Oh Look!

When I got home from work today, there was a good sized box on the front porch. I brought it inside, let the dog out and fed the cats. One cat was missing. Oh, there she is! Up on the table rubbing all over the box and 'talking' to it. She's watched Pretty Woman too many times, I think.



I finally lured her away with kitten food (only used for sick kitties or holidays) and of course then the others needed some. But finally with full tummies they all went off to have a nap and I got to open the box.



I was really wondering what it would smell like. I knew it had been skirted so I wasn't worried about that, but would it smell like wool? I don't know what others may think, but I think right now it smells like hay. And soft? ohhh my! It's amazing. And it's so pretty just as it is. I almost hate to wash it or try to do anything more than just gaze at it. Look at the little curl on the end of this lock.



I apologize for the bandaid but it was necessary. A nasty file folder tried to cut my finger off. And exaggeration for sure, but ouch!

Soap

Ohhh...what an exciting title! But I get excited about small things and my friends get tired of hearing some of it so I'll just talk to myself here..and maybe a couple of y'all.

The grocery nearest my house is not a big showplace kind of store. A lot of space, great prices, a lot of brands you've never heard of. But there is some good stuff there. There are a lot of Hispanics here and this store has a lot of products made in Mexico, or labeled in Spanish. A cool area in produce with bushel baskets of produce I don't recognize. The bestest shredded cheese. And occasionally loaves of bread whose bag is decorated with this a soccer player.

But this is about soap.




Ingredients: Tallowate (lye, steam and fat), cocoate (fatty acids of coconut) and scent. That's it. No long lists of chemicals, and who knows what all that I see on other labels.

Lots and lots of lather.

And the scent? Well one would think it smells like roses, but actually it smells like clean.

And price? It was on special for 35 cents! I wish I'd bought a dozen.

In other news, soon I will be the proud owner of a pound of angora fleece. A wonderful person in my local fiber group has been very, very ill. She was in the hospital forever almost, and is now in an LTAC (long term acute care)facility. Recently it was shearing day at her family's place and they listed all the fleece on the list. Duh..that sounded weird. So, I spent some of the can money on one of the smaller amounts. I've bought curls from them before just cause they're pretty. I've been instructed on how to clean this fleece and I can't wait. I hope it's not offended that I have no clue of what to do with it after that. And, some day I hope I get to go meet #556. Come home Emm!

And in even more news (can you stand the excitement?) while I watched primary returns from the neighbor to the south and the cornfields, I got the swift and ball winder out last night and wound the lime green yarn. I think it might become Monkey socks. Probably not in time for St. Patrick's Day, but hopefully before summer LOL

Tub time now so I can slide down Hump Day cleanly! Love ya!

Lamb or Lion

Mostly VERY windy. The weekend was way warm. Tshirt weather outside, and mostly cloudy. All that has changed and today we are to have a bit of SNOW. It won't stick as the ground temp is too warm. Well maybe on a bridge or something like that but I don't think there will be any great photo ops.

I went to WM yesterday afternoon and one of my purchases was a yard of Peltex..a very very stiff interfacing to be used as a bag bottom. And no, it won't be that big. *G* Getting it the few steps to and across the porch was a trip as it really wanted to be a big sail. And I didn't want to smash it and make creases.

The hat continues. I've got my muscle memory of 1:1 twisted rib back so am able to watch tv while I knit. Or in my case, DVDs. I have some of those really cheapy ones that you sometimes see at checkout lanes and watched a couple of them. One was various mystery/detective tv shows. Can you imagine Dragnet without the DUM DE DUM DUM music? I'm not sure why they could put the show on there but not the signature music. It's not a intricate hat but I like the way the top looks in it's photo. We shall see. I'll have to get a ballon and make a hat stand.



I'm using Paton's Wool Merino Natural Mix I'm really liking the way this feels in my hands. The color could be more exciting :-), but it was on sale and this was the color choice.

The yarn I dyed is going to be drying for awhile I think. Not probably the smartest day to dye..moisture in the air is definitely going to effect the drying time. But I suddenly wanted lime green yarn and amazingly enough I got it.

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Fingering
Dye: 4 packs of lemon-lime Kool Aid and a squirt or two of McCormick's Neon Green food coloring.
Dissolved in a coffee pot of water..poured on the yarn and microwaved for 3 - 3 minute cycles with rest periods in between. I didn't pour all of the dye on the yarn..much of it accidentally went down the drain. The yarn did take up all the color.
Just to be sure, I washed it and the water remained clear.


Maybe it will be socks. Maybe it will live forever in the skein. I just needed to dye.

Off to get ready for the day at work.

Hello March!

I've had a bit of a vacation this weekend without leaving the house. I read a comment in the Harlot's blog about this new place. I've seen her name before but I just didn't connect. What a shame, I've really missed some good stuff but have had a super time getting caught up last night and today. It was iron a shirt; read an entry; put stuff in the dryer; read an entry. I did manage to get most tasks done and then spent the rest of the time in my chair. Lene is an amazing woman and her blog is sooooooooooooooo wonderful.

I dyed some yarn, I've started a hat..more things to talk about but severe weather is coming in and I must shut down.

Oh yeah!

Well, guess what! I have phones AND a functional DVD player.

"Dave" arrived right on time and quickly and competently got to work and the end result is grand. I wish I lived in a more modern place where most of the phone jacks were actually wired into the house but mine are more of the jury rigged/Radio Shack sort. Part of the problem seemed to be an old alarm system and the rest of it I didn't really understand and probably never will. But who cares? It works.
He did say that he enjoyed the challenge.

