In “Tonight’s Stupidity,” we have Deb, who…

1. Suggested pizza for supper. There’s nothing wrong with pizza, mind you, except that the cheese can aggravate my asthma. As a rule, I don’t eat pizza, but Mom’s shoulder was really sore and I was tired, so . . . it was the easiest supper.

2. But, since it WAS pizza, I only had one piece–keeping the wheezing risk at an acceptible level. Except that that left me feeling a little hungry.

3. So, after my shower, when I went downstairs to make some tea, I decided to make some popcorn.

4. Except the popcorn, for whatever reason, didn’t pop up fluffy, but as hard, tough, little kernels.

5. Which led directly to my breaking my tooth. All of a sudden there was a grating sound not commensurate with chewing popcorn, and when I spit out what was in my mouth . . . there was a chunk of tooth. A fairly large chunk, in fact.

6. Of course, our dentist’s office is closed on Thursday. Luckily (so far, knock wood), this isn’t actually painful, but, um . . .

Stupid popcorn.

The timing is good in ONE way, though, in that it gives me the perfect opening to tell you that February is Pet Dental Health Month.

Since I certainly don’t want something similar happening to Chappy, I’m going to try to brush his teeth every day during February . . . something I tend to neglect. Not that he objects to getting his teeth brushed. He loves his poultry-flavored toothpaste. (I love that Plaque Off Fresh Breath liquid for his water dish, too–it really does seem to make a difference, and is good for cats and dogs.)

The problem with brushing Chappy’s teeth is that he’s all too eager to HELP. He chews on the brush, which, I figure means it gets between his teeth, which is good . . . except that I can never actually get it where I WANT to brush. But, at least the toothpaste is getting in there, right? I’m trying….

For that matter, here’s a handy little list of pet-related holidays. Chappy, in particular, is looking forward to February 23rd, National Dog Biscuit Day, and is just as glad we missed January 14th, National Dress Up Your Pet Day . . . as if I’d do that to him!!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Pop! // 15 Comments »

Well, so that plying experience didn’t go so well . . .

I plied my singles last night, starting winding everything off into a skein and . . . woah. Way, way too twisty. Not even remotely balanced . . . but, why?? My last skein came out perfectly . . . Sigh. And, of course, the hardest part is figuring out whether I’ve over-plied or under-plied . . . I never can figure that out without a lot of experimentation.

So, really, what I need to do is run this whole bobbin through the wheel again, adding (or subtracting) twist as I go to get it to balance out.

That wasn’t the only spinning adventure tonight, either. The lower drive band on my Little Gem has been slipping lately, and the people at Majacraft were nice enough to send me a replacement. The hard part was getting it ON. I had to unscrew the treadle crank in order to slide it out far enough to exchange the drive band.

In fact, I actually did the unscrewing/screwing on Sunday, with one of those annoying but ubiquitous allen wrenches, but when I’d gotten everything back together, the wheel didn’t treadle properly–the pieces weren’t correctly lined up, or the screws were too loose (or both) and when I tried treadling last night, I got a *thump* *thump* *thump* with every rotation . . . so, clearly, that wasn’t going to work.

It seems like it’s working now, even if a couple of those screws aren’t as tight as they should be–but at least the wheel spins now, right? My Journey Wheel is still being difficult, though. I think the string drive band has stretched out so badly at this point that there’s really not much I can do by tweaking the tension. It’s been weeks now, and I still haven’t finished plying those first bobbins of singles . . . a darn shame, since they’re so pretty. I think I’d like to get it a nice, modern, stretchy drive band, but since there aren’t any spinning stores nearby (that I know of), I’ll have to order it . . . which means, more waiting. Worth it, though, if it gets my Journey Wheel journeying along again, right?

In other news, we got our new dishwasher today . . . a little roomier, and theoretically quieter than the last . . . except, there’s this . . . vibration. My bedroom is right above the kitchen, and while it was running and I was sitting here, on my floor, in front of my computer as I always am? . . . You know what it’s like to be in the next room from somebody playing loud music, where you only hear the boomp-boomp of the bass, but not the actual tune? I have a problem being on the other side of the bathroom wall when my Dad’s using his sonic toothbrush, because that vibration–or what makes it through the drywall–goes right through my ears. Well . . . guess what happens with the vibration/noise of this new dishwasher when I’m sitting in the room above it? I have such a headache right now, though it’s thankfully stopped now . . . The worst part? The cycle for the LIGHT wash is 86 minutes long. Our old dishwasher was 33 minutes. But, that’s an hour and a half, and I’m regularly up in my room around 9:00, when the dishwasher is still going to be going strong . . . I’m either going to get used to it (I hope) or this is going to be a serious logistical problem. We can’t run it until after my shower, which is around 7:00 at night. And I’ve never been able to stay in the same room as the running dishwasher because the detergent-smell in the air gives me a headache . . . so the dishwasher can’t start until 7:30-8:00 at the earliest . . . Uh-oh.

But, for now? I want to go close my eyes….

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Twisty Situation // 15 Comments »

So, a week or two ago, I showed you our tea-tasting, all part of my efforts to clean out the tea cupboard.

Well, today, I want to show you our teapot collection.

(And, yes, I HAVE noticed a tea-theme lately.)

First, my favorite full-size teapot, my Brown Betty. I’ve had this sturdy little teapot for years. Since college, I think. It’s a nice, traditional size and shape, which makes it my “go-to” pot. If I’m making tea for more than one person, this is the pot I use. Almost always.

Then, there are the little, individual pots. A small, white Beehouse tea pot, and a little blue one from Harrods in England. Both are the perfect size for one person.

We have two other “full-size” teapots. This colorful blue/yellow/purple one that may actually be “meant” for coffee and which, honestly, hasn’t been used probably in years, and this purple and green one.

The purple and green belongs to Mom. She painted it at one of those paint-your-own-pottery places. (It was on Martha’s Vineyard, called Splatter, which is why she went for “vineyard” colors.)

The tea-for-one behind it is one that I painted. (Polka dots are about the limit of my painting ability.) One of the things I love about personal-size teapots is that you can brew a pot for each person and prepare it to that person’s taste–no need to bring milk and sugar to the table. Or, also, you can make a couple pots of different tea so everyone can have tastes of different teas.

This, though, is my favorite tea-for-one. I bought this at one of the Newport Mansion gift shops three years ago, when I went with my niece. It’s my favorite because, one, the design is unique. The cup sits on top of the pot until you’re ready to pour, unlike most (like the polka-dot one above), where the teapot rests inside the cup. And then, two, the cup is a finer china. I really don’t like drinking tea or coffee out of something with too thick a lip. I’m really picky about mugs that way–if it’s too wide at the top, I don’t enjoy using it. This cup is a dainty thing, and a pleasure to drink from. (And yes, I know, I showed it to you yesterday, but I can’t leave it OUT now, can I?)

Then there’s Mom’s purse teapot. I gave her this as a gift several years ago. (Don’t ask me why, though, that the coordinating perfume bottle and lipstick are salt and pepper shakers rather than, say, something you’d use for TEA.) This one doesn’t get used very often–it’s too small, really, for two people, but too big for one. Also, handkerchief-spout or not, it drips. But it’s adorable, isn’t it?

Oh, and there MIGHT be a new one in the collection . . . but then, I told you how I liked it, and I DID need cheering up….

Gee, it’s almost a shame I don’t have more tea CUPS to show….

Now, while I’m talking about teas, I thought this would be a handy place to list some of the tea sites I’ve found and/or had recommended lately. No real opinions on any of these–many of which I haven’t tried at all–just that I HEAR they’re good. And since I haven’t tried the teas from each, I’m not going to say, “Try ____ because they’re the best!” when there might be one I like better . . . or that YOU might like better. You understand.

But hey, if you have a favorite tea source that’s NOT on the list, please leave me a comment . . . that way I’ll know exactly where to find it when I wonder, “What WAS that tea that so and so recommended?” later on.

Anyway, the list:

• Adagio
• Argo Tea
• Choice Organic Tea
• Harney & Sons Tea
• Mighty Leaf
• Peet’s
• 
  Republic of Tea
• Revolution Tea
  
• SpecialTeas
• Stash
• Tea Dog
• Tea Forte
• Tea Source
• The Tea Table
• Teaism
• Tealuxe
• Teagschwendner
• Teavana
• Twinings
• Upton Tea
• Yorkshire Tea

• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Tease, Part Two // 24 Comments »

Why stop with just cleaning one closet, huh, when you can do two?

I admit, this still looks rather chaotic, but trust me, it is organized. Various books on the top shelf. My ridiculously large collection of unused hangers. (Larger, need I say, than it was a week ago?) A cd-tower, filled with almost-never-listened-to CDs, topped with a hat rack, of sorts. A bookcase filled with books, and topped by boxes of spinning supplies (bobbins, flyers, that kind of thing), and a bin on the bottom filled with spinning fiber just waiting its turn. Oh yes, and a basket of catalogs, because you never know when you might want to order something, or have been dropped from someone’s mailing list.

I addressed the knitting side of the closet, too (that would be the other half of this one), but since I’ve shown it to you on a couple flash-your-stash days, I don’t think it’s really necessary to show it again. The yarn has rotated, it’s true, but the general layout remains the same. I did pull out a fair amount of yarn that I want to get rid of, though. I haven’t decided if I’m going to send it out as RAOK surprises, or if I’ll offer it to you lovely readers o’mine like I’ve done in the past, or what. But . . . when I decide I don’t want something anymore, I don’t WANT it. I want it gone. I’m funny that way. It’s like the flip side of my buying habits. I absolutely hate returning things to stores . . . unless it’s malfunctioning in some way, once I bring something home, it’s mine. Period. Part of the family . . . but if I ever decide I don’t want something anymore, or it’s broken, out of date, falling apart, whatever? Gone. Buh-bye. Ta ta. So the bag full of discarded yarn in the office? Yeah. That’s definitely leaving sometime soon . . .

Well, at least, it’s out of my bedroom, anyway.

I also finally got around to some mending. Two pairs of pants that have been sitting in my closet for months waiting for mended hems. (Don’t ask me why, but the back of my right leg’s hem is almost always the first thing to wear out on my pants. That, or the right knee on my jeans. I’m sure I don’t know why.)

Anyway, I finally got around to fixing those AND repairing one of my favorite quilts. This brown, magenta, turquoise quilt is my favorite bed cover for autumn, but in the years since I made it, it’s gotten rather worn. You can see the wear and tear at the edge–my own fault for being too lazy to do a proper, bias-cut edging. But also, the hems tacking the edging into place on the right side have been in sad shape for a while. When I switched over to my quilt/duvet-cover combo a couple weeks ago, I promised myself that I would NOT put the quilt away until it was fixed . . . which is why it’s been sitting in a heap on my bedroom chair . . .

Anyway, it’s mended now. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to bring myself to finish the 85-90% finished quilt that’s been heaped in the corner of my bedroom for the last four years…. Sad, sad story, that. I designed it on purpose to be a FAST quilt. I wanted it to be quick because I made it just when I repainted my room when Chappy was one, and I wanted to be able to use it on the bed as soon as possible. The top took the bare minimum of seams to piece the whole thing together–by machine, no less. And the quilting was just broad, diagonal lines, planned to cover the most area with the fewest stitches. Everything was going smoothly until I realized it was ridiculously big for my bed. 8 feet square, to be exact. Even just taking half that outermost, green stripe out would make it more manageable, but . . . that would require drafting a straight line all the way around the thing . . . assuming I could get it laid flat to do it . . . and then figuring out what quilting pattern to use that would coordinate with the rest of the piece, and, well . . . it’s been heaped in the corner ever since. It truly deserves better.

