Hats, Socks, Politics & Facebook...

Well, there's probably a connection there. We'll see how this goes...

Knitting...

The baby layette - at least my version of a layette - is moving right along. I needed a set of size 5 circulars in the 12" length, and of course I can't find the (3 or 4) pair(s) that I have right now. So Hubby, ever the smart man, says, "You should hit the knitting store if Michael's doesn't have what you want."

Now you see why I married him, right? 

We went to Michael's. Before that, we had (gasp!) a date-ish night. And then we went to get balloons. 

Yes, this all ties in together, just stick with me. 

So Michael's? The knitting department at our local store has gone wayyyyyyyyyy down the flusher. They used to have several aisles. Now they moved it across the store, it's 2 aisles and a part of a wall. 

I found 2 sets of DPNs; one bamboo and one aluminum. I got both. (NOTE TO SELF: When you're in a notions department, pick up tape measures. Whether you need them right that moment, pick up tape measures...Trust us on this.)

There were only 16" sets of circulars. Oh well. It never occurred to me to hit the JoAnn Fabrics right across the street. 

Such is life. Ironically, to pick up the balloons, we had to cross the street anyway. I keep forgetting that JoAnn's is there. 

All of this is for BABY. Mamma came back to teach yoga this morning, and I got her some "Welcome Back" balloons. 

I'm zipping right along on the hat. I think this may be my "favorite hat pattern" if it works out well. I think the rolled brim will be adorable. 

As for the socks, I'm finishing up the Opal Watermelon socks. Remember - the ones I thought I'd lost? 

Lately, my friend Roberta has been posting bird pictures on Facebook. And today, she said, "Wow, every one of these makes me think of how the colors would look in socks! It's like a sickness, isn't it?"

Well, yes it is. 

After I finish the Watermelon socks, I will likely pick up another UFO and see if I can make some headway. I'm kind of done with baby knitting for now, though something is nudging me to whip up another baby sweater. 

As it is, though, I can always do a hat easily. I'm thinking it'll take me longer than the weekend, but hopefully within the week. 

Facebook...

...has become a war zone. I'm serious. I'm posting goofy pictures of my dog, knitting pictures, funny memes.

What I'm avoiding for the most part are the political posts. Too many of my "friends" have gotten really vicious about Hillary. 

One more time: I am not a Hillary fan. But I will not vote Republican, as long as I have ovaries and a uterus. 

I'm frankly stunned at the whole BernieBot phenomena, but I'm somehow not surprised, given the vitriol and anger in the discussion, and the decay of rational dialog in general in society. 

Speaking of goofball pictures of my dog, this is Quinn, who is absolutely embodying the "dignified and elegant" Norwegian Elkhound persona right now. She's sacked out on the couch. 

At least this time, she's left room for any human who wants to go sit with her. 

Milestone...

So my friend G wanted to meet me for a walk. We've touched base on FB, on emails and the like, but we really needed to talk. She's my "owner-mentor" as I work through the fun(?) of owning a studio. 

We decided that today was a great day, which it was. My Jawbone UP had a moment!!

As we walked and talked, I wasn't paying too much attention. We had a grand time. It buzzed when we got close to the end of our loops around the trail. 

When I came home, I checked the phone. Over 11,000 steps! In two hours!! Yipee!

The good news (aside from the fact that I actually MADE it) was that the shoes I wore are going to work out fine for my trip to Oxford, MS. The other news is that I need to make sure I have lighter socks. I'll pick up a second pair of shoes so that I can alternate them. 

Trip...

The trip to Oxford will likely be the last one that Kid #2 and I take for a while. First off, I'll need to visit Kid #1 (more later). Second, Kid #2 will be starting a Master's Degree program and will probably take most of the classes during the summers. 

We're going by way of Cairo, IL so we can get the Mark Twain Connection. You have to travel with an English teacher to get that...

The news about Kid #1 isn't great, but it's ok. 

Over Easter, The Fiancee gave back the ring. We're very sad. They've been together for about 6 years. But of course, the flip side is, if The Fiancee "isn't happy" then I'm glad that was decided BEFORE they married. 

Kid #1 is doing ok. Relocated to Virginia, which is where he'd planned to go for years, but The Fiancee didn't want to leave. I get it. I always wanted to leave, and I left. My siblings didn't leave; though I think mostly they wanted to. 

And now, they won't or can't leave. I wouldn't have trouble starting over somewhere new, and Kid #1 is learning that now. I'm glad. Sad, because it's not exactly a day-trip. But glad that this is what he chose. 

