Home again, home again...

Room 10 at Patchwork Inn

What's the nursery rhyme? 

To market, to market
To buy a fat hog.
Home again, home again
Jiggety jog. 

That's actually only one verse of it, but it's all I can remember. 

Anyway... This past weekend, when the bowels of Hades opened up and barfed upon us such heat as to curl the sidewalks and make even the birds decry the trees... We went up to Oregon, IL. We were mainly pleased, but also disappointed. The B & B, Patchwork Inn, was lovely. We'd stay there again. Mom was, at first, against a B & B, but I think I've converted her, at least in this format. Each of us had our own bathroom, which is a "must" for her. Me, too, if I'm honest. I digress; the hosts were wonderful and the breakfast was amazing. We only stayed for 1 breakfast, but after the "brunch cruise," I think I should've just taken them up on their breakfast because the cruise one was a definite "meh" with a side of, "jeeze, some of it's not even warm..."

Back yard of the Inn

The Blackhawk statue, whose proper name is "The Eternal Indian," was under repair and he looks to be in that condition for more years to come. Oh well. We saw it. We also went up to Castle Rock Overlook and seriously, you wouldn't think you were in Illinois: flat, boring Illinois didn't exist here. Hopefully, I'll have pictures, because for some reason, my camera/phone hasn't synced in a while. 

The Eternal (Covered) Indian

Mom found a '50s diner and her only complaint was, "Needs more neon!" Authentic burger, according to her, and the decor was really cool. Actually, on the drive up to the place, we stopped where Kid #2 lives and while he was out of the area, we were able to hit up a sandwich spot there for a bite before we got too late to have dinner. Her idea of dinner is 4:30. Mine is 6:30... 

My oils for the trip

And seriously. Saturday was hot. Hot to the point of the stable cancelling all activities and my phone practically melting with all of the "heat advisory" messages. In my hometown, they were saying it "feels like" 119 degrees. Yeah. Phoenix temps in the Midwest. It wasn't pretty. That was the day that mom decided that hiking was a good idea. Mind you, 'hiking' at this point was not about a 3-mile jaunt through the trails. It was more like, "Let's try this and see how it goes." And it went about a half-mile - which, for an 82-year-old in that heat? I'm thinking that was pretty spectacular. 

Castle Rock Overlook

The river cruise was nicer, since the temp dropped about 30 degrees; down to a bearable 75 degrees or so. I saw a couple of eagles! I don't have a super-long lens on my camera, nor does my phone take those kinds of pics. But I saw them; I'm happy with that. The drive home was a relief; not because we were sick of each other, but both of us wanted our own beds. Why do places have spectacular linens and mattresses, but pillows that are flatter than a pancake??

Slept like a log last night! 

The Knitting...

Well, the green project I showed you last time is finished. The Traveling Short Sock is FINISHED... I have a pair of socks!! 

As you can see, they're fraternal - done in Opal yarn, but I never really try to match them. Hubby asked me to move my feet so they matched - I really don't have oddly sized feet! 

I have a big whack of this yarn left, so it may be the base for some Crazy Socks. It would probably work well, since I tend toward socks in similar hues as these, though these do have far more white than I'm used to. 

I won't know what yarn is in the next phase of the Green Mystery Project till later today; so at this point, with (wait for it...) a FREE DAY... I picked up the Copland Shawl, and got moving on that. I'd forgotten (a) how pretty the yarn is and (b) how ABSOLUTELY BORING meditative it is to do about six bazillion miles of straight stockinette stitch. Seriously, the two KFBs on either end and that set of yarn-overs for the "spine" of the shawl aren't necessarily enough to break up the monotony. 

I should review my Gaitri Mantra while I'm knitting, just to keep my mind occupied.  

