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. 

Feeling the Wind in My Hair...

I have not forgotten you. I just haven't been able to put fingers to keys for a number of reasons. One of which was, I felt like I had nothing to say. 

I took a walk today. Nothing startling in that, except that we're in that bipolar time of year when we're not really sure what season we're in. And if we hang around for an afternoon, that'll change. And then change back. And then change again...you get the picture. 

Anyway. 

As I was walking, in my sparkly red Dansko clogs (totally unsuited to walk in the neighborhood, but cool for work), I noticed the breeze blowing through my hair. I haven't really shared tons of shots of myself; and I stink at "selfie." But I've been growing my hair out into a short bob, after oh ---- nearly 40 years in a pixie, if not more. At least in some iteration of a pixie, that is. And I noticed the wind blowing through my hair. 

I haven't felt that since freshman year of high school, when my hair was down past my waist. And then I chopped it off into said pixie. And I think I probably should've kept it long, but there you go. One more life achievement dashed. 

Oh well. Life is full of choices. Here's a picture - a rare one, by the way, of your intrepid blogger and her bob... I'm really not a grouch - I just can't smile and focus my phone's camera at the same time. This is a semi-messy station at the doctor's where I work. 

And in the spirit of "oh well, everyone shares," here's a picture of my office, a/k/a "used to be our file room." Seriously. 

The lighting sucks. The room is truly a closet. Thankfully, I have a glass door, otherwise I'd suffer from claustrophobia (worse than I already do). The computer is old and cranky. 

And I sit far, far too close to it. So after about half a shift of this, I need to step away and blink my eyes. And refocus. 

I've already put the type size down to a point where the doctor really doesn't like it, I've gotta be able to see for at least a few more years (ha) -- till I get the knitting stash down to reasonable proportions, so I have to take care of my peepers... 

And I have the oldest computer in the place; so it regularly crashes. Usually when I need it, like today. Trying to get the doc ready for a presentation next week. 

He knows that it's on its last legs; we're just keeping it going by sheer will. 

Beauty School...

So you know how I am about make-up. I don't usually wear it because it feels like I'm suffocating. And I can never get the color correct. No matter how "many shades for every skin" it says. Mine is always somewhere in the middle of "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and "Palest Nude." And it still feels chalky and like Kabuki artist paint.

What's a girl to do? Well, I went to Young Living Essential Oils Beauty School. It was in Lisle, and it was a weekend. And believe it or not, it was fun. That there is my book, along with my beauty kit. 

Lest you think I've gone over to the "girly side," rest assured; I'm still getting the hang of it all. 

And there was the hotel, with the requisite "five down pillows, all of them flat." The mattress was amazingly comfy. The room's fan was adequate (I love my ceiling fan). No, I was a "bad oiler" and didn't bring a diffuser. I did bring my current knitting project and was able to get a nice bit done, all things considered. 

But please, someone, tell me why there are never any firm pillows in a hotel room? Seriously, that bunch there? That's how I had to sleep just to feel like I had my head and neck supported. And then, the pillows tried to kill me. They rose up along the sides of my head and tried to smother me. 

On a good note: for the most part, I was able to stay on my detox plan and had plenty of food to eat. I brought my stick blender and breakfast shake supplies and was able to get that made every morning, though I never did get the fridge quite cold enough to keep the berries from thawing. 

Small beans, considering. 

I got a photo of myself with a special camera that detects vascular damage and sun damage. I was pleasantly surprised that the sun damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got burned badly a couple of times as a kid, and I thought it might have caught up with me. But it was better than I had any reason to hope for. Now to keep it protected. 

I didn't get my make-up till after I got home. Yes, I purchased the bare minimum: foundation, blush and a setting powder. I've managed to get it on to go to work a couple of times, though my blush skills are not good. Bad, actually; gotta work on that. 

It stays on; it doesn't feel like I'm unable to breathe. And it washes off like a dream. 

I'm not sure about the color of the foundation when summer comes, though. Even with sunscreen, we do ride our bikes outside a lot and I do have a slight change in my skin color. But I could just...skip make-up in the summer. 

