This is a rare, rare Wednesday because I saw my entire family today. (Well, you know, Mom, Dad, Chappy, Patty, Mike, Tiffany, Tyler–the usuals. Not the extended family.)

See, first, Dad had a golf outing down near Atlantic City somewhere and was leaving at 5:30 this morning, so he was going to be gone all day.

Then, Tiffany called Mom to ask if she wanted to go see the King Tut exhibit in New York–the one Mom’s been talking about for months. She’s wanted to see the King Tut exhibit since it rolled through NY the first time around back around 1979. And the date Tiffany picked? Today. And, oh yeah, Mike, her dad, my brother-in-law was going to. (This is the point that caused shock and amazement among most of us because Mike likes New York City about as much as I do.)

So, that meant two things. One, poor Chappy was going to be home alone ALL day and, Two, the house would be empty.

I did exactly what you’d expect me to do … I took the day off from work. I mean, really, the house to myself for a whole day? How could I resist?

I was thinking, though … I didn’t know what time Mom, Tiffany, and Mike would be getting home from the city, but it seemed wrong to send them home without feeding them. They would be tired and hot, and anyway, I’d want to hear about their days so … I told Mom I’d make something flexible for supper. Something that would be ready to serve whenever they got here.

But then it occurred to me that I never really get to do stuff with my sister, or spend time just with her, and she usually sees Mom on Wednesdays. So, I sent her an email and (1) invited her to come visit, or (2) come visit and bring Tyler and we could all have supper together … even Dad, if he was home from golf in time.

She and Tyler had an errand down in Point Pleasant (down the shore), so she said they’d go down there to get Tyler’s bike and come back here afterward, probably around 2:30. I was thrilled and immediately started thinking about what to make for supper. It had to be something that I could have ready to go before they got here, and ultimately I decided on deli sandwiches and homemade salads. I ran out to the grocery store this morning before Mom left to pick up the necessary stuff, and after they left, mixed together some potato salad and a huge bowl of macaroni salad. (I never should have cooked the whole box of elbow macaroni; I don’t know what I was thinking.) I also sliced up the strawberries I bought, baked a quick, plain cake to serve with them, and whipped some stabilized whipped cream–all of which was in the refrigerator by 1:00, and I was beat!

I sat and read with Chappy for a while. He, incidentally, was having a great day. Sure, both his grandparents were out, but he had his Mom home on a work day AND he’d seen Tiffany and Mike when they came to pick up Mom.

I even added about 500 words to my book. Not a huge amount, I grant you, but better than nothing.

Then … Patty called around noon and said they were running late. At 2:10 Dad called to say he was leaving the golf course and expected to be home in about two and a half hours. 2:15, Tiffany called to say they were in New Jersey and on their way home, so the three from the New York Adventure were the first to arrive. They were all tired, but had a wonderful time, though Mike was tired enough and trying so very hard to keep his eyelids politely open, we sent him downstairs to Dad’s recliner for a nap.

About 4:00, Patty and Tyler arrived, and about five-ten minutes later, Dad did. They were all very tired and seemed very hot and very, very glad to get out of their respective cars. They must have been almost side-by-side on the Garden State Parkway for most of the drive home, they arrived so close together.

Chappy wore himself out saying hello to everyone and making sure they all knew how happy, happy, happy he was to see them. (Because saying hello is one of his favorite things EVER. If he could figure out how to say hello in a properly enthusiastic manner while eating at the same time, he’d be the happiest dog in the world.)

Everybody enjoyed dinner … though we ended up with a LOT of leftover macaroni salad. Not everybody wanted the cake I’d made, either, but being hot and tired will do that to your appetite, so no hard feelings. And meanwhile, everyone is tired–including me. I may not have put the miles in that everyone else did today, but I still got a lot done.

Maybe going to work tomorrow and sitting at my desk isn’t such a bad idea, after all.

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Family Wednesday // Add Comment »

This little guy? My Chappy? He’s having a practically perfect weekend. In fact, as “just us, no guests” weekends go? There’s not much that would make it better. (Other than the forecast possible thunderstorms later today.)

First, it’s been blessedly cool compared to, well, basically the entire summer. Like, in the 75-80 degree range, and with no humidity to speak of. You can step outside without automatically saying, “Whoo! It’s hot!” which is a pretty rare event this year.

Then, yesterday, Saturday, we took him out for coffee. That is, Mom and I drank the coffee–Chappy doesn’t need the caffeine. But it wasn’t just the three of us.

Dad came, too! This is practically unheard of, and only happened because bribed him with eggs for breakfast because we had a Mara’s gift-coupon for buy-one-get-one-free.

Afterwards, we walked around town, I stopped at the bank, and Chappy insisted on stopping at the doggy-specialty store, the one with its own bakery. That was funny, actually. The store is on our town’s main street, and we’ve stopped in a few times to buy biscuits. But, they also have an entrance in the back, on Bloomfield Avenue across from the parking lot where the car was. We were walking back tot he car, and Chappy literally pulled me up the stairs to the door, as if he’d read the “Come visit our bakery” sign next to them. It was funny because we’ve NEVER gone in that way and hadn’t even realized that we COULD, but Chappy read the sign or followed his nose and … there we were. So, yes, my clever dog got a package of freshly-baked biscuits. It’s only fair.

We had a nice, lazy afternoon and then, the four of us all went out AGAIN, this time for supper. We went to Stewart’s, which not only has the best root beer, but has car service. You know, where you pull up in your car, and they bring your food on a tray that hangs on the window? They’ve been around for ages and since it’s about the only restaurant we ever take Chappy to (other than coffeeshops), it’s his favorite. They bring Milkbones out to the dogs, too, which he appreciates, even if he prefers bites of hamburgers and fries.

Today, we had a walk, I baked a pound cake, and then I plied a couple hundred yards of yarn while watching “Wag the Dog.” I haven’t seen it in years and had forgotten how much the Political-Science major, cynical-side of me really loves that movie. Dustin Hoffman is wonderfully hilarious as the producer. His response to every set-back is “What? That’s nothing,” followed by some Hollywood anecdote about something that was even worse.

The yarn is all plied, though I lost track counting while I wound it on to the skeinwinder, so I’m not sure what the yardage is. It came out pretty, though, and pretty consistent, which is always a treat. Once again, this is “Sock Hop” yarn from Crown Mountain Farms, in the “Twist and Shout” color, which I’ve had waiting to be spun for a few years now.

Next up for spinning?

If you’ve been reading long enough, you should recognize this.

Five years ago for my birthday, Mom gave me three pounds of this merino/tussah silk roving from the Sheep Shed (bought at Rhinebeck a couple weeks before my birthday). Three pounds of it. I don’t know what I had been thinking. Over the next year or two or three, I spun about two pounds of it, but at different times and different skill levels and after referring to it for months as the “never-ending fiber,” finally ended up stashing the last pound of it.

Well, it’s time it got spun, don’t you think? And right now, while I’m “in practice,” too, so that hopefully all 16 ounces of it will make consistent yarn. Because, yes, I still love the color of the stuff. It makes a beautiful purple-tinged gray yarn. So gorgeous.

And, now? We’re having roast chicken for supper (making the house smell really good, I might add), and Chappy’s getting very excited. He ADORES roast chicken and turkey. I’d venture to say that they’re his favorite kind of meat to eat … he doesn’t get this excited about the chicken in his food dish every day, or when Mom cooks a couple chicken breasts for supper. But … roasted in the oven? Ohhhhh, he loves it. Loves it! The house is starting to smell really yummy, and he’s pacing a bit, not quite able to settle down out of anticipation.

