Pizza Sauce and More...

 As the weather changes, thoughts turn to canning... Or at least they do in my house! We usually make our own pizza sauce, and we make our own jams and preserves. We tend to do them in batches - so we have supplies for a couple years at least. 

This time, it's pizza sauce. Though, in the search for jars in the basement, Hubby found two cases of old sauce - like embarassingly old. Which we pitched. Canned goods - home-canned, I mean - don't last forever, in spite of what we'd like to think. But luckily, the rings and the jars are reusable. The lids aren't - or at least for the canning part. I like to have a few used lids, so that if I'm using a canning jar to shake up some salad dressing or the like, I can have a spare lid or two around. I don't re-use them for hot water bath canning. 

So my recipe is simple: I cut tomatoes up and freeze them as we go through the season. I don't bother blanching them or anything, but I try to use home-grown, because I think that, for the most part, store-bought tomatoes taste like nothing. So I've also been known to scrounge from friends - "do you have tomatoes that you're not using?" And usually, I'm rewarded. 

I also buy organic peppers, mostly red and yellow, because they're more ripe (though it looks like a small bag of green peppers made their way into the sauce). Core them, cut into quarters and freeze them. I use home-grown leeks (if we're growing them), home-grown carrots, and home-grown celery. I roast garlic and squeeze the cloves into the sauce. This time, we didn't have leeks, so I used shallots, which I sauteed lightly. Add 4 Knorr Vegetable broth cubes (mostly because I don't have home-made veggie broth), salt, pepper, Italian seasoning. If you can get away with it (and I forgot this time!!), toss in some shredded zucchini for extra veggie power. Make it vegetarian/vegan by sauteeing everything in either olive or avocado oil. 

Herbs, you may ask? Okey-dokey.... Parsley, rosemary and basil -- again, from my garden. Lest you think I'm Martha Stewart, I'm a person who likes to grow herbs mainly because they're pretty. 

A bit of lemon zest, just because. And adjust as you go, because it may need more of something. Also add about a quart of water. This time, we had a HUGE pot. I mean, insanely huge, which Hubby bought because he thought it was a good idea. Well - it's so tall that I can't stir it without getting my tender bits too close to the hot pot! So he's really handling it all. I'm doing the recipe mainly from memory, as my tastebuds are still shot, thank you Covid. 

He ended up, on a trip to get some groceries, stopping by the local restaurant supply place to get an extra-long spatula to stir the pot because nothing I had was tall enough! When it's reduced down by about a third or so, we usually add 2-3 small cans of tomato paste. Then, turn on the stick blender and whiz till your preferred texture. 

You could, if you weren't making a Lake Michigan-sized batch, whiz it up in a blender - and of course, only fill the blender about half-way because hot sauce + a fuller blender container = an explosion that seriously causes burns as well as some amazing "sauce splatter patterns" on the various kitchen surfaces (ask me how I know this...). 

We think that, this time, we'll get over 40 pint jars (update: we got 50 pints!!!). That's a lot of sauce. The pot just keeps giving. I started calling it "Mary Poppins' Pot" but Hubby refers to it as 'The Loaves and Fishes" because the sauce Just. Keeps. Coming. 

In the next few weeks, we'll be doing jams/preserves. I'll have to see what we have in the freezer for berries. I know we at least have blueberries and strawberries. Hubby says we may have apples...in which case, I'll make some applesauce. Extra chunky, which I love with pork. Or over ice cream. It's all good!

The Spurtle Is Found...

Well, my great-granny wouldn't have called it a spurtle, because that's a Scottish term for the spoon they stir their oatmeal with. But it looks like a spurtle - it's her polenta spoon. For years, we thought it was lost. My mom has been doing her Swedish Death Cleaning - she'd been at it since before her hip replacement. Actually, since my sister died, my mom has been on that tack. It's kind of making me crazy because she's giving me stuff. I have no idea what to do with it, because my kids aren't going to want it. And I can't bear to toss it just yet. But I know it's a lost cause when I'm dead...to be honest, I'm just about the only one old enough to remember the people associated - and as well as remembering, CARING about them and the history behind some of these items and pictures. There's maybe ONE other person who would be interested, but that doesn't mean that anyone younger than me actually wants stuff.  Anyway - she gave me an apron of my granny's, and I do honestly wear her aprons because they're big. Great-granny was a substantial woman, and the aprons were nothing fru-fru...they were meant to cover her up when she was in the kitchen and those aprons meant business. 

Lo and behold -- wrapped in the apron was the Polenta Spoon...in reality, a wooden spoon which she had my grandpa (my mom's dad) carve down into a smooth stick. Because, in the Old Country, you used a stick to stir your polenta. 

To be honest? THIS thing will be something one of the kids will latch onto. Not the china or silverware or pictures. Now I have to grab a pan and make some polenta, especially with the weather getting cooler. And with the pizza sauce? Yummy! Or for breakfast, with butter and a touch of honey. 

The Knitting Continues...

I'm plugging away at the knitting, and for some reason, it's just dragging. On. And. On. And. On. It shouldn't be like that, but sometimes, knitting just is a tremendous drag. I have a few WIPs that I am not sure I want to complete; and I'm not sure I want to frog them either. It's a quandry for sure.  

