The Knitting Goes On...

So the "secret project" is coming along nicely. I'm over 50% done, which is a good thing. No picture yet; perhaps when it's done? Definitely when it's been given to the recipient. 

And I (or Hubby, actually) went into The Box of Sox...and pulled this out. It's Baby Regia, which is technically sock yarn. BUT... I'm wondering if I should instead make a shawl out of it from the Ukranian patterns? I'm thinking the Water Glare (pattern here). It would be pretty. I don't have a shawl with that much blue. Well, technically, I do, the Sally Melville "Wings" in the alpaca laceweight, but this colorway might be a good addition. "Wings" is a very pale blue, sort of like that sky with the ivory clouds in a bit of a haze. I love it because it's just enough to wrap around my neck and tie it. 

I just think that if the yarn says "for babies" and "socks," they're not thinking someone like me should walk around in them. I'm hard on my socks. And, I have lots of yarn left in The Box of Sox. 

As I'm knitting this Secret Project, I'm altering the design as I go. Maybe that's the reason I should have done a test run, but this is going to be a one-off and done. The nice thing is, even though Hubby doesn't knit, I can ask questions, and he's got a good enough idea of garment structure, etc., that he can give good suggestions. 

I know that I probably shouldn't have had him pull the yarn. I've got 3 singletons that I know of off the top of my head that really need mates. And I have some yarn sitting right here next to me that I frogged and re-started for another pair of socks. And I have a shrug/sweater thing from Expression Fibre Arts that I really need to get going on. And the linen t-shirt I had started. Long Sands, (pattern here) that's working up in a beautiful pewter linen yarn. That can be a 3-season thing, because I'd wear a t-shirt under it; it's a loose enough knit that it's more of an over-the-top kind of item to wear. And I do have long-sleeved t-shirts that I wear in the fall. 

It's a Stretch...

So yesterday, I did something rather out of my comfort zone: I took a workshop on integrating Qigong into yoga sequences. Qigong, as you may know, is similar to Tai Chi, except that Qigong can be an isolated movement or movements to affect a certain part of the body, such as "gathering the sun" or "combing the body." Tai Chi would be a whole sequence, like yoga but...not. 

Anyway, I'm intrigued and I want to learn more. And somehow, something happened to my hip. It's crazy, because we did a 20 minute flow of moves, and none of them were extraordinary. We stood in one place. OK, we did bounce a bit, and I could've landed wrong. But I don't think I did. 

And that evening? I was walking with a cane; my hip felt like it was going to collapse out from under me, which for me is extremely odd. 

What I found interesting about it was the intersection of some Yin principles with Qigong, in terms of energy meridians and how they affect the body. 

And something definitely affected my leg...I ended up using the cane in the house, which didn't thrill Raisa at all: she looked at it as if it was going to bite her. And Quinn? She just walked around me! 

Luckily, I'm heading to the doctor on Monday to see if I qualify for an experimental treatment. Of course, it's not covered by insurance, but it should prevent an eventual hip replacement. I cancelled my regular Yin class tonight; I wanted to do a whole "Spring Yin" thing, but not if I can't get up and down off the floor. 

Last night I used my far-infrared pad to "cook" the area. Today I used ice. I'm not using the cane today, but stepping out laterally is still a bit tricky. We shall see how Monday plays out. 

Orchids in Bloom...

Well, the 8th orchid has bloomed. We have only one which is just shooting up a flower stalk. It'll be a month or so till that one does anything. 

We've never had eight of them in bloom. Heck, we've never had eight of them SURVIVE... Hubby's got a dab hand at growing them. 

He said today, "No more!" (Which is like me and yarn...if there's a unique enough orchid he finds, it'll probably make its way home!) Our shelf is a bit crowded. Two of them need re-potting and one needs splitting, so I may have to find the split part a new home. 

The whole table is just beautiful and one of the pink ones has a scent. I can't smell it unless I'm on top of it, but it's just a nice thing to look at when I'm "cooking" my hip. 

The Reading...

So far, I'm taking a trip down Memory Lane with my reading: Elizabeth George's "Inspector Lynley" mysteries. And the description in the book is about 180 degrees from the guy who stars in the series. I think the guy in the series fits the character better. And Havers is different, too, in the series, at least physically. I'm also still working every day with the book of meditations on grief, which I referenced a few entries ago: "Healing After Loss," by Martha W. Hickman. 

The Lynley books are typical English mysteries, and I really like how they're written. I've seen most of the series, and I've enjoyed it. Picturing it in my head while reading the books is maybe a bit of a cheat, but that's ok. They're fun to wind down with at bedtime. 