And,while he was scurrying around here trying to track down the problem he mentioned that he had spent most of his time with the company doing the cable tv stuff. I just happened to mention my problem with the dvd and presto chango in a matter of minutes that was all functional. Probably done so that I would sit in the living room and watch Fargo for the umpteenth time and quit asking questions. We talked a bit about those rather complicated instructions in the book. He said "I'm a guy. I don't read them". Maybe my masculine side or whatever is the reason I can't understand. :-)

A really great guy, as have been all the folks that I've dealt with at Cox. And certainly an attractive one too. I was also entranced with his tool bag. A really nice gatemouth with a lot of pockets. I wish I could figure out how to make one and use one of those metal frames that will stay open and then close. Another thing to think about. I did a bit of Googling this morning on gatemouths and stumbed onto this knitting bag. Hmmm

I also dealt with some yarn ends on probably the fifth try on my Cupcake mitts. Not that the pattern was a problem. I kept changing my mind on what colors to use. But I liked this and though it would be a cute one when finished and embroidered. There's only one small problem..or maybe it's a large problem. My large hand won't go through the small cuff! So maybe tonight I try with worsted and larger needles. Oh yeah and I have to finish watching Fargo although I can practically recite it! I just love Frances McDormand's character.

Time to get ready for work. Hope you have some fun today!

No Bruises

but I spent much of this weekend figuratively, if not literally, banging my head on the wall.

My old DVD player bit the dust a while back and I recently got a new one. Do you think I can get it to work??? of course not. I do sometimes have trouble reading instructions. I read them, even out loud, but somehow the words don't translate into proper actions. Saturday night I was ready to throw it out the window. Sunday, being a bit more grown up, I sat down in a quiet house, read slowly and highlighted passages that were important. So at long last I think I've figured out what I need to do. If this means anything to you, progressive scan won't work with my tv so I need to change that in the set-up. K...fortified with a fresh pot of coffee I set out to do just that. But now I can't get to the menu. I push setup..nada. I know it's there, I've seen it before.

I think I hate progress in technology. I remember my first VCR. Quite simple. You hooked it up to the tv and pushed play. To record, you pushed record. To record in the future you chose the day and time. The last one I had seemed as if you needed a college education to do anything other than play. And this one won't even get that far. I am soooooooo not techy.

Of course you know that. That's why I have no links in my sidebar. I need a 12 year old to come over and help me.

Ohhhh, and when I got really tired of all that, I decided I'd call a friend and whine. Picked up the phone..no dial tone. Went to the bedroom phone, no dial tone. Off to the playroom..samd thing. I called Cox..they rebooted my phone. No dial tone. There is someone scheduled to come out this afternoon to see what's up. Oh this should be good. It's Monday, coming up on the end of the month and I am way behind. My boss is going to love it.

But hey, I woke up this morning. I can move around. None of the cats have thrown up a hairball. Life is GOOD!

I do hope your's is even better.

This and That

My goodness! It's almost 12:30; I've been up since 5 and have accomplished very little. Well that's not completely true. The dog has a haircut and I've vacuumed and I've eaten a big bowl of oatmeal, two peanut butter sandwiches and some potato chip crumbs.

Other than that I've been reading online. Somewhere in the early morning blog reading time I saw a reference to Persephone books. I wish our economy wasn't such that ordering from England was so costly. I especially wanted to read Mrs. Miniver. Silly me, I didn't even realize it was a book. But Google told me otherwise and I've now discovered a whole bunch of books I can read online! Not as satisfying as being curled up in the corner of the couch with a throw wrapped around my feet, but still. I've now read Mrs. Miniver and have started An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott that I found there also.

Last night I found a drop spindle group on Ravelry as well as one for penpals. I'm resisting to go back and read some more there. Have to ration out all that fun!

Someone sent me a link to the most amazing horse dancing thing. I'm not sure what it's really called but this is pretty amazing. And now I'm wondering if it will actually show up here. (edited to add. No it didn't imbed so here is the link.)

Say, does anyone know where I might find 7 inch zippers, where I can actually see the colors? I found one place online but the colors were just names. I want to make a wallet.

I've been having a bit of a ponder. I want a for-real spindle. Mine wobbles quite a bit. It's homemeade and I think it started out pretty well but it got dropped and bounced down a bunch of steps awhile back and it's not been quite right since. I've sorta kinda picked out this one. Scroll down to the cherry one. And then I'd need to order some fiber. I'll wait a bit on that because I want to get some from the Farm-Witch cause I really like and respect her and her yarns and fiber are lovely. But soon...even if I don't have a new spindle.

Also I would dearly love to do business here. (It's usually about $10-$11a skein) I truly love Rowan Calmer and would love, love, love to have a sweater's worth. A sort of plain almost tshirt looking sweater with short sleeves. Oh how I wish I was skinny! LOL I don't have a pattern so I don't even know how much I'm looking for. Add to this mix that I have $89.50 in can/survey money. Not enough for all of that so I need to really think this out. At any rate, it's more fun to think about stuff like this than a leaky roof with spring rains soon. :-)

I can think about it while I weave in some yarn ends


And do some mending. So how are you spending your Sunday?

Total Confusion

My brain just isn't coping. After a busy weekend and an extra day off on Monday I totally have lost touch with the calendar.

Yesterday, to me was Monday all day and into the evening until I turned on the television and saw NCIS was on. UH oh, I totally missed the Tai Chi class. Thankfully my $$ pay for a certain number of classes so I won't lose one. Will have no clue what I am doing on Thursday though as we learn something new each time.

But, that being said, this confusion could be a good thing. For if I am a day behind, then Friday will arrive before I expect it and that's wonderful.

Unfortunately, I woke up this morning and truly believed it was Thursday. Now Friday will take an extra day to get here. :-(

Might as well just go with it. The weather man said, and I quote "Freezing rain which is ice" No S*** Sherlock. I could have never made that connection. And so, with that forecast in mind, and confusion rampant, I'll leave you with a picture of a summer sky.

Amazing! Exhausting!

That's about all I can say about the weekend. I had such a wonderful time but I was so trashed by the time I got home. I guess I'm not used to such fun...or perhaps riding in the vehicle for a long time.

The trip down was uneventful and mostly dreary. Rain, rain and more rain. At least there were only a few slick places close to home. I was able to knit on my sock but mostly by feel. It was so dark outside. We did stop for lunch on the way and it was actually a treat to see a bright Dairy Queen. Good chicken strips too!

We got there maybe an hour before the reception was to start, but much of that was actually finding the place. I changed clothes in the vehicle. which The Girl thought hysterical. Especially when pulling off my jeans (after putting on my skirt/slip) I almost lost my underwear!

