Another Day...

OK. I'd say I was sorry for yesterday's rant, but I'm not. There it is. I'm sad because I was raised to believe America was "the greatest." But lately, I'm not feeling the "great." I'm feeling the "screwed." And I am not liking it... 

November is right around the corner. Educate yourself, get involved, help a candidate. Just do something. Otherwise, you've got nothing to complain about. Like Frank Zappa said (and I absolutely can't believe I'm quoting Zappa - Kid #2 would be so proud!): Modern Americans behave as if intelligence were some sort of hideous deformity.

Intelligence is what will get us through the crap and back to "great" - in my opinion. So, also in my opinion, it's best to find an issue which resonates for you and become an activist. Help others. Do something not for yourself, not because it makes you feel good, or will profit you in any respect. 

But do it because it's the right thing to do. If you don't get involved, you can't expect the next person to get involved. And then we're all sitting around a campfire somewhere, sometime, saying, "God, I don't know what happened." 

Well. It's your call.

Knitting...

Plugging away on the second sock of the KAL. Nothing to show at the moment, because I didn't bring it along. I'm on the gusset. It's a forever-lasting decrease, because I picked up more stitches on either side. I'm trying to eliminate the "holes" and I think I picked up far too many!! I can either do a series of decrease rows one after the other (with no Knit around in between) or just deal with the fact that on this sock, the gusset may be nearly as long as the foot!

For next week, since I have a campus full of cops, and to keep me away from the donuts, I'll be bringing the sock and the Blue Baby Sweater, which is near completion. 

After I get these socks done, it's back to Teal Sock #2. I've gotta get that thing done and over with! And then I'll work on the remainder of the WIPs. 

The Junk Drawer...

So I got on a cleaning binge, which didn't last long... and I cleared out the junk drawer that I have at work. I still need to prop up the leaning Norfolk Island Pine and clean out my in-box, which is right now my "hold your breath" box. But the junk drawer is done. 

I took about a gazillion pens home and threw out a bunch of stuff that managed to accumulate. Not sure how. Desk fairies, I think. 

But it feels better to have it more or less in order. 

Next will be the leaning pine and the desk. Our cleaning crew won't touch our desks, which is fine with me. But that means that every so often, I need to put every item on the floor just to give the top a decent clean-off. It's a "white" laminate desk, which is just boring and a pain in the butt to keep clean. 

Oh well. Complaining about it won't get it done.

Nokia Camera Phone...

So I've been playing with the phone's camera. It's the jazzy whiz-bang one. Here's some of the stuff I've been working with.

Bzzzzzzy guy

We have Prairie Blazing Star in our front bed. Which I didn't remember, but was reminded of by my gardening guru, Sue. I did tag it; we have 2 and they're in the front bed. As I stuck the tag in this one, my fuzzy brain detected a really, REALLY close-up BZZZZZZZZ.

It was this guy. Now, I was a good 3 feet from him after I nearly had a heart attack when I realized my hand was virtually on top of him. 

Lucky for me, he was intent on checking out each flower. And each spire. He wasn't afraid of me. I was more afraid of HIM!

So when I got inside, I played with the "crop" feature and this is what I got - a very clear shot and a really nifty frame, at least I think.

It won't beat the EOS, but for those spur-of-the moment shots, this camera is really nice. And I can carry it much more easily on my bike rides! 

Cemetery at sunset

The next shot is of the cemetery at Stateville Penitentiary. At sunset, after I was done teaching a yoga class. I didn't do much of anything with this one. But I thought the light was unique. 

If you click on it, you'll see the gravestones. And if you're anywhere close and have a thing for old burial grounds, you'll notice that each stone is marked with a "W" or a "C" -- the last grave was, I think, dug in the 1960s. And at that time, you can imagine not many relatives claimed the bodies. So they marked them with a "W" for white and "C" for colored. I'll have to get in there and take some pictures of the stones. It's sad but it's our history. 

Exercise...

Well. It appears that Atkins isn't for me. I lost the initial 5 lbs. or so. Then my weight loss stalled. All still in the Induction phase. So I read in the book, "If your weight loss is less than a pound a week, you may have reached your carb load."

I'm sorry. I'm not eating the same 6 things for the rest of my life. And according to this logic, I would basically never have fruit again. Can't do it. Doesn't make sense.