Chappy approves, anyway. He thinks I did an excellent mending job, and to prove it, immediately curled up on MY quilt to take a nap.

Maybe he thinks I’ve been working too hard?

I mean, okay, in addition to cleaning the closet and doing the mending, I cleaned the bathroom (everything but the floor–we’ve talked about how I feel about cleaning floors). And did some laundry. Made pancakes for breakfast (from scratch, of course). And gave Chappy’s and my favorite chair a good, thorough vacuuming. Took a walk around the block.

But, really, it’s not like I’ve been constantly on the go today. I DID stop to take a nice tea break this afternoon. I used my favorite Tea-for-One pot, and everything. I bought it in Newport when I went with my niece, almost four years ago. The Newport mansions are like Disney World, in that, having gone on the tour, you can’t get out without going through a gift shop, and this caught my eye. I wouldn’t like it as a complete, every-day kind of set, but for the occasional cup of tea? Love it. I love how the pattern looks like crewel work. I love the feel of the cup in my hand, the thin lip for drinking. And, of course, I love that it’s a souvenir from a WONDERFUL trip.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Closet Deux // 12 Comments »

I took my knitting out today–this is the first time my poor socks have been out of my purse since I turned the heels right around Christmas. Poor things. It’s a darn shame, too, because I like them so much and really look forward to being able to WEAR them.

They are Socks That Rock–my first time using it–in the Harlotty colorway. I love the colors, too–greens and golds and a purplish-brown . . . very nice. Very “me,” too.

Mom and I had gone out because she needed a new photo album, but we stopped at this brand-new little Starbucks on Eisenhower Parkway. (Interesting–within a 20 mile radius of my house, do you know how many Starbucks locations there are? Thirty-eight. Sheesh! No wonder it’s so hard to find a good, independent coffee place.)

One thing I found kind of amusing, in a “Why couldn’t they have thought that through a little better” way? When I went to the ladies’ room to wash my hands, there was this how-to sticker on the blow-dryer, telling the employees that they needed to wash their hands, and explaining the steps (for those who apparently have never done so before, I guess). But the little illustrations? Note that step five is “Dry,” with a pictogram of hands using a towel to dry themselves, and step 6 tells you to turn off the water, using the paper towel. This is troubling to me for a couple reasons–not least of which being that I kind of expect that people know HOW to wash their hands. But, as a rule, don’t you usually turn off the water BEFORE you dry your hands? Because, why waste all that running water when you don’t need it any more?

But even more worrying–this was on a BLOW-DRYER. You know, one of those hot-air devices that you wave your hands underneath. There was not a single paper towel in the restroom. If you were the kind of person who really needed to read and follow those cute little pictograms, what would you do? You might think to dry your hands under the dryer, I suppose, but obviously, the water would never be turned off, what with your not having a paper towel to turn it off with . . .

Is it just me, or is this a sign of a dwindling Western Civilization?

After we got home, I continued the trend I started last weekend, and did some basic cleaning-out of my side of the hall closet. Well, the stuff on the rack, anyway. Do you think I have enough coats and jackets to keep me warm? Not to mention gloves, hats, mittens, scarves . . .

And yes, I keep my winter accessories in a hanging shoe-organizer. It’s perfect. It doesn’t take much space, keeps everything within reach, and is a whole lot easier than a bin on the top shelf or on the floor with the boots.

I find it interesting that almost nothing in my coat collection is black. There’s a leather jacket, that you can’t really see, and a hooded parka in the back, but otherwise . . . almost everything’s a color of some kind. Or camel.

Or grey. I have one grey, wool item . . . a cloak. This dates back to the late 1980s when I was in college. By then, I’d been a fan of fantasy books for years, where many, many characters wore gray cloaks, and I wanted one for myself. So, for my birthday my freshman year, I asked for however-many yards of coat-weight wool (plus lining material and assorted notions), and then made it for myself. I used the Folkwear pattern, but skipped the hood, because it was way too full and looked difficult to wear.

I have to say, really, that this is the warmest winter garment I’ve ever had. Because your arms and hands are under the cloak, the body warmth helps keep them warm, and for walking across a cold campus on a frosty day, well . . . really warm. I carried my books in a messenger bag at the time, too . . . even though carrying backpacks casually slung over one shoulder was THE way to carry school supplies at the time . . . but clearly fashion wasn’t foremost on my mind at the time, huh? Anyway, the cloak kept my bag of books from getting wet, too. And on warmer days, it was easy to toss one or both sides back over my shoulder. I loved this cloak. About the only thing it wasn’t good for was shoveling snow or cleaning off my car . . .

The hood I added later, my sophomore year. It’s one of those rare days that I can remember distinctly, from beginning to end. It was January, and I had been taking a Jan-Term course at school, but commuting back and forth for the three weeks of the class, rather than living on campus like I did during the regular year. It was a class on uses of imagery in writing, and how language affects the psyche . . . Anyway, just as class ended, around noon, it started to snow, and I remember driving home very carefully in Mom’s car, trying to keep the back window clean. When I got home, I decided to pull out the sewing machine and my extra wool from the year before to make a hood for my cloak. Because I decided that I NEEDED one. I was reading Patricia Kenneally’s The Copper Crown (a book which I heartily recommend to anyone, along with the entire series), and all the characters were sweeping around in hooded cloaks, so, naturally, I needed one, too.

So, I worked that afternoon on figuring out how to make a hood, sewing in buttonholes (by hand) to make it detachable, all while the snow piled up outside. Around 4:00, I went out with the electric shovel to try to clear at least some of the driveway for my Dad and my sister, who would be home from work soon. I just managed to get about a car’s width cleared out for most of the driveway (the extent of the extension cord) when Dad called. He had driven to the bank my sister was working at and was following her home . . . she’d had an accident skidding on black ice a few years earlier and was still nervous about winter-weather driving . . . the traffic was horrible, and they’d pulled over at some gas station so he could call home so Mom would know that they were on their way, just . . . it could be a while. (And yes, this was before cell phones.) She told him I’d managed to clear at least some of the driveway, so that he knew that it would be okay to try to drive through that mountain of snow left by the street plow at the top of the driveway, that it would be clear once he got past that, and he and my sister could both get their cars off the street without having to shovel . . .

Oh yes, Mom and I went for a walk in the crystalline, glittering fresh snow the next day, with our miniature dachshund, Jilly, with me wearing my cloak (with hood) and feeling just oh, so appropriately dressed for a snowy day. And that I ended up carrying Jilly, who was cold, under the cloak with her head sticking out . . . perfectly happy, and both of us warm . . . I did a similar thing with my niece when she was tiny, too. My sister’s house was a modular, and delivered in December, and when we all went up at some point to see the house–which, naturally, didn’t have heat–I sat on the floor in the dining room with my 7-month old niece in my lap, both of us wrapped in my cloak and toasty warm, while everyone else walked around shivering . . . Yep. I love my cloak!

I apologize for not posting last night. I was so tired last night that I didn’t knit, I didn’t spin, I didn’t post . . . I’m lucky I managed to answer email . . . and my light was out at 11:37, which is even earlier than for a normal night, much less a weekend when I usually stay up late reading. All I did last night was sit in front of the TV, reading from the big, heavy, fascinating Team of Rivals, which, let me tell you, is an amazingly good book about Abraham Lincoln and how he got his most competitive rivals for the Republican nomination to be on his team as part of the Cabinet during the Civil War . . . fascinating.

And, of course, I wanted to show you some Saturday Sky . . . although I really took this picture a couple mornings ago, as the sun came up . . . I love that golden strip beyond the clouds….

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:D(r)ying Civilization // 12 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Indian Lake // 8 Comments »

Well, at least I have some spinning progress to show you.

Now, don’t think that I haven’t been knitting, because I have. Both
sweaters are creeping along. I’ve got the two fronts of the cardigan
started–they’re about 4″ right now–and the Tatami is moving along,
however slowly.

So, boring to photograph. But luckly, I’ve got these pretty things to show.

Last night, I finished my second bobbin of purple/gray singles AND finally got around to skeining the bobbin-full that I plied a couple weeks ago.

Which means that I’ve got a completed skein of yarn, and another set of singles all ready to ply.

Of course, my yarn still needed to be washed to set the twist. So, I let it soak while I took my shower tonight.

Oh yeah, and along with a pair of socks. Because, as much as I love the idea of Stephanie‘s for washing socks, I can’t get used to it. I tried it, but just ended up felting my socks. So, I do this instead. I soak the socks in a sink of water with a splash of shampoo or wool wash while I shower, and then hang them over the bar to dry when I’m done.

Which, tonight, meant that I soaked socks AND yarn.

They’re happily drying together now. Kind of sweet, really. They’re friends now.

Pity they’re taking so long, though, because tomorrow, I could really use the extra warmth. It’s only supposed to be about 18 degrees (Farenheit) tomorrow . . . brrrr!! I think I might wear my Celtic Dreams to work again tomorrow.

We’re getting a new phone system at work in the next couple of days, too, which I get to be administrator for (lucky me). Which means that I have to learn the entire system tomorrow . . . I enjoy learning new programs, mind you, but our phone system is complicated, and some of it is, well . . . involved. So tomorrow should be interesting.

Chappy was highly entertaining tonight. He LIKES to play while Mom and I are watching television. Well, tonight, he went rummaging through his toy basket looking for JUST the right toy. Usually, when feeling playful, he’ll just pounce on whatever’s closest. But no, not tonight. He obviously was in the mood for something specific . . . which, of couse, was at the very bottom of the basket. It took him a good 5-10 minutes to pick out his toy. A red ball that lights up on its own. Which he then proceeded to chew on, bounce, and chase all over the room. Very cute. I love how he entertains himself.

Of course, mid-play, our neighbor called to say she finally got a diagnosis. Arrhythmia. They’ve scheduled surgery next week, and hopefully they’ll be able to address the problem without needing a pacemaker . . . but, as her doctor said, there are worse things. In fact, he told her that his wife is fighting colon cancer, and his daughter just had a brain tumor removed . . . so, yes, perspective is a good thing. If you have any prayers or good wishes you want to send . . . to all of them . . . it would be appreciated. Fingers crossed.

Stay warm, everybody.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Spinning my Wheels // 10 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. How many unread books do you have in your house, right now? (Your
   own books, that is–not ones that belong to other family members–and
   not counting things like school books, if you have them.) Clearly, an
   estimate will do. I can be exact for you. Out of my library of 2,832 books, I have exactly 32 which are unread.
2. To the best of your recollection, what is the OLDEST unread book in your collection? How long has it been waiting? I think the oldest is the history book “Frauen” by Alison Owings, about German women condoning or ignoring or applauding, as the case may be, the atrocities in WWII. The other possibility is “Letters from Thailand” by Botan, which a college friend gave to me years ago . . . they’re close in age (well, my copies are close in age–not necessarily the copyrights, you understand). I think Frauen is older, but . . .
3. Do your TBR books (that’s “To Be Read,” if you didn’t know) haunt you, make you feel guilty that you haven’t read them yet? Not really. I like to keep the list under control–my upper limit for comfort is 50 books, but I’m usually in the 25-30 range, so I’m okay with 32. The breakdown? 2 are biographies, 2 are craft books (on weaving, which is a “pending” craft, so these might be sitting for a while), 1 is about dogs. 11 are fantasy/sci-fi, 3 are general fiction, 1 is a literature analysis, 1 is a mystery, and 11 are history books.