The Garden...

Well, we still haven't planned much in the garden. Hubby took the top layer of dead leaves off today; which I think is a bit early, but I'm only reading it in the garden section of the paper...

We've still got the native plants in the front gardens; I do want to add some sunflowers along the south side of the house. The dirt there needs augmentation, though, and I'd love to put a border or something like that along that side of the house. I have to get to the local museum because they have seeds for local plants. I think I might have room for a few more plants; you never know!

Random Picture...

When I was out with my friend J the other day, I picked up some beads. I've dabbled, I confess. But she's an expert and does some beautiful work. So I got these, and made two bracelets. My original thought was one blue, one yellow, but I alternated the beads. 

Yeah, it does jack diddly for Ukraine, but it's a measure of solidarity in a very minor way. 

We're planning a day where she can help me fix some bracelets that, over the years, have broken. It's something to do over a cup of tea, so why not use it as a way to get together and spend some time? She doesn't knit or do yoga, and I don't arrange flowers or make jewelry -- so it's something we can do together till I can walk well enough to get back to taking strolls around the neighborhood. 

Need a tax deduction? How about the Elizabeth A. Morman Memorial Scholarship? It's in honor of my sister, for non-traditional women who are coming back to Joliet Junior College to study nursing. Non-traditional students are those who are older, often coming back while working or in other situations. We're giving one scholarship ($1,000) per year to a student who meets specific criteria which is on the website. 

Looking for yoga? We're open! Masks are optional. Check our schedule here at Just Breathe Yoga Studio for drop-in classes, series classes, workshops and more. 

Zoom classes are available if you're not quite ready to come into the studio. Private sessions aer available, as are small group classes. Many classes are available both on Zoom and in-studio. Call or text at (815) 546-2770 for more info, or email at info@just-breatheyoga.com if you have questions about whether a class is appropriate for you. 

Reading and Cooking...

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

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

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

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

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

THE BEAN SALAD:

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

1 (4 oz) can Yellow corn

3 stalks celery, chopped fine

1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced into chunks

1 small can EACH: sliced bamboo shoots and water chestnuts

1 bunch spring onions, chopped white parts and green parts

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

Salt & pepper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Orchids blooming...

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

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

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

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

The Knitting...

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

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

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

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

SSK = left-leaning decrease

K2TOG = right-leaning decrease

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

The Reading...

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

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

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

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

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

Random Picture...

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

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

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

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

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

We have Zoom options. 

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

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

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

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

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

A Very Covid Christmas

Strangely enough, this is my 1- year anniversary. The anniversary of me saying, "I think I'm coming down with a sinus infection..." which turned out, over New Year's Day, to be diagnosed as COVID-19. A year later, I've finally got my sense of taste & smell back about 85%. 

And our family finally got together to celebrate. Sort of. Both my sister and I are considered "compromised," and my mom is in her mid-80s, so that puts her in a position where she's also got to be careful. 

The day before our Xmas Eve celebration, my brother calls and says, "We're out." I wondered, frankly, if there was some family drama. Well, not the way I thought. One of the kids tested positive, and they had all been in close proximity. Everyone was getting tested, and not coming to my mom's house. That was 6 people. 

Then I got a text that one of my sister's kids was also exposed. There went 2 more. 

My mom, thankfully, said, "NOPE, you are NOT coming into my house if you are waiting for test results." And one of my kids was out of town, so we were down 1 person. 

Our usual complement of 20 was down to 11 - but we had the dinner catered for 20...so there was a LOT of food left over. 

This was also the first Christmas that Hubby and I did nothing except bake cookies and potica. Normally, we put on about 90% of the dinner. My niece did do baked beans - and let me tell you, her name is now "Queen of Beans." She not only did baked beans, but FROM SCRATCH. Including soaking them overnight, rinsing, picking through, and preparing them on the stovetop in a Dutch Oven. And they were DELICIOUS. 

Me? Well, yeah, I've made them from scratch, but I honestly would've opened a couple cans of Bush's Vegetarian Beans, added some crushed pineapple, a little spicy mustard, some leeks or shallots, and then bacon (yeah, irony in the fact that I'm adding bacon to vegetarian beans). 

Anyway, it was a surprising Christmas due to the following text exchange:

Kid One: "What's your favorite Bing Crosby Christmas song?

Me: His duet with David Bowie, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy."

Kid: "Wrong."

Me: What?

Kid: "I'll be home for Christmas." 

Me: Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

And then I didn't tell anyone. I wanted to give everyone a nice surprise. My mom's face was pretty priceless and so was my sister's. Kid & my brother visited (VERY socially distant) when my brother did a drive-by to pick up his packet of cookies. 