I tell you, this weekend keeps getting better and better for my boy.

• Tags: Family, Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Perfection // 2 Comments »

This is the face of a happy dog. Because, of course, today was his birthday party. My sister and her family came over and we all partied. We ate well, for one. We had chicken stew in the crock pot (which Chappy loves), potato salad (not one of his favorites, but everyone else loves it so he said it would be okay), homemade biscuits (people-biscuits, that is, that you slather with butter, not the crunchy doggy kind), and carrot cake for dessert. Mmm…

And presents–in this case, all biscuits, which makes Chappy VERY happy. He really doesn’t need more toys, but new biscuits? Especially homemade ones from his aunt? Oh yes. And how could he resist this adorable gift tag from his grandma?

Naturally there was cake, too. As you can see, he is IX years old. (Please note the gift bag in the background. That had a single biscuit for Chappy to open on his own. (The other biscuits, of course, were in a plastic bag which makes them non-doggy friendly.)

As a bonus, my niece was able to come today. We didn’t think she’d be able to come, but she did, so we were extra happy.

She even brought a game to play.

Oh, and my beautiful Miss BB sweater that didn’t fit me quite right (because of my darn waistline issues)? It’s found a new home. It fit my sister as if I’d made it just for her, so … I gave it to her! Doesn’t she look happy?

I got a fair amount of spinning done, too. That’s almost 4 oz there, though I didn’t spin ALL of it today.

For the rest of the day? It’s the Fourth of July, of course, so there will be fireworks (which Chappy hates) and the Boston Pops on tv (which Mom loves). I need to watch 1776 again–one of my very favorites.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

• Tags: Chappy, Family • Permalink:Chappy’s Party // 7 Comments »

First things first–happy birthday, Grandpa!

He’s been gone since 1967 and we never had a chance to know each other. I was 10 months old when he died of Alzheimer’s which, I figure, puts us at about the same mental level for most of the ten months our time here on earth overlapped. It doesn’t allow for many memories, though.

I have exactly one thing of his. (You know, other than his little boy, my father.) Although I suppose that technically my Grandmother’s secretary desk used to be their secretary desk, but well, we’re talking personal items here. And this is it. A monogrammed handkerchief.

I don’t quite remember how I ended up with this. It was in my father’s dresser for years and then, one day, it was in mine, but I don’t remember how or why. I don’t know for sure who embroidered it, either. It could have come from the store this way, or it could have been my grandmother. I don’t really know. I just know that Dad told me it belonged to his father, and that makes me appreciate it all the more. On the rare occasion I need a handkerchief, this is the one I reach for.

My Dad gets good-grandfather points, too. I was busy in the kitchen today getting ready for Chappy’s birthday party tomorrow … and it was a little too hot for me, anyway … so Dad took Chappy for a walk. Don’t they look happy? You know, it’s really unusual for me to see Chappy from a distance.

I’m blocking my shawl and enjoying the usual blocking magic. It wouldn’t fit on the blocking board itself, though, because the corners stretched past the edge (making pinning difficult).

So, I folded it in half. Not only does that mean it fits on the blocking board, but … only half the amount of pinning!

And, right now? I’ve got the blocking board standing up against the bookcases in the hall. I’m just hoping that Chappy doesn’t try to rub his head on it (as he is wont to do) and poke his eyes on the pins. But I told him not to, so…

It sure looks pretty, though, huh? The shawl, you’ll remember, is the Shetland Shawl from “Folk Wraps”, knitted in my handspun Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm cormo. (Yes, I know, Susan’s farm is Juniper Moon now, but this was from my first share of MVFF, so … Martha’s Vineyard.)

Oh, and Buttons and Lucky are having fun. They picked out our movie for tonight, too.

• Tags: Family, Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Grandpa’s Birthday // 1 Comment »

We went to see Toy Story 3 today, and when we got home, well, I had to go find Buttons and Lucky and give them hugs. In fact, they sat with us while we ate supper, and I brought them upstairs afterward so they we could spend time together. They’re sitting with me right now, watching me type, and keeping an eye on Due South on the television.

The doll is Buttons, who I got on my first birthday. She was my absolute favorite doll. Still is, in fact. She’s only about 7″ tall, and was the perfect size to carry around when I was little. I carried her everywhere. The crack in her face? The lack of hair? That’s from years and years of serious loving. I’d regularly wake up in the morning to find her head on one side of the bed and her body on the other. I’d put her back together and give her a kiss, and start the day.

The dog is Lucky. We bought him at Great Adventure amusement park on August 2nd when I was 9. His fur is pretty much all rubbed away now. He used to have spots, and his eyes were a brighter blue, but his face is still the same. He fit perfectly under my arm, too, with the curve of his back, between his neck and tail a perfect fit.  Mom would hold him at his neck, cocking his head, while we played, and over the years it wore through. She mended it, but it wore through. I tried mending it. He even wears one of the earliest examples of my knitting–a “collar” I knitted in green acrylic and sewed on, a layer or two down from other mending attempts, but still showing at the back. The leather collar he wears belonged to our very first dog, Muppy, after she outgrew it.

During the movie, I knitted on this hat. Normally, of course, I’d knit on the sock in my purse, but since that has a cable pattern and is something I need to see, I started this instead. I knitted the ribbing last night, and pretty much everything else was done while watching Woody, Buzz, and the others.

Of course, the sad part about going to the movies? This little guy was left home alone. That doesn’t actually happen very often, especially in the afternoon. He gave us SUCH a greeting when we got home, too–super excited, and he’s been sticking pretty close to me ever since.

Oh, and my “Sheep need shade” sale yarn from Juniper Moon Farm arrived today … this great hand-dyed brown that goes really wonderfully with those buttons from Lars that I got the other day. Now I just think I need to find the right pattern!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Toys // 1 Comment »

As is usual for Memorial Day weekend in our family, we went up to my sister’s for the family birthday celebration. My niece and nephew, specifically, but also sharing presents with my brother-in-law, whose birthday was the 11th, and with his brother’s family there, too.

We had a really nice time, and Kaitlyn and Joshua were so adorable.

I love watching little kids try to summon up the courage to pet Chappy–who is very, very good and patient about the whole thing.

Here’s the obligatory picture of my niece and nephew with their birthday (cup)cakes. My nephew hates having his picture taken, so I love that his big sister took advantage of the moment to torture him by combining a photo op AND a hug. (Ew!)

My sister had fun with baby Joshua, too, though he loves, loves, loves being jiggled, so it was pretty much impossible to get a photo of him where he wasn’t blurry. (Well, not without using the flash, which I try to avoid as much as possible. There just wasn’t enough light for a fast enough shutter speed. But, you know, I try not to torture children and animals with the nasty flash thing, so… One of these days, I’ll get a diffuser, at least.)

Today, I made a mess in my room again.

I pulled out ALL my yarn and ALL my spinning fiber and reorganized it all.

The spinning fiber is now all in my cedar chest. (I find it interesting that at least a third of the space is from Juniper Moon Farm or its earlier incarnation of Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. Most of the rest is from the Sheep Shed, whose booth at Rhinebeck I visit every year.)

All the yarn is stored in these handy sweater-storage bags and stuffed into the cubbies in the closet.

And I do mean “stuffed.” The cubbies aren’t actually deep enough for the bags. I can slide them in about halfway, so they stick out into the front of the closet, but still … that’s not necessarily a terrible thing. I can see inside to know what’s in each one, and meanwhile they’re protected from dust, and there’s a slice of cedar in each bag to repel moths. And it looks so organized, too, if a little irregular in the stacking since they don’t sit “straight” in their cubbies. I don’t care, though. I LOVE these bags.

