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. 

Hashtags

Well, as much as I try to get here regularly, I can't seem to stick to a schedule. And maybe that's ok. I'm sitting at work, eating lunch -- trying to eat a "wrap-thing" that isn't quite a wrap and not get it down my front. Definitely a "First World" problem, but for those of us whose lunch does tend to wander, it's an issue. 

#shadesformigraine 

Today, as well as being Summer Solstice, First Day of Summer and "Almost 4th of July" is also Migraine Solidarity Day. With #shadesformigraine, those of us who suffer from migraine, and our family and friends, are trying to build awareness. Migraine is not "just a headache" by any means. It can be debilitating, and like many "pink" diseases, it's mainly a woman's disorder. Which means that not only does medical science ignore it, but it's demeaned in the workplace and in some families. 

Frankly, I could write a book about my experiences as a migraineur (which is the term for one who suffers from migraine). I remember teaching my kids about "Mommy has a really bad headache, so please be quiet." I clearly remember a conversation with my neurologist telling her that I was going to shoot myself if the pain didn't cease. That was before we really got them under control - which is very much a "trial-and-error" process. I remember my own mother's "Mommy has a headache so please play outside till dark" requests. The Migraine Diet (eliminating potential triggers). The prescriptions. Keeling over when I was clearly over-medicated - usually in the process of substituting a "better" drug for the one that became ineffective over time. Oh yeah. Good times. 

Oh, oh, oh... My FAVORITE one... I was working at a job (which shall remain nameless) and I had a migraine over the weekend. It was a 3-day migraine, and on Monday, I was still under the weather. I called in and said I had a migraine and wouldn't be in that day. About 3 hours later, the phone rang (I wanted to shoot it...) and there's someone on the phone from the job wondering "how bad the headache really was?" Lucky for them(??), Hubby answered the phone. 

Let's just say it wasn't pretty. The person got a new seat ripped into them courtesy of Hubby, who's been my staunch ally in this journey. And then, when I got in on Tuesday, I read them chapter and verse about migraines...and pointed out that, in 3 years, that had been my ONLY sick day. Trust much?? 

Anyway, the reason I'm blogging about this is that I found out about #shadesformigraine by accident. I had a migraine starting on Tuesday, and I neglected to put sunglasses in my car. Hey, it's Illinois, and this is the "season of no sun" lately...it was raining when I left for work. Well, I posted on Facebook, "Pro-tip for migraineurs - always carry sunglasses" and a fellow sufferer gave me the info. 

Let's show the world that migraines are a problem. Help me share by taking a selfie with your shades, and using the hashtag. Thanks!!

The Knitting...

I can't remember if I posted this, but this is still as far as the shortie socks have gotten. I brought them home from work; I haven't been able to work on them during lunch, so I thought I'd at least whack out the heel at home and then perhaps carry them in the car. It won't take too long to finish them. I think I'll shoot for a Star toe, which I have in a reference book somewhere in my office. 

I'm really enamored of the colorway. So summery. At least, if this summer pans out like the Farmer's Almanac says it will (colder and wetter), there will be SUMMER ON MY FEET!!

So this is all I have left of the Secret Project. Well, not really. It's all I have left of the first 2 balls of yarn. I've got enough to stash for the ultimate project: a Stripey Scrappy Baby Cardigan. I'll use my favorite pattern, which is easy and adorable, and I'll use up all my worsted scraps. It'll be wild... 

I haven't really done much on Copland. But I am loving the tones of the brown yarn. The more I knit with it, the happier I am with it. The hand -- I mean the way the fabric drapes ("the hand" is the term for that) -- it's just so lovely and soft. And the stitch definition is scary-good. I mean, this is all stockinette stitch - so I've got about a zillion miles of stockinette that has to be pretty much perfect. 

Because the tiniest "blip" will show. Lucky for me, my tension is usually pretty good (Wait - the Knitting Goddesses did NOT hear that from me...!!) and I'm pretty confident (wowza, I'm brave...) that this will be lovely when it's done. 

No thanks to my knitting (trying to appease said Knitting Goddesses), of course, but to the lovely Expression Fiber Arts yarn. 

I've started another project, and I love the way the colors are coming together. As you can see it's from a "refreshed" 8-Hour Baby Blanket book. I love what they've done to the patterns. There are some old faves there and some new ones that are just lovely.

