At Least She Waved...

...with her WHOLE hand. 

The lady who actually used her signal, I mean, as I let her get between me and a school bus on the ride home today. 

That courtesy, which my grandfather taught me 'lo those many moons ago when he was teaching me to drive (wave a "thank you" when someone lets you in) has gone by the wayside. 

Usually, the wave consists of one particular finger. 

I drive a good 40 minutes to GET to my part-time gig with the chiropractor and going home can be nearly an hour due to traffic. It behooves us all to be nice to each other. 

That "full-hand" wave was the first I've gotten in a long, long while. It helped that she also used her turn signal to let me know she wanted in... 

That's another thing: the stick on the left-hand side of your steering wheel is an important thing. It's a TURN signal and lets people know what you're doing. Try it. It helps. 

Summer Toes...

Finally, after almost 3 years, I broke down and got a pedicure. It's an OPI color, something about the Seventh Hill. All I know is that it's a rose gold and I wanted to do that rather than the jade-ish turquoise I had brought from home. Ended up at Diva's Salon because the place about 3 miles from my house is STILL "working on the remodel" of their pedicure section. I wonder how much business that has cost them... They started this remodel about 5 years ago, gutting the shop and putting in a new hair styling area, removing a "spa" area that was really not a nice area, and renovating the front entrance. Then they began working on the pedicure area. And working on it. And working on it. I'd call a couple times a year, and they're "still not ready."

Wow. 

Anyway, being a yoga teacher, I like to have my feet looking decent. I was kind of dreading the "sanding" but according to the pedicure lady, I have the equivalent of "baby feet." I guess she's worked on some real hard-core feet. 

The Garden Grows...

It's spring. Finally. Our garden is blooming. The Monster Bleeding Heart is back for the 31st year. Yes, thirty-one years with the same plant. It takes over the northwest corner of the porch. I have to have Hubby put down more pea gravel in the front bed there. It's remarkably shallow, and aside from The Monster, nothing else grows there. There's a hanging hook (double) and a couple of solar lights. And a cement Virgin Mary. Oh, and a garden flag. Otherwise, I've never had any luck at anything growing around The Monster. 

To the left of The Monster are our hostas and a plethora of Lily of the Valley. I mean a super-plethora. Hubby pulled two of them out of the crack in the sidewalk! I should actually say the seam in the sidewalk, but it is slightly cracked. Not sure how everyone manages to get along, but this year, we do need to thin out the lilies. 

He took up some of our day lilies out front and put them in "pineapple" planters in front of the yoga studio.  I mean, the planters are large ceramic planters, deep red, and they have a pattern embossed on them where, with the tops of the lilies, it looks as if they're large red pineapples! At least that's what the students are saying. If we have spares, we'll put more at the Vicarage for a maintenance-free garden spot for whenever we get our permanent priest.


The Icelandic Poppy has again migrated. I swear. I planted it in the tip of the triangular garden and every year, it comes up in a different spot. I have no idea how or why. This year, it's looking particularly lush and I'm looking forward to those fuzzy heads popping up. The flowers are a delicate ivory-blush and they last for about a minute. But it's a glorious minute!

I'd like to find another one, but so far, I've been unsuccessful in finding a decent-looking plant to add to that spot in the garden. I have to check on my butterfly bush - to see if it survived the winter. That was a late addition last year, so hopefully, it stuck. 

One minute, the lilacs were just turning green. The next, there were buds. 

And then, WHOOOOOOOOOOOF -- we have lilacs! And the smell?? Wow, I can smell it in my kitchen. I love that. Hubby keeps them to about 6' high, and the pair of them flank the front sidewalk. To either side of them are the day lilies, and right under the left-hand one, the bee balm is coming up gangbusters. I don't know why it never took on the right side, but I'm willing to wager it's because of the lack of sunlight when the afternoon hits. 

The Prairie Blazing star is back. The cone-flowers (purple, of course) are back. The dill is back, teeny little sprouts. I think the lavender is back. And all the stuff in the front flower bed is also back. Just have to figure out what's what. 

