For the love of GOD...

...just for ONCE could we be like the Repubs? Could we make a plan and stick with it? Can we have consistent messaging? Can we rein in our rogues who think it's fine to just blather away without regard to the fallout from their word-vomit? 

I'm so over the Dems getting thisclose to something and then blowing themselves up. We are going to be fine. Fine, I tell you. Because we outnumber them. We are angry. We are passionate about human rights, and we do NOT want to be ruled by a king. Or a madman. 

Get out, check your registration, and vote. Work the polls, become an election judge, work for a candidate. Write postcards. Show up for candidate forums. Join the League of Women Voters (it's not just for women) -- a grassroots organization which empowers voters and specializes in voter education and registration. While the tagline says "defending democracy," it's the idea that this country was founded as a democratic republic, not to be ruled over but to have a participatory government of, for, and by the people. 

Is it perfect, this democratic republic? Nope. But is it better than a fascist country run by a dictator? Um, yeah...especially for women and those who are not conforming to the "white guys rule everything" scenario that's been our lot for far too many generations. 

Women especially: If you haven't looked up Project 2025, do it now. Read it. Because the MAGA whack-jobs that want to put a demented orange fart into the most powerful (thanks SCOTUS, we wanted to get AWAY from a king...) position in the world, and while they're at it, they want to strip everyone of their rights, get rid of a free press, and allow a president to act with impunity. They plan to use the Comstock Act to restrict our rights to our own reproductive freedom. This act was made law in 1873. Quoting Bette Davis in her memorable film Jezebel, "EIGHTEEN SEVENTY THREE, dumpling!"

And it gets worse from there. It's time to get up off your butt and be that change. This is NOT the year to figure that "someone else" is going to do something. You know what? WE are "someone else" here. 

The Knitting...

I bit the bullet. I am currently knitting an Emotional Support Chicken, the latest knitting craze. I'm not a "craze" kind of person, but this one? I think maybe I need one. In any event, I'm making them for Xmas gifts. 

I have a bunch of yarn that I had stashed from making all the baby stuff, mostly Encore Worsted, which is what this chicken calls for. You can do just about anything - any color combo, any arrangement of the colors of the yarn in the different parts of the chicken. All you have to know is short rows - or wrap + turn. There are a LOT of w+t parts here. 

The above is just a bit of my Encore leftovers. Though I did buy the pink variegated and the red sparkly. I need the red for the comb & wattle, and the pink is for one of the gift chickens. I have safety eyes coming from Amazon. And I'm now kind of sad that I got rid of a boat-load of Polyfil because each chicken takes about a pound and a bit. 

My first impression was that I should have been paying attention. I ended up grabbing some grey worsted, but it wasn't worsted. It came from my friend's stash, and was going to make a nice base color - except that it was bulky. And I started knitting anyway. I wasn't quite paying attention to how you attach both sides of the tail bits, so that got frogged. I figured it out as I was trying to pick up and knit on the long side - which didn't look very long. Duh. So I decided, since I also don't have as much of that bulky grey as I thought I had, that this chicken was going to be more pink variegated. I'm doing the part from the body to the neck in the pink. Then instead of stripes at the neck, we'll switch to the grey for the head. 

It's going to be as big as a regular chicken, to be honest. The pattern is written clearly, and there's a really comprehensive tutorial on YouTube that I've been working with as I move through each section of the pattern. 

Knitting hurts... After I finished that beaded Qiviut cowl, I knew I had "over-knitted" on the left hand. It's always had a tad bit less strength than the right one - not because I'm dominant in the right hand, but because the thumb fusion causes me to use my hand slightly differently than I would if the thumb was fully mobile. 

I ended up going back to Dr. Mass, who put both my hands back together, and thankfully, I caught him between retirements... I ended up with a Kenalog shot - basically thick steroids that usually last longer than cortisone. If this doesn't help (and knock wood, so far it has), I need an MRI and he said, "we'll see what's going on."

Funny story (well, it wasn't funny at the time): I had had a cortisone shot (which I believe I talked about here) about 3 months before this, and the doctor at that time said I was "very brave," but yeah - you're sticking a needle into my VERY numbed hand. It's easy enough to sit still. 

Dr. Mass doesn't do numbing. Yes, he is actually THAT good, but his assistant/intern handed him the wrong needle. We went thru the whole shot thing, and no Kenalog was coming out. It's very viscous and takes a larger needle (sorry - I'm just as squeamish and I lived to tell about it!). He hands the needle back to his assistant, and says, "get me the bigger one." Apologizes to me, fusses at the intern, and gets the bigger needle. And does it all again. With no lidocaine and a LOT of Lamaze breathing. I felt it going in. I mean, like felt it spreading into the area he was aiming the needle into. I told the intern that he was not getting Xmas cookies... There was also a lot of ice and liberal use of compression gloves. Tommy Copper for the win, I have to say. So far, it's been doing its job and I'm not swelled as bad as I was. I can at least sleep in peace, use my hand mostly as normal for my yoga practice, and I can knit for a reasonable amount of time without pain. 