What I like is that they're "lap robe" sized, which is a blessing for me. My church has a fairly active Prayer Shawl group, and I really don't have tons of time to knit a full-sized shawl. I'm so slow that it's not even funny and if I'm going to do this, I'd like to actually complete one in a year. I'm not kidding... I'm pushing my luck with Kid #2's afghan AND the Copland being a Christmas gift!

Anyway, this is going to be the project in the upper left picture; the other color is a cream-and-green tweed, heavy on the cream. I've already started that section and it's popping nicely with that beautiful green. 

 Encore Worsted is such a great, economical choice for not only baby stuff but things like prayer shawls. It's around $9/hank and so it's totally reasonable for charity knitting. It's durable, being 75% acrylic and 25% wool. And warm. It knits up really nicely; especially with this "8-hour" method -- on size 13 circulars. 

A lap robe, for instance, can take me about a month. Combine slow knitting with work, and I can deal with a month for a project like this. 

Huzzah!! In between paragraphs, I managed to finish lunch, and nothing landed on my shirt!

I'll take little victories today. 

Current Events...

I have to confess, I've been in a bit of a news hole lately. There's a limit. 

I am not surprised at Hope Hicks' refusal to answer questions. I am scared, though. Scared that this nightmare won't end. Scared that we've turned a corner which we'll be unable to retreat from, in 2020. 

I'm afraid that this administration will flourish, thanks to the likes of Mitch McConnell, who's getting exactly what his little turtle-mind wants: he's using the Useful Orange Idiot to strip the country bare. He simply doesn't care about anyone or anything unless it directly profits him or his cronies. And the rest of us, and the planet? We can go hang. 

What I don't understand is where does Mitch think he and his buddies are going to live when we've irretrievably polluted this planet? You still need, last I checked, air to breathe and water to live. 

Tippi Update...

Well, the Tipper wasn't doing so well this week... Chemo took its toll on her, and she had a day of vomiting and not eating. I expected it; the labs we got back showed that her system was bottomed out. The vet told us this. 

She's still subdued; eating but not her sparkly self. I would love to get her out on a short walk, but (a) her immune system is kaput; and (b) because of the Prednisone, she wants to Eat All The Things. 

Silly me, I had a half-day today, and I should've brought her here to work. Of course it didn't help that "Almost 4th of July" is happening and fireworks are now a nightly occurrence; we had a rough night last night. 

Yes. In Illinois, they ARE illegal. But we know how that one goes... I almost wouldn't mind the little "poppers" -- those ones on a string that are tiny. 

But I actually DO mind, thank you very much, the half-sticks and the M80s. One of my students remarked that last year, the only reason the cops came out to her neighborhood was because a half-stick actually lifted part of the street outside her house. First off, that's insane. And second off --- THAT is a problem. You want to blow your limbs off, that's fine with me. But shooting half-sticks of dynamite in a neighborhood causes property damage. 

We live near a river that's used heavily for barges. There are sheds along the river where sometimes construction companies store supplies. One year, about 8 years ago, one of the sheds blew up. It did have dynamite in there -- not a lot, thankfully, but we're about a mile or so from the actual river. 

Debris landed in our yard. Pieces of roofing, large shards of metal, shingles. One mile from the blast. Our whole house shook; we thought it was the chemical plant about 1/4 mile down the road. 

This is what idiots are shooting off "for fun." It's not fun. It's stupid and dangerous. 

Random Picture...

My friend gave me this mug. It's a really nice one; but I'm not sure I entirely agree with the sentiment. 

I guess I agree in a sense of "stop living in the past," but as we can see from current events in this day and age, we NEED to look back because in a very real and scary sense, history is repeating itself. And not in a good way. 

And I'm not talking about 80s and 90s fashions coming back. I'm talking about the hate, division, and evil being actively encouraged by the Useful Orange Idiot. 

There are many who do see the parallels. There are a significant number who don't see them. They do appear to be a bigger group, but I sincerely believe it's because they're just loud. 

I have to believe, if I'm to keep my head on straight and for the good of my kids and yours - that cooler heads and those with brains will prevail and this country will correct itself. 

I will soon start to research candidates more thoroughly. I will soon immerse myself in the upcoming campaigns. 

But for right now? I'm meditating on lovingkindness and working locally to encourage people to get involved and - most importantly - to talk to one another. 

Random Stuff on Saturday...

So it's been a bit busy; new equipment at work, Tippi starting chemo, an editing job that's kinda driving me nuts. Figured I'd get some time this weekend, and I needed to process a lot of what's been going on. 

