Sweaters, Songs and More...

So I promised you pictures of buttons. Here they are. These are some vintage buttons from my friend Kelly at Le Mouton Rouge Knittery. She got a big old box of 'em and I saw these and immediately - even though I'd bought some triangular Celtic knot buttons - HAD to have these. Had to. She was kind enough to give them to me, which was very sweet of her. There are actually 5 of them, and I have 19 balls of the yarn - so in truth, if I wanted, I could knit up some Gull Lace wristlets and use the buttons as accents. The sweater takes 3 - and honestly, I should've done it with just 2. Anyway, I have extra and I may as well use them. 

I'm moving along on the sweater; the lace pattern is really easy to memorize - almost too easy, and you can easily become complacent. I'm not sure whether this is zipping along or I'm being deceived by the fact that this is a DK-weight and it's not a baby-sized item. I'm doing 7.5" in length, and they said do 1.5" as garter stitch to finish. This being a silk + wool yarn, it'll "grow" a bit, especially with the entire body being lace. So if it gets a little longer, I won't cry, but I didn't want to have it too long. 

I was a little worried about the "alternations" I made in the pattern. I still don't get the "knit 4 rows of the lace pattern" thing because my 3rd buttonhole wasn't there, I couldn't see doing 4 rows of the lace there before you actually started the body, and finally - I messed up and reached my yoke length on the RS. So I added enough knit rows to make myself back on the correct side to start knitting the lace so it wouldn't be "backward." 

I can tell you that those 50g balls go fast! It seems like I'm already on ball #4 or so. 

Empty Bowls...

When I worked at the university, we had a project that was a great fundraiser called "The Empty Bowl Project." Everyone was encouraged to decorate a bowl, and then the bowls were sold. 

Well, Kid #2 had something similar at his high school, and he brought me one of the bowls that one of his students did. It's really pretty, has 3 little ball legs on it, and will be perfect for yarn. Or notions. Or just sitting and looking pretty. Haven't quite figured out where to put it yet. Still organizing, still tossing out magazines, and still clearing out the office. 

Songs...

So my guitar teacher and I thought I needed some new songs. He says to me, "Ever heard of the Wailin Jennys?" Ummmmmmm - YES!! So I did some research and found a beautiful song called "Arlington" (which has nothing to do with Virginia or the cemetery) and I was able to find sheet music for it. I've been working on it all day. I've also got a few others, including "One Voice" which I'd love our choir to do. 

Hubby was also able to find me a couple of new Tric guitar cases. Mine were pretty beat up, and I can't get them from my usual source anymore. Figures. 

So I'm all set to go. It's going to be fun. I'm also hoping to see Neal Peck and the Stay Tuned String Band this month at one of the free concerts in the downtown area. 

Politics...

Well, I know it's been a while and I've been processing a lot. But I have to go there. The Nectarine Nemesis says, "When will the world start laughing at America?" 

Ummmmmm. November 2017... the day after the election. And after the disaster that was his ham-fisted (pun intended) attempt at diplomacy? Yeah, they're rolling in the aisles. 

Even The Guardian pointed it out... So, folks. Let's get over Kathy Griffith (for any number of reasons, including Ted Nugent -- go look it up if you don't get it), and let's focus on what's important. 

The social safety nets which are in danger of being cut out from under the most vulnerable. 

The environment.

Jobs.

Education. 

Medical care/insurance. 

We have a lot to worry about with the Twitter-freak in the White House. Let's not get distracted. 

Get involved locally. Contact your representatives. Find a cause that you're passionate about and do something about it. 

Random Picture...

On my way to the "Essential Oils for Animals" workshop in Peoria, I drove through some of my favorite parts of Illinois: the slightly hilly "down south" area, where there are wind farms (take that, Nectarine Nemesis: the future is wind and solar, NOT coal!!) and rolling hills. 

Let's face it, Illinois is more famous for jailing its governors and not paying its bills. We've clearly got the most dysfunctional state government. And that's not hyperbole. We're broke, we can't pass a budget and we keep electing the same people. 

What's the definition of insanity? "Doing the same thing and expecting different results." Yup. That about sums it up. 

Anyway - that day started out cloudy, but the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue in some spots, and the wind farms were doing their thing. It's really pretty. 

Progress, Always Progress...

Well, the shower is in May. Too soon for me! But I knit along and keep on going. 

Played a great game last night. Most knitters have played this game every so often: "Yarn Chicken." Soooooo - I was just about at the end of the first ball of yarn, and thought I could get pretty close. Boy. 

I did. 

As you can see here, this is what I had to work with. I'd just finished the first buttonhole row, and I noticed the working yarn was getting a tad skimpy. But I thought I could squeak out a few more rows. So I went on. And on. And I kept looking at the tail end. And then at the number of stitches I had left. And I wondered if I would make it to the end. Wondered if I'd have to tink back (tink = knit backward = "frog" = "rip it" [note: ribbit, ribbit = frog]). 


