Fine Martial Fiber

Oh, The Irony!

2012-02-17T20:25:00.000-06:00

Can you spot it?

My Life

2012-02-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

There comes a point in everyone's life when you seriously have to question if a person's sinuses can really explode or not. I reached that point late yesterday afternoon. I went to bed early, knowing that everything is better after a good night's sleep. I just wish I could have gotten one.

Seems Rylea ate something she shouldn't have and had the scoots. Every two hours, she was needing to go out. Unfortunately, one of those times, I didn't quite make it out of bed, and woke up to doggie diarrhea in the living room.

But that wasn't the worst. She somehow managed to knock over and poop on my A Christmas Carol, illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt. I'd bought that book for my dad way back when I was in college. It was a keepsake. I was so upset.

And it was then that I discovered that I was out of paper towels. Cleaning up doggie doo with paper napkins just doesn't cut it. No problem. I'd just grab my rug stick.

It was then that I discovered that I was out of carpet cleaner. Sigh...such is my life.

Let's move on to a more pleasant topic, shall we? My weekly WIP update.

1. Bubble Wrap sock: Completed!

2. Conwy sock: No progress this week

3. Traveling Roses Scarf: No progress this week.

4. Arwen Wrap: Yes, I picked this one back up. I managed to wash most of the gakked up hairball remnants out. It came out pretty easily, so I'm sure the rest will come out in the final wash. The pattern got the worst of it, and it wasn't any problem to print out a new one. I've knit a couple of rows, but not enough that you can tell from a photo.

5. Garter Rib Scarf: I knit a couple of rows, but not so much you can tell any difference.

6. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. No progress this week.

7. 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. No progress this week...

8. A Sock: Ditto

9. Fruit Of The Vine scarf: Ditto.

10. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice. I actually paid for this pattern, so I'd better get this one done!

11. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me. The only name on the label is Dardo.

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

12. Leper bandage: no progress this week

13 & 14. The two sock yarn blankies. I knit 4 squares on my sister's version of the blankie. I'll get a new photo up soon.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T19:23:00.000-06:00

I got a packet of grape jelly for Valentine's Day.

I know you're envious.

Light Blogging

2012-02-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

This sinus mess I've been battling it seems like forever flared up again yesterday. I woke up feeling like my head was going to explode.

It was also 19' outside.

It was so cold, I wouldn't even let the dogs stay out for very long. They weren't happy about that, but they got over it.

I didn't get out in it either. I went to church online, then spend the rest of the day catching up on Downton Abbey episodes.

So there really isn't that much to blog about, because there really hasn't been that much going on.

Still, we must persevere, and go on with our Music Monday. In honor of Valentine's Day, I give you one of only two Ditsy Twits songs I like. It was written to be about children, but could be a love song as well.

Chilly Saturday

2012-02-11T21:49:00.001-06:00

It was sunny, but cold all day today. The North wind was blowing so hard, I could hardly get the door open to let the dogs in and out.

And in and out

And in...

And out...

You will be happy to know that Jesse is off of his restrictions, and can finally run and play like a dog should.

What else did I do today? Well, I drank hot chocolate and knit, while watching videos via Netflix. And what did I knit? These:

Yes, I have finally finished the Bubble Wrap socks, nearly two years after I cast them on. Now, I wasn't knitting on them for the entire two years. For about 23 months of those two years, they languished in Second Sock Syndrome. But no more. They are done. And they are huge. I don't know why they turned out so big. I was nervous for a minute that I would run out of yarn, but I didn't. I finished with just about 10 yards left. Not even enough for a blankie square.

Now, this, my friends, is nectar of the gods.

It is chocolate pudding dump cake, and is really easy to make. Just take a cake mix- chocolate, of course-- a box of pudding mix -- chocolate, of course-- and 1 1/2 cups of milk. White, not chocolate. Mix the milk and the pudding together, then mix in the cake mix. Spread it out in a greased and floured cake pan, sprinkle chocolate chips on the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

That's it. Really. The batter is going to be thick, and it tends to be a bit gooey in the middle, but it tastes delicious.

So good, in fact, that I think I'll go have another piece.

Well, That Sucks

2012-02-10T20:46:00.000-06:00

I loves me some Bill!

Dear CoWorker

2012-02-09T18:27:00.000-06:00

Was "I don't want a man in my life right now" a little too subtle for you? Should I skip straight to the "*$^#&* off, you jerk"?

I'll be only too happy to do so.

Oh, and here's another little hint for you: you cannot make a woman fall in love with you by annoying the snot out of her all day, every day. So stop already.

Thank you,

That is all.

WIPs On Wednesday

2012-02-08T20:03:00.001-06:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted a WIP update. I'd meant to post one last week, but there was that pesky tornado thing going on. Then I forgot that I hadn't posted one the week before, either. In the intervening three weeks, I have gotten quite a bit done--relatively speaking.

But I'm still working on coughing up my lungs. Haven't finished that one yet.

1. Bubble Wrap sock: After languishing at least two years in the throes of second sock syndrome, I finally cast on the...um...second sock. It's a pretty quick knit, and I'm already past the gusset decreases and beginning the foot. I'm still not thrilled about this yarn though--Knit Picks Imagination in Pixie Dust. I just hope the socks last longer than it took to knit them.

2. Conwy sock: Still languishing in the gloom of ...well, you can't call it SECOND sock syndrome because I haven't finished the first one. Is there such a thing as first sock syndrome?

3. Traveling Roses Scarf: No progress this week.

4. Arwen Wrap: Still languishing in the gloom of Gakked Up Hairball Syndrome.

5. Sport Weight Socks: Completed!!

By the way, they did loosen up considerably when I washed them. They're still wearable, but I'm wondering if next time, I should go down to 40 or even 36 stitches.

6. Garter Rib Scarf: No progress this week. The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Gingerbread House. I know, I know. I wasn't thrilled with this yarn for socks, but it should be fine for a scarf.

7. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Which I still haven't finished.

8. Followed closely by the 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I detect a pattern here...

9. A Sock: What you don't see here is that Jesse got ahold of the yarn cake and it is now a tangled mess. At this point, it's probably going to be easier to just rip and start over.

10. Fruit Of The Vine scarf: I think the yarn is Knitpicks Gloss Lace, but I'm not really sure. It was some I had left over from doing a larger project. Still, I think there is enough to make a good size scarf here.

11. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice. I actually paid for this pattern, so I'd better get this one done!

12. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me. The only name on the label is Dardo.

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

13. Leper bandage: some progress, but not so much that you can tell from a photo.

14 & 15. The two sock yarn blankies. No progress

So that's it for this week. Slowly but surely, little by little, I'm making progress.

Believe it or not, I went all the way to Memphis yesterday and did NOT stop at the yarn store. I've made a commitment to knit from stash-- mostly because I can't afford more yarn-- and I'm determined to stick to it whenever possible.

Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.

About Me

2012-02-07T20:51:00.000-06:00

I told you my nerves were shot. Sometimes it seems like I have a gazillion people all pawing at me, wanting stuff. Then I get home and I've got about a million dogs and cats all pawing at me, wanting stuff. Everyone around me demanding something, and nobody ever gives back to me. Bunch of leaches, sucking me dry. Sometimes, every now and again, I've got to get away. I've got to do something for me. Today, I went to the zoo.

By myself.

It was wonderful. Nobody clamoring for attention. Nobody asking me what such and such means, or can I do thus and so, or can I fix something so and so messed up Nobody yelling at me for--well, for anything. Today,. I was doing something I wanted to do.

For myself.

The day was chilly, and the zoo was nearly empty. No crowds. No shrieking kids. Just me and the animals. I could get close enough to take pictures without getting a thousand heads in the way. I could stand and watch the animals all I wanted, without anyone shoving to get in front of me. It was relaxing.

Maybe not this relaxing.

But relaxing nonetheless. I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed my day. I needed this day.

Tomorrow, it's back to the rat race. Back to the demands. Back to the questions. Back to the yelling. Back to the pawing.

But today at least, it was all about me.

P.S. I'll get the rest of the photos I took uploaded over the next few days. Right now, I'm going to bed. After I take care of these dogs that are demanding attention.

No Mojo

2012-02-06T20:45:00.000-06:00

It would seem my blogging mojo has gone South for the winter.

We all go through slumps every now and again, especially when your life is as dull as mine is.

But, instead of trying to force myself to post as I would have done in the past, I'm just going to take a little break. I'm sure things'll pick up eventually.

I took a day off at work tomorrow. When I put in for it, my supervisor asked which day I wanted. I said to give me the first day that's open. "I just need a day off", I said, "my nerves are shot."

Kelly Clarkson sang the National Anthem at yesterday's Super Bowl. Although she didn't butcher it as badly as some have in the past *cough* Christina Aguilera *cough*, I wish they would just sing it like it was written. The way it's supposed to be sung.

Like this:

Now, if that doesn't give you goosebumps, maybe you need to move to Cuba.

Or France.

Why?

2012-02-04T21:14:00.001-06:00

Why do I do this to myself? Why?

Why do I insist on reading creepy murder mysteries right before bed?

Why?

As if that weren't enough, the cat has suddenly decided she'd going to be a mouser after all. So she's chasing mice through the kitchen, and the noise wakes Jesse up.

Jesse, as you know, sleeps right beside my bed.

So the cat is chasing mice through the kitchen, and the noise wakes Jesse up and he barks, and that wakes me up with a start and my heart is all beating really fast and everything, and I'm all scared and stuff...

That's one of the few times I really do wish I had a man in the bed with me.

But I don't have a man in the bed with me. So I clutch Felix

tighter and pull the covers up over my head and vow to read only romances from now on.

That vow lasts for about half a chapter, and I think, "bleh", and I'm done with romances. Soon, another creepy murder mystery finds itself on my nightstand and the whole cycle starts all over again.

Why do I do this to myself?

Why?

Stormy Weather

2012-02-01T21:17:00.000-06:00

We had a bad storm blow through here this evening, complete with tornado on the ground.

The power was out for nearly two hours. I was taking a bath by candle light when it came back on.

So the blog post I had planned for tonight will have to wait until another day.

Oh, and we all made it through ok.

Query

2012-01-31T20:40:00.000-06:00

When did stupid become the new cool?

We lament in despair over the state of our young people, yet for some reason, grown folks -- grown folks-- have decided it's cool to walk around talking like three year olds.

No wonder our kids are growing up morons.

We should be setting the example.

Or we have no right to criticize the kids.

Lesson For The Day

2012-01-30T07:07:00.015-06:00

When you look at someone and ask indignantly, "Don't you understand English?" it's a good idea to first make sure that you were in fact speaking...um..English.

Sheesh...

For your Music Monday, I bring you a little flashback. When I first got to Italy, I listened to Italian radio. No, I didn't understand any of the words, but I did like some of the songs. Believe it or not, I actually found one of my favorites on YouTube. I still don't know what it means, but here it is.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm

2012-01-29T21:04:00.002-06:00

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
― Adrian Rogers

An FO!

2012-01-28T22:13:00.000-06:00

Or should that be a FO, since "FO" stands for finished object? Well, no matter. What we have here is a completed pair of socks.

This is my second pair of sport weight socks, knit in Knitpicks Stroll Sport in Buckskin.

They are a little tight on my toes, but as the blue pair grew after I washed them -- so much so that I can't even wear them any more-- I knit these a little small. As for the blue pair, I knit them toe up. I'm thinking if I rip back the cuff and decrease to 48 stitches, then re-do them, they will fit better. It may not look the coolest, but since I'm only wearing them to sleep in, it doesn't really matter.

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching A Pioneer Woman Cooks on food network. She made a recipe she calls Spicy Pop Pulled Pork. I made me some, today, except not spicy. Mainly because I forgot to buy the chipotle peppers. What makes this recipe unique is that you pour cokes over the pork shoulder before you cook it. Apparently, in Oklahoma, they call cokes pop-- which is how the recipe got its name.

Anyway, in the recipe, she said she uses Dr. Pepper. That's what I used, and it gave the pork an oddly sweet taste. Maybe if I'd remembered the chipotles, it would have offset the sweetness. I don't know. It tasted better when I mixed barbeque sauce into it. I think next time I make it, I'm going to use Coke instead. It's not as sweet.

