Prayers for Itty Bitty

Miss Itty Bitty is sick.

She has been rather lethargic and not eating. We took her to the vet tonight and they think she may have a blockage. On the x-ray it looks like it might be a small piece of yarn. I feel so guilty!

They are keeping her over night to see if it passes and if she eats a little. She may need surgery tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Its a great year when we get 2 "turkey days" in one month. Won't happen again for another 4 years.

However, it has been pointed out to me that if the Indians had given the pilgrims a donkey instead of turkey we would all be getting a piece of ass for Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Its getting hard to tell the crazies from the sane..

I am not a big fan of blue tooths. (Or is that blue teeth?)It used to be you could tell the crazy people because they were the ones talking to themselves in public places. Now everywhere you go there is someone holding a loud personal conversation with no one on matters that most people would not want broadcast to the world because they own a blue tooth.

I have been in a bathroom stall when I have heard a voice in the stall next to me whisper "Can you hear me?"
"Uh, yes."
"I really need some advice."
"Ok..."
"Do you think I should continue to date Todd, now that his best friend has told him that he likes me but thinks he might be gay and Tod's wife may be pregnant?"
"Um...who's Todd"
"Hold on a second, there is some crazy person in the next stall listening in on my conversation."

Its so hard to tell if you are the intended conversee. I have heard people discuss bodily functions, sex practices, yell at their kids as though no one else were around and use language that would make sailors blush. Its almost as if they have such a sense of self importance that the rest of the world does not matter. Whatever happened to common courtesy.

I guess I am going to have to start looking for the tin foil hats to know the true crazy people!

Things I love

Recently, my friend Kim tagged me with a meme to blog about 7 things that I love. That is pretty easy.

1. I love my husband.

Bob and I met online back in 1998. He was separated from his wife at the time and not looking to meet anyone. I had just got a computer and was enjoying meeting new friends on line. We e-mailed back and forth for a while and then he finally gave me his phone number so I could talk to him and finally be convinced that he was not some crazy axe murderer from Ohio. We finally met and I knew he was the one. After his divorce became final he moved to California. We got engaged in 2003 at a Fourth of July concert at Raley Field. He had got up to get something and when he came back, I looked over and he was on one knee. I thought he had tripped and then I saw the ring. My answer to his all important question? "Are you serious?" (he will never let me forget that.) I love my husband because I enjoy his company. I love the fact that we can talk about anything. We have fun together. I am so comfortable around him. I am a pretty solitary person, and if he were not around I would probably end up as one of those crazy cat ladies with about 50 cats. (My goal in life is to have enough money to be "eccentric" instead of just "weird") I sometime wish I had known him when we were both younger.


2. I love my parents.
I was the caboose child. Mom & Dad had a 13 year old and a 15 year old and were entering their 40's when I came in the picture. They took an active part in my life volunteering in school and after school activities. They were strict but loving parents. They expected much of me so I came to expect much of myself. Both of my parents were born in the 20s and lived through the Great Depression and WWII. They gave me a good solid grounding and life, a great moral compass, and good values. If someone needed a helping hand, they would do what ever they could to give them support. I don't mean money. They taught me the value of just being there for someone. I know as a teenager I struggled for Independence and thought they were fuddy duddies, but as I got older, I came to appreciate their wisdom and patience. I lost my Dad in 1999 and my Mom in 2002. There is not a day that I do not think about them or utilize some of the knowledge that they passed on to me.

3. I love a good book.
There is nothing like losing yourself in the pages of a good book. There have been some books I could not put down. Others, were so well written that I could visualize the locales, seeing the sights, smelling the scents and even losing myself in the characters. My parents encouraged reading. Lunch at home meant sitting at the table with my bowl of spaghetti O's and reading. Some of my favorite books are "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck, the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Under the Tuscan Sun", the "Harry Potter" books, and historical fiction.

4. I love the sound of cats purring.
When one of my kitties curls up on my chest and the purr begins, it is such a contented sound. All is right with the world.

5. I love being inside during a storm and listening to the wind howl and rage outside while I am warm and cozy inside. It reminds me just how blessed I am in life.

6. I love the ocean. There is something about the ocean that recharges my soul. I think it might be the blood of my Viking ancestors. I love the walking with my toes in the water. (Even when its freezing cold) I love sand between my toes, the roar of the waves, looking for shells and sea glass and the smell of the sea air.

7. I love to create/craft things. I enjoy the whole creative process be it sewing, knitting, writing or any other of my many creative endeavors.

I will now tag Serena, Clare, Hazel, Cheryl, Jamie and Jerry

Birthday B&B

This year for my birthday, my husband decided to give me a special treat. He knows that I get a little down on my birthday because that is one day I really miss my Mother. She used to make a big fuss over me on my birthday.

This year, Bob decided to take me away to a Bed & Breakfast. He asked me where I would like to go and I suggested the foothills. So Wednesday morning we headed up Interstate 80 for our little mid week get away.