It occasionally comes back, but not as bad. And then I set the knitting aside and read a book. You really have to do that. Hand health is a thing. I do regular hand yoga and I make sure that I stop what I'm doing periodically and get up and stretch, flex and extend my fingers, make a fist and let go, and rotate my shoulders. It all helps. Set a timer if you have to, to make sure that you set aside your keyboard, put aside your needles, or whatever you need to do to make sure you give your hands a rest. 

The BlendJet Saga...

Ok, so this is such a First World problem. But it was an issue and I had to get obnoxious. Shocking, I know. 

Last November(ish), I bought two BlendJet blenders. One for my friend J in a Minnie Mouse design, and one for me, in a garnet red design. Gave J her blender and then got an email that the blenders "may" be under a Consumer Protection Agency recall due to a safety issue. So we checked our serial numbers, and yes, they were. I sent them both back as per their instructions. And waited. 

I did ask them to replace J's unit with a matching one, since it was a gift, and about 3 weeks later, she got her base back. 

Not me. First, they had "supply chain issues," which was a common excuse post-Covid. Then it was "first in, first out" - which I thought I was since it was literally 2 days after the recall notice that I sent the forms in saying our units were under the serial numbers listed. I sent them in not a week after receiving the notice. 

Months went by. Months with no communication, and only 1 more email saying, "We understand, but you'll get yours when we get to you." I looked at Facebook and found a BlendJet group where I found I wasn't the only one left hanging. 

Cut to June. Seriously, 6 months. To get a base for a blender. I wrote an email. It was quite a scorcher, in which I asked them to either replace the entire unit or give me a refund so I could go buy a Ninja, which seemed to have far fewer problems and better customer service. I told them that if they just left us all hanging, they'd experience just the drop in customer service ratings as they had and that they essentially did it to themselves. 

I got an email back saying that they apologized, and "knew that you were anxious to start blending again," and lo and behold... 2 weeks later, I had a brand new blender lid and base -- in the lovely Galaxy color, since the ruby red was out of stock... I think if they'd have sent me ANYTHING at that point, I'd have been shocked. And there were additional concerns that people had expressed that, once they got their replacement bases, the entire unit still didn't work. 

Luckily, mine works. I keep it at the office so that I can do a quick breakfast shake or lunch shake when I don't want to have a heavy lunch. 

I have a perfectly fine VitaMix (refurbished) at home, but it's clunky and hard to clean. And for some reason, I haven't been on the usual vegetable smoothie kick. I need to get back to making a batch of smoothies so that I don't have to fuss a lot. But for now, the BlendJet is doing nicely. The point is, that since I'm not making batches of smoothies, the big blender is a pain for just one breakfast smoothie. I was in the habit of making 4-6 servings and consuming them during the course of a week. But when I started doing singles, the "shaker jar" was ok, till I wanted to add more bulk to the smoothies. Then, the shakers just weren't powerful enough. I thought the BlendJet would work, and so far it has. Recall aside!

Mind you, I didn't swear or threaten in my email. I just gave them a lesson in customer service and used a healthy dose of snark. Worked for me!

The Garden...

Well. The wildflower garden is succeeding beyond my wildest dreams! The three different varieties of lavender are spectacular. I can't smell a thing, but every bee in the neighborhood has found our house. The coneflowers, Prairie Blazing Star, chives (that we let go to flowers) and the hanging baskets have all provided a haven for bees -- and my SECOND batch of caterpillars on the parsley. The black swallowtails are visiting their abundant "nursery" and laying more eggs. As I was taking pictures tonight, there must've been 6 or 8 bumblebees whizzing past and around me as if to say, "excuse me, I have a flower I need to get to!" as they swarmed around the lavender and the chives. They seem to have left the coneflowers to the butterflies, but they do enjoy the purple salvia too!

I've been out with the "big camera" - the 35mm Canon Rebel - and taking some pictures and having a blast refining my ability to play with depth of field. It was quite rusty - or *I* was quite rusty, but somehow, it's all falling into place this time. I have to do some judicious editing - cropping and expanding to get the full picture of the bees, but I do have some great shots. 

We had a storm blow up. And I mean BLOW up. I had gotten up for work, and was sitting in my chair near the picture window. It didn't seem right, though, and I looked outside. It was like it was 9:15 p.m. outside. I took a few quick snaps with my phone, but they looked "normal" since my phone has pretty much automated settings in the camera app. 

