It's Sunday morning and there is still a bit of peace lying about. Pk has gone down into the workshop to make noise and sawdust, the girls are still sleeping. I am showered and dressed and soon will go and make breakfast. We need to fortify ourselves because today is the day that Christmas comes out to play at our house.

But, before all of that. I want to share a little bit of my yesterday. As I told you Pk, Kate and El went to the National Air and Space Museum. There they are. Aren't they cute? I met them at a local chinese restaurant for dinner (that way no one has to clean up) and they talked about their day. I think the thing I heard the most often was "what a great day!". They saw lots of air ships but unfortunately you are not allowed to touch. This is always my problem in museums. I like to touch and they don't like it. But, even keeping their hands to themselves, they had a good day.

And I? Well, I went out to run some errands and picked up the yarn to make these. This is about half of my first thrummed mitten. (there's that word again, thrumm, thrumm, thrumm). I bought some Patons Chunky Shetland in charcoal. It has beige bits in it and I used beige alpaca hair for the thrumms. They are not as neat and well defined as some I've seen. The alpaca is very soft and bits of it get everywhere and end up knitted into the regular stitches. Here's what the thrumms look like inside. I can't describe how soft and warm they feel when you put your hand inside the mitten. Pk has requested a pair so after I finish the Christmas knitting I'll start him a pair. Or maybe I'll get good and finish them in time for the holiday. One can dream.

But the best thing about yesterday was waiting in the mailbox when I got home. Roxie sent me a copy of her new book, Sanna Meets Dauntless Swiftsure. I made the mistake of opening it and reading the first few pages. After that I was gone. I spent the next 3 and 1/2 hours reading this wonderful book. It's the first Sanna book I've read (image stolen from amazon.com) and it's so engrossing that I forgot I wanted to finish spinning my sock yarn and I wanted to cast on for the mittens. I eventually did those things but only after I finished the book. Sanna is one of those characters that when you finish the book, you ask "what now?". She is strong and caring. And I like that she is human and still learning. She makes no pretense of knowing it all, in fact, she freely admits that she has a lot to learn. And then sets out to learn it. In this book, Sanna is kidnapped and has to adapt rather quickly to a new way of life. And she does. There is never any doubt in her mind that she will find a way home and she makes us believe in her as well. I wanted to share this with my niece but she's a little young (Sanna has certain "feelings" that I'm not sure I want to explain to an 8 year old!) but when she is a little older, I am going to introduce her to Sanna. I think Maggie and Sanna could become friends.

Now it's time to go and fix some breakfast. Pancakes and sausage today. And then to make some cornbread for extra stuffing for dinner. We always have leftover night the Sunday after the holiday. It uses up the bulk of the leftovers and we always enjoy eating the goodness one more time. But there is not enough stuffing so I'll make some more today. And I have to make some more pumpkin pies. Emily took the leftovers home with her.

I'll be moving furniture in anticipation of a Christmas tree and changing the orange colors to red and green and sparkles. It's raining and damp and rather cold today. A good day to stay inside and decorate. Have a good and peaceful Sunday.

Thanksgiving was a nice day here in the wilds of South Jersey. We say South Jersey to distinguish ourselves from North Jersey even though we are one state. The north and south are very different because they are each influenced by different large cities. In the north they have New York with all of its eccentricities and in the south we have Philadelphia with all its brotherly love (how many police men and women have been shot this year?). More wealth is congregated in the north and more power. We here in the south often feel like forgotten step children when it comes to governmental issues.

But, as I was saying, Thanksgiving was a nice day. The turkey went into the oven at noon stuffed with our favorite cornbread and sausage stuffing. I also made some without sausage because we were having a vegetarian guest for dinner. We headed out to the movies to see Quantum of Solace (I have no idea what that means), the new James Bond movie. I think Daniel Craig is the best Bond ever. Ever. The movie is good. But he is drop dead sexy. Not, of course, as sexy as my own PK but a good second.

Funny thing happened at the movie. We were sitting behind two people (Em and Jim and Pk and I) and were laughing and talking because they hadn't even started the previews yet. The people in front of us were doing sudoku puzzles and being very quiet. After about 5 minutes, they got up and changed seats. The movie hadn't started! I guess they were there for the whole movie experience and like to be quiet and we were feeling joyful and festive. Oh well. I wouldn't really have spilled popcorn on them although I have been known to have trouble controlling my popcorn. Why do they fill those bags so full?

We got home from the movie and the house smelled great. We were going to play a game but couldn't decide on one so we just sat and talked and then we ate. It was delicious. Em and Jim and his sister left to go visit their parents and we sat and were amazed at how fast the day had gone. I think I said it three times.

Yesterday, Pk cleaned the house and I spun some of the roving I just bought. I'd show you but Pk has the camera and he is on his way to Washington DC with Kate and Elanor. They are going to the Air and Space Museum as part of last year's christmas gift. They left at 7 this morning and should be home (exhausted) by dinner time. I am going to enjoy the quiet of the empty house and maybe hit the local yarn store. I want to make some thrummed mittens and need some yarn. I have some alpaca to use for the thrumms but I need some yarn for the actual mittens. I like the sound of the word 'thrumms'.

