Life in the Time of Covid-19

I've been trying to blog for about ...well, a month now. Trying to get back in the groove. I take a picture and think, "Wow, that would be great for the blog." And then? Pfffffffth. No mojo. So, pardon the whatever-it-is that I'm feeling (lots of things, simultaneously, honestly).

The "shelter-in-place" order we've been under for about a week now isn't what's bothering me. Honestly, as a high-functioning introvert (meaning: I can ACT like an extrovert when I have to, but I'd prefer to just not "people" if I don't have to), it's not too bad. I've got the Internet, yarn, books...I've been baking up a storm (see the pics) and I don't have to put shoes on. All good.

Let's just go to pictures and we'll start from there. So I guess the bad news is that I'm one of the "laid off" folk again. That being said, this pic was from the local store near where I used to work. That was the "wipes" section. Empty.

Kinda like the paycheck I'm not getting. Kinda like my attempts to call the Department of Employment because I need a password reset. And I can't get a human. No answer even on the day that I spent calling every ten minutes. Hoping to get an answer. Not sure how or if that's going to improve, and it's frustrating as all get-out.

The one good thing is that I still have a part-time gig that I can do at home. Which leaves me time to clean out and purge my home office (it's either that or drink WAYYYYYYYY too much tea, which doesn't make my heart happy). I've been seriously purging stuff and tossing. I have a great idea for the old "The Sun" magazines -- I'm taking my address info off and donating them to the local Little Free Libraries. I hate to toss them because they're treat magazines. But I don't have any reason to keep them. Maybe if Kid #2 ever gets anything published in there, I'll keep one.

The Knitting...

And the other good thing is that I'm knitting like crazy. I took what turned out to be a "last" trip to my favorite LYS, Le Mouton Rouge Knittery in Bloomington -- which isn't exactly LOCAL, since it's 2 hours away, but I like to support Kelly because I've been a friend & patron since she was actually "local." Do a gal a favor -- check out her site. I don't get any compensation -- but you'd be helping a young woman business owner. Who also happens to be a fantastic knitter, designer and person who can help you pick colors and yarns. And who does a great mail-order business as well as the brick & mortar store.

Anyway... I got some Cascade Yarns cotton, and finally, instead of stashing it, I had Hubby be my yarn swift and wound up the cotton. I needed to replenish my stash of washcloths, so I did. Here are a few of them. A simple bias-knit one, a ribbed one, and a circular one. Kinda liking the circular one. The ribbed one - I'm not sure how I got the 2 ribs in the middle; could've been during a binge of "The Royal Now" - a UK hospital soap. Again, no matter.

It was the "last" trip only in the sense of the "shelter-in-place" order we're under here in IL. I actually put in an order for Kelly to send me because as you'll see in one project, I want to make it a little larger. I wasn't sure what I was going to knit out of THAT cotton yarn (I seem to be on a cotton binge these days), but I ended up with a lovely shawlette.

I got 3 cloths out of the Cascade Nifty Cotton Splash, colorway 204. It's a bit more drapey than Sugar & Cream; I'm sure it's more intended for garments than "washrags" as my Granny used to call them. But it does work for a cloth, and I could see a baby ensemble out of this. Knits up nicer - it's got some give. I have already used and washed these; they don't shrink like the Sugar & Cream ones but that's ok.

The circular one was a fluke - if you look at it, it's vaguely like the top of a hat. I did kind of ham-hand the finishing, but hey - not like I'm entering in the State Fair. And this one looks like the top of a mushroom if you flip it over!

I have ordered another hank of this, in a "Lime Splash" color. I'm not wedded to any color; I just use them in my bathroom. You want to know why I get so many compliments on my skin? These cloths and goat's milk facial soap. That's it. My "beauty routine" in a nutshell.

The other cotton was going to be destined for cloths, too, and it was on sale (pitter-patter goes my heart!). But after looking at it, I decided not to. I went tiptoeing thru Ravelry (and really? If you're NOT on Ravelry?? ... ) and found the Two-Color Seedlings Scarf. This is a vaguely crescent-shaped shawlette with a Feather & Fan border. It'll look nice when it's blocked... The yarn called for, Classic Elite Seedlings, wasn't what I put in my basket.

I bought Classic Elite Yarns Mika. It's discontinued, so I got the hanks for $7 each. It's 100% organic cotton, with a little wrap on it. The border is in "Rose" and the body is in "Terra Cotta." I do want to make the body a bit more substantial; I'm playing yarn chicken as it is, but it's also for a friend of mine who's on the tall side. I don't want it to be too small for her to wear.

She loves orange; this picture is a bit deceiving; it looks coral, but it's more like pumpkin and the rose border stands out a bit more. I think she'll like it. Her purse is a bright orange - not "traffic cone" but a nice deep orange.

I'm hoping that my order gets here soon, so that I can drop it off.

I'm also working on the Green Travel Sock; I'm just going to put my head down and knit a bunch of stuff that's been sitting around far too long. I did a bunch of prayer patches too, and a friend of mine asked me to knit a crown for her granddaughter - which I will, in pink, and find some jewels. I may have some buried in my sewing box.

Life in the Time of COVID-19...

Speaking of sewing, it's a "thing" to sew masks for the healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. After talking to Hubby, I've decided NOT to sew those. First off, I honestly believe they give a false sense of security. Oh, I know - what our government has done is criminal. That Mango Maggot in the WH is a crook.