Brittani and I got out and walked the dogs today-- all except Jesse. Once we got down to the dirt road, and let them all off the leash, you could tell Sadie and Zoe were having the time of their lives. I don't think Zoe stopped running until we were half way back. We took them down to the creek and they played and chased sticks and peed on stuff and smelled stuff and got in the water and everyone got along perfectly well and a good time was had by all. On the way back, Sadie and Rylea walked right beside each other with nary a growl or a lip curl.

But, an hour later, they were trying to eat me through the fence again. I think being in such a small, confined space is stressful to them, so they react the only way they know how-- with aggressive behavior.

Well, we'll work on that, too.

Long Week

2012-01-27T22:40:00.000-06:00

This has been the longest week! I think it's the first time I've actually worked a full 40 hour week since October. I'm just not used to it. I keep hoping to get some overtime, soon. They say by the end of next month, we'll be working 6 days a week. I hate the hours, but I sure could use the money.

I've still got a few weekends left. I'd better enjoy them while I can.

Jake

Remember when I told you about my cousin's dogs a couple of weeks ago? Well, today the guy that owns the house on the other side was in his yard and Sadie and Zoe went after him. He scared them off with a shotgun, and by the time James got over there, Ronnie was still shaking like a leaf.

James told me later that the little old lady on the other side of him was in her yard one day. When Sadie and Zoe saw her, they went crazy, barking and snarling and jumping at the fence. Mrs. Woods started freaking out, shrieking and crying and stuff. If they'd gotten out, they would have eaten her up with her acting like that. If they'd bitten her, her son wouldn't have just fired a warning shot.

Sadie

Even me, when I come outside of my house, they still come after me. It takes a minute, and they eventually calm down, but for that minute, they truly look scary, what with their teeth all out and everything. They look for all the world that they are going to attack me.

That was always my worry. If they did bite somebody, they'd probably end up being destroyed because they've shown a history of aggressive behavior, and Mike and Dennise would be fined or worse.

They're not really bad dogs. I think they're insecure. They're in a new place, surrounded by strange people and strange dogs. They've always been inside dogs, now they're kept in a pen in the back yard. The pen is too small for one dog of that size, much less two. They're used to having walls around them. Now everything is wide open. I think they must constantly feel like they're having to look over their shoulders, so to speak. It's made them aggressive. Kind of an "I'm going to get you before you get me" thing.

I don't know what's going to happen in all of this. I did tell Dennise that I would start walking them when I walk mine and Jake in the evenings. Maybe that'll help.

I don't know, but it sure won't hurt.

Yay!

2012-01-26T21:44:00.000-06:00

No doggie do in the floor when I got home this evening. Jesse must be feeling better. That's about the only good thing that happened today.

Well, I went in to get my prescription for my Nasacort and they told me it was going to be $102. I asked for the generic, and they said that was the generic. I think I'll just do without. People want to blame "greedy" pharmaceutical companies for the reason drugs cost so much, but really, they only make about 2% profit. Most of the costs go to a) research, and b) beggars, illegals, and other bums and mooches who just don't want to pay for their medicine. Somebody's got to pay for it, and that somebody is you and me.

So I left the medicine there and just came on home.

I watched this show on CBS.com called Undercover Boss. I've only seen one episode, though this is the second season. It was pretty good. I wish one of our bosses-- and I mean the way high ups-- would go undercover at our plant. Boy, would it be an eye opener for them. There is so much wrong at that place, I don't even know where to begin.

A couple of years ago, they sent an engineer out from Dallas to fix things. He told me that things were going to start being done right. I said, "Forgive my skepticism, but I've been hearing that for 15 years and nothing has changed." He stayed for about a year (flying back and forth from Dallas), and came back about six months later. By that time, everything was right back to the way it was when he got there.

Part of the problem is, when they send bad parts to the assembly lines, we're not allowed to reject them. They claim that they don't want to waste all that copper, so we just have to make them work. All that does is remove accountability from the component areas. When they know they don't have to do things right, then they do just enough to get by. If they know they're short on parts, they don't re-order them. So we have to do it. If a part gets smashed or dented in a machine, they just toss it in the bin and send it on to the line with the rest of the parts. So we have to go order a replacement.

Howard is going to get all in a tizzy because someone pulls his gloves off 30 seconds before the lunch buzzer goes off, but we waste way more time wrestling with bad parts.

And I won't even get into the harassment, favoritism, and the selective enforcement of the rules.

Not tonight, at least.

No WIPs This Wednesday

2012-01-25T19:56:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know it's Wednesday, and the day I normally post my WIP update. However, since my knitting mojo seems to be somewhere in Barbados, I haven't really finished anything since last week.

Something has Jesse's tummy upset. He's been off his feed and today has had diarrhea. I think it's all related to getting his heartworms treated, because since we did that, he's had lots of accidents in the house. That's why I've put him back into his kennel while I'm at work. I'm hoping it'll all clear up in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, he had diarrhea this morning on the carpet, and again in his kennel while I was at work. So, after cleaning the carpet-- including shampooing it-- cleaning out the kennel and bathing Jesse, since he'd gotten it all over himself, I'm just too tired to knit.

So in lieu of a WIP update, I give you this:

A First

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that strange dreams are par for the course around here.

From undead husbands, to the undead who wish to be my husband, to baby airplanes, and everything inbetween, I've had them all.

But I think this is a first, even for me.

Last night, I dreamed of a chupacabra.

My boyfriend -- amazing in itself since I don't have one-- came to my apartment (huh?) All excited because he and his buddy had found signs of chupacabras. They were going to go out the next day and see if they could find one.

But I could see what was going to happen-- it was like watching the previews of the next episode of a television series. I could see that the chupacabra was going to rip my boyfriend apart and eat him.

Sigh, is it any wonder I always wake up tired.

Music Monday

2012-01-23T20:05:00.000-06:00

When I first moved here, I wasn't really used to dealing with tornadoes. Hurricanes yes, but not tornadoes.

Now, some 18 years later, I'm still not used to dealing with tornadoes.

And it has already started. Last night, storms ripped through the South, killing at least two people in Alabama.

When I first moved here, I wasn't really used to dealing with tornadoes. Every little storm, I'd be running over to Beverly and James' house in a near panic.

Then one day, it occurred to me. Nothing is going to happen to me that is not part of God's plan for my life.

Now I'm no longer afraid. Oh, I take reasonable precautions, but I'm not scared any more.

Because I know he holds my future, and no one can snatch me out of his hands.

The Great Washing Machine Quest

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

Despite it being chilly and damp yesterday, I needed a new washing machine. So I got up bright and early and set out on the Great Washing Machine quest.

Well, it wasn't much of a quest, since I knew exactly where I was going to go. Lowe's in Batesville.

About halfway there, I remembered that I'd forgotten to get a new allergy protector thing for my mattress-- because the old one had gotten shredded when the old washer gave up the ghost-- so my first stop was at Wal-mart. I got into the store, and was wandering around with my buggy, when I realized that I couldn't remember what I'd stopped there for.

I wandered around a bit more until I remembered what I wanted to buy, then it was on to Lowe's. I had looked online and found a washing machine that I liked, but when I got there, they didn't have that one in that store. Instead, they had this one:

It's a Maytag, and probably a better machine than the one I was looking at anyway. It's got four temperature settings

and four water level settings

and all these different cycles.

It's got a series of lights that shows you where it is in the cycle. The only thing is, you can't start your tub filling with water until after you close the lid. Then it locks and you can't open it at all, unless you pause the cycle. And since you can't open the lid, it's got a built in fabric softener dispenser that you can turn off if you're not using fabric softener.

I spent all day today catching up on my laundry, including all the bedding that Jesse peed on. It is so much quieter than my old machine, though the first few times it ran, it scared Jesse when the water came on.

Speaking of dogs, we've come to a tentative truce with the dogs next door. I'd made friends with them, and so had Jesse. Rylea was still picking fights with them, though. I suggested that we just put them all out in the yard and let them fight it out. This afternoon, that's exactly what I did. Sadie was trying to make friends, and it's Rylea who gets all bowed up and starts acting aggressive. I let them fuss for a while, then said, "that's enough". We walked around the yard a bit, until Jesse started getting too excited and I had to put him back inside.

In the meantime, Squeaky has developed quite a fondness for the space heater in the snake room.

"I wubs you, warm fing", she says.

Can I Curl Up And Whimper Now?

2012-01-20T22:08:00.000-06:00

OK, so I come home after a particularly odious day at work -- which does not really figure into this story-- to find that Jesse had, yes really, jumped up right in the middle of my bed and peed. Seriously. In my bed.

Boy, he's lucky I just spent all that money getting his heartworms cleared up or he might not have seen the light of another morning. So out comes the dog crate again, and off comes the bedding. Everything.

I'm just glad I had one of those big plastic bags on my mattress, for allergies, you know. It kept the mattress from getting soaked.

I ran one load through the washer, but midway through the second load, I hear a huge crash. It sounded like the washer had fallen over. It hadn't fallen over, but the drain hose had come loose and water was coming out of the bottom and flooding my kitchen floor.

Now, under normal circumstances, I'm just about the biggest hermit on the planet. If the phone rings twice in the same week, I complain that it's "ringing off the hook". And no one ever comes to my house. Ever.

But the minute my washer breaks and water starts going everywhere, the phone rings and someone knocks on the door. At almost exactly the same time. On top of that, all the water I'd drank at work decided at that very moment it just had to come out. Right then. Figures.

How in the world does everything know to happen all at the same time?

I called James and he came over after he got off work, looked at my washer, and pronounced it dead. So, tomorrow I'm off to buy a new washer, which I can't really afford. But I gotta have one. A couple of people have suggested Lowe's. The closest one is in Batesville, so I reckon I'll drive up there and see what they have. I could order one online and have it delivered, but I want to see if they have any closeout specials or anything like that.

But now, I've got to go find my other set of sheets to put on the bed, and the old comforter (and hope the cat hasn't peed on it), so I can sleep tonight.

Long Day

2012-01-19T19:49:00.000-06:00

We got to stay late at work yesterday, then had to go in early this morning, which made for a long day. Add to that a strange restlessness that kept me up until after midnight, and waking up every hour to check and make sure I hadn't slept through the alarm, I'm one pooped puppy. What made us aggravated is that when our own line is behind, we are told we can't work overtime, but when they want us to do another line's work, then that's OK. It's enough to make you say, "aargh!"

Then I get up, log into Facebook and find out that the fashion industry now considers a 6 to be a "plus" size. Seriously? Six is a plus size? Don't our young girls have enough trouble with body image without being told that they must be emaciated to be considered beautiful? According to the article, the average model today is 23% underweight. That meets the body mass criteria as anorexic. No wonder our girls are starving themselves to death. It's enough to make you say, "aargh!"

And you know what? Men don't find that attractive. Or as my friend the late Bubba Vance used to say, "Bones are for dogs."

Speaking of dogs, Jesse is getting restless. It was easy to keep him down the first few days when he wasn't feeling so hot. Now that he's feeling better, he's wanting to get out and play. He doesn't understand that he can't. Sigh, three more weeks...

One last thing, I think I'm going to move to Crockett. I hear the vet clinic there is awesome!

WIPS on Wednesday

2012-01-18T20:07:00.000-06:00

I was dreaming of scrambled eggs. A big ol' plate of scrambled eggs. Truck stop scrambled eggs, cooked to perfection. I didn't know what they were at first, until I took a bite of them. Scrambled eggs! Ohh, they tasted so good! I ate the whole plate full, and enjoyed every mouthfull.

Then sent Cody out to buy a new bottle of Benadryl. And woke up feeling like I wanted to cry.

Sigh...

So, let's move on to more pleasant topic-- knitting. Yes, it's Wednesday again, and that means it's time for another WIP update. I've spent most of this week trying diligently to cough up my lungs, so I didn't really get much accomplished. I did get one project finished.

No, I didn't get my lungs coughed up. I'm still working on that.

1. Charity scarf-- Completed!

2. Bubble Wrap sock: Still languishing in the gloom of Second Sock Syndrome.

3. Conwy sock: Still languishing in the gloom of ...well, you can't call it SECOND sock syndrome because I haven't finished the first one.

4. Traveling Roses Scarf: No progress this week.

5. Arwen Wrap: Still languishing in the gloom of Gakked Up Hairball Syndrome.

6. Sport Weight Socks: I finished the first one, and have the cuff of the second one done. Currently working on the heel flap.