I brought out the Canon and this is what I saw - which is what my eyeballs saw... Yeah. Luckily, it was
just black, and not green. Those of us in Tornado Alley know the difference. The temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees, and while I was in my bathrobe (drives Hubby nuts, but I'm more covered than most people are...), I felt the first big raindrops. 

I know this looks like a black blob - but blow it up and you'll see how dramatic it was. The "edge" on the right is my white gutter. 

The rain and wind came fast and furious. The streets flooded, the water had whitecaps as it rolled down the street. I thought we'd lose the hanging baskets and hummingbird feeders. And the garden flags were definitely horizontal on their flag stands. And then the hail came. At least dime-sized. 

But thankfully, it eased up in about an hour and I was able to get to work. It rained all day off and on that day and the streets at my office did the same thing - it was a pretty good soaking rain, which we needed, but it would've been nice without it looking like the sky was falling. 

For those NOT in Tornado Alley, when the sky turns green - and we're talking "split pea and ham soup" green, with that yellow-ish cast, and the air gets still and the hair on your arms starts to stand up -- you're about to get hit by a tornado, so you need to take cover. A blue-black sky is simply Mother Nature having a ginormous hissy fit. 

Random Picture...

This is our first 4th with no doggos. I'm sad. And I do want another one - which is strange. But I do. But I'm glad, listening to the neighborhood pyromaniacs, that we don't have one right now. 

The neighborhood is hopping, though I know it'll be worse tomorrow - probably all day tomorrow. 

These same people will scream bloody murder at the cost of gas and the cost of groceries. They'll blame Biden and the Dems for jacking up prices, instead of handing it back to the big corporations who are gouging prices and getting away with that AND not paying their fair share of taxes. But they're blowing up hundreds of dollars. Seems like their priorities are a bit ... off. 

Anyway, I had a late night - or early morning - last week. We had a film crew out shooting at the church. I was the "onsite coordinator," which wasn't necessarily on my career radar, but hey - I'm a Liberal Arts graduate, I can do anything. 

The crew needed night shots, so they started at 4 p.m. and went ostensibly till midnight, but they ran over, as one does in the movie business. I got up out of my chair around midnight to see how the boys were doing, and they were doing the final outside shots. I took this picture of our church, as it was all lit up from the inside. We have a beautiful building, and you can feel the history in it. It's a magical place. 

They were extraordinarily thankful and respectful of our space. When they were outside in the front, all the lights were turned the way they were needed and a few of the crew were maybe a bit louder than normal for midnight, and the producer said, "Hey, this is a neighborhood and people are sleeping!" They quieted right down and got down to business. 

The director said they'd be another "little bit," which turned out to be closer to 2 a.m. They were all standing outside in their hoodies and freezing, and I'm standing there in shorts and a shirt, since it's a lovely 68 degrees outside. I don't know what they were feeling, but seeing as they were from north of Chicago, I was a little perplexed. 

After we cleaned up the church (I helped because it was just easier), I left about 2:30 a.m. and got home at 2:45 a.m. It's not uncommon for Hubby to get up at 3 a.m. to get into the office at 4 a.m. -- so I honestly thought I'd run into him coming out to go to work! Needless to say, I took the next day off. 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the preview of the movie, and when I can share, I will do so. This isn't our first go-round with the film industry, and we're happy to be the site for films as long as they're respectful of our space and our neighborhood. 

50%

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End of an Era...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mother Nature...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Random Picture...

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

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

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

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

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

I Really Should be Knitting...

Calendars... Ugh!

For some reason, I had it in my head that the shower was March 19. It's the 12th. Yikes...

So far, I've got the afghan done, the sweater, and a baby-sized hat. Working now on the Toddler hat, just because the sweater is big enough for perhaps a 12-month old. I figured I'd do a 2-row pattern on that - a little more sophisticated, and maybe just do the tan pompoms. 

I biggened the pattern, and I'm mostly ok with how it turned out. It needs refinement, which I will do at another time, with no deadline! I'm doing a "Dagwood." One big button. Funny enough, I don't have a picture of the sweater - yet. I think I'll do the picture of the whole layette soon. As soon as I get my fingers flying to finish the last hat!

I did tassles on the baby hat, and they were cute, but tiny (as befits a baby hat). I have enough yarn and a decent pompom maker device to do bigger ones on the bigger hat, which makes sense. I love this pattern, "Easiest Baby Hat" available on Ravelry. Sorry, there's no link, it's in my library as a download. It's basically a rectangle. You can do two colors, with the contrasting color at the crown. I did that on the baby hat, and it was a bit of a miscalculation, but as I think of it: now it can be worn 2-sided with a larger stripe in front, or a smaller one. The one above is stripes, and I've calculated how long the 2-row repeats need to be before I can finish with the same 4-row swaths and the back cuff. Then, just knit it up the sides. 