I want to get to Eastside Greenhouse this weekend, if I can, for the veggies. They're selling singles of heirloom tomatoes. Unfortunately, the seedlings didn't do well...so I have to get the plants. 

Reading...

Oh my. I picked up a couple of books, ostensibly for the trip to see Kid #1 in Colorado, but I started one. It's called "The Couple Next Door," and it's by Shari Lapena. It's got enough twists and turns for anyone, and I'm gobbling it up. 

There's also an Anne Perry that I'm re-reading, and I have a few Louise Penney books in my Kindle. Likely, the Kindle comes with. Not the "real" books...

There's nothing to report knitting-wise. I haven't done any. I'm scoping out music to play on the guitar for services when our organist isn't around - I need 4 hymns and service music - about 7 pieces in all, that I have to have down cold (with the music in front of me, thankfully) and ready to go at a moment's notice. So the hymns likely won't match the readings, which is the usual procedure. But it'll be music, and that's what the congregation wants. 

Yoga...

Thank you, Universe! The private sessions have been popping lately, and I love that. I love teaching my open classes and I've had several students since the first day I'd stepped in front of a class. That makes me happy. 

But private sessions are great for folks with issues, or who don't know a lot about yoga, or who want a refresher before they step into an open class. And I've had a string of bookings, which is a nice thing. If I can get several steady private clients, I'd feel like I'm doing well. 

Here's a little inside scoop on the yoga biz. About 99% of the time, your yoga teacher isn't making a whole lot of money. And no, honestly, we're not in it to give away yoga. We ARE doing our jobs. We are putting a lot of money into training so that we can give you the best we have. And we do deserve to make a decent wage for our services. So private sessions are where most yoga teachers can get to the point of making a living teaching. That and workshops. Or teacher trainings. And I need my own 500-hour certification before I can feel like I can reliably teach people who want to teach. 

I'm happy with the private sessions; I know the business waxes and wanes. And while it's waxing, I'm going to give my best to my students and enjoy it. 

Random Picture...

This greeted us after tonight's class. Can you see what's in the picture aside from the gorgeous Midwestern sunset?

A couple of the students were out in the parking lot before class looking at it, and then after class, as I was closing up, I saw it, and ran to grab my phone (which was in the bottom of my purse, as it usually is). I managed to get about 6 shots off, and Hubby was kind of astounded at this. 

He was also complimentary on the fact that I really did get a nice picture of the sunset, light poles and stop signs notwithstanding. That's the nice thing about living in the country-burbs. We're close enough to the Big City, but we have space. And sunsets. 

Knitting Along...

...the knitting needles are flying around here. I got it into my head the other day that I could possibly finish the green traveling socks in time for the trip to see Kid #1. That would be kind of a record finish for me for a PAIR of socks. But it's really just plain knitting, so this weekend, I applied myself a bit more. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

Let me say this: I thought I was not going to like this combo. I'm watching it knit up and I'm thinking maybe they won't be my very favorite, but they'll be nice. I'm kind of liking the way the pattern is turning out. 

Of course, photographing it on hot pink probably doesn't do it a lot of justice. But I'm kind of getting into the feeling of the combo here. 

I thought that perhaps I should make these into a pair of shorties, but since I'm already a couple inches down the leg, I'm really not inclined to frog them, and right now they're at the "dorky too strange looking" height. And besides, if I wanted to bring the tall hiking boots, these will look cool peeking out of a hiking boot and I won't be losing my socks. 

I hate when the socks slip down into your shoes. I have a couple pair of "no show" socks that do that and it makes me crazy. It also makes blisters. 

I did put a few more rows on the Close to You Shawl. I have time, though. So I'm good there. 

I'm also looking with horror at the stash. I mean real horror as in, "Oh my God, how am I going to knit all of this?" And that's only the VISIBLE stash. I haven't even opened the closet. 

