Oy. I'm Tired...

So today I had to be up at "before-the-chickens" o'clock and at work before dawn. Yawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn. I'm tired. I had a group here at work for an early a.m. session and then the HVAC guy came because our heating system is really acting weird.

Turns out that of the 3 units on the roof, Unit #1 has been "locked out" because the heat exchanger has a crack in it. Ok. We knew that, so what happened to the paperwork? It got lost in a Pit of Despair somewhere up at the main campus. The HVAC company will re-quote the job and they'll get it fixed.

I mean, hey. We're only in ILLINOIS. And on the verge of NOVEMBER. Global warming or not, it's cold today and it was snowing again for about 5 minutes. I just talked to one of the Facilities guys and he tells me, "Oh yeah, when we switch over to heat, you're supposed to flip the switch. 

Which switch? Where? I haven't done that in the entire time I've been here, and it's been nearly 10 years... To quote: "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

Cutie-pie!

Gotta love it.

Knitting...

Tomorrow, I go with my knitting gals, and I give up the ghost on the Chandelier Lace scarf. I need help picking it back to a purl row. And then I've gotta give in and use a lifeline. Needless to say, it won't be done for Christmas. At least not Christmas 2013.

I'll happily take a before-and-after set of shots. I'll own up to the hash I made of it...

Working on the next Fluffy Scarf. It's going along ok. Starbella, even though I dislike it, is easier to spread out than Sashay. But my problem with this particular ball is that there are some quality issues. I may end up keeping this scarf for myself if it gets worse. 

When I get home this afternoon, I'll sit for a spell, and if I feel like I can actually think straight, I may get the cuff of Sock #2 done and start on the leg. 

So the picture (a) is NOT knitting; and (b) is old... This is an old pic of my great-nephew (gah!!!) and he's wearing a sweater my friend Sue crocheted for him. He is now an adorable preschooler. I'm not violating any rules; his mom has his pictures all over Facebook, and I didn't even include his name. 

I do have pics of the twins in their sweaters, but I have to retrieve them. For another post...

Eating...

Let's just say this is going to be a bad week. I have good intentions. It's just that the busy-ness of the week and the lack of sleep have combined to make me into a tired, cranky, hungry grump. I know it happens every time. And today, at least - I'm too tired to battle it out. 

I have some home-made potato soup that I'll eat tonight for dinner; no, it's not specifically on my eating plan, but I'm in need of comfort food, and I'll be having an early night, if I'm lucky. 

Politics...

Well, it's not technically politics, but it's just a bombshell news story. OK, yes, it IS politics. Lookee here, boys and girls. Ted (Canadian/Cuban)Cruz gets HIS health insurance from his WIFE'S policy at Goldman Sachs... Yep. Imagine that. Click here to get the story. So of course he doesn't give a rat's rear end if anyone ELSE gets health insurance. In his book, "I got mine." And that's all that counts. 

If you don't realize that the Republicans WANT the healthcare.gov site to fail, and that they WANT voter suppression and that they WANT us to be a "Christian Nation" (which is entirely what the Founders did NOT WANT)... Well, then you're sleeping under the stumps in a forest or something. They market themselves as "for the people." 

For the people to work at subsistence wages so the Corporate Overlords can make big bucks.

For the people to get screwed out of pension benefits so that the Shareholder Overlords can get their dividends.

For the people to vote for them so that they can continue to manipulate the weak-willed and under-informed voter. 

Is that you? Are you a sheep? I didn't think so.

And the Job Creators? Pfffffffthhhhhh. Pardon my raspberry. They "create jobs" alright. Overseas, because it's cheaper. Which is why Detroit and other urban centers are virtual ghost towns. People will spend money when they're making it. We used to be a society that built stuff. 

Now? We outsource it. Crikey, we're even talking about outsourcing our food to China. Really? 

Random Picture...

The Duchess

This is a picture of the grand chandelier in our local theatre. This theatre was within inches of being razed for a parking lot when one of our grand dames in down actually started not only a petition, but a collection - to the point of going around with a coffee can for donations - to revive this theatre. Now, it's the jewel of the town, and acts from all over come out to play and entertain us. 

The theatre was the location of our women's group's anniversary bash: "Spirits With the Spirits" and we had a blast. I love the place. 

I remember my paternal grandma, who didn't drive, and we'd get on the bus for a dime and go see 101 Dalmations at this theatre. It used to be a movie house. 

I'm grateful to preservationists for their work. Some things probably need to be torn down, but on the other hand, rational minds need to come together to retain significant aspects of a town's history. 

This is a significant aspect. This picture, even taken with the "good camera" -- well, it doesn't do The Duchess true justice. She's beautiful. 

 Estate Stuff...

Well, we have a closing in the works. Yay. I'm so done. This has not been the best situation. There's been over-much drama. And we're not normally a high-drama family. 