I'm torn. I have start-itis, and I need another WIP (work in progress) like I need a hole in my head. But the socks aren't doing their usual magic. I feel like casting on another pair, but the singletons are mocking me from their project bags: "Finish ME for Pete's sake!!" and I should - that way, I actually get a PAIR that I can wear! 

I'm in knitting ennui. A slump, if you will. I hate slumps. 

I had wanted this tee (the pattern says it's a tee - I'm considering it an "overlay" to a tank top or long-sleeved tee) to be done so that I could wear it this summer, since it's linen. But all kinds of crap interfered with my knitting mojo and I'm actually forcing myself to work on it. That's never good, in my opinion, but it's sort of where I'm at right now. 

I got a lot of compliments on my Fluoromania socks when I finally decided that it was now cold enough to wear socks again and posted a picture of them on Facebook - that yarn that was all the rage a few years (or more) ago where the colorways were actual fluorescent blends in outrageous combos, such as flamingo pink and electric blue, and a vibrant tie-dye blend of violet, lime green, yellow, and magenta. I have one hank of this Regia yarn left and it's in chartreuse with lime green. I really, really want to whip up a pair of socks in this, just for the shock value alone. I kind of wish it was still "in" because these days? Who doesn't need shocking socks? 

Right now, none of my projects are "portable and mindless." Which is why socks are drawing me in again. I can just do a vanilla pattern and let the yarn do its thing. The "let the yarn work for you" thing is why I do a lot of vanilla (plain) socks. And when I do patterns, they're usually only on the leg, mostly because I don't like the feel of patterns across the top of my feet. It's just me; there are stunning sock patterns all the way down to the toe decreases, but if I'm knitting it, the pattern stops when I start the heel. 

Maybe if I can whip up a simple shawl, it'll take the edge off? Seriously, who am I kidding? 

The Thing is Now Legal...

Well, not like I was NOT legal, but this past weekend, I did an assistant teaching gig with my teacher, Linda, and I officially picked up my 500-hour certificate. So now, I'm good to go. I actually got confirmation a few weeks ago, so technically, I was "legally" a 500-hour teacher. And now, I've got the paper to prove it. 

I'm glad it's done. That, with the Prenatal Yoga certification, means I'm good for a while. I do have enough CEUs for a couple years! 

As yoga teachers, it's up to us to keep up with continuing education. Things change. When I first trained, in 2014, one of the cues for Trikonasana (Triangle) pose was "as you move your spine over your front leg, imagine your body pressed between two panes of glass." Well, first off, that's a horrible cue. Second, that actually takes your sacrum (lowest part of your spine) and jams it in bewteen the pelvic bones. 

AND - it assumes that every body is the same. That nobody has any issues in their spines, that everyone moves the same way. That all students look like cookie-cutter figures. Which is patently untrue, and it has been untrue for many years. 

After some years of studying biomechanics and the history of yoga-related injuries, we now know that you should let the top hip "roll over" a bit - so that your lower spine can move a bit... THAT is why you continue to train. You don't have to go nuts, but attending at least one workshop a year isn't a bad idea and it doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars. You can attend some great workshops for under $100, most of the time. 

And now that I'm 500-hour certified, I can actually teach workshops to other teachers. That's pretty cool!

Random Picture...

Every morning, Raisa greets me with her giant Kong bone. Usually by chucking it at me. Thankfully, she waits till I'm out of bed - when I'm in my chair, that's her cue. 

She thinks it's fun to tug and for me to toss it to her. She'll either catch it in mid-air, or I can sneak it past her and she's got to go find it. 

This is an endurance test for her and a reflex test for me: am I awake enough to not get smacked in the noggin with a slimy rubber bone? Most mornings, I'm actually good. Surprising, isn't it? 

She's quite an efficient "pitcher" and has only missed a couple of times. This picture was the result of one of her throws. 

Yes. Right on the arm of my chair. She's pretty cautious about going after the bone if it's near Hubby's orchids, near the TV, or near any of my stuff, so I'll give her credit. And this was right next to my arm. She waited patiently for me to take the shot and then I tossed it back at her. 

It's those little routines every morning that start your day out the right way...

Looking for yoga, but no studio near you? 

Join us on Zoom, especially for chair classes! Check us out on the web at www.just-breatheyoga.com

New in-person classes include Yoga with Gratitude & Grace with Mindy, Saturday Chair Yoga with Irene, and Finding Balance (starting soon) with Erika. And don't forget in-person Prenatal Yoga with Pat!

Want to know what would suit you best? Call/text (815) 546-2770 or email

info@just-breatheyoga.com

Technology Bites!!

Well. It took me a literal month to get my phone and my laptop to talk to each other. I was going through this cumbersome "attach this widgety thing to your phone, download, then upload the widgety thing to your computer so that you can share pictures" thing. See, my Windows phone just kind of automatically uploaded stuff. The OnePlus? Not so much. 

But...My pics are back! And Hubby had to order me a new hard drive - a larger one. My good old ThinkPad is still chugging along, but for a birthday gift, he got me a Surface Laptop that I can travel with...which is slightly ironic because I'm not really going anywhere lately! One of these days, when I can travel again, I can take this Surface, which is MUCH lighter than my "Old Reliable." 

Speaking of which, I've got UPDATES for you! I've missed blogging and I need to get on the stick - especially now that I actually have time. 

