It was the Sushi after all...

Well. Doctor says that I apparently had food poisoning. And, one of the "fun things" about food poisoning is that you can have "IBS-like" symptoms. For upwards of a month. 

Holy crap. Literally and figuratively. 

So, I had the lovely "poop test" that I had to finish and the doctor has asked me to "rest and reset" my gut. No dairy, no gluten, nothing packaged or artificial. Cleaner than clean. 

Oh, and I got beat up about both my blood pressure and my weight. Well. The weight I'll give them. Luckily, at least a month of clean eating will certainly fix the weight issue. Here's my story on the BP, for anyone who chooses to use it themselves... 

For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to make 2 appointments on the same day, something like 30 miles away, which wouldn't be an issue, but it's all cross-town driving, which around here can take hours. 

I got up at 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. physical. Got there, got that done, and was watching the clock because I had a 9 a.m. cardiologist appointment... BP was high then - driving to that doctor's office was certainly a challenge with the rush hour traffic. Went off to the cardiologist, got there FIVE MINUTES before my appointment... Wonder why the BP was high??

Anyway, I'm watching it for a week, and we'll see how it goes. 

Gardening...

Well. The tomatoes this year are making up for the several years where we had "all hat and no cattle..." In other words, too much vine, too few fruits... 

Not this year. Getting bowls and bowls of cherry tomatoes; the bigger ones - nice and fruity. 

The larger tomatoes are coming gradually, which I like. Of course, I know we'll be bombarded with tomatoes at the end of the season. 

Still waiting on the yellow tomatoes, which I checked on yesterday and this morning. We may have some of those in the next few days. 

I don't know if we'll can anything, because I'm still not sure what we'll end up with. Right now, we're eating what we're plucking. 

Still disappointed by the radish failure - but there you go. The perils of gardening. The carrots? They're coming along and I know I should have thinned them more. But I didn't. I don't know if it's too late - probably not, just have to get out there. 


And the strawberries? Not going to grow those again. Too fussy and not giving us anything much to be jazzed about. 

The parsley has come back! I used it in a Whole 30 "Dump Ranch" which has that lovely peppery taste from this herb.

I got some "ready to eat" quinoa the other day and it had pesto in it...yeah, I realized later that there was a bit of Parm in it. Yikes...  I can't tell if it bothered me. Probably not. 

Anyway, this parsley will be used for more Dump Ranch, and will be sealed in our food sucker thingie and frozen for winter use. 

I'm happy it came back. The basil is done, and the Rosemary is doing just fine. It kind of likes the lack of rain we've had, so I'm just leaving it alone. That will also be frozen. Maybe I'll also infuse some oil? Thinking about that. 

 Knitting...


The Green Sock progresses down the foot. I was kind of shocked. The other day I picked up my hunk of Labradorite and noticed how the green sheen seemed to match the Green Sock! It's my "mindless knitting" at this point, as I work my way down the foot. 

After this, I'll pick up the Petty Harbour sock and get one of those done. Switch back to the Green Sock, finish that pair, then pick up either Petty Harbour, or start another simple sock. I figure alternating socks will result in me having pairs sooner rather than later - I've got too many "singletons" laying around. 

I've also picked up the "Before and After Scarf" for a work project. It's easier because it's all "increase on one side, decrease on the other" to get a bias shape. 

Still a little worried about the beading on the bottom of that scarf, though - because the provisional cast on at the beginning was a bit wonky. I used a larger yarn than I should have. Being that that was ages and ages ago, I can put that down to "not knowing what I was doing" because it's the first provisional cast on I did. 

Proof that when you know better, you do better. 

Lucky for me, I've kept the beads in the same bag -- I was worried a bit ago that I'd lost the beads, but in another lifetime, I must have decided to keep them together. Probably because I had ended up buying another copy of the pattern - it went astray and I couldn't find it. 

The colors in the photo are a bit off; that green is actually more yellow in tone, which is why I'm having a qualm about it. Not sure if it was a good idea. Too late now... If I do this again, which will probably be for a gift, and that's a BIG, BIG "if" - I'd probably do something different. This is a lot of knitting, though - not sure that I know of anyone knit-worthy for this. Maybe if one of the kids finally gets married.