I hope you are all having a good weekend. The sun is shining here and there is a red tailed hawk perched on my pool looking around. He is gorgeous. Look out squirrels!

It's here already. The time of year we call "the holidays" lumping them all in together. It seems like the time between Hallowe'en and New Years is one big celebration.

And I like it.

Actually, I enjoy Hallowe'en and the plethora of chocolate that is around and little kids in costumes. I have even been known to put on a pair of wings and have a good time. And I like Christmas. I like finding gifts that everyone will open and say "ooohhh". And I love Christmas trees and making my house all sparkly and decorated.

But I love Thanksgiving. More than all the others combined. I like the peacefulness of it. I know that it strikes fear in the hearts of many people but for me, I have always looked forward to the day when all I have to do is cook and enjoy the people I love. The days are getting shorter and the early darkness encourages us to nest and spend time inside with our families.

I know this time of year you see the lists of all that folks are thankful for. I'm no exception. I am thankful for a great deal in my life. Here's a few.

I am thankful for

• 
  first and foremost, the quirky, lovely, loving, funny, wonderful, supportive, caring, talented (is that enough adjectives?) people I call my family.
  
• that I have a job and insurance
  
• that my family has enough to eat and a place to sleep and clothes to wear
  
• that we are able to laugh
  
• that the internet has brought me new and wonderful friends whose lives I get to share
  
• that our family is always growing to include new people. It doesn't dilute who we are but makes us a stronger unit
  
• that George Bush will be out of the White House come January 20th
  
• that I can download free books on tape and listen to my heart's content
  
• that my children are grown and can make their own decisions even if I don't agree with them
  
• that I seem to have a guardian spirit who keeps me out of trouble
  
• that there are talented people who come up with new and interesting patterns for me to knit and who make rovings that are too beautiful for words




• sheep!
• and many things I will think of during the day and wish I had remembered to write down.

I am grateful for the things I have learned from all of you and the time you take to share your thoughts and ideas with me. And I want to leave you with this thought as the holidays descend upon us and we get carried away with it all:

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. -E. Kubler-Ross

Go out and be the light. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I was sitting at my desk on my Friday, which was a payday, browsing the internet. This is not a good combination. I happened to visit A Piece of Vermont and before I knew what I was doing, I had placed an order. And when I came home from work today, it had arrived! From Vermont to New Jersey in a weekend. I was impressed.

And then I opened the package and I was really impressed. I had ordered some sock yarn that was labelled imperfect. I used some of this same yarn to make the socks I gave to my sister in law. I liked it so much I bought some more for me. And I bought some roving. It's superwash merino, bamboo and nylon. The top one is Blue Marble and the bottom one is Eleanor Rigby. And oh my, they are soft. And beautiful. And did I mention soft? Unfortunately, I have to put them away for the moment. I think I could become an ADD spinner and just spin little bits of everything I like and never do anything with the yarn.

It was nice to find the package waiting by my door when I got home. The day wasn't terribly stressful, just seemed long. And I have two more days before the long weekend. Tonight I am making cranberry/fruit relish so it will have some time for the flavors to blend before Thursday. Pk and the girls love this stuff but I like my cranberry sauce out of the can with the seams still showing. Yep, I'm a simple woman. But for anyone who's interested, this is the easiest recipe ever and you can alter the amounts to suit yourself.

Cranberry/Fruit relish

1 bag of fresh cranberries

orange juice

1 can sliced peaches

1 can pineapple chunks

1 can pears (cut into chunks)

raisins

walnuts

sugar

Put the cranberries into a large saucepan and cover with orange juice. Add sugar to taste. (Cranberries can be very tart). Cook over medium heat until the cranberries pop. You'll hear it. Add the canned fruits (drain them first) and what looks like a good amount of raisins and walnuts. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool. It will all be a beautiful cranberry color and will thicken slightly.

Now, I meant it when I said to make it your own. If you don't like pears, leave them out and add more peaches. Ditto raisins or walnuts. Add what you like. There have been years when I have forgotten one or another fruits and nobody noticed. The important part is to cook the cranberries and to add amounts that look good to you.

Confused? I'm sorry. I don't cook many things from recipes. This frustrates my girls to no end. One of the things I promise to do for them is to write their favorites down before I die so that they don't get lost. I don't know how my grandmother made cole slaw and it was my very favorite. She developed Alzheimer's disease before I could get her to tell me. I will try not to do that to my girls. There is a web site called blurb where you can go and publish a book of your own. It's not too expensive for something special, like, say, a book of favorite family recipes. So, I have to remember to take some photos of the things I cook this holiday season so I can put them in the book. Pk offered to take some shots as I cook so the book will have some color. It would make a nice gift.