There's an idea!

The Knitting...

The project I set myself to, a Close to You Shawl by the end of this month, is coming along. I won't quite make it by the end of the month, but first week in April definitely. I've got about 3.5 more repeats of a 14-row pattern. With a 1-stitch increase every row, that means... A LOT of stitches to get through. But I'm mindlessly blowing through it. 

The picture to the left shows the first ridge. The picture to the right shows about 9 ridges; I'm a little over 2/3 of the way done, so it's bigger. I will have to break into that second hank of the MadTosh; just not sure what I'll do with the remainder. Maybe some socks? It is sock yarn, after all...anklets, maybe?

My friend Deanna would love the stitch marker I'm using; it's a set of flamingo markers that I'd purchased from Sonda's shop ages ago. I wanted to use something fun; the functional one I'm using to mark the right side of the shawl.

You can, technically, wear this either way because everything's knitted. But there is a right side for the purposes of knowing when to bind the thing off. The bind off is a picot and it pretty much has to be, just so it finishes the echo of the ridges on the opposite side.

I hope this helps Kristin and Blair raise a lot of money for their IVF treatments. Here's a link to the auction. This shawl will be part of it as long as I get it done in time...

I'm honestly thinking this weekend will see it finished, though, because the weather is going to be crummy and I won't be tempted to go outside much.

It needs to be done. End of discussion. So with a lot of help from some lovely lattes I got turned on to by my friend Lulu, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone. This one is called Red Velvet Latte, and yes, it's on my "ok to consume" list. The Lunar Latte I just had is going to be sweeping me off to dreamland soon.

Here's another link. And no, I'm not being compensated for these. It's just stuff I like that I want to share. This is a company out of Australia, and that's where you'll get your stuff shipped from. Shipping is a tad pricey. But it's all great organic products. And the blog and photography are lovely!

Would I like to be compensated? Who wouldn't? But I don't think I need to chase that particular rainbow; y'all would have to share my blog a lot for that to happen... And so would I.

In the Kitchen...

So this happened: I bought watercress. I have no idea what, actually, to do with watercress. I know I can add it to a salad. I know that at High Tea, you might have watercress sandwiches.

And that's about it.

I didn't want to add it to a salad because when I bought it, unfortunately, it snowed like the dickens that week. I had to use it up, so I made a watercress sauce/dressing.

Recipe for Watercress Sauce

1 bunch watercress, trimmed of most of the stems
Good quality olive oil to cover
Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash the watercress; pat it dry. Pack it into the beaker of your stick blender (or a tall jar if you don't have the beaker). Add olive oil to cover, add salt & pepper, sparingly. 

Whiz it up...add more oil if you need to. Taste it. It should taste of watercress (green and slightly peppery), not oil. Adjust seasonings. 

Use as a dip or sauce. 

And then, at church, Pocket Priest has invited us to all use our Instant Pots...we've been cooking lunch every Sunday after the service through Lent. On St. Patrick's Day, I made a Dublin Coddle. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm-yyyyyyy.... And then I made Guiness Stout Bread (top) and Irish Soda Bread (bottom). Nope, I didn't eat either of them.

I will find you the Coddle recipe and put it in another post. I can't find the one I used; when I was given the bottle of stout, I chose to not use it, but instead, used it in the bread.

That was a better choice, I think. Everyone loved all of the food and we marvel at how hungry people are after church!

See the eggs?? Cool, huh? From a friend of Hubby's who keeps 17 chickens.

They're on the small side, but they're all lovely, and I can't wait to crack these babies into some scones or even just plain fried eggs!

Home-grown eggs are delicious, the yolks seem richer somehow, and I just appreciate someone giving us these treasures.


And just to finish  out the section, a picture of our altar at church; this is the Lenten arrangement. It's lovely and simple.

Our church is well over 150 years old and we love the way it feels, sounds, and kind of embraces us. That altar holds a columbarium. Many of our older members are in there, being cremated and put into little boxes.

FYI, it's not creepy at all. Kind of like they're watching over us.

Random Pictures...

