H is for Houseful. And Hospitality. For a couple hours today, our house was very full. Not only was there, well, us (me, Mom, Dad–poor guy, it was raining and he couldn’t golf–and Chappy), but there was also Risa with Kat and Alex, Shelley, and Liz. (The oddest thing about this picture? At 5’3″, I’m the tallest person here–I don’t know that that’s ever happened to me before!)

Shelley and Liz (aka Lizzy B) came up yesterday afternoon–fighting traffic most of the way. Liz and Chappy hit it off immediately. She was down on the ground playing almost as soon as she saw him, even before we were in the house! He may have gotten a little (ahem) over-excited, but they definitely had a good time.

Of course, Max and Marley weren’t forgotten–there were lots of stories flying around about all the dogs, present or not. (And their cats, too, though of course, I didn’t have any cat stories.)

The three of us stayed up until after midnight, knitting, talking, and laughing. (And apparently, after we all went to bed, Liz and Shelley stayed up until 3:00 talking even more!) I got to see Liz’s Brambleberry sweater in person. As great as it looked on the blog, it looked even better in person. (Oh, and the scarf in Synchronicity yarn? Yum!) Shelley’s Norwegian hat is beautiful, too–don’t think it’s not just because I didn’t gush. (Oh, and ladies, I know this isn’t the most flattering photo, but–I tried!)

Then this morning, Risa came with the twins, and chaos erupted. Chappy barked (and barked and barked) hello, which spooked the twins. And once they’d gotten over that and started feeling comfortable, well . . . let’s just say that gates that block doorways but which can be slid aside aren’t as effective with twins as they are with puppies. In other words, they kept escaping the kitchen and running into rooms they weren’t allowed in. And, of course, not listening to their Mom, because where’s the fun in that? So poor Risa didn’t get to knit with the three of us–her lap and her hands were full (literally and figuratively).

Unfortunately, Shelley and Liz had to leave at noon. (I did wave good-bye, but I’m not sure if you saw me. The departure process got kind of rowdy–more barking, more escaping, more chaos.) The twins settled down again, and had some lunch. (Alex wanted a sandwich like my Dad was having–he sat right next to him at the table, and “chewed” along with each bite . . . the boy was hungry!)

I did mention the knitting, right? Liz and I both cast on for the Celtic Dreams sweater, although she got rather further than I did. (She claims I knit faster, but I don’t know about that!) In this case, though, she got further because her gauge was just fine. Mine on the other hand . . . apparently the stockinette stitch swatch wasn’t accurate after all, because when I started my first shoulder saddle last night, well . . . it was closer to 5″ wide than the 2.5″ in the schematic. So this morning, I dropped down to size 3 needles (3.25 mm). Um . . . still, not quite there. (Sheesh.) So . . .size 2 (3 mm) Ebony needles? Definitely closer, but even there . . . the swatch is closer to 3″ than 2.5″. Should I try size 1s? Lord, that just seems pathetic for Aran weight yarn…. especially compared to the size 7 (4.5mm) the pattern calls for. (Oh, and yes, I know there’s an error in the cable. If I stick with this saddle at this gauge, though, it’s staying there–who’s going to look that closely at my shoulders anyway?

Let’s not forget, though, that H is also for Hostess Gifts. Liz and Shelley both brought me gifts!

From Liz–a skein of Opal sock yarn–a brand which I haven’t gotten to try yet. A bar of soap that coordinates really nicely with my bathroom and smells lovely. A bar of goat milk soap in the silver box which smells even nicer. A bumblebee tape measure. And two skeins of Koigu in just gorgeous colors . . . (Um, which hat was it again that you had in mind for that yarn, Liz? Interweave Knits Winter issue had more than one hat pattern….)

From Shelley, a very nice Vanilla-Grapefruit candle. Some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in “Indian” which is just a gorgeous combinations of reds and cinnamons and autumn-y colors. And, oh, a skein of Alchemy Synchronicity all my very own in a beautiful shade of teal. Now I know what Liz was gushing about when Shelley gave her a skein in February. It’s just amazing!

Thank you both so much!

