Back To Work

I had to go back to work today, and boy I sure didn't want to. We're still going in early, so I had to get up at 4:30. To add insult to injury, it was pouring down rain. At least it wasn't cold, though it is supposed to be in the morning. The good news is, my heater is still working. After work, I had to run and pay my car insurance, then go by the hardware store and buy a new shovel to replace the one Cody broke. Finally, I went to the post office and mailed my sister's Christmas presents. At least they might get them by Christmas this year.

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for my annual rant about this stupid town's pathetic planning of the Christmas parade. At least this year, they moved it back to the original parade route, but now, they've moved the start time up to 3:30! That is so totally moronic there are no words for it. Most people will still be at work at that time. The only ones who will be able to attend will be those few stay at home moms that are left out there. I wish somebody --whoever plans this thing-- would grow a brain and have the parade on a Saturday.

If I get to go, I'll have to fly out to the square right after work, still in my filthy nasty work clothes, and hope I can find a parking spot. And this after spending 9 hours on my feet. Not my idea of holiday cheer.

Decorating

I've always loved decorating for Christmas. As a child, we weren't allowed to put up our Christmas decorations until the Saturday after school let out. And we took them down the day before we went back to school. I always begged my daddy for more time. Can't we put them up earlier, please? But he said no. He said that if we put them up earlier, we'd be tired of them by Christmas.


Once I had my own home, and I could put my tree up any time I wanted to, I started putting my tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. And do you know what? I never get tired of it. Sometimes I don't take it down until the middle of January, and I still hate doing it.

This is my tree about halfway decorated. Cody didn't seem all that interested this year, so I did most of it myself. I saved his special ornaments for him to hang, though.

Here is me hanging mine:

I didn't like the way this corner turned out, so I rearranged it after I took this picture.

I'll try to get a new picture of it tomorrow.

Oddly enough, I didn't start collecting Fontanini Nativity figures until after I'd gotten back from Italy. This is as far as I've gotten.

I'd like to get another couple of figures for it, but since they closed the Hallmark store here in town, I haven't gotten any new ones in several years.

And finally, the finished tree. I don't think we'll put presents under it. I don't trust Jake enough.

Now, as the day draws to a close, so does my wonderful, glorious week off. How it could have gone by so fast, I don't know. But it's gone, and it's back to the grindstone tomorrow. I sure hate that.

But such is life.

Water, Water Everywhere

So, I'm sitting here at my computer, watching Lost reruns on Netflix, happily knitting away at my Mystery Shawl when Cody comes in and says, "I'm bored. Let's go play catch." And we go outside and play catch.

While we are out there, I hear a dripping sound coming from under the house. "Oh, no," I groan, fearful that it may be a busted water pipe. We pry a piece of the skirting loose, and I crawl up under the house. Praise be to God, it was not a water pipe. My pressure relief valve on my water heater had gone bad, and it was draining water under the house. Cody and I went and bought a new one, and J installed it when he got home from work.

I figured he'd wait until halftime, but he came on over and did it. Yes, it was the annual Battle of the Boot between LSU and Arkansas. When those two teams meet, it is always an exciting game, and this one was no exception. Arkansas scored late in the game, with like a minute and a half left to take the lead, but LSU came back with a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. LSU scored a field goal on their first possession, and it looked as if Arkansas would do the same. But their kicker missed, and LSU won 33-30.

Mississippi State cleaned Ole Miss' clock in the egg bowl 41-27. Alabama squeaked by Auburn, and Florida won easily against Florida State. Cincinnati, Boise St., and TCU also won, meaning 6 teams finished undefeated in regular season play. This is where it gets really interesting.

Black Friday

and I avoided the stores like the plague. When I was a child, it was our family tradition to make fruitcakes on this day--the day after Thanksgiving. The hard part was putting them back for two weeks to ripen. When I got my own home, I began making them the Saturday after my birthday--which is November 11. That way, by the time Christmas season got here, they would be ready. Now, since I can't eat them, and Cody doesn't like them, we don't even bother. I know most people don't like fruitcake, and it's the butt of ridicule everywhere, but I love it, and miss being able to eat it.

