Words Matter...

The time for "thoughts, prayers, next" is over.

If nothing else, the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue has categorically reminded us that WORDS MATTER.

Words.

Matter.

The strength of this community and every other community across this nation will need to rely on fundamental truths that we have, somehow, lost.

Words matter.

Actions matter.

Words beget actions.

Actions have consequences.

Arming churches with guards is NOT the consequence that makes the most sense. Arming everyone else against an amorphous “them” – a bogeyman shape-shifter that changes with each layer of prejudice and xenophobia that’s uncovered by people in power spewing statements (on tape, provable) that incite hatred, violence, and terror, is also not the answer that most people with working brain cells and beating hearts would choose.

Arming ourselves with the ability to, once again and finally, reach across the growing divide and discuss meaningful change is what's called for.

And then having the courage to make the change, in spite of powerful forces that are not ultimately in our best interests as humans, but are driven by profit and greed, and which employs a mouthpiece whose quivering cowardice is covered up as bravado and ugliness of soul, manifesting in far too many people a shameful distrust of humans who "don't look like us." As a nation, we were once bigger than that. At least our ideals were, and we aspired to that.

We need to get back to -- or maybe move forward toward -- the ideal and the reality of a society in which diversity is celebrated and shared. Not feared and hated.

I Habe a Cowd...

As I sit here watching the leaves blow off the front maple tree, "The Good Earth" is on the television, and I'm brewing my "umpteenth" cup of tea, as well as diffusing Young Living Essential Oils "Raven" blend. Hubby says it smells like menthol rub - it does, but not a lot. Just enough.  I've got a cold. Now, it's been brewing for a few days, so it's no surprise. It's just better to stay home from church (and the peace sign/hugs) when one has been up coughing in the night. 

Watching Paul Muni and Luise Ranier play Chinese characters...Nothing like Hollywood cultural appropriation. Looks like Chinese folks were extras. Nice of them. 

Anyway. I got someone to sub for my Yin class just so I don't cough my way through that. I'll be at work Monday, but I may as well give myself another day (was home yesterday, too). I swear, I'm normally healthy as a horse, but I'm not sure why I've been smacked with this mess. 

At least I'm pottering around the house. Though I did go out yesterday for a haircut and -- finally - a pedicure. I've only been trying to plan that for 6 or 7 months. Yeah, I know - real "First World" issues. But because of my insane schedule, I usually don't schedule them. I rely on the ability to get a last-minute appointment at my favorite place. Second-favorite, but quickly becoming first on the list if the other place doesn't get its act together and finish its remodel!

This is an OPI color, called "Teal the Cows Come Home." It matches my flip-flops, and looks more blue in the bottle. More teal on the toes. I usually buy the ones I want and bring them. I don't know why, but it just makes me feel better knowing that I'm the only one who's used that particular bottle. I've never had a problem, but I know people who have, and I don't want to start having any issues. Of course, I go to a regular salon and they're pretty strict on their sanitation protocols, but still - you never know. And I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't need an infection to slow me down --- when I've got a cold that'll do the same thing!

Knitting...

I'm doing Christmas hats; I was just thinking that perhaps I should have made a blue one for Kid #1 - he loves red, but his coat is blue. Maybe I'll just make two of them and let them figure out which one each one wants. 

It's coming along - about another row, I think, then starting the purl ridges. The remainder of the red yarn will be stuck into the "Prayer Patch" bag and we'll do more squares - a nice Episcopal red!

I stuck the "October" cross stitch banner on the front door. Inside, though! This is a Lizzie Kate design, done in the hand-dyed floss. I created the pillow out of my own head; the backside is a Halloween-orange and the ribbon is orange gross-grain. I have a few more of these. One of these days, I should do the other ones - for the holidays. 

I haven't really made any progress on the Monkey sock; I've been pushing to get the hats done. The socks are for me, so we can wait on those. 

I should pick up the Grapevine Lace scarf; it's almost done. It would be nice to have it done for when the weather finally settles into the cold. I'll see how much I can get done with the red hat; maybe switch off with that before I start the other hat. 

The Latest Shooting...

I'd like to think we could go a month without a shooting. But we can't. And that maniac in Washington doesn't think he's to blame. 


Let's see. 

"Fake news."
"Fake media."
"I'd bail you out if you hit him." 
"He can body slam you."
"Lock her up!"

Get the picture? In his latest rally (because, you know, there's nothing else he's got to do), he thought about moderating his hate-speech, but his rabid hordes shouted "NO" -- so he didn't. 

