Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween

I loved Halloween when I was a kid.  I loved dressing up, running around after dark, carving the Jack-O-Lantern, watching The Great Pumpkin, and the candy.  Not so much eating it, but the surprise of what you would get.

I was watching some old CHiPs reruns via Netflix, and their Halloween episode was on.  Ponch was handing out candy to the kids, and it reminded me of an incident from when I was a child.

We were never allowed to go off of our street when we were Trick -0r- Treating, but this one year, a couple of the neighbor boys went with us.  We went across Irving street and into the trailer park over there.  A policeman stopped in his patrol car and said something to us-- I don't remember what.  He gave us each a handful of candy and drove off. 

I immediately began to unwrap a piece of the candy he'd given me, intending to eat it.  The older of the two neighbor boys admonished me, saying I should wait until my mother could check my candy before I ate it.

"It's from a policeman," I said.

"He might not be a real cop," the neighbor boy replied.  "He might just be pretending."

But I insisted he was a real cop.  He was in a patrol car, after all.  I ate my candy anyway, and lived through it.

We headed home after that, and another Halloween came to an end.  Soon after, so did the carefree days of childhood.  We don't celebrate Halloween any more.  "It's a Satanic holiday born of devil worship," or so the claim goes.  Nobody thought about that back then.  Nobody believed that dressing up and going door to door for candy would lead to clandestine Satan worship.  It was a day of fun and tradition.

Sometimes, I miss it.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

I Am The 1%



I live in a nice house. It may not be fancy, but it is warm and dry. I have comfy furniture to lounge upon as much as I like. I get food just given to me.  I get the finest veterinary care there is.  I've got a pretty cushy life.

Yet there are those who think my mama shouldn't be able to have me.  They want to force my mama to turn me out.  To make me fend for myself.

Do they know what happens to animals who have to fend for themselves?  They are cold, wet, and hungry.  Constantly on the run.  Chased.  Shot at.  Sometimes shot.

You know what?  PETA can kiss my behind.

I'm staying right here. 

I am the 1%.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Snowy Saturday

Yes, it snowed across much of the country today. Just not here. A wee bit envious, I am...

Anyway, before I get on with today's post, let me just say this:  Congratulations to the Cardinals on winning their 11th World Series.

Now, I'm not a real big baseball fan.  I can sit down and watch a game, but I'm not rabid about it.  I tend to follow the old adage:  Baseball is America's pastime, but football is America's passion.

I watched the ALCS, but once the World Series started, I kind of lost interest.  In a way, I was a bit conflicted.  I grew up an Astros fan, but where I live now, I've kind of become a Cardinals fan by default, since they mostly show either Cardinals or Braves games here.  So, I was glad to see them in the World Series.

On the other hand, being a native born Texan, I had to support the Rangers.  In a way, it was kind of a win-win for me, but I really wanted to see the Rangers win.  But they didn't, and I'm not going to be the kind of sore loser like I've been seeing on Facebook today.  You know, most people grow out of that by the time they're 10. 

Now, on to business...

I woke up this morning, and my new Cable was out.  Auggh!  The internet was out, too.  What was I to do?  Never fear.  I just did some housework, watched a DVD, and worked on Sport Weight Sock #2.


Fortunately, the cable came back on before the football games started, and I was able to watch Navy play Notre Dame. Um, I'd rather not talk about the final score. Let's just admire the sailor hat I worked on while watching the game.



Isn't it lovely?

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in 1776 Liberty. I really like the way the red, white, and blue are spiraling around the hat. This is a heavier worsted than the Cascade 220, so I'm using size 7 for the ribbing, and size 8 for the body of the hat. The yarn was kinda pricy, but it's so thick and squishy, it was worth it. I'm sure it will keep some sailor's head very warm indeed.

I spent much of the rest of the day deleting old photos from my desktop.  I finally broke down and bough an external hard drive, because my pictures were taking over my computer.  I've got everything backed up to it, but I wanted to upload photos of special occasions --Christmas, birthdays, and the like-- to my Webshots albums before deleting them from my desktop.  I've got pretty much all of my Kodak photos sorted through.  Now, I've got to start on my Canon photos. 

Now that I don't have a big honking antenna in the middle of my living room, I have kind of a blank spot on the wall.