Vintage Sewing Machine...

Who knew I had a "vintage" sewing machine? I just thought it was old. It's a Brother Charger 661 and it was made in the late 60s to mid-70s. And it's mostly metal...which is saying something! It sews forward, backward and zig-zag. And it does buttonholes, but I can do those by hand. The only fiddly bit is the bobbin - not a drop-in, but a "pick it out of the hole sideways and put it back in the same way" thingie. 

These are the first batch of masks. I reckon I did about 58 of 'em and I have a large --- and I do mean LARGE pile of fabric for Masks, Phase II. I'm on pace to do about 150-175 of them before I run out of thread, patience and fabric. Two quilting friends of mine, K and D, donated. The "ugly" fabric turned into ties. The masks are two-pleat, except for the "family" masks, which are more fitted. 

The first batch were 3-pleat, but honestly, my hand mobility isn't what it used to be. I was really messing up not only the topstitching but the 3 pleats. Consistently. And it was frustrating me. I mean, my sewing skills can "kindly" be called "basic." But I wanted to do a decent job. These certainly aren't meant to be heirlooms - they're meant to be washed in hot water and kind of scalded...and I don't expect them to last for any more than a few months, with luck. But I'd like them to look half-way decent. So the next batch are all 2-pleat. and they fit the same - the basic size is the same; just easier for me to manipulate. 

The fitted masks are all the "male" sized ones, though. I found that the "women/teen" size shrunk and wasn't as comfortable. So we're all guys...

Kid #1's partner, J, asked me, "Can you make me some snowflake masks?" I wasn't quite sure what she wanted, and we had a discussion...turns out that folks in CO think she's a "snowflake" because she's wearing the one mask I made her. This is what I came up with -- I've ordered some snowflake material, but as you can imagine, it's more likely to be out at Christmas rather than spring! Anyway, the patch is making a point: "Kiss my snowflake keister, bub!" And besides, she's a welder - you really wanna poke a woman who wields a torch? 

The fitted masks are meant to have elastic - but I don't like elastic because I wear glasses; and because it's uncomfortable. So I've been making my own ties. Thankfully, Hubby is my "cutter." He can really maximize a piece of fabric! 

I'll be donating the masks to the local hospital, and then anyone who wants one. Since the fabric is all donated, I'm not keen on charging for them. A few folks have wanted to donate, so I've given them 2 charities to donate to: a local food bank and our local free clinic. 

The dogs think it's a "clacky machine." Of course, on a laminate floor, being a heavy-duty sewing machine, it IS loud. For the amount of hours I've been putting on it, it's gonna need a "spa day" after this is all done. And things are opened back up. 

As a matter of course, I cleaned out the drawer of the sewing machine cabinet. I found this vintage (there's that word again) magazine that I used to subscribe to in the Way Back Times. 

Boy, have things changed. Sizes, for one. Most of the knitting has "XL" as a size 12 with a bust size of 38"...
Yikes... There are a few patterns I'd be interested in doing, but let's just say I'd have to size them up a bit more. 

It's fun to see the recipes too. Jeeze - "cream of something" soup in just about everything, and lots of stuff in cans. I have to laugh too at the Bran Flakes recipes...this was 1984, when bran was The New Super Food. 

The article on Companion Gardening is still relevant; and a thing about creeping Thyme as a ground cover is kind of cool. But mostly, it's a real throw-back. 

The Knitting...




Tons o' stuff to catch up with in regard to The Knitting. So, all this time on my hands in quarantine has resulted in several FOs (finished objects) and a couple new ones started. One frogged, twice...which is my limit. 

First is a shawlette that ended up being for my friend M. I had purchased this organic cotton from Le Mouton Rouge with the intent to do more face cloths. But it wasn't looking like it would work. So I found this pattern on Ravelry, and it fit the yardage. M likes orange (which is the main color) and the rose was a nice accent. I have blue and gold for one for me. I will knit a pattern several times (see Close to You Shawl, which I've knitted at least 3 times) if it's an easy knit and fun. This fit the bill for both things. And with it being cotton, it's kind of a 3-season item of clothing: you can keep the AC off your neck (which is what M is doing), and it's still light enough for when it gets warm.

Here's the pattern: Two Color Seedlings Scarf -- not the yarn called for, but it worked out just fine. And I may still use the leftovers for facecloths. This yarn I used is Mika, a 100% organic cotton. 

Being as we had snow in March and frost in May? "Warm" is a ways off yet. 

The green Traveling Socks are now done. I had to steek --- (cut my knitting!!) because I did a really screwy job on the one sock, and it was like 4" long in the foot. Seeing as I'm a size 9? Yeah... So I tried to unpick, but it didn't work. So I cut. Held my breath, grabbed scissors, and snip, snip, snip. As you can see by the right sock, it was only a few inches that I had to lengthen, but it made all the difference. So Sock #2 got done first! 

I'm going to start knitting my socks at 68 stitches. 64 is too small and 72 is too big. So I started another one. And it's too small in the foot, too... What the heck. I think it's the star toe. I have to add at least an inch to the foot length for the star toe. And I need to increase my heel flap to a full 3 inches. 