He's mentally and socially retarded, and I do use that word in its traditional sense of "stunted" - as in, "the growth of the organism has been retarded."

He's thumbing his nose at everyone and doing exactly what he wants to do; he's aiming to be the Emperor of America and he doesn't care what happens to anyone but himself.

Back to the masks. I've seen several patterns and I think that they're just not effective. I wonder how many hospitals are actually accepting them and I'm not sure I want to go through the time and expense to do them, and for what? Maybe I need to find another way to help out. Rather, I absolutely KNOW that I need to find another way to help. I believe, in spite of rosy predictions from DC, that we're not going to ease up anytime soon on the social distancing and other precautions. There will be opportunities for me to help in some way.

Bread Bonanza...

I've been baking. Thankfully, I've not been eating; I'm a huge stress-eater. Unfortunately, since the bout of bronchitis I had at the beginning of the year, my A-fib seems to have come back, so I do have to watch my tea consumption. So to keep myself busy otherwise, I'm baking bread. Lots of bread.

Kid #2 taught me a "no-knead" recipe which gives you an amazing rustic loaf. The downside is maneuvering it into the scalding hot Dutch oven you bake it in. That's still something I'm practicing.

It also has a 5-hour rise. That's totally different for me. You make it in a tub. No mixer even!

The recipe is all in grams and you use a scale. Another first for me.

I must confess that I did try to make bread with my "1:1 Gluten-Free Flour" --- "use just like regular flour." Not so much, it turns out. It was a brick. A nasty, pale, raw brick. No pic, just trashed. Hubby got me a fresh yeast supply and I made my old standard: Potato bread, which was delicious and not gluten-free. I've discovered that I can bake bread with organic flour and it doesn't make my stomach go nuts.

Of course, with the hoarding going on, flour and yeast are in short supply. Seems like there's a rash of Instagram "sourdough" posts. Everyone is rediscovering bread. Thanks to Kid #2, bread is actually not a "new fad." He's been baking it since ... well, about 2 years ago, he bought himself a bread book and decided to make one new kind of loaf a week. Took off like quick-rising yeast, and now, he's a regular bread guy. Pizza crust. Donuts, English muffins, Poolish (look it up - it's a kind of bread)... all kinds of stuff. Japanese Milk Bread. I just drool from afar.

Anyway, back to the Potato Bread. It's an old recipe, and honestly, my next challenge will be a good Challah bread because I want to try braiding.

This bread is easy; and it makes a nice loaf. I'll make it again, but I want to work on a bread we can actually use for sandwiches. This one can be a bit crumbly. But it toasts up lovely and it's nice with fresh butter on it.

I have not made sourdough and I'm not going to. People don't realize that those starters practically turn into sentient beings and I don't want to make a loaf a week. I love sourdough, but not that much.

Moving House...

No, we're not moving. I'm talking about a house that moved. In the downtown of the next town over, there was a huge push to save this house that was on the chopping block for a gas station. Yeah, that's preservation in our area: tear down the old stuff and build yet another gas station, mini-mart... This is the Cassaday House. It's a rather nondescript house, but what it DOES have is local limestone. And history. It dates back to the 1880s and it might've been a hotel or something commercial. We have a nasty habit of destroying our own history. Our courthouse for the county was an architectural gem, and it got torn down for an upside-down concrete monstrosity that's on the verge of being torn down for a glass-and-steel monstrosity...

Anyway, it moved this week and it took 14 hours to make the move about 2 blocks up. I can't wait to see the museum they'll be creating. I believe they're going to make it about prominent African-Americans in the area, which is cool. The county has been around a long while, so I'm happy that our museum system is going forward.

In Memory...

So on the 22nd, it snowed. A lot. My dad died on the 23rd, at about 2:20 a.m. And it snowed. A lot. My brother and I shoveled a good bit of snow off the driveway so the hearse could get him. This will be 27 years since he's been gone. We didn't always get along, but I can say I have several of his traits, among them a talent for cooking and baking. 

We ended up with more than a few inches and it made me smile. It was the same day I made the Potato Bread. He taught me to bake bread. He taught me to make potica, bake cookies, cook from my imagination and intuition. Using a recipe as a jumping-off spot.

The snow doesn't last in March; it just falls to scare the crap out of people. I predicted this. I told people that we were in for some snow late in the first quarter.

Random Picture...

Madame Tippi is enjoying me being home. She's getting her fill and more of belly rubs and attention.

She's recovered nicely from her bout of pneumonia and her X-ray is clear. She's got a lot of her spunk back. Her voice will never be the same, but that's ok. Her personality is back.

All the dogs are enjoying me being home; I realized how much time I've spent away from home. What with teaching and working, I was running in several different directions.

Maybe this "shelter-in-place" is a blessing in disguise. At least my office is getting purged and my dog is getting spoiled.

I Have Not Died...

Good Lord. October. Thinking back, if I can remember that far back, I believe that was the time when I was hunkering down with The Neverending Wedding Afghan.

Which--- ta-da! is FINISHED. A week before the wedding, Jesus, Mary & Joseph! It's huge. And I think that future brides/grooms are getting a "throw" rather than a nearly-6-foot afghan.