7. Garter Rib Scarf: This one has been my traveling project. I don't do a lot of traveling, which is why it is still not finished. But I'm ready to get it done now. The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Gingerbread House.

8. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Which I still haven't finished.

9. Followed closely by the 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I detect a pattern here...

10. A Sock: What you don't see here is that Jesse got ahold of the yarn cake and it is now a tangled mess. At this point, it's probably going to be easier to just rip and start over.

11. Fruit Of The Vine scarf: I think the yarn is Knitpicks Gloss Lace, but I'm not really sure. It was some I had left over from doing a larger project. Still, I think there is enough to make a good size scarf here.

12. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice. I actually paid for this pattern, so I'd better get this one done!+

13. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me. The only name on the label is Dardo.

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

14. Leper bandage: no progress

15 & 16. The two sock yarn blankies. No progress

So, that was my knitting progress for the week. Now, I need to go work on that lung coughing up thing some more.

A Whole Lot

2012-01-16T21:18:00.000-06:00

of knitting going on.

But first, I was all set to brag on how well Jesse is doing. He's starting to figure out how to ask to go outside when he needs to, you know, go. So I was going to brag about that until he pooped in my kitchen floor. Sigh, I just can't win.

Part of the problem is that Mike and Dennise have moved back in with Beverly and James. They brought their dogs with them, and Jesse is scared to death of them. I can't say as I blame him. They are not friendly dogs. They are Belgian Malinois and one of them is Jake's mother. The other is his sister.

Now, I've seen dogs that bark at you. I see that all the time, but I've never seen any that seem so vicious as these two. They don't just bark-- they snarl and growl and show their teeth. They've jumped on Rylea a couple of times already. She ain't skeered of them, though, and she'll fight back for all that they are twice as big as she is and could really mess her up if they'd a mind to. She'll still fight them. I guess it's the houn' dog in her.

In all honesty, Rylea starts it as much as Sadie and Zoe do. I can't really blame her. This has been her yard all her life, and who are these strange dogs thinking they can come in and take over?

Dogs will be dogs, but when them two started coming after me, that's when I had to call and say, "You've got to do something about these dogs." They've got a pen in the back yard, but they can't keep them inside it. I was trying to walk my dogs, and they were up on my back steps, snarling and attacking-- they chewed the end of my stick off-- and they wouldn't let me out of the house. That was just the last straw. I'm not going to be captive inside my own house by these dogs. That's when I called James and told them what the dogs were doing. I don't think they realized how vicious they were acting.

This afternoon, James took me out there and introduced me to them. We played and loved and I threw sticks for them and everything seemed fine, but when I walked Jesse later on, they were jumping and snarling at the fence as bad as before. Still, if I can get leashes on them without them ripping my arm off and take them for a couple of nice, long walks, they'll be OK. That's what they need most is exercise.

So that was my adventure for the day.

Other than that, I've been knitting away. I finished another blanket square last night.

This one is a simple garter rib. That is K2 P2 across on the first row, and knit across on the second. Repeat until it is long enough. I picked the garter rib because it doesn't pull in quite as much as plain ribbing, so it will be easier to get it to block to 6".

And I finished this charity scarf. It is Bernat Boa, and will go to a cancer center.

I was going to clean snake tanks, but when I saw I was almost to the end of the scarf, I decided to knit instead. So I finished the scarf, and started on sport weight sock number two.

I got quite a ways with it while catching up on Once Upon A Time episodes. It's a pretty interesting show, but I don't see it lasting more than a season or two. They're going to have to resolve the story sooner or later. If they drag it out too long, people will start losing interest. I know I will.

Oh, and I realized that I'd never posted a picture of sport weight sock #1, which I finished a few days ago, so here you go:

And that was how I spent my holiday.

Not Much Better

2012-01-15T21:41:00.002-06:00

What I thought was allergies seems to have blown up into a full fledged chest cold. Didn't make it to church this morning.

I did get several inches knit on my charity scarf. I'll try to have pictures tomorrow.

Right now, it's time for another dose of The Green Elixer of Death, and bed.

Anyone Else?

2012-01-14T20:42:00.001-06:00

I was having one of those strange dreams, you know the kind where you can't get your eyes open.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has those.

I was walking down a corridor and out a door, and I couldn't get my eyes open. Then I got into my car and was driving down the street, and I still couldn't get my eyes open. I was struggling and struggling to get my eyes open, but I just couldn't.

I'm always very relieved to wake up and find that my eyes open quite easily.

That was the second time this morning that I woke up. The dogs woke me up at 5 ish, so I walked and fed them, then went back to bed.

When I woke up the second time, I had a sore throat and a heavy chest--felt like the makings of a chest cold. So, I didn't do anything today. Just hung around the house and watched movies and football and knit.

Now it's bedtime and my chest and throat still hurt pretty badly. If I don't make it to church, you'll know why.

The Last Thing

2012-01-12T20:46:00.000-06:00

is done!

When you adopt a shelter dog, usually there are health issues to deal with. They can range from relatively minor, to rather severe, depending on how long the dog was surviving on the street before animal control picked him up.

I knew the minute I saw Jesse that he was in pretty bad shape. I knew that it would take time and money to get him back into good health. I also knew I couldn't just walk away and leave him there.

I knew he was mine. From the moment I saw him. I knew he was meant to be mine.

So I adopted him. Before I even took him home for the first time, we went straight to the vet and began the long, slow process of making him healthy again. We started with shots and worming. Then came neutering. All the while working on getting weight put on him.

At long last, we came to the final step in the process-- getting his heartworms cleared up. We did that this week. It was not without aggravation, though.

Remember the fiasco over the medicine? Well, as if that weren't trouble enough, they were supposed to call me when they got some in. They didn't. I waited and waited, and waited. Finally, I called them to check, and "Oh, yes, we've got some in." I nearly went off again, but I managed to keep my anger in check. At least they had the medicine now, and we could get this done.

He spent the night Tuesday, and I picked him up yesterday. Only now, he's got to stay confined for a month. It'll take that long for his body to break down and absorb the dead worms. Until that's done, if he gets excited and gets his heart pumping, one of the worms could dislodge and enter his bloodstream. That could cause major problems. I reckon it would be like having a massive clot in there.

Is there such a thing as a dead heartworm embolism?

Let's not find out.

In the meantime, he's going to act like he doesn't feel well. He may develop a cough, and has to take steroids to help with any inflammation. On the other hand, I was pleased to see his weight up to 58 lbs. He's not fat, either. To me, that just shows how excruciatingly emaciated he was when I first got him--14 lbs lighter.

And he's just the sweetest thing. Mommy nubs her tweet widdle piddy wub dub dub...

Um, *ahem* The canine in question has been a pleasing addition to our family unit.

Wubby dub.

Dub, dub.

WIPS on Wednesday

2012-01-11T17:11:00.037-06:00

Where, oh where has my knitting mojo gone? Where, oh where has it gone?

I just haven't had the inclination to knit much this week, but I did make minor progress on a couple of projects. And I finished a hat. Which I've already shown you, but I had to add the completed photo to the list before deleting the entry.

So, without further ado, here is the WIP up date for this week.

1. Charity scarf-- I didn't think I'd knit that much on this one, but when I got it out to take the photo, I realized I'd done more than I thought.

2. Bubble Wrap sock: Still languishing in the gloom of Second Sock Syndrome.

3. Conwy sock: Still languishing in the gloom of ...well, you can't call it SECOND sock syndrome because I haven't finished the first one.

4. Traveling Roses Scarf: Knit about 4 rows this week.

5. Arwen Wrap: Still languishing in the gloom of Gakked Up Hairball Syndrome.

6. Hurricane Hat: Completed!

7. Sport Weight Sock: Got quite a few rounds knit on this one. About another inch, and I can start the toe decreases.

8. Garter Rib Scarf: This one has been my traveling project. I don't do a lot of traveling, which is why it is still not finished. But I'm ready to get it done now. The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Gingerbread House.

9. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Which I still haven't finished.

10. Followed closely by the 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I detect a pattern here...

11. A Sock: What you don't see here is that Jesse got ahold of the yarn cake and it is now a tangled mess. At this point, it's probably going to be easier to just rip and start over.

12. Fruit Of The Vine scarf: I think the yarn is Knitpicks Gloss Lace, but I'm not really sure. It was some I had left over from doing a larger project. Still, I think there is enough to make a good size scarf here.

13. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice. I actually paid for this pattern, so I'd better get this one done!+

14. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me. The only name on the label is Dardo.

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

15. Leper bandage: no progress

16 & 17. The two sock yarn blankies. No progress

So that's this week's WIP update. Tune in next week for more wandering down WIP Way.

Like that? I just made it up.

About Last Night

2012-01-10T20:46:00.000-06:00

There's only one thing I have to say about that game last night.

Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Even if it would have had no effect on the outcome of the game, Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.

Even if Alabama had a 50-0 lead, Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.
Even if LSU had a 50-0 lead, Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.
Even if the score was tied with 30 seconds left, Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.

Even if Jordan Jefferson hadn't spiraled out of control like those of us who have suffered through 4 years of his playing knew he would, Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.

Why?

Because it was Jarrett Lee who lead this team to an 8-0 start. Because it was Jarrett Lee who led the team to led the team to victory, playing three of its first four games on the road and against such opponents as Oregon and West Virginia. Because it was Jarrett Lee who developed the poise and confidence to keep the team rolling. Because it was Jarrett Lee who took control, took leadership, managed the team, and kept them winning all that time Jordan Jefferson was sitting in jail.

Because without Jarrett Lee, LSU would not have even made it to the title game.

If for no other reason than that,

Jarrett Lee should have gotten to play.

Another FO!

2012-01-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

I finished this Hurricane Hat this evening while watching the playoffs.

That's another one I can strike off my WIP list!

Vicodin is a wonderful thing. I took some before I went to bed last night and woke up this morning with no hint of pain or knottedness in my back. However, as I got to moving around and starting to do stuff, I did notice some stiffness and soreness, so I took it easy for most of the day.

I had a brief moment of panic because I'd missed church last week. I thought, "*Gasp!* What if last week was my library week???" So I ran and checked my schedule, and *whew* THIS week is my library week.

That means I'd better head for bed, so I don't sleep through church again.

Charley

2012-01-06T21:27:00.000-06:00

came to visit me today. Charlie Horse, that is.

Not really sure why, but I woke up with a very painful knot right under my right shoulder blade. The pain was so intense that I thought I was going to throw up. I considered calling in to work, but decided that it was too early in the year for that.

So, I toughed it out, hoping that warmth and movement would loosen things up a bit. It did get some better, but it's still very painful.

I think I'm going to take a Vicodin and go to bed.

End Of The Year Meme

2012-01-05T19:09:00.000-06:00

I used to do this one all the time, where you go back and post the first sentence of each month. Then I got away from it, and started doing the year in pictures. Then I got away from that and just gave up on year in review type posts altogether. Well, Lou posted this meme on her blog, so i thought I'd give it another go.

January: First day of the new year, and the first FO of the new year.

February: So, I was at work today, just getting back from lunch, when out of the blue, The Other Rod--not to be confused with Former Group Leader Rod-- stopped by my stand and asked me if I had a snake.

March: You know you live a sad life when the highlight of your week is a trip to the dentist.

April: In Which Your Normally Stoic Blogger Jumps Up And Says, "Squeeee!"

May: *I didn't intend to take so long between posts, but, well, stuff happened.

June: I'd meant to post this yesterday, but got so aggravated at the poor customer service from the Picapp site that, well, I just didn't get around to it.

July: Do you remember earlier this week, that morning that I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep?

August: In response to the myriad unasked questions that I'm sure everyone was thinking after yesterday's post, yes someone really did come to church like that.

September: The bad news is, Jesse ran away.

October: 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.

November: One of my FB friends posted a link to a yarn store that was going out of business.

December: I love the Mayhem commercials.

So, that's it-- my year summed up in single sentences. Anyone else want to play along?

One Down!!

2012-01-04T20:29:00.000-06:00

I have transformed the first WIP into an FO!

It still needs blocked, but the Braided Cable Tam is finished.

I can strike one off of the list!

1. Charity scarf--simple garter stitch in Bernat Boa. For a cancer center.

2. Bubble Wrap sock: The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Pixie Dust, which I believe has been discontinued. I got the first one done, and the pair fell victim to Second Sock Syndrome.