Definitely on a yarn diet as of now. And this time I'm serious. I have some very special yarn that I need to knit up for myself. I'm anxious to finish more socks - and try to make some of the "shorties" that I can wear with tennis shoes. I'd love to buckle down and finish at least one of the sweaters. 

It will come. I think I can. I know I can. Focus. 

I love not only the process of knitting but the product of knitting. I love to finish things and wear them. I love to knit them. I love to see the stitches form, the pattern start to work, the garment being built. 

One of my most magical things is the turning of a heel. Seriously, you have this tube. And with a few rounds, all of a sudden, you have a heel. It's amazing. 

I love to see a bunch of written lines turn into lace. 

I love conquering a picot edging. 

I've gotta focus and get knitting, and I'm planning to have a blast while doing it. 

That's Just Wrong...

This is what I found in the "hummus" part of the grocery store. I'm sorry, but this is wrong. Snickerdoodles are cookies that are yummy. They're not hummus. 

Not saying hummus isn't yummy. But hummus isn't sweet. It's savory. It's meant to be served with veggies or pita or crackers. 

Seriously, what would you serve "snickerdoodle hummus" with?? Arrowroot teething crackers? 

This jumped the shark big-time and I just can't fathom it. 

Plus-Sized Models...

So I'm wondering why, when I see plus-size models (and I'm not talking those size 14 gals here, but the larger women I see modeling bathing suits and the like)... they never seem to have a tummy. 

Take a look - they have larger bodies, which I'm happy to see, because it's reality, right? But many of them don't have tummies. 

You'll see an article, called, "Swimsuits for Every Body," and the "larger bodied" women will have flat stomachs. 

What about those of us with a meno-pot? What about those of us whose "babies" are 30 and we still have a maternal pooch? 

Yes. I'm freaking out because I have to bring a bathing suit to the trip because we'll be doing something with hot springs that may involve me dipping into one. 

Anyway, take a look at the pictures and see if you agree with me. I love seeing realistic women modeling clothing because we're not all sticks. 

But even the "real" women in the Dove ads weren't as "normal" as they could've been. 

It's a conundrum. And maybe I need to just put on my "big girl" panties (over the meno-pot) and deal with it. But it would be nice if clothing manufacturers would also deal with it and if the fashion world got even better at it. 

Random Picture...

The sunset tonight was really pretty. And I managed to catch a couple of shots. This one was my favorite one, as the sun just got behind the tree in the perfect way. 

I stepped aside to get this one, so I eliminated the building that's usually in the way. 

My students were grateful for the class. They all said they were "fuzzed out" and relaxed. That's what I want to hear. They stopped, looked at the sunset, then made their way to their cars to go home. 

Plugging & Plodding...

I wish I had something remarkable to report. As I'm on Day 25 of Whole30, I wish I could say that it's awesome, I'm awesome, life is awesome, and I'll do this the rest of my life. 

But I can't. There are also no new revelations about recipes, food or anything of that sort. 

I've been doing more research, and I'm also listening to my own body. I don't like the protein content of this diet. I feel like my portions are all off. I feel as if I've done no good at all except that I've not eaten any processed food, no sweets, and gotten off sugar. 

I think I'm feeling unbalanced. I think that perhaps the fruit that we're allowed is even too much sugar. But I'm enjoying the fruit. 

I was thinking that I could eat this way for a long, long time, and the truth is, that in the main, I have been. All a long. Except for the sugar. If I were to truly go off sugar, I'd eliminate the fruit. 

But I don't like saying, "I will never have XYZ ever again in my life," especially when that XYZ is a whole food group!

I do have good  news, though - this has been rather morbid, hasn't it? All "woe is me" crap for a food plan where you really have to have the ability to pay for the food - it's silly. 

Anyway - I'm going out to see Kid #1 in a few weeks, so "clean eating" is still on the bill, but I'm going to start walking and exercising more. Kid has plans for hiking --- and I don't think I'm up for it right now. But I can work toward it. 