It's partially my fault; I started it then set it aside. I foolishly thought, around October, that I could complete THIS (February wedding) with a Christmas shawl and Kid #2's afghan. Ha.

The shawl got set aside for Christmas 2020. And the Kid afghan? Well, it's at 50%.

So there's that.

Anyway, since it's been forever-and-a-day, here's the 411 on that afghan (411 = information for those who may not know... used to be you could dial 411 for information and the operator would give it to you.)... The yarn is Caron Simply Soft. Colors are (from the bottom): taupe, ivory, ocean. I don't think the "taupe" is very taupe, if you ask. I think it's brown. Looks like coffee in real life. But there you go. Ocean has a tad more green in it than this picture shows. It's lovely and I'd use that color again. Ivory is ivory, and all in all, the colors work well.

The pattern is "Stepping Waves" from Bernat. And I did a WHOPPER of a boo-boo. I used their yarn calculations. By that, I mean, they said "4 balls of this, 4 balls of this and 3 balls of that." And that's what I bought.

ROOKIE MISTAKE because now I have a literal crap-load of the ocean and ivory. Maybe that's ok. I have babies to knit for and this might be an advantage. The hand of the yarn is lovely and it seems to wear ok. Maybe a baby blanket. I like super-wash wool for the hats and sweaters.

I used a size 7 (24") circular needle. Sonda, my knitting guru (RIP dear friend) always said that a 24" needle could handle just about anything larger than a hat.

I got a basket from the local craft store, used some clear wrapping paper, and bought a pew bow. I know - I should've gotten something more "bow" and less "pew" -- and I'd have paid a lot less for it, for sure! But the ivory goes with the afghan and it's my nephew, so there you go.

Other knitting includes crochet (a scarf that can go with me to appointments) and socks. I found a great hack for the sock needles. My hands have been horribly dry, and so I grabbed a "finger" from the office, and I tried that. Voila! $3.45 for a dozen of them...

You can get them in "nude" but I don't really care. I ended up pushing this one inside-out and it was even easier to knit with. I've tried the leather thimbles, tried metal ones. Ran through BOXES of bandages.

So far, this works.

The sock is Plain Vanilla, Opal as usual. Colorway is Klangwelten, color 9044, lot 1302. I want this pair done. Just to get a pair done, because I'm tired of afghan knitting. I know I need to pick Kid's afghan up again soon, but I want to work on something that's just for me. For the First Socks of 2020, I'm committed to getting these done in record time.

Record time for me, that is.

The scarf is some little piffle...I got the yarn for one thing, that didn't work out and it was just sitting there. It's a Lion Brand skein where you do a one-skein scarf and it's ombre.

It's not great yarn. I'm sure I'll find a home for this scarf. But it won't be for me. Do I sound like a terrible snob?

I am. BUT - in this case, I don't want another scarf. I really do have plenty of them. And I have nothing red that goes with it. Not that that ever stopped me, but I don't need another one and I'm sure someone will adore this.

Simple double crochet. Easy and I can do this till the cows come home. Which, with the size of the skein, I'll be doing. But again - no rush.

I'm tempting the Knitting Fairies, but I'm a bit ahead on the baby knitting. I have one afghan all ready to go. Just need to whack together a hat and sweater for a boy (I know it's a boy, not sure when it's coming though). Hopefully, my friend will give me a head's up when her grandson is coming.

One final knitting thing... Prayer Patches. This is the bottom layer of a bag full that I'm hoping to complete. These are, quite literally, swatches. About 3-4" square, they're great stash-busters. I'm working through a bunch of hat yarn. We take them to church, they're blessed and put in a basket. If you don't want a whole prayer shawl, this fits in your purse or pocket, or heck -- use it as a luggage tie for all we care. It's just a nice thing for those of us who don't have a ton of time to knit entire prayer shawls.

Not Knitting, But a Craft...

This is a silk shawl my boss gave me for Christmas. The beauty of this is that it really IS a one-of-a-kind design. Because she made it. There's a woman locally who runs this studio where you can go paint these. Actually, one of my oldest friends did one for me, in tones of orange and cream, which is lovely. This one is more in the tones I wear.

I wore it to the OTHER job and people kept asking me to pet it. The silk is really, really luscious. I need to research how to tie them better. This is kind of plain, but it still shows off the scarf.

We're looking at hosting a sort of fundraiser for this project. I think it should be easy to do; might be expensive, but that's not a big issue. If it's a fundraiser, that's the point.

TIPPI Update...

Well, good news & bad here. In November, she finished her chemo treatments. She actually retired as a TDI therapy dog, because they require vaccinations and with her recovery from Lymphoma, she's not going to be vaccinated anymore. Vaccines "excite" the lymph system, which is just what you do NOT want with a lymphoma survivor. So. TWO kinds of cancer this dog survived (Thyroid,which I found around Treatment #2 for Lymphoma, and she had surgically removed). We are - or were - still visiting.

But. Today, honest to God. I thought "this is it." I thought she'd be at the Rainbow Bridge by dinnertime.

She was up most of the night "yarking" up bile periodically. Now she'd been doing this every so often, but I was told it was "doggie reflux" from the chemo & cancer. But this was different, because she also had accidents in the house, and wasn't moving. Hubby said she couldn't make it up the steps after her morning "toddle"... And she looked absolutely rotten. She was panting and snorting and breathing heavily.

