Where did August go?

 Yeah... what the heck? August - I kept saying, "gotta get the blog done, gotta get the blog done..." and then - the rest of August happened. 

On August 11, a derecho blew through, 90-100 mph winds whipping through, and several tornadoes in Illinois. This tree limb was about 2 blocks from my house, and it's resting on power lines. 

We live in an older neighborhood, where all the lines are above ground - and no, the city is not going to bother burying them. We're stuck with it. When a grasshopper farts, or there's a slightly quicker breeze or a "not quite heavy" rain, we can be guaranteed to at least have our power flicker. Or go out entirely. 

Mind you - Tornado Season is April - June. And Tornado Alley was "officially" shifted to include Illinois. When I was a kid, we were always told that we were in "Tornado Alley" - while it was, according to the meteorologists, closer to the Great Plains, Iowa going west. Well, now we're actually in it. 

I was at work when the storms first hit. My office is a renovated 1960s bungalow -- with a cinderblock basement. The power flickered, first, and then went out. Then the sky turned black - like night-time black, and it was about 11 a.m. I sit by two large picture windows, and I saw the wind picking up, so I actually grabbed the flashlight, my purse and my keys and headed down to the basement. I hate the basement. It's small, cramped, and claustrophobic. But I hated the thought of being shredded by window glass even more. The power briefly came back on, so I popped upstairs. 

Then, about 10 minutes later, the sky...turned green. I scampered back down there and stayed there as the sirens were wailing, and the rain was hitting the windows so hard that I thought they were going to break. I was not happy. As soon as it cleared, I packed up the office (now definitely without power and no sign that it was coming back anytime soon) and tried to head home. I work in an older part of the town across the river from where we live. I navigated the old streets, and the many, MANY trees and limbs that were down; neighbors were already out there with chain saws and axes, trying to get the roads cleared and making sure there were no downed wires that were under the trees. Several trees blew over, roots and all. I tried to go my normal route home, and found the way blocked by what seemed like the entire town's supply of cops and emergency vehicles -- there was a large tree that had fallen and taken down live power lines. 

Turned around and went the other way home. It was a mess, so many traffic lights out, so much storm damage. 

We were without power for 3 1/2 days. Thank God for generators. It seems like the "music of the summer" here in the summer of 2026 is the hum of generators. We'll be looking at a whole-house system later this year for sure. I called my mom and asked, "Do I remember that I hated camping as a kid?" She said that both my sister and I were VOCAL in our disdain for camping. 

I still hate it. We were lucky, and I know that. I can't complain: we had generators running, kept the fridge and freezer going, Hubby's computer, one light, and a large fan. But we literally lived in 1 room. I slept on a blow-up mattress and Hubby took the couch (my preference, so don't flame him...I preferred it). 

The neighborhood wasn't as badly hit as some, in terms of trees down. But the power -- Wow. So many people out, ComEd was overwhelmed, and some folks who actually DID get those tornadoes? They were out for the better part of a week. 

And those folks in NW Indiana? Good Lord. They were POUNDED and some areas are still - we're talking since August 12 or so - without power. This is nuts. 

But hey... Global warming is a hoax, right? 

The Knitting...

Oh wow - I managed to pull off an entire FULL-SIZED afghan in FOUR MONTHS. Yeah, I didn't think I could do it either. This is the lovely Soft Serve Panel Throw from Plymouth Encore. It's using 2 tones of Encore Worsted yarn - my personal go-to fave for this and baby items - and I added a border, because I don't do fringe or tassles. 

It's for a wedding, the couple requested the panel colors, and I added the dark pewter with the image of "stained glass" in my head. I hope it worked; I think it does. 

Nerdy Notes: MC = 3 balls of Plymouth Encore Worsted, CC = 2 balls. Size 8 circular needles (24" cable does just fine here) and size I (5.5 mm) crochet hook

FYI, I used 2 balls of dark pewter yarn for the contrasting crochet to attach the panels to each other. You can just use mattress stitch, but my mattress stitch sucks, so... And then I did a double crochet around the perimeter of the entire piece to tie it all together. 

Also -- for some reason, I used 4 balls of the green. I have no idea why. The colors are discontinued - Shamrock Heather and Sunflower. 

I'm back to socks, because I'll be doing some traveling. My mom's white Sophie Hood is going to wait till I'm done being on the road. White doesn't travel well... So I have a sock which I'll show you next time. Right now, it's just the first 6 rows, with my standard "roll" before I start the ribbing. Another vanilla one - using Opal's "The Little Prince" colorway. It's vaguely red-white-blue, which is only marginally patriotic - the tones are pretty muted, so it hollers "blue jeans" rather than "'Murrica!"

So this one is practically "vintage." A long, long long long long time ago, I took 12 balls/hanks of sock yarn, and put them in a large tote. I told Hubby, "Bag these in the brown lunch bags, one hank/ball each, and mark them for one month of the year, starting in January, because I'm going to knit a pair of socks a month for a solid year."

Yeah, no. It didn't work out. First off, I was relatively new at socks at that time, and I'm not the world's fastest knitter from the get-go. I got through the first quarter, sort of. Then, there were other projects: baby knits, a wedding gift, Christmas... and I started realizing that knitting a pair of socks a month just wasn't going to happen. 

I asked him to pull one of those bags for this "travel knitting," and he did - this was July, I believe. The plain vanilla will do well with this colorway, as it's looking like it's more variegated than self-patterning, but it's early yet. It feels nice to have my hands on socks again. 