So I'm just eating "clean" and ramping up the exercise. Over the long weekend, Hubby and I took 2 long bike rides. 

Long for me, that is. He said he'd have been surprised if we did 2 miles the first day. We did 4. The day after that, we did 5. And Tuesday, I took a walk. Needless to say, I walk a lot slower, but I'm easing into this. 

Yoga is still my go-to, but I need the other activity - it's all about being well-rounded in exercise so as to not be "well-rounded" in body!

Anyway, I finally figured out the "fitness" app on the Samsung phone, and I did 1.1 miles. Lest you scoff, our neighborhood is hilly. So I took my time and I know I'll get back to my normal pace at some point.

Live Oak??

Brought the phone, obviously, and lookee what I found!! It looks almost like a Live Oak. I have to see if we even have those in Illinois. 

Obviously, I mean the middle tree, where the branch/trunk juts out toward the center of the lot. Click on it to see what it looks like. 

Very intriguing. 

So if the weather holds out (we're supposed to get t-storms), perhaps Thursday a.m. I walk again. Or hit the basement for the "elliptiKILL" as I call it. Either way, the exercise is making me feel loads better.

I think that we've finally got the heart Rx down and I can function; I'm not afraid of keeling over like I was before we got it figured out. So we shall continue to move forward and remember that "slow and steady" is the right way for me to go. 

Random Picture...

Yeah. It's yarn. Yeah, it's specifically SOCK YARN. And yeah, it'll be something some day. Perhaps lace socks. While I'm whipping through the "plain vanilla" and it's an excellent pattern, I'd like to do something with maybe learning cables or some sort of interest. 


I added it to Ravelry. I have to go through and actually look at what I've "stashed" and see if what's currently in the work bags is actually already logged. I know. It's freaky. But I like records. 

So anyway, at some point, there will be socks. Lots of socks, if The Stash is any indication. I don't even want to disclose... 

Sigh...

I am, Clearly, an Idiot...

"Put things where they're supposed to be."

"Put that where you know you'll find it."

Both of these were things I heard (frequently) from my (obsessively neat and compulsive) grandma. I am neither obsessive or neat.

And I am, clearly, an idiot.

Found!

Remember the Case of the Missing Needle? I was all kerfuffled, bemused, annoyed, frustrated, and bamboozled. 

Till I got home. Yeah. There it is. Just where I put it. Because it's near my other knitting stuff (where it's supposed to be) and because I knew I'd be knitting last night (so I knew where I would find it).... Big as life. I stuck the white card behind it just so you could see it.

If it was any bigger, it would've bitten me...

Anyway.

I'm back on the "right" formation of needles for the KAL sock and I'm forming the foot right now. When I got back from my Zonta meeting, I knitted a few rows while watching the nail-biter of the Hawks' eventual win against the Wild.

I'm not a huge hockey fan, but knitting helps take the edge off the frenzy at my house.

What can I say? I'll never be my granny; I just have to keep better track of my stuff.

Hang on. She used to tell me that all the time, too.... (sigh)

Atkins...

Lunch today was actually particularly good. I mixed an Italian blend of lettuce, butter lettuce blend, olives, avocado, roasted chicken and a small cucumber. Add a lemony Greek-ish dressing, and you have a delicious (and filling) salad.

Which is good, because tonight is yoga, and I find that I can't eat a "real" dinner on yoga nights. I know - you should eat regularly. But you haven't lived till you're in Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog) and your dinner starts moving back up your esophagus. 

Trust me on this... It's just easier. So my lunch was a little more "carb" than it probably should be, but I'm happier on yoga nights. 

I feel lighter. I'm not sure if I truly AM lighter (other than the 5 lbs. I lost the first week of Induction), and I've learned in this 2-week induction phase that I have to still watch portions. But I'm finding that I have almost lost the craving for sweets (except for that rogue carrot cake last night, but I have an excuse). 

So the rogue cake?? Our women's group met last night. I knew it was going to be "appetizers, salad, dessert" instead of our regular meeting fare. And I figured the appetizers part might be mostly fried stuff. 

But I didn't count on calamari. 

I hate calamari. That was the last-minute substitution of "appetizers." Needless to say, almost 40 women were NOT happy. We had all of THREE calamari fans at our table. I wasn't one of them, and I did really well avoiding the breadsticks and rolls. 