I want Thanksgiving to be stress-free. I want us to all sit down and eat our lovely organic turkey in peace, without waiting for someone to have a melt-down. To this end, my mother has (wisely) chosen to un-invite both of my deceased brother's kids. They're not speaking to each other, and at this point, it's not worth the stress. I don't care what excuse she gives, but it's just not worth it. My remaining brother and one nephew have expressed to my mother that they don't want to be there if those kids are there. My own kids are "upset" (read: we need to make sure that the one kid doesn't flip out on mom or granny) and are not looking forward to what Kid #2 has christened "FAKES-giving." And I just don't want to have to wait to see if drama will happen or not. It's not why I'm going to all the trouble to cook the blasted dinner...

Christmas...

As I said, the baking list is done. Baking has not commenced yet. Hubby hasn't decided if he's going to spend Christmas with his mom. I will have from mid-December through New Year's Day off, and the kids and I will be making pierogies. 

I've already started the Christmas ordering. I think I'm giving #1 Girlfriend (Kid #1's gal) a lovely set of amber: a pendant and earrings. Amber is a traditional Polish gift to a bride and there are rumors... (yay!)

My mom's getting the Senior Series Yoga class taught by MY teacher. I'm already told what my gift is - Hubby and I are sharing a tablet computer. I'm not sure how that's gonna work, but whatever. I certainly don't need anything. 

Except slippers. I'd like a nice pair of sheepskin slippers... 

Wednesday Wanderings...

I'm sitting here at work taking a bit of a break. I'm in a brown tweed-ish suit and heels. 

Yes, please pick yourself up off the floor. Heels. Our school president is coming, and it's not only "all hands on deck" but "best bib and tucker" too... Though I did tell my assistant that he didn't have to wear a tie. 

I happen to think turtlenecks and jackets are cool. And anyway, it's usually freezing in here - he should dress for the climate. 

The caterer is coming about 3:30 -- which usually means closer to FOUR thirty! I have my welcome sign, have my campus all lit up (will be making a point about the light fixtures that are not working, since our electrician's excuse is "he's busy") and have new potpourri in the big red serving bowl in my conference room. I just have to put away my lunch dishes; they're on the drying rack.

And tomorrow, I have to be here at 6 a.m. Urgh.

Knitting...

Working away at Sock #2. I have about 4 more rows for the cuff, then I switch to the leg and the k3, p1 ribbing. 

Call me crazy, but turning the heel still jazzes me. It's just like magic, and I don't have to do anything but what the instructions tell me! 

Politics...

OK, so the website doesn't work well for the ACA. But in some states it does. But in some places, like IL, it takes forever and it bumps you off. And yeah, we paid a gazillion dollars for this website. 

But it's not the LEGISLATION that's bad. It's the WEBSITE. We need to make it work, but we don't need to re-write everything from scratch. It is what it is and we have to live with it till something new evolves.

Quiz time: What legislation ever worked the first time out of the gate? 

Answer: None. Every bit of legislation has had its growing pains. Social Security did. Medicare did. All of it. The Americans with Disabilities Act did. 

Legislation is written by humans (if you want to call ALEC "human") and humans are not infallible, Pope notwithstanding. 

We've become a society with not only a nanosecond's worth of attention span, but ZERO patience. We want what we want. When we want it. And preferably BEFORE we even KNOW we want it. And we throw a tantrum when we don't get it. 

Over-aged toddlers.

Reading...

I want to know how J.K. Rowling did it. How did she hold herself back while writing the Potter books? Because both Casual Vacancy and Cuckoo's Calling are rife with the "F" bombs. 

Casual Vacancy was a slog. It wasn't truly engaging. It wasn't anything I'd read again - which is saying something. It seemed like a struggle to get myself into the story. And there wasn't really enough story to keep my attention. It was almost like something I'd write and I really stink at fiction.

Cuckoo -- I'm still working on that, and it seems slightly better. 

But still. I'm not sure that I'd wholeheartedly recommend either of them. I still think that everyone ought to re-read the books they read in high school. It's amazing what maturity does for your viewpoint about literature. 

Other stuff...

Wow - what happened to the afternoon? It clouded up like crazy, though there's nothing on the radar. 

I'm really enjoying the hand cream I have at work: Forest House Herbals has something they call Lavender Rosemary Shea Butter Cream. It's available at the Isabella catalog site. Click here to see the goodies they have. This is the catalog that I love to order from. 

This stuff is fantastic, even on my perpetually dry hands. And it smells yummy without being overpowering. 

I have a 2-day Yoga Therapeutics class this weekend. I have to ask about a student I've got; I don't know what to suggest for her, and I think this will help me answer her questions. I'm enjoying teaching and I have a nice sized class. I don't think I'd want more than the students I have - but we'll see how the class evolves.

Time to go pull out some tables and make a catering area. 

Random Picture...

