It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Yes, that is the name of one of the movies that I absolutely do not like. But if the celluloid fits... 

The Toddler-in-Chief uttered a series of incoherencies which ended up with this (once great) country now being in a state of "emergency" so that he can pander to his handler Vlad and his "base." 

Base. Great word. Definition: "the bottom support of anything. The bottom layer." 

That about sums it up, folks. 

Thankfully, the lawsuits are already in place. California has already filed. He signed the deal with Pelosi and then had to turn around and do this because it's all about "winning." Or, as my favorite hashtag is, when referring to this chaos:  #winningnotwinning....

And there was another mass shooting. Which we heard almost nothing about because the news is all about the "national emergency" -- the "emergency that isn't." Only in his small mind and the minds of those who blindly follow. 

I posted a question on my congresswoman's FB page, and predictably, the "OMG OBAMA DID IT TWENTY SEVEN TIMES" trolls jumped on me. I pointed out that Obama DID declare national emergencies in the vein of seizing assets from threats. 

Not building a "wall to nowhere." And yes, by the way, ABC News is legit. I finally refuse to answer anyone else. I'm done knocking my head against bricks. 

Let's talk about something else; I want to get a good night's rest tonight and I won't if I'm all wound up. 

The Gut Reset...

Well, a lot has happened since Ground Hog Day... The doc put me on a "gut reset" program, and the gastro guy called to say, "Take yourself off dairy now, and if that doesn't work, gluten is next." 

So, for a while, I'm dairy-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free (yikes!) and sugar-free. Which means no more Velvet Latte. This is made (for me, at least) with almond-coconut "milk" but there are also no nuts on the gut reset. And this has a bit of manuka honey in it. So again. Nope. 

Surprisingly, I'm not eating air. I'm actually feeling pretty good. I've also lost 4 pounds in 4 days. 

Now, this is eating real food. 

But before I get into the ecstasy of the new food regiment, let us bow our heads and mourn.

No cheese. 

For the foreseeable future. 

Which means this little nibble of my beloved Jarlsburg is it, folks. 

The last bite of cheese I had. 

I'm still wrapping my head around "dairy free," even though a few folks I know said they've cut out a lot of dairy. 

In reality, so had I. I don't drink milk, though I like a shot of half & half in my lattes. I do love my cheese, though. And Icelandic yogurt, which has lots more protein than Greek, and is pretty tart (lots less sugar, too).


Anyway, I digress. I actually have quite a nice list of foods that are recommended for the first part of this, which is about 2 weeks. This picture here is dinner tonight. It's an oval, smaller plate that I've used for years, so it may look huge, but it's not. So, one medium sweet potato, one small, grass-fed steak, and a bunch of roasted asparagus. The asparagus has olive oil, Italian herbs, garlic and salt & pepper. I drizzled some of that olive oil mix onto the sweet potato. 

I also had 1/4 c. of blueberries a bit later for a snack. 

I eat two balanced meals a day and have a non-whey (no dairy, remember?) plant-based protein shake for breakfast. I'm used to having smoothies for breakfast anyway, so this isn't a big stretch for me. 

My tummy feels a bit better. I've cut my GERD meds in half, only taking them at night because I'm horizontal. I'm very excited about this, and it's not technically a weight loss program. It's about clearing out the junk, and then slowly reintroducing foods to see what bothers you. 

The whole program is 75 days. I'm in the first week. Got a ways to go yet. 

That being said, I still miss my cheese! 

The Knitting...

Well. Here's Diamond Smackdown on a human (me). I'll need to figure out a shawl pin for this one. 

The center point isn't quite where I'd like it, but I'm not going to quibble. I got a lot of compliments on it. 

One in particular from my oldest friend, for whom I made that pink + grey Close to You. She asked if "that's how you're supposed to wear it" because this one is similar in shape (though larger than hers). She thought this was pretty too. 

The afghan is coming along. I knit on that mainly on the weekends. This weekend, we're going to an orchid show, so this will be my Saturday Night Knit. 