3. Conwy sock: From the book Knitting On The Road by Nancy Bush. This one has not fallen victim to Second Sock Syndrome. I still haven't finished the first sock.

4. Traveling Roses Scarf: in Knit Picks Aloft in Blush. (I tried to find the link on the web, but apparently the PDF file has been taken down.)

5. Arwen Wrap: Designed by my friend Tabitha. This is the one the cat gakked up a hairball on. It got put aside after that. Good thing I'm using superwash yarn.

6. Hurricane Hat: I actually just started this one, so I almost didn't count it. But it is a WIP after all.

7. Sport Weight Sock: No pattern, just basic sock construction.

9. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Which I still haven't finished.

10. Followed closely by the 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I detect a pattern here...

11. A Sock: What you don't see here is that Jesse got ahold of the yarn cake and it is now a tangled mess. At this point, it's probably going to be easier to just rip and start over.

13. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice. I actually paid for this pattern, so I'd better get this one done!+

14. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me. The only name on the label is Dardo.

15. Braided Cable Tam: Completed!!

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

16. Leper bandage:

17 & 18. The two sock yarn blankies.

So, there is my first WIP update. I'm going to update at least once a week, or more often if I get something finished. I think it'll be fun watching the list get shorter and shorter. Of course, the temptation is to cast on something new the minute I get something finished, but hopefully, I'll be able to keep it under control. I will keep at least one hat going, though, so once I finish the hurricane hat, don't be surprised if you see me cast on a new hat.

It just has to be knit from stash yarn. No more buying.

For now.

First Day

2012-01-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

back at work is always somewhat tiring, especially if it follows a night of strange dreams.

What, me? Strange dreams? Nawwwww....

One of them involved the ex. Dreams about the ex are always somewhat disturbing. At least in this one, we were only eating dinner with my aunt and uncle. It was before we were married, and I was introducing him to them-- in the house they moved out of wayyyy before I ever even met the ex.

I woke up and when I fell back asleep, I dreamed that Former Group Leader Rod had bought all the land down the dirt road where I walk my dogs and he was telling me I couldn't walk down there any more. That woke me up with a start.

Then I fell back asleep and dreamed I was at work and I was paged to call the operator. So I walked down to where the phone is, and couldn't remember the extension. It's zero, by the way.

So I'm a bit pooped.

The only good thing is that I woke up at 4:30. What's good about that, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you.

What's good about that is that I was able to sneak in and turn up the heater to daytime temps, then snuggle back into bed for a few more minutes of sleep while the house warmed up before the alarm went off at 5:15.

Sleep is always good. In fact, I think I'll go get some more.

Goodnight.

First FO of 2012

2012-01-02T20:23:00.000-06:00

Well, if you could call it that. It's a blankie square, and part of a group project. I don't have to do the whole blankie by myself!

It's the One Row Scarf pattern, just done really, really, ---really short.

And now what you've all been waiting for-- my WIP list. This was quite a chore, just getting them photographed. I was going to find links to all the patterns, but I'm pooped out. I'll work on it and have them for the next update.

1. Charity scarf--simple garter stitch in Bernat Boa. For a cancer center.

2. Bubble Wrap sock: The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in Pixie Dust, which I believe has been discontinued.

3. Conwy sock: From the book Knitting On The Road. I think it's by Nancy Bush. I'll check on that and update later.

4. Traveling Roses Scarf: in Knit Picks Aloft in Blush

5. Arwen Scarf: Designed by my friend Tabitha. This is the one the cat gakked up a hairball on. It got put aside after that. Good thing I'm using superwash yarn.

6. Hurricane Hat: I actually just started this one, so I almost didn't count it. But it is a WIP after all.

7. Sport Weight Sock: No pattern, just basic sock construction.

8. Garter Rib Scarf: This one has been my traveling project. I don't do a lot of traveling, which is why it is still not finished. But I'm ready to get it done now.

9. The 2010 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Which I still haven't finished.

10. Followed closely by the 2011 Anniversary Mystery Shawl. I detect a pattern here...

11. A Sock: What you don't see here is that Jesse got ahold of the yarn cake and it is now a tangled mess. At this point, it's probably going to be easier to just rip and start over.

12. Fruit Of The Vine scarf: I think the yarn is Knitpicks Gloss Lace, but I'm not really sure.

13. Orkney Pi Shawl: In Knitpicks Shimmer in Spice

14. Another Charity Scarf: This is yarn Kristen sent to me, but I don't remember what it's called. I'll go find the labels and include it in the next update.

15. Braided Cable Tam: I've kitchenered the seam, and just need to pick up 70 stitches around the bottom and do the brim.

These next three are really more ongoing projects, so they don't really count as WIPs, but I'm showing you them anyway.

16. Leper bandage:

17 & 18. The two sock yarn blankies.

So, there you have it. It's a frightening number of WIPs, isn't it? I'm definitely going to work on reducing them to a reasonable number, though I'll never be a monogamous knitter.

But we can do better than this.

Starting The New Year ...Tired

2012-01-01T21:44:00.001-06:00

Well, I hadn't intended to stay up until midnight. I figured the new year would get here just fine without my help, but once I got to bed, I couldn't get to sleep. Even after I took some melatonin, I still tossed and turned until nearly 1:00. The abundance of fireworks going off in the neighborhood didn't help. Surprisingly, the dogs didn't seem to be bothered by them.

The good news is, Rylea let me sleep until-- oh wow, 6:45.

Yeah...

Now, I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions, but I do set goals for myself for the year. I've only come up with two goals for this year, so far.

First goal is to work on WIPs. I've got so many UFOs sitting around the house, and I've got to get them under control. Sometime in the next few days, I'm going to round them all up and make a list. Then I'll work on getting them back down to a manageable number. And yes, I'll share my progress with you all. Aren't you excited?

Second goal for the year is to knit primarily from stash. This isn't because the stash is taking over the house. It isn't. Well, it is, but mostly I need to try to get some of my bills paid down. In order to help with that, I'm going to try to use yarn I already have, instead of buying more. Not just "I like this pattern, let me see if I have some yarn to make it with", but also, "I have this yarn in my stash, let me see what I can make with it." In that way, I hope to not only save money, but also to reclaim some space in my house.

Speaking of space, anyone remember when you could just toss your junk mail in the trash? Boy, I miss those days. Nowadays, you have to shred everything. I have a shredder, but I need to upgrade to a heavy duty one. I just can't keep up with all the junk mail. It's starting to take over the snake room/office. Hmmm, maybe I just need to find an empty 55 gallon drum and burn it all.

And now, I present to you, the final FO of 2011.

It is a hat of my own design, and good news. I've had some people test knitting the pattern for me. It's almost ready to release. See, I'm including instructions for all weights of yarn from fingering to bulky. I've had it test knit in worsted and DK weights. I knit one myself in fingering, but I still need to figure out sport and bulky-- you know, things like what needle size to use and how many to cast on and stuff like that. I do have some sport weight somewhere around here, but I don't have any bulky. That means, unless I find a volunteer to test knit the bulky size, I'm going to have to buy some yarn.

That's really going to break my heart.

I had to go to Wal-mart to pick up my prescription, and while I was there, I decided to check out the Christmas stuff they had on clearance. By this time, most of it was gone, but I did find these rope toys for 70% off.

Jesse and Jake love these things, so I got all they had left.

And still paid less than a dollar--for all four.

I love clearance sales.

Happy New Year!!

2011-12-31T21:46:00.002-06:00

Myspace Graphics, New Year Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Caught Up

2011-12-28T21:31:00.000-06:00

I declared this to be catch up on the blog day, and I think I have finally done it! All my half finished posts finally got...well, finished. And posted.

It was not without incident, however. Blogger decided it didn't want to upload any of my photos. In the end, I had to make do with a combination of Webshots and Flicker. But we got it done, and now, I'm plumb tuckered.

Yesterday, I called the vet. See, Jesse has heartworms. He's had them since before I got him, and that's one of the things I want to make sure to take care of. I took him in to the vet a couple of months ago for his pre-treatment bloodwork and antibiotics. The vet said that they were out of the medication, and to call back before starting him on his antibiotics.

I waited a few weeks, then I called them. They had the medication, and said they'd put Jesse's name on some, and said that it was OK to go ahead and start his antibiotics. And that's what I did.

He finished the last of his antibiotics Monday, and yesterday I called back to make an appointment to get his treatment done. After leaving me on hold for about half an hour (after not returning my first call like they said they would) the receptionist finally came back and said that they said that they were out of the heartworm medication and weren't expecting to get any more in for a couple of weeks.

I went off.

They had told me that they were going reserve some for Jesse, and why would they be out? It wasn't like I'd just started his antibiotics on a whim. I'd called them. They said they'd hold the medication for me. I was livid. The receptionist put Dr. Reese on the phone, and she mumbled about and said she didn't know anything about it-- about putting Jesse's name on it, and mumbled some more and backtracked and said one of the other vets had come in from a camping trip and some of their stock disappeared and someone had used some without anyone knowing about it, blah blah blah...

Anyway, she said that my name is now at the very top of the list, and that they'll call me as soon as they get some in.

I promise you, if they weren't the only vets in town...

The good news is, Jesse has finally started hanging out in the living room with us.

The bad news is, he is still afraid of the camera. One day, you'll get a good photo of him.

Today is not that day.

Road Trip!!!

2011-12-27T20:22:00.040-06:00

The plan was to go up to Southaven and go clothes shopping. I can't even remember when I got new winter clothes. I've been wearing the same skirt to church for about 15 years, and have about three sweaters I wear with it.

So I wanted to get some new clothes.

I jumped into the Jimmy and headed North. About half way between Coffeeville and Tillatoba, I realized I'd forgotten my purse. No purse means no driver's license, no credit cards, no checkbook, no money. No money, no shopping. I had to go back and get it. Naturally, I had to drive 20 more miles before I found an exit to turn around.

Not really. I was only about 3, but it seemed like 20.

I came back, got the purse, and by that time, I needed to fill up my gas tank, and I felt like just giving up. But I didn't. I persevered and finally made it to my destination.

Naturally, any trip to Southaven includes a trip to Hank of Yarn, and a visit with Amy. This time, Kat got to come, too.

Amy had her two boys with her, too. They were quite taken with my shirt.

"Miss Becky, where did you get that shirt? Mama!"

"Thanks a lot, Becky!"

And we knit, and we talked, and we laughed, and an inordinate amount of our conversation centered around our various dogs for some reason...but we had fun.

After we'd visited for a while, we went our separate ways. I continued my quest for new clothes, but got very discouraged very quickly. I just couldn't find anything I like.

I've ranted about this before. I'm too old for the teenage hooker look, and not quite ready for the cotton housedress. After I'd gone into about three stores, I gave up and came home.

In the end, my haul from Hank's is all I bought.

New yarns for the blankie.

And another hank of Jojoland Fantasia, to make another Braided Swirl Tam.

And a few more KnitPicks Harmony needles.

Still, it was good to get out of the house. I keep saying I'm going to try to be less of a hermit.

Well, it's a start.

Christmas In Pictures

2011-12-26T17:21:00.025-06:00

Cody reading the Christmas story from Luke 2: 1-20

Santa handing out packages

The smirk is because that is about the third new knife he got this year. Well, one can't have too many pocket knives. They tend to disappear.

Yep, he got one

And so did he

This was from me

I got a necklace from my son

And he got a Honey Badger shirt from me

My big present this year:

Now y'all all need to mail me stuff to put in it.

Beverly said he needed to dress up every now and again.

She really did like her Kindle Fire

And he loved his portable TV

It was a good Christmas. If you want to see the rest of my photos, the album is here:

by rgunstream

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T20:22:00.000-06:00

There was no snow this Christmas. Only rain.

Lots of dreary, gloomy rain.

No a White Christmas. Just a muddy one.

But it was still the best Christmas ever.

Because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Food, Glorious Food!

2011-12-24T18:03:00.001-06:00

One of the best things about Christmas is the food. Glorious food. Wonderful food.

Food that we don't have any other time of the year.

Snickerdoodles, fudge, Turkish Delight.

But over the years, I find my self getting into a sort of a rut. Same old cookies, same old candy. Same old Christmas dinner. I decided that this year, I would try some new things.

The first new things I tried are Gumdrop Cookies. (Scroll down a bit.)

I have declared them to be a New Holiday Tradition. Thanks, Amy, for the recipe. I can't stop eating them!

These are Cherry Chocolate Kisses.