He's found work; he has a plan. Life goes on. Once he's settled, we'll figure out how to get Larry (his cat) out to him. But that's a while yet. 

Garden 2016...

Veggies 2016 are in. Today, we went to Eastside Greenhouse to pick up some tomatoes and herbs. Hubby decided to plant all 4 tomato plants, even though in 2 months, he'll be complaining. 

We got a 4-pack of kale, so we'll see how that goes. He'll eat kale (which I just cooked tonight with leeks and garlic) so I'm hopeful that if it's a bumper crop, it won't go to waste. If nothing else, I'll be a smoothie-bot!

Also got basil, lemon basil, Rosemary and Thyme. No parsley, no sage, for you Simon & Garfunkel fans! We have parsley in the freezer from last year, thanks. 

We've also planted leeks, Brussels sprouts, radishes, lettuce and carrots. Oh, and a few cucumbers, too. 

The herbs will be planted next week. I'm a little worried about the huge herb trug; it was pretty infested with ants. I think what happened was that Hubby covered it - and the ants were nice and cozy through the winter. He's going to empty it all out and refill with clean dirt. Hopefully that will fix it. Also, we'll leave it open year-round. 


The Monster Bleeding Heart has come back for another year. It's a little over 30 years old now. 

And a VERY peeved hummingbird just buzzed Hubby. We saw it while we were eating dinner, so we rushed to make a home-made syrup, which is cooling. He grabbed a feeder off the porch to scrub and the bird, in a fit of pique, buzzed him, as if to say, "Hey, dude!! I'm HERE... Where in the &*^%% is my food???" 

Should be another 10 minutes and we can put food out for him. 

Random Picture...

This is the Monster Bleeding Heart. It's on the northwest corner of the porch. I planted one plant. Over 30 years ago. And it keeps coming back, larger and more beautiful each year. 

This year, the dill came back (surprise, surprise); so did the lavender (it never really died), the Icelandic poppy (rivaling the Monster Bleeding Heart for persistence), one bee balm, one butterfly bush, and the carnations. 

I still have to plant wildflowers. Columbine are back, looks like foxglove may be back, and some oddball wildflowers I planted last year (brown-eyed Susan, and a few others that I swore I marked...). 


It's amazing this thing has lived this long, because the sorry stuff that passes for "dirt" in that spot is impossible. I've got lily of the valley in the north, right behind it on the left side of the porch, which you can barely see. But that stuff will grow anywhere. 

Apparently, so will Bleeding Heart. 

It's a Sweater...

...and even a pair of tiny little socks! Now, all I have to do is finish the hat. I have to get a 12" circular size 5 needle. 

Of course the moment I buy one, I'll find that I have 6 of them...That's the way that works, I suppose. 

I love the way this yarn pooled at the back. The front, I'm ok with, and I really like the stitch definition. It's Cascade 220 Superwash, hand painted. The little guy's mom isn't exactly a "pink and blue" traditionalist. I think she'll like the edginess of this sweater. 

Before seaming

It's a great pattern: New Arrival Cardigan - and it's on Ravelry. I got mine from a promo for renewing a magazine subscription, but I'm happy to see it's on Rav - I think it's a wonderful "first sweater" pattern. 

I usually make the 6-month size and this time was no different. After all, I was planning for a "regular" delivery - not a preemie! So we joke that the sweater will actually fit for longer than 5 minutes...

Before buttons

The socks are from Pure & Simple Layette, from "Itty Bitty Knits." The socks are more newborn-sized, so it'll be interesting. I'm also doing a simple hat that I found on Ravelry as well, because I have the yarn. The hat is going to be "baby" sized - in other words, not a preemie or a newborn size, but a regular "baby" size of about 14 - 16" circumference. I think that way we can stretch the entire gift so that he can wear it over several seasons. 

I got the yarn on clearance, so it's doubtful that I can find any more of it - and I may as well use it. I didn't think I'd have enough, actually, so I'm not sure how it all worked out, but I'm happy it worked the way it did. 

As you can see, the buttons really pop here. I used my plastic "wide eye" needle and simply crossed the yarn from one hole to the other and then tied it off. It's the easiest way to secure the buttons. 

Normally, when I sew, I use a "spacer" to give the button a little bit of a neck. When you sew your button on, you don't tighten it up to the fabric. You leave it a little loose, and when you pull the thread back up (before you go into the shaft or the button's holes), you wrap the thread around 5 or 6 times, giving it a little "neck" which is quite sturdy in spite of how it appears. It looks loose, but it really is strong. But it's not for a baby. Tighter is better for a baby, with the whole issue of choking on buttons. 