The baby hat is in the Baby Softee. The toddler hat is in the Cascade 220 Superwash. The sweater is in the Cascade, so I figure that was a good choice.  

Then there's the packaging. I haven't even gotten the stuff I need to put together the gift, but I can get that next week. I don't have to go "baby," especially if what I find is all gendered. My mom said that at Party City it was all either boy or girl - which is kind of silly, because there are those rare birds like my nephew and his wife. They didn't want to find out the gender "unless it was blatantly obvious on the ultrasound," and even if THEY know, we don't. Which is kind of cool. 

There aren't enough good surprises in this life, right? 

The Saga of the Hip...

Well. I went for my 3rd PRP shot. I'm now scheduled for PT, which I'm taking at a place a few doors down from my studio. It's a unique set-up: instead of a batch of patients assigned to the PT, this person spends the hour on you alone. For those of us who are hyper-mobile, we need supervision! I'm really glad to be able to not only have a place close-by, but also -- let's be honest -- not be exposed to a batch of strangers. I have a mom to be aware of. 

I took a picture of the device that spins the blood down. For some reason, it reminded me of something out of Star Trek: one of those "I'm growing nanobytes" kind of pods. 

The doc was very happy, because I once again was able to produce a large amount of plasma. 

I have to say that while I notice some improvements, this treatment is not for the impatient folks. The changes are incremental, some are pretty subtle, and it's going to take a long time to get to a plateau where I'll be more stable. 

I have some goals: Get back to a yoga practice that's not in a chair; ditch the cane; get back to the stable to muck out stalls; ride my bike. Not feel pain when I get up off a chair, or try to sit in one. Just the basic stuff. Oh, put my own socks on. That would be nice. 

The PT and the doctor assure me that those are indeed reasonable goals, and that I can expect to get near 100% of achieving them in some fashion. Of course, I'll never be "before arthritis." But that's to be expected. 

It seems also that they're more concerned with the arthritis than the torn labrum. I did ask about "blasting the bone spurs," and the doc said, "Yes, but no." In other words, yes, there's technology. And no, it won't fit my situation. Fair enough. I'd rather he be honest instead of just doing something that would mean I'd be back time and again to repeat the process. 

So today is my second PT treatment. I was sore after the evaluation, so this could be interesting!

It's Supposed to Snow...Or Not...

As per usual this winter, it's all weather hysteria all the time. Two school districts cancelled school today, because we were supposed to get "whalloped" with snow - up to 8" if you followed certain weather info. 

Mind you, yesterday, it was 50 degrees and sunny. Today is grey. And not a flake in sight. I'm really not sure what it's going to do today. Snow? Rain? Both? Neither? 

I mean, 10 years ago, we were sub-sub-zero and had 2 feet of snow on the ground. Today, I'm looking at my hyacinths starting to break through the ground, and whispering, "Go back! It's not time yet!!" 

And of course, we could be in California, suffering with feet and feet of snow, in areas where they never usually get snow. I have a friend in Tucson who was posting pictures of the 2" of snow on her car. I honestly have no idea if it has ever snowed in Tucson, but apparently, this was news. 

The weather is totally jacked up, but what's going on in DC? They're banning (or trying to) everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community because they can. They're also trying to ban free speech. They're also destroying legitimate safety nets as fast as they can. Because who needs them? Only the marginalized, and if the marginalized aren't rich donors? Pffffffffth.... be-gone!

And Then There's Flori-DUH...

Seriously. Wanna watch a slide into fascism, let's go to the Land of the Mouse. Dirtbag DeStoopid is hurtling down that road quickly and apparently, there's not much to stop him. Their latest is an attempt to ban the Democratic party. I'm not kidding and it's not on some erzatz "news" channel. 

Digging into the history they're wanting to ban (because we don't want to upset the feelings of little white kids...), they've realized that once upon a time, the Democratic party was the conservative party. The Whigs (a/k/a the present-day Republicans - though not quite as crazy as this bunch) were the liberals. 

So, they decided to ban "any political party which, at any time, had ties to slavery." Neat trick - use the history you deem to "offensive" to teach our kids, to virtually eliminate your biggest political rivalry. THAT is offensive, folks. DeStoopid is making a kingdom. He's paving the way to the biggest opportunity there is, and if he can finagle his way into the White House, we're in big trouble as a country. 

Where are the folks who can do something about this? I'm honestly asking, because if this is allowed to prevail, then our country as we know it will eventually cease to exist. 

And people wonder why I'm actually happy to have no grandkids...

Random Picture...