Then out comes the salad........ Oh yeah. I remember THIS disaster from last year. The restaurant does this "salad" that they claim is one of their most popular lunch specials. Not so sure about that.

It's a sliced baked potato - served cold. Layered with tomato slices, green pepper rings, cucumber slices and carrots on the bias. With a small bunch of sliced mushrooms, and sprinkled with green onions. Your dressing options are "Creamy Garlic" and "Italian" - and the garlicky one was REALLY strong. 

No, I didn't take a picture. And yeah, it looks "vaguely" like a sorry imitation of a Caprese salad. 

I didn't eat the peppers. Or the carrots. Or the spud. I was starving. Well, probably not really starving. But hungry. 

Then they set out the carrot cake. I ate it. I'm not sorry. I learned one thing in Weight Watchers - log it, move on and just try harder. 

It was worth it. The salad sucked. 

Buddy...

Introducing -- BUDDY. This is my mom's new dog. He's a Pug-something that she found in the local paper through a new rescue, so new that half of its website is still "under construction" so I won't post the link here. 

Buddy & The Bone

She's had him since Saturday. He's already peed in the house, totally normal behavior for a rescued dog in its new home. He's making himself totally at home, as you can see. 

As a "welcome home" package, Hubby and I picked a selection of stuff from Fun Time Dog Shop, an online shop we frequent where all the profits go to rescue. Check them out at this link:  FUN TIME -- and they're having a Fourth Anniversary Sale, so go and shop!!

My friend Sarah, who owns and runs the business, was kind enough to provide a receptacle for the "basket" and she also tossed in the sample of that green bone Buddy's protecting. He loved it. It's in their shop, so go find it... Can you tell, I'm enthused about their products??

Buddy Basket

So my mom says he's already glommed onto the Tuffy starfish. Love those Tuffy toys - they're just about Husky-proof, too! He's not so sure about the grunting hedgehog. I thought I got the smaller one - this guy is just about his size!! 

He's got more toys than you can shake a stick at, but that's ok. Our dogs have a full toy-box. Buddy will likely get a basket full eventually. 

He's already very protective of my mom and quite attached to her, which is just what I want to see. The little bugger took almost HALF AN HOUR to get near me. But yet, my nephew walked in, and according to my mom, "Buddy just snuggled right up to him."

What??? I even smell like GIRL DOGS.... Aurrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhh!!! Dogs. 

But really, I'm glad he's cautious. I'd rather he be a noise-maker for her, and he was. He barked at me and for a little guy, he's got a lot of bark in him. If you didn't see him, you'd think he was bigger. 

She's happy. He's happy. It's all good. 

Random Picture...

Clouds. Which is what we've had a lot of. This was from a few days ago. Everyone's sick of the rain - just like they were sick of the snow. But it's spring. It's helping the drought we had last year.

Yep, believe it or not, even with all the snow this year, the water table is still a little shaky. We need all of it we can get. The farmers need to get their crops in, but Mother Nature has not been all that cooperative. Rain, yes. But not floods, please, if you don't mind! Let them get the crops in at least!!

Our garden is doing nicely. We already have the radish seeds starting to sprout!! 

OK, blog done. Gotta knit a couple of rows on that sock, then go do my lunch dishes. And I need to get up from this desk anyway. I've got "sit-itis" and it's gotta give soon!

Oh, one of the things we did at the meeting was write 3 goals we want to accomplish for summer; they've been saved and we'll revisit when we reconvene in September. Mine are:

1. Bike the I & M Canal Trail
2. Get Raisa through Obedience
3. Knit a pair of socks (preferably lace?)

Even if I just bike a tiny bit of the I & M, it'll be a true accomplishment. I haven't been on my bike since I started the heart meds. For some reason, I don't do heat all that well... I get really dizzy. So if I can even bike a mile, I'll be feeling rather proud of myself. 

The rest is up to Raisa and the Knitting Goddess...

A KAL - What was I thinking??

For the non-knitters: KAL is Knit-A-Long. This is a thing whereby a group of knitters (can be neighbors or across the globe) choose a particular project and everyone knits the same thing. 

Sounds boring, but being knitters, it's not. It's usually this-side-of-crazy if you don't like stitching to a deadline (aside from baby knitting or wedding knitting).