Flirty Bug

It's a rather dreary day. How about some slug-bug cuteness? This was a car parked where I was having a meeting. I couldn't resist the eyelashes, and I believe she has the crystal eyeliner. 

If only I had that kind of panache for a 7 a.m. meeting! 

I told Hubby that I wanted to do that to my car and, let's just say...he didn't think it was a cool idea. 

Mostly Knitting Today...

Just a few things to note today, mostly having to do with sticks and string, but some other stuff will inevitably crop up. It always does.

Working toward toe shaping

Knitting...

The Teal Socks are ONE-HALF done!! I finished the first one yesterday. It looks a bit long, but it's a rib - k3, p1 and the pattern called for the foot to be a bit longer than I'm used to. I haven't tried it on yet, but I will be casting on the second one in a day or so. 

I'm still having problems with my Kitchener Stitch - I get points at either end. I have to find an alternative toe - maybe a round toe? Or a star?? Something else. But that'll be for the next pair of socks.

Detail of cuff and ribbing on leg

Here are some shots of the yarn I purchased. Maybe I'll do another Franken-sock with the red, and utilize the star toe. That would be good seeing as I'm thinking of Christmas.

I will continue to work on the charity afghan tomorrow. It's going to be a particularly interesting day weather-wise, so it'll probably be in my best interests to just plug away at that. I do have to attend a board meeting tomorrow night, though.

Sock #1 done!

More about the yarn... As you can see on the sock picks, it's a very bright teal. I seem to be on a "bright" binge after lots of purples and darks. 

That's cool. Diversity in yarn is good. Wool and Company have so many lovely sock yarns, it's difficult to choose. But I made some choices that I think will be good in the long run; mostly in a weight that I'm used to working with. 

The Trekker that I'm working with on the Teal Socks is quite a bit thinner than normal - more like the Opal that I haven't started yet. 

Though I could use some of that Opal for a nifty tea cozy! 

Dream yarn

This blue is shot with silver; it'll make a nice pair of socks in perhaps a rib pattern on the leg. Most of the yarn I have for socks has at least 80% merino wool in it. The silver is not only for the sparkle, but silver is supposed to have anti-odor properties. So perhaps no stinkie tootsies?? If that's so, I may have to make silver socks for both kids!! 

I have a good pattern in mind for this blue. I love the play of colors in it and I think that if I work it right, doing a sort of simple rib will allow for the beauty of the gradient to play out. 

The Liberty Wool is a special impulse buy. Our church choir just got new robes, in what I call Cubbie Blue - and I figure that the Chicago Cubs need divine intervention. 

I did make mitts for myself. It's an old church - well over 100 years, and so old that there's not even a bathroom in the sacristy! And it's limestone. It gets chilly in the choir area. First, because we're by the door. Second, because we're by the stained glass window; and finally, because there's apparently a breeze coming in from near the organ pipes! 

Liberty Wool Light

Our old (and I mean OLD) robes were burgundy. The mitts I made matched them; so I bought this Liberty and will make some that match our new blue robes!

I guess I'll stagger the remaining pictures below so we're not "naked" at the bottom of the post!

The red Kraemer yarn is also shot through with silver. Since it's a solid red, though, it'll most likely be lace on the leg. I might do a "Strong Heel" on that. I figure it this way:

All this sock yarn just enables me to try different things. So I can Frankensock my way through a variety of techniques, see what works and what I don't like, and voila!! I get socks in the bargain! 

The denim blue below is a lovely merino + bamboo. It's so soft - I know the merino will help with the wear and tear a sock gets; the bamboo alone would be too fragile for feet. 

Politics...

So Ted (Cuban/Canadian) Cruz is STILL blathering on about how "the American people have spoken" and he thinks they're saying that he must continue tilting at windmills and CONTINUE to waste taxpayer money trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 

For Christmas socks...

Yes, Ted. The American people have spoken. Can't you read polls? Or do you read nothing but Talking Points Memo or Fox News(?) reports???

The American people want Congress to DO SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL and stop screwing around. That's pretty clear. Republicans are now rated as lower than lawyers (sorry - Shakespeare reference) and whale crap. And that's saying something for both lawyers and whale crap. I apologize in advance for annoying lawyers and being disrespectful of whales and whale crap.

My assistant says he'd love to get a "Ted Cruz for President" campaign working - just to get him on the ticket so that the Dems can be ASSURED of a victory! 

As for the ACA website and the "debacle" about its inefficiencies, I do have a couple of questions: Why are we using a CANADIAN company? I have no beef with our friends to the north, but what? There wasn't an AMERICAN company that could've done this? 

And why is the CANADIAN company a hold-over from GWB??? Who said something to whom about using them? Since they were most likely used to do with something regarding defense, I would think that perhaps this website might be a little outside their scope?