I washed my most recently spun yarn, too, though it’s frustrating. I can’t get the water remotely as hot as I like it to be. I like to shock my yarn with a burst of hot water for it’s final soak—that and some mild agitation to really set it, and then let it soak until the water is cool enough to touch. Then I’d squeeze out the water, bang it against the shower walls, and let it dry … except, this bathroom, the water—when I’m lucky—comes at best to the upper ranges of “warm.” So the yarn didn’t bloom the way I really like … but, still. It’s pretty, huh?
I’ve got a video for you. A very Rube Goldberg “mousetrap”-ish kind of video, with a very catchy song to go with it.

And then, how about one that’s a little more serious and thought-provoking? This TED video examines the free exchange of ideas in the fashion industry—it’s not plagarism, or stealing, the ideas are shared, and business booms … It makes some interesting points about the industries that DO restrict exchange (film, music, books). It made me think about knitwear design, though—how some designs suddenly crop up all over the place with different names … and how trying to restrict ideas (like a certain Scottish designer whose books go for a mint on eBay if you can find them at all) may well be defeating the purpose. Anyway, it’s intriguing.

And, one last thing, as we remember all the men and women who have fought for this or any country … some amazing “Homecoming” photos that you should really see over at Pioneer Woman Photography.

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Memorial Sunday // Add Comment »

Twenty-one years ago today, I became an aunt for the first time. It was a big week for me, actually. I graduated from college on the 20th and then headed up to Martha’s Vineyard for a few days’ vacation before coming home and looking for a job.

I used to go up to MV on my own from time to time, you know. Back before Mom, Chappy and I started going together each trip (because how could I leave either of them behind?). Mom and I usually alternated years, more or less, between going together or me going by myself or with a friend.

That year, though, 1989, there was no question. There was no way on earth my mother was leaving the area before her granddaughter arrived. But me? I was sitting on MV, in the Daggett House B&B (back when the Daggett House was still a hotel). No phone in the room, no cell phone. Just, the evening of the 24th, a knock on the door from the inn staff, saying I had an urgent call from home.

I don’t think I need to tell you how ecstatic I was. I left the inn and wanted to go BUY something for this baby. I wanted to tell everybody, but didn’t have anybody to tell. I just knew how happy I was. Glad my sister was okay, thrilled that we had a new person in the family … and not exactly unhappy about being on the Vineyard, either.

In fact, you’d think that maybe I would have been–sitting on a little island, several hundred miles away from my new baby niece, but it was okay. One, it was my favorite vacation spot in the world, but Two, the hospital wouldn’t have let me in the door, anyway. Their visitation policy was that grandparents of new babies, and siblings of new babies could actually visit, but everyone else (like siblings of the parents of the new babies) had to stay outside in the hallway. As it was, I came home from MV on the same day that Tiffany came home from the hospital, and we met the next day.

Almost exactly four years later, on May 20th, I became an aunt a second time, to my nephew Tyler. This time, I was home in NJ, and got to go see him right away. Or, well, from the other side of a glass window. I remember riding up to Newton with my Dad after work. Mom had spent the night at my sister’s, keeping an eye on Tiffany, and we got to the hospital right around the time Mike’s parents arrived. So … Patty, Mike, Tiffany, and brand-new Tyler were all in this little “meet the baby” visiting room, with my parents and Mike’s parents clustered around cooing and making proud new grandparent noises … while I stood outside in the hallway, trying to see through the blinds. (Sigh.)

But, still … I’ve been an aunt for 21 years now. Almost half my life, and I have to say I’ve been enjoying it immensely. I like children in general, but prefer not to be primarily responsible for them, so aunthood is perfect for this. I’d visit, play with them, spoil them, admire them, but then get to go home.

Although, I was always careful about the “spoiling” part. In those early years it was still possible I might have ended up a mother myself one day, and didn’t want a vindictive (though loving) sister counting the minutes until she could return the favor of giving my kids a drum set for Christmas, or could show mine how to make mud pies in the living room, or something of that sort. Grandparents have earned the right to do stuff like that–they cleaned up all our messes, after all–but aunts and uncles need to tread a little more carefully.

We’ve joked for years that my sister provided children for me to play with, and I provided dogs for her (and her husband) to play with. We’ve each made sure my parents had grandchildren and grand-dogs to brighten their days, and both of us have adored each others’ kids–fur or not.

Because, I do adore my niece and nephew. They’re not little any more. My niece is–as of today–21 years old, and old enough to do anything she wants to do. She has a boyfriend and a career path, and is beautiful and funny and one of my favorite people in the world. My nephew is 17 and has a brand-new driver’s license to show for it. In a few more months he’ll be in his last year of high school and on his way to wherever he’s going to go. He’s tall, funny, generous, and has a pair of gorgeous blue eyes–the only pair in the family.

I don’t know how those cute, little children grew up so fast.

Tiffany, Tyler, and Katy

What I do know is that I have loved every day of being their aunt. Neither of them has ever done anything to make me embarassed or ashamed at being connected to them. (Sure, the teenage years can be a little tricky, but still.) They are both smart, funny, upright human beings. I can’t really take much, if any, responsibility for the people they’ve grown to be. Obviously my sister and brother-in-law are more responsible for that than I am. But I can state without equivocation that I am proud to have known them and been a part of both their lives. I am proud to share a bloodline with them. Not to mention happy to have provided puppies for them to play with.

The hardest thing about being an aunt is this: You burst with pride, but can’t take any of the credit.

But sometimes, it’s enough just to be able to say that you love them. Enough to be able to share their joys and growing pains, even if you’re not there every day like a parent. (And, sometimes, to be an adult ear that cares but doesn’t belong to a parent … because sometimes that’s a valuable thing.)

So, let’s have toast to my aunthood, shall we? Twenty-one years of sharing the greatness that is my niece and nephew.

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Aunthood // 7 Comments »

We went to see what was left of the cherry blossoms yesterday. Like Ina said the other day, the cherry trees in Branch Brook Park were in full bloom two weeks early. Last week, to be precise.

Which meant there weren’t many blossoms left for us to see on Saturday, but who cares? We had a great day, anyway.

We made an interesteing group, though. Mom in her winter coat, Dad in his spring coat, me in just the hoodie I was wearing around the house, and Chappy, of course, in nothing but his fluffy coat (and his harness, of course).

We saw some shiny, happy ducks enjoying the day, too.

Of course, Chappy’s still trying to figure out why I tried perching him in a tree.

I told him it was so he could get a better look at the pretty flowers.

Oh, and afterward?

So, so tired … all of us!

Today? I baked a banana cake with lemon-cream cheese frosting, and made a fresh batch of granola. And pot roast. Not to mention doing a load of laundry and working on.

Also, believe it or not–NINE book reviews for Knitting Scholar. Did you see? I’ve got my first yarn review up … suddenly, Knitting Scholar is NOT just about books!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Cherry // 1 Comment »

I haven’t shown you a current picture of the sweater in a while, so here’s how it looks right now. I worked the first sleeve down to past-elbow length and then paused to start sleeve number two. I figure I want to be sure they’re the same length and match and all, so … I’ll knit sleeve number two to the same length and then work the rest of them together.

Exciting, right?

We’re just coming off of a practically perfect weekend. At least, that’s what Chappy thought. I got out of work an hour early on Friday (always good), so that was a good start. We had take-out Chinese food, too, which is always a treat.

