This year, we had two Thanksgivings. Kid #1 was planning on bringing his girlfriend to visit; they live out of state. Seems like a Big Deal - and I was looking forward to meeting her. However, she had a last-minute business deal come up. Stuff happens, and in this business climate - as a small biz owner? I'd have done the same thing. Anyway, we usually celebrate the Sunday before, so we can have other family members do their thing, go to the different in-laws, etc. But since Kid #1 couldn't get here by then... we just finished "Thanksgiving Lite" at my mom's house: turkey, "funeral potatoes" (shredded potato casserole - you've eaten it!), veggie, stuffing, and apple pie. The Kid doesn't eat much - never has, and as he's gotten older, I've been concerned -- he has a very physical job and he's got to keep up his nourishment.
It's nice to have both kids at home. Tomorrow, I've nagged them into taking a picture with me. I don't have one with both of them, and with both living away from home, and one out of state? It would be nice. Just to have proof that I have kids!
Technology...
So my phone is acting wonky - it doesn't see the laptop, or the laptop doesn't see it. It's difficult to share pictures. Hubby found that I'm almost at the limit of my memory capacity, so he's cleaning off the pics. I do have some I want to share with you, but for now, the camera is working in the background and I'm hoping to have some to show you soon.
Gotta love technology. I've updated the phone a couple of times; it's a Windows phone, and actually I love it. But the updates can be frustrating because occasionally, things aren't where they used to be.
But all in all, it's a nice sturdy phone, so I can't complain too much. I have a Galaxy S-4 for the studio and I don't particularly like the Android OS. It's do-able, and it's the only phone I can put my heart monitor on, so I'm kind of stuck with it.
Lucky for me, I'm of the generation that's comfortable with technology, but we don't live with it. I mean, I'm almost 60 years old. I caught the beginnings of Windows and I'm comfortable in the realm of tech. But I'm not like those folks who do EVERYTHING on their phones. I do as little as possible on mine. Phone calls, texts, emails and pictures. That's it. No games. No purchasing. No banking. No FB messenger.
Pretty stripped down, right? And I like it that way. Oh, I do use the maps sometimes, but I have a GPS in my car, so I really don't use that feature a lot. But I see folks who bank, who shop, who do it all. And I worry, because if they lose their phone or if it gets stolen? Wowza - their whole life is on there.
Not for me, thanks. I've got enough on my hands without risking that. That - I suppose - is an advantage to having a Windows phone. Nobody wants them!
So after all of this, Hubby will figure out what's up with my phone and laptop not playing well together. It's strange: you sometimes think that things in the realm of technology are "bottomless." That there's "endless" storage. But there's not.
And with all of the talk about ending net neutrality, it gets even more confusing. Here's an article from Fortune. I've read it. I'm not an idiot, and I still don't understand it. As with most things these days, it seems that it's a political hot potato. It remains to be seen if the Big Boys (Google, AT & T, etc.) will REALLY be in favor of "equal access" or whether they'll cave in and let themselves be led by God-Knows-Who and start to restrict who sees what and how much they pay for it.
Knitting...
So the "Close to You" shawl is coming along nicely. I'm going to confess something... I was told by Kid #1 that the girlfriend "likes clothing she can wrap herself in." So I have a shawl made from eyelash yarn that I was given. And I have a poncho-like thing that I was given - which I'll never wear. Sooooo - creative re-gifting. I don't mind doing that because (a) I have no time to knit her something; and (b) she apparently loves vintage clothing. The shawl is a good-sized one, able to wrap multiple times around the neck and it's in lavender, her favorite color. The poncho-like thing is red and white. So they won't match, but then hey: she has two things she can wear separately. As far as socks go, I've made what may seem to be a foolish commitment. I want to knit 15 pair of socks to make a dent in the stash. I am vowing (I'm TRYING THIS) that I'm going to get through that "Twelve Months" box so that I can use the tote for something else, and then get through another 3 or 4 skeins of sock yarn. I have to look into how much is in the 12-months box; I do believe it might be 10 skeins - in which case, I need to use up 5 more hanks.
And yeah. I have that much. And yeah, I've got to start knitting it up. I do want the socks, and it's doing no good just sitting there.
I need to separate the "wheat from the chaff" -- the stuff that will be good for socks, and the stuff I'd rather do shawls with.
My Office...
My office has once again turned into "Christmas Central" and I'm still trying to get it organized. I'm going to dash down to the basement and see if there are a couple of totes that I can grab to dump in some of that spare yarn. If I can drop that into the basement or into the closet, I can get floor space. Hubby is also talking about reorganizing the closet in Kid #2's room so that we can pack up stuff of his, and then I'll have more space.
Every year, my office gets the "Christmas" stash - or at least it's done so since the kids moved out. Before that, it was my closet in my bedroom, and that wasn't always working well.