All done!

This sweater looks great in any similar weight yarn, and I've made it in pastels, brights, ombres and solids. I've done it in acrylic, with a "giveaway" yarn that I thought would make a good charity project. What I mean is, I was given the yarn, did a yarn test because we had no ball band, determined it was acrylic, and then knitted this up in a blue-white ombre. I used buttons from my button tin and it'll be lovely for a Giving Tree or something. I haven't decided what to do with that one. I have enough of that yarn to make a hat as well. I've got it partially started, and I'm just playing with a "made it up" pattern I'm tweaking. I'm not sure if it'll come to anything, but I want to try it. I like to try to give "pairs" of things for babies. 

I used my Kollage Square needles, and I have to say - those points are SHARP! But it was worth it. The tension came out perfectly and I was able to knit for quite a long period each time. There's only one hitch - I do worry about the cable connection to the needle. 


It's smooth; it's lovely. But I noticed that it looked like it might be wearing a bit. I'm hoping it's just an illusion. So far, I've never had a circular pair break. I think it'd be a tragedy if they broke mid-project, but nothing I couldn't deal with. 

For the socks, I just used plain size 5 DPNs, but a set of 4. That was awkward, especially at the toes. But for this size sock, the toes turned out remarkably nicely with a Kitchener closing. I was able to bury the one "ear" when I pulled the thread through the back and tied it off. 

This was speedy-knitting at its best! I finished the socks in a weekend. One sock a day. I could see doing this as a charity project. But I think I'd do a plain heel. After all, as newborns, (a) they're not in shoes, and (b) they're not walking. 

I did my usual knit a row around before the ribbing. I do wonder about just doing a straight up knitted sock - would they roll off? Kick off? Would they stay up on a chunky leg? Might be worth a try. It takes about 1.75 ounces of yarn, which was almost the rest of the ball I had left after the sweater was done. It was a great way to use up the last bit, which I wouldn't have used in a hat, because I like to do hats with a whole ball - no tie-offs in mid-hat!

As usual, the heel turn was magic even in a teeny tiny little sock. It came together a lot more quickly too. 

Sock #2 is nicer. Sock #1 is a little smaller, which I can't understand. I'm a religious "note taker" knitter. I think it'll be ok, overall. But it bugs me a bit. I try hard to match my socks. 

I hope Mamma likes the set. I can't wait to start the hat; that'll be this weekend. I think it'll go really quickly because it's a rolled brimmed hat. Knit, knit, knit till the decreases, and then tie off the top. I might try an I-cord for the top, just to add a little interest; not sure yet. 

A New Venture...

Way back a little less than 40 years ago, I dabbled in watercolors. Mrs. Decman, our high school art teacher, taught us. I see so many different things on Pinterest and the general internet - I thought it was about time for me to play with them again. 

Note to Self: Buy the better brushes. It's worth it. The cheapies shed. 

I've only used the paint pots so far. I've done a few things for the studio - little abstracts where I then put a word or phrase on it. Just to say "thank you" or highlight an upcoming class. It's been fun. I bought a book. I'd like to take a class; not sure how much talent I actually have, but if you're half-way patient, watercolor is pretty interesting to mess with. 

If you've ever tried something "back in the day," consider picking it up again. I think it's really interesting to see how your perspective changes. you think about things differently. You're a little more loose in your attitude - at least I am. I figure it's just playing. After all, in high school, we were graded on art. 

Now? I'm just having fun and trying to mess with my brain in a good way. Heaven knows that with work and other things in life, it's nice to have a "mild challenge" that exercises your creativity and allows you to experiment. 

Knitting is great - as you know, I do it a lot. But I thought that this was another way to tap into my creative side. I bet you have a way of doing that too, if you think about it. 

Politics...

Sooooooooo sick of the Bernie v. Hillary memes. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has to go. Once again, let me repeat: this is an ELECTION. Not a CORONATION. I'm reading some polls that show that Bernie is a better bet to beat Drumpf. Hillary - not so much. 

This has fractured friendships - possibly permanently. It's created a lot of tension in so many groups. So many families, even. 

As a nation, we have to decide what we want to be as we go forward. And as we go FORWARD, we have to be careful to not go BACKWARD. We're already headed backward with the assaults on voters' rights and women's rights. What, as women, do we want for our daughters, granddaughters, nieces? 

