50%

Well. Given enough time on my butt and enough "Bar Rescue" (don't judge...), the first sock is done. I can now move my ticker to 50% and I've started on Sock #2. I panicked for a moment, because for some reason, I thought I had less yarn to work with, being as I made such a rookie boo-boo on sock #1, but I'm pretty sure that I'll have enough. There may be less "left-over," which is fine with me. I feel like I have quite a good haul of left-overs for at least 2 pairs of scrappy socks. 

I will point out a few things; take them as a learning experience or leave them - if you've been a knitter for any length of time, I'm sure some sort of "knitting screw-up" has happened to you. 

As you can see at the heel flap and across the ankle, there's a line of purl stitches. That would be because, after an intense spate of baby knitting (see prior blogs), I picked this sock up after a long, long, long, LONG time. The yarn is easily 10 years old, Lorna's Laces, and I think the colorway is St. Charles. I remember because I had hopes of getting a job where St. Charles was concerned. And - as I recally, these were going to be a set of 4x4 rib socks, but I frogged them when I dropped a load of stitches (like an entire needle's worth) and got frustrated. 

Ahem. I digress. What I did here to create that lovely purl ridge, which goes all the way around, mind you, was to ... knit backward. I literally knitted from left-to-right somehow, not quite knowing what I was doing. 

Do I know why I did that? I do not. Why didn't I just frog it? I do not know that either. I think it was me being in a mood and saying something like "screw it, it's just a sock..." 

So I corrected course and started the gusset. And as you can see by the little raised spots, I totally grabbed too many stitches on the heel flap. Now, mind you, the heel flap is a whole 3" because I needed more than the 2" originally in the pattern. I find that somewhere between 2.5" and 3" is better for my heel. Anyway. The gusset went on. And on. And on. And on. I ended up taking k2tog several times as I did the sole, just to tighten it up a bit. 

Again - truly. No disrespect, but it's just a sock. Most of the stuff I screwed up will be in a shoe. 

But then there's the toe. The toe is, totally and completely, a thing of beauty. I believe I've finally found a star toe that I like. It's just perfect. I prefer the star toe mostly because it fits one's foot better. The rounded toe and the traditional "paired decrease" toe can tend, when I'm knitting them, to have "ears" at the sides, and I don't like that. To avoid it? Star toe. 

I have to say, I love the colorway. I love the even stitches. And the only odd thing to me is the really long gusset. I attribute that to the mess-up as noted above. As you see, I don't carry the pattern down the top of the foot. I don't like how it feels. Never have. My own preference. You do you. 

That's the beauty of socks. You can make them yours. 

I think that next time, I'll grab TWO sets of DPNs, and try knitting two at a time. How bad can that be? I mean, at least I'll get a pair finished by the time I'm 70. 

I did start Sock #2 right away. No sense faffing about. Get it going, deal with it ASAP. And hopefully, I won't make the same mistakes twice. I don't need these to match. Though I did play a bit of yarn chicken on the cast on. Gotta have some fun, I suppose. 

End of an Era...

Hubby has been on a cleaning kick. Not just "housework" cleaning, but Swedish Death Cleaning. The city is putting new water meters into the houses, and ours is in our basement. He got a bug in his butt to clean the basement. 

I've been nagging suggesting that he and I tackle that project for....years. We have stuff that's just archaeological by this time. 

So the basement is now 99% organized. There are boxes I need to go through, and holiday decorations to sort. But all in all, it's a done deal. 

Let's just say we'll have a lot of stuff for the upcoming church rummage sale!

Then he moved on to the kitchen. And we finally decided to put Tippi's crate out on the curb. She's been gone 2 years now. I still feel the hole in my heart, but it was truly time. I now have a small shelf there, with the dog treats, various kitchen supplies and a spot where I can stash my purse when I come in. 

Her crate was picked up rather quickly. I'm trying to be ok with it, and it may sound weird, but when you have a dog who's been a part of your life for so long, there's still an absence there. 

Realistically, we won't have another dog. Maybe we might foster, but that's not a decision we can make right now. But I have many good memories. 

Mother Nature...

Mother Nature is having a hissy fit of massive proportions. Yesterday, Hubby went over to mow the church. I texted, "Hey, it's bucketing rain here." Then I texted, "Hey, it's snowing." And then I texted, "Hey, the sun is shining."

All in about 4 hours. My friend in Alaska asked if Illinois got "break-up" and apparently, we do now. 

This was what I had on my radio a week ago. Today, I'm sitting here in a sweatshirt. 

I had actually put on the AC in the studio for class one day, because it was in the 80s in the practice area. Too hot for us!

Today, it's sunny, with a slight breeze, but still - in the low 50s. And next week, it's May. 

I have the sad suspicion that we had spring, about 10 minutes of it, and we'll whomp right into summer. I hate when that happens. 

It's going to be another week of freeze warnings here. And next week is May. In the midwest, we're being told that this is going to be the norm now. Joy. 

Random Picture...

One of the things that many people comment on in our church is our beautiful stained glass. It's in a really different style from many churches, where the figures are clearly depicted in medallions within the entire pane of glass. 

Behind our altar are the angels: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and one more, who I can't remember! I really love the colors of these windows, when the sun shines through - literally jewel-toned light bouncing around the sanctuary. 

The church itself is black walnut on the bottom of the walls (about halfway down) and plaster up toward the vaulted roof. There's a pipe organ. The church has "homely" creaks and noises. Some say it's haunted, and that's cool. When I go in there, I always mentally say, "Good morning, God and all the ghosts!" 

One organist friend of mine said she felt "someone" come up behind her when she was practicing. She hoped it was a friendly spirit, since she was new at the organ and "I know I was making mistakes!" 

You'd think the colors would be jarring. They look like they absolutely don't go together. But they just ... do. I can't explain it. It just works!

