Another year gone whoooooooshing by. How does that happen?
We have been complaining about how crappy this year has been (my dad in and out of the hospital since April, KW's mom passing in September, MM's dad, CG's stepmom), but in reality, we have no problems.
Despite KW's contracts coming through very sporadically this year, we have a lovely house that we can still afford to pay for every month.
Within the parameters of normal aches and pains for our respective ages, we're in good health.
We have happy and healthy friends and family members who love us.
I see the 'spirit bell' in my closet and I think of JB, who once lived down the block from me. She now lives across the country, but I hold her close in my heart.
I find myself judging someone and think of MM, who has always found a way to appreciate and embrace everyone, finding acceptance of them somewhere in her great heart.
I find myself whining about KW's contracts being very thin this year and I think about CS, another one with a huge heart, as she works at her multiple jobs to stay afloat.
If I somehow manage to be in a weird head space and start to believe I'm lonely, I think of my knitting friends 'up north' and here in town. These are the friends who both challenge my brain and keep me calm. I can't always pinpoint what it is about them, separately and collectively, that has this effect, but I know that I am definitely out of sorts if I miss seeing them each week.
I am thankful for *all* the friends, blood friends and chosen friends, in our lives, in particular those who smack me upside the head when I'm complaining about something trivial. Mostly I'm thankful for finding KW. I can't even fathom what my life would be like had we not met.
After a 'beat the crap out of 2011' New Year's Eve party, we've decided that 2012 will be better. It simply has to be, so let's see what it brings.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Pictures and Videos of KW's Big Adventure
I like this shot because it looks like KW is doing construction work at the Wynn or the Trump!
Pushing dirt.
Pushing dirt with Reuben's help.
The big hole KW made!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Vegas Aftermath
I'll get around to posting the pictures and videos of Kelly at DigThis! in Las Vegas, but for now, let's just say that I have three more favorite slot machines - Lord of the Rings, The Hangover, and Godzilla. (Emphasis on "for now," since the next time I go, these will probably seem hopelessly dated or won't even be there any more. It is Vegas, after all.)
The Hangover machine is just like the Sex and the City machine, but with clips from "The Hangover" instead of "SATC." (Duh.) That one provided my first big win this trip, Monday night, around $50 or so.
KW and I found Lord of the Rings at the Mirage, which we almost didn't go into this trip, except the weather had turned fairly cool and we decided to duck inside to get warm. (You don't often hear us say that in Vegas, now do you?) Sat down at some other similar machine which did squat, so moved one seat to the left, which happened to hit a bonus game after only 2 or 3 spins. The game I got to play was "Arwen's Rescue." All this meant was that after I hit the button to start the bonus game, I sat back and watched the wheels spin and the credits pile up. Walked away with about $85 from that one (KW hit 2 different bonus games and came away with about $40 more).
Godzilla was Wednesday morning's bit of fun. I had played it Monday night and after 5 or 6 spins it had done nothing, so I walked away. Yesterday morning, though, I had turned a $36 coupon (a leftover one I had found when cleaning out my purse the night before) into around $55 on Sex and the City, and was on my way to the ticket redemption kiosk when I saw the Godzilla machine right next door. What the heck; I was already up a few bucks, why not see if it would do anything this morning.
Why, yes, it DID do anything! After 2 spins, I hit a bonus game. (The link to the previous Godzilla reference has a video clip that shows what I'm about to explain.) The first part was to direct Godzilla through a city. You aimed him in a direction, when he went that way, he stomped over a couple of buildings and you got a certain number of credits. So I had him stomp forward, forward, left, forward, and on the next stomp forward, instead of a bunch of credits, it said "extra bonus game initiated." Wheee! This is where the fun started. I got to pick a blob on the screen, which said my extra bonus game would be "Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla" - a mechanical romping, stomping, city-flattening machine. I sat and watched as two screens spun (the left one for Godzilla, the right one for Mechagodzilla), each one racking up credits. The game would be over when one had beaten the other. Every few spins, one side or the other would have a symbol that said "attack" and that side would breathe fire towards the other side, gradually wearing down the life meter of the other. It was cool, especially since it took at least 7 or 8 attacks to finally have Godzilla beat Mechagodzilla - at which point, it gave me a chance to pick a bonus orb...and the one I picked was for $70! Walked away with $199 in bonus winnings. Yay, me!
Oh, and we had a chance to meet up with my brother. Had dinner with him both Monday and Tuesday nights, which was a surprise since we originally thought he'd only be free Monday. Looking good, looking and sounding just like my dad, in a very scary - eeeeeerie - way.
The Hangover machine is just like the Sex and the City machine, but with clips from "The Hangover" instead of "SATC." (Duh.) That one provided my first big win this trip, Monday night, around $50 or so.
