I'm not really all that upset about what they call my job. I know what I do is valuable and that's what's important.

We were planning to go to the flea market today but the weather was yucky. Again. If I took a photo of the Saturday sky, it would have looked just like the Thurs sky and the Fri sky and now the Sun sky. And the weather folks say that the sky will look this way until Thurs or Fri of this coming week. It's humid like August but not as hot. Everything feels sticky. Chairs stick to the wood floors and linens are limp. And not a breath of air is moving.

So what does one do in weather like this? If one is bored with the Saucy sock, (well, not really bored but I found out it doesn't fit the intended recipient and that has bummed me out. I know someone else with very thin feet and ankles so I will change recipients. If I were to make it again, I would use much larger needles as there is not much give in the pattern and it is very narrow.), one might start a new project. A small project. Just enough to keep one busy for a few days. Something like these baby socks. I have a coworker who is having a baby soon. I don't know her well but we've worked together a little and I'd like to give her something for the baby. I took some leftover sock yarn and made two pairs of baby socks. They're unbelievably cute. As is Hobbes. He's keeping me company. Calvin is on the back of the couch and has fallen off once right onto Hobbes. Needless to say, Hobbes was not thrilled with that maneuver.

I'm pretty sure the antibiotics are working. The soreness in my jaw is mostly gone. One more day and then my system can get back to normal. I'm glad it worked. My insurance company rejected the claim to have the crown re-made because it hasn't been 5 years and I don't want to spend 1500 dollars if I don't have to. If I can last three more years, I can resubmit the claim.

Kate and I pulled out what we affectionately call "the orange stuff". It's our various bits and bobs of fall/halloween stuff. It not only brightens up the house, it's a signal that the holiday season is coming up soon. I love this time of year. It's full of celebrations. Our anniversary is in October and then it's Halloween and then my birthday and then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. It's busy but in a good way.

Tomorrow it's back to work with a full schedule. Why are weekends so short?

Thanks for all the healing wishes. I am into day 3 of the anitbiotics and hopefully they will help my tooth "settle down" (dentist speak for fix itself without any further interference from her). The only problem is that antibiotics really tear up my stomach. Only 4 more days.....

I have not worked on the Wildflowers shawl much because I have been trying to finish up some holiday knitting. I didn't start out to make gifts for people because I don't like deadline knitting but somehow it turns out that I feel like making small gifts for special people in my life. So, I am knitting but can't really show it off until after Christmas. I can say that I might be knitting some Saucy socks out of the yarn I bought from Jessie. And I might point out that one is finished and the pattern is really easy and goes very fast. Kate commented that they look kind of like monkey socks. I really like them.

One of my coworkers said something that made me stop and think yesterday. She reminded me that we have been through uncomfortable times here at our place of employment and that they never last. (She and I have both been here for over 14 years). She reminded me that sometimes we have to just keep our heads down and keep on moving forward and that I really do like my job an awful lot. I have been keeping my head down, not volunteering for things and just doing my job. I am helpful if asked but not putting myself out there. Retrenching is a good word for it. I know that some day in the future, I will have forgotten how I felt a few weeks ago and I will be throwing myself wholeheartedly into the thick of things. It's how I am.

I went to a training yesterday on Ethics and Teaching Social Work students. It was interesting and I got to knit for the whole three hours. It was great. I learned that as of Sept 9th I can no longer call myself a social worker here in the commonwealth of pennsylvania. Why you ask? Because my degree is not in social work. It doesn't matter that the work I do each and every day is social work or that I have taken hours and hours of trainings outside of work in the field of social work, I am not a social worker here in pennsylvania. If I go across the river to new jersey, I can be a social worker there. Here, I am a Case Manager. No difference in the job I do or the money I get, just a title.

I am reading an interesting book, The DM-ID. It's the Diagnostic Manual for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and mental health disorders. It's hard enough to have one diagnosis but to be faced with two. It boggles the mind. This is not light, bedtime reading. It's interesting because part of my job is to deal with people with intellectual disabilities (formerly developmental disabilities; formerly formerly mental retardation) who also have a psychiatric diagnosis. It's hard to tell if the delusions are a part of the ID or are schizophrenia. And there is no empiric data that says that medications are effective. Yet, the families all want medication to control the often disruptive, explosive behaviors. I can't blame them. It's a tough job they have and I try my best to offer as much support as I can. It can be a fulfilling, heartbreaking job. And I still love it.