I did find kind of a unique shop in the Conover Piano Factory, which was overall a disappointing venture... It's a yarn shop of sorts, but it's to benefit a sheltered workshop, which is fine by me. They get end runs and discontinued colors to sell to people via donation and the money goes to the workshop. I bought some hand-dyed yarn (Wool-Ease) for a prayer shawl, and a batch of stuff I can't quite figure out. I'll post a picture next time; it's quite the amalgamation of fibers in one worsted-weight yarn. Pretty colors; likely destined for a shawl. 

The Politics...

OK, so let's chat about "go back where you came from." Let's talk about how ignorant that is on its face; how it's actually harassment and against the law; and how it's a major distraction by #DonTheCon to keep our attention off the Mueller testimony this week. Among other things, like the Epstein sewer. Let's also talk about the #manbaby whining about "presidential harassment" and how, in my opinion, one (a) can't claim that (see Obama for 8 years); and (b) should be presidential before complaining of presidential harassment... It's not a crime, dude. Get over your nasty self.

"Go back where you came from" is usually reserved for brown people, because bigots always assume that white folk are the only "legal" ones. While small, there's still a significant percentage of "white" illegal immigrants, to use the current un-PC designation, for purposes of our discussion. From Migration Policy Institute, between 2012-16, five percent (5%) of the immigrants who came here illegally were from Europe, Canada, or Oceania (the lands of the Pacific Ocean). That's a little over 570,000 - which is still a sizable chuck of humanity. 

But this administration* only wants to talk about the brown ones. This Shyster-in-Chief only wants to talk about the ones who don't look like his "base," though for the life of me, why anyone who's brown or black actually supports this guy is kinda beyond me. 

Ilhan Omar is a legal US Citizen.
AOC comes from The Bronx (that's in NY).
Ayanna Pressley was born in Chicago.
Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit...

Soooooooooo - They're all as legal as I am. 

The phrase "Go back where you came from" is also discriminatory. Not because I'm a liberal snowflake. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - founded in 1965) says it is. Here's a nice discussion of that law. Also, from NPR, here's another enlightening piece you might want to look at. It's good to have the history of the phrase in the back of your brain. You're welcome for all the research... 

The upshot of all of this is that the Shyster-in-Chief has once again trampled a law to bits because it suited his purpose. And we're waiting, those of us with working brain cells, for the other shoe to drop. Mueller is testifying in Washington. Epstein's smoking, putrid cesspool actually has tapes that could cause problems in 2020 for a LOT of people, up to the royalty in England. 

Time will tell; and y'all kind of already know my own leanings. I don't want 4 more years of this. We have to get our country back on an even keel, now more than ever. 

The Food I Ate...

Breakfast protein

I've been really, really careful, and I've found something that's driving my stomach nuts. And it's upsetting me. Because I think it's gluten. I'm not diagnosed with celiac (I already had that tested). Back to our trip, I was very careful of what I ate, but at a few points, it was beyond my control, and the commonality behind all of them were wraps. I tried to avoid bread & pasta, and I succeeded for the main part, but on 3 occasions, I had regular wraps and yikes...my stomach was not happy. 

I've come to the conclusion that there's probably a gluten sensitivity there somewhere. Nuts. (Well, those I can eat...) I guess it is what it is. I could have worse problems. 

Right now, with Kid #2 baking bread like a man possessed, I can't quite come up with what those "worse" problems could be... although y'all know I'm just kidding. With the health issues in our family tree? So I don't eat bread...big deal. 

Though I did find a pizza I liked: Caulipower pizza - a cauliflower crust that actually tastes like something. I'll buy it again, but sparingly; it's definitely a "treat" thing. 

This weekend, I was ok in my food, except for that little encounter with a bag (large, sorry) of Kettle Chips "Uglies." Yeah, I know. I felt bad afterward, but I figure that (a) I haven't done anything like that in over a year; and (b) it's done, so don't beat yourself up over it. That won't change it, so just roll with it. 

Always another day to make better choices. Speaking of which, I have these two Young Living protein powders to add to my morning repertoire. I find that MIXING them -- yes, 1 scoop of the chocolate (yummy in itself) with one scoop of the vanilla spice is really a nice combo. That's mixed with half & half almond milk & coconut water. It works for me. 

