WIP Wednesday

 This is going to be brief because I did not sleep well last night.  That bulging disc in my back -- which has been so quiet for so long -- decided to remind me it was still there.  The only way I could lay that didn't cause intense pain was flat on my back.  Only I don't sleep well on my back.  

Eh, other than some sleep deprivation, I'm OK now.   It's just a wake up call that I need to get back to doing my stretches consistently.  

But I did want to tell you, I finally finished my Schaum Blue Book piano course.  

From here on out, I'm going to stick with the Alfred's Adult All-In-One course -- mainly because I've already bought all three books -- and the Michael Aaron's course, primarily for nostalgic reasons.  That's the course my childhood teacher used during the ...one...year I took lessons as a kid. 

Yes, I know I need to have another little recital, and I will.  Eventually.  I'm already starting to work on Christmas music, but I also want to get a little something posted before then.  Just a couple of songs.  

And now, for the main event.  First up a finished object.

The Brandye Beanie in Knit Picks Brava, in Tidal Speckle colorway.  It does look very wintery.  I might have to keep this one.  But I probably won't. 

2.  This scarf:

It's a few inches longer, but not much different. Unnamed pattern knit with Red Heart in an unknown colorway, because I lost the ball band. 

3.   No progress on this one.  Well, like two rows, but not enough to make a difference. 

It's a simple seed stitch pattern knit in Life DK, in Teal colorway

4.  No progress on this Irish Hiking Scarf, either. 

5.  I made a little progress on the sock, but not really enough to see in a photo. 

The pattern is a simple K2P2 rib and the yarn is Forbidden Fiber Fortitude sock in Fab 40 colorway.

6.  I think the most exciting thing about this project is that I found it!

The pattern is Garden Party, and the yarn is Knit Picks Gloss Lace in Dandelion. I have a long weekend due to Labor Day, and I want to start working on it, maybe while watching Thirteen Lives on Prime.  I'm telling you, if you haven't seen that movie yet, you really need to.  Fair warning, it's intense.  

On the other hand, complex lace might not be the best thing to work on while watching an intense movie.  

Well, that's my knitting up date for this week.  Even with all these projects, I'm still wanting to cast on something new.  I guess I really earned my Castonitis Merit Badge!  

I'll let you know how that goes. 

Dear Coworker

No, as a matter of fact, I can not hear what the person making the announcement over the loudspeaker is saying.  All I can hear is you screaming, 

 I can't hear!  What's she saying?

So, perhaps if you would 

SHUT UP

and listen, maybe we could all hear 

what she's saying.

Thank you

That is all

Back In The Swing Of Things

The first day back at work after a long weekend is always...well, a bit tough.  The hardest part is waking up at 4:30 again after being able to sleep until...um...5:30 for 4 days.  OK, OK, it was only an hour, but hey, that one hour makes a heck of a difference.  

I had a great time at Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, hanging with Christi, Amy, Emily, and Amy C.   The original plan was for me to go down to Vicksburg Thursday morning and do my sightseeing, then FFITS Friday and Saturday.  However, once the class list was released, I didn't find any classes I was that interested in taking.  

After coordinating with Amy and Christi and finding out they weren't coming until Saturday anyway, I changed my plans a bit.  I drove down Thursday evening, and did my sightseeing Friday.  I'll tell you more about that in a later post, though.  For now, I'm just going to show you my swag I bought -- which wasn't as much as in other years, but at least I got a few things, the first of which was this cute bag they were handing out to all the participants.  

Now, before I show you all the stuff I bought, here is the knitting project I took to work on.

Yes, it is another Brandye Beanie, this time knit with Knit Picks Brava in Tidal Speckle colorway.  I finished it yesterday, and I'll show you the finished product in a later post.  

I apologize if this seems a bit all over the place.  I've got so much to talk about, and so little time to do it.  I had to go pick Jesse up after work, and they couldn't find him.  Seriously.  I paid the bill and the receptionist called back to the back, "Jesse Gunstream to go home."  I waited several moments, and they hadn't brought him up.  She called back again, "Jesse Gunstream to go home."  Several more moments, and someone came out to the front and whispered, "Jesse Gunstream...what is he?"  

I don't think I was supposed to hear that part, but I did.  I said, "He's a brown dog with a curly tail."  Oh.  She headed back to get him, but by then, someone had found him and brought him up to the front.  No matter.  He's home now, and all is well.

OK, back to FFITS, I bought the set on the left to make a fade hat for a Christmas gift, but when I looked up the pattern the vendor recommended, I don't really like the way it's written.  Thus, I'll have to figure it out on my own. 

The one on the right, I thought I'd add to the blanket, although it might end up being knit into a gift for someone.  Maybe a cowl for my sister or something. Since she lives in Alaska, she'll be able to use something a bit lighter weight in the late spring and early fall months. 

These mini - skeins were only $5 each, so they'll definitely go into the blankets. 

This is the only full sized skein I bought.   

There was so much gorgeous yarn there, but I practiced much restraint.  The number of vendors was down from previous years, but I wonder if that had more to do with the last minute schedule change than anything else.  See, it was supposed to be the last weekend of September, but there was a conflict with the Convention center or something.  Hopefully, next year, it'll be back up to full capacity. 

As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to have it. 

For you knitting muggles out there, it's a needle gauge, to check what size your knitting needles are. 

And my final purchase of the day, my Purl Scouts merit badges:

They have several more merit badges I still need to earn.  Maybe by next year.  (They also have some I have absolutely no interest in, so I ain't going to worry about those.)