A picture of Cody usually hangs where that little scarecrow decoration thing is.   But I've got to find something to fill up that big, blank space to the left of that.  I just don't have a head for interior decorating.  I know when I like something, but I can't come up with ideas to make a room look good.  In fact, most of the walls in my house are still, well, blank.

But you know what?  I'm OK with that.

Really. 

Friday, October 28, 2011

Socks N Stuff



Sport weight sock #1 is done!  I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind off, which is surprisingly stretchy.  Basically it adds a yarn over in between each bound off stitch, which is what makes it surprisingly stretchy.

I had the day off of work, due to inventory.  I'm glad, too, because it was cold and raining when I got up this morning.  I was able to let the dogs out, laugh at their misfortune--because you know, they had to go out into the cold rain and I didn't-- bump the heater to daytime temps, and crawl back into my nice, warm bed while the house warmed up. 

Speaking of, Jesse has been really good about staying close to the house.  I've been able to let him out by himself, and he's always stuck around, so that's one less thing to worry about.  He's also been very good in the house while I've been at work, so I think I can finally take that big honking dog crate out of my living room.

Anyway, I took one more step into the world of modern technology today.  The cable man came and hooked up my cable TV.

Gee, first voicemail, now Cable.  What is this world coming to?

Just to prove that I haven't completely strayed from my Luddite ways, I wrote my channel list out.  In longhand.  On paper. 


So there.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sweet Face



I was singing this song at work this morning, when much to the consternation of my co-workers, I suddenly burst out laughing. 

"Good morning, beautiful.  How was your night?  Mine was wonderful with you by my side.  When I open my eyes and see your sweet face..."  

The first face I see when I open my eyes is Jesse's.  Yes, he does have a very sweet face. 






I took this picture with my phone about a week after I got him.   For some strange-odd reason, Jesse is afraid of cameras.  As soon as I pick mine up, he goes and hides.  Maybe one day, he'll get over this.

Then I'll have a better picture of his sweet face.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Progress

1.  Sock progress:


My tootsies will be toasty warm very soon.

2. Sailor Hat progress:


A sailor's head will be toasty warm very soon.

3. My sister's blankie progress:


My sister and her kids will be toasty warm...um...probably not so soon.

But someday.

Eventually.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Music Monday



I think more people should learn to play the mandolin. It's a really cool instrument.

I finally broke down and signed up to get cable TV.  Yes, after all this time, I'm joining the 20th century.  Just think, cable TV and voicemail in the same week!  Woo hoo!

I do wonder, though, what's the point of having the ability to order service online if I still have to call and do it all over again?  See, you know I have an aversion to telephones, so I'd gone to the CableOne website to sign up for service.

When I got home from work, I got an e-mail saying that my Easy Pay enrollment had been canceled.  So I called CableOne to find out what was going on.  They said my address wasn't in their system so I had to do it all manually.

They sent a tech out to see if I could even get cable at my house (which I knew I could since the across the street neighbors have had it for years).  He called and left a message saying that I can get cable, but the funny thing is, I could hear Jake barking in the background.  I called him back and told him that I was requesting my hookup on such and such date.  I told him that dog wasn't mine.  I'd make sure my own dogs were shut up (they wouldn't be a problem anyway), but if he called ahead of time, I'd make sure Jake was put up as well.

He told me that he was sitting out in his truck in the road in front of my house entering something into his computer when Jake ran right up to his driver's side window and barked.  The tech said it scared him half to death.  I couldn't help but laugh.

Anyway, I called the Cable company and got it all set up to get hooked up on Friday.  She asked me if I wanted any additional rooms installed, and I said, "I've only got one TV.  I know I'm so behind the times!"  I went ahead and requested installation in my bedroom, though.  I've still got my old TV that I can put in there one of these days.

I'm only getting the $20 per month economy package right now, which is just local channels.  Maybe later, when I've gotten some of my other bills paid down I can upgrade, but for right now, that's all I'm getting.

I know you're all so thrilled to hear about my adventures in Cable TV.  I have such an exciting life, don't I?

Sheesh... I'm going to go knit now. 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

NFL In London

Yes, it's that time again.

