History -- (HERstory)

History was made twice yesterday: once locally and once nationally. 

Yesterday, Fermilab here in IL appointed its 7th director: the first woman to run the lab. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is located in Batavia, and it's the leading particle physics lab in the US. It was established in 1967. Lia Merminga is a physicist and will assume her duties this month. 

And yesterday, women all across the United States celebrated the confirmation of the newest Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. She will be sworn in this summer. She is the first black female justice on the court. She is incredibly qualified, which means the GQP had a stroke during her confirmation hearings and acted like a squad of petulant two-year-olds who were constipated and deprived of naps for several days. 

I didn't watch the hearings (I've got to watch my blood pressure), but I followed things in the Chicago Tribune, hardly the bastion of the liberal press (if such a thing actually exists anymore, anyway, what with all the news congolmerates). That was enough to keep me sleepless, if I wasn't already suffering from insomnia. 

Ted (Cancun) Cruz is living proof, by the way, of "the bottom of the class." He and Justice Brown Jackson were classmates at Harvard. And Ted, being...Ted... asked some of the most incredibly stupid questions ever. The entire process, to quote Susan Collins (yeah, I know, right?) "is broken." It was all about scoring points and demeaning her, waiting for her to break, kind of like Frat Boy "I Like Beer" Brett K... Of course, if she'd have shown one scintilla of emotion, they'd have all crowed, "Oh, look, such a snowflake - she has NO JUDICIAL TEMPERAMENT."

And yet, Frat Boy, literally screamed during his hearings. Hmmmm. I wonder what's different about THIS nominee? Any guesses?

And I was thinking about this last night... I read somewhere where someone called her "Notorious KBJ" and while that's perhaps a nice tribute to "Notorious RBG" and it's almost as alliterative, I would suggest to NOT call her that. 

Allow her the dignity of her own tenure, and her own moniker. She will be forging a path that Justices O'Connor and Ginsburg started to pave, and Justice Brown Jackson will put her own spin on it. So let her acquire her own appellation on her own merit. 

The Knitting...

The Secret Project proceeds apace. Zooming along (as much as one can zoom along) with Seed Stitch, on the final bit of this piece. 

I can't remember if I showed you this one, so if I did, I'm sorry... This is a cowl, crocheted in Urchin Stitch (I've also seen it called "Star," but my book called it the other name). I love that stitch; it's easy to memorize, and has a lovely rhythm to it. You can truly buzz along with this. I did crochet this flat, and wove the ends in. It's a Lion Brand Mandala cake, the color called "Sprite." 

I like this cowl; it can be worn several ways, and it's washable acrylic - but cozy. It makes a fairly drapey fabric for crochet (which to me is usually always a bit stiffer than knitting). 

I could be wrong on that; I haven't done any fine crochet. I know my grandma did doilies with what was called "crochet cotton," and she must have crocheted them because she didn't knit much. She could -- she taught me. But I always remember her crocheting. She did knit some booties in very fine yarn, but they were never completed. For all I know, she was playing with a pattern. She never knitted or crocheted to a written pattern. I remember asking her about one once, and she said, "I have no idea - I can't read those..." She was taught visually and orally. I still can't figure out her waffle stitch, no matter how much I've researched and tried to "read" her crochet. 

I have a close-up of the stitch so you can see it. I seriously think this is such a cool one to use in just about anything: baby stuff to adult
accessories. I haven't used it with a really busy yarn, though. I suppose it would obscure the detail a bit, depending on the yarn. 

This colorway is a pastel rainbow and I normally prefer a softer blend from one color to the other, but in this case, the straight line demarcation works. One could wear each color in the front as the color fits the outfit. Or it wouldn't matter -- either way. 

I probably would do another one. This is a DK weight yarn, and it worked up super-quick. I have plenty of it in stash, too. It's a nice, mindless project that can be put in the gift-stash for a person who's worth it. 

Knit-Worthy...

Let's discuss "knit-worthy." We all know what that means, and I've heard non-knitting friends use it too. One of my quilter friends uses the term to decide who gets one of her works of art. 

I have a few friends who are knit-worthy. Others, even though they admire the knitting, I can tell that they would be all, "Oh, isn't this nice?" with that tone of voice which suggested "how can I get rid of this and never wear it?" 

Those of us who craft a lot know that tone. I learned the hard way. I spent a lot of time on a wedding announcement that I had cross-stitched for a couple. They opened it up at the shower, and the bride looked at me, blinked a couple times, and said, "Oh. That's nice." 

Now, I didn't expect a brass band, or a parade, but even my MOTHER leaned over and said, "Well, that's not exactly a ringing thank you, is it?" 

I've become picky in who gets my knitting or my needlework. It's a lot of time and a lot of money, quite frankly. Especially the needlework, which is often framed. Framing isn't cheap. 

But so far, now that I'm more discerning, my heart gets broken a little less. 

Random Picture...

We got new awnings! After about 8 years, the awnings on our building were looking a bit shabby. So the landlord decided to replace all of them. In December, we had some pretty horrid wind storms and the few awnings which were intact ended up being torn. Then February and March -- sideways winds of 60 mph+ - it was pretty scary! 

One morning, the parking lot was filled with trucks, and there was a flatbed rumbling next to the rear exit. Guys on ladders took down all the awnings...which was kind of funny - had to tell my students to "tune in to your breathing and draw your attention inward" while workmen were clambering up and down ladders with power wrenches taking down the metal awning frames!

A few weeks later, these beauties were installed. The whole plaza looks so neat and spiffy. 

It's so nice to have a great landlord! 

Looking for yoga but not ready to come into a studio? 

We have Zoom options. 

Contact us at info@just-breatheyoga.com or text/call (815) 546-2770 to find the class that best suits you. 

If you're in the Will County, IL area, we're starting workshops again! Keep an eye on the website for the Chakra workshop, FACE YOGA (Yes, it's a thing!) and Upper Back Health workshop, as well as the Ocean of Devotion coming back soon. 

Private sessions (in-person or Zoom), small group classes (in-person or Zoom) and all our classes are open for drop-ins. 

Winning at Yarn Chicken...