So there you have it, my swag from FFITS.  I also made another very large purchase which had nothing to do with yarn or knitting.  I'll tell you about that another time. 

Sunday Blessings

Here are the rules, for those who want to play along:

1.  Post something that has blessed you in some way -- big or small-- last week.
2.  Post a Bible verse or spiritual quote that has touched you in some way this week.
3.  Post a hymn or some other song that has touched you this week.

1.  This week, I got the biggest blessing of all.  After far, far too long, I got to hang out with these lovely ladies, Christi and Amy at Fiber Fun In The 'Sip!

Christi's friends Amy and Emily were also there, though I didn't get a photo of them.  I did last time.  They still look pretty much the same.  

By the way, this is why I don't like my picture taken.  I don't look right in photos.  Amy and Christi look great.  I look like some sort of demented turtle.  

Anyway, I'll give a more detailed report on the blog later this week. 

2.  Even though it was only a two hour drive down the road...

I was thankful he kept me safe.  More about that on the blog this coming week, as well. 

3.  OK, this song doesn't really have anything to do with Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, but it's been my earworm this week.

Surreal

Today was my last day of work for the week.  It almost seems surreal.  

I'd taken a couple of days vacation for Fiber Fun In The 'Sip, which is finally on after a two year hiatus due to COVID.  The plan was to drive down tomorrow and do some sightseeing -- you know, the Military Park and stuff -- then go to FFITS Friday and Saturday.  However, what with all the rain and stuff, I don't know if that's going to happen.  I'm still going to Vicksburg tomorrow because I already have my hotel reservation.  It's just the sightseeing I might not get around to.  

Either way, I'm glad today was my last day of work for the week, because I haven't been sleeping well this week.  I don't really know why.  Last night, I got to bed at my usual time -- well, just a bit later because I'd stayed up to watch Dallas Jenkins' livestream update on season 3 of The Chosen, but not that much later.  I got into bed about 10 minutes after I usually turn off the light....and I tossed, and I turned, and I flipped, and I flopped, and I perused Facebook a minute, and I tossed and turned some more...  The last time I remember looking at the clock, it was 1:15 AM.  

I eventually drifted off, but I couldn't have gotten more than 2 1/2 - 3 hours sleep.  It made for a rough day.  This morning, I felt so bad, I kept feeling my cheeks and forehead to make sure I wasn't running a fever.  I felt a little better after I ate lunch, but I was so glad when the day finally ended.  

I came home and started a load of laundry, and sat down to peruse Facebook, when suddenly, I threw my clothes back on and dashed out the door.  What caused me to go running out the door like that?  This: 

Yep,  the local Walmart had some Grenada Monopoly games in stock!  

How cool is that? The spaces are all local roads and businesses.  First an episode of Restaurant Impossible, now a Monopoly game.  This little town is really coming up in the world.  

They'd gotten some in a few weeks ago, and somehow, Cody got ahold of the photo they'd posted on their page, and messaged me asking if it was real and could I get him one.  Alas, I waited too long, and by the time I got to the store, they were all sold out.  This afternoon, when I saw they'd gotten some more, I made sure I got down there in time to get him one.  I got one for myself as well.  

Now, I just need to find some people to play games with. 

Oh, and maybe get a card table and some chairs....I'm too old to be sitting on the floor.

Now, I'd better get packing or I'll never make it to Vicksburg tomorrow!

All Patti's Fault

This is a post I'd originally posted way back in 2009.  When my friend Jennifer -- mentioned later in this post -- posted a photo of her and Patti a few days ago, this post immediately sprang to mind.  I don't know if Jen had ever read it, so I felt it was time for a rerun.  So without further ado, It's All Patti's Fault. 

P.S. If you go and read the original post, you can see some of Patti's actual comments.  

All Patti's Fault

Here's another blast from the past:

This is my friend Patti on the left, and Susan on the right. They were college buddies of mine. Patti often comments on my blog. Sometimes she tells off on me. She loves to tell this one particular story, which I fondly refer to as The Sheet Music Incident. In the comments a couple of days ago, she again referred to this incident. Since some of you may have missed it, I will tell you the story here, too.

I went to college at Hardin Simmons University, in Abilene, TX. While attending there, I was a member of a church called Elmcrest Baptist Church. Being located in a college town, Elmcrest naturally had a rather large college and career group. Many of us also participated in their college and career choir. I was never musically inclined myself, but I did enjoy being in that choir.

One Sunday evening, the choir went to sing at a smaller church in one of the nearby towns. We sang our 4 or 5 little songs, then we were standing there, still in the choir loft. Someone may have been praying, I don't remember. I was standing at the end of a row, and Patti was just to my right. There was an empty chair beside me, so I decided to toss my sheet music down on it. As it turns out, I put a little too much oomph in my toss, and the sheet music slid off the other side of the chair, down some steps, and into the little foyer behind the choir loft. There was nothing I could do but to watch it go--flowing like water down the steps.

It finally settled, and came to rest on the floor in the foyer. I turned and looked at Patti, who had witnessed the whole thing, and said, "oops." She got the giggles. Then I got the giggles, and we giggled over that through the whole rest of the service.

In the comments to my post a couple of days ago, she again mentioned that incident, and I was thinking about it last night after I had gone to bed. And I got the giggles. And then I remembered something else we had done.