I'm really excited about that, because Kid hasn't been home in a long time, and frankly - it's hard not to worry. Of course, someone could make the case that moms having kids in the military have it harder - and they do. But that's not the case here, and I'm not apologizing for missing one of the kids. 

Knitting...

Well. Knitting has happened. I'm on Point 10 of the Close to You Shawl, and I'm plugging along on that. I've put a few more rows onto the traveling sock, but I haven't done a thing on the Petty Harbour sock. I need to start alternating projects. 

Of course, watching "Miss Marple" is kind of inspiring. The little knitting detective, plying away at whatever's on her needles (I've never seen a finished project in all the Marples I've watched!), and solving crimes that have stumped the authorities. This one is Joan Hickson. She's one of the better ones. I was going to say she wasn't the "iconic" one -- but it turns out she was!

I just haven't seen a lot of her versions. 

The one I'm watching now has a heroine who's apparently fallen for a real creep. She's just found out, and I've been thinking, "How could you NOT know he's a creep? I don't have to do anything but listen to him and I'm feeling queasy about him touching you!"

Anyway, I feel good about progressing on this project. I'm planning to spend time with the intended recipient this weekend, so that's kind of a nice, juicy secret I'm keeping - hoping the recipient will love it. 

I've been looking at other knitting blogs - different ones than I usually read. And honestly? I can't find anything else that engages me. I've read some and I either get turned off by the format (please don't type everything in a medium grey on white background and center every line of your work), or I don't like the projects, or I think the person is ... boring. 

Not like I'm lighting the world on fire with my prose. My friend Nat just wrote a lovely short essay on a jar of peanut butter which left me near to tears. My words don't often flow like that. 

There are so many bloggers out there, it's hard to read through all of them - I just don't have that kind of time! So I think I'll stick with the ones I read now. But I'm willing to take suggestions - if you know of a knitting blogger who just makes your needles sing - let me know!

I have to plan the knitting for the trip to see The Kid. Definitely the shawl. And a pair of socks. I'll be gone a week, and there are already activities planned, so we shall see how much I get done. I'm driving, so that's kind of no help. Looking forward to some time by myself and some silence. 

I hope to have lots of progress pictures ready after that trip. 

It's Spring...

We had the windows open! Spring has sprung! The daffodils at the church have come back to life after a wilting frost-ish kind of span of time. 

And sort of to celebrate, flowers were brought to work. Pink tulips. 

Funny enough, in a vase which I've had for almost 15 or 20 years - a crystal vase into which water and flowers were never put.

It's serving its purpose now, but I had used it as a "pretty" -- I put either shredded curly ribbon in it or Christmas ornaments, or those cute marbles. 

My thoughts are turning to the garden. Hubby, in spite of his continuing shoulder thing, managed to clear out two of the raised beds. 

My young tomatoes are looking peaked - so I may put them outside tomorrow to see if they perk up a bit. I talked to a friend who's done heirlooms from seed, she says that's not unusual. Thankfully. 

They're little sprigs of things. She says to plant them right up to the leaves. All I can do is try. 

I want to do lettuce (even though it's kind of late), mostly because of the whole "romaine scare." And I want to do carrots and radishes, along with the tomatoes. That should about do it. Though I'd love to try potatoes one year. Have to ask Hubby about that one. My MIL used to do potatoes every year. 

Herbs, too. But given our winter, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to start them from seed. It's almost May already. 

Stained Glass Repair...

I get to watch someone fix our stained glass windows at church. As you can see here, if you click on the picture, you can see the lead part slipping away from the glass. I understand from someone who knows about these windows that they're restored, and on the outside, they're protected by triple-pane thermal pane glass - also protecting them against fading and against the weather. 

On the inside, that wood frame is removable, so they can remove the stained glass when it's needing repair or something. The church is over 180 years old - and some of these windows date back nearly that far. 

Anyway, a couple of people noticed that two of the windows had some damage at the top. 

I called a restoration expert - happens to be the one who worked on the windows when they were first restored - and she'll be coming to the church on Tuesday, and I'm getting kind of excited to see what she's going to do. 