Merino + bamboo mixture

I talked about the cost with Hubby, who works with these things. He's not surprised at the cost - it can take that much, apparently. What he's shocked at is that there was no "load balancing" -- or testing to see if it actually WOULD stand up to the amount of traffic. But hey - he only works for an AMERICAN tech company...

Halloween...

This year, we're doing All Hallows at our church; it's a prelude to All Saint's Day and we're doing an evensong service. That will be interesting. It'll be my first one, and I'm excited. 

We were told what the songs were, but I can't remember now. I guess we'll see them when we get there. I'd better sharpen my sight-reading skills. 

Garden...

So the weather situation I mentioned? Apparently, there's a "strong possibility" that there will be a snow/rain mixture tomorrow. That means my friends will get a load of green tomatoes, and maybe we should do something about the remaining carrots in the garden beds.

Yesterday, we took down the hanging pots and emptied the herb pots - all but a really good batch of tarragon that's still going strong. I don't believe the hummingbirds are going to be back, but we'll leave those feeders up for a few more weeks - we may get some stray birds flying past on their way south. 

African Violet

I can most likely cover the tomatoes, if we think we're in for a "false frost" that won't kill them off. 

Random Picture...

This African Violet normally resides on a table in my campus. It was taken when it was in bloom. 

I love them. They remind me of my grandma. 

Yoga...

I'm procrastinating about finishing my yoga homework. I can't imagine why. I just want it done. This coming weekend, it's a 2-day Yoga Therapeutics workshop, which I've been looking forward to. But I still have a bunch of stuff to do to finish the certification. And the homework has a definite deadline! And it's not all that much. It's all sitting here under my desk. 

I just need to get it done. I don't know why I'm procrastinating. Usually I don't. I'm ahead of myself. But this time, I'm just in a rut, I think. 

Anyway, time to clear out and get home. Speaking of yoga, I'm teaching tonight, and I haven't even decided on my sequence yet! Pushing my luck, I think.

Full Moon & Ghosts

Yesterday, I felt like I spent the entire time in my car...

Haunted Bungalow

First, an early a.m. board meeting. Through town, which is all torn up. Yes, I'm happy that the folks are working, but on EVERY street in town?? Simultaneously???

Ah well.... It was worth it to be on one segment of my drive to see this historic home, a traditional bungalow, all decked out for the season. Click on the picture to see it close-up. The details on the leaded windows in the porch area are amazing. Yes, I was stopped when I snapped this, thank you. 

It's been recognized TWICE as a national historic building, and I always said that if I could, I'd lift it from where it's sitting and plant it right where I want to retire. There are a lot of these kinds of bungalow homes in our area, and this is the one most well-restored and well-kept. You can see a little slice of its neighbor, and you can perhaps see that they "renovated" their porch in a newer style. 

These houses are small-ish and usually have bedrooms along one side, one bath, and a "shotgun" kind of arrangement along the other side: porch, living room, dining room and kitchen all in a row. There's usually a wall between the porch and living room, and dining room/kitchen, but often an archway which is the demarcation between living room and dining room. Usually also a basement, and part of that can be a cistern or a "root cellar."

Ok, I did say "retire," and you all can stop laughing. I can dream...

Knitting...

After the board meeting, my 2 knitting buddies and I drove to St. Charles, to Wool and Co. My favorite shop for the most part, because they carry yummy yarns. This day, needle selection was a bit scarce, but it was still cool. 

We were able to help a crocheter. The gal at the counter didn't know much about crochet, but we could at least advise the customer about hook size, yarn, etc. It's a cool vibe where nobody minds that you are giving advice to another person (something my LYS certainly lacks lately...). 

Didn't photograph my purchases, but it was all sock yarn, plus another set of Karbonz DPNs, in a 1.5. The one skein of yarn said 1.0 but the clerk said 1.5 would be fine. This yarn is a tad heavier than, say, Opal, so the skoosh larger needles shouldn't be a problem. The bright red means that if I can get them done in time, they'll be Christmas socks for me. Bright red shot through with real silver, I might add. Simple rib pattern, I think, unless I want to repeat that swirly rib, which would also work nicely...

And I got a mug. Like I needed another one, but it's 16 oz, which is what I like for my a.m. tea, and it's a "Knitwit" mug. Pics tomorrow or Monday, I promise!

Cloudy full moon this morning...

Full Moon...

Yes, the crazies are out. So is the moon. As I came in to work this morning, I saw it, in all its glory, and then when I turned to grab my camera, the clouds passed, but I think you get the idea.

I have to say, I'm disturbed. One of my FB friends posted something on Thursday and it was about dog cruelty. I should've skipped FB before bedtime, because I was up at 1 a.m. Thursday morning (of course, because I had to get up early anyway). I had a horrible nightmare and I couldn't get the pictures out of my mind... After tossing, turning, tossing, shuffling around - I got up and went out to the couch, and even though the "real" full moon was supposed to be Friday, the living room was as bright as if I had a spotlight on the front yard. It was the white light of the moon and it was stunning. If I knew I wouldn't have caused a riot with the dogs, I'd have slipped outside to take a shot of it. 