We woke up to the first hard frost of the year. It was cold, too. Thirty one degrees. It almost feels like winter out there.

Even Rylea didn't stay out long. My rousing breakfast of pumpkin pie and hot chocolate hit the spot.

Pumpkin pie is a vegetable. Really, it is.

After lunch, Cody and I went driving. Cody is driving now. Yes, he is.

And I am getting grayer by the day. Or should I say, by the mile?

When we got back home, Cody got the Christmas tree out and put it together, with a little puppy assistance.


I was kind of worried about how Jake would react to the tree, but after a few curious sniffs he has completely ignored it.

We got the lights up, and will decorate it tomorrow.


Now, it's late. Cody is in the living room watching Star Trek movies. Jake is sleeping under my desk. Rylea is outside barking like a fool, and I'm about to head for bed.

After one more episode of Lost, that is.

Goodnight.

Thanksgiving Day

And it was the last regular season game for the Longhorns. They hung on to win a hard fought game against arch rival Texas A&M. Colt McCoy threw for four and rushed for one touchdown. He rushed for a career high 176 yards. A fitting way to end his regular season college career. Since it was the last one, tonight I bring you not one but three

Gratuitous Colt McCoy photos.





In other football news, the Cowboys won and the Giants lost. That's something to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Yes, I still cried when Santa entered Harald Square. If you're too old for parades, you're just too old!

Busy Day

Busy, busy, busy, getting ready for tomorrow. I baked a pie:

Then I baked two more. One pumpkin pie, and two sweet potato pies. And I baked my sweet potato and broccoli casseroles. All I have to do tomorrow is the turkey. The plant gave us a 20 lb turkey this year. The thing is huge! I had to borrow a roasting pan from B, because none of mine were big enough to fit it.

I finally unpinned the kernel scarf.

I am going to give this one to my sister. I got all my sister's family's presents wrapped and packed up to send to them. I couldn't have done it without Squeaky's help.


I thought I was being very clever because I used clothes that Cody's outgrown as packing in the box. Anyway, I drove all the way into town, only to find that the post office had closed at noon. I should have known. I did the exact same thing last year.

Cody gave Jake a bath.

I was supposed to crop Cody out of this photo, but I didn't. Mothers are like that, you know. Jake says, "I don't like this thing called 'bath'."

Rylea says, "Don't even think about it."


Today is Katie's birthday. She would have been 14 years old today. She's been on my mind all day today. I still miss her. She drove me to distraction at times, but she really was the best dog ever.

Happy birthday, Katie. Thirteen years just wasn't enough.

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Thanksgiving

Every year, people sit down at the table, and over the abundant feast share what they are thankful for. And every year, they say the same thing. Family, health, freedom, friends. While those are certainly things to be thankful for, it's become almost cliche.

Now, I don't mean to imply that we take those for granted, but this year, I want to think of different things to be thankful for. Yeah, I know. Most of these are luxuries, not necessities, but I see nothing wrong with being thankful for the extra things that make our lives so much more enjoyable. So, here is my list of outside the norm things I am thankful for.

1. Football --Face it, without this uniquely American sport, we might be stuck watching boring, unexciting sports like soccer, cricket, or hockey.

2. Warm socks --Because cold feet are never pleasant.

3. Netflix -- I'd resisted subscribing for a long time, thinking I would never use the service. But now, I'm so glad I did. I have really enjoyed watching the old TV series I loved without having to buy them.

4. The Internet-- I've met so many wonderful people online, and for an introvert like myself, it provides the perfect medium for social interaction.

5. Electric blankets -- yeah, I love mine.

6. Heat -- in my Jimmy. I've done without for so long, that I'm really, really thankful for this.

I could go on, but I won't. Some of you might think it's silly to be thankful for such trivial things. But when you think about it, if I hadn't been so blessed with the big things, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the little things.

I'm Free!

Well, for a week at least.

Back a few weeks ago, they announced at work that the plant would be shut down all this week. So, I went and put in for vacation days, so I would get paid for it. My supervisor approved my vacation, even though the days were already full, so I figured it was true.

But, things have changed since then, and we ended up having to work this week. I thought about canceling my vacation, but Cody talked me out of it. Long story already told, I'm off this week.