Not a social worker, but still out there doing the work. That's me.

Why am I blogging from home on a Tuesday morning? Because I have a dentist appointment in 45 minutes. I had a crown pop off about a week and a half ago and the dentist replaced it. Ever since there has been intermittent pain when I chew. This isn't supposed to happen. The crown was in place for 18 months with no trouble and now it hurts. I'm afraid it's an infection underneath. It's already had a root canal so it's not the nerves.

So, I'm off to see the dentist. I like my dentist. She used to be a Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader which makes me smile everytime I think about it. Sort of blows the idea of cheerleaders being airheads right out of the water. There will be xrays involved. I have a small mouth (she uses children's instruments) and the xray thing gags me. Traumatic. But if it's an infection, I can take an antibiotic (thank goodness for modern medicine) and that should take care of it.

El's birthday was wonderful. We were a party of 10 and they kept the meats coming. You come in and help yourself to the buffet where there are vegetables and salsa to die for. Then they come around to the table with meats on swords and ask if you want some. They slice it onto your plate and it's amazingly succulent. The meat keeps coming, a carnivore's dream. The best was the sirloin which was the best I've ever tasted. They made a birthday cake with strawberries and cream. It was so rich that I almost couldn't appreciate it after all the meat. They lit the candle and brought it to the table singing all the way. It was great. Elanor had a good time and I had no clean up or mess! Perfect all around. She is getting tickets to the Philadelphia Ballet production of Cinderella (March of 09) so she's got to wait for her gift.

My supervisor got verbally beat up in a manager's meeting last week and has taken a few days off. I spoke to her last night because we are scheduled for a conference on Wednesday and I wanted to remind her. She is going to Human Resources to talk to them about the 'hostile work environment' policy. It's possible she has a case. I'm going to be as supportive as I can because I think the upper mgmt of our building is getting carried away and the atmosphere is getting downright poisonous. In the meantime, I am sending out resumes and keeping my head down.

Well, time to leave for the dentist. Sigh. One thing after another.

ETA- The dentist said I have an infection in the bone around a 20 year old root canal. The bone has calcified and there is space there. I have a week's worth of antibiotic which will probably knock the infection out. Then she said some words that struck fear in my heart, "we might have to re-do this root canal". Cross your fingers for me.

It's Friday afternoon. I just got home so already I'm feeling good. I feel extra good because I arrived home to find a package from A Piece of Vermont. Yarn that I ordered Tuesday! And today is Friday. What terrific service. Jessie, who writes a blog about life on a farm in Vermont, also dyes and spins and knits (and raises chickens, goats, pigs and turkeys and peacocks). Her shop, A piece of vermont is full of beautiful yarns and books and rovings for spinning. I love the subtle colors and soft texture of the sock yarn. I'm a sucker for sock yarn.

And just to show off what a wonderful husband I have, look what PK got for me. Stitch markers. I wasn't sure he knew what they were. He has a female friend from a previous job that makes jewelry. He bartered some electrical work around her house for some stitch markers for me. It's hard to see in the photo (a photographer I am not) but the beads are colorful bits of glass and bits of polished stone. They are beautiful. Pk is very handy around the house and often barters his time and skill for a case of Guiness. This time, he bartered for stitch markers for me. I am blessed to have such a terrific life partner.

The weather is taking a turn for the cool this weekend. I guess it's to be expected with Fall on Monday but I am not thrilled about it. We had such a lovely, lazy summer. I like Fall and I can smell someone's fireplace on the breeze as I type. It has such energy that I feel like I should be doing things.

Tomorrow my oldest daughter will be 25. Elanor (named after PK's mother and the little, star shaped flower in the Lord of the Rings) was born in Leonardtown, Maryland. She weighed 8 lb 9 oz and had a large round head and was possibly the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. When Pk was going home from the hospital, Bonnie Tyler's song, "total eclipse of the heart" was playing and from that moment on, he called El "Bright Eyes". Let me tell you a little bit about her.

She looks and acts so much like her father that I often think she is what he would be if he had been born female.

She has a stubborn streak a mile wide (she comes by this quite naturally). When she was in gym class as a small child and refused to skip in class as she was directed, they sent her to the office. She skipped down the hall to the office.

She reads quickly and voluminously.

Right now, she has purple hair.

She is a WoW player and spends many hours at this.

She is kind and generous and loving.

She is very smart and has a good analytical brain.