Maybe. 

Migraine Menace...

Unfortunately, with everything going on - I ended up with a migraine. So, with the detox, lack of sleep, weather going nuts - yesterday, after work, I succumbed and tried everything to not take the Rx because I was really hoping it would go away. It didn't. 

I felt guilty. Imagine that. Feeling guilty about something I had no control over. Why do we do this to ourselves? I did admit to a slight conundrum. One of the things that really helps is a flat Coke. But - no sugar for the detox.

I did drink a lot of tea. Hydration helped. So did the prickly pillow (an acupuncture pillow Hubby got me). So did the "traction" he did on my neck. And so did about 8 hours of sleep. 

This morning, I went out and did 2 hours at the prison, coming home after my tummy started growling. No thanks on the Port-a-Jon.... 

I asked Hubby when I last had a headache this bad. He couldn't remember. I think it's been at least 6 months. That's a record for me! Especially off the Keppra. 

Collusion and the First Amendment...

OK, so recently, over 300 newspapers ran editorials wagging their fingers at Agent Orange, because of his relentless assaults on the free press. 

There are a few things... I wish that they wouldn't give him so much press. I know - sounds crazy, right. But stop reacting. What made me giggle (and giggles have been in extremely short supply what with everything going on) was his tweet about "colluding against me" in regard to the massive editorials scolding him. 

Yes. The press did collude against the idiot in the White House. Because they want to save the FIRST Amendment. Everyone's so crazed about the Second Amendment, but they forget about the fact that the Founding Fathers made the First one the "first" for a reason. 

Freedom of the press to speak truth to power. Freedom of the press to call out bogus information and clarify what's really happening. Our problem has been the permutation of "news" and "opinion" - when reporters were asked for opinions, it all kind of went somewhere. Somewhere not good. 

People don't research. We love to have people agree with us and when we find a news channel, a newspaper, a website...anything that proves we're "right" - we hang onto it. Sometimes in spite of proof otherwise. 

I'm just as guilty. We all are. 

Reverting back to "news as news" and "opinion as opinion" would be a start. Also, perhaps we need to have conversations again. Real, honest conversations. 

I'm having a problem with wanting to clean up DC at the same time I want to bring civility back to our lives, and at the same time, I'd kind of like to avoid nuclear war. And I'd like a mid-term election that won't be hacked by Russia. 

Can we do it all simultaneously? I'm afraid we have to. Otherwise, America as we know it will cease to have existed. We're near that tipping point now. 

Maybe we've passed it. 

The only place to go now is back up. 

If we can. 

Random Picture...

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Oh, wait. Wrong story. 

A long, long time ago, when I worked for a university and thought I'd stay there forever, I used to enjoy seeing wildlife outside. We backed into a forest preserve. We used to see deer and the occasional turtle. 

And one day, as I left for somewhere, I saw a hawk. Well, we often saw hawks, because of the bunnies and other small animals. This one, however, had caught his lunch. 

As I drove by him, he stopped in mid-bite, and looked at me. With those piercing eyes. With that attitude of, "Yes, I did kill the vole, and yes, I'm enjoying my lunch." I just took the picture and kept on driving. 

I miss seeing the wildlife. We don't see them where I work now. I saw a hawk at my friend's house and I occasionally see them along the highway. But I miss having them as "neighbors."

501 & Time-Out...

Well, this is blog post #501... Yay! That's one positive thing. It seems like a lot, but of course there are prolific "professionals" who do this daily. I'm lucky to commit to doing it "more frequently" and then something happens, I fall off the face of the earth, and then I come back. 

Time-Out...

The February Lady Sweater is thisclose to being sent to "time-out." That's where uncooperative knitting patterns go. Usually to die. Part of it's my own fault. I had another migraine (more on that below), and toward the evening of this past Sunday, I thought I should knit. 

Yeah. It was stupid. I had Hubby help me measure the arm-holes, and we decided that I was "there." So I thought I'd separate the armholes, putting them on waste yarn. 