Today was the annual NFL game played in London.  This year's game featured the Chicago Bears vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Bears won handily, Marion Barber and Roy Williams each scored touchdowns, and Josh Freeman --you know, the one Jimmy Johnson said Tony Romo should study because he's smart and makes good decisions-- well, he threw 4, yes 4, count 'em 4 interceptions.


But I digress...

In a pre-game interview, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell once again spouted his nonsense about having multiple games in London, and expressing his desire to have an NFL franchise permanently based there.

My answer to that is, in a word NO.

No, no, no!!

Europeans don't deserve an NFL franchise.  Why not?  Well, for several reasons, not the least of which is that for years we've had to listen to Europeans mock and ridicule our sport-- though if Goodell has his way, it'll soon become as sissified as they seem to think it is. 

They call our players wimps and wusses because they wear pads.  Well, the pads don't keep them from getting hurt.  They keep them from getting killed.  Just ask Joe Theismann.  Just ask Kevin Everitt.  Ask Jason Smith, who was carted off on a backboard during the Cowboys/Rams game today.  Heck, ask Sean Payton, who suffered a torn MCL and broken tibia standing on the sidelines last week. 

Europeans counter that rugby players don't wear pads, and they tackle, too.  Yeah, but I've watched rugby games.  They do tackle, but when they tackle, they wrestle the opponent to the ground.  They don't hit like an NFL player does.   

But even more important than that is that it would be too hard on the players themselves.  It's hard enough playing across two or three time zones.  Playing halfway around the world would be exhausting.  It would give a whole new meaning to the phrase "home field advantage".

Not only would they have to deal with a hostile environment, but the visiting team would have to come off a long flight -- and I mean from 8 to 16 hours long, depending whether it is an East Coast or a West Coast team -- and be dealing with jet lag on top of that. 

Now, for noon kickoffs this wouldn't be so bad, but a team cannot have every single game start at noon.  If a London based franchise were to ever play on Sunday, Monday, or Thursday nights at home, then the visiting team would be playing in what their body thinks is the middle of the night.  London is 6 hours ahead of New York, and 9 hours ahead of San Diego.

I don't care how athletic you are.  I don't care how good of shape you are in, there comes a point when your body says "it's time to go to bed."  Case in point-- a couple of years ago, LSU played their season opener in Washington state.  The game went on until after 1 AM central time.  By the 4th quarter, the Tigers were playing in a semi-zombified state.  They were slow.  They were sluggish.  They were tired.  And that was playing across just a two time zone difference.  Imagine a 6-9 hour time zone difference.

Finally, right now, a live NFL game in London is a novelty.  People travel from all over Europe to come see this one game.  Once the novelty wears off, would London be financially able to support an NFL franchise?  Would they be willing to financially support an NFL franchise?  My guess is no.  And what player would want to live in Europe, with their crippling taxes and sub par health care system?

Roger Goodell should leave the NFL in the USA.  That's where it started.

That's where it belongs. 

That's where it should stay.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Tiger Kind Of Day

It was a Tiger kind of day, when the LSU Tigers hosted the Auburn Tigers at Death Valley.  Auburn was supposed to present one of the bigger challenges LSU was to face this year.

It wasn't.  The game was so lopsided, it was almost boring.  Auburn's lone touchdown came with 2 minutes left in the game, and against LSU's backups.  Final score was 45-10, and they did it without Spencer Ware or the Honey Badger.  

Texas had a bye week, so that was pretty much it for football for me today.

That wasn't it for knitting.  I got the foot of my new house sock finished, the heel turned, and am now knitting away at the cuff.


It's just going to be plain, K2P2 rib, for however many inches I decide to make it.

Jake came to visit for a little while, so I put Jesse's food up onto the table so he wouldn't eat it.  I forgot about Squeaky.  Yeah...


The last few nights, I got cold enough that I brought my plants in from outside.  My Christmas cacti are absolutely covered in buds.  They ought to be really pretty here in a couple of weeks. 

Squeaky says, "I've got energy now. Let's get these fall decorations put out!"

Thursday, October 20, 2011

More Quotes

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." --A. A. Milne

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." --A. A. Milne

"Don't get stuck on stupid."  --Donald Rumsfeld.