To me, she is a minor miracle. I can't believe that I am the mother of a 25 year old.

We are going to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate her birthday. She requested "the meat place", a restaurant called Picanha and we are going to gorge ourselves on their delicious food.

I can't wait.

Happy weekend all!

I get into work at 7:30 in the morning. It's quiet in the building as most folks don't come in until closer to 9 and the building doesn't open until 8:30. I cherish the quiet hour. I spend it reading blogs and catching up on telephone messages and email. (This morning the phone started ringing at 7:45! I think my clients think I live here).

This morning I was reading Teabird's blog and found this. It made me laugh. Give it a whirl. The questions are strange and the results are stranger. Perfect for a Wednesday.

Your result for Reincarnation Placement Exam...

Garden of Eden

41% Intrigue, 44% Civilization, 57% Humanity, 44% Urbanization.

It's the Garden of Eden for you!

Well, this is about as cozy and simple as life can get. We hope you like it here. The real estate is not well developed, but the garden is top-flight.

Your answers indicate that you basically want to just coast through life. You don't want any trouble, and you don't want any special privileges either. That's fine with us. It's entirely possible to live a pleasant life without trouble or strife, and Eden is the perfect spot for it, as long as you don't... well...

Just try to behave better than the previous tenants. Evictions can be rough.

Take the reincarnation placement exam.

I'm not at all sure how true it all is. I never considered myself someone who wants to "coast through life" although I do like my life without drama.

Have fun and have a pleasant Wednesday.

I had my cpr recertification class this morning. It was ok. I've been certified for 15 years and have never had to use it, a fact for which I am grateful.

Here's the thing. I'm watching the video and there is an infant cpr dummy wearing a sweater. And what am I watching? You guessed it: the sweater! I was trying to ascertain if it was a hand made sweater or machine made. I'm thinking mass produced but it was a nice looking infant sweater. All blue and soft looking.

And then I realized that I wasn't paying any attention to how to perform cpr on an infant. God help the babies around me.

Actually, I got a 100 on my test and I'm hoping I won't have to use it for the next two years.

I hope your Monday is as interesting.

My husband likes to "rust hunt" (search for old tools that he can rehab into useable objects) as much as I enjoy going to yarn shops. We go to flea markets in search of rust (and I am always in search of yarn but I am always disappointed).

Today we went to the Columbus Farmers Market in Columbus, NJ. Inside the building is an array of shops selling everything from furniture and rugs to beer and wine making supplies. The best part was that they had an Amish bakery where we bought pound cake (which we enjoyed with strawberries and freshly whipped cream) and some dried fruits to make some granola. There was a meat market with some really yummy looking stuffed pork chops and other goodies. We skipped that in favor of this. That is Jersey corn and jersey tomatoes. I love fresh tomatoes so of course we bought some. We also got the strawberries, plums, pears, cranberry flavored honey, onions and some beautiful watermelon. It was hard not to pile everything in the cart. This is a farmers' market so the produce is local and just picked. This is why I came to Columbus today. Pk was disappointed because there were lots and lots of empty tables that we expected to be filled with vendors. One of the women explained that Sunday was THE day to shop. There were rows and rows of tables that she assured us would be filled with all kinds of things to buy. Pk is planning to go back tomorrow. I am not. I have other things (like laundry) that I want to do. (ok, I don't want to do it, but I prefer clean underwear to the alternative).

I made a trip to Joann's and found some bright red felt (on sale for 40% off!) and some polka dots for the lining of the felt bag (also on sale). Aren't they bright and pretty? The red dots on the fabric match the red of the felt. I have a design in my mind, now I just have to execute it.

The weather this weekend has felt like August. Traditional August, all hot and steamy. Not like the beautiful August we just had. September is technically still summer and we are prepared to set a record high temp for Sept tomorrow. Oh yay.

I am planning to go see The Women this week with my girls. It's a remake of one of my favoritest movies. It's very dated but the dialogue is good and the acting is terrific. I hope the remake doesn't break my heart.....

And I hope you are all having a good weekend.

Because I have shared the tough couple of weeks I had at work, I thought I would share some positive moments.

Today I had the kind of day that reminds me why I am a social worker. I got a warm, heartfelt hug from a woman who has been through some tough times and appreciated the support I gave. I got a thank you from a guy who told me that talking to me made him feel better. And I got a thank you from another woman who is facing some anxiety producing life events and I told her to call anytime and I would let her vent and get rid of some anxiety.