So the Secret Project deadline has been pushed up. No stress here. Nope. Nada. (Ha) 

Like pushed up by MONTHS, not just weeks. And here I am, blogging when I should be knitting my fingers off. To be honest, I've been knitting on this project since I came home from my haircut and a grocery run (about noon)... so there's that. 

I was already playing yarn chicken with the second section of StSt (stockinette stitch). Thankfully, this time, I won the Yarn Chicken game, seeing as this yarn was custom-dyed for this particular project. I'm not sure that the person who did it could duplicate it if I needed another hank of the same. 

For non-knitters, "Yarn Chicken" is when you have a specific amount of knitting and you're not sure whether you'll have enough yarn to finish the knitting. Sometimes you do, which means you've "won" the Yarn Chicken game. Sometimes, you don't. Then, you've lost. You have a few options here: you can tink back and re-tweak the pattern so that it works (say you've got a shawl and you lengthened it -- you can take it back a bit and just have a slightly shorter shawl). Or you can order more yarn, hoping that what you get is the same dye lot (this is where your LYS can be helpful more than the online world). 

In my knitting history, I've usually lost Yarn Chicken. I came close twice - like, literally had 3" of yarn left on a project. And I've had to do my share of tinking (a knitting term, which is "knit" spelled backward: to rip back your knitting). 

As you can see from the picture above, I clearly won Yarn Chicken by a pretty huge margin. Since this is sock-weight yarn, that little bundle will go into my "Oddments" bag for an eventual pair (or two) of FrankenSocks. Otherwise known as Scrappy Socks. 

I'm on the last section of the Secret Project, all Seed Stitch, which is mostly a pain in the butt. And it was worse because I had kept the seed stitch borders, as you can see in the picture. So I had to make it work when the seed stitch went all the way across - which it sort of didn't. Luckily, the colored yarn is so busy that unless you're right on top of it, you won't notice the two odd rows it took me to get the border straight. 

Once I block this out, I'm going to see if I need to line the StSt parts; right now, the border is causing it to curl like a sausage. And I didn't use a border on the ribbed part, which curls as per normal. Then the question becomes "what do you line it with?" I can't imagine this project being regularly washed, so I could use a silk, but I need to make sure that the fabric I line it with is stiff enough to hold the StSt part flat-ish. I mean, I want it to drape a bit, but not so much that it curls. And I don't want such a stiff fabric that it's hard to wear, or needs to be ironed and starched. You don't want to steam this to iron it! 

The Rest of the Knitting...

So after this, I want to do something totally different; a Baby Surprise Jacket. Remember that yarn that I showed you in the Bag of Yarn thing? Well, I got a darker blue which is kind of the "accent" to that. I could do a BSJ holding sock yarn doubled, and that would be cool. Or I could use the Baby Regia in another Breathe and Hope Shawl. You can see at the link that the pattern calls for yarns that are pretty opposite. I've done this with a deep blue and a fluorescent pink - and it looks great! It seems that the more opposite you go, the better this looks. 

I'm also going to start another pair of socks; I have singletons, but they're in patterns where using them as a "carry-along" spare-moments project wouldn't be a good idea. The spare-moments socks are the things you can jam into a bag and just mindlessly knit. I have at least 4 balls of Opal that's self-patterning. Those are the "spare-moments" kinds of yarns - you knit and the yarn does the work. 

And - I want to finish the Copland shawl which is about 1/3 of the way done. It's huge, so it's one of those "doesn't leave the house" kind of thing. I also have a Reyna on the needles. That's in a gorgeous silk-blend yarn, and I can't wait to see how that looks. 

I have so many shawls-in-progress...I have to figure out whether or not I'm giving them to people because I can't wear them all. Well, I probably could. If I wore a shawl every day. Which I could, technically. 

The Garden...

It was nice enough that I was able to move some pots around. Lately, winter hasn't been inclined to leave; this morning (April 1), there was snow on the ground. That's no April Fool's joke. 

Anyway, I was concerned that Hubby had put a pot on top of The Monster Bleeding Heart. Turns out I was right: so when I hauled that pot over on the other side of the house, I found this bit of The Monster coming up!  I was so happy and so relieved! See the bits in the circles? Those are the beginnings of my baby! Unfortunately, that larger bit was growing more than I thought, and it's a little bleached. And then we had snow...so I need to check to see if it's ok. 

The Icelandic Poppy is coming back nicely, as are the hyacinths. Everything else will come back as per usual, and I have to figure out what we're doing for vegetables this year. I think the usual herbs, and also tomatoes, romaine lettuce and perhaps radishes or carrots. Maybe this is the year that we get radishes instead of just lots of greens!

Honestly, I'm not sure how the summer will go. Will we be able to get out on our bikes? Will my hip cooperate? Will COVID cooperate? 

Random Picture...

Awhile back, oh, about DECEMBER, we got a notification that we were going to get a few Christmas cards, and a notification about Hubby's emissions test. And they never came. 

We'd been having a lot of difficulty with mail delivery: days when the computer showed we were getting things, and mail just never showed up. Days when mail didn't come till after dark. We missed at least one medical bill that I know of. 

We used to have a regular delivery person. But lately, they've all been random people. Look what showed up in the mail today...Merry Christmas! We honestly thought it was a joke. The envelopes looked like rabid bats had been chewing on them, and it's a good thing that one of the envelopes didn't have a gift card in it - because it was slit all the way open. 

Now, I get it. I want to blame the idiot that TFG put in place who closed post offices, removed drop boxes and was determined to just decimate the Postal Service. 

But I also know that in the US, 980,000 people died from Covid. Dead people can't work. So I'm trying to be patient. 

I don't know the solution to this. But something has to happen. We are at least in an urban area. Folks in more rural areas really are impacted by sketchy mail delivery, and of course, if you're one who relies on the mail for your prescriptions? Yikes...

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Reading and Cooking...

I need to get my act together. I need to get serious about getting healthy, particularly in light of the re-do of the PVI (pulmonary vein isolation, a/k/a cardiac ablation) and my hip injury, which has seriously impacted my physical activity. 

I spent about 3 hours yesterday listening to the replay of a workshop that I missed (what with my sister and all...) on hip labral tears. It was really interesting, and I'm eager to know more. 

