Unbelievably Beautiful

Today was one of those unbelievably beautiful days.  Sunny and warm, but with just enough breeze to keep it from being too hot.  Naturally, I stayed inside and knit all day. 

Yarn:  Mainstays

Colorway:  Blue Blend

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles:  US 8 / 5 mm

Just kidding!  I spent most of the day outside, enjoying the daffodils and the blue sky while I finished reading Much Ado About Nothing.  

Hard to believe just a few short weeks ago, we were buried in ice.  Now it's almost warm enough to turn the air conditioning on.  Almost, but not quite. 

My main project was to shave some more off of the high spots in my garden spot, then start moving this pile of dirt

into the back corner of the yard

where it will be out of the way for now.  When I finally get someone out here to scrape up all of that red clay, I'm going to tell him to haul it off, but I do want to keep some for future projects.  

I made a good start, but I have to remind myself that I'm not as young as I used to be and I have to be careful not to over do it.  Even so, it's not supposed to rain again until next weekend, so if I move a wheelbarrow or two every day, I should have most of it done before then. 

In other news, I used my silicone air fryer basket thingy to cook some pizza rolls, and it worked a treat.  Clean up was so easy!  I was going to use my Dutch oven to make some red beans and rice, but forgot until after I'd already started cooking some fish, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.  For now, I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch a production of Much Ado About Nothing on YouTube.  

I Splurged

I wanted a Dutch oven.  

Can you believe I've gone my whole life without never having a Dutch oven?   I have, and I decided it was time for that to change, so off to Walmart I went to get one.  And to do my regular weekly shopping while I was there, but that's not pertinent to the story. 

I don't know why I wanted a Dutch oven so badly, but I did.  I found them on the shelf, picked out the one I wanted, and then looked slightly to the left and saw....

an entire cookware set for just $6 more than the Dutch oven cost by itself.   Naturally, that seemed like a much better deal, but did I really need new pots?  Why yes, yes I did!

My reasoning was that all of my pots are 30 years old, and even though they are still in pretty decent shape, by golly I deserved some new ones.  

By golly.   

I didn't really need the skillet, as I have an 8" cast iron skillet already, but on second thought, it might be nice to have one that isn't quite so heavy.  Especially as I'm getting a bit older now and my hands aren't what the used to be. 

This, on the other hand, was a complete impulse buy. 

You know how after a while the burned oil builds up and your basket ends up looking all gunky and the stuff is impossible to scrub off without taking your non-stick coating off as well?  Yeah, I'm hoping that this will make cleanup much easier.  It can't possibly be any worse. 

I'm going to try it out tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes.  

In other news, I've managed to fill up one section of my new raised beds. 

It took two of the big bags and one small bag of garden soil to fill it, but I expect it will compact a bit after a few good rains.  I'm planning on this being a bed for annual flowers, so I can add more dirt next year if it's needed.   

And look at this!  My French Tarragon is starting to come up. 

I've read that this is a short lived perennial, which means it will live 3-5 years, then die.  This year will be the third year, so soon I'll have to decide whether to grow the same thing again, or replace it with a different herb. 

Last night, we were predicted to get heavy rainfall with a chance of hail.  I think the worst of it went to the north of us, but when I got home from work yesterday, I got out and shaved some of the high spots off of my garden spot.  

Alas, all my hard work was for naught, because we barely got enough to wet the dust.  Well, not for naught, as I've got to get this spot levelled out anyway.  That's going to be something I work on this weekend.  

I was originally thinking I might run up to Lowe's in Batesville, but I think I might change my mind on that.  It's still early in the year, and I don't want to go buying a bunch of stuff only to see it nipped by a late frost.  Best not let myself be tempted.

I might get my two 4' x 4' beds put together and into place instead, so I can start getting them filled up with dirt.  

Oh, and I just realized, Sunday is March 1, so I can start some seeds!  All I have right now are some sweet basil seeds, which I want to plant with my tomatoes --and some marigolds-- but that's OK.  I can get them started, then transplant them into the bed once I get my tomatoes in. 

That's it for today.  I'm really tired and can tell I'm rambling nonsensically, so I'm going to go to bed now. 

Good night. 

Back To Normal...ish

I had planned on telling you that I feel like things are finally starting to get back to normal -- from the holidays, the ice storm, the Olympics, being sick, and Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, but then I got to thinking, what about my life has ever been normal?  