I will try to snap some pictures of our windows - now that the light is better, they'll be easier to photograph. I also have to take some new pics of the hall as it's being renovated. Which reminds me of a few other things I have on my to-do list... it just never ends!

Random Picture...


The sunset a few days ago after yoga class. We all enjoy watching it as the class ends, and we all joke that the building there on the left? We want it moved about 100 feet to the south, so we have a better view. 

It's a beautiful way to end the day. I turned around and saw the nearly-full moon, and it was stunning against a sky that was the total opposite of this one. 

I love to be able to look out at the sky. That's why I'm eagerly anticipating the trip to see Kid #1 - I've never been to that area, but am anxious to see it. I was told that, during one part of my drive, that I'll be "able to see the curve of the Earth." I'm looking forward to that! 

Keppra Countdown...

Well, we're a month in to the "Keppra countdown" and results are mixed. 

First off, no migraines to speak of. I mean, there are twinges, most every morning. But there's been no big full-blown migraine. I've downed a couple of Excedrin Migraine tabs over the past few weeks, but so far, the "detox," if you will, is proceeding. 

What I am having trouble with is the plethora of side effects. Woolly-brained (nothing to do with knitting!), sleeping trouble, intense hot flashes (different from menopausal hot flashes by about 10 degrees or so!), mood swings, sometimes an unquenchable thirst, depression... I'm having a hard time with all of that. It's impacting areas of my life that I don't want it to impact, and I don't know how to explain it to anyone. 

In fact, last Tuesday, I had a major melt-down. I mean, everything went wrong, at least in my head. I was headed to my women's group meeting, but when I got there, I was hit by a wave of depression so heavy that I almost couldn't get the words, "I can't stay for the meeting because I'm not feeling well" out of my mouth. The tears threatened to overwhelm me. I dashed out of there, got into the car, and actually shuddered with sobs. It was an interesting ride home. I got home, sobbed some more, and finally, eyes gritty and jaw clenched, I stopped. I felt like my insides were being ripped out. 

Yeah. It was awesome. The cloud hung over me for a few days. I had thoughts that I hadn't had for a long, long time, and they scared me. I'm hoping that once all of this is done, my brain gets back to normal...or "normal" for me, at least. 

Next week, I go down to 500 mg at bedtime... So now, I'm at 500 mg twice a day; then I go to the bedtime-only dose for 30 days. Then, if that lasts - if there are no major migraines, which is the criteria I'm using (twinges don't count), I go to "every other day" till the Rx is done. Then I'm finished. Hopefully off the Keppra forever. 

It's nice contemplating being 60 and GETTING OFF a prescription, rather than adding more. Now, I suppose, I will need to get myself to my primary care doctor - it strikes me that I haven't been in 2 or more years. That's not like me, but I've been busy. 

Yes, I know that's no excuse. But it's what I have. My next thing will be to change my MedicAlert bracelet - which I'll still wear, because I think that it's a good thing to have in an emergency. And as far as I know, I'm not sure that the tachycardia will be relieved when I'm done with the Keppra. My cardiologist thinks the Keppra is "contributing" to it - but we won't know how much of it is Keppra and how much is the result of the PVI I had done. We have to wait on that. 

It would be great to get off the beta blocker. And it would also be great to get off the GERD medication - that's the NEXT next thing. Whole 30 starting April 2. 

Lenten Fish Fry...

The Croatian Cultural Club in town has one of the best fish fry dinners imaginable. We're a big fish-fry town. There's the Knights of Columbus, Cro-Club (as it's known locally), The Elks, and a few church halls that do them regularly during Lent. For our money, we love the Cro-Club. The fish, a lovely whitefish, is done nicely, there's buttered parsley potatoes, and a salad with a basic sweet vinaigrette. And 2 slices of "Italian" bread. You can buy a piece of cake or pie if you want dessert, but as you can see, there are two very nice slabs of fish - you'll be full after you eat this dinner.

I always steal Hubby's tartar sauce, because he uses lemon juice on his. 