And it's not that I want to go vegan. I love cheese too much, honestly. But I think if I can "partially" vegan it all, that might help. I do feel lighter when I eat less meat. 

I asked Kid #2 for the recipe for the bean salad we had when we were in Kentucky. Wrapped in sprouted or whole wheat tortillas, they were a great on-the-go lunch with an apple as we traveled. 

So here's my take on it. Vegans, feel free to add all the red/green/yellow peppers and red or yellow onions you want. 

THE BEAN SALAD:

1 (15 oz can) EACH: Garbanzo beans, kidney beans, black beans (your choice, but have at least 2-3 kinds)

1 (4 oz) can Yellow corn

3 stalks celery, chopped fine

1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced into chunks

1 small can EACH: sliced bamboo shoots and water chestnuts

1 bunch spring onions, chopped white parts and green parts

Penzey's Sunny Paris & Mural of Flavor spice blends, to taste

Salt & pepper

Field + Farmer Lemon Garlic Basil dressing (or your favorite vinaigrette)

Drain the canned veggies and rinse. Dump into a large bowl (I used a Rubbermaid bowl with a lid so I could shake it all together). Chop the celery fine, slice the spring onions, with the white part, and about 4-5 green ends chopped for spice and color. Add them to the bowl with the cucumber. 

Drizzle vinaigrette on the salad, add the salt, pepper and herb blends to taste. If you're using a lidded bowl, put the lid on and shake, shake, shake. 

NOTES: Refrigerate for best taste blending, but you can also eat this right away. Think about light and dark red kidney beans, canelli beans, Great Northerns, black-eyed peas, pinto beans...the combinations are pretty endless. 

Mushrooms: I had sauteed mushrooms, so I added them to my wraps.

Dressing: Don't drown this!!! Go light on the dressing and remember you can always add a teaspoon more. You can't take it away...at least not easily!

Original Version: The Kid uses red onions, yellow peppers, chopped parsley, sometimes chopped mint. Homemade vinaigrette, too. You could toss some previously cooked tofu in there if you have it handy. 

Tomatoes: I wouldn't, unless you have several people eating this. I'm the only one, so the tomatoes actually have too much water in them; by the time I get thru this salad, they'll be mush. 

Cheese or avocado: As you dish this up, chunk up an avocado and add it to the wrap, or if you're inclined, sprinkle on some shredded Asiago cheese. 

Other veggies: Go nuts... add leftover chunks of boiled potatoes. Add cooked rice, farro, barley, quinoa - whatever you have. Get spicy and try different peppers: yellow banana peppers, a jalapeno if you're feeling brave... Cut up olives and add them. Shred carrots (they'll be better and easier in a wrap if they're shredded), canned or fresh peas. Add fresh parsley or basil, in season. Sliced radishes would be amaaaaaaaaaaaazing in this dish!

You can even cook up spaghetti squash or regular pasta (your choice) and then top it with this salad as a wonderful single-course meal. Technically, except for the cucumber, you could warm this bean salad up. Serve with some crusty bread and then maybe some berries as a dessert, and you're good to go. 

Anyway, I know that here it's still cold, the snow remains on the ground, but the object was that I'd have something easy and relatively light to eat after teaching my evening yoga classes. I don't like to teach after I've eaten, because I don't just stand there and call out poses. I was getting tired of eggs (one can only eat so many), I've been trying to avoid deli meat (inflammation, sugar and all the preservatives), and was kind of over yogurt and the original PBJ...

I remembered how much we enjoyed these wraps, and while my wrapping skill is minimal, I'm ok with practicing. 

Orchids blooming...

One of the cattleya plants is blooming. The other one has a flower stalk with buds, but it'll be a while. And we have three of the phalenopsis in bloom. 

The cattleya does have a scent, but I can't smell it. It seems that the return of my scent was only temporary. I have about 50% of it back, but it was only 100% after that huge dose of steroids and antihistamines, and it lasted about a month. 

I can't remember what color the next one is...We have the pink one here, a yellow one, and ... my mind is blank! Anyway, that should be about 3 more weeks till that one blooms. 

The Chicago Orchid Show is on now, through the end of March. Hubby and I decided the temptation was too great. We try to avoid going to the local orchid house, because we don't have a lot of room for the plants. 

The Knitting...

Not much to report. I've started the toe on the blue striped sock. Not much to look at right now. Just round and round. I can tell you that the crazy-tight tension is kind of a pain when you're decreasing,but I can't manage to loosen it much. 

Knitting always tells you how you're feeling, regardless of what you tell yourself. 

I should have that sock finished this week, and will be able to start frogging the finished one shortly thereafter. That one should go quickly. I need to remember that I did Eye of Partridge heel, so that the heels match! Though I've done socks before with mis-matched heels. Maybe I can start a trend? 

Even though the "about-to-be-frogged" first sock has an absolutely perfect star toe, I chose a regular round toe for Sock #2. The toe instructions I pulled had the needles in a different order (the #1 needle was one over from what I had) and I didn't realize it...so I re-wrote the instructions. It wasn't too hard, except I had to remind myself:

SSK = left-leaning decrease

K2TOG = right-leaning decrease

It's important, because you don't want to put the toe decreases on the top of the foot and the bottom (hey, it happens!), and you don't want your lefts to go right, etc. It won't look right and likely won't feel right on your toes. 

The Reading...

I'm currently reading "Pastrix," by Nadia Bolz-Weber. She's fantastic. I've watched many of her videos, and honestly, I can hear her in the words on my Kindle screen. In my recent experience, it's pretty rare to read someone's autobiography and hear them as they actually speak, if I've had the experience of seeing them in person or on the computer. They tend to get more formal when they're writing, which to me stifles their personality. 

She doesn't. It's right there as if you're watching her on Facebook. I love that. 

My vicar gave me Martha W. Hickman's "Healing After Loss," which is organized in a calendar year; you can literally pick the date you want to start reading this. I got it a few days after my sister died, I started my journey with this book on her death date. I'll work through the year. 

And of course, I couldn't ignore Thich Nhat Hanh's books, "No Death, No Fear," and "How to Live When a Loved One Dies." I haven't cracked those, having actually just had them delivered today. 