Two of them. First is Quinn, dressed for St. Patrick's Day. The older she gets, the more she looks like Tippi. It's hard for me to tell them apart in the dark, lately.

She's my little snuggle bunny still, and is always smiling when I'm home. Makes me feel wanted, right?

And I finally managed to get a picture of mother and daughter, more or less together. Of course, they saw the phone and ducked...

I tried to get a shot avoiding the little pile under my table...But I failed. It was either that or fake them out. And it's darned near impossible to fake out an Elkhound.

Time for bed; the morning will come early. I have more pics to share and a few more items to discuss, but they'll have to wait for the next time.

Knitting On...and On...

...and on... 

The prayer shawl isn't necessarily going as fast as I'd like it, but it's my fault. Well, it's the big needles and hand pain, so I need to figure out how to move along faster. 

On the plus side, I'm already over half-way through the 3rd ball of four. So it's gotta come together soon. I haven't touched a sock. I'm wondering if I'll even know how to knit with "toothpicks" after I'm done with this shawl. 

Maybe I need to gradually "taper down," and work on the Precious Metals scarf for a bit...

Anyway, the thing is a monster. The recipient will have a lush, huge shawl to cozy up in when needed. The yarn is still quite delicious on the hands; soft and cushy. And I can't complain about the tension; it's knitting up nice and even. I still have an issue with joining the yarn; can't find a good way where my weaving doesn't show, but then, when using super-bulky yarn and size 17 (US) needles? How in the world DO you hide that?? 

Thankfully, I'm not fringing this puppy. Nope. Nopety nope. I don't like fringe anyway, and with this yarn? It'd be poodle-fuzz by the time the recipient wears it a few times. 

If all goes well, I will get this done over Labor Day and have Pocket Priest bless both shawls so they're ready to go off to the place they're destined to go. 

Did I show you the Close to You Shawl? It's finished. Here it is. 

A couple things: 400 yards almost exactly in this hank - so if you're using Expression Fiber Arts, buy 2 hanks. You'll be grateful, and if you buy a limited edition color (which almost all of them are anyway), you won't be weeping in a puddle when you're on the bind off and you come up short in Yarn Chicken. 

Just talking about a friend in that situation, you understand... Learn from my her experience, friends! 

Next, it's a nice firm yarn and the stitches pop, but I'm not sure it's drapey enough for this style of shawl. I mean, God knows I have enough of this yarn, and I should have frogged the existing bind off and done about 3  more repeats at least. It's short-ish. This is sock yarn, but honestly, it doesn't feel like it would be comfy on the feet, so I did this shawl. But I'm not the happiest of campers, and I think I could have done better. 

Next, the picots don't show. You can see them in the picture, but note that I had it on the blocking board for a MONTH. Yes, I was telling that yarn what I wanted it to do. And I'm sure it listened for now, but I don't think it'll last. In which case, I could've saved myself a ton of trouble and skipped the picots. 

Finally, if I use this pattern with this yarn company again, I'll make sure it's more of a silky blend. 

Young Living Essential Oils...

Wowza. I mean really - WOWZA!! This was just announced yesterday and it's fan-freaking-tastic news! Now, for a yearly fee (much like Amazon does), you can get free, fast shipping. So when I order my cases of Ninxgia Red, which can be really heavy, I'll pay nothing in shipping - zippo. Nada. Nic. Nista. Nichego... Because I've already paid my annual fee, I can get any of my Essential Rewards orders for no shipping, no matter the weight. Everything ships in 4 days...That's super-quick! It's like "flying oils" or something. 

It's a giant leap for those of us who are on Essential Rewards, and it's such a great benefit. As long as you're ordering, why not get it for free shipping - saving yourself hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. I can't wait to tell my oily folks this great news. 

We Have a Piano...

Well, "we" don't. It was in a closet in the church office, and I moved it out to test it. In the process, I slightly scraped up the hardwood floors with one of the bookcases, but I can empty it and put felt pads on the bottom. I'll take a green scrubby to the floor to buff it out a tiny bit. I'm also still waiting for the Oriental rug to come back. I asked the folks at Stanley Steemer, and I have to  hear back from them. 