Random Picture...

We walked, the day we got there, down to the Rock River. It was still blazing hot, but we figured we weren't in a hurry... This was a shot just on the opposite side of the dam there. 

I thought we'd have a breeze off the water. We did not. At least it didn't stink of fish! We sat under the picnic shelter and just kind of decompressed. It was nice to do that. 

The entire Oregon area is really pretty; doesn't look anything like what you might think "Illinois" looks like and I'm glad we went. 

Will we spend the weekend in the fall? Likely not. We can drive up there, do the horse thing, and then take a walk (because if she's on a horse and then I stick her in the car for a 2-hour drive back? I won't get her OUT of the car because her hips will lock up!), and maybe stop at "our favorite 50's diner" for lunch, and THEN go back home. 

It's a goal. 

Nowhere Man

I hereby apologize to the Beatles for stealing their song title, especially since I'm about to rant on Agent Orange. Mango Mussolini, the pRresident*, Don the Con... Or, Nowhere Man. 

I mean seriously. This buffoon will put his name on anything. And I've got a pile of dog crap he can have. I wonder if I'd get into trouble mailing it to him? High grade, Siberian Husky stuff, which might make him all warm and fuzzy about his handler, Putin. 

Rebranding the 4th of July is beyond incredibly stupid. And you know what? He's going to get away with it because he's still a Useful Idiot in the grand scheme of Mitch McConnell, who seems to be single-handedly wrecking our democratic republic. Way to go, Mitch - everyone's gotta have a goal. 

Tanks sit outside Washington DC's downtown area. Luckily, they're not going to rumble down the streets - seeing as they'd tear the asphalt to ribbons. Grandstands are being built. Somehow, there's gonna be the BabyTrump balloon. Wonder how that got there???

And tickets are being offered - for a donation. Which will go into the grifter's pocket or that of his mendicant kids. 

And... WE get to pay for this. Yeppers - right out of our tax money. Never have I wanted more to have a say in where those tax dollars go. And nobody is listening to the screams. 

This isn't America. Or as my friend Alice (a very mild-mannered woman, to be sure) said, "What a dumb-f*&%." She doesn't use that language frequently. When she does, smart people hide under the furniture. 

I'm resigned to no impeachment, though God alone knows that if a Democrat did one iota of the crap that's been perpetrated upon this country and its citizens? Oy, the streets of Washington would be aflame with documents and that person would be escorted out in shackles. 

I know all I have is the ability to rant. So I will move on to other topics, since outrage is wearying and in this case, fruitless. 

The Knitting...

Well, the secret project is coming along, though when the heat hit the 90s, I set it aside to work on socks. Much easier to deal with in the summer! 

This is, however, a sneak peek at the second half of the project. I'm liking how this is working out and honestly?

If I could muster the energy to do a sweater, I'd use this kind of "fade" technique. 

There are a couple of techniques I'd like to start learning; one of the biggies is cables. And for that, I need to learn to read charts. Charts terrify me. I don't know why. But they do. 

I'd rather just watch someone, but I know that for my own skill-building, that's not practical. A knitter needs to know this stuff. 

I also need to work on lace knitting and learn how to read an Orenburg lace chart. Those things are wild. 

But anyway, socks. I'm puttering along on The Green Travel Sock, and am about half-way down the foot. So after that, just cut the other one, stringing a lifeline first, and then re-knit the foot + toe. 


And there's this little beauty -- my Shortie Socks. I will confess that they feel a tad-bit tight. I'm using Size 1 needles. This is my regular Opal yarn, which is my go-to workhorse yarn. The color is called "Model" - can't quite figure out why, but it doesn't matter. It's a very whimsical colorway, and I think if I'd done full-sized socks, they'd have been very striking. 

However - I wanted "instant socks" and this is as close to that as I'll get, if I'm knitting them myself. 