A student handed this to me. "I know you make your own, but..." -- it's Mexican Vanilla. Hubby says it smells really strong, in a good way. Can't wait to bake something with this. 

I feel humbled to have students who are friends. They've hung in there with me with this hip thing, and they're dedicated to their practice. 

We're hoping to increase our student population. We've got workshops scheduled for March, April, and May. Hoping to get more students to decide that a regular yoga practice is a good idea. 

Covid has been rough. Small businesses are still struggling. If you have a local shop, whether it's a book store, yarn store, coffee place, pub or restaurant -- do them and yourself a favor and patronize them. 

Small businesses are indeed the backbone of communities. We are invested in the area, we want to be able to serve you and your family. And we need your support. 

Often, I hear, "I can get yoga free at my gym." Yes. You can. But can you get personalized attention, do you know your teachers and their qualifications, and do you understand the time we spend making sure that the classes we have fit you and your fellow yogis? Do you know the money we've spent on training - because it's a lot, for sure. And we use that to ensure that our classes are safe, effective, and helpful to each student. Learning about modifications, adapting a sequence on the fly for students, holding specialized workshops for your benefit. 

It's a lot, and we do it for you. So please support us!

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.

Happy New Year!

Pink mitts. Check.
MIL's shawl. Check. 
Fleece-lined slippers. Check.

It's a dreary day here in blogland. Actually, it's been a dreary week. Monday was rain. LOTS of rain. Today, the frost took over, but now, with the sun going down, as I sit by my window? It's chilly. It's 29 degrees but "feels like" 22.... Cold. 

My dad would say, "colder than a well-digger's belt buckle." Or something even more pithy... I've had enough tea to float a battleship, and I've given up. Just now, I'm bundling up and hoping to warm up. You'd think a hot flash would fix this, but somehow, when it gets cold, they disappear. That's not handy... 

Eventually, I'll warm up. I usually do. Sunshine, though. Sunshine would be nice. 

Here's a mug that Kid #2 gave me for Christmas. Posted it on Instagram, and I'm tellin' ya - it struck a chord. Lots of hearts for this one. 

With the RBG movie out now, it's particularly timely. And with her recent cancer surgery, everyone's offering to give her their lungs, wrap her in bubble wrap and basically donate their healthier, younger bodies to her. Heck, I'd donate mine. I may not be the healthiest person on the planet, but I'm a good 20 years younger than she is, and even with the heart issues, I'm good to go. 

I haven't exactly been sitting on my tush all day drinking tea. It only sounds like it, right? Today, I had a whole day off. A whole day to myself, mostly. I asked Hubby if he wanted to take the Christmas tree down, but the one on the dining room table is still up. My mom's/granny's ceramic tree has been removed to its place of safekeeping in the basement. It needs a new light, but it's so old we have to figure out what kind of bulb we can put in there. It may be that I won't be able to light it anymore, because it has no way to vent out the heat. Old-time ceramics, you see. 

So off and on, I've been dusting, trashing junk, and moving things around, trying for organization. As it is, this weekend, Hubby and I are tackling The Office (a/k/a The Pit of Despair). My plan is to get my laptop back into that room (right now, I'm in the middle of the living room), and work on doing some videos and Facebook lives. A friend of mine and I are going to do weekly gratitude meditations, and right now? The living room isn't ideal. 

Looks Like Dinner...

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, we didn't go out. We're not "going out" people. So Hubby made potato soup, and we bought some "bake your own" ciabatta rolls. Of course, we've got leftovers. Lots of them. Which is fine - because, again, crappy weather is soup weather. Tonight, we have a rustic loaf which we'll warm and have...soup. It's always better the second night anyway. 

And somehow, my stomach has gone on strike. 

I'm not sure why. The food poisoning and my antibiotic "purge" have both been long over. I'm taking the mega-expensive probiotic to repopulate my gut. 

But it's being very balky, and the GERD is flaring up like nobody's business. So I'm kind of not eating. It's working, sort of. I wish I could say I'm losing weight, but at this point, I'll settle for not being in pain when I'm ready to go to bed. 

There's nothing as disheartening as your stomach trying to crawl up your esophagus when you lay down to sleep. Disheartening and painful. Very painful. 

I've started exercising more frequently, which is good. I'm not trying to "beat myself up" but I'm trying to move more. Using a Bodyblade, which only takes about 3 minutes (if that) and your arms are feeling it. The squatting part isn't hard - but hey, I'm squatting in yoga all the time. Using my arm hula hoops. Working the upper body with that and lower body with yoga. 

Hopefully, I can keep the momentum. I'm going to try. 

Hubby's Got the Bug...