Patti and I had a friend named Jennifer. Jennifer had a car named Faith, because she said that's what it ran on--faith. One Christmas, Patti and I decided we were going to decorate Faith. Patti went out and bought some red and green yarn, and we tied little yarn bows all up and down Faith's radio antenna. Jennifer didn't like them on there, because she said they made the antenna bend backwards too much when she drove. She would push all the bows down to the bottom of the antenna. Patti and I would spread them back out, and Jennifer would push them all back down. One day the three of us were driving somewhere. Jen was driving, Patti was in the back seat, and I was in the passenger seat. Jen had again pushed all the little yarn bows down to the bottom of the antenna, where they sat there in a wad. We stopped at a stop light, and who should pull up beside us, but another college buddy named Cary. Our windows were down, and Cary said, "What is that on your antenna?"

"Decorations," I replied.

Cary said, "It looks like you hit a bird!"

And I'm remembering that last night as I lay in my bed, and I start giggling over that, too. And I giggle half the night. So, I'm sleepy today because I giggled half the night over college memories.

And it's all Patti's fault!

Getting Old

Who would have thought something so simple could make me so sore?  Oh, my lands...but let me back up just a bit. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Wait, not that far back.  Let's zoom ahead several thousand years -- to 2015, when I bought an older home.  It was built in 1967, and I knew when I bought it, it would need quite a bit of repair and upkeep.  

One of the things that had become a concern here recently was that many of my outlets had begun to crack, and it didn't seem safe to use them any more.  

A few weeks ago, I'd gotten some replacement outlets, but me, I'm such a procrastinator those outlets had been sitting on my kitchen counter ever since. 

You know, I've been seeing ads for an app that is supposed to help you stop procrastinating, but I haven't downloaded it.  I intend to look into it and see what it's all about, but I keep putting it off. 

Heh...

Anyway, I decided come Hell or high water, this would be the weekend I changed those outlets out.  And since high water did indeed come in the form of heavy rains all day Saturday, it was the perfect weekend to do so.  It was also the perfect weekend to skip mowing, but that's another story for another day. 

After consulting some YouTube videos for guidance, I set myself to do just that.  Changing the outlets, I mean.  Not mowing.  I'm telling you, the most aggravating part was figuring out which circuit breaker shut off which outlet.  I found the one for the living room pretty quickly, but it took me forever to find which one shut off the bedroom.  

Oh, and just an FYI, the breaker that shuts off your overhead lights doesn't necessarily shut off your outlets.  

Finding that out the hard way, I got frustrated and finally just shut them all off.  Every single breaker -- except for the one that cuts off the overhead lights.   Being able to see made the job so much easier, you can be sure of that.  The outlet now safely off, I got to work and started on the task I'd set for myself. 

I know they make those screws hard to turn on purpose -- after all, you don't want them coming loose and having hot electrical wiring flopping around inside your walls -- but by the time I'd gotten two of the outlets changed, my arm was so tired I had to take a break.  

You know you're getting old when turning a few screws does you in.  

This morning, my shoulder and upper arm were so sore, I almost called in sick and stayed home with the aforementioned shoulder packed in ice.  Alas, I'm too close to getting perfect attendance for the month, and being entered into the drawing for the new 50" TV, so up I got and to work I went.  

My shoulder is starting to feel a bit better, but it's going to be a few more days before I change that last outlet out.  I've got a few more I want to change out, and since my home is older and none of my outlets are grounded, I'm going to get some GFI outlets for the rest of them.  That will make it just a bit safer until I can save up enough to get the whole house re-wired.  Which was always in the plan, and honestly was one of the first upgrades I wanted to get done.  

Hopefully, I'll have better luck finding an electrician than I am with finding a plumber.  

OK, moving right along...

I know I'd said in a previous post that I wanted to start getting rid of some of the no longer needed junk I have laying around, and I did just that.  I found all these shoes of Cody's

and these jeans he couldn't wear any more, 

and advertised them on Facebook in the local free-bees group.  Wonder of wonders, the first person who asked about them actually showed up and got them!  Usually it's about the fourth or fifth person who finally comes and gets something, but these went quickly.  So, yay!

And finally, just because it makes me giggle:

Sunday Blessings

 Here are the rules, for those who want to play along:  

1.  Post something that has blessed you in some way -- big or small-- last week.
2.  Post a Bible verse or spiritual quote that has touched you in some way this week.
3.  Post a hymn or some other song that has touched you this week. 

1.  The Fall hummingbird migration seems to have gotten underway.  They're bold little suckers, too.  They were still at the feeder even while I was watering Marty Mac.  Every year, there seems to be that one bird who claims the feeder and won't let any other birds near it.  Here is this year's perpetrator.

2.  

3. 

 

Wednesdays Are For Knitting

Before we begin, I'm sure you'll all be pleased to know I rearranged my refrigerator so I can fit all of my coffee creamer into the same shelf in the door. 

Don't envy me my exciting life. 

Now, on to the main event.  Back in the day when blogging was the main form of social media, it was common to have what we called WIP Wednesday.  For you knitting muggles out there, WIP stands for Work In Progress. I thought it was time to revive that tradition, so here, for your viewing pleasure are ...well, some of my WIPS. 

1.  A generic sock.

The pattern is K2P2 ribbing, and the yarn is some I'd bought from my friend Leann's shop, Forbidden Fiber, but I can't find the ball band, so I don't know what colorway it is.  I think it's called Fab Forty, but I don't remember for sure.  She has so many gorgeous colors, I wish I could buy them all.  