It turns out that I didn't have to, but whew! That teeny little tail there, above the needle? That's all that was left of Ball #1. I added Ball #2, and on we go. 

I know it's been a while, so I took a break to write this out. In spite of the Kollage square needles, which usually don't hurt, my hands are hurting. 

I think it's combined with the fact that I type a lot during my day job. Lots. Tons. Even on an ergonomic "natural" keyboard, I'm still typing probably 4 - 6 hours a day total. Not constantly, but a lot, and it takes its toll. 

Anyway, I have 5 more rows till the next buttonhole. I've got a new trick for these buttonholes: I bind off one more stitch, and I cast on one more stitch. It seems to make it more firm, and it seems to not get that little "gap" thing that I had in the last sweater. 

The sweater is coming along, and I think this week, I can make some significant progress. Hat and booties are next, and I have to look at how much of the green yarn will be left. I have some brown superwash, and I might use that as part of the booties, sort of like an accent if I need to. Or maybe I start the hat (or end the hat) with the brown. It'll work; I'd just rather have it all look the same. 

I really have to up my game. Knitting must be in the car so that I can get these projects done. I was waiting on a teacher to discuss a new workshop, and I brought some knitting to the studio. This is the striped socks, using Sole to Sole, and of course, I can't find the printed pattern. It's here. Somewhere. 

I'm thinking about making the Roman Rib socks again, using Opal (again), and doing the Strong Heel. I know - I said it here: "I'll never do THAT again!" 

But -- the "Orthodontic Diet" has been working well, and I've lost about 20 lbs. So I think I can go down to 64 stitches instead of the 72 stitches I was doing. The socks I have are now sort of baggy! 

The Sole to Sole (in the picture) are 64 stitches; we'll see how those work up. The side ribbing goes down the whole leg, apparently to "hold them up." And I'm hoping that the side ribbing doesn't stretch too far. Remember, I've got "biker calves." 


So I have a new knitting project bag. And it's amazing! I got it in exchange for a mug... Hey - barter works! 

It's a lovely "yoga" pattern, which fits, since I'm a yoga teacher and studio owner. 

I can't decide what to put into it yet. The baby stuff will stay in the red bag I always keep baby stuff in. It works for me to keep things consistent. The pattern always stays there, the needles always stay there. It's just convenient because I know that's the "baby bag." 

Easter Goodies...

So I saw these in the Target the other day. Now, since the "Orthodontic Diet," I haven't eaten a lot and I really won't do anything too sticky. It's sad, because truly -- Peeps are one of my favorites. Particularly if you leave them out in the air for 2 or 3 days, so they've got a slight "crunch" to them. It's a thing. I think I might be the only person in my family who eats them - or eats them that way! 

Our Easter celebration will be Palm Sunday, as usual. We're singing for Good Friday, Holy Saturday/Vigil, and Easter Sunday. 

Which brings me to a quandry. Due to circumstances, most of which have to remain confidential, we have a different organist for our Easter services. Of course, the most important services in the Church year. Yes, even moreso than Christmas. 

I'm a little worried. We really don't have a good handle on the music we're singing. I mean - all I know is that I'm doing a chant, and that's cool. I'm ready for that. 

It's the rest of the several services that worry me. It's in God's hands, I guess. And I hope She's got us covered!

Big Pharma, Big Gripe...

I'm very lucky. I have insurance. Hubby's policy has changed over the years, and we're now with a company which pays its CEO an insanely obscene salary. I'm not sure for what. But nonetheless - we're covered. Decently, but not like it was a few years ago. 

This is my seizure med. This is what I pay for the first refill. And I'm lucky this year, because the price dropped by a couple hundred bucks. It's been over $3,000 some years. 

Big Gripe #1: There's no reason this medication needs to cost this much. It's not new. Drug companies have bought and sold our politicians and they're kowtowing to their new corporate overlords, so we kind of get the stinky end of the stick. 

If I could take the generic? My cost would be about $17.00. Yes, SEVENTEEN bucks. 

So there's no end in sight; we don't know what the price will be at any given time. At this point, this drug is the "lobster" in the pharmacy... You know how, in those fancy restaurants, they say "Lobster" and then "market price." So you never really know how much you're paying. 

Big Gripe #2: Because my insurance company's CEO gets that obscene salary (no really, it's obscene... $66.13 million in 2014... and no, I don't know that this is actually correlated, but I can imagine!), I have the "delight" to have to pay a premium every time I refill. Because I'm unable to use the generic. 

And yes, I tried it. And I had break-through seizures. Not a cool thing. Generics, by law, have to be "similar" to the brand name. And "similar" in pharma talk means that often, they're a molecule or two different - maybe a different filler or a different component that works the same but doesn't violate the original patent for the brand name. And my doctor is trying to get me off the drug - we'll see if that works. But for right now? I'm stuck. 