And yes, sorry, that’s really all I’ve got tonight!

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:TBR // 5 Comments »

My Dad got a surprise today–a Mardi Gras King Cake, mask, beads, coins, and coffee from Randazzo’s in New Orleans. Completely unexpected–it came from a business associate. It’s like an entire party in a box!

One thing I didn’t realize, though, until I looked up their website for you? I had been explaining to my parents that I’d seen a segment on King Cakes on the Food Network, and how they hid a prize inside for luck . . . and so on. Well, when I opened the website . . . there it was . . . “As featured on the Food Network.” This was the very King Cake I’d heard about. How cool is that, huh? Especially since I’ve never HAD a King Cake before.

The timing is good, too, because we’re down to just this much stollen. Chappy and Dad have BOTH been working their way through the freezer of Stollen since Christmas, and here’s the tail end of it . . . Enough for two, maybe three more breakfasts.

For the last month of mornings, it’s been the same thing. Dad eating his stollen, Chappy glued to his side, drooling gently on the floor, waiting for the few crumbs that Dad leaves him. It’s VERY cute. The last few weekends, even, when Dad’s up before Chappy and the first thing that Chappy’s looked for has been the dish of stollen crumbs. Not the bathroom. Not the other family members. The Stollen.

I don’t know which of them is going to be more disappointed when this runs out….

Hey–did you see? The Interweave Knits Spring preview is up.

Now, KMKat wants to see the wallpaper on my computer? Happy to oblige! I have two.

This one, of the pink rose, is on my home computer. It’s out of the bouquet of memorial roses a friend gave me when Katy died. I love the picture, and it makes me think of Katy–never a bad thing.

My computer at the office has this one–because, naturally, I like to admire my beautiful little boy while I’m at work! This is from our vacation on Martha’s Vineyard in 2005, and is one of my absolute favorite pictures of him. Love that hair! (And, it always makes me think of the cover of this book, too. Again, it’s the hair.)

Lastly, my Dad cut this comic out of the paper for me this morning. For some reason, it made him think of me! And yes, there HAVE been days when I’ve felt like that . . . nothing worth blogging about until something (hopefully interesting) came in the mail.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Party in a Box // 12 Comments »

It’s a miracle!

I finally finished the yards and yards and yards of cable to finish the back of my Celtic Icon sweater.

What, you think I’m exaggerating?

Well, okay. maybe a LITTLE. But look at this.

From the bottom edge to the top of the hood extension . . . without any stretching of any kind . . . is about 45″ long. It barely fits on my blocking board, for heaven’s sake. Is it any wonder that this felt endless??

I didn’t quite have the heart to cast on for the fronts last night. I’m sure you understand.

Instead, I worked on my Tatami kimono.

This is in my handspun yarn, you’ll remember. One part merino, and one part corriedale, plied together.

I’m loving the way the colors are coming out. Very subtle horizontal . . . not even something as defined as “stripes” . . . just, horizontal shading. And once those stitches are dropped down, it will be even less noticeable, and just . . . subtle.

Here’s a closer look at the stitches themselves. Granted, it’s not perfectly even, smooth stockinette stitch. But with the color change of that “peppermint” roving, it wouldn’t look perfect anyway, since the yarn isn’t perfectly consistent. I think it will look fabulous with the dropped stitch, though. Even now, with that very wide “rib,” I like the way it looks.

Now, I know that most of you have NOT read the Liaden books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (although, as always, I encourage you to do so). But they’re doing something exciting. At the very end of “I Dare,” an unexpected character, Theo Waitley, showed up and said she had a “little problem.”  Well, instead of writing Theo’s story and going the traditional publishing route, these two are doing something different. Daring, even. They’re publishing it, one chapter at a time, online. Reading it is free, but they’re asking for donations–there is a weekly schedule for publishing, but new chapters won’t be posted until they’ve gotten $300 per chapter. (As of yesterday, I believe they were paid up through something like chapter 16.)  Anyway. Chapter 1 was published today. Not only that, but it’s available as a podcast as well. I don’t know how much sense it might make to anyone who has not read the other books . . . it’s hard to know exactly because, of course, I have read the others and so know more or less what’s going on. So, I can’t tell you if you’ll be confused or not. But still. I feel I would be letting you down if I didn’t inform you of this. And, really, by all means, go check out the Liaden books. They’re great fun.

And, lastly, a children’s-book-meme, just because, found here.

1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
I was three, according to my mother. Between her, my sister, Sesame Street and all the rest, I was reading really early. I’ve told the story before, but I actually remember the moment “reading” made sense. I was looking UP out of the car window and saw a sign–which, ironically, I don’t remember–and realized that the letters together made a word, and the word made sense, and I had a revelation that all I needed to do was to learn the words and I could read ANYTHING. The family joke is that I’ve been trying ever since.

2.
Did you own any books as a child? If so, what’s the first one that you
remember owning? If not, do you recall any of the first titles that you
borrowed from the library?
Well, I owned as many as Mommy would let me . . . but I know when we moved into this house, when I was 9 years (and seven days) old, all my books fit on one, three shelf, wire bookcase . . . with room to spare. The case held the books at an angle so it was easy to see the spines, but since my collection didn’t fill up the space, the books on the end would invariably fall over and slide through the wires to the floor…. A far, far cry from my library today, huh? For really early books, I remember any number of Dr. Seuss books (still have most of “Fox in Socks” in my memory), and bunches of others. I don’t remember titles of the earliest books from the library, but I DO remember how bumpy, twisty, turny the ride was. I HATED the drive to the library, but . . . at the end, there were BOOKS. And I would check out as many as possible.

3. What’s the first book that you bought with your own money?
I don’t remember this at all. I just remember going to bookstores with Mom and begging for books…. just like at the library–except I wouldn’t get to leave with armfulls…..

4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, which book did you re-read most often?
Oh my YES. Constantly. A Little Princess. Secret Garden. Eight Cousins. Anne of Green Gables. The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (which was my first “real” hardcover–and yes, I still have it and treasure it). If I loved it, I would (and still do) read it over and over and over and over and . . . hey, with reading habits like mine, rereading was the only way to keep myself “in” books!

5. What’s the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
Um, good question. Gone with the Wind, maybe? Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy? Piers Anthony’s Xanth books? Somewhere around Jr. High, so . . .13-ish.

6. Are there children’s books that you passed by as a child that you have learned to love as an adult? Which ones? Little Women is one that I didn’t enjoy that much as a child–I preferred LMA’s other books, like Jack & Jill better–but I think it’s excellent now. I never met the Harold purple-crayon books until I was in college, when I was thorougly enchanted with them. And there are YA authors that I still read, re-read, and buy new whenever they publish now.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Hallelujah! // 13 Comments »

So, as if I hadn’t done enough cleaning yesterday, I did still more today. First, I cleaned the bathroom. Everything but the floor. I HATE cleaning floors because they never, ever look or feel clean when I’m done and I just get too discouraged. But anyway, I vacuumed it yesterday, so that’s something, right? (Seriously, someday I’m going to figure out how to get those laminate floors of ours truly CLEAN without having to go over them three complete times–vacuum first, mop with vinegar-water, and then mopped/toweled dry to get the dirt actually OFF–and I’m going to faint from surprise. I’m still waiting for someone, anyone, to tell me how mopping does anything other than move dirt around on the surface of the floor, because, I’m sorry, but once you’ve dunked the dirty mop into the clean, rinse water, you’ve got dirty water. And those microfiber “mops” do the exact same thing–they clean the very beginning of the floor, but then, they’re dirty, too. And the Swiffer mops can’t be used because the cleaner isn’t compatible with laminate floors…. I HATE cleaning floors!!)

But, um, anyway, after that, I pulled off and washed every scrap of bedding from my bed–the pillowcases, the feather bed cover, the fitted sheet on the mattress, the duvet cover . . . even the dust ruffle, which only gets cleaned about once every three years. And when it was all done, instead of reinserting my old, patchwork quilt into the duvet cover, I used my new, wool comforter. Because, who doesn’t love wool? (Although, what I’d really love is a 100% silk comforter–light, insulating, good for all-seasons, and hypoallergenic . . . just . . . way more expensive than the wool one.)

But, I didn’t stop there. No. While all the bedding was in the laundry and my bed was perfectly flat for once–feather beds, for the record, are not the easiest surface for doing things like folding clothing for storage or for packing–I cleaned my closet. As in, I took just about every, single item of clothing out and assessed it for things like fit, fashion, wear and tear, and so on. Every item. Except for a couple items in the corner that are purely for sentimental value. This pile is the heap that’s going to good-will. Two, big garbage bags full. There are some really nice things in that pile that are just, unfortunately for them, sadly out of date. Like the “classic” long-sleeved, jewel-necked black, wool, Anne Klein dress that I’ve had for at least 15 years that would still be wearable if it weren’t for the god-awful shoulder pads (sigh). (And before you say it, no, I am not seamstress enough to salvage it, and it’s a little too big now, anyway.)

Oh, and please note the relaxed posture of my assistant, who was watching the proceedings in comfort, paws folded politely.

Here’s a photo update on my african violets, struggling on from their trauma of last week. I took their little plastic bag, greenhouse covers off for the picture. I think they’re mostly doing well, although the left-most one DOES have a couple of leaves that have died. My hope is that that’s just a side-effect of the new, root-growing focus the plant SHOULD have, and not a sign that the whole thing is dying.

Does anybody know, by the way, if it’s good or bad for the plastic bags to have beads of water on the inside? The bags a’re there to help trap moisture, but since violets don’t like water on their leaves–is that good or bad? There was no such condensation before the temperatures dropped around Wednesday….

Mom and Dad weren’t lolling around the house today, either. They went out to look at dishwashers since ours is apparently on its last legs. We figure it’s about 18-19 years old, so it’s certainly not worth trying to get it repaired. They went around to all sorts of appliance places and saw one or two that they liked . . . though, apparently some come with just half-racks across the top? What’s the point of THAT?  Wouldn’t you want as much space for dishes and glasses as possible?? And Mom had to immediately exclude any number of them from possibility because they opened too low to make it comfortable for her to load and empty. Pity, that.

Now, the plan is to relax with Chappy until dinner is ready. I was stupid and had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, which was a mistake, since I had to pull out my albuterol inhaler before . . . although it’s possible the dust in the closet caused the wheezing more than the intake of that much dairy . . . or both together. Who knows? Either way, I’ve been spending far too many Sundays lately feeling asthmatic. (Hence the excessive cleaning yesterday and today.) One of these days I may just have to go to an allergist and find out exactly what my allergies ARE….

Oh. Since Risa made it sound like so much fun, I actually bought my own domain name. www.chappysmom.com which is currently pointed right at the Typepad blog. Someday, still, I’d theoretically like to get a custom page design and all that stuff, but . . . the learning curve for that is WAY steep and cuts too far into my knitting/reading/spinning time. And I know there are theoretically people you can hire to do that for you, but . . . well . . . anyway, I DO have my own little piece of the internet, so that’s cool, right? The funny part is that when I looked last week, that name wasn’t available, but when I went back last night, figuring I’d take .net instead . . . it was. Well, yay for us!