As I was happily counting the 65 stitches onto the waste yarn, I glanced down and noticed that about 45 or so stitches CAME OFF THE RIGHT NEEDLE. Yeah. Laying in my lap. Bare naked stitches, no needle. 

Thankfully, there's enough wool in the silk/wool blend that the stitches "caught" and didn't entirely fade away. 

I was very upset. I almost tossed it in the bin right there. I thought about saying some words. But mostly, I thought about rescuing the blasted thing before it was too late. 

No picture. I was panicky. I actually held my breath till I was almost dizzy - I mean "more than migraine dizzy" dizzy... I was too afraid to move for a moment, much less breathe. This picture above shows how far apart the needles are. They're not supposed to be that far apart. The yarn at the top left is the yarn that's supposed to be on waste yarn for the sleeve hole. The yarn closest to the yarn bowl, and to the right needle? 

That's the stuff that slipped off. It's on another hunk of waste yarn, and I only re-counted it 1700 times... No, not really, but it felt like that. 

And it's still wrong. This pic here at the left shows putting the "fallen" stitches back onto the needle. And sweating. Nearly swearing. 

But I got 'em back on. Did the rest - I mean, I put the other sleeve-worth of stitches on their waste yarn, set it GENTLY in the knitting bag and went to bed. 

I just couldn't face it. I couldn't face screwing it up again. I couldn't decide whether to frog it or press on. So I did the next best thing. 

I went to bed and slept on it. 

It's not a hard pattern. Really, it's not. But it's extremely slippery yarn. And the migraine didn't help. 

So today, after errands, I picked it up again, and counted. And I'm off a bunch of stitches. A lot. And I re-counted. A bunch more times. And I'm still off. 

The sweater is going to grow (she says - and so do the instructions). So I took the number of stitches between the "button bands" and divided that number by 7, which is the total number of stitches in the lace pattern. It's divisible by 7, with a whole number! Yay, no fractions of stitches. 

So I'm going for it. I'm putting this picture here, at the right. It's the completed yoke. I didn't do the lace pattern under the arms, so the yoke part is a little longer than the pattern suggests. But it's not as long as some Ravelers have made it. And at this point?

I'm gonna have to have a priest bless it. Because all I want to do is get it done. It's still beautiful yarn. It's going to be a gorgeous lace pattern. I'm in love with the buttons. 

But I'm a bit annoyed at it right now. One more screw-up and it goes into Time-Out. It's going to be another "Teal Sock" at this rate. 

(It's going to grow...it's going to grow...it's going to grow) This is my mantra right now. When I'm done here, I'm tackling the first 4-row repeat of lace and we'll see how this goes. I think this yarn needs to be this sweater. I hope this yarn wants to be this sweater. 

More Migraines...

I'm a little worried. I've had a bunch of migraines, which may mean my daily Rx isn't working as well as it used to. And you know what bugs me is that I'm pretty much on the "last" migraine medicine there is. 

Over 30+ years, I've tried 'em all. Including anti-depressants, which caused me to eat like a starving animal, and that's not going to happen. And I still had the migraines - plus I gained 8 lbs. in one week. 

No thanks. Chiro doc says he can adjust me for the migraines. We'll see. It did work for my grandpa's sinus headaches (which I suspect might've been migraines, but back in that day, "men didn't get migraines"). 

I've been on this particular Rx (which I've complained about because it's hideously expensive) for about the past 12 years or so. And it's been working. And I'm at the top of the therapeutic dose. And my neuro wanted to try to get me off it, figuring that as I'm in menopause, maybe it's time. 

But I've had a number of break-through migraines. 

Maybe I need to look at Botox. If you flunk all the Rx treatments, Botox could be an option. I have to make an appointment and see her. It scares me a bit, because I've been under good control for a long-ish while. 

Dogs & Summer...

Yeah, normally it's "dogs OF summer" but I have a little PSA (Public Service Announcement) for you all. Print the image and stick it on your fridge. And do this test. If you can place the BACK of your hand onto the asphalt or concrete, and hold it there for over 5 seconds -- and I mean pressing it in as if you were standing there - then you're good to walk Fido or FiFi.