The only normal thing I've done so far this year is to finish another sailor hat. 

Yarn:  Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes

Colorway:  Crayon Box

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles:  US 8 / 5mm

I'm going to have to wash some up and send them off soon, because I'm running out of room in my gift drawer.  I'm going to send them 29 this time -- for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.  I'm pretty sure I have enough done already.  I just need to label them and find a box.  

On a similar note, Saturday at FFITS, Amy was telling us about this show she's watching called The Great British Sewing Bee.  Wonder of wonders, I found it on the Roku channel!  Watching season one now.  There are 10 of them on the Roku Channel-- seasons -- so it looks like I have a new show to binge. 

In other news, I checked the weather and it's not supposed to get down below the mid 40s for at least the next week, so I put my plants out on the back porch for some fresh air and bright, indirect light. 

 

I'll keep an eye on the weather, because there is still plenty of time for a late frost or two, but they'll be happy here for a while.   You know what makes me happy?  These:  

And these:

By the way, I was watching the latest video from Mr. Let's Play Piano Methods on YouTube, and I realized, I only have five more songs to learn -- after the two I'm currently learning -- and I'll be done with my Alfred's level 2 book!  I think once I'm done, I'll go through the Faber level 1 book before I do Alfred's level 3.  

Well, I was going to get all serious with you for a moment, but I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm not going to go into all of that.  I'll save it for a post when I've had a decent amount of sleep.  Right now, I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch these people sew.  

Laters.  

Fiber Fun

It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday as Suzette and I headed out to Vicksburg for this year's Fiber Fun In The 'Sip.  

There's not much to say about the drive down there, except that it was largely uneventful.  Very little traffic on the roads, but that didn't stop some dude from riding my bumper for about 10 miles solid.  Why?  I don't know.  He had plenty of room to pass. 

It put me in mind of when I went to my nephew's wedding in Missouri back in 2023.  I was driving through the middle of nowhere.  Not another car on the road for miles -- except this one chick who rode my bumper for about 20 miles.  We finally got to a town and parted ways.  The last time I saw her, she was riding someone else's bumper.  "Better him than me," I said as I bid her adieu.  

But as I said, the drive down to V-burg was largely uneventful.  The most note worthy thing about it was the sheer scale of destruction from the ice storm last month.  You could tell they were in the process of cleaning it up, but there were still branches, limbs, and even whole trees down one after another for miles and miles.  

I'd thought briefly about driving down and staying with Cody and Brennan while my power was out, but after seeing what I saw yesterday, it's a good thing I didn't try to make that trip.  By the way, there are still about 500 people in the state who still haven't gotten their power back on.  

I'm getting a bit off topic, though.  I get there and find the place -- which wasn't hard at all.  I found Leann's booth and a table nearby that she'd saved for us.  It wasn't long at all before Amy joined us and the party got started. 

Leann was busy doing business, so she was popping in and out, but we still had plenty of time to visit.  

You know, I don't mean to sound ugly, and I have no idea what it takes to keep a fiber festival going, and I truly, truly hope this one can make it, but it's not looking good.  It's gotten smaller and smaller every year, with fewer vendors and smaller crowds.  I knew Christi couldn't come, but even her friends Other Amy and Emily didn't come this time.  I'd gotten to where I was looking forward to seeing them, too.  And there were faces in the crowd that had become familiar and they weren't there, either.  Most of them.  

Even the swag was so much less than it was in the past.  

This was it.  A sticker, a koozie, and a chapstick.  I wish I knew what it would take to fix things, but I don't.  I'm not meaning to sound critical.  I've always enjoyed going, and it feels like I'm watching it die a slow death, and it breaks my heart.  

Anyway, Amy, Leann, and I talked about having a get together sometime later this year away from yarn shops or the temptation to buy things so that everyone could come -- even those on a yarn diet.  *cough, cough*  Christi...

I'm hoping we can plan it so that Peggy and Kat can come, too.  

In spite of all of that, there was still lots of beautiful yarns there.  I was good.  I only bought one skein. 

Not sure what I'm going to make with it, since I don't knit socks with it any more, but I'll figure out something.  I might even...*gasp*...make something for myself.  Try to contain your shock.  