Oh, and the hood extension still isn’t done. I read through “Funny Face” last night, rather than knitting. So . . . still an inch or so to go  . . . tonight, I hope!

• Tags: General • Permalink:In Today’s Cleaning News // 18 Comments »

I got the sweetest stitch markers in the mail today. I bought them from Etsy. Aren’t they sweet? They came with a little organza pouch, too, which she actually sent separately, since she forgot to include it when she mailed the stitch markers. Wasn’t that nice of her? The best part is that they arrived on the same day.

I also got a pair of late recipe cards from Amanda’s Knit and Dish recipe swap from last Fall. Which reminds me . . . I signed up for part 2. How can I resist a chance to get 100 tried-and-true recipes for my collection??

It’s been a cold, blustery day here. Taking this Saturday Sky picture is as far out of the house as I’ve gone today. Some lovely, blue sky, but COLD. It’s only in the mid-twenties, and lots of gusty, blustery wind.

Mom and I didn’t even go out for coffee this morning–though we had some of the home-brewed variety in those cute, little, yellow cups from the other day. (Oh, and speaking which, it’s entirely possible (ahem) that I might have ordered their, um, friend while I was feeling blue the other night.)

Anyway, I’ve been doing stuff around the house today. I gave my room a thorough dusting and vacuuming (or at least, I tried to). The irony is that the dust and doggy fur and such can aggravate my allergies/asthma, so ideally my room should be clean, and yet since I’m the one who does the cleaning, I end up sneezing and coughing anyway. But then, I figure it balances out–I get it all over with at once.

I also gave somebody (who shall remain nameless for the sake of his modesty) a haircut and a bath today. He looks so LITTLE when he’s wet. It’s easy to forget how much of his visual “size” comes from those fluffy curls of his. When he’s wet, you can really see that lean waistline.

Of course, he was so shy about having his picture taken, THIS is what I got. He doesn’t like the flash on my camera (and never believes me when I tell him that I’ve turned it off), so his default reaction is to turn his head away whenever I point a camera at him. Which is why you can’t see his face in either of these, though I really kind of love the second one with that blur…. He WAS sitting like I asked, after all, just not sitting still!

Other than the bedroom cleaning and the dog cleaning, mostly what I’ve done today is read. I’m on my third book of the day, and would frankly be surprised if I don’t have it finished before going to bed tonight.

The first was I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak. I started this about 12:45 last night, right after I finished the book I had been reading. It’s by the same author as The Book Thief, and I have to tell you, I liked it SO much more. I am, however, aware that I’m in the minority in not liking the Book Thief, though. But the Messenger book? It starts when 19-year old cab-driver Ed Kennedy helps catch a bank robber. A few days later, he gets an Ace of Diamonds in the mail, with three addresses . . . and when he visits them, realizes that the people need help. But who is sending the cards? Why him? Despite the bad language (more than I thought was necessary, but not enough to be TRULY offensive, though it usually turns me off), the story was engaging and intriguing, and it kept me turning pages to find out where the cards were coming from.

The second book of the day was Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn, for which I owe Julie thanks. I picked up the first book last weekend and then promptly ordered #2 and 3. This, the second book, came a couple days ago, and the third came in today’s mail–JUST as I was finishing “I am the Messenger.” Which meant it was safe to start Book Two without worrying about some awful cliff-hanger that would torment me for days. This series? Kind of a medieval Japan fantasy trilogy. (Well, now there’s actually a fourth book which won’t be out in paperback until June, but since it takes place 15 years after the action of the original trilogy, the wait won’t be unbearable.) Anyway, the trilogy begins when Takeo is saved by an anonymous warrior when his village is destroyed–a Lord who adopts him and trains him in the ways of a warrior, but also in the ways of the secret Tribe of assassins, of which Takeo’s father was one. It’s a well-written, enjoyable series with an interesting premise and a nice flow of action–whether that be in the form of fights or of events that move the story along. Either way, it doesn’t drag and is a page-turner in its own right. Which, should be obvious, since I’m now on page 50 of the third book…. As I say, I do think I’ll have this done before I go to sleep tonight….

Of course, that depends on what Mom and I watch tonight, since tv-knitting is my best and most productive knitting time. Last night, we watched Caroline?, a 1990 Hallmark Hall of Fame movie with Stephanie Zimbalist. Based on a book by E. L. Konigsburg (who also wrote one of my all-time childhood favorites), it’s about the mysterious return of an heiress, long-since thought dead, who shows up suddenly, and has a great impact on the lives of her new, much-younger half-siblings. It’s a tv-movie, of course, and so has a certain amount of corniness and melodrama, but still, it’s a good story. AND Stephanie Zimbalist looks just wonderful. I love just about every single outfit, every hair style in the entire movie. And, lordy, that woman has such wonderful posture. I want to stand and walk just like she does . . . (Hey, Laura Holt was practically my idol in high school.) One sad thing, though? When looking this movie up just now? The young actor who played Winston? He died in 1998 . . . how sad.

Oh, and the Endless Hood Extension? It’s faintly possible that the end may be in sight…. but, shhh! …Don’t scare it away!

• Tags: Chappy, Reading, Sky • Permalink:At Home Saturday // 3 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Wheelies // 7 Comments »

Mom and I watched the National Geographic Channel’s “Multiples” tonight–a show about the pre-birth development of twins, triplets, etcetera. I found it fascinating, and yet . . . here’s the thing. I’ve mentioned that I was a twin. Susan and I were identical, but she left us after six hours. So. Watching this show about how multiples develop side by side, interact, fight for space, touch each other . . . all of that . . . it was riveting, but also . . . bittersweet. All I could think of was how much I miss Susan. Isn’t that strange? It’s been forty years that’s she’s been gone, and my conscious self never knew her at all, and yet . . . there’s something about watching that, knowing that I shared that closeness for seven months and then lost it all at once and ended up in an isolette all by myself for the next six weeks, that just really makes me miss having her around . . . .

Just . . . sad, in a bittersweet kind of way. But really, it explains a lot about why I hate having my personal space invaded….

And then, I watched Grey’s Anatomy, which was heartbreaking in its own way. And all in all, it’s just been a pretty emotional night of television watching.

On the plus side, I talked to my best friend tonight. It’s her birthday, so I called her. She promptly thanked me for the tea pot that I sent her. She said, “I thought at first you sent it because of the surgery.” Surgery? What surgery?? Apparently, she had a procedure done on her foot last week–which she never told me about–and when the box came the day after, she thought that the timing was perfect . . . which, well, it was. Ironically, so. I had actually included instructions to deliver the gift on or near the 18th. In fact, when my box came yesterday, my first thought was “Great. If Dawn’s came today, that’s just right.” But in fact, hers came last Friday . . . bad timing for the birthday, but perfect for spending the weekend home with a post-op foot. So . . . yay for me! (grin)

Anyway. That’s it for tonight. No pictures. No bubbly cheer…..

I wonder if there are any good comedies on television right now?

• Tags: Family, Friends • Permalink:Bittersweet // 18 Comments »

Nope, not the fiber-y kind. The food kind. As in, Stash Tea.

I placed this order a few days ago, and look! First, two cute and beautiful cups, because I couldn’t resist. Even though we really don’t have room in the cabinets for ANY more tea or coffee beverage receptacles. But that didn’t matter. They were sunny and cheery and oh so sweet–I bought them anyway. I’m really, really tempted to buy the matching teapot, too, but keep reminding myself that that would be SILLY. Especially when this is the one I really want. But that’s another story.

I also got a couple of tea samples, and some decaf-green tea for my sister. Who had perfect timing today, because she was down visiting and made a cup from the last tea bag we had of her preferred kind of tea. Thereby freeing up the space in the cabinet for this new box. Perfect, huh? I love that the box is self-dispensing, too.

Anyway, this was a nice thing to come home to on a cooooold day. It was something like 18 degrees when I came downstairs this morning at about ten to seven. By far the coldest morning we’ve had all season. I even wore my Celtic Dreams sweater today, and my handspun-handknit socks. This is the first chance I’ve had to wear those socks, and yes, they kept my feet toasty. And the sweater? The first time I’ve worn it since Rhinebeck (which was the first time I wore it at ALL). It was perfect this morning–my office is right near our main entrance, and so gets chilly in the morning. This afternoon, though, with the sun streaming in the window and the outside temperatures approaching 30, I was actually pretty warm. I didn’t even bother to button my coat when I left for the day. (I mean, I WAS just getting into the car, so it’s not like I was out in the cold for long, and I WAS wearing a thick, wool-knit sweater, so it’s not like I was going to freeze. So no yelling at me for being irresponsible about my health, okay?)

I had another nice surprise–Liz gave me a call tonight. It’s so funny, but I almost never pick up the phone to call my blogging-friends. Or my “real-life” friends, for that matter. I’ve just gotten completely out of the habit of chatting on the phone, since it’s such a seldom thing. These days, if my friends don’t answer emails, I basically have no communication with them at all. (I don’t even want to think about how sad that is.) Still, it was great talking to her. And tomorrow is my best friend’s birthday, so I plan on calling her out in California tomorrow night. In other words, it’s a big “phone” week for me. (grin)

The Endless Hood Extension on the back of my Celtic Icon sweater is now 13 inches. I need 18. Five more to go?? I can’t believe how slow this is moving. I can’t believe how slowly ALL of my knitting projects are going! I feel like I’ve been working on all of them for weeks and weeks and not one of the three is remotely near completion. The closest is the socks, which at least have turned heels, but since they haven’t been out of my purse since around Christmas, they’re not exactly zipping along, either. Although, I’d like to get them out this weekend for some KIP pictures. There’s a contest and everything! (They’re even in Socks That Rock yarn, too.)

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Stash // 22 Comments »

See the pretty yarn that Nancy sent me? She said it was a thank you for the Zephyr yarn I sent her ages ago. This is some really pretty blue Cherry Tree Hill and two skeins of Regia in “Crazy Color,” which I think is well-named. There are a lot of colors in there!

Wasn’t that nice and completely unnecessary of her? Thank you so much, Nancy!

I read this interesting article from Newsweek/MSNBC today, with a starting point of that Freedom Writers movie. But it talks about how personal writing, like journals or letters, can give structure to your life, your thought–as well as giving a way to connect to people, either by exchanging your thoughts, or as a piece of you left behind. A quote for you:

“The age of technology has both revived the use of writing and provided
ever more reasons for its spiritual solace. E-mails are letters, after
all, more lasting than phone calls, even if many of them r 2 cursory 4
u. And the physical isolation they and other arms-length cyber-advances
create makes talking to yourself more important than ever. That’s also
what writing is: not just a legacy, but therapy. As the novelist Don
DeLillo once said, “Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us
from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end,
writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but
mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.”

Interesting, huh? Because, really, isn’t that what blogs are? Journals, with writing, self-expression, and communication combined. The knit-blogging community is remarkably friendy, I find, with warm gestures among people who usually have barely, or rarely, met in person. Like that yarn Nancy sent me. Would that have happened without this form of self-expression? Would I have made all the great friends I have in the last year or two? No. Writing is GOOD on so many levels.

Now, speaking of writing, I picked this up over at Kat‘s, because this is such a fun little meme.
The Page 123 Meme
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author’s name.

Now, I have a pile of books equally within arm’s reach, so I’m going to do this with all of them–just for you!