You have to pick up the dinners by 4:30 or you're going to be standing in line forever. You can eat in, but I've never done that. Maybe it's just me - I kind of like eating at home. 

Hubby and I did go out for dinner tonight - it's been a long, long time, and it was nice to get out. Went to Hamburgerseria - yes, that's a restaurant name! I've linked it here - you'd love it. If you have a chance and you're in the area - stop by. I had the "Grilled Cheese Burger." Hubby had a basic cheeseburger with bacon. 

This weekend, we have a fundraiser dinner to go to. I'm sure it'll be chicken of some sort. It usually is. Dessert will likely be the best part of the dinner. It's an annual function, but somehow, this year it crept up on us both!

Easter Potica...

So this time, we did 4 poticas. I used the old family recipe, but I doubled the filling. I shouldn't have doubled the filling... I had a lot left. The dough behaved beautifully, and rolled out very even. The single batch makes 4 large (almost 3-pound) loaves, using my grandma's long pans. 

Hubby bought me Pullman Loaf pans, but honestly, they won't work. Our table is 52" square and I'd need a bit longer of a rolling surface so that the loaves would have more rings. 

I have two "pretty" ones and I've sold one of them. The other will stay in the freezer till Christmas or till someone says they want one. I use the "not so pretty" ones for the family because my family doesn't care what it looks like. They want the taste!

I got to use the copper bowl that The Kid (#2) bought me for Christmas. It's beautiful, and has the rounded bottom that allows you to whisk by hand. 

I started whisking by hand and by golly... The copper bowl really DOES work more quickly. The caveat is that you need to have the egg whites at room temperature, which I did. 

Usually, I use cream of tartar to puff up the whites more easily, but honestly, with the copper bowl, I didn't need to. I ended up going to my Little Red Kitchen Aid hand-mixer, and I'm telling you - those egg whites were whipped in under 2 minutes! Granted, it wasn't the usual amount - normally we double the recipe which means 3 times the filling. 

I'm pretty sure that the "regular" amount we make won't fit in this bowl. 

I wonder if they make a copper whipping bowl for a 5-quart Kitchen Aid mixer. A quick Google search seems to indicate that the answer to that is a confirmed "No."

Anyway, I felt a little bad making "mixer marks" on the bowl, but I don't care - it's a bowl to be used, not just sitting there looking pretty. I want to make sure it's well-utilized as I bake and I'm not going to "save it for later." Time to use things now. 

So, I said that I made too much filling. Well, it doesn't freeze, and I had no more dough. Hubby made his Grandma's "Never Fail Pie Crust" recipe and we stuffed mini-muffin tins full of it, and used up all the filling for "potica pies." I thought we'd have enough for church for coffee hour, but we've been munching on them steadily... We didn't even roll out the dough - just pulled knobs of it, tamped it into the muffin tins and baked for about 25 minutes. Only because of how thick the filling is. 

They freeze nicely, which has enabled us to have them for a few more weeks. 

I may see if I can snag a few for my mom - when we did this for Christmas, I thought I was going to have enough of them for the cookie trays. Except that Hubby ate them. 

All of them. 

Granted, there weren't as many then, but still. He ate them all. And I can't say that I blame him. Had I been home, and not working all day, I'd have eaten 90% of them all... So, in explanation, Hubby works - but he works at home. I work outside the home for the most part. 

It's probably safer for my waistline and my snacking habit that I do. 

Knitting...

Sorely lacking in the knitting department - as you can tell, there's been a lot going on. The Close to You shawl is coming along, though I did have to tink back one row. Somehow, I screwed up the 14-row repeat and was merrily doing TWO 14-row repeats in a row. Not cool. But I caught it and fixed it. I can tell you it wouldn't have been "merry" if I hadn't been paying attention and had done most of the blasted thing before tinking it back. 

This yarn, while yummy, definitely has a different feel to it than my own version with the sock yarn. I think my friend will like it, and I'm anxious to see how it blocks up. I think hers will be quite a bit larger than mine. 