I was finishing the afghan as the heat wave hit. Having a large wool afghan on your lap (even in the A/C) when it's 100 degrees outside is not optimal. But it's done and ready to hand over to the happy couple. 

Travel... 

Heading out to see Kid #1. It's the first time I'll have been out there in a couple years. Since before my hip replacement, actually. 

I have no pictures, but you'll have to trust me -- in order to prepare myself for the trip, I took a couple horseback riding lessons. I hadn't been on horseback in almost 8-ish years, and since then, with the hip replacement, I just wanted to be sure that I was ok. I ride Western, which is a whole lot more comfortable, given the new "hardware" (and yeah, even though it's been a little over 3 years, it's still "new" to me). 

I was able to ride at the stable where I volunteer, and I rode both Deuce and Zeus -- and yes, I know that sounds terribly confusing. Deuce is a lovely quarter horse, a big boy. Zeus is a Paint, a bit smaller. 

The picture here is Deuce; he's one of the horses I clean up after. Isn't he the cutest? He can be a bit spicy, but he is a very steady therapy horse. 

We have a new trainer in the barn, and she and I have really hit it off. I enjoyed my lessons with her, and I would like to book more - it was fun to get back on the horses, and while this was prep for trail riding, it was fairly easy - just walking, maybe a faster walk, learning (again) to steer, getting my seat back in order, and just moving with the horse. 

That's why I prefer Western. Posting - which I tried pre-hip-replacement - was not for me, and now with the hip, it's a no-go. I'm sure that if I had done it before, it would be different, but I dislike the constant up-and-down, and I want to just sit comfortably on the horse and follow its natural movements. More "Gary Cooper on a horse" rather than "Olympic dressage." 

The Garden...

I have 22 tomatoes. Only one of which looks like it might turn ripe before I have to leave for vacation... The squirrels got a lot of the green ones, and I'm hoping they've moved on to collecting the acorns which are starting to fall - for some reason, my tomatoes are late, even though I planted them on time. 

We had a weird summer, that's all I can tell you. 

And the hummingbirds are starting to migrate. My feeder has been like a Route 66 diner in the days of the Mother Road. The birds are ignoring the two bright red mandevillas next to the feeder and they're starting to fuel up for the big flight back toward Mexico. This little girl seems to be a frequent customer - but it's hard to tell them apart. We may just be getting more females this year. She posed so pretty! That's our maple tree behind her. 

Even though we tried for a second leafing-out of the red romaine, it didn't amount to much, and the basil all went to seed. What was left of all the plants after August 11 with the derecho - they were pretty beat up. The pink petunias seemed to handle things ok, though, and they're hanging in there. 

We didn't even get the fountain up at all this year. The birds had to do with the regular bird bath and the small solar fountain hanging on the lamp post. 

Current Affairs...

I thought I had some stuff to say about The State of Things... but I find that I really just don't want to deal with it. I want to go find dog grooming videos on YouTube. I'm not tuning out, honestly. I just need the mental break. 

I finished my 150 Signs of Justice postcards and they'll be mailed out in a few weeks, as a nudge to voters. 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: This I will say -- If you have a mail-in ballot - DO NOT MAIL IT IN. Do a search or call your County Clerk's Office and find out where the authorized drop-boxes are. Drop your ballot in there. Don't trust the USPS. There's something brewing, even though there's a court order against it. 

Court orders are - apparently - suggestions. 

Ahem. 

Anyway, our local Clerk's Office has almost a dozen locations for drop-boxes, including several public libraries. I like to drop mine off at the Clerk's Office because the box is bolted into the concrete, has lights on it 24/7, is monitored by a camera, and there's usually a Sheriff's Police car sitting somewhere close by. I don't call that "election interference." I call it "Safeguarding my right to vote." 

The Demented Current Occupant and his merry band of under-equipped and stupid sycophants are determined to hold onto power any way they can. They've been TOLD that they can't implement any part of the SAVE Act. But like the following: 

• The Rose Garden 
• The East Wing 
• The Kennedy Center 
• The cherry trees 
• The weeping willows
• The East Lawn
• The reflecting pool... 

None of that matters. HIS word - his executive orders (which, I will once again point out, are NOT LAW - AND THEY ONLY APPLY TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH)... that's all that matters because Congress and SCOTUS have abrogated their responsibilities. 

John Roberts -- NOW you're thinking he's got too much power? Dude. Dude. Seriously? 

Oh. I guess I actually DID have something to say. 

Random Picture...

Who actually eats flour? I'm not kidding - I'm honestly asking. 

I was doing a very rare mid-year baking of cookies, and this label on the top of the flour bag just hit me weird. I mean, when I was a kid, we made paste out of flour and water, and yeah, a kid or two (not me, honestly - I thought the whole thing was gross) would taste it. We used to mix it up, tear newspapers into strips, and then we'd "paste" them over balloons. Pop the balloon and make a "bowl" as a gift to our moms. Hey, it was art. 

But who actually EATS raw flour? 

The cookies turned out fine, but it was certainly weird to make them in August instead of November, like I usually do. 

Now, I am going to go find those dog-grooming videos... 

I Have Something to Say...

I have been very circumspect about a lot of things on here, because I'm normally a very private person, but I've kinda had it and I need to say something. 