Stripping...

I'm not talking about taking one's clothes off. I'm talking about stripping as in "removing." In this case, the out-in-the-open stripping of rights from women. 

Rights to bodily autonomy.

Rights to equality.

Rights to vote (I'm not kidding - it's being said out loud now...).

Rights to make our own choices. 

Are you terrified yet? If you have a uterus or vagina, you should be. And if you're not terrified, yet?? WAKE UP!! Just because it might not be happening in your area doesn't mean you're safe and sound. 

Crap like this, like venereal disease, will spread. Yes, I went there. The generation of women who are now coming into their own have LESS RIGHTS than I did when I was in high school. And I'm in my mid-60s. 

And I haven't even touched on the area of LGBTQIA+ issues, book banning, voter suppression, and gerrymandering. If women's issues aren't your jam, there are PLENTY of other things we need to get involved in!

Do something. Anything -- preferably something to create action. Call your legislators. Contact groups such as Planned Parenthood or NARAL or Center for Reproductive Rights, or National Organization for Women to get involved on a local level. 

There are so many other areas where you can get involved: Moms Demand Action, ACLU, your local organizations which empower women. Find them. Get yourself a mission and do it. Whether it's a postcard campaign, organizing around voting rights, helping by being an election judge, pollwatcher, or getting involved with a candidate whose vision aligns with yours -- go do that. 

Now, please. The rights of our daughters, grand-daughters and women in this country depend upon our actions. And yes, individual actions count. Never let yourself believe that you can't do something because "it doesn't matter." It does. More than you know. 

Oh, and VOTE!!! In EVERY election, local, consolidated, national... All of 'em. Enjoy the right that your grannies fought for. 

The Ugly Sock...

Well. It's not going to win a prize, but it's coming along. Judicious use of decreases on the "knit around" round helped me tighten up that gusset area. It's not perfect. It's not going to be frogged - I can live with it. 

I'm really at the point of just wanting to get this pair off the needles. I'm not sure whether I should try the "two at a time on separate circulars" thing. I don't care about whether my socks match; I think fraternals are cool. They're "close enough." So to me, (sorry) it's like a waste of yarn to cut a yard or so off just so the stripes match. 

So my task is to buckle down, get skippy, and knit. I've got a couple rows more of gusset decreases, then the foot. I'm doing NOTHING fancy; just a round toe. There are enough "design elements" that ended up in this one sock. Not going to make myself crazy about this.

Now, if I'm being honest,I really SHOULD pick up a singleton. Maybe "Bowties are Cool" - which at one point wouldn't have fit me, but since I've lost a pretty decent amount of weight, maybe it will. It's one of those patterns where, I got it because -- Dr. Who... but there's not much variance in sizing. It also uses Lorna's Laces, and I've got this glorious TARDIS blue yarn. It's a dark-ish navy, but not black-dark. The first sock is actually done and in my sock box. I really just need to get #2 done. 

Petty Harbour is also on the needles; the first one, I think partially down the leg. It's in a lovely tan color - a neutral I kinda love. 

Then there's Sole to Sole - a vanilla+ sock. Meaning, Vanilla with a bit of spark to it. There's a line of ribbing down the outside of each sock. It's a lovely self-striping blue/tan/gold colorway. 

And that's all I have on my mind right now. There are most likely others (just look at my project list alongside the blog...). But hey. Gal's gotta start somewhere, right?

She's Back...

So I was really worried about our Very Weird Winter. And it's not done yet. This week, it was gorgeous. GOR-----GEOUS!!! Like in the 70s and 80s and sunny. 

And Monday, rain + snow are forecast. Of course. 

My friend D wants a cutting from The Monster Bleeding Heart. But I was quite concerned, because I hadn't seen her pushing her way up thru the dirt. And I should have. 

Well, I needn't have worried. She's up and green. Hopefully, the weather won't kill her off. My friend is jazzed. She's admired this Monster for years, and was broken-hearted when I gave her a Bleeding Heart (not from mine, the timing wasn't right), and the lawn service she used mowed the thing down and killed it. 

For those who might be new here... The Monster Bleeding Heart has been in my garden for over 30 years. She's at the northwest corner of my front yard, and she kinda wraps around. On the true north side, she's bordered by lily of the valley and hostas. On the west side, she's got a fountain. Which the birds seem to think is their personal spa, because they empty it at least once daily "taking a shower" so she's well-watered. 

Across from her is the "baseball diamond bed" -- a bed that's shaped a bit like home plate. That is filled with native plants and some herbs - mostly for the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Bee balm, Prairie Blazing Star, Purple Coneflower, hyssop, Icelandic Poppy, and a few other things. 

At the other side of the yard is a bed of Brown-Eyed Susans, and that's where most of the feeders are located. 

In the next few weeks (even though I'm itching to do it NOW), I'll be getting at least 4 hanging baskets. I try for, again, stuff that is colorful, hardy (it's a west-facing yard, so it bakes in the summer) and which will attract the pollinators. 

Once upon a time, I had a gorgeous rose garden. I had about 50 bushes, people would walk down the block to see it. And then, our maple tree got a fungus. Bad. 

Two years, and it decimated the roses. I talked to a biology professor I know and said, "What now???" He told me that the roses are done and done. No more roses. I planted some of those for people who I've lost. It took me 5 years to rebuild and renew with the native plants. 

I'm honestly having fun with it, and as things have progressed, people are now walking down the block to see what's coming up. 

I've even got a sort-of plan for the veggie garden. Wayyyyyyyy scaled back. I say that now. Watch this space, because sure as God made little green apples, it's more than likely that I will bring back a few too many tomato plants. 

Random Picture... 