Amy and I talked about that for a bit.  I love to knit nice things, especially complicated lace patterns, but what am I going to do with them?  I can't wear a lace shawl to the factory, and I'm sure my family is tired of me dumping stuff off onto them.  So, I stick to knitting hats for charity.  

We had a great time, but all too soon it was time to head home.  We laughed, we cried, and many bitter tears were shed at our parting.  In the meantime, here are just a few photos I took of some of the vendors.  I realized after I got home that I didn't even take a picture of Leann's booth.  Bummer.  

I'll do better next time. 

 

My Day Off

It was three weeks ago— the Friday after the ice storm. I was at my stand working away minding my own business when one of my friends came over and said, “I came to say goodbye.”

“You’re leaving?”  I asked.

“I’m retiring,” she replied, “I just can’t stand it any more.”

Fast forward to yesterday. I saw her in Walmart and she was positively glowing. She looked happy, and relaxed, and somehow younger.  I walked over and asked her how retirement was going, and she said, “It’s wonderful!  It’s so nice not to have to go back into that place!”

She got out just in time, too.  You know what we have to do now?  We have to walk through a metal detector just to get into the plant.  

You read that right.  A bleeping METAL DETECTOR!!  They say it's for safety, but it's not.  I've never ever heard of a terrorist who walked into a building with his AK-47 ready to shoot the place up then said, "Oh gosh darn it all!  They have a metal detector.  I guess I'll just go home and repent of my wicked ways."  You know, like I had to repent of the unwholesome words I uttered when I read that notice.  

Nope, they just walk right on through, ignoring the little beep beep beep.  Who's going to stop them?  Not our unarmed security guards, that's for sure.  They'll be the first ones who get shot.  

Oh, and hypothetically speaking, if I were hypothetically going to bring a hypothetical weapon into the plant, I wouldn't hypothetically walk right through the front door with it during shift change... Hypothetically speaking, of course.  There are hypothetical ways to get a hypothetical weapon hypothetically into the plant without...um, never mind.  

Not to mention all of the things already in the plant that could be used as a hypothetical weapon should the need arise.  I mean, I'd hypothetically had a whole plan already in place just in case my stalker decided to get out of hand -- with me or with anyone else.  Hypothetically speaking, of course. 

On the other hand, if I had been allowed to defend myself, I could have put a stop to that mess on day 1, and it would have saved a whole lot of women --and a few men-- 15 years of harassment.  But no....Zero tolerance policies are just like metal detectors.  They sound good on the surface, but don't really work to prevent...anything.  

Anyway, since I have today off, my project for the day was to finish water sealing the raised bed I'd started on... whenever it was, I don't even remember.   That's exactly what I did.  

It didn't take long at all, so when I was done, I put it together.  Then I said to myself, "Self, you hadn't planned on doing anything else today.  Might as well get the other bed out and seal it, too."  

A few moments later, and both beds are water sealed and put into place. 

I'm really going to have to do something about that red clay, though.  It hasn't rained in 5 days, but I was still sinking up to my ankles in that muck.  I'm hoping once I can psych myself up enough to get a dirt guy out here to fix what the land scammer did to my yard, I can get him to slope things so water doesn't collect around my beds.  I know you can't really see it in the photos, but it's still much higher in the middle than around the edges.  

Another thing I miscalculated was how many beds would fit into this space.  That area you see between the two beds is about 9" too short to put another one of the pre-fabs I've been buying. 

On the other end, it won't matter, because that'll be my entrance into the garden spot, but I'll have to figure something out for this space.  I've been thinking about hiring someone to build a custom bed there, but at this point, who do I trust? 

I've still got two 4' x 4' beds to put together, but I want to wait until I can get a dirt guy out to level the spot a bit better before I put them out.  Or maybe get all of that red clay out of there completely, if he can.  When I do, that will be all for this year.  

You know, it was such a beautiful day -- not too warm, not too cold, not too windy -- I decided it would be a perfect day to put a little fire in the fire pit and sit out side and read a bit. 

I thought briefly about getting some hotdogs out and roasting them, but I did enough of that during the ice storm.  I'm over it for a while.  Instead, I just sat there and enjoyed the day.  Only now I'm hungry.  I guess I'd better go get me something to eat, so let me just leave you with this:  

Man, have I hit the sweet spot for my bluebonnets or what?  I can't wait to see them start blooming. 