That gave Kid an idea for the return trip home. I was packing a lunch and sending home a large platter of cookies, but it was requested that I provide the same packet of cookies that I gave my brother. I guess that's now another "new tradition."

The Baking...

Well, I didn't get a good picture of a cookie tray. But it definitely felt weird to only bake 6 kinds of cookies. No, that's not a humble-brag. It's a recognition that this has been a freaky 2 years. As a family, we give cookies for Christmas. That's our thing. 

But since Covid, we haven't because people are, understandably, a little sketchy about home-baked or home-made anything. 

I do, however, have a picture of the platter of potica. Because they were so freakishly big, we didn't use our usual Santa plate. It ended up that we used a regular cookie tray, and ended up cutting slightly thicker slices. 

My mom said it was good, said the balance of dough and filling was good, and that "sometimes, dough is freaky." Yeah... 

I also sold one to a friend, and was told it was "delicious." I always get a tad nervous selling these, and especially when they're so outsized and not "normal" to my eyes. 

We have one extra, which is for Easter. Then, next year, I'm going to have to suck it up and make a double batch. We'll see what happens then. Last time I had a double-batch bake, I ended up with 7 (yes, SEVEN) regular-sized loaves. "Regular" is about 1.5 - 2 pounds. These babies this year? Each was almost 3.5 pounds. 

Everyone seemed to like the cookies, even though I deviated from the list. I didn't do the chocolate shortbread; I just wasn't up to standing there cutting out cookies, so I did Snow on the Mountain (chocolate crinkle cookies). 

The Knitting...

The cowls... I need to get you pictures of the cowls! So, again, both knit of the same yarn, just 2 different colors. I wasn't sure which one I was going to keep for myself, but it turns out that the cream one is mine. (picture at right is the grey one)

Mainly because I made some mistakes that I don't want to give to someone as a gift. I'm kind of a casual knitter, actually. So if there's one stitch out of place, I'm going with "personalized design element." But this cowl has a bit of a problem in the front at the point, and there's another little nasty spot at the back, which isn't as big of a deal, since it's hidden by a jacket collar or the like. 

I can always use another cowl, so I'm not heartbroken. I am, however, a bit miffed at myself for being overly confident in knitting the point of the cream one, because to me, the error is obvious. I know, though, that 90% of people who are going to look at it won't see a single thing wrong with it. I'll tell you: there are a few misplaced stitches, and it's crooked. 

But for me? I can live with it for myself. Much like I can live with my socks with 2 different heels (what happens when you lose the directions...).

And the advantage of doing two of these back-to-back is that I'm really confident now in my short-rows. 

My 8x8 rib socks are coming along nicely. I can't for the life of me find the colorway of the yarn, though. I'm 99% sure it's Lorna's Laces, but I can't find the colorway, even on Lorna's site itself. I'm about positive that I'm going to do a plain foot. I actually prefer a plain foot, because to me it fits more comfortably in my shoes. 

Do I love a fancy sock? Heck yeah. But I have a few, particularly the ribbed ones, where I've taken the pattern down the foot, and I just don't like the way they feel in clogs or shoes. 

As I knit with this yarn, I've noticed pretty big chunks of "busy" and then big chunks of "orange." So it'll be interesting to see how this comes out. I'm going to do the regular heel flap I do (though this might change to a Strong Heel -- I'm still meditating on that one) and then a rounded toe. 

I know I did a couple pairs with a star toe, which really fits my feet better, but for the life of me, I can't find those notes either. Lately, everything seems to be disorganized, and I'm pretty sure that it's kind of a reflection of the past couple of years, where everything seems to be topsy-turvy. 

Random Picture...

I don't know what Hubby's secret is, but we have Christmas orchids! He's very proud of them, as he should be. All but one of his plants are showing new growth or are popping out flower stems. 

When Kid was visiting, we were treated to some pictures of rather unique orchids. I could actually see the wheels moving in Hubby's head.... "Where can I put a couple of those???" So we'll see. We may end up with at least one unique plant. 

They discussed the various ways to grow these plants; Kid lives in a dry climate, so cactus are easier than orchids, unless one has a specific room. Here in the Midwest, we can beef up the humidity in the house, and we have grow lights. 

They're kind of like potato chips; you can't have just one. 

Need to find a yoga class that suits you? Nothing geographically close to you? Or just that the studio near you isn't a good fit? Contact us!

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We can do Zoom classes, private sessions, small group classes. We do "events" such as birthday yoga, friends-night-out, wedding/bridal yoga. Let us set something up for you locally in studio or via Zoom if you're out of the area. 