So here's an update of my orchid area. And boy-o-boy --- Hubby's now got the bug. He helped me repot a few of them and there you go. He's working on using an old 55-gallon aquarium of ours that's been sitting in the basement to make a terrarium for them. He rearranged the lights so that the table here gets a bit more sun (gloomy weather, right?). 

We joined the American Orchid Society and he's been perusing the back issues of their magazine. He's fascinated with all the many species and a bit bedazzled, if you want my opinion. We're going to go on a road trip to a local orchid specialist so he can take a look.

I really don't want more than what I have here, and I really don't want to get into the crazier species. Frankly, they freak me out! But I'm happy to have something we can do together. Just now, he was over at the "orchid altar" and looking to see who needs misting. It's so cute. 

The Knitting...

I've set aside the Diamond shawl. I'm committed to working on some singleton socks. I've gotta get their mates done. I'm over having Second Sock Syndrome. 

I've weighed the ball for the Diamond Smackdown. I'm still at a little over 3 oz, and the half-way point is about 2 oz. Remarkably, one ounce goes a long way. 

The first singleton I'm working on is the Green Traveling Sock. This one, the first sock has a bum star-toe (gotta work on that more...it used to be my favorite toe), and the foot is about 1/2 - 3/4" too short. I mean, it fits because it stretches, but it's not my fave. I don't know what I was thinking -- or what I was measuring...but it's a rookie mistake. 

I started it New Year's Eve. My usual pattern is to do an "exchange." 

When I've got all the stitches on the DPNs, I take the first stitch off the right-hand needle (technically, needle #4) and put it on Needle 1 (the left-hand needle). And switch that first stitch onto the 4th needle. It helps "close the gap." But it's a bit of a challenge sometimes. I usually take the #4 stitch last, because it's the last one cast on, so it's got a little flexibility. 

Then, 6 rows of knitting, to curl the end. Helps me get it over my high instep. Then the ribbing. 

Now, in all honesty, I despise ribbing. I just don't like K2, P2 -- or even worse, K1, P1. I can never get the tension right; I get ladders sometimes, in spite of tugging the first 2 stitches on each needle. And it's boring. 

You may ask, "isn't stockinette boring?" Well, yes, but no. Yes, because it's straight-up knitting. But no, because in about 7" total, I'm doing a heel flap, which is fun. And the heel turn comes next.


Which is magical. 

When I get there, I'll post some pics. 

Anyway, I got to thinking about it. 

Bored.

Bored. 

Bored...

But I need to flip that paradigm. I need to get my mind around it in another way. I need to change "boring" to "plugging through." 

So I thought, why not just take a quick break to blog, and then literally plow through the rest of the ribbing? Get it done with and move on. 

I normally do 15-16 rows of ribbing. And I have to make this one identical to the other one. Except I think I'll do the foot properly... So it's 16 rows of ribbing. I'm on row 4. It'll be done by the time the Dr. Who New Year's Day special is on. I know it. 

Yet another mug. I dug this one out of the other cabinet in the kitchen. I have 2 large snowman "latte" style mugs. One of them is really not a good mug; when you heat it in the microwave, it burns your hands to bits. 

This one isn't that one. It held my morning green tea matcha latte. I try to drink that as often as I can, and when I make mine, it's a lot less sweet than the stuff you get at Starbucks. 

That went down nicely. 

Knitting goals for 2019? Well, normally, I don't set goals. I used to, but then I got discouraged, so that took a lot of the fun out of it. When knitting becomes a "chore," it's not a hobby anymore. 

So here's What I'd Like to Happen in 2019 for my knitting. 

1. Finish the singleton socks.
2. Finish the February Lady Sweater.
3. Finish the Before and After peacock color scarf (there are 2 to this project) and figure out how to add beads to the ends. 
4. Finish Kid #2's afghan.
5. Learn cables.

That's it. We'll see how it goes. 

Random Picture...

I got the girls (well, 2 of them - the usual suspects) to wear New Year's hats. I had to whistle to get that Elkie Head Tilt. 

We tried to stay up, but I lasted till 11:30 p.m. Tippi slept with me, on the floor, though, and Hubby told me that at midnite there were fireworks for about 20 minutes. 

Well. Coulda fooled me... I heard a few of them. Got Quinn in her crate, gave them both "boom boom cookies" (dog cookies with CBD oil on them), had Kunzea in the diffuser. Tippi also slept through it, apparently. 

We had a quiet day today. Both are now zonked out next to me in the living room. 

I really wanted to stay up till midnight. I had it all planned. I had some cookies, a special tea I was going to enjoy. I even had a face mask I was going to treat myself to. 

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.... I got tired. 

Oh well. 

New Years came without me. It's ok. 

What did you do special to bring in the new year? Any plans? Let's chat!

...and I lost...