I have boys. Those boys will, God willing, marry. And I want my future daughters-in-law to have full rights. Equal pay would be nice, but we won't go there right now. 

Young women should have full reproductive rights. Young women should be safe. Right now, women are threatened in both of those areas. We're not in charge of our bodies in quite a few states. We're not safe in so many more cities. And on far too many campuses. 

This has to change. Along with the many other things: this country needs jobs. Needs a stable economy. The rich need to pay their fair share of not only Social Security, but taxes in general. 

And corporate welfare has got to stop. Even my SILs who live in Alaska are astounded at the breaks the oil companies get. Not to mention the tech companies who pay nothing in taxes. Click here to read more about the concept of corporate welfare: where for-profit corporations make millions for their stockholders, but pay ZERO... -0- ... zip ... nada ... in taxes. They ship jobs to other countries, have no concern for their workers and only care for profits. 

I'm not an idiot. I'm a small-business owner. I want to make money. But I want to have a sense that I'm contributing something to this world, not being a taker. 

We do need a revolution. It's likely to take a couple of election cycles. But I'll say this out loud, risking turning off some readers: the conservative Republican ideal is not the way to go to move this country forward. 

We are not now, nor have we ever been, a nation founded upon Christian principles. We are a nation in the throes of growth. How we grow is important to all of us. The way to keep going forward is to vote and work for liberal principles - ideally progressive principles. 

Either way - if you don't vote in November, shut up and sit down. Exercise your right to vote. Too many people in other countries die for that. Don't be a jerk about it. Vote. 

Random Picture...

A gift for Mother's Day -- beautiful orchids. I'm jazzed because I've managed to keep the one in the studio alive for nearly 2 years! I think I can keep this one alive. 

I had to look high and low for orchid bark. I bought some "orchid medium" and it turned out to be pretty heavy and buggy. I mean, "lots of gnats" buggy. Urgh!

I think the bark is better. Hopefully, my orchid appreciates it. 

While I'm Waiting...

I figured I'd get a jump on the blog, since I'm trying to communicate with you all a little more frequently. 

A Sweater Is Almost Born...

It's beginning to look like a sweater! I'm now churning along on the other sleeve and front. I'll look and see if the pattern is on Ravelry. It came in a booklet when I renewed a subscription about a decade ago, and it's my go-to sweater. You'd think I could knit it in my sleep. But I still need directions. 

Speaking of which...There's a part where you take off the stitches you held on a holder - put them back on a live needle and "join yarn." The yarn that you cut to do the one half, you now have to put back and immediately bind off a number of stitches. 

I've puzzled over that for a long while and I've tried various methods. The directions simply say "join yarn." Following the dictum of Elizabeth Zimmerman, the doyenne of all things knitterly, I used my brain. Knitting, says the immortal EZ, is not rocket science. See the quote above! 

So below are some photos. The yarn is striping up nicely; it's going to look wonderful on The Little Man. And the 6-month size will be plenty for him to grow into. 

The next photo shows the stitches removed from the holder and placed live onto my circulars. It's a fairly easy job to do so, and just takes a tad bit of time and some patience. You don't have to worry about orientation because this is straight knitting. Nothing fancy. Let the yarn do the work for you. 

Weave in row below live stitches...

I grabbed an easy-threading needle and pulled about 6" of yarn off the ball; I picked an area just below the live stitches, on the WRONG side, so that I could weave it in and it wouldn't show on the front. I put the needle through the first stitch, and then proceeded to weave in and out for a few stitches, dropped down a row, did a little more weaving, and then finish it off. 

You'll notice that I went in on the right side of the needles - it is the WRONG side of the fabric, but you have to attach the yarn so that you can immediately pick up that end as the "working" yarn. 

This technique also involves a crochet hook, which I find particularly helpful in snagging up those last ends of the yarn, and also in pulling through when your needle is long and the tail of the yarn is not.

Go below the row you started in...

Keep a crochet hook in your tool bag. Even if you never crochet, you'll find a multitude of uses for it, including (shudder) picking up dropped stitches, picking up the gusset stitches of a sock (so much easier than "knitting on" the stitches - at least to me...), and if you're a fringe person, a crochet hook is the way to go to knot the fringe on the ends of a shawl or scarf. Or wherever it is you people put fringe...

In fact, if you're ever stumped for a gift for a knitter, a set of crochet hooks, while it might sound counter-productive, is actually a good idea. I find Susan Bates to be just about the easiest to get, and they have a decent size range. I'm not even going to provide a link, because Google comes up with about 6 or 7 ways to purchase them. 