I'm going to try to walk away from the computer this weekend. This week was a heavy, heavy computer week, and my eyes are feeling it. The afghan will be better knitting for me, even though I'm plugging along on two socks. I need a bigger thing to work on, I think. At least for a few days. 

The Petty Harbour sock is coming along. I'm on the heel flap. The Cascade is splitting a bit, which I'm not jazzed about. The heel flap is going a lot slower than it usually does; I think it's mostly me, though. 


I'm still doing the Doris Heel, which is a modified French heel. It's just comfortable for me, and I know I should revisit the Strong heel, learn the Fleegle, and definitely try the Fish Lips Kiss, but at this point? I kinda want mindless. 

I keep saying, "On my next pair of socks..." that I'll try a new technique. 

Well, let me get my singletons done and the Petty Harbour, which has a busy leg. Then, I'll do something new and exciting. 

My Valentine...

Hubby and I exchanged cards; we've been doing that for a while. I mean, seriously: Christmas, then my birthday, then Valentine's Day? That's kind of rough. 

But I did buy myself something; it's more in the line of a replacement than a new thing. I have a really nice Jordana Paige fold-over bag in a dark purple. It was a close-out since she's now out of business. Well. The main zipper doesn't work and one of the inner ones is wonky. I'll use it at home for strictly larger projects and deal with it that way. I can't use it as a purse because it doesn't close. 

So, after doing weeks of research (honestly, I looked at bags for a couple of weeks solid), I came up with this. 

Jimmy Beans has apparently bought Namaste. Which is good, because it's nice to have options. 

This is the Knitter's Shoulder Bag. It's not the largest; but not the smallest. I loved the look of the Crossbody bag, but it would've been too small. 

I honestly probably should've spent the money and gotten the Namaste Fold-Over, but maybe this is a way to tell myself to "haul less crap."

This came in a lovely bag you could use as a project bag, and they tucked in a "beanie bag" which is a little canvas tool bag. 

It's got two big side pockets, and a middle, zippered section. The tassel has a stitch marker attached. There are a few inside pockets and a larger outside pocket that fits both my phones. 

And happy day, the fabric lining the bag is light-colored! 

See that little wrapped thingie in the center of the top pocket there? It's a yarn-holder. So that's the knitting side, and I put my wallet, etc. in the center, and my book, calendar, and other stuff in that bottom pocket area. 

It's stuffed, and I'm going to live with it a bit to see how it really works before I write the review. 

The color is a darker teal. When Namaste was Namaste, their teal was called "peacock" and it was a tad more blue. 

This is a tad more green. I still like it. It's also got a cross-body strap, a key leash that's marked in 1" increments (emergency tape measure) and it comes with a tiny journal, a needle sizer and a tapestry needle. 

This is what it looks like when I've got it open and I'm knitting. And there you see the Green Sock. It's also coming along. The "took forever" ribbing is done, and I'm blitzing down the leg. I figure I'll have a sock by spring, since this is my lunch-time knitting. 

My sunglass case (that leopard-spotted thing) is huge. So I can't help but stuff it next to the yarn. I'm used to carrying my knitting in a separate project bag, so this feels a little odd. I can tell you I wouldn't carry wooden needles in this or any other bag. Especially sock needles, which are like toothpicks! But I feel confident that the Karbonz are ok. 

It also comes in Blush, Grey, Black, and a Plum color (which is not what they call it, but I can't think of it right now). It's well-constructed. But I have to find something to condition the "vegan leather." Some websites say "just wipe it down," but Jimmy Beans says to condition it. 

With what???

The Ice Storm Cometh...

This past week, in addition to being buried in work, we were almost buried in ice. For two days it rained and froze. 

These are the trees by the Polish deli near my office. It was freezing - like 11* or so, but I needed to get outside and feel the sun. 

And see the sparkling trees "for real" rather than through a window. 

It was very pretty. I spent a few moments with a broom, too. Knocking icicles off the awning. They sounded like shattering glass as they hit the sidewalk. Those things will hurt!!