Well, all this talk of food has made me hungry and it's time to go and start dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs tonight. And beans to go into the crockpot for tomorrow. Pk wants beans and weanies (ewww) tomorrow. I'll eat some eggs.....

eta: for some reason blogger is running all the paragraphs together no matter how much space I leave between them. I went back and bolded first words to make it easier to read. What a pain.

It's Sunday evening and the weekend is almost over. Almost. I can see a faint golden glow through the trees out of my back window. Dinner is in the crockpot and will be done in about an hour. I also roasted a turkey for our annual Thanksgiving luncheon for our clients at work tomorrow. The hospital provides all the sides (potatoes, stuffing, veggies and gravy) and volunteers cook the turkeys. I cooked mine this afternoon and as soon as it's cool, I'll cut it up and put it into a disposable pan to take back to work tomorrow. I never mind cooking the turkey except it's so heavy to drag home on the train and awkward to drag back on Monday. And it makes my kitchen smell so good all afternoon. It's hard not to want to eat it.

I managed to get the chores done yesterday with some help from the girls and PK. He and I went to the produce store and the buy-things-in-bulk-store and the local grocery store yesterday and then put all of the groceries away. It took a while but if the zombies come, we have food. I got all of the things we need for our traditional Thanksgiving meal. The pies will be baked on Wednesday night and the cornbread for the stuffing will be baked then, too. Sometime before Thursday, I have to make some cranberry fruit relish but that's relatively easy. I like to cook so I never mind spending this time in the kitchen. The house is clean and the laundry got done so we have clean underwear (a very important thing).

So, Sunday got to be a craft/recharge the battery day. Pk is outside doing something with wood and I spent the day playing with fiber.

I work on my christmas gift socks on the train and during the week at home. But on weekends, I spend time with my North Sea Shawl (from the book Folk Shawls). It's grown and is coming along nicely. The ends are done separately and grafted together. I'm glad I learned the kitchener stitch from doing all those socks! I have finished Lace section 1 and 2 and am working on the middle piece. Then it goes onto the waste yarn and I do section 1 and 2 again and the grafting begins. When it's finished, I'm pulling out the Wildflowers shawl and finishing that one. I'm about a third through the edging and then it's a lot of sewing. I like the colors on this one. The little bits of green just show up and make it look like the sea.

I have also been spinning today. Pk chose this roving at the Garden State Sheep Show and there should be enough for a sweater, or at least I hope so. It's very soft, a merino blend (I think-the label is lacking in any detail other than maker) and is spinning up easily. I washed this and whacked it to get an idea of what it would look like. He likes it so it's all good. Looking at all the handspun yarns online has given me confidence. Spinning has given me great enjoyment. Now, if I had bigger bobbins so I could have larger skeins......it's always something! I just ordered some superwash roving from A Piece of Vermont so I can try to spin some yarn for socks. What fun to make socks from my own handspun.

This is a short work week for us. Thursday is a national holiday and I took off Friday. There will be no shopping on Friday, just maybe a drive through the woods and some time spent enjoying the company of my family. Probably some knitting and maybe, just maybe some spinning. I am looking forward to it.

Well, dinner smells done so I'm off to carve the turkey for tomorrow and empty the crock pot for dinner. Have a peaceful Sunday evening and a smooth start to the work week.

Good morning. And welcome to Thursday. I get into work about 7:30 each morning, by choice. I could come in as late as 9 but I like being able to go home at 3:30 while there's still some daylight left. It's full-on dark at 5 now. I like the quiet 45 minutes or so I get before my office mate gets in. I sit in the semidark with only the desk lamp on and check email, messages and catch up with blog friends. Then he comes in and says "light" and puts on the overhead fluorescent lights.

It amazed me how many people read Sark. I found Succulent Wild Woman at a conference I was attending. I picked it up because of the colorful cover and intriguing title. And I fell in love. It spoke to a part of my soul that was so lonely. It made me realize that all of the weird, silly things I have inside are also inside lots of other people. It brought new words into my vocabulary, like 'nappish'. I feel nappish often and now I have a word for it. I also own two other Sark books, one of them is Eat Mangoes Naked and the other is the Bodacious Book of Succulence. They are both colorful and fun to read. All of my girls have read them and I have given them to young women I know for birthdays and graduations. Even though I am an adult and don't need anyone's permission to do or act the way I want, it was freeing somehow to be told it was ok to be me. No matter what 'me' turns out to be, it's ok to be it.

I finished the first of Pk's christmas socks last night. He knows I am knitting him socks and wanted to try it on. He was sure it looked too small. It's just a plain toe up with a 4x4 ribbed cuff. No pattern, just knit till I ran out of yarn. He pulled it on his foot and said "ooooh". First time he's reacted that way. He likes the toe up style and the way it feels better than the heel flap. Thinks it fits better. Sigh. I had decided I didn't especially like toe up socks and this would be my last pair. I should know better. I'm glad he likes the way they feel. I like knitting for him.