Easy-thread plastic needle is good for yarn thickness...

The easy-threading needle is probably a Clover. Again, Google is great in figuring out where to buy these things. I've tried several different ones, and while I really like the Chibi needles for Kitchener stitch, for this purpose, the plastic one suited the project much better. 

Crochet hook to pull through.

Tool kits are awesome and are easily personalized once you experiment with what tools you may need for the knitting you do most often. Another thing I've done is replicate that tool kit. Yes, I know - sounds counterintuitive. But remember, if you have multiple projects going, then you have multiple bags to work with. Having a couple of tool kits makes it easy to make sure that everything is at your fingertips when you need it and you don't have to (gasp!) stop knitting to find something. 

So now it's a chug for 8" and then I bind off the bottom of the other sleeve. Then the body and it should be done, needles willing, in about 2 weeks. 

Finished weaving...

Which is good, because perhaps The Little Man will be home and this will be nice to greet him with. 

I'm not sure I'll have much left over; I'm thinking he needs some Baby Uggs, and maybe if I can find some red superwash wool in the stash, that would balance out those bright shiny red buttons I have planned for this sweater. It would be cool if I had red - a tiny little cap with a rolled brim? Too, too cute!

And I made this...

Mala Bag

This is a long-ago project that I recently dug out of a purse when I was switching things around for my MIL's funeral. This is hand-dyed sock-weight yarn from my friend, now passed, Sonda. I made a hat with this yarn, had a whack of yarn leftover, and I decided to make a little bag. This is enough to hold a rosary (if you're Catholic), a special necklace, or I use it for my mala beads. 

It's a simple stockinette stitch, and then a ribbing toward the top. I also used yarn-overs to make holes every so often. Then I created an I-cord and wove it through the holes to tie up the bag. The bag seams up the sides; simple weaving stitch. This is a nice way to use up sock yarn, if you need little "trinket" bags. They're relatively mindless till you get to the yarn-overs, and frankly, I did them on either side of a 3x2 rib...so to me, this looks like the top of a sock, which is kind of a full circle. Sonda got me started knitting socks...

Knitting Injured...

If you zoom in on this, you'll see a "blister bandage." I'm a pusher. I push off the right needle when I knit. And in this case, with the Kollage steel needles, those stinkers are SHARP! And I've developed a little nick in my left index finger. After several hours of knitting, it gets irritated. 

Band-Aid "blister" bandages - which are useless on blisters, in my opinion - are perfect for this kind of knitting injury. They're cushioned, they're waterproof, and they stick like crazy. Except for the taper at the tip of your finger, they fit nicely, and can be trimmed with a sharp scissor. 

I've used this technique each time I've used the Kollage square needles. I love those needles. They make lovely stitches and they do enable me to knit for long periods of time. 

But they're so sharp that it's very easy to stab yourself. Or someone else, come to think of it! (No, I didn't really say that out loud, did I?)

What we knitters do for our craft!

Politics...

So Bernie won Indiana and Cruz dropped out of the race. I heard a scary thing today. As the "presumptive" nominee, Trump will get courtesy copies of a version of the President's Daily Briefing. It's a tradition extended to the nominees of both parties. 

Much as I dislike Hillary, I can trust her to keep her mouth shut. Trump? That narcissistic SOB will likely Tweet them out... 

While we're at it, let's talk about civility and keeping friendships intact. 

There's this group I (used to) belong to. It was made up of strong-minded women who differed quite often in their opinions but listened to each other. 

This election cycle? Notice the parenthetical statement. I have just walked away. They've gone nuts. Absolutely insane. If you support Bernie, you're a moron. If you don't support Hillary, you're a traitor to the Ovary Crowd. And some of the Bernie folks have become Bernie-Bots. Several people hurled accusations against each other. Several had and have hurt feelings. A few say they didn't do what they're being accused of. 

So a group which has had at least a decade of friendships has gone pffffth because this election cycle is so warped and so mean. Really. 

Let's just think about this. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee. 

Trump. Reality show. Serial bankrupt. Selfish misogynist. Wants to build a wall around Mexico and have them pay for it. Has "huuuuuuuuuuuuge" plans, but can't give specifics. A moron. 

The world is laughing at this development, but I believe there's a hit of terror in that laughter because this idiot could be elected. 

If the Democrats don't get their collective heads out of their nether parts, we will lose this election. Period. 

I don't like Hillary. I don't like the idea of a coronation. I do like the idea of a woman president, but I don't like her. But I'm going to vote AGAINST Trump being president. 