So, funny enough, my phone is nuts. If I grab it the wrong way, I get a screenshot. Which is cool, but in my "photos" app, I have at least a dozen of these... And while I still miss Tippi, it's just laughable that I can't manage to grab my phone without taking another shot.

I still need to organize my pictures, just because I feel like I'm scrambling around to find things every so often. And yeah, everyone says that. I've been saying it as long as I've had singleton socks in the knitting bags. 

Anyone have a decent system to organize them? I have most of them stored on the cloud, because otherwise, my computer's hard drive would be the size of a room. My phone has an Android operating system, and I have to do something to get things into folders, on the phone. On the cloud, I can do it easier. 

I'm open to suggestions! In the meantime, I'm going to go knit some more, and probably will grab my phone once or twice more today and get more pictures of Tippi...

...and now there are two...

I didn't want to write this. Ever. But it was inevitable; as with everything in life, change is the only constant. My heart is broken. You'd think you'd get used to it. 

Thankfully, you never get used to it. Your heart simultaneously combusts and expands.  September 11, 2021 will have an entirely different meaning for me for the rest of my life. 

TIPPI UNN SIGRID, CGC, TDI-A

2007 - 2021

It was a cold December. We had just lost our beloved Gracie, my first experience with Norwegian Elkhounds (Hubby had one as a kid). Hubby was traveling; we’d contacted Gracie’s breeder and asked about rescue organizations. We had a “list” of what we wanted…female, not a puppy. Under 5 years old. “This is going to take forever,” we remember thinking… I emailed Kari Olson, the name provided by Carol Loitfelter, and waited.

I didn’t have to wait long! Kari sent pictures…. The kids gathered around the computer, and said, “Oh yeah. We need to bring this girl home.” And then we talked about Tippi’s history. Well. That was that. When Hubby came back from his trip, we informed him that we had found our girl… Arrangements were made, and we drove up to get “Tiffany,” who was promptly re-named “Tippi” after my favorite Hitchcock actress, Tippi Hedren, who is an animal activist.

We got to the place where Tippi lived, and put her in the car. At that point, Tippi heaved a sigh, as if to say, “Here we go again,” because she didn’t realize she’d found “forever” that day. On the trip home, I kept twisting around and petting her, and we kept talking to her, hoping that she’d realize she was heading home. She met “her boys,” which caused great bouts of wiggle-butt and zoomies, and was hugged and cuddled and welcomed to her new home.

We discovered she loved fresh fruit. Her favorite was frozen blueberries. We also discovered that she loved pizza bones, and buttered toast. She tried out ALL the dog beds. She ate good food. Had clean water. Got used to being inside a house. Learned that it was ok when the garbage truck came by every week – they weren’t stealing our stuff! The first few car trips were a bit rough; there was still that lingering fear in our girl: “was I being sent somewhere else?”

The first few months, she settled in, met River, her Siberian Sister, and just relaxed into the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere. Good food, water, dog beds everywhere…she was happy. Car rides no longer caused the “am I leaving?” anxiety. We took her to training, figuring that she and I could “bond” a bit and help her settle in better, and Tippi sailed through beginning and intermediate Obedience. Her trainer, Bobbie Schultz, discovered her few tricks, especially Tippi’s talent of “talking.” She noticed that Tippi was very good around reactive dogs, and said, “You know…she might make a good therapy dog…” And there you go. She passed Advanced Obedience, achieved her Canine Good Citizen status, and then passed her TDI evaluation. After working with Tippi, Bobbie decided to go forward with her own training, and completed her certification as a TDI evaluator – Tippi had a way of convincing people that they could be their best!

During this whole time, she, River and Quinn (her daughter, who joined us as a foster [failure] 3 months after Tippi came home) enjoyed time at the dog park with Hubby, and long rambles in the various park trails. After River lost the sight in one eye, Tippi often gravitated to that side, so that she could help steer River away from obstacles at the park, and keep other dogs from surprising her. Already, she was showing her “nurturing” side. She and Quinn loved the heavy snow, where they could plow through the empty dog park with abandon, while the other dogs and owners stayed home…elkhounds + snow = a magical combination.

Her personality came out in bits at first, and then all in a rush. She was a true elk-clown, but with her own special twist. She wasn’t a big kisser and that was fine. She was, however, a champion at getting really, really close to you and wanting you to give her chin skritches, belly rubs, and butt rubs. Her ability to sling her paw over your hand to just keep you there was legendary. She participated for several years in the John Nelsen Moosedog Rescue fund (JNMRF) Howl-O-Ween contest, winning in 2010 with a “costume” called “They’ll never notice I’m on the couch…” – herself wrapped in a grey blanket with just her tail out. Yes – she challenged, and won – the battle of “no dogs on the furniture.” Then, she won again in 2017, with “I can’t believe I’m wearing bunny ears.” She just was so happy and you could see it in the photos.

She was a champion at NOT stealing food; seriously, you could leave your pizza slice on a plate next to your chair and it would be there when you got back from the kitchen…however, after chemo? All bets were off. She’d steal half my sandwich, and would look at me as if to say, “I’ve had chemo – I’m starving…and I left you half of it!”

All through training, she showed her patience with other dogs; she loved everyone, especially her trainer Bobbie, who christened her “Robo-Dog” for the willingness Tippi showed in learning everything. She loved everyone – the more she felt comfortable at home, the more friendly she got. She would often be asked to be the “non-reactive” dog in situations where Bobbie was working with private clients. She had a best friend in training: Shallot, the Chinese Crested. We thought for sure she’d try to eat her…but they became bosom buddies, kind of like Laurel and Hardy.

Tippi started her therapy dog career at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home, where her big brown eyes and cheeky smiles made every nun in the place absolutely certain that she was STARVING. Which she wasn’t, of course! I had to admonish several sisters that they should only feed her the treats she was allowed, not cookies!