In the week we were waiting for her wake, I downloaded true fluff... Literal romance novels. I occasionally indulge in this stuff as a "brain cleaner." I tried some new authors. Some of the romance scenes were totally overwrought, but what do I know? All I knew at the time was that I wanted to read, and it had to be pretty much nothing I had to think about. I couldn't even concentrate on my beloved mysteries. That was too much. 

Random Picture...

This is Frozen Niagara in Mammoth Caves. It was one of the hikes we took. I'm a bit claustrophobic, but it wasn't too bad, considering!  The lighting was a bit weird; they didn't want us to use flash, because of the tiny critters who live in the caverns. 

There was lighting there, which was compatible with the tiny critters, and my phone camera did a pretty good job. I did carry the bigger EOS with me, but didn't always have time to haul it out of the bag while we were in the caves. The rangers kept us moving along pretty quickly. I mean, you got to experience the caves, but they weren't dallying. I was able to get the big camera out for the Rotunda pictures, because they let us spread out in that vast space. I got all tingly hearing them talk about how they held concerts (pre-covid) in the space at the holidays...Wow...

I tended to use the EOS for the outside shots. The only time I didn't was when we took that mis-matched hike to Eagle Falls...the one labeled "moderate" that was really "advanced." Kid #2 is still going to pay for that one! 

This trip was one of my favorites...it was a quick one, but we did have fun. 

Looking for yoga but not ready to come into a studio? 

We have Zoom options. 

Contact us at info@just-breatheyoga.com or text/call (815) 546-2770 to find the class that best suits you. 

If you're in the Will County, IL area, we're starting workshops again! Yoga 101 is in-person, starting Wednesdays in March for 5 weeks. This series will give you the basics and you'll be ready to step into a basic class with confidence; 6-7:15 p.m. 

Yoga Nidra is a Karma class. We're collecting donations for the Elizabeth Morman Nursing Scholarship being established at Joliet Junior College. 

Friday, March 25, in-studio, check our website at www.just-breatheyoga.com to register. 

Private sessions (in-person or Zoom), small group classes (in-person or Zoom) and all our classes are open for drop-ins. 

Catching Up...

So it's been awhile. It's already August. Lots has been going on. Some projects got completed, some doctor's appointments have been taken care of. The "rolling coup" here in the US is still going on, with no sign of stopping. The wildflowers are fading in the summer heat. The garden is, in parts, producing and in parts, struggling. 

Typical August in Illinois. A week or so of rain and tornado activity around this part of the state, with random results. 

The Garden...

Well, the tomatoes have given us mixed results. The plants in the big garden seem to be doing ok. The plants on the north side of the deck are going along, a little behind the ones in the garden. But the ones along the side of the house? Pfthhhhhhh. I was really looking forward to those, and they're all vine and no fruit. 

And the squirrels have taken their share. The very first yellow tomato I got? Had a nibble in it. Grrrrr! I have gotten 5 Romas, and 2 Cherokee Purple. Looking forward to the others. They're on the vine. Just have to see if the animals let them ripen. 

Our basil in the front yard is good; the stuff in the back? Squirrels again. And our cucumbers are little globes...Not sure if we should let them go another couple days to see if they'll stretch out a bit, or just stay....round? 

We'll see how this all goes; one good thing is that the bunny fence has helped tremendously. As for the wildflowers, we're keeping the milkweed in check, but I think that because we've had a plethora of birds -- more than we've seen in ages, our caterpillar population was drastically reduced. We whacked the big tub of parsley in the front; it bolted, and we saw only 3 swallowtail caterpillars, only as babies. So I'm pretty sure the birds enjoyed a meaty dinner. 

The hummingbird population has also been affected, I'm sure, by the weather and the wildfires. We've only seen a couple, and our feeders are definitely on the "frequent flyer" path. 

The snapdragons have all gone to seed. Our Brown-eyed Susans are huge and gloriously gold. The coneflowers and the Borage have spread out a bit, and the Prairie Blazing Star has come and gone. The Cosmos I planted really sprouted, and the calendula have done better than I expected. 

The Knitting...

The Endless Cowl is done!! Now I'm on to the second one, this one being crochet instead. I just like to shake it up. I bought some special yarn for a special project, which for now is being kept under wraps. I have to have Hubby figure some measurements for me. I'm rubbish at that, honestly, and I had this yarn specially created, so I want to get it right. 

What I like about the Endless Cowl is that you can wear it a couple of ways: longest, with no loop (not good for me, because I'm short); one-wrap (still decorative); and two-wrap, which is the warmest. It's acrylic, so the curl is there to stay, and I ended up playing yarn chicken. And losing. So I tinked back a few rows, and cast off, then wove everything together. I had a longer tail on the beginning end, so that's what I used to weave it all together. If I had sense, I'd have Kitchener'd the whole thing together. 

Would I do this again? Yes, but I'd do a K3 at either end so that it wasn't as curly. And I wish the yarn didn't have such hard edges at the color changes. There are a few sections which are "heathered," but not enough of them. Also, this being acrylic, it's going to be easy to care for. Like the rainbow one I'm working on now, it's going to be warm "enough" without having fussy care instructions. 

This is not going to the original intendee -- it's going to go to someone else. It will have a home, though. 

The crocheted one is also more "pride" colors, though sort of sherbet. And I love the stitch - Urchin Stitch. Somewhere, in a project bag in my house, there's a partial lap robe done in that stitch which is really cute. It's an easy stitch to really just whiz along and being crochet, it does eat up some yarn. Which in this case isn't a bad thing. This is the same brand of yarn, and so far, I'm keeping a better eye on the end. So maybe Yarn Chicken won't bite me in the rear end again. As you can see, it's moving along, and it's a wonderful texture. Again - can be worn straight with no wrap, and maybe a one-wrap. Since it's taking more yarn to do the project, it may be a tad shorter than the knitted one. I'll end up crocheting this together, I hope. 

A Trip...