It's a nice piano and you'd think that it might be weird in an office reception area, but it'll be good when the Youth Group uses the space, and if Pocket Priest meets with our organist, they can go over music right there. 

Do you love the blues? I do. It's (as Pocket Priest says) "fun" and also very crisp. And amazingly, it warms up the floor. Can't wait to get the ceiling fan installed and the new drapes up. 

GoFundMe for Medical Help...

So - who'd have thought that an app would now be the most popular way to get medical bills paid? Well, it is. According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, "recent reports show that more than a third of all global GoFundMe campaigns sought to raise money to pay for medical expenses." 

I want to be clear: I'm not asking for any money... I'm pointing out that, now-a-days, because healthcare costs are skyrocketing, people have to resort to having a fundraiser to pay for medical care. 

I think it's shameful. I think that it's great, on the one hand, that people will donate, and that they apparently trust GoFundMe to do this sort of thing. But -- and this is a big "but." 

Why? Why is healthcare only affordable for the 1%? I mean, one of my friends told us of her nephew, a micro-preemie. That baby's bills were approximately $1.7 million. 

How can the average family face bills like that? And why is our system so broken that we can't assure health care for every person in this country? And what will happen to this little one, because you know that somewhere along the line, he may have medical issues that can be traced back to his birth. 

GoFundMe isn't a social safety net. But people are sure using it like one. Heaven forbid we should need to do this - how many people do you know that would contribute to your hospital bills? And then what do you do about continuing care, if it's something that requires that kind of thing? I mean, let's be logical. If you're fortunate enough to have savings and investments, most likely they're modest. We don't have a money tree in the backyard. Honestly, even with decent insurance, one severe health problem can wipe out the insurance, the savings and the investments.

This isn't an issue of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." It's an issue of conscience and morality. Every single one of us is one health crisis away from disaster, even if we have insurance. 

Frankly, the Republicans are now trying on the "oh, we're ok with your pre-existing condition" thing in the recent bill they're pushing  and even CBS is reporting that. 

Problem is, it's wrong. The bill they're pushing says that people with pre-existing conditions can BUY insurance. But -- (big, huge, honkin' eye-roll BUT) insurance companies can deny coverage for the condition they have. Read more here...

Well. That ain't nice. 

Let's set aside the fact that a major news outlet got it wrong. Let's set aside anything other than this: if you have a pre-existing condition, if this bill passes, your insurance company can deny you coverage. 

Then what? 

You go to GoFundMe because that's your last resort. 

Welcome to an America I don't really recognize anymore. 

Random Picture...

This is the front of my church. I took it the other day when I needed a picture for the church bulletin. Our doors are fantastic, aren't they? They're not the original doors. Those burned when the church burned in 1910-ish. 

Recently, we had the doors redone. We had them refinished and coated with a lacquer that was more weather-resistant than what we had on them. And the metalwork was redone to be cleaned up. 

We love our doors and we love our stained glass. We love our building, actually. You can feel the history in the place and you can sometimes sense the ones who've gone before us. There are rumors that the place is haunted. 

When I go in, I always say hello "to God and the ghosts." I figure it's not a bad idea... I don't know either way, but why not keep everyone happy. 

When I'm next in church, perhaps I'll send up prayers for the politicians to see reason and not stick their heads up their backsides. Maybe pray that they do the job they were once elected to do: represent us, and not the special interest groups who're buying politicians left and right. 

We've got some powerful spirits in our church. Maybe they need to get into this fight with us... 

Must've Been the Sushi...

Oy, what a rotten few days it's been. 

Well, not totally rotten, but darned close. 

The good news is WE HAVE A PRIEST and she's starting on August 1st. So she's moved into the Vicarage and is getting settled in. 

The other news is that we've moved the office space into another building, and that's taken up --- oh, about 6 months of my life so far. But on Tuesday, I spent quite literally 10 hours at the office, finalizing the packing and helping with the movers. 