And, meanwhile, here’s what Chappy’s doing right this minute. All this entertaining the guests, being cute and charming (and loud and excited) is just exhausting. It did not take him long to fall asleep at all!

Oh, H is also for Helping. If you haven’t heard of the Warming Grace project, do go check out entry from April 5th. I found some pink Calmer in my stash, so I’m ready to go!

And, lastly–an editorial by Zoe Williams about unleashed dogs in parks, from the Guardian. Shelley, Mom and I were talking about dog-friendly public places this morning, and how some people just don’t “get” what dog owners want and need (is it really too much to ask that your dog–as long as it is well-behaved–should be allowed out in public with you, when bratty kids can go anywhere?). So, this article was well-timed for me. A quote: “The fact is that fat, self-important parents use them for four days
in the summer; dog owners use them all year round. …This sort of
thing happens all the time: people with no notion of dog ownership,
with no idea about what’s a problem and what’s a play, who aren’t even
anywhere near you, will just come up and start berating you.”

Tags: ABC-Along, Chappy, Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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I thought about the obvious “green” for Spring, but decided to go for “G for Grandparents,” a subject about which I wax sentimental. It’s been over 20 years since I had a grandparent here in the flesh, and so don’t get to talk about them all that often. Dad’s father, Otto, died when I was about 10 months old, back in 1967. Mom’s mom, Maude, died on my last day of 3rd grade, when I was 9 (so, 1976). Mom’s Dad, Albert, died over Labor Day weekend, just as I started my junior year of high school (1983). And Dad’s Mom, Freda, died just as I started college, in 1985. So, clearly, there aren’t any recent photos of any of them, but I dug out the photo album during one of my periods of consciousness today, and so, here you go.

  My Dad’s parents, on their wedding day. I adore this photo–Grandma looks so demure, and Grandpa looks like he could take on the world. One thing you can say about both of my grandfathers, they had that indefinible something Mom and I refer to as “twinkle.”

  My Mom’s parents (who, unfortunately, don’t have a wedding photo.)

  Dad’s parents with my uncle as a baby.

  Mom (the little girl), Grandma (kneeling) and, I think, Mom’s
godmother, on Martha’s Vineyard. (See? We really have been going there
a long time.)

  Grandpa. looking dashing

  Here’re Dad’s parents, from some road trip when he was a teenager.

  Mom with her Daddy.

  Dad, the toddler, with his family.

  Mom’s parents, on Martha’s Vineyard.

  Grandma (Dad’s Mom), with my sister and me. (Yes, I’m the blonde.)

  Same day, same visit, but this time with Mom’s parents.

  Grandpa. He was the only grandfather we knew growing up, so my sister and I both adored him.

  And, of course, let’s not forget the newer generation of grandparents–here are my parents, looking young and in love at Mom’s Bridal shower. They’ve been doing the grandparent thing for almost 17 years now, and are very good at it!

Tags: ABC-Along, Family by Deb
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  F is for Friends. We went to the park today and went for a two-mile walk with two of Chappy’s best friends–Horatio (the Corgi) and Princess (the Greyhound). This was the first time the three of them had seen each other since last summer–horrible, I know–but they were all so happy to see each other. I love this picture, too, it looks like they’re just strolling along, chatting . . . except of course, really, most of the time we were all spread out a lot more than this as the dogs found different things to wander off and sniff, while we three humans tried to avoid getting tangled in the leashes, and out of the way of bicycle riders or joggers going past. Never a dull moment!

  F is for Fair. Although that’s a paltry word to describe today’s weather. It was simply gorgeous. Crystal-clear blue sky. About 60-degrees. Sunny. Just absolutely wonderful. I stopped on the path in the middle of the park (technically, a bike path through the woods) to take this when Mom pointed out how pretty the trees looked. And it has been a while since I had a Sky picture for Sandy….

  F is for Fluffy, Furry, Fuzzy. Naturally, after walking through the park, wrestling with his friends, and wading (when he could manage it) through the muddy spots, Chappy really did require a bath. And so he’s extra soft and curly just now.