Saturday, Mom and I went out for coffee, stopped at a grocery store (where I bought the strawberries i told you about), and then spent the afternoon relaxing … which was good, because we had a surprise. My niece came to stay!

She and I had arranged it on Wednesday–that she would come Saturday night instead of staying at school into Easter morning. Just … we decided not to tell Mom and Dad, so they really were surprised! In a good way, you understand.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. We had bacon and eggs for breakfast–a rare, rare treat because we so seldom ever have bacon in the house. (Mom’s severe allergy to anything made from pork, you remember.) We five went for a walk, coming home to a house smelling of roasting turkey–Chappy’s favorite. And then the rest of the family arrived, and he was in heaven. His whole family, fresh turkey … what more could a dog ask for?

Yesterday was a bonus day, too, because I took the day off from work. So not only was Monday morning not “Mondayish” at all, but he got an extra treat … his favorite neighbors from our old house finally came to visit. He hasn’t seen them since October and he was SO happy to see them! Ecstatic, even.

So, you can see why I’ve been too busy to post, huh?

Oh, and by the way? It’s insanely warm out there for April 6th. Hot, even. We’ve got our air conditioning on … which is trying, I have to tell you, but the air blows so strongly in the upstairs rooms (since the system fan is in the attic), Dad had the landlord shut the flow up in the attic because the upstairs room were steaming hot. Except … now, they’re hot because even with the air conditioning on–or even just the fan–there’s nothing coming out of those vents. Not good because Mom and I both get cranky when we’re hot. I hate being hot. Hate it, hate it. And, in April? Way too early! All the trees outside are blooming weeks early and it’s just crazy (grumble, grumble). It’s no fair skipping right past Spring into Summer, you know?

• Tags: Chappy, Family, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Working on Sleeves // 2 Comments »

Alas, I don’t have any pictures, but I had a nice day today. I took the day off from work and went to visit my niece at college–the first time I’ve visited her at school. It’s been a while since she and I had a visit, just the two of us. I finally got to meet her roommate, too, after hearing nice things about her for months. (A girl, incidentally, whose grandmother was my 6th grade teacher. What are the odds?)

Anyway, I met her at the hotel … she doesn’t actually live ON campus, but off-site in a nearby hotel because there wasn’t enough housing at the school. So, I met her at the hotel and we visited for a while. I brought her some granola, fresh from the oven. Chappy–since he couldn’t come himself, but wanted her to know he was thinking of her–sent one of his toys as an ambassador. He said she could bring it back on Sunday when she comes to the house.

Then, we went to the Barnes & Noble practically next to her room. We got something to eat at the cafe and then browsed through the entire shop together. That really was fun! You know that I adore bookstores, of course, and it’s particularly fun to do it with someone else so you can compare thoughts about the books.

Or, well, okay. When I’m doing serious browsing because I want to buy stuff, I prefer to wander around on my own. But social browsing? Entirely different thing. So today? The fun kind. About four hours of chatting with one of my favorite people, that makes for a good day where I’m concerned.

The best part is we’ll see her again on Sunday for Easter, along with the rest of the family. How is it possible that it’s Easter weekend already? And April? How’d that happen so fast?

The tricky part now is coming up with a good dessert. Tiffany went to a nutritionist recently because of some ongoing, er, digestive issues and found out that she’s sensitive to wheat and sugar. Not quite an allergy, but two things she should avoid. She said that, since she’s started trying to eliminate them from her diet, she feels a lot better–which is great. But … Wheat? Sugar? That pretty much eliminates all baked goods, huh? Though we did kind of agree that pie would work. Minimal amounts of wheat in the pie crust, and controllable amounts of sugar. So. I guess I’m baking a pie on Saturday!

Anyway–nice day. Wholly enjoyable. Thanks, Tiffany!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:College // 1 Comment »

Today we got together with the family–my sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and my brother-in-law’s brother, his wife, and their daughter and son.

This is Joshua, who was born on my birthday in November.

His big sister Kaitlyn (though, I’m sorry to tell you I’m still never sure how to spell her name). She was taking my picture, here.

Jigsaw puzzle, anyone?

Kaitlyn DID give her brother the gift we brought him, after she thoughtfully unwrapped it for him.

Isn’t that teddy bear meant for me? I want it…

This picture of my Mom, sister, and Dad just cracks me up. (I’m sure Mom will hate it, as she does all pictures these days, but the dirty look she’s giving Dad, and the teasing smile he’s got, along with the amusement on Patty’s face … I love it.)

I had to snap this picture just as we were leaving–the teddy bear sitting in Joshua’s little chair.

The only one left out? Poor Chappy.

He forgave us just as soon as we got home, though. Although my guess is that the second walk we took him on definitely helped!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Family Day // Add Comment »

Hi, everyone, it’s Chappy, and I have a friend who needs your help.

Okay, I haven’t actually gotten to meet her yet, but her name is Lucia, but everyone calls her Lucy. She’s lucky enough to live with Susan and Erin and Paige at Juniper Moon Fiber Farm. (Actually, that’s another confusing thing because there used to be the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm because it was on the Vineyard, and then there was the Hudson Valley Fiber Farm too (which I kind of liked because it was a shorter drive and I don’t like the car), but, anyway, now Susan and her farm is in Virginia and called Juniper Moon. I’m not entirely sure where it is, but the pictures look like fun.)

Anyway–the help part.

Last night, Lucy was hit by a car.

I know! It’s awful. My sister Katy was killed by a car, you know, which worked out kind of good for me because that’s why Mommy needed a puppy when I came along, but it was still really sad. And even sadder, Susan at the whatever-you-call-it Fiber Farm lost of her dog Biscotti to car just over a year ago, too. (I know, the idea just makes me want to howl.)

But, here’s the point.

Sick Lucy

Last time we heard, Lucy was still alive, but having trouble breathing because her lungs are bruised (which just sounds painful, and Mom says she can only imagine how much that must hurt). The vet wanted to keep her on oxygen to help for several days, but it was too expensive.

So, there are two things you can do.

1. Say a prayer for Lucy. Or send good thoughts, or good vibes, or whatever you want. But, send some positive energy her way. Like I said, I haven’t met her yet, but she is a GOOD dog and she’s only a few months old and just shouldn’t die. Puppies just aren’t supposed to die, especially when they are so cute and lovable–not to mention loved. And hard-working!

2. Help pay the vet bills. Susan said that she doesn’t want to ask, that she hates to ask, but the bills from Lucy’s rush to the vet last night–and then the transfer to the second, more-expensive vet–wiped out her bank account. Now, I don’t know pretty much anything, but I know that bank accounts are necessary for things like food and collars and biscuits and chew toys and treats. And food. So I know it’s important.

This is what Susan said:

If you’d like to make a small donation to help with Lucy’s vet bills, you can send it via Paypal to susangibbs1 AT mac DOT com. We are all so very grateful for the thoughts, prayers and kind words you are sending to Lucy and to us.

But I definitely know that sending prayers can only help, and that if you can spare even just $5 to help pay for the costs of keeping that sweet puppy alive long enough for me to meet her and play with her, that would help, too. (And yes, I realize that would mean I’d have to ride for something like six and a half hours in the car. And be near the sheep again, who hopefully aren’t as mean as the goats were last time I saw them.)