Anyway, here we are. I got to spend a couple hours today with Hubby & Kid #2 on the driving range. It felt good. I'm not exactly Nancy Lopez (look it up...) but I was rather surprised at how quickly a golf swing came back to me. it had been 3 years or more. Hubby said I was out after my thumb fusion, but I don't remember. 

Randomly, I've sort of emptied my camera here and we'll go over everything. 

My front yard is going nuts. In a good way, with all this rain, we've had a burgeoning flower garden. I think the wildflowers are now settled in and happy. The milkweed is taking over the front bed; the brown-eyed Susans have the square bed and we have a new variety of phlox in the very front, next to the Monster Bleeding Heart. The "butterfly Parsley" (I mean the pot I've specifically planted for the Swallowtail butterflies) is huge. I'm looking forward to the day they eat it all. Hoping to have a bumper crop of butterflies this year, to be honest. Should be monarchs and Swallowtails as well. 

The hummingbirds have been around, but I'm not happy with one feeder. It leaks, which is very annoying. Hubby put chairs out on the side deck and the front porch. I added a couple of cheap "solar lamps" that look very pretty at night. I'd love to sit out there at night; as a matter of fact, I tried today, for World-Wide Knit In Public Day. And about got eaten alive by mosquitoes. No thanks!

The Knitting...

Here's a sneak peak at a project I can't show you right now. It's Encore worsted, held double. It's seed stitch and stockinette. While the camera makes it look burgundy, it actually looks rather like an erzatz tiger stripe. 

Other than that, my lips are sealed for now...

I started a project for World Wide Knit In Public Day...and tonight I frogged it. When your yarn is determined to be something else, you need to listen to it. No good can come of forcing yarn to do something it's not suited to do. 

Here's how it came about: I was leaving to get a pedicure, when I remembered it was WWKIP Day - but I had nothing "portable" enough to carry and knit, since I left my shortie socks at work. Frankly, I'd forgotten about the Green Traveling Sock, but that's as it may be. I asked Hubby to pull a bag from my long-ago "I'm Going to Knit a Pair of Socks a Month" project. (Go ahead - laugh...)

He pulled "April" and no, I can't tell you what year that was... 

I grabbed a small project bag and needles, and I opened the bag. And my heart sort of sank...It was Zauberball. I had purchased this a while ago, and I wasn't sure it was technically for socks, but it ended up in the Bag project. 

Recently, in my sock group, folks were not happy with Zauberball. After casting on TWICE, I can tell you why...The yarn is VERY "splitty."

I'm not sure I want to deal with that for socks. And I'm not sure what possessed me, because I didn't think I'd ever knit white socks. The picture on the label has a decent amount of white in it, and I'm not jazzed about that. 

So I got to my pedicure, cast on, divided onto the needles and then stuffed it all back in the bag. 

It just didn't feel right. I'm not sure how else to explain it, except to say that it just wasn't going to work out. 

So, I frogged it. I'll look in Ravelry for a shawl pattern and take it from there. I don't know what else to do. Though I've pulled out again the Copland Shawl. Christmas is coming and I need to get skippy with that. 


It's not much farther along than what I showed you last time, but I'm thinking of jazzing it up a bit in the middle, with a series of about 3" of stripes, instead of 2 sets of stripes then 3" of solid. Since it's black and brown, I think it can handle the striped section nicely mid-way through. I just have to figure out what's "midway through" since I don't have an accurate idea of exactly how this thing is going to block out. 

I'll do my best to guess. 

The Dogs...

Well. Tippi's only side effect of the chemo so far is a bit of looser poop. She's eating, and I'm also doing the following: A nightly massage with either Frankincense or Lavender essential oil (with a carrier oil so it's not full strength on the area of the swelled lymph node. A 1/2 of a vitamin C tablet. A liver support (2 x/day) and a greens support once a day. Somewhat liberal-ish treats; she can take the weight gain if it happens. 

I think I felt that the lymph node has gone down. I'm not doing a happy dance, nor am I attributing it to the oils and supplements; I think it's a combination of many things. 

I managed to get a somewhat decent picture of Quinn & Tippi together. Quinn is on the left with her eyes closed, the little goofball... As she gets older, she looks more and more like Tippi. Tippi is, of course, on the right. Yes, she has 4 legs - she just likes to tuck one under when she's laying down. 