You know how knitters are always participating in one swap or another? Well, Pk has a "swap" of a kind happening in December. It's called "galoot-a-clause". How manly is that? If you remember, galoots are people who use hand tools. So, Pk has a guy in Washington state who likes wooden planes (tools, not flying things) and we just happen to have an old wooden plane that we can give him to fix up (galoots like finding old tools and rehabbing them. I guess it's like finding an old sweater and ripping it apart and recycling the wool). I think it's interesting to see how alike craftspeople/artists are. The galoots are all supportive of each other and answer questions. Pk had one guy make me whorls for my spinning wheel and it only cost us postage. I think people who create with their hands are all the same inside. The pride/satisfaction of taking raw materials and turning them into something that is beautiful and useful is something that is indescribable. And I am priviledged to have met so many talented people and have benefited from their knowledge.

Well, I hope you all have a good day. It's cloudy here and looks like it might snow (one can only hope!) but the forecast says only brief flurries. I have to teach Crisis Management this afternoon so I am wearing jeans and sneakers. I think today I am doing the take down, and not being the one who is taken down. Small comfort. I still end up on the floor.....and I get to demonstrate restraints. This is way too much fun for any one person.

Well, I want to know who decided that the temperature should take a nose dive off the cliffs of fall and right into winter. It's 27 degrees this morning (-2.7 C) and windy. It's only November. Last Saturday it was 70 (21 C). This came on much too fast and I want to protest. If I only knew who to protest to.

So, how many people do you need to have an official Knit Night? Would 2 count? That's how many people showed up last night. Emily and I walked into Borders and didn't see anyone with sticks and string. I asked one of the workers if they had knit night here. She said "well, last month one or two people came." Hmmm, doesn't sound promising. We decided to sit in the cafe where we could be seen if anyone else showed up. Here I was worried about crashing into an established group and it turns out, we were the group! We sat and had mochas and I had a rice krispie treat (I love them) and Em had a warm brownie with whipped cream. We knitted and talked. A trio of women came in and commented on my sock and one showed off the scarf she paid "over 50 dollars" for because it's "handmade with some yarn that is mala- something". I told her it was Malabrigo and yes, it is expensive yarn. The scarf was about 6 inches wide and garter stitch. Plain garter stitch. The yarn was attractive but nothing special. But she was proud of the fact that she bought it from an "artist". Emily and I decided we would make it a monthly event whether anyone else shows up or not. We are the Succulent Wild Knitters. In honor of a book by Sark called Succulent Wild Women that we really like. It was enjoyable despite (or maybe because of) being just the two of us.

I'm starting to plan the menu for Thanksgiving. I say plan but in reality we'll have the same food we always eat. I just need to make sure that we have the ingredients for the pies and relishes that we don't normally eat. And a turkey. Must buy a turkey.

It's time to go to work. I have supervision in a few minutes. Go out and make it a good day!

For some reason, I cannot copy and paste the code for this. Or rather, only part of the code copies and it's not the important part. Go here if you think you may be in danger of your cat trying to do you harm. I found this on Julie's web site. Now, when I go home, I will look at those critters with a more critical eye....

Tonight I am going to attend my first ever knit night (not sure what it's actually called) at our local Borders. Someone on a ravelry group board mentioned that there is a group the third tuesday of the month. I'm always reluctant to go to new places alone. I like to have someone with me to talk to in case no one else wants to. You'd think by age 51 I'd be over this , but I'm not. I hate going into new situations by myself. I am self conscious and nervous. But I want to go. I want to find others around me I can talk to in person and share my hobby with. I am looking forward to this but with trepidation. Pk says it's 'good for me' and he is encouraging me to go. I wonder if he'd want to go?

Busy day today. Meetings, clinic and a suicide training. And I have a whopper of a sinus headache. I have finished one of Pk's socks and almost one of another pair that are destined to be a christmas gift. I think I'll be able to finish in time for the holidays. The cold weather is hard on my hands. I had to pull out the mittens today. When it's cold, the arthritis flares up. I'm taking socks with me to the knit night. I can work on them and socialize.

This is a very disjointed post. Sinus headaches do that. They disrupt thought. I think I have a sinus infection but am determined to lay off the antibiotics if I can help it. Studies are showing that they go away just as fast (or slow) with as without antibiotics. And my system does not need anymore antibiotics.

Have a great Tuesday.

Fall is back and with a vengeance. After 3 straight days of rain and two days of wind, the trees are mostly bare, except for the Oak trees. Someone should investigate what holds those leaves on. It might be the next superglue! It's cold today. My toes have been cold all day. I am wearing sweat socks and slippers and I know I'd be warmer in sneakers but I have to wear shoes all week so I enjoy not wearing them on the weekend.

I got one last gift for my birthday. It's a bracelet.

