The Annual A-Z Blogging Challenge

You may have notice this picture in the right sidebar as something new on the blog.  It was just added.  For the month of April, I'll be involved in a rather large blog challenge.  I've done this challenge in other years, but don't believe I've ever used this blog to do so.  The first year, I was nuts, as I signed up with 4 of my 5 blogs.  The annual blog challenge is a challenge to blog everyday (which I try to do here anyway), but....additionally it challenges folks to visit at least 5 blogs daily, meet and encourage other bloggers.  The benefit of doing such a challenge is to gain additional readers, improve blog traffic.  I've had mixed results in other years; but thought perhaps it would aid us a bit with some additional exposure.  So, I'll be combining the regular type posts I do here with the challenge.  The idea is to blog alphabetically.  So, April 1st the blog posts needs to start with the letter A and move on down the line.  Sunday's are free days which gets you the right number of letters and days to blog........26.

To join you need to add the badge to your blog with a link back to the organizers blog...thus what you see in the right side bar.  You sign onto join via a linky, which I did just prior to writing this post.  My current number on the list of bloggers involved is 856....people will continue to join, and sometimes along the way folks drop out, or get taken off the list for not following the rules of the challenge, so my number for Bridge and Beyond will change over time.  Everyone is to start with the first 5 blogs beneath them and work their way through the list.  Some folks only visit those in the same category as themselves...writers visit writers blogs, crafts visits crafts etc.  However, I opted to not list a category because I visit and enjoy visiting many different types of blogs.......the exception being "Adult Content". Those blogs must be clearly marked so they can be avoided easily.

Hope you're all busy knitting and crocheting, the need never seems to go away.

Please continue to visit and post comments as you would without my being involved in the challenge and hopefully..........we'll get some additional visits, comments, and perhaps additional helping hands.

Thank you for all you do.

2015 Donations:
Hats: 69
Scarves:22
Mittens: 21
Slippers: 20
Rain Poncho's: 3
Cotton Washcloths:23
Afghans:2
Socks: 47
Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers:
Cowls/Infinity scarves: 11
Shawls: 1 (just realized it wasn't listed, don't think I missed any?)
Misc: personal care items and anything not listed above

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

No Name Knitted Afghan

Hi folks, wanted to give you a bit of an update.  I'm growing....right from the horses mouth, lol.  When last picture this afghan was 15 inches and here's it's grown to 21 inches.  I work on it in between working on "Learning Logs".  This afghan needs a name...anyone have a suggestion?  It's 4 colors, 2 shades of blue, brown (sorta rusty brown), and a salmon color.  The bright blue is the dominant color, as that's the one I have the most of in the stash.

The only thing I've come up with so far is Blue Horizon?  Sorta makes me think of a bright blue sky over the blue ocean with the brown being sand?  Speak up, always love group efforts to name some of our ghans.

2015 Donations:
Hats: 69
Scarves:22
Mittens: 21
Slippers: 20
Rain Poncho's: 3
Cotton Washcloths:23
Afghans:2
Socks: 47
Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers:
Cowls/Infinity scarves: 11
Shawls: 1 (just realized it wasn't listed, don't think I missed any?)
Misc: personal care items and anything not listed above

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

PLEASE Stop, I'm freezing

My apology to the folks who got here to the post before I had actually written it.  I schedule things ahead 99.9% of the time, and had this in que, but never got back to complete it before it was published.
This video sadden me so much when I first saw it, that I backed away from writing about it, thus it was there in que ...waiting on me.  This video follows yesterdays post about a man dying.......dying literally from being homeless, from being out in the cold exposed to the elements for too long without whatever he needed to survive.  I don't know if Michael (see yesterday's post) would have lived if he had another meal, or warmer/dry socks or a different place to sleep.........but it gives me pause thinking about it.

And now this?  A child, in New York in the elements for hours (2 I believe it was), before someone came to his rescue.  And it wasn't a wealth person who came to his rescue, it wasn't someone with a good job, it wasn't someone with a child that age at home, it wasn't  with a roof over their head.......no, it was a caring homeless man with little to share, but willing to share it.  He had compassion, he shared a hug, he asked questions, he gave up his coat.  He understood this person needed what he had, he understood he could help.  He understood, that while he couldn't solve the problem and make it go away.........he understood he could do what he could do and that what he could do mattered.