So of course, I joined one. It's a sock KAL. And I'm knitting Plain Vanilla socks - which basically translates into "the easiest sock pattern you have: no lace, no cables, nothing fancy). 

I'm using my favorite: Opal yarn. And a colorway that I had in stash: The Little Prince. Here's the start... 

Opal Sock - The Little Prince

The ball is the usual 400-something yards, which is ample enough for a pair of socks. The color is 7760 and the dye lot is 758.

I'm not using the wooden needles. I'm using Karbonz dpns. You can see them in the other pictures. They're steel tips, carbon body. Really interesting to knit with. If my regular Kollage weren't stuck in the second Teal Sock, I'd have used them. 

Speaking of the Teal Sock... I'm stuck. The second heel is OBVIOUSLY different from the first, but I have no notes telling me what I did for the first sock's heel. Note to self: Don't EVER assume you can remember. Because clearly - you can't. 

KAL cuff

So Teal #2 is set aside. As is my schedule for knitting, because the end of the KAL is June 30. Yes, that's more than a month away. But you all know how life can get in the way. So I'm knitting furiously on these. And here's the cuff. What I did this time was knit SIX rows straight for the beginning before I started the ribbing. It rolls, but that's ok. The point is, the ribbing won't cut off my circulation and it'll also go over my insanely high instep, too. Without too much stretching of the sock itself. 

Oh, the pattern!  Basic Top-Down Sock Pattern. It's in Teach Yourself to Knit Visually. It's got a slightly longer leg than I'm used to - a whole 7" on the leg, where most of my socks are about 5" or so. But I'm going for it. Look at the Pink Socks - I have a lot of that Opal left, so I figure I've got enough in this ball for a pair that are slightly longer.

One pattern repeat

I've been plugging along rather intently, and since this is a self-PATTERING as opposed to a self-STRIPING, I was motivated to see what a whole pattern repeat would look like. Here's what it looks like so far. I started with that tan-ish brown, as you can see, and it went into the orange, then the crazy colorwork. I am really liking how these are turning out. Rather autumn-ish, but not, if you know what I mean. That zing of green is really nice. And there's enough white to make them "light" and not like the more mellow tones of the fall.

The Karbonz? Well, they get high marks. They're not as grippy as wood, for sure. But they're not as slippery as a traditional aluminum DPN set would be. Which is nice, because I need a tad bit of grip on this. I just need to be careful to not knit off the tips, which I have a habit of doing with socks. I actually really like these needles. The issue I have is again - the markings. They're already rubbing off, so I need to be meticulous in putting them back into the package. They're a US 1.5. 

That's what I particularly like about the Kollage: it's engraved. 

Atkins...

Well. I'm on Thursday. I've been on Atkins in the Induction phase since Monday. The sample induction layout that I'm following from the book is really heavy on cheese. I mean REALLY HEAVY ON CHEESE. Where you're having four servings -- yes, FOUR - on 5 days out of 7. I'm sorry, but that's wayyyyyyyyyyy too much cheese for my tummy. And without going into TMI - let's just say I have some strategic fiddling to do. I figure that as long as you stay within the carb count, you can substitute from the approved list. So if a cheese stick is 0.5 grams of carb, then I can substitute 6 radishes. I have to make sure that I'm getting enough of the foundation veggies in, but also the fats and proteins, so it'll take some strategic balancing of the ingredients. 

That being said, I'm eating a ton of salad, and making my own salad dressing is lovely. I had forgotten (a) how easy it is; and (b) how much you can do. Atkins actually has a recipe for Ranch that's fantastic. I'm ok with having the same dressing for a while (they give you about 4 or 5 variations within this one-week sample, and I don't have that kind of room in my fridge). 

I'm hoping that my system adjusts to this. I "feel" lighter, but maybe that's a placebo. I'll have to let you know when I step on the scale.

I'm not sure "you can lose up to 15 lbs. in 2 weeks" -- I know that you first lose "water weight" but I'm not feeling it. 

Reading...

So I'm re-reading The Canon - the complete Sherlock Holmes. But I have joined a book club with some of my yoga classmates, and I'm reading a self-help book. I dislike self-help books. I mean, I dislike the "know your better self through embracing your pain" kind of self-help books. If there's something concrete, I'm good. The "Yoga for Depression" book is good - she's not only relating her story, but she's giving you steps to take to help yourself.