2.  A scarf.  

Knit in Red Heart worsted in Delft blue colorway.  The pattern came from a booklet I bought at Walmart years ago.  I've been working on this one for so long, I don't even remember when I started it.  Sometime last year, is all I know.  I do remember ripping the whole thing out once and starting over.  It was already about 4 ft long at the time, but I'm such a perfectionist, those missed stitches simply wouldn't fly.  

3.  An Irish Hiking Scarf

I'd cast it on to go with this hat I'd knit, 

and had completely forgotten about both of them.  It's wild the things you find when you go looking for stuff. 

4.  A simple seed stitch scarf

The yarn is Life DK in teal colorway.  This is some my ex mother in law sent me when she was de-stashing.  It's much greener than it looks in this photo.  I've really got to get myself a better camera.  

5.  I have another WIP, but I can't find it.  What I did find was one of my NOAA radios in a project bag. 

Why it was there, I do not know.  OK, OK, I'm lying.  I do know why it was in the project bag.  I was planning on taking it to Fiber Fun In The 'Sip next weekend.  Why?  That, I do not know.   I've long since give up trying to find an explanation for such things.  

Anyway, the WIP I can't find is this Garden Party Shawl I started sometime last using Knit Picks Gloss Lace in Dandelion.  

You'll have to settle for the last photo I took of it -- sometime late last year.  

Word around the plant is, we won't be working any more weekends this year.  I hope I can take some time to get in there and clean up that computer/craft/snake room.  Maybe then I'll be able to find some of this stuff.  

I've also got to get better about getting rid of stuff I no longer want.  My problem is, I know what it's like to do without.  Did a lot of that when Cody was little and money was super tight.  Thus, I have a hard time throwing perfectly good stuff into the garbage when someone out there might be able to use it.  

I think that may be my weekend project -- to start getting that stuff photographed and posted in the local free-bees group.  Then I'll have to deal with the headache of people not showing up to get it.  

All part of the game, I guess.  

Forgot

I completely forgot what I was going to blog about today.  Seriously.  

It was going to be a good post, too.  But I have no clue what it was about.  

I thought maybe if I sat here and rambled a moment, it would come back to me.  Or maybe it won't.  I've always wanted to do a stream of consciousness post anyway.  It might be scary for you to see what goes on in my brain.  

Except now my brain is empty.  

I'm sitting here watching an episode of Chicago P.D.  I'm totally hooked on the show, and its two companion shows Chicago Fire and Chicago Med.  I kind of wish now I hadn't waited so long to start watching them.  On the other hand, I have a lot of binge watching to do before I'm caught up.   

Oh yeah!  I remembered!  I was going to revive an old feature I used to talk about on the blog -- books.  I know many of my readers are book worms, so this ought to be good.  It won't be a daily, or maybe even a weekly thing.  I'll just post whenever I finish and start a new book.  OK?  Here goes.

I just finished reading The Cure Chronicles, by K. A. Riley.  

It is a five book young adult dystopian series, that frankly, should have ended after book three.  The fourth and fifth books were just the first three re-told in a different location.  After the third book, the story really began to drag, and the fifth book was downright tedious to read.  The series followed the typical formula -- a whiny, self-absorbed 17 year old girl is bound to save the world once she decides which of her two love interests she wants to be with.  Overall, I'd give it three of five stars. 

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Next up on the reading list, Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson. 

This is the first of Erik Larson's books I've read, but if the rest are this good, I'll have to read some more.  Who would have thought weather patterns could be so riveting?  Let me just share a favorite quote:

Speaking of weather, check out tomorrow's high temp!

I was reading a passage in the book about how the summer of 1900 was especially hot and humid, and I was thinking, "Wow, that sounds just like this summer."  I know it's always hot, and it's always miserable, and there's always Saharan Dust, but this summer...wow, it's been especially hot, especially humid, and especially miserable.  Even the Sahara Dust is hanging around far longer than usual. 

I cannot wait until Fall gets here.  

You Know It's Bad

 You know it's bad when you call your dog by the wrong name.  And you only have one dog. 

It's even worse when you call your son by the wrong name, and you only have one son.  But that one I have an excuse for.  See, when Cody was little, he reminded me sooo much of my younger brother I called him Scott until he was 8.  Now, half the time I call my brother Cody -- instead of Scott.  

Which brings us to today -- when I called Jesse Cody.  Instead of Jesse.  

I can't even blame sleep deprivation for that.  

Yep.  They gave us the news today.  No more overtime.  Starting tomorrow, I'm back on 8 hour shifts.  I'll be glad for the extra time, but will miss those paychecks.  Now this isn't anything to be alarmed about.  Our work is largely seasonable, and there is always a fall slowdown.  It isn't usually this early, but it's also not that unusual.  

In other news, my plumbing woes continue.  This morning, I got the following email from the Angi site:

Hi Becky ,

I hope all is well. After looking into your project, I regret to inform you we do not have any pros in our network who can complete your job in a timely manner. I will go ahead and refund your $25 deposit, which will be reflected back on your card in a few business days. We are always growing our network of professionals, so please feel free to reach out in the future with any new home improvement projects. Best of luck with your project!

Figures.  I've even been blown off by the Angi site.  Sigh....I'm getting seriously frustrated over this.  I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.  Am I not being assertive enough?  Should I yell at the plumbers?  Cuss them out?  Lower my voice and pretend to be a man?  Will that get them to show up and do the job?  I just understand why I can't get anyone to show up.  I mean, I'm not asking them to sacrifice their firstborn.  I just want my sewer line repaired.  

Anyway,  I've got a couple more numbers to call before I'll have to figure out how to do it myself.  Wish me luck.  In the meantime, I got a full sized tarp to cover that hole instead of that old shower curtain. 