She worked at Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, sitting with children before they saw the social workers and police officers (her ears were privy to many a secret conversation with the kids and she really had a crush on a couple of the cops, too), also worked at several grade schools, attended meetings of Compassionate Friends, spent time with the Joliet School District 86 as Principal for a Day, visiting a school for children with different abilities, and attended Take Back the Night. She counted the Will County State’s Attorney as one of her closest friends, but it was probably that he smelled like Great Dane... Her longest tenure, though, was at Lewis University as their first (and so far, only) therapy dog.

Stories from Our Lady of Angels: One day, Tippi and I arrived and checked in. Tippi stopped for a moment, and then actually dragged me down one hallway, which was a different route than we usually took. The hallway was lined with nuns. Tippi got to the end of the line, sat down next to the nearest sister…and stayed there. Sister Marie had just died; the nuns were praying and singing as she was being prepared to go to the funeral home. Tippi would not move. She stayed there, and as the undertakers took Sister Marie out, the nuns formed a procession, which Tippi joined. They walked Sister Marie to the hearse. Tippi stood at the door and each nun touched her head as they walked back toward the chapel.

Tippi had been visiting Sister Julie, who didn’t speak. After several months of visiting, as they entered the common area where she was sitting, Sr. Julie leaned forward and said, “Dog!” Tippi always seemed to know which nuns she could be boisterous around and which nuns needed her to sit and be quiet. She learned to “back in” next to the wheelchairs so that the nuns didn’t have to lean forward to pet her. It only took her a few visits to memorize which rooms she was able to go in, and which rooms didn’t want a visit.

Starting her time at Lewis University, we initially visited outside, but the lure of many chipmunks caused a slight change in venue…to the Science Building. She was particularly fond of Dr. Rago, who used big stuffed toys in the shapes of viruses. Tippi always hoped he’d toss one her way! Not only did the students adore her, but there were several professors who were happy to get down on the ground with her and see if they could be the “First Belly Rub of the Day” – a considerable honor, as she didn’t bestow that favor lightly. She was invited to many department meetings, and also participated in Super Study Week and Opening Day Welcome Fairs. Eventually, we moved into the Library. Tippi drew lots of students into the library, and was particularly fond of several of them. Brother Chris (the university is run by the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers), who ran the Writing Center located in the library, was a special visitor. Not only was Tippi happy to see him in general, but he took to slipping little bites of chicken to her – strictly against the rules! She even got Brother Lawrence to admit that she was “quite a good girl.”

She had a story written for the student newspaper about her and the young man assigned to write it was, he said, terrified of dogs. She somehow knew this, and sat away from him…at first. As the young man and I talked, Tippi gradually moved closer and closer, till she was leaning against his leg. He looked down and said, “I guess this is what a therapy dog does.” A foreign exchange student from Israel thought she was a German Shepherd mix, and visited often. After learning about the breed, he asked, “I wonder if Elkhounds can live in Israel?” as he was preparing to go back home after finishing his degree. She was particularly well-received by many of the foreign exchange students, and was able to teach them about dogs where there were cultures who didn’t have the American experience of having a companion animal.

She would wear a hat (headband) appropriate to each season, and right before Christmas, we used to bring the whole bag of hats and let the students take selfies with Tippi in the hat of their choice. We had lots of students connecting on her Facebook page, and they were so proud to be the occasional “cover students” when we took group shots. My mom went through her fabric stash and made up a number of bandanas for Tippi to wear to “work.” She was a most stylish dog.

As Elkhounds can, she was able to sense when a student needed her. The students would gather in a circle and she would make her way from person to person. They all knew that she’d stop at each person eventually, but would often spend more time with someone if she felt that they needed it. All of them waited patiently for their turn. She did her version of “Tricky Dog” for the students – if you asked her a question, she’d clack her teeth and woof the answer. She would sit up, shake, do high-5 and do “doggie push-ups” (going from standing on hind legs to down) but she would never roll over…no matter how enticing the treat. She delighted the track teams when they were training – they’d break their run to stop and pose and ask for a picture. I've probably got at least a gigabyte of pictures of her time at Lewis. There were more than a few times when the University President’s office would call and ask, “Is Tippi available for this activity?” I was just her driver…

Her cancer diagnosis coincided with the summer break at school. The initial diagnosis was Lymphoma, both Type A and Type B (Tippi never did anything by halves). Half-way through her chemo, which Hubby organized and handled, we felt a lump in her neck. That turned out to be thyroid cancer. We were able to time the removal of part of her thyroid in between chemo treatments. The treatment was rough, but Tippi conquered it.

Before COVID-19 shut everything down, Tippi was able to make a few more visits to Lewis University once her oncologist said she was cleared; it was obvious that while Tippi’s attitude was still enthusiastic, the cancer and chemo had sapped her energy. She retired from active therapy dog duties, particularly in light of TDI’s requirement that she continue vaccinations. Her oncologist strongly recommended that we not update her vaccinations, due to the particular kind of lymphoma she had, so it was time for the “Tuesdays with Tippi” era to end. At the time of her retirement, she was TDI-A -- a dog who'd volunteered at over 200 hours of visits; she was nearing 300 when she finally had to stop visiting.

She became Queen of the House on an official basis. She enjoyed her retirement. She had 2 “bonus years” of good health after finishing chemo, and in typical Elkhound fashion, was strong right up to 48 hours before her final journey. While there’s an Elkhound-sized hole in our hearts and in our home, we know that she’s free from pain and enjoying renewing her friendship with River, Gracie, Topaz, and so many of our other Elkhound friends.