Our first stop was Old Town Nevada City. Its a quaint little town along Highway 49, "The Gold Country Highway". There is a lot of history to be seen and many quaint shops and unique eateries.



Beer - its not just for breakfast anymore!

We then headed over to the Empire Mine. The fall colors were spectacular. It was so refreshing to see the cerulean blue sky and to smell the pine scented air. It was a gorgeous day to be outside!


Even Bob was excited to be outside.

Really.

The grounds of the Empire Mine are lovely. The owner based his home and garden designs on homes he saw in Europe so it has the "Old World" feel to it. You almost feel like you are visiting a European Manor House.




After exploring a bit, which for me did not include entering the mine as I am extremely claustrophobic (I am starting to hyperventilate just thinking about it!), we headed off to check in at our Bed & Breakfast.

Bob looked at a lot of sites for B&B's in the Gold country and finally settled on the Sierra Sun Cloud Inn. Its a beautiful home on 18 acres at the top of a hill in a private community.

We stayed in the "Sundance Room, which overlooks the pond. From our very comfortable bed

We could watch the sunset.

The owners Guy & Alysia were very gracious hosts and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. We drove into Colfax and had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant called Bella Sera. The food was excellent and the ambiance wonderful. After dinner we walked through town and peeked in all the windows. Only one shop was open, the Whistle Stop Quilt Shop. They were having a small class but welcomed us in. Wouldn't you know it, I found yarn! I bought some 100% linen yarn at quite a steal.

We went back to the B&B and settled in to the game room to relax and watch "The Bucket List" which we thoroughly enjoyed. Guy brought up some homemade pumpkin pie for us to snack on.

The next morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast of pastries filled with sausage and eggs, yogurt with fresh berries, and fried potatoes. After breakfast we walked around the grounds and admired the views.


Even though you are only 2 miles from Interstate 80, you feel like you are far away from everything. The B&B backs up to the Weimar Institure with miles of hiking trails, but this was a relaxing trip so we did more eating, shopping and snoozing.

After leaving the B&B and bidding farewell to our gracious hosts, knowing that we will definitely come back, we went into Colfax to eat at the "Drooling Dog Barbecue". We ate ribs and made a mess but as Bob says, "if ribs ain't messy, they ain't good!" He also had a side of garlic potatoes. These people take their garlic seriously! It wasn't minced garlic but whole cloves of roasted garlic in there. Luckily he wasn't planning on kissing anyone but me.

After lunch we went to Grass Valley and did some shopping and yes, I found the yarn shop on the main drag. Fibers is a lovely little shop staffed with friendly people. They are getting ready to launch a web store. They also come up with some very unique kit ideas. Bob's favorite part of the store was a rocking sheep that bahh'd. It was so cute! He almost bought it.

We headed back home feeling tired but refreshed mentally. Can't wait to go back!

Lucky to Be Alive

I love my husband very much. That does not mean that I don't get the urge to kill him sometimes.

My husband snores. Loudly. In the time we have been married, I have gotten used to his snoring. In fact when he stops snoring it will wake me up and I will poke him to make sure he is still breathing.

The other night after waking up from a nightmare involving large spider webs and my cousins, I decided to visit the bathroom before going back to bed. When I got back in bed, Bob was not snoring. I put my hand on him and he was not moving. I felt in a different spot and still no breathing. At least I knew he had not been dead long as he was still warm. I am starting to panic a little so I go to check his pulse at his throat at which point he starts giggling "I'm alive!". He heard me get up and when I came back to bed he thought it would be funny to hold his breath to scare me. I did not find this very amusing at the time and called him a very specific portion of anatomy.

He is lucky I love him.

NO!!!!!

Just when I thought it was safe to watch television again, free from campaign ads....they start showing CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS!!!

NO NO NO! Not until after Thanksgiving!

Election Over

The press is positively giddy this morning that the candidate they have been pushing for the past year has won the election. I am happy to see the high votor turnout and that in the popular vote, the race was a close one.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 4 years.

One thing I do not understand is the almost worshipful attitude of Obama's suppoters. He is just a man, not the Messiah. Of course, I never could understand Kennedy's appeal either.

Its almost over!

Thanks goodness after almost 2 years of campaigning, the election is almost over! I will be so glad to not have all the ads, pundits, mailers, fanatics etc. for a while. I am happy that people are finally taking an interest in the electoral process. Voting is not just a right, its a responsibility.

Daylight Savings

No one bothered to explain daylight savings to the animals in our house. At 6:30 am Honey decided it was time for her to be fed. At 75 pounds she can be very persistent!

Oh No! Meatloaf Again!

Last night while flipping channels, we came across a showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on broadcast TV. It was kind of like meeting someone you thought was hot at a drunken frat party in the daylight. What seems so much fun and entertaining at the midnight movies is actually pretty boring and campy in real life. We did try yelling responses at the tv, but its just not the same.