“The red [wine] was sharp on his tongue, then melted into sweetness. “I commend you,” the scout said to the master trader, and in Terran, which Jethri thought had to be an insult, “on your choice of apprentice.” Master van’Deelin inclined her head. “Happy I am that you find him worthy,” she replied in her accented Terran.” from “Balance of Trade” by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

“Of the four future presidential rivals, only Edward Bates matched the vehemence of Lincoln’s opposition. He charged Polk with “gross and palpable lying,” arguing that the true object of the war was “plunder & conquest.” Bates said he was ashamed of his Whig brethren who voted for the war, “actuated by a narrow & groveling policy, and a selfish fear of injuring their own popularity, & injuriously affecting the coming Presidential election.” from “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

“But the stress-busting solution is to keep an eye on the balance and prevent your wardrobe from sapping too much of your physical and emotional energy. So this is a chapter about adding “clothing sanity” to your personal agenda. In recent years, must of the working world has embraced Casual Friday–a good step.” from “How to Cheat at Cleaning” by Jeff Bredenberg. (Interestingly, my bookmark was actually on page 123 for this one!)

“In the hermetic books it is writteh that what is down below is equal to what is on high, and what is on high is equal what is down below; in the Zohar, that the higher world is a reflection of the lower. The Histriones founded their doctrine on a peversion of this idea. They invoked Matthew 6:12 (“and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”) and 11:12 (“the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence”) to demonstrate that the earth influences heaven, and I Corinthians 12:12 (“for now we see through a glass, darkly”) to demonstrate that everything we see is false.” from “Labyrinths” by Jorge Luise Borges.

“The top-string was an S-shaped hook used like a top-crook. A similar effect could be obtained by pinning work in progress to the right hip with a safety pin, once safety pins became generally available. Stockings were the principle garments made in the Dales, as they were everywhere else.” from “A History of Hand Knitting” by Richard Rutt.

So, don’t say I never did anything for you. Now, I’m supposed to tag three people, but since I don’t like tagging people, I won’t. It was fun, though, so do feel free to grab it and do it yourself.

So now, Chappy and I are settled in for the night. It is cold, cold out there–lots of wind. 22 degrees, according to the Weather Channel’s website, with 28 mph winds, so that it feels like 11 degrees. Brrr. It would be a cold night anyway, but on top of this unseasonably warm winter we’ve had so far? It feels extra cold–we haven’t had a chance to adapt yet! My plan for tomorrow? I’m wearing my Celtic Dreams to work . . . Aran’s can be too warm for my desk job USUALLY, but there’s nothing “usual” about this winter, so…. I want to be warm! They just said on the weather–to give you an idea–this morning at 5:00 am it was 55 degrees. Tomorrow at the same time, it should be 25. That’s a big difference in 24 hours.

All those budding trees and sprouting daffodils are in for quite a shock….

And, oh yes, Mom is feeling at least a little improved today, but still very sore. She appreciates your good thoughts! I know that as these things go, a tooth extraction isn’t as ‘big’ or scary as some other people’s health issues, but still . . . I hate seeing my Mommy feeling so awful (grin).

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Not Quite so Quiet // 10 Comments »

I have so little to tell you today, really. A misty, foggy, drizzly kind of day. Luckily none of that ice storm hitting so many other people–I don’t mind snow, but ice can be scary! Our office was open today, but oh-so-quiet. Several people were out, no mail, few phone calls. So basically, I was bored most of the day, but of course, since they’ve tightened even further the internet restrictions, couldn’t even ease the time along by browsing the internet. It was a long, slow, quiet day.

Knitting-wise, there’s nothing to show you there, either. My two sweaters are moving along, but at such a snail’s pace, they’re not worth photographing because they’d look pretty much the same as they did the last time. Ditto the spinning–I did figure out that what’s bugging the Journey Wheel is the tension–to get it tight enough for the upper band to spin the flyer, the tension around the main drive was too loose, and the drive band just popped out of its groove on the wheel. I’m thinking about getting a silicon drive band for it–a little more flexible than string, and maybe that will take care of the problem.

The only other thing, really, is that I got a call from Dad this afternoon, saying that Mom was having that troublesome tooth extracted this afternoon. Poor Mom! So tonight she’s very sore and very tired, the meds are making her stomach hurt, and well . . . we’re all hoping she’ll be feeling better by tomorrow. Meanwhile, I stopped on my way home from work and picked her up some more chocolate pudding, some rice pudding, some Lipton Noodle Soup (her fav), and as soon as I got home, made her Jell-o. Can’t have too many soft things, right??

And, really, that’s my day in a nutshell. So quiet, it’s not even worth a photo  . . . maybe tomorrow!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Quiet // 9 Comments »

Shocking everyone in the family, not least of which Chappy, who looked absolutely appalled, I actually went out this morning. Me. On a Sunday. Leaving the house. You have no idea how unusual that is for me!

But, see I had to. I couldn’t leave my poor violet in that fragile, dying state–I felt just terrible. I’ve had that violet for at least 10 years, and well, letting it die because the badly-overgrown stem broke was just too sad.

I’ve actually had that happen before–having a violet overgrow so badly that the stem just broke, and when I had tried just sticking that stem into the soil and crossing my figers, nothing happened except the poor thing died. (It had lovely, frilly white flowers, too.)

So, anyway, not only did I get a few helpful hints in my comments (thank you), I browsed around the internet last night and found this message board with lots of helpful tips, and this entire site dedicated to African Violets, including instructions on this. (Really, who knew that there were as many people obsessed with AVs as with, say, knitting?? Not that I’m surprised. I do love my little violet plants and can see why people would enjoy them . . . and, considering my book and yarn collections, why would an AV collection surprise me?)

So, anyway, following instructions, I trimmed the root down, peeled off most of the leaves, so the plant can concentrate on what it’s doing below the surface. I scraped away the outer “skin” on the stem from where the leaves were removed, because that’s where it’s likely to root from.

Then I dipped the entire thing into rooting compound–an apparently magical substance that I’d never heard of before last night. (See the things you miss out on when you don’t garden?)

Then I lovingly put the whole thing into a cute little peat pot, and “tented” it with a plastic bag to create a little greenhouse, trapping humidity and warmth to encourage the whole rooting process. (This was referred to as an ICU on that AV forum.)

The poor thing has come a long way from it’s reaching-for-the-sun glory of last Sunday, huh?

Then, since my other violet was in pretty much the same, overgrown, long-necked state, I repeated the entire process with it.

And THEN, for good measure, I took a couple of the leaves I pulled off and potted THEM with rooting compound because, if the cuttings take and the original plants die, at least I’ll have babies I can take care of. I hope. And if not, well, at least I tried. And how nice that I had these adorable little pots down in the basement, huh?

Really, I wish I’d known this was even possible when that other violet broke a couple years ago. Its flowers were so pretty–frilly white petals, with a lavendar center. If I’d known it was possible to salvage it, I would have tried! We all know that I don’t garden, but as a rule, I do usually keep my houseplants going . . . although all I’ve got at this point is African violets and Christmas Cacti.

Which, since I had the potting soil out, I brought downstairs and spooned some new soil on top of. Now, this is something I’ve always done–periodically refreshed the soil, giving the plants new nutrients they wouldn’t otherwise have had. But that one site yesterday actually mentions “I know this is a no-no with other houseplants,” which is something I’d never heard before. Why would that be? How can fresh, nutrient-rich soil be a bad thing for any plant? I’d think it would be like a feast.

Of course, I suppose it could explain why my Christmas Cactus hasn’t bloomed in YEARS, huh? And the littler one? Grown from a cutting from the older one? Has never once had a flower. Sad, huh? I still think they’re lovely plants, though–not at all needly, cactus-like.

So, anyway . . . as I mentioned a couple days ago, this is my 2nd blogging anniversary. How did two years go by so fast?? I decided against a contest, though–I’ve been too distracted by my violet-emergency to think of anything good! And, coming on top of that 5000th-comment contest in November, well, I don’t want to sound too much like a comment-ho, you know?

Now, I’m going to go have some lunch and then I’m going to try to get my Journey Wheel going. I was plying on it the other day, and there was a ping, and suddenly . . . no tension anywhere. I don’t know why, and need to fiddle with it. The drive bands are in one piece, the brake cord for the Scotch tension is intact, everything seems to be where it should be . . . but . . . nothing actually SPINS. Which, on a spinning wheel, is less than helpful. I’ve noticed that each time I’ve opened the wheel, I’ve needed to make all sorts of tension adjustments to get things to work–I’m being careful that the drive band is properly in the T-slots when I close it so things won’t stretch, but . . . maybe it’s something I’m doing? Or that the screw holding the tension cord just doesn’t hold as well as it should? But either way, that “ping” the other night is completely new and, well . . . I hope I can figure it out. Otherwise that yarn is going to remain unplied for a while . . . at least until I get a chance to show Risa and ask if she knows what the problem is!

Oh, and I was asked which teas made the cut yesterday? The ones we’re keeping (at least for now): Tetley: British Blend; Yorkshire Gold; Upton Tea: British Breakfast Blend, Green Mint (untasted, but it’s nice to have something in the house for those who don’t like black tea), Richmond Park, Bond Street English Breakfast and Finest Russian Caravan; Baltimore Coffee & Tea: Christmas (one of the few–to me–decent flavored teas); Twining’s: English Breakfast (a classic); Adagio: Peppermint, Darjeeling (on the borderline), English Breakfast, Ceylon Sonata, and the Republic of Tea’s Ginger Peach.

The reject list? Peet’s Holiday Blend, and then just about all the flavored Adagio samplers: Lime, Cream, Ginger, Candy Apple, Chestnut, Coconut, Cranberry, Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread, and Candy Cane.

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Mercy Mission // 16 Comments »

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve got a tea problem. See, the thing is that I like tea, but at the same time, am fussy. First, it’s got to be tea. You know, from the tea plant? No herbal tisanes or infusions–they are perfectly fine to drink, I suppose, but they’re not TEA. (Mini rant) Seriously, the correct name for a beverage brewed from flowers, herbs, mint, whatever is “tisane” or “infusion.” It drives me nuts when someone offers me tea and then says, “We have chamomile, spearmint, and a rosehip-cinnamon….” Because, you see, that’s not tea–and if you’ve got my tastebuds thinking about that strong, acrid tang of black tea, well . . . pleasant though your vanilla-scented infusion of citrus peel and berries may be, it’s not going to be what my mouth is expecting…. (min-rant over) So, I guess the first thing is, I don’t like herbal teas. Nor do I like flavored teas–I like my tea to taste like, well, tea.

But, the problem is that I grew up drinking Lipton. And while we’ve “upgraded” our usual cup to Tetley’s British Blend (the best supermarket tea out there, in my opinion), I still like that black-tea-blend-in-a-bag convenience best. I grab for a handy tea bag before I ever go for the higher-quality loose-leaf teas. (The saving on clean-up alone explains a lot, even with the handy tea-filters you can get these days.) And yet . . . I WANT to drink the better stuff. And so, periodically, I buy samples of different kinds of tea, which get put in the cabinet and then . . . well . . . sit there.