Yes. A trip. In the 4th wave of COVID. Kid #2 and I decided to hit up Mammoth Cave. Granted, we did plan this BEFORE the 4th wave. We stayed at The Hickory Cabins - a group of cabins that are stand-alone, and in the middle of nowhere. I mean, the middle of a disc golf course. A/K/A - the middle of nowhere... One night, the sky was so beautiful and Kid tried to get a picture with the camera. We were on the disc golf course, and it was dead-dark. I felt the hair on my neck stand up (which is never a good thing), and then a mercury-vapor light went on. Kid was perturbed, but we went back to the cabin. I went inside. Kid tried to get the shot off the picnic table, and in 3 minutes was inside. "There's something out there..." No, really??? So we went and sat on the back (raised 10' off the ground) deck and looked at the stars some more. At least whatever "it" was couldn't climb up on the deck. We hoped. 

We ended up having 2 guided tours. A lot of the caves were closed because (a) it was too tight for safety vis-a-vis COVID; and (b) they were taking advantage of the shut-downs to do some maintenance. Which is always a good thing. The first one, in the morning, was in Frozen Niagara. That was a tad tight, and Kid, as usual, being the courteous being I raised, said, "Don't worry mom. If you get stuck, I'll push you through." Cute. The guide said that he would like to see what happened when we got topside after THAT comment!

The rangers were all retired school teachers - which was kind of cool, because they were very engaging and made us feel welcome. And we all learned something! It's hard to be in a situation where the person leading you sounds like they've just done it a zillion times and they're bored out of their minds. These guys didn't sound like that.

Perhaps they were just so happy to see PEOPLE! Anyway, one thing got into my craw... The Caves have a problem with White Nose Syndrome, which is killing off the bats. When you get out of a cave, you have to walk across wet Bio-mats...basically, squishy sponges soaked with Dawn dish soap (which apparently cures oily birds AND white-nose fungus...). We saw a number of people just bypass those. 

How hard is it to make that simple 5-step walk across the pad to prevent more bats dying?

Oh wait - we WERE in Kentucky, where many of the population still believe that God will save them from COVID and/or the vaccine injects you with a micro-chip... 

The second tour was later in the afternoon. So we took a side-trip to another cave which Kid wanted to try. 

Not sure I told you, but I have a bum hip. Two bone spurs on my left hip: one at the head of the femur, and one at the socket. And when those two meet? OUCH... My hip gives out. So I did this whole thing with a looming hip injury. 

So... I skipped the other cave, Crystal Onyx. Which I would've like to have seen, but Kid said, "If you thought Niagara was tight, you'd have HATED this one." It was extremely narrow, and Kid actually had a noggin-knock that was pretty bad. No blood, but a headache. 

The second Mammoth tour was the Heritage -- the first entrance to the caves, which was pretty awesome. It was also a lovely ramp; much easier to walk on. In between, and before Crystal Onyx, we also took 3 topside trails. It was almost 20,000 steps for me. 

Heritage was different. It's a "dead" cave (no stalagmites or stalactites). But it's so spacious and wide. The guides said they used to hold concerts down there. You could hold a note in that space for about a week! You can see where the river moved through the area millions of years ago. 

It was the last tour of our day; and the next day was going to be Cumberland Falls. The fun part of all of this was that we had to take a ferry back and forth from the cabin to the park. And I got to channel my inner Lewis Hamilton on those windy "foothills of the Smokies" roads. I didn't get a good look at the scenery, because there were some pretty intense turns and the roads were narrow. Very well kept though. Because we were out in the sticks, my GPS didn't always work, so we relied on the phone. Took a lot of scenic routes. 

The ferry was hysterical. First, there's a sign that says, "Road ends in water." Okey-dokey... And it does! It looks like the road sunk into a sinkhole (there are a lot of them in the park), and it's just a tad too deep for the average car to cross. So there's this ferry that looks like a pontoon boat with a port-a-pottie on it. (Dude's gotta go sometimes...) You get on the ferry, pull up to the front of the gate, turn the car off, put the parking brake on...and by that time, you're already to the other side! We did that several times, just because it was so fun. 

Cumberland Falls was a long drive...2 hours, but it seemed longer. We got there, and I'd swear I'd been there sometime in my life. The Falls just looked very familiar. Then, tragedy struck... We got to the falls, and my camera card was full! Oh no!!! So Kid took some gorgeous shots with his camera and I used my phone a lot. 

Kid took the trail from the Lodge, and I drove to the Visitor's Center (that pesky hip again). We then took the trail to a couple of viewing areas. The Falls is just beautiful, and we missed the Moonbow (a rainbow at the base of the falls which occurs in the light of the full moon) by a week. But as we've all seen here in Illinois, there have been a lot of full moons. Which end up being cloudy nights... 

Then, Kid points across the river. "See that trail?" Well, I lied and said yes... "I want to go there..." Yikes... We bought a map and took a look. It was rated as "moderate," so I figured "how bad could it be??" 

Never. Ask. That. Question. 

The map lied. The trail is rated "strenuous" and it's definitely a challenge. Lucky for me, I only took one cell phone, and nothing else. 

So, since COVID, I've noticed that I do have a hard time breathing. Not horrible, but I get breathless easily. And we had to wear masks. Because KY and because maskholes. And because of the Delta variant. We weren't hustling, but we kept moving. And we did "bench" calls when needed. 

There were a LOT of kids on that trail, scampering like billy goats. Of course. And tons of families, which was really good to see, in a way. Getting everyone out into Nature is always a good thing. But when the trail is 2 feet wide, and there's a gorge on one side and rock on the other....it's a little tough to navigate when there are a lot of folks close by. Several were young moms with a kid strapped to their front or back, and a toddler at hand. Dads were usually a few steps ahead, either with other kids or forgetting that they'd left Mama and the bairns behind... 

Anyway, off we went. According to the map, there were only 3 sets of stairs. The map lied. There were FIVE. Narrow, steep, stairs. And then there were boulders. 

Suffice to say, it was a challenge, but it was a good one because it proved that all that yoga works! The Kid had to hold a hand out because the boulders were big, but thanks to all the lunges and Warriors, I could spring up pretty easily. We were both pleasantly surprised. 

As we checked the time, we got a move-on back to the truck; we were on the wrong side of the mountain to be there in the afternoon. Once the sun starts to go down, it goes down fast. So we started back, and at one point, I confess -- I got dizzy. We realized that we hadn't eaten lunch, and I got a well-deserved lecture about drinking more water...