Three Things Finished, Two Time Outs

I feel like the title here is kind of Dr. Seuss. And of course, according to some morons, he's "cancelled" --- he's NOT. The Seuss Foundation, the folks in charge of his legacy, pulled a half-dozen obscure titles because of racist depictions. Dr. Seuss wasn't always woke. Actually, a few of his other cartoons are downright nasty, and not in a "let's poke fun at the Nazis" nasty (though there is that). But just incredibly not good. The images in these kids' books were hurtful. 

And of course, some conservative politicians, having nothing to pick on and apparently nothing legislatively going on... decided to make a stink. Even had one of 'em reading "Green Eggs and Ham" (which is still in print, so you're all good). Yeesh. 

Discernment. It's important. 

The Blog...

So I really wanted to be here every day. For pity's sake, a blogger I read who's nearing NINETY is blogging just about every day. 

What's my problem? I just didn't think I had much to write about. Here's what's been going on:

Homework for 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training. I'm in my last module: Philosophy. TONS of reading. Lots of homework. Plus being in a monthly therapeutic apprenticeship, which also requires tons of work. Definitely worth it, and so close to my goal, but a lot of work. 

Still recovering from COVID-19. Three months on, still no taste/smell. Rather frustrating, to say the least. Notwithstanding the lack of these senses, I'm managing to eat. Sadly. I can taste sweet/salty and sharp. But that's about it. I can't taste if I'm eating pork or veggies -- so everything basically tastes like nothing. You would think I wouldn't have an appetite... (sigh).

My nose feels perpetually plugged - like I have to blow my nose but nothing happens. Not even a Neti pot helps. Sorry if that's TMI, but that's the reality of long-haul COVID, and that's with mild cases. 

And words. Words still fail me sometimes. I just...can't think of the word. And for me? That's driving me nuts. 

So - MASK UP, get the vaccine as soon as you can, wash your hands, socially distance. This is TOTALLY not "just like the flu." 

The Politics...

What in the name of heaven is going on? It's like 1999 all over again with the GQP (yeah, GQP) claiming that "on such-and-such a day, #TheFormerGuy (as I shall henceforth say) will miraculously be President." Then, "Oops, not THAT day... THIS day... after all, it was stolen from him." Yeah, because 74 million is ALWAYS bigger than 81 million. In any universe. Even with Common Core Math, this doesn't work. 

And President Biden has big plans, with very little time to get them through. So of course, Dems like Manchin and Sinema have to obstruct every time you turn around. 

Locally, I did postcards for a friend who's running for school board. I've researched our local candidates, marked up our sample ballots and am ready for voting in the local election in April. We're again going to vote early. Mostly because I'm planning on being an election judge again, and we're actually very lucky: our state isn't governed by a bunch of GQP goons who don't want anyone in the Democratic Party to ever vote again, so we can vote in several ways: early, absentee, and at the day. Oh, I heard #TheFormerGuy just asked for his mail-in ballot. What's that? "Mail in ballots are a fraud" is the essence of what he repeatedly said... But apparently -- he will be using one for the upcoming election in his state. Imagine. 

Hypocrisy, thy name is #TheFormerGuy and the GQP. 

They continue to undermine the voting rights of Americans. They want us to go back to the days when a large segment of the population was declared 3/5ths of a person.  

I mean, for God's sake, one of their lawyers even told Amy COVID Barrett "if we don't gut the Voting Rights Act, Repubs will never win another election." So basically, you can't win unless you cheat. And you felt that saying that in front of a Supreme Court judge (still can't believe THAT) was a good idea. I'm hoping (hoping that it's not hoping against hope) that that remark alone would disqualify the whole argument. But you never know. John Lewis is probably spinning in his grave. 

Anyway, if you have a local election coming up, do your research. Don't just vote for a name because you recognize it. You may recognize it but know nothing else. So look them up. Vote for the person who shares your principles, not just because you've seen their name around...

The Winter...

Well, we survived Snowmageddon 2021. That's me standing before the "snow mountain" in the parking lot at work. Sorry about the angle; I'm short and the mountain was tall. 

I got to wear my Gigantic Hiking Boots. And at work, I promptly took a tumble. Down the stairs. Well, not a whole tumble. What happened was that I was going down into the basement in the office because some idiot had left the lights on and I check the building because I'm usually the last one out the door. The toe of my right Gigantic Hiking Boot caught on the step, and my left leg kept going. My left hand grabbed the railing, torquing the thumb that has been screwed back together, bending it at an angle where it shouldn't really go. I ended up in a half-split on the stairs. 