Best Laid Plans

The plan was to come home yesterday and finish water sealing that first raised bed, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. 

Yep, when I got off work, I walked out of the plant and much to my surprise, it was chilly and rainy.  Not raining, just drizzly and misty.  I didn't feel like getting out in that mess, so I changed my plans and finished my latest jigsaw puzzle instead. 

This one was a lot more fun to do than the last one, and one I got to the part where all the people are, I was able to get it done in a flash.  This afternoon, I broke it up and put it back into the box, then moved the card table into the living room so I can work the next one while watching TV.  

This will be the next one, by the way. 

I've decided on it because it's in the biggest box.  Strange reasoning, I admit, but there it is.  If I do the ones in the bigger boxes, it'll be easier to stack them back in the closet when I'm done. 

Oh, and I also finished the hat I was working on.  

I haven't cast on a new one, though.  I probably will before the night ends. 

A bit of good news, I think I'm finally kicking that bug I've had for the last...nearly two weeks now.  I'd start to feel better, then it would sneak back in and absolutely body slam me again.  But now, I feel like it's about over.  My cough has lightened up and my chest isn't quite so tight.  I'm hoping by Saturday, I'll be done with it. 

I was taking my shower yesterday, and just standing there letting the hot water run and fill up the bathroom with steam.  It put me in mind of when I was a small child.  I can clearly remember my mother getting me out of bed and sitting with me in the bathroom with a hot shower filling the room with steam.  I couldn't have ben more than two or three years old, but that is of of my strongest memories from my childhood.  Apparently, my lungs have always given me problems.  

Then there was the time I had pneumonia when I was 11 and spent 8 days in the hospital.  But that's another story for another day. 

Speaking of Saturday, I'd put vacation in for Friday so that I would have Saturday off to go to Fiber Fun In The 'Sip.  As it happens, we weren't even going to work Saturday.  I thought about cancelling my day, because we've had so much time off here lately due to MLK day and the ice storm, but decided against it.  If I feel up to it, I might just finish that raised bed.  I might even do the other one, and get them out into place.  Of course, that last part depends on the weather -- as in whether it rains or not. 

HA HA HA HA HA!!!  OK, I'll go sit down now...

And finally, I know some of you have been longing for spring.  This is for you.  

The first daffs of the season.  

Spoiler Alert!

Man I need a nap.

The problem with getting up ridiculously early is that you also have to go to bed ridiculously early.  That means when you're all just sitting down getting comfortable in front of the TV, I'm already in bed -- or at least getting ready for bed.  So it was last night.

I've been watching the Olympics, and have become particularly interested in curling.  The men's team was going to be shown playing Norway at 7:00, so I set my DVR to record it, thinking I'd watch it when I got home this evening.  By the way, one of the guys on the Norwegian team looked just like The Boss Who Must Not Be Named.   But that's neither here nor there...

After I got into bed, though, I said, "Let me just put that match on my Kindle and I'll watch until I fall asleep, like I do when I'm watching football.  I can pick up where I fell asleep tomorrow."  Alas, it was not to be.  Every time I closed my eyes and started to drift off, I was like, "Nope.  I gotta see what's going on!" and I'd start watching again.  It was totally worth it.

It was the tenth end.  The score was tied at 8 all.  U.S. had hammer, and Danny Casper had the rock.  How he threw this one last rock would decide the game.  Taking aim, he let it go....

Well, YouTube won't let me embed the video, which would have had a much better impact on you, Gentle Reader, but you can watch it here:  Curling I strongly recommend you do so. 

That, my friends, is how it's done!  

Who knew that sliding a rock down a sheet of ice could be so captivating.   

Captivating as it may be, it doesn't keep 3:30 AM from getting here way too early, and before I knew it, that alarm was going off and I was headed in to work.  Where I had old Christmas songs running through my head all day. 

This one, to be exact...

Don't ask.  Even I don't know...

OK, moving right along...you know how I always say that when I get home from work, I'm going to do so much stuff, then end up not doing any of it?  Well, today I ....didn't do that.   I actually got one of my raised beds out and started water sealing the pieces.  

Yay, me!  