Now, I am not one for wearing a lot of jewelry. In fact I wear the same jewelry every day. I wear the same earrings (I don't take them off), my wedding ring, my mother's ring (with my girls' birthstones) and my watch. That's it. I occasionally wear a pin but only occasionally.

When I saw this bracelet in the catalog (pyramid collection), I had two thoughts. First, it was too expensive and second I don't wear silver (although my watch is stainless steel). But I loved it. e.e. cummings is one of my favorite poets and the bracelet is engraved with one of his poems. Peter Kevin saw it and knew I liked the poem (He gave me the complete collection of cummings poetry right before we got married 27 yrs ago) so he ordered it for my birthday.

The description says it fits wrists up to 7 1/2 inches. I measured my wrist and the widest part of my hand and it should have fit but it didn't . I couldn't get it over my hand. I was very distressed.

This is where all the investment I have made in Pk's tools over the years pays off. He took the bracelet and made a small cut and turned it into a cuff bracelet instead of a bangle and now it fits. It is beautiful and I love it. I will wear it every day as part of my wardrobe.

Here is the poem that's hand etched on the outside and the inside:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go, my dear and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

e e cummings

I think his poetry is an acquired taste or maybe he's just one of those poets that people either love or hate. I haz love, srsly. I think he would have loved lolcats because he was in the habit of making up his own words and syntax. Just like a lolcat.

Happy Sunday everyone.

I think this spinning thing could get seriously out of hand. No, really. I spent 5 hours yesterday sitting at the wheel and I can't wait to get finished the chores so I can do it some more today. That, my friends, is a sign of a serious addiction.

I have spent the last three days at work (when my work was done. I could do all my work in 3 days each week and still get it all done) browsing spinning groups on ravelry looking for ideas and helpful hints. Lots of people were spinning their singles with embroidery thread or metallic thread. It looked really interesting and I wanted to try. I took a trip to the craft store and bought a huge bobbin of colored cotton thread (very thick thread, tatting thread) and sat and played with some bright purple and turquoise roving that Kate had lying around. I came up with this. Sorry about the photo but it is unrelentingly gray here today and the light is nonexistent. Flash just washes it out. I'm calling it Kate's Carnival because it reminds me of a carnival. It's probably the most evenly I've spun anything and it's so colorful. I can't wait for Kate to get up so I can show it to her. This is what I started with. The thread colors go from yellow/red to red/blue to blue/green to yellow/red. It made for yarn that is never the same color twice. The roving is a deeper purple and brighter turquoise than the photo shows and I tried to mix the colors and keep them separate at spots to enhance the randomness of the yarn.

I still think uploading your stash and needles to ravelry is a weird thing to do, but I will say that browsing the groups and reading the threads has been very educational. Spinners, like knitters, are so willing to share their secrets and help newbies out. It was fun to play with the different textures of fiber and wind them together to come up with something new and totally my own. Somehow, I remembered that while there are techniques, there are no rules. I could do things my way and as long as I like it, it's all good. Sometimes I need to be reminded of things like that. And I also remembered if I wanted perfect, evenly spun yarn? There is a yarn store a few miles away that will happily take my money as I purchase it. I am (slowly) learning to embrace the imperfections and love my handwork. Someone at work asked why you would go to the trouble to spin your yarn when you could buy it (does this sound familiar?). I said "the same reason I spend 2 weeks and 25 dollars to make a pair of socks when I could buy some for a dollar". You can't explain the satisfaction to someone who does not create anything with their hands.

I'm hopelessly addicted, I tell ya.

And now on today's episode of the Saga of the Tooth,

We find our heroine sitting at her desk at work. The crown is still in her mouth. She ponders the irony of the fact that when she wants the crown to stay in her mouth, it falls out when she eats a piece of bread. Yesterday when the dentist used the "tapping thingy" to remove the crown, it clung on for dear life. She sighs. It figures.

Yes, the crown is still in my mouth. The dentist smoothed out the rough edges so it won't scrape my tongue. She tried and tried to get it out. She thinks it can go back and be remade because it shouldn't have broken. It's only 2 years old. It has to last me for another 3 years before the insurance company will pay for another one. She told me to eat everything sticky I could think of for the next two weeks and see if I can convince it to come out. If it doesn't come out, it will have to be cut out and then it can't be saved.

So bring on the MaryJanes and the taffy. Let's see, what else do I avoid because I'm afraid of pulling out my crowns? This should be fun.

There has been spinning and some christmas knitting. I am moving along at a slow and steady pace. What gets done, gets done. The spinning is improving and is becoming more enjoyable except for the spot between my shoulders from sitting hunched over!

Have a good Friday everyone. We're in for some nasty weather this weekend. All the better to play with the fibers.

For some odd reason (does there need to be a reason for an odd thought?), I was thinking about being a Girl Scout this morning on the train on my way to work. I was a Girl Scout for over 11 years. And most of them were very good.