Kid #2 made this stencil for me a year ago. I don't even remember which shooting. A school, I think. It's amazing that it's still relevant, isn't it?

Maybe it's not so amazing. 

I'm voting in the November 6th election. Everyone needs to. Someone needs to temper the baser instincts of humanity in this country. It's got to be us. 

Reading This...

I asked a friend of mine about how one learns more in regard to church. I've only been an Episcopalian about 5 or 6 years. And honestly, I know a lot more about the Catholic church, having been born & raised in that religion. So I've just kind of picked up stuff as I've seen it. But I'd like to know more. She recommended this book. I've been reading it, and it's cool - I understand more of what we do and why we do it. 

She loaned me her copy, and then I bought one of my own. I found that I wanted to underline and highlight! Not that I'd do it in her copy, of course. 

And I'm reading a Kinsey Millhone book (Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series): "W for Wasted." Sue Grafton died recently, and she almost got to "Z" - her last book is "Y" and her family said that she didn't leave any outline or manuscript. 

I'm actually hoping they do NOT find anything - or they do NOT hire a ghost writer to complete the series. They did that for VC Andrews, and I'm sorry; it's crap. 

Sometimes, the stories just have to die with the authors. I loved her writing (Grafton's I' mean). And now she's gone. And that's why "the alphabet ends in Y..."

Random Picture...

While home sick, you may notice all kinds of things. I noticed that the neighbor's car just about matched the leaves on my tree. Which have thinned considerably, given this morning's wind. It's cloudy and the wind is blowing. A great day to stay inside and make chicken soup. Hopefully, we have enough garlic. Maybe I'll add orzo and grab some carrots out of the garden in between the raindrops. And if I'm really lucky, I'll have some mushrooms and leeks frozen. Or even chopped kale. I'll take it. 

I like to make soup when it's real "fall" weather. And when I feel like crap. It not only makes the house smell good, but it feels good as well. And it gives me stuff to eat for lunches. I freeze it in portion-controlled containers and take it in a thermos (no microwave at work). 

The other night, I did a chicken and quinoa dish in the Instant Pot. I have to branch out...one of these days! I know you can do a lot with it; I just never think about it till it's just about time to eat. It's not that quick - still takes about 10 minutes to prep, 5 - 10 to get up to pressure and then however long it takes to cook. So "instant" is relative. It's quicker than baking, in many cases, and quicker than using a crock pot. 

Either way. Soup. Yum! What's your favorite cold-weather, turning-fall recipe? Share, please!

Itch. Itch. Itch.

Every once in a while, I try a new product. Sometimes - well, usually, it's on recommendation. And 90% of the time, a recommendation works out well. Not so much this time. I can't help but think that the new spray facial toner I've tried is giving me a nasty case of hives. 

Twice. Honestly, the first time, it didn't bother me. But twice since? Hives. On my neck & chest. Bad. And I can't use cortisone cream - nasty reaction which was, actually, HIVES. 

It was this stuff. And I'm not saying it's bad. It got great reviews, aside from the person who recommended it. I'm just "one of those." One of those people who, if there's a 1 in a thousand chance of something going awry? It's me. 

I'm rather bummed. I like to use natural products, and I like the idea that this is a small company in Colorado, woman-owned, too. That being said... I've got hives and I'm trying to get rid of them without using cortisone cream. Do you know how difficult that is? (sigh)

So Hubby bought me some CeraVe "anti-itch" lotion. The tag on the bottle says, "stops itch in 2 minutes, keeps itch away for 8 hours." Not so much... It was about 2 hours. And I started itching again. 

We've ditched most of the old stuff  we used to use on our skin, but I was thinking, "maybe I've got some Noxema in the basement." I didn't. But I did find some Burt's Bees After Sun lotion. The aloe vera seems to be working. So far. I'll probably slather it on again tonight before I go to bed, and see how that works. I even took off my BellaBeat. It wasn't bothering me, but my sternum area was so irritated that it wasn't worth wearing it. 

It's Fall, Y'all...

I can't decide what color my front tree is this year. It's red. It's gold. It's yellow. It's brown. All at once. And tonight's a gorgeous full moon. Which I'm unable to get a decent photo of because of light pollution. Gotta love living in the 'burbs. 

As the season is changing, I'm watching both of our trees. They're both a little over 25 years old; two maples. The one in the back is a bright orange in the autumn. This year, it's not doing so well in terms of the colors. They're more muted. That happens sometimes, but the tree is in good health overall. I'm chalking that up to Mother Nature - when she's confused, the colors don't turn out so well. 