We wish there were words to convey the true depth and breadth of Tippi’s personality. She started out life a little rough. But she overcame it. She contributed to good things on this planet. She made people smile, she brought joy. She demanded her fair share of attention, as is right and proper. She was well and truly loved. My mom said she was “her favorite of the furry grand-kids.” She was beautiful, inside and out. We are so lucky that Kari Olson dropped by that gas station and saw the sign. Talk about the stars aligning. It’s as if our Gracie was directing the action from over the Bridge – she saw another Elkhound in need and pointed the humans right in Tippi’s direction. When we name our dogs, we think about it a bit. You know why we named her Tippi. “Unn” is Norwegian for “she is loved.” And Sigrid is a Norwegian name that means “beautiful.”

She was 14.9 years old. She was, and I know how lucky I am, the third "dog of my heart." And she'll be the last one. For as much as I'm attached to Quinn & Raisa, there's a Tippi-sized hole in my heart and it will always be there. We had her cremated. I plan to have a dogwood tree planted at Lewis University in her honor, and her ashes are here at home. When I go, she's going with me. 

It's Been a Day...

Randomly, because it's been that kind of day...

1.  I frogged The Kelly Green Hat. It was too small; it took a little digging since The Mama didn't exactly tell me the size of the Kid's head...so I had to guess based on "the average head size of a ... child." 

2.  As I started to cast on, it all went mostly swimmingly. Till I tried to join into the circle. I forgot how. Seriously, major brain goof... Had to Google it. 

3.  I've been knitting in the round on a 5-needle set of DPNs for 15 years... How in the world could I forget??

4.  I also despise the "improved Facebook interface." Why do software companies fix what ain't broke? I'm talking to YOU, Blogger!!! 

5. There's persistence... This is a weed - probably ragweed, with my luck - that's growing up THROUGH a piece of Travertine marble that's a stepping stone in our garden. Not to worry; it wasn't the "good" Travertine; it was advertised as paving stone...

Our garden is mostly done. And the upcoming 5-day heat wave is likely to kill the rest of it off. Which is fine. 

I'm ripping out the milkweed before it re-seeds. All we have are the red beetles. I had one -- ONE -- caterpillar, and rumor has it that while the beetles don't harm the caterpillars, their poop does. I've grown milkweed for 4 years now; I need to see some results in the form of Monarchs. And I saw the butterflies around. They did light on the milkweed, and I suspect that at least one of them laid eggs. But not a single one survived. 

We did, however, have more than a plethora of red beetles. And these nasty hornet-looking things, too. Which I'd never seen before. So it's time to rip it out and start over. I have to do some research to figure out how to get rid of the beetles in a way that's still safe for the caterpillars. 

The Knitting...

Well, I have Friday off, so I'm going to whack through The Kelly Green Hat. Then I'm going to make a definitive list of my COVID knitting - just for myself because I'm becoming demoralized about all the folks I see who're on their "87th pair of socks" or "14th Quarentine Shawl." 

I'm not setting myself up for competition. It's just that I've knitted a lot of small things and I need to just catalog them for myself. 

So far: 1 shawlette; 1 shawl; 4 baby hats (#5 on the way, so to speak); 1 "ear guard" which I have to re-do, larger; 5 washcloths (maybe 6?)...and I started the Long Sands Tee. That's what I want to get back to, so that's why I want to whack out The Kelly Green Hat. I have time to get two of the hats off to a Special Someone. And then I might make another one just to have in stash. 

Random Picture(s)...

Tippi says: WEAR the fluffin' mask. WASH your fluffin' paws. STAY the fluff home!!! 

Our county is under restrictions starting tomorrow because we live with morons who can't wear a mask "because it infringes on my freedom. 

Let me tell you something: I've been intubated before. TRUST me when I say that a mask? A piffle. Intubation? It hurts. 




So now, everyone's whining and moaning about how "it's the bars and restaurants that are being penalized." Well.... duh!!! It's because y'all can't wait to go out and party. Seriously - there's a bar 3 blocks from me and they set up tents in the parking lot. There is NO WAY that those tables are 6 feet apart. And even if they were? I've driven by plenty of times after teaching a later yoga class -- and I've seen the patrons all "mingling." 


Social distancing isn't that hard. Stay at least two-and-a-half elkhounds away... 

PS: No elkhounds were harmed in the masking of Tippi. The mask was on for about 5-7 seconds while I took the picture. She's such a good sport!

Need Yoga but have no studio nearby?

Join us via subscription at Just Breathe Yoga Studio!

Senior Yoga $85/month (special rate till Sept. 15, then $95/month)

Premier All-Access Subscription $125/month 

Senior Yoga subscription: 24/7 access to all Forever Young, 

Chair Yoga, 

Senior Yoga, Restorative classes, Specialty Classes

Premier All-Access subscription: Access to over 150 hours of 

yoga classes. 

All. The. Yoga. 

We're adding new content weekly- one hour practices, quicker practices for a lunch break, meditations... 

Subscriptions are monthly. The special rate for the Senior subscription holds if you keep your subscription current month-to-month. 

Do yoga with our certified instructors on your own schedule, as often as you want, whenever you want. 

www.just-breatheyoga.com

info@just-breatheyoga.com

Call/Text: (815) 546-2770

The Key to...

not twisting 350 stitches on a circular needle is..... to start out FLAT.

I started my Long Sands Tee (Quince & Co.) (here is the Ravelry link) using their Sparrow yarn, which is linen. I love linen, but I don't like knitting with linen yarn. I'm using colorway Moon, which is a gorgeous pewter color. 

The top itself has THIRTEEN INCHES of positive ease - so let's just call it really "floaty." For the size I need, I had to cast on 350 stitches. They call for 32" circulars - which isn't nearly enough. I did what they said, and it didn't last long; I ended up frogging. Went to Betsy's in Lockport, and bought 40" circulars (the largest they had) and started over. 