Anyway, it was beautiful. I wish we could get to a spot where there's very little light pollution so that Hubby can get out his telescope and take pictures. I've had this thing in my mind where we are able to get the moon in all 4 of its phases, and we do a "series" photo. Lately, though, when the moon's in its various phases, we've had clouds or weren't able to get far enough out of town, late enough. Especially since he gets up before the chickens (just about the time the bats go to bed) to work. It's hard to justify screwing up a work day just to get moon pictures. 

Politics...

Speaking of crazies: BusinessWeek says the Tea Party won, but it was a Pyhhric victory. They say that now "crazy is the new normal." God, I hope not. Crazy needs to go away. How about, the next election, we replace Crazy with oh, I don't know: SMART maybe??

Mitch McConnell says "There is no education in the second kick of a mule." Maybe now that Ted (Canadian/Cuban) Cruz has his million-name mailing list (which, in my cynical mind is what drove his madness), he will be hushed by saner heads in his party? Like John McCain??? I can't believe I'm typing that... Though he DID say, "It is one of the most shameful chapters I have seen in the years I've spent in the Senate" when commenting about the recent fiasco -- I mean government shut-down. 

From the staircase down the esplanade

I also see where Tom Foley died yesterday. For those of you who remember, Foley (D)-Wash, was an outspoken critic of the extreme partisanship that emerged in the mid-90s. Unfortunately for us, he was defeated in 1994 - the start of the Gingrich era and probably the impetus for Karl Rove's fantasy of a "permanent Republican majority." He was a consensus builder, and I hope that somewhere on the back bench, we find another one of his ilk. Lord knows we need one. 

Spirits With the Spirits...

I finally managed to corral my sister and we went to an event at our local theater - the "jewel" - the Rialto. I'm always stunned at how beautiful it is in there. And how close it came to being plowed over for a parking lot. Dorothy Mavrich, one of our local activists, who's now in her mid-90s, was the firebrand responsible for making sure that our city council didn't vote to destroy it, but instead voted to renovate it. 

Here are just a few shots of the place. It's just jaw-dropping beautiful. That's about the only word I can come up with for now. The work that went into the renovation was certainly worth it. I think my sister and I may come out for the annual Festival of Trees, too. Can you just picture this space decked out for the holidays?

You'll see autographs in one of the pictures. Downstairs in the "green room" area, there are walls, more walls, and stairwells FULL of autographs and doodles. Everyone from Howie Mandel, Jerry Seinfeld and the like to Taylor Swift. Even Carol Burnett and tons of other famous folks. 

Barton Grand organ

Just looking at the Barton Grand organ is enough to entertain "Phantom-esque" dreams, and looking at the plasterwork and all the details lovingly restored around the stage brings you some faith in the permanency (such as it is) of such things as old buildings. The organ is on a pneumatic device and it can be raised up to stage level when needed. There's usually a Christmas concert, and it's just glorious.

My only complaint is that sometimes artists come in there and don't do their homework. As I said, the space is fairly intimate. It's not exactly the Chicago Theatre. There are only 1,926 seats in this venue and very rarely do you hear complaints of "a bad seat." It's reasonably priced, for the most part as well. Nice entertainment and close to home. 

One section of the "autographs"

One concert we attended -- the artist had the amps cranked to about 16! You really don't need it, honest! The docents told me that it's all up to the artists, and they are always a bit annoyed when the artists don't get that the acoustics in there are phenomenal. You don't need it up to 16... you can get by actually pretty nicely on about 8 or 9. And the audience doesn't leave with ringing ears and raging headaches. 

Anyway, our local women's club had a party there, as a celebration of our 40th anniversary. Sadly, I don't think it was well-attended, and that's a shame. Here are some of the pictures. She's a competitive cuss... we won the Scavenger Hunt, even though we didn't get any ghost shots. Or at least we didn't see any spectres. I did get some orbs, which the ghost hunters at the Rialto say are "something" and Hubby says are "reflections." Spoilsport!! 

Where my flash "popped."

So a funny thing happened on the way to hunting ghosts... We hiked up the stairs toward the "nosebleed" seats (really not - it's the upper balcony and there are a ton of steep-ish stairs). The docents told us that was an area that was "active" with spirits. One of my friends actually did get a wisp of something. I took the big camera and the big flash. I snapped a picture similar to this, but my camera's large flash failed. Died. Kaput. I thought, "oh nuts..." and took the large flash unit off. Snapped this one, and swear-on-granny's-rosary... There was a large "POP!" as if I had one of the old-timey flash bulb units. Sis jumped, I startled, and I turned the camera toward me, expecting to see a blown flash unit. All I could think of was how I was going to explain to Hubby that I blew out the on-camera flash unit in a brand new Canon EOS! Though Sis did say, "hey, you have witnesses - it was the ghosts!"