On my way in to the office, I ran into the Jewel and the Big Lots. Well, Big Lots for a large box of K-cups (yeah, I know all the pros and cons, but this one box ought to last 2 years...) and a set of shower curtain rings. Jewel for lunch. I found a sandwich (breakfast) and a small package of sushi. Don't judge me - I was in a hurry, and it was better than junk food. 

Or maybe not...

Anyway, we were running like chickens. I ate the sushi about 1-ish, and by the way, the wasabi sucked. I love wasabi. But this was some sort of processed crap. I should never have put it on the sushi in the first place. It was California roll - I'm not all that adventurous (though I suppose buying sushi at the Jewel would be adventure enough). 

When our organist came by to supervise the moving of 2 pianos, Hubby started moving over the empty file cabinets, and I was finishing packing up office supplies. Movers came. We worked more. One of the parishioners was staffing the other building and so we had a tag-team going on. 

Then, we were all "hangry" -- and ended up at Merichka's, a local old restaurant where we go once a year. I ordered what I always order: a poorboy sandwich with American cheese, a salad and a double-baked potato. I usually eat half of it and bring the rest home, which I did. 

Came home, relaxed, went to bed. 

Till 3 a.m. Tummy was rumbling in that "way" where you know there's going to be trouble, so I staggered up and did what needed to be done. Went back to sleep only to have the same tune being played at 4 a.m. Mind you, I hadn't gotten to sleep till midnight, because my entire body felt like it had been run over by a moving truck!

At 5-ish, Hubby wakes me up, and all I can say to him is, "I want to die." My head was full of snot, my bowels were going nuts, and my stomach was turning. The nose, I think, was moving dust. Can't quite pinpoint what the tummy/bowel thing was. 

Did my a.m. routine, but didn't feel even like drinking my tea. I drank about half, hoisted myself to the shower, and got dressed. Brushed my teeth, got ready to leave, then BOLTED back to the bathroom, over Tippi, to get rid of whatever was left in my stomach. 

That's not how you want your Wednesday to start. I was a bit sick all morning, but some chicken soup at work, and I feel a bit better. Still dicey tummy, but I think everything will stay where it's supposed to stay...Lord willing. 

Over-Knitting Is a Thing...

Tonight, I started to work on the gusset of the Green Sock. I had been avoiding knitting for a few days because with all the packing and such, my hands were killing me. 

They still are. I think I over-knitted. As in, not that I knitted for hours straight, but I've been knitting a lot and my hands weren't used to it. 

Over-knitting can be remedied easily: stop knitting for a while. And I wear a Tommy Copper hand glove that provides some compression. Sometimes, you have to resort to aspirin or another NSAID, but usually, stopping the knitting works the best. 

And of course, that also means, for me, no guitar -- not that I've had time to practice a lot lately. 

But I was on a roll with not only the scarf (sausage roll) but the socks, so "not knitting" is a sorry option. If I want to complete my other projects, including perhaps some Christmas knitting, I need to take care of the hand now. Otherwise, it's going to get worse. 

But it is what it is, and if I can take care of my hands now, it'll be better in the long run. 

Crimes Against Potica...

So when I was in the Jewel (see above), I saw this on the counter. This -- this piece of muck thing purports to be potica (pronounced po-TEETZ-ah), the nut roll of my people. Baked by an Italian bakery. 

Sorry if this sounds offensive, and it is: Italians can't do potica. Never could. They do things like fill it with raisins and chocolate. That is not potica. Germans can't do it either. Yellow raisins are not appropriate filling. Nor is "flavored" potica. I used to get into quite a discussion with this woman who insisted that she was making "raspberry" or "blueberry" or "prune" potica. 

Hold the phone, lady...You're making danish or strudel. Not potica. It doesn't do fruit flavors. 

Of course, there are several different recipes. Each family has their own and they're not famous for sharing. In fact, I won't share mine. You have to "marry in" to get the recipe. 

And I don't compete with others' grannies' recipes. My granny gave me my recipe and I respect that your granny may have given you yours. 

Just that mine is the best. That's all. 