The words I wanted to holler stayed inside. Thankfully. And thankfully, yoga enabled me to not hurt myself too badly. So the thumb was achy for a couple of days. And now, I'm dealing with a knee thing on the right side. That leg got stretched backward and a bit sideways. 

Knees don't like sideways. I have the feeling something got jogged out of place. I have to figure out how to make it better...without going to a doctor, who's likely to tell me I tore something and tell me that I need to wear a brace. I have one. It sucks. 

The Knitting...

So I finished a thing. Remember that squishy yarn that I was working on with the simple lace pattern? I finished it. It's nearly 7 feet long. SEVEN feet. A Dr. Who scarf without all the colors, and in lace, which was not what I'd intended. But it's what I ended up with. I lost at Yarn Chicken with it and didn't quite finish it off as nicely as I'd planned, but it's for me, and it's SEVEN FEET LONG (did I mention that?) so if someone gets close enough to examine both ends of it, they're likely WAY too close for COVID-times anyway. (Pardon the mess -- I was in the midst of clearing out a bunch of stuff and I wanted to block this so I basically shoved my stacks over to one side.)

I did wear it, and it's surprisingly warm. Of course, we're having a False Spring, or as we call it here in Illinois, "Give it a minute." So I will have other opportunities to wear it, as we'll be getting more "seasonable" temps in the next week or so. 

Which is why I enjoy living here. I can wear my wool socks virtually all year round, and at almost any given moment, except for maybe August, we can potentially wear a shawl somewhere. And then there's A/C when we're able to actually go somewhere else besides our house... In restaurants, they inevitably seat me either next to someone who's loud or directly under an A/C vent, so I'm unable to hear my dining partner and I'm freezing. 

Next up on the Finished Items list: The Step It Up Shawl using a Caron Cake that was a gift; these were or are the rage, and I couldn't figure it out. The ball band said "make a scarf." Another scarf I do not need, so I went to Yarnspirations (the Caron pattern library online) and found this cute thing.The yarn color is Bumbleberry. It's a shawl in the shape of an obtuse triangle (look it up). The whole thing took me just a month of monagamous knitting time - which I've found that I like. Just focusing on one project at a time. Maybe that's slower, but it works for me because otherwise, it seems like nothing I do ever gets completed; and my stash of WIPs is kind of ... large...

Anyway, how did I come by this yarn? Well. My friend gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago (pre-COVID) with a whole bunch of knitting accessories - I was rather impressed because she doesn't knit. I have a little purse thing, big enough for a shawl pattern & supplies, a needle roll, and a project bag that looks almost exactly like a lovely little make-up suitcase. In black & white polka-dots, looking just like something out of a 1920s movie. It's adorable. And it's holding the next shawl. I've put my NEW project into one of the bags: Back to a pair of socks with a pattern I'm fiddling with. I'm not at all a knitting designer, but I was tinkering with math (yeah, another shocker) and I thought I'd try something. 

I only make socks for myself, so if they suck, I don't care - just wear 'em under jeans. And people are usually so gobsmacked that I knit socks that they compliment ANYTHING that comes off my DPNs. So there's no pressure there. Just getting my hands & fingers used to size 1s rather than size 9s. It takes a few rows. 

I also finished another thing...(yes, that's THREE THINGS FINISHED -- go ahead, fan yourself, I'll wait...) a long, skinny sash thingie out of some random novelty yarn. Could be worn as a belt or a scarf. Red and white. Ancient. Like over 10 years ago WIP ancient. 

As I recall, this came to me by way of a "raffle basket." A way long, long, long, LONG time ago, my friend Sonda, who owned my very favorite LYS (she has passed, unfortunately, young, from melanoma), was in the same women's group as I was and still am. It used to be our custom to have those of us who owned a business do an occasional meeting raffle prize. Well, the woman who won it was absolutely not a knitter, and she knew I was - so she handed me the basket. It had some needles, a couple novelty yarns and a few other notions in it. I was tickled. In the days when we could do that, occasionally I would win something -- usually a bottle of wine, which for me is useless. So I would pass it on or ask them to draw another name. Karma is a good thing. 

As I dove back into the bag that contained this item (a purse my SIL gave me from Peru -- the country, not the town in Illinois), I found two other ancient WIPs: a bias scarf using Safari Mohair (Lion Brand). Holy crap, why in the name of Ariadne the Knitting Goddess did I buy that??? It got frogged tonight, and I played with the idea of re-knitting it. 

The second just-as-ancient WIP was out of some ungodly Homespun. Don't judge me. At one point, EVERYONE was addicted to it. And that was while it was still half-way decent in quality. It's gone downhill from there, in my opinion. 