"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living." - unknown but going viral

Our forefathers would have been shooting by now. --Unknown

Render unto my buttocks your lips. --Alfonzo Rachel

Peace based on illusions will crash eventually upon the rocks of ... reality.  --Benjamin Netanyahu

Evil is powerless, if the good are unafraid. --Ronald Reagan

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Strange women lying in ponds and distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

Pro football is like nuclear warfare.  There are no winners--only survivors.  --Frank Gifford

Don't Blink. --Jason Garrett

If the truth kills a man, let him die.  --Keith Brooking

This week, this game, right now.  --Wade Phillips

Spectacular results come from unspectacular preparation.--Roger Staubach

We have a Biblical mandate to take care of widows and orphans.  We do not have a Biblical mandate to take care of the lazy. --Bill Bubba Bussey

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.--Edmund Burke

If you don't have time to do it right, then you don't have time to do it over.  --Greg Harris

"I'm sorry, did I begin that sentence with the words 'If it please your highness'".  --Sheldon's Mom

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and to provide new Guards for their future security.--The Declaration of Independence

Truth is not what you want it to be;  it is what it is and you must bend to its power or live a lie.--Myamoto Musashi, The Book Of Five Rings

“Our football team won a game (Saturday) in very sloppy fashion.  It’s a victory. It may not be one you want to take a picture of and hold near and dear to you, but 10 years from now it will still be a victory.”--LSU Coach Les Miles

The path to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant.  --Miyamoto Musashi

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Such Is My Life

My excitement for the day: adding voice mail to my cell phone.

Yes, I have finally entered the 20th century!

I'm with it now!

Truth is, I never felt the need to have it before. I'd had my cell set to forward calls to my home phone if I was unavailable, busy, or if I didn't get to the phone in time. There, my home phone answering machine would record any messages.

But, over the last couple of weeks, I've had some calls that didn't forward when they should have, and others that did forward when they shouldn't have. After missing a couple of calls that were important --well, important to me, they were-- I decided to turn off all forwarding and set up voice mail.

I had to contact AT&T to get the service added to my account. The thing is, my plan is so old they don't even offer it any more. Back when I got it --in 2003-- I couldn't get voice mail with the plan I chose.  After talking to customer service, the tech was able to add it with no problem. And basic voice mail is free with all plans now anyway.

I know a lot of people complain about AT&T, but I've never had any problem with them. Every time I've needed something, I've received prompt and courteous customer service, and was able to get my problem resolved within just a few minutes.

My other excitement for the day was going to Wal-Mart to buy milk.  There was a tour bus there, and I heard some people in the store with Irish accents.  Why on earth would anyone come all the way from Ireland to the middle of nowhere Mississippi to shop at a Wal-Mart?  I had to crack up just a bit when I saw that one of the Irish people was buying --you'll never guess-- Guinness beer.  For real?  You come from Ireland, to Mississippi, and buy IRISH beer?  Yeah...

Well, when I got to the milk case, I saw that they had flavored coffee creamers.  I'd heard so much about Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte, that I wanted to try it.  Of course, not having a Starbuck's within 100 miles, one has to make do. 


It's pretty good. I also got peppermint mocha, but I haven't tried it yet.


It's supposed to be down into the mid 30s tonight, so this'll be good in the morning.  Better yet, Friday is supposed to be low 30s.  The best part about that is I have a vacation day, so I can let the dogs out into the cold and crawl back into the nice warm bed. 

He he he..

Ain't I the stinker???

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

No, I Haven't

Just in case some of y'all think I may have forgotten how to knit, I haven't.  In the midst of my case of the blechs this weekend, I still managed to finish a beret.  The interesting thing is that what makes a beret a beret is that you block it over a plate. 


Then, when you take it off of the plate, it has that classic beret shape.


Thank you, Charlotte for modeling for us.

The pattern is Through The Woods.   The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke DK, in the colorway Cabin Fever.  I knit it on size 6 needles.  I have quite a bit of yarn left over, so I'm thinking of doing another one.  However, if I do, I'll go up to a size 7 for the body of the hat. 