One of the docents told me that sometimes, the spirits "play with energy" and perhaps they decided they would have a little fun with my camera. I might be a bit of a skeptic, but I can tell you that not 5 minutes later, I put the unit back on to take a picture of the stage and it worked just fine. Go figure. 

Amazingly, as we went upstairs to one of the dressing rooms, my sister turned to me and said, "Do you smell that?" I didn't smell anything. She said that she "hit a wall of lilac." She told the gal who was the "sensitive" (the person who channels the spirits) that she smelled "something." When the sensitive said, "Lilacs" my sister said YES! And it was also interesting that in that room, with 6 women in a fairly tight space, 2 of them said they were "freezing" while my sister reiterated that she smelled the lilac again. It was not cold in there. Lilac is the signature scent of "Vivian" - one of 3 documented spirits in the Rialto. There was even a TV show segment about the people haunting the place! 

Scarf winners

Anyway, the most fun part was hanging with my sister. We don't do that often enough. You may recognize a certain black-and-orange scarf?? Four of us knitters in the club did the Scavenger Hunt prizes. My sister is the one in the red with the long scarf (she says it's not long, SHE is just short). 

I had been talking about her to my fellow club members, and I think they thought she was a myth! But I think she's also coming with me to our Christmas event, which is cool. 

Yoga...

Tomorrow, I go with my teacher to deliver donated yoga supplies to the Prison Yoga Program. I think I'll investigate the training when it comes around. 

Our studio took up a collection during the month of September, which was designated "National Yoga Month" (among the seven billion other "dedications" you probably know about...). We have a bunch of mats, some books and a car-load of meditation magazines, and the lady who's coordinating the local program is very excited to get these items. 

There's usually a waiting list to join a yoga or meditation program in the prison. And before anyone goes all "Ok, just pamper the inmates," I have to say that there are documented studies (click here if you're interested) that show how meditation changes your brain. Click on the link above if you want to know how these types of programs help the inmates both during their incarceration and long-term to assist them in making better choices. Anything that helps to keep people on the right track and keep them out of prison? How could you not like that? 

Random Picture...

Porky, about 2008

Outside our deck, we have the luck (?) to be close to our neighbor's hickory tree. I think it's a hickory. But what I definitely know is that it's just about half-dead - maybe 2/3 dead. And the neighbor, unfortunately, is a lazy-butt who does the minimal to keep his yard decent. Often, his wife and her parents are out there doing things he should be doing. And occasionally, we get an earful when we're out in our yard. 

So it used to be that our deck rail (truth be told, it's a "deck" in name only - it's actually an extended back stoop, since it's right on the property line and only large enough to allow you to go in and out the back door, and keep a snow shovel out there) was  "the" hot spot for birds, squirrels, etc. I could put out stale bread, seeds, fruit, etc. and we'd have a show. We even had squirrels come chattering at us when we didn't serve dinner quite as prompt as they'd like. And a cardinal family that would chirp if the sunflower seeds were stolen by the squirrels. 

This is a shot I caught through the side window of Porky, our most famous squirrel resident, hopping down from a limb onto the rail. I think it was when I had stale bread AND peanut butter. The picture was taken in 2008 during a snowstorm. 

The reason I'm sure the tree is 2/3 dead is that nobody comes to the railing anymore. True, we have elkhounds who watch to make sure the Big Evil Bunny stays away, and they stalk the ground squirrels and the grey ones. But even when I put stuff on the rail, no takers.

So I'm thinking that perhaps the tree is unstable. And I'm sure that, even though we trim the branches that overhang our deck and roof, the neighbor will wait till the blasted thing falls over before he does anything...

Reading...

I'm going to start Judith Lasater's "Living Your Yoga," both because I have to read it for training, and because I'm interested in how to integrate the principles into day-to-day life. 

Just about done with "Emma" on the Kindle. Still searching for the one Yarn Harlot book that I'm sure I have...

Christmas??

Oh, I can read your mind, and it goes something like this:  STOP IT!!!! It's not even HALLOWEEN!!!

But bear with me. I'm not saying I'm in the Christmas mood. I'm just mentioning that I have 5 Christmas presents ordered or obtained. Several are personalized, so I had to order them ahead of time. The other - for my mom - is actually obtained but not sure when she'll get it, as it's a space in a Senior Yoga class. And no, I'm not teaching it. First of all, my own teacher started that group. I don't even sub, though, because it's in the mornings, and I'm at work. 

Second, I wouldn't teach my mom because she's got a couple of health issues, and I think she needs a more experienced teacher. She probably wouldn't be able to keep up with my Basic class. 

Weather...

Fall has flipped...???  And it's really pretty outside my office. I can't get a decent picture of it, so put this in your mind. At the southwest corner of my campus, the sun is a bright, brittle color. It's incredibly bright and almost a glare. 