I didn't do the whole bed, though, because I'm tahrd.  That's tired in Southern.  Maybe I'll get the rest done tomorrow, then I can start putting it all together.  It was such a beautiful, sunny, and warm day, once I was done with that, I sat outside in my chair for a little bit. 

I really need to get myself psyched up and get a tree person out to take some of these dead and broken limbs out of my big oak tree before they fall. Just sitting out there this afternoon, I found three branches that had completely broken and were just hanging there, stuck on other branches.  But you know how I am with phone calls -- especially when this will be the third tree guy I've called and the job still hasn't been done.  

Just so this post won't be a complete waste of your time, here is hat progress:  

Yarn:  Red Heart Bitty Stripes

Colorway:  Crayon Box

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles: US 8 / 5mm

I'll probably go ahead and finish this one after I'm done posting.  I need to start thinking about what I'm going to take to Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, since it's this weekend.  Me, I'm still not sold on it being in February.  I liked it so much better in the Fall.  At least this year, Leann will be there, and I hope Amy and Christi can come.  Even Peggy had mentioned trying to come this time, but I haven't heard for sure if she'll be able to. 

And finally, here is puzzle progress. 

I must say, this one is going a whole lot easier than the last one.  Even with the cat putting her muddy footprints all over it...brat.  

But it got me to thinking, back in the day, when we had big family gatherings for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or whatever, we always had a jigsaw puzzle going, and usually a game of chickenfoot as well.  These days, everyone just sits around staring at their phones...In fact, Elon Musk once said we're all pretty much defacto cyborgs, because we never go anywhere without a device of some sort. 

And somewhere along the way, we've lost real human connection.  

We need to get it back. 

Endings And Beginnings

Here I sit, watching the Olympics on a Saturday afternoon.  It's not what I'd planned on doing today, but it's what I am doing.  I'd planned on getting my new raised beds out and putting the water seal stuff on them, but I'm not.  It's supposed to rain for the next few days, but I didn't see that as a problem.  I'd just pull the car out and do it in the car port.  In the end, I just didn't feel like it.  Eh, I can't plant outside for two more months anyway.  I have plenty of time to get it done. 

Ever since I woke up with the epizoodies last Saturday, I haven't felt quite right.  I feel better, just not 100%.  I mostly just feel weak and shaky, and a bit lightheaded at times.  I admit, a lot of that may have to do with getting up at 3:30 AM for work the last three days.  The older I get, the harder it is to adjust. I've basically been coming home and collapsing at the end of the day.  

Despite feeling puny and coughing so much my chest, back, neck and head are so very sore, I did manage to finish this jigsaw puzzle.  

It was....challenging.  Let's just put it that way.  It was challenging because the pieces were very irregular, and didn't follow the standard jigsaw shapes.  To add to the confusion, I had extra pieces. 

Once I'd figured out they were duplicates, I remembered them from the first time I'd worked this puzzle all those years ago.  I don't know why I didn't toss them then, but they've been tossed now.  If ever I decide to work this one again, I won't have that to deal with.  I wonder, though, if I have extra pieces, did someone else get a puzzle with missing pieces?  How disappointing that would be!

I got this one out to do next, but haven't started it yet.  

I need to move my card table into the living room where I can watch TV while I'm working on puzzles.  That might get them done more quickly, even though it's not a race.  

So, while I've been watching Olympics, I began a new hat. 

Yarn:  Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes

Colorway:  Crayon Box

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles:  US 8/ 5 mm

This yarn is quickly becoming my go-to for these hats.  It's soft, easy to knit with, and I love the colors.  I still have some solid color yarns to use up -- most of which was given to me by friends who were de-stashing.  

Other than that, the big project for today, since I didn't do my raised beds, was to get MartyMac out of the crisper drawer in the fridge and set him on the plant shelf so he could start warming up. 

Since I live in the South with our wild temperature swings, it was recommended* that I put him into the refrigerator for dormancy to keep him at a consistent cold temperature.  You know, just in case you were wondering why he was in my crisper drawer. 

I usually get him back out mid-February to start warming up, then at the beginning of March, I put him back outside.  I'll cover him if we have a late frost, but they're very cold hardy.  I know some people leave theirs outside all winter and they're fine.  

First thing I did was to trim off all the dead traps left from last year. 

I know it looks like a lot, but as long as the rhizome is healthy, he'll be fine.  

When I was putting him on the plant shelf, look what I found. 