Because, you know, the most frustrating thing about going from “generic” kinds of supermarket teas to the “good” stuff? The teabags in the grocery store are blends–maybe uninspired, but they’re mixes of different kinds of tea. So that when you look at tea retailers and they’re offering things like Darjeeling, Assam, Lapsong Souchong . . . it’s hard to know what to buy. (Ditto for going out to tea–they give tea menus which always throw Mom off. “Do you have something like Lipton?”) There are plenty of sites to give definitions of “Indian tea is this, Chinese tea is that, this tea is strong, this one light….” but there’s still a certain amount of inevitable experimentation, because if what you really want is a high-quality version of, say, Lipton, how do you know what to buy? Hence a number of those tins in that picture–many from “black tea samplers.” I’ll try one periodically, like it, or not like it, but will put it back . . . and then forget. “Is that the one I liked?” It gets confusing. And the cupboard just gets crowded with things that aren’t being drunk. (This also explains why English Breakfast is my “default” tea.)

So, what’s a girl to do?

Have a tea-tasting, of course!

I put a little of each tea into a cup (sometimes more than I should have), added boiling water. . . and tasted each one.

Mom “played” too, and as we tasted each one, I moved the corresponding tin to one side or the other for “Yes” or “My God, No, what was I thinking?”

Not surprisingly, all–every, single one–of the flavored teas ended up in the “Ick” pile.

Cleaning up was fun. I poured all the tea through a strainer into a bowl (so as not to stain the sink) . . . I also resisted the temptation to sample the resulting mix of tea . . . although no doubt it would have tasted  . . . interesting! It was nice getting all the cups out, too . . . some of them haven’t seen the light of day in years. The collection of tea in the back of the picture is the reject-pile . . . I just haven’t been able to bring myself to toss them yet (grin).

So now the cupboard looks like this–with room to “grow.” Clearly, though, I need to restrain myself from the temptation of buying flavored teas. Ever. The only ones to survive the purge is a light Christmas blend with citrus and spice notes, and a Ginger-Peach from the Republic of Tea. All the others with flavors are GONE. Or on their way, anyway.

But maybe now that I’ve weeded out the ones I hated, I’ll make the effort to try the “survivors” a little more often. After all, the paper tea filter bags are almost as easy as a tea bag. Sure, you have to spoon the tea in yourself, but the clean-up is a breeze. Much easier than those little mesh tea balls. And just as easy to make in a mug, so no need for an extra pot to clean.

Tea-ing isn’t the only thing we did today, though. Mom and I went to the bookstore this morning and used the gift card I got from a friend at Christmas. A nice selection, I think. The massive “Postwar” has gotten rave reviews, even if it’s size (well, weight, really) is daunting. Patricia McKillip is always a treat, and the Lian Hearn book comes highly recommended.

Tonight, we’re taking Dad to his favorite restaurant, the Triangle Hofbrau in Pequannick, so he can get some German food for his birthday. And he says that Mom and I stretch our birthdays out . . . this is a full week of celebrations for him! Not that he’s not worth it. He’ll be getting the Sauerbraten, and Mom will be getting the Goulash as she always does (by far her favorite–especially the spaetzle). I, however, don’t have a “favorite” and always have the hardest time deciding what to have. It seems a waste not to have something German, since it’s such a rare opportunity, and yet . . . I’m always a little jealous that they don’t even have to look at the menu!

There was a small tragedy here today, though. The violet, star and model of yesterday’s photo shoot? Tragically cut down in her prime today . . . literally. I was plucking away the dead leaves from her stem (African violets grow out of a central stem, you know) and . . . the entire thing came off in my hand. One second I was tenderly pruning, the next, the entire plant was in my hand. The stem just broke–it wasn’t even a snap, just . . . broken! Poor thing. I have no idea if it can be saved . . . I stuck the end back down into the soil and added some water with some Miracle Gro . . . we’ll see if it lives up to its name. If anyone has tips for emergency care of African Violets, though, please, speak up!

And, oh yes, the sky has been gray gray gray today . . . not worth the boring photo it would take . . . Please refer to Wednesday’s post for some beautiful sky….

Edited to add:

Mom and Dad really enjoyed their meals. As you can see!

So did Chappy! He got the second piece of smoked pork loin that I had. The illustration was courtesy of his grandma, my Mom.

• Tags: Baking, General, Reading • Permalink:Tease // 22 Comments »

Look at these two lovely things I got for my wrist:

First, a cute little wrist-bag from Offhand Designs. Which is not only cute and pretty all by itself, BUT came from a grateful aunt for making a donation for her niece’s much-needed wheelchair. Now, how can you do better than that, huh?? Not only did I get this adorable little bag, but I helped out, too. (It’s a good cause, you know . . . if you felt so inclined….)

The other item, which is harder to see, is my new bracelet, which I bought on Etsy the other day. (Etsy is a dangerous site, I have to tell you, but especially–for me–the jewelry section.)

See? Pretty. It’s unusual for me to even look at bracelets, but I really liked this one. It has a hammered-silver circle, like the earrings I bought in December, too. And it’s light enough to wear that the chain doesn’t irritate my wrist. So, that’s good, right?

Anyway, I’m glad it’s Friday. This was the first five-day work week I’ve had in a while, and a fairly busy one at that, so it felt particularly long (grin).

Thanks for everyone who’s delurked today–it’s good to hear from you!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Wrist Accessories // 8 Comments »

The other morning, I glanced into the guest room and saw this one violet just REACHING for the sun, inches above the rest of the plant, and just basking … it looked so pretty, I couldn’t help but grab the camera and then take lots and lots of pictures…. (grin)

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Violet // 17 Comments »

Did you realize it’s De-Lurking Week? And I almost missed it!

So, you know what that means–leave me a comment–especially if you usually don’t or never do.

Now, I don’t have knitting or spinning pictures for you, but please be assured that I am diligently working on both of my sweaters. The endless hood extension on the cabled one is about 11″ out of 18″, so progress is being made. My Tatami is only about 6″ long so far, so clearly there’s a LONG way to go with that one, but still . . .

Also, Stephanie and I realized that our blogs are almost twins. They’re going to be two years old within just a few days of each other, so we decided that we should get them together for a playdate. Doesn’t that sound fun?

So, Stephanie? Wana get the “kids” together to play??? I’ll bring the chips . . . (get it? Computers . . . chips . . . okay, I was reaching . . . not even a byte or a nibble, huh??)

(Really. Sorry about that. I got the bad-pun gene from my Dad and sometimes it just insists on coming out… Still, a blog-date would be fun, huh?)

Have you heard about the nonsense about the Blue Moon Fiber Socks that Rock club? Sheesh…. Behold the power of knitters. How ridiculous of that credit card company . . .

Let’s keep it simple today:

1. What are you reading right now?
   (Well, obviously, you’re reading THIS right now, perhaps I should have
   been more clear. What book(s) are you in the process of reading? (grin))

Okay, here’s my list of current books, from the top of the pile down:

Loving, Living, and Party Going by Henry Green.
The Miracle at St Anna by James MacBride.
How to Cheat at Cleaning by Jeff Bredenberg.
Labyrinth by Jorge Luis Borges.
A History of Hand-Knitting by Richard Rutt

• Tags: General • Permalink:De-Lurking // 15 Comments »

This is what the sky looked like on my drive to work this morning.

I thought about saving this photo for Saturday Sky, but it was too darn pretty to keep to myself. That peachy-golden light right on the horizon . . .  the deep blue of the sky . . . that undertone of color on the clouds near the top . . . So pretty.

This is beautiful not only because, well, it just is beautiful, but also because not one hour later, we were in the middle of a snow squall.

Not that it lasted all that long, but it DID dust the parking lot at work with some snow. You know, which was completely gone about another hour after that.

I was so excited, though, that I ran outside with my camera to try to take a decent “snow” picture for you. But, well, when you have about 1/16″ of the white stuff, it’s kind of tricky.

And–look at the sky reflected in my car window. It looks pretty dramatic, too, huh? But you can see the actual cloud, surrounded by lots of clear sky. Frankly, the fact that that cloud summoned up any snow at all, I think is pretty impressive.

So, today was Dad’s actual birthday. Unfortunately, it was too cold for him to golf (though he’s going golfing tomorrow), but he says he had a good day anyway. He got a bunch of phone calls, some cards in the mail. He even got flowers. These are from the same pair that gave me balloons for my birthday in November. (I asked, if they gave me balloons, and Dad flowers, whatever will they do for Mom’s birthday next month??)

He even got some popcorn–he came into the kitchen when I was finishing my lunch, and started to open the cake box, with the last piece of his birthday cake, but I told him no, because Mom and I had plans for that after supper. He looked so disappointed, and so untempted by any of the other snacking options, I offered to make him popcorn. This is a rare treat because we don’t do microwave popcorn–we (meaning I) only make “real” popcorn–in a pot on the stove, served with real butter on top. His little face just lit right up! So yes–I spent part of my lunch break shaking the pot on the stove. (So worth it.)

Dad also got to spend lots of time with his buddy, Chappy. Not only did Chappy happily keep him company (especially when he was eating that popcorn) but . . . and this is a cute story. I think I’ve mentioned before that Chappy waits for permission before eating food we’ve put down for him–and he WILL wait, but the longer we make him wait the more clenched, desperate, and pathetic he looks. You know the look a little kid gets when he’s trying really hard to sit still, or wait to dive into a pile of presents with his name on it? Well, that’s the look Chappy gets when he’s got food right in front of him.

Well, Dad was running out on an errand and grabbed a cookie on his way out, dropping a piece on the rug for Chappy. He says he told Chappy “Okay,” but either Chappy didn’t hear him, or didn’t believe him, or something. Because my Mom walked into the kitchen a little later . . . we’re not sure of the time lag, a couple seconds? a minute? . . . and Chappy was STILL sitting there, drooling onto the floor, and he looked back over his shoulder . . . “Grandma? Pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeee???” Of COURSE she immediately told him “Okay,” but . . . oh, my poor little, well-behaved dog! I really wonder how long he would have sat there before he decided we weren’t coming back immediately and it was safe to grab the cookie . . .

Hey, did you know my 2-year blogging anniversary is coming up in a few days? I technically signed up while at the office, so my first entry is REALLY short. Not surprisingly, it had absolutely no comments, either. My second entry had three comments–one from an e-friend (the one who got me hooked on Dorothy Dunnett) and the other two from women I’ve never heard from since . . . I can’t imagine why. I was so fascinating! (grin) I think Nancy is the only commenter from entry #3 who still reads . . .

Anyway, I thought about maybe having some kind of contest/prize or something related to my blogiversary . . . any suggestions? I could just go for a random drawing on comments that day, or I could ask a question like, “Why do you bother coming to read my blog?” (bigger grin). Or . . . what? Thoughts?

(And yes, I know, in journalism, that’s burying the lead . . . raise your hand if you read this far!)

Neighbor update: They still don’t know what’s wrong, but she’s home again as of about 5:00 tonight. She has doctor’s appointments next week and is forbidden to drive until then (because, you know, passing out while driving is a bad thing). Fingers crossed that they figure out what’s wrong SOON. Thank you for all your good wishes! For my mom’s mouth and my dad’s birthday, too. Really, you guys are the best readers….

• Tags: Family, General, Sky, Weather • Permalink:Squalling // 16 Comments »

See? Tonight, I knitted.

I’m still working on the “hood extension” of my Celtic Icon. This is the eighteen inches of cabling that goes up the back of the hood and over the top of the head.

Eighteen inches. It’s endless.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s still narrower than the actual back of the sweater, just as wide as the cable itself. And therefore, it’s (theoretically) going faster than the rest of the back because, again, it’s narrower.