New Bathroom

I will be coming home today to a new bathroom. This has been an ongoing process. It started when we noticed a leak in the pipe leading to the toilet tank had caused softening of the linoleum. Bob ripped up the floor. I have always wanted tile so we looked at tile at Home Depot. In the meantime, the bathroom floor has been down to the floor framing. This has been kind of freaky when you realize that you can see into the crawl space. As the sun is going down, the light coming through the vents would cause an eerie glow coming up from below the floor. (No more Stephen King books for me!)

So Bob finally went out a few weeks ago and out down the backer board for the tile. He cut it to fit perfectly, but forgot about the fact that the sink and toilet roll holder stick out so he gouged the wall a few times. We had hoped not to have to paint, but Bob took care of that.

Last night we pickled out and bought paint and new towel bars. Today, Bob is painting so hopefully next week he will tile. I will be so glad when this is done!

190? HOLY POO!

I bowled a 190 game tonight. My average is 124. Nuff said.

America's Heartland

I am getting pretty tired of the media and people on the editorial page putting down people who live in the heartland as dumb hicks who stand around with a stalk of grass in their teeth, drinking a six pack and scratching their ass.

My Grandparents were from the heartland. They were good, decent, hardworking people. They has strong values, believed in God,and did not ask for anything. They did not believe so much in "hand outs" as in "a hand up". They probably would have given you the shirt off their back if you asked. They were intelligent and well read. (Intelligent people believe in God too! An intelligent person knows that they are not the center of the universe!)

The only time the media seems to care about what the heartland thinks is when the Iowa caucuses roll around. The rest of the time they seem to think of them as dumb rednecks and that the only people whose political opinions matter are the ones that live in "the big city". Well frankly, I would rather listen to someone from the heartland who knows the meaning of hard work, commitment and sacrifice than some politician from the "big city" who can't give you a straight answer to any questions.

First Rain

We've had our first rain of the fall. Not much, but enough to get that clean rain smell and make all the local TV stations start their "storm watch" and crank up the Doppler radar. Some poor hapless reporter will be sent on location to demonstrate that its wet outside.

The weather is starting to cool down again and I can bring out my hand knit scarves and start wearing them. I love the cool weather. Especially on a weekend, when I can sit at home on the couch all warm and cozy and knit. I love listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. I love the howl of the wind when we get a big storm. I love watching the rain fall. I think I love the rain because that is when I feel most blessed. I have a roof over my head, warm food to eat and I am surrounded by those who love me. The storms of life may rage, but I know I have been blessed. Even if there is a storm in my life, I know that like all storms, it will not last forever.

Right now I am actually knitting a striped scarf for myself from Noro Silk Garden. Its a rustic yarn (meaning as you knit bits of vegetable matter often fall out of it and it varies in thickness through the skein) made of silk and wool. The colors of Noro yarn are amazing. I am using 2 skeins and alternating them. One is very neutral colors: brown, tan & grey while the other is all fall colors: orange, red, yellow and green. Its a fun knit because you never know how the stripes will play out.

Ticket to Paradise

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed that my Mother came to visit. Now having your Mother come to visit is not a strange thing, but my Mother passed away in 2002 and she was visiting from Heaven. It was the last day of her visit and she was sitting on her end of the couch and I was laying with my head in her lap like I did when I was a child. I was telling her how much I enjoyed seeing her again and I wished she could stay longer or come back again. She told me she didn't think she could, but she would see what she could do and I had to hurry to get her to the airport. We got to the airport and went past the regular terminals to one where the destination read "Paradise". People who were saying good-bye were sad, but those getting on the plane were so happy and excited. I couldn't help thinking how wonderful it would be if we were able to just go to the airport to pick up up loved ones who have passed on and bring them back for a visit. It was also wonderful to see how happy the Departing Passengers were.

I woke up sad and happy: sad from missing my Mother, but happy knowing she is happy where she is at. (Of course, I might be in trouble when my time comes because I hate to fly!)

New Flavor for Ben & Jerry's?

PETA is asking Ben & Jerry's to use human breast milk in their ice cream. I am afraid I keep getting this visual of a bunch of women hooked up to milking machines eating bon bons and watching soaps all day. Working in workers comp, I also have visuals of the claims that are going to be filed!

Lightheaded

You could say I am feeling a little light headed today.

This is the result of having 14 inches cut off to donate to "Locks of Love".
Its been 2 years since I last cut it. Last time I only did 11 inches.

As we left Supercuts, I noticed a small consignment store that has just opened and I decided to reward myself with a new knitting bag.

I couldn't resist!

Bad Cats, Bad Cats, Watchoo Gonna Do?

We have discovered a new way to play with Miss Itty Bitty: the flashlight. She will chase the beam of light all over the house and will run over the top of anything in her way, including other cats, and the dogs. She has become so obsessed that if you click the flashlight on and off in the other room she will come tearing down the hall. One humorous side affect of this is that she is now addicted to "Cops"; especially if there is a night chase. She will stare at the tv and her head follows every movement of the flashlights on the screen.