I guess I'm not a person who can effectively absorb what this book is saying, but then again, I'm going into this with a bias, and I haven't really gotten too far into the book yet.


I may change my mind. Luckily, I'm a fast reader, so I'll be able to whump this out quickly. 

I'm also working on my thesis for yoga training. Here's a picture of Raisa nosing my Mudras book. I'm doing a presentation on yoga for hands, including mudras, which are specific hand positions used in meditation. 

Raisa is not interested in the book. She's interested in what's going on outside the window. I suspect the across-the-street neighbor's cat is out or the Big Evil Squirrel. I don't know what happened to the Big Evil Bunny, but I'm sure he'll come around again.

Anyone have any specific examples of self-help books that are useful? I'll look into them. Can't make any promises, but I can give it a shot. 

Garden...

We have the seeds for the flower garden, as you know. Hubby bought a thing called an Herb Trug. He has a cover for it, to keep out the marauders (a/k/a squirrels) but that kind of defeated the purpose of my wanting to plant chives and borage for the birds...

So those will go into the garden itself. And I'll still put plenty into that trug. It's large, and nicely enough, tall so that I don't have to stand on my head to garden. 

Garden Trug

We also have the beds improved with new soil and compost. I still want a compost pile, but honestly, I know we can't have an open one. I'd have to have a compost system that's enclosed. Too many people let their animals roam free, and we already have some opposum critters around - I don't need to encourage them. 

Here's what the trug looks like, sort of. I don't think ours is as long as this one. It's going to be interesting and I think it'll be a lot neater than the rows of pots we'd been using for ages. We did use chicken wire around the pots to keep the critters out, but it was cumbersome, and frankly - not very nice to look at. 

As soon as we plant (probably this weekend if the weather cooperates), I'll start documenting the garden. I can't wait to see what we come up with. 

And I'm also anxious to see what the Seed Exchange seeds do. Can't wait for my OWN lettuce!

Random Picture...

Graduation!

In honor of the many graduations happening in the next few weeks, this is what Tippi wore for her last visit to the university. Honestly, she tolerated it better than the bunny ears!! I wanted to get something that didn't have the year on it, so we could wear it different places.

We'll be picking up some work at the local Children's Advocacy center over the summer, but we aren't sure how often. Which is fine. 

Everyone needs a summer vacation, if they can get one. 

My plans this summer are to continue knitting, get on the bike (if it's not beastly hot) and try to enjoy the outside a bit more.

Which won't be easy if (a) it's hotter than Hades; and (b) we really ARE going to get the Pollen Vortex we've been warned about.

I'm going to talk to the allergist about the new sublingual drops and get that rolling before too long. I can't do the shots; this seems to have good results, though for some reason, Hubby isn't happy this week. Can't decide if it's allergies, or whatever it is that Kid #2 brought home from his job...

Strategic Planning...

OK, so it's time to 'fess up and talk about some stuff because if I type it, I have more of a commitment to it - at least in my mind.

But first, let's backtrack... It's been yet another "where'd the weekend go?" kind of weekend. And Monday was a doozy...

Friends...

My mom and dad have (well, dad HAD since he's deceased) friends who've been in their lives - gosh, at least since they were married, if not since high school. And now these friends are moving. To California. With their daughter. Who has given up her dream house (the one she designed) to do this. 

The husband of this pair is an artist. I mean, a really, really, REALLY great ARTIST. They're both in frail health: hers is more physical, where his is somewhat mental (due to injuries). The move to CA will of course bring better climate, but they've only lived in this county - ever - their entire lives; you can imagine the uprooting taking place.

Doug is an artist, as I've said. And as most of you probably know, when you move house, you move "by the pound." And his artwork weighs a ton. I mean, thankfully, he's not a sculptor! But his paintings and drawings are pretty big - at least in my opinion. Though my assistant, also a significant artist, says they're "average size." Guess it's an artist thing. 

The Wild Bunch

This is the piece I bought, after Doug argued about just giving it to me. Which I wouldn't allow him to do, so he knocked a couple hundred bucks off the price. 

Should have done better with the flash, but you get the idea. That's in my office, awaiting its spot in the house. 

I have "temporary custody" of 4 other pieces, but that's not the point of this section, really. 