The one in the front is supposed to be a flaming red - like Lucille Ball's lipstick (Google that if you can't immediately picture it). Again - the tree is confused. It's the weather. This one is also healthy as the proverbial horse, so I'm not too annoyed at the odd colors yet. We'll see how this shakes out when the season really gets rolling. 

As for the milkweed, I've got red bugs on the pods. And the pods are just now starting to burst. I'm sure I'll have more milkweed than I can use. I should gather up the spare and offer it for folks. Note to self: Do that this weekend!! 

I'm not sure what the red bugs are, but it seems like they're enjoying the pods. 

The parsley is still looking great, even after the first frost. We got the tomatoes taken down, and Hubby is going to pull up the carrots this weekend, as well.  

Of course, there's eighty bazillion and five carrots - we'll see how many of them are fit to eat. I didn't thin them out enough - which is what caused the immediate demise of my radishes this year. 

I think that I was able to thin out some of the carrots late in the season, but we'll have to see what actually grew in the plot. Could be that I end up with a bunch of "carrot straws," which are good for not much of anything! 

(Note: now I'm itching again... Looks like the aloe vera isn't doing its stuff either... Maybe a Benadryl night.)

So, let's chat about Orchid Nation...a/k/a the shelf in my living room. I found some river rock, and I also got some lava rock (small pieces). The lava rock is kind of a mess; you have to drain it like crazy. 

I switched up the bark in the keiki (the baby) and then gave the rootless phal a drink, and replaced her bark with the rock + lava rock combo. I'm pretty sure that if I can keep her leaves green, I can encourage her to sprout roots. It's going to take months, if not a full year - and I think having the rock/lava mixture will encourage humidity. I've filled the water to just past that bottom rim there on the left - that's enough to give it a little "terrarium" feel when the rootless phal is in there. The leaves are still pretty turgid, and there's a new one sprouting in the center. Of course, that's a defense mechanism to stay alive, but we'll take it. I think I can make her happy again. About a 20-30 minute soak every other day, not wetting her crown, and tucking her in that humid environment - we'll see. The Orchid Gods can perhaps give me this one, as I'm learning my lesson. 

Knitting...

Along with more Prayer Patches (we think we have over 200 of them, and I've done about a dozen), I decided that I could probably knit the kids some hats for Christmas. 

Using the Emergency One Day Hat pattern on Ravelry, which is now my go-to hat pattern, I'm doing a red hat with gold stripes for Kid #1 (who's loved red since he was a baby) and a gold hat with either brown stripes or maybe red for Kid #2 (who doesn't care what he gets as long as it's something I've knitted). I'm thinking that maybe I can also toss in a scar for Kid #1 - I have no idea if he's got any of the ones I've knitted through the years. I know Kid #2 has - even an incredibly ratty one that's falling apart - he keeps it because he says it's still warm. It's horrible. I told him, "Ok, you can keep it, but don't tell anyone I made it!!" 

I frogged Kid #1's hat once already; I had a moebius strip...it wasn't supposed to twist. And then I started the ribbing. I decided to jazz it up and do a twisted rib. It's K2, P2, so what I did, of course, was knit the Ks through the back loop for a nice little pop. It's easier to tell on thinner yarn (like on a sock's ribbing), but this does make the knit rows in the rib stand out a tad bit more. I'll see if I like it enough to repeat it on Kid #2's hat. There are only 5 rows of ribbing on this hat, so it won't make me want to scream. 

I'm thinking I'll be working on the hats for a bit; we have sufficient Prayer Patches for Pocket Priest's installation, and I can still whip them up during my evenings catching up with Dr. Who...since I'm teaching during the time it's on (Sunday nights), Hubby is taping it for me. I'm not worried about spoilers. I just want to see how the program evolves this year. 

Here's a great way to see if you've actually cast on the proper amount of stitches: do an even ribbing (like what I'm doing here). I ended up with a "spare" stitch. So I put markers every 20 stitches, and found an extra - which I just P2tog (purl two together) and fixed it in the second row of ribbing. Nobody will ever know - except you all... 

Random Picture...

I dug back in the archives for this one. It's back when we weren't crazy and could have a nice back yard. 

We still have that concrete bird bath, and it's still enjoyed by the birds. This was back in 2012, so it was the first year or two that we had the raised beds for the garden. And the cages there were either herbs or potted flowers - we have digger-squirrels, and anything that's not caged is fair game for the little buggers. 

Those are our white plastic chairs that Hubby scrubbed and repainted. I'm not sure they're usable now - it's been a long time. 