Hopefully, it'll keep the mud out of the hole in my sewer line.  Surely, I'll be able to find somebody somewhere who will fix this.  Someday my plumber will come....

Well, it would seem the ants have found my hummingbird feeder.  I could see them crawling up the pole I have it hung on.  When I brought it inside and washed it out, there had to be hundreds of little ant bodies in it, so I picked up a new one.  

This one has an ant moat, so as long as I keep it full, I should have no more problems with ants.  Except that I keep misspelling ant.  I type aunt every time, and have to go back and correct myself.  I have no idea what that's all about. 

I've long since given up trying to find and explanation for such things. 

Sunday Blessings

Here are the rules, for those who want to play along:  

1.  Post something that has blessed you in some way -- big or small-- last week.
2.  Post a Bible verse or spiritual quote that has touched you in some way this week.
3.  Post a hymn or some other song that has touched you this week. 

1.  This has been a week full of frustrations, so when I started looking for something that had blessed me, I didn't hold out much hope.  But when I started thinking about what I could put here, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just one.  I thought about finally getting that sink fixed, or about getting a letter from my one and only remaining pen pal, but in the end, I had to put the one thing that has made me the happiest this week.  It seems like such a small thing, but as hot and miserable as this summer has been, the idea that Fall is just a few weeks away, well, it makes me positively giddy.  

I can't wait for Fall to get here, and though it's still August, highs next week will only be in the mid to upper 80s.   Even the banner itself was a gift.  I found it several weeks ago out in the woods, and the hanger was already conveniently on the house.  I might have to start getting banners for every season...or event.  

2.  

3.  

So there are my three Sunday blessings for this week.

What are yours?  

Bad News And Good News

It is now day five of no plumber, and I'm pretty sure by this time, he'd had no intentions of ever coming back in the first place.  I doubt he even called 811, because I'm sure they would have been here before now.  The last time, when I'd had that whole sewer line replace shortly after I moved into this house, they were here the very next day.  

With that in mind, I did something unprecedented.  I got onto Angi and filled out a work request through them.  Their representative called me today, and after a round or two of phone tag, we finally got on the same call at the same time. 

I explained the situation to her, and she actually listened!  Men don't like to listen, but she let me go into as much detail as I wanted to.  After getting my side of the story, she said she'd make a few phone calls and get back to me.  I'd told her how I'd called the two plumbers --Proctor and McCrary -- and they'd both never come back.  She said, "Sometimes we can strong arm them, since they do use our service."  So, now we wait....

Now, I know you're thinking, "But Becky, in the other post, you listed a whole bunch more plumbers that you'd called than just those two."  And you would be right, there were a bunch more, but I'd called them about other problems -- even problems I'd had with my other houses before I moved into this one.  Two of them, I'd called about my bathroom sink that won't drain.  Well, I'd called three of them, but one  -- Tim McDaniel -- never returned my call.  

That leads us into the good news.  

If you'll recall, a while back I'd bought a Drain King to try to blow out whatever is clogging that drain.  The one I got wouldn't fit into the bathroom drain, so I was going to have to take the plumbing loose underneath the sink to get it into the drain system.  Only...the last plumber who'd come and snaked the line apparently glued the pipes into place when he put it all back together.  I tried and tried to get it loose. I even bought a heat gun to try to melt the glue so I could get it all taken apart. 

I'd just procrastinated on doing it.  Toxic fumes, and all, plus knowing my luck, I'd probably burn down the house in the process.   

Then, at 4:00 yesterday morning, after a nearly sleepless night during which I cried about all this crap most of the night, I had an epiphany.  Maybe I should look on Amazon and see if they make a Drain King in a ...wait for it... smaller size.  I can be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.  I blame sleep deprivation. 

And what do you know...

they did!  It arrived today, and...well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  

The one I bought also came with an adapter to use it with kitchen sinks that have a cross bar

and a connection thingy (real technical term there) so you can attach your hose directly to your kitchen faucet.  I was a bit disappointed, though, because I thought I'd gotten the kit that included a hose, but apparently I didn't.  I guess that's what happens when you order stuff before you've had your morning coffee.  After a sleepless night.  

No matter.  I went outside and dragged the garden hose into the house, spilling water all over the place in the process.  Eh, I needed to mop anyway.  Jesse has had accidents in the house the last two days, so it was due for a good cleaning.  Oh, I don't blame the dog.  He's 13 years old, after all and older dogs have the same problems older people do.  I just clean it up and don't fuss  -- too much.  

Where was I?  Oh yeah, dragging my garden house into the house...  I hooked the hose up to my kitchen sink, then stretched it to the bathroom --at which point I realized, it's a good thing I didn't buy the hose that came in the kit, because it probably wouldn't have reached all the way to the bathroom anyway. 

I hooked the other end up to the Drain King, stuck said Drain King down into my sink drain, then went back into the kitchen and turned on the water.  

After a few moments of hearing the familiar buzzing sound, I went outside and pulled the cap off of my cleanout right behind the house, hoping to see water.....  Nothing.  

I went back into the bathroom and checked to make sure the Drain King hadn't somehow popped out of the drain -- it hadn't --  then went back outside and checked the cleanout, to see....water!  Beautiful, clear water flowing down my sewer line!  

I'd done it!  I'd cleared the clog that had been plaguing that sink for literally years!  

I let the Drain King run a little while longer, then cut the water in the kitchen off and took it out.  I turned the sink faucet on, went back outside to check the cleanout, and....water!  It was still draining!  

