participating.  The program is sponsored by Red Heart Yarn.

***A note to cynics:  You may be thinking, big deal, what kind of change is that?  A scarf.  So what, so he gets a warm neck, what kind of difference can that make? 

Let me explain.  I cannot express enough how important a feeling of unity, of community, is to the individuals who are involved in the Special Olympics.  Often, these special individuals spend much of their time feeling less “special” and more “different”.  The Special Olympics is designed to give these athletes a place where they feel that they belong. 

The concept behind these scarves is to increase that sense of unity.  That may seem small to most of us, but it can be a huge thing to these athletes. 

So, I make a scarf (I plan on making 10 - 20, actually).  That scarf aids in creating a sense of unity for the one athlete that receives it.  Hopefully, that feeling of unity will carry with him or her until next year, when he or she gets another scarf.  But, maybe, it lasts for just one day.  I’m OK with that as well.  Even if the feeling lasts for only one day, that means that I made a positive difference in one heart of one person for one day.  And that’s enough for me.  That’s “being the change”. 

If you do not know how to knit or crochet, but would still like to participate, I invite you to join my Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day blog ($0.99 per month) where I give instructions from the very basics of crocheting.  I will also be giving patterns and lessons on making these scarves.

You can use any pattern that you want.  It can be knit or crochet.  As for crochet patterns, I will have one or two available here.  They will be the same patterns as on my Learn to Crochet blog (so, if you already know how to crochet, don’t waste your money to get the patterns.

There are also a few simple patterns (beginner through intermediate) of each (knit and crochet) listed on the Red Heart website under the Special Olympics tab.

There are some rules for this project:

1.  You MUST use the two colors that have been selected as the Special Olympics colors for this year.  This year those colors are Red Heart Super Saver color #866 (Blue) and Red Heart Super Saver color #512 (Turqua).  These yarns, and some sample patterns are available at this link.

2.  You MUST use both colors in each scarf.  This may seem odd, why not allow for scarves of one color or the other?  The reason is actually a very sweet one.  Using both colors in each scarf will create a sense of unity with the scarves.  Because they are allowing different patterns and different methods (knit or crochet), color is the one unifier.  They want the scarves to create a sense of unity and community between the athletes and the volunteers.  It is designed to create a sense of being a part of a larger movement.  Which they are, and they deserve to feel so.

3.  Each scarf must be between 54 and 60 inches long.

4.  Each scarf must be 6 inches wide.

5.  Each scarf must be enclosed in an individual ziplock bag (for sanitary reasons)

6.  Multiple scarves may be shipped in each box, but only one per ziplock bag.

7.  Please include a 3 x 5 inch index card in the box containing your name and mailing address.  Email address is optional (I believe that the index card is solely for protecting the recipients, should there be something bad in the baggie, they would know where it came from, you get the idea).  DO NOT include your name or any identifying information in the individual baggies.

8.  You may include a note of well-wishes in the baggie, as long as it doesn’t contain any identifying information.

9.  Donations must be postmarked by the deadline for each state.  I will be posting these dates in a future entry (although there are 3 states with deadlines in the end of December - Indiana, Virginia, and North Dakota).  The earliest deadline is December 24 (Indiana), and the latest deadline is February 25 (several states).  For more information on the deadlines, you can stay tuned to this blog or check out the Scarves for Special Olympics website.

Should you not live in a participating state, or should you miss the deadline for your state, I would encourage you to send your items to another state on the list.

Some states need as few as 30 scarves.  Other states need as many as 4500.  The total number of scarves needed for all 34 states is 32,130.  The states have varying deadlines.  I will be posting both the number of scarves needed and the deadlines by state sometime in the next week.  During December, the Scarves for Special Olympics website will start updating exactly how many scarves have been received, in order to let donors know whether or not they still need scarves.  I will update readers as the numbers become available.

My personal plan is to start making the scarves.  I’d like to be able to send one to each state, but I just don’t think that I can make that many.  So, I am going to start making a scarf, in hopes of being able to send it to Indiana (not my home state - just the first state on the list).  Should I miss the deadline for Indiana, then I will simply send my scarf to the next state on the list.  For me, it’s not about my state, it’s about the program as a whole.  So, I am taking advantage of the spread out deadlines to send my scarves to different programs in different states.  I hope that you will do the same.

Now, all I need is my 20 skeins of yarn (10 of each color) that I ordered today.  As soon as they arrive, it’s on!

***A note to those who will be joining me in participating in this great cause:  the color choices change from year to year.  These colors are for the 2011 Special Olympics only (December 2010 through February 2011) so please plan your yarn purchases accordingly.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.