This crazy thing is trying to bloom again.  That's why I call them my Whatever Cactus.  

The only other thing I did today was try to figure out how I got a Real ID.  I'd heard other people say it was such a headache and they didn't fly enough to go through all the trouble to get one, and it was all just a big money grab anyway, so I was curious.  I even asked on Facebook what people had to do to get theirs, and depending on which state they are in, some people were required to bring six different forms of ID to get it.  Others who had been married and divorced multiple times said they had to bring ALL of their marriage licenses and divorce decrees, so they could track all of the name changes.  

All I had to do was renew my driver license.  I'd done that back in 2023, and I even renewed online.  When I got my new license, it was a Real ID, and I didn't have to show them anything.  The only thing I can think of is that I have my state firearms permit -- which I've kept updated even though Mississippi is a Constitutional Carry state.  

I had to turn in a crap-ton of paperwork to get that done, and get myself fingerprinted to boot.  When I got it renewed the first time, I even took my DD-214 up there so I could get my Instructor Certified sticker.  Which isn't a sticker.  It's just printed on the ID.  

Navy normally doesn't have to qualify with weapons --  unless you're special forces or military police -- but since I was Auxiliary Security, I got my pistol quals.   

Now, at least in my state, I can get my firearms permit renewed through the mail.  They said, "There is no need to go get fingerprinted again, because your fingerprints don't change."  They still do the background check and all, but they mail you all the forms before your current permit expires and you have plenty of time to get it all filled out and turned in.  

On the other hand, I did have to show a birth certificate to get my learner's driving permit way back when I was 15, so that will still be on file, too.  Oh well, I have one and that's the point. 

And finally, I somehow ended up with a promotional credit from Amazon video, so I used it to buy The Hollow Crown.  Shakespeare. 

What can I say?  I am who I am.  

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch the rest of this Olympic hockey game between the US and Denmark. 

USA!  USA!! USA!!!

*I'm in a Venus fly trap group on Facebook.  The moderator has even written books on how to care for them.  He's the one who recommended I put MartyMac into the refrigerator for dormancy. 

Wednesday Whimsey

OK, OK, there isn't going to be much about this post that's actually whimsical, but I drew a blank on a title, so that's what you get. 

Now, let's get down to business... First things first, it was not at all cold this morning, so it totally didn't matter that I'd forgotten my jacket at work.  In fact, it was in the 60s, and I just put on a long sleeved flannel shirt and was nice and toasty warm until I got to work.  

By the way, we're back to going in at 5:00.  Yay for overtime.  Oh, and they have totally screwed us on this Big Beautiful Bill thing -- you know, the one that eliminated tax on overtime.  I'll tell you why.  Let's say, hypothetically speaking, I work 60 hours a week.  You'd think that would mean 40 hours of straight time pay and 20 hours at time and a half, right?  Wrong.

For that 60 hour work week, we'll be paid 60 hours straight time pay, and 20 hours half time pay.  So, the only thing that isn't taxable is the 20 hours half time pay.   Got it?  OK, let me clarify it a bit.  If, hypothetically speaking, someone makes $20 per hour, he'll be paid 60 hours at $20, them 20 hours at $10 per hour.  The only thing that won't be taxable is that 20 hours of $10 per hour pay.  I'll still have to pay taxes on 60 hours of $20 per hour pay.  Clear as mud?  Yeah, the company is suggesting we hire tax professionals to make sense of it all. 

I'm just wondering, for those of you who work (somewhere else), is your pay done like this?  Or is it just Lennox, International who does their employees this way?  

In other news, I got me a new toy today. 

Eh, it's just a new power bank, but I'm pretty stoked about it.  See, I'd had this one for a while, 

and I noticed during the ice storm that it will no longer charge my phone.  I turn it on, and it charges for maybe a minute, then turns itself off.  Even sitting out in direct sunlight, it wouldn't charge my phone.  The charge function kept turning itself off.  I'd have to keep turning it back on, and it took forever just to get my phone battery up by just 2%.  I guess it's worn out.  It was an el cheapo model anyway.  I don't think I paid but maybe $10 for it. 

The flashlight on it still works pretty well, but for what it's worth, this one was my go to for light.  

It's got a regular flashlight , and it's also got this little lift up panel for a more widespread light. 