I actually have certifiable evidence that this is so. My guitar teacher is of Polish descent, and I gave him some for Christmas. I knew he made or had family who made it, so it was kind of a risk. But -- as he tasted it, he said, "It's almost as good as my grandma's."

You have to understand Potica Wars. That is actually a great compliment. And I was tickled. 

And here's the other thing. It's July, right? 

Even my guitar teacher agrees: Potica is a holiday thing. Christmas and Easter. Thanksgiving only if you're lucky. The only other time would be for a wedding. 

This made me chuckle and feel sorry for those who don't have access to home-baked potica. 

Random Picture...

A while ago, I was invited to do a "black & white challenge" on FB. Mind you, I'd love to do another - especially with all the sturm und drang on FB lately! 

This is one of my favorites. My old birdbath, when the solar bubbler worked. It was a gorgeous color picture, and I think the B & W made it look even more interesting. 

I would love to have another bubbler, because I think it's better for the birdbaths, and also keeps the mosquitoes down. But we have a large maple tree and it lets fly with the little whirly birds and there's tree fluff and all kinds of trash - which clogged the bubbler. The solar panel also didn't work well when the sun turned and we lost light (obviously, right?) so we may need to look into some sort of electric apparatus. 

I love the sound of water. I'm still working on getting a fountain in the front yard somehow. I'm a little irritated at the place I was going to get it from: I'd done a "Yoga in the Garden" program for them for 3 years, and they up and replaced me - without letting me know, and after I'd called them to get dates for this year. 

Turns out it was probably a good idea what with all the church stuff, but still...Loyalty, anyone? I'd have been just fine if they'd said, "Hey, we're going to go in another direction." But they just never called. A student of mine saw it in their newsletter and got all excited, thinking I'd managed to get in touch with them. That sort of thing is just uncool. 

Anyway, now my hand is objecting to typing, so it's off to bed for me. Hopefully, to sleep and not to dream... or run to the bathroom in the wee hours!

The Last Leg...

It's been a wild, wild week, culminating with FANTASTIC news. 

We have a priest! 

And that's all I can say right now. A 2-year search has resulted in a selection, and the person has accepted the offer. 

And now we move on; more on this the MOMENT that I can tell you all. 

Knitting...

It was kind of a crazy Friday today. Got a late start at the hairdresser - she was late, not me. And then she took her time, so I was an hour late to the church office. After staying far too late (interruption after interruption), I whizzed home, grabbed a guitar for my lesson, and whipped out to the college to meet my teacher. As I was writing my check, the green pen I had managed to explode in my hand. I now have a right hand with tints of Kermit the Frog...

Got through the Mass parts that we're working on, sped home, and got a text from the mover...he stood me up again. 

I'm in charge of moving the church offices to the next-door building and I've been trying for 3 weeks to get this guy out for an estimate. I gave him an ultimatum and said, "This is it, dude. I have a deadline!" He swears he'll be at the church tomorrow. Hmpfh. 

So, since my plans changed, and I was blessed with some free time, I figured I'd knit. I'm on point number 17 of 18 of the Close to You Shawl. 

I figure I can finish it this weekend, I think. Each point is 14 rows, and then I have a 12-row finish and a picot edging. It has been a fun knit, but I'll be glad to set this pattern aside for a little bit because I have others I'm itching to knit.

The Last Leg...

So as usual, we were eager to get going on the last day of our trip. After breakfast (standard hotel: egg-ish things, sausages, bagel, etc.), and a couple cups of tea for me (one of them in a to-go cup) and we were off. This time, I wanted to make sure my caffeine level was adequate to the drive. 

And this time, we swore that we wouldn't repeat the day before, even though our GPS said about 6-ish hours to home. I didn't want to risk that whole "low energy driving" thing, especially as we were heading more toward "civilization" (read: More traffic!). 

We got all the way to Iowa - and stopped at IOWA-80, which is billed as "the largest truck stop in Iowa." Okey-dokey... It was a mall-ish kind of place; The Kid had a burger, and I had an egg sandwich from a Panera. Bought some Amish goodies for my friend A., gassed up and left. 