"Stay in your lane" is normally a pejorative statement uttered by underqualified white guys while they lecture someone (usually a woman or a person of color, or -- looking at you, JD Vance, and THE FREAKING POPE) on a subject that they really have no idea about, but because of their white-guy-special-privilege, they get away with saying a lot of crap and demeaning a lot of people. 

But in this case, I'm issuing a "stay in your lane" regarding a situation which has come up. 

If a person has, say, 40-ish years of experience doing something, and is accomplished in their field, and has been noted as a professional in that field (i.e., has been paid to do the thing), if you do not have those or similar qualifications, and this person has been doing a job - without pay, and gladly, because otherwise it wouldn't get done and materially affects this person's ability to do another particular job... and if you think that in spite of all the above, YOU still know better? 

Stay in your lane. 

I try to not let this kind of stuff bother me, but man-o-man...some days you just want to tell people exactly what you think. Mind you, that's not always the wisest thing, and you can get yourself into a lot more trouble. But sometimes, things DO need to be said because otherwise, they live in your head rent-free, and you don't deserve that. 

So. Take my advice. If you're confronted with a situation where you want to make a suggestion, please don't let that stop you from making the suggestion. But to wholesale say to that person, "You are incapable of doing the thing you've been doing for 40+ years, because I can do it better, it can't be all that hard, it's just plugging things in..." Yeah. No. 

Stay in your lane. Resist the temptation to open your mouth, because you're only going to insert your foot all the way up to your quads. And I'm not helping you pull it out. I'll actually help shove it in a bit more, just because you deserve it. 

The Garden...

Sadly, we haven't seen a caterpillar on the parsley all season. We really haven't seen the Swallowtails either. 

The Borage has been covered by little black ants. The chervil was destroyed by same ants... 

We trimmed off all the red romaine, and Hubby left the stubs -- surprisingly, we're getting a second leafing of this lettuce. And to be honest, that's about the only lettuce right now I'd trust to eat. Thanks RFK jr and what's left of the CDC... 

We have 6 tomatoes on one plant, and the one on the Cherokee Purples GOT EATEN BY A TREE RAT....  so frustrating! I don't expect any of the yellow cherry tomatoes to actually happen, because I bought that plant late. It was a "rescue buy," and if it actually grows? That's a win. 

The Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris), also known as Gayfeather (who knew?) is doing well, but the 3 new ones? Bunny appetizers. Two of the 3 new ones appear to be trying to come back. Fingers crossed. 

The Coneflowers (the purple native ones) are doing quite well. Happy with that. As are the Brown Eyed Susans. I did plant some additional seeds, but I don't see any evidence of them coming up. 

The basil is going nuts. I'm letting one plant go to flower for the bees, and nipping the other one. The Kid is in Maine, and has tried basil ice cream, so I need to freeze some of this, and see if we can re-create it. 

While the petunias are a bit leggy, they're still blooming, so I'm letting them do their thing. 

And while the dill and Monster Bleeding Heart did come up? Nothing like they were last year. The Bleeding Heart didn't even bloom. And even the Icelandic Poppy was wonky. 

On the plus side, even though this year (so far), we haven't put up the fountain (a/k/a "Birdy Bidet"), we've put up two bird baths and a saucer on the ground for the other animals. And the birds have been rotating between the two baths in the front and the one in the back. For a while, the back one rarely got used, but they've found it and they seem to be very happy about it. 

We usually have a line-up, and woe betide us if we let the baths get low -- they yell at us! 

We're in the middle of a heat wave, complicated by smoke coming down from Canada. But who cares about global warming? Surely nobody in Washington, DC... 

Hold the Phone...

A miracle has happened. I came home after the meeting I referenced in my first paragraph. I was frustrated, hangry, and just Not. In. The. Mood... So I made a sandwich for lunch. I had an avocado that felt a bit squishy. 

I thought, "Oh, FINE. Just. FINE. I'll probably have to toss this one... " because why not - that's just the way my morning went. 

Wait a sec. Here it is. And it's freaking PERFECT. And it was delicious. It didn't quite make up for the crap I put up with at the meeting, but ya know what? 

It was perfect. In the moment, I thought, this is just ... perfect. 

The Knitting...

The afghan is moving a-pace... I might -- JUST - might get it done by the time we visit. I have the two gold panels done, and I'm working on the second green one. There are 3 green panels in the project. 

I'm really liking how the colors are working together. I wasn't sure as I picked them, but the gold is also a bit of a "heather" which seems to play well with the green. The green heather seems to have a little of a yellow cast to it, so it works nicely. 

All that garter stitch...Whew! This separates the knitters from the knitters! You can really see the unique quirks in the yarn, and this is a "tension test." You can see the evenness of your stitches -- or the unevenness? Anyway, like I always say, the plain knitting is where you see more than you might want to. 

I found a dropped stitch about 3 rows back. So the ONE nice thing about all this garter is that I could rip back with impunity. Which I did. I must've been knitting late at night, because I normally am pretty good about paying attention to my knitting; only because dropping a stitch terrifies me!

I can't wait to start putting it together. And -- since we're in that heat wave, of course I'd be working on an afghan. Lucky it's in parts, and I'm not having a whole big wool-blend afghan in my lap! 

My next project will be a single sock - I have to find one of my sock bags. We're thinking of taking some short trips, and socks are great car-knitting. I usually try to have the fiddly bits done: ribbing and heel turn. So I will knit on the leg or foot - the mindless stuff. A 7 - 8" leg takes a while to knit, so it works for a trip. 