Lost at Yarn Chicken. Badly. At 5" or so into the bind-off, I realized I was toast. 

Gutted. But - I went on the Shawl Knitting FB group and asked around. Emailed Expression Fiber Arts, and got a reply from Chandi herself! And checked Ravelry, where a lovely knitter had Stone Tulips stashed and was willing to part with it. 

So. One PayPal click later, it's on its way. And I'll finish it up in about 10 days, when it gets here. 

Whew! Thank the Knitting Gods and Goddesses for generous knitters willing to share. 

So then I figured I'd go buzzing along on the Green Sock. 

Stand still, kids... I think I'm liking the green sock now. As I'm knitting on it and I can see the pattern coming along, I'm thinking I might like it. Will wonders never cease? Opal comes through again with a colorway that grows on you. This photo is a tad off - the orange isn't as "coral" as it looks here. It's actually more pumpkin - overtones of rust. And the green in the wider striped bits is a bit deeper. The first orange + white pattern got a bit lost in the tail end of the ribbing; as you can see, it's a more fun pattern in the whole section down toward the needles. 

I found a great pattern for that mohair that Kid #1 gave me a few years ago. I'm not a mohair fan, but he doesn't know that. So I have some burgundy mohair - one hank. And I'd been wondering what the heck to do with it. I found a very simple scarf, done on larger needles. Yes, mindless, but worth the yarn, if you know what I mean. It's on Ravelry, "Quick & Easy Kidsilk Haze Scarf" -- quite literally cast on about 42 stitches on size 4.5mm needles, and knit. Bind off. It's stretchy and airy and lets the yarn "halo" nicely. 

Now I just have to find that ball of yarn. But in the meantime, I listed out my current WIPs. Something familiar is going on here...

Yeah. 

The top three are "Second Socks." 

I can justify why Bigger on the Inside is in "sock time-out." It's tight. Seriously, the "Bowties are Cool" pattern is as bad as "Jaywalker" in its tightness. Even at a cast-on of 72, it's tight on my biker calves. I love the color. I love the pattern. 

I don't love the tightness. 

Sole to Sole: That got frogged. I think I dropped some stitches, so I frogged the whole thing; for the second sock, as I recall, I was only about 2" in so frogging wasn't a huge issue. 

I set aside Petty Harbour to start on the Close to You Shawl. Nothing wrong with it. I was moving along on the leg - I was at about 5" or so and I figured I'd better get skippy and do that project before I ran out of time. 

You know how it goes: "The baby isn't due till November; I have time." "The birthday is at the end of the year and it's only June. Plenty of time." "Who starts Christmas knitting in May?"

Ummmmmm. Time is moving at light-speed, my friends. This time, I figured I wanted to get that puppy blocked before  I was on the eve of the birthday. Because it would've worked out that way. 

So I figure I have about 5 - 6 days to get the yarn; then I can finish it up. I only need about 5-ish yards, but I bought the whole hank. Next up: Search Ravelry for a project using 390-ish yards of this yarn. I'm not saying that I don't like the colorway, but it's not my favorite, so I have no idea what to do with it. Something will come to me. It usually does. 

I Hate the Fourth...

As you all know by now, I've got 3 wonderful dogs. Two of them are terrified by fireworks. 

When I say "terrified," I don't mean normal skittishness. I mean drooling, whale-eyed, shaking, won't go out to pee terror. This is Quinn in the bathroom on the 4th of July. She's been there since July 2, actually. And she's still there. 

Because people are idiots. Because people insist on blowing off illegal fireworks, and not only the little rat-tat-tat ones, but half-sticks and M-80s. Those are mortars, people. 

Here's a little 4th of July trivia for you: M-80s were used by the military to simulate explosives and artillery fire. So then, they evolved into professional fireworks. 

And then, somehow, the idiots got hold of them. And started shooting them off in backyards nationwide. 

Fireworks are illegal here in Illinois. They've been illegal for a long, long time. The larger gauge ones are so dangerous it's not even funny. 

Aside from blowing off your fingers (or your face), they can damage - permanently - your hearing. The guy across the street was blowing them off on the 4th before the storms hit. Hallelujah for the storms, but still - some idiots were blowing off fireworks DURING a thunderstorm. 

I sat on the floor with my older dog for over an hour trying to keep her calm. I gave both dogs a massage with essential oils. I had diffusers going. I gave them CBD cookies. I had fans on high speed to muffle sound. And still. Quinn wouldn't budge. 

We finally got her out of the bathroom and into her crate - she likes her crate in these circumstances. 

All I can tell you is that you should be safe on the 4th of July. You shouldn't shoot off fireworks unless you're a professional. And above all, remember your neighbors: the pets, the vets, the people who have sensory issues, those who are elderly and those with other chronic conditions. 