But I have to tell you about the cast on method I used. There was virtually no way I was going to "wrap stitches" to "estimate" the tail. I found the "Two Ball Cast On." I am in love. In. Love. This isn't exactly the link, but it's close enough. I thought I'd saved it, but apparently not. 

And another new thing...It's just been a great learning experience so far... After the frogging, I reached out on the Hive Mind of Facebook, and learned that, for a large number of stitches on a circular needle, one trick is to knit 2-3 rows FLAT, and then join in a circle. You can see whether you're twisted after the 2-3 rows of flat knitting and you're way less likely to twist. 

Jazzed with that, I am! 

The next new thing I'm learning is drop stitch. I dislike drop stitch stuff intensely. Reminds me of runs in nylons, frankly. But this is basically a tiny drop stitch after a row (350 stitches, did I mention???) of k1, yo, k1... So it won't be obnoxious. 

The shirt has a cap sleeve, and honestly, I'd wear a tank under it. It'll be a nice shirt for actually 3 seasons. 

Closing in on 200...

Masks, that is. I've made the pleats smaller, so I can get 3 of them in. We're thinking about doing them as a church fundraiser, since our Rummage Sale (spring & fall) is likely kaput for 2020. 

I'm working on several for Kid #2, since it looks like in Illinois, we don't give a rat's rear end for teachers... put 'em in classrooms where you can't circulate the air, social distance, or even open a window. With 1200+ kids in the average high school, plus another few hundred in teachers, staff, and ancillary personnel in there? 

Yeah. Let's just open the schools. 

Ahem. I digress. 

Anyway, what we were thinking was that we could put the masks out, ask for a $10 donation per mask, and maybe make a bit of money that we've essentially lost with the lack of rummage sale profits. 

We'll see how that goes. I'm also doing another of the more "fancy" masks for myself, using an over-the-head kind of tie so that it only takes a bow in the back. We'll see how that works. I want to get that one done prior to my next yoga training. 

I used a "coffee filter" mask (that's what I call the procedural masks that loop over the ears) for the last weekend training, and it was kind of a pain in the ears... I prefer the ties. But I need something a bit lighter than the ones I made for myself that were lined with flannel. Much too hot for summer!

Got Smoothies...

Well, I went a little nuts with the smoothies this week. You think I have enough? 

In my defense, I now only have about half of the Mason jar left. Here's the recipe:


2 T. Maca Powder
2 scoops your favorite protein shake powder
1 c. coconut water
1 avocado, do the usual prep...
1 cucumber, peeled & chunked
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chunked
1 Granny Smith apple, quartered
2 carrots, chunked
1 head romaine, chunked
1 piece of ginger, about 2" or so
6 ice cubes
1 c. frozen berries
1 cup Siggi's Yogurt, your favorite flavor
Extra coconut water if needed

WASH YOUR PRODUCE.... Use Thieves Fruit & Veggie wash (no need to wash the frozen berries - but if you use fresh? Wash 'em! 

In a VitaMix or Bullet or whatever you have, ingredients in as follows: 
Coconut water
Powders
Granny Smith
Carrots
Celery
Romaine
Avocado
Ginger
Berries
Yogurt
Ice cubes

Notice you're putting the "harder" stuff at the bottom, which, in the VitaMix at least, is the preferred method. Whiz. Adjust for thickness: Add more coconut water if needed. Don't make it too thick - you're not supposed to chew your smoothies, and if you're using a regular blender, a chunky smoothie is the quickest way to burn up a blender. 

Ask me how I know that...

Store in the Mason jar and however many extra containers you need. Use within 2 days. 

You can add any other fruit that you want; I'll often add a pear if I have it. But I like the Granny Smith for the snap. Always add veggies!!! If you just go with fruit, that's a LOT of sugar, even with using Siggi's (which has lots less sugar and a lot of protein). I don't add bananas -- too high in sugar for me. But if you use a banana, you don't necessarily need the yogurt. 

If you want, skip the coconut water and use almond or oat milk. 

I Broke the Dogs...

Or, the heat did. Well, I kinda broke Tippi. She wanted to go for a walk today, and Hubby said, "take her around the block." We made it 2 blocks. The humidity was awful. And she's recovering from a UTI, so I know the antibiotic knocked her for a loop - on top of giving her the runs. Poor baby... She came back in, drank about a gallon of water, and plopped over... Quinnie was behind my chair as always. 

Raisa, on the other hand, has now got the HVAC stuff figured out. She has found the kitchen AC vent and that's her spot. 


It is, of course, the most inconvenient spot, being right in front of the sink. 

Does she care?

Nope. 

Her butt is right by the vent. We call it her "Freezy butt seat." You should have seen her when we had to get the AC repaired. 

Thank goodness that day was in the 70s. She laid by the Freezy Butt Vent and there was no cold. She looked at me as if to say, "What the heck is this bamboozle???" 

Once the guy repaired it (we only needed a sploosh of freon), she was back at the Freezy Butt Vent and happy. She was mortally offended that, till he fixed it, she only had a fan to keep her cool. 

How Does My Garden Grow...

Well, pretty darned good in certain respects. My cherry tomatoes are coming along nicely; I usually buy Sweet 100s - very reliable. My romaine has bolted; I have one pot of parsley eaten to the nubs by the caterpillars. The kale and broccoli rabe have been eaten, I suspect, by Mama Woodchuck and her babies. She's living under the neighbor's tool shed. The neighbor keeps blocking the holes, and Mama just digs more. I suspect the neighbor should just give up, otherwise, the toolshed is going to fall into the huge hole Mama has dug...

My wildflowers are doing ok; the Brown-Eyed Susans are in bloom now. The rest of the garden is starting to fade, but it's time. 