I started at 7 as a Brownie. I remember we had meetings on Tuesdays after school and we got to wear our uniforms to school on Tuesdays. I LOVED my uniform. It was a brown dress with a dark brown beanie with a little brownie on it in orange. We got a gold pin with a brownie on it,too. It was a time to learn to be part of a whole, a troop. We learned to work together and have fun and help out. We sang the Brownie Song



I've got something in my pocket that belongs across my face

I keep it very close to me in a most convenient place

I bet you could not guess it if you guessed a long long while

I'll take it out and put it on,

It's a great big Brownie smile!



Funny the things that stick in your brain. After two years we had a "flying up" ceremony. We were given a pair of wings to wear on our new green sash. We got a new Girl Scout pin and moved into a Junior troop. We got new uniforms, in green this time and got to work on badges which were sewn onto the sash. I loved it. I still have my badges. They are sewn onto a windbreaker that I wore to death. As a Junior, we learned to be members of a patrol. There were leaders and white gloves were involved.(The horror of trying to keep white gloves clean!) It was a place to stretch yourself and learn new things. And of course, we sold cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. For a sense of how long ago it was, the cookies were 35 cents a box when I started. (They are now 3.50 a box US). I learned that I LOVED camping and wanted to go as often as I could.



After 3 years as a Junior, you graduated into a Cadette troop. Things were the same, but more. I learned new skills and collected new badges. We took trips and learned to canoe and to swim and to save someone from drowning. I remember being in a canoe in the middle of a cold lake and having to swamp the canoe, take off my jeans while treading water (because the fabric is heavy and will weigh you down) and swim back to the canoe and try to right it and get back in. If you couldn't get back in, you swam to shore with your shoes tied around your neck and hoped like heck that someone found your jeans floating around in the lake. No one wanted to have to go home and explain why they lost their pants in the lake! I wore really old ones so I wouldn't get in too much trouble.



And then two years later I became a Senior. This was where we were expected to take on some additional responsibilities of the running of the troop. The troop became very very small. As girls got older, it became very dorky to be a Girl Scout. Problem was, I still liked going camping and my family were not campers. I became a Program Assistant and went camping with Brownie and Junior troops to help out the leaders. I had a binder filled with craft ideas (like twig boats with little candles we could launch after dark) and songs for around the campfires at night. Everyone loved the campfires and singing (and smores). I would leave on a Friday afternoon and return on Sunday, wash my clothes, repack my duffel and be ready to go the following Friday. I developed a reputation as being a good person to take camping with your troop and leaders were calling months in advance to snag me. It was great. I loved the camp. Inawendawin. It was supposedly a Native American word for Friend. I never looked it up but I never doubted it. I made some good friends there and had some of the best times ever.



I left the Girl Scouts after a disagreement with a leader over a trivial matter and it was probably time for me to go anyway. I left with my fond memories intact. My daughters never expressed an interest in being Girl Scouts and I didn't push them.



I'm not sure why I thought of this today. Like I said, it was an odd thought on the train. Snatches of campfire songs are playing in my head and they make me smile. Not a bad way to start a day.



We welcome you

to our camp so fair

And greet you with

Hospitality rare.......



Here's a wikipedia link to modern Girl Scout levels and such. It's changed quite a bit.

The saga of the tooth continues......

When last we left our heroine, she was leaving the dentist's chair with a crown newly cemented into her mouth (a mouth with no pain and no infection) ready to resume normal life which included chewing her food.

We rejoin our story already in progress:

This morning our heroine was eating a fairly healthy breakfast of Rice Krispies with bananas and low fat milk (yum). "This is good" she said and then she bit down on an especially Krispy bit. "Hmmm, that is an especially Krispy bit", she thought. Little did she know, it was not a really krispy krispy but a piece of the crown that was just recently (3 weeks ago) recemented into her mouth. Yes, folks, the crown is broken.

Our heroine placed the piece of tooth inside a plastic bag and called the dentist who will see her tomorrow to discuss "options". Since the insurance company has decided that they will not pay for the replacement of this crown, it looks like our heroine is in for a hit to her pocketbook.

Stay tuned.....

Here's hoping that the day will come when these will become a curiosty and not something that we all instantly recognize.

My dad served in Korea and my husband spent 6 years in the Navy. Neither was harmed and for that I am grateful.

Today is our chance to say thanks to the men and women who serve. All of them, all over the world.

Thank you.

Here is a glimpse of the glory that is my first spun and plied yarn and the scarf it is growing up to be. It has a soft shimmer from the silk and is soft and dense. Very dense. This will be a scarf of armor to keep out the winter chill. It's funny how it is not spun terribly evenly, nor is it plied very evenly, but when it is worked over with the needles, it behaves itself and looks nice and even.

I had a birthday dinner at the local Chinese restaurant. They know us there and always treat us well. At the end of the meal, they brought a plate of oranges and pineapple bits (which they often do) but this time there was a candle in the pineapple! And there was singing. I felt loved and special. Em gave me a basket for my bike. Now I can do my local errands on my bike once Pk installs the basket. It comes off and has a handle so I can take it into stores and save on bags. Good for the environment and good for me.