And Raisa. Poor Raisa. It's not bad enough that Tippi's in chemo treatments. The Monday of her first treatment, Hubby took Raisa out for her normal walk. Then I get a text at work, "Going to vet. Raisa attacked."

WHAT????


Turns out they were walking along and some chick was "napping" on a park bench. And her dog, unbeknownst to Hubby, was under the bench, leashed but not attached to the owner. 

Yep. You guessed it. The dog darted out and chomped on Raisa. Got her in the back leg. Raisa screamed, wrapped her leash around Hubby and down he went. On the shoulder that had the rotator cuff tear. While he's trying to pry the attacking dog, off, the owner is apologizing and doing God knows what. The dog eventually lets go. Hubby is madder than I could imagine. And the chick and dog took off... He got her to the vet and they initially didn't find anything. Later, though, he found this puncture wound, so back to the vet for an antibiotic. 

And now, with the antibiotic, she's not eating. She can't afford to not eat. We also had just finished a short course in an "appetite enhancer" because between antibiotics for a UTI and her thyroid medications, she lost an ENORMOUS amount of weight. Weight she honestly can't afford to lose. She now weighs less than the Elkhounds, and she's a good 3" taller than they are. 

All this being said, she'll eat human food (certain things) and she'll eat treats. But she won't eat even canned dog food. Frustrating, because we've tried canned; we've changed her kibble; we've tried the stuff in the tube that looks like sausage... one meal and then she's done. 

It's very annoying. I'm tempted to take her to a specialist (not like we're rolling in money) because it's just not healthy for her to not eat. 

We'll see. I have no answers. I'm still mad about that chick taking off and not even exchanging information...a friend of mine says she'd bet me lunch that the dog has a bite history. And I think she may be right. 

MOD Pizza...

Where has this been??? So since the gut re-set I've done, I've still, for the most part, avoided gluten. I'm pretty sure I'll have some sort of sensitivity, but if I don't, I already know me: I love -- no, I ADORE...wait. I absolutely WORSHIP carbs like pasta and bread. I don't want to re-gain what I've lost. So if I can avoid them, without significant damage to my own eating and health, then I can live with that. 

All THAT being said, we found MOD Pizza. If you've never been, it's a make-your-own pizza place. Choose your crust/size and they put whatever toppings on - no extra charge for toppings. They have both a cauliflower crust and a "gluten-friendly" crust. And they say that since they do everything on one production line, they won't guarantee "gluten-free" but for me, that's not a huge issue. 

This is the gluten-friendly crust (which takes about 4 minutes longer - Hubby was just about done with his, though he's an extremely fast eater). I put a vegan white sauce on it, asiago cheese, mozarella, and gorgonzola, then arugula, mushrooms, chopped garlic and sausage. They finished it with a pesto drizzle. 

Oh my. It was delicious. It was an 11-inch pizza and yes, I did eat the whole thing. Lucky me, there's one right down the road from where I work. Danger, Will Robinson!! (Look that up, too)

Clothes Make the Woman...

I've dug through my shoe pile, and I had come up with a couple pairs that I hadn't worn in a while. One pair of Earth sandals I wore and they literally fell apart on my feet. I was hoping they'd last the day so I could chuck them out at home. I didn't even take a picture of how bad they were. The soles were fine - it was the tops of the sandals that fell apart. 

It couldn't happen again, I told myself. So the other day, I wore these Earth clogs to work. I felt something funny, but I was running around and didn't pay too much attention. 

Hmmmmmmmmmm... Even duct tape couldn't keep these together long enough to walk up my driveway. 

I showed them to Hubby, who's a master at Gorilla Glue. Even he couldn't salvage them. 


Two pairs of shoes in the trash. 

This weekend is "Wear Orange" to protest gun violence. There are marches all over, as well as several Pride events. The only orange I have are 2 long-sleeved shirts. But in the spirit of going along, I put this one on. I'm a Zonta member, and this one seemed particularly appropriate. 

This one and the Take Back the Night shirt are the ones I wear when I volunteer at the Old Prison to do clean-up work. It's all long sleeves, jeans and hiking boots there. Douse myself with citronella and wear a hat and gloves. 

You never quite know what you'll be doing, and you never quite know what may land on your head. 

Yeah, I'm still looking for a new stylist; but I've got it narrowed down to 2 choices. I've got to get on the schedule soon. 

Random Picture...

