Not Sure Where...

...the time went!  Hubby and I just had our 19th anniversary. It seems like "forever" and then it seems like "forever and a day" -- during good times and bad, right? We don't make a "big do" out of anniversaries. For one, our schedules are insane. And we have 3 dogs. And he has a 4 a.m. wake-up call... And my schedule can vary to where I'm either working all day, working the evening shift or coming home from work, grabbing a cheese stick and heading out to teach yoga. 

Cranes

But we did do a little something. We bought some cranes. I will say I'm disappointed. Menard's has these "two in a box" with one SKU number... but they charge you FOR EACH even though the tag didn't say that. It was a bummer. But anyway, this is what's in the front garden now. 

Eventually, there will be gravel there; we're working on it. 

We did cranes for a specific reason. Cranes are in it for life. Once they pick a partner, they're done. We've had some hard times, and rough starts. But we keep re-starting. We keep working at this thing called marriage. He's my rock. I don't tell him that enough. 

I am always amazed that he's as crazy about me as he says he is. Why is that so hard? Well, I don't think I'm alone - it's a human thing, and probably more of a female-thing. I don't ever think I'm "enough." Pretty enough; slim enough; happy enough; you get the idea. 

But he's shown me that "in good times and bad; in sickness and health" really does have meaning. Deep, abiding meaning. 

And for that, a pair of cranes just doesn't seem to do it. But he understands. 

Happy Anniversary, Dear!!

Crappy Mow Job...

Sounds like a really bad porn movie, right?? Well, where I work, I'm next to an empty lot. It's owned by a company who owns a LOT of empty lots in our county. And the village where I work is VERY particular that you keep your property mowed. 

Last year, I had lots of fighting on my hands because they also own the lot on the other side of my building and I had a huge influx of "critters" due to their lack of maintenance. 

Imagine how happy I was to see the mowers. 

Then look at this. Really??? I could've bought a herd of goats or alpaca and the grass would've looked MUCH better than this. Plus, I'd have gotten yarn AND fertilizer out of the bargain, too... 

I suppose I should just say, "Okey-dokey - not my problem." And really, it's not. And the bug guy will be happy to see this. He's coming out next week. He was gracious enough last year to give me a second spray for free because of the "new tenants" I kept seeing for a few weeks last year. 

And -- there's good news. My Coral Bells have come back!! I bought these at the end of the season, for 99-cents at the local Ace hardware. That was after deer ate the petunias. The pansies. The lamb's ear. Apparently, they don't like Coral Bells. 

Coral Bells

But bees do. And these will throw off some lovely tall white-flowered spires later on. 

I would've sworn they had died off. Those concrete planters are on the north side of the campus, and after all the brutal winter weather, I figured I was going to have to hike off for more plants. 

But lookee!!! I'm so excited!

I had them for years on the north side of my house, but in a bucket, sort of on the northeast side where they got a little more light. They're lovely flowers and if you can pick some up, do so. They come in a couple different varieties and with luck, they last several years. 

Detente...

Quinn & Raisa

Quinn and Raisa have come to a detente. As you can see, we no longer have exclusive rights to the couch. Well, we do, but we all know that it's too adorable when they want to sit there, especially together. 

For a while, we knew it was going to be a long process. Our patience has been rewarded. They've begun to play together more, and while we're still watchful, it's nice to see them developing a friendship. They make very good walking partners, as Tippi doesn't like to move fast and Quinn's a speedy little stinker. Raisa is the one who can not only keep up with her but probably outlast her. 

Raisa has become quite the vocalist. Every morning, I get a wake-up woooooooooo and every day when I come home, I get the Welcome Home Song. That's in addition to the "The Elkhounds are Singing, So I'm Doing Harmony" song and the "The Harmonica is Playing" song and our very favorite: "The Happy Toast" song. I'll have to get some of them on video. The other day when I was playing guitar, she started in, too, so maybe we'll have a "special screening" of her accompanying me. What a goof-ball she is!

Raisa is also doing quite well in Obedience. At least in class! I think we'll get Intermediate done with and then have her spayed. That'll get her over the rest of the summer, I think. It'll be interesting to see if we can keep the Red Husk-Cat Ninja away from her incision. The tube we used on the Elkhounds isn't going to be enough for this contortionist. It looks like it may have to be The Cone of Shame. 