I'm plowing through the Opal stash like crazy. But I'm having an issue with finishing. So this blue one is still a tad tight at the toe - and I will do Sock #2 and see if I can make the improvements and then fix the toe of Sock #1. Why do them in order??? This pic here is all of my Opal socks. Yes, I finally got "enough socks to wear them all week long" because I'm not including the Sweet Georgia and MadTosh. Kid #2 wants me to make him some "scrappy short socks" which will be ok, except he's got huge feet.... 

Here are the rest of the socks. I'm rather chuffed.... I've got lots of socks! I'm aiming to clean out my sock drawer and basically get rid of anything I'm not wearing anymore. Replacing them all with hand-knits where I can. I do still wear compression socks when I need to, but the "novelty socks" I have by the dozens can be given away; they're still in good shape, but I don't wear them. I wear these and short socks when I wear socks at all. Two pair of Fluromania...and I'm using the other 2 balls of Fluromania for the Breathe & Hope shawl - I've got blue yarn as the "base" and the pop of the bright color will be just what I want. It'll be a fun knit - twice...

And here, left to right: the hiking sock out of 100% wool (Cascade 220) - I have yarn to do a second pair; these are cozy and great for winter boots. Center is the Trekking sock in "Ovarian Cancer Teal" -- and these have the honor of being "5-year socks" because it was 5 years between Sock #1 and Sock #2... and to the right is my Sweet Georgia pair. These are on 72 stitches and are wayyyy too loose; but the yarn is squishy so it's still comfortable. 

And then there's shawl #2. It was supposed to be Reyna. Except my pattern was wrong (my printer cut off a few rows and I didn't realize it). And then I mis-read KTBL as KFB and I was increasing by FOUR stitches every other row. This was my "frogged twice" project. And it's using yarn that doesn't take kindly to frogging. Expression Fiber Arts Pearlescent Fingering is 50% merino wool and 50% silk. It's got the most gorgeous depth of color and "squish factor" and it splits like a bugger... The bloom of the yarn is lovely. I can't wait for it to be finished. 


But it ain't gonna be Reyna...This was just before Frogging #2...

I've got a few projects "in my sights" to work on while we're under shelter-in-place. But I started Simple and I like to stick with it. I also still have to finish Kid #2's afghan, which is thankfully at 50%. That's going to be my next rotation project. I'm shifting between sock needles (size 1), this shawl (size 5) and the afghan (size 7) -- because I find if there's too drastic a needle switch, my tension goes all wonky. 

I'm doing Simple Shawl with the silk + merino - a Ravelry freebie. Which is dead boring right now because there's about eighty bazillion yards of plain knitting...and then a gorgeous lace edge with a picot bind-off. So it's a patience-pay off thing... I can mindlessly knit this after I've sat at the sewing machine or taught virtual yoga classes or worked at home with the church stuff...and it works for me. 

It's 550 yards, so it'll be bigger than what the pattern calls for. I weighed the yarn, because she says to start the lace section when you have 25 grams of yarn left. I bumped it to 30 grams - to give myself wiggle room. Maybe I can add a few more rounds of lace before I do the bind off. Which will be a test of my math as well as my patience!! 

Here's the Pearlescent Fingering in the hank. I thought it would be a bit brighter, but the sheen of the silk more than makes up for the long runs of the burgundy tones. It's primarily purple-to-burgundy and the white really pops in there. The whole thing is just an exercise in amazing color work. 

I just wish it was less splitty. That's frustrating; I'm using Chiagoo lace circulars which I think helps. I didn't want to use dull points, because I think I can keep it from splitting more with the sharper points. 

I'll work on this shawl till I get sick of it, and then I'll rotate to the afghan. The socks will wait a bit. As Hubby reminded me, "you have time." 

I also bought some Quince & Co. Sparrow yarn and have a beautiful t-shirt to knit. It's definitely summer wear, since Sparrow is linen, but I wanted to challenge myself with something with shaping. So that's got to be wound. 


Oh, I have a new swift and ball winder!! And the set was on sale!!! My swift bit the dust a while back and Hubby was my stand-in. He got tired of that quickly! We'd been researching them anyway; and we came to the conclusion that this table-top model was my best bet. I don't have to clamp it to anything, and then I got the extra-large ball winder. My other ball winder works just fine; so I can wind regular hanks; just the larger ones (like the 550 yards above) were a stretch for the smaller winder. 

This works a treat and I don't have too many moving parts to fiddle with. The ball winder is a tad more complex to put together and storing it isn't fun, but it's also incentive to get my yarn room/yoga room/office in shape. I'd love to have space to keep the ball winder "handy." 

Elder Ladies...

Well, I'm lumping myself with Tippi.... COVID-19 has wreaked havoc and there's lots of drama and tragedy around. Tragedy in that this virus will kill you --- or severely impact your life if you manage to survive. And drama with the queens wailing about wanting to go out for dinner and get haircuts.... Queens of both male and female persuasion because I think all of 'em are whiny babies. 

For some reason, my stylist cut my hair shorter this last time....and thankfully!! So far, it's behaving; but it's starting to curl at the back, which is my clue that it's getting to be "a mess" sooner rather than later. I've got a good blow dryer, and I've got hair combs that I can use. But heavens.... So. Much. Hairspray.... I'm putting the hole back in the ozone layer. This is today, just before my yoga class. Believe me, if I slipped on my mat and landed on my head, my hair would protect me. And not be moved! 