The Grand-dog...

Well, we have Basil for a while. It's been a long time, and she's shedding. A lot. I'd forgotten how much ONE dog can shed, and it's like, "How did we do THREE DOGS shedding either simultaneously or in sequence?" It was a constant snow-storm in the house, I guess. I never noticed when they were around, but I sure do now that they're not...

She's doing really well, considering (the heat wave...) -- we have to be careful when we walk her, because of the hot sidewalks, and she really zonks out when she gets back in. 

She has, however, proven herself to be The Sploot Queen. She sploots on the carpet, on the floor, and even on the couch as she's napping. Boy, I wish MY hips were that limber again! 

She hasn't quite plopped herself on the AC vent, and surprisingly, she's quite incurious about what's going on outside. She's not much of a barker, but I don't think she has to -- take a look at her and you'll think twice about anything stupid you might want to try. 

Fun story: Well, it's not actually fun... Basil gets car-sick. We've tried everything: not feeding her, confining her, even taking away her water (which sucks). And finally, the vet suggested some meds. The last time I transported her, she yarked up so much (on an empty stomach) that she literally flooded my back cargo hold; thank goodness for WeatherTech liners. She's nearly 70 lbs. That's a lot of "tummy juice." 

This time, we had a slight miscommunication. I was at a birthday party (80th) for a friend, and I told her I had to bug out early because Basil's ride home was coming. Hubby gave her the pills around 1 p.m. We waited. And waited. And waited. You're supposed to give it 1 hour after eating and 2 hours BEFORE travel. She hadn't eaten since 6 a.m., so we know her tummy was empty. About an hour after she had the pills, she took quite a nap. 

Finally, around 4 p.m. I get a call, "I thought you were bringing her back..." (sigh) So into the car we go. Basil was doing really well. I kept thinking, "don't jinx it, don't jinx it, don't jinx it," and "who's the patron saint of dog barf??" 

I pulled into the driveway. And.... There was NO barf. None. Not even a tummy rumble. We were gobsmacked! 

I think, to make this all work, we have to give her the meds, WAIT for longer than 2 hours, and then she can get into the car. That's such a good outcome. She was so upset, she'd barf her guts out, and it was just so nerve-wracking to drive her anywhere longer than 20 minutes. 

So. Yay for a miscommunication? I'll take it. 

The Houseplants...

Well. My snake plants have had babies! We have three pots which have little pups. Two of the older ones are a little shaky, but I think they're still ok. And the big one in the back (upper right corner) has FLOWERED!! Yay!!! 

And Hubby's orchids are really doing nicely as well. A few are ready to pop again, I think this is the third time this year they've bloomed. 

I'm still looking for that elusive Golden Haanii, which was one of the first ones I bought and promptly killed. My Moonshine is a bit leggy; it seems to like the grow lights a bit too much. But I don't want to risk moving it. 

And my baby spider plant is fluffing out well. So the green thumb is working inside almost as good as the one outside. 

Random Picture...

We've had some pretty impressive storms. Lots of night time tornado threats, too. This was a shot I took from the studio, and these seriously look like "mushroom clouds," and were quite stunning when I left after class. 

That was a night when we had some particularly intense storms. With hail and all... while we didn't have any actual funnel clouds, they were around us in other counties. 

We've had so much wet weather. The maples didn't do their "twirly bird" thing, and the storm sewers are running like crazy. The rivers are high. I mean, I'm not necessarily complaining -- too many folks out west and in Canada are in droughts with wildfires burning like crazy. 

And in case you even THINK it, no -- raking the forest floor won't help. These are ANCIENT forests burning. Mother Nature is screaming at us. When will we listen?

We're pretty much past the tipping point; right now, we need to realize that the Earth will survive. As far as Mother Earth thinks, WE are the pestilence. We can be gotten rid of. And it seems like she's really trying. 

 

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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OK, let's see if this works... No comments, so either people couldn't read the last blog entry or nobody had a problem with the font change. 

So teacher training is still kicking my butt. My last Body Reading assignment and my last sequence were...not received well. But unlike Graduate School, I can just re-do them. It's not graded. 

This week, I started the Apprenticeship segment. Now NORMALLY, we'd have a "Head to Toe" yoga class and we (the trainees) would be the apprentices to the master teacher. We'd learn by doing. But, now, COVID has changed all that. Now, there are 8 of us, and we have to figure out how to learn to do these therapeutic techniques when we can't even touch each other. 

So, this picture has nothing to do with teacher training...but it IS a great reminder. Left to right, it's amethyst, green aventurine, and raw black tourmaline. These are gemstones that I got in barter for knitting a baby hat. They're lovely stones. I have them on my table next to my little "yoga gnome." 

Friday night, we had a lot of lecture and a few teachings where each of us was chosen to demonstrate a technique. We then had to discuss how we wanted to go forward. In that, I mean, we need to learn in this module how to sequence for therapeutic yoga, we have to learn a myriad of adjustment techniques...and we have to do this without student to practice on! 

All I can say is that it's going to be interesting. 

But this weekend's Therapeutics module -- today I had fun. Prenatal Yoga!!! I've wanted to teach prenatal yoga since I started my 200-hour training, but I never felt like I knew enough. We've managed to talk to the master teacher who presented today, and might be able to get a class together to do the actual 85-hour certification. Yeah, I know - I'm probably nuts. But it's something I've always wanted to do.  