That's ok. I can get more yarn like this if I want to do one in purples for me. 

I might do that. Or at least try it in another sock yarn. Or maybe Cascade cotton - it would be kind of heavy, but I know that their Pima cotton yarn drapes deliciously - and the colors are so saturated that they just glow. Potential, potential, potential!


Oh, and I'm having a little fun with the unicorn bowl. I wear this chalcedony bracelet a lot, and every so often, like when I'm working at the laptop, it "clacks" because it hits the base of the unit and it annoys me. 

I had to stick it somewhere, and the unicorn's horn seemed to be a logical place. I may make this my profile picture in Facebook! Or maybe this blog, but I love my picture of my adorable, much-missed husky River. 

The yarn bowl is working nicely, and is certainly heavy enough to take the tugging I'm giving it. However, tomorrow I'm putting felt dots on the bottom; it's got an unfinished ring on it and it was scratching up the Arlo table. I have it balanced on that notebook where I keep my sock patterns, but I need to put the felt under it so that it doesn't scratch, and doesn't slide off the notebook. 

Tomorrow I also have to work on the...

Baby Tomatoes...

My kid's friend AJ let me borrow this catalog and gave me some of his leftover seeds from last year. No, those aren't altered by Photoshop -- they're heirloom tomatoes, and while those aren't the seeds he gave me, I'm going to get my own copy of this catalog and get those for next year!

They're called "Atomic Cherries," and they look amazing. I'm growing, from seed, 3 different varieties - and I've set aside 2 of the little grow-pods for Kid #2 - he can put them in pots and grow them on his front porch. 

I'm hoping I have better luck. I think this year, we'll make sure the vines don't go nuts. Lately, we've been having these 12' tall tomato plants - seriously - you've seen the pictures - but no fruit. Or what fruits we get are small. I think the plant puts so much into trying to reach Heaven that it has no energy to produce tomatoes!

So we'll see (a) if these seeds germinate; and (b) if they do, we'll pinch them back to keep them bushy rather than rangy. 

Random Pictures...

It's a two-fer tonight. And both are sunsets. The one with the two houses is across the street from me. It was a stunner. I ran out in the snow in my house slippers to snap this one. 

The other is outside the studio on a Sunday evening. Lately, we've had the most amazing sunsets, and I've tried to get each of them when I can. 

I know - seems like I'm trying to live life through the lens of my camera (phone...), but I really just love the incredible colors. 

Each of these sunsets are a reminder that one day ends and another will begin. It's a reminder to do as Emerson says, "finish each day and be done with it."

The whole quote goes like this, and it's a good thing to contemplate, especially when you feel like things are beyond your control:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

Toe Decreases and Yoga Intensives...

Believe it or not, those two things have something in common. 

I'm in the near-middle of the week-long Yoga for Healthy Aging intensive - it's a 30-hour training, and I'll get a certification out of it. It's in Lisle. I've had to take the week off, which has thrown things into a tizzy. I got a sub to teach my classes, which was a good thing, because my brain is kinda mushy from all the stuff we're trying to cram into it. 

My students are going to hate me. Well, no. They'll love what I'm learning. Just that I'm so excited about it. I bought 2 more books dealing with yoga modifications and variations. 

No. Much like yarn, you can't have too many yoga books, especially with regard to those on sequencing and modifications. See, my classes are mixed level. Yogis of all levels attend, and the ages span at least two, sometimes three generations. I have to be prepared for the 20-something who's blown a knee to the 30-something who wants to get stronger, to the 70-something who can't balance. All in one class. I need modifications and I've almost given up planning sequences. You know that phrase, "You plan, God laughs"? Well, it apparently applies to yoga teachers too... 

I plan a sequence on shoulders. At least one or two students come in with active shoulder issues. Pfffffffffffthhhhhh goes that sequence. I plan a class around legs. I'll get a fake hip or a fake knee. Pfffffffffffffffffffffthhhhhhhhhhh goes THAT sequence. I've gotten pretty good, if I do say so, about modifying on the fly and offering alternative poses. 