While we're at it, can people please stop making ignorant comments about President Obama? Especially his daughters. I mean, seriously people... The child got into Harvard. Her father graduated from Harvard. Her mother graduated from Princeton. 

For God's sake: even George BUSH - not the brightest crayon in the box - had a legacy seat at Yale. 

The kids are off-limits. Even Bush's kids. They're just off-limits. 

So in regard to our group? I'm not sure I'll be back. I'm really not a "take my toys and go home" kind of gal. But I really have been assessing what's healthy for me. Healthy in the sense of, do I really want to be the "mom" of the group? One person has chosen to assert herself as putative leader. She's someone I don't always agree with and I can live with that. What I can't live with is being dictated to. I already have my own mom who is happy to tell me what I should be doing... Don't need it in my social life. 

So I may or may not return to the group after November. But for sure, I will be thinking about how this election has affected families, friendships, and other relationships. 

We need to pull together to think about what's good for our country. But right now, we're so polarized, I'm not overly confident that that will happen. 

Random Picture...

One recipe of my lovely MIL's - and no, I don't have it handy, otherwise I'd post it here. They're Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies and we usually add coconut because we love it. 

Hubby made them. Yes, I've been avoiding sugar. And it's been about 10 days of full-moon-like behavior from people around me, so yes, I've eaten (more than) a few...

I keep telling myself that oatmeal is good for you. And so is coconut, right?

Right? 

Making Hay...

...while what's left of the sun shines.

Knitting...

Today being Saturday, I got up, taught the 9 a.m. class I'm subbing while Janae is out on maternity leave, and then got home to get cracking on that project...

New Arrival Cardigan

So far, I've done 21 rows of the right front on the baby jacket. I'm plugging along and working to get the other 39 rows done. Probably not tonight, but this weekend, for sure. 

I'm also catching up on one of my favorite blogs, and on a "Dual Survival" marathon. Using the idea that you shouldn't just focus on one thing for long periods of time.

True story: I was zipping away on a prayer shawl with a definite deadline, and I didn't shift my field of vision. I looked out the front window at Hubby, and realized I could not see.

I mean, my distance vision was totally blurry. Scared the heck out of me. So now, I make sure that I have a few things going: computer distance, TV distance, out the window distance, and I did several other things as well today. 

Oh, and I got the new Piecework magazine. But I haven't had a chance to look through it. I'll save that for later...

Dinner...

The perennial "what do you want for dinner?" question is a pain in the rear. Especially when I get that question at 10 a.m.! I know we have to think about defrosting something, and I really dislike the idea of nuking it because Hubby has the annoying habit (sorry, dear!) of nuking it in its original container. Drives me nuts. 

So he pulled out a roasting chicken early this morning. I roasted it today. Just some lemon, salt & pepper, and a spice rub that one of my SILs gave us for Christmas. Veggie broth was the "marinade" for the roast. Brown rice, a salad, and we had dinner. 

And enough left over for me to do chicken salad for lunch tomorrow. 

Easy Chicken Salad...

I've finally conquered a simple chicken salad without too much fuss. It uses leftovers. Plus some other stuff that most people have in their fridge.

Chop up about 2 c. of cooked chicken (or you can shred it)
Add 1 T. yellow mustard (plain old yellow is fine, thanks)
Add 1 T. dill pickle relish (use sweet if that's all you have)
Add about 3 - 4 T. Hellman's Mayo (this is my preferred mayo)
Add about 1/2 c. diced celery
Add a dash of onion powder (unless you have fresh spring onions - use fresh spring onions, diced, if you have them)

Mix this all up in a large bowl. 

Add 1/2 t. dried dill, and a pinch of salt & pepper (fresh ground, if you have it)

Place in a covered container, chill through (overnight, if you can) and eat it on a bed of lettuce with a cut -up avocado, or in a sandwich.

You can add more mayo if you need it a little looser. 

Easiest thing ever. So that's on the docket for tomorrow. 

Bike Ride...

Now, in spite of TWO falls on the left hand within a month, I have, thankfully, not broken it. But I've got a brace (which I'm not wearing so I can type and knit). Tomorrow is supposed to be lovely, so I'll strap on the brace and we'll go for the first bike ride of 2016. 

I got notified last night that they're shipping out a new Jawbone UP-3, so in the meantime, I'll use the other one and see if it works with the bike ride. Pedometers don't work, and it's frustrating. 

My activity level goes down over the weekend, unless I'm at a workshop or we go on a ride. But I get my steps in during the week, with the day job and the teaching, so I don't fuss or fret when the Jawbone says "you're slacking off." 