So what this means is that, even though I've made our deductible for this year, I will STILL pay anywhere from $700-800 PER REFILL for the remainder of the year every time I need to refill this medication. Here's the math: I pay the $2439.55 at the beginning of the year. Then for the next 3 refills, I pay (let's round it out) $750/refill. Calculate, kids... 

That's $4,689.55. So let's round up and say $5,000. Five. Thousand. Dollars. And that's WITH insurance. 

Let's do more math... If I did not have insurance, that would be... $9,758.20. Let's round up and say $10,000. Ten. Thousand. Dollars. 

If I had no insurance. 

How can this happen in America? See the paragraph above about our politicians being bought and sold by Big Pharma and other lobbyist groups. 

We are not a Third World country. Yet. But there are great swaths of this country that may as well be. There are people who are still not covered by insurance. Who still have no access to basic health care. Who still die because of ailments that would, in a different community, in a different economy, be treatable and perhaps eliminated. 

The Orange Menace (a/k/a Twitler) tried to kill off the ACA. Thankfully, enough people came to their senses, courtesy of grass roots activism, and over 40 million people were able to keep their coverage. So now, of course, it's the fault of the Dems. Who "wouldn't play nice" and were "not civil." 

(Side note: Why must Dems be civil when they're being stomped on by totally uncivil Republicans?) 

So the ACA stays. For now. We need to get our heads out of our collective rear ends. Universal health care needs to happen. Or expanding Medicare. One of the two is feasible, if we want it bad enough. 

If we're the Christian nation some people claim we are (though we are not now, nor have we EVER been a Christian nation), then why is health care such a verboten topic? Why is health care not a right? Or only a right for the rich. Or the covered?

Random Picture...


We have a Franken-elkie... Quinn had a number of cysts removed, and as you can see, she's pleased. Not. 

Four of them. One of them burst as they were prepping her, and was deep into the muscle - the one along her back. It was, at one point, 4" long, under the skin. The one on her flank, near her tail, was removed, but since she was under anaesthesia, she pooped, and it got infected. There's also another one under her collar, which we've had to wrap, because she's in the Tube of Shame. 

I believe there was another one near her neck, but I can't tell - I'm trying to pet her where she's not shaved. She's a "patch-hound" now. 

Hopefully, this will be the last surgery for a while. Except our poor darling has to go to the doggie dentist, with a problem in her tooth. It doesn't keep her from eating, but we want to take care of it before it gets bad. 

Which is why I'll be working for a long, long time... 

The Perils of Technology...

So my new Nokia phone came in. It's a doozy. Technology way beyond what I was thinking, and that's only the camera part. I'm not a total idiot. I went to take a picture of the lovely African Violet that's blooming.

And I can't figure out how to focus the stupid camera. Ok, the CAMERA is not stupid. Obviously, it's me. This is the Nokia that has the whiz-bang gazillion-megapixel camera that's supposed to be just about as good as my Canon EOS. If I can figure it out. 

Can't wait to see the pics. 

If I can figure out how to take them in the first place. 

And I just went ten rounds with Hubby, trying to figure out where the pics from the old phone landed. We found them, sort of. They're not completely off my old camera. Which of course is frustrating. 

Can't someone make an app where, I get a new phone, I press both phones together and the new one sucks the information over??? It would be worth a million bucks (probably more) if there was such a thing. 

Knitting...

Nothing in a few days. I've just been spinning my wheels. Don't even have enough done on the Pink Sock to make a dent in the progress chart.

BUT... I'm going to re-think my "project days" thing. I think it needs to be a "project week" thing, particularly for the knitting. I can still cross-stitch on Sundays, since I can no longer take those projects out in public. 

Not that they're awful. Just that I can't see them as well unless I have a magnifier and my Ott Light. 

But I think I need a WEEK with each project. See, I don't knit all day. I don't knit fast, either. So to have Monday be "Pink Sock Day" -- unless I have a solid couple of hours, I make no progress on the project. And that's frustrating. So I'll keep the same LIST. But instead of each day, I'll pick the week and that will be my project for the week. I should be able to make some strides toward completion at that point.

Does that make me a "process" or "progress" knitter? Well, I do like the PROCESS of knitting. But even better, I do love to finish stuff and see progress. I want to wear (or give away, as the case may be) what I'm working on. I don't like to have endless stuff that never gets finished. (Go ahead. Laugh. You know you're just like this...) I mean, honestly...

When someone asks, "What are you working on?" I don't want to say, "The same sock I've been working on for 2 months now." Either they'll get the impression that I'm terrifically busy (and sometimes I am) or they'll figure I'm pretty dim (and sometimes I am). 

I seriously want to get the stash managed. Come on, you know I mean it since I've already dropped a trunk-load of "stuff I will never knit" at the church for the prayer shawls. And in truth, the only way to really enjoy the NEW stuff is to FINISH the stuff that's been there a while. 

So that's where I stand right now. I have the Pink Sock with me and if I get a chance today, I'll knit some on it. Otherwise, it'll be tonight after dinner.

Healthy Habits...