I have declared them to be Another New Holiday Tradition. They have got to be the best things I have ever put into my mouth.

My great grandmother always made cherry pies, especially at Christmas. When I was growing up, we often had a cherry pie or two in with the pumpkin, pecan, and mincemeat pies. I wonder that I never tried to bake one before. So, I was laying there in bed, around midnight, when I suddenly decided that I wanted to make a cherry pie.

So, off to the store I go. I avoided Wal-mart like the plague. I decided I'd try the smaller, locally owned grocery store, but I couldn't even get into the parking lot. I ended up finding a can of cherry pie filling at Dollar General.

I made the crust myself.

Looks pretty good, huh? Next time, I want to try a lattice crust, but I just didn't have time today.

The Beginning

2011-12-23T22:37:00.000-06:00

Mike, Dennise, and the girls left today to go spend Christmas with Dennise's mother in Tennessee, so we started Christmas just a wee bit early. Here's just a few pictures from last night's party.

The tree, with loads of presents under it.

Food

And more food

Trying to get a portrait

Sigh...

Finally!!

Start passing out presents already!

What could it be?

Toe socks!!!

Brittani

Shelbi and Merle. Look! Shelbi got a Kindle Touch!

And Merle got a MS ST blanket, but we'll let it slide, just this once.

This one needs no explanation.

And I'm not sure this one can be explained.

I give up...

Remember, he's going to be a minister...

Happy Winter!!

2011-12-22T17:38:00.004-06:00

It's been a rough week for clothes here in the Fine Martial Household. First, I ripped a huge, no a gargantuan hole in my favorite pair of flannel lounge pants.

I didn't so much as rip them, as the fabric just gave out. I've had these for several years, and wore them nearly every day. They were my favorite thing to put on in the wintertime. And now they're gone. Sigh...I must confess, it hurt my heart just a little to have to toss them. But life goes on, and maybe one day, I'll have another pair just like them.

Then, today at work, I burned a big hole in my shirt.

It's about the size of a quarter, and in a rather precarious place. Yes, I was wearing said shirt at the time.

That's not the worst of it. The shirt was old and stained. The worst part is I ruined a nearly brand new bra.

And yes I was wearing that, too.

It's a dangerous world for boobies out there, I tell ya.

The good news is, for the second day in a row, nothing threw up!

Well, I'm fixing to go open Christmas presents with Mike and Dennise and the kids.

Happy Winter, everyone!

Murphy's Day

2011-12-21T20:55:00.000-06:00

As in whatever could go wrong, did.

Everything was messed up at work. We had a large order that was just full of dents in the hairpins. Because we had a trainee on the test tank, he didn't know how to fix them. So, the regular test tank guy had to fix all those dents while the trainee ran the test tank by himself. That's not good.

Then the next order had clamp marks in the header. Bad ones. Because it's a cosmetic defect, not a functional one, the supervisor said to let them go. About half way through that order, the production superintendent came over and gave them The Look. I was afraid for a moment that he'd make us start over, but he let us run the rest of them out. He made it clear, though, that they shouldn't have been ran with those marks.

Then I got home and Beverly called me and said, "Can you be ready to do Christmas tomorrow night?" After a brief moment of panic, I realized that yes, I could do Christmas tomorrow night. At least I've gotten all my presents bought, though I don't have all my food made.

Just about the only bright spot in my day is that nothing threw up.

And my friend texted me and asked me what futile means. My first inclination was to say, "It's what resistance is."

I Don't Know Why

2011-12-20T20:42:00.001-06:00

I even bother.

All that work spent baking cookies, and I take them to work and nobody eats any. Well, except for Brian. He scarfed down the snickerdoodles. Other than that, though...

I should have known better. When I was on line 1, those cookies would have been gone by lunch, but over on line 2, they never-- well, hardly ever-- eat anything I fix. That's why I've pretty much stopped making stuff to take to work. I just end up eating them all myself, and I sure don't need that much sugar.

Funny thing is, when they have dinners or parties, they don't invite me. They had a pizza party last week, and the first I found out about it was when I saw Greg coming down the aisle with a stack of pizzas. Well, guess what? My old line is having a pizza party on Thursday, and they invited me to theirs.

Um, well, sorry. I get like this when I wake up to dog vomit in my carpet two mornings in a row. From two different dogs, no less. And we won't even mention the cat puke that is a near constant in this house. Stupid cat. She eats the Christmas tree, then pukes it all back up all over the floor. Then goes back and eats the tree some more.

Yeah...

I'm going to go knit now.

And hope tomorrow will be better.

All Cookied Out

2011-12-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

That's what I am. After a weekend of almost nonstop baking, I am all cookied out. It all started with the ubiquitous chocolate chip

and the it-wouldn't-be-Christmas-without-them snickerdoodles

and Former Group Leader Rod's special request peanut butter,

I made a couple of new recipes this year. What, you may ask, are different about these? Aren't they the same old cookie stamp cookies you make every year?

Well, I may answer, they look like the same old cookie stamp cookies I make every year, but they aren't. This is a shortbread recipe I found online, instead of the old butter cookie recipe I used to use. The best thing about this one is that the recipe doesn't call for eggs. Whew! One less viable substitute I have to figure out.

And the new recipe quest continues. This one is called Frosted Crinkles, and I found it in an old magazine dated 1995.

As with any new recipe, I'll have to make it a few times to get it just right. The main thing with these is that the butterscotch topping didn't spread out as much as I thought it would. If I make them again, I'll have to remember to spread it a little more.

The story behind these is that I have a Christmas Cookie recipe book. When I decided that I wanted to try a few new cookies this year, I pulled out that book to look for some. Thing is, there aren't any pictures in the book. Just the recipes. How can I tell if I want to make those cookies if I can't see if they look good? Anyway, after flipping through it with no small measure of disgust, and wondering why I even keep the thing (anybody want it?), I was putting it back when I spotted the old magazine on the cookbook shelf.

I picked it up and started looking through it, and spotted these. They looked delicious, so I decided to try them. They taste pretty good, but I'll have to tinker with the frosting to get it just right.

These, on the other hand, are definitely a keeper.

I got this recipe from my friend Amy, and they are so good! They taste like Christmas exploded in your mouth.

Gumdrop Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped fruit-flavored or spiced gumdrops
2 egg whites

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in extract. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in gumdrops. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into dough.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.

And now for your Music Monday...

Last night was our church choir Christmas program. Cody was a shepherd in it --um, correction, Cody was The Best Shepherd Evah in it. This was one of the songs the choir sang.

It's been one of my favorites for years, but this time, there was just something about it. When the song says, "See the shepherds kneeling before Him", all the shepherds knelt before Him.

When the song says, "See the kings on bended knee," all the kings bent their knees.

That's when it hit me. You know how you know stuff in the back of your mind, but one day, it suddenly comes clear. That's what happened. I've always known it, but suddenly, seeing that picture in the church sanctuary before me, the mist in my mind dissipated and it became clear.

The shepherds were the lowest of the low. The outcasts of society. Unaccepted, and unacceptable. Yet the angel came to them first.

The magi were the highest of the high. Kings. Wealthy. So powerful that Herod -- and all of Jerusalem with him-- were frightened when they showed up. Yet they knelt before THE King.

From the lowest of the low, to the highest of the high, he gave himself to all of us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son..

He was the very first Christmas gift. God's gift to the world. That includes li'l ol' me.

And it includes you too.

One small child in the land of a thousand...
One king bringing us life.*

*I know the in the song, the word is light. I've sung it wrong for 30 years, but "life" just seems to fit better. He said, "I have come that they might have LIFE, and have it more abundantly.

Scarf'n Step

2011-12-16T21:40:00.000-06:00

About 4 years ago, I knit this scarf.

And for about 4 years, I've been wearing this scarf. It's my favorite scarf. OK, it's my only scarf, but let's not quibble over details. Like why the picture is sideways. I have no idea.

But I digress...

For 4 years, this scarf has kept my neck and nose toasty warm. It's even long enough to wrap the ends around my hands and keep them warm, too. Then one day it occurred to me, and I had to ask myself,

"Self, why don't you have a hat to match this scarf?"

And I had to answer myself, "Self, I don't have an answer for that."

So I got online and found some matching yarn.

The yarn is Trendsetter Tonalita, 52% wool and 48% acrylic, single ply, worsted weight, in the colorway 2352. I'll have to experiment a little bit to see if I can adapt the scarf pattern to be knit in the round, but I think I can pull off a reasonable facsimile thereof. Five balls ought to be enough for mittens as well.

And just to qualify for the free shipping, I threw this ball of Austermann Step into my basket.

It's colorway 0016. I don't see a color name on the label, but the website I ordered it from called it Jeans.

I absolutely love Austermann Step yarn. I've only knit one pair of socks from it, and they are my favorite favorite socks. All the other socks I knit around the same time are already showing signs of wear, but not the Step. They are wearing like iron.

I have declared tomorrow to be cookie baking day. I suppose I ought to get to bed so I don't fall asleep in the dough.

A Ferry Tale

2011-12-15T20:43:00.004-06:00

My dad's favorite place in the whole entire world was the island of Galveston, Texas. We spent most of our vacations there, and even if we went somewhere else, we still would go to Galveston for the day at least once.

One of the best parts of the trip was riding the ferry from Point Bolivar across Galveston Bay to the island. It was the only way to get there from where we lived.

It was so much fun that even after we started renting cabins on the Bolivar Peninsula, my dad and I would drive down, park, and just ride the ferry back and forth a few times.

Back in those days, there were three ferries-- the R.S. Sterling, the Cone Johnson, and the Gibb Gilchrist. While any ride was fun, our favorite ferry was the Cone Johnson. The trip was just that much better when we got to ride that one. If we had chips or bread to feed the seagulls, well, that was as close to perfect as you could get.

**

Of those three, only the Gilchrist is still in operation today. I know it's progress, but it's still kind of melancholic to know that my childhood --and yes, I almost consider them friends-- are gone.

When I was 7 ...ish, I lost my first tooth. My mother told me to put the tooth under my pillow, and the tooth fairy would come in while I was asleep, take my tooth and leave me money.

This confused me. "How does she get into the room?" I asked.

"She just flies in at night," was my mother's reply.

I was still confused. "But how does she fit?"

"She's very tiny," my mother told me.

Looking back on it now, it all seems kind of silly. But I think I'm the only kid in the world who --instead of a tiny winged pixie-- had a miniature boat flying into her room

**

to trade her tooth for a quarter.

.**Photos courtesy of Galveston.com

Changes

2011-12-14T20:12:00.000-06:00

Back in my pre-smartphone days, I used to write. I carried a little notebook with me everywhere I went, and I would write. Most days, I'd spend my etire lunch break writing. If the line went down, I'd pull out my little notebook and I would write. And Former Group Leader Rod would walk by and say, "Don't be writing my name in that book".

So I'd write his name in the book just for spite.

I wrote. All the time. When I wasn't writing, I was thinking of what I wanted to write. Planning what to write. Writing in my mind.

Once I got the smartphone, all that changed. Suddenly there was Words With Friends to play, and Facebook to check, and "What's Wrong With The BCS" articles to read, and LOLCats to laugh over. Suddenly, there was no more time to write.

Today, it changes back. Today, the smartphone stays in the pocket, and the notebook comes out.

And I will write.

Even if I have nothing to say, I will write. Even if what I write seems to be no more than inane babbling, I will still write. For writing is like exercise. If you don't use it, you will lose it. The inspiration dies. The neural pathways fall dormant.

So I will write again.

It may be difficult at first. I may not feel as if I have anything to say. But I will write anyway. And as I write --even the inane babble-- dormant neural pathways will be re-ignited. The spark will begin to glow.

Calliope will once again whisper to me.

And all will be right once more.

Long, Long Ago

2011-12-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

Long, long ago, yet it seemed like only yesterday, a tiny little boy rode in his very first Christmas parade, in the back of the Cub Scout wagon. To his chagrin, his mother rode with him-- knowing that he had been voted the child most likely to jump out of the back of a moving truck. *

He was a tiger cub that year, his first grade year, and the start of a long tradition of parade appearances.

Throughout Cub Scouts, then on into band, the boy grew--and the parades went on. And the boy was in all of them -- except one, him being sick that year. And thus, at long last, though it seemed as but a vapor, we come to his final year in high school.