My heater came on for the first time today.  It's supposed to get down into the 30s for the rest of this week.  That means my days of going barefoot are just about over.  I'd bought a cute little pair of house socks at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago.  Oh, they are soft and squishy and warm.  The only problem is that they don't stay on my feet.

It only took a couple of days of walking around with my socks squirming their way off my feet to decide to just knit my own.  So, I bought some Stroll Sport, since I wanted something slightly thicker to wear without shoes.   Never having knit sport weight socks before, I wasn't sure how many stitches to cast on.  No problem.  I just cast on toe up. 

All I have to do is increase until they cover my giganto clown feet, and we're off to the races.


The colorway is Stream Heather.  There is no pattern.  I'm just using basic sock construction and will probably add a K2 P2 cuff. 

Now that it's starting to get cold, I have a feeling the blankie will be calling my name more and more.

Before I go, just a quick observation.  How in the world is the Post Office going broke?  With as much junk mail as I get, you would think they would be rolling in the dough.  You know the Do Not Call list?  I think they need to make a Do Not Send Junk Mail list as well. 

You heard it here first.  Call your senators. 

Monday, October 17, 2011

Where Does The Time Go?

Seems like it was just yesterday that my little 5th grader was bringing home the permission slip to take the band test.

"But I thought you wanted to play football."

"No, Mama.  I want to be in the band.  It's all I ever wanted to do."

Soon, he was bringing home his first little tuba, blatting away at it for hours on end.



Now, he is

First chair

Section leader


Senior.  

So, it is with pride, and just a touch of melancholy that I bring you

Cody's Very Last Band Night Ever. 




(I don't know why it's out of focus.  There is another home game Friday.  I'll try to get a better video then.)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Not Again

I thought I was in a really bad mood.  I thought I was just being grouchy. 

But I got home and couldn't get warm.  So I took my temperature.

Yep, I haz them.

The Epizoodies.

Again. 

Sigh...

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Here We Go Again.

It all started when Rylea decided to be jealous.

See, she's never cared about sleeping in my bedroom before.  Not even when I was...um, scared, and didn't really want to be in there alone.  I tried to get her to come in there.  She wouldn't have any of it.

Well, Jesse sleeps in my bedroom.  Not in the bed, but in my bedroom.

Last night, Rylea decided that she was missing out, and by golly, she was going to sleep in the bedroom, too.  OK, fine.  No problem.  Buuuut, when I got up at 11 ish to go to the bathroom, I stepped on her.  In truth, I barely bumped her, but being the drama queen she is, you'd have thought I was killing her the way she howled and yowled.

No big deal.  She got over it.



Everything was fine, until somewhere in the three o'clock hour, when Jesse got too close or something and all hell broke loose.

Now, it's one thing to be awakened in the middle of the night.  To be awakened by snarling, growling, and loud barking is another thing altogether.  To be awakened by snarling, growling, and loud barking in your bedroom, well that takes things to a whole new level. 

 I like to have come out that bed. 

I hollered at them, which settled things down for about ten minutes, then it all started back up again.  I ended up kicking Rylea out of the bedroom, whereupon, she barked a few more times -- just to have the last word in.  Or would that be, the last woof in?

Needles to say, she is banned from the bedroom until further notice.

Not that she seems to care.  She's back safely snuggled in on the love seat. 


And the world is once again as it should be.

P.S.  Jesse has come a long way since I got him two months ago, but for some reason unknown to me, he is still very very afraid of --the camera, of all things.  Maybe someday, I'll get a decent photo of him, but it won't be today. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sigh...

And this morning, he pooped on the rug. 

In all fairness, he was asking to go out, but I was getting ready for work and wasn't paying attention.  After he pooped, I did the forehead bop and said, "So that's what all that whining was about." 

Um, now if you will excuse me, I think I need to go chase the little bugger out of my bed.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Aaaand...

Jesse's trail of destruction continues.

This morning, while I was eating breakfast in the snake room because it's warm in the snake room, I heard a thumping and a bumping.

"I wonder what Jesse done got into now," I asked myself.

I went into the living room to check, and to my horror, I found this:


That is a sock I started a while back, before I started on Christmas gifts. Fortunately, I had only gotten the toe done. I'll probably rip the whole thing back and re-wind the yarn.

Even worse, was this:


Aughhhh!!! My darning egg!