Rather than go "Diet & Exercise" -- Anyway, I am horrible today. There must be Something Coming On because I could eat a bear. While it's still alive. I'm afraid to get on the scale tomorrow. But I will do it anyway. I have to. Probably won't like what I'll see, but there you go.

As far as exercise, I'm on Day Two of the Weighted Hula Hoop. My tummy feels a bit battered because it's got nubs on the inside of it. This is exactly the one I have. See those "handles" there? Yep, rib punishers. I can only go about 3 minutes at the max. I know I should be doing up to 10 minutes, but I don't think my ribs can take it right now.

That being said, I'll keep working at it. I'm in the office 4 days out of the 5 we're open, so even if I can get most of the days at lunch, that's good. 

I'm also wanting to clean up the stash/craft area so that I can keep my mat rolled out - incentive to actually get on it! I'm going to be going to Florida this summer (I know - who really WANTS to go there, but it's for the Zonta convention) and I have a skinny mat I can toss in my suitcase. 

I was inspired by my friend Donna - I trained with her. And she's got a travel mat. I figured that, since I rarely share a room, I can just take this one to Florida and use it after the meetings. I probably won't do anything in the a.m., or if I do? Who knows? 

Just so I get into a routine. I would love to walk more, but I'm headed BACK to the allergist. After 5 years (yes, FIVE YEARS) on allergy shots, they no longer work. I was one year off the shots and everything was good. Now, however, because of the polar vortex, allergies are going to hit the roof. They're calling it the Pollen Vortex and if you click that, you'll see a pretty good article about it. So I'm headed to a new allergist for a sub-lingual (under the tongue) system. Hubby's doing it and not only is it cheaper than the shots (insurance doesn't cover this way of doing it, though), he's seeing quicker results because it's a DAILY drop or two under the tongue instead of a whopper of a shot once a week.

The shots - for me at least - have to be mixed with epinephrine and I can't do that anymore, I don't think - because it speeds up the heart rate and I'm now on 2 meds to SLOW it down. I'm ok with the dentist doing it because it's a quick-acting thing to put in a crown or fix a cavity. But the allergy shots? The shot gave me a "second bicep" on the outside of my arm, and that was WITH the stuff to ensure that the reaction wasn't bad. And the lump lasted for days. No, thanks. 

So I've got the appointment set up and we'll see what happens. 

Easter...

Turns out that I have some breathing room! I'm boiling the eggs tonight. Will do the cakes on Friday, and the deviled eggs on Saturday morning. Hubby can handle the ham. I think that's all we have to do except for yanking the potica out of the freezer. I have mislaid the list (!) and so I'm not sure that I've got everything covered. 

Speaking of Easter, you all know the song by Leonard Cohen, "Halleljuah." I'll link a YouTube here. But that being said, here's the "Easter Version" of that song. As you know, if you listen to Cohen's words, this song isn't about the religious aspect of "Hallelujah" -- it's the physical aspect of that exclamation. 

However, a very talented woman took the time (and did get permission, you'll hear in the video) to Easter-ize the lyrics. I think you'll like what she's done. I'd love to sing that. I also appreciate the artistry of the Jeff Buckley version. 

Music...

Seagull 25th Anniversary Guitar

Speaking of which, I've taken guitar lessons for 12 years now. Arguably, my mom's 15 years as a piano student were much better spent because she played beautifully and I'm still not there yet (Oh, I play in public, but I could be a lot better if I concentrated on practicing more -- MUCH MORE). So we're working on "Canticle of the Sun" and there's a part in there where Jeff, my teacher, finally says, "Look - you've gotta learn a couple of power chords." Power chords are simple chord formations that slide up the neck (which in guitar means going toward the sound hole) -- so you keep your fingers in basically the same position, but slide up a certain number of frets. It's all based on the lowest note in the chord. 

Power chords are usually reserved for garage bands because they're supposed to be easy. We shall see... A church song with power chords... 

So I also recorded (on the new phone) the a capella version of the Exsultet - I figured I should capture it because I don't have a whole lot recorded. Perhaps in my dottage, my grandcat or (ha) grandKIDS may want to hear how grandma sounded when she could sing. 

Jeff and I have been loosely working on recording us, with me singing and him doing harmonies where appropriate. But it's a process where I'm learning to use the recording equipment on my laptop, not necessarily for my posterity list. 

Random Picture...

Springtime...

Just to remind you that spring, even though I know so many folks still have snow, is finally here. 

A few years ago, we had a large feeder on a pole in our front flower bed. It was a cylinder inside a "gazebo" kind of device. Well, Mamma Robin decided that it was nicely waterproofed and this is what she did one spring. 

Hubby took a series of pictures from nest-building through laying to hatching and it was awesome. Really watching how all this happens is amazing. The only thing was, some idiot took a baseball bat to a number of things in the neighborhood: a few pole lamps, our bird feeder, several rear-view mirrors -- what a jerk! And we never replaced the feeder. Instead, we got one of those "module" types, which is actually better because it's squirrel proof. The little buggers can't figure out how to get beyond the baffle up the pipe and so far, we've been able to move it as front yard maple has grown. Though we're running out of room! 

Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Blessed Passover!

Let's Play Catch-up...

Gah - seems like forever!! But a lot has been going on. 

Health...

AliveCor device

Well. Second "major episode" or "breakthrough" - whatever you want to call it - of a-fib within a month and I now sport a new piece of equipment. This is it. It's a cell phone, yes, but that dohickey on the back? It's a portable ECG. I have an app (free) and this device (not free) and the cell phone will let me take an ECG in real time and e-mail it to the doc. I just have to get that part set up. It's apparently "just like" the ECG I take in the office, per my doc. So the phone was $50 and the device was a little over $200 - but still - at that point, it's easier to do that than run to the ER. The phone had to be either an Apple or Android, so I chose Android -- there's (a) my extreme dislike of all things Apple; and (b) the price. I mean really - the Samsung Galaxy has a lovely camera, and it runs this stuff, and it's $50.... I don't need a pricey status-phone to take a reading and send an e-mail.

The doc says I'm "most likely" to have the atrial ablation procedure done "sooner rather than later" and he's given me an additional Rx. The most pleasant of the side effects of this med is a week-long headache... But that seems to have resolved itself. Now, if the swelling of feet/hands and the tummy upsets would resolve? I'd be a happy bunny. 

So if this is a repeat, I'm sorry. Chalk it up to "yoga brain" and the nagging headache. Actually, the yoga helped...

Yoga...

Tias explains shoulder girdle

This was my last "intensive" for my 200 hour certification; a weekend with Tias Little, and the subject was The Fluid Body. Lest you think that's all yoga-y - it recognizes the fact that we are actually mostly water... We learned about dream states, meditation, learned chant, and of course practiced. And practiced. And practiced.

Since I was still adjusting to the new Rx, I had to do "chair yoga." But let me tell you, it's not your granny's chair yoga. All that meant was that (a) I did not do full inversions [going upside down] and (b) in folds, I only went half-way. I am prohibited by virtue of the heart thing and migraines from actually DOING headstand, shoulder stand and a few of the other inversions. I can do some modified ones, but since dizziness is also a side effect of this Rx, they and I chose safety over ego. 

Quite honestly, I was prepared to be a little reserved. I wasn't jazzed at the cost of the training. I wasn't jazzed that I had heard he was "a rock star." And I wasn't jazzed that the thing was 4 days long. 

But I am now apologizing. Yes, he was treated like "a rock star" complete with an assistant who gazed at him like his every word hung the moon. And some of my classmates were just agog. But... Honestly, he knows his stuff. He is more down-to-earth than I thought he was. And he clued me in to the greatest hand massage I have ever had! He was concerned (I felt, actually concerned, not just for looks) that I was safe in the class, and thanked me for the times I was able to assist students. 

The training was at the Morton Arboretum, and except for the last day, the weather was lovely. They did warn us, however, that we needed to stay on the paved paths -- ticks are nasty. 

Shoulder stand

This batch of shoulder stands was done in the main room we had. We did have to go to another room, because somehow a wedding got booked in the midst of our training. But as the studio owner said, "We're Yogis - we go with the flow." I got some good tips on shoulder stand for my own students, and maybe at some point, when everything settles down with me in regard to my health, I'll give that a shot. 

As far as headstand? No. Not gonna happen. I know. Mr. Iyengar does headstand and he's 97 years old or something like that. Fine. 

I just agree with my neurologist who thinks that nobody over age 35 needs to do headstand -- unless (my part) they've been practicing it. 

New perspectives...

Headstand isn't really all on your head - it requires tremendous control of your core and significant shoulder strength. And I don't have either. It's considered "The King of Poses" and can be very relaxing, I'm told. My own teacher here in town loves this inversion. I already know I would need an awful long time to even attempt it. Shoulder stand, possibly. Headstand? Not likely. 

Anyway, the training was good, all in all. I'm beat. My brain is tired. I have a bunch of new stuff for my students (and myself) and as I was doing my sequence for teaching tonight, I had to tell myself several times, "You can't teach it all to them in one night!" 

As it is, we're learning 2 new poses: Gate pose and Moon Salute. That will be enough. It's BASIC for a reason. I don't think they're physically ready for some of it anyway. Lots of shoulder opening stuff this past weekend, and I can tell you that the students I have - probably most of them aren't there yet. Heck, I'm still working on easing my own shoulders. 

Adjustment of Dog

As you can see here, there's a different adjustment for Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog). We learned one in training that could be very dicey to do in a class. I like this with the shoulders better. This is my friend D (another D - not knitting D) being adjusted by my new friend V. Look at D's line - isn't it lovely? She's worked very hard to get her shoulders open, and really, she's an inspiration to me to get my own butt moving. Or shoulders. 