We got out and worked on my heater again this morning. J, Cody, and I ran some more water through the heater core and a bunch of brown gunk washed out of it. We kept running water through it until the water ran clear, and I have heat again. While we were fiddling with it, we drained my radiator and put the flush stuff into it. By that time, Cody and I had to leave to go to our eye appointments.

We got through the eye appointments fine. Cody has just a touch of nearsightedness in his right eye, but it's not so bad he needs glasses. His left eye is fine, and the doctor said that as long as he can see the board in school, and isn't complaining about not being able to see, he doesn't really need them.

Me, on the other hand, my prescription has changed significantly since the last time I got glasses. Funny thing is, my eyes have gotten better. Even the doctor said that was interesting. Anyway, he adjusted my prescription, and gave me a slightly stronger bifocal, as well.

Other than that, I didn't do anything but knit today. Oh, and I made bread for the first time in ages. It was good. I'll have to do it again.

Oh, and by the way, when you decide to proof yeast, this is what happens when you forget about it.

I'd say that yeast was still good, wouldn't you?

After our eye appointments, Cody and I ran into the store to pick up a few things. While we were there, a total stranger saw Cody's LSU t-shirt, and before we knew it, we'd stood in that aisle fussing about that game for about 10 minutes. With total strangers, but we'd found common ground.

Oh and did anyone else notice that the Kansas City Chiefs, yes those same KC Chiefs that gave the Cowboys such fits a few weeks back, those same Chiefs that people say the Cowboys should have blown out of the water--yes, those Chiefs --those 2-7 Chiefs-- defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday? And in overtime, too. Kinda makes you feel a bit better about that win there in week 5, now, doesn't it?

No More

They called him Almost Anthony. He was always near the ball. Always close. He almost got a sack. He almost got an interception. But he was never quite there. Almost, but not quite.

The Cowboys had struggled offensively all game. They'd been able to move the ball well, but couldn't quite get it into the end zone. They marched the length of the field, only to fumble on the 12 yard line. They'd gotten into field goal range, only to have Nick Folk miss a chip shot. They'd gotten close again, only to have Tony Romo throw a pick.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

It was the defense that was their salvation. They'd held the arch rival Washington Redskins to only 6 points. Two field goals. They'd stood strong all game. It was the offense who seemed to be crumbling. The running game was moving the ball, but couldn't seem to put points on the board. The passing attack had been completely shut down, both by the Redskins defense and Roy Williams ineptitude. For three and a half quarters the Cowboys had been shut out.

At last, at long last, the offense came alive. They drove down the field and scored the game's only touchdown --a 12 yard pass to Patrick Crayton. And Cowboys fans rejoiced.

(AP Photo/ LM Otero)

Then they groaned. There were still more than two minutes on the clock. The defense had let them down twice before when the offense had taken the lead late in the game. In both the Giants game and the Broncos game, the offense had won the game, only to have the defense allow a last second score by the opponents. Would they hold up this time?

It didn't seem so. The Redskins began moving the ball efficiently down the field. It seemed that they would easily get into field goal range and kick the game winning field goal --just as the Giants had done.

But then...

Stephen Bowen tipped a Jason Campbell pass, and Anthony Spencer came down with the ball. An interception, and at just the right time, too. It was Anthony Spencer who'd made that interception. It was Anthony Spencer who was the hero of this game. More importantly, it was Anthony Spencer who'd finally shed his unfortunate nickname.

(AP Photo/LM Otero)

He is Almost Anthony no more.

Dreary Sunday

The last two days have been dreary and overcast.

So it's been a perfect time to get some knitting done. I've worked on Queen Anne's Lace a bit, but don't have any photos to show it's progress. I was sitting there knitting when I heard something calling to me. I tried to ignore it, but the call got more and more insistent. Finally, I had no choice. I had to pick up the Falling In Love socks again.

I got two more pattern repeats done while watching football. It's not a hard pattern, but it does have a knit 4 together. That can get a bit frustrating on small needles.

I reblocked my Kernel scarf, too. I blocked it much less severely this time and I think the pattern will show up much better this time.