Karma

I just found out that the person that my former employer hired to replace me has quit and today was her last day. She did not last 6 months. My sources tell me that she was amazed at how the office is run and glad to have moved on to a job that pays signifigantly more. They have hired a new person: a friend of a current employee. It figures. LOL!

You've got to love Texans!

In viewing the coveraghe from Hurrican Ike, I have found some little blurbs on some ordinary people from Fox news.

1. South of Galveston, authorities said 67-year-old Ray Wilkinson was the only resident who didn't evacuate from Surfside Beach, population 800. He was drunk and waving when authorities reached him on Saturday morning.

"He kinda drank his way through the night," Mayor Larry Davison said.


2. Sedonia Owen, 75, and her son, Lindy McKissick, defied evacuation orders in Galveston because they wanted to protect their neighborhood from possible looters. She was watching floodwaters recede from her front porch Saturday morning, armed with a shotgun.

"My neighbors told me, 'You've got my permission. Anybody who goes into my house, you can shoot them,'" said Owen.

One Man Can Make A Difference

Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the world, but thought to yourself, "I'm only one person"? I had the opportunity to hear one man speak who is making a huge difference in an area of the world that figures prominently in current events. His name is Greg Mortenson and he is the author of "The Cups of Tea"

and the director of the Central Asia Institute.

His story came out of failure. He was attempting to climb K2 in the Himalayas, the world's second highest mountain, as a tribute to his late sister, but he became ill and wandereed into a village sick, stinking from not bathing in almost 3 months and disappointed. He was nused back to health and wanted to show his thanks in a practical way. His meentor and host in the village Haji Ali told him that what they needed was a school for their children who currently studies in the open often writing their lessons in the dirt. He came back to the US determined to fufill his promise. His book "Three Cups of Tea" describes his efforts and his eventual success in building a school.

Since then, his organization has grown and has built 64 schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have provided scholarships for higher education, paid teachers salaries, done public health projects and extablished women's centers where women can learn vocational skills and help support their families.

Why Pakistan and Afghanistan? In these areas educational opportinuties are often limited and even more limited for girl. By establishing education, especially for girls, you provide long term stability for the region. As literacy increases, infant mortality decreases, family size decreases, poverty decreases and Hope increases. By battling poverty and ignorance one student at a time, Greg Mortenson is bringing hope and prosperity to some of the world's poorest people.

Greg likes to quote an African proverb that says "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a community". I would encourage everyone to read his book and support his remarkable vision for peace through education.

Miss Itty Bitty and the Case of the Disappearing Poo

Recently, to save money, we have been buying the large bulk box of kitty litter instead of the buckets. We keep 2 buckets on hand one to put “kitty treasures” from the litter box in, and the other to carry fresh litter into the house as it is easier to manage than the large box.

Last night, Bob filled up the bucket with fresh litter and brought it in the house since he was cleaning the litter boxes. He set the bucket in the dining room while he went to clean the litter box in the den. I was sitting on the couch knitting and here the familiar “scritch scratch” of a kitty preparing to “make a deposit". I looked up and saw Miss Itty Bitty perched in the edge of the bucket in the “pooping position”. (For some reason she has to stand and arch her back to accomplish this task) It was hysterical. She was balanced like a frog with her back arched and proudly doing her business. I called Bob to the living room while I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face.

“What the Hell?” he shouted as he rushed to the bucket to position the scoop to catch her “deposits before they landed in the bucket. “Can’t you wait five minutes?”

I wish I had the camera to take a picture, but I was laughing too hard. She finished and jumped down and Bob stomped away with her “deposit” on the scoop. Poor Miss Itty Bitty turned to bury her “deposit” and got the most confused look on her face to find it had disappeared. She walked away then came back to see if it had magically re-appeared. Poor thing is probably still wondering what happened.

It was just too funny!

Forays in Felting

With so many areas putting a moratorium on plastic & paper shopping bags, I think that knitted bags will be great gifts.

I finished knitting the handles on my French Market Bag this morning. I made a few modifications to the pattern. I made the bag 12 inches from the end of the increases so it would be a little deeper. I also decreased every 8 rows until I had 17 stitches then every 4 until I got to 9 stitches on the handles and ended with 8 rows of Stk St instead of 4.


I think it turned out kind of nice. The colors did not contract quite as much as I thought they would in the store.

Now I got to felt the bag. This was my first foray into felting. I took an old pillow case, put the bag in it and used a garbage bag tie to close it up. Put the washer on hot and small load, tossed in the pillow case and a couple of old towels and let it agitate. I checked it every 5 minutes or so. First thing I learned is that garbage bag ties do not stay on during agitation. Second is that felting is hot. There was a hint of wet dog smell, but that very possibly could have been me. I checked the bag to see how things progressed. It was like making a soup.

A very disgusting "Sheep Soup".