The reception was held in a community center where there is an active art program. Geez, I wish I could live there. Many pieces were on exhibit and they were just wonderful. One that fascinated me was a great big quilted heart block. The background was stipple quilted but what was amazing was that the heart was done log cabin style and the little strips were 1/4" wide! Lots and lots of them. I can't imagine being that exact. No matter how hard I tried I don't think I could pull it off.

The bride/groom were ever so happy but the most fun for me was seeing folks I haven't seen in probably 20 years. It's such fun when two families come together unexpectedly.

And then, finally we went to our rooms for a brief break. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Burleson. I've never ever stayed in such a fancy place. Downstairs there is an exercise room with weights, treadmills and steppers and such. And a swimming pool and a whirlpool My room was a single..big king sized bed, but since it didn't hold two beds, I also had a sitting room! (If in the picture menu at the web site you can see it..it's the top left pic) Lovely little loveseat (which I discovered could be made into a bed), great big tv with digital cable...all those channels! It also had a kitchen area with a microwave, a refrigerator, a coffee pot (with coffee) and in the cabinets there were even disposable plates, bowls and utensils! I had an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer and in the lobby on each floor there was a washer and dryer. Amazing! Each day there is a free breakfast downstairs..not just donuts and fruit. On Sunday it was omelets as well as cereals, pastries, muffins, breads, bagels and a toaster too! At the time, I asked that someone go get me a burger and I'd just stay in my marvelous room all evening :-). I hate to think what it cost. Goodness knows that if I'd been paying, it would have been a Motel 6. Isn't it fun that they even monogram the pillow cases???



Staying in wasn't an option so we changed clothes and rested a wee bit and then headed back out for more fun. Off to visit "the kids" who are all grown up. At Eric's a dream came true. I've heard loads about his dog Joe but had never met him.
Here he is meeting one of our group at the fence. Notice he is sitting down.



I had a chance to get up close and personal with him. He is such the sweetie! He has a smaller dog buddy Pippy, but she's definitely camera shy so no pics of her :-(



Eric is some sort of computer/business person but he's also an amazing woodworker and I was quite happy to go visit his shop adjacent to the house. I've never seen so many saws/routers/drills/joiners in one place. Fun! When we came back outside this greeted us.




I'm not sure why I got all tippy taking the pic. It was just huge and seemed to go on forever. I couldn't find a way to get the whole thing in my viewfinder.

Finally we all arrived in the same place and headed out for dinner. A party of 12. And had a great meal served family style. Yummy green beans. I would love to know how to make them.

I was surely glad to see my bed that night. I wanted to knit for awhile and enjoy the tv. I think I lasted maybe 30 min and went to sleep with my dpns in my hand apparently. Only woke up once when one of them poked my cheek.

Sunday morning came way too soon. Sunny and bright at least while we were in Texas. I opened my drapes and window to enjoy some fresh air and discovered a Sunday paper outside my door. Just like being at home. Almost. And about 5 pm Sunday evening that became a reality. A fun time, but always good to be home even if I do just have to 'know' which of my pillows is soft.

Home Again

But Blogger's picture thingy is down so you'll just have to wait for the pics of Joe and my wonderful, elegant motel room. Now...how misleading is that sentence? Heh..

Texas Bound (Maybe)

The plan for today is going to Texas for a wedding reception. It's still at 0710 kind of still up in the air. There's been some freezing rain with more expected but at the last news it's barely freezing and the ground temp is somewhat warm so maybe it's just bridges and overpasses. Thankfully I'm not driving!

The best part (besides getting to see folks I really love be happy) is getting to stay in a motel tonight! I LOVE staying in motels. Yah...I've heard all the horror stories about the bedclothes but I still love it.

Packing took longer than it should for just an overnight stay because I lost my list. Egads! And didn't even realize it until bedtime last night. So, everytime I did anything, I'd put it on the list. Brush teeth, check. Eye drops, check. Teddy bear, check. Jammies...well you get the idea. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought "Knitting". So I got up and put my sock bag on the table with the faux bowling ball bag travel case.

Now, if for some reason it gets cancelled, I won't be complaining at all. I busted my butt last night doing laundry, ironing, even stopped on the way home for a few groceries. So, I could be sitting here in sweats knitting, sewing and making spagetti.

Oh, and I printed out the "Rabbit" personality thing from a previous post and took it to work. My idea was that others could take it and we'd have a new and fun tool for enhancing work place cooperation. The general opinion was that mine was "soooo true"...but nobody else would take the test. I don't know if they just thought it was too stupid, or another of those weird Susan things. I was disappointed.

Of course the fact that most of them are either sick, or getting well, or getting sick might have something to do with it. There are some really rough GI and/or respiratory things going around. Thursday when I made one of the hospital runs, the ER was packed and there were people on gurneys in the halls with their IVs hooked up.

Crossing fingers and traveling with Zicam! Hope your weekend is way fun! Tell me what you're doing.

I'm Feeling So Rich

I don't know about y'all, but I definitely have a beer budget and sometimes champagne taste. But tonight I'm feeling quite well-to-do.

With Valentine's fast approaching I've been seeing lots of ads for floral establishments or websites. Now I know that practically fresh flowers just aren't. Perhaps a plant that will last awhile. Or something more ummm concrete. Fresh flowers just don't last long and then what do you have? But another part of me finds it quite grand. Someone (or yourself) saying that you deserve a thing of transient beauty. You're worth wasting money. Ha..in my mind it all makes sense. So, I satisfy those urges by purchasing fresh flowers at the grocery. They're really quite nice, and since the Moonies don't seem to be selling them on the street corners anymore..well, you get the idea.

So today I find this very tasteful and beautiful website showcasing their Valentine offerings. I picked out a very sweet arrangement of deep red roses in a little vase..not long stemmed, cut short so that the whole thing appears that it would look quite sweet. Hmmm $80 !!! Well of course I'm worth it but dang..it's out of state and so I just can't order them :-). Scrolling down I discover a fuschia Phalaenopisis orchid. 3 blooms, 5 buds and a tasteful black container. It's a bit more, $100.