KW and I found Lord of the Rings at the Mirage, which we almost didn't go into this trip, except the weather had turned fairly cool and we decided to duck inside to get warm. (You don't often hear us say that in Vegas, now do you?) Sat down at some other similar machine which did squat, so moved one seat to the left, which happened to hit a bonus game after only 2 or 3 spins. The game I got to play was "Arwen's Rescue." All this meant was that after I hit the button to start the bonus game, I sat back and watched the wheels spin and the credits pile up. Walked away with about $85 from that one (KW hit 2 different bonus games and came away with about $40 more).
Godzilla was Wednesday morning's bit of fun. I had played it Monday night and after 5 or 6 spins it had done nothing, so I walked away. Yesterday morning, though, I had turned a $36 coupon (a leftover one I had found when cleaning out my purse the night before) into around $55 on Sex and the City, and was on my way to the ticket redemption kiosk when I saw the Godzilla machine right next door. What the heck; I was already up a few bucks, why not see if it would do anything this morning.
Why, yes, it DID do anything! After 2 spins, I hit a bonus game. (The link to the previous Godzilla reference has a video clip that shows what I'm about to explain.) The first part was to direct Godzilla through a city. You aimed him in a direction, when he went that way, he stomped over a couple of buildings and you got a certain number of credits. So I had him stomp forward, forward, left, forward, and on the next stomp forward, instead of a bunch of credits, it said "extra bonus game initiated." Wheee! This is where the fun started. I got to pick a blob on the screen, which said my extra bonus game would be "Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla" - a mechanical romping, stomping, city-flattening machine. I sat and watched as two screens spun (the left one for Godzilla, the right one for Mechagodzilla), each one racking up credits. The game would be over when one had beaten the other. Every few spins, one side or the other would have a symbol that said "attack" and that side would breathe fire towards the other side, gradually wearing down the life meter of the other. It was cool, especially since it took at least 7 or 8 attacks to finally have Godzilla beat Mechagodzilla - at which point, it gave me a chance to pick a bonus orb...and the one I picked was for $70! Walked away with $199 in bonus winnings. Yay, me!
Oh, and we had a chance to meet up with my brother. Had dinner with him both Monday and Tuesday nights, which was a surprise since we originally thought he'd only be free Monday. Looking good, looking and sounding just like my dad, in a very scary - eeeeeerie - way.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Waffle Aftermath
So after my mother-in-law passed away, one of the things I got from the house was her Belgian waffle maker. This is the real, original deal, folks! It's from 1965 or so, makes ONE small waffle at a time, has no heat control, no timer, and no on/off switch! Plug it in, it's turned on. Unplug it, it's turned off!
Those controls (or lack of them) sort of make it difficult to make a successful waffle. The first time I attempted it, I was using a malted waffle batter (Golden Something brand, the same brand that Marriott uses for their Residence Inn and Courtyard Hotel breakfasts). That attempt came out really really dense - tasty, but very chewy - and the waffles were cooked properly and didn't stick to the waffler.
Today I used Bisquick, following the waffle recipe, and, boy, they were very tasty. However, even though I sprayed the waffler (like I had done the first attempt) and there was more oil in the batter, today's batch cooked up too brown and stuck to the waffler.
Luckily, we're not too picky about our waffles and ate them with gusto, slightly crunchy edges and all.
(When I poured the batter for the first one today, I used too much batter and it sort of exploded all over the kitchen... I'm so happy that we have a "I cook, you clean" policy in our kitchen!)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
"Apparently not..."
So, the answer to the question "Are you ever going to stay put?" is, once again, "Apparently not."
Off to Camarillo this past Saturday so we could visit with KW's dad and get some papers signed for the house that was just sold. Plans were to spend time with him, then toodle around Camarillo/Ventura/Oxnard and look at apartment complexes in preparation for (possibly) moving down there in the not-too-distant future.
That's not what happened.
What happened was a growling/creaking/groaning noise that started to come from The Beast (KW's BMW) when he was turning the car, especially at low speed. We noticed this late Saturday when we first pulled into the real estate agent's parking lot and noticed that about an hour later, it had gotten noisier when we pulled into the parking lot of the ALF where his dad lives.
By the time we had gotten back to the hotel (a real pit, but that's another story), it was obvious that driving it around on Sunday would not be advised and driving it home on Monday was out of the question. So Sunday morning was spent trying to find where we could score some fluid for that model BMW. It seems that his year and model BMW (2001 740iL) is very, um, special. You can't just pop in to Pep Boys and pick up a can of Valvoline generic stuff. Oh no, this is going to require special stuff that's very expensive.
We learned all the above after a few phone calls Sunday morning to said Pep Boys, AutoZone, and O'Reilly, so the next phone call was to a car rental agency at the Oxnard airport (which is an airport in name only, as there are no flights in or out, but that's another story). Oh, and by now, it's raining the first and biggest rain storm in Southern California since the last first-and-biggest. The plan was to drive the rental to the local BMW dealer, which, we assumed would be open even if the service department wasn't. We would leave the car on the dealership's property, put the key in the 'night owl / early bird' box, and have them work on it.