So, that was a day of about 18,000 steps. We were both beat, and it was a long drive back. I drove, Kid cooked. Being vegan, that was a better option. And I actually liked eating vegan for a couple of days. It was light and filling, too - it was good to not eat heavy meals with all the walking we did. 

We made a pact to actually stop and eat lunch...both of us are kind of the "power through it" types, and that doesn't bode well with strenuous exercise. 

Surprisingly, for Kentucky in August, the weather was mild. It was in the low 80s in the daytime and a lovely 60-ish at night. Though we kept the AC on in the cabin because the cicadas were INSANE. You could hear them over the AC and even when we were in the kitchen in the midst of dinner prep. Loud little buggers. 

The morning we left, we had a visitor... A young bloodhound stopped by. He had a collar, and he was a very friendly dude. His "sound flappers" were HUGE and he had the biggest feet! I didn't realize how solid bloodhounds were. He leaned against me and I had to take a step back. He got lots of ear skritchies. He didn't want me to stop. I opened the back of the truck, and Kid says, "NO, we are NOT taking him home!" LOL

I don't know if he belonged to the owner, and I hope he wasn't a stray. He was very well-mannered, and affectionate. So I hope he found his way home after we left. He looked comfortable around the cabins; maybe he was a guest's dog? Who knows. 

But he definitely made me miss my girls and he was soft as velvet to pet. It was a nice "farewell" to Kentucky. 

Random Picture...

I started volunteering at The Legacy Ranch, a place in town that does equine therapy. This was my first day at orientation. The girls went nuts because there were all the horses, and at least 1 barn cat. I volunteer about once a week, and now, they're almost used to me coming home "stinky," but they still want a sniff or two. 

I enjoy volunteering at the ranch, but I know I'm a bit too short for some of the horses; and I volunteered the day after we got home...when I was tired and I shouldn't have. It was a bad day to volunteer. The horses knew I was distracted, and I almost got stomped a couple of times. It's my own fault; I was not in the right head-space to be around them, and you really do have to have total concentration. I'm usually a "leader" because I'm too short to hold the clients on the horses; they like to have the guys do that because they're taller. 

Anyway, I skipped it this week because I had an MRI/Arthrogram on that wonky hip and I was quite knocked for a loop with the medications they had me take before they used the dye on me. I have a problem with it, so I usually am quite loaded up on Benadryl, and this time they added a steroid. I'll have the results in a few days. We shall see. 

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The Strong Heel

Well, I sorta cheated. I got to 5 1/2" for the leg, and I measured my own leg. I know - almost every pattern says 7" for the leg length. On my stubby legs, that would almost be a knee-high! So 5 1/2" is where I started the heel. I stuck to the pattern on the leg, but I'm not doing it on the heel; that row of purls on either side of the heel would be annoying. 

I may do a star toe - in for a penny... or just a regular one. Haven't decided yet, but notes will be in order so that I do the exact sock on the other foot. I suppose I could have grabbed a second pair of needles, pulled the yarn from the middle and knitted both at the same time. But that's a bit too fiddly for me. I see folks doing multiples on long circulars, but that's not a challenge I wish to take. 

As you can see from the picture above, the 5 1/2" leg is a good length. The Strong heel, created by Gerdine Crawford-Strong, is outlined in The Sock Knitter's Handbook, as I indicated in my last entry. I had to change up one little thing: See the holes along the side? Those are the result of the M1 (make 1), lifting the lower bar of yarn. I didn't like them, and I realized that the last time I did this, I did Kfb (knit front and back) - which I switched to, so now there's a "little lace" right there on both sides, which is fine. I'm not going to bother to close them up; they're now a design element. 

I had to watch a YouTube video on the process, because I couldn't remember whether the heel turn was done flat - which it is... But I want to know why nobody shows anything on DPNs. It's all circulars and it can be a little mind-boggling. But I got the gist of it. 

It's moving along. I have to admit, once you get the hang of this heel, you might just be converted. No picking up stitches, which is where a lot of us express some frustration. Personally, my "sides" never look the same. The K2tog side is always neater than the SSK side. First World problem, right? Well, if you think that in the history of sock making, it was often delegated to 5-year-olds... Oh well. I know that, logically, if someone is THAT close to notice, they're wayyyyyyyy too close. 

The COVID Update...

I am "half-vaxxed." My next shot is April 9. And I think (fingers and toes crossed) that my sense of smell is coming back. Last night, we had "baked/fried" cod -- our version of fried cod, but baked, with a panko crust. And when Hubby opened the package of cod.... I SMELLED COD!! My "phew!" was automatic, so I wasn't really trying to smell. It just happened. Finally. I'm not sure if it's sticking yet. I smell stuff, but usually "off." 

I'm told that's common once it starts to come back. 

By the way, the cod was done perfectly. Would've been nice to have been able to taste it. But this gives me hope that it will eventually happen. 

It sounds silly, doesn't it? I mean it's taste and smell. A lot worse things have happened: I had a seizure while recovering, my A-fib is back with a vengeance thanks to the virus. And the word loss - the brain fog. Yikes... It takes me forever to blog, to write, to edit. To speak, some days. I laughingly say that I wish I was eating like I couldn't taste anything! 

Random Picture...

Not much else to write about at this point. I'm sure next time I'll be a little more vocal. 

Seems I picked another needlework pic... This is a batch of the ear savers I made. 

I've given away a bunch of them; and since it looks like masks will be with us for a while, I may be making more. This is a great way to use up your cotton yarn stash. I bought white buttons, but for myself, I just go into my button tin and pick out a couple. They should be about 1/2 inch or more. 

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The Nation Exhales

 Over 50% of the United States has just exhaled... 

Joe Biden is our President-Elect and Kamala Harris is our VP-Elect. 

Maybe we'll get some sleep. 

And I'm going to say this right here and right now: I don't CARE that conservatives or Trumpers are upset. Don't. Care. Not. One. Whit. 

As they said to us, "Get over it."

It was a long, hard road. There were questions and there was stress. There was a lot of breath-holding. 

Sanity has been restored to the White House and yes - we have a CRAP-TON of work to do. We need to celebrate this weekend. Absolutely. 

But then realize what needs to be done. And get to doing it. Here's my wish list (off the top of my head, in no particular order).