Yippee!  Forgive me if I sound just a skosh proud, but I am.  After 4 years, two plumbers, and unmeasurable frustration, I'd fixed my sink.  All by myself!

I know, I know...you're thinking "Four years? Really?"  And to that, I would say, "Yes, you read that right."  The last time I remember using that sink was in 2018, when I was scrubbing the old paint off my fireplace bricks.  I think that's how I messed it up -- washing my paintbrushes in the bathroom instead of outside.  Note to self:  don't do that any more. 

The thing is, with me here by myself, it wasn't really that big of a deal.  I mostly use the sink in my half bath off the master bedroom anyway, but with Cody and Brennan engaged now, I'd like to be able to invite them down more, and to do that, they'll need a sink they can use, and now they have one.  

Despite the ongoing issues with my main sewer line, I'm pretty stoked about this.  

How was your day? 

Dear Coworker

If the oncoming car is literally half a mile up the road, you have time to go. 

Seriously.  You have time...

So, go!  Now!  Go!    

Go!

Now!  

Go!  

GOOOOOO!

Finally!  Great job!  

Now use that pedal on the right...Oh, come on!  I can walk home faster than this!

Sigh....

Thank you.

That is all. 

Well, Well, Well...

It is now day three of no plumber, and I'm beginning to get a bit discouraged.  I'd had so many plans when I moved into this house, I just didn't realize how hard it would be to find someone who is willing to show up and work.  I guess I'll just have to watch some YouTube video and figure out how to do it myself.  Then I'd have to find the time and the energy to do it. 

OK, moving right along.

I'd had a completely different post in mind for you today, but all that went out the window this afternoon when I heard some very interesting workplace gossip. It would seem that there have been

shenanigans. 

And boy howdy were there shenanigans.  

Apparently, we have a voyeur out at the plant.  For the purposes of this blog, I'll call him Tom...as in Peeping.  Get it?  

Now, remember, all this is coming to me through the rumor mill, so take that for what it's worth. 

Tom hasn't been out there very long -- less than a year, I'd say.  But what Tom would do is to go into the men's bathroom and surreptitiously film guys...um...urinating.  And I'm not talking about from behind across the room.  

He'd get...shall we say...up close and personal.  

What he was doing was to go into a stall, then when someone came into the next stall, Tom held his phone under the divider and would hit the record button.  And film.  Other men's... business. 

Then he'd go home and upload those videos to his YouTube channel.  Allegedly.

So, last Friday, Tom snuck into the bathroom and waited for someone to enter the stall next to him.  I actually don't know that.  I'm just fleshing out the details using my imagination, but it's what I think might have happened.  What really happened is that the guy he was trying to film is a veteran, and since veterans tend to be a bit more aware of things around them than most civilians, he heard the little bink when Tom hit the record button.  

Vet looked down and saw the phone, and chased Tom out of the bathroom.  Tom ran out into the parking lot, to his car, and changed his shirt, like he thought that would keep Vet from finding him.  I don't know all the whys and wherefores, but the short answer is Tom got fired, and Vet filed charges against him, and you get a very different blog post than the one I was going to write today.  

Is it wrong of me to feel a bit of schadenfreude over this?  I mean, women have been dealing with this kind of stuff since the days of Lady Godiva.  Now you men know how it feels.  

Oh, and there was a fight in the plant after lunch.  Which took three supervisors to break up. 

How was your day? 

A Real Vacation

Here we are.  Day two of no plumber.  Day two of no evidence the 811 people have been here.  So, we wait...In the meantime, it's supposed to rain pretty hard over the next couple of days, so I rigged up a cover out of an old shower curtain that for some strange-odd reason I still had laying around.  

Hopefully it'll help keeping the mud from filling the hole up again.  And yes, that is bright pink yarn I used to tie it to the fence.  Yarn leftover from finishing this hat:

I don't think there is enough for another hat, so I'm thinking if I have some solid black anywhere around here, I could make a center stripe out of this, or maybe even a helix hat.  Of course I'll keep you posted. 

In the meantime, I somehow got reminded of a vacation my family took when I was a little girl.  I'd written a blog post about it way back in 2008.  Since not much else is going on right now, I felt it was time for a re-run of that very post.  I hope you enjoy it.  

The Great Western Tour  

The hot topic here in the blogosphere recently has been vacations--or rather the lack of them. Seems Americans don't take long vacations any more. Speculations abound at to why we don't vacation like we used to. Some say people don't want to come back to work piled up. Others say they can't afford the gas. Still others say they have trouble getting that much time off from work. 

Me, I think a lot of it has to do with the way we are raised to feel guilty for not being busy all the time. Any time we are not being productive is considered wasted time and well ... shame on us for being lazy. It's a pity, though. If God felt it was right to rest after creating the world, why should we not rest ourselves as well? 

 In my family, we didn't take vacations much when I was a child. My mother didn't like to travel...or else she just didn't want to be in such close quarters with my dad for an extended period of time, I'm not really sure. Usually we just spent a week in Galveston, TX, up until I was 12.  That was the year my parents discovered that they could rent an entire beach house on the Bolivar Peninsula for the same cost as a hotel room on the island. The first year we rented a house, my grandparents, my older brother and I went down for a few days just the four of us. A couple of days later, my parents and my younger siblings joined us for the rest of the week. Eventually, as my younger siblings got older, the entire family would go for the entire week. We did this every other year until I was 20 or so and my parents split up. I don't know why we didn't go every year. Those off years, we didn't have a vacation at all... 