  F is for Foot. A tired foot, one of a set of four. Chappy has slept all afternoon, he was so tired. I admit, I’m a little tired myself. All I’ve done this afternoon was read, and it’s possible my eyes might have closed in a doze, too. (Nothing as definitive as a nap, but that kind of twilight state between being awake and asleep, you know?) Of course, I was up until 1:15 last night/this morning, Finishing a book so I was kind of tired to begin with.

  F is for Free Yarn. Okay, that’s reaching, but look at this lovely yarn Cindy brought me back from New Zealand! Two skeins of pure merino boucle in a purplish-gray. Very nice, although I have no idea what I’ll do with it. And I had to show it to you, so I had to work it into this post SOMEHOW.

All in all, though, F is for fabulous, furry, friendly FUN!

Tags: ABC-Along, Chappy, Friends by Deb
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E is for Elephants. Little crystal ones we’ve had for as long as I can remember.

E is for Elvis. One of Mom’s long-time favorites. (And hey, the early stuff? What’s not to love?)

E is for Elbows.

E is for Elderberry Syrup. (Which, yes, Norma, I still don’t like, but have to admit it seems effective. This is my second bottle.)

E is for, well, E. Vitamin E. Always good to have around!

E is for Embroidery. Mom’s embroidery, to be precise. It’s been years since I did any, though I do like it. It’s hard to imagine topping my favorite, the Carl Larsson project.

E is for Edgartown. That’s on Martha’s Vineyard, the source of this cross-stitch, which Mom made.

E is for Endearing. (You knew I’d work Chappy in here somehow, right?)

Of course, E is also for Entrance.

And, E is for Exit. Ta ta!

Tags: ABC-Along by Deb
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  Deep. This is how much snow we had at about 10:30 this morning. And, actually, there was s a little more, but this is as far out the door as I could reach with the yardstick. We’ve gotten about another inch since then.

  Another example–the top of Dad’s car as I paused for breath while cleaning it off this morning.

  Deliciously Doggie Delight. It hasn’t all been work though, today. We took some time for a romp. Here’s Chappy, ready to catch a snowball . . .

  Got it! (Thanks to Mom for snapping these two pictures. I was the one throwing the snowballs.)

  All this snow, though, is causing a sports Delay in my Knitting Olympics event. I haven’t gotten to open my knitting bag once today–either I’ve been out doing something in the snow, or inside recovering from doing things in the snow. My arms are sore from shovelling, my wrists are tired from pushing the snow off Dad’s car, and my legs are sore from bending down for all those snowballs. Tomorrow is going to be a fun, fun day at the office, I can tell you!

The one “D” that’s missing, though?

  Dad. My Dad is in Florida on his annual golfing trip with his buddies. They go every February. This is why my lucky car gets to be in the garage, while his is roughing it out in the driveway. However–and it’s a big “however”–today is the day they’re supposed to come home. Today. The day when there’s a blizzard dumping up to 3″ an hour over New York City and the immediate area. We, with our 19-20″ of snow are getting off lightly compared to some of those folks. And of course, the airports are largely closed. According to the FAA, “Due to SNOW, the Newark International Airport (EWR) was closed as of Feb 12 at 09:25 AM EST. The date/time when the airport is expected to reopen is not known.” Now, their flight was supposed to land here around 6:30 tonight
But, um . . . that doesn’t seem terribly likely. Frankly, we really don’t know WHEN he’s going to get home. Tonight? Tomorrow? And naturally he didn’t pack any “extras,” like underwear or medicine . . . though really, I’m sure he and his friends can manage–as long as he gets home safely in the next 24 hours, right? One thing that might help? One of his buddies is a pilot and mentioned yesterday seeing if there were any private jets coming this way with room for four . . . I guess if you’re going to be stranded, it doesn’t hurt to be stranded with someone with connections, huh?

5:24 PM Edited to Add: Dad’s new travel itinerary? Apparently Continental told them that they’ll be able to get them out of Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday. That’s right. Three days from now. None of them much liked that idea–not only do they want to be home, but there’s one anniversary, one wife’s birthday (that would be my Mom), and of course, Valentine’s Day between now and Wednesday. So what are they doing instead? Renting a car and driving to Savannah GA, where they hope to be able to get a flight . . . no, it doesn’t really make sense to me, either, but as long as they make it home safely, that’s all I’m worried about!