I am home from work today. For some reason I had a hard time sleeping last night and this morning Pk insisted I go back to bed and sleep some more. So, I called out. I feel slightly guilty for being home without being sick but his rationale was that I wouldn't be able to do my best work and give my clients what they need if I am not at my best. I fell for it. I am also suffering the aftereffects from the antibiotics I took a little while ago. Whenever I take them, I end up with a yeast infection. I have medicated myself and am waiting for it to work. I should remember to just ask the doctor to write a prescription for diflucan when he writes the antibiotic. I just always forget.

I hope you are all having a good Monday. The weather is cold here, well, cooler than it was. Feels like fall.

This is what my neighbor's tree looked like on Thursday afternoon. It's such a beautiful tree. I think it's a lovely shape and I enjoy watching it change colors each year. After two days of rain and wind, the tree is naked. It didn't last very long.

It continued to rain today but was very warm. Almost 70 degrees (21 C) which is a little warm for November. I'm not complaining because it will keep the gas bill down for a while longer but still.....

I keep trying to type but Hobbes is rubbing all over the computer and moving the screen and trying to rub against my hands. He just came in and is very needy. The funny thing is that he has only recently become friendly. He used to be stand-offish and didn't let anyone pet him. Now he has become very demanding and wants attention RIGHT NOW.

Today was a peaceful, productive day. We did the house cleaning, grocery shopping and laundry. PK and I went to the diner for a burger and now we are relaxing. Tomorrow Em and Jim are coming down so we can all have dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant for my birthday. I was going to cook but decided that this way, we can all just enjoy the food and have a good time and no one has to work that hard. There will be cake and ice cream (birthday parties demand cake) and no doubt laughter.

There has been some knitting. I am knitting Pk's socks toe up to use up as much of the yarn as possible (and because I've only done it once before and wanted to try it again). I have about 6 out of 8 inches done on the foot. As we're sitting in the diner, the waitress asked me if I was crocheting a bag. I said no, I'm knitting a sock. She said, "it's the same thing, really. You just have wool and hooks". Pk interceded and said that socks were much better than bags and that the family all owned several pairs of hand knitted socks and they were very grateful for them. I wanted to take the opportunity to educate this poor deluded woman but our food came and I wanted to eat my burger while it was hot. Now, she'll never know.

And prompted by Rosered's very neat bookshelves, I cleaned the one in my bedroom off and organized it so all of the craft books are on one shelf. The shelf underneath had not been touched yet, so don't look at it. There are three quilting books and the rest are knitting books. And of course, my Tiny Plaid Ninja that Kate made me for Christmas last year. If you've never seen the TPN's go here and check them out. They are silly and funny. The website is albinoblacksheep and it is all animated fun. I have two black binders that have patterns that I have printed and put into plastic sleeves (one day when I was sick and needed something mindless to do I organized them). I have full intentions of using each and every one of them. (don't burst my fragile bubble,please?)

Well, one last load of laundry to fold and then I'm done for the weekend. I hope you all are well and enjoying your weekend.

I totally stole this from Joan.

You Should Be a Mechanic

You are logical, calm, and detail oriented. You're rational when things are chaotic, and for you, reason always prevails. And while you are guided by logic, you aren't a slave to it. You're flexible when it counts. You are always open to being wrong. You do best when you: - Work with your hands - Can use tools, machines, or equipment You would also be a good architect or carpenter.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

It's actually a pretty accurate snapshot of me. Although my family might question the whole "can use tools, machines and equipment" part. Spinning wheels and knitting needles are tools, right?

Hope your day is going well. The country seems to be running on adrenaline today at the possibilities for change in January. I hope we're all not disappointed.

When I got home from work yesterday, this was what awaited me. PK and Elanor and Kate were blowing up balloons and stringing crepe paper and ribbons around the living room for my birthday. It's one of my favorite birthday traditions. Most occasions are enhanced by the addition of balloons! I slept in and then showered, had breakfast and went off and voted. No lines, no waiting. Just a quick in and out. They didn't even ask me for identification. I came home and watched the rain come. It was soft rain, the kind that you can't really see but you can hear.

And there was knitting. I was alone in the house for most of the day. I listened to a good courtroom mystery/drama on my mp3 player and worked on my lace. I knit several repeats but boy does it take a long time to grow. I guess it's the thinness of the yarn. It looks quite nice and I think I will like it when it's done. It's a really simple shawl and the blue/grey/green combination is one that I really like.

It was only Pk and Elanor and I for dinner so we went out. I was going to cook but when they said "do you want to go out?", you had to twist my arm really hard. We went to Red Lobster and had good seafood. It always surprises me that they have such consistent quality in their food because they're a chain. I usually steer away from chain restaurants but we make an exception for them. They didn't disappoint. The service was adequate but my crabcakes were great.