This is "my" pattern - in that it's out of my head. Let's face it: sock architecture is what it is. Heels and toes change, but every sock has the following:

• Cuff
• Leg
• Heel
• Foot 
• Toe

Just a matter of which ones you want to do, and how you do them. Do you want a deep cuff? I like mine rolled at the top. Do you want a long leg or short? Short this time! Do you want a Fleegle heel, Strong heel, afterthought, Sweet Tomato, Fish Lips Kiss, flap and gusset? And I'm probably missing a few styles. This is my go-to, "Doris" heel, for the woman who taught it to me. A nice heel with a bit of knit stitch on each side to aid in picking up stitches for the gusset. 

So my concession to the small needles (Size 1 is the smallest I've knitted with yet), I did my K2tog in "tbl" (through back loop) and it made this little "swoosh" of yarn along the side. It works for me. 


When these are done, I'll write up exactly what I did. I do take notes.

I like this close-up because it shows the detail on the yarn's colorway. It's very cute; and it goes with just about everything I own. 

That's what I like about Opal - there's a colorway that appeals to almost everyone. Their themes are usually adorable, and the yarn wears like iron. 

I'll confess that it's a bit scratchy to knit with. Nowhere NEAR as bad as Zauberball (I can't see how people can knit socks with that); and once you wash it and wear it a few times, it softens up nicely. 

I'm trying valiantly to knit from stash. So of course, my friend (the said Doris of the "Doris Heel") gives me a very belated Christmas present: a $50 gift certificate to my favorite LYS. Oy. Gonna save that for something special. 

The Garden...

Well, we've had some wonky weather (what else is new?) and there's more coming this week. Which is nice, because it ought to keep the locals from going nuts with fireworks. That being said, we shall see how it all shakes out. 

The milkweed is still doing well; we've noticed Monarchs flittering around, and from what I'm told, that means they're scoping it out. I'm hoping for Monarchs and Swallowtails on the parsley and dill. 

My veggies are almost done; those that are "summer veggies" that is. The Romaine is about finished. I need to re-plant the radishes and try again. The leeks are coming along, as are the carrots. 

I'm disappointed in the Borage and the Butterfly Weed that I planted from seed. My friend took the rest of my Borage and it's going nuts in her yard. Mine? Pfffffffffth. 

Here's a little video of the storm from Sunday. This was Storm #1. After that, we had Storm #2, which came out of nowhere. What's scary is that when this happened, the temps dropped about 25 degrees. That's "tornado" kind of stuff. 

So far, there have been a few warnings, but nothing really serious. We still have July and August to go, though. 

We had lots of tree damage from this little performance. But luckily, the half-dead tree in our neighbor's yard stood firm. Luckily because if it lands anywhere, it'll be in my kitchen. 

My Hair...

Yeah. My hair. So I'm getting it cut by a new stylist on Friday. (gulp!) I have a 15-minute consultation with her before she even gets me in a shampoo chair. 

For posterity, I took a number of shots as it is right now, because on Monday, it was behaving. Today it is not. 

I've got pics of what I want, I think. I mean I think it's what I want. I do have pics... I'm strongly considering cutting it short again. I know this is "short" to a lot of people, but I'm talking a cross between a pixie and a bob - a little lift and length on top, and considerably shorter at the back. 

My summer includes volunteering to clean up at the Old Joliet Prison and biking. Neither of those is conducive with longer hair - longer for me, I mean. 

And because of the heart meds I take, it's a little thinner than I'd like. I think the length isn't helping there either. 

I'll keep you posted. If you're wondering about the blue background, that's the wall in my yoga studio. 

Random Picture...

Where there's life, there's hope... Last year, this was my shot of a Monarch on my Purple Coneflower. I'm hoping for a lot more of these guys. 

As I look at my garden, I'm a bit dismayed at the amount of weeding I have to do, when the weather calms down; but ultimately, I'm proud of the "native" aspect of it. I've got mostly native plants in there, and everything will come back on its own. It's almost maintenance free. 

Now I just need to see butterflies and bees in regular appearance. That will make it just want I want.