I think we found one of the only car dealerships in California that's closed on Sundays. Not only closed, but all the driveways in were gated off. We couldn't even get the car to where the service department was. And even if we could, KW roamed around and noticed that they didn't have a drop box!
Instead, we managed to find a car repair shop that specialized in German cars (that had an after-hours drop box!), and left his baby in their parking lot with a note letting them know what was going on. The really really bad news about all this? Any other weekend, we could have waited around for them to fix the car and come home Monday evening or even Tuesday. This time, though, no such luck. We had to be back on Monday - HAD to be back - in time for KW to attend a client meeting in Sunnyvale at 2:00 PM.
So after all the phone calls today, the car will be ready by Wednesday, when we will drive the POS rental car (Nissan Versa - don't get one) back down to Camarillo, get the BMW, go back to the rental company and give them their car back, then decide if we want to drive back Wednesday night or stay over Wednesday night and drive home on Thursday - Thanksgiving Day.
Despite all this, we really are thankful, and we don't have any problems in our lives, just minor inconveniences, as evidenced by our next trip - we'll be off to Vegas on Monday. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Off to Camarillo this past Saturday so we could visit with KW's dad and get some papers signed for the house that was just sold. Plans were to spend time with him, then toodle around Camarillo/Ventura/Oxnard and look at apartment complexes in preparation for (possibly) moving down there in the not-too-distant future.
That's not what happened.
What happened was a growling/creaking/groaning noise that started to come from The Beast (KW's BMW) when he was turning the car, especially at low speed. We noticed this late Saturday when we first pulled into the real estate agent's parking lot and noticed that about an hour later, it had gotten noisier when we pulled into the parking lot of the ALF where his dad lives.
By the time we had gotten back to the hotel (a real pit, but that's another story), it was obvious that driving it around on Sunday would not be advised and driving it home on Monday was out of the question. So Sunday morning was spent trying to find where we could score some fluid for that model BMW. It seems that his year and model BMW (2001 740iL) is very, um, special. You can't just pop in to Pep Boys and pick up a can of Valvoline generic stuff. Oh no, this is going to require special stuff that's very expensive.
We learned all the above after a few phone calls Sunday morning to said Pep Boys, AutoZone, and O'Reilly, so the next phone call was to a car rental agency at the Oxnard airport (which is an airport in name only, as there are no flights in or out, but that's another story). Oh, and by now, it's raining the first and biggest rain storm in Southern California since the last first-and-biggest. The plan was to drive the rental to the local BMW dealer, which, we assumed would be open even if the service department wasn't. We would leave the car on the dealership's property, put the key in the 'night owl / early bird' box, and have them work on it.
I think we found one of the only car dealerships in California that's closed on Sundays. Not only closed, but all the driveways in were gated off. We couldn't even get the car to where the service department was. And even if we could, KW roamed around and noticed that they didn't have a drop box!
Instead, we managed to find a car repair shop that specialized in German cars (that had an after-hours drop box!), and left his baby in their parking lot with a note letting them know what was going on. The really really bad news about all this? Any other weekend, we could have waited around for them to fix the car and come home Monday evening or even Tuesday. This time, though, no such luck. We had to be back on Monday - HAD to be back - in time for KW to attend a client meeting in Sunnyvale at 2:00 PM.
So after all the phone calls today, the car will be ready by Wednesday, when we will drive the POS rental car (Nissan Versa - don't get one) back down to Camarillo, get the BMW, go back to the rental company and give them their car back, then decide if we want to drive back Wednesday night or stay over Wednesday night and drive home on Thursday - Thanksgiving Day.
Despite all this, we really are thankful, and we don't have any problems in our lives, just minor inconveniences, as evidenced by our next trip - we'll be off to Vegas on Monday. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Travel interrupted (for 12 days, anyway)
We got back from our annual Pismo Beach trip (which was lovely, by the way) on Sunday, November 6, and we're heading down to southern California to visit KW's dad on Saturday, November 19. Those 12 days between the 6th and the 19th represent the longest stretch we've been home since... well, it's been a while. This past weekend was the first weekend we've been home where we didn't have to travel or where we didn't have work to catch up on or work-ahead for.
It was glorious.
We slept in. I walked. We listened to the radio. I knit. I cooked. We watched one of the Oceans movie (can't remember which one; it doesn't really matter, does it?). We were supposed to go out to dinner with friends on Saturday, but one of them got sick and had to cancel. I hate to say it, but we didn't mind - it meant we could slug around all day and not worry about being 'on' for anyone. We know C. will recover and we'll have dinner with him and M. another weekend. For this weekend, it was okay they had to cancel.