At the vet's office, they took an x-ray (There went $650, but after we've spent what we spent on the chemo and thyroid surgery? We almost didn't notice it...) and said her right lung was "cloudy." Dr. Katie said it looked to her like pneumonia, given her other symptoms of the bile and the breathing. She couldn't address the weak legs, but suggested it was because of the pneumonia doing a number on her breathing in general. In good conscience, she reported also that it could be "diffused cancer" - we won't know till the radiologist renders a verdict.

Pneumonia is treatable in a 13-year-old dog. Lung cancer, not so much. I'll keep you posted. Pray, if you're inclined. Just that she catches a break and gets to live to her natural lifespan.

Speaking of Therapy Dogs...

We can't call her a "therapy dog" because she's nowhere NEAR being certified. But Raisa had her first visit last month. The folks at the university don't really care if she's TDI or not. Which is good, because she's a long way off from that!

That being said, she had her first visit and she didn't do too badly. She's a lot "kissier" than Tippi, but she didn't get the idea that she'd get belly rubs. Which is also ok. She'll figure it out.

They were kind of fascinated at her. And she was a goofball.

The original schedule was Tippi the first week and Raisa the 3rd, but now with Tippi's diagnosis of pneumonia, visiting is out till she's better. Or till we have an alternative diagnosis, which will kind of tell us what we have to do.

So, what with the Democratic Primary coming up March 17th, Tippi won't be visiting anyway. I'll be Election Judging...

The Weather Outside...

WAS frightful. We had a mini-polar-vortex and then it snowed. And now it's thawing and we're set to have higher temperatures. Welcome to February. So this is me outside the church on a sub-zero day. See that cowl? That's one other reason I don't need another scarf.

That's a TEN dollar cowl from Walgreen's. Seriously. And it's toasty-warm and washable. Can't beat that bargain...

And then there are the orchids. We're up to 2 cattleya and a bunch of mini-phals. One big phalenopsis, because the others died off. But the mini ones are blooming again, so maybe that's what our house does best??

Anyway, Hubby got some "real" orchid lights. They look a little weird, and I had to adjust one because it was hitting me right in the eyeballs as I was in my knitting chair.

But they're automatic, which is helpful, since neither of us could ever remember to turn the light off in a timely fashion. And they're LED bulbs, which last a long time and are energy efficient.

As long as they're growing, we're both happy. We're avoiding the orchid house's big sale. We just can't! Well....we COULD...

Random Picture...

The other day I was going to the cardiologist. It's not great news, but it could be a lot worse. It appears I'm in A-fib again but for now we're just watching it. I kind of figured. But I didn't want to think about it.

This and having to get a tooth replaced with an implant? I'm kinda wishing 2020 started over...

Anyway -- I was really early so I stopped off at the local greenhouse. It's a great place to sit quietly and contemplate when it's "butt-freezing cold" outside.

There are two water features and this one had koi with a turtle...I didn't catch the shot with the turtle, but these guys were pretty feisty.

It's late; I have more to tell you but I want to go to sleep. It was a long night; and I'm not sure what tonight will bring.

Randomly, Just Because...

I had a whole post started about 10 days ago, and I know it's been --- YIKES --- since JULY when I last visited with you.

Life got nuts. I apologize. Part of it (well, a lot of it) is me. I've been totally overwhelmed and I feel like all the plates I'm juggling are falling down around me. And I really, REALLY need a vacation but I'm not going to get one - just some random days off. Which isn't a vacation. It's a long story that will have to wait for another day.

Anyway. Twelve pics... About one a week, I think - for the weeks I didn't show up. I have to tell you the latest Windows update has cramped my style...It's messed with my phone and its ability to upload pictures, and my email had a major brain cramp and almost died. We won't talk about how many emails I have in my inbox - that's my chore this weekend. Among other things.

Knitting... 

Several urgent projects going on in the knitting baskets... This is part of a baby ensemble. It's allegedly car knitting, but I've got to get skippy with it so I may end up putting in some chair time this weekend on this one.

Cascade Superwash in a really cool mahogany color, though it shows up kinda pink in this picture. My standard baby sweater pattern, but on a size 6 needle, because while the pattern calls for a size 5, for some reason, I didn't like the fabric it was producing. It was stiff and while the stitch definition was nice and I got gauge, it still didn't feel like I wanted it to feel.

So I went up; I've added an inch of girth to it. It'll be fine. Babies bundle...

There's gonna be a wedding in February. About the time everything else comes due....so I started this simple wave afghan. The last wedding afghan I did, I believe was in crochet.

Knitting seemed like a good idea, though I can crochet much faster. I'm not thinking, apparently...

Anyway, this is Caron Simply Soft, which is a great go-to acrylic. It has a nice sheen, it's washable, sturdy enough for baby stuff, and it comes in some gorgeous colors.

My mom said, "her colors are blue, taupe and grey." Okey dokey. I couldn't find grey to save my life...I must've bought it all for Kid #2's afghan (more on that in a second)...

So I bought "Bone." The blue here is "Ocean," which, yes, does have a slight green tinge to it. It's close-ish to teal, but not that green. I like it. It's very jewel-toned, which is my cup of latte. The brown? That's Caron's idea of taupe. Go figure. I got nuthin'... I thought "taupe" was a rosy beige. Not brown.