I used that one to brush my teeth with. The only down side is that the radio antenna is so short it makes it pretty limited in what I can listen to.  It picks up the local station just fine, but anything further away is barely audible or so staticky I can't stand to listen to it.  Of course, the local station had lost power, too, so there was that... 

Once I'd gotten the batteries for Cody's bigger radio, I could pick up another station.  I'm not sure which one it was, or where it was located -- why don't they identify themselves more often?-- but it was something to listen to. 

All that rambling to say, as soon as I got my power back, I got online and did some research into power banks. I'd looked into the Jackery banks, but decided against it, especially after my cousin James brought me that generator.  For one thing, they're pretty expensive if you get the one with the solar panels.  For another thing, one of my coworkers and her husband have one, and she told me it only lasted about a day.  They'd kept having to plug it into their truck and go driving around to charge it back up.  

Now that I have a gas generator, I didn't need something to power my whole house.  I wanted something to keep my phone topped up during short term power outages.  You know, the ones that are too short to make dealing with a gas generator worth the effort. 

Anyway, after clarifying to Gemini what exactly it was that I wanted, the one I got (above) was the one that kept coming up on all the lists as being the best value for the money, so I splurged and got it.  It seems pretty nice.  It's got a very bright LED light, plus wireless charging.  It is supposed to be able to completely charge a phone 3-5 times -- depending on how low your battery is -- before needing to be powered up again.  They do recommend that you charge it using an outlet, because it takes something like two days to completely charge it using the solar panel.  

I hope it lasts longer than the cheap one did.  

I'll let you know. But not for a long time, I hope.

I'm done with power outages for a while. 

Snuggly Warm

I woke up bright and early this morning, and it just felt so good and snuggly and warm in my bed, I thought to myself, "I think I'll just stay in bed all day .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................DANG!  It's only Tuesday!  I guess I'd better get up and go to work." 

I don't know why I thought it was Sunday, but that was certainly a disappointment.  I guess it's because I was watching the Olympics yesterday, and I'm so used to seeing sports on Saturday.  

Other than that, there's not much else to talk about.  Oh, I forgot to tell you, they gave us our annual raises in January this year instead of waiting until July. Mine was pretty good.  I got a 5% raise, but one of the other brazers only got 10 cents.  She was so mad!  She told me she deserved more than that because -- in her own words:  "I work my [donkey] off!"  and it's a good thing I didn't have anything in my mouth because I would have shot it out of my nose.  

It's hilarious to me that it's the laziest people who think they work so hard.  That's all I'm going to say about that.  Except that they plant said they're doing a new thing this summer, and are going to let employees write their own evaluations.  That ought to be fun.  

Oh, Demi-god still hasn't gotten his power back.  And I left my jacket at work.  I hope it's not too cold in the morning. 

That's about it for today.  I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch short track speed skating. 

Here is puzzle progress, but only because I know some people won't click a link without a thumbnail. 

 This thing is giving me a headache.  

Back to Bed

My first thought when I woke up this morning was, "Boy, I can't wait to go back to bed tonight."  And I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.  That ought to tell you how my night had gone. 

I'd started watching the Super Bowl, but turned it off at halftime and went to bed.  Up to that point, the best thing about the game was the flyover.  If you didn't see it, go find a video somewhere.  It will give you the frissons.  

Anyway, I slept through the entire third quarter, then woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.  

"Might as well finish the game," I said to myself, so I pulled it up on my Kindle and watched what was left of the fourth quarter.  Then I turned the game off, and still couldn't get to sleep until after midnight, which meant I was pretty much running on fumes all day.  

While I was laying awake and again while I was at work, I came up with a whole list of ways to fix the NFL before it completely dies out -- number one on the list being to get rid of Roger Goodell -- but right now I'm too tired to even type it out. 

The only thing I have to report is a completed hat. 

Yarn:  Red Heart Super Saver

Colorway:  Neon Stripe

Pattern:  Basic Beanie

Needles:  US 8 / 5 mm

I told you fun hats knit up faster.  

And I've made a little progress on the latest puzzle. 

By the way, I found a channel on YouTube called Letters Live.  In it, well known actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Damian Lewis, Peter Dinklage and more read historical letters.  It's fascinating and strangely compelling. 

I think I'll go to bed and listen to some more...right after this American skiier goes...

Good night.