But wait..look at this!





Two blooms, 3 buds, tasteful (?)gray plastic container and it's in my house. With the added bonus of a handpainted dowel rod to support it..oh and a lovely purple hair tie to anchor it to the dowel. Purchased by me, for me after Valentines last year when it was marked down. I think I paid $8-$10 at W*lmart. And I haven't killed it and it's rewarding me with Valentine blooms this year! I'm not just feeling soooo rich! I AM!

Still Here!

Whoooa, I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. I guess when I talk to y'all in my head, it should be while I'm at the keyboard. Sorry.

Lots going on here. Well, perhaps not a lot if compared to truly exciting lives, but certainly in mine.

WHEELS: First of all, after a couple of months of really unreliable transportation which culminated in antifreeze all over the driveway...and then after a couple of weeks while my vehicle was hospitalized, I once again have wheels. It was a great day when Lily came back home and I could drive without a light coming on or a gauge getting wonky. There is NO public transportation here. Rides to work weren't a problem and I occasionally got to go to Walmart but other than that I was home. Fortunately I can entertain myself pretty easily.

Then, the weekend after I got Lily home, there was an advertisement in our local paper about Tai-Chi classes starting. I knew the person getting it organized, called and signed up. I have been hoping for this for a long time. And I LOVE it! I used to have a tape given to me by someone who had studied for years but the tape broke and I was never quite sure what I was doing. Our instructor is a hoot! And no, I'm not going to try for a Jackie Chan movie. This is designed for seniors, although he does occasionally show us how the movement we are working on translates into martial art. But hey maybe I can be in a laxative commercial someday. And, yay...it doesn't requite that I go out and buy special clothing or mats or blocks or knit a mat bag. Or sit on the floor! I can sit there, I just can't get back up.

Yesterday I zoomed around doing errands and worked in the yard a bit, gave Lily a bath, did laundry. All that Saturday stuff. Today was going to be about staying in my pjs all day with some blog reading. I stopped at Laura's early...then followed a link to her friend's so I could look at a picture and at the end of that post saw a reference to these Cupcake Mitts. Oh the crow in me rejoiced at the bright colors and mixedy up stitches! Reminds me a lot of Kristin Nicholas' work..not that I've ever actually seen her books but I surely like the pictures! And, there was still a pattern left. Must have! Which would have been rather simple if I could have remembered my 'name' on Etsy or my password on Paypal. (I've been really trying to be frugal). Finally I got it all together and the pattern arrived in my mailbox. Gotta love the innernets!

But wait..it calls for DK yarn. I have nary a skein. OMG, I must have it NOW! So, sacrificing jammies, I got dressed and headed for my new (almost)LYS..SWAK in the City. I'm so glad those Guthrie ladies decided to open a store closer to me!

And the yarn? Berroco Comfort DK. Yeah, acrylic but the softest yarn I've ever felt. Love it!


So now, once I make supper and clean up, it's back to jammies and my knitting needles. I'll have to explain to the sock I just started that it gets to nap tonight so I can at least get a few rows done.

And...in case you wanted to know more about me...

Your Score: Rabbit

You scored 21 Ego, 14 Anxiety, and 18 Agency!

IT was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him. It was just the day for Organizing Something, or for Writing a Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought About It. It was a perfect morning for hurrying round to Pooh, and saying, "Very well, then, I'll tell Piglet," and then going to Piglet, and saying, "Pooh thinks--but perhaps I'd better see Owl first." It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody said, "Yes, Rabbit " and "No, Rabbit," and waited until he had told them.

You scored as Rabbit!

ABOUT RABBIT: Rabbit is generally considered Clever by his many friends and relations. He is actually a much better reader and writer than Owl, but he doesn't consider it worth mentioning. Instead, Rabbit's real talent lies in Organizing Plans. He organizes rescue parties, makes schemes to reduce Tigger's bounciness, and goes on missions to find out what Christopher Robin does when he's not at the Hundred Acre Woods. Sometimes, however, his Plans do not always go as Planned.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are smart, practical and you plan ahead. People sometimes think that you don't stress or worry, but this is not the case. You are the kind of person who worries in a practical way. You think a) What are my anxieties about and b)what can be done about them? No useless fretting for you. You don't see the point in sitting around and waiting for things to work out, when you could actually work them out today and save yourself a lot of time and worry. Your friends tend to rely on you, because they know that they can trust you help them work things out.

You sometimes tend to be impatient with people who are less practical in their ways. You don't have much patience for idiots who moan about things but never actually DO anything about them. You have high expectations of everyone, including yourself. When you don't succeed at something, or when something goes wrong despite your best efforts to prevent it, you can get quite hard on yourself. You need to cut yourself some slack and accept that everyone has their faults, even you, and THAT IS OKAY. Let yourself be faulty, every now and then, for the sake of your own sanity.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(wolfcaroling)

Thumb Up!

Not thumbs up as there is only one. This went a bit better although I still ended up with a couple of gaps. The whole mitt seemed to take forever. I looked through a plethora of patterns and instructions. The majority of it came from EZ. Only problem was that she reminded me of my mom. You know how moms do. You ask a question about how to prepare some dish and they'll say soemthing like "Add ____ until it looks right" As if you knew what this uncooked something was supposed to look like. So I'm knitting along and she said something to the effect of "When it's time for the thumb, do blah blah blah." I don't know when it's time for this thumb. I'd stuff my hand in the mitt and think ok..it will go here. and then when I actually did the knitting with the contrast yarn, I'd realize it was too high or too low. So...ripppit! This yarn held up nicely through all my do-overs and I had a lot of fun with it.

One thing I really liked was that after the ribbing was done, EZ said to make it smaller by doing some K2Togs, I can't remember exactly how it was written and besides I guess I'm not supposed to say. But you did that for several rows and it really snuggled down the wrist and then you went back up to the regular count. It really seems to make it feel more comfy and secure.

I think it's mate will be a gusset thumb again and hopefully eventually I'll be able to do either and well. It's the year of the thumb?

But tonight, I think I shall crochet a bit. It's been a long time, hope I remember how.

What are you doing these days???