And yet…. It feels like it’s never going to be finished.

Let’s not forget that I still have the two fronts, the sides, and the sleeves to go . . . I think I’m going to be knitting on this sweater a long, long, time (grin).

Good thing it’s so pretty, and with such a great cable, huh? Again, it’s the Celtic Icon sweater from “Inspired Cable Knits.” It’s beautiful, just . . . well, as I say. Endless. I’ve got about 6″ done, which means . . . 12″ to go. Oy.

I’ve done some spinning tonight, too–merino/silk singles on my Little Gem. The other day, I started plying my singles on my Journey Wheel, but that was the day the family was down and I cooked and socialized and all that, so I didn’t get it all plied. Pretty, though.

Incidentally, am I the only one who doesn’t name her (his) spinning wheels? Carole‘s looking for suggestions for her new Hitchhiker, which made me think about this . . . mine don’t have names, they’re just my beloved wheels. My Lendrum, Little Gem, and Journey Wheel. (Although, for full disclosure, my Dad’s been calling that one “The Clock” because it has something resembling a Grandfather clock’s tick every time the drive band knot goes around. Do nicknames count?)

Anyway, we’re all kind of tired. Mom had gum surgery yesterday and her mouth is still sore–she’s been walking around tonight with an icepack pressed to her cheek. Dad, of course, will be getting older tomorrow, and you know how much entering a new decade can be. Chappy’s exhausted just trying to keep tabs on everyone–and worrying about his sore Grandma, of course. I’m a little tired myself, though at least my neck isn’t as sore as yesterday.

And, our neighbor? Still no real news. Mom went to visit this afternoon and saw not only her friend, but her grown daughters as well. But thet still haven’t determined exactly what’s wrong, or what to do about it–though she said that if she needs heart surgery, she’s already decided to go to Morristown Memorial for that. They have a great reputation for that. I just hope it won’t come to that . . . and I can’t even imagine how bored she must be!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Knitting! // 30 Comments »

No snazzy posts tonight. I haven’t taken any pictures. I haven’t even knitted. For two days now!

I know, I’m sorry. I should have warned you to sit down.

There’s no particular reason for the non-knitting thing. Well, tonight, I was busy reading–too intriguing a book to put down. Well, of course, I dragged myself away to talk to YOU.

Which, really, you’ll wonder why–because I’ve got almost nothing to say. It’s Monday. It was raining pretty miserably this morning, but cleared up beautifully for the afternoon . . . which would have been better if I hadn’t been at work–’cause where’s the fun in that? Chappy didn’t even get a walk, since I slept badly on my neck last night and have been sore all day–nothing that shouldn’t be cured by tomorrow–and Mom had gum surgery today and wasn’t particularly feeling up to it, either. Poor Chappy. Luckily, he accepted the icky weather as an excuse. He’s really very forgiving that way.

And, really, that’s it. My plan now is to do some spinning–unless it makes my neck ache. Then I’ll read in bed for a while and go to sleep. Exciting, I know. But really . . . what else is there to say? (grin)

Hopefully it’ll be more interesting tomorrow . . . but in a GOOD way. As in, not having any bad news to report. Just, you know, the usual kind of thing. Knitting, perhaps!

Our neighbor, by the way, is still in the hospital. They opted not to do the stress test they’d had scheduled for today, and when her husband called this evening, he said he wasn’t sure what they were planning on doing next. So, we’re all still concerned. Thanks for your good thoughts!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Non-Knitting // 6 Comments »

The birthday celebration went well today. I think Dad is feeling loved and appreciated (because he IS), and everyone had a good time. And enjoyed the food, too. We made braciole–little, individual ones for everyone, instead of one, big one–and pasta, with salad. The braciole was fun to make, too–it was the first time I’ve ever made it, and it wasn’t really that hard. And I love dishes where you can do all the hard parts in advance.

Of course, there was cake for dessert. With candles. (Nor were we the only ones celebrating, today–go wish Laurie a happy birthday, huh?)

After we ate, we brought out some of those old pictures that I talked about yesterday, and that was fun, too.

The sad part of the afternoon? We saw a police car go by the house. Then an ambulance . . . pulling in across the street. Now, last month, I told you about our neighbor with the heart problems. A week or so after that event, there were fire trucks at their house, responding to a (luckily) false alarm. (Well, lucky because no-one was hurt, the house didn’t burn, down, but bad because it made all those volunteer fire-people come for nothing.) We thought, at first, that the ambulance was there for him again . . . but no, they pulled into the house on the other side. The house of my Mom’s dearest friend, who woke up the other night with chest pains, and who was scheduled for a stress test tomorrow . . . Apparently, she had chest pains again, and her pulse rate dropped so that she almost lost consciousness . . . I don’t know if it was a heart attack or what, but . . . scary. They’ve been neighbors and good friends of ours for 31 years.

At first, Mom was standing next to me at the window, shaking and worrying. My sister went out to see what was going on, my Dad went over to see if there was anything he could do. (The husband is a good friend and golfing-buddy of his.) But when Mom saw our other neighbors coming to see what was going on, she shot out of the house, She was shaking so hard! And almost cried when then wheeled her friend out to the ambulance, although she (the friend) was joking with the paramedics, and they didn’t exactly RUSH away from the house, so we’re all kind of assuming that everything is going to be okay . . . we certainly hope so! That corner has been FAR too busy with emergency personnel lately. Again, if you care to send any prayers and good wishes our neighbor’s way, it would be appreciated.

Okay, to end on a lighter note? My cousin made a Christmas gift for Chappy–a wreath of Milkbone doggie treats . . . which she made herself, with the assistance of her own dogs. She tied dozens of treats to a coat-hanger-bent-into-a-circle  . . . and whenever one would break, her dogs would take care of that for her. (Dogs are helpful that way.) Well, Chappy thinks this is one of the best ideas ever. Not only was he eager to help sample this–and to wag his tail to show her how much he appreciated it. We laid it on the kitchen table while we did all the other dinner/dessert kinds of things, but when we were done doing “active” food things? He just sat and stared at his wreath–through the table, you understand–just trying to will the whole thing closer to the edge. Chappy’s really very cute when he’s being obsessive . . . he’ll sit and patiently stare at things for what feels like hours. He might occasionally jump his paws up to look at his object of desire, or glance longingly at a person in the room (“Would you please give me some of that?”) but for the most part, he waits. And waits. And waits. Often while drooling gently on the floor. It’s pathetically cute, especially since he’s really so well-behaved about it. He doesn’t desperately jump around, trying to reach whatever it is. He doesn’t make a pest of himself running around, trying to get a person’s attention. He just sits and . . . pines. And he does it very, very well. No wonder he’s so exhausted tonight!

Oh, and I DID do some spinning for Distaff Day. My aunt and cousin were intrigued, I think, at my Journey Wheel. I’m not sure. What kind of level of interest does, “What’s that? It looks like some kind of torture instrument!” imply, anyway?)\

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Another Day, Another Year (Almost) // 12 Comments »

This is what the sky looked like this morning when Mom and I went out–still laden with clouds from yesterday’s rain.

Not that we can really complain about the weather. According to my Weather Pixie for tonight, 5:45 pm. 68 degrees Farenheit. That’s 20 degrees Celsius. In January. The middle of Winter.

It’s not that I’m complaining about the weather. It’s really hard to complain about the warm and sunny days we’ve had lately. Any time January is at or around 50 degrees, you enjoy it. It’s like a rule. But . . . I have a closet-full of sweaters that haven’t been worn yet this year. I haven’t needed a scarf more than once or twice all season, much less my down comforter! This is a far cry from last January when our furnace broke during a cold snap.

Of course, the warm weather IS confusing the vegetation around here. I spotted this on our walk . . . lots of buds and already a couple flowers. Our neighbors have daffodils and crocuses already coming up . . . poor things, don’t they know that they’re MONTHS too early? I know virtually nothing about gardening, but isn’t the inevitable cold snap bound to hurt these premature plants?

Still . . . it did turn into a beautiful day. Right up there around 70 degrees, blue sky . . . really, really lovely. My dad golfed, which shouldn’t surprise anyone–but it IS surprising that he walked the course rather than riding a cart like he usually does . . . but then, he was lucky they uncovered the greens at all in January. Mom and I are taking bets on how sore his legs are going to be tomorrow, though.

Speaking of tomorrow, it’s the family-celebration of Dad’s birthday. His actual birthday is Wednesday, but tomorrow, my sister and her family are coming down, and my aunt and cousin are coming up. (Luckily, we can just barely fit nine people around our dining room table.) It’s a big birthday, too, so we want to make sure it’s a good one. (Any guesses on which birthday it will be? No prize, or anything, but I’m curious. There’s a good picture of him on my Christmas Eve post, and in that family picture we took in November.)

Anyway, so today, Mom and I went to the grocery store to buy stuff for dinner, and this afternoon I baked a cake (a double-recipe of our family-famous “Grandma cake,” which can also be seen on that post where we took the family picture). Chappy got a bath, too, so he’ll be all nice and fluffy tomorrow. The table’s set . . . we’re all ready. Or, as much as we can be until tomorrow! I can do some of the food prep in the morning, so that’ll help. It’s a recipe I haven’t tried before, but it sounds good and I’m pretty sure everyone will like it, so . . .

Oh yes, speaking of family photos–look what Mom showed me today. I don’t remember ever seeing this picture before, but I love it. My Dad’s in the center back, and his parents are the two on the right of the picture–I love how my Grandfather is balancing up on the railing. My aunt, uncle, and cousin Don (er, Donnie, according to the notes) are on the left, with my uncle just peeking past my aunt’s head. Her mother is standing in the front center . . . Mom and I are guessing that my aunt’s father was the one taking the picture. We don’t know when this picture was taken, but every one looks like they’re having a marvelous time. My aunt and my grandmother are both wearing corsages, too . . . Mother’s day, maybe? (Although then why isn’t my aunt’s mother not wearing one?)

I mentioned to Mom, though, as we were sorting through some old pictures . . . we really don’t have that many of Dad as a young man, forget about as a child . . . that I’m always fascinated by photos of my Grandfather. He died when I was just 10 months old, so they are the only way I can know him at all. At least I have memories of my other grandparents, but him? He’s like the Mystery Grandparent. Dad rarely talks about him, and he’d been sick (Alzheimer’s, back before they knew what it was) a long time, so my Mom never really got to know him, either, so she doesn’t have any good stories about him. But what Dad does, occasionally mention, I relish. And when I find a photo like this, of him happy and smiling and full of the life I never got to see? It makes me smile, too.

• Tags: Family, General, Sky, Weather • Permalink:Whether? // 12 Comments »

The original Chappaquiddick.

(In case any of you didn’t realize, Chappy’s name is short for Chappaquiddick, the island . . . well, mostly an island, though it’s kind of attached to Martha’s Vineyard.)

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• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:The Original // 9 Comments »

It may be the fourth day of the year already, but I swear, it feels like time is standing still . . .

As evidenced by this picture of my watch, taken about ten minutes ago, at 9:18. Not exactly up to its usual standard of time-keeping, you know?

I have to say, though, that I love this watch. I have a few, sure, and I’ve got alternatives for wearing to work tomorrow, but this is the one I wear every day. My Skagen. I bought it I’m not sure how many years ago, on Martha’s Vineyard. (No surprise there, huh?) I love its clean design, the charcoal-gray against the silver. Even the metallic mesh band which I find comfortable. (This is worth noting because every other metal band I’ve tried to wear in years has caused rashes or an achy wrist.)