If not? It's too hot. Remember - they're barefoot. And wearing fur coats. 

And really - with the temperatures in so many areas being so hot so often? For the love of Dog - don't jog with the pooch, even if you and the dog are "used" to it. Temperatures across the US are rising. It's not "normal" summer anymore. Storms are more violent. Heat is hotter. Dry is drier. 

The dogs need to adjust and so do we. So please be aware of what's going on outside before you take the dogs out, or even let 'em loose at the dog park. 

And let's talk ticks... Ticks are spreading into regions they haven't previously inhabited. Ticks are leading the Lyme disease charge. Our girls (the Elkies) are both positive for Lyme disease. We got them like that, because in Northern Wisconsin, where they were, they didn't bother to check them for Lyme, but we do in Illinois. 

When we got Tippi & Quinn, their Lyme numbers were in the triple-digits. A couple weeks of doxycycline? We're good now. Numbers are stable. And of course, we're on flea & tick prevention year-round. 

I'm also using an "outside fun" spray from Young Living Essential Oils. It's made of a couple of oils, plus the foaming Thieves soap. I spray it on myself when I'm doing outside yoga. I also had Kid #2 try it up where he lives, in "skeeter central." He says it works, but of course, you do have to reapply it. Not like DEET, but that's fine. I don't want to poison myself or my dogs. 

So take care of your family - the bald ones and the furry ones. 

The Ring...

So my friend "L" is a bigger Cub fan than I am. And this is his newest acquisition. We go back and forth on FaceBook about how the Boys are doing, and I'm kind of chill. It took us over 100 years to win the Big One. It's early yet. We're at .500 and it's ok. 

Obviously, a replica. But still stunning. I hope he brings it to church soon - I want to try it on. And I'll make him take a picture for me! 

He said it weighs almost a pound. I wonder how he can lift his hand up off the table even! 

There's a wimpy Bradford Collection version for the women, but if I'm going to go there, I'm going there the right way. 

But I don't think I'll go there. I'll just borrow his ring for a photo op, if it doesn't break my hand! If I can get him to bring it, I'll get the picture for you. 

Random Picture...

About 6 years ago, we had lots of rain. Lots. Of. Rain. It flooded. Our local park, where the dog park area is, was virtually ruined because the river there didn't "overrun" the bank - it charged through the park and took out trees, benches, pavilions and anything else in its way. 


This shot is the back fence, nearest the river, of the dog park area of the park preserve. The area on the other side of the fence was all low-lying grass where the dogs would mosey around, nosing for bunnies and deer poop. The river wasn't really near it - probably 20-40 yards away. 

Well. Mother Nature had other ideas that spring. It rained and rained and rained. And while we've had a "rainy" spring this year, we also had an extremely mild winter. The ground is still cracked and hard, even with several inches of rain at once, and with several days of rain over a long-ish period of time. I notice it when we're doing garden yoga - even though we're in an area which should be nicely drenched, it's not. 

I guess we're lucky that our garden is native plants - they're used to the vagaries of Illinois "spring/summer" weather. 

A Baby, a Migraine, and Sleeves...

Well. It was happening eventually, but it happened last night... The baby "Pumpkin" was born last night. Mamma went into labor early, and after what I think was an insanely long labor, he was delivered via emergency C-section. Apparently, he was "sunny-side up" and never turned around. 

Little stinker. No pics. Well, I have a pic. But I have a "thing." I don't like to post baby pics on the internet. And, of course, it's not mine to post. If Mamma and Dad want to post, then go for it. But I'm not. 

Suffice to say, he's a nice size, and has a full head of hair. His first picture has him looking slightly befuddled, as if to say, "How the heck did I get HERE??" And being a C-section baby, he's a beautiful boy. 

Because, of course, he wasn't a pot roast trying to push through a Cheerio... 

Anyway, we're happy he's here, Mamma's sore and sleepy, and life has just gotten incrementally more interesting. But we'll figure it all out. 

Migraine...

