My Father

Walter Lee Gunstream, Jr

October 23, 1926 - July 14, 1995

He taught me how to throw a harpoon.

And he called me Hawkeye.  

Modesty

Before we begin, Scarf #3 is off the loom.  I just have to trim the fringe and weave the ends in and it'll be done. 

I'm still trying to decide what to warp next.  I've still got plenty of yarn to choose from.  Now, on to the topic of the day...

Modesty. 

I know the in thing these days is for women to wear as little as possible.  Even in church, I see women coming in wearing spaghetti straps, no bra, dresses that look more like slips, and no slips at all.  Someone came in this morning in a dress so shear you could clearly see her legs and underwear.  That is the "might as well be naked" look of which I speak. 

I know it's the style and all, but I've always felt called to be more modest than that.  Our Christian brothers struggle enough in our sex saturated society, and I believe that it's my duty as a Christian woman to help them out as much as I can. 

I know, I know.  There are some women out there who will get all bowed up and say, "I can dress however I want.  It's up to them not to look." 

The only problem with that attitude is that they're men.  They can't help but to look.  It's hard wired into them to look. So, if you walk into church with half your chest hanging out, or a skirt so short your cheeks are showing, they're going to look. Personally, I don't feel as if that attitude --the "I can dress like a slut but you'd better treat me like a princess" attitude-- honors God or my Christian brothers. 

A couple of years ago, I made myself a sundress, but I never really felt comfortable wearing it to church.  I had a shawlette that I wore over it, but I didn't like the look.  I'd looked all over for a knitted bolero pattern, but in the end, I broke down and bought one at Wal-Mart Thursday when I was in town. 

It's just what I was looking for.  I wore it to church this morning, over my sundress, and now that I have it, I can actually shop for a new dress.   I found a few dresses online that I like, but didn't buy them because they were sundresses.   

And because even a middle aged tomboy needs to feel sexy now and again...

No, it's not hypocritical.  Not a bit, because no one will ever see me in them except my imaginary husband.  They'll be quite well covered up.

My final purchase of the day:

Jesse wasn't impressed.

Frantic Friday

Have you ever been so tired you just wanted to sit down and cry?

I don't get that way very often, but I was today.  And yes, I did cry.  Just a little bit.  Then I felt better.

I came home, and I was really, really glad I went ahead and did my shopping yesterday.  I hadn't planned to.  I was jut going to get milk, but then decided that since I was already there, I might as well do it all.

Only I forgot dog food, so I have to go back tomorrow and get some dog food.  I'm sure the dogs will appreciate that.

And what was causing me to be so tired?  Well, I'll tell you.  Sort of.

It was just a really, really hectic day at work.  We got there and all the stuff second shift had left for us was wrong.  (It was tubing's fault, not the brazers, though we did get hollered at for "not catching it".)  Then we were down because tubing didn't have any work ready for us.  When they finally got us some parts, the line was rushing us to get them done because they were down...

Then we ran out of parts from tubing again, and the whole cycle started all over again.

And I was walking around singing...

Finally, the seemingly endless day was over. I came home and worked on scarf #3, which looks a lot like scarf #2, only a bit shorter and a bit wider.

Wait, what?  What is that beached whale looking thing?  Oh, that's jut my thigh.  Never mind. 

Where was I?  Oh, yes...the scarf.  It should be finished tomorrow.  

I've got some blue and some white yarn that was my grandmother's.  I want to try to make a plaid scarf from those, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that.  I may do another scarf or two before I jump into that.  One thing for sure, I want to try to find a better way to tie the fringe.  That, I've already decided, is my least favorite part of weaving.  I like it even less than warping, which isn't really that bad.  Just time consuming.

Well, we'll see how it goes after a good night's sleep.  If I can get one, that is.

Mayhem and Miscellany

I survived another Thor's Day of mayhem at work.  Yeah, the no more overtime rule didn't last very long.  I'm back to going in early tomorrow.  Well, for one day, at least.  We'll have to see after that. 

After work, I had to run into town to get milk.  I figured, since I was there, I might as well get my shopping done.  One thing I always like to check while I'm there is the clearance aisle.  That's where I saw this set of Pez Dispensers.  My first thought was, "Oooooh, the Third Doctor! It's a set of Doctor Who Pez Dispensers!"

Alas, upon closer inspection, it isn't Doctor Who, but U.S. Presidents, and the person in question is Andrew Jackson, not the Third Doctor.  I was a bit bummed by that. Then felt unpatriotic.  But not for long.  I just recited a bit of The Declaration of Independence to myself, and felt better.  I also had spent a good hour at work singing the fourth verse of The Star Spangled Banner.  Out loud.  So, no question of my patriotism there. 