That ought to be interesting. 

Sock KAL...

Sock KAL

So you know the Sock KAL is going along well. Sock #1 was done in a record 13 days. Yep. Thirteen days. By me. 

Go ahead. Fan yourself. My needles were practically on fire. I'm taking it a little more slowly on Sock #2, but Sock #1 won't have long to wait. Why is it that 1x1 ribbing takes forever??? Elizabeth Zimmerman used to say, "Knit the ribbing till you just about can't stand it, and then it's long enough." It works great on sweaters, but socks pretty much have to match. 

Except these won't exactly match. The construction will be the same, but I didn't want to waste the yarn to find the area closest to the beginning of Sock #1. It's a yarn that I'm not sure I can find again, and honestly, it's the same hank. If you're going to be that critical, then knit your own socks the way you want them. 

Isn't it enough that I'm knitting my own socks? I don't mean to be cranky, but occasionally on the knitting discussion sites, there are the "matchy" people and I don't happen to think that there's a strict rule about matching. Some yarns are really easy to match - I've seen some stunning, gorgeous, MATCHING socks. However, at least in my mind, if you have a ball of yarn that makes a pair, use it. Deal with the fact that even if you DID manage to find the starting point, unless you're doing 2 at a time, they're not going to be exact anyway. Every day you knit, you knit differently. Your state of mind, the weather, how you slept, how your hands feel... All of that impacts your knitting. My granny was a stickler for tension, so I'm usually ok with that, but as far as matching these?

This would drive her nuts. But she wouldn't have knitted this anyway. She'd have done argyles. 

Spring...

Junk Drawer

Cleaning, first. I had a spare moment, so I dove into the Junk Drawer at work and got rid of a car-load of pens. I brought them home, because our house apparently devours pens in the night. It's a lot neater now. I keep the coffee machine money in there, and it was becoming a disaster area. 

Nothing big, right? But "spring cleaning" starts incrementally. At least for me it does!

I'm told that this is the Year of the Deck. Our back deck is pretty horrid and it needs to be replaced. I keep nagging suggesting that this be done sooner rather than later. I finally got an assurance that yes, this is the year it'll get done. Along with the gravel in the front bed, and cleaning up the south bed. The south bed is about 99% done anyway; we just have to get some landscape brick or other system to contain it and we'll be putting slate chips in there. It's too much to maintain a garden on that side, and it's muddy right now. I don't want to put grass all the way to the house, and Hubby thinks it's just an invite to mice. 

Pictures of any progress will follow. I promise. I don't think he'll let me do anything else. 

And... nothing says "spring" like the annual (sometimes 2x/year) pedicure! I should have waited, I guess, but I was able to get in on a day off, so I took advantage of it. It's a little spa down the way from my house, and they're very nice there. The technician and I spent most of the time discussing our dogs.

Spring Toes

The only thing I would say that I don't like is that there's not a huge array of colors to pick from. The spa across the way from my office is larger, and they're about the same price. With more colors.

I finally found some nice, dressy sandals that are comfortable and have support. They're a little "retro" but I like that. They're made by Earth, and I got them on sale at Zappos. 

I like the rose-red color of the polish, and it's pearlized. I like that better than the solids. I apologize in advance for the "winter white" skin, but that's about as good as it gets. I'm not a sun-bunny. I'm a firm believer in sunscreen, hats and staying in when it's the most likely to scorch me. 

Anyway, these sandals are going with me to our Zonta convention in Orlando. This June. Really. Orlando in June. Yeesh. Last time I went, it was San Antonio. In June. I gotta get somewhere more temperate!

Random Picture...

Stingray Toy

Raisa is a toy hog. Seriously bad, and we don't want to start a war. And most of them, she destroys. Or the squeakers drive us to distraction. 

This is a new one. The tail is already chewed (and it's rated 7-out-of-10 in "toughness"), but I expected that. What I like is that it's not only keeping her occupied, but the squeaker is there and quiet. So she gets her squeaks and we can hear ourselves think. 

It's from Fun Time Dog Shop, of course, and it's the "Ray-Ray Sting Ray" toy. Click on the link and browse. All profits go to rescues and you can pick from a very nice list she has. 