It was inevitable. It had been months, and then I ran out of my magnesium supplement. I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning with a migraine. I worked through the day, with a dose of Excedrin Migraine, which kept most of it at bay. But I decided to skip the charity dinner Hubby and I were to attend. 

I figured that if I went and it was loud (which it usually is), or someone was unfamiliar with the fact that you don't YELL into a microphone (which they do), I'd likely not be able to cut the headache off at the pass, and I may end up missing work - which I can't afford. 

So at work, I also used my Deep Relief roll-on. It's a great Young Living product that contains a nice blend of essential oils. I put it on the back of my neck several times, and it helped me function. 

And of course I left it at work... Tonight, though, I'm going the Rx route - I need to deal with these while I can and get them taken care of before they get out of control. So I'm home now, waiting on Hubby to get back, whipping through this before the Rx takes hold and I get all sleepy. 

Knitting...

So we have sleeves. I put those on last night; and again - I fiddled with the original pattern. I added 10 more stitches to each sleeve to account for the smaller gauge of the Universal super wash wool. I think it works out. 

I would show you a picture, but for some reason, my computer doesn't see my phone tonight. Maybe it's me. Or the migraine. 

And it's ok - it doesn't look like much yet. I have my mug of Honey Chamomile tea here, I'll knit a bit more, take the next dose of the Rx and be ready for bed soon. Pictures will come later, when it looks like sleeves and not a formless blob. 

Women's Day...

So today was International Women's Day and also "A Day Without Women." I didn't participate in the "without women" part. 

But I did wear red. The fundraiser was a "diamonds and denim" theme, so I did have on my jeans, a red sweater, a very obnoxiously gaudy pin and ... then I didn't go anyway.

I am pleased to see the increased activism. I think it's a good sign. More women than ever are running for office. More women are energized. Of course, there are problems because a good chunk of us are told we're supposed to "check our privilege." And I get it. 

Even though we're still paid less than men, I'm a white female who is college-educated. I'm a LOT better off than women of color, than gay or trans women, than immigrant women and indigenous women. 

But then again: still paid less. Still "graded" on how we look. Still in that "filter" that says even though I'm 59, I "should be" something or someone else. 

But I do get it. 

Women need to do a better job of lifting each other up. We don't do enough of that. We're still working on it. But we need to worker harder. Each of us has a unique gift to give. We need the space within which to give it. And we need to see it in each other. We don't - at least not very often. 

Random Picture...

Usually, I can dress Tippi up and she doesn't protest too much. She's gotten to be an expert at needing to "shake" and tossing whatever hat she has on. 

One year, I thought ears would be good. I'm pretty sure you can read her thoughts. 

She. Hated. These. 

H.A.T.E.D.

She gave me a stink eye, and it was translated in my brain as, "Human, you'd better be able to sleep with your eyes open." 

Needless to say, we didn't ever do these at a therapy visit. She wasn't having it at all. This picture still cracks me up, but I've also never put the ears back on her. 

I wouldn't dare. 

Reconnected...

I had a nearly-hour-long conversation with my friend "N" yesterday. 

I hadn't spoken to her in almost a year (I mean in person or on the phone). She had this job. It was a soul-sucking, time-consuming, all-encompassing job. Such that just about every month, she traveled 50% of the time. And when she was in town, she worked 14-hour days.

Which isn't remarkable as such, since so many people do that today - just to keep employed. 

But what she did was remarkable. She quit. She resigned after dealing with an entirely toxic department, a supervisor who shoveled crap on top of her and then chastised her repeatedly for "not performing to expectations" under conditions which can be considered "hostile" to say the least. After giving directions to an assistant who wouldn't do her job, and then being told that she was being given a "job improvement notice" because she couldn't manage. After writing up the assistant and the assistant complaining to HR about her. I just shake my head at that kind of garbage. 

And she did it the right way. She submitted a resignation note, cleaned out her office without fanfare and left. 

It takes guts to do that. She told me about it while I was in the midst of a therapy visit with Tippi, so I had to wait to call her back. And then during our conversation, she said something which made me stop. "You were the first one I thought about. And I knew that, unlike so many people, you wouldn't have tried to talk me out of walking out."