Oh, and for any other dogs out there reading this? If your Mom or Dad needs to give you an extra hug, you should probably let them. Mom didn’t think it was funny when I played the “I’ve got a toy, keep away” game when she came home at lunch. Go figure.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Plea for an Injured Puppy // 6 Comments »

Don’t the boys look happy? Opening their Christmas Stollen?

Though, really, the “happy” part started earlier. When I opened the bedroom door for Chappy this morning, he ran straight downstairs to admire the Christmas tree.

Well? Guys? When do we get to open the presents?

We paused for breakfast (pancakes) and then sat by the tree for a bit … Chappy, though, was very focused…

I’m not entirely sure he remembered to blink! Seriously, he just sat and stared.

We moved the ottoman out of the way, and he moved closer … but I’d still swear he was staring so intently at that present in the front that he forgot to blink.

Naturally, we let him open his present first–a red ball that has a blinking light inside.

He helped open the other presents … or did after we let him open his second present–some biscuits I bought for him. (Well, my helper did, since the store was closed when we went there on Saturday.) We gave him one of the biscuits, of course, but now they’ll wait while he works his way through the batch of biscuits my niece made for him–because homemade is better!

Anyway, he helped open the other presents, but … like any kid … decided that that wrapping materials were more fun to play with than the actual gifts.

He was happy for this one, though! The inside is a different color, but he doesn’t care–he’s got two, full-sized dishes again!

We got out for a walk this morning, too, before the rain started. We expected it earlier, in fact, but actually, the rain held off for most of the day and only started around 5:00. We had turkey with trimmings for dinner–more or less a complete replay of Thanksgiving–and all in all, it’s been a pretty nice day.

Tomorrow, Mom and Dad are going to my cousin’s farm. We were going to go last weekend, to deliver their allotment of Christmas Stollen, but Mother Nature had other plans.

So, we rescheduled for this weekend, but my best friend is home visiting from California and tomorrow is the only day she can manage a visit, so … Chappy and I are going to stay home and let Mom and Dad go without us. (Mom’s a little bitter about this, “It was your idea,” but what can I do?) Chappy would probably have enjoyed meeting my cousin’s dogs and possibly even seeing the horses, but my guess is that he won’t really MIND not having to spend 3 hours or so in the car tomorrow, after 2 hours yesterday (grin).

All in all, though, how do you think he feels about his Christmas?

Lick-smacking good?

Or “Man, that tastes bad” disappointing?

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Happy Boys? // 6 Comments »

Chappy hopes that all of you are having as wonderful a day as he is.

Since this is Christmas Eve, we spent the day at my sister’s house. There were some presents, there was some yummy food, but mostly, there was love and a good time.

It was a beautiful day for a drive, too–the first time Chappy’s been in the car since, well, I would SAY since we moved in, but technically, the next day we took him in the car while we ran to the election polls to vote because we knew he would freak if I left him in this strange house. But, still, that was just a couple miles up the road, for just a few minutes … today was an hour there, an hour back, so it was a big day for him!

Anyway, we’re all in for the night, and I keep yawning, so I’m cutting this short.

Except, of course, to wish all of YOU a Merry Christmas tomorrow (whether you’re celebrating Christmas, or just–hopefully–enjoying a day off from work).

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Wonderful // 1 Comment »

We had the first snow of the season yesterday. About 2-3 inches, but enough for us to find out that the townhouse people DO in fact clear away the snow from not only the streets and sidewalks, but the driveways and walkways between houses. I took this picture of our street on our walk around the block earlier.

I tried, I really tried to get a picture of how this tree was shining as if every clump of snow was a diamond, but a point-and-shoot can only do so much–especially when you (1) can’t really see anything on the LCD screen and (2) you’ve got a dog more interested in sniffing and walking attached to the arm holding the camera.

We decorated the Christmas tree, too, which didn’t take nearly as long as usual (grin).

It looks pretty, though, and all our favorite ornaments are on, so we’re happy.

Though the process kind of bored Chappy.

Luckily, his grandpa came along to give him a good tummy rub.

And, of course, a good nap is always useful. (I’m biased, of course, but isn’t this an adorable picture?)

Oh, and my car had its eighth birthday on Thursday. I took this picture to commemorate the occasion. It’s hard to see, but that’s 54, 024 miles on the odometer.

How about another picture of Chappy with his Grandpa? He (Chappy) likes to weave his way behind people’s legs while they sit on the couch, and sometimes, he’ll just sit there and relax.

When he’s not busy napping, of course!

• Tags: Chappy, Family • Permalink:First snow // 6 Comments »

Hey, we have pictures!

As in, pictures hanging on the walls. Nice, huh?

No, this isn’t quite ALL the pictures we hung, but  after a while, while walking around with my camera, I noticed this:

And decided it was time to sit down for a while.

It sure was windy last night and this morning–a tree at our old house fell down across the driveway, so Dad called my brother-in-law to ask him to bring down a chain saw tomorrow to get it cleared away before the closing on the house in a couple weeks. Luckily, it wasn’t a BIG tree, but a few more feet of height and it would have damaged the garage doors–and it would have made it really difficult for my parents to get out of the garage, if we were still living there.

Hey, look–two sleeves!

I got a lot of knitting done on them yesterday, because I had extra time to knit yesterday. Why? Because we had our first (non-family) visitor yesterday … Kim! She came over yesterday afternoon and got the first look around our lovely new home, and then we sat down with our knitting and some of the delicious coffee she brought along, and just … knitted. So nice.

Of course, I tried to do something nice, and sent her home with a copy of Pixar’s “Up” for Liam to watch and … last night, realized that what I’d lent her was the CASE for Pixar’s “Up.” The actual DVD was still in the player. Oops! So, this morning, when Mom and I headed out for a cup of coffee (Saturday tradition, you understand), we swung by Kim’s house to drop off the actual DVD–and then Mom got a tour of Kim’s adorable little house. So, this was fun!

The one problem I have right now? The next step for my sweater is to sew the shoulder seams, sew in the sleeves, and sew up their seams. Except … my Knit Klips seem to have disappeared. You know, those little orange clips that are so handy for holding your knit pieces together while you sew them up? I know exactly where they WERE. As a rule, I know where my things are. I put them away when I’m done with them, so I know where to find them later on. But the move, of course, screwed that up a bit, and while I can find the pin cushion and such that the Knit Klips were right next to? The clips themselves have disappeared.

Darn. I LIKED those things.

• Tags: Family, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Wall Art // 1 Comment »

Well, Mom and I spent most of the month of October talking about how much we were looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, because we figured that, by then, we would pretty much be settled, and how thankful we would be for that.

Well, here we are, and yes, we’re thankful.

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Thankful // 2 Comments »

I took the day off from work today, obstensibly so I could relax with the house to myself for a while.

Well, I DID enjoy having the house to Chappy and me, but, um relaxing? Not so much.

However … remember the picture I showed you on Sunday? Of the downstairs that looked like progress simply wasn’t being made?

Well, after my “relaxing” day off, it looks like this:

It’s amazing what a difference just getting the floor cleared and the rug unrolled made!

I got my books organized, too. I know, it doesn’t really look like it, but they ARE. I alternated the horizontal/vertical thing to make them look a little more interesting, and kept to single-files where I could. They’re still not catalogued (Heaven knows when that will happen), and the alphabetization over in the fiction section isn’t perfect, but … they’re more organized than they were! Those 5 under-the-bed boxes, though? I have nowhere to put them. They’re filled with YA books that I grew up with and used to be under the table in our home office, but that’s not an option anymore, soooo….