• Make Roe settled law - no more "we're going to overturn it" crap
• Rebuild the Voting Rights Act
• Pass the ERA
• Balance the Supreme Court
• Overturn Citizens United
• Restore Environmental Controls
• Green Energy
• Clean House...
• Undo the Billionaire Tax Breaks
• Secure Social Security & Medicare
• Fix the USPS

The Knitting...

So I set aside the Kid Afghan for a brief minute. I started some quickie wash cloths for Xmas gifts. I have to order the soap to go with them, but they're really easy to whip out. I have 4 more to do and they'll go quickly. 

I also have to get skippy on the baby afghan and then get even MORE skippy on the Kid Afghan. 

I really want to make a pair of "pedicure socks." Those are basically socks with no heels or toes. Today, it's a gorgeous 70-degree day and we're about to go on a walk and take some pictures of what's left of the fall colors. I got another - what may be final for 2020 - pedicure. I don't do them in the winter because my feet freeze in flip flops. 

But with a pair of pedicure socks, I could do it without frozen toes! That may be next in January. 

The Cooking...

So I'm almost done with my Whole30. And I found a few great recipes to add to my toolkit. Though tonight, I'd rather go face-first into some chocolate (see first section of blog!).

I love Avgo Limono Soup - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. But on Whole30, it's a no-go because of the orzo pasta (or rice - I've had it both ways). But I found a Paleo version, and this is what I did:

Lemon Chicken Soup

2 scallions, diced

2 carrots, sliced thin

2 stalks celery, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, diced

4 qts chicken or veggie stock

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 sprig fresh Rosemary

1 tsp EACH: Oregano, basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lemon

1 pkg. frozen spinach (chopped variety)

2 T. your favorite oil (ghee, avocado oil, olive oil)

In a large soup pot, add your oil and heat it up. Add your carrots and celery, stirring (heat is about med-hi). Let them brown a bit. Then add your scallions, let them get translucent. This is about 7-8 minutes total. Then add garlic and get it a little soft. 

Add your stock to the pot. Nestle the chicken in there, add the Rosemary, oregano & basil and put a lid on it. Turn down to simmer, and let it simmer about 25 minutes. 

When the chicken is done, pull it out of the pot and set aside to cool slightly. 

Roll the lemon on the counter to make it juicier. Slice in half and juice. Then use a micro-plane and zest it. Set aside. 

Take the meat off the chicken bones, and chop it. Discard bones & skin, returning meat to pot. Add the block of frozen spinach and put the lid back on. Simmer about 5-8 minutes, till spinach loosens up and heats up. 

Add the lemon juice and zest. Add salt & pepper to taste. This serves 8. And you can either freeze the extra or just cut the recipe in half. 

There's an awesome-looking chicken & artichoke soup I want to try. Though it was nice today, it's not going to last and soups are very comforting, whether you're on Whole30 or not!

The Random Picture...

Since I haven't had a guitar lesson since March, and I haven't been able to arrange another one because the morons in our county can't behave and our rolling positivity rate is over 14% -- and our two hospitals are screaming that beds are getting scarce...

I decided to polish my nails. This is Ella Mila color "Yacht Club" which I bought years ago when the first female Dr. Who was announced - this is the color of her TARDIS. 

It's only coincidental that it's also blue for the new Democratic president. Honest, I didn't do this for Election Day. I was a judge, and I'm impartial that day.

It's a pretty color. And I'm a klutz at doing nails. I'm out of practice. 

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Current Events and Not-So-Current Events

 

Well, it's been nearly a month, and I didn't mean it to be that long. 

I guess I should go in some sort of order. The teacher training is kicking my sit-bones, in a good way. Therapeutics has always challenged me, though our population at the studio seems to trend toward those that can use that kind of yoga. I just have to get more confident. 

I finished my second body study, wrote it up and submitted it. I have a case study due at the end of the month, and I have an assignment for my apprenticeship. That goes first, then the case study. 

No wonder that this module is considered the hardest one. I'd rather do 6 months of Sanskrit and Philosophy. 

By the way, I'm experimenting. I've changed fonts - not sure what your computer will show you, so please comment and let me know. So. On to...

CURRENT EVENTS...

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is dead. The entire nation just about collapsed in short order; it's amazing what we put on this tiny, courageous woman's shoulders. Her final wish was that her replacement not be chosen til after the election. Of course, Trumpenfuhrer et al steamrolled over that before Ruthie was cold. 

Choosing a woman who was on the Federal bench for about 45 seconds, who's pro-life (which is actually only pro-fetus), has a bunch of kids and belongs to this weirdo religious group (which she FAILED to disclose on her paperwork for appointment to the Federal bench, by the way) which believes that the man is the head of the home and should direct the woman in all things.Just how did she get to law school? Oh, and her "goal" is "to bring the country to the Kingdom of God." Ummmmmmm. Treaty of Trent, anyone? We are not now, and never have been, a nation founded upon the Christian religion. So sayeth Thomas Jefferson. 

And on top of that, the GOP then accuses the DEMS of wanting to "pack the court." Just what, please explain to me, are THEY doing shoving this Handmaid down our collective throats, and why does Clementine get to do this when Merrick Garland was refused even a meeting, in the Obama years? No, you don't have to answer, I know what it is. It's the Black Guy in the White House. A/K/A Obama Derangement Syndrome. 

Then, Karma came along. 

After a disasterous debate ... um, "debate" performance, in which Clementine was all sound and fury and Chris Wallace was unable to yank his choke chain hard enough, and even Biden snapped - a "debate" in which it was reported that Clementine simply wanted to rattle Biden enough to cause him to stutter, thus being able to cull out-of-context video clips showing him to be "stupid," because those of us who stutter are often called "stupid" (you shouldn't get me started on this)...and they failed...

THEN...

It was disclosed that Trumpenfuhrer's assistant, the young Ms. Hicks, was positive for COVID-19. After which they started dropping like flies. Suspiciously, after a "super-spreader event" in the "Now Not a Rose Garden" where nearly 200 people were crammed in to meet RBG's supposed replacement, sans masks. 

THEN...