Tags: ABC-Along, Chappy, Family, General, Weather by Deb
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I could just go for the obvious: C is for Chappy, but that’s kind of Cheating, don’t you think? (Besides, he’s in a couple of the photos, anyway.) So . . . here you go!

C is for Coffee. Always an excellent way to start the day. Mom and I went out to do some (unfortunately unsuccessful) Clothes shopping this morning, and stopped for coffee at Starbucks–which, um, was successful.

C is for Collar. After we got home from the non-shopping, we got Chappy dressed to go out.

  C is for Car. Then we all–even Dad–got into the car and went to the park. This is particularly exciting because (1) we haven’t been to the park since October and (2) Dad has never once come along with us!

  C is for Creek. At the park, Chappy dipped his paws into the little stream that runs along the path, but only for a couple seconds. I saw a hint of ice in one spot, and the water must have been Cold!

  C is for Chocolate Curls. Naturally, after romping through the muddy park, Chappy needed a bath, to be nice and Clean. Here’s my hair and his hair . . . we really do look an awful lot alike, don’t you think? Especially when I tell you that any red in my hair comes from a box?)

  C is for Carton. When he wasn’t resting from his long walk and the arduous bathing process, Chappy played with his favorite toy–a “recycled” milk Carton. He just adores these!

  C is for Conditioning. Of course, I couldn’t let Chappy outstrip me in the beauty department, so I gave myself a much-needed deep-conditioning treatment for my hair. I pulled out my self-heated micro-fiber hair cap, popped it in the microwave, and boom. Instant heat.

  C is for Challenger. The 20th anniversary of the space shuttle’s explosion. (Well, the first space shuttle explosion.) I was in college, sitting in my dorm room after lunch, before heading off to my afternoon Poli-sci class, and one of the girls went running down the hallway. “The space shuttle exploded!” I turned on my grainy, rabbit-eared television and just sat in stunned silence, watching the news until I had to leave. My first real experience with media-fed tragedy. I still remember that moment so clearly, too.

  C is for Complete. And yes, I finished my sweater, with the appropriately-named Copper button. Yes, I thought a lot of those buttons would have worked. And really, if I could have figured out a way, I would have used all of them, but . . . ultimately, I thought this was the best one. Some of them were a little too flimsy and plastic (which you can’t tell in the photos, of course), some weren’t quite the right color (too brassy to go well with this orange-red), and ultimately–this one works the best, I think. The color is such a perfect match, and yet it’s got that interesting cut-out design, as well as a good, solid feel. Besides, as much as I love a really fabulous button that will “pop,” in this case, I can’t help but admit I like the subtler button best.

Which leads us to C is for Congratulations. The winner to my second button Contest is Kate. Not only did she pick the button I liked best, but her reason was definitely the most entertaining! (With a nod, there to Kathy B, who tried her darndest by bringing Chappy into it . . . she’s tricky, that one!) Congratulations, Kate! (I’ll need your snail-mail address, please, so I can send your prize!)

And, last but not least, C is for Cindy. It’s my friend Cindy‘s birthday this weekend. We’ve been friends since . . . well, we sort of new each other in high school, but our friendship really started about a year or two after college, when we ended up working at the same office for a while. (In fact, I still work there–it will be 15 years in about three weeks.) Not only is she one of my best friends, but her Corgi is Chappy’s very best friend. I dropped her birthday present off with her mother this afternoon. (Her Mom’s condo is in the next building to Cindy’s, and they’re both right next to the park–very Convenient!) Go on over and wish her a happy b-day, huh?

Tags: ABC-Along, Chappy, General, Hair by Deb
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B is for Bread and Butter. (Yes, that’s homemade bread–yum!)

B is for Birthday Cake. We did the family celebration for Dad’s birthday today. Also yum, even if the nifty, digital thermometer I got to tell me when the roast is done was wrong and we ended up with medium, rather than rare (Dad’s preference) roast beef.

B is for Brrrr! We had a lot of sleet and some snow last night, but mostly we got wind. Lots and lots of wind! The plus side? When I went to clean off my car, the wind had done most of the work for me–can’t remember the last time that happened.