ANYWAY... I think this combo looks lovely just as it is. Who knew??? So when I described it to my mom, she said, "Oh, she likes soft colors." This was 3 pattern repeats into this thing.

The bride is getting this. And hopefully, she'll like it. And if she doesn't, I'm ok with that too.

Kid #2's afghan is about 50% done. I know I should probably plow through it to get it finished, but I'm pretty sure it'll be done for Christmas. I'd like to get the Bridal Afghan about half way, so that I can switch off on them.

I haven't knitted a sock in months. I'm kind of having withdrawal.

Lunch and Food...

Hubby has taken to packing my lunch in quite an interesting fashion. I was packing lunches, and then he decided he'd do it. Fine by me. It gives me about 7-ish extra minutes to get ready for work.

The other day, he made me a salad, cut up some cukes, put some cherry tomatoes in a container. I grabbed the round container with a bit of cheese in it and the other red-lidded container has my dressing in it.

And I always have fruit for lunch... he even peeled my tangerine (lower left container)... And gave me celery sticks.

It looks like a lot; but two nights out of the week I go directly to the studio to teach a yoga class, so I have a biggish lunch so I'm not chewing on a yoga mat. The fruit I usually save till about 3 or 4 p.m. so as to kind of get a nice bit of energy toward the end of the afternoon.

Yes, I have a placemat and a napkin. I eat at my desk; I want to be a little civilized. I need to get back to getting out of the office for lunch; staying in isn't healthy.

But my lunches are!

One of my students brought me a piece of baklava. Egyptian baklava. Who knew? Anyway, it was delicious. It's a bit drier than some I've had, which is fine with me; I don't like it really soggy because it messes with the phyllo dough. This was also made with a simple syrup, rather than honey. She would say that the Egyptian one is the "right" one... I'm not going to argue. I'll eat baklava any day.

Other Stuff...

Speaking of the studio, I went out after class recently to see this... Lights. The landlord had put those white lights along the front and sides of the building.

Our parking lot is really nicely lit, front and back, but this added a nice touch to the building, I think. I have no idea why he felt he had to do that, but at least now, since we're in a bit of a "hole" geographically speaking, I can tell people to look for the lights.

The other day, at the church, someone I know was selling baskets and hats from Ghana. I bought these two things... The basket is called a "U-shape market basket" and the hat is just cute. Both are made out of wheat grass by a collective in a village. The money goes to the village; the folks that sell these buy them directly from the villagers. The basket is gorgeous and sturdy.

The hat will wait till spring and summer to be worn; I have to get a band for the inside of it, because apparently, a sweaty forehead will wreck the straw.

The skin on the handles of the basket is goat skin; the village raises goats for milk and meat. I'm happy to support the cause; and the items are well-made.

Speaking of well-made... I've been using this diffuser for about 4 years now; and it's still plugging along. While Young Living doesn't make this diffuser anymore, I have three of them. One is in the yoga studio and is used constantly. One is in the small bathroom where Quinn hangs out. And one is here on this shelf.

I love blending oils for different moods or just because I think they'll go together well. This is actually a blend I had no idea of - I saw it online and it's grapefruit + white angelica.

And it's called "Cray-Away."

Lord knows I'm in dire need of keeping the cray away...

At the aforementioned yoga studio, meet Yogi Bones... I have a thing for skeletons, and it being the season, I figured I'd hang one on the door. He doesn't articulate quite the way I wanted, but he does glow in the dark!

We have two skeletons in Lotus pose on the cubbies where students put their shoes and stuff. And I have a "Dark Knight" pumpkin...That's a pumpkin that's basically a very dark green.

We're diffusing stuff like Thieves + Tangerine and it smells like "autumn" in the studio lately.

Tippi Update...

Well, she's not quite done with chemo (5 more treatments, ends mid-November), and she's got a little chemo-brain. And her immune system is shot. But she went back to work "unofficially" this past week.

Everyone had to use Thieves hand sanitizer, because of her immune system, and because it's the only one she doesn't sneeze at... And the kids were great! Patient with her and loving on her, and she gave out 3 belly rubs. Not the most, but she was happy to be there. We're going to work visits around her chemo, so it won't be the same schedule, and everyone's ok with that.

It's Fall, Y'all...

This shot was down by the swing bridge on my way to work this week. Ground fog in the a.m. and the sunrise. And an abandoned area...

Kind of spooky and kind of awesome.







And In the News...

My opinion...

I'll do a blog on it. Just not now. My brain hurts and I'm overwhelmed with everything.

Normalizing hate.

Alienating our allies.

Demonizing anything not white and male.

Denigrating women.

Spewing impeachable acts left and right.

Sowing disrespect everywhere he goes.

And that's just the short list.


Random Picture...

I have this small calendar in my small office... And this is what it said for October. And it's what I think I need to do. Peeps, I've been feeling really down. My energy is in the toilet. I hate to sound like a whiny privileged Boomer. (Which I am - at least the privileged Boomer thing - I've got it ok in my life; I'm relatively healthy; I'm relatively successful; I'm employed)... I'm not feeling myself, which is mostly why I haven't been around. I'm in a writer's slump. I'm paddling but I'm not going anywhere.

It is what it is and I'm going to climb out of my slump. But current events aren't helping and while that may sound like a cop-out, for a lot of reasons, it's not. Many of us are suffering some sort of fatigue if we're even remotely awake and paying attention.