When things looked done to me, I set the washer on spin to get out a lot of the water. Per Maya's advice (from Babetta's Yarn and Gifts - my favorite LYS!) I let the spin work out until the water was down to a trickle then I opened the washer and removed the bag. O then rolled it in an old towel and pressed out the remaining water. I then blocked the bag by hanging it on a hanger and filling it with old plastic bags to held shape it and hung it at the end of the porch to dry. Its in the 90s today so should not take too long.

I must say I am pleased with the results! This one will probably be a Christmas gift, but I think I might make one for me in blues.

Ravelympics Results

Well, the athletes have left the stadium, the medals have been awarded and I managed to finish 6 of the 8 tasks I set out to accomplish. I am happy with my accomplishments. Of the 10 completed tasks for our team, 6 were mine. I cast on for the French Market bag so the 2 that did not get finished are at least on the needles. The cabled hats gave me enough of a challenge to keep it interesting, but not overwhelming. I am amazed at what I can accomplish when I set my mind to it!

Never Not Knitting

Found this song on the web and I can so relate as a knitter! As can my husband. Hats off to Alana Dakos for her creativity!

Finished #6

I finished #6 of my Ravelympic projects. Its the last in the "Hat Dash" category. Its a greenery hat made from Cascade 200 wool. Its a fun pattern to work and its very well written. I have just 2 more projects to finish and I am done.


I did learn a valuable lesson from knitting this hat. Do not sneeze while holding a metal cable needle in your mouth. It can inflict damage!

#5 is in the books!

Finished Project #5; only 3 more to go on my Ravelympics challenge!

Finished Ravelympics Project #4

Well #4 is now in the books. I am halfway there. Project #4 is called "Hermione's Cable and Eyelet Hat" and is based on a hat from stills from the upcoming Harry Potter movie "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"

This one took a little longer due to the fact that its on smaller needles and I made some slight modifications to the pattern. (I made it bigger to fit my melon head)


The pattern for the hat can be found here. I cast on an additional 22 stitches for 2 more cables. I also modified the decreases as follows:

Followed decrease pattern for decrease tows 1-4
Row 5: K6 K2tog around
Row 6: K5 K2tog around
Row 7: K4 K2tog around
Row 8: K3 K2tog around
Row 9: K2 K2tog around
Row 10: K1 K2tog around
Row 11: K2tog around
Row 12: K2tog around

This left me with 6 stitches at the end. Had maybe 10 yards of yarn left on skein.

#3 is done!

Finished project #3 last night. Its an Irish Hiking Hat for the "Hat Dash".

Project # 2 is done

Finished up project #2 in the category "WIP's Wrestling". These socks have been languishing in the basket since the spring.

My First Medal!

I received my first medal in the Ravelympics for the Hat Dash!

One down, seven to go!

I have finished my first project for the Ravelympics in the "Hat Dash" event.

This is a watch cap made with Plymouth Encore Worsted, a washable wool blend. This will be donated to Christmas at Sea at the end of the Ravelympics, with the 5 other hats I have already made for them. (They start preparing Christmas gift package just after Labor Day) I started knitting for them because I remember what it was like when my brother was in the Navy and how much I missed him at the holidays when I was growing up.

7 more projects to go!

RAVELYMPICS!

Ravelry is hosting their version of the Olympics on their website. To participate in one of the events, you have to cast one and finish your projects between the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. I am signed up for 3 events for Team SmartAssYarnHo. I am doing the Hat Dash (knitting hats, duh!), Bag-n-Tote Backstroke (knitting a purse or shopping bag or some sort of a bag) and WIPs Wrestling (WIP = Work in Progress. You have to finish up projects that have been languishing) I have 8 different projects I will be working on in the next couple of weeks: 1 french market bag, 4 hats and 3 WIPS that I will be working on. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Today, Bob's work was treated to a day at the San Francisco Giants game by Simmons Mattress. They have been hosting their retailers for a day at the Giants for 40 years!

Our seats were almost at the top of the park, but the view of the field was great.

But the view of the San Francisco Bay was even better.


Bob did get grumpy at one point

Because he caught site of this large container ship and thought of containers arriving at work

but he got over it.

The Giants beat the Braves 3-2. Nice ending to a lovely day.

Update

Well, after a trip to Home Depot and some more cursing, Bob fixed the problem with the water shut off. He discovered that he did not turn the faucet far enough to turn it back on the first time.

I love my husband. I love my husband. I love my husband...

Don't touch anything else!

I love my husband...but....sometimes...

Let me clarify. He is in a phase right now where things seem to go wrong or break when he touches them. It started last night. He was tired when came home form work and a little cranky. He asked is he could use the computer. I finished what I was doing and switched screen names. Then the fun started.

"What did you do to the mouse?"
"Nothing but clean it."
"Well you must have broken it, its not working now."
"Was working fine for me after I cleaned it."

Cursing ensues.

"Fine! I'm logging off"

Today, when Bob picked me up from work he told me "You better use the bathroom before we go home." This is never a good sign.