At some point, we're hoping to gradually go through the toy box and get rid of some of the more "loved" toys. If we put a few of them out there, then perhaps she'll share. If not, she's going to learn how to share anyway. 

She only THINKS she's in charge. But then again, every Siberian Husky does!

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...

Paying It Forward...

We all talk about "paying it forward." At least I hope we do. And we all like to think we're doing our bit to make our society a better place. 

At least I hope we do. 

But here's a guy who's put his wallet where his mouth is:  he paid up some kids' lunches in a local school after hearing about that school in Utah that tossed lunches for kids who had outstanding lunch ticket debt.

I love the comment he made: "These kids need to worry about the grade they get in spelling."

I wonder how many of us will take his lead and do something like this? It doesn't have to be a forever thing. It doesn't have to be EVERY kid... When we help one person, we create a ripple effect. So help one kid and pass this on to a friend. 

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/06/houston-man-pays-school-lunch-debts/

I don't normally post entire links, but I found the headline compelling, as I hope you do. If you are fortunate, you should feel easy enough to share your good with others. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pass this link on. The good that man did is really beyond compare. No, it's not finding the cure for cancer.

But maybe he helped a kid get lunch and THAT KID might be the one who finds that cure. 

I think I'm going to call our local grade school... we have a school that's pretty poor, and my kids went there - and got an excellent education, by the way! So maybe I can help another kid out...

Knitting...

Cup Cozy

Was going to go with the super-easy-instant-gratification cup cozy today at lunch, but it's been a busy day at work. Suffice to say that I've got about 1" more on it. And about 40 more rows on the Nephew Afghan. I'll be working on that one tonight. 

Sad news at Le Mouton Rouge Knittery... She was robbed! The good news is that they did catch the young man. The bad news is that it happened at all. I hope that the young man wakes up -- he's headed down a very wrong path.

The afghan pic is my "super-lovely yarn bowl." Also known as one of my steel mixing bowls. You can get cutesy, but when you're working with what's essentially "bulky" yarn, you go with efficiency, right? This is the last 2 hanks and honestly, all kidding aside: I want this thing DONE. Where are the Yarn Fairies when you need them???

It's now too big to haul to my knitting group. I think I'll have to suss out one of the Second Socks to finish instead of taking this beast out. I believe I can lay my hands on them. Will look tonight. 

Free Yarn Bowl!

I have set aside the February Lady Sweater. I could bring that to knitting. It would probably help because I believe I'm at the juncture where I might need some expert help. But for right now, maybe a mindless sock is just about all I need. 

Angel...

I will often tell people, "I'll light a candle for you" when they need prayer or good thoughts. In the church we now attend, I can't figure out whether they actually USE the candle section!! And anyway, it's a small spot just inside the door, which to my mind isn't ideal. Heaven knows I don't want to burn the place down! I have never seen it lit, so I don't want to commit a churchy faux pas. 

So I have this angel. I usually will light this up. It's a lovely bit of stained glass I purchased - oh gosh - about 25 years ago?? Maybe more?? I can't remember. But she sits on my bookshelf. I don't use her as a night light. But I do use her as my "prayer light."

It's a little hard to see from this angle, but she has a pearly white body, her wings are all rainbow-y when she's lit or in the light, and her head is a faceted crystal. 

So if you ever need prayers, let me know - and I'll turn on the angel for you. 

Honestly, some folks feel all quibby about "prayers" - because perhaps they are private about their own beliefs; they have no specific church; they're atheists - no matter what. It's just a thing. 

Myself, I've found lately that "you have my prayers" makes me uncomfortable. I feel better telling someone that I'm holding them in my thoughts. 

This little angel is a good way to hold someone in those thoughts. Every time I see her in my home office, I pause and think about someone. 

I have a Himalayan salt candle in my work office. Not only is it good for the air (removing impurities) but it also takes a little tea light, which takes about 4 hours to burn through - I don't have to worry about inadvertently leaving a candle burning when I leave. I light that every day I'm in the office. It serves as a reminder to stop and think of people or even stop and breathe. 

Whatever works - that's the way I feel about it. What are your devices to remember people and acknowledge them? I would be interested to hear about them. 

Weather...