I don't doubt that most of the folks I work with appreciate the work I do. But often they are so caught up in their lives and their illnesses that they can't see much else. Today made up for all the crap that I have been subjected to by the administrators. Today, I felt like I made a difference. That's what it's all about.

It surely isn't about the money!

As promised, here is a photo of the Wildflowers Shawl center piece. I love the colors. They are deep and true. Can you see how well the new ball of yarn (top) matches the original (bottom)? The top has a bit more of the blue but since I started it when I had a repeat to go at the top and it will be on the edging down the sides, I think it will blend beautifully. Speaking of edging, I have done 2 repeats of the pattern and I am knitting it separately and will be sewing it on at the end. I gave up after several tries to figure out the instructions on how to knit the edging and attach it at the same time. I'm sure it's not difficult but I couldn't seem to get it and I was wasting the yarn because it was becoming all splitty. For my own sanity, this was the better solution. Has anyone ever blocked 100 % bamboo yarn? Does it block like wool? I have looked it up online and can't find any definitive answers. I am intending to try blocking it lightly. I don't think it needs a severe stretching out, just a gentle pull. The bamboo is slick and slightly shiny and very soft. It is so different from wool. The knitted fabric has so much drape to it, it's amazing.

And finally, this came in the mail yesterday. It's the Artwalk Sock Yarn for September. It's based on a Kandinsky painting. The colors are strong and beautiful. It's destined for some Christmas knitting. It will make some stunning socks.

Pk and I were discussing the book list and decided that we didn't necessarily think those books all deserved to be called classic (and there were some repeats) and we were unhappy that some that we consider "must reads" are not on the list. So, we decided to compile our own list of books that we think everyone should read. Although, I do think that is a little presumptuous. (I'll share it when we've had some time to think about it.) While we agree that Shakespeare belongs on the list, not necessarily everything he wrote is classic. And what about Isaac Asimov? The man wrote over 800 books and some of them are classics in their genre. I'm sure we all have our favorite classics, both old and new.

What makes a book a classic? What makes it good enough to be on your list?

I would be interested in hearing which books you consider classic and why. Happy thinking!

I like to read blogs when I'm waiting for people to show up for appointments. This morning I ran across this one. I liked the idea of a list of books and this one had a surprising number that I have read. The National Endowment for the Arts has a program called the Big Read. Here is the list. The average number of books that an individual has read is 6.

Look at the list and bold those we have read.

*Italicize those we intend to read.

1. The Lord of the Rings- JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Predudice - Jand Austen
3. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling


5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee


6. The Bible


7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte


8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell


9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman


10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens


11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott


12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy


13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller


14. Complete Works of Shakespeare1


15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier


16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien


17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks


18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger


19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger


20. Middlemarch - George Eliot


21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell


22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald


23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens


24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy


25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams


26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh


27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky


28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck


29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll


30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame


31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy


32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens


33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis3


34. Emma - Jane Austen


35. Persuasion - Jane Austen


36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis


37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini


38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres


39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden


40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne


41. Animal Farm - George Orwell


42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown


43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez


44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving


45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins


46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery


47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy


48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood


49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding


50. Atonement - Ian McEwan


51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel


52. Dune - Frank Herbert


53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons


54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen


55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth


56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon


57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens


58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley


59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon


60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez


61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck


62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov


63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt


64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold


65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas


66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac


67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy


68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding


69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie


70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville


71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens


72. Dracula - Bram Stoker


73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett


74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson


75. Ulysses - James Joyce


76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath


77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome


78. Germinal - Emile Zola


79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray


80. Possession - AS Byatt


81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens


82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell


83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker


84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro


85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert


86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry


87. Charlotte's Web - EB White


88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom


89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton


91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad


92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery


93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks


94. Watership Down - Richard Adams


95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole


96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute


97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas


98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare


99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl


100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I've read over half of the selections. Some I read on my own and some as a result of being an English Major in college. I don't have any italicized because I don't usually have intentions to read something. If I see it and it appeals to me, I read it. I may read the Golden Compass and the others in the trilogy because my daughter keeps telling me how much I'd like it. (I liked the movie a lot).

How'd you do?