My hope is that in the near future, we'll have some relief.

Home again, home again...

Room 10 at Patchwork Inn

What's the nursery rhyme? 

To market, to market
To buy a fat hog.
Home again, home again
Jiggety jog. 

That's actually only one verse of it, but it's all I can remember. 

Anyway... This past weekend, when the bowels of Hades opened up and barfed upon us such heat as to curl the sidewalks and make even the birds decry the trees... We went up to Oregon, IL. We were mainly pleased, but also disappointed. The B & B, Patchwork Inn, was lovely. We'd stay there again. Mom was, at first, against a B & B, but I think I've converted her, at least in this format. Each of us had our own bathroom, which is a "must" for her. Me, too, if I'm honest. I digress; the hosts were wonderful and the breakfast was amazing. We only stayed for 1 breakfast, but after the "brunch cruise," I think I should've just taken them up on their breakfast because the cruise one was a definite "meh" with a side of, "jeeze, some of it's not even warm..."

Back yard of the Inn

The Blackhawk statue, whose proper name is "The Eternal Indian," was under repair and he looks to be in that condition for more years to come. Oh well. We saw it. We also went up to Castle Rock Overlook and seriously, you wouldn't think you were in Illinois: flat, boring Illinois didn't exist here. Hopefully, I'll have pictures, because for some reason, my camera/phone hasn't synced in a while. 

The Eternal (Covered) Indian

Mom found a '50s diner and her only complaint was, "Needs more neon!" Authentic burger, according to her, and the decor was really cool. Actually, on the drive up to the place, we stopped where Kid #2 lives and while he was out of the area, we were able to hit up a sandwich spot there for a bite before we got too late to have dinner. Her idea of dinner is 4:30. Mine is 6:30... 

My oils for the trip

And seriously. Saturday was hot. Hot to the point of the stable cancelling all activities and my phone practically melting with all of the "heat advisory" messages. In my hometown, they were saying it "feels like" 119 degrees. Yeah. Phoenix temps in the Midwest. It wasn't pretty. That was the day that mom decided that hiking was a good idea. Mind you, 'hiking' at this point was not about a 3-mile jaunt through the trails. It was more like, "Let's try this and see how it goes." And it went about a half-mile - which, for an 82-year-old in that heat? I'm thinking that was pretty spectacular. 

Castle Rock Overlook

The river cruise was nicer, since the temp dropped about 30 degrees; down to a bearable 75 degrees or so. I saw a couple of eagles! I don't have a super-long lens on my camera, nor does my phone take those kinds of pics. But I saw them; I'm happy with that. The drive home was a relief; not because we were sick of each other, but both of us wanted our own beds. Why do places have spectacular linens and mattresses, but pillows that are flatter than a pancake??

Slept like a log last night! 

The Knitting...

Well, the green project I showed you last time is finished. The Traveling Short Sock is FINISHED... I have a pair of socks!! 

As you can see, they're fraternal - done in Opal yarn, but I never really try to match them. Hubby asked me to move my feet so they matched - I really don't have oddly sized feet! 

I have a big whack of this yarn left, so it may be the base for some Crazy Socks. It would probably work well, since I tend toward socks in similar hues as these, though these do have far more white than I'm used to. 

I won't know what yarn is in the next phase of the Green Mystery Project till later today; so at this point, with (wait for it...) a FREE DAY... I picked up the Copland Shawl, and got moving on that. I'd forgotten (a) how pretty the yarn is and (b) how ABSOLUTELY BORING meditative it is to do about six bazillion miles of straight stockinette stitch. Seriously, the two KFBs on either end and that set of yarn-overs for the "spine" of the shawl aren't necessarily enough to break up the monotony. 

I should review my Gaitri Mantra while I'm knitting, just to keep my mind occupied.  

I did find kind of a unique shop in the Conover Piano Factory, which was overall a disappointing venture... It's a yarn shop of sorts, but it's to benefit a sheltered workshop, which is fine by me. They get end runs and discontinued colors to sell to people via donation and the money goes to the workshop. I bought some hand-dyed yarn (Wool-Ease) for a prayer shawl, and a batch of stuff I can't quite figure out. I'll post a picture next time; it's quite the amalgamation of fibers in one worsted-weight yarn. Pretty colors; likely destined for a shawl. 

The Politics...

OK, so let's chat about "go back where you came from." Let's talk about how ignorant that is on its face; how it's actually harassment and against the law; and how it's a major distraction by #DonTheCon to keep our attention off the Mueller testimony this week. Among other things, like the Epstein sewer. Let's also talk about the #manbaby whining about "presidential harassment" and how, in my opinion, one (a) can't claim that (see Obama for 8 years); and (b) should be presidential before complaining of presidential harassment... It's not a crime, dude. Get over your nasty self.

"Go back where you came from" is usually reserved for brown people, because bigots always assume that white folk are the only "legal" ones. While small, there's still a significant percentage of "white" illegal immigrants, to use the current un-PC designation, for purposes of our discussion. From Migration Policy Institute, between 2012-16, five percent (5%) of the immigrants who came here illegally were from Europe, Canada, or Oceania (the lands of the Pacific Ocean). That's a little over 570,000 - which is still a sizable chuck of humanity. 