I miss having that back yard sanctuary thing. I think I need to get back out there and this coming spring do something positive. Not sure what, yet. Most likely a native plant garden, as we've got the front yard rolling in that direction. If I can convince Hubby to dig up a bit more? Maybe more milkweed and coneflower. Will keep you posted there. 

Looking forward to any comments - let's chat! 

Starting Over...

Well. The downside of all this "organization" is that, even though I've found a number of projects that I want to finish or start, I've also managed to mislay several. Either the project, part of the project, or the directions. 

Not cool. 

The good news is that several things have been finished. The bad news is, now that I want to finish at least one of the "single socks," I can't find (a) either the sock; or (b) the instructions. Well. Crap. 

So, what's finished and what's still working... Here we go, kids...

MY Emergency One Day Hat is finished. I'm calling it my March Hat, because I'll be wearing it to the 2019 Women's March in Chicago. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're going to have one. 

Encore Worsted, in a pink heathered colorway, and some of the Caron Purple Sparkle from a prayer shawl. 

This time, it worked better than trying to do the Fun Fur. I liked doing this in the larger size; it taxed the length of my 16" circulars, though. 

Once again, the stitch definition is great; this time, I think the decreases worked a bit better. Having to switch all of that to DPNs made it a little wonky - you had to keep track of which of the markers was the beginning of the round, which was easy this time because I put a different marker at Place #1. 

I actually haven't tried this on - I suppose I ought to. I did measure it, though, so it should fit. 

No, it doesn't match any coat I own. Even the purple coat I have. But wearing it for the march is the point. I really don't like the "cat ear" hats, though I wore one at the first march. Heck, I was freezing. I wore it!

I still have it. But I'm happy with this one, and I'm anxious to wear it even aside from the march. I thought to myself, "Self, you could, technically, make one of these for each of the kids for Christmas...since this one literally took you 6 days."

Self is still thinking about it, honestly. I have enough worsted weight yarn, and I could even make one for Kid #1's girlfriend. Though I'm not sure of her head size... 

So the other thing I finished was, amazingly, a Fun Fur mini-scarf. I say "mini" because it's not very long. Almost an "ascot" length, where I could poke a skewer through it to hold it on. I held the yarn double, and used size 10 needles. I could've gone to 11 or 13, actually. I probably should have. And maybe 2 or 3 stitches thinner. 

I finished it relatively swiftly, while doing more of the prayer patches at lunch breaks. And I got it to stretch a bit by whipping it - cracking it like a whip to fluff out the fur. The dogs thought I was nuts. 

I could keep this or hold it as a "stash gift" - which is a strong thought, though it's a tad bit too small for that, unless it's for a kid. Actually, I should see if it sort of matches the kid's hat I made, and then maybe make that a two-piece gift. That scarf may fit a 3-year-old! I think that's a plan!

I like the way the colors managed to match when I fold it in half. I'm sure it's just the yarn, and no special work on my part. 

What I've started: Well, I'm kind of over the 'big needle knitting' for a bit, so while I'll continue on with the prayer patches, because we need them for the installation of our vicar, I started looking for my single socks. 

Found Petty Harbour, but not the directions. Found the Green Sock, but not the mate. I went "once over lightly" in the office and couldn't find any of my other "pending projects." Well. Fudge. 

So I pulled out the Monkey Socks that I started...oh... I don't know. A long while ago. I can't figure out why it looks like I've marked some of the lace - I didn't have but 3 rows of knitting done on only 1 sock. 

I frogged it and started over. I'm doing my 6-row knit top, because it's done on 64 stitches, so I think they may be a bit taut on my leg. One more reason to start exercising more and get some weight off... 

I like the Monkey Sock. Now, lest you're thinking of the "work sock monkey toy" thing? Nope. This is a pattern (link there) from Knitty - one of the popular designers, Cookie A. It's a lace pattern, and frankly, the sock that got me started thinking about knitting lace. It's really a pretty 11-row repeat. 

I'm using bamboo needles, which worry me a bit. Toothpicks, indeed. I can always switch them to the Karbonz, if I need to. Here's the deal, though. It's something that we need to consider as knitters or even crocheters. Needle color + yarn color...

Think about it. This yarn, Opal's "Vincent" colorway. I chose it because Monkey reminds me of fall leaves. And this yarn just called out "autumn!!" 

But the bamboo needles are basically the color of that orangey-tan. And they're 1.5 - tiny, tiny... Not as bad as 00, but they match the yarn too closely. 

That's why I was thinking that, if it got awful, even with the OttLite, I'd switch to the Karbonz, because the black will at least pop the yarn color and I could see what I'm doing. 