They've got me pegged

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Duh!

I forgot to even show off my award.

Apology,Warning and 10

First the apology. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life because of blogs. And this holiday season, and even after, I received the nicest packages from Ann, Laura, and Cookie. Because I blog, I took pictures of them so I could show off a bit. I truly thought I had done it..showed off, that is. I was horrified to realize I hadn't so was going to do a make-up post. That's when I discovered that not only had I not posted, but I'd not uploaded the pics and yesterday I most diligently emptied the camera card. I am soooo sorry. Thank goodness I also thanked them personally. I received yarn and Hello Kitty goodies, and rubber ducky goodies and Christmas goodies. You'll have to wait for next year to see the Christmas things but I will try to get pics up of the yarns and fabric soon. Damn brain!

A warning. Unless you are incredibly rich, or your husband/partner is or you're well connected with influential people, DO NOT BECOME SERIOUSLY ILL. A coworker who is younger than me is facing this now and it's incredible. I knew that the medical system is flawed, but I didn't realize how badly. The one drug that they've successfully used to treat her illness costs $5000 a month! Her insurance would pay 80% of it, that leaves only $500 to come up with when you are too sick to work. The solution is that she can obtain it for free from the drug company. Hooray, right? But only if she totally quits her job and is ruled indigent. Thank God or someone that she and her mom fairly recently went in together and bought a little house. I just hope (besides hoping against hope that the drug works) is that her mom can afford to keep up payments, utilities and food. If it were me, I'd be s**t out of luck. Quit my job and I'd be in the street. Well, not really. I have a couple of friends that I think would take me in. But I wouldn't be able to take my cats and dog and as far as I'm concerned I just don't think I could cope with being sooo dependent on a friend. So...either get rich in a hurry or stay really healthy. Just because you have insurance, you are still not safe.

Now on a brighter note, Devorah and Cat both honored me with this award.

Oh heck, I forgot to copy the rules. Not to matter cause I'd probably break them anyway. I do know that I am to share 10 blogs with you that Make MY Day. I'm also supposed to tell them I did this but, nah..probably won't as some probably don't even know I exist.

Every day I stop by Dave's and Devorah's and Sara's and Cat's and Ann's (hoping that she'll post) and Paul..hoping that he posts too. What ARE the two of you up to anyway? And Katya's and Cookie's and the Harlot's These are my friends. I truly believe that. Even the Harlot..I've learned a lot from her and in reading her books I sometimes think she's read my mind a couple of times.

But I thought I'd share some other blogs I read and really enjoy.

Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy...Alicia is the greatest! I love her pictures, her home, her pets, her husband. Don't worry Andy! If you've read the Hallmark magazine that's on the stands now, you will have read an article about her/by her. She, to me, is an incredible inspiration on how to turn something perfectly horrid into something much better. I can't wait until her book comes out! And besides, her puppy Clover is too cute for words!

Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits..I'm lucky enough to have won one of Julie's rabbits. Took me a really long time to click fast enough, and quite awhile to save up the change. What an incredible knitter, and even better, what an incredible mother who faces the challenges of raising a lovely family while dealing with autism. I'm so thankful that she has allowed me to be a part of her community. Go now to see Edgar the Elephant! Adorable!!

Kirsten at Through the Loops. One of the first that responded to a comment I made, a very good designer and the lucky mom of some beautifully photographic children. One of these days I'm going to get really brave and make that blue sweater.

And then there's Vicki at Sereknitty. She takes some of the most gorgeous photos and knits beautifully. And I'll always be forever grateful that she put my blog in her sidebar. OMG was I ever excited the day I discovered it.

And from the sidebar at Sereknitty I found Ree at The Pioneer Woman. OMG what a woman!! Sometimes I read and laugh until tears run down my face. This is a real woman married to a rancher and the mother of a bunch of punks. But wait...there's a whole cast of characters! And a lot of horses and cattle and kids and AMAZING photography and she's from my part of the country. And that's not all...she cooks! Big time. Not that winky-dink-drizzle-a-stream-of-sauce-and a tiny piece of something on the plate kind of meals...real food. And, you don't have to have a gourmet market to get the ingredients. I love Ree and I bet you will too!

From my area to far north, meet the Lynne, at Socklady Spins She knits the happiest socks I've ever seen..and monkeys too! And if you want to know about the weather in Newfoundland or see some great snow pics, this is the place to go. Oh good, the weather forecast has been upgraded..it's only supposed to be mid-20s below zero this week instead of in the -30s.

Then, there's the Farm Witch who spins the most incredible yarn; raises kids and animal with equal success and tells stories like no other. And has a heart as big as forever.

And Loribird at From the Wool Room I first 'met' her when she was still in Alaska. She's one busy lady and now is back in college. I can't see how she does it all!

And don't forget What Housework? Besides writing, and dyeing and knitting and tending to her family, there are chickens and Milo..just don't let Milo near your hand.

Is that 10?? If not, make up the rest on your own. The dryer beeped and I need to go work on a mitten thumb...yes the quest continues!

Ahhhh Wednesday!

The last two evenings have been quite busy (and for the most part, unexpected)and knitting time was almost non-existant. I did manage to get the cuff on mitten #2 done while listening to The Girl chatter about boys. But tonight, ahhh tonight..there is absolutely nothing on the schedule. So, I'm hoping once supper is over it can be me and the cats on the couch with yarn. :::crossing fingers::::

What's up in your world?
xo

At Least It's Colorful

And if you don't notice the weird thumb, it doesn't look like the knitting is too bad. That's because you can't see the area between the top of the thumb and the mitt. OMG I ripped that out a bazillion times and still it looked like swiss cheese. It's a bit weird because I've made fingerless mitts that have a partial thumb and I don't remember having that much trouble. I need more practice, I guess. Oh, and yeah, if you're going to make the thumb a different color, you need to start it on the gusset. But I did get really good at M1s.

Yarn: Plymouth Encore from stash
Needles: Crystal Palace Size 6 dpns
Time: ??? off and on yesterday but the cuff was done.