That was a knitted scarf, with a pattern that I can't even remember. Frogged it. Thought about knitting THAT as the bias scarf. Then thought about crocheting it. 

Then, had a knitting revelation... Why do that? What joy would that bring? And do I really want another Homespun scarf? 

Rewound it and chucked it in the bag with the mohair. I'll be donating those to the prayer shawl ministry at church. Someone will enjoy them. Not me. 

I have too many things that I really want to knit. I've decided 2021 is going to be the year of knitting stuff that I want to knit. Not worrying about WIPs that I "need" to finish. Who said that? Who made that rule? Not I.

In truth, there are really some WIPs I have that I actually DO want to finish. But I'm going to be culling them; my friend "D" just handed me a crap-ton of yarn that she's off-loading; she's turned to quilting, which is cool because she's outstanding at it. She's a truly epic knitter, too, and I don't use that word as a slang term. The woman is a needlework magician. The yarn is all Good Stuff, because she didn't buy cheap. And there are a bunch of things I really want to knit with that, as well as my own stash. One thing about this pandemic: I have actually been stash-busting to a large extent. 

So then I also thought, "I'd best get skippy on a baby knit just in case," because my mom had mentioned that my nephew and his wife were "thinking about family." I don't want to get caught short, so I picked a couple colors: teal and a darker ivory (taupe-beige but not "dusty") and thought I'd do a color block afghan, or maybe just double them up and do a tweedy thing. Better to have something in reserve. I also have a couple skeins of neutral Cascade 220 Superwash so I can do a sweater. Now I just have to find the buttons I bought. 

I do have a baby sweater done already, but it's blue variegated. And it'll work if the next family member is a boy. I mean, it's REALLY blue. I have an orchid version of that yarn somewhere in a bin...somewhere. It's nice acrylic, so maybe if I find it...

Next time, I hope to have pictures of a sock that's down the calf a ways so you can see my "unvention" of a pattern (an Elizabeth Zimmerman reference). Right now, it's just past the cuff and looks like nothing more than a napkin ring. 

The Reading...

We're doing a book club. So all of us are reading "I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" by Austin Channing Brown. Disclosure here: I'm a white female who's past 60. I have so far enjoyed reading this book, but I'm probably not at the point where it will make me uncomfortable.

And I'm ok with that. I've sailed through my life, for the most part, with the usual bumps that women have had. But I've never given particular thought to what black women go through - not that I've ignored it. I just haven't had to think about it. How "white privilege" is that? So I'm hoping that this book will help me get better insight. As a friend of mine said, "You white women are exhausting." 

I don't want to be exhausting. I just want to be better. 

The Epiphany #1...

No, not the liturgical one. The epiphany (small "E") I had in my head. I'm kind of zoned out about the whole 1-year-anniversary-of-the-pandemic thing. I mean, I'm in a rut. I'm numb. That's weird. 

Though why I would think that is kind of silly. I'm a human like everyone else. I just don't feel much of anything. Looking back at my first paragraph, all I can say is "apathy." I really just. Don't. Feel. That's very strange. And scary. 

The Epiphany #2...

Since this no taste/smell thing, I've eaten stuff that I normally wouldn't eat, like roasted red peppers, onions, etc. I mean, they're supposed to be good for you, right? And I just thought I didn't like the taste or texture, so I avoided them. As long as I'm in this state, I figured that I might as well get some benefit from eating them while I couldn't taste them. They're supposed to be full of vitamins, so what the heck... 

Wrong... My tastebuds may be temporarily out to lunch (yeah, I know...let me have my one pun, please), but my stomach is on alert. 

My stomach does NOT like the things I previously didn't like due to taste or texture. Green or red peppers and onions, mostly. I still won't eat eggplant, no matter how far gone my tastebuds are. That's just as nasty as okra, and I'm perfectly happy to argue the point... 

I ate a Whole-30 approved meat stick that I bought by mistake (Jalapeno flavored), thinking that it would be fine. It went down fine. And my stomach STRONGLY told me in no uncertain terms, "DON'T DO THAT!!!" 

Okey-dokey. Now I know. Believe me when I tell you (without too much extra info) that I am now paying attention. 

Random Picture...

Hubby's orchid bloomed. If you recall, I started by bringing a few orchids home, and researching all different ways to make them grow. Then Hubby kind of "muscled in" --- and I'm PERFECTLY fine with that, because I can literally see his blood pressure go down when he's pottering around with "his" orchids. We have two regular-sized phalaenopsis (Moth) orchids (like you buy at the Target or grocery store), 3 minis of the same kind that we bought at an orchid house, and 2 Cattleyas, otherwise known as those "Mother's Day" orchids - like you'd give your mom a corsage. Or at least that's what they used to do - I've seen them in the stores. The one Cattleya is blooming and she's gorgeous. 