Tippi has regained 90% of her coat since chemo; frankly, it's doubtful she'll ever regain her ruff, even though it's "tufting" somewhat. Her 6-month post-chemo check-up was great. Numbers are where they should be; and I got the 'she's a bit fluffy' chat...but I did deliberately let her eat a lot when she was having chemo. I felt like she needed to have that extra "beef" to carry her when she wasn't feeling well. And that also carried her thru a subsequent bout of pneumonia. Yeah, this dog doesn't do anything the easy way... This was just the other day; she's almost back to her sassy self. She spends a lot of time resting. We're easing her back into walks; the vet said to take our time but definitely have her move more. She likes to have "selective hearing" when she's doing her 'snoring meditations' on the couch. 

She's officially retired as a therapy dog. When we go back to Lewis University, it's going to just be Raisa. I'll probably take her back for one "final" visit, just so everyone can say goodbye, but at age 13.5, her back end is a little wobbly, and I want her to enjoy just being Queen of the Household. She and I will be taking more walks and just hanging out together. 

Random Picture...

This is my favorite time of year. In spite of the freeze that slightly burned my parsley and almost killed off my tomato plants. 

It's lilac time. Pro-tip: If you have allergies, try not to put a big honking vase of lilacs next to you; you'll cough and everyone will think you have COVID-19. Our bushes are 5 years old and this is the best year yet. We keep them at about 7-feet tall, and prune pretty strongly, taking all the suckers off too. 

Funny, we thought we bought 2 identical bushes - the same variety. But nope. Looks like we have two different varieties. Similar - but just slightly different. The right one (at the end of the front sidewalk) is an early bloomer, bigger blossoms, and a lighter French Lilac scent. Lighter, but still quite strong. 

The left one is blooming a bit later, smaller blossoms and a slightly sharper scent. Again, still a French Lilac, and believe me -- you can see these bushes from the end of the block and smell them 4 houses away. When I have my kitchen window open, I can smell them all the way to the back of the house. I love it. 

I know they'll "last longer" if I leave them on the bush, but I'm cutting with abandon, and letting them scent my house. I'm happy to have them and I'm happy to have neighbors walking by and taking deep, deep breaths!

Can We Just Agree...

...that Dick Cheney is a soul-less moron with no actual experience in ANY war, and thus should not ever - EVER - be quoted as an "expert" in anything to do with the Middle East?

Unless, of course, you want to talk about the faulty equipment that Haliburton sent over, the bad facilities and the general killing and maiming of an entire generation so that he and his ilk could make billions?

Ok. There. That's the end of THAT discussion. Hey, newspapers and news outlets: STOP QUOTING THIS IDIOT! He's shot his credibility just like he shot his lawyer friend in the face. 

So. Enough. It's just as bad that Terry Bradshaw, late of the NFL, is now a Fox News(?) commentator spouting off about Benghazi. Really. I couldn't make that up even if I tried...

Knitting...

This is WORLDWIDE KNIT-IN-PUBLIC WEEK!! Go out and knit something in front of people!!

Ok, so to celebrate this great holiday, I bit the bullet and bought Fluormania sock yarn. And of course, the Teal Sock #2 is sitting again... I'm on the foot of Teal, though, so there's hope that it'll be finished sooner rather than later.

I told you it's coming along...

I'm sad (well, not really) to say that on my first day off in a couple of weeks, I went to Le Mouton Rouge and spent a bit of money on yarn. This IS my favorite yarn shop. Kelly is great to deal with, the yarns are quite nice, and the "stuff" that we knitters need? It's plentiful!

I went by myself, and I probably should have thought about that for a bit. I haven't been feeling well, and Morris is a ways from my house. 

Neon Flower

Sure enough, I started feeling a little "off" about half-way home. Took a reading and according to my sister, I'm now also throwing PVC (premature ventricular contractions). Lovely.

Back to knitting... So here's the Fluromania colorway I have. It's "Neon Flower." It's going to be wild. Seriously, the picture doesn't do it justice with the way it pops in real life. Kelly is holding 2 more for me: Ocean and Berry, I believe. 

It's a little different. I'm doing these in a plain pattern, with a K2, P2 ribbing instead of K1, P1. I also chose US size 1 DPNs and I cast on 72 stitches. Usually, I'm a 64-stitches gal, but also I'm using 2.5-ish or so...

Bright start...

I think that the 72-cast on will be fine. It's a much smaller needle; truly, the smallest I've knitted on since I knitted 3 rows of a "baby afghan" on two size-00 needles.

Which I gave away. And now that I know - I wish I'd have had sense enough to keep them... Oy. Live and learn.

So I did the usual 6-row knit-around for the cuff, and it's looking interesting at any rate.

All Hubby said was, "Well, those are gonna be bright!"

The other stuff I bought is pictured below. 

Do I need it? Of course....(maybe not). 

I bought more sock yarn. I'm on a roll. I think it's because I've finally got socks "in my hand" and they're becoming a great take-along project. It's summer. I know that I owe Kid #2 his afghan, but really - even though the house is air-conditioned, I don't really feel like working on an afghan.

He knows it's in progress. He's seen it. 

Trekking

So. We have more Trekking. Now that I have the Karbonz size 1 DPNs, I think this will be nicer than the Teal Socks. I am toying with the idea of perhaps a cable down the cuff of these? I have to look for a pattern for simple cabled socks. 