It was disclosed that the medical team, after flying Clementine to Walter Reed, had claimed that he was "72 hours in" to his COVID diagnosis. Which means he knew - or suspected - that he had it during the debate. During which time he was out of control raving, and during which time his ENTIRE mendacious crime family sat in the arena maskless, against Cleveland Clinic rules. Which, by the way, someone should've bounced the lot of 'em. What could he have done? Closed the place? 

THEN...

As he's being airlifted to Walter Reed, nobody bothers to tell Nancy Pelosi, who's 3rd from the throne, as it were. She's supposed to know stuff like that. 

And a good percentage of Americans think this is a tremendous hoax in and of itself. We've been gaslighted so often by this administration that we really don't know what to believe. Though when he got sent to Walter Reed, I started to believe that it was "real." Walter Reed wouldn't go along with some political stunt, even for this guy. While anonymous (which seems how we get any information), a source has said his breathing is labored. I am struggling to find the balance between "karma" and "kindness." I don't want to be overly sanctimonious, but I am battling my "angels" for this. 

Do I wish him dead? No. Honestly, I don't. I wish him miserable. I wish him to achieve (though I know it's like peeing into the wind) a shred of humanity and humility. I wish him a landslide loss in the upcoming election. I wish him humiliation and a prison sentence for his crimes, which are multitude, and I'm only counting the ones since he's been in office. 

The right all want us (the left/Libs) to "have compassion" for Trumpenfuhrer...though he callously had/has no compassion for over 200,000 dead. They're screaming for Biden to suspend his campaign. 

You know - much like Clementine suspended his when Hillary came down with pneumonia. You remember that, right? Because if you do, you are truly living in an alternative universe. Because it never happened. He doubled down, mocked her and called her "too old." 

Whew... 

On top of that, we are under the spell of the first of the October full moons (there will be two) and, this being Illinois, we can't really see it because it's raining. I saw it before it reached full power. One day...

THE KNITTING...

So I'm moving along nicely on the Feather & Fan Variation for the Car Seat Blanket. I'm using the same yarn I used for the Wedding Afghan but it's not for the wedding couple. If I get a Happy Announcement from them, I'll just order more. This is for a friend of mine. 

The pattern is actually from The Linus Project, and it's a 3-row variation on the Feather & Fan which is super-easy to memorize. I can see this being a nifty scarf or shawl. But not now. I'd thought about one colorway and then I rearranged after I laid things out. It moves along fairly quickly, and I like it because it's light enough to sling over a car seat so that, in the event the parents can take The Peanut out into public EVER, and it's air-conditioned or chilly, it will be warm enough, but lacy enough to not feel like it's smothering. I love the color combo, but you know by now that I really adore a "sophisticated" palette for a baby. I like bold colors, strong patterns. 

I will use "traditional" colors if I know mom prefers it. But I don't ask. If I'm told, then that's different. If I'm not told, they get what I knit. 

I also have completed the hats and have given 2 of them to my pseudo-nephew and he looks stinkin' adorable!! As you may recall, I used the colors from his baby layette and then I used his mom's favorite color. The hats are for a one-year old, and this kid has a HUGE head! It may be that I knit him a hat a year. We'll see... This was part of my "hat binge." I'm over it now, thanks. I also did a batch of "Ear Savers" that I brought to yoga training. And in that move, saved the lives of several trainees...Kidding; but they did love them. And I'm glad I could just do that for them. 

Tomorrow, I absolutely MUST pull out Kid #2's afghan and get cracking on that. The Peanut isn't due till January, but I totally, really, REALLY must have that afghan done for Christmas for The Kid. I promised and I should have been doing that during the shut-down instead of baking bread. I wouldn't have gained 20 pounds...and I've had had it off my list finally and could with no guilt actually knit for myself. 

THE BOOK...

The book has not only been launched, it's in the top 10 nationally and INTERNATIONALLY in Holistic Health. So technically, I am an international best-selling author!! I got my author copies today, did a little "let's open the box" video and posted it. The book is available here on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions, and it's a great resource. If you want an autographed copy, drop me a comment and I'll ship it to you in the US (shipping on me, but I can't ship overseas at this time). All the volumes are really good resources; even if a topic seems to be repeated, there's always a different slant on it. Because each of us is a subject-matter expert, we often give our own techniques. So, if in Volume 1 you see a chapter on breathing, that's cool - because my chapter on breathing in Volume 3 is different. So now you have TWO tools for breathing. 

I'm really pleased to offer the tool I offer, and I think you'll like the other chapters in the book. The good thing is, you don't have to read cover-to-cover. You can look at the table of contents and check out whichever chapter strikes you. We each tell you why we talk about what we do, and it's quite interesting to read some of the stories. 

One of the stories that hit me particularly in the heart was my friend Jen's journey through the pain of infertility. I know so many women who've trod that path. Much of society tells us that motherhood is the be-all and end-all. And somehow, we as women are penalized if we can't carry a pregnancy through to completion or if we can't get pregnant at all. Jen's story will resonate with so many people, and I hope help them as well. 

And that's just her chapter. Hopefully, you will also enjoy mine, Chapter 6: Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Yep, it's that simple. And that difficult. I lead you through a breathing technique and visualization meditation that you can start right this moment, and "grow into," so to speak, as your practice starts to grow. 

And...when you purchase the book, you get access to a Facebook group wherein ALL the authors will periodically offer workshops and sessions, interviews, Q & A and more!

RANDOM PICTURE...

With the new Blogger (which, by the way, I really still dislike, except for the cool fonts which I hope translate to you, the reader), I would normally have a picture stuck here and then I'd write about it. But this way, I have to write first, then insert picture after. 

Not liking that at all. And on top of that, my "camera roll" function on the phone and One Drive seem to be going all wonky. So the picture I kind of had in mind? I'm not exactly sure where it went to... 

Did I tell you that I adore technology??? Yeah. Not. 

Anyway - in remembrance of When We Use to Have Family Holidays, these are Avocado Deviled Eggs which I made for last Easter. Which my sister, who adores deviled eggs, wouldn't eat because she claims to be allergic to avocado. I have never heard that, but I'm not one to mess with her gut, seeing as she's usually got a raging case of IBS and I'm not willing to put her in any more angst. 

So technically, I owe her a dozen "regular" deviled eggs. Someday. When we are all able to meet as a family. Or I drive to her house and drop 'em off. 

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