Angel of Grief

THIS MONUMENT
THE LAST WORK OF W W STORY
EXECUTED IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE
William Wetmore Story

Hello by Evanescence

Holyoke Block Party

Penrapture, who is on the prowl for single men venues, dragged me out of the house this afternoon to go to the Holyoke Block party sponsored by the Holyoke CRUSH (Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke). There were quite a few of these t-shirts floating around on various humans. I wonder where I can get one?

There was a long line up of entertainment for the day. We missed the earlier bands but we had a chance to experience Paper City's Finest, a rap/R&B/Reggaeton group from Holyoke. They sounded pretty good, better than the window rattling stuff we get to hear every day when the locals drive by the house with stereo systems more expensive than the cars they are driving. But I digress...

Next up was the Artistic Dance Conservatory. I don't know much about dance but they looked liked they were having fun.

After the dancers finished their routine they got the crowd involved in some line dancing followed by a conga line. Now everyone looked like they were having fun.

This building was home to the Holyoke Catholic High School from 1963 until 2002 when it was deemed "unsafe". The school was relocated to Granby until a permanent home was secured in Chicopee in 2008. It was rumored that the old school was going to be converted to condos but that never came to pass. Hopefully someone will do something with this beautiful building before it deteriorates past the point of no return.

The Paradox Apparel vendor caught my eye with its unique t-shirts. I like to collect unusual t-shirts so of course I had to check these guys out.

Lou's Upcycle booth caught my eye with all the bright colors. This is a interesting idea, using plastic food bags that would normally be thrown away and making something useful out of them. I don't know if I would want to snuggle under a blanket of potato chip bags but making a grocery bag out of used food bags is a great idea.

Now I have never seen an ice cream VAN before but that didn't stop us from getting some.

Of course a block party wouldn't be much of a party if you didn't appreciate the characters that are there. These two guys were striking a pose for the camera. They may look like regular guys but trust me, they are characters! They also happen to be part of Positronic Design's web development team.

Here is a picture of a couple more characters. One of them is a fellow blogger, Rambling Van Dog. I will let you figure out which one he is.

I didn't chat with this colorful character but I did appreciate his clothing choices. Notice the Obama t-shirt and the Dark Side of the Moon pants. Add the crazy cool hat and you know that this guy is a character.

As we were leaving I took this shot of the Holyoke Post Office.

On our way home we noticed this sign in a boarded up store front. I wonder if the sign actually prevents intruders or is it incentive for those who feel the need to prove something?

Overall it was a good event. From what I understand it started out as a smaller BBQ type party and quickly grew into a mini-festival of sorts. I look forward to attending more of them.

Subversive Stitchers

Lately, I have been reading this blog, Subversive Stitchers: Women Armed with Needles. I love the concept and possibilities of subversive stitching but so far I haven’t found many posts in this blog that are actually about the subject. What I have found is a lot of beautiful and inspirational quilts made by some fabulous artists and I was itching to work on some sewing project myself.

One of the posts was about giving back, “Tis the season for sharing”. I am all about volunteerism, everyone should do it, even if it is just a little bit. Anyway, I found a perfect little project to do, security blankets for shelter animals, known as the Snuggles Project. I immediately knew what I was going to do with that box of leftover yarn that I have been storing for years. A nice simple uncomplicated project that can be done in an evening or two AND make some homeless cat or dog comfy. Perfect.

I headed up to the attic to dig out my box of yarn and watch UFC with my son. I suppose that may seem a bit odd, mom watching two guys beat the crap out of each other while crocheting a kitty blanket. Perhaps not something their marketing campaign would latch on to…or maybe it is. hmmm

When I finished, I brought my little masterpiece downstairs to photograph when the Princess Twilight decided that the comfy little blanket was just purrfect.

Sometime later our sweet angel Taz kitty decided to try the blanket out.

She only looks evil because she is awake. When she is sleeping she is the sweetest looking angel you ever saw. Just don’t pet her a second longer than she wants or touch her belly, even if she is showing belly, and you will come away unscathed.

I guess I have to make one for her now too! The homeless kitties in the shelter may have to wait a bit longer for their security blankets.