Bob finished tearing out the linoleum in the bathroom earlier today. (We had some water damage from a leaking toilet tank and are replacing the flooring with tile.)Just before he came to pick me up from work, he decided to see if I was right about where the water shut off valve to the house was. (I grew up in this house, but that did not make a difference) He turned the spigot and went in the house to check to see if it was off. It was. He went back outside to turn it back on. It just spins. No water. Oh joy. I have a bathroom with no floor. A toilet bolted on plywood that I have had to bucket flush the past few days and now no water.

Bob does not seem to understand about women and bathrooms. When he started tearing out the floor, he asked me if I could avoid using the bathroom for 3 days. I told him only if he no longer wanted a wife. I guess he will have to build me an outhouse.

My Husband Must Love Me

My husband must love me. Yesterday afternoon, we went to a Joann's near our house which is liquidating their inventory and he bought me yarn.

For a knitter, that's LOVE!

Sutter Park Site

Its been a busy week. Bob got back Monday night at 11pm. He had a greta time visiting his family and at his reunion. He was amazed to note tat he went to school witha "bunch of old people".

My new job is going great. I am settling into the new computer system and really enjoying the people and the whole atmosphere of the office.

This morning I attended a meeting at the Carmichael Park Community Center to discuss how the Sutter Park Site will be developed. It was really nice to see a good turnout and to meet some of my neighbors. From the sounds of it, they will be adding walking trails, small picnic areas, a lawn area and a small playground (swings & a slide) as well as connecting it to the Charles Jensen Botanic Gardens. No one really wants ball fields which would bring a lot of outside leagues to take over the park. It will be so nice to have them finally utilizing this land. The Park district has owned the site for many years and this is the first time that a plan to develop has moved forward. So far the only use has been a community garden which has a great following in the community. I think the plan will definately be neighborhood and family oriented.

Its so quiet.

Its been pretty quiet around here the past few days. On Thursday, I dropped Bob off at the airport so he could fly back to Ohio for his family reunion and his *gasp* 30th High School Reunion. I did not go with him because at the time we were booking the trip, I was not working and we just could not swing it for both of us to go. He was hesitant about going at first, but I pointed out that his Mom and Uncle Tommy would be up from Florida and he should take advantage of whatever time he can spend with his Mom. He is also getting some quality time with his sons which is good for both him and his sons. I always make it a point that whenever he goes back there, even if I go with him, that he spend at least a day doing just Father/Son things.

His ex is upset with him for who knows what reason. They have not spoken for quite a while now that the boys are adults. She had him pick up Andrew from across the street because she did not want Bob in her house. We think it may have something to do with the fact that Brandon and Heather are expecting and she does not want their kids calling us "grandma and grandpa" because we are not "blood related". Bob has always considered Brandon to be his son, even though he did not come into Brandon's life until he was two. I think that Brandon & Heather's children are very lucky to have 3 sets of Grandparents to love and spoil them!

With Bob gone, and it being so quiet, I have been doing a lot of knitting. I have been making baby stuff for Lara (Bob's co-worker), due in September and need to start on stuff for Brandon and Heather. I may attempt my first sweater. I am also working on a wedding gift for Scott and Kim and some hats for Christmas at Sea . I also need to work on some Christmas gifts as well.

Of course Miss Itty Bitty and Honey Bun both miss their Daddy. Itty Bitty lays in his spot on the couch and every now and then glares at me as if to say "what did you do with him?" Honey lays outside the bedroom door. When I go to bed for the night, she runs in and puts her paws on the bed and looks very confused. The other critters could care less as long as they have food.

New Job

I started my new job today. WOW!

I was nervous about how it would go. Its been almost 4 months since I last worked. I came in and everyone was so nice and genuine. It was such a pleasure. The day flew by. I love how organized everything is. So much is done on the computer and in such a logical manner. The most complicated part is learning the new computer system, but even that does not look too difficult. Its so nice to not dread going into the office and not having to have "drama" swirling all around you like a storm.

Another added bonus is that the new office is only about 4 miles from the house. Commute is like, 10 minutes. With traffic.

Color me happy!

New Shoes?

Do you think that perhaps its time to buy a new pair of shoes? Yes, Bob is actually wearing these shoes at work. They must have great sentimental value. I am surprised he did not use duct tape.

What not to wear over 40

There is an article on AOL this morning on "What Not to Wear if You Are Over 40". I, being in that age category, thought I should peruse this to see if I am in danger of offending the Fashion Police when I go out in public.

1. Writing on your bottom: This is a no brainer. If I had something written on my tush it would probably read "Wide Load" or "Wet Paint". This is one of those fashion trends that I thought was rather ridiculous to begin with. (Of course I do tease people that I am going to get a "B" tattooed on each but cheek so when I bend over it spells my husband's name)

2. String bikini: HAHAHA! Oo! I think I ruptured something there. No one, not even me, wants to see this pasty white body in a string bikini. I burn bad enough as it is thanks to my Scandinavian background.