Of course, the OTHER thing I really wanted/needed to do didn’t work out. I bought a wireless print server so that we could try to consolidate our printers… especially now that I’m two whole flights above them and really could use a printer that I could, you know, print from.

So, the printer we want this on is attached to Dad’s computer. Okay. He’s away at the moment, so I booted it up … he’s right. It takes a good 10-15 minutes for the thing to boot up. But, okay, I occupied myself by moving books around. Started the print server install … and around step 6, the mouse locked up. The keyboard would work, but I couldn’t use the mouse or move forward. Grr.

I didn’t really want to sit through rebooting it AGAIN, so … I tried his second computer. (The one I got him for his birthday in January that he still hasn’t completely switched over to yet.) At least it boots up quickly. I transferred the printer cable to it so I could install the printer’s driver … that bombed out. Apparently that printer is not one of the ones supported by Windows Vista. Uh-oh.

But, wait! Mom’s computer! I’ll install the printer on hers–it’s Windows XP, it should be fine. And it was. I installed the printer, and then ran through the set-up for the wireless print server, and clicked the “install on computer” button on the Linksys setup screen … and, nothing. The setup screen completely disappeared, as if I’d closed the program. Tried reloading it, clicked “Start,” clicked “Install on computer” and … poof.

So … still no wireless print server. Which means that I still don’t have a printer. And I’ve also just discovered that Dad’s slightly elderly, laser, color printer that we can’t afford to replace won’t work on his newer computer. (I wonder if it would if the wireless server was working correctly? I have no idea.)

Still … Chappy’s enjoying having the rug to lie on, and he says he enjoyed having me home, even if I didn’t sit down to relax with him at all until about 3:00.

When Mom got home from Patty’s, she almost fell over when she went downstairs, she couldn’t believe her eyes! I had left a few things for her to do–like emptying out the last couple things in this hat box (yes, it used to have a hat in it), that Chappy thoughtfully pointed out to her. She did, and then said, “I guess this is garbage then…”

Which was all Chappy needed to hear, because he immediately pounced on it. Not BEFORE, mind you, just after she said she didn’t want it anymore.

Which is good, because as soon as he caught it, he started to chew on it.

Apparently it tasted very, very good.

I’ve got the DVDs and VHS tapes by the TV organized, too. Dad was funny the other day when he saw me unpacking the tapes. “Do we still have the machines to run those?” Um, yes, Dad we DO have a VCR. Three in fact. I don’t care how wonderful those DVR things are … we don’t have one, and there’s no other way to record something on a channel different than the cable box!

I’ve even been getting some spinning done. In fact, I’ve gotten more spinning done in the last week than I have in the last few months! I finished the bobbin I’d barely started, have done one more complete one, and started a third. Granted, each bobbin only has about 2 oz on it, but still … it’s been months since I spent so much time with my spinning wheel.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Looks Like Progress // 6 Comments »

My best friend called me from California to tell me I’m not showing enough pictures of the rest of the house. (Okay, she called to wish me a belated birthday, but she DID make a point of saying she wants to see MORE.) So–to keep her happy … (And with a mention that I (1) took these with a phone balanced on my shoulder and (2) while carrying on what I hope was a lucid conversation and (3) a reminder that the house is  still a work in progress. By our usual standards, it’s a mess. By the standards of the last couple weeks? Doing better).

The view from our window. Note that there is NOTHING behind us but trees. At night, off in the distance, you can see the bottom end of the nearby Hyundai dealership’s lights because we’re really not that far from Rt 10, but otherwise, there’s nothing back there.

Mom and Dad’s room (with a glimpse into Mom’s closet). Their window looks over the garage and to the front of the house.

View from above of our living room. We finally got the book case full of movies and tv shows set up, though it’s a little wobbly on the carpet. Mom went to a hardware store to try to find some of those furniture safety straps to secure them to the wall, but couldn’t find anything. (And, yes, we DO have an enormous behemoth of a television set.)

My very bland bathroom, because she wanted to see. It’s very beige, but has the essentials–tub with shower, toilet, sink … and a medicine chest! (Thank you Home Depot.)

Going down the stairs, Santa waves a friendly hello. No, he’s usually not out quite this early in the year, but it seemed silly to put him away just to pull him out in a couple weeks. So, for now, he’s cheering us on from the landing. I’m going to miss him, come January.

View of the front door from the stairs. (Also the vacuum cleaner, the shopping bags I need to bring out to the car, the pen we block the front door with, leashes, umbrellas, door stop because the door to the garage is on a spring. And … oh yes … someone peeking through the railing.

Once down the stairs, this is the view to the right, into the living room. The second bookcase is set up and my cookbooks are finally unpacked. The rocking chair is still looking for a home, but at least it’s in from the garage. It’s the first piece of furniture I ever bought myself and I love that chair. I’ve sat in a lot of wooden rockers that were incredibly uncomfortable, but this one is perfect. I just wish I had room for it up in my room.

Turning from the living room toward the kitchen–the kitchen table, the breakfront in the corner, next to the pantry with Chappy’s dishes in front…

And the kitchen looks like this–complete with vegetable soup simmering on the stove, a fresh batch of granola, and a chocolate pound cake cooling on the counter.

Let’s not forget the Birthday balloon from my sister, still going strong nine days later.

Here’s the view heading back toward the stairs.

Now, going downstairs? This is the one room that–even though we’re making progress–still looks, well, like we’re NOT making progress. But we ARE!

Dad’s office area looks remarkably neat and clean (a rarity for him). He’s right by the window. If you’re paying attention to the floorplans, he’s right under the kitchen table.

Mom’s area (under the kitchen) is still a work in progress. She’s got a new computer desk, though–a $25 model from IKEA that we bought yesterday and that I assembled this afternoon. The row of short bookcases divides her section from Dad’s. She’s got the shelves filled with photo albums (which always look messy) and books … though the top will eventually be cleared off.

The two chairs in the sitting area? Well … you can’t exactly see the television from there at the moment. (See it there? In the back on the left? And … do you see who else is watching?)

Which makes sense, because right now, Chappy’s the only one who can really see the television.

Okay, Dawn, I hope you’re happy!

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Today’s Photos // 7 Comments »

What am I thankful for today? I went to the eye doctor because my left eye has been feeling like it had something in in for days now. (Okay, a couple weeks.) It didn’t hurt, wasn’t affecting my vision, so–what with the move and all–I didn’t rush over to the eye doctor. But, it’s still bugging me, so today I went.

Turns out, I’ve got a scratch on my eye which, according to my doctor, can feel the same as an irritant. He prescribed some antibiotic eye drops to prevent an infection, but otherwise it should just take care of itself.

It’s good to see that Chappy is relaxed. He doesn’t have a pillow up in my office-room (yet?), but the aghan my Grandmother made me back in the 80s works well, too, don’t you think?

You must watch this wonderful stop-action video. So sweet and life-affirming! They took over 60,000 pictures to make this video!

Oh, my, a Sheep Incognito calendar. Have you seen their wonderful artwork? The idea of all those adorable pictures on my wall makes me giddy.

Cinnamon Eggnog scones? Yum!

Is this what reading is really going to be like in 5 years?

And, wait, there was something else I was going to say … what was it?

Oh yes.

Happy Anniversary, Patty and Mike! Twenty-one years now … your marriage is now old enough to drink.

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Happy to See You // 3 Comments »

I hope you’re impressed that, even with all this moving craziness, I’ve still gotten some knitting done. Here are the cuffs of my two sleeves. Like the body of the sweater, they start with a horizontal cable (9″ long) and then stitches are picked up along the edges for the lower ribbing, and then for the actual sleeve. I finished the lower ribbing on one of them tonight, and picked up the stitches for the second one.