Anyway, it's all melted now. It was cold today, but grey and the grass is crunchy. This is the icky part of February. 

I'm holding out for a late winter blast. I still want to get out on the snowshoes. 

We've had the snow, but at -34*? You can't exactly hike in that. At least I can't.

Random Picture...

Madame Tippi is in a pickle. Well, she's in a collar. Having chewed her leg to bleeding, we also needed to have a swelling looked at. 

The vet biopsied the swelling. We are anxiously awaiting results. The leg has to heal, but she's also on antibiotics. The little stinker can STILL reach the leg. 

She's giving me a royal stink-eye, but she got around the inner tube. And got around the cushioned cone. If this doesn't work, she's going into the LARGE cone we have. I don't want to do that because she'll hurt herself. 

We could use some good wishes. She's 11. I don't want that swelling to be anything serious. But it's concerned the vet enough to take a biopsy. 

Praying it's only an inflamed lymph node or something. 

Well, time for me to find my pillow. What do you want to bet that I'll get maybe 3 lines read and be zonked out? I'm hoping! Good night!

It's Groundhog Day All Over Again...

So the rodent saw his shadow. Or he didn't. Either way, y'all know it means "6 weeks till spring" or "6 more weeks of winter." Six weeks, either way you cut it. 

We survived the Polar Vortex. And I got knitting done... 

All the Knitting...

So. Here's a picture of my "sock drawer." It's not really a drawer. It's a plastic "lock and load" tote (which isn't its real name, but that's what I call it). 

There are 11 pairs of socks in there. I'm hoping to get to an even dozen in the next month or so. 

Pairs 1 and 3 are Regia Fluromania. I'm not sure that's even "a thing" nowadays. I tried to give a skein of it away but nobody wanted it. I may just knit that one up. They're fun socks and they seem to wear ok. The colors run a bit, particularly the reds and pinks, but they're socks. Not too troubled by that. 

Pair #2 is my only pair, so far, with worsted weight. They're done in Cascade 220, 100% pure wool. They're done on size 3 DPNs, which makes them the sturdiest, warmest, and cushiest hiking socks I have. The only thing I'd have done differently was to do my now habitual 6-row curl on the cuff. They can be a bit snug on my "biker calves." 

Pair # 4 (blue & grey) are OnLine sock yarn; that yarn was a gift in a random sock yarn exchange, and I wasn't too sure about it, but it's very much like Opal and I'd use it again.

Pairs 5, 6, 9 and 10 are all Opal, mostly self-patterning, with the pink being a stripey sort of pinkish -- and the oldest next to the hiking socks. 

Pair 7, tucked in there, are the DREADED TEAL SOCKS. Trekking XL, which I have more of in stash and I'm regretting buying it. I won't use it again. It's thin and a pain to work with. I like the Ovarian Cancer Teal, but I don't like the feel of the socks. Could be I've still got a grudge that I lost the pattern and it took me FIVE YEARS to complete those things... 

Pair #8 is a Madeline Tosh discontinued shade called Robin's Nest. I like the colorway, and the softness, but I don't like the pilling. And I should've made the legs longer...

Pair #11 is my only (so far) Sweet Georgia. Very cushy, slightly droopy (cast on 72, and they're kinda big), and comfy. Chai Tea, I think is the colorway. 

I have 3 sets of singletons: Bigger on the Inside, Sole to Sole, and Green Traveling. And I'm on the heel flap of Petty Harbour, which I don't consider a singleton, since the first one isn't even done yet. That and Green Traveler are coming along nicely. 

And I have a FINISHED OBJECT. Though it's not blocked. Yes, it's Diamond Smackdown. From December 24, 2018 to tonight - except for a blip where I ran out of yarn (yeah, I lost yarn chicken on a "weigh the yarn to know when to decrease" pattern... I'm still trying to figure that one out). I think I didn't get gauge, but then the pattern said, "gauge doesn't matter." Howsomuchever... it's done. Not blocked, but done. 