When I was 10, we went to San Antonio for a week. That was fun, but the only really long vacation I remember was the one my Dad called the Great Western Tour. It was only my parents, my older brother and me, because my younger siblings hadn't been born yet. Even though I was only 4 years old, but that trip really stands out in my memory. 

It all started when we went to Dallas to my cousin Kathy's wedding. My brother and I were  the ring bearer flower girl respectively. I still vividly remember the wedding. I remember rehearsing with my little empty basket and my aunt telling me that tomorrow at the real wedding there will be rose petals in the basket, and I was to scatter them in the floor so that the bride would have a carpet of rose petals to walk on as she came down the aisle. When I got to the front of the church, I was to go stand at a certain spot until the wedding was over. 

The next day at the real wedding, I walked down the aisle, scattering petals just like we'd rehearsed, and as I got to the front of the aisle, I saw my Aunt Martha -- who was not the bride's mother, but my other aunt -- gesturing wildly at me and pointing repeatedly to where I was supposed to go. I thought, "She must think I don't know where to go." But I did. Many years later, when preparing for my own wedding, I recalled this with my aunts, and we all had a good laugh about it. 

With my cousin safely married, our next stop was camping in the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. Somewhere in the park, there was this rock with a hole in it, like a giant stone ring. My mother, my brother and I decided we would climb up the side of this slope to where the rock ring was and look down through the center, and my dad would take a picture. 

Now, it probably wasn't as high up as I remembered, but I was a lot smaller back then. Halfway up, I decided the climb was just too much for me, and I went back down. My mother and brother made it to the top, looked down through the rock ring, and my dad took the picture. They climbed back down, and when they got to the bottom, they began rubbing ice on their hands. I asked what happened and was told that they'd gotten into some stinging nettles, and the ice was supposed to make their hands feel better. Even at that tender age, I remember thinking, "Boy, it's a good thing I came back down, or I would have gotten into those nettles, too." 

After a day or two in the canyon, we headed west, and camped for a few days  in Red River, New Mexico, in a really pretty campground that I remember to this day. I don't know where it was, but we were camped in a really private area. It's like we were the only ones there. We had a big blue cabin tent. No RVs for us! One thing I wondered about was why it was so cold in the morning when we first got up, but got so hot later in the day. I remember grumpily asking my mother this very question one morning as I wasn't wanting to get out of my nice, warm sleeping bag. I also remember sometime later in my childhood, when we went to Oklahoma, crossing the Red River and thinking that it was where we had camped that time. I'd gotten the river confused with the town. My dad explained that it was a different place, though, and I was disappointed. 

Our campsite was near a stream, and my dad spent most of his days fly fishing.  I was fascinated by the way he could keep that fishing line in the air for so long without it falling. I've fished in many different ways, but I never tried fly fishing. It just has a mystery, and an aura that reminds me of my dad. I can still see him out knee deep in that stream with the line floating above his head. My dad also took us to a fish hatchery and we saw the fingerling trout and fish of all sizes being readied to be released. I was fascinated by the gazillions of fish. 

But then it was on to Colorado! This is significant to me because it is the first time I ever saw mountains, and the first time I ever saw snow. I knew what snow was, and had seen pictures and seen it on TV but having grown up on the Gulf Coast, had never actually seen any in person. I was amazed that Colorado still had snow on the ground in June, because well, in June in South East Texas, it's in the mid to upper 90's--if not hotter. But in Colorado, there were still big drifts of the white stuff on the sides of the road, and Dad would pull over from time to time and let my brother and I get out and play in it. 

Somewhere in Colorado (or maybe it was still in NM, I don't really remember), I rode a horse for the first time as well. There was a place that gave guided trail rides and we went on one. My mother and brother rode on one horse. The employee there asked my brother whether he wanted to sit in front of my mother, or behind her in the saddle. He chose behind. I wondered why he did that, as all he would see was my mother's back. When the employee asked me whether I wanted to sit in front or in back of my dad in the saddle, I ran toward some ponies I'd seen tied there declaring that I wanted to ride one of them. They were just my size, I thought, and I could ride one of them. 

After being cautioned by the employee and my dad not to run, I was told by my dad that I had to ride with him because I was too young to ride by myself. I didn't think this was fair, because I'd seen another boy of about 8 or 9 riding on his own pony. I asked why he could ride by himself, and I couldn't. I was told that he'd been riding horses his whole life and knew how to ride. So the employee asked me again whether I wanted to sit in front or in back of my dad, I said in front. 

He picked me up onto the horse, and after a brief wait while everyone got mounted and ready to go, we were off. The trail led through the woods and across a stream. At the stream, the boy's pony stopped to drink, and the boy dropped the reins. He had to reach way down the pony's neck to get them, and I was sure he would fall off head first, but he didn't. He retrieved his reins and we were off again. My dad showed me how to hold the reins, and I steered the horse the whole ride. What I didn't understand then was that the horses knew the trail as well as the guides did, and I didn't really steer him at all. Too soon, the ride was over. "I didn't get to kick him!", I wailed. I hadn't needed to, my dad explained to me, because the horse was already going, and if I kicked him, it might make him run away. 