Go visit your municipal display. Leave us in peace, please. 

If You Don't Like the Weather...

Blue skies, beautiful clouds

...stick around for 10 minutes. I mean it. Usually, it's a joke, but on Thursday, these were the shots actually 10 minutes apart. I saw the clouds, around lunch time, and I thought, "How pretty!" so I buzzed out the door into the heat + humidity (nope, no walk on Wednesday) and snapped this. I went back to doing what I was doing, and then glanced up... to see Shot #2...Went out and snapped that, and heard thunder somewhere off in the distance. 

Thunderheads

Ten minutes later? Stormageddon... 

It bucketed, sheet-rain, sideways. The cloud-to-ground lightning was pretty impressive. Actually, kind of terrifying. The thunder was very loud. The rain was almost louder. 

If you can see in the last shot, right over the restaurant building? You can actually see the sheets of rain coming down, just like a Hollywood special effect. 

Sheet rain

And it just kept on coming. It lasted for well over an hour. The bad thing was that I heard a number of sirens, too, and saw at least 2 ambulances rushing down the street. I understood later that there was a big traffic issue at one of the major intersections a few miles down. It doesn't surprise me. 

And then, when it calmed down, of course, fireworks. Boomers set off in the neighborhood next to the office. Really. See paragraph above on my opinion.

In Thursday night's class, people were joking about how effective our "Yoga Rain Dance" was over the 4th of July holiday. It was effective, but not enough, apparently. 

Garden Glories...

I was at Menard's today, doing my good deed for the church. I bought play sand (jeeze, the smallest bag must weigh nearly 40 lbs!) for the "butt bins" at the church. I cleaned out one (I forgot the one at the front door). Then I put it the required 15 feet away from the door. And the group that meets at the church promptly put it back near the door. 

This does not make me happy and I'll have to address it. 

But. 

That's not the point of this section. The point was I was in Menard's. And I found something beautiful for the garden. This lovely hummingbird feeder was on sale. 

I also picked up some additional hummingbird food. We try to buy the pre-made but without the red dye. The birds don't need the red dye; it's really not good for them. 

We had a "mason jar" kind of hummingbird feeder and it didn't work out well. Bugs, probably ants, got in the feeder despite the very deep "ant well" we had on it. I think the openings were a bit wide and they managed to crawl in. This has smaller openings. The colored part is glass, so that's very pretty in the sunlight. It's under the maple tree, so it's kind of shaded. 

We haven't seen a lot of hummers lately, so I hope that this colorful feeder attracts them. The brown-eyed Susans are starting to bloom, the coneflowers are going nicely, and the pink thing that I can never remember the name of (see it right below the feeder, there) is coming up just as it does every year. The hanging baskets are a bit straggly. The wild mood swings from rain to scorching are taking their tolls on the baskets. But they're hanging in there (ba-dum)... 

And the milkweed. Wow. I don't think I've got monarch eggs after all. But they're feeding something. And we'll have some beautiful pods. 

I remember as a kid having those spray-painted silver and gold and then spray painting Michelob bottles. We'd glitter up the pods and make them into Christmas decorations. We found swamp milkweed all over the place. We'd also do cat tails. 

I expect that, this Fall, we'll have a load of milkweed. I'll have to snag it before it takes over the flower garden. Maybe I should plant some along the south side of the house. Hubby won't necessarily like it, but it's an option. And otherwise? I'll have milkweed to spare, if anyone wants some! 

Random Picture...

Speaking of garden delights, I have to say that while my basil isn't quite spiffy, and my Rosemary is sparse, the parsley? Wow. It's beautiful. Lush, and green, and fragrant. I've used it quite a bit and it's only gotten prettier. It's the prettiest we've had in a long time. I think it's better in the front garden and not in the herb trug. 

I think we're going to have to freeze some of it and maybe make parsley pesto. 

Parsley is a great herb. Yes, it's strong. But it's packed with Vitamin C, iron, and Vitamin K. It's not only good for you, but it's good for your dog! Chopped up in Fido's food, it helps with not only "doggie breath" but also with inflammation. It's antimicrobial - always a plus. And can fight some issues like arthritis. 

I'm going to try it with Quinn. Not sure if she'll eat it, but I'll give it a whack. It might be worth a try, particularly for her cysts. Not sure if cysts are caused by inflammation, but it can't hurt. 

For humans: bone health, an immune booster, full of antioxidants. Helps combat constipation, gas, indigestion. The only thing to worry about, and that's if you eat -- like that whole pot up there -- is that it can cause problems with high blood pressure and water retention. Which is odd, because it's supposed to help with UTIs and keep things flowing, if you know what I mean. Check this link for WebMD for more information. Just so you know I'm not making this up!