The Knitting...

Well, Kid #2's Afghan proceeds apace. It's going a lot more quickly. I had a consult with my "color consultant." A/K/A the Hubby. I was trying to balance out the 2 sections of black that The Kid wanted in there but I was having trouble placing them properly. Hubby took a look at it, then we slightly rearranged my notes and you can see that I've got about 10 rows to go, then a 5-row border that matches the bottom border. For once, I think it might work out as a balanced pattern! I mean that on MY part, not Hubby's...his eye for color is amazing and I will usually consult him because I'm not good at that. My mom is actually pretty good at it, too. 

We ended up switching up the black sections; initially I had grey where the black was and it would've been almost 6 more sections (12 rows!) to get the balance right. I am totally winging this color combo. Initially, it was just the red and grey (college colors are red + white, but I try not to put white in an afghan unless it's just a slight accent). But then the request for black...(sigh - a ginormous pain to knit with, even with my lovely Ott stand light). 

You can see my "color list" here, working from the bottom up. It's rough, but if you have a system that works for you? Go for it. You are the only one using it. 

I am anxious to get back to the Baby Car Seat Blanket, because I want to stay on schedule for that. 

And I want to get back to knitting a few things I've set aside -- the Longsands Tee and the February Lady Sweater, along with a couple of shawls. 

The Reading...

I finished the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series - at least what's been published. Aside from all the yoga stuff I've been reading, I've also just purchased a couple Agatha Christie books. I mean, you can't exactly snuggle down before bedtime and read Ray Long's "The Key Muscles of Yoga." 

Well, you could, but you'd have to be wayyyyyyyyyy geekier than I actually am. 

Anyway, I have "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," which has been called "the greatest murder mystery novel of all time," and "Murder at the Vicarage," the first Miss Marple. 

For me, Geraldine McEwan was the perfect Miss Marple; Joan Hixon was the first one to play the part, and she's my #2. Just as David Suchet is  -- just "is" Poirot. 

I'm looking forward to one of those tonight; not sure which one yet. My other favorite murder mystery author lately is Louise Penny, with her Inspector Gamache mysteries set in Canada. 

And of course, I love the "usual" ones: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've been reading Sherlock Holmes since high school), P.D. James, Martha Grimes... A good murder mystery is just a balm to my imagination and restful to read. Funny, maybe, but there it is. 

I'm also re-reading The Whole 30, which I'm starting on Monday. Or I should say, "re-doing." I need to get rid of the COVID-19 that I gained. 

I suppose I should have been on the ElliptiKILL or knitting during the shut-down, instead of making (and eating) bread...

So today is "prep day." I have made ghee (so stupid-simple, why would you pay $11/jar!?), and I've got eggs boiling. So why ghee? It's clarified butter. When I was a kid, the Galloping Gourmet (just Google it...) used to talk about clarified butter and it always sounded so exotic! 

It's easy. Take a small saucepan, put in 4 sticks of butter (you can cut them up if you want). and simmer over medium-low heat. The worst part: DO NOT STIR IT. Seriously, that's the hardest part. As it simmers, you'll notice a froth on the top - that's the dairy solids, which you don't want. Skim them off the best you can; you just toss those. 

Then, put a strainer over the top of a canning jar, stick some cheesecloth in there (it's way easier than a coffee filter - ask me how I know that...), and strain the now-clarified butter into the jar. Cool before storing it in the fridge. You can keep this in the fridge for 6 months, or at room temp (easier to use) for 3 months. 

The biggest thing is to prep. If you try to do this on the fly, it usually won't work. I'm really in need of a  re-set; I've gotta get my sugar demons under control, and I think I need to do something about gluten. It doesn't make me sick, per se. But it does make me bloat. Is that a problem? Not sure it's a real medical issue; just more of an intolerance. Either way, I'm over it. 

And if I don't do something, I'm setting myself up for a gigantic lecture by my cardiologist. Wish me luck...

The Politics...

So #WeezyMussolini violated (again) the protocols and held a rally.... a "rally" on the WH lawn. In the middle of the COVID pandemic, while he's still contagious (and no, I do NOT believe the "doctor" who said he was fine). And --- he PAID THE ATTENDEES. 

Dude was supposed to speak for 1/2 hour, made it to 18 minutes. He's still got pneumonia, I'm tellin' ya. I've had it (pneumonia, minus COVID) and it's bad when it's "regular" pneumonia. I can't imagine COVID pneumonia. 

November 3rd can't come fast enough. We need a landslide and Electoral College victory that cannot be denied. And then the Secret Service can move the mendicant crime family out of the White House, fumigate it, and we can get back our democracy. 

I'm not sure we'll ever get back our "original" pride in our country. And it's goingto take years to get back our reputation - even a shadow of it. But we can start the process by ending the reign of mendacity that's occupied our country for the past 4 years. 

Maybe we will have learned something profound during this time. We've certainly learned the ugliness of our nation was really just under the surface. Maybe now we've learned that it takes all the good people to get up off their sofas to make the changes necessary for us to live in a better world. 

I watched the VP debate. God, it gave me flashbacks of every moron male boss I ever had... Mikey P. was a total jerk. Kamala's "mom look" was perfect, though sometimes, you really wished she'd have just said "SHUT. UP." 