First off, yes, this is an acrylic painting. Second, yes, most of his stuff is as good as - if not better than - this. 

Third: It would have wiped out their savings to move this stuff to CA and store it till they got a gallery to give them space.

So, after I brought this artwork home to Hubby and got "a look" for buying the horses (no, I didn't discuss it, and yes, I apologized), he said something surprising. 

I told him that Joan and Doug were in some turmoil about what to do with, essentially, a gallery-worth of art. He said, "Well, why can't we pack it up, store it at your mom's and then when they get settled, we'll drive it out there."

Some days, I remember why I married him... They were thrilled. Their daughter was amazed we'd do this, but I told her I would feel really bad if we didn't try to help out. 

So on Monday, we took both trucks and loaded 'em up. Then we huffed it all back to my mom's house, trucked it to the basement and just set it there. 

Then on Tuesday, I got the camera out and we took pictures. Of everything. Hubby is going to make an inventory sheet and send it to them. Once they get settled, they can figure out when they want it. Though my mom seems to think it'll be sooner rather than later. It looks like, with my schedule, I'll be staying home from the imminent road trip. She and Hubby will be going out. Kid #2 and I will stay home. Depending on what's going on, I may take a week's vacation to be home with the dogs. We'll have to see about that. 

We think there are about 80-90 pieces. Most of them are framed. They weigh a ton. I'm still sore...

Health...

So aside from sore, I've been reading more about the Atkins eating plan and I think I'm going for it, starting on Monday. Only because I have to shop and I won't have time till then. 

Frankly, in the meantime, I was quite indulgent. And I'm feeling it. It won't be a problem for me, because I truly don't eat a lot of junk (well, except for this past week). 

I printed out their sample "induction" meal plan and it's honestly not the "steak with butter" stuff it used to be. In truth, it's a LOT more veggies than I thought it would be. It's a ton more strict in terms of "no bread, no pasta, no wheat" for the first 2 weeks, but I can't say that'll bother me much. 

What I actually did was put that Induction week on a piece of paper, but moved things around a  bit. I don't mind food boredom. I really don't. I'll eat the same thing for breakfast - always. Anyway, I figure I can keep to this plan for the first week, continue looking at the book, and the second week (you have to do Induction for a minimum of 2 weeks), I will be in the groove and able to work with the recipes, etc. 

But here's the kicker. I never have ever gotten rid of the "fat clothes" so I always had clothes I could wear, no matter what my size. 

I think a big step in my kick to get myself "finally fit" is to empty the closet. Of all that stuff that is not the size I want to be. There are 2 suits I have that are worth the money to re-size, and I'll take care of that. 

But I have a lot of stuff that I could be wearing. But I can't right now. And it's not all about the clothes. It's about feeling better, cleaning my system and keeping myself healthy. The Atkins plan in this revised format is a lot cleaner than it used to be. 

So the start date is Monday, May 5. That'll give me time to get the kitchen stocked. And I think this will be where I need to be right now. 

Pottery Yarn Bowl

Knitting...

This is the bowl that Joan gave me. It's hand-thrown pottery from a friend of hers, and she says that she used to put fruit salad in there in the summer. All I could think of was "yarn bowl!!" So the Pink Socks are in there. And lovely, I might add. 

And I'm still working on the second one; give me a break - it's been busy! 

The next thing will probably be cracking along on the February Lady Sweater for the home project and the Teal Sock for the take-along project. But we'll see. Definitely (go ahead - laugh) I don't want to start anything else now. 

Except that socks don't count. They're "stash-busters" and "calorie-free" as far as I'm concerned. And I can always use more socks. 

Post-Racial...

Ummmmm. No. I wasn't going to go here because I don't think they need more publicity, but let's just say, without naming names, that certain NBA owners and certain mooching anti-American ranchers - well, those folks need to just shut up.

And go away. 

We are not post-racial. And we won't be till some folks either "up and die" (quoting Sidney Poitier in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") or until there's a monumental sea-change in our attitudes. Which is not likely to happen when you have such a sharp rise in the number of hate groups in this country. Since about 2000, hate groups rose by 54% - check it out here. 

You know this, really, don't you? Without me telling you, you've seen the rise of ultra-conservatives and their "dog-whistle" stories. You've seen it in the hysteria of "Obamacare" -- which was fine by the way, when it was ROMNEYCARE. It's all in the pigment, folks. 