I'm not sure if he's going to split her up or just re-pot after she's done. He keeps saying we have "no more room," but somehow or another, there's always room for just one more. 

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It's the Constitution, Stupid...

There's been a lot of buzz about #MangoMussolini wanting to "defer" the election. But then again, today he tweeted that he wants it sooner. 

Here's the thing, folks: HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING about the date. Period. Full stop. End of sentence. This is what the Constitution (you know, that document he keeps trying to set flame to) says: Article II, Section 1: ‘The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.'

Back in April, 2020, the website Constitution Daily started speculating that, due to COVID-19, there might perhaps be a delay or postponement of the upcoming election. But before you start clutching your pearls, here's what they ultimately said:

What remains clear is that only the states and Congress have the power to delay that part of the election process. “Unlike the practice of some states that allow the Governor to postpone an election during emergencies, neither the Constitution nor Congress provides any similar power to the President or other federal officials to change this date outside of Congress’s regular legislative process,” the report says.

Congress also would have the power, by changing the appropriate statutes, to change the general election date and as well the dates electoral votes are received in Washington and counted in Congress. Such changes would require the consent of the House and the Senate and would be extraordinary since “the presidential election date has never been changed in response to an emergency,” the CRS concluded.

In essence, if we didn't change the election during the CIVIL WAR, there's not a snowball's chance in an Illinois August that we're changing it now. Even the Republicans are walking back (quickly) from that, with - gasp! - TEXAS saying, "Yeah...no. Election day is November 3, 2020." Even #MoscowMitch, TED CRUZ and #LeningradLindsey aren't budging on this one, though Cruz did kvetch about the "voter fraud" problem*.... Which isn't...

A professor of law and political science from University of California's Irvine School of Law (you will agree that this isn't exactly a schlock institution, ya think?) said, "Election fraud committed with absentee ballots is more prevalent than in-person viting but it is still rare," and he cites a dataabse created by News21, a national investigative reporting project that tracks cases of election fraud. The findings? Absentee ballot fraud comprised about 24% of reported prosecutions between 2000 and 2012 (twelve years). The number of cases? 491 - in a period where literally BILLIONS of votes were cast. 

Want a bit more irony? #MangoMussolini himself voted via absentee ballot in the 2018 midterm elections... 

Really. If the news media is going to publish every piece of manure that drips from his disgusting lips? At least have sense enough to do some basic research. 

The Garden...

Well, the wildflowers are in a riotous burst of color. And I've managed to harvest a couple of pods of poppy seeds. The Monarchs are looking a bit bedraggled, as you can see from this picture. Poor baby... I hope that the one caterpillar I saw is a survivor. My milkweed also looks a bit worse for the wear, too. 

OK, so I'm not liking the new Blogger interface... TWICE -- having to upload the same picture and now it just ate my text. Bah!!! So let's see how it reacts now; I'm just going to type what I wrote before, and see what the picture does. Hmmm. Not what I want it to do - I sort of thought that the text would wrap around the pictures. This isn't useful if it's not going to do that. Anyway, in this picture you can see the dill is even getting scraggly. I need to take the "weed whacking tool" and scrape out the weeds; without dislodging the wildflowers. Hubby still has a hard time telling one from the other. I'd love to get some Queen Anne's Lace in there - maybe next year. 

It appears that now, I have to figure out how to use the new interface; and it's going to mess up my process again. It used to be that the pictures kind of lead what I was writing about. I'd upload a bunch of them, write, and then insert them where they were supposed to go. But now??? Jeeze, Blogger!! Don't make it easy. Change for the sake of change is useless to me. Please pardon how wonky this will look till I figure it all out... 

Hubby's orchids are looking good - there's a beautiful cluster of the blossoms on one of the miniature phals. He's so excited! There's also a blossom on the wonky little butterwort plant we have near the orchids. It's supposed to keep away any "fruit flies" that come around; I haven't seen it do anything one way or the other, but it has tossed up a blossom, so there you go. He fusses over his orchids like a mother hen over her chicks, which is fine with me. We have two large cattleyas which I hope bloom soon. They're certainly throwing up the leaves! Now, let's show some blossoms, kids!

Crafting Away...

Today, I spent time in the sewing/yoga/music/office space... One day, it'll be a defined space, but then again, maybe that IS the definition. I still have to continue to organize and declutter in that space. It's taking a while. 