Baby, it's COLD outside!

Yes, it's cold. Yes, this is a cheesy dash-temp shot at 8:44 a.m. today. And yes, we're in for more on Saturday. And of course I work. I worked LAST Saturday and the instructor called the class off. After I got there. But it was actually a good thing I was there, because one of the HVAC units on the roof had fizzled and the back of the campus was about 50*. Great for August. Not so great when it's 1* outside!! 

So this weekend, Saturday will again be the big snow. Well, "will be ANOTHER BIG SNOW" is probably the better way to put it. 

This time, I will check my work e-mail -- last week, I was thinking that our school would cancel classes. Silly me... I also gave the instructor my cell phone number. Hopefully, (a) the class won't be cancelled; or (b) I'll know about it before I drive out there!

I am waiting for the temps to be a tad more... well, temperate! I loaned my cross-country skis to my friend G - she wants to get back into it and I can't ski for crap. I love to snow shoe, and if it gets a little less chilly - i.e. you can breathe without freezing your lungs - perhaps Hubby and I can get out onto one of the easier trails. 

I would do it, by the way, WITHOUT the dogs. I'm still building back my endurance, which may seem strange to you what with all that yoga training. But these heart meds - they're making it harder for me to get my heart rate up (a good thing for arrhythmia but a bad thing when you get chilled outside; it's harder to warm up) and they've sucked my endurance out the window. At least this way, we won't have the Three Beasts dragging us in search of deer. 

In point of exercise, by the way, I have pulled the weighted hula hoop from behind my door. I can only do the thing for about 2 or 3 minutes. But it's also got knobs on the inside, so my ribs feel a bit "pummeled" when I get done. I'm trying to move more and perhaps this will help in the long run. 

And speaking of that, I've renewed my commitment to a "cleaner" diet way of eating. If I use better language, it helps me stay on track!! The reason this is appropriate here is because the "clean-up" involves lots of salads! And it's cold outside. 

I'm craving mac & cheese and butternut squash soup. Not kale salad. But - I went into a comfort-food tailspin this summer and I need to drag myself, kicking and screaming, out of it. 

The worst part is the first part because it's just dumping the sugar. You don't realize how much sugar you really eat! But I'm hanging in there and I know it'll pay off in more energy, better "numbers" during my check-ups and frankly, yeah: I'll weigh a lot less. When I weigh less, I hurt less. Believe me, it's only partly vanity. The other part is just being fed up with hurting. Arthritis - at least at this stage - is a "hidden" ailment. I just hurt. A lot. And it's no fun. 

I mean, I know people have it a lot worse than I do. I can still shovel snow. I can still do a lot of yoga. I can still knit, play guitar, walk without assistance - crikey, I'm VERY lucky. I have all of my original joints. But I want to be better. I want to get back to being able to do stuff with Hubby without him worrying that I'm going to keel over. 

And I'd like to take a Level 2 yoga class - of course I still can't invert, but a nice flow yoga sequence would be good. 

Autherine Lucy...

Autherine Lucy

I found this as part of a FB page I manage. I try to put something up there every day or so on Women's History and today we have a two-fer - Ms. Lucy was the first black student admitted to the University of Alabama. She was expelled because she accused administrators of conspiring in riots. Hers was a court-ordered admittance. She did not go back right away, but later did earn a Master's Degree.

The point of this is that there are "rights" and these rights should not be viewed through the lens of race, the lens of gender, or the lens of anything else you can see. 

Women's rights are essentially HUMAN rights. The recent "anniversary" and sturm-und-drang about Roe v. Wade is OLD NEWS, folks. As Kid #2 asked, "Didn't you fight that fight?" - and he can't see why there's such a determination to overturn a lawful decision of SCOTUS. To be honest, no, I didn't fight that fight. I was in high school. A Catholic high school, to boot. But I have taught the boys to use their brains and to see that really, each person should be able to make his or her own health decisions. When you're part of a couple, it's reasonable to expect that you would certainly discuss this with your partner.

But really - I don't want anyone else in my uterus. 

My personal feeling? (I know y'all are waiting for it...) If you want to overturn a decision of SCOTUS, how'z about that Citizens United ruling? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? We get all that Koch Kash out of our elections??? 

There's a thought. 