3. All Over Prints: Nothing says "The Circus is in Town" like an all over print.

4, Crocs: Is it just me or are these incredibly ugly shoes?

5. Leggings: These have always been in the same category as sweats to me. If you are wearing them as part of your regular wardrobe out in public, you are just to tired to care anymore. I love my sweats around the house, but I would not wear them to the store. (There are a lot of clothes I wear around the house that I would not wear in public.)

6. Backpacks: Now this is just stupid! Backpacks have a place. They are great when traveling, if you are back at school, going hiking.

and finally

7. Baby Doll Dresses: I have never liked this style. Empire waists tend to make everyone look pregnant, even the toothpick thin. They are fine of you are 5 but I think that after that, they look ridiculous.

Hot and Smoky ... again

The sky outside is a hazy yellowy brown and everything smells of grass fire smoke. It almost looks like January in the valley where everything is hidden in mist but then you step outside into an oven. It was 106 in the shade yesterday at 2pm and it had not even reached the high. Today is no better. We are staying inside and bringing the dogs in. Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen would be out there in that heat and yuck!

We did have a little scare yesterday. Firetrucks came rushing down the street and pulled around the corner to where the Community Garden is. A small grass fire had ignited. It only burned a small section of the deer fence and the garden, but burned a good chunk of the field behind. This is only about a block from the house and with it being so dry out there, its pretty scary.

We stopped by this morning to take some pictures, but of course the battery in the camera died. I noticed some smoke and Bob got one of the Gardeners to get a bucket of water and he doused a hot spot that flared up in the bark chips.

A Few Thoughts on the Fourth

There seems to be a lot of arguments lately over patriotism. Some people seem to think that patriotism is practiced by uneducated people. (These same people seem to have the same opinion about religion.) I say to be a patriot is to acknowledge that you are a part of something greater than yourself. A patriot loves his country, warts and all. No system of government is perfect because it is run by people and people are far from perfect. A patriot is proud of his country, his friends, his neighbors. America is not just a government, its a land where people of different races, creeds, values, beliefs, backgrounds, ideals can come together and co-exist. They can have a voice in their government, they can voice their opinions, they can worship their own way. Sometimes we forget that this is not always the case in other parts of the world. We have many freedoms here in this country, the greatest of which is freedom of speech. This means everyone is entitled to have their own opinion. Lets not forget another important part of freedom of speech. The comedian Gallagher reminds us that freedom of speech includes volume. If you do not like what someone else says, you don't have to listen!

I thought I would share a few quote from Thomas Paine that I thought were appropriate today:

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. "

"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."

"When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary."

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. "

More homemade goodies!

13 half pints of strwberry jam and half a flat of strawberries left! Looks like another batch is in the works. (I had some of the leftovers on toast this morning and it was pretty yummy!) Apricots are done in the dehydrator. I am thinking about drying some of the fresh shitake mushrooms now. We picked our first zuccini of the season and its being stuffed with ground turkey, rice and tomatoes as I type. I need to re-organzie the shelves in the garage to store all the home-made goodies.

Today I am taking it easy and knitting on the cable comfort throw. I started panel 2 of 5 and its going pretty quickly. I plan on seewing the panels as I finish so I am not hit with all the sewing at the end.

Busy little bees

Well, if you have been wondering what we have been up to the past few days, we have been busy little bees. Bob harvested our appricots. This year the little tree produced a bucket and a half. (I think our buckets are about a 1/2 bushel each) So we put up 18 1/2 pint and 6 pint jars of appricot pineapple jam. The dehydrator is humming with 4 trays to dehydrate. I sampled a little of the jam and its yummy. Its been a while since I made jam. (not since I was a kid and helping Mom) I love how fresh everything tastes. You can decide how much sugar you want, you know exactly what is going into your jams. Plus, after the initial outlay for jars and supplies, you end up saving money in the long run. I am thinkiong about getting some strawberries at the farmers market tomorrow and doing strawberry jam too.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the weather reports now just say "smoke & haze" for the forcast. I have developed a smokers hack from all the crap in the air.

Good News!

I have two items of good news today.

1. I have a new job that starts July 16. Its doing the same work that I did before for a great office that is much closer to home and the atmosphere is so much nicer.

AND

2. Bob and I are going to be Grandparents again! Brandon and Heather are expecting baby #2 in January!

We done got us some culture today

The air quality in the Valley has been horrible the past few days. There are so many fires buring around the area that the air is smokey and hazy. If I wanted air I could chew I would live in L.A.!

This morning, Bob and I finally made it down to the Crocker Art Museum to see the current exhibit "The Language of the Nude". Its been a while since we have been down there. I think I enjoy the architectural details in the building as much as the works of art. The exhibit consisted of artists' sketches and drawings of the human figure. Artists ranged from the unknown to the well known like Albrecht Durer and Peter Paul Rubens.