I'd love to do this one again, but I'd want to do a different edging on it next time. Oh, it's pretty and all, but I don't like having to graft the edging to one end. I'd want to find one that is the same both ways so I can just knit it on as part of the scarf.

With This Win

Final score, Texas 51 Kansas 20. With this win, Colt McCoy becomes the winningest starting quarterback in NCAA history. He has 43 victories. That's one more than David Greene, and 4 more than Peyton Manning.

He has 4 consecutive 10 win seasons.

He (at this point) has a 70% career pass completion percentage.

He has (at this point) a 148 Quarterback rating for the season, and (so far) a 155.4 career QB rating.

He has everything but two things. A championship and a Heisman. Hopefully, he will get both this year. Texas plays Nebraska for the Big 12 Championship on December 5. If they win that, they will most likely play the SEC champ in the National Championship game. But first, they play A&M on Thanksgiving day. If they lose then, it'll all be moot.

It's a bit sad to see this winding down, so I won't think about that just yet. For a little while longer, you will still get your

Gratuitous Colt McCoy photo:


I don't even want to talk about the LSU game. Stupid decisions by Les Miles. What moron tries to clock the ball with ONE second left? That cost them the game. They were in field goal range. Why didn't they just kick the field goal? Why try to clock the ball? Dumb Dumb Dumb.

I don't want to talk about it.

I'm going to bed.

Phooey.

Not So Fast

I was so excited yesterday that my heat seemed to be fixed. But this morning, when I left for work-- no heat. I was sooooo disappointed! I wanted to cry.

Ricky suggested that I flush out the heater core again, only this time let the water run through it a good long time. I'm going to try that tomorrow, when I change my antifreeze. I wondered if maybe more air had gotten into the system, or maybe there was something clogging it that Ricky shifted a bit when he ran water through the core. Maybe with the engine shut off, it settled back and blocked the fluid flow once again.

The heat WAS blowing yesterday, so the heating system works. Things don't break sitting in your driveway overnight. We just have to figure out what's keeping the water from circulating.

I Have Heat

in my Jimmy! I haven't had heat in there since winter before last. I'd been meaning to take it into a shop, but just didn't have the money what with the way we've been working lately. J had said that he'd work on it for me, but he never seemed to be able to find the time. I'd talked to one of the maintenance guys at work. He insisted that it was the thermostat, but I didn't think it was. It just didn't sound right. But I finally got someone to come out and change the thermostat out for me. Still no heat.

Then today, my friend Val, whose husband also works at the plant said, "Just ask Ricky. He'll come fix it." So I did. He came out and looked at it. First, he'd thought it was the heater control valve, but when he checked it, he decided that was working.

Then he ran some water through the heater core, and voila! I have heat!

It seems that an air bubble was in the system, and got stuck in the heater core not allowing the fluids to flow through it. It's called being airlocked. I froze all last winter, and all it was was an air bubble that took about 10 minutes to find and fix.

I guess I just had to ask the right person.

Later that day, I wanted to go get into my Jimmy and drive around, just to feel the heat blowing. I didn't but I wanted to.

So Busy

Even though it's been crazy busy this week, I managed to get my kernel scarf unpinned.

However, I'm thinking I blocked it a bit too severely. The pattern just kind of disappears, so I may re-do it this weekend.


Ya wanna hear something crazy? I have not knit a single stitch since Saturday. I don't really have any small projects to work on. Well, I guess I do. I have a charity scarf that I'm knitting out of some awful acrylic yarn, but it just isn't appealing to me. I also have my Falling In Love socks that I need to pull out and finish. Other than that, it's just the two big lace shawls, and they don't go too well with puppy.

Speaking of puppy, here is a cute puppy photo:

Jake says, "Play with me, will ya? Please?"

Rylea says, "Better you than me."

Grouch.

I made shrimp and sausage gumbo for supper. It was pretty good, even if I do say so myself. Cody must have thought so, too. He ate three bowls of it.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my bloggiversary when it happened. November 15, 2005 was the day I posted my very first post. Funny to think I'm still blogging after 4 years. I usually lose interest in things pretty quickly. However, blogging and knitting have stuck around. And for my two faithful readers, I thank you for sticking around, too.