Then there's Georgia's "guns all over" law. Check out the gunslinger at a local Little League game. Compensating much, buddy?? If that link doesn't work, go here. Daily Kos has a great question. Have we become so afraid of the NRA that we won't even attempt to question someone's common sense? You frightened little kids, dude. 

Not cool. Stupid, actually. 

Until we can all sit down together and not have a freak-out - well, till then, we're a long way from being "post-racial" and anyone who says we now are? They're rather more than delusional. 

They - the haters - can get away with a lot more now. And that should scare you.

If it doesn't, please have someone check your pulse. 

Random Picture...

Brings to mind the Judy Collins song about clouds. Or love. Or both. Anyway, I like looking at a beautiful sky with fluffy clouds.

Clouds

Today isn't that day. Today, it's rainy and if we're lucky, Noah won't come floating down the main street. 

Today, we're looking at the rest of the week being rainy, the farmers being delayed in getting the crops in the ground, and having the yoga studio full of "creaky" students who don't do well when wet!

But on this day, outside my office, this is what the sky looked like. 

And it was beautiful. 

Random Saturday Morning...

  Yesterday was "let's get this crap organized" day and I did ok. Ish. I can't see much floor in the office, but I can see desk space. I organized the yoga stuff, at least in the same pile. I filed the Estate stuff. I stuck the music sort of where it was supposed to be. And I plopped a bunch of knitting patterns into a separate pile. 

I also downloaded all the pictures off the Sky Drive onto the NAS at home. I still have to clear out the Sky Drive so that the new phone/camera has a place to store stuff. All that was left were the yoga videos from various trainings I've taken. I find it easier sometimes to watch the instructor and tape what's going on so that I can take notes later. 

Hey, organizing is what you make of it. I didn't get it completely where I want it, but it's coming along. 

Knitting...

Pink Sock Progress

But I didn't knit a blessed stitch. Anyway, this is what the Pink Sock looks like so far. It's about 2.5 - 3" along on the foot, so I have another 2" or so to go before I can even contemplate the toe decrease. I'm just taking it easy. 

I think that after I'm done with this, I'll plow along on the Blue Jacket for my "carry along" project. I will alternate it with the February Lady Sweater, which really, truly needs to be at home. You don't want to deal with lace when you're at work. 

I also think there's a frogging in my future. The blue lace scarf -- it's just not possible for me to figure out what I did wrong with it. So I'll frog it. Set the yarn aside to relax. Then re-start it WITH LIFELINES to help keep me straight.

And as always, there are socks, washcloths and the like to just get stash busted. 

Garden...

Actually, I had a really hard time concentrating yesterday. The seeds came in!!! And then it was all about do we get starter pots? Do we plant straight in the ground? What's the weather say? 

Veggie seeds

And that's even before we concentrated on the fact that we still have some herb PLANTS to get, as well as a couple of tomato plants. Not to mention the rest of the flowers to complete the floral part of the yard.

There's a farm locally that I found, but I need to know if they have non-GMO plants or are certified organic. If I want to buy "mystery" plants, I can go to the local big-box. But I'd rather get some stuff from the locals. I e-mailed them, and I'm awaiting their answer. I suppose I could call, but I'd rather e-mail. 

It seems more healthy to try to buy organic, and it's certainly better for their bottom line if I buy from a local farmer. I haven't even begun to contemplate the hanging baskets yet. We're concentrating on hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The birds will come because we have a whole "feeder complex" that we'll be stocking. Also have to think about what we'll be doing to keep the bird bath's bubbler going. We have a solar one, but the water is so gunky... Have to find a solution to the algae which is healthy for the critters. The garbage that floats in there (floaters from the trees)? We'll just have to skim more. 

By the way, all the seeds were from The Seed Exchange, and most are certified organic. I love the website; it's easy to navigate and you can actually participate in helping to keep heirloom varieties alive as well as helping people plant seeds that are good for the planet instead of the Monsanto-fied crap that you can get if you're not paying attention.

Flower packets

I see the seed packets for the flower garden look a little "purple-heavy" but like I said -- there are still the hanging baskets and some other stuff we want to put in. And we have to see what survived the polar vortex. We know for a fact that our Icelandic Poppy survived - it's already greening up nicely. And the Monster Bleeding Heart is back for its next year. That thing just loves that north/west corner. 