Now, all I have to do is finish the script and line up my "models" for the DVD I'm doing on "Yoga for Hands." Then I can submit everything for the final check and I'm in line to get my certification this year. 

Knitting...

So of course, I brought knitting. The Pink Sock, because I knew I had about 1 or 2 inches more on the leg, and it can take a long time. I knitted during lunch breaks. I usually like to eat lightly when I'm in training. I broke that rule once during the training and I'd paid for it by that afternoon's practice!

This is Pink Sock in one of staircases (it was chilly one day)... in the little project bag. I got quite a bit done, and I really think I'm about 1/2" or less to turning the heel. 

On the steps

Nobody much blinked at my knitting. So from Thursday - Sunday, I had Pink Sock with me. I know - I didn't adhere to the proscribed list, but you know what? 

I'm a Yogi - I go with the flow. Ha... There's no way I'd take the afghan to this training. As it is, I finally wised up and brought a huge roll-y suitcase because we had to haul the following: Mat, 2 blankets, strap, 2 blocks - and I'm telling you that takes up a load of room. 

Others, more experienced than I, had roll-y cases or in one or two instances, those things you see in old movies where they're hauling their groceries back to their flat - the collapsible metal framed baskets on wheels. 

A couple had bags they hauled - like me. And I still don't know how that one woman did it - the bag was almost as big as she was, and I didn't see wheels on it. 

Anyway, in terms of knitting, Pink Sock is here with me now, but it's late in the day; I'll probably put in a few rows when I get home or after class tonight. It's coming along - I can see progress, even though it's like 100 million billion stitches (with all respect to Carl Sagan). 

Food...

Smoothie time!!

Finally, it's spring and it's now Smoothie season again. It's just too cold in the winter to drink those! But also - I have a hint that I gleaned from training. Many Yogis are vegan or at least vegetarian. I'm more a "flexitarian." I like meat. I try to be a conscious shopper and I like to at least know where my food lived. But be that as it may, one of the gals was talking about the smoothies and an ayurvedic philosophy of food. 

Basically, it's something I have also figured out. I need to chew. Humans are hard-wired to chew food. Unless there's something drastically wrong, our brain knows "chew = food" and that enables it to start sending the "I'm hungry" or "I'm full" signals. Drinking your lunch really doesn't do it. 

That being said, what I've tried to do when I'm eating smoothies is to also have a cheese stick and nuts around. Though today I'm still having a "training hangover" and I just ate a candy bar... Anyway, if I chew those things (the nuts and cheese, not the chocolate), I feel as if I've eaten and the smoothie seems to keep me more full. 

Call it a mind trick - this is a LOT of smoothie, but it doesn't necessarily keep hunger away some days. 

My fave

And speaking of candy... I have found the MOST YUMMY of peanut butter cups. I'm not usually a fan. Sorry, but they're too cloying most of the time. Except for these, which are available in milk chocolate and dark chocolate. And they are divine. I have to try to not buy them when I go to the health food store, because the other thing I find is that I really REALLY need to watch sugar. It really is addictive, and on top of that, it just doesn't sit well with my system anymore. 

That being said, if the Easter Bunny stuck this in my basket, I'd be happy. Which SHE won't because she's ME and I've gotten all that done already. I did buy Cadbury eggs (not the big icky ones; those small hard-shell ones) to put around the lamb cake I'm making. But otherwise, the kids and Hubby have candy - I'm abstaining. 

Easter...

We're all set, I think. We got through Palm Sunday. The Lacrimosa went ok. I think the other alto was too slow in one part -- she thinks I was too fast. And we did miss a bit on one section, but we were good. I left after that to zip up to the last day of Tias training. 

We're having our Easter dinner on Holy Saturday. I have to work, first off, which isn't making me happy. So the Lamb Cake and deviled eggs will be done Friday night. Hubby will do the ham. Kid #2 is bringing Hawaiian rolls, and I have to pull a potica out of the freezer. My sister, I think, is making salad - or my mom is. Anyway, we're having dinner at 5:30 when I get done with work. My mom has parceled out that most people are bringing something. 

And thennnnnnnnnnn --- somehow it didn't hit me right off. Easter Vigil. The choir doesn't do a lot for Holy Week, which seems odd to me. I mean, I'm used to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Vigil and Easter morning - right on through. But 2 of the sopranos are doing Pie Jesu for Good Friday and I'm doing the Exultet for the Vigil. Which is 10:30 p.m. on Holy Saturday. Then we all as a choir come together to do Easter morning at 10:30 a.m. the next day. 

In my old church, the Vigil was at 7:30 p.m. because the priest was old. In this one - young priest, traditional times. Yikes. I could just sleep in the sacristy, I suppose!! I have to get cracking on that. I've got it about 85% memorized. It's a capella so we shall see how this goes. It's close enough to the Catholic version that I can mostly feel comfortable doing it. 

Dogs...