I do remember my grandma telling me about this when she'd do an afghan. If she was doing a purple afghan and only had a purple hook, she'd buy or borrow a different color so that the yarn and hook didn't blend in together. 

I can see that now. And I should've thought of that. But as I sit here and just kind of meditate over the yarn, I seem to recall that I was mainly excited to be knitting with "real" sock needles. I don't think the color of the needles + color of the yarn even occurred to me. 

It does now. We'll see how this works out. 

Orchids Everywhere...

In a way, I'm kind of itching to talk about current events, but for right now - I think we need a break so I'll talk about something that's kind of my new obsession: orchids. 

It's not really a "new" obsession. I've just decided to get my act together and learn more about them, after killing off several of them. Including one given to me by Kid #2 (shhh!).

This is my "orchid altar." I did a little more research, and figured out how to pot them, perhaps, in a way that will better work out for the conditions I have: Midwest, southwest corner of the house, and probably too near the heat vent, even though I've got a device on there to direct the air across the floor instead of straight up, under those orchids. 

Left to right, the one in the little one in the bowl is from my former job. It's lasted about 2 years now - but she's got no roots!! What she DID give me, however, is a baby. 

If you see that little thing there at the left? It's a Keiki -- the vaguely Hawaiian-sounding name, meaning "baby." That Keiki came off the spike of the orchid where you see the large green leaf in the picture. 

I'm told, if the YouTubes are correct, that there's a chance to resurrect Mamma Orchid...If I keep her humidified, and sprits/soak her stem every few days, to encourage root re-growth. The problem with her was that I followed the advice on the label and "just added ice cubes." I burned the aerial roots. And then it got a bit drowned, because one of Kid #2's friends is an "orchid whisperer" and he told me (a) no ice; and (b) water. The bark on top looked dry. 

Classic rookie mistake: it was draining into the decorative pot and it was sitting in water. A big NO-NO for orchids. They don't like to swim. 

Orchids, basically, are air plants - in the wild, they hang off the trees! Look at this. Does it look like it should be crammed into a pot stuffed with sphagnum moss and overwatered in some chilly Home Depot?

Now, this is a wild phalaenopsis orchid. You can clearly see the silvery roots clinging to the bark of the tree. It looks pretty spiffy there, actually. Most of what we buy are in containers, and most of what I've seen in the "big box" stores are in moss, not bark. 

We have an orchid place sort of near us - it'll be a while before I can get up there with my crazy schedule. I just checked, and while it's "37 minutes via Google" from where I work, and I have a fairly decent lunch break? It's probably not a good idea to go up there during lunch. 

But boy, it's tempting!

So. Back to reality. I can't afford to buy fancy orchids; I don't even like them. I like a straight-up phal. The other ones kind of creep me out... 

I bought this one to replace the one I killed from The Kid. (Sorry) Even though I risk blossom drop, I took one of them and immediately put it into a glass container, taking all the moss out of it. It was soggy, as most of them are. 

This was one I bought pretty much because it was smaller, and while not a "mini" it's a bit petite. 

I got this one at the Jewel. Let's see how it does in the bark with most of it being "airy." 

I need to find some styrofoam. One of my sources, M.E.'s Orchids, suggests a thin circle of styrofoam - the theory being that you put that in the bottom of your vase, and water to THAT height. Bark or decorative rocks on top of that to hold the orchid, and that way, no roots should dip into the water. The styrofoam ends up acting like a "water brake" - where you know just how deeply to water. 

I have to get some decorative rock, too. The bark can break down and oxidize, something I learned with African Violets. Which I love, but I don't have a good space to grow them in this house. So if I can "sprinkle" a little bark for decoration, but have mainly stones, I think it'll keep them healthier. 

I have yet to repot the Big Boy there in the middle. That will come soon. I raided our church's Rummage Sale of a lot of their glass vases. For a buck or two, I have a nice stash for future orchids. Though, right now, the 3 + baby are fine for me. If I can make Mamma Orchid come back, I'll be really chuffed!! 

I put my crystals around them. Who knows? Maybe the big Selenite next to the petite one, and the bowl of amethysts near Momma + baby will help. The Gerosole Opal may give some great vibes to Big Boy. 

Random Picture...

The other day, this tree, in my backyard, was green. It's not now. As Autumn progresses, this tree should be getting more and more orange. The one in front is "lipstick red." This is a "pumpkin orange."

On good autumns, when the weather isn't so screwy, you can see these two trees from either end of the block because they're tall enough and the colors are pretty much the most vibrant ones on the block. 