The problem is, "angry black woman" is a real stereotype. But what angered me even more was the rubber spine of the moderator, who was a prior donor to the Republican party. I swear, they should've gotten a mom in there who's been home-schooling her kids. Pence wouldn't have stood a chance if my mom was the moderator. Then again, my kids would say the same if they thought I was the moderator! 

Vote. Please. 

The Random Picture...

Well, Raisa was not looking for toast. I actually had her huge Kong bone in my hand. The one she flung at me and that clocked me in the shoulder. She knows how to pitch. 

Her problem is that her aim is off. You're more likely to get whacked with that bone as she uses her skills as a doggie baton tosser. She'll roll the bone around her neck and then toss it up - and that's cool. It's when it goes on an angle where it gets dangerous - then, it could land on your foot. In your knitting bag. On your lap. 

Or, as frequently happens, bounces off your head. 

That's always fun. 

And remarkably, as with buttered toast...the bone always hits you with the slimy end that she's just gnawed on. 

It's a good thing she's cute...

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I Have Not Died...

Good Lord. October. Thinking back, if I can remember that far back, I believe that was the time when I was hunkering down with The Neverending Wedding Afghan.

Which--- ta-da! is FINISHED. A week before the wedding, Jesus, Mary & Joseph! It's huge. And I think that future brides/grooms are getting a "throw" rather than a nearly-6-foot afghan.

It's partially my fault; I started it then set it aside. I foolishly thought, around October, that I could complete THIS (February wedding) with a Christmas shawl and Kid #2's afghan. Ha.

The shawl got set aside for Christmas 2020. And the Kid afghan? Well, it's at 50%.

So there's that.

Anyway, since it's been forever-and-a-day, here's the 411 on that afghan (411 = information for those who may not know... used to be you could dial 411 for information and the operator would give it to you.)... The yarn is Caron Simply Soft. Colors are (from the bottom): taupe, ivory, ocean. I don't think the "taupe" is very taupe, if you ask. I think it's brown. Looks like coffee in real life. But there you go. Ocean has a tad more green in it than this picture shows. It's lovely and I'd use that color again. Ivory is ivory, and all in all, the colors work well.

The pattern is "Stepping Waves" from Bernat. And I did a WHOPPER of a boo-boo. I used their yarn calculations. By that, I mean, they said "4 balls of this, 4 balls of this and 3 balls of that." And that's what I bought.

ROOKIE MISTAKE because now I have a literal crap-load of the ocean and ivory. Maybe that's ok. I have babies to knit for and this might be an advantage. The hand of the yarn is lovely and it seems to wear ok. Maybe a baby blanket. I like super-wash wool for the hats and sweaters.

I used a size 7 (24") circular needle. Sonda, my knitting guru (RIP dear friend) always said that a 24" needle could handle just about anything larger than a hat.

I got a basket from the local craft store, used some clear wrapping paper, and bought a pew bow. I know - I should've gotten something more "bow" and less "pew" -- and I'd have paid a lot less for it, for sure! But the ivory goes with the afghan and it's my nephew, so there you go.

Other knitting includes crochet (a scarf that can go with me to appointments) and socks. I found a great hack for the sock needles. My hands have been horribly dry, and so I grabbed a "finger" from the office, and I tried that. Voila! $3.45 for a dozen of them...

You can get them in "nude" but I don't really care. I ended up pushing this one inside-out and it was even easier to knit with. I've tried the leather thimbles, tried metal ones. Ran through BOXES of bandages.

So far, this works.

The sock is Plain Vanilla, Opal as usual. Colorway is Klangwelten, color 9044, lot 1302. I want this pair done. Just to get a pair done, because I'm tired of afghan knitting. I know I need to pick Kid's afghan up again soon, but I want to work on something that's just for me. For the First Socks of 2020, I'm committed to getting these done in record time.

Record time for me, that is.

The scarf is some little piffle...I got the yarn for one thing, that didn't work out and it was just sitting there. It's a Lion Brand skein where you do a one-skein scarf and it's ombre.

It's not great yarn. I'm sure I'll find a home for this scarf. But it won't be for me. Do I sound like a terrible snob?

I am. BUT - in this case, I don't want another scarf. I really do have plenty of them. And I have nothing red that goes with it. Not that that ever stopped me, but I don't need another one and I'm sure someone will adore this.

Simple double crochet. Easy and I can do this till the cows come home. Which, with the size of the skein, I'll be doing. But again - no rush.

I'm tempting the Knitting Fairies, but I'm a bit ahead on the baby knitting. I have one afghan all ready to go. Just need to whack together a hat and sweater for a boy (I know it's a boy, not sure when it's coming though). Hopefully, my friend will give me a head's up when her grandson is coming.

One final knitting thing... Prayer Patches. This is the bottom layer of a bag full that I'm hoping to complete. These are, quite literally, swatches. About 3-4" square, they're great stash-busters. I'm working through a bunch of hat yarn. We take them to church, they're blessed and put in a basket. If you don't want a whole prayer shawl, this fits in your purse or pocket, or heck -- use it as a luggage tie for all we care. It's just a nice thing for those of us who don't have a ton of time to knit entire prayer shawls.

Not Knitting, But a Craft...

This is a silk shawl my boss gave me for Christmas. The beauty of this is that it really IS a one-of-a-kind design. Because she made it. There's a woman locally who runs this studio where you can go paint these. Actually, one of my oldest friends did one for me, in tones of orange and cream, which is lovely. This one is more in the tones I wear.