Another source of color in my space is much better behaved. Well, unless you remember that Christmas cactuses are supposed to bloom in December. When it was little, I used to put it in the dark for awhile and bring it out so that it would bloom then. Now, I figure who cares. I would hate being shut up in a dark closet. So it just blooms whenever it wants, and actually blooms more than when I did it 'right.



So there ya go. Happy Monday xo

Much Better!

Yay, I can get my hand in there! That's all that got done because knitting was preceded by a plant showering/watering and the clean up involved when the sprayer handler decides to, for some reason, point it at the kitchen as opposed to pointing it at the plant.



And that's all from me for now because I went back to sleep after the alarm, and after shutting old Mary out so she couldn't drool on my ear until I woke up. And then got entangled in Jonathan Bosworth's site while eating my oatmeal. So...laters xo

Oops

I'd planned on showing you one FO and one in progress shot this morning. But best laid plans of mice (and yes this is a pun)and Susan.

First up the mitten. I really want to make some stranded mittens. Like Bird in Hand that just amaze me with their beauty.

There's a couple small glitches:
a. I've never done stranded and this doesn't seem like the place to start.
b. More importantly, I've only made one baby mitten and it was definitely a beginner effort and not one to keep to wear or give away.

So, I downloaded a basic mitten pattern. Got some yarn out of the stash and cast on the amount of stitches called for using #4 dpns as called for. I knitted the cuff. I thought I'd try it on. Uhhh I can't even get my fingers through it. I counted..count is right. I took it off the needles and onto stich holders so the stitches could thread out. OK fingers will go through but not my thumb. I think I need to use larger needles. Maybe I knit too tight. Frogged and into the basket.

Then the mouse. I've been making some little catnip mouseies. I started out with a pattern. A cute one. But then switched to just some ribbing and stockinette. They don't last long around here because Zoey the wonder dog LOVES catnip. And she has big teeth. So, if you turn your back...it's ripped to shreds and she's eating the spilled catnip. Someone I love just got a new cat and I thought this would be a good little gift. I've been experimenting with different sized needles and have finally settled on 4s as they give a good close knit fabric. So...to last night. Zipped through the mouse, ready for the bobbles that become ears. Yeah, these are fun now. Bobbled ready to make them pointy and shazamm it was if I'd had a small explosion in my hands, knitting and needles went 6 different directions and bobble went kaplooey.

I went to bed. There's always tonight.
xo

Oh Christmas Tree

No, you aren't confused. It really is January 8, and yes the tree is still up. Almost all of the other decorations have been put away and replaced by whatever is supposed to live in those places. But I just can't take down the tree. I don't know if it's because I enjoyed it so much more this year since I was home more, or what. I really started to take it down, and was hit by such great sadness as if a dear friend was going away, never to be seen again.

Sheesh! However, I also decided what the hell. I'm old enough now to not care too much about what I'm supposed to do. So it's still up and still twinkling. And, if passers by laugh when they see the lights through the windows, they'll just attribute it to my general weirdness. After all, I also sit on the sidewalk and take pictures of my feet (to show off new socks) :-)

Weird Weather!

Saturday was in the 70s..yesterday it was 75. In January! Still going to be warmish today but the cooler weather returns on Tuesday, or so say the weathermen.

Saturday seemed to be a very sleepy day. I slept well Friday night but still woke up sleepy. I was doing dishes and realized that I was thinking about how good it would feel to be lying down :-). So the day was interspersed with little naps. Or long naps. And not a whole lot was accomplished.

So Sunday, which according to Cat was Jammie Day became the day to get things done. Laundry and ironing is done. The car is washed. Gave the dog a haircut; not as short as it usually is but at least her feet don't look as big as a saucer. House vacuumed. New windshield wipers were purchased and installed. The patio was swept.

I did manage to mark one thing off the "not weekly" list. The junk drawer in the kitchen is all nice and tidy! Yay me. It was driving me crazy and I'm so glad I don't have to think about it any more.

BEFORE



AFTER



Oh, and a trip to Walmart to purchase plastic drawer things. They had a special and I got two. Well, actually purchased one...stuffed it full and went back for another one "just in case I get more yarn". Most all of the yarn in these drawers is worsted. There is 1 skein of Cascade 220; a couple partial skeins of the same; 2 skeins of Noro Kureyon (where did that come from??) and a lot of Lion Brand wool and Woolease; and a number of skeins of Paton's wool. Ha...I'd buy it on sale because in the old storage system I had no idea of what I had. And some Plymouth Encore. Lots of playtime ahead for sure!

But best of all, some serious porch swing sitting. The winds were too strong for knitting so I read a library book and daydreamed and watched kids out on their new Christmas skate boards and bikes. Nice!

Now it's Monday once again. And I have a job and I love my coworkers so I'm going to be happy about it.

Laters. xo

Friday Night in the Big Town

Yes, at long last it's once again Friday night. Such a time of anticipation and ... uhh laundry but never mind that.

And so how would such a unique individual as me spend such a night? Creatively? Obsessively? Perhaps a bit of both. Much time has been spent this evening doing this



Pattern sorting. There are sooooo many downloaded patterns around here. I hesitate to even think about going through them all. But there were a big stack here on my desk. Three stacks were made:
1. I think I really like this and maybe someday I'll try to make it.
2. I've already made this..loved it and want to make again.
3. I really really really love this and want to make it. Now what do I have to gather in order to do it.

I'm thinking that there are going to have to be a number of 16 inch circs purchased fairly soon. Too bad I can't seem to gather a bunch of patterns that use the same size. Maybe those new bamboo Knitpick ones. I have discovered that my hands truly like bamboo better and they don't get cranky so quickly. I guess it's that they're warm.

And some research needs to be done too. Some of the patterns call for yarn I've never heard of so I'll have to try and figure out what might work since often the pictured yarns are too expensive for my pocket.

Lists have been made, now it's time to put it all up so I can go to bed and dream about knitting hats and bears and mittens. Or maybe I'll just dream of Jon Bon Jovi again.