This coming weekend will be a quick turnaround for us. Early drive on Saturday to meet the real estate agent (KW's parents' house sold!), visit with dad, poke around some neighborhoods down there, then a very early start home on Monday morning so KW can go to a client meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon. That means we'll have to be on the road by around 6:00, maybe 7:00 at the latest. After I nap, I'll be able to knit for the rest of the ride. But after I nap. Definitely after.
Is everyone sure they don't want a nice teak wine rack? Roll-top desk? Long dining room table? Well, I got rid of my knitting machine; I'm sure I'll get rid of these things before we move, too.
It was glorious.
We slept in. I walked. We listened to the radio. I knit. I cooked. We watched one of the Oceans movie (can't remember which one; it doesn't really matter, does it?). We were supposed to go out to dinner with friends on Saturday, but one of them got sick and had to cancel. I hate to say it, but we didn't mind - it meant we could slug around all day and not worry about being 'on' for anyone. We know C. will recover and we'll have dinner with him and M. another weekend. For this weekend, it was okay they had to cancel.
This coming weekend will be a quick turnaround for us. Early drive on Saturday to meet the real estate agent (KW's parents' house sold!), visit with dad, poke around some neighborhoods down there, then a very early start home on Monday morning so KW can go to a client meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon. That means we'll have to be on the road by around 6:00, maybe 7:00 at the latest. After I nap, I'll be able to knit for the rest of the ride. But after I nap. Definitely after.
Is everyone sure they don't want a nice teak wine rack? Roll-top desk? Long dining room table? Well, I got rid of my knitting machine; I'm sure I'll get rid of these things before we move, too.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Not This Year
No, not going to do NaNoWriMo this year. Did it for 6 years (2005-2010) but am just not into it this year. In previous years, when my mouth was saying "no" in October, my brain would be saying "yes" by having Betha (my main character) pop into my head and tell me what she would like to be doing. Not this year; she's been oh-so-silent. It's just another sign that I am totally done with this year - when Betha doesn't speak to me, it's time to move along. Maybe next year.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Done, done, done
Dad's girlfriend, Ann, went to Biloxi on a gambling junket this past week, a bus trip she took with her friend, June. Her souvenir of Biloxi? A pacemaker. Passed out in a casino, needed a pacemaker, had one put in. She's okay; coming home tomorrow (flying) instead of yesterday (15-hour bus ride).
I've said it before, I'll say it again - stick a fork in this year, it's done.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
She's here! ...aaaaand she's gone...
At the beginning of the year, we had decided that we would not do as much travel as we did last year. HA!
January - Meg went to Vegas with Kei; we both took a day trip to Chico to pick up some files from Kelly's divorce.
February - Kelly off to Ottawa (work); Meg to Santa Clara for a "sleep-over" Stitches West; an Oxnard weekend trip.
March - Spring training in Arizona; DRJ conference in Orlando (work).
April - Kelly to Memphis (work); Kelly back to Ottawa (work).
May - Kelly back to Ottawa again (work).
June - Oxnard weekend trip.
July - Sacramento for the Model Railroader's Convention; planned trip to Vegas postponed so I could fly to Florida after dad's 3rd or 4th hospitalization; train trip to Portland for Sock Summit.
August - We actually stayed home the whole month!
September - Oxnard weekend trip; DRJ conference in San Diego; back to Oxnard following Kelly's mom's death; overnight in Novato (wine train weekend); Healdsburg weekend trip.
October - Back to Oxnard to help Kelly's dad get situated in an assisted living facility and get their house ready for sale; I'll be going back to Florida to spend a week there after my dad's other 2 or 3 hospitalizations.
And we're not even done yet; we still have our Pismo weekend and the postponed trip to Vegas, both coming up in November.
I wonder how much travel we would have done if we *hadn't* decided not to do it too much? I'm not even going to try to say anything about 2012, especially since we already have a cruise on the books for February and a weekend in Healdsburg for a Wine Road event...
January - Meg went to Vegas with Kei; we both took a day trip to Chico to pick up some files from Kelly's divorce.
February - Kelly off to Ottawa (work); Meg to Santa Clara for a "sleep-over" Stitches West; an Oxnard weekend trip.
March - Spring training in Arizona; DRJ conference in Orlando (work).
April - Kelly to Memphis (work); Kelly back to Ottawa (work).
May - Kelly back to Ottawa again (work).
June - Oxnard weekend trip.
July - Sacramento for the Model Railroader's Convention; planned trip to Vegas postponed so I could fly to Florida after dad's 3rd or 4th hospitalization; train trip to Portland for Sock Summit.
August - We actually stayed home the whole month!
September - Oxnard weekend trip; DRJ conference in San Diego; back to Oxnard following Kelly's mom's death; overnight in Novato (wine train weekend); Healdsburg weekend trip.