The most impressive thing I remember seeing in Colorado was the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. I vividly remember seeing the mesa as we approached, and walking the long ramp that led to the village. I thought it would have really been fun to live in a village in a cave like that. Some families had to climb ladders to get to their houses, which were stacked on top of other houses. There was a hole in the ground that was supposed to be a holy place. My brother went down into it, but I didn't.  The tour guide had said that in the old days, when the Natives lived there, only men and boys were allowed to go down there. He said that I could go down there, that it would be OK, but I felt it would be disrespectful to the memory of those who'd lived there so long ago, since I was a girl. Ok, I was only 4, but still. After I was grown, I learned that this was a Kiva. I've always wanted to go back to Mesa Verde, and maybe someday I will. 

We also crossed the Royal Gorge bridge, but I don't really remember much about it. 

From there, we headed back East, and the next stop was Dodge City, KS. I think I was a bit disappointed in Dodge City. It didn't look anything like it did on TV, and I didn't see Marshall Dillon, but I did get to ride in a stagecoach. Funny, I was even disappointed in that, because they only drove in a large circle, and you couldn't see the horses from inside it. 

We ended the trip by going to Bartlesville, OK to visit my mother's grandparents. While there, we took a trip out to Woolaroc. I imagine it has really grown over the years, but what I remember most was seeing the buffalo and the deer in the wildlife park. After a few days in Bartlesville, we headed back home. By this time, even my dad was tired of sleeping on the ground, so we stayed in a hotel. 

When we got up that last morning to head home, we got out to the car to find little toys in our seats! My brother had an airplane, and I had a little brown horse with a black mane and tail. I still have that horse to this day, packed away. It is missing at least one leg, and I think his tail too, but I'll never forget my mom saying, "Daddy wanted to surprise you because you've been so good on this trip." I think that was the only time my mother ever told me I was a good girl. That evening, we arrived back at our home, and the Great Western Tour was over.

I hope you've enjoyed this account of one of the best memories of my childhood. If you've made it this far, I congratulate you!  

Get yourself some ice cream, because you deserve it.

Sunday Blessings

 A few years back, I used to make a weekly post called Sunday Hymns.  It was exactly what it sounded like.  Each Sunday, I'd post the video of one of my favorite hymns.  

I enjoyed doing it, but for some reason it was never very popular.  Those posts only got about half as many hits as my regular blog post -- if that.  I kept it up for a few months, but eventually stopped.  Some years later, I tried it again, with the same result.   

I mean, I enjoyed it, but if the post don't get hits, it's a whole lot easier for me to just watch the vids on YouTube.  Nevertheless, me being me -- that is, a bit on the stubborn side -- I'm going to try it again, only with a twist this time. 

I was reading my friend  Marcy's latest post over at Amnicon Studios and she mentioned the Three On Thursday thing I read over at the Carole Knits blog.  The link is in my sidebar if you're interested.  I used to participate in that a lot, but have kind of stopped.  I think I should get back to it.  

 Anyway, I thought it would be fun to do something similar here, only on Sundays.  I'll call it Sunday Blessings, and you all can play along if you want to  -- even if you aren't particularly religious.  Here are the rules.

1.  Post something that has blessed you in some way -- big or small-- last week.

2.  Post a Bible verse or spiritual quote that has touched you in some way this week.

3.  Post a hymn or some other song that has touched you this week. 

Sound good?  I'm going to need y'all to keep me accountable with this one, though, so I don't flake out like I have before -- mainly by reading, sharing, and most importantly responding to each post.  It's hard to stay enthusiastic about posting when it feels like you're talking to no one.  

OK, here we go...

1.  As some of you know, I wear scrub tops to work, even though I work in a factory.  I lot of us do.  I like them for the big pockets, which come in handy from time to time.  Anyway, one of my friends stopped me and asked, "Becky, what size of these do you wear?"  I told her, and she said, "I've got a whole bunch I've outgrown, and can't wear any more.  Do you want them?"  I said, "Sure, I'll take them", thinking it would be five or six tops.  We went out to her car, and she pulled out a huge garbage bag filled with forty -- yes forty -- scrub tops, all in great shape.  It'll be a while before I need to buy any new work shirts now.   

2.  

3.  

So, there you have it.  My three Sunday blessings.  

What are yours?

Lazy Saturday -- Sort Of

 I got to work bright and early yesterday morning -- well, not so bright, because the sun wasn't even up yet -- and my coworker called me over.  

"I had a feeling that guy would show up!"

"Yeah, but I'm not going to hold my breath just yet," I said.  Not until he's actually out here fixing the problem.  I told her, "I have a sink in my hall bathroom that hasn't drained in years.  I've had several plumbers come out and look at it, then say they'll have to come back tomorrow to fix it, only I never see them again."  As I said before, at this point, I expect to be disappointed. 

Thus, it was with some trepidation I came home from work Friday after running my payday errands -- only to find no evidence the plumber had been back.  

I got a bit discouraged, but I'm not giving up just yet, because honestly, I thought he was being a bit optimistic when he said "tomorrow".  It usually takes the 811 people 3-5 days to get out and mark all the underground stuff, and I could tell they hadn't been out here yet.  Plus, since it was a Friday, I'm guessing it'll probably be Monday before my 3-5 days even starts.  

If they don't come back by ... oh, say next Friday, I don't know what I'm going to do.  I don't think there are any plumbers left in this town I haven't already called.  I guess I'll just have to sharpen the ol' shovel and do it myself.  

In the meantime, I'll just sit here and knit...

and be lazy...after I finish the mowing, and the laundry, and wash the dishes, and do the umpteen other things I need to get done.  But probably won't. 

Oh, and a bit of good news, Walmart finally got some deer corn back in stock!  

Now I can start fatting the squirrels up for supper....um, I mean give the squirrels their supper.  Yeah, that's what I mean...