A slight distraction

Ya gotta wonder about dreams. I woke up the other morning and knew that I'd had a dream that would make folks laugh if I told them about it. But I couldn't remember a bit of it. Hours later, sitting there at work in front of my keyboard I remembered. And burst out laughing. It seems I dreamed that friends of mine were telling me that this guy really ummm..well, really wanted to get to know me very, very well. Wanna know who it was?



I don't have any idea why I would dream about Jon Bon Jovi. Certainly nice scenery though.

I am Somebody

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Countess-Palatine Susan the Strange of Lesser Wobbleton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

so there!

An Omen??

I wrote a rather long post yesterday with pics and everything but alas it has disappeared.

Is this an omen of how 2008 will treat me? Or is this a good thing since somewhere in there were a list of goals...and I seem to have forgotten what they were. At least now I know why nobody commented :-)

I do remember part of it though. I want to wish you and yours the very best in 2008. And may all the bad things forget where you live.

From Me and Mine

to you and yours! May your day be a good one. May your yarn never tangle and always be free of knots. May dropped stitches be found before 10 rows later, and may they be picked up easily. May all felting be on purpose. And may you find all the soft and cuddly parts of your life and cherish them.

FO's and a Happy Surprise

Yes, finally there is an FO here. Yay! There really is some good that comes from doing nothing but take naps, watch Court TV or A&E and knit.



I think I started these in October but they got ignored for awhile. I can't remember why. I made them a bit too long as most of my socks seem to felt a bit or shrink a bit or something. Once I've had them on for awhile they stretch out but I was thinking that they might wear out faster that way. Then today I realized that the only ones that had that problem were my Knitpicks..or maybe the Regias and the Monkeys all just happen to be longer. Oh well...they aren't that too much too big. And yes, there really is a PAIR. I tried taking a picture with both of my feet up on the door and promptly tumped over!

Sometime towards the last of the week I decided I wanted to make a pair of socks out of some Cascade 220 that I had. I found a pattern. So, I got out the bag that has worsted in it and found it. Hooray...except it wasn't enough. I really thought I had purchased two skeins of it...but there was only one there. :-)

Yesterday was hideously cold and the north wind was blowing snow and the roads were slick. I really didn't think I wanted to drive to the City for yarn. Besides that I haven't quite recovered all the energy I wasted last week. Oh well..there are other things to knit.

While blog reading, I read a sad story over at the Farm Witch's. It seems someone she's spoken of before had her whole house burn down. Saved the kid and her purse and a sock on the needles. And, she (FW) asked if anyone had any yarn to spare.

Well sure, I have sock yarn. Not fine handspun but sock yarn all the same and I think it breeds because some of it I don't remember buying. So this afternoon I was gathering up some needles and stuff for a kit..you know, scissors and tape measure etc. And then opened up the cedar chest to get out some yarn. And there...right in the middle of the sock yarn was the other skein of the Cascade.

So, I think I'll eat supper and start a sock! If I don't see you again, enjoy the week! Do something that makes you feel good whether that be a bath or starting a new project of sleeping through the 25th. And be glad you have a home! xo

Not Much

going on here other than cough, wheeze, pant. I went back to the Dr. on Monday and was told that if I wasn't better by today, I would go to the hospital. I'm better, really I am. But sheesh this stuff is big time bad. So I've been being really really good. I've got to get better soon. I'm almost out of groceries. Well, that IS an exaggeration, but I'm almost out of the stuff I eat/drink all the time.

In the meantime, I haven't been a total slug. I made myself a new hat. I was looking for a pattern for a hat with earflaps, printed out a couple and then off to read blogs and found exactly what I wanted.

Meet Thorpe: And no..I'm not modeling it..you don't want to see that!
Specs: Miscellaneous stash yarn that I have no memory of.
Needles: Size 10.5 CP dpns
Time Spent: Not really all that long considering all the naps I take.




I should have made the small size, and then realized it a bit late so I cheated on some of the next rows. For what it's really supposed to look like and on gorgeous models go see Kirsten. It's much cuter there and the pattern is free and fun.

A Little Bit

of snow is all that fell yesterday. I'd heard predictions of from 4-6 inches but it swerved northward before it made it this far east I'm told. Still pretty coming down. I think we got maybe an inch. Still sticking to the grass and bushes but the streets are just wet.

I had big plans for fun yesterday but except for finishing up the holiday cards, I spent most of it curled up on the couch. That respiratory stuff that I had a couple of weeks ago came back with a vengeance on Friday. Didn't feel really bad but was coughing a lot by the time the work day was over. Fed the animals, threw a load of clothes in the washer and started shivering like crazy. I was so cold. It was cold outside and I thought it was just that my bones were cold. But a bit later I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and my ears were as red as Rudolph's nose. Uh oh..temp of 103. So dosed up with Nyquil and headed for the couch. Where I remained until 3 am and my fever broke. Again I was freezing LOL. Changed into real pjs and read a blog or two and headed back to the couch. The cats were thrilled. There's no way I can sleep on there without major cuddling going on. Someday I will maybe get a regular couch instead of a love seat.

Woke up feeling a bit better although all my muscles are so sore from coughing. I was truly glad I had no errands to do but a bit sad that I felt too bad to do any of the fun things I'd lined up. I won't complain though. I could have been as unlucky as Katya...geez girl!

Oh, I'm wondering if any of you know about the legality of buying prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. And if you know of some that are really legit. Apparently I'm not googling right because although I can find lots of Canadian pharmacies, I can't find the answers to my questions. I buy my meds from our hospital and get a good deal on them, but they cost several hundred dollars a month. They deduct from my paycheck but they never deducted the total amount, instead they deducted 1/4 amount every pay period (every two weeks). I was really happy with that as it allowed me to pay bills, buy food for me and the babies, and even some yarn and fabric now and again. But a new policy has been instituted. The $9++ that I'm behind will be deducted in equal payments from now until July 1st..which will make my take home a bit larger. However, all meds must be paid for completely when you get them. I just can't quite figure out how I'm going to do that. I am amazed at the difference in Canadian prices. For some of the really expensive ones, it's like 50% less. Something is wrong with that picture. I'm going to talk to my PCP about maybe switching some of them to less costly ones, but I've asked my cardiac doc before and he's always said no. And they are all working well. /sigh. I'm sure I'll get it all figured out eventually.