I wore it to the OTHER job and people kept asking me to pet it. The silk is really, really luscious. I need to research how to tie them better. This is kind of plain, but it still shows off the scarf.

We're looking at hosting a sort of fundraiser for this project. I think it should be easy to do; might be expensive, but that's not a big issue. If it's a fundraiser, that's the point.

TIPPI Update...

Well, good news & bad here. In November, she finished her chemo treatments. She actually retired as a TDI therapy dog, because they require vaccinations and with her recovery from Lymphoma, she's not going to be vaccinated anymore. Vaccines "excite" the lymph system, which is just what you do NOT want with a lymphoma survivor. So. TWO kinds of cancer this dog survived (Thyroid,which I found around Treatment #2 for Lymphoma, and she had surgically removed). We are - or were - still visiting.

But. Today, honest to God. I thought "this is it." I thought she'd be at the Rainbow Bridge by dinnertime.

She was up most of the night "yarking" up bile periodically. Now she'd been doing this every so often, but I was told it was "doggie reflux" from the chemo & cancer. But this was different, because she also had accidents in the house, and wasn't moving. Hubby said she couldn't make it up the steps after her morning "toddle"... And she looked absolutely rotten. She was panting and snorting and breathing heavily.

At the vet's office, they took an x-ray (There went $650, but after we've spent what we spent on the chemo and thyroid surgery? We almost didn't notice it...) and said her right lung was "cloudy." Dr. Katie said it looked to her like pneumonia, given her other symptoms of the bile and the breathing. She couldn't address the weak legs, but suggested it was because of the pneumonia doing a number on her breathing in general. In good conscience, she reported also that it could be "diffused cancer" - we won't know till the radiologist renders a verdict.

Pneumonia is treatable in a 13-year-old dog. Lung cancer, not so much. I'll keep you posted. Pray, if you're inclined. Just that she catches a break and gets to live to her natural lifespan.

Speaking of Therapy Dogs...

We can't call her a "therapy dog" because she's nowhere NEAR being certified. But Raisa had her first visit last month. The folks at the university don't really care if she's TDI or not. Which is good, because she's a long way off from that!

That being said, she had her first visit and she didn't do too badly. She's a lot "kissier" than Tippi, but she didn't get the idea that she'd get belly rubs. Which is also ok. She'll figure it out.

They were kind of fascinated at her. And she was a goofball.

The original schedule was Tippi the first week and Raisa the 3rd, but now with Tippi's diagnosis of pneumonia, visiting is out till she's better. Or till we have an alternative diagnosis, which will kind of tell us what we have to do.

So, what with the Democratic Primary coming up March 17th, Tippi won't be visiting anyway. I'll be Election Judging...

The Weather Outside...

WAS frightful. We had a mini-polar-vortex and then it snowed. And now it's thawing and we're set to have higher temperatures. Welcome to February. So this is me outside the church on a sub-zero day. See that cowl? That's one other reason I don't need another scarf.

That's a TEN dollar cowl from Walgreen's. Seriously. And it's toasty-warm and washable. Can't beat that bargain...

And then there are the orchids. We're up to 2 cattleya and a bunch of mini-phals. One big phalenopsis, because the others died off. But the mini ones are blooming again, so maybe that's what our house does best??

Anyway, Hubby got some "real" orchid lights. They look a little weird, and I had to adjust one because it was hitting me right in the eyeballs as I was in my knitting chair.

But they're automatic, which is helpful, since neither of us could ever remember to turn the light off in a timely fashion. And they're LED bulbs, which last a long time and are energy efficient.

As long as they're growing, we're both happy. We're avoiding the orchid house's big sale. We just can't! Well....we COULD...

Random Picture...

The other day I was going to the cardiologist. It's not great news, but it could be a lot worse. It appears I'm in A-fib again but for now we're just watching it. I kind of figured. But I didn't want to think about it.

This and having to get a tooth replaced with an implant? I'm kinda wishing 2020 started over...

Anyway -- I was really early so I stopped off at the local greenhouse. It's a great place to sit quietly and contemplate when it's "butt-freezing cold" outside.

There are two water features and this one had koi with a turtle...I didn't catch the shot with the turtle, but these guys were pretty feisty.

It's late; I have more to tell you but I want to go to sleep. It was a long night; and I'm not sure what tonight will bring.

I Found Them...

...the buttons, I mean. Jeeze. In my other knitting bag. Well, now I have enough to knit a LOT of baby sweaters!

Finished...

The afghan is FINISHED. It looks really good; even though this happened at the end. I hate knots. I hate that sometimes there's no way to hide them...But I think I did ok with this one. It's buried in the middle of a row. I know you can't prevent them all the time, but why is it that they happen in gifts? 

Anyway, this is a very bulky, but yet light afghan. I like the way the colors blended together and I didn't have too much trouble with anything puddling. There are areas where the green stands out and there are areas where the cream stands out. It's nicely balanced. I think they'll like it; and it won't matter the gender because it'll go with anything. 

I have no idea of the decor of the nursery. They told my mom that they may not paint the room at all; right now it's a deep blue, and used to be my nephew's office. 

So...no hint whether it's a boy or girl, and I don't care. This sage will go with anything. 

So here's the thing with "plain knitting." As you can see, it's a big block. Bordered by straight knit. And you really do have to have decent tension, but the gauge doesn't really matter a whole lot. 