PS I finished the body of the Wildflowers Shawl on Sunday with the yarn that Teresa sent me. There is a little more blue in the new skein but since it is across the top and will be on the edges, it's all good. Now I have to figure out how to attach the edging as I knit it. I'd rather not knit the edging separately and then graft it on which is an option. Learning to knit the edging onto the shawl as I go is part of the process for me. It's what I have learned from this project. I am still a new enough knitter that I learn something from each project I attempt. I'll try to take some photos. It's really pretty.

Happy Monday!

I was having a conversation with Emily last night. As an aside, have I ever told you how nice it is to have adult daughters? It's wonderful. We can talk and enjoy each other's company without me feeling like I have to watch their manners or worry about how they are comporting themselves. I am free to enjoy the lovely women they are.



So, Em and I are talking about our lives and what we are knitting. I mentioned the Pignoli bag I am supposed to be knitting for the client that gave me the painting. Notice the words 'supposed to' in that sentence? I haven't made much progress because it is BORING to knit. And the hardest part about it is that I will have to give it away when I'm done. The young woman admitted that her artwork took "about 15 minutes" to do. I like the painting and am amazed it took only 15 mins.



So, in the back of my mind is the thought that no one said I have to knit the bag and then felt it. I could buy some felt and lining and sew a bag for her.....I was considering it and Emily, my brilliant daughter, suggested the same thing. I could go to JoAnn fabrics and buy some red felt and some cute lining and make a bag. Much less work and just as lovely results. Then if I want to finish the Pignoli bag, at my leisure, I could keep it.



I think that is the plan. I don't mind knitting things that take time or knitting things that I will give away. I guess I mind that it is soooooo boring and I feel like I have to work on it to finish it quickly since she has already given me the painting. This gives me a solution that I can live with.



So, a trip to the craft store (oh the hardships I live with!) will be in order. I hope I can find some nice bright red felt and some arty lining. I think I have about 4 weeks until I see her again so I'l have time.



I am looking for another job. I put my info into career builder today and they gave me 34 jobs in my area! The problem is I'm not sure I want to stay in Human Services. I might like a change but have no real idea what that would be. I know that I want out of here. I adore my supervisor who recently went to bat for me again. It seems that when I requested my time off for my surgery and the followup procedures I didn't file for FMLA (family medical leave act). If you are taking more than 3 sick days in a row, you have to file. I didn't know this. I only knew that if I got my time pre-approved it wouldn't count against me at evaluation time. One of the Directors said she thought I had violated the sick leave policy and deserved to be written up. I was so upset. I got all my time approved and thought I had gone through channels (I even spoke to our HR person beforehand) and now I find out I was wrong. The policy says it's up to the manager's discretion as to whether time is approved or not. She approved it so that should end it. I called the head of HR and he said "you should have filed FMLA" After a long discussion, it ended with him saying that if the time was approved, it should not count. Phew. But I don't need the stress. It makes my stomach hurt.



I've been here for 14 years. You'd think they'd know me by now. Thankfully, I have a supervisor who is a pitbull when she thinks someone has been wronged. You could not have a fiercer person on your side. She's one of the reasons I stay. That and 5 weeks of time off a year. I know that I won't get that anywhere else and I'd miss it.



Stay tuned......

Yay! I have started a relationship with a new player. Meet my new Sony Walkman. It has 8 G of memory. The 4 G players were 99 dollars and the pink ones with 8 G were on sale for 129 so for 30 dollars I got twice the memory. It is small and thin and very light. I bought a skin for it so hopefully it'll stay protected. I can't bookmark where I leave off in recorded books but if I just turn it off, it comes on where I left off so I'll get used to that.

It's a flash drive and not a hard drive so it can take a little more of a beating than the hard drive players that have so recently failed me. The media manager that comes with it sucks big time. Creative is all over Sony in that respect. I am stuck with Windows Media Player (which is so-so) or someting called Media Monkey that PK recommends and has just downloaded onto my computer. Either way, my brain feels overloaded right now. I have managed to download a few of my books (thank goodness I save them on the computer first) but I think I'll put off finding my favorite music for another day. I can only take so much technology in one day.

I've had good luck with all of the various Sony walkmen (walkmans? walkwomen?) over the years. I am looking forward to a long and healthy relationship with this one. But now, it's time to turn off the computer and pick up the knitting. I have a few hours of my day off left and I want to enjoy them peacefully listening to a new book and working on the socks.

