Mah Stash

::giggle:: ChickenKnittle, Doortje... You guys are such a hoot! Like I'm going to leave my stash unattended for that length of time! The barbed wire is on order right now, and Wal-Mart just called me to say my electric fence arrived. And that's just for the Malabrigo...

Funny, very funny. (DH, can you please remind me to make sure the security company's bill is paid before we leave?)

Subtle-fuge

Shhh... Don't tell dad...

While DH and I were trying to figure out [what to get each other for Christmas / what to do for Christmas] this year, we tossed around a number of ideas like maybe a short 'Mexican Riviera' cruise, or a few days in Palm Springs or Scottsdale. We were leaning towards the cruise, but when I looked up the prices on holiday cruises - even short ones like those we were looking at - we thought that perhaps we would stay home this year.

So, we decided we would start a new tradition and have his world-famous tacos for Christmas dinner (oooh, they are so good, and the only thing that he does special is fry the tacos his very own self). That and a few gifts would do it. Well, that, a few gifts, and maybe....

Turns out my dad and his girlfriend (the new girlfriend, the one who hadn't been on a cruise before, the one who took a short cruise with dad at the end of September and LOVED it, the one who now likes cruising so much she's been collecting cruise brochures and flagging pages of cruises she'd like to take) had booked a cruise for October (yes, next year) and jokingly asked if we wanted to join them, and maybe even see if my brother and sister-in-law would like to come along, and if we were all there, then maybe we could scatter my aunt's ashes in the ocean during the trip. Joking... right... He had this all planned out, I think.

Well, traveling with my dad and his buds is a hoot, so DH and I talked about it for a bit and decided to take him up on his 'joke' and Just Do It.

In the meantime, while we were debating over the October cruise, dad and GF went ahead and booked another cruise, this one a little shortie at the end of January. "After all," he said, "you can't possibly go a full year between cruises." Who can argue with that?

So there we were, DH and I, thinking about Christmas, and had the great idea to give each other a cruise for Christmas, but not take it at Christmas, take it ... at the end of January ... on the same ship as dad ... at the same time as dad ... as a surprise to them.

Yeah, that's what we said! So, excuse me now while I go book our two cruises for next year. Anybody else want to come along? Plenty of open cabins available!

- January 23, 2010. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' Grandeur of the Seas. Leaving Tampa for Key West and Cozumel (Mexico) and back, five nights. (Prices start at $389 for an inside cabin!)

- October 23, 2010. Carnival Cruise Lines' Dream. Leaving Port Canaveral for Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and back, seven nights. (How does $549 sound?)

A Little Breezy

So I was taking off my Collinette Jitterbug Upstream socks last night, and noticed something odd about the way the heel feels. "Odd," as in "hm, it feel a little cool right in that spot." (Cool, as in temperature, not as in Paris Hilton's "that's so hot" pronouncements [in which she means fashion, not temperature].)

Anyway, I was feeling a breeze where a breeze shouldn't oughta be, and when I took off the first sock and examined it, lo and behold, I had blown a hole in the heel! I checked the other sock and while there's no hole yet, it's just a matter of time. Lucky for me I took that darning class ("darn," as in fixing holes, not as in a mild expletive) with Merike Saarniit so can fix them. But still...

Oh, no!

In cheerier news, the Tuesday knitting group (minus one Tuesday knitter and plus one of the Thursday mistresses) and I spent this past weekend retreating in the Los Gatos mountains at Presentation Center. This is a lovely place, run by Catholic nuns (eek!), with cottages, cabins, and dorms scattered around their acreage in the hills. They supplied the roofs over our heads and the food in our tummies, we supplied the yarn and needles (and cheese and salami and chocolate covered raisins and M&Ms...). Very beautiful, very restful, very fun.

Sitting on the porch of our cottage; ChickenKnittle using her amazing

powers of concentration to not be in the picture.

KB showing off her Monkeys. On the right, the ones she made herself (several times); on the left, the ones she inherited. (Yeah, the ones she made look better.)

Pictured: ChickenKnittle, LMKnits, right side of massive mess. Not pictured: Jose.

Pictured: KB, Kadootje, ChickenKnittle, left half of massive mess. Not pictured: Jose.