This is the second shelf of the "altar" at my yoga studio. The "altar" is really a coffee table with cabinets under it. Hey, we repurpose! It works! 

There's a little Ganesh on the left; an Indian goddess (not sure who) from the former owner, a Feng Shui frog with a penny in his mouth, and a salt globe. 

I need to get another salt lamp for the office yet. But that's on my list. 

I've taken over the meditation classes and another Wednesday night class. I'm teaching, now, 5 classes a week (two of them on Sundays), and I'm subbing. I wanted to teach Yoga mostly as my "main job" -- which means that I've got to teach. I think my biggest issue is that I'm teaching on nights when I've already worked a 10-hour job. It makes keeping my focus and energy a bit interesting. But it's all good. 

More on the editing job and other stuff in the next post. Rest well, all! 

I Am So Far Behind...

...that I might just catch myself coming AND going...

It's Been Rough...

May as well start out with the bad news. Took Tippi to the vet a while back for swollen lymph nodes. Our regular vet is good - we trust her. We thought it might be an allergic reaction to something so we went with that, but it wasn't getting better. 

Went to a specialist, and it turns out that it's lymphoma. So I'm beating myself up about catching it sooner...We could've pushed harder to get to a specialist earlier. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel: she's basically in good health. It hasn't metastasized. 

BUT - she's 12. Doc (specialist) says she's a good candidate for chemo. But, she's 12. 

We go on the 31st. I've done major switching around of appointments to get there. Not that I don't trust Hubby to listen to the doctor - and we all know that Tippi is my heart-dog (I've been lucky to have a few of those) and I'd do just about anything for her. And I want to be there. Through thick and thin. That's what it's about. 

On the other hand, Raisa...our crazy problem child Husky - has had her thyroid medication adjusted, and the doctor gave her an appetite enhancer. The dog wouldn't eat. Huskies can be picky, but she refused every kibble, and at one point, also refused: chicken; rice; scrambled eggs; cheese; buttered toast.... We knew it was serious when she stopped eating toast. She would scale Mt. Everest for toast. 

Anyhow, hoping that the drops work because the dog's gotta put some weight on. And -- at some point sooner than I want to think about, I want to get her ready to take over for Tippi's therapy work. 

Springtime, Randomly...

Some pics that prove, sort of, that spring may finally have come to Illinois. Though it's still debatable, this Memorial Day weekend. 

A tree in Bolingbrook; I was taking a walk during lunch, and saw this beauty. Yes, it's one tree. Crabapple, I think, or maybe some sort of "mock apple" that was grafted, because it clearly has 2 different flowers on it. Same shape, just pink and white together on one tree. 

This is the fire alarm on the building. Needless to say, the birds have been enjoying themselves building their home there. What a pain! 

But it's not the only place; they've built nests in all the neon signs in the plaza. And you'll see another picture later on...

My front garden is going like crazy. The milkweed is actually sort of taking over; my parsley is bursting out of its pot (the pot I set out specifically for the butterflies - I have another set of parsley that we'll actually be eating!). The Monster Bleeding Heart is back in good form. The other wildflowers are coming along nicely, and the seeds I planted have, for the most part, come up. 


The Icelandic Poppy is nearly ready to pop. 

Remember, this is the big white one. And each year, it seems to get "poufier" in the front garden. 

We put out 3 new hummingbird feeders, but with the rain and the cold, we've only seen the hummers zip by. Hoping to see them landing and eating soon. 

This weekend, we'd like to get 2 more pots of basil planted, and get the gazing balls out on their stands in the garden. And clean off the front porch. 

The veggie garden is bursting. We've already done 3 harvests of romaine, and we've got about 6 radishes. The herbs are doing nicely and the leeks (see the front of the nearest bed) are going to be lovely. 

I've been really happy with the early planting; it seems to have made the lettuce happy, at least. I think it appreciated the heavy rains, and definitely likes the cooler days. 

The first radish of the season was very peppery, and with a bit of pink Himalayan salt, it was very delicious! 


Speaking of gardens, I went past the Cathedral the other day and noticed that they actually have done something interesting with their front yard at the Rectory. They've given it over to public gardens for fruits/veggies for the local families in need. That's actually pretty freakin' cool!! 


Our vicar over-planted...I've got about a dozen Roma tomato plants to find homes for, and I may just drop them off there - maybe they have space, or maybe someone knows of a yard they could grow in. Either way, Hubby has said that we are NOT growing tomatoes this year; and Kid #2 doesn't want them. 