AAARRRGGGHHHH! (I love pirate phrases, they are perfect sometimes!) I can't read while I ride the train, I get motion sick. I can knit, maybe because my eyes don't move too much. I'm not sure what the mechanics behind it are. I also have labrynthitis which makes the motion sickness worse. The labyrinthitis is in remission and I have few or no symptoms most of the time. Occasionally I have severe dizzy spells which so far have responded to medication. Odds are good that it will remain that way.


That is all beside the point today. Because I can't read on the train, I have used a cassette player and books on tape and then books on cd and finally books on mp3 player. The mp3 player is wonderful because it is small and you don't need anything else. I'm afraid to listen to music because I can't help singing along when I recognize a song. Really, I can't help it. I hear a song I know and I just have to sing. I'm afraid I'll sing aloud on the train and embarass myself. I can carry a tune and have sung in choruses and church choirs but I'm sure the other riders on the train would prefer not to listen to me. So, I download books, mostly fiction, and listen. I listen as I ride and especially as I knit. I don't watch television so this is my entertainment. I depend on my mp3 player.





And it let me down. Big time. Last night, it died. I have a Creative Zen Microphoto. (It's my second Creative product and is only 18 months old) which is not a cheap product. It's a portable hard drive and holds 8G of memory. It let me download books from netlibrary which is important because ipods don't. I love it. Or rather I loved it. (photo stolen from Wikipedia). After some research, I learned that the hard drive freezes frequently. People reported this problem with disturbing frequency. And the only solution to this is sending it back to Creative and letting them charge me 140.00 dollars to fix it. With no guarantees that it won't happen again. Are they crazy?!? For that much money I can get a new one and one that won't freeze up on me.

So, that is my mission today. I am heading out to look for a new companion. A new buddy that will fit in my knitting bag and keep me entertained.

Needless to say, It will not be a Creative product.

Happy Labor Day. Here in the United States we celebrate the men and women who work for a living by taking a day off. It's the unofficial last hurrah of summer. The lake closes until Memorial Day and if you want a weekend at the shore, this is the best time of year to do it because rates are cheaper and there are way fewer people. I keep reminding myself that there are still 3 weeks left of summer (how can that be?!) and I plan to squeeze as much outdoor time in as possible.

In that spirit, we took a picnic lunch to Batsto today. Peter Kevin and I have been going there since we were in high school. We introduced the girls to it early and it is a favorite family place. We drove past the lake (Atsion Lake) where you can see that it is crowded. They closed it at one point to wait until more lifeguards came on duty. But we weren't on our way to the lake. We were on our way to Quaker Bridge Road. We crossed Rte. 206 and drove into the woods. The first thing you see, after the Ranger station (I send the Rangers a Christmas card each year. We really appreciate them), is this church. It is so pretty and peaceful there in the woods. There the road plunges into the forest and it is quiet. Unearthly quiet. At one point, Pk and the girls all got out to take some photos of a huge area of cedar trees (the smell is fabulous) and as I shut off the car engine, the silence was deafening. Almost literally. There were no sounds, not birds or insects or traffic. I could hear a faint ringing in my ears and the quiet had weight. It was more than a little disconcerting. I realized how few times we are really surrounded by silence. At home, the appliances are humming in the background or I can hear cars on the highway which is less than a mile away. What I think of as quiet? Isn't. I was almost relieved to have them get back to the car and talk.

We drove a little ways and saw some lily pads and flowers growing in a small branch of the Mullica River. I've seen large, dinner plate sized lily pads at Longwood Gardens but these were small "wild" ones. The flowers were white with bits of yellow inside. They were a nice surprise. And look, my sock in progress with some evidence that Fall is almost upon us. (Hiss, boo! )The sock is one that I am working on as a Christmas gift so we shall say no more about it. It is a Muscari lace sock from Knitty.com and it's an easy pattern. The yarn is called Zen Peonies and is the Aug selection from artwalk sock yarn club. And Teresa found some yarn that she thinks will coordinate with my bamboo yarn and is sending it out tomorrow. Yay! I can go back to working on the Wildflowers shawl.

We looked for a "road goes ever ever on" shot as Kate and I call it and I think I found one.

It reminds me of a bit of poetry from Tolkien.

Still round the corner

there may wait

A new road or some secret gate.

And though I oft have passed them by

The day will come at last when I

Will take the hidden paths that run

West of the moon

East of the sun.

Have a good week everyone!