Everyone's getting along - Huzzah!!! Raisa wants to play and for the most part, they do - not all 3 at once, but in pairs. No heat yet, but it's getting close because Tippi and Quinn are very "sniffy" around her. 

Siberian Husk-cat

She's the star in obedience training and we can't barely get into the door where someone's not stopping us and asking to pet her. Telling her she's gorgeous. Of course, now she's living up to "Raisa" - which is Russian for "Princess." 

Check out the picture. She's getting big and she finally nearly got on the canary's table. She's so quiet that you don't realize she's in trouble till she's already there! 

I think she'll be a good therapy dog. She's already more calm than the normal husky puppy, and if all goes well, I'll have "one in reserve" for the day that Tippi decides it's time to retire her bandana. I don't figure that'll be for a long time yet, but we'll at least have an alternative if I go to places where Tippi doesn't like to go (like hospitals or the like). 

Quinn has settled down in the "big sister" role and Tippi is "mom" again. Raisa likes to greet each of them with sloppy Husky kisses and then she likes to play. They tolerate it well, though we're still leery of the two of them, given the last Big Battle they had. I think it'll be better once Raisa's fixed and as long as we're watching. 

Crocus

Random Picture...

So you can't be at the Arboretum and not take pictures. It's still early days, but the crocus and the daffodils were up. 

This is a beautiful place. Sadly, no dogs allowed. I mean, I can see that. But for us, it's a hike to get there, and while a bike ride would be awesome, we have parks and trails much closer. 

That being said, just enjoy these two snapshots. The crocus was along the Joy Path, named for the founder of the Arboretum.

Daffodils

The daffodils were naturalized along the way to the education center where we had our training. Their bright faces certainly added to that last day, what with the rain that was falling most of the time we were in the training. I had to pull over on the way in to get a shot of them. I've seen them when they're in their full glory and it's almost beyond words. 

So I'll let the pictures do the talking for now. 

Ecce - EEEK!

For those of you not conversant with liturgical music OR "Church Latin" - this is in reference to our newest piece, which our lovely choirmaster said we could "just do one day."

Winter vista

He gave it to us one weekend and alluded to how we could do it the NEXT weekend, except for now, I'm the only alto that shows up with any consistency. I wasn't going to be at church yesterday (more on that later) and so he said he'd wait a bit.

In the meantime, Hubby got the piece in Sibelius, since I can't play piano and I needed to learn this thing PRONTO.

Oy. Oh. My. God. Good. Grief. Yiiiiiiiiiiiiikes!!

First, there's no apparent YouTube version of this particular arrangement of that venerable motet Ecce Panis Angelorum (translation: Bread of the Holy Spirit). We have Gregorian Chant and another version (God knows whose) but nothing by James H. Rogers. This piece is so old that Tom was able to get it free from the Library of Congress. Yes, THE Library of Congress will provide you with music out of copyright and, appparently, ancient. 

Around about measure 14, the alto part starts, fairly innocent and, I admit, kinda boring. We hang out on the G for a while. Then it gets interesting because we follow the baritones. The first hint of "issue" is around measure 23. I have to hit a B. A LOW, low B. Mind you, I'm still mostly soprano and my lowest audible note is usually middle-C. This is the note below middle-C. So we start "in the basement" with this particular phrase, and round about measure 28, we go from a G (above middle-C) to a quick rest, to an E... the E above middle-C. Almost a one-octave jump UP the scale. And there's no sliding - you've gotta nail the G, breathe and then crank on that batch of Es - there are 6 of 'em right in a row, then after #6, in the same measure, you go to the low E (still above middle-C). 

Whew. I've run it through a couple of times, both "cold" and "warmed-up" after a couple of rounds of Lacrimosa - which, believe me, is quite the warm-up. I squeaked like a 4th grader with his first clarinet when I tried to grab that E note. 

The only thing I can think of is to try to, at that point, switch to my lower register and see if that works. But I still have that mid-measure switcheroo to the higher register from the higher E to the lower E. 

Oh, and here's fun. This is the verse: In figuris praesignatur, praesignatur. Cum Isaac immolatur.  In "praesignatur" imagine the a and e tied together; I can't figure it out in Blogger and my brain is tired trying to wrap itself around this piece of music. 

Is this penance? I'd be less freaked out if there was another alto. And I feel for Hubby. Tom is the "other tenor" but if it's a difficult piece, he's playing and letting Hubby carry the tenor load. And the tenor part is up in the rafters a bit, too. 

Come to think of it, I could probably "fake" it since at that point, the soprano line is the same as the alto line. And the sopranos are a loud bunch. They vastly outnumber me, even when Roberta joins me (she's an opera singer, so her "alto" is a bit more florid than mine). There are 4 of them to 1 of me. Four LOUD women. Sweethearts, but loud nonetheless. 

It'll all happen. It always does. But sometimes not before scaring the crap out of me.

Did I mention that I haven't even STARTED on the Exultet for Easter? Well, I've at least got till mid-April on that. 

Snow...