UPDATE: I found the info so you can just disregard :-)


In the meantime, Hershey says a nap will make everything better.

You Say It's Your Birthday~~~~

Do you hear the Beatles singing? No? Maybe it's only at my house cause It's My Birthday too yeah! And I just love it! I don't think I've ever not wanted to recognize a birthday..after all, it IS all about me :-) And as for getting older..well for me it's a good thing. Hey..I survived another year and can look forward to the next year to come. More yarn, more knitting, more fabric, more books more friends, more giggles. Yay!

Today at work, my office coworkers and I are going to have pizza for lunch..AND breadsticks too. And the weatherman says he will 'give' me snow later in the day. Which may mean that I save money. Because an Oklahoma City branch of a nummy yarn store is opening Saturday and I'd planned on helping them celebrate. No matter. I'll stay home and be warm and snuggly (I hope)

If it's not your birthday today...well pretend like it is and do something nice for yourself. French toast maybe?

Paying it Forward

In the midst of watching the lights flicker (still on, yay!)I signed up for this over at Cat's blog. Sounds like great fun to me and no biggie time limit. Here's how it works.

The guidelines: "I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Want to participate? Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and make the same promise on your own blog.

Note: Realistically I will not be knitting you a cabled sweater. But I promise you that whatever I make you will be made with lots of care and love.

And a request...please keep the people affected by this storm in your thoughts. People are dying from using bad choices in keeping warm. Who knew the generator had to be way away from the back door. Not me. And I would imagine there are others that nobody knows or cares about that are suffering. Today in Oklahoma City they opened the Convention Center so people that have just reached their limits can find some warmth and food. I have a friend that's been without power since Sunday. She's ok, but I know from experience that it's very wearing. Anyway, just keep them in your thoughts.

And hug your thermostat :-)

Oh the weather outside~~~

The day's adventures started early. The power went out with a bang around midnight but Mary, the most demanding cat, didn't care. "It's 5 AM and I'm starrrrvvvinnng!" Clamping on my headlight I fed them, and discovered that Zoey is absolutely terrorized by that light. I guess she thought it was chasing her. So whimpering, she hid out behind the love seat. As soon as they finished, we all went back to bed to listen to the radio which picks up one of the local tv stations. Guess what. It's icy and the power is out.

All snuggled up we went back to sleep until dawn sort of arrived at 7:30! I can't remember when I've slept that late. Although very cloudy and dim, I at least could get around without the light.

So, off to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. One pan of water heated makes a big mug of instant coffee (I know) and a big mug of instant oatmeal (blech, I much prefer real oatmeal) and enough water that once cooled can provide face washing, teeth brushing etc. A bit more heated and dishes are done.



Then with a full tummy we went out to explore a bit and to maybe get some ice off the car.

It was a bit tricky exiting the patio, but the intrepid explorers found an alternate route.



If it wasn't so destructive, I'd have to say it's absolutely beautiful. But then sometimes the most dangerous things are the most beautiful.




This little branch is about the size of a skinny pencil. The rest is ice..I'm not sure how ice can be all around something. Must freeze fast before it falls off. I measured 1/2" thick ice on the trunk of my car.



In the center of this picture you can maybe see a broken off tree limb. I don't know where the rest of it is..I'm thinking it's on the roof.



I got a call that the office once again had lights and just as I was trying to get excited about going to work MY lights came on. Yay!! A bath, clean hair and off I go again.

All day long it rained. And rained. And rained. Very uncomfortable as it was very cold but NOT freezing so the streets and sidewalks got much better. The trees are still a disaster. And on the evening news they said that there were 638,000 electric customers without power. I am so blessed!

Lights are a bit flickery tonight and they say there might be freezing drizzle but for now I'm warm, safe and have knitting to do.

See ya tomorrow maybe! xo

More Ice Means Home Early

Home early today as ice or something took out a transformer and my office had no power. It gets really old sitting in the dark listening to the computer batteries beep. As per usual, our emergency lights didn't come on. Plant services brought us a couple of flashlights...they had more, but it seems that D batteries are on back order. :-/.

Unfortunately, there was no power at my house either. Although very gray outside, there was enough light to see my way to the basement and I retrieved My Buddy propane heater and the little one burner propane cook thing. Got them all hooked up, made sure I knew how to turn them on and then I heard a really weird noise. Took me a minute to realize it was my printer turning itself on. Yay..lights! Camera! Action!

Well, not too much action. I'm making a batch of potato soup..it reheats nicely in case the power goes away again. And the down comforter is at the foot of the bed just in case. That funky headlight is in my knitting bag and I have a sock that at this point is just mindless stockinette and some quilt pieces cut out and lots of books and fresh batteries in the radio/tapeplayer/cd thing. I'm good to go. I just hope I'm prepared for nothing.

The roads were really better than they were this morning but we get periodic batches of freezing rain so I'm sure when the sun goes down (I know it's out there somewhere) that will all freeze again.

And so it goes on this frozen prairie. xo

Ice, Ice, Baby

That's what the outside world has been about today. Fortunately I got to stay inside except for brief forays to retrieve propane from the garage and jaunts with Zoey. Except for that, it's all been about the inside.

And inside, it's been warm and happy. Christmas lights on alllll day. Fabric to be cut out. A bit of sock knitting. Just a lot of fun things.

And after fighting with yucky respiratory stuff for way too long, I felt really good. Even when not feeling so well, I couldn't complain too much as I'd dodged it for the last couple of years. Or, perhaps as someone suggested, I needed a rest. Certainly got that. Lots of naps were taken. Lots of tea drank. Mindless tv and some mindless reading. Must have worked...either that or it was the steroids :-O



And I even have a new friend. Meet Axel all the way from the UK, brought into the world by Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits. He was a bit shy at first and thought that he could hide in the tree and check things out before jumping into the softie community here. Now all is well, and he's been telling all sorts of tales to the other bears and lambs and cats and moose and reindeer and hippopotomii that share my home.

Time for lights out now..and the hope that in the morning they'll come on, unaffected by freezing rain weighing down the lines!

xo