She's right. I have left soul-sucking jobs. I have done the "travel every month" thing, while trying to raise 2 kids. I would have helped her draft her resignation note. 

We discussed what she wanted to do, what her immediate goals were, and yes, we made plans to get together soon. 

I had missed her. We e-mailed; I tried to network to find her a new place; but she was always on a plane. She was unable to sustain friendships, was having trouble with stress, and was missing out on so much of her family life. 

Was quitting the best response? She's lucky enough to be able to do it. And yes, for her, it was the absolute right thing to do. Yes, the economy is still recovering. And yes, she's at the top of her field and will likely not find another job like that. Which may be a good thing. She's being tagged by the corporate world as "too expensive" -- they can hire 25-year-olds for about 1/3 of her salary. 

And she's ok with that. I have been in her shoes and I have been lucky enough to be able to shed a job that wasn't doing me any good. I look forward to seeing N accomplish her goals: to be a present parent; to concentrate on HERSELF; to learn to knit. Those are things that will matter. Not the job. 

The Turkey...

Lola

So I wrote a check for the turkey yesterday. And about had a heart attack -- this bird had better be good!! Three Maples Farm is a lovely spot; we got to pet the horses and cows. This is Lola. She likes peppermint candies and is shy. 

Hubby about had a fit, too, with the price of Mr. Turkey. But we agreed (sort of) to try something more organic. So we shall see. Right now, Mr. Turkey is in the fridge at work. It'll take him 5 days to thaw, so while I'm at work Saturday (we're having our Thanksgiving early, remember), Hubby will come by and get him. If needed, he'll be getting a cool-water thaw. 

Lola will eventually be hamburger. The woman who runs the farm was telling us that she's been involving her kids in the farm. They understand about "raising what you eat" and the concept of attachment. All her animals have names, and all of them, for the most part, end up on a table somewhere. So the next time we go there, it may very well be that Lola's in the freezer. But if you want to make sure your food is not injected with garbage or fed GMO grain, you go to a local farmer. And you ask. 

The dogs, of course, had a sniff-fest when I came home. They recognized "horse" since I have come home smelling like that. But "cow" was entirely different. They loved it. It's a shame I didn't get to pet the goats or the pig... Three Maples also sells hand-made goat's milk soap. That's on my agenda for gifts. Support the local farmer. 

Various papers

The Storms...

The Shorewood Police Department is acting as a collection spot for storm debris blown up north-east by the horrible storms. Here are some pics of what Hubby collected. He and the dogs were written up in the Chicago Tribune. The Facebook pages coordinating the storm damage "let's return their stuff" efforts are very busy, and I'm so glad social media is working for something good instead of "this is what I ate for dinner" trivialities. 

Some storm debris

Imagine, if you will, losing everything. And then potentially having your identity stolen. Seriously - Hubby found checks, bank statements, a car title, school transcripts, an adoption order. This is tremendously sensitive stuff. If you're in the area of the tornado damage and you have found stuff, please pick it up and bring it to the local police department -- you could be saving someone a lot of heartache. Along with the good folks who pitch in to help - there are also scummy people who'd steal an identity in a heartbeat. 

Sorry about the sideways shots. You get the idea...

Knittting...

The sock comes along. I did nothing on the afghan yesterday. It seems like between the turkey and the Tuesdays with Tippi, I was running all day. 

Migraine News...

Well, I'm having a few more migraines. I'm sure it's because "things are changing." My mom said it gets worse just before you stop having them.

On a good note, though, I just read about a "home remedy" for migraines: the self-induced brain-freeze. In the Chicago Trib's "Health" section, there's a column about various medicines/medical issues. This doctor wrote in, saying that he (or she) suffered from migraines and was caught short without the prescription meds.

So his (or her) friend had him sip ice water and then "gobble down" a bowl of chocolate ice cream. The resulting "brain-freeze" stopped the migraine in its tracks. 