I will tell you that my grandma was a stickler for tension. She would make me rip out and rip out. Till my tension was just the way she liked it. I got used to being able to read my tension and see where I'd maybe been a little "stressed" or maybe a little too loose. It's not gauge. It's tension and it's important with a whole whack of plain stockinette stitch. 

This blanket actually came together relatively quickly. So, in my world, even though it was an 8-hour afghan pattern, it took me most of 3 weeks, knitting on it just about every other day. Not too bad. I think this would be pretty in brighter colors, and maybe the next one will be something really splashy. I'm thinking a bright blue with red, or black with yellow? It could work. 


It would depend on the sweater set though. And that's what I started last night. It's in Universal Yarns superwash wool, an equivalent to Cascade 220. The color is called "Greenery." Original, right? 

Anyway, not sure what buttons, but it's my usual - the "New Arrival Cardigan," and of course, as I started it, I kind of panicked, thinking, "It's going to be too small..." But as we go on, I know it'll bulk out. 

Unfortunately, I can't find my one pattern with the notes on it. I have to look for it; for right now, I'm working off the original book. I know I had some specific notes, but I don't know what I did with them. I thought that they were in the red and black bag where the yarn for the sweaters is kept, but somehow the notes aren't there. It figures. Wonder if they're in another bag with more buttons?

I'm using Kollage Square needles with the soft cable. They're nice to work with and they really do make the stitches pop. Of course the yarn helps! But it seems like my tension (that word again!) is better with these needles. And the soft cable really works well - no boiling to make it un-kink. Right out of the package, it's good to go. 

After the sweater, it's the hat and booties. And then, maybe. If nobody else announces a baby, I can get back to knitting socks!

A girl can hope... 

It Was a Dark & Foggy Morning...

This was my view outside my window in the office. I couldn't see the top of the steeple at the old St. Mary Carmelite Church. That's the steeple, and the building in front is the public library.

Much of our downtown is made of local limestone - at least a good bit of it, if they'd stop tearing down the old stuff and putting up concrete cubes. Right out of the 70s, for sure!

Anyway, St. Mary Carmelite is an 1882 Gothic-revival church that's in hideous disrepair because the Diocese can't get its act together. The last "project" was in 2015 - where someone was supposed to renovate the structure for senior housing. But the lawyer next door objected, apparently. 

And now? It's falling apart. It used to be a vibrant church, and when the downtown area was thriving, the rectory next to it was full, and the community was alive. The photo to the right is what it used to look like before it really did deteriorate. I remember going there when I first worked downtown; Ash Wednesday services at noon were very popular. And it had a hopping "Shepherd's Table" in the church basement. 

But as downtown went the way of many downtown areas...the church has languished. 

This photo is of the nave. Note the stained glass over the area where the altar would have been. Note the arches. Note the pillars. 

As a singer, I can tell you that the sound hung there like Michael Jordan on a jump shot. This church was beautiful. 

And now it's near death. It's going to cost more to tear it down. All because nobody knows what to do with it. 

Joliet went through a phase of "tear it down, tear it down," and we lost a lot of landmark buildings. We have a courthouse that's in disarray because (of course) they tore down the lovely limestone edifice and put up a concrete paneled monstrosity that looks like it was upside down. 

My uncle, the one-time County Engineer, took one look at those plans and said, "If you go forward with this, I'm noting my objection now. The design is awful and you'll be out of room in a few years." He was right on both counts. 

St. Mary's ... it's a sad story. I've been hoping that Joliet officials will see some sort of sense. But it's not looking good. With the state's reputation as it is (no budget for 2 years, several governors in jail...) - it's not surprising that nobody wants to build or invest.

We supposedly have a new transportation center coming, and they've renovated the train depot in stages. But it's taking forever, because ... well, budgetary restrictions.  

What's sort of saving us are the intermodal facilities just outside of downtown. But then you have the trucks coming through downtown on streets not wide enough to handle a couple SUVs and a bus... Maybe once we see the new junior college building start to hold classes. Maybe when the Rialto Theatre gets its act together. Maybe the University of St. Francis campus will start to bring the kids back. There are good things. 

But to allow a building with that kind of history to decay? It's shameful. 

Random Picture...

This is Alex. Alex is a graduate student at the university where Tippi and I do our therapy work. Alex told me straight up that he was a German Shepherd kind of guy. He told me that he was going to have one when he was able to get back to Israel and start teaching at Bethlehem University, or as he calls it, "THE Bethlehem." 

Well. Then he met Tippi. Who gave him her best Elk-Clown grin, and proceeded to sit in his lap. He laughed. 

I'm told he hadn't had much to laugh about lately, from people who've worked with him. And I'm sure that with him being from Israel, he's got a lot on his mind. He's graduating in May. He's from a place where war is an everyday thing. I'm sure he's thinking about what it's like at home, and what the current administration in the US might -- or might not -- do with the relations between our two countries. 

Last night, we had another therapy visit. And Alex was there. And Tippi did her thing. They took many selfies. He showed me a picture of his friend's German Shepherd dog. And then he asked a lot of questions about Elkhounds. 

He's decided that Tippi is "the perfect size." He learned about their care and habits, and he learned that they can adapt to just about any climate. He's thinking...and I think he's thinking that an Elkhound in Israel is a distinct possibility. 

As usual, Tippi does her magic.