Usually, of course, I do my sweater sleeves at the same time, but I’ve got enough chaos around lately, I don’t want to deal with the two skeins of yarn that continually tangle thing, so I’ll be doing these on their own. Just … why not start with both of them at the same place, right?

Speaking of chaos … here’s my room. Now, for one, I can’t quite decide what to call this. My office? My fiber room? My sitting room? So, basically, I’ve got my bedroom, where I sleep and get dressed, and “my room,” where I do everything else. I’ve finally got my computer in here–it’s been plugged in next to my bed for the last week, but this is the room where it will live, so –at least it’s here. That’s what accounts for all those unsightly electric cables under the pretty cedar chest under the window.

The pillow on the cedar chest was made by my sister as a birthday present, because the colors in the fabric reminded her of me … looking around the room, I’d say that’s a yes, wouldn’t you? I hate the pile of stuff in the corner, though. (Well, I hate piles of stuff in general.) And I’m second-thinking the table RIGHT in front of the door when you come in … except that, once you’re in the room, it works there. If/when I ever sit at that secretary desk, it will give me a nice work area … it’s just kind of an obstacle to coming into the room.

Everything is in there, and all the major stuff has a place … the first, crucial step toward organization … but there’s just such a lot of it! I absolutely hate clutter–you know this–so the fact that it is, in fact, cluttered is kind of driving me nuts.

Well, not quite yet. I’m still in the “work in progress, don’t panic” state of mind as I work on getting things put away, but … if I don’t find room for everything to BE away, well … Let’s not talk about that, shall we?

And, it won’t make you jealous if I tell you that cedar chest is full of yarn, will it?

This is one of Chappy’s favorite spots–in the hallway between my two rooms. Here, he can keep an eye on me wherever I am (including the bathroom, which is just behind him)–as well as the hallway down to his grandparents’ bedroom.

The good news is that, after his sad, pathetic, woeful morning of howling and whimpering yesterday when his Mom headed off to work, today he was quiet and more his usual self. Because, yes, when I left for work yesterday, he took it very, very badly. I called twice and each time Dad just held up the phone so I could hear the “Wooooooooooooe, Wooooooooooe” in the background. Poor thing! (Well, both of them–Chappy for being miserable and Dad for having to listen to Chappy being miserable.)

You want to know what’s really exciting?

Look! Spinning! I actually sat down in front of my spinning wheel and spun up some of this luscious Cormo. The most spinning I’ve done in weeks. Woohoo!

Anyway, we’re all working hard on settling in. We’ve actually cooked meals, and everything. I clocked my commute today–going in (going through Indian Lake to work around the traffic on Rt 46 at rush hour), it’s 3.7 miles, coming home the more direct route, it’s almost exactly 2.5. That’s about 3 miles less driving a day than I was doing two weeks ago, when my commute was almost exactly 4 miles no matter what route I took. No complaints, there! Though we need to get the remaining stuff out of the garage so we can get our cars in there. (Finding room for my wooden rocking chair is surprisingly challenging.)

I can’t take a picture of it because my camera’s in the other room and anyway, he looks so disgruntled when I take his picture–like that one above–but right now, Chappy is curled up asleep in my green and pink afghan. I know, they’re not my usual colors, but it’s the afghan my grandmother made me twenty-something years ago and which is serving as a nest for Chappy until I can find him a decent pillow for in here. (Assuming I can find the floor space for it.) He looks so cozy, and is dreaming about something … I hate to disturb him to go say goodnight to his Grandpa!

Oh, and for the record? His bathroom habits seem to be settling in. You don’t really need more detail than that, do you?

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:I Hope You’re Impressed // 5 Comments »

We moved the red chair in my office today. I know, this looks like a huge room, but it’s about 10×10′, and the chair’s ottoman comes close to the middle of the floor, but still … the chair is in front of the closet now and within arm’s reach of the bookshelves with all the knitting books. (And, yes, I DO have a lot of knitting books!) It’s harder to see out of the window now, but it’s not like it’s THAT far away, and I can always move over to the cedar chest under the window if I want a closer view. The rug in the corner, alas… the one that I had in my bedroom and that I love … doesn’t fit. It’s banished to the garage. I suppose I COULD have it cut down to fit, but since it had a rectangular border all the way around the edge, that seems … odd. I’ll miss the look of it, even if this room does have perfectly good carpeting.

I’ve got all my books unpacked. Granted, right now they’re just shoved on the shelves, but still! They’re out of the boxes and lying flat. I found one paperback that had its back cover torn off, but not as many damaged corners as I’d been afraid of. They won’t always look this messy, mind you, just until I can get them organized. The important thing is that the boxes aren’t piled in the middle of the room any more!

And, look! Food in the pantry. Honestly, I can’t imagine how we would have managed without this.

The family came to visit today. We gave them all chores to do, but then fed them pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, and the Grandma Cake I baked yesterday. They brought me a homemade floor pillow as a birthday present, too, and helped hang my dresser mirror on the wall.

So far as I know, this concludes the birthday festivities … all of which I appreciate, even if I still don’t quite feel like I HAD a birthday. Too busy, too many chores that needed to be done, but still … lots of love.

And, yes, I might take one of my still-unused vacation days next month and treat myself to a day to just have FUN … kind of a birthday redux.

I can’t believe I have to go back to work tomorrow. I hope Chappy will be okay, considering how he howled when I left for an hour on Friday. I hope he goes to the bathroom like he’s supposed to while I’m gone. He HAS, incidentally, gone several times on the deck–not every time, but often enough that I’m not as worried. He still hasn’t “downloaded” there, which means that he’s only done one of those each day, while on his regular walk, but … that will come with time, I’m sure.

Has this been a relaxing vacation? (Ha! What vacation?) Um, no. Has it been productive? Very. We got an enormous amount of stuff done this week, and hopefully won’t need to do this again for a long, long time. Even down-sizing, we’ve got a ton of stuff!

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Progress // 3 Comments »

So, taking a cue from Carole…

Furniture. Furniture is good, right? At least it’s all positioned more or less where it’s supposed to be. And my spinning wheel is out of its bag!

See? I don’t know when I’ll actually get to sit and spin at it, mind you, but that’s not the point, right? That, and the fact that I’m gaining some floor space is an encouraging thing. Even if my area rug is still rolled up in the corner! (In fact, I’m wondering if it’s going to fit in the room at all … I don’t remember the dimensions of the rug.) I’m sitting in my red chair right now, though, so … definite progress.

And then … yes, I know, this looks like a mess, but in fact, this is huge progress. All the different bookcases are lined up along the wall, just waiting for, well, the books. Because, before you can release the books from their boxes, you need someplace to put them, right?

And, what girl wouldn’t love this? A brand new pantry?

Of course, it came in pieces and needed to be assembled–which is always my job. Considering there were no actual instructions in the box, I did pretty well, huh?

Well, okay, I called the 800 number and they emailed them to me. (You’ve got to love the internet, right?) But, still. We’re really very happy with this. Nice quality for self-assembled furniture, even if the magnets to hold it closed should be a tiny bit closer to the edge, because it doesn’t quite connect to the ones on the door. The only complaint is that the latch/lock doesn’t work–that was the sole set of holes that didn’t line up correctly–there’s about 3″ between the lock on one side and the latch on the other door, but since we don’t plan on actually locking it, we’re okay with that. (And, well, the plastic handles could be a little nicer, I suppose, but so what?)