Wow... and I bet there was no Rx hangover!! Hubby said, "Well, I guess I go get some chocolate ice cream!" I can get behind that. My health insurance recently switched me to the generic of my migraine Rx. And it works, but the "hangover" is more significant than with the brand-name. But I won't be able to appeal it on that basis. The basic fact is -- the generic works in this instance, so I'm stuck with it. And the day-long "fuzz" I have afterwards. But at least it stops the migraine. 

However, that "chocolate ice cream" thing...it's tempting!

Dr. Who...

Yay!!! I found a YouTube channel that will simulcast the premier of the Dr. Who 50th Anniversary episode. I have to work. I want to see it. In case you're interested, it's going to be simulcast at www.youtube.com/bbcamerica -- I can't wait. 

I'm a come-lately Whovian. A novice, if you will. My first Doctor was Christopher Eccleston. I've been on a Dr. Who gorge ever since BBC has had their "takeover week" this week. 

I seriously want to knit a Dr. Who scarf. In all the specials, that Doctor said that the director at that time gave "a batch of wool" to a lady and said he wanted a scarf. The woman (I can't remember her name) was given no further direction, so she knit all the wool. That's how that 12-foot scarf came to be. I know - I'm what? 5' 4" if that... a 12-foot scarf knit entirely in garter is crazy-talk. But I want one. What can I say??

Christmas...

I'm done shopping. Sorry - I do a lot online and I am usually early. Well, I have one more thing to get: a chain for Kid #1's girlfriend. I'm giving her an amber charm, and I want to have a chain for it. 

We still have no idea of when we'll actually do the Christmas Eve dinner. It's too early to figure that out yet. I know I'll be doing Midnight Mass and we still have to figure out how to wire my guitar. 

Just about all the online stuff has come in. Hubby teased that he'd "already wrapped" my presents. I will be doing that this weekend; just because once I finish the afghan, I can reclaim my dining room table and we can put up our small tree.

We will probably use the big tree again once our canary goes to Canary Heaven. Right now, his table is in front of the picture window, and our room is small. I have no place to put a big tree - that the dogs won't knock over! I haven't gotten presents for the dogs. I did get Larry the grand-cat a couple of gifts. I figure since I'm baking, it's easy to just bake them some treats, and I wouldn't put those under the tree anyway. 

Politics...

What's wrong with this picture? First, the Bishop in Springfield, IL holds an "exorcism" for Governor Pat Quinn because Quinn's signing a gay marriage bill. Now, this: a Methodist pastor has 30 days to renounce his own gay children. Renounce. His. Own. Children. Classy, right? Just click on the word "renounce" here and see what he says. I admire his stance. 

Gay marriage is not a threat to society. Just like interracial marriage didn't collapse the whole universe. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry someone of your own sex. Is that a "simple" answer? Well yeah. Because nobody's forcing you to do that. So don't. 

We need to solve unemployment. We need to solve the poverty gap in our country. We are simultaneously the richest and poorest country in the industrialized world. Shame on us. Education needs help (not reform necessarily and certainly not reform by CORPORATIONS because kids aren't widgets). We need to dismantle the "too big to fail" banks back to their original sizes.

And all you want to carp about is gay marriage? Get a grip.

Also, happy birthday to Vice President Joe Biden!! 

Random Picture...

Shades of Blue by Sonda

Digging back in the picture archives. This is a hank of my friend Sonda's hand-dyed yarn. I made a hat out of this. I still have some left. I will probably do something with it, but I'm not sure what. I did also use some to make a bag for my mala beads, but I have at least 100 yards left. 

Sonda started dying her own yarns and then she got sick. I'm not saying that the two are connected. It was just horrible circumstance that she had a malignant melanoma. And they didn't find it till it reached her brain and her lungs; she died at age 55 and I still have trouble believing she's gone. She was a talented knitter and designer, having patterns in several "One Skein" books published. My knitting friend D and I had purchased this yarn, and we gave full hanks back to Sonda's mom. She's using it to knit shawls for Sonda's nieces for Christmas. I had that yellow - it was a tangled mess, and I took it home and spent a weekend unwinding it. I gave it back to her - and it's where it should be. 

I don't have enough of the blue to make an impact so I'm keeping that. 

Time to dive back into the real world. I need a stretch break.