But with climate change and the warming of the planet almost past the tipping point - if we haven't, indeed, passed that tipping point - it's hard to predict how fall colors will go this year. 

That's one reason why I love the Midwest: we do get 4 seasons (and 5 if you count "construction season" but I digress...). They used to be more distinct, but lately, we get the seasons melding together. I'm used to Indian Summer in the middle of fall, but this year, they're kind of confused. 

And so are we. We know what the seasons are supposed to be. But we've also screwed up our planet. All we can do now is individually try to help Mother Nature recover. If we can. 

Busy Day Off...

So I took the day off. Well, it wasn't really a "day off." Tippi was Principal for the Day (well, half a day) at a local early childhood center. We lasted half a day and she'd had enough. It's hard to see that she's getting older, but while she was there, she enjoyed herself, I think. They want us back, but only in smaller groups. 

I have no pictures. I was busy with her and the kids. If the principal sends me some, I'll certainly share. She's got to check to make sure it's ok with the parents. 

And while I was there, I had to drive Hubby's "big old boat." My car was in the shop. Both tie rods were going out, and the tires had to be rotated, and the whole thing realigned. The car - or at least the steering - was "juddering." The steering wheel was shaking badly and the whole front end felt like the wheels were going to come off. Of course, that's what happens when a tie rod goes - the tire attached to it goes all wonky. And BOTH of mine were doing that. No wonder the whole thing felt like it was going to collapse on me. 

So. I had to drive the big old boat. Which I could barely park, by the way. But it does drive nicer than mine... 

And the vet thinks Tippi may have a kidney or bladder stone. X-rays tomorrow. 

So, what does one do with one's car out of commission? One cancels their guitar lesson and gets baking done for the church's Rummage & Bake Sale. It's all freezable, so we're good to go. 

First up is Chocolate Chip Pumpkin mini loaves. Granted, I could've done 8 of them - should have, actually, but these turned out ok. 

Yes. I know. The photo is upside down. I did turn it the other way round, but somehow, my phone's camera ate it. Deal with it, please...

And a teeny tiny little secret about these loaves... They're from a box mix. That's not why they're not up to the top. They're a tad skimpy because there are 10 of them, like I said, but I don't think that will keep people from buying them. I've added chocolate chips; strangely enough, chocolate and pumpkin kind of go together. 

Next, I had 2 pears I needed to do something with. I should've eaten them, but I didn't. So there you had it. And I had 1 apple. Trolling through The Internets, I found this Apple Pear Bread recipe. Which I promptly changed a couple of ways and which I think made it a lot better. This is a really stiff dough, but it turned out to be quite nice. 

I must say, the custard cups were genius on my part. That loaf pan is my biggest one. But I knew this was a bit more. It called for one pan, but I'm not sure how I ended up with more batter. I know that by the time I diced everything up, I had lots more fruit than was called for, which is fine by me. I added two generous teaspoons of my NEW FAVORITE SPICE: Penzey's BAKING SPICE. Wow, is that stuff great! And a couple great big shakes of McCormick's Chai Spice Blend, plus 4 nice slices, diced, of candied ginger. I wanted the "harvest" aspect to come out, and for me, Autumn is Ginger Time! So Hubby and I ate the ones in the custard cups. He ate two of them, for the record. I also sprinkled the tops with Turbinado sugar, but it didn't "pop" the way I like it. I think I could've gone a little heavier on that, but all in all, I'm pleased with the adjustments I made, and this is a keeper. 

One complaint - this took FOREVER to bake. But I kind of knew it would. The cups only took about 1/2 an hour, but the loaf took an additional 50 minutes. 

Next up were CPS Butter Cookies. Reminder to self: CHILL the dough before you bake these!! They flattened out a good bit. It's a great cookie -- basically a super-easy shortbread that you push your fingers into. Supposed to be three fingers, but I think my balls need to be bigger for that. And it would've needed to be chilled - otherwise they don't hold the impression of the fingers. 

These are a Christmas favorite. You can see the ridges - they actually looked like "reindeer hooves" before they were baked. I could go a little bigger on these for Christmas and bake them a little shorter than the 15 minutes called for. That would make them a tad more chewy and less brown on the sides. 

Tomorrow, after working at the local mission serving lunch and going to a Get Out the Vote event, I'll be finishing up with Jewish Honey Cookies  and Molasses Oatmeal Banana Bread. That fulfills my "baking ration" for the church... and gets me in the mood for holiday baking, honestly. 

Last year, Hubby did the majority of the baking, which concurrently made me angry and happy. Happy that he could do it, because my schedule was so crazy, but angry because I honestly love to bake; it's a stress-reliever for me and I'm pretty good at it. I'll admit, I was jealous that everyone was complimenting him on "his cookies."