This was an experiment, so this child wasn't going to freeze because it was an experiment.......but all those who passed him by, who stopped to stare didn't know that.  I guess none of us knows how we would react in the same type of situation, I only hope my humanity would overcome and that I would do the right thing.  We are sometimes afraid of those folks who are homeless, because we don't them.  We don't know if it's safe to approach them.  Thankfully this caring homeless man didn't let his fear (if he had any) get in the way of caring for another human being in need.

We can't solve the problem, but we can do, what we can do  AND IT MATTERS.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Rest in Peace Michael B. Williams, Jr.

This photo is courtesy of a high school friend of mine, thank you Deborah.  The church is 1st English Lutheran Church

The event, a sad one, the memorial service for Michael B. Williams, Jr.  Mr. Williams was found frozen behind an Eastside Columbus House, near a barrel that homeless use to try and keep warm.  A 911 call alerted police when someone found his body.  February 15th, was a Sunday, one of the coldest on record in the area.  in 1920 it was 12 on this date, but this February in 2015 it was colder, and a man died of exposure.  A homeless man, named Michael Williams.  He was 50, a man of faith who attended this church.  Last year he had found lodging for awhile through The YWCA Family Shelter.

All lives matter, no one should die of exposure; but homeless do.  There is not enough lodging to take care of everyone in need, and single men are the first to be turned away when shelters are full.  Some homeless don't want to go to shelters, some feel safer in the elements.  There are many different reasons why people become homeless, regardless of those reason; we need to remember they are people and their lives matter.  There were or are someone's son, daughter, uncle, father, mother, sister, cousin, aunt, or friend.  They are God's Children, just as we are.

Homelessness does have a face, and those faces are people with names.  Please keep Michael and those who's names you don't know in your thoughts and prayers, and do what you can to help.  If not here through Bridge and Beyond, perhaps in your own communities through local shelters and churches.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Crocheted Donations and Personal Care Items Important Donation for Homeless

Thank you Barbara F for this thoughtful donation of warm goodies for our homeless here in Ohio.  Barbara has been busy, she tells me in her note that the colder it gets, the more she crochets.  Perfect!

Barbara has been busy crocheting scarves and hats.  She's also included much needed personal care items.  Folks, a couple of weeks ago I posted that one of the most overlook items for shelters in feminine hygiene products, so am pleased to say Barbara has included some in this donation.  I can't imagine what that's like, to be cold, to want a bath and be in need of personal hygiene products.

Keep up the good work Barbara!

2015 Donations:
Hats: 62+7=69
Scarves:20+2=22
Mittens: 21
Slippers: 20
Rain Poncho's: 3
Cotton Washcloths:23
Afghans:2
Socks: 47
Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers:
Cowls/Infinity scarves: 11
Shawls: 1 (just realized it wasn't listed, don't think I missed any?)
Misc: personal care items and anything not listed above

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Donations from Sunny Florida Aid Ohio's Homeless

Look at this beautiful. colorful log cabin quilt style knitted afghan!  Our good friend Sandra R down in sunny Florida made this.  I've knitted and crocheted many different afghans over the years, but have never made a log cabin style (though that's one of the current ones I'm working)

Wanted to show it both directions so you could get a good look at it.  And like the tradition of quilting where families had pieces parts left from other garments they had made for the family, Sandra has used up her left over yarn from the many other knitted items she's donated to Bridge and Beyond over a period of time.  Seeing this Sandra has given me an extra nudge with the one I've started (and considered scraping).  This afghan is nice and large, soft and warm.  Truly a work of art some family will treasure.

Yippee Skippy, I'm clapping for mittens too!  Hats and mittens knitted and nicely tagged were also in her box of donations.

Many many thanks Sandra for your hard work, and your on going support of homeless people in need here in Ohio.  Please keep up the good work.

2015 Donations:
Hats: 59+3=62
Scarves:20
Mittens: 18+3=21
Slippers: 20
Rain Poncho's: 3
Cotton Washcloths:23
Afghans:1+1=2
Socks: 47
Fingerless gloves/wrist warmers:
Cowls/Infinity scarves: 11
Shawls: 1 (just realized it wasn't listed, don't think I missed any?)
Misc: personal care items and anything not listed above

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.