Random Picture...

This is a card that I bought for a fundraiser for John Nelsen Moosedog Rescue Fund. It's made by Mandy Smithers - Google her, she makes fantastic cards!!

Anway, this is what I plan to do tonight. In between rows of the Nephew Afghan!

I bought a couple of these and used one for a thank-you note for a gift Tippi got from one of our therapy partners. 

Mandy's cards are suitable for any occasion and they're works of art in and of themselves. I'm going to frame the extra one I bought. Pink is Tippi's color. Each dog has her color. Quinn's is red and Raisa's is purple. 

The cards are blank inside for your own sentiment. Help out a woman-owned enterprise if you're interested in some special cards!

It's New Year's Eve...

...and so we look at a new year. Do you make resolutions? Is this the best time, because I've heard more and more folks say that September (when schools start) feels more like "New Years" to them? 

Are resolutions passe? Is it a good idea to just chuck it and not worry about them? Are you setting yourself up for failure?

I don't know. Any of that. Though I do tend to agree that September feels more "beginning" than January. In academia, January is technically "spring." Which would be nice except we're set for somewhere between 3 - 8" of snow, and it's currently 9* out there... It "feels like" (new-speak for "windchill factor") -2*... and it's deceptive. That darned sun - what there is of it, since it's now clouding up - makes you think "it can't be all that bad." So far, the wind is just about 5 mph - it'll get colder as the day wanes. 

We have a "Winter Weather Advisory" according to my Weather Channel app on the phone. From 4 p.m. this afternoon till 10 a.m. Wednesday - snow. "Use caution while driving." Yep. Welcome to winter, folks!

I think my resolution this year is going to be simple. Just breathe. Just keep breathing. I've been told (by more than one person) that despite being a yogini for 8 or 9 years, I'm still "a little tightly wound." Well, frankly, 2013 turned into a bit of a bummer later in the year. 

Loved France. Loved losing the weight I needed to lose. Didn't love the youngest sibling dying and having to deal with the resultant crap. Didn't love stress eating, which caused some of that hard-fought weight to come gleefully back. 

Breathe. In. Out. Repeat.

Anyway... Let's discuss a few things.

But before that -- I just glanced out the window because Elkhound Security, Inc. just let loose. Why on EARTH does my neighbor across the street have a child's car seat on the porch? Don't they get the weather forecast?? Makes you wonder. 

Reading...

FINALLY finished Persuasion - we all know that Anne gets Frederick in the end. Jane Austen is the queen of happy endings, usually. Also finished one of her partial novels, and I'm working my way through the Kindle version of Sanditon. The set-up is a bit wonky and there are Random capital Letters indicating Important things that are Driving me crazy, since it's very odd that an Author would do such a thing; at least now-a-days. 

Jane died, if my math is right, at age 42. She left practically nothing, having instructed her sister Cassandra to burn everything. Sadly, Cassandra did just that. 

Anyway, I'm also interspersing that with a variety of other things, like the local newspaper and some magazines. I haven't decided which book is up next. 

I have 2 Barnes & Noble gift cards. I am not sure what to get, because the one book I'd really like, they don't carry. But I have some options. I'm going to be shopping with them at some point. 

Nephew Afghan

Knitting...

Yay - found the Nephew Afghan! Well, I knew it could only be one or two places, and my office is kind of a rat-hole right now. But I did find it, and I'm working on it today. Got to the second set of balls - it's an 8-ball afghan, but it's doubled, so that's 16 balls. Taken from an "8-hour afghan" book, this is likely to be more than 8 hours, since those are baby-sized. This is one of the patterns that they've actually sized for a larger (40" x 46") afghan. 

Remember, this is in Encore, in two colors for this purpose. I know that one of the rooms in his house is navy blue. I also know that another one is taupe-ish. This should fit in either room. I don't care where he puts it, as long as his wife-to-be doesn't give it to the dogs to be their blankie. I admit, I might not know this, but it would certainly annoy me. 

The local PBS station is doing a Mystery Marathon, and that's great knitting TV. Just have to watch with those doubled strands that when you look up, you are still knitting with 2 strands. I've frogged a few stitches till I get back to being used to working with 2 strands at once. 