This year, I hope it's better. Because it's something we both enjoy doing. 

Knitting On...

I'm knitting that Emergency One Day Hat again - in the largest size, for me. I'm using the same pink yarn (stash busting - the rest I'll use for prayer patches). I'll wear it for the 2019 Women's March. I'm also adding color in the ridges, with the leftover purple sparkle yarn. It's coming along. 

A friend asked if I'd knit her some socks. This is always a tricky thing, because if people ask "How much would you charge?" it's a totally loaded question. So, how much would I charge with $19.00-ish yarn, my time, and knitting basically 100,000 stitches - twice - with a plain pattern? See where I'm going here? I know the Yarn Harlot gives hers away, and that's cool. One can do that when one's a Knitting Goddess. But for the rest of us, there's no way we could even "knit for profit" unless we turned into designers. 

The upshot of that request? I gave her the Opal site, told her to order two of her favorite colors, and I'd do 2 pairs for her. I will be doing Plain Vanilla... We shall see if she gets the yarn. I also told her to measure her foot, but I'll have to get pretty specific because I need to know more than "I'm a size 8"... I may have her trace her foot onto cardboard, so at least I know where to start the toes. 

This knitting socks for other people is complex business. How in the world do others do it with ease?? And what DO people charge, if someone asks, to make a pair of regular socks??

While knitting and baking, an old, old movie came on. No surprise, right... But it was Don Knotts... "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." I loved that when I was a kid... 

It was kind of fun to see it again! The mixture of "real movie" and animation was Big Stuff when I was a kid. 

Heck, I didn't know the animation was in color till high school. Seriously, I thought everyone was making a big deal out of it when "The Wizard of Oz" came on once a year. Yes, children, movies didn't repeat in those days. They came on once a year. And no - we didn't have a color TV till I was in high school.

And my parents were in charge of the channels. There was no remote. 

I Did This Thing...

I wrote a note to Dr. Blasey-Ford. Back in the day, women flooded Anita Hill's mailbox with handwritten notes of support. I wasn't aware enough then to realize what it took to do what she did. 

I am now. I wrote her a note and enclosed one of my Prayer Patches for her. I hope her mailbox is flooded with letters and cards. What she did and what she's enduring? 

Seriously, for Melania to whine that "I'm the most bullied person on the planet." Give me a break honey-child. Let's talk Michelle Obama. Hillary Clinton. Dr. Blasey-Ford. 

Clearly, the woman has no clue what "bullied" really is. And her "Be Best" campaign is laughable given Agent Orange's propensity to toilet-tweet in the wee hours. 

Bullied. Darlin' you have no idea. And if you do have an idea, then you knew what you were marrying and you have not one jot of my sympathy. 

Random Picture...

After I got my car back, I took a quick run to the store. It was quick till I hit the deli...where it took FOR. EVER. 

As I waited, I saw this. And thought, "ohhhhhhhhhhhh NO!" 

When I was a kid, Fried Bologna was a thing. On Wonder Bread. 

Go ahead. Gag. I did. And I still do. 

You can pretty that pig up and you know what? It's still a pig. 

Well, actually, that's an insult to adorable porcine critters everywhere. 

You can put cheese and brioche buns on that sausage, but it's still nasty. 

I hated the smell. I hated the taste. There's no "wonderful" about fried bologna.

What's the thing you remember from your childhood that makes you go "ewwwwwwww"? 

I've Got Finished Objects!

Well, dang... I've got TWO finished projects to show you, neither of which showed up at all on the sidebar there... 

Yeah, I know - go ahead and fan yourself; I did!

I'm on a mission to #shopinstash - shopping in the stash that I've accumulated. If I haven't given it away to the church for the Prayer Shawl Ministry, I'm determined to knit it up. 

First, I finished the "Emergency One Day Hat" -- which of course took more than one day, but was relatively quick nonetheless. Even with frogging a bit to get that @*^ Fun Fur out of there, it ended up turning out quite cute. 

I momentarily thought about putting a pompom on it, but in the end, decided not to. 

I've also confirmed that I really, really despise knitting with 4 DPNs. Not that I don't love double-pointed needles. I just like a set of 5, where your knitting is spread over 4 needles and one is the "working needle."

This? This was a pain in the patootie. As the decreases went on (and they look lovely, by the way), it just got tighter and tighter. I probably messed up the last few ones, but I don't care. That's where a pompom would come in, to cover a few sins. But I looked at it, and it looks fine. 