And, one of my favorite parts? We ordered this from Amazon.com, and since I signed up for the Amazon Prime program, the shipping cost me NOTHING. Every other website we looked at for a pantry charged a minimum of $70 for shipping. So–a $185 pantry with no sales tax, no shipping. A bargain!

And, then, there was this.

You know it’s my birthday. It hasn’t really FELT like one (though there’s no question I’m tired enough to feel a year older!), but still, it is 43 years since I made my debut. My sister came down again, and she, Mom and I went out for coffee. (Well, Mom and I had coffee, I had a cupcake, Mom had a cookie, and my sister had a glass of water.) It was the first time that I’ve been away from Chappy since we moved in, and even though we left him home with his favorite Grandpa, he apparently HOWLED, poor little boy.

On the plus side, he made two puddles outside today. That’s a start!

Here’s what Mom found tonight. The baby bracelets from the hospital. Two for her (one each for me and for my twin Susan), and mine. Which, since I was so tiny (3.1 pounds), was actually wrapped around my LEG because that was the fattest part of me.

It’s a little small these days. But, speaking of birthdays and baby hospital bracelets … my sister’s brother-in-law and his wife became a father again … today! We’ve got another November 6th birthday in the family! Welcome little Joshua.

I got some spinning wool, too, as a birthday present. 24 oz from the Sheep Shed that Mom bought at Rhinebeck. Two in a nice, olive green, and one in a lighter green. It will make a gorgeous 3-ply yarn someday.

Sooner, now, of course, that I’ve found my spinning wheel … if not quite as soon as I’d like.

Okay … really tired now… I’m older, you understand, and it’s been quite a week.

Is it really Friday, already? So soon? Where did this week GO?

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Being Thankful // 8 Comments »

So, let’s see … the house is still a mess, but there IS progress being made.

See? I got my chair ottoman down on the floor! And as of right now, those cubbies are in the closet where they belong. The knitting and craft books are all thrown on the bookcases … they’re at least out of boxes, and I’ll organize them and stand them up later on.

We put the two bookcases I’d had in my old bedroom in the little hallway between my two rooms, next to the wall/balcony/overlook by the cathedral ceiling. It looks like the perfect place for my African Violets and a couple family photos. The actual books may change at some point, but hey…

Unfortunately, when I peeled the blue tape off these little filing cabinets in my office/fiber room, it took the finish right off with it. So they now look just dreadful. I mean, they weren’t expensive pieces, and they’ve actually been sitting in our old garage for a couple years now, but still …

My aunt and cousin sent us house-warming flowers. Aren’t they pretty?

Here’s the view from my bedroom, looking straight across. Looking down is the entrance by the front door.

Chappy’s glad to have his little corner set up. Our chair-and-blanket, his basket of toys, and the ottoman from the living room furniture.

Chappy says he could use a tummy rub, though, please. Though the good news is that, while he refused MOST of the times I took him out onto the deck today, he did, in fact, go twice. That made us all feel much better, and we made quite a fuss! But still, a tummy rub for encouragement couldn’t hurt.

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Moving On // 6 Comments »

Oh, people, you have NO idea how tired I am right now!

What time did the movers finish last night? Well, let’s see … they had to go back to our old house around 2:00 a.m. to get a SECOND load of furniture. Yes, you heard me. Two in the morning … our neighbors, old and new, must just love us.

When did they finish the actual moving in process? That would be 4:00 in the morning … eighteen hours after they started.

Eighteen hours.

Now, we can’t complain a bit about the three men doing this move. They worked HARD. They were nice, they were polite, they were good humored throughout, despite being exhausted at the end. We felt really bad that we couldn’t give them the size tip that they truly deserved. They earned it! But, as you know, this move was necessitated by financial need, and considering that the move cost us $1100 MORE than the high end of the estimate, and about the same as a month of our new rent (which is a real stretch to begin with) … the best we could do was making them coffee and giving our sincere thanks.

Their boss, on the other hand? Well … you would think that a person that owns a professional moving company would be able to estimate a LITTLE closer than that. That they would send the four men they said they would, instead of just three. That they would send a truck big enough to hold all the furniture, instead of making that short-handed crew to make a second trip back at two in the morning … and thank heaven that it’s only 2.5 miles back. You would think that, if the owner said he was going to come on the day of the move, that he would … or that he would at least return his crew’s no doubt frantic pleas for more guys or a second truck.

Needless to say, we are not at all happy with the man in charge.

And we are really, really tired. I managed to sleep late this morning … I got a whole four hours of sleep.

Well, almost.

Chappy was WONDERFUL yesterday. Bringing him to the house early, before the movers arrived was definitely the right choice. We set up his ex-pen in the kitchen for when the guys got here, but in the meantime, we sat on cushions in the front window. (You know, before the house filled up with lots, and lots of stuff.) He relaxed. He napped. He was happy, if confused. The only time he barked was when the movers brought stuff right into the kitchen and walked past him.

But … by the time we got to bed … and I am SO grateful for having just rolled my feather bed, comforter, and pillows together, so that I was able to make my bed at 4:15 in the morning in about two minutes flat … By the time we got to bed, he was fidgety. He was restless. Of course, he was the only one of the 7 of us involved in this move that got to nap, but this is what he always does the first night in a strange place. And, since he’s having trouble with stairs and such lately, and our usual jump-on-the-bed ottoman now lives in a different room, I didn’t want to risk him jumping off my very tall bed in the dark. I was certainly too tired to deal with it! So, he got to sleep in his crate last night. Possibly tonight, too, I’m not sure.

Today, though? I can’t get him to go to the bathroom. Now, our old house, his whole life, he went on the deck in the back. Always. Sure, when we went for walks, he would take advantage of the amenities, leave messages and such, but his regular bathroom was a deck. This townhouse actually has two of them, and when he visited on Saturday, he used one as his facilities just fine.

Yesterday and today, though? He sits by the front door, and when I open the door for him to use the deck, he goes outside and sits down. Or runs right back inside and heads for the front door. It’s like house-training all over again. He looked so desperate this morning, I DID finally take him out front, but I held strong this afternoon (and felt like a terrible, mean person), and he did eventually make one, very big puddle. But, since then? Nope. He just looks miserable.

Sigh. I keep telling him that we’re all making adjustments, but it doesn’t seem to help! (And the point of him going on the deck is so I don’t have to take him out for walks just before work, or when it’s raining or snowing. Or so that my parents don’t have to–especially since Mom can’t hold his leash because of her hands. He HAS to take advantage of our simply opening a door for him. A leash and heading out the front door every time is simply not an option.)

So, some pictures? Here you go.

At this point, we’re all wondering why on earth our furniture is so BIG. There were a couple pieces they couldn’t get in at all. Which means that there are a couple things we were expecting to have but don’t … and things that we have that are way too big for the space available. And, um, no money to make changes, so we’re just going to have to deal for a while.

On the plus side, my bedroom–small though it is–is at least set in its essentials. We reworked the furniture arrangement this morning. I’ve only got about a foot between my bed and the closet, and the dresser drawers don’t quite open all the way at the foot of the bed, but at least everything is there. I just have to find my jewelry box for the dresser top, put out a couple pictures and get my mirror hung on the wall, and that room is set. And my toiletries are all in the bathroom where I can at least find them.

The rest? The kitchen? The living room? The entire downstairs where Mom and Dad’s offices will be, as well as the bulk of my books? Um … well …

Okay, really, really tired now!

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Death by Moving Van // 10 Comments »