MONSTER

At the south, clouds build. Dark grey and kind of heavy. And then at the northeast, the blue sky blends with light grey clouds. All in all, I can't tell if it's going to rain or it's passing through. But the quality of the light is gorgeous and one of those combinations of light and temperature which just holler 'FALL IS HERE' and beg you to go out and enjoy them. There might be a walk in my future this evening after dinner.

Stuff at Work...

 So our president is coming. Not THE President, but the president of our university. I spent today giving two plants some massive "haircuts" and re-potting things. I now have 5 -- yes, FIVE -- new potted plants. I don't know what to do with one of them - not one I re-potted, but one that's just shooting to the ceiling. It was about 12" tall when I got it 3 years ago. The assistant I had at the time had given it to me because she said her plant had babies. It was a little rickety thing and she said, "I don't know if it'll even grow - so if it doesn't, don't worry." 

She also gave me the philodendron that was imitating Kathryn Hepburn's on "Desk Set." And that's the one that got the big haircut today. She's a shadow of her former self, but her offspring live on. 

Audrey

And then there's Audrey... I think she's almost as tall as I am. My assistant and I re-potted her last year in the biggest pot I could find at Home Depot. She was in a small 8" pot when I started here... 

I now have plants in every room that has windows here. I saw one spot in the hallway, in a small niche, where I could potentially put another one. Perhaps the MONSTER that's growing on the credenza, if I can get her in a wheeled carrier. 

Just a bit more spit-and-polish and we're ready for his visit. By the way, fish fertilizer makes me sneeze. But it works wonders on plants!

Politics...

I almost crashed my truck yesterday. I was listening to Sirius Progress (f/k/a "Left") and heard Ted Cruz railing about how they (the Republicans? The Baggies??) will "continue our efforts to repeal Obamacare."

You. Lost. Big-time. Really - you're gonna waste the next 3 years trying this crap all over again?

Hey, I don't like what the Dems and Republicans did anyway: they kicked the decision over into 2014. And you know what? Mark my words, the Baggs will pull this crap again. Even though President Obama said "No" when asked if this will happen "the next time," I don't trust them. And neither do most Americans, apparently.

Quinn's nose

Random Photo...

Yes, it's a dog's nose. It's Quinn. She snores. And snorts. And poses for nose shots...

They say every dog's nose-print is unique. I just saw a medal you could make of your dog's nose-print - you put some sort of "non-toxic compound" on your dog's nose and make a print. You send it in and they cast it in silver. 

I don't think so... Come here, Quinn, I'm gonna put some stuff on your nose... That might be funny...

Oh, if you're looking for a totally rigged election, go to this link: http://www.elkhoundrescue.org/contestPg.php

For a buck a vote, you can help our rescue organization raise funds to not only help place elkhounds in permanent homes, but help the handful of "forever fosters" we have. Vote early - and vote often. The contest closes on Halloween... Or should I say "Howl-O-Ween"...

Fall. Definitely Fall...

It's cold in my office, cold in my house and I'm thinking of knitting up another set of wristlets... But I still love this weather!

Yarn donation

Hubby made 7-grain bread yesterday and said it was good. It was really nice to have the house smell "yeasty" in that way that only bread baked in cast iron loaf pans can make it. 

Hmmmmmmm. Almost "chili and soup" weather! 

Knitting...

Well, I was going to work on my Fluffy Scarf, but I have company here at the office... It'll sit for another day. 

I am, however, going to work on ANY other project at home. I need a change from scarves and afghans. I finished re-reading the Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Rules" and it's inspired me to wade into the stash and also look at the WIPs. The Nephew Afghan - I've got time on that one. Kid #2's afghan? He says now his timetable for buying a house is spring... Whew - that buys me a few months! 

Nobody's having any babies. Maybe I can pull out something I've started, or start something fresh. I probably ought to look at the number of WIPs I have. I know of 3 off the top of my head, and one of them (sigh) is a baby afghan.... 

Donating two huge boxes of yarn to our church's Prayer Shawl Ministry was also a good thing. First off, I wish I would have just knitted up the stuff, but on the other hand, this is a good destiny for this yarn. I truly was overwhelmed with it and I did keep some of it. During the de-stash, I found a nearly-finished throw of my Granny's. Granted, in colors that leave me shaking my head, but I'll still finish it. 

And I found one of her "waffle weave" throws. I have been trying to learn that stitch forever... 

In "Knitting Rules," Stephanie gives her opinion of "what I'd knit if I knew I couldn't knit anymore." I thought about that in light of my post commenting on the washcloth where my Granny crocheted her last row. Looking at her swatches, looking at the almost-done throw? 

Do we ever know when we're "done" aside from perhaps being blind? I mean, I know my grandma knew it was coming. She had macular degeneration and glaucoma. She knew, somewhere deep inside, that the day would come when she laid down her yarn. 