We also toured through the rest of the museum. I enjoy the Salon on the second floor which has one room that displays paintings in the "salon style": numerous paintings of all sizes and types covering every inch of wall space. This is reminiscent of how paintings were displayed in French Salons.

Afterwards we decided to go have lunch. As we were driving near the capitol I spotted the Stanford Mansion and thought I would take a picture as we drove by.

This is the lovely tree that decided that it wanted its picture taken instead. (I have never been great at action shots!)

We stopped for lunch at "Opa Opa" a little Greek restaurant near Sac State. We both got Gyro's and the Summer in Athens Salad. The food was excellent and we will be going back again. Hopefully with our friends Scott and Kim who live a few blocks away.

How do they do that?

After the foot debacle yesterday, I took some time to put my foot up and knit while watching a movie. "Fright Night" happened to be on tv and that brought up one of those questions that has always puzzled me:

If Vampires can't see their reflections, how do they do their make-up? Most vampires are very well dressed and groomed, so just how do they get their make-up so perfect?

Things like this keep me up at night folks!

OUCH!

'Out, damned spot -- out, I say . . . who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?' ~ Wm. Shakespeare

I have always said that housework is evil! Today while doing the dishes, I went to the garage to put the rice cooker back on the shelf (when your house is only 925 sq. ft you get creative with storage) and as I stepped on the back shelf I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I thought maybe it was a fox tail but when I felt the bottom of my foot I found a shard of glass. I think this may be from the baking dish I broke a week ago. I thought I had cleaned up all the pieces, but obviously I missed one. Balancing on one foot I managed to get the rice cooker on the shelf and then I removed the shard. I hopped back to the kitchen and examined the glass.

Then I looked down.

Holy POO! I felt like I was in an episode of CSI. I did not realize my foot would bleed so much. I thought about hoisting my leg into the sink but realized that would not be sanitary so I hopped to the bathroom leaving a trail behind me. The cats thought this was some kind of a game and followed me into the bathroom jumping on the sink. Nice to know if I ever keel over at home I will have company!

I'm Feelin' Hot, Hot Hot!

I'm Feelin' Hot, Hot Hot! And not in the good way. Its just after 4pm and the temperature is 106. I of course am always greatful that I do not live in a place with high humidity because I know I would melt like the with in "The Wizard of Oz". Its days like today that make me consider becoming a nudist. (Pasty white, fat chicks who burn like lobsters should never consider becoming nudists. Not gonna happen until I get better curtains: don't want to scare the neighbors.)

So I am trying to conserve movement and just knitting so I feel like I am doing something productive. I have a huge stash of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick that I bought at Hancock Fabrics in Elk Grove at their going out of business sale. I had this great idea to knit up a bunch of squares, sew them together and make blankets. Lots of square of boring mindless garter stitch. Lots of ball of yarn. I think when I laid out the squares I thought I would make them 9 x 9. Thats 81 squares. What the Hell was I thinking?

Now you must realize that I am not a person to throw yarn away. No matter how much I start to hate it (its not the yarn's fault!). I spent money on it (Great sale price by the way!) so damn it, I will use it!

I am not a yarn snob. I have met people who will knit with nothing less that pure wool and despise fun fur. I have a fun fur scarf that I wear quite often (not today of course...duh!) that I love and get many comppliments on. Yarn does not make the knitter. Its the inner talent and creative drive.

I see it in photography. I have seen people who go out and by the "most expensive" equipment they can find, but if you do not have the eye or the passion for photography, your pictures will show it.

Darn Elves

As I was scrubbing my toilet today, I was thinking of all the fairy tales where the heroine was assisted in her chores by a myriad of elves, fairies, birds and small woodland creatures. Where are all these creatures when I need them? I feed the local bird and squirrel populace and they are just slacking off in the housework department. (I will admit that much of the squirrels' time is taken up with racing around the tree trunks followed by rather energetic baby squirrel making. Stop humping and start cleaning Damn it!) I did notice one thing about all these heroines (besides the fact that most are cartoons): every single one of them has tiny feet. I am not sure how these women can walk, let alone dance and sing with the forest folk. Perhaps the fact that I have size 10 1/2 feet is the reason I get no help. They must think I will step on them and make an even bigger mess to clean up.

Thanks for the great genes Grandma!

Sheep, they're more than yarn producers!

I have a great deal of respect for people who take cast offs and create great works of art with them. It is true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. So I wish to introduce you to a company that is making their product "outstanding in the field". I bring you...



Now who would have come up with this idea? How does something like this light the fires of the imagination? Well, a small Welsh company has created what was obviously a missing niche in the market. (http://www.sheeppoopaper.com/index.asp )

Just think of the applications! Letters to clients. A note to the boss. A card for the Mother-In-Law. They even have a kit for making your own paper so you can "personalize" your "scentiments"? And just for the holidays..

Boy, I tell you, I can't wait to do my Christmas cards this year!