I'll alternate some other work. I guess if I had to have a resolution, it would be the same one: finish some WIPs. My mother's cross-stitch angel would be at the top of that list, but I am not sure where to put her since she's huge. 

So today is relaxing and knitting. Tomorrow is laundry. I'm sitting with my favorite tea mug, in my knitting chair (or at least I will be once I'm done here), and just having an actual "vacation" day during this, my vacation! I doubt that I'll see much of the PBS mysteries - I like to try to get up and fiddle around every 20 minutes or so, and so a lot of these mysteries are just background noise. 

Politics...

Well, lookee there:  The LA Times says that the Affordable Care Act enrollment numbers are "sharply up" in December. And even Fox (NOT)News is now calling it by its proper name since it looks to be working.

And God knows, we can't have anything work that has President Obama's name attached to it. 


And according to the Chicago Tribune, all those rich folks looking for tax shelters? Well - they don't even have to leave the USA. Just look toward South Dakota. Bloomberg has the story, too. Perhaps it's naive of me, but for God's sake: Can't we actually make rich people pay taxes?? That would help our deficit immensely. As well, let's put corporations back in their rightful place as TAX-PAYING entities. Not people. Because they're not. Corporations can shape-shift and change the essence of their being. Humans can't. 

If they did, I'd shape-shift to be about 4" taller and 20-30 lbs. thinner. 

Let's also dream big and suggest that there be a "head tax" on corporations. You, Mr. or Ms. Corporation, must pay the US government a percentage of what it would cost you in federal taxes (ah, heck - let's let the states get in on this action, too) for every job you shift overseas. Since, overseas, you don't pay benefits, we think that you should contribute SOMETHING to our citizens. Since you laid them off in the first place.

Hey, it's the new year. A person can dream, right?

Dogs...

So - we have a list of potential names for Dolly. But she has to pass the sniff test. That will, hopefully, be on Sunday. Fingers (and paws) crossed that we're not totally nuts and that the girls will appreciate the addition. It's usually up to the dogs, funny enough. Don't want to stress anyone, and there'll be peace in the house if everyone gets along. We expect a few spats, but I don't want a full-out war. 

A friend of mine who's a long-time dog expert says that since Dolly's about 12 weeks old, the girls (one age 6 and one age 3) shouldn't feel threatened. 

And for your enjoyment, a little video. I did a "dog toy purge" and got rid of the toys which had had multiple rounds of surgery to repair them. Then, we did the After-Christmas Sale at Fun Time Dog Shop. Again - I highly recommend shopping there!! It's an online shop. Everything is tested by Gunny, the Tester-In-Chief! And everything is sourced appropriately; you won't find melamine-laced treats at FTDS. To top off all of this goodness, you have the choice of about a dozen rescue and research organizations at check-out. Fully 100% of their profits go to rescue. Good deal all around!

Please do check out the grunting hedgehog toys. They're adorable and our girls love them. 

So we got a replacement for a toy Quinn trashed and picked up 3 new ones. Tippi got hold of the snowman before I even got the tags off. Quinn tried to steal it. And then, this video from this morning - Tippi got hold of the pine tree. The long pauses aren't your video buffering. They're Tippi. She likes to contemplate in between bouts of "killing" the tree. Enjoy!

I'm sure we'll be getting some more toys if we do have success with the "doggie data exchange" this weekend. Have to keep you all posted. 

Food...

For some odd reason, the cookie situation worked out. We have neither too many nor too few cookies. We seem to have a boat-load of Aunt Mary B's Oatmeal Cookies and Carrot Cookies. Also, plenty of Carrot-Poppyseed cake (which is going to church this Sunday...). I don't think I'll be making that again. Kid #2 has requested the Double-Chocolate Banana Bread. He liked it. 

Fave Mug

And as far as Christmas Eve, all our food seems to have been 'just enough' this time around. I think we're getting the hang of it.

Today, I'm having soup. We pulled it out of the freezer, we'll have cornbread or something, and we're just not stressing. The kitchen is clean and I aim to keep it that way for New Year's Day! I'm finishing up the leftover ravioli in the fridge and I hope to keep the habit I've developed of just not "munching" all day. 

I should put out some critter food and some more birdseed. The birds are really enjoying what I've got out there. Well, if I don't get to it today, I can do it tomorrow. I'm more worried about Kid #2 going out in the potential weather.