I can't imagine how that felt. She wasn't much of a reader, but wow - she was a needlewoman. 

Stephanie says she'd knit a "wedding ring shawl." A wedding ring shawl is knit using what's appropriately called "cobweb" yarn. You can, theoretically, pull the ENTIRE shawl through a wedding ring. And they're heirlooms. 

Wedding Ring Shawl

And I want to knit one so bad... When I was at TKCGA in Indianapolis, I stood in front of the Orenburg Lace stall for a long time. Then I went around the exhibit hall. Then I came back. Then I went around again. 

That time, I didn't buy the yarn. I do have some very fine white silk that'll be a shawl for me. But it's not an Orenburg or a Wedding Ring. You'll see a picture of a typical Wedding Ring Shawl here - courtesy of Google... It gives me a tingle up my leg to think about knitting one of these. Just search and look at them. Cascades of lace. Rivers of lace. Waterfalls of lace. Avalanches of lace. And they're not always white, but when I get to this point, mine would BE white... I'm all wibbly-wobbly just thinking about it!

I think Yarn Harlot has a point: barring being blind, you could totally knit this as a magnum opus - it should be a wave of lace. It must be huge. And therefore, it's a project that could sustain a knitter for a long, long time. 

 Almost a Tragedy...


So Hubby says, "When was the last time you noticed I had my wedding ring on?" 

Wowza... It's turning cooler and you know how, for many of us, our hands seem to shrink - at least my fingers do. One of my rings now is doing a loop-de-loop on my right hand. The only thing stopping my wedding rings is that I have the "arthritis beads" in the shank of the wedding set.

Anyway, he thought he'd lost the ring on the walking trail. Luckily, he took it off to mow the grass, and found it in the pocket of the pants he had on.

He's lost a lot of weight, and I think he needs it re-sized. All he said after I suggested that was "We'll see." What???  Gotta just shake my head.

The To-Do List...

Well, the one at work is coming along. The one at home? It'll get done. With both of us having crazy-busy schedules, we do what we can. I do wish, however, that Kid #2 would take care of his bathroom... 

I have off from the middle of December till the New Year. I would really, REALLY like to get the laminate floor put in - all we need to do yet is our bedroom then finish up the trim. 

Of course, we also want to re-do both bathroom floors...so we'd have to wait on the trim. And Miss Tippi would probably be totally offended to not have SOME carpet to lay on. Anyway, if we did finish -- oops, WHEN we DO finish our flooring, I'd still get carpets alongside both sides of the bed. I don't want to put my bare feet on cold floor, and the back of our house always seems the coldest. 

Politics...

So Ted Cruz "admits defeat." Moron. I'm sorry - you really think that bringing our government crashing to a halt and making us the laughingstock of the world was a good thing? You all looked like (and continue to look like) a batch of toddlers in need of a nap. 

Excuse me if I don't believe that it was "never [his] intention filibuster the agreement." He'd have done so if he had a nanosecond's inclination that it would have worked. 

I think the Republicans are surprised that President Obama hasn't caved in. Lord knows, Democrat that I am, I can truly say that the man was giving away the candy store... He didn't realize how insanely crazed these people are, and frankly, everyone underestimated the percentage of hate-filled racists who occupy the political scene. All very genteel, all very "boy's club" -- but you tend to notice the overwhelming tone of "Wonder Bread" in this group of bigots. Testosterone-fueled Wonder Bread bigots, even, because we also can't have the women in there. 

You know we go all erratic once a month with our "women's troubles." I guess that's why so many of these guys need to be up in our lady-parts...apparently, we can't make our own decisions, and we can't have equal access to  -- well, I was going to say "medications" but I guess I mean to say "anything" instead... We are still, in 2013, seen as "the weaker sex." And that bugs the living stuffing out of me. 

You should have seen Kid #2 when I informed him that, in the way-back days, insurance companies DID pay for Viagra. But NOT for birth control. I think I shattered an illusion or two, and he takes after me in the "normally quite a cynic" mode. 

"I could pee on this."

I am hoping that we haven't already gone off the cliff. Time will tell. And this "agreement" seems more of the same to me: just another opportunity for the ultra-cons to re-arm and bring us back to the brink once again. 

Please, do your part to get voters mobilized as elections draw near. You know as well as I do that we as a culture have the attention span of a fruit fly. We're all there when it comes to pop culture, but for some reason, we just don't pay attention to the very important stuff: Washington DC. 

I still think there's hope that we can wash these Teabaggie folks right out of the town. 

Random picture...

Public art somewhere on my trip with my mom back in March. I thought I'd remember where I took this, but I don't. All I can say is "Doggie Delight." 

This was taken out the bus window, hence the greenish tint. It was somewhere in North Carolina, I believe. It's fully 30 feet tall! And I wasn't sure whether to put the pic in this section or up in Politics...because it seems to fit there, too!