Yeah, I'm a bit tired.  I'm so tired, you don't even want to know how I spelled dispensers.  Let's just say, thank goodness for spell check.  OK, onward...

I'm walking around the store, getting what I need, when...Oh my!  Will you look at that!  How on earth did that get into my buggy? 

 

I'm pleading the 5th.  But, look!  It's got flowers on the pages.  FLOWERS!!  On the PAGES!!!

Still pleading the 5th. 

I got home and found that my new Cup Of Joe t-shirt had arrived.

For those of you who don't know, Green Beans Coffee has a program where you can buy coffee for military personnel serving overseas.  I've done it for years now.  Anyway, every so often, they have special offers.  If you buy so much coffee, you get a prize.  I've gotten t-shirts, challenge coins, and dog tags. 

The best prize, though, is when I get thank you notes from the soldiers themselves.  Most of them just say a simple thank you, but sometimes, one will tell you how much it means to them to know that they aren't forgotten. 

A little taste of home.  That's what one soldier told me.  I'd sent him a little taste of home. 

That's the prize that makes it all worth it. 

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

Guess what?  It's Wednesday, and I remembered to do Chat!  Aren't you proud of me?  So, let's chat, shall we?

1.  Do you like cucumbers? Is there a favorite way for you to prepare them? 

No, not really.   I don't dislike them, but they aren't my favorite.  I do like infused water with cucumbers and lemon, with a sprig of mint.  

2.  How good a housekeeper are you? 

 Eh, so so.  I'm good enough for me, and since I'm the only one who lives here, that's good enough.  My house isn't spotless, but you'd never see it on an episode of hoarders.  Funny story, the dog was heaving, and I said, "Go puke on the linoleum.  It's easier to clean."  I guess I've become a bit jaded. 

3.   Please finish this: To spend a day____________would be amazing! 

 Not going to work. At the shooting range.  Hunting.  Fishing.  Hanging out with my friends Christi and Amy.  (We need to do that again, girls!)

4.  How do you handle times when you are "down" or "blue"( depressed )? 

 Usually a good night's sleep takes care of my blues.  Or some good music.  Or remembering how blessed I truly am. Or remembering that it's most likely caused by hormonal changes and that it will pass. 

5.  Have you started using essential oils, since they have become so popular? 

No.  I'm not even sure what essential oils are.......OK, I googled them and no, I probably won't get in to that. 

Thank you for joining me for this week's chat.  Be sure to come by next week.  

A Scarf And A Sock

I hate to break it to you, but this is another one of those days when there just isn't that much to say.  Unless you want to hear about my bi-annual trip to the eye doctor, that is.  Suffice to say, my eyes are healthy, though very nearsighted, and I'm getting new glasses. 

You know, I hate the new glasses styles almost as much as I hate the new clothing styles.  I guess it's not so much the styles as it is the teensy little lenses you have to peer through.  I picked out the largest frames I could find, and they still seem too small to me.  Well, they'll be here in about a week, so you'll see them then.

In the meantime, scarf #2 is finished.  This time, I clamped the warping peg to my end table and the loom to my kitchen table. 

As you can see, it made for quite a long warp, and in turn, quite a long scarf. 

The warp is Red Heart SuperSaver in Buff, and the weft is Red Heart SuperSaver Camo in Mirage.    I have enough left of each to do at least one more scarf.  Next one won't be quite as long, though. 

I still have some tension issues, but they are getting better.  The end on the left is the beginning, and the end on the right is the end.

A few more scarves and I ought to have that worked out.  I hope. 

I also cast on a new sock. 

It's going to be a plain vanilla sock, and I have no idea what yarn this is.  It's been marinating in my stash for many and many a year, and the ball band has been lost for many and many a year.  I do know it's a cotton blend.  Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. 

The bad news is, no more overtime.  I'm going to miss the extra money, but I'm looking forward to getting up at a reasonable hour.  If you consider 5:00 AM reasonable.  Hey, it's more reasonable than 4:00 AM. 

I was in the store the other day, and I bought this Coke because it had my name on it.  I got halfway home before I remembered that I don't even like Coke.

Well played, Coke.  Well played. 

In The Garden

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

Yes, yes, I know.  Normally we do Chats on Wednesday, but stuff happened.  Then I got the new loom, and more stuff happened.  So, we're getting to it, but a little late.  I'm sure you understand.

1.  What's your favorite kind of cheese?

 I've never met a cheese I didn't like, but I'd have to say my favorite kind is Muenster. 