A Single Play

A single play can turn a game.

A sack resulting in a fumble returned for a touchdown negated by an illegal hands to the face penalty.

A 42 yard reception immediately followed by a fumble recovered by the opposing team.

A pass interference penalty that shouldn't have been called, but was.

A pass interference penalty that should have been called, but wasn't.


The fourth quarter. The Packers defense had sent the Cowboys reeling. They'd shut them down--and shut them out--to that point. But Romo and the Cowboys, they don't give up so easy. They'd begun to find ways to get through that Packer defense. They'd begun to move the ball, until...

Romo is sacked and stripped of the ball. Felix Jones alertly dives on it, recovering the fumble. He gets possession. He is contacted. He is down by contact. With possession of the ball. The play should have been over. Felix rolls up into a sitting position. He still has possession of the ball. He has already been downed by contact. The play should have been over.

At that point, one of the Green Bay defenders reaches down and bats the ball out of Felix's lap. He bobbles it until it goes out of bounds at the Cowboys three yard line. Yet, even though Felix was down by contact, with possession of the ball, the referees award possession to Green Bay.

Wade Phillips challenges the call. The play is reviewed. The referees admit their error. They admit that Felix was down by contact with possession of the ball. However, they say that fumble recovery in the field of play is non-reviewable, and the play will stand as called. Green Bay gets possession of the ball on the Cowboys 3 yard line. On the first play, they score a touchdown, which makes the score 17-0.

Had Dallas been correctly given possession of the ball, the score would have only been 10-0. Even if the Cowboys had retained possession, and not scored on that drive, the score would have still been only 10-0. But because Green Bay was given --or "gifted"-- with possession and 7 points, the entire tenor of the game was changed.

On their next possession, the Cowboys drove all the way down to the Packers 1 yard line. Tony Romo threw a pass to Jason Witten, which was intercepted.

Had the score only been 10-0 instead of 17-0, had it been a two possession game, maybe instead of passing to try to preserve the clock, they would have let Marion Barber punch it in.

Touchdown. The score would have been 10-7. And that final drive, the touchdown to Roy Williams--that would have been the game winning touchdown, instead of just a consolation score.

Now, some would say that the Cowboys should have never let the game get to that point, and they would be right. But the game did get to that point. There's no changing that. So the question is, would the Cowboys have won if that call had been made correctly? As Aslan said to Lucy, no one is ever told what would have happened.

But you know, they just might have.

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Sunday's Post

a little late. I'd meant to get it up yesterday. Really I did.

I finally got my kernel scarf pinned out and blocked.

See this crookedy edge? That's what happens when you pin out a lace scarf while watching the Saints almost get upset by the Rams Dude.

I think I blocked this one a bit too severely. I am hoping it relaxes a bit after I un pin it, but if it doesn't, I'll just reblock it.

And here's something I haven't posted in a while, a gratuitous cute puppy photo:

No more pictures, please!

With This Win

Colt McCoy ties the record for most wins by a college quarterback of a major school. He was robbed of the Heisman last year, and if he doesn't win it this year, then something is definitely wrong in the world of college football.

During their 47-14 anhilation of the Baylor Bears, this is the image you saw of Colt McCoy for almost half of the game. Once the Longhorns went up 40-0, he -- along with the rest of the starters--was pulled from the game.

Nevertheless, I must bring you your

Gratuitous Colt McCoy photo.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

LSU didn't have it so easy, though. What with Jordan Jefferson, Charles Scott, and Richard Dixon all out with injuries, the Bayou Bengals struggled against Louisiana Tech . Still, they managed to hang on and eke out a 24-16 win over the Bulldogs.

Me, I've got to figure out how to get my photos to upload to my laptop. I've got to find an update to my photo program or something. I don't think my old program is compatible with Vista. I even took a Saturday Sky photo, but don't want to go into the other room to upload it.

So, I think I'll just walk the puppy and go to bed.

G'nite.

Thankful Thursday

I swiped this idea from Opal. The idea is to list three things you are thankful for. Here is my list:

1. I'm thankful I still have a job. I'm even more thankful that my hours have increased. Hopefully, no more 4 day work weeks for us. I'm sorry for those that got laid off, though, and hope they find something soon.