I love the colors. And I don't think that the cable would be "too much" with the colorway. I could also do the Twisted Rib like I did with the Madelaine Tosh "Franken-sock." 

Yes. This time I'll write down what I did with the heel. Thanks for reminding me...

And there's more Opal. This is still the Little Prince colorway, but it's a different color - I can't remember which number it is; it's in the bag in my office at home. It's brighter, and has blue in it, which my last Little Prince socks didn't have. 

Opal

This reminds me of a beach towel. Don't know why. But the other Opal Little Prince reminds me of autumn. 

Since this one is very definitely a self-patterning yarn, I will again do a plain vanilla sock. 

By the time I finish this, I should be able to do a Plain Vanilla Sock in my sleep. Which is nice, I think. 

At least memorizing a pattern will be good for my brain. I think I can do everything to the heel in my head. At least till the heel turn, since I have mostly memorized The Doris Heel.

I also purchased the Fish Lips Kiss heel pattern from Ravelry. That may end up on the next pair of Opal socks. Not sure yet. 

Shawl-to-be

This is Cascade Ultra Pima. A while back, I used their stunningly gorgeous garnet color for my friend Janet's prayer shawl. This is Jade. And this is the pattern I am doing: The Miami Beach Shawl. It's a free download and also, (yay!) not charted. 

Check out the awesome shawl pin I got from the shop. I figure that if I get the whole thing, it'll be the next thing on my needles.

Go ahead. Laugh if you want. At the rate I'm going, I could potentially use this as the project I knit while recuperating from the atrial ablation. 

Lord knows I'll need something to keep my mind busy. 

My Friday...

So here's a lovely look at my lovely Friday (yes, tomorrow). 

At 7:30 a.m. I have a board meeting/annual meeting at which I'll be named president of the organization's board of directors. It's a one-year term. I have to run out of there, speed drive home and change for a... 

10:30 a.m. interview with a committee of colleagues who are in charge of hiring for the academic advisor position I've applied for. Then, at... 

11:30 a.m., I spend an hour with the Dean of the adult accelerated program. Who also happens to be Special Assistant to the Provost. And buddies with the person who decided to flip my life head-over-heels.

Then, just for fun... at 2:30 p.m. I meet with the cardiologist to talk about the upcoming surgery. Hubby will be there with a notebook in hand. Because I'm telling you: my brain will shut down right about when the doc says, "It's a 5-hour procedure..."

Then, at 6:30 p.m. I have a guitar lesson. Which is likely to be the highlight of my day...

Luckily, I don't have to work on Saturday. 

But I do have a wake on Saturday. It's also the day I'd planned to whip down to Le Mouton Rouge to pick up those 2 extra Fluro skeins. I'll see how that goes. It'll be another trip down there by myself, because if I go with "The Girls" it'll take too long. It may be that I can go Tuesday, with "The Girls" since we haven't seen each other in a long while. 

If the call doesn't come for Tippi from Children's Advocacy Center. 

The wake is for the FIL of my friend Nat. It's a short one, with a private burial, and I really want to make sure I get there. 

Susan B. Anthony...

This is my new Facebook picture. I love this quote. Especially these days, when we're having a lot of trouble (in my opinion) with folks shoving their religion in our faces. 

It reads:  I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

You tell it, sister.

See, I'm a religious person. I have no problem with other religious people. I just do not believe that the United States of America has a "state religion." 

Those Founders that the ultra-right-tea-baggieez are always beating us with? They clearly said that there was to be separation of church and state. 

I'm also not really fond of politicians saying, "God Bless America" after speeches. I think that's disrespectful to atheists and agnostics. For cryin' out loud: Even Pope FRANCIS says that they should be respected.

And I love that a woman said this. Particularly since women are usually on the receiving end of men's  proclivity to regulate and "religious-ulate" our reproductive rights and even our working and personal rights. Hey - I'd like to make the same wage a man makes. It would be cool.

And please. If you don't have my plumbing, you aren't allowed to legislate against it. 

The Storms...

Clouds from the southwest

So this happened. I went to the back of the campus to put a note on the board yesterday morning... And in 5 minutes, the outside looked like this. 

More clouds

The weather alarm didn't go off, but it was totally dark, and the wind whipped up something fierce. 

It started with a couple of plops of rain, a clap or two of thunder and then some pretty nasty lightning. 

The lights flickered briefly but we didn't lose power. 

Then it started bucketing. It didn't last long, but it was fierce. We apparently just got skimmed with that system that spawned a couple of twisters up north of us. 

There's more in the forecast for today, and I'm hoping it holds off till I get home, and settled in with my knitting. 

The rest of the clouds

What's fascinating is the cloud formations. They're pretty cool. It was another adventure in "How fast nature changes" and it was awesome to witness. I was particularly concerned about that batch from the southwest, since that's usually where tornado activity initiates.

And last night's yoga class was punctuated by yet another storm. Of course, I was by the window. Try holding Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog to the civilians) while thunder and lightning are popping all over... It's a study in concentration, for sure. 

As I start to clear out 8 years of "stuff" from the campus, I'm feeling melancholy, and the clouds kind of reflect what I'm feeling. 

I don't know if I'll get the job I'm interviewing for. I told my boss the other day that I wished with all my heart that she or someone else would call and say, "You all are moving to the new location" -- but I think that she and I are the only ones who think that that's a good idea. 