I haven't seen any lily of the valley yet, but I've seen a few randomly planted snow drops - thanks to the squirrels. We'd dug up all our bulbs years ago. But I think there are a few rogues on the south side of the house. 

Hubby bought us a planter called a "Herb Trough" which will be nice. I can get rid of the various pots I lined the sidewalk with, and this also has a nice net to keep out the pesky squirrels, too. It came in, so if he's on the ball, it might actually be full of dirt by the time I get home today. If not, we have plenty of time; the weather is set to get near-freezing (welcome to Spring in Illinois before Mother's Day), so I'm partly champing at the bit to get planting, but the common-sense side of my head tells me to just relax. We have plenty of time. 

I'm not even sure where we want to put the trough. It doesn't have wheels, which makes it something we really have to think about. 

My agenda for today is to work till about 1 p.m. (seriously - our Pathophysiology professor is amazing -- even I get what he's talking about and I'm not exactly conversant in this stuff!) And then if all is well, perhaps Hubby and I can drive out to the garden center a bit north of us? Not sure yet. Frankly, I need to be patient! I always get nuts about the planting, but we still have lots of bed prep to be done. So maybe I get my Vitamin D while digging up the dandelions.

I know - I should probably save them, since dandelion greens are now "gourmet" and about $3.99/lb! My great-granny would be rolling in the aisle at that. 

Miscellaneous Happenings...

Chocolate chip cookies

Kid #2 decided to bake. A new chocolate chip recipe. I had two. They were really good. He needs to stop... No, really, I'd rather he baked than wasted his money buying stuff he's perfectly capable of making himself. 

I'm starting on the Atkins program in May. I need time to finish the book, so I know what's going on, and stock the kitchen with me-friendly items. At least this gives me a similar plan to work on that I've had success with before. I think this will help get rid of the weight I gained back after my brother's death. I need to get rid of it. 

I have some of the protein shakes (the vegetarian powder ones) that I need to use, and I'll probably use this next week to clean out my system a bit. I not only fell off the wagon, I rather jumped off whole-hog. 

And I'm feeling it. Not happy, sluggish, the "fat pants" are back out. I really think I need to ditch those once the weight comes off. Let's face it: if I know they're in the closet, I always have something to wear, right? If they're not there, I have to pay attention to myself, which I haven't been doing. 

Since it appears that I'm going to Florida to our club's Convention, I really would like to go there healthier. Slimmer wouldn't kill me either, but just healthier would be nice. 

African Violet

I'm trying my hand at propagation again. No, not PROCREATION - propagation like I used to do with African Violets. I trimmed up the one in the office and I had 2 good leaves. Didn't want them to go to waste, so I clipped them, rigged up my little "propagator" device and we'll see what happens. I have several of the Texas Pots - they're a self-watering pot that works very well with the Violets. They've got fuzzy leaves, so it's important to water from the bottom. 

The Texas Pots have 2 parts and seem to handle the vagaries of this plant particularly well. I have enough sunny windows at the campus to have these in quite a few places, so why not?

The one that's blooming right now is a dark purple, very pretty. If this works out, we'll have 2 little clones. 

Way back in the dark ages, I used to grow and exhibit them. So propagation was a way of life; I always had a shelf of leaves sprouting. It's taking me back, but in a good way. It'll be nice to raise seedlings again. 

Random Picture...

Husky-cat

Not that this post hasn't been full of random pictures. Raisa's in heat. Finally. It's gross and messy, but I think the importance of the hormones will be seen later on in her life. 

Yesterday, she actually was contemplating getting all 4 legs up onto the bird's table. You could see the gears turning in her head. 

Unfortunately, Kid #2 gave Hubby a harmonica. And of course, Raisa sings to harmonicas. Loudly. And piercingly.

I told them both yesterday that I was taking away all the noisy toys. Then I asked Kid #2, "What were you THINKING???" 

At least he admits that the idea seemed "like a good one at the time." But not so much in real life, right?

Anyway, it's after Easter, so we're into "relax" mode for church, and I can just chill out this weekend. Maybe it'll finally be time where I can mark The Pink Sock at 100% and get them all done! That would be cool.