It was with pride, but not without a twinge of sadness, that this boy's mother watched her son march in his very last Grenada County Christmas Parade.

The NJROTC unit:

An old car:

An actual float:

The High School Band:

And Santa!

The reason for the season:

Yes, we still pray before football games and we dare you to try to stop us. We have a nativity on our town square, and we will defend it at all costs. Us small Southern towns are like that, you know.

Now, where I was sitting, I wasn't able to get a video of the band playing. I got one of them marching, and I kept sending strong mental vibes for them to start playing, but they didn't. However, since they play the same song every year, I can post one from a couple of years ago for you.

This video is from year before last.** However, you can clearly see Cody in it. He's the second tuba player over.

And just for nostalgia's sake, while I was grabbing the code for that video, here is the one from his very first time marching as a Band member, when he was in 7th grade. He is the second sousaphone from the far side:

I took more pictures, and if you're interested in seeing them, they can be found here:

by rgunstream

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go crawl under the covers and wonder where the time went...

*This isn't Cody's cub scout float. It's the one from this year's parade.

**Last year, I had to run straight to the square from work, and didn't even have time to run home and grab a jacket, much less my camera.

Take Two

2011-12-12T20:21:00.052-06:00

Last month, I cast on a second Through The Woods beret, because I liked the first one so much. I got the ribbing done, then it got set aside for other projects.

Well, Saturday, I picked it back up again.

I have a co-worker who is so sweet. Several years ago, she got very sick and missed a lot of work. Ever since then, her hair has been thin and patchy. During the wintertime, she wears a lot of hats, and I though this beret would be a nice Christmas gift for her.

I knit on it all weekend, and got about 2 inches from being finished...

and ran out of yarn. Bleh...

So, I ripped it all out and started over. Only this time, I did things just a little different. The pattern calls for 2 inches of ribbing, and I thought if I cut back on the ribbing, I could get the hat done with the yarn I have. I used a provisional cast on, then knit about 4 rounds of ribbing, just to get the pattern established. Then I went straight into the body of the hat.

When I'm done, I'll remove the waste yarn (that bright blue bit at the bottom), attach the yarn, and knit ribbing until I run out.

I'll let you know how it goes.

In other news, I've had a bit of a restless leg lately. I've done some research, and one common thread is that it can be caused by an iron deficiency. Since it didn't start until after I'd had my little two month long bleeding spell, I'm wondering if that's what is causing it. They checked my hemoglobin and said it was OK, but still...

I went and checked my multi-vitamin, and what do you know, it doesn't have iron in it. I picked some up today, and we'll see if that helps.

Meanwhile, Squeaky is busy keeping my chair warm.

Every Woman Needs To See This

2011-12-11T14:25:00.001-06:00

Years ago, I often got into disagreements with a former blog reader over how he viewed women. He would insist that there was nothing wrong with pornographic magazines. He even insisted that rags like Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler weren't pornography at all. There was nothing wrong with "admiring a woman's beauty", he insisted. And he'd get rather irate at bluenoses and prudes who wanted to restrict or ban such smut.

That's what he called those of us who insisted women should be treated with dignity and respect.

I got the distinct impression that he considered women as mere objects to be leered at and lusted after-- and so used accordingly.

Now a scientific study has confirmed what I insisted all along:

With the increasing objectification of women in our society, it's our job as parents to teach our daughters that they are more than this. That they deserve to be treated better than this. We need to teach them what it means to be real women.

And we need to teach our sons that women are not tools for them to use, but are precious and beautiful things who deserve to be respected and cherished. We need to teach them what it means to be real men.

These days, that's getting harder and harder to do.

Eye Candy Friday

2011-12-09T20:20:00.000-06:00

I bought six bags-- two each of Cherry Cordial, Mint Truffle, and Dark Chocolate. I'm hoping that will last me through Christmas. Yeah, right...

I'd been meaning to show you this, too.

This was my fall wreath that I put on my front door. When I took it down this year, all the stuff started falling off of it. No, that is not why they call it "fall". Anyway, the dilemma is, do I fix this one, or just toss it and get a new one? I'm leaning toward fixing this one, 'cause I kinda like it.

And the parade saga continues. After I'd gone to my supervisor and changed my vacation day at the last minute--which he was nice enough to let me do, even though technically I have to give him 24 hours-- they changed the day of the parade again.

The good news is, it's on Monday, which we already have off due to plant shutdown. I still have my half day on Tuesday, having decided not to bug my supervisor again. Not sure what I'm going to do that day.

Maybe I'll make cookies.

Um....Oops...Again

2011-12-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

I finished these socks nearly a week ago, and just realized I'd never posted a photo of them. So, here you go:

They are a little bit big, so the next pair I cast on, I only cast on 48 stitches, instead of 56. It was my first attempt at sport weight socks, so I was just guessing.

And I got two new ornaments in the mail today. Hmmm, given the way the last one looked, I guess I'd better check them to make sure they're not all scratched up.

So, last night, I had to endure the Hot Flash From The Hot Place. I mean as in the heat was turned down to 50', all the covers were kicked off, and I was still sweating to death. It eventually passed, and I went back to sleep, only to be awakened at 2 something by a strange noise.

It was Jesse peeing on the bedroom door. Sigh...

At least he doesn't stink any more.

Let It Snow!

2011-12-07T20:40:00.000-06:00

I told Greg I'd come in at 6 this morning, but when that alarm went off at 4:30, my first thought was "What was I thinking?"

But, overtime is overtime, so I got up and went on in. By the time I got to work, it was snowing!

Blast that global warming!

It snowed pretty good for a while, but it was too warm and too wet, and none of it stuck. It was fun while it lasted, though.

Now it's just cold.

Freezing cold.

Literally.

Freezing.

What happened to that global warming stuff?

In other news, I made myself an eggnog latte, then forgot to drink it. So it was cold, too.

Getting up at 4:30 does that to a person.

More Of The Best Laid Plans

2011-12-06T19:45:00.000-06:00

Today was the day for our annual Christmas parade, but due to the rough weather, they have postponed it to next week. I'd taken half a day of vacation, since the parade starts at 3:30. I was bummed because normally you have to give 24 hour notice to put in for or cancel a vacation day. But I explained to my supervisor what had happened and he said that I could change it.

So, next week will be the parade, and accompanying it, my annual Christmas parade rant. Don't get me started...

Jesse has a bald spot on his neck. He had something really gooey and stinky in his fur. I tried to wash it out, but it seemed to be water insoluble. So I cut his hair off. It'll grow back. I never did figure out what this stinky stuff was, but it was rank.

I was working away at my brazing stand, and Former Group Leader Rod came up behind me and said that he was going to go have him some pork jowls and chitlins. Then he looked at me and said, "That's black people food." And I looked right back at him and said, "And black people can keep it!"

So, I came home and made soup.

Cows And Elephants

2011-12-05T20:29:00.000-06:00

When I was in the Navy, one of my shipmates used to say that it was raining cows and elephants.

You know, that's like when it's raining cats and dogs, only harder.

The plan was to get up and go to Southaven to see Amy, but she sent me a text this morning to tell me it was raining cows and elephants up there. Then she posted on FB saying they'd already gotten like 5 inches, and it was still raining.

Needless to say, we decided to postpone our visit.

With my plans thrown out the window, I ended up staying home and finishing with the Christmas decorations. We had some discussion on FB about overdoing it with the decor, but I don't think I overdo. I mean I've got a lot of stuff out, but it's not overrunning the house.

Now, when I first moved here, Beverly and James took me by this one house, and I just sat there in the car, stunned at what I saw. It seemed that every inch of available space on the house, and in the yard was filled with something lighted, spinning, or cheesy. I wish I'd taken a picture.

I don't do much on the outside of my house. I have a wreath hung on the front door, but no lights or anything.

Anyway, that's what I did mostly, besides watching Christmas movies and knitting.

Oh, and yes, yes I did toast gingerbread marshmallows over my stove on a knitting needle.

And Then There Was One

2011-12-03T21:35:00.000-06:00

With Southern Miss taking down the Houston Cougars 49-28, that left one, yes ONE undefeated team left.

That one team would be the Bayou Bengals, the LSU Tigers. The question is, would they remain undefeated?

At first it didn't seem so. Not one single first down in the first half. Only 12 yards of offense. But, that's the way LSU plays.

They just toy with their prey before swooping in for the kill.

So they did this game, too. Georgia was up 10-0 when The Honey Badger returned a punt for a touchdown.

And the floodgates were opened.

Like a mighty river, LSU rolled over the hapless Bulldogs. Forty two unanswered points; Georgia would never score again. Final score: 42-10

LSU wins the SEC Championship and is on a direct path to the National Championship.

Now, trivia time-- who said this back in 2003?

"Anyone who doesn't win their conference has no business playing in the national championship game."

Of course,now that it's his team who will probably play in the National Championship game without having won their division, much less their conference, Nick Saban is changing his tune mighty quickly.

"But, but, but" he sputtered in a pre-game interview, "it should be the best two teams in the country."

The question is, can a team who doesn't win its conference really be considered one of the best teams in the country?

So, to get to the National Championship, LSU has had to win an extra game.

Alabama gets a do-over.

Surely I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

Something is very seriously wrong in the BCS.

Shoppin In The Rain

2011-12-02T20:19:00.002-06:00

For some reason, this year the plant decided to have our shutdown days on Mondays instead of Fridays. So, while I went to work today, I'll be off through Monday.

The plan is to dig my wreaths out of the closet and finish with my Christmas decorating, wrap presents and see who I still need to get something for, and on Monday, go up to Southaven and finish up my shopping. Yes, they're forecasting rain, but I'm going to go anyway. I need to shop.

And hang out with Amy.

Former Group Leader Rod stopped by my work station today and asked what I was planning on doing on my day off. I told him, and he seemed very concerned. "You met her online????? Where does she live??? How long have you known this girl?????" I thought his concern was touching, but not to worry. People you meet online can be nice, normal, everyday folks.

Or they can be Amy...

He he he...

That reminds me, I must charge the camera.

OK, moving right along...

Some of you may recall that not too long ago, I had to replace my tool bag at work. I bought a fancy new backpack. It was in the sporting goods section, made primarily for outdoor use, and expensive, so I thought it would be durable.

This isn't the first time I have been wrong.

Earlier this week, I picked it up and lo and behold, a wrench fell out of a place a wrench shouldn't be falling out of. I checked, and sure enough, the bag had already gotten a hole in the bottom. After calling the bag manufacturer all sorts of things I should be ashamed of, I bought a new one today when I went on my weekly re-supply run.

This time, I went back to the brand I'd had before. You know, the one that lasted nearly 8 years. Well, I hope this one lasts more than 4 months, at least. Although I am wondering why I got such an ugly pattern...Oh, yeah. That was the only print available in that style--you know, with all the pockets and things.

And in an effort to avoid catching my kitchen on fire again, I broke down and bought a big stock pot.

I figure, if they're going to keep giving us those gargantuan 20 lb turkeys at work, I need a pot big enough to boil the carcass down in. The one I tried to use last year-- while plenty big enough for the 10 lb birds I would buy if I were buying them myself, just isn't big enough for the pterodactyls they give us at work. I already had to buy a new roasting pan. The one I had just wasn't big enough, and I got tired of having to buy the aluminum ones over and over again.

Um, wait, what is this? Where did these come from?

Don't they look good, though? Now if only I can stop flashing long enough to want hot chocolate...

And, as if my day weren't exciting enough, no sooner had I gotten home, got my groceries put away, and myself into my flannel pjs, than the Brown Truck of Happiness -- also known as the UPS Truck-- pulled up at my door.

In his hand, he had a box. And in that box were these:

And this one, too.

I was sadly disappointed, though. When I took the ball out of the box to put it onto my tree, I discovered that the paint was badly scratched, so I'll have to be sending that one back.

Now, if you will excuse me, I've got three Christmas movies from Netflix, and a mug of hot chocolate with peppermint marshmallows awaiting my attention.

Flashes or no.

By golly.

P. S. Dear Blogger, you do not need to autosave my post after every single keystroke. Really, you don't.

Seriously.

I mean it.

STOP!!

Oh, good lord...

Thursday Humor

2011-12-01T20:26:00.000-06:00

I love the Mayhem commercials. I'd want to marry the guy, but I'm afraid he'd bring mayhem to my already chaotic life.

Christmas decorating is almost done! I've just got to dig my wreaths out of the closet and put a few more things out, then I'll be finished.