We drove a long, long, long, long way on Rt. 88 in only one lane because of construction. It was ridiculous. 

Nope, not even a photo for you. It was that kind of drive! Got The Kid home and helped him off-load his stuff, then headed home myself. 

I hit up a car wash on the way home; I knew I wasn't going to get that sprayed-on oil off, but the car was absolutely bug-encrusted. 

Got back late afternoon, to Hubby and happy dogs. 

And - so far, The Kid and I still like each other! Another successful road trip in the books. 

It sounds maudlin, but seriously - I don't know how many more of those I'll have with him, and I want to enjoy all of them. At some point, he'll date, have a life that doesn't include me - which is fine - and I want to have these memories. 

Strawberry Moon...

Lately, the moons seem to be either "super" or "strawberry" or "orange" or whatever. Whatever happened to just a plain old "full moon" in the meteorological realm? Anyhow, I caught a photo of the supposed "strawberry" moon. 

I know - we're too close to town and lots of lights and lots of buildings. We didn't and we don't see these moons in their full glory. And when I'm going home from the yoga studio, the only places I seem to have a beautiful view are not good to take photos in. For example, the cemetery on the outside of Stateville Penitentiary. They don't like when you're in there in the dark - you'll get a visit from a guy in a car with lights on the top. 

Well, the moon was full. Not so sure of the "strawberry" part, although my students told me a day or so later that, for some of them, it did indeed look strawberry. I'll take their word for it. 

Cookies...

In case you're wondering what the cookies are, they were purchased at the Polish Deli near the chiropractor's office. They do a great sandwich, wonderful soups, and a "hot plate" dinner full of stuff that would've come out of my granny's kitchen. 

These are Liebnitz cookies - a bit graham-cracker with hazelnuts and chocolate bits. Today, I was on the run all day and was thus starving. I even had Raisa eyeballing me while I was chomping on a piece of cheese. I was giving her the eyeball back, with a "no way, kiddo" slant to my side-eye. 

After a dinner of salmon and baked potato (thanks, Hubby), I sat down to watch Season 5 of "Great British Baking Show," knit and munch on some cookies... It's a great finish to the evening. 

Plans for tomorrow...

Tomorrow, I have (in the middle of a heat wave, by the way), a photography gig. I'm taking pictures of the Frankfort, IL "Families Belong Together" protest march. 

I have to figure out how to haul the camera, wear the appropriate hat to protect myself from further sunburn, get sunscreen on and survive the heat. Oh, and keep hydrated!

Today, it hit in the 90s, and it's after 8 p.m. - still muggy and sticky. It ought to be interesting. 

All I hope for, in this environment lately, is that nobody gets hurt and the protest is peaceful. 

With the recent killings at the newspaper in Maryland, and the political hate-fest emanating out of DC? It does make you fearful and makes you wonder what happened to America. What happened to civil discourse? What happened to "agree to disagree" as a way of communication? 

Well, we know what happened. And it can't be gotten out of the White House soon enough. Along with family members, cohorts, conflicts of interest, and co-conspirators. 

We need a broom to sweep clean - a big broom. 

And perhaps the protests around the nation and the unexpected winning of certain primaries - perhaps those will help correct our course. That, and an indictment or two. Soon. Please. I want the country back for my kids. 

Random Picture...

One of the patients at the chiro clinic had never seen a red husky. I had to persuade Madame to sit still for a picture. 

This was the best of the 3 shots. 

She finally figured out that I had a treat in my hand, but she wouldn't deign to smile at it or me. She did decide to put her ears up. You can see in her eyes, "I'm only doing this because I choose to. Not because you want me to or I want to look cute." 

She's such a diva. Right now, she's "banished" to the kitchen. She hasn't done anything wrong; we're just having the Elkhounds in the living room because idiots are blowing off fireworks and the elkies are frankly terrified. 

So here's my PSA for you: Don't shoot off fireworks yourself. The 4th of July is the WORST holiday for dog disappearances. They're usually terrified and they will bolt. And if you don't like pets, think of the vets...PTSD and fireworks? Not cool.