Certainly tests my equanimity. 


Anyway, how does this apply, you might ask, as I drag myself back to the subject. Well. The studio is a bit chilly because the weather is dreary, rainy and grey - you know: fall. So I'm wearing my hand-made socks. And I finally got it in my head to bring my knitting. 

Socks, of course. At first, I brought the beginnings of the St. Charles socks - Vanilla Latte is the pattern. But I didn't want to deal with them because right now, they look like nothing. 

So I grabbed the Blue Self Patterning, which are on the verge of being done, and I really want to get them on my feet soon. This picture is dated by about 2 or 3 days. I'm on the toe decrease now and everyone was ooohing and ahhhing. One person asked me if I sold these in my studio. 

I suppose, if I wanted to, I could sell the "yoga socks" version (no toes, no heels - just the short-ish leg and instep). I could do that, but who'd pay for a sock with no toes and heels? And besides, it'd have to be something like $20/pair at least. The legs would be no taller than about 5" if that, because I don't want to knit that much for people who may not buy them. You don't need long yoga socks anyway. Though they could be pedicure socks. Could be S-M-L sizing. I definitely have enough sock yarn, and the trend is mis-matched socks...

In my spare time. 

Garden Yoga...

Is done for the season. We were being pelted with Honey Locust leaves and it was a very brisk 67* at the last class, but it was worth it. I purchased a bush called Amethyst Beauty Berry. Hubby wasn't necessarily pleased, but it's in the northwest corner and will be gorgeous. Pink flowers in the spring and a "fountain shape" that doesn't require pruning; now, though, it's got beautiful purple berries on it. Tomorrow, if it's not pouring, I'll get a picture of it. 

So this tree, two weeks ago, was just turning color. Last Saturday? This was it. Bald, with very little to tell you what it looked like earlier. It's a beautiful tree - I love the trunk and the shape of it. 

Fall hit sort of late and it's wet and gloomy so far. 

The brightest spot in the garden last week (aside from the mums and the Amethyst Beauty Berry) was my mat!

The berries are just a tad more purple than my yoga towel/travel mat thingie here. It's advertised as a "travel mat" but it's very thin. I use it over my regular mat, because, aside from the odd hot flash, when we were practicing in the hotter weather, I'd slip. 

Rule #1 in teaching yoga is to be human. But Rule #2, at least in my book, is to try not to face-plant in front of your students. Seriously, you can really hurt yourself, so I got this to help keep my hands and feet sticking where they needed to stick. 

It's a good idea for travel anyway, because if you do yoga somewhere (like I did once, in a conference room), on a grungy carpet when you're not quite sure when or if it was ever cleaned? You'd like something like this under you. Let's just say that Downward Facing Dog was as close as my face got to that carpeting! 

Anyway, we'll start up again next summer. I think we rushed it this spring, and the weather in spring was as odd as the weather in fall -- like Mother Nature couldn't decide. 

One thing Mother Nature HAS decided on was that, lately, the skies at night have been stunning. We've caught a few sunsets and sunrises (this is a sunset last Sunday at Yin class) that were pretty spectacular. She knows how to put on a show when she wants, that's for sure. 

Random Picture...

I think someone let the air out of Quinn... This is the infamous "Norwegian Flat-Hound." Used to be an Elkhound when it was blown up... She does tend to really sleep when she wants to sleep. Didn't blink an eye when I took this shot. 

She's a patchwork puppy with all the surgeries, which is why she's still in a thunder shirt. Hubby has "diapers" (as you may be able to see) still around her neck so her collar doesn't irritate the skin till a little more fur grows back from her recent surgery. Unfortunately, she's got more cysts growing. The vet doesn't know if we'll be able to ever find out why or if they'll ever stop. 

But she's a snuggle-bunny and my fierce protector-beastie. Scared of her own shadow, but heaven help you if she doesn't know you and you knock on the door! You'd swear the Hound of the Baskervilles lived here!