Not that I'd ever used it to actually --um-- darn anything, but it's the principle!

The people from the pound estimated him to be about 2 years old, but honestly, I think he's a bit younger than that. He's still got too much puppy in him. OH, he's a good dog, he just needs to learn some manners.

We have had a bit of a breakthrough, though. For the last week or so, I've been able to walk him and Rylea at the same time in the mornings. That sure makes it easier than having to walk them one at a time.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

I Don't Get It

I just don't get it.

Eli Manning throws three interceptions in the Giants loss to the Seahawks. But all the sportscasters still say he's an elite quarterback.

Michael Vick throws four interceptions in the Eagles loss to the Bills. But all the sportscasters say those aren't his fault.

Tony Romo throws three interceptions and he's a boneheaded idiot who makes poor decisions and needs to be cut, traded, or benched. Jimmy Johnson said he would make Tony sit down and study third year quarterback Josh Freeman because he is smart and makes good choices. And this, despite the fact that Josh Freeman threw three interceptions in the Bucs 48-3 shellacking by the 49ers. Didn't make Jimmy change his story.

I guess politics isn't the only place a double standard exists.

What I do get is knitting.   I finished my Braided Swirl Tam hat.  It didn't really take that long to make.  Of course, it took longer because Jesse decided to use it as a chew toy.  Nevertheless, we persevered. Here it is in its pre-blocked state.



I also finished this basket weave pattern hat.


This is hat #2. I'm thinking I might give these to my brother and sister in law for Christmas.

And with my luck, this would be the one day they read my blog.

Ummmm, SURPRISE!!!

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Yesterday

Yesterday did not start off well.  OK, any day that starts off at 3:30 AM does not start well, but that goes without saying.

But I was in the snake room eating my breakfast at the ungodly hour of 4:00 AM --because it was warm in the snake room--when I heard a thumping and a bumping.

"I wonder what Jesse done got into now," I said to myself.


I went into the living room to check on him, expecting to find him tossing his rope toy about like he often does.  But to my horror, the sight that met my eyes was not a rope toy, but this:


Yes, it was the hat I'd been knitting from the JoJoLand Fantasia I bought at Hank's Saturday.  Pay close attention to the Chiao Goo bamboo needle that is broken in half. 


ACK!  That is just too much to deal with before the sun is even up!

I inserted the little darling back into his kennel, and rather forcefully I might add.  I have no recollection of ever uttering the words, "going back to the pound."

After I got home that evening, I tried to tink back, but ended up just frogging the whole thing and starting over.  It's a pretty quick knit anyway.


I'm almost back to where I was before the hat had it's unfortunate encounter with doggie teeth. The needle, unfortunately, is irreparable. (The orange yarn is waste yarn from the provisional cast on.)


After my heart started beating again, I drove on down to Jackson for my root canal.  I got lost.  See, they've moved to a new location, and well, I turned left when I should have turned right.  I called them and told them I was lost but I was on my way.  I eventually found the place, and after apologizing profusely for being late, the root canal was underway, and done.

I was done by 8:30, so I went and hung out at Wal-mart until the stores in the mall opened at 10:00.  I ended up not buying much of anything, because by that time, my deadening was wearing off and my 3:30 wake up call was catching up to me.  I did get Cody a few things because his birthday is next week.   


Although these might not make it to him.


By that time, I was just ready to come home, but I did want to stop in at the yarn shop first. Only I couldn't remember if it was North or South of the mall. I drove in circles for a few minutes, and eventually found it-- after I'd turned right when I should have turned left.  I didn't buy much thre, because she is kind of pricey. 

I couldn't pass this up, though.  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in the colorway 1776 Liberty. 


Fitting for soldier/sailor hats, I thought.  I also got another ball of Cascade 220 Superwash, but only one, because she is a bit more expensive than Hank's. 


And I broke down and bought a Zauberball Crazy.  I don't see a color name or number anywhere on the label, but I like it. 




I was hoping to find some more JoJoLand Fantasia, since I'm enjoying knitting that hat so much, but she didn't have any.  She had clover DPNs but not the Chiao Goo.  She was heavy on the Noro, and seemed to carry mostly the high dollar stuff.  She did have some Alpaca Silk in a 50/50% blend that I drooled over extensively.  But at $15 for a 50g hank, I had to pass on that. 