Yes, I am. 

And I'm ok with that. I need my vegetation time. I need to recharge. I need to work on projects that I neglect during the week because my schedule is so packed. 

So be it. I'm good. 

I have my favorite mug filled with chamomile tea; I'm watching TV and typing this blog. I'll knit more in a bit. It's Saturday and I need to let my brain unhinge itself from the busy-ness of the work week. 

Politics...

So I've been relatively quiet on this score for a while. But I can't keep quiet any longer. 

I'm so disheartened with the "Bernie's gotta go" crowd. One of them is someone I've known for a long time, and she's bound and determined that nobody but Hillary is going to be elected. 

Which is fine if it happens. But at this point in Hillary's campaign in 2008, she was still in it and "inevitable" till Hurricane Obama came through. 

Bernie may not win. But let's make this an election. Not a coronation. Let's listen to both of them and let's see what happens. We're in the midst of a too-long and too expensive primary season. Let it play out. 

I'm a liberal, tree-hugging yogini. I'm not even going to address the mess that is the conservative wing of this nation. Except to say that it is my firm belief that Paul Ryan's "no" means "yes."

We shall see. 

Random Picture...

My favorite mug. Given to me by my oldest friend. And Hubby hasn't managed to break it yet (he's a mug-destroyer, and he doesn't mean to be). Tonight, it's filled with tea and sitting next to me. 

Mugs are an easy way to get my attention. I have more of them than I need, and it's a standing joke with the kids. I call it "their inheritance."

They call it "after the funeral garage sale."

I think they're joking. It's hard to tell sometimes. 

Either way, I won't be in a position to argue, then, will I?

It's time for me to get back to work if I want to get that front done this weekend. If I can get to that point, then maybe I won't feel so bad about setting it aside for another week. 

What are you working on now? How's it going? What's the next thing in your project bag?

So, It's Been A Trip...

So much has happened since we last chatted. Where to begin?

Sad News...

My lovely MIL passed in April. She was just shy of 89; had lived a good, long, faith-filled life, and died at peace with Whatever Comes Next. 

Seriously, that's what she told my SIL. "I'm ok with whatever comes next. I'm ready."

She didn't die of "anything" in particular. She died of "old." I will remember her as always smiling. Not a silly, Pollyanna, "I'm clueless" kind of smile. But a "hey, world, you can toss crap at me, and I'm ok with it, because I know what's what" kind of smile. 

A kind smile that lit up the room. A welcoming smile that reached out to you so that you may have been a stranger, for a nanosecond or so, but now you were family. 

A smile that said that she was happy doing what she did best: making everyone feel as if they were the most important person she spoke to all day. 

She'll be missed by many, and her children are going to feel her loss all the more because she truly was the anchor of the family. She and my FIL are waltzing up in Heaven. 

Glad News...

Our yoga teacher had her baby. Well, this is glad-ish...he was VERY early. Like 11 weeks early. He's doing OK all things considered, but it's a rocky start for the little man. 

I'm madly knitting away at the sweater. I've got the first sleeve done and I'm working on the right front now. Remember, this is a one-piece rectangle with arms. Only 2 seams! My kind of jacket! Looking at the picture, you see the blue yarn holding the back of the neck and left arm stitches on there.

So I will finish with the right front, take the stitches off the yarn holder and do the left front. Then you fold it over at the shoulder area and seam up under the arms and sides. The trickiest part is actually the 2 buttonholes. 

This is Cascade Superwash Paints; washable wool. I love the sophisticated colorway. I've got 3/4" red buttons for the front. 

If I have enough yarn left, I'll make "baby Uggs" for him. This is a 6-month size, and I was joking that he was so small that FINALLY, a baby will fit in a sweater I make for more than 2 minutes!

More On the Funeral...

So. It would have been NICE to be at the funeral. We weren't. Well, we were. Sort of. 

The family does this "Family Mass" and "Vigil" thing that I had never been exposed to. The body lies at the funeral home. The afternoon before the funeral, his uncle, a former priest, says a family mass. Then we go back to the house, have a dinner, and then head to the church. 

In the meantime, she's brought to the church, and we do a "vigil" with a rosary and then a prayer service. She lies in state in the church; this is open to the community as the "wake." 

Then the next day is the funeral mass and burial. 

We made it in to MT. We got to the house, got to the Family Mass, where we sang as cantors. Then we did the Vigil. We had brought our cameras and were supposed to videotape the funeral for the relatives who couldn't make it out. 