2. I am thankful for good health. I've always been relatively healthy. Even though I seem to be allergic to everything in existence, I don't have any serious health issues.

3. I am thankful that it has finally been dry enough for the farmers to harvest. I know this doesn't affect me personally, but I always worry about those who live their lives at the mercy of the weather. All the cotton fields near my house have been picked now, and I'm thankful that the farmers were able to get a decent harvest out of it.

Conversations With Cody

So, last Friday, as I was getting ready to go to the store, Cody says to me, he says, "Mom, is it OK if I use that credit card you gave me to buy you a birthday present?"

Hey, it's progress. Even if I am the one paying the bill.

Adventures In Italian

Back when I was in the Navy, I spent three years stationed in Italy. While I never became fluent in the language, I did pick up enough Italian to carry on a decent conversation. I've forgotten almost all of it in the intervening 15 years, so don't ask me to speak to you in Italian today. Any time you're dealing with a language barrier, there's bound to be some misunderstandingss, and often they can be humorous.

In Italy, at least back when I was there, there were no self service gas stations. The attendant came out and filled your tank for you. Somebody told me that the reason they did that was because so many people were stealing gas. Filling their tanks and driving off without paying. But I don't know that for sure. Nevertheless, you didn't fill your own tank.

I pulled into the gas station one day, rolled down my window, and told the attendant, "venti litri" --that is, twenty liters. The man walked back to where my gas cap was, but came right back to my window and began saying, "Kiss? Kiss?"

"What the heck?" I'm thinking. Was this guy going to make me kiss him before he would fill up my tank? I'd heard Italians were very romantic, but this was ridiculous. Seeing the dumbfounded look on my face, the attendant made a specific gesture with his hand. That's when I understood what he was trying to say:

KEYS

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Finally

All week, the sports analysts, all they could talk about was how good the Philadelphia Eagles were. How they were on a hot streak. They were winning. They had a 5-2 record, after all.

The Dallas Cowboys, yeah they had a 5-2 record, same as the Eagles, but they weren't that good. Yeah, they were winning, too, but just look at who they had played. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They Carolina Panthers. The Kansas City Chiefs. Yeah, they were winning, but they'd only beaten one team with a winning record. The Eagles would be the first quality team the Cowboys had faced. (Those 6-1 Denver Broncos seemingly having slipped everyone's mind.)


What those analysts were hoping everyone would conveniently overlook was that the same thing could be said about the Eagles. They were such a "good, quality" team, yet who had they beaten? The Carolina Panthers. The Kansas City Chiefs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Washington Redskins.

Philadelphia had also beaten only one team with a winning record--The New York Giants. Yes, those same Giants who, even after receiving 24 points gift wrapped and on a silver platter, still needed a last second field goal to beat the Cowboys in week 2. Not only that, the Cowboys had not lost to a team with a losing record, while the Eagles had lost to the team one analyst had called the worst team in the NFL--the Oakland Raiders.


Nevertheless, this game was supposed to be the first real test the Cowboys had faced. The first "quality" team the Cowboys had faced. The red hot Philadelphia Eagles. On national TV. In the Linc. Last time they were here, they'd gotten a thorough thrashing at the hands of these same Eagles. Yes, this would be a true test for them.

It was a test the Cowboys would pass. A low scoring, defensive slugfest, and it was the Cowboys defense who came out on top. It was the Cowboys defense who shut down the Eagles running game. It was the Cowboys defense who held DeSean Jackson to only two catches. TWO. It was the Cowboys defense who sacked Donovan McNabb 4 times and intercepted him twice. It was the Cowboys defense who stopped the Eagles on a 4th and inches. It was the Cowboys defense who held the Eagles to a single touchdown.

With this victory, the Cowboys took control of the NFC East. More importantly, they showed the world that they just might be a bit better than that 8-8 team all the analysts predicted they would be.


And most importantly of all, with this victory, they Cowboys could finally lay to rest

The Ghost of 44-6.

(Photos by Al Bello/Getty Images)