I did briefly consider stripping naked and jumping into the bin with it, it was that soft and squishy.  It was difficult, but I managed to restrain myself.

I know you're glad of that.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Frustrated

So, I went back to the gynecologist yesterday because I'm still having some pretty severe cramps.  He checked me out again, and couldn't find anything wrong with me.   My question is, if there is nothing wrong, why am I still hurting so bad?

Anyway, he gave me some pain killer and said we'll just keep an eye on it.  As for me, if this doesn't clear up soon, I'm going to go to a different doctor. 

Speaking of, I have my appointment for my root canal.  Why do I do this to myself?  I made it for 7:00 AM.  That means I have to be on the road by 5:00.  That means this post is going to be mighty short, because I'm fixing to go to bed. 

Monday, October 03, 2011

That Creaking Sound

That creaking sound you hear is all the fair weather fans jumping back off the Romo bandwagon.

 Last week, he was Da Man.  The Legend.  The Hero. The Demi-god of the NFL.


This week, he's back to being the worst to ever play the game.


Why? Because they lost. And of course, it's all his fault.


I mean, it's not like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning ever threw three picks in a single game, much less 4. Tony is the only one to ever do that.

And it's not like he had to throw the ball late in the game with a commanding lead because they can't run the ball effectively. No...

And it's not like Rob Ryan's vaunted defense completely disintegrated in the second half. 

And it's not like maybe the Lions are just good this year. 

No, it's all Tony's fault, and the same people who were crowning him with laurels last week are back to putting the hangman's noose around his neck this week.

Because that's what it means to be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Yarnz!!

OK, yesterday I told you that Christi put the hoo doo on me, and I went on an unplanned trip to Hank of Yarn, in Southaven.

We talked.  We laughed.  We petted yarns.  We shopped competitively.  Christi won, but only because she bought more yarn after I left.  The little stinker....

My White & Nerdy hoodie was a big hit, though, so that makes me the ultimate winner. 

So there.

But now I know you're all chomping at the bit to see what I bought.  And here it is.

Blankie yarns,

Blankie Yarns


which have already been knit into the blankie.




This is World Circus yarn by Regia.  I think this colorway is called Americana.  The name isn't on the ball band, but they had a poster up by the display with all the names of the colorways.  And you know what my memory is worth these days.

100_0084


I'd been looking at it every time I went in there, and this time, I finally got it.  Same with this:

Hat Yarn close up.


This is JoJoLand Fantasia.  Every time I go in there, I pick it up and fondle it.  Then I put it back.  Well not this time.  I bought it, and a pattern.

Hat yarn and Pattern


Somebody is going to get this hat for Christmas.    Pretty much everybody is going to get a hat for Christmas. 

And just to refresh your memory:



He he he...

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Road Trip!!!

So, my big plans for the weekend were to shampoo my carpet, because yes, one of the critters puked in the middle of my living room yet again.

But then Christi said, "Are you coming to Hernando for the Fiber to Fabric Fest?"  And just like that, my plans were changed. 

I went to Hernando, and Christi was there, and Amy was there,

Christi, Amy, and Me

and other people were there, and there was a llama

Llama

And there were alpacas

Alpaca

Alpaca

and goats

Pygora goat

and bunnies.

Angora Bunnies

People were spinning,

Spinning
and weaving,

Weaving

and felting hats.

 Needle Felting Hats

and beading.

Beading

This lady was doing traditional rug hooking, which isn't like latch hook.

 With one of her rugs

This one she was planning on donating back to the Desoto Arts Council.  She asked me, Amy, and Christi to add a few stitches to this rug, so that we would be a part of it.

Christi Hooking

And the Rug Lady

And yes, Amy is wearing Tiger ears.  We were keeping up with the LSU game on our phones, and I think people thought we were crazy, but that's OK, because we know we are. 

Once we were done having fun in Hernando, Christi decided to drive up to Hank's in Southaven.  I wasn't planning on going, but she put the hoo doo on me, and I went.  But I'll save that part of the trip for tomorrow.

I took more pictures than this.  If you want to see the rest, the album is here.