B is for Boys. Dad actually sat on my bedroom floor to play with Chappy this morning. I think the last time he sat on my bedroom floor was the Christmas he and my Grandfather put together my Barbie Town House, when I was 9? 10?

B is for Boykin Spaniel. Need I say more?

B is for Balls of Yarn. The Bronze Country Silk is for the Lotus Blossom shawl I’ll be starting next weekend. (I got it and the pattern for Christmas.) The skein of sock yarn, in the Martha’s Vineyard colorway, I wound so that I can try to repair the hole in Mom’s sock. Luckily, I had another skein in that color, even if I was planning on saving it a while!

Oh, and lastly? B is for Blog. My blog is one year old, as of yesterday. Time flies!

Tags: ABC-Along, Family, General by Deb
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Well, here we are, the beginning of a new year. (Happy birthday, Cara!) I hope everyone had a happy and safe night last night?

First things first–Here’s my first entry for Anne’s ABC-Along.

A is for Alphabet Soup.

My last day of 2005 was spent running errands with Mom in the morning, and then going to the movied in the afternoon (“The Producers”), followed by dinner at a local restaurant with my folks. Mom and I watched “March of the Penguins” last night, and by 11:00, I was in bed, reading. At midnight, I closed my book, gave Chappy a kiss, and got up and changed my calendar. That’s it. That’s my big New Year’s celebration. Exciting, huh? (Makes you feel bad you laughed at Gloating Day, doesn’t it?)

Oh yeah, I did spend quite a bit of time typing in lists of books and other highlights, which you may have seen on my other posts today. I had fun recapping my year. I would have counted the number of KALs and Memes I participated in, too, but lost count . . . and I wasn’t going to go through all those posts again! As of right now, there are 363 posts, and 1666 comments, and I started blogging last year on January 14th. Hmmm, maybe I really DO talk a lot….

Happy New Year, everyone!

Tags: ABC-Along by Deb
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All this socializing is work, you know?

Today, we had my sister’s family of four, my aunt and cousin, and a lot of laughs in this house. It was such a nice time, but . . . tired. Again. I read somewhere that the real difference between an introvert and an extrovert is not–as is commonly believed–a matter of how shy you are versus how outgoing, but that it’s more defined on internal resources. After social gatherings, an extrovert feels energized, charged up, whereas an introvert is drained and needs quiet time to recharge.

There’s no question. By that standard, I am most definitely an introvert.

Apparently my friendly, enthusiastic, sociable boy Chappy is, too, because he is just wiped out again tonight. Although, really, that could be more because of the laps around the house, playing, wriggles, jumping, and generally running around being happy . . . he really expended a lot of energy!

Oh, and the cake? Everyone liked it. I will admit, though (just between me and you), that I used a mix from King Arthur Flour for the icing. It’s a sore point with me, but I have yet to find a good recipe for buttercream icing–one that’s flavorful without tasting like pure sugar. Bakeries do it right (usually), but just about every homemade recipe I’ve tried tastes like sugar, not butter, not cream. This mix, while sweet, is not sickeningly sweet and it’s fluffy and tasty. So . . . it’ll be our little secret.

I signed up for a great 2006-along today, hosted by Anne over at How the West was Won. (Thanks, Norma, for pointing it out.) The idea is simple–every two weeks during 2006 (that’s 26 times), you post a photo depicting the alphabet. So, first, an apple, an alligator, an Appaloosa, whatever, for the first one. Then, two weeks later, a baboon, a Barbie, a ballet shoe . . . anything. The idea is to be creative. Fun, huh?

Oh, and speaking about music, as I was a couple days ago . . . anyone listen to Megan Slankard? She’s an up and coming singer who was one of the “victims” on TLC’s What Not to Wear a year or so ago–they used her music throughout the episode, and I really liked it. I was humming it for days, in fact, so I bought her “Freaky Little Story” album, and love it. (Her earlier one is a little too “folk” for my taste; not at all bad, just not my cup of tea.) Anyway, I really enjoy that album of hers, and I just found out she’s got another, mini cd of 5 tracks out. Yay!

Tags: ABC-Along, General by Deb
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