On the left is Skein #2, which I had to order, in the middle of the Polar Vortex, because I wasn't driving to Bloomington (a 2-hour, almost 200-mile round trip) in a driving blizzard... Above is a picture that Hubby took trying to show up the glitter, and it isn't working. But suffice to say, it's lovely yarn. MadTosh (as it's now called, see the sock section above) and it's Light Merino Glitter, in Copper Pink. The color is more rose-gold and it's got a lovely halo that doesn't show up in the pictures. 

It's not blocked yet, so you don't really see the diamond pattern. It'll show up nicely in a day or so; I'm hoping to block it tomorrow. 

It should block out a wee bit bigger than the original pattern, since there's about 450 yards of yarn in there. I haven't weighed the remainder of Skein #2, but I suppose I can get a shortie pair of socks, or a nice pair of wristlets out of it. Or a hat. Won't likely be terribly warm, but it would look nice. 

I like the drape and I like the feel of this yarn. I have to aggressively block out the diamonds, so I'm hoping it doesn't flatten, like the Grapevine Lace scarf did. 

Overall, I liked the pattern too. It was a nice knit and it obviously went pretty fast. I'm not the speediest knitter, and it was very quick for me. And I wasn't terribly bored. I would knit the pattern again, but I'd make sure I had 2 skeins of whatever I was using. Or I'd have sense enough to split the skein in the first place. You'd have to do a yarn that wasn't self-striping, I think, because it does get pretty wide at the apex of the triangle; stripes wouldn't work, if you were using sock yarn in particular. I'm sure I've got some hand-painted in the stash if I felt like repeating this. 

And --- drumroll here... We had Wednesday off because of the extreme temps. So I pulled out Kid #2's afghan!! 

I got the burgundy stripe done and I'm on the second of the grey stripes. I thought I'd gotten some black to stick in there, but I can't find it, and I do want to get this thing done. It's 5 years overdue and I just need to get on with it. It's a simple chevron pattern, which is kind of nice for a guy. 

It's in Caron Simplicity, which has a nice sheen to it and it's washable. Yes, it's acrylic, and yes, I'm a huge yarn snob. But I'd rather make it easy to take care of for right now. 

That's ginger tea in the snowman mug. It was so cold that even the mug was wearing "knitted" items!!

Seriously, I can zip along with this, and it's relatively mindless after a few rows, so it's going to be my main project for a bit, interspersed with the socks. 

My goals are to finish this afghan, finish the singletons and then concentrate on the February Lady Sweater and diving into the stashed projects to move along on them. I seem to be in a "finishing" mood, so I'm gonna "get skippy" and plow onward. 

The 2019 Polar Vortex...

Well, for a while there, the Chicago area was colder than Antarctica. Nevermind that it's actually summer down there...The point is, we were at "hold my beer" cold temps. We were actually the epicenter of the cold front. Lake Michigan froze. 

My car's thermometer read -21* when I went to go walk my mom's dog. Yes, we went out. We weren't going to let my mother outside; she doesn't have the coat for it, and she's old. (Sorry, mom...truth)


Her dog, a small one, did a double-fast run each of the 3 times we took him out, and actually didn't want to go out 2 of the 3 times. He's no dummy... 

My selfie skills still stink, but here I am, mostly bundled up. The sun is deceiving. It was stinkin' cold out and my fingers tingled just taking that picture. 

We had tracks in the yard, and I tossed out birdseed, but remarkably, everyone and everything was holed up for the most part. 

The snow was beautiful. The sunshine made everything sparkle. I could wax poetic, but suffice to say that the beauty was certainly there, and if you didn't gripe about the cold, you could see the force of Mother Nature and see the artistry as well. 

So Thursday, we were all "back to normal." At the office the lot wasn't plowed, which didn't make anyone happy. Dragging yourself through 6" of snow on top of ice was fun. 

And then there were the "killer icicles" hanging off the awnings. I took a broom to them. 