She's pitching something for my assistant, for which I'm really grateful. But one thing is for sure. 

I'm really tired of having to reinvent myself. 

I thought I'd have a home in this job for a long, long time. And maybe for some folks, 8 years IS a long, long time. But not for me. 

Bad Karma...

So this other thing happened. A student bounced a check for a private yoga lesson. Then, my bank (which happens to be the student's bank) ran it again and it bounced AGAIN. So. No fee for the lesson and TWO bounce-fees. I've asked the student (strongly) to pay me in cash, ASAP. According to the last communication, this should be accomplished by next week. I gave the student 5 days, which I'm told is "much too nice."

My studio owner - well, this is her hot-button issue. There's a sign in the studio with the student's name and "cash only" on it. I don't know that I'd have done that, but it's her studio. She really doesn't want to have to chase people for fees. And I get that. We shall see.

If the student doesn't come forward with what's owed, I will (sadly) be reporting this to the police. It sounds harsh, but it is, after all, a business. 

If the student had called and said, "I need to change the lesson date and time" it would have been fine and I would never have thought that it was perhaps that money was tight. It's more honorable in that instance to do that -- rather than write a check you can't cover. 

You want to trust people. And it stinks when you find out that you can't trust them as often as you would like to. 

Blowing coat

Random Picture...

This is Tippi. Or what's coming OFF Tippi. She's blowing coat. So is Quinn, but to a much lesser extent. 

Raisa is, too, a bit. But not near this amount... However, NEXT year, she'll be on par with Tippi, if not more.

And no. I'm not saving it this time. I haven't even started anything with the Five-Dog-Yarn that I have.

But I've found a lovely lace shawl that will fit that yarn nicely.

It's on my list. 

I was going to go put another box of stuff into the car. But then I realized I had 2 cans of upholstery cleaner in there.

I don't think I need to have them explode. It's a cloudy day, but the car interior heats up nevertheless.

I guess it's time to save this, post it and take a toddle around the office. 

This is America, Right?

No, I don't mean "Right America." I'm just curious. And I'm befuddled. Seems that the Food and Drug Administration is also befuddled.

Here's an article in this month's Reader's Digest. Look at it. And tell me if this doesn't worry you at some level. I know, we all try to minimize our need for prescription drugs. And truly, I know that it's better to try to get healthy without relying on Big Pharm.

But there are some things that don't respond well to "au naturel." Heart disease. Some forms of diabetes. Cancer. The list is long. 

And we have a crisis in medications. Here. In the USA. The most expensive medical system on the planet. And the FDA is telling us, "We can't compel the drug companies to do this or that."

Really??? Lemme see: FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. What exactly is it that you do, then?? 

There are people dying right now who don't have medical care. And, according to the information in this article, there are people dying right now who DO have medical care. Because a drug company no longer makes the drug they need, and there's no alternative to give them. 

The woman in the article (one of several scenarios) has a condition that has caused her to have a Vitamin A deficiency. That causes blindness when it's bad enough. The drug she was taking, Aquasol A, was manufactured by a company called Hospira, an American generic drug manufacturer. Well.... there were "manufacturing challenges" that caused this company to stop making this drug. That has a chain effect, folks. Because now, NOBODY has access to Aquasol A. Nobody no where no how... The company "recognizes the critical need" for this drug. (Nice of them...) But it hasn't managed, in a few years now, to find a separate manufacturing company so that the product can come back to the market. 

It gets better... The FDA, apparently, can't fix the problem of shortages because they say they can't compel manufacturers to make sure they produce enough or have an alternative, should something go awry. This woman's case went all the way to the Supreme Court, who refused to hear it. But her lawyer found that a version of the drug she needs is available. In France. 

But the FDA won't provide a compassionate-use exemption. 

It's like a circular firing squad. 

Speaking of Which...

No guns in God's house

This is what greeted us at church this Sunday. And I get it. I truly do. According to the laws in our state, now that the NRA has beaten out of us our last "good thing we got right," we now have to post signs where guns aren't allowed. 

Skip all the discussion about how this won't stop "a bad guy with a gun." Frankly, if you're at our local Chipotle and dressed out in your AK-47, I'm not certain whether you are a GOOD guy or a BAD guy. And I'm not going in there to find out.

Skip the discussion about how incredibly stupid-easy it is to get illegal guns. 

Just consider this. Our church is a 125-year-old building. This is screwed into the side door. Another one just like it is screwed into 125-year-old limestone. 

As far as I'm concerned, I get the issue of WHY. I don't get the issue of HOW. I mean, wouldn't there have been another way to post this at the front of the building, instead of defacing it? 

One of my choir buddies, a "lifer" at the church, is livid. I know that it's important to comply with the law. And I know how ridiculous it is -- if someone wants to come in there and shoot us up? Seriously. A sign's gonna prevent that?? 

I just wish there could be a better solution, instead of whacking into such an old and glorious building. 

And Speaking of Which...

I now work in the safest campus building in the entire world. Truly. Because for the next several weeks, my campus is host to police supervisory training. And my parking lot is blessedly full. With cop cars. 

Yes, they are allowed in my building with their guns. They're sworn officers. This is the first time since they were here last year that I've been able to just leave my building unlocked. 