Next big thing, going through the gift drawer and deciding who to give what to.

And The Adventure Continues...

2011-11-30T20:47:00.000-06:00

After I blogged yesterday, the cat decided to eat the Christmas tree. And after she ate the Christmas tree, she barfed it back up all over the living room floor.

Then I come home from work to find a dead, badly mauled mouse in the kitchen. Not sure which one killed it, but hey, I take what I can get.

The good news is, Jesse slept through the night.

The bad news is, I didn't. I went to bed fairly early, because I was so tired. Once I got there, though, I tossed and turned for at least an hour before drifting off. I wasn't asleep very long at all when I got hit by the hot flash from...well, you get the idea.

I turn my heat down to 50 at night, so the house was cold. I tossed all the covers off, and I was still sweating my tail off. Not only that, my restless leg, which had been pretty calm the last couple of days, kicked into high gear. It was spasming so badly that my leg was jumping up off the bed.

Fortunately, the hot flash passed relatively quickly, and with it, the leg spasms. I finally drifted off around midnight.

When I woke up, for some strange-odd reason, I decided to wear mascara to work. That means, my eyes were burning like fire all day.

And it's supposed to be even colder tonight.

Sometimes, you just gotta whine a bit. I'm better now, thank you.

Rough Day

2011-11-29T19:15:00.000-06:00

The first day back at work is always a bit rough, but this one was worse than usual. Jesse was sick last night. I had to get up three times with him to let him out.

One time, I didn't quite make it in time, and ended up scrubbing doggie diarrhea out of my carpet at 2 AM. Fun, fun.

Of course, by the time I was done, I was wide awake. I lay there for a couple of hours, and about the time I drifted off, he whined to go outside again. I got up and let him out, but then fell asleep before he came back in.

He was only out there about an hour, which is all the sleep I got. Then the alarm went off and it was time to get up. So, I'm running on about three hours sleep today.

All cylinders are definitely not firing, that's for sure.

The good news is, Jesse seems to be feeling better. It must have been something he ate.

Oh, we didn't get any snow, but it's supposed to be colder tonight. Lo to mid 20s.

As the guy on the radio said, "everybody's going to freeze."

(This picture is from last year.)

The Best Laid Plans

2011-11-28T21:29:00.000-06:00

The plan was to get up and go to Batesville and shop. But when I saw the weather, I wimped out. Yes, it was cold and drizzly all day. The high was 40', but with the rain and the wind, the chill factor never got out of the 30s. I decided that was just too darn cold to get out and about. I kept checking, but I never saw any snow. That doesn't mean it wasn't. It just means I didn't see any.

On the other hand, I am in the season of perpetual summer, so I had to turn the heat down to 60' and eat some ice cream to get myself cooled off enough to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate. That being said, I probably could have gone shopping if I'd really wanted to, but I just couldn't get myself moving.

So, what did I do?

I put out a few more Christmas decorations, knit, and watched Christmas shows via Netflix streaming.

I'd finished the tree yesterday, and fully intended to post a photo of it, but I just never got around to it. So, here you go.

I haven't put the skirt down yet, and I don't know if I'm going to. Last year, the cat decided she needed to use my tree skirt as a litterpan, so naturally, I'm a little dubious.

And finally, to kick of the Christmas Music Monday season, one of my all time favorite Christmas songs ever:

Small Business Saturday

2011-11-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

As you know, yesterday was Black Friday. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you will also know that I avoid stores like the plague on Black Friday.

What you may not know is that today was Small Business Saturday. Today is the day when you are supposed to avoid the large chains and shop only at small, locally owned businesses. Me, I don't get into that left wing, hippie, corporations-are-evil crap, so I didn't participate in Small Business Saturday.

I went to Wal-Mart, instead.

I did, however make a concerted effort to look for products made in the USA. See, there is this thing circulating on FB (and probably through e-mail and the blogosphere as well) which says you can usually find the same products made in the USA as you do that are made in China, and usually for cheaper. The story goes that the author of the e-mail was looking for Christmas lights and walked over two aisles and found some made in America.

I have come here to say, that is a load of hogwash. If you're looking for Christmas decorations, forget it. They are all made in China. And I do mean ALL of them-- except the live plants and things like that. Yeah, I checked. Every ornament, every tree, every box of lights, even the cards and gift tags-- everything I picked up was made in China. So I moved on to the gift section. You know, the pre-packaged bath sets, and mugs with hot chocolate mix in them. Those kinds of things. I checked them. Yep, all made in China. I finally found one thing that was made in the USA.

It was a candle. And not only that, I had to check the labels, because some of the very same candles were made in China. So, if I'm going to buy American, it looks like everyone on my list will have to get either candles or Rubbermaid for Christmas.

I bought those for my sister, but don't worry, she seldom gets online, much less reads this blog. With three boys, I'm sure she could use all the containers she can get ahold of.

When I got home, I found a package in my mailbox. And what was in said package, you may ask? It was sock yarn. Kristen had an extra ball that she didn't need, so she sent it on my way.

Shortly after I got back from the store, it started raining, and hasn't stopped yet. So, I did what any good Southern woman would do. I put up my Christmas tree.

And like any good Texas woman, the first ornament I put on was this one.

Followed immediately by this one:

I don't have any Texas Longhorn ornament, though. I'll have to rectify that and soon.

And for your parting shot: Check out the forecast for Monday

I'm glad I have that day off!

My BIrthday Present

2011-11-25T21:35:00.000-06:00

From Beverly and James. LSU lounge pants!

And look, they have little sparklies around the logo:

Yeah, yeah, my birthday was two weeks ago, but they got here just in time. And they went right well with my Honey Badger shirt.

I wore this delightful little ensemble to watch LSU put the whoopin on Arkansas 41-17. I'm glad of that. I mean, I'm glad the game wasn't another come from behind field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock, like both the Cowboys and the Longhorns did yesterday. I don't know if my blood pressure could have taken another close game like that.

And the Honey Badger took what he wanted, forcing and recovering a fumble, and returning a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. With this win, LSU finished the season 12-0, and one of only two in the top ten to remain undefeated, the other being the University of Houston.

Now, everybody is saying that it will be LSU vs. Alabama in the National Championship game, but I'm not so sure. If it went strictly by the computer score, maybe. But there is a human vote in it also, and other conferences are already squawking about the SEC having won the last 5--yes 5, count'em 5-- National Championships in a row. I don't think that human element is gonna suffer two SEC teams in the game. That would guarantee six in a row. I just don't see that happening, but then, stranger things have happened.

Of course, LSU does have to win one more game than Alabama does, because they'll be playing Georgia next week in the SEC Championship. That ought to count for something.

Speaking of, Texas and Texas A&M squared off yesterday evening for what is the last game of a long standing rivalry. A&M is moving to the SEC next year. Hmmm, given the way LSU handled them in the Cotton Bowl, they might just be wishing they'd stayed in the Big 12.

In other news, I got the Christmas tree out. This is as far as I've gotten, but it is at least out of the closet.

Now, I need to pull everything out of the gift drawer and decide who to give what, and do I need to buy anything else. Oh, and decorate the tree, too.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T19:48:00.024-06:00

Beverly and James

Mike, Dennise, and Shelbi (Brittani didn't come. She didn't want to leave her dogs.)

Cody (observing No Shave November)

Gak! My son is too tall for me to bunny ears any more! (Hey, at least he come by it honest.)

Artex got in on the festivities, too.

At my house, we had an early Christmas miracle: Squeaky let Jesse get on the bed with her!

Rylea stuck with napping on the love seat.

I didn't take pictures of the food. It looks pretty much the same as it did last year, and the year before, and the year before...Although Cody wanted to have a Cajun Thanksgiving, so we did have gumbo and meat pies, in addition to the turkey, sweet potatoes, etc, etc...

I had a bit of a mishap with the pumpkin pie. The crust stuck to the pie shield-- probably from the filling overflowing just a little bit-- and it broke when I took the shield off.

So, I thought, by golly, if I'm going to go to all the trouble to find my fancy pie plate and dig it out and wash it up, then by golly, I'm going to have a nice looking pie to put into it.

So I made another one.

It turned out much better.

After dinner, I came home and watched the Cowboys defeat the Dolphins on a last second, come from behind field goal. Then I watched the Longhorns defeat the Aggies on a last second, come from behind field goal.

My old heart can't take this kind of stress any more. I'm giving up football.

At least until tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:20:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for the two of you who still read this blog. If it weren't for you, I'd have quit long ago.

I promise I'll try to be more interesting.

It's Not Saturday

2011-11-22T21:43:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning feeling like it was Saturday. I had to keep reminding myself that it was actually Tuesday. The plan was to get up and go to Batesville, to that outlet mall up there and get me at least one outfit. It's been so long since I've had new clothes--I realized as I sat in church Sunday with my 10+ year old skirt and top on-- that I wanted to get myself something new.

I wanted to get a belted tunic, and a pair of leggings and maybe a peasant skirt to go with it, along with a pair of faux fur topped boots, then I'd be set.

But when I saw what was headed my way,

I decided it might be best just to stick closer to home today. Sure enough, around 9ish o'clock, the rain started.

It rained until nearly 2:00, and I just didn't want to get out in it, since I didn't really have to. So, I stayed home and did nothing.

Oh, I had plenty to do inside, but I couldn't seem to work up the motivation to get it done. I mostly watched Netflix and knit on the blankie.

And I watched my traditional Mayflower movie, with Anthony Hopkins and Richard Crenna. I had to figure out how to plug my VCR into my new TV, since that movie isn't available any more, and I only have it on VHS. Once I figured out to plug the AV cable into the output of my VCR, we were off and rolling.

Anyway, it's so hard to find good Thanksgiving movies out there. I couldn't stand Plymouth Adventure with Spencer Tracy. There is one the church library has. It is called An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, and it is based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott. It has gotten really good reviews on Amazon.

I hated it.

See, there is this family-- a mother and three children. The father has recently died and the family is struggling to make ends meet. So the older daughter takes it upon herself to write to her estranged grandmother and ask for help. Well, the grandma shows up and helps, all right. The problem I had with it is that she shows such extreme and obvious favoritism toward the older daughter. She takes her out shopping and they buy a whole new wardrobe for her. The grandma wants her to come and live in New York with her and be educated, and spoiled, and pampered.

The younger daughter gets nothing. Everyone seems to be OK with that. And when the younger daughter expresses envy, she is chastised for being so selfish.

I guess I identify too much with the younger daughter, because I was always the one shoved aside in favor of my sister. Anyway, the older daughter gets taken off to New York with her fancy silk gowns to be waited on hand and foot, while the younger one has to stay home in her plain, homespun cotton to work and cook and clean-- and she's supposed to do it with a cheerful attitude. Blech...

Um, what else I did...I got the rest of last year's turkey out of the freezer and made a bit ol' pot of turkey noodle soup-- to go back into the freezer. Yeah...

Now, I'm all ready to start tomorrow's cooking.

I tried to take a picture of Jesse, but he is still afraid of the camera. As soon as I got it out, he ran and hit behind the bed.

I wish I knew what it was about the camera that scares him so.

Rylea says, "Oh good grief!"

And my thing I'm thankful for today:

An egg-free version of Oatmeal Creme Pies. These were my absolute favorite Little Debbie's and I hated having to give them up. But now, I can have them again! For that, I am very thankful!

Music Monday

2011-11-21T21:07:00.000-06:00

For your Thanksgiving week Music Monday, I give you a song about, well, about giving thanks:

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-20T20:58:00.000-06:00

Today starts Thanksgiving week, and I thought it would be nice to share some things I am thankful for. This post, however, will take a slightly different twist.

To the young man who sat in front of me in church this morning. You need to give thanks that I am not your mother, because if I were, I'd have been tearing up your butt by now. Here's why:

*Sit UP
*Sit STILL
*Stand up during the congregational hymns (or did you not notice that EVERYONE but you was standing up?)
*Stop digging in your nose
*Cut your fingernails
*Go home and wash that nasty, greasy hair of yours

Now, some of you may think I'm being a bit harsh, but this kid appeared to be about 14 years old. Definitely old enough to know better.

This Is My Life

2011-11-19T22:11:00.001-06:00

I love sausage biscuits. I often buy a box so that I can have sausage biscuits for breakfast. Here lately, though, what with the freezer full of snake food, I didn't have room for even a small box of sausage biscuits.