2.  Have you ever been in a log cabin? 

 Not a real one.  When I was vacationing in Tennessee way back in 2001, I visited a replica of Davy Crockett's log cabin.  I love the look of modern log homes, though, and would love to live in one someday. 

3.  What is your favorite kind of salad dressing? 

 Bleu cheese.  I also like Ranch, but bleu cheese is my favorite. 

4.  When was the last time you saw someone from your high school days? 

 It's been at least 15 years.  That's the last time I was home.  I do keep up with high school friends on Facebook, but it isn't quite the same.

5.  Tell me what the perfect dinner party would look like for you. 

Um, not having one.  I'm not into dinner parties or guests.  I guess the perfect dinner party for me would be a picnic at the lake with just one or two people.

 That's all we have for today.  Next week, I'll try to remember to do Chat's on time. 

My New Loom

I got up this morning with all sorts of good intentions. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done over my long weekend. I was going to write a long, meaningful 'Merica post. I was going to go fishing.  But in the end, none of that got done, because I have a new loom to play with.

First thing I did was to wax all the pieces and let them dry.  Well, the first thing I did was to hunt all over the house for the waxing pad that was just in my hand, but suddenly wasn't there any more.  I finally found it in Cody's room.  Why it was in there, I have no idea.  I must have carried it in there when I was looking for my screwdriver.  But, I did find it eventually and waxed my loom pieces. 

I debated on putting a second coat of wax on, but decided it didn't really need it.  Then I buffed the pieces out with an old t-shirt, and put the loom together. 

It didn't really take that long to put it together.  Indeed, it took me longer to find my screwdriver than it did to assemble the loom.  But that's what happens when you have had teenagers in the house.

Speaking of, I was in Wal-mart yesterday, in line to check out, when the young woman in line in front of me said, "Hi, Miss Becky."  I had no idea who she was.

She said, "Don't you remember me?"  Um, who are you?  When she told me her name, I remembered who she was.  She is Cody's old babysitter's granddaughter.

 "Lord, child, I haven't seen you since you were 5 years old!"

She asked me, "How's your little boy doing?"

"About to be 21," I replied.  Yeah,

But I digress...

Now I had my loom put together, I needed something to weave on it.  I went into the craft room and dug out all my worsted weight yarn.  After I put back the yarn that was already designated for specific projects, this is what I was left with. 

I chose the big hank of tannish yarn in the middle, and started to warp my loom.  Straight away, I ran into a problem.  I don't have a table long enough to clamp the loom to one end, and the warping peg to the other.  I tried to use my Mammaw's old ... whatever this thing is...

but alas, it wasn't heavy enough.  About halfway through warping, I noticed it was creeping forward just a bit.  Then it fell over.  So, my tension wasn't exactly consistent.  I had to do some creative adjusting, but eventually got things lined out.  Still, I'm going to have to think of a better way to warp my loom. 

I soon ran into another problem...the yarn was in a big hank, and I didn't want to have to wind it into a ball.  I have a ball winder, but it won't hold that much yarn, and I sure didn't want to have to hand wind it.  I got the brilliant idea that I'd put the yarn on my swift and warp directly from that.  It worked, sort of.  The main problem I had was the yarn kept snagging, and I'd have to put everything down and go unsnag it.  That contributed to the wonky tension.  If I do that again, I'm going to move my kitchen table over to where the swift is.  That should make it easier. 

It's a learning process. 

Finally, I was ready to start weaving.  The instructions in the book say to use these little cardboard strips when you begin, but I've seen videos that show people using waste yarn instead. 

Next time, I think I'll go that route.  Oh, and I also had a design element.  You know, we don't make mistakes.  We just add design elements.  When I was warping the loom, I mistakenly pulled the yarn through the same slot in the reed twice.  You can see here where the yarn is doubled.

I'd didn't want to pull it all out and start over, and I wasn't confident enough to cut the yarn and pull the extra length out, so I just left it.  You can't tell in the finished scarf anyway.  Not unless you're looking for it. 

After a few hours, here is the finished scarf:

You can see how my tension got better from the end shown on the right, which was the beginning, to the end shown on the left. 

I went back and tied the fringe after I took this photo.  I've got to learn how to do some of the fancy fringing like I see some of my friends doing.  I just tied plain knots in mine.  I'm going to wash it tomorrow and see how it holds up.  Then I'm going to weave something else.  Next scarf I make will be longer and skinnier.  And I think I know just which yarn I'm going to use. 

Whoever sent me this, I hope you're reading, because this is the best present I ever got.  Thank you so much!  

Now, we can't close out this Independence Day post without a 'Merica moment, so here it is:

 And all God's people said, "Booyah!!"