But this administration* only wants to talk about the brown ones. This Shyster-in-Chief only wants to talk about the ones who don't look like his "base," though for the life of me, why anyone who's brown or black actually supports this guy is kinda beyond me. 

Ilhan Omar is a legal US Citizen.
AOC comes from The Bronx (that's in NY).
Ayanna Pressley was born in Chicago.
Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit...

Soooooooooo - They're all as legal as I am. 

The phrase "Go back where you came from" is also discriminatory. Not because I'm a liberal snowflake. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - founded in 1965) says it is. Here's a nice discussion of that law. Also, from NPR, here's another enlightening piece you might want to look at. It's good to have the history of the phrase in the back of your brain. You're welcome for all the research... 

The upshot of all of this is that the Shyster-in-Chief has once again trampled a law to bits because it suited his purpose. And we're waiting, those of us with working brain cells, for the other shoe to drop. Mueller is testifying in Washington. Epstein's smoking, putrid cesspool actually has tapes that could cause problems in 2020 for a LOT of people, up to the royalty in England. 

Time will tell; and y'all kind of already know my own leanings. I don't want 4 more years of this. We have to get our country back on an even keel, now more than ever. 

The Food I Ate...

Breakfast protein

I've been really, really careful, and I've found something that's driving my stomach nuts. And it's upsetting me. Because I think it's gluten. I'm not diagnosed with celiac (I already had that tested). Back to our trip, I was very careful of what I ate, but at a few points, it was beyond my control, and the commonality behind all of them were wraps. I tried to avoid bread & pasta, and I succeeded for the main part, but on 3 occasions, I had regular wraps and yikes...my stomach was not happy. 

I've come to the conclusion that there's probably a gluten sensitivity there somewhere. Nuts. (Well, those I can eat...) I guess it is what it is. I could have worse problems. 

Right now, with Kid #2 baking bread like a man possessed, I can't quite come up with what those "worse" problems could be... although y'all know I'm just kidding. With the health issues in our family tree? So I don't eat bread...big deal. 

Though I did find a pizza I liked: Caulipower pizza - a cauliflower crust that actually tastes like something. I'll buy it again, but sparingly; it's definitely a "treat" thing. 

This weekend, I was ok in my food, except for that little encounter with a bag (large, sorry) of Kettle Chips "Uglies." Yeah, I know. I felt bad afterward, but I figure that (a) I haven't done anything like that in over a year; and (b) it's done, so don't beat yourself up over it. That won't change it, so just roll with it. 

Always another day to make better choices. Speaking of which, I have these two Young Living protein powders to add to my morning repertoire. I find that MIXING them -- yes, 1 scoop of the chocolate (yummy in itself) with one scoop of the vanilla spice is really a nice combo. That's mixed with half & half almond milk & coconut water. It works for me. 

Random Picture...

We walked, the day we got there, down to the Rock River. It was still blazing hot, but we figured we weren't in a hurry... This was a shot just on the opposite side of the dam there. 

I thought we'd have a breeze off the water. We did not. At least it didn't stink of fish! We sat under the picnic shelter and just kind of decompressed. It was nice to do that. 

The entire Oregon area is really pretty; doesn't look anything like what you might think "Illinois" looks like and I'm glad we went. 

Will we spend the weekend in the fall? Likely not. We can drive up there, do the horse thing, and then take a walk (because if she's on a horse and then I stick her in the car for a 2-hour drive back? I won't get her OUT of the car because her hips will lock up!), and maybe stop at "our favorite 50's diner" for lunch, and THEN go back home. 

It's a goal. 

Nowhere Man

I hereby apologize to the Beatles for stealing their song title, especially since I'm about to rant on Agent Orange. Mango Mussolini, the pRresident*, Don the Con... Or, Nowhere Man. 

I mean seriously. This buffoon will put his name on anything. And I've got a pile of dog crap he can have. I wonder if I'd get into trouble mailing it to him? High grade, Siberian Husky stuff, which might make him all warm and fuzzy about his handler, Putin. 

Rebranding the 4th of July is beyond incredibly stupid. And you know what? He's going to get away with it because he's still a Useful Idiot in the grand scheme of Mitch McConnell, who seems to be single-handedly wrecking our democratic republic. Way to go, Mitch - everyone's gotta have a goal. 

Tanks sit outside Washington DC's downtown area. Luckily, they're not going to rumble down the streets - seeing as they'd tear the asphalt to ribbons. Grandstands are being built. Somehow, there's gonna be the BabyTrump balloon. Wonder how that got there???

And tickets are being offered - for a donation. Which will go into the grifter's pocket or that of his mendicant kids. 

And... WE get to pay for this. Yeppers - right out of our tax money. Never have I wanted more to have a say in where those tax dollars go. And nobody is listening to the screams. 

This isn't America. Or as my friend Alice (a very mild-mannered woman, to be sure) said, "What a dumb-f*&%." She doesn't use that language frequently. When she does, smart people hide under the furniture. 

I'm resigned to no impeachment, though God alone knows that if a Democrat did one iota of the crap that's been perpetrated upon this country and its citizens? Oy, the streets of Washington would be aflame with documents and that person would be escorted out in shackles. 

I know all I have is the ability to rant. So I will move on to other topics, since outrage is wearying and in this case, fruitless. 

The Knitting...