I was driving into town to get milk, when suddenly it occurred to me. And when it occurred to me, I got so excited I shouted it aloud,

"I can buy sausage biscuits!"

Boy, it doesn't take much to get me excited, I tell ya. I'm just glad I was alone at the time...

Yesterday, they gave us another of those 20 lb turkeys at work. I wish they'd give us a smaller one. That's a lot of bird to eat up. I've still got meat vacuum sealed in my freezer from last year's turkey, and that's after I took some out to put into the gumbo the other night. The good news is, this year, I actually have a place to put it!

That little freezer is turning out to be one of the best investments I've made.

I have to go in to work Monday, but then we have the rest of next week off. Nobody is going to Texas this year, so I'm hoping somebody will be able to help me eat up this thing. James said that they want to have gumbo for Thanksgiving this year. I'm going to cook the turkey anyway, and just probably take a little plate of meat over. I'm also going to do my sweet potatoes, and strawberry jello salad. I don't know how well they'll go with gumbo, but at least I'll have my leftovers.

My goal for the time I have off is to get this house back into shape. I've still got to find places for all the stuff I dragged out of the utility room to put my freezer in, but more than that, I think I want to work on my bedroom and bathroom. I've always made it a priority to keep the more public areas of the house clean--just in case I have company over. Which, despite what certain people might say, does happen occasionally. But in the process, my bedroom tends to get neglected. It's the last one to get cleaned. It's the place where everything gets stored, and I've made no attempt whatsoever to decorate it.

This week, I want to concentrate on getting it cleaned up, and cleaned out. Maybe if I make it a restful place, I can actually get some rest when I'm in there.

Oh, and I've noticed that belted tunic style sweaters are making a comeback. That's one style I actually like, so I'm going to go clothes shopping, too.

I'll let you know how that turns out.

My final goal for the week: clean out snake tanks, before the Animal Cops show up at my door.

Quote Of The Day

2011-11-18T20:11:00.001-06:00

"I'm sure everyone feels sorry for the individual who has fallen by the wayside or who can't keep up in our competitive society, but my own compassion goes beyond that to the millions of unsung men and women who get up every morning, send the kids to school, go to work, try and keep up the payments on their house, pay exorbitant taxes to make possible compassion for the less fortunate, and as a result have to sacrifice many of their own desires and dreams and hopes. Government owes them something better than always finding a new way to make them share the fruit of their toils with others." --Ronald Reagan

This Is My Life

2011-11-17T19:44:00.001-06:00

Since I work in a factory, we are required to wear earplugs. There are a couple of different styles we can choose from, but I prefer the foam plugs.

One thing about them, though. I can't stand wearing dirty ear plugs, and since the plant tends to frown upon us getting a new pair every day, I bring the, am home and wash them in a lingerie bag with my regular laundry.

Anyway, today my left ear was just hurting. I couldn't understand why. Finally, I pulled out my ear plug and yes, there really was

a cat hair sticking out of it.

Squeaky says, "Don't blame me. It's um...some other cat's hair."

But a big ol' pot of turkey and sausage gumbo makes it all better.

By the way, I actually had a blog post for yesterday, but it totally slipped my mind. Now, of course, I can't remember what it was supposed to be about.

Yes, this is my life.

Too Little Sleep

2011-11-15T20:44:00.000-06:00

and not enough excitement in my life leads to boring blog posts.

The most colorful thing in my life right now is my Christmas Cactus.

Some would argue that technically it's a Thanksgiving Cactus, and they would be right. But "Christmas Cactus" just sounds so much more appealing.

And they are all different cultivars of the same species anyway, so does it really matter?

Nah, not really.

An Exciting Weekend

2011-11-13T20:39:00.000-06:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you will know that I have seven snakes. Snakes, like all living things need food. The food that most snakes eat is rodents.

I order humanely euthanized, frozen rodents from a company called Rodent Pro. However, to keep them frozen, the rodents must be carefully packed, insulated, and shipped with a huge chunk of dry ice. This means that shipping costs are massively expensive. So, I usually order two or three years of food at once. As you may imagine, this puts quite the strain on my little freezer.

I'd most recently ordered food back in August. You may remember how full my freezer was.

Part of the problem is that snakes don't eat that often. My ball pythons only eat once a month-- if they don't go on a hunger strike, that is. The colubrids eat twice a month. As a result, 2 1/2 months later, my freezer almost looks the same.

(Pay no attention to those Mint chocolate chip Klondike bars.)

I had food in there for me. I had turkey, chicken, deer meat-- stuff I wanted to eat, but I couldn't find it in there under all the rats. I decided it was time. Past time, actually. I'd been needing a deep freeze for a while. I just didn't want to clean out my utility room. If you saw my utility room, you'd understand.

But, the situation had reached the critical point, so on my day off Friday, I dived in and got all the junk out of there.

By the time I got through, I was too tired to go get my freezer. It could wait one more day.

Early Saturday morning, I got dressed and drove in to Wal-Mart and bought my freezer. I had to lay it down on its side to get it into my Jimmy, and the stockman who trollied it out for me made sure I knew to let it set for a while before plugging it up. I'd already known that you have to let them set when you move them, but I wasn't sure for how long. Turns out, if you tilt it more than 45 degrees, you have to let it set for 24 hours before plugging it in. Bummer...

I got it home, and James came over and helped me get it into my utility room.

I had to do a little rearranging to get even this stuff back in there. Most of what was in there before wouldn't fit any more, what with the new freezer taking up so much room.

Finally, the waiting was over! Once I got home from church, I plugged the little dear in, and in no time at all, it was getting cold in that there freezer.

Sigh, you know I live a dull life when I get excited over putting the first bag of snake food into my deep freeze.

But I did. I jumped up and down, squealed, and posted a picture to Facebook. Um, maybe I shouldn't have admitted that last bit.

I spent the rest of the afternoon vacuum sealing snake food and moving it to its new home. And look what I found when I was finished!

People food! I knew there was some in there somewhere. So that was my exciting weekend. Now comes the hard part-- trying to figure out what to do with all the junk I took out of there.

Oh, and I got new houseshoes, too.

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T08:58:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cactus

2011-11-10T22:18:00.000-06:00

The buds on my Christmas cactus are beginning to open. It's going to be a riot of color this year.

By the look of things, this will be the best year yet.

Isn't That Lovely

2011-11-09T19:50:00.000-06:00

It seems the older I get, the harder it is to adjust to the time changes. I had a lovely blog post all mentally composed for you for yesterday, but by the time I got back from walking the dogs, eating supper, and taking my shower, I was too tired to post it. Maybe I'll write it up and save it for another day.

Now, as I sit here typing, I can't remember what today's lovely blog post I had all mentally composed for you was going to be about. So, I'll just show you a photo of a tree displaying it's lovely fall colors.

It's getting cold again. They're predicting down into the 20s Thursday night. Makes me glad I took a vacation day on Friday. I get to stay home all snuggled in my nice warm bed, while my co-workers head out into the bitter cold to work..

He he he...

Music Monday

2011-11-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

I think about my sweet Jesse and even my grumpy Rylea, I think this song deserves a rerun.

Amost Forgotten

2011-11-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

My big project for these last few weeks has been deleting old photos from my hard drive. It's kind of hard to do, actually. I feel like I'm throwing whole albums away. I have to keep reminding myself that the photos are safely stored on the external hard drive, so I'm not losing them forever.

You may be wondering, why don't I just delete the entire album? Because there are some I want to upload to my Webshots albums first. So, I'm sorting through and uploading, then deleting. It's kind of slow going, but it's a good trip down memory lane.

Anyway, in looking at some of my old photos of knitting projects, I saw all the many scarves I had knit for Scarves From The Heart, and realized how long it had been since I sent any to that particular charity. So I ran straight out to Wal-Mart and picked up some Bernat Boa.

These knit up really quickly on large needles in garter stitch, and the cancer patients love them. I started on this one yesterday,

but today, I spent most of the day working on Sport Weight Sock #2, which looks just like Sport Weight Sock #1, so you don't get a picture.

Wait, what? What is this? How did these get into my house? And whose pants am I wearing anyway???

Let's just look at the lovely fall decorations, shall we?

There, that's much better, isn't it?

And So It Begins

2011-11-04T22:44:00.001-05:00

The annual holiday gluttony has begun:

All the Christmas candy was out, and you know how they say you should never go shopping when you're hungry? Yeah. Trust them on that one. I think I did well only bring home these two.

Um, and these.

Best of all, they are egg free! On the other hand, maybe it would be better if they weren't...

Yes, that is decaffeinated coffee peeking out from behind them. Seems I really, really like the Coffeemate Egg Nog Latte creamer, and was really wanting to drink more than one cup of coffee per day. Speaking of, it tastes just like real egg nog, but is egg-free. Seems if they can do that, they can make a decent tasting fake nog. Apparently not. But I digress...

Too much caffeine aggravates my Supra ventricular tachycardia-- not to mention keeps me up at night. And makes me twitch. Thus, decaffeinated coffee. I'm stocking up on that creamer, too. And wondering what I was thinking being so determined to drink my coffee black. You know, I just might make myself into a coffee drinker yet.

Um, moving right along.

Second Lorna's Laces hat has been finished.

The only thing is, when I washed them before blocking them the water turned really blue. I hope they don't fade when the soldier/sailor washes them. I'll be sure to put on the label to wash them separately for a while.

I also cast on a second Through The Woods beret.

I don't remember which brand of yarn this is, but the colorway name is favorite jeans. I bought it at Hank's about a year ago, and already made one hat out of it. I think this pattern will go really well in this yarn. I just hope I have enough left to finish it.

My Christmas Cactus is going to be a riot of color this year.

It has bloomed well these last couple of years, but I don't think I've ever seen quite this many buds on it.

I can't wait until they begin opening.

And today's parting shot:

Children, and sometimes not-so-innocent almost 47 year old single women.

I Think

2011-11-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

I'm in trouble.

See, when I got my cable hooked up last week, I was only expecting to get a few channels. I mostly wanted to get my major networks so I can watch football games. What I didn't realize was that I would also get HSN.

Um, that's the Home Shopping Network, for those of you not in the know.

So, I was hanging out on HSN, getting my money's worth out of the cable service, when they had a show on what they call "Today's Special Value." This day, it was coats--marked down from something like $150 to $90. Oh, boy. I needed a coat.

I don't have a coat. And it's getting on to winter, which means it's fixing to get cold. So, I needed a coat.

OK, so maybe I didn't need a genuine suede DALLAS COWBOYS coat,

but I needed a coat.

Yarnz!!!

2011-11-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

One of my FB friends posted a link to a yarn store that was going out of business. By the time I got there, there wasn't much left, but I was able to pick up these three balls of Cascade 220 Superwash. Fifteen bucks for all three. That's a good deal.

I ought to be able to get 6 hats out of these. Speaking of hats, I finished the one I was working on.

I really like the way it turned out, with the colors spiraling around like that. I've cast on a second hat from this same yarn. Hopefully, I can get it done in time.

In the meanwhile, I've started a new charity project:

Leper Bandages. OK, I have no idea why the picture turned sideways. It's not like that on my computer. Anyway, this is another link someone posted on FB, and it seemed like a worthwhile project.

We are so blessed here in America that we often take things for granted. Those buffoons occupying wall street want 6 figure incomes without having to work for them, penthouse apartments rent free, plus whatever else they want just handed to them.

People in some parts of the world would give anything just to have clean water to drink. To most of the world, WE are the 1%.

Let's not forget that, mmmkay?

Halloween

2011-10-31T13:34:00.000-05:00

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.

I Am The 1%

2011-10-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

I live in a nice house. It may not be fancy, but it is warm and dry. I have comfy furnitrue 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%.

Snowy Saturday

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000-05:00

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.

Socks N Stuff

2011-10-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

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.

Sweet Face

2011-10-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

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.

Progress

2011-10-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

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.

Music Monday

2011-10-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

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.

NFL In London

2011-10-23T21:02:00.003-05:00

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.

Tiger Kind Of Day

2011-10-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

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!"

More Quotes

2011-10-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

"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

Such Is My Life

2011-10-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

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???

No, I Haven't

2011-10-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

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.

Where Does The Time Go?

2011-10-17T18:09:00.001-05:00

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.)

Not Again

2011-10-14T19:39:00.002-05:00

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...