October - Back to Oxnard to help Kelly's dad get situated in an assisted living facility and get their house ready for sale; I'll be going back to Florida to spend a week there after my dad's other 2 or 3 hospitalizations.
And we're not even done yet; we still have our Pismo weekend and the postponed trip to Vegas, both coming up in November.
I wonder how much travel we would have done if we *hadn't* decided not to do it too much? I'm not even going to try to say anything about 2012, especially since we already have a cruise on the books for February and a weekend in Healdsburg for a Wine Road event...
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Enough is Enough
We have decided that we're done with 2011 and are very close to declaring it over. We'll have a "goodbye and good riddance" party to kick its sorry ass out the door.
Dad's back in the hospital again. More ventricular stuff going on, and oh by the way, he probably has pneumonia as well. He's being pumped full of antibiotics since early this morning, and as of late this afternoon, they're giving him a new IV medication to control the ventricle. (I don't know the exact term for what's happening.)
Too many bad things this year, so we're done with it. I'm going to start writing '2012' on my checks.
Dad's back in the hospital again. More ventricular stuff going on, and oh by the way, he probably has pneumonia as well. He's being pumped full of antibiotics since early this morning, and as of late this afternoon, they're giving him a new IV medication to control the ventricle. (I don't know the exact term for what's happening.)
Too many bad things this year, so we're done with it. I'm going to start writing '2012' on my checks.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Petty, Trivial, Inconsequential
My birthday is September 11. For 44 years, that was a wondrous day, a magical day, a day I looked forward to each year (yes, even after I had passed 30 and 40). Now, and I know this is incredibly petty, I am angry that joy at my birthday celebration was taken away from me. I know it was awful for the New Yorkers and Washingtonians and Pennsylvanians who saw it unfold in person, and it's truly awful that so many thousands of people died, and it was scary for those of us who were even once- or twice-removed from the events (waiting for hours to finally hear that my brother and Mary were okay)... But my lasting memory of watching the news that morning was "my birthday will forever be ruined." Since 2001, every 9/11 I wake up, not thinking "oh boy, it's my birthday" like I used to, but "I hope they haven't done anything again."
This year, despite Bin Laden's death (or maybe because of it) , I am dreading even more turning on the news, for multiple reasons. One, 'they' may choose to do something again on the anniversary, something bigger, worse. And two, the news outlets are already going whole hog with memorials and remembrances. I know the people should be remembered and we should be thankful for the rescue workers who got the survivors out and we should never forget... but it's too soon for me to watch or listen to any of that. I don't know if I'll ever be ready - I still can't watch the Kennedy assassination film without crying, and I was 6 or 7 when that happened.
So, I'm left with feeling this feeling that I know is petty, trivial, inconsequential - that my birthday has been taken away from me. I know I should be bigger than that, better than that, light candles, say prayers, do something positive... but all I really want to do on September 11 is to stay in bed, and that makes me both sad and mad.
This year, despite Bin Laden's death (or maybe because of it) , I am dreading even more turning on the news, for multiple reasons. One, 'they' may choose to do something again on the anniversary, something bigger, worse. And two, the news outlets are already going whole hog with memorials and remembrances. I know the people should be remembered and we should be thankful for the rescue workers who got the survivors out and we should never forget... but it's too soon for me to watch or listen to any of that. I don't know if I'll ever be ready - I still can't watch the Kennedy assassination film without crying, and I was 6 or 7 when that happened.
So, I'm left with feeling this feeling that I know is petty, trivial, inconsequential - that my birthday has been taken away from me. I know I should be bigger than that, better than that, light candles, say prayers, do something positive... but all I really want to do on September 11 is to stay in bed, and that makes me both sad and mad.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Enough? Not Hardly
This hangy-thing (which was designed to store shoes) holds enough sock yarn to make 36 pairs of socks. And that's only my non-Socks That Rock stash - the STR stash is in another 2 buckets and there's - hmmm - about 10 pairs-worth in them. Sock yarn is lovely and luscious and pretty and squishy and holds so much potential. I lurves me some sock yarn.
I think I should get another hangy-thingy for the other door in the room. Maybe that one could hold... mmm... lace-weight yarn? My alpaca yarn collection? Notions and knick-knacks? I got it - it could hold more sock yarn!
Irene, Hurricanes and Others
Hurricane Irene, my aunt Irene - both, forces of nature. Strong, gusty, a little wet at times; definitely something to be reckoned with. Key message: Don't ignore me.
I still miss her a lot, still catch myself thinking I need to call her or send her an email to tell her about something, even though the other side of my brain knows there's no one at that number or email address any more. As with mom, I know that time will eventually help that sensation fade away. Until then, those thoughts still surprise me when they crop up.