I hope to have everything organized by the end of the year. I'm working on it, and I think it's coming along nicely. A lot of the piddly work has already been done, and I've got a strong idea in mind of how I want it to look. I'll get you a progress shot soon.
16 Days of Activism...
Our local women's club is doing a great project - a "scavenger hunt" kind of thing with these ladies. Thirteen of them will be placed around the area, and I just (ahem) might know where at least one will be -- let's just say a certain yoga studio... These posters point out the 16 Days and how important it is to advocate against domestic violence. In this current climate of enhanced gun violence and other forms of abuse, it's even more important that we do more than "social media" activism. There's more than #metoo. I'm not disregarding it, but I'm saying that we need to do something more. We need to be visible and vocal.
Speaking of "visible" - one of our members thought that the posters were nice - and they are. But they're flat. So she dressed them up. Each has its own personality. Our Service and Advocacy committees came up with the scavenger hunt idea. People find the ladies, take a selfie and post with hashtag...the one who finds the most gets a one-night stay at a local hotel, dinner included. I was going to try to get one into a local popular restaurant or the Menard's - but I ran out of time. If I get a chance on Friday or Saturday (Saturday is actually the first day of the 16 days), I'll still try, but I figured that enough of my students were hyped up about the idea, so perhaps if the committee plants clues, more folks will come to see her.
The Studio...
Speaking of which - the studio, I mean - I held a Make & Take with a few friends. It turned out nicely, and I'm going to make up a few of the gift packages for Christmas giving. 
I used the Young Living DIY kits, which have supplies for 6 crafters, and each crafter can make a lotion, spritz and lip balm. You provide the crafter and the oils, and the kit has the lotion base, witch hazel (for the spritz) and lip balm base. Since we had a small group, I let loose with the oils - not only using some of the recipes in the DIY kit, but having them make their own and I threw in a little 'spiff' and had mason jars with epsom salts for bath or foot soaks. I'm going to do foot soaks for each kid, using Young Living's Purification essential oil or maybe tea tree - particularly for Kid #1 who's a welder and spends a lot of time in welding boots. The Tea Tree is a nice one for a foot soak. And Kid #2, a teacher, can use something soothing for the end of a long day in the classroom.
On the one back wall (I'll be showing you a picture), I've got a "Just Breathe Yoga Studio Christmas Wishes" display. I have construction paper stars, and I will put them in a basket for the students and teachers to write a wish and tape it to the window. It should be nice and festive. I usually hang a wreath there, but I think this will be nicer - more participation, if you know what I mean. I don't decorate a lot in the studio -- floor space is important, and for some classes, we need every bit of it.
On December 15, we're hosting a Winter Bazaar for the Southwest Suburban Activists. We'll have 10 vendors, and hopefully, lots of folks will come in and not only buy stuff, but see the studio.
Hubby will put a tarp down because if the weather is crummy, we want to keep the floor nice. Even if the weather is fine, people usually walk around barefoot in the studio and I want to keep the floor in good shape.
I'm looking forward to that. I think it'll be good exposure for the business.
Therapy Dog...
Tippi had her last visit of November at Lewis University. There's only one visit in December, and I told the kids that I'd bring ALL of her Christmas hats and they can try to get selfies with her. She doesn't know this yet...This is her Thanksgiving attire...She was a good sport about this one, but the full-fledged turkey head dress? Nope. Lasted 5 seconds.
We'll have December and January off, for the most part, and then when school resumes, she's back on duty. Working this past Tuesday was a nightmare - I had to dash home, barely had time to change into "therapy gig" clothes, and take her out to the campus.
That's ok - we stayed till just before 8 p.m., and she was looking for her favorite Brother. She hasn't figured out that he's retired and will only be coming back when he's up to it. I felt bad for her, but one of the students got a selfie of her and sent it to him. I hope it made him laugh.
Random Picture...
I've been working on a special project, and I was at our church after our therapy visit. I noticed that one of the spotlights was out at the front of the church, leaving half of it in darkness... but I thought this was an interesting shot anyway. I did talk to our maintenance person and he's going to look into it. Our church was built in the 1860s - and it's a historic structure. It nearly burned to the ground in 1903, and was rebuilt. It's a beautiful old building. The acoustics can be a little touchy, and there are "sound holes" but it's still a place where a note can hang for a bit.
And yes, in case you're wondering. I'm pretty sure it's haunted. More than once, I've heard footfalls, and I've been the only one in the sanctuary. And our organist said the same thing. A few folks who've been there for a long, long time also agree with me.
So every time I go in there, I wish "good day" to "God and the ghosts." What the heck...I don't know for sure. And it's not scary. But I will cover my bases. What harm can it do?
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