We're home and the evening is slipping away quickly. I've managed to avoid listening to the news all day and have only just now turned on the computer. It was an unplugged kind of day. I won't be staying up to hear the end results. I've felt bombarded by 2 years of near constant electioneering and cannot stand another minute. I'm just glad it's all over even if I had to share my birthday with the election.

I hope you all had a good day. Now that I'm 51 (I checked and blogger has updated my age to reflect the day, they are very efficient when they want to be!), I have to start thinking of myself as "in my early 50's". Well, I've got a few years to wrap my brain around that.

Back to work tomorrow. Sigh.

eta: one of my favorite web comics is called Questionable Content. Check out today's strip.

It's been a good Sunday. Pk and I went to a local buffet for Sunday brunch. It's nothing fancy, just the same food we would fix ourselves at home. With two important parts. Someone else cooks and someone else cleans up. 'nuff said. Then we stopped at our favorite bakery for some sugar and fat and came home to pursue the hobbies that help us keep our sanity.

Peter Kevin is outside using the lathe and making bobbins for my wheel. He comes in every once in a while for a kiss and to measure the bobbin-in-progress. I spent a few hours sitting at the wheel plying the silk/camel that I have been spinning. It is so beautiful. Well, at least to me it is. This is the first yarn I have plied. It is soft and feels fluffy and has a lovely halo. I plan to turn it into a scarf. That seems like a good use for it.

I have been working on my lace for the Long Lacey Summer. It's the North Sea Shawl from Folk Shawls. The yarn is Winter Lace in the Wild Horse color from Mountain Yarns. It's a wool/silk blend and has a nice feel. This is my third try at finding something I could knit and enjoy. I'm still working on Pk's plain socks while I ride to work and I still have some holiday knitting to finish. I think it's enough to keep myself busy.

I needed to have a peaceful weekend. I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. We're supposed to be starting our new social rehabilitation program and I'm not sure what it's going to be. I took off Friday to go with Pk but that meant that I missed the meeting where the director presented his ideas. This is the same supervisor that decided I should not be involved in the training for the computer overhaul. I think he'll look at it as a way of avoiding him. In a way it is. I think I needed to just stop thinking about it for a while. I reminded myself and I will remind him if I need to, that my job is just that, my job. It is not my life nor is it what I am. It's what I do. My sense of myself as a good person and a person of worth does not come from my job but for how I try to live my life. Fortunately, I have a very busy clinic day tomorrow and then I'm off on Tuesday for my birthday. By the time I see him on Wed or Thurs, things should have settled down.

I hope you all are having a weekend that refills your batteries so you can go out and fight the good fight once again.

Well, it's November 1st (only three more days until the election, in case you're not paying attention and need reminding) and although the obligatory blogging is over, I found myself turning on the computer to blog this morning. I remember reading somewhere that it only takes 3 weeks to form a habit so maybe this everyday blogging has become a habit. This is the Meandering Vines lace I was working on (before I got up to give the trick or treaters candy and dropped it on the floor and lots of stitches fell off the needles and unravelled amid lots of cursing and bad words). It's been frogged and I'm thinking I don't like it after all. (Maybe my subconscious mind dropped it on purpose?). The yarn is too thin to pick up the pattern of wandering yo's and k2tog. The designer used two strands held together but said it wasn't necessary. I think maybe it is necessary if you want the pattern to show up well. So, I'm off to search for another pattern.

We went to my brother's house last night for post Hallowe'en dinner and candy swap. It was a much scaled down version of our usual holiday tradition but that's inevitable as my children grew up and have their own interests (and jobs) to consider. What happens is this: the trick or treaters all dump their haul onto the floor and pick out their favorites and put them back into their bags. The rest they trade back and forth until everyone has gotten rid of the candy they don't like so much. It's fun and often loud. Pk gets into the fun as much as the kids. He always remembers my favorites and tries to trade and get some for me. Then we had pumpkin pie. MMMMM. I love fall. Somehow, I don't think of pumpkin pie any other time of year. Maybe it's the orange color.

These socks are ones I finished a while ago and I love them. They're the Saucy pattern and it knits up very narrow. Kate didn't like the way they fit and she has the skinniest feet in the house. On a whim, I took them to my sister in law last night and not only did they fit but she loved them. I'm glad they found a home. Socks aren't really happy unless they are being worn and loved. I think the design is vaguely celtic which pleases my sil because she is very into her Irish heritage. My niece said "mama, can I have them when you outgrow them?". I guess you can figure out that that was my cue to find some brightly colored sock yarn in the stash and start a pair for her! Something simple and girly with stripes.

I am soooooo glad we weren't there for the Phillies' parade yesterday. The reports of 6 hour waits for trains just made me cringe. Knitting or not, I would not want to stand in line for 6 hours. I think I would have called a cab and paid to have myself driven the 10 miles home.

Well, I've put off the cleaning/laundry chores long enough. I've been quiet so the party going children could sleep in after their late night but if I sit here much longer, nothing will get done.

Have a good Saturday!