Call me a worry-wart. He's only going to a party in the neighborhood, and yes, I trust him. But it still worries me. What can I say? Maternal over-drive?

Back to food... One of the coolest things I have ever purchased from Ikea (and I will say that I haven't purchased much from there) has been a pair of cheese-grater-container thingies. I just spent about 15 minutes grating a whacking-big hunk of Romano Cheese with this thing. It's oval; has a lid and TWO grater lids: one fine and one coarse. I bagged up most of the cheese, dated it and froze it. I've left a little knob of it in the Deli container in our fridge so that we can use it fresh. The container itself has a no-slip strip on the bottom and it works really nicely. Kid #2 said he was going to do that, but I figured that as long as I was finishing up the ravioli, I'd grate it. 

Random Picture...

Timer

I deliberately haven't said much about my Christmas gifts. Not because I got the crown jewels or anything. I just didn't want to be all "I got this; I got that" about it. But one thing Kid #1 is lusting over is this. I have a timer on my stove. I have a timer on the microwave, except I can't figure out how to make it work. I also have two double-sided timers -- one side of each works, so I suppose you could say that I have one "whole" one - in two colors. I've gone through timers like crazy lately. So I asked Hubby to get me "a decent timer" for Christmas. 

This is what he came up with, and he got me 3 of them. They have a magnet, so even though I have a stainless steel fridge (it won't stick), I did get it stuck on the range hood. And anyway, I can set the thing on the counter during my baking sprees. Kid #1 just wanted one of them. I guess I know what I can get him for his birthday! 

It has a rather odd ring to it - rather deep and "rattle-y" instead of sharp. That's ok. I can hear it. And if it croaks, I have 2 more to use. 

My New Year's wish for you is in several parts:

   May you have a year filled with peace and happiness;

            May you experience your journey with an open mind and an open heart;

May 2014 bring you, in the words of St. Francis, "peace and all good."

Who Knew?

I'm sorry I was gone for a while. I had a couple of intense workshops back-to-back, and while I've just seen another which is tempting, I'm kind of "workshopped-out" and not only that, my budget needs a break.

So. Who knew? I'm not a big fan of George Carlin, but here is something I really should have known because I do know that most comics are extremely intelligent. You can't be stupid and do good comedy. Sure, he's mostly known for his "7 Words" schtick, but here, he nails EXACTLY what has happened to society and how we've become even more inhumane toward others. Watch the clip here, and I apologize for the poop commercial. Just skip that one. George had nothing to do with that, though I'm sure he'd have seen the humor in it...

Knitting...

Frogged Teal Sock #2 because somehow, the 3 knitted row start to the cuff ended up on the wrong side. I want the knit side to show, not the purl side. Luckily, I only had the cuff and a few rows of the leg done. So I frogged it and now it's sitting wound up waiting for the yarn to relax. 

I will not be knitting tonight, likely - I'm teaching the Yin class. 

I will probably start another pair of socks. I normally don't do that till I have a pair, but I do want to make some headway. I will also likely bring the Fluffy Scarf stuff home today; maybe THAT is all I'll want to knit tonight after yoga. I've got to get those rolling; I'm about 50% done with the project.

Politics...

See George Carlin above... 

Also, I have a beef. (Well, one among many.) I truly, truly, TRULY despise Freaky Freddie and his Westboro Whackos. However. The Supreme Court has upheld his right to speak. 

The reason I even mention his name is that, in Monday's Chicago Trib, someone has decided to sue their local public library. Because of porn. Well, it's not even her LOCAL library. The quote that got me was this one:

"Who do they think they are?"

Let's look at that, shall we? THEY are the PUBLIC library. The one that all of us pay for in our tax bills. The place where the censors should not enter. 

They've been sued over this issue before. The plaintiffs didn't win. The Chicago-based American Library Association even backs this particular library. As does current case law, specifically because there is no precise legal definition of pornography. The "I'll know it when I see it" thing doesn't work here. It can't. Because I might find a picture of a woman in a bikini "offensive" when it's a shot of Frankie and Annette (look it up if you don't know who I'm talking about) back in the '50s in "Beach Blanket Bingo." 