We got up the next morning in Great Falls to see snow. In April, yes. We got ready to hit the road and before 8 a.m., we were out the door. 

Twenty miles out of Great Falls, they closed the highway. This was our view driving back south. 

I let Hubby make the call. I've driven in snow - we live in Illinois! But this was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Our rental was a 2-WD. There were no snow tires. No snow brushes. Not even a shovel. And the slush was grabbing at the tires as if it was determined to pull us into a ditch. 

We're in the mountains, remember, so even cell service is sketchy. It's not like here - if you end up in a ditch, you just call the IDOT Minutemen or a tow truck. You get stuck in the ditch outside of Great Falls, you'd better hope you get stuck in an area where you can call someone. And then hope they come before you run out of gas, because it's going to be hours. And hours. 

As we were going north, they shifted us off onto the Frontage Road. We got to the top of the hill, and the bypass we were supposed to be on had a car on it. Sideways. 

With a snowplow trying to dig it out. The Frontage Road north wasn't even plowed. 

Again, I remind you, this is Montana. It's not like here: you close Rt 55, then you can take Rt. 57... The next highway going north is right at the base of the Rockies. If they haven't plowed THIS road, they surely haven't plowed that one. 

So we turned off, pointed ourselves south, and almost slid into a ditch. It took another hour to get back to Great Falls. I was heartbroken, but the family was rather philosophical about it all. 

"It's April. Blizzards happen, and the farmers are doing a happy dance with all this snow!"

She was a twin. Her twin brother had died in the spring, and the highways were closed by a freak blizzard. But HE had the good sense to wait till he was buried before the highways closed!

She had a statement to make, I guess. The highways closed before! Half the town had no power; they weren't even sure if the church would have heat and lights. Those who were in town already attended. Those of us who were in Great Falls were unable to do so. But again - springtime in the Rockies!

The Chalice...

So at the family Mass, Fr. Jim had a chalice. He explained the symbols on it, and I thought you'd like to see it. I got to carry it across the room, since he and Hubby moved the temporary altar before the Mass started. It's quite heavy. 

Look closely. See the gold ring right under the "bowl" of the chalice? That's the wedding ring of Hubby's great-grandmother. 

The black stone is a stone from their "home-place" - the homestead where they grew up. Jim had it polished up and carved to fit the chalice. 

At the base, you'll see a small ruby in a little filigree design. That's Great-Grandma's engagement ring. 

The symbols of this chalice are amazing. 

RIP Jawbone...

So I got a Jawbone. I wanted a fitness band that wasn't obnoxious. I wear a watch, as you can see, and I don't want to NOT wear a watch. I don't want something whiz-bang that sends me email, gives me voicemails and does weather reports. I want a thing that counts my steps and tells me how I slept. 

(Though in truth, most mornings, I absolutely KNOW how the night before went!) 

Anyway, the Jawbone was unobtrusive, so I went with that. I also like the neutral color of the band. Hubby has a clunky looking one, and he's looking to replace it with a watch-like device. I didn't want all the "stuff" or "functions" that they have. Just want steps and sleep. 

And today, I had to get it replaced. After only 4 months, it wasn't holding a charge and the metal band part was separating, so it never fully connected to the charger. 

I had a lovely "chat" with the help people, and they're sending out a new one. 

I still like it. I like the basic functions, and I like the fact that it's not showy. My watch tells me the date, keeps time, and glows in the dark. That's all I need from that. And the Jawbone keeps track of the rest of it. 

It has encouraged me to move more. I'm also using my arm-sized hula hoops, which has done good things for my upper body strength. I figure that all of the movement combined is a good thing. 

Sadly, it doesn't track knitting! 

I should have the new one in about 10 days. 

Random Picture...

...and random act of kindness. 

I'm friends with a gal named Lulu, and we met during our elephant journal internship. She's still writing more than I am and I think she's editing for them. I wish - but life took me in another direction. 

She is taking watercolor classes and she happened to post this picture. I complimented her on it, saying, "I'd hang that in my office!" 

Next thing you know, it's in the mail to me!  I took it to Michael's and got it framed. What do you think?

Isn't it gorgeous? The framer was also very pleased. Not only with how it turned out (which is beautiful) but with the actual picture. She's a watercolor artist, and she said Lulu's technique was lovely. 

Of course I repeated that to her! It's a beautiful picture, given with love, and framed with love. It's not hanging at my office. 

I hung it in my living room so I could see it every day. Well, hopefully next time there won't be so much time between entries. Till then!