So here's the other nest. This is a robin's nest at our church hall. And there's another one on the other door. Yeah, lovely signs of spring, till they nest on your building; then they get kind of shirty. I hope all the little ones have fledged; we had a rummage sale and they used this as the EXIT door. The robin wasn't happy... 

And...the chickens are laying again. Not mine - heaven knows we have no room for fowl. But a patient in the clinic has provided us with a couple dozen eggs the past few weeks. Yummy. 

Seriously, yummy. I'm spoiled now... 

And that's the wrap up for spring, so far. Lots of green stuff growing, but no blossoms yet. Well, the Bleeding Heart and the Lilac have bloomed. And the lily of the valley. But nothing in the "big flower beds." 

I trimmed up the bushes (butterfly bush in the front and a flowering tree in the back) and they've perked up nicely. Funny what a little trim will do.

The Knitting...

Well. Progress of sorts. The Kid #2 afghan continues to move bit by bit. However - it's getting warm outside! I traded the Green Sock for this today just because I needed to NOT have it on my lap. 

I'm feeling this afghan starting to "zip along" so I'm not going to abandon it; I want to get it to him for THIS Christmas! After that next red section comes the first black section. 


And as you can see by the Copland Shawl, black is a stinker to knit with. 

I'm really not enjoying the black parts. Copland is also zinging along. For a simple shawl, it's actually got a few hundred miles (or so it seems) of garter, and luckily, this yarn's stitch definition is amazing. It's also squishy and warm, so the recipient will really like it, I hope. And while my camera doesn't do it justice, the warm tones of the brown really pop against the black, which is blacker than this...Go figure. 

For the heck of it, I whipped up another small bag. I needed something to put my gemstones in because I carry them in my purse and didn't want them rattling around in a plastic bag, or at the very bottom getting scratched up. This is using leftover of the MadTosh "Robin's Nest" that I used for socks a long while ago; they were short-cuffed socks, so I had lots left over. Frankly, I dislike this for socks because it pills like crazy. And it was one of my maiden forays into "real sock yarn" so I really was sketchy about whether that 400 yards would "really" make socks with cuffs; my cuffs on these are barely 5" whereas now I know how far to stretch a sock leg!

This bag actually took me about 2 hours from start to finish. It's not great, but it holds my gems. Instead of an i-cord, I did a crocheted chain; and it's smaller than my other mala bag. It serves the purpose though, so that's all that matters. 

And I didn't have to buy yarn to do it. Just went into my "Oddments" bag and found this. 

And then there was my "personalized yarn crawl." This is "Yarn Crawl Week" for a lot of stores; but I didn't want to hike my butt up to Chicago to troll around there. Hate driving up there anyway. 

My friend Roberta and I did our own. We hit two stores, Knitche in Downers Grove and String Theory in Glen Ellyn. In Downers, we had, by the way, a fantastic lunch...But I digress. 

Knitche has QUINCE!! I have some Quince in stash for an open-front cardigan. I love it. And they were having a sale!!!


So I have "Tern" - a wool/silk blend, and I got the maroon one on 40% off!!! This will be a long-ish, very open cowl. I also got the pattern. I'll have to fill you in on that one later; it's in my Ravelry library. 

Then I got "Kestrel" - a linen yarn, flat-braided structure. This was in their "last chance" bin. Do I have a clue what I'm doing with it? 

Nope. Probably either kerchiefs or a table runner. Not sure yet. But it's lovely stuff, and for something around $7 a hank, it was a bargain. 

I've got one project that I started in linen, and it's a table runner but the linen is a bit more coarse than this. This stuff would be easier to wear next to your skin. They had a sample of a sweater (another open cardigan) that I'd have bought yarn + pattern for in a heartbeat, but it would definitely have busted my budget. 

So I'm glad I didn't see it till we were done and ready to leave! Yarn gods had mercy on me in that case.

Random Picture...

After yoga tonight, the sky was just so pretty. I pulled into the local cemetery to take a picture. And I thought I could find my great-granny's grave, but somehow, I couldn't locate it. That bugs me. Mostly because I've always known where it was, and this is hardly a huge plot of ground... Maybe if it's nice tomorrow, I'll see if Tippi is up for a walk and we can trot over there to see if we can find her. 

We may have our share of crap going on in Illinois, but in my little corner, we still have open space and lovely blue skies.