I now find myself thinking/wondering when the phone call from Ann will be the one where she says, "He didn't make it this time." It seems like every time we start breathing normally after the most recent hospitalization, thinking/hoping that will be it for a while, he goes back in, sometimes for the same thing, sometimes for something new. In the end, he's doing well, considering he got the raw end of bad heart genes. (And by "bad heart," I only mean the machine part of it; his true heart is the biggest and sweetest one I know.)
As for Hurricane Irene, don't ignore her. Take precautions, my friends and family; take precautions.
I still miss her a lot, still catch myself thinking I need to call her or send her an email to tell her about something, even though the other side of my brain knows there's no one at that number or email address any more. As with mom, I know that time will eventually help that sensation fade away. Until then, those thoughts still surprise me when they crop up.
I now find myself thinking/wondering when the phone call from Ann will be the one where she says, "He didn't make it this time." It seems like every time we start breathing normally after the most recent hospitalization, thinking/hoping that will be it for a while, he goes back in, sometimes for the same thing, sometimes for something new. In the end, he's doing well, considering he got the raw end of bad heart genes. (And by "bad heart," I only mean the machine part of it; his true heart is the biggest and sweetest one I know.)
As for Hurricane Irene, don't ignore her. Take precautions, my friends and family; take precautions.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
This is What Happens....
...when you're not really a farmer.
The difference between big, plump, juicy blackberries and small, dried-out, vinegary blackberries is apparently about 4 days.
The apple is one that jumped to its death sometime between yesterday and today, possibly assisted by a bird (or two) pecking at it. Of the four remaining apples, one has also been pecked and eaten already, leaving three to possibly attain adulthood.
Bummer.
On the plus side, it was a lovely day to enjoy the sunshine. I'm still not sure I like the totally bald look, but I like the rest of it!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Why I Don't Write Much
If you're gonna write, it's best to write about something compelling. If you can't write about something compelling, try to write something compelling about something else, even if the something else is nothing much. The best, though, is to write compellingly about something compelling. Writing compellingly about mundane things can work; writing mundanely about compelling things can even work. I, on the other hand, manage to write mundanely about mundane things. Not the best combo of the bunch.
Monday, August 8, 2011
D'oh
This:
(Becoming Art, Eos Fingering)
Was supposed to be this:
(Becoming art, Cielo Sport).
I was so excited to find the right colorway (Sunlit Amber) at Lisa's Becoming Art booth at Sock Summit, I grabbed the skein and didn't pay a lot of attention to the yarn base. Duh. The Oak Grove fingerless gloves call for the Cielo Sport base, I had picked up a fingering base. Right color, wrong yarn. D'oh!
Gotta love those kinds of indie dyers!
(Oh yes; yarn fumes indeed!!)
(Becoming Art, Eos Fingering)
Was supposed to be this:
(Becoming art, Cielo Sport).
I was so excited to find the right colorway (Sunlit Amber) at Lisa's Becoming Art booth at Sock Summit, I grabbed the skein and didn't pay a lot of attention to the yarn base. Duh. The Oak Grove fingerless gloves call for the Cielo Sport base, I had picked up a fingering base. Right color, wrong yarn. D'oh!
Because she is lovely, when I emailed Lisa about my mix-up, she said all I'd need to do is send her back the Eos Fingering and she'll send me the Cielo Sport once she's dyed it.
Gotta love those kinds of indie dyers!
(Oh yes; yarn fumes indeed!!)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Pretty Pictures
And now, for my non-Ravelry friends (hi, Judie!) - and even for those on Ravelry - here are some pretty pictures! This is my Sock Summit 2011 haul... Everything's so purty!
Dream in Color "Stardust," one of their experimentals. Color - Redwood. (My purchase.)
Dream in Color "Stardust," one of their experimentals. Color - Open Flame. (Purchased as gift for someone.)
Dream in Color "Stardust," one of their experimentals. Color - Redwood. (My purchase.)
Dream in Color "Stardust," one of their experimentals. Color - Open Flame. (Purchased as gift for someone.)
Pico Accuardi Dyeworks "Francino." Color - Nude. (Gift from Lynn; thank you!) The color was dyed just for SS11.
Out of Step Dyeworks "MCN Self-Striping Sock." Color - Screaming Ultraviolet Brain. (My purchase.) Yeah, I couldn't resist and cast on. Pretty awesome striping, huh?
Ms. Gusset "Sock Yarn." No colorway. (My purchase.) I got this one because Clara Parkes said it was the only yarn that was completely from Australia; it's not sent out to China for any processing.
Miss Babs "Yummy." Color - My Kelley. (My purchase.) Come on, people; I had to! The last Miss Babs color I succumbed to was called Pookie and was in shades of greeny-brown camouflage. It screamed Kelly, so this one actually being called Kelly (even with the different spelling), well, I simply couldn't -not- get it.
Indigodragonfly "Merino Sock." Color - I've Been Slimed! (Another gift from Lynn; thank you again!) These guys have the greatest names for their yarns. "You Got Peanut Butter on my Trout!" "2 Minutes for Sarcasm." "Don't Wear This on Star Trek." Truly great names.