I was quite skeptical when Hubby moved the tomatoes, parsley and lettuce to the deck. But he was right. Even though it's the north side of the house, it does get enough sun - and plenty of water with all the rain we've had. I have to tug the pansies away from the back door - they need to dry out a bit. They're a tad too soggy. 

It's so cool that the tomatoes are taller than I am. 

I can slice them up, and put them on pasta. A cool tomato on warm pasta or risotto is really quite yummy. Hubby says they taste spicy, but I don't think so. I think they're a bit sweeter this year. 

If the Beefsteak tomatoes come in, I'll be using those (and maybe some of my friend's Romas if she has extra) for a fresh batch of canned pizza sauce. 

The basil was really nice; I need to plant more of it next year. I don't have enough to do pesto, but I do have enough to add to a salad or to add to pasta sauce or pizza. My Rosemary, this year, is kind of slow. I have it in the same place as last year, but it's just not thriving. Not sure why. It's usually bigger by now. There's still enough to freeze, though. 

The Stormtroopers...

Apparently, the president of Chicago's police union wrote to Washington DC and asked for help. Not sure how the new Police Superintendent feels about that. But I am sure how the mayor feels. 


Having armed, unidentified "cops" in the street, just like they're doing in Portland, OR, is frightening. And unconstitutional, though that doesn't seem like it bothers anyone in DC lately. Can you smell the Constitution burning? 

There's a hot dog place called The Wiener's Circle. They're known for their "attitude." And lately, because of COVID-19, they've been doing business in a different fashion. You can call your order in, and then specify the "level of rudeness" you want. From basically just "Chicago rude" to F-bombs. 

It's a thing. 

This is their latest sign. In honor of the Stormtroopers. 

This is a swift fall toward authoritarianism, and martial law conveniently placed close to the 2020 election. It's also very bad theater for one madman. Who managed to conflate a test for dementia with a "genius" test. 

Citing the "failing New York Times".... (sorry, snark is now "off"), we have the Wall of Moms; the Wall of Dads. And now? The Wall of Vets. See the story here. Veterans have had it. After the beating of a Navy veteran who just wanted to talk to the "federales" -- they're now standing in front of the moms & dads. 

Now, given "white privilege" and all -- I get that many black moms are kind of upset about the idea of the Wall of Moms, given that they've been doing that for at least 2 generations. I hate the idea that we, as white women, are co-opting the thing they've been doing. 

I'm wondering how awful it sounds to just say, "But if we can get it noticed and change it, is that bad?" I don't know. I'd welcome discussion...

It will be interesting to follow up on the Portland story. The "cops" have now gassed the mayor, at which point #MangoMussolini crowed that he was "pathetic." 

Mirror, dude. Just look in a mirror. THAT is pathetic. 

Random Picture...

So I did something I'd been toying with; just something to "check off my list." I had my stylist put a few purple stripes in my hair. Jeeze - I'd forgotten that "hair dye" takes forever!! I was there for 2 hours! Now, as you can see, with short hair? I'm in and out. 

You can see the larger of the stripes in this picture. When it's really styled correctly, the purple is just under a "layer" of my silver/pewter (or whatever color you want to call it). 

I have to use a special colored-hair shampoo, which is kind of annoying, but I do want this to last. It's only semi-permanent anyway, but I'd like it not to fade at the first wash!

Anyway - it's something fun.I needed some fun. 

George Floyd

I am still formulating my thoughts. My head is spinning and my stomach is churning. My emotions are on a rollercoaster. I need to find the words to say what I need to say. 

But I'm not sure I'm ready to...because I'm not sure that what I want to articulate will be coherent. And I don't want to sound like a raving old white woman. 

I want to believe that there's something each of us can do. But right now, with Minneapolis on a curfew, and #WhinyWhiteBroad types in NYC (I can't call 'em "Karens" because one of my favorite SILs is a Karen....a good Karen)...I have to wonder what in the name of God has happened to our country. 


Well. Then I look at Washington DC. The #ToddlerInChief can't be bothered to even speak one word of sympathy to the families of the 100,000 dead of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. 

And he hasn't done jack diddly about any kind of plan -- we know he sat on his Twitter and did nothing. Nothing. For MONTHS. 

But by golly --- let Twitter call him on his lies (finally, by the way...took 'em long enough)? Well, lickety spit he gets his Sharpie and does an illegal executive order. 

It IS illegal. There's this thing called the First Amendment. And there's this thing called "we're not a dictatorship - yet" -- Twitter, love it or hate it, is a public company. So they block a tweet of his. On his personal account. 

What does he do? He puts THE SAME TWEET on the WHITE HOUSE Twitter account. Right. That's cool. Not. 

So it's going to take me a day or two more to actually formulate what I want to say about George Floyd. 

Flora & Fauna...

As I was coming from work the other day, I saw this arrangement in someone's yard. I really like it; I've seen it done with smaller clay pots, but I think this could work in my yard for herbs. Now I just have to talk Hubby into it! You take a metal or PVC pipe and "stagger" the pots on it, by size. It's called a "Tipsy Pot" and I've got a link here in case you'd like to take a look. They're cool and a great way to grow herbs and some trailing plants if you have the space. I've seen them as fountains, too, but I think that's a bridge too far --- but maybe not. I've been asking Hubby if he thinks a fountain could work in the front yard. Hm..... 

As you can see, we have more than a plethora of milkweed. Hubby pulled some from inside my Icelandic Poppy today, and it's coming up in the yard. I can see the blossoms starting. 

I'm hoping to get monarchs this year; this is year #3, I think, of milkweed in the garden. Last year, I had ONE monarch caterpillar and I think a bird got it...I also got a bunch of swallowtail caterpillars last year, so I have my tub of parsley for them. We'll see how the dill does; it seems slow this year. 


I may have to get more stakes; depends on how many of these milkweeds I actually keep. There may be more thinning of the bed. 