Knee-high to a short person

So this weekend, it got up to my knees. I helped shovel the front sidewalk, and I knocked some snow off the various feeders. I have to take the big camera outside to get decent shots. My neighbor has some interesting icicles on the house. At least with the big camera, I can get in tight without violating his privacy. 

We have at this moment, beautiful sunshine. The snow sparkles like diamonds in its piles. It's gorgeous. And 8*F with a "feels like" of -4*F. It should be clear over the next week or so, and might actually "warm up" to the 30s if we're lucky.

Break out the wool socks and Birkenstock sandals!! 

I'm still cool with winter (did ya see that pun there???) but I dug out a picture and put it on my desk. It's one Hubby took of a Swallowtail butterfly (I think) on a lupine. It's very beautiful, as are 99.9999% of his pictures, and it's just sitting on my desk reminding me that, yes, spring will be here, and you'll see me crabbing about the heat and humidity.

Speaking of which, I have to check the guitars. The Seagulls are in cases, but the Sigma isn't. There's probably enough humidity in the house, though I wish it was a tad bit more. Gotta fill the in-case humidifiers and figure out how to keep the Sigma from any damage,though I doubt it'll be harmed. It's not on top of a heat vent, and it's old. I mean, close to 40 years old if it's a day, and often, older guitars weather this lack of humidity better just because the wood is already more dried out than the newer ones.

That's on my list for Tuesday. Along with dropping "pee-pads" off to my friend Deb in Lab Rescue, remembering to grab Dead Brother's old cell phones for the domestic violence program, and grabbing the bag of archive materials to deliver to my Zonta meeting. Oh, and the check for the fundraiser. 

So much for an "easy" day off... 

The Shower...

Cupcakes for shower

Pardon the upcoming rant, but I just can't hold it in any longer. First, I did end up doing the cupcakes for the shower, which was totally NBD (no big deal) because I can do 36 cupcakes standing on my head. In a blizzard. 

I got the couple a cake plate that "does tricks." It's Gorham crystal, and no, it's not fussy; check out the link. It turns from a cake plate to a punch bowl, and then if you just use the bottom portion, it's a chip and dip set-up.

At the last minute, the shower location was switched. The original restaurant had a sewer blow-out. Urgh.... So everyone was contacted and we all went off to the other location. We had to park street-side, and clamber over drifts, but that was ok, I guess. My niece helped haul in stuff, and she and my sister rode with me. Our plan had always been to ride together because the parking at the original restaurant was miniscule. 

We got in, said hi to my SIL, her sister, and various guests that we knew. Made excuses for my mom -- by the way, it turns out she's got a sinus infection and upper respiratory infection. Which I told  her she probably had about 3 days ago, but who listens to me??

And we sat. And sat. And sat. My cousin texted the bride, and comes back to report "she's partying with her bridesmaids." What????????????

Finally, she strolls in with nary a word of apology and waltzes up to the head table as if it's perfectly normal to be ONE HOUR LATE for your own shower. Chattering away with her buds as if they were out on a girl's excursion. 

My niece tried, prior to the bride's appearance to make excuses, but after she saw how she came in, the conclusion was, "Yeah, that's just ignorant..."

I don't know how it's done in your family, but in ours, the bride would, when opening gifts, say, "Ok, this is from Aunt Nancy; oh, what a nice... [insert name of present here]" as she opened the gifts. She did that, but sotto voce -- nobody heard her except her 2 bridesmaids on either side. She did pose with each gift. 

And then the gift-opening was done. My nephew made the "thanks for coming, here's the wedding info" speech. And the bride never moved off her chair to come around to the 30 people who had waited patiently for her arrival in the first place to say hello, or anything. 

I don't care what year it is. Manners are manners. And she has none. 

My aunt (mom's sister) has early Alzheimer's and it's always dicey when she goes out. Yesterday was one of her good days. She said to my sister and me: "Wow - it's a good thing your mom WASN'T here - she'd have blown a gasket." 

Yep. 

Knitting...

Worked a few more repeats of the Nephew Afghan. Didn't do anything on the Teal Sock #2 or even look at another project. 

I just want the afghan over. I figure if I can do at least 2 repeats a night (4 rows per repeat, so 8 rows a night), I should have it done in about a week. At the latest, I want it done by the end of February and I should make that deadline. 

Male Cardinal

Random Picture...

So I put a "winter vista" up at the top of the post; that's outside my office. I am anxious for the warm-up later this week - I don't work on Saturday, though I have a yoga seminar that afternoon. Maybe I can drag Hubby out with the snow shoes if it doesn't all melt to mud. 

This is out in my front yard. It's my FB picture, and one of my friends described this little guy as a "bright red Hershey's Kiss with a tail." He was sitting and sunning in the -30* temps, eating his seeds. He was a cutie - I have a whole series of him on the platform feeder and on the ground --- er, snow. 

Cardinals are gorgeous - male or female. They're very fun to watch and their chirp is distinctive and melodic.