The funny part? I actually noticed that my watch wasn’t working properly yesterday. It was running slow, but running . . . kind of. But the funny part is that I automatically put it on this morning anyway. It wasn’t until hours later, at the office, that I glanced at it and had a “D’oh!” moment. Of COURSE it wasn’t keeping correct time!

I just finished this tonight. (Finally, I know, a picture of some knitting!) It’s a little camera sock for my niece, in matching yarn to the leg warmers I made her for Christmas. When she was here over the weekend, at one point, her camera fell out of her pocket and while she checked to be sure it was okay, I said something like, “That’s what cases are for.” (I know, really helpful of me, huh?) She made a comment about it being bulky, so I offered to make her a camera sock, like mine, for just that little bit of extra protection.

I still need to weave in the two ends, but otherwise, it’s done–including the drawstring. Cute, huh? Now it’s just a question of whether it fits her camera or not! Hers is a little larger than mine, so I had to estimate.

And here’s a spinning picture for you. A bobbin full of 2-ply merino/wool. I actually finished it over the weekend, but just haven’t gotten around to skeining it off yet. It’s still sitting on its bobbin, but doesn’t it look pretty?

I’ve almost got my second bobbin full on my Journey Wheel, and look forward to seeing how that comes out. And, of course, other knitting, reading, yadda yadda….

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Tempus Non Fugit // 8 Comments »

Still no pictures, but . . .

A couple public service announcements:

Go check out Kate’s (Minestrone Soup) effort for making hats for the Children’s Hospital of Boston.

Have you been interested in the ongoing issues about the whole, er, well, the issue of, um, the technical term for getting a group of people together to knit together? Here’s a handy update for you.

Okay . . . I’m going to go watch Friday Night Lights now. One of my favorite shows of the season.

And, oh yes, the Booking Through Thursday question is up for the week . . . a little early, I know, but if I don’t remember to do it on Wednesday night, well . . . it’s not like I can do it from the office.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Day After Twosday // 6 Comments »

Today was the first day back to work of the year, and since we had a long weekend, I had to keep reminding myself that it was Tuesday. But since it’s the second day of 2007, that makes it “Twosday,” right?

Sadly, that’s the most clever thing I can think of today. How pathetic is that, huh? I don’t even have pictures to show you, since I haven’t actually taken any pictures yet in 2007. Also, really, quite worrying. I’m usually taking pictures all the time.

Not that I’ve been unproductive. In the last few days, I’ve spun on all three of my wheels. (Well, my “active” wheels. The poor, lonely, homeless Kiwi is still just sitting there.) I spun on my new Journey Wheel–finished one bobbin of singles and started the second. Plied merino/silk on my Lendrum, and started the next bobbin of singles on my Majacraft Little Gem.

I’ve also done at least some knitting on all three of my knitting projects. The hood extension on my plum-colored Celtic Icon is about 4″ out of the necessary 18″. I’m working on my Tatami, although I need to stop and think–the pattern talks about repeating the two-row pattern for 17 rows . . . but since the pattern is in two-row increments, I think I need to pull out the calculator to figure out if they really want 17 rows or 17 repeats. But still, that’s coming along nicely. And I’ve got both heels turned on my Socks That Rock socks, and am now working up the leg.

I’ve also already finished one book for the year, and am currently reading five different books: A History of Handknitting, Death in the Garden, Labyrinths, Reading Like a Writer, and Good Night, Mr Holmes.

And, oh yes, I took Chappy for a walk at lunchtime. It was in the mid- to upper-forties, sunny, a light breeze. Remarkably nice for January.

But, really, it’s very quiet.

Go wish Wendy a happy birthday, though, huh?

And, if you’ve got a few spare dollars, go buy a virtual ornament for a very sick little girl who doesn’t have much time . . . she wants to see her tree “full” before she dies. I know she’s in my prayers! (Interestingly, I DID make a donation in her name, but my name’s not on the list–not that that matters, but just so you know, I did put my money where my mouth is . . . it’s a good cause!)

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Twosday // 14 Comments »

Here’s my reading list from December:

1. EXILE’S SONG by Marion Zimmer Bradley (493 p.) One of MZB’s Darkover books–here, Margaret Alton returns to Darkover to study the folk music, but comes down with threshold sickness as her unrealized psychic gifts start to flare up . . .

2. SHADOW MATRIX by Marion Zimmer Bradey (556 p.) A bit of time-travel on Darkover, as Margaret and Mikhail Hastur are pulled back to the Ages of Chaos.

3. BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (550 p.) This book is . . . different. I’ve read so many rave reviews about it, and yet it didn’t click with me. The story is narrated by death (yes, that death) and tells about a foster child in Nazi Germany who steals books, and how he was captivated by her story. Maybe he was, but it didn’t do much for me–maybe it was his narrative style (not that I want to get on his bad side). It wasn’t a bad book, or a complete waste of time, but . . . I came nowhere near loving it as I’d hoped.

4. SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley (389 p.) The very rare vampire book for me, but well, it was written by Robin McKinley, whose books I’ve loved for years. Rae, known as Sunshine, is abducted by vampires, meant for a meal for a captive, but . . . remarkably good for, you know, vampires.

5. HEXWOOD by Diana Wynne Jones (293 p.) A completely quirky kind of book, remarkably complex for a YA book. I won’t even try to explain it to you . . . alternate universes, a role-playing super computer with an apparent sense of humor, imaginary friends . . .

6. MIRACLE by Connie Willis (298 p.) A series of short stories, all about Christmas. I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but I am a fan of Willis’ writing. Some of them I liked better than others, it’s true, but . . . nice.

7. ANGELICA by Sharon Shinn (385 p.) Sharon Shinn’s Samaria–one of my absolute favorite series. This is one of the last written, but chronologically, comes first. Susannah, a nomadic Edori, is chosen by the god to be Angelica–that is, to marry the Archangel, leader of Samaria. She does, but in the meantime, their whole world is under attack by mysterious strangers who can disappear at will and carry devastating, fire-throwing weapons….

8. ARCHANGEL by Sharon Shinn (390 p.) The “first” and still my favorite. This book will always make it to the top of my list . . . whether the top spot or just in the top five, I can’t say, but . . . so, so good. Rachel and Gabriel. Angelica and Archangel, who can never see eye to eye, but who truly love each other . . . if they would only admit it, preferably before Raphael, the out-going Archangel destroys the world.

9. ANGEL-SEEKER by Sharon Shinn (483 p.) The last-written, but taking place shortly after the end of Archangel, this one focuses on Elizabeth, a woman who heads to an angel hold to try to fall in love with an angel and bear his child . . . but also, we have Obadiah–a minor but likable character from Archangel falling in love with a sheltered Jansai woman….

10. JOVAH’S ANGEL by Sharon Shinn (389 p.) About 200 years later, suddenly Jovah is no longer hearing the angels’ voices, and Delilah the Archangel is badly injured, leaving the job to Alleluia–singularly unsuited to such a job, yet willing to try her best, all while Samaria is trudging toward technological advances shunned by the original settlers.

11. ALLELUIA FILES by Sharon Shinn (474 p.) Chronologically last and the end of the original trilogy, Samaria is being torn apart between those who believe in the god and those who are convinced that he is not a god at all, but a spaceship left in orbit by the original settlers. Tamar is one of the rebels, being hounded by the current Archangel and his jansai soldiers, but befriended by the angel Jason. Meanwhile, the angel Lucinda is being courted by the Archangel’s son…. Oh, and this one has my absolute favorite cover of all of them….

12. NY TIMES PRACTICAL GUIDE TO PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING by Amy and Peter Bernstein (812 p.) More a reference book, really, than a book you sit down to read, so I admit I more flipped through this book than actually read it. I have to say, though, its title pretty much says it all!

13. INGENIOUS PURSUITS by Lisa Jardine (386 p.)  A history book that looks at some of the scientific advances during the Renaissance, and how the geniouses of the period competed, bounced ideas off one another, hated each other . . . Entertainingly well-written and interesting.

14. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS by H.G. Bissinger (367 p.) The book the movie and the TV show are based on. It looks at the high-school football program of Permian high school in Odessa Texas in 1988–the drive of the players, the coaches, and the unbelievable pressure put on them by the entire town. I’m not remotely interested in football, yet this book was a real page-turner.

15. THE SHEPHERD, THE ANGEL, AND WALTER THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE DOG by Dave Barry (117 p.) A light, fluffy anecdote, really, about a Christmas in 1960 when . . . well, if I give you a synopsis, it will pretty much tell the entire story. There’s not a lot to this, but it was cute.

16. BAKING by Dorie Greenspan (495 p.) A cookbook on, well, baking . . . and oh, what delicious-sounding baking! I didn’t read through every single recipe, but I stopped and drooled over each and every one. Some really good-sounding recipes in here, beautiful photographs, charming little anecdotes/introductions to the recipes . . . about the only fault I can find is that this is a HEAVY book. It weighs a ton! It kept putting my foot to sleep while I read it….

17. 2001 AMAZING CLEANING SECRETS by Jeff Bredenburg (431 p.) I haven’t been able to put these into practice yet, but . . . like the NYT Guide above, a reference book whose title pretty much says it all. If you’ve got questions on how to clean your silver, copper tea kettle, picture frames, mailbox . . . it’s probably in here.

18. SORCERY AND CECILIA by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (320 p.) An epistolary novel (i.e., one written as a series of letters) written by two authors as part of the “Letter Writing Game”–where the wrote the letters to each other, in character, without giving away plots or planning anything along the way . . . It’s charming. Set in a post-Napoleonic England where magic is real, written between two cousins, one of whom is in London for the Season, and one of whom is still home in the country. Fun–especially knowing how the authors wrote it, AS letters, not just using it as a stylistic device.

19. THE GRAND TOUR by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (469 p.) The sequel–Cecy and Kate are on their wedding tour, and keeping journals . . . I admit I liked the first one better. I prefer the “conversation” of the letter exchange better than the “Dear Diary” kind of story-telling statement of the journal. (Well, one was a journal, the other a deposition, but really, same difference!)

20. KNITTERS HANDY BOOK OF PATTERNS by Ann Budd (109 p.) Pretty much what it says–basic calculations for knitting more or less anything you’d want to knit–mittens, hats, sweaters . . .

21. THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK EMBROIDERY TECHNIQUES by Sally Saunders (159 p.) Oh, this book has some beautiful embroidery designs–along with techniques so that you can create your own masterpieces. It’s such a treat so see something other than counted cross-stitch. Not that I don’t love counted cross-stitch, I’ve done several pieces in that myself and love the ones I’ve seen my mother and sister and other people do  . . . but it’s nice to see OTHER stitches, too! Variety in embroidery is my favorite style.

22. THE MISLAID MAGICIAN by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (328 p.) Book three, taking place 10 years later, and back to the epistolary-exchange of letters. I won’t bother explaining the plot to you, but this time, one couple is looking for a German magicia who was investigating train lines while the other is trying to keep the family safe, while offering sanctuary to Kate’s sister, who refuses to explain why she’s there. Unlike the other two, this book includes letters between the two husbands, which is a nice touch. And Cecy’s son Arthur sounds like he’s channeling Ramses Emerson (from Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody books).

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from December // 8 Comments »