These are Common Milkweed; it's what grows around here. It's in a bed along with 2 kinds of bee balm, lavender, dill, Cosmos, Prairie Blazing Star, the Icelandic Poppy, and Purple Coneflower. Oh, and both a large and small pot of parsley: one flat and one curly. I think there's some Gallardia there, if it comes back, and a bit of snapdragons. And a couple other wildflowers that I won't recognize till they grow past the "Is this a weed or a flower?" stage... I put markers in. Every year. And they seem to disappear. Every year. 

I think this will be a banner year for the Icelandic Poppy. It's got so many more buds on it than it did last year. It's funny: I have this in a V-shaped bed, and every year, it moves over a bit. I don't move it. It just pops up a few inches left or right of where it was the year before. Heaven only knows why... But as long as it comes up, I'm happy. I'll post pictures when it blooms. The blooms are the most delicate peachy-pink/ivory...It's hard to describe. 

So the tree-rats (squirrels) got to my one small tomato plant. I mean, really, they've got the whole yard. Why pick on my tomato? So I took a page from my friend's book and put a bottle in the pot. Apparently, the idea is that the wind comes across the bottle and makes a sound that the squirrels don't like. I have no idea if it will work, but so far, they've left my little sprout alone...so I'm good with it. Hubby thinks I'm nuts. It'll be worth it to see if I can get this little guy to grow. It's a "bush" tomato. Supposedly will not need a cage, but again - I have to keep the "tree rats" out of it!


I haven't grown irises in a long, long time. They were on the south side of the house, but gradually, said tree-rats ate them. Along with my tulips, my daffodils, my crocus, and my grape hyacinths. I mean, again - I feed them. I give them cracked corn and peanuts. I dusted the bulbs in both talcum powder (my granny's trick) and bone meal (got that from a garden expert). 


And still they ate 'em. So I gave up. These are alongside my office building. I thought about putting bulbs in the pots outside the yoga studio, but as I've done in the front yard, I've moved toward plants that benefit birds, bees and butterflies. I may "sneak in" some sunflower seeds; as far as Hubby is concerned, perhaps the squirrels will have planted them. I can blame lots of things on them!!

Anyway, these are gorgeous and they're needing to be thinned out this year. I had wanted to do it last year, but we didn't get around to it. This year it's got to be done. The whole bed needs a rehab. And maybe some sort of "fence" thingie that I can just push into the ground. Nothing too fancy, just a border that will spiff up that area. 

Knitting...

I'm stuck on Section 4 of the Breathe & Hope Shawl. It's 60 rows and it's taking forever. But 2 of the rows have a K1b (knit one below) and I really have to concentrate since it's knit 1, k1b - you can get hypnotized and then screw it up... I've made what I think are a few boo-boos, but I'm not sure I've screwed up the stitch pattern - I just know that it looks a bit wonky in some parts. 

That being said, I'm anxious to move on to the next part. I think that'll be tomorrow, since there are only 9 rows left. 

And yeah, try not to be freaked out. It'll all flatten out in the blocking. I've seen several of these in this shape, and the finished ones are great, after some pretty stiff blocking. 

Food & Drink...

No offense to the local Berkot's grocery store, but their latkes stink. I mean they're just not good. So I went to the Polish Deli the other day and got some soup, a batch of latkes and these beauties: chocolate covered gingerbread. 

I'm telling you they're incredibly addictive. The gingerbread is soft, with just a hint of bite to it. And the dark chocolate just accents the heat of the ginger perfectly. 

I kid myself: ginger is good for the belly. Well....it's a huge stretch to consider dark chocolate covered gingerbread as ANY way "medicinal" but I figure that as long as I don't eat these every day? Or even every week? My addiction will remain under control. 

I've been getting on the elliptical every other day. I thought I'd balance out the gingerbread with the exercise. Ha. It does require that I watch what I'm doing. And today was kind of a pain - I didn't eat anything. I mean, I skipped breakfast, thinking that I would be at work for a couple hours with a "quick AT & T repair." Which took 5 hours. 

So. No morning Keppra dose (yeah, I'm back on it. Long story. More migraines.). No breakfast. No lunch. I was starving. Which isn't a good thing. I have to do better. Tomorrow, we're hopefully going on a bike ride, so I need to pay attention to hydration and eating. 

Kid #2 turned us on to a company called tealyra out of Canada. Check this link. FULL DISCLOSURE: I DON'T DO AFFILIATE LINKS. I MAKE NO $$ FOR ANYTHING I RECOMMEND. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I like to recommend things I like. This is great tea. The White Champagne tea is lovely. And this here? This is fresh ginger (see the theme???) with verbena and lemongrass. It's delicious. And caffeine-free. I also got a few other varieties, but I thought this was a good one so I wasn't up all night (which I have been, thank COVID-19 stress, Keppra and who knows what else...It's 11:07 p.m CST and I should be asleep, but I am not. I just re-set the "blue light" level on my laptop, which probably isn't helping.... but I digress).  

The "mug" I'm using is a borosilicate glass, double-walled. It's 12 oz, which is perfect. I've even been drinking less of my British Blend -- which is very weird. 

Anyway, those are my recommendations for tea stuff. And gingerbread...

Random Picture...


This is what I found last night as I walked to bed...Tippi, "tipped" and snoring... This is apparently how she likes to sleep. And that's cool. She's so stinkin' cute!!!

Today, I left Raisa out later. She even gave up on me and stalked to her bed in the kitchen with a snort...I think the dogs sense my current state of insomnia and it's frustrating them (as in they're out of their usual routine) and it's frustrating ME... 

I'm just not sleepy. I don't fall asleep till the wee hours. And I wake up several times a night. 

I'm over it. I just don't know what to do with it...