There's a case in Virginia where the court found that Internet filters on all public library computers were unconstitutional. And let's look at removing "Satanic" books... There was a 1982 case where the SCOTUS said it was unconstitutional to remove books after the public had access to them. 

That darned Constitution. 

This woman's complaint is that the last time she was in there, she saw 3 different men at 3 different computers viewing porn. According to the library, the adult section is not near the kid's section. Children under 18 can't log onto the computers in the adult lab, and the library has privacy screens on the computers, so passers-by can't see what anyone else is doing. I've seen those kinds of screens, and you mostly have to be standing directly behind someone, looking straight-on at the screen. There are also filters in the kids' area which prevent them from looking up inappropriate stuff. 

However... I think that perhaps this library could put partitions up to more fully enclose the adult area. It seems that it's more open than maybe it should be. 

I don't like porn. I think it's degrading to women. And I feel like I know it when I see it, but I recognize that that concept won't hold water. And yes, whether I like it or not, if you want to view porn on the library computer, you have that right.

Just like I have the right to NOT view porn if I want. Because we both pay taxes for our library district. 

At the end of the article, the woman said, "If they had (apologized) to me, they would not be in this position right now." 

Really? Something's not sitting right. You're offended so long as you get a big strong library district to apologize. Then what? The issue is pretty much a done deal; people will look at things you will find offensive. It sounds as if this library district might make some small tweaks to the location of their adult computer lab, but let's be realistic in this day and age of smaller and smaller budgets. 

The complaining woman has to get over it and move on to the kids' section, where she says she was headed anyway.

I will tell you that I once complained to my HR director about a screen saver one of our salesmen had on his computer. It was a "Sports Illustrated Swimsuits" screensaver, and while it wasn't explicitly pornographic, my issue was more that the "bullpen" where our sales staff sat was directly in view of visitors and current and/or potential customers. The last thing you want to do is lose a customer -- and that's a valid reason for prohibiting that kind of thing where it's "open and notorious" to use a legal turn of phrase.

Food...

Losing several pounds, thankfully. I think that the darkness has something to do with it. You almost have this primitive need to "pack on pounds" because of some latent "caveman" thing where you maybe won't eat for the next several weeks... I can do without that impulse, thanks! 

Losing the Halloween candy helped... 

Haven't finalized the Thanksgiving menu yet, but since we hold ours the Sunday before, I know I have to get on it. It's going to be ham and a turkey, with mostly the usual sides. Just a matter of who's doing what. 

Random Picture...

Shower Cake

There will be two of them today. One is the shower cake I made for my great-nephew's arrival several years ago. Yes, I went nuts; yes, those were his nursery colors. And yes, since I found that my nephew and his wife loved Jelly Bellys - I bought them in those colors for table favors. In case you want to know, yes, you can get Jelly Bellys in TONS of flavors and colors. These were chocolate, coconut, pear and tangerine. 

You make perfect circles by using an old pill-jar from the pharmacy. And you freehand the monkey off her "wish list" and hope for the best! 

It was a fun shower, even including "Pin the Sperm On the Egg." You had to be there. My sister is a nurse. They are all weird...

The other is my Tippi and her Gallatin Bear. She was taking a nap and wanted a pillow. You can obtain your very own Gallatin Bear from Fun Time Dog Shop and 100% of the profits from the sale will go toward a rescue agency you get to pick at checkout. 

Tippi naps

Hey - Christmas is for pets, too. And FTDS deserves a shameless plug. They have lots of things for pets and people, and Sarah, the proprietor, sources things that are good for your dogs. You won't find melamine-laced stuff here... Nosirree - she makes sure that the toys are as sturdy as she can find and that the treats are exceptionally good for your pets. 

I have a large-ish selection of leashes for Tippi for her therapy gigs. The kids love them and I like knowing that I'm not supporting some nameless, faceless corporate giant. I'm supporting rescue. My favorite breed.

On a grey day like this, a grey dog having a nap is a warm fuzzy. 

I have a spare Bear in her Therapy Bag. Lucky for me, (a) it's dark brown; and (b) it's washable. She gets to play with it in between visits. The cream one is at home. It's not indestructible, but it's lasted quite a while. I think they like it more as a pillow than a toy!