Well, the secret project is coming along, though when the heat hit the 90s, I set it aside to work on socks. Much easier to deal with in the summer! 

This is, however, a sneak peek at the second half of the project. I'm liking how this is working out and honestly?

If I could muster the energy to do a sweater, I'd use this kind of "fade" technique. 

There are a couple of techniques I'd like to start learning; one of the biggies is cables. And for that, I need to learn to read charts. Charts terrify me. I don't know why. But they do. 

I'd rather just watch someone, but I know that for my own skill-building, that's not practical. A knitter needs to know this stuff. 

I also need to work on lace knitting and learn how to read an Orenburg lace chart. Those things are wild. 

But anyway, socks. I'm puttering along on The Green Travel Sock, and am about half-way down the foot. So after that, just cut the other one, stringing a lifeline first, and then re-knit the foot + toe. 


And there's this little beauty -- my Shortie Socks. I will confess that they feel a tad-bit tight. I'm using Size 1 needles. This is my regular Opal yarn, which is my go-to workhorse yarn. The color is called "Model" - can't quite figure out why, but it doesn't matter. It's a very whimsical colorway, and I think if I'd done full-sized socks, they'd have been very striking. 

However - I wanted "instant socks" and this is as close to that as I'll get, if I'm knitting them myself. 

This is "my" pattern - in that it's out of my head. Let's face it: sock architecture is what it is. Heels and toes change, but every sock has the following:

• Cuff
• Leg
• Heel
• Foot 
• Toe

Just a matter of which ones you want to do, and how you do them. Do you want a deep cuff? I like mine rolled at the top. Do you want a long leg or short? Short this time! Do you want a Fleegle heel, Strong heel, afterthought, Sweet Tomato, Fish Lips Kiss, flap and gusset? And I'm probably missing a few styles. This is my go-to, "Doris" heel, for the woman who taught it to me. A nice heel with a bit of knit stitch on each side to aid in picking up stitches for the gusset. 

So my concession to the small needles (Size 1 is the smallest I've knitted with yet), I did my K2tog in "tbl" (through back loop) and it made this little "swoosh" of yarn along the side. It works for me. 


When these are done, I'll write up exactly what I did. I do take notes.

I like this close-up because it shows the detail on the yarn's colorway. It's very cute; and it goes with just about everything I own. 

That's what I like about Opal - there's a colorway that appeals to almost everyone. Their themes are usually adorable, and the yarn wears like iron. 

I'll confess that it's a bit scratchy to knit with. Nowhere NEAR as bad as Zauberball (I can't see how people can knit socks with that); and once you wash it and wear it a few times, it softens up nicely. 

I'm trying valiantly to knit from stash. So of course, my friend (the said Doris of the "Doris Heel") gives me a very belated Christmas present: a $50 gift certificate to my favorite LYS. Oy. Gonna save that for something special. 

The Garden...

Well, we've had some wonky weather (what else is new?) and there's more coming this week. Which is nice, because it ought to keep the locals from going nuts with fireworks. That being said, we shall see how it all shakes out. 

The milkweed is still doing well; we've noticed Monarchs flittering around, and from what I'm told, that means they're scoping it out. I'm hoping for Monarchs and Swallowtails on the parsley and dill. 

My veggies are almost done; those that are "summer veggies" that is. The Romaine is about finished. I need to re-plant the radishes and try again. The leeks are coming along, as are the carrots. 

I'm disappointed in the Borage and the Butterfly Weed that I planted from seed. My friend took the rest of my Borage and it's going nuts in her yard. Mine? Pfffffffffth. 

Here's a little video of the storm from Sunday. This was Storm #1. After that, we had Storm #2, which came out of nowhere. What's scary is that when this happened, the temps dropped about 25 degrees. That's "tornado" kind of stuff. 

So far, there have been a few warnings, but nothing really serious. We still have July and August to go, though. 

We had lots of tree damage from this little performance. But luckily, the half-dead tree in our neighbor's yard stood firm. Luckily because if it lands anywhere, it'll be in my kitchen. 

My Hair...

Yeah. My hair. So I'm getting it cut by a new stylist on Friday. (gulp!) I have a 15-minute consultation with her before she even gets me in a shampoo chair. 

For posterity, I took a number of shots as it is right now, because on Monday, it was behaving. Today it is not. 

I've got pics of what I want, I think. I mean I think it's what I want. I do have pics... I'm strongly considering cutting it short again. I know this is "short" to a lot of people, but I'm talking a cross between a pixie and a bob - a little lift and length on top, and considerably shorter at the back. 

My summer includes volunteering to clean up at the Old Joliet Prison and biking. Neither of those is conducive with longer hair - longer for me, I mean. 

And because of the heart meds I take, it's a little thinner than I'd like. I think the length isn't helping there either. 

I'll keep you posted. If you're wondering about the blue background, that's the wall in my yoga studio. 

Random Picture...

Where there's life, there's hope... Last year, this was my shot of a Monarch on my Purple Coneflower. I'm hoping for a lot more of these guys. 

As I look at my garden, I'm a bit dismayed at the amount of weeding I have to do, when the weather calms down; but ultimately, I'm proud of the "native" aspect of it. I've got mostly native plants in there, and everything will come back on its own. It's almost maintenance free. 

Now I just need to see butterflies and bees in regular appearance. That will make it just want I want.