I'm not in an unsafe area, by any means. But it's a long, stretched out building, and we've been told by campus security that we have to have a secured entry. Well, courtesy of the nearly 50 officers here today, I've got a secured entry. 

They book with me every year. I have to get up at "Oh My God" o'clock to be here for them, but it's great that we're able to provide the space for the training. 

The only downside is that cops bring donuts. So it's been a serious struggle. Not just any donuts but donuts from one of the best places in town. Not a franchise place, but a real mom-and-pop donut shop. 

The Garden Grows...

Hummingbird garden

Both of them. The front garden has been refined a bit, Hubby washed and scrubbed each of the hummingbird feeders to within an inch of their lives, and the flowers are blooming nicely. 

We saw a few of the little stinkers, but not recently. We're hoping they'll be back. 

The glass birdbath (in the back there, toward the day lilies) has been a good attraction. We have to get a bubbler in there, though. The twirly birds from the maple tree haven't helped. 

The Fuschia are blooming, too. And so are the herbs that I specifically planted for the birds and the bees. I still have some UFOs in there - not sure if it's a really cool weed or something I planted and failed to label last year. I'll give 'em a few more weeks to pan out and see what I have.

I do have what appears to be a record crop of Purple Coneflower coming back. At least I hope so. Otherwise, some monstrous weed has taken root. Probably planted by those evil, conniving squirrels. 

I don't know why they'd be mad. Sure, they can't get to our birdseed, but the sparrows are incredibly compliant in flicking seed onto the grass. The porky squirrels are not suffering, let me assure you.

Veggies galore

The veggie garden is also coming along. The herbs are loving the trug, though I still think they'd be a little better off with slightly more sun. But since they're behaving nicely, I guess I have to let that one go.

Radishes... we're gonna have radishes! I have to check out a pickling recipe, I think. I've heard you can roast them, which I'll try. 

Left-to-right, in the raised beds, we have tomatoes/cukes, then carrots/radishes and finally, that right-side bed is all lettuce. We have lots of lettuce seed left, so we'll be able to have that continually through the season. 

We'll have to thin out those radishes; and Hubby didn't even plant them all. 

Trug

The trug - that's just to give you a visual of what it looks like. There's basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley and rosemary in there. 

I have French lavender and 3 kinds of basil in pots in the front yard - that's just to let the birds and bees enjoy it. Also, sage. I'm using some of that basil and sage, anyway, but in order to have something for Mother Nature, I deliberately chose to let those basil plants go to seed. Their flowers will help the bees, and we get the additional benefit of some pretty plants that will potentially attract birds, too.

I'm hoping the cucumbers come out in force. God help me for saying that!! Will be doing pickles again. And if the herbs cooperate, probably some more basil jelly. Maybe tarragon jelly if I can figure that one out.

As far as pickles, I'm getting requests already for my "famous, hand-diced pickle relish." So I suppose that'll be the majority of the crop. We still have pickles from last time I did this!

And maybe, since there are only a few tomato plants, we might get more than 3 tomatoes. I'm serious. THREE tomatoes. Only. That's a bummer...

Knitting...

The second sock of the KAL is coming along. It's like the world's longest gusset, but I'm about 2" from starting the toe decrease. 

KAL Part Two

My friend R, from choir, wants to learn to knit socks. She's just going to be doing this pattern, the Plain Vanilla, and on DPNs, because that's the way I know how to knit 'em! Hoping to do that a little later this month. 

Will go back into the "WIP list" and figure out what to do next after I finish this final sock. I know I want to knit more socks, but I also want to finish some of the WIPs, as well as some of those projects listed alongside the blog. I do have some Monkey Socks stashed. I mean, they're already on the needles. And Teal #2 is staring at me. I can feel it. Right through the project bag.

I had wanted to have the February Lady Sweater done to wear this season. I've got the yoke complete. I know I can't knit lace unless I'm somewhere quiet. So, also, with the stashed baby sweaters. The blue one is almost done, at least the knitting. I want to start the lavender one. And from the extras, I want to do hats or something. 

Speaking of extras, anyone have something creative to do with leftover sock yarn? Perhaps a "crazy sock" made up of all the leftovers, no matter what color? Any ideas are welcome. 

Random Picture...

So the Icelandic poppies came back, bigger and better than ever. I confess, I was a little worried about them, after this brutal winter. But then I thought, "Icelandic." They should be able to stand this.

Icelandic Poppy

And they have. It's loaded with blossoms and takes up a big chunk of the "Trapezoid garden" - so-called because I mimicked the curve in the sidewalk. It actually resembles Home Plate... This is another plant that I've had for truly over 10 years. I haven't seen these cream-white blooms anywhere else. I'd love to get a few more, if I could find them. 

I'm sad because our across-the-street neighbor - there's something odd there. Usually, his garden has won our informal "who's is nicer?" contest. It was usually between 3 of us on the block, and till he came, I have to say, my garden was the most colorful. 

I say this because he had a huge bed of the bright orange poppies. I haven't seen him out there, and the garden has gone to crap. I don't know if he's ill or if he's moved out. His son is there. But he didn't inherit the green thumb, for sure. He can barely keep the grass mowed, much less give the flower beds a much-needed weeding. 

Anyway, back to Sock #2. It won't get done if I'm typing!