Couture, Color, and Santa Barbara

Here's what you missed if you weren't on the "Couture and Color" retreat with us in Santa Barbara this past weekend:

3 pair Chiagoo needles (#7, #8, #9)
1 pack of stitch markers (the really thin ones)
1 small bamboo crochet hook (really small, for fixing things)
1 Lantern Moon tape measure (mine was a sheep)
1 pack Chibi tapestry needles
2 patterns
1 copy of "When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters"
1 skein of Pagewood Farm Willow Creek yarn
1 ball Berroco Comfort DK
1 scarf kit (Fan Neckwarmer and 2 balls of Cashsoft)
Biscotti, Pepperidge Farm fish snacks, chocolate, green tea, a pack of Starbucks Via, and a bottle of water.

...and that was just in the goody bag on the train ride down! Once we got to the Peppertree Inn, we had some socializing and knitting time (and pool-dunking time), then we broke for the evening. Next morning (Saturday), Susan (of Bonita Knitting) talked about some of the things our moms and grandmoms had likely made (granny square afghans anyone?) as their "go-to" patterns, then handed out a booklet containing 7 or 8 new "go to" patterns to replace some of those classic patterns (some might call them 'moldy').

Then Joan McGowan-Michael (of White Lies Designs) gave a workshop on fitting patterns to your own body. (Masking tape and measuring tape were involved; very funny and very informative.) The workshop included her "Shapely Tee" pattern plus the yarn to make it.

Lastly, Erin (of Bobbin's Nest Studio) gave a talk on color theory, using the book "Colorsense" (a copy of which we all got), which is an awesome book. All during the classes, Erin, Susan, and Joan were selling from their traveling stores - and a lot of stuff was selling!

Later in the day, a group went downtown to one of the LYS, Loop and Leaf for an expedition. (I passed on that one. I was curious, but truly - I have enough yarn.) DH and I relaxed by the pool and in the room, then headed across the street for a lovely dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Sunday morning was laid back as the only 'scheduled' thing was open knitting and continental breakfast (and more shopping at the traveling stores) until it was time to take the bus back to the train station. The ride home was uneventful and stressless. Training is a wonderful way to travel.

So, that's what you missed if you weren't on the rails with us this weekend. Maybe you'll join us if there's another one next year, hm?

Sitting on the balcony of hotel in Santa Barbara, overlooking the hotel's lovely pool, knitting. Wonderful husband nearby doing some work. I am so blessed.

Nothing Left

All the furniture still in my aunt's condo has been spoken for. Either it will go to the consignment shop, or to my dad's girlfriend's son and daughter-in-law, or to dad should he move into the condo. Dad's girlfriend's son will repair the ceiling where the A/C leaked and where there's a long, straight crack from dining room into living room and where the wall in the second bedroom got knocked in by an enthusiastic moving person. The carpet will need to be replaced and we'll get a cleaning person in to delve into nook and cranny to get rid of dirt and webs and gritty bits.

There's nothing left of her there anymore. Actually, there wasn't much of her there left when we arrived last week. She hadn't been there for almost 5 months; it was as if her essence had either evaporated away or the dust had muffled it.

Dad hugged me and thanked me for everything that brother and I did. Said he wouldn't have known what to do, would have been lost. Thank god DH was with me to be my support. If he hadn't been there to keep me sane, I'd probably still be in the condo, sitting in the middle of the living room, crying over having to donate an old pair of socks or a broken pair of dollar store earrings. I told dad if we weren't there, he'd have muddled through. It may have taken a while to get to the same point where we are now, but he would have gotten there. He's just glad he didn't have to do it alone. I hope brother and I don't have to do it alone when it's his time to go.

And Yet More Stuff

For someone who we didn't think was pack-rat, we're finding a lot of old papers, some interesting, some not so much. For example, we found some old financial records (bank books - remember them? - from 1980-something, cancelled checks from 1990 through 2002, etc.); I'd put that in the not-so-interesting category. There are also some old photos of people no one can identify (is that her neighbor's daughter's best friend's baby?); ditto. But then there are some really cool things that I can't wait to examine closer - her father's Army papers, her grandmother and great-grandmother's paperwork for their boat ride to the New Country - papers I've only seen online via ancestry.com, and old photos of relatives with names on the back so we know who we're looking at. Looking forward to going through those.

Tonight, we tried to identify the 'good' jewelry, the stuff we know is old and probably is made of real gold with real stones. Tomorrow, we'll take most of the unknown stuff to a jeweler and try to find an appraiser - or someone who will direct us to a place that takes scraps.

Tomorrow, we're also taking aunt I's car into the shop to see if it's cross-country-worthy. If it seems like it will hold up, DH and I are thinking about driving it home. Take a fast drive across the southern U.S. and have a commuter car when we arrive. If it will survive the trip.