Golly What A Day

Yesterday, Group Leader Fernando asked several of us to come in at 5:00 this morning.  I'm thinking that we were trying to get some orders out since we are going to be off tomorrow.  But when I got there, turns out he wanted us to clean because the boss's wife was coming for a visit.  Clean.  Not work.  Clean. 

No, I wasn't too happy about that.  I mean, I would have come in anyway, but at least he could have mentioned why.  Nevertheless, he has earned himself a place in my wedding party-- as the kraken bait.  We have to cover every contingency.  We might need a bloody carcass to lure the kraken out of it's holding tank.

It was a long, hot, tiring day, and just when it was time to go, Former Group Leader Rod came running over, frantically asking me if I could stay until 4 and braze on his line.  He gave me the big, brown puppy dog eyes and said, "Do it for me."  I said, "I'll do it for the money."  Yeah, I got to work an 11 hour day.  I haven't done that in a while.

After work, I had to drag my weary body to the store.  I didn't want to go, but thought if I want to celebrate 'Merica tomorrow, I need some food to celebrate with.  So, I bought a pizza, ice cream, and Lemon Oreos. 

Because 'Merica.  That's why.

While I was wandering around Wal-Mart, James called and said, "You have a package over here."  I was a bit confused, because I hadn't ordered anything.  When I got home, I went over there and sure enough, there was a package with my name and address on it.

I had no idea what it was.  Cody was trying to tease me, saying "You don't remember what you ordered?"

"I didn't order anything."  I said.  "Somebody sent me a present."  From The Woolery.  I knew I hadn't ordered anything from there.  I opened the box and there was an envelope with my name on it.

The card inside had this brief message. 

Yes, indeed.  Someone had sent me a loom! 

There were other loomy things in the box.  An instruction book, and some wax to polish it with, and a book showing all of Ashford's other products (including the spinning wheel I someday hope to have).  And that thing.  Which I don't know what it is, but it's necessary for weaving. 

Folks, this is not a cheap present.  Somebody out there deserves a great big, huge hug and more thanks that I can possibly express in a simple blog post.  I have no idea who sent this, but God does and it is my prayer that he will bless you mightily for it, because you have blessed me mightily by sending it.  

Inside the box were bunches of little pieces, which I have decided to wait until I've had a bit more sleep before I start playing with it. 

I've been awake since 3:30 AM.  That doesn't go well with lots of small parts. 

But, boy I can't wait until morning!

A Brief Post

There I was at work, minding my own business, doing my job, when Group Leader Fernando comes up, punches me playfully in the arm and asks, "How you doing?"

"What do you want?" I ask.

"What makes you think I want something?" he replies.

"Because you're smiling," I says.  "You only smile when you want something."

"Oh, that hurts!" he exclaims.

"Just tell me what you want," I say. 

"Can you come in at 5:00 in the morning?"

"Yes," I say.

"Yes?  Just like that?  Yes?  You're not going to argue or fuss or anything?  Just yes?" says he.

"Oh, that hurts!" says I.



And that, my friends is why tonight's post will be brief. 


An update on the Christmas tree: 

Your 'Merica moment:

Note:  If I ever get married again, I want someone to make this happen.  Instead of throwing rice (because I'm too old to have chilluns anyway), y'all can all shout "USA! USA!" as we're leaving.  And wave copious amounts of American flags.  Big ones.  Got it? 

And the brief, but disgusting observation that I don't know what Rylea found to roll in, but it sure does stink.

It doesn't just stink, it stanks.  

That's like stinking on steroids. 

Brat. 

Bluebonnets And 'Merica

My little bluebonnet is in full bloom.

I want to print this photo out and hang it on my wall. 

Speaking of printing, I priced wireless printers the other day.  You can get a decent one for around $60-70.  I have a printer, but I have to use Cody's antique, cranky computer to print things out.  If I could find my software, I could install it on my new laptop, but I'd still have to move the cable every time I wanted to print something.  With a wireless, I wouldn't have to worry about that. 

Eh, I'm still debating. 

See what I did there?  I said "Eh".  A nod to our neighbors to the North.  Happy Canada Day!

And with that, here is your 'Merica moment for the day:

Our founding fathers believed in liberty that much.  If they saw what we'd let their country become, they'd be ashamed of us. 

In more mundane news, I think I've finally found a combination of supplements to replace the Estroven.  I've felt better and more positive today than I have since -- well, since they changed the formula.  I'm a bit bummed that I have to take six things now to replace the one single supplemnt, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. 

I'm still having hot flashes, but then again, that could be because it's been 90+ degrees outside.

And yet, I'm craving hot chocolate.

I think I need professional help.