I dragged out "The Head" and got the hat on it. I really believe that if I'd just sat all weekend, I could've done it in 2 days. Totally fast knit, rather mindless, after you converted everything from centimeters to inches. And the Encore Worsted was and is a favorite of mine! 

You can see the outstanding stitch definition. I'll be doing this again - I have some choices; I've got more of this pink, and I'm making myself a "Women's March Hat." I could've done the ridges in chocolate brown. Pink + brown is one of my favorite combos. 

But I have some of the Caron Party yarn - the worsted purple with sparkles in it... and I think that would be a great idea for my 2019 March Hat. It's got some negative ease, so it'll be a snug fit, but since my head is 23" around, I can do the "large" size. 

It'll be pretty and it'll be quick. 

I also finished the mitts this morning. Sewed 'em up, turned them inside out and waited for Hubby to take the photograph. 

Yes, that's me in my robe. I was aiming to do the picture on top of my laptop. 

Instead, he stuck me with a picture of me in my robe...

Oh well.

Again, I hope the recipient likes them. I still have a ton of that sock yarn left, so I may whip up some of the "Prayer Patches" that our Vicar wants to use for her installation and for an alternative to those of us who have a hard time finishing a full-sized prayer shawl, or even a lap robe. 

And I started another thing from The Stash. That *^#@ Fun Fur... I figured I'd whip up a scarf. Like I need another fuzzy scarf? I don't. I can always stash it for a quick gift, or a donation to our church's Rummage Sale. I just want to get it out of the stash. 

You know, I could have given it away or donated it to the yard sale... But I figured I wanted something mindless to knit for just a little bit. Before I pick up one of the larger Stash projects, like a sweater or whatever else is in there. 

This is held doubled, on size 1o needles. The colorway is Copacabana. I started it this afternoon, and brought it to wait for my yoga class tonight. And did a bit more now; I've set it aside to finish this blog. I may toss in a few rows before I go to sleep, but I'll have to see. 

Right now, it looks like a tropical-colored Tribble. This stuff is extra-easy to knit with, really. Just knit it. And every 5 or 6 rows, just shake it out. It puffs up really nicely. 

I would really have liked to have had that fur on the hat. But it just wasn't going to work. The frustration wasn't worth the trouble. 

And a friend just IM'd me asking me to make her 2 pairs of socks... I sent her the link to the Opal site and told her they'd be plain... We'll see if she takes me up on it. 

Halloween Gone to the Dogs...

So those dogs that I got for Halloween? They're driving me bananas... 

We've had several days of thunderstorms, and the dogs get set off every time. Both the furry ones and these! At least these have an "off" switch. I just ran out tonight, in a dumping rain, to bring them onto the porch and shut them off. 

In the meantime, Tippi and Quinn both hid in the big bathroom - not happy with either the "barking dogs" or the thunder!

I got Quinn into her crate; and Tippi is in the back bedroom. It's going to be a bumpy night. 


On the other hand, I've got bats! 

One of my favorite decorations, which I've had for years, is this stick with wiggly bats on it. I can't even remember where I bought it, but it's a sturdy decoration that's lasted for about 10 years or so. In the wind, the little bats flutter. 

It's nothing fancy, but it's cute. I used to have some bats that stuck on the windows, and I think somewhere, I have a bat that's motion activated and I hung off my porch. 

Lord knows I don't need any other motion-activated pieces this year! I turned off the raven and he's stayed off for a few days. At least till the weather clears up. 

Random Picture...


One more "prison clean-up date." At least it wasn't beastly hot, but it was humid as all get-out. We did outside work, then worked in the hospital building. We could only do the rooms where we had light or windows; we still don't have power widely available. And you can imagine, after all the rain, how things leaked. 

I saw some photographers go into one of the wings of the Admin building, where most of the cell blocks are. As I stepped into a lower door, I heard them talking about "getting the mist bouncing off the walls" and "the nascent light in the fog." 

I dunno... I just cranked off a picture. Granted, it's only my cell phone, so it won't win any prizes. 

But I think I caught the ambiance of a vacant prison cell block, deteriorated almost beyond repair. If you look closely, you can barely see one of the shutterbugs on the gallery stairs there... 

The hospital was a mess, as you can imagine. I wore my mask and even though I was dripping wet from the mask, I kept it on. No more "prison crud" for me, if I can help it!

We took out debris, when we found records, we put them aside, and a lot of furniture was moved out. We swept and scooped up the crap and made sure that the trades guys knew which rooms needed a dumpster to empty out. 

It's a fantastic place; definitely worth saving. But the work will continue for years.