All the parks were closed on Wednesday (I know I'm jumping around here, but I've got the pics stashed here and I didn't want to joggle too much around). I tried to take some photos, but (a) I didn't bring out the big camera because of the weather; and (b) I couldn't get very far because of all the gates up... I had to settle for some parking lot shots, which were impressive enough. Again - look at how blue the sky is! It was gorgeous and after being cooped up in the house? The air was bracing. Freezing, yeah. But it felt good to be out and in the weather. 

Mind you, that coat you see me wearing is old - almost 25 years, to be exact, and it's rated for -40* so I was warm enough from my head to mid-thigh. My boots were also "sub-zero" boots, so from toes to mid-calf I was fine. Mittens, and the "Russian Hat" that I borrowed from Hubby completed the ensemble, as well as a pretty good-sized scarf under there. The jacket has a hood with a "face flap" that I could have used too. 

Yesterday, I took some pics out the other office building (working 3 jobs, I get a lot of variety in my photos!). This was off the back steps. I was singing at a funeral, so I was dressed for that - otherwise, I was itching to get out and stomp around in all that untouched snow. 

And...today it's all starting to melt. So you saw my thermometer reading -21*...and today I was out at the grocery store in a light jacket with the thing unzipped. 

Seriously. It was 39* and it felt like spring. 

The weather is going to get up into the 50s. So almost a total temperature switch in the next several days. I hate that. I mean, I get it - the planet is going crazy. But it's a sure bet that lots of us will be sick with the switching temps. Almost every municipality here has flood warnings out, too. We're surrounded by rivers, and the ice break-up and snow melt will be causing some problems. 

It's February, so I'm not saying winter is over. Right now, it's just having a moment. 

The Bread that Cost me a Finger...

Well, not really, but almost. I was making some stuff for a meeting we have coming up, and I thought, "I'll do casserole bread." It's super simple and versatile. And yummy. So I dug out some Jarlsberg cheese and some dill. And my old Corning Ware casseroles that you can't find anymore unless you haunt thrift stores. 

I needed to grease them more liberally, actually. Hubby and I managed to snarf down that loaf on the right (as you can see, it's got a crack in it). The one on the left is going to the meeting. We have some folks (I'm one of them) who don't do a lot of sweet stuff - I mean, I've got an awful sweet tooth, but for morning meetings? I'm not a "danish and donut" fan. 

I was slicing off the waxy label on the cheese when I managed to jab myself in the left index finger with the paring knife. As I ran to the sink to flood my finger, I hollered to Hubby to check that I didn't bleed on the cheese. He was fussing at me, and said, "You should've used a larger knife." 

Why? So I could REALLY take off the finger??? Thankfully, since the colonoscopy, I hadn't been taking my blood thinner... I've got a bandage on it and it's put a little crimp in my guitar playing, but at least I still have a finger. 

The other thing I made for the meeting are Panko Parmesan Sausage Balls... Super simple, and they look pretty good. 

Panko Parmesan Sausage Balls

Makes 24-25

Oven at 350*, line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil.

1 roll breakfast sausage
1 c. leeks
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. oil
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan
Salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning
3 T. chopped pimiento

Saute the leeks in the oil till they're translucent, then add garlic for about 2 minutes - don't burn it! 

Place everything else in a bowl. Add the leeks + oil. Mix well (use your hands). Form into balls about 1 1/2" around and place kind of close together on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350* and then turn them with a pair of tongs. Bake for another 15 minutes. Drain. Serve warm. 

When I get to the meeting, I'll warm these up. 

Random Picture...

Tippi has been awfully cuddly lately. And she's taken to getting up on the couch when we're around for a snuggle. That's one relaxed dog there... 

Usually what happens is that the two of them, Tippi & Quinn, stare at one or the other of us, and we go sit in the middle of the couch... then miraculously, we have an elkhound on either side of us. 

Today, I had to hand over my studio keys to one of my teachers, and she said, "Oh, I hear your dogs." No. You only heard Quinn...Yeah, she can sound like 2 or 3 dogs all by herself. 

Hopefully, you're enjoying your Groundhog Day and you've got lots of fun stuff planned for the next few weeks! Let's chat!