Hazel Knits "Piquant Lite." Color - Carnelian. (Gift from Roberta; thank you!)
Hazel Knits "Artisan Sock." Color - Sanguine Peach. (Another gift from Roberta; thank you again!)
Fiber Optic Yarns "Foot Notes." Color - Gypsy. (Gift from Dorien; thank you!) The colors these guys get in their yarns is amazing. Everything was super-saturated and drenched in color. Gorgeous.
Crown Mountain Farms "Sock Hop." Color - Happy Together. (My purchase.)
Sanguine Gryphon "Bugga!" Color - Red-White Leaf Beetle. (My purchase - my first Bugga!)
Becoming Art "Eos Fingering." Color - Sunlit Amber. (My purchase.) Yarn from the Oak Grove fingerless glove pattern that I got at Stitches this year. My mistake when getting the pattern was thinking that I had a yarn that would be right for the pattern. After months of looking for something appropriate, I figured out that it really needed the yarn that the pattern was knit from. Yeah, sometimes I'm slow, but I'm cute!
And last but not least, another pair of glass needles from Sheila and Michael Ernst. Size US#6 with a 29" cord. (My purchase.)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Random Sock Summit 2011 Thoughts
Traveling by train is a different sort of temporal shift than traveling by plane. If you've taken a long-distance flight, you're usually dealing with time zones and gain or lose days/hours, which is odd, true. But traveling 19 hours by train and arriving the next day without having to adjust your watch is almost freaky. Freaky, but fun. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
When all was said and done, I came home with 13 new yarns. To be fair to me, though, because everyone knows I don't need more yarn, I only purchased 8 of them - five were lovely gifts from my posse to thank me for getting our hotel room from loyalty points. So that would be only 2 yarns a day. I think that's reasonable. :-)
I can't say enough about how awesome it is to be in the midst of so many knitting rock stars. To be able to take a class from Chrissy Gardiner, or to have Lucy Neatby or Janel Laidman comment on how cool our hats were, or to seek out Cat Bordhi and ask a specific question about her Sweet Tomato short-row heel technique... well, that's just priceless.
All my classes were great, even those where I didn't think I learned a whole lot. For the Bosnian toes class, I learned that it's just a garter-stitch toe; nothing more, nothing less. But the instructor showed us different ways it could be customized and enhanced that I hadn't thought about before. Swing By Your Heels was a cool technique I had read about, but never was able to put to practical use, nor was I able to imagine the variations it would allow. Even Clara Parkes class (Tips and Tricks for Stretch and Strength) was basically the same class I took at SS09, but I picked up a few more tips this time.
I'm sure there are more SS11 musings, but those were the ones that came to mind right now.
When all was said and done, I came home with 13 new yarns. To be fair to me, though, because everyone knows I don't need more yarn, I only purchased 8 of them - five were lovely gifts from my posse to thank me for getting our hotel room from loyalty points. So that would be only 2 yarns a day. I think that's reasonable. :-)
I can't say enough about how awesome it is to be in the midst of so many knitting rock stars. To be able to take a class from Chrissy Gardiner, or to have Lucy Neatby or Janel Laidman comment on how cool our hats were, or to seek out Cat Bordhi and ask a specific question about her Sweet Tomato short-row heel technique... well, that's just priceless.
All my classes were great, even those where I didn't think I learned a whole lot. For the Bosnian toes class, I learned that it's just a garter-stitch toe; nothing more, nothing less. But the instructor showed us different ways it could be customized and enhanced that I hadn't thought about before. Swing By Your Heels was a cool technique I had read about, but never was able to put to practical use, nor was I able to imagine the variations it would allow. Even Clara Parkes class (Tips and Tricks for Stretch and Strength) was basically the same class I took at SS09, but I picked up a few more tips this time.
I'm sure there are more SS11 musings, but those were the ones that came to mind right now.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Weird Things I Did on Vacation
Watched a sock form from what was once a sheep: http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2011/07/portland_sock_summit_race_from.html
Wore a silly hat:
Wore a silly hat:
Bought (and was given) some luscious yarn:
Learned a bunch of new things (1 new toe-up cast on, 2 new heels, and a bunch of little tips to make my knitting easier/faster/funner). (Sorry; hard to photograph ejumacation.)
Sat on a train for 38 hours (19 hours each way, SJC to PDX and back): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI8Jp5kPxWs
Hung with my buds, who were also wearing silly hats: 
Danced in public with about 600 other people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOUL_S6tVr8
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Late-July Update
Just got back (Sunday) from a week visiting dad. He went into the hospital on July 9; tests showed that he had had another heart attack. They did a catheterization on Wednesday or Thursday, and found two blockages, which they fixed with two stents. After monitoring his blood pressure (he had dipped down to 70-something while he was in the hospital), he was sent home on Friday afternoon, July 15. (Well, actually when he was released, he went home with Ann, his girlfriend.)