A few pics here. I tried a new way to do the ties for my masks and I finally did my alpaca ones. The tie, which is binding tape, goes over my head and ties around the back of the neck. It's a bit fiddly - and I should have just split the binding tape length in half. One of these is shorter than the other, but they both work. It's going to take a bit of messing around to get it to fit correctly. But I like the idea of being able to untie ONE tie and take the whole thing off. 

Isn't that alpaca fabric fun? I just love it. I also finished a green-ish mask for Kid #2. It has regular ties. I asked my sister if BIL would like one, and she said, "pattern is too flashy." To me, this looks like a Grandpa tie. But what do I know? I ask you -- does that look FLASHY?? Hubby even raised an eyebrow at that. But who are we? I'd rather make a mask for someone who'll wear it. The Kid said he had some "old cotton shirts" and wants me to make masks out of them. This should be fun. Hopefully, they're not t-shirts. I hate sewing jersey!

I have about 10 more of the 3-pleat masks to do to add to the "Mask Fundraiser" pile. Got several of them pinned, and will do the rest of the sewing over the weekend. I also have to mail Kid #1's birthday gift to him soon. It's going to be late, but I think he's not home anyway - at least his GF's social media feed looks like that's the case. 

On the other hand, I did also get my Backpack Buddha order of Mayan masks. The masks are made by the indigenous people and the proceeds go to help the local community, which I like. They're well-made and reasonably priced though there's not much information on how to care for them. I can't imagine just tossing them in the wash, mostly due to the velcro on the ties. It's all recycled cotton, which is always good. And it's tightly woven, also good. These are certainly different, particularly in the way they attach to your head!

I'm not entirely sure how to keep them clean, but I'll figure that out. I like the nose piece on these. They did not fog my specs and they stay away from my mouth. I just can't handle the masks touching my mouth because it feels like I'm swallowing it. And the ties are velcro! One over the head, one behind the neck. I had no choice of colors; I have one that's "Navy tones" and this one is "tan tones." I'm fine with that. I love the Aztec pattern and while the black on the nose and under the chin might be a bit dark, I can't help but think these might be more comfortable overall. I like the ones that are more fitted, as  you can tell. And so do most people. 

Hubby wears one that's got a washable, changeable filter. We got one for Kid #2 for school (in case they're going back - still not sure...) and I have one. I just have a hard time with it -- I really think it's more for guys because I have a hard time keeping it on my head. The velcro (points for that) is all the way at the smallest size when I've tried to wrap it around the back of my head. And it slips off my hair. But it has its good points - fitted and the filter thingie is handy. 

The Long Sands tee is moving along. I'm almost at the point of knitting in the round. The drop stitch row went ok -- I did find that I didn't exactly do the "P1, YO" row correctly - I did a couple purls in a row in more than a few places. But I don't care. Really. If you get close enough to the hem of this shirt to notice that? You and I had better be married! Belive me, Hubby won't even notice. 

And I have a Knitting Story to tell you, sweeties... I was reading the pattern, kind of figuring out what was going on. I saw StSt (stockinette stitch) and it said "Knit all rows." I pondered that for a moment or 10...and then I looked it up. 

Stockinette stitch is clearly NOT "knit all rows." That's actually Garter Stitch. But the photo of the project definitely shows StSt as the body of the tee. I'm now confused and doubting myself. And I'm staying up wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too late... So I fire off a query to the designer about the whole thing and I toddle off to bed. 

At 4 a.m. (I swear...) I sit bolt upright in the bed and say, "You moron... When you're knitting in the round, StSt automatically happens by knitting every row. Think of every single Vanilla sock you've ever knit, stupid!"

Later that morning, checking my messages, I find a very sweet message from the designer explaining exactly that, only nicer. I reply back with my "before dawn epiphany" and the designer replies, "Can't even tell you how many times I've done that!" I love me some Quince & Co.!

Random Picture...

We've been trying to see a comet; and I think it's gone now. It's been too light (too much light pollution) or too cloudy. Tonight, Hubby points outside...I thought, "This is it."

It wasn't. But it was beautiful. The sunset would've been perfect if the houses across the street weren't there. Not like I want to get rid of my neighbors. 

Maybe I just want to live where there's lots of sky... That being said, this does remind me of the old adage: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; Red sky at night, sailor's delight. 

Whatever Mother Nature wants to show me in the evening? I'll take it. There are a lot of things wrong with Illinois. But the one thing we do really well here in the collar counties is "sunrise and sunset."                                                                                                                     Right now, we're on the cusp of taking every gain we've made in the past 4 months and flushing it.  We're doing crap on our COVID rates as we speak, but this sky is saying something: night follows day as day follows night. 

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.