I flew in on the 16th, my dear friend Chris picked me up at the airport and took us right to Ann's house. Dad was still tired and a little wobbly on his feet, but had a good pink color to his face. We chatted for a while, then Chris and I went out to dinner; afterwards, I checked into a nearby motel. (I was staying at a motel instead of at his place because I had work to do on Monday and he has no internet connection at his home!)
I picked him up at Ann's on Tuesday morning and then spent the week with him at his place. He was gradually making progress, and we'd take slightly longer and longer walks (and by "slightly longer" I mean going up and down three aisles at Publix instead of just one or two). His tummy is unsettled, probably from changing around all his meds again, but the good news is that the doctor cut his blood pressure medication in half, as well as his cholesterol medication. Maybe lowering the BP med will help with some of his tiredness.
It was hard to leave him on Sunday. Especially with his most recent heart incidents (four of them since the end of April), it's easy for me to wonder if each time I see him will be the last. But, his spirits are good, he's talking about where he and Ann will go on their next cruise, so I take my cue from him - keep moving on.
(As for the other things that happened while I was in Florida: His tires needed replacing, his car needed a coil replaced, his dishwasher doesn't clean the dishes very well anymore [it's from 1987!], his living room rug has gotten to the embarrassing point and needs to be replaced, and as we were walking out the door to go to the airport the washing machine was flooding the laundry room. "Don't worry about it, there's nothing we can do now anyway. Let's go," he said, so we did.)
(By the way, if you live anywhere near New Port Richey in Florida, take your car to the Goodyear shop on highway 19 across from Publix. Talk to Mary Ostrowski and tell her I sent you. These people are the BEST. They took care of Kelly and me when we brought in Aunt Irene's Corolla and they took care of me this past week when I had the car in and out (for the tires) and in and out again (for the coil). They even threw in an oil change, gratis.)
Today (Tuesday), I'm leaving to take a train to Portland (Oregon) to attend Sock Summit 2011. I attended Sock Summit 2009 and it was like Woodstock for sock knitters; we had a blast. This year's event promises to be just as much fun, maybe more, and now I need to go pack. The clothes are already laid out, the real question is what knitting to bring. That always stymies me on a trip. I better get to it!
I flew in on the 16th, my dear friend Chris picked me up at the airport and took us right to Ann's house. Dad was still tired and a little wobbly on his feet, but had a good pink color to his face. We chatted for a while, then Chris and I went out to dinner; afterwards, I checked into a nearby motel. (I was staying at a motel instead of at his place because I had work to do on Monday and he has no internet connection at his home!)
I picked him up at Ann's on Tuesday morning and then spent the week with him at his place. He was gradually making progress, and we'd take slightly longer and longer walks (and by "slightly longer" I mean going up and down three aisles at Publix instead of just one or two). His tummy is unsettled, probably from changing around all his meds again, but the good news is that the doctor cut his blood pressure medication in half, as well as his cholesterol medication. Maybe lowering the BP med will help with some of his tiredness.
It was hard to leave him on Sunday. Especially with his most recent heart incidents (four of them since the end of April), it's easy for me to wonder if each time I see him will be the last. But, his spirits are good, he's talking about where he and Ann will go on their next cruise, so I take my cue from him - keep moving on.
(As for the other things that happened while I was in Florida: His tires needed replacing, his car needed a coil replaced, his dishwasher doesn't clean the dishes very well anymore [it's from 1987!], his living room rug has gotten to the embarrassing point and needs to be replaced, and as we were walking out the door to go to the airport the washing machine was flooding the laundry room. "Don't worry about it, there's nothing we can do now anyway. Let's go," he said, so we did.)
(By the way, if you live anywhere near New Port Richey in Florida, take your car to the Goodyear shop on highway 19 across from Publix. Talk to Mary Ostrowski and tell her I sent you. These people are the BEST. They took care of Kelly and me when we brought in Aunt Irene's Corolla and they took care of me this past week when I had the car in and out (for the tires) and in and out again (for the coil). They even threw in an oil change, gratis.)
Today (Tuesday), I'm leaving to take a train to Portland (Oregon) to attend Sock Summit 2011. I attended Sock Summit 2009 and it was like Woodstock for sock knitters; we had a blast. This year's event promises to be just as much fun, maybe more, and now I need to go pack. The clothes are already laid out, the real question is what knitting to bring. That always stymies me on a trip. I better get to it!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Model Railroaders, Bad Golf, and Bad Hearts
Well, we had a lovely time at the model railroaders' convention last week. Kelly and I both sat in on some interesting classes, plus he took a few extra hands-on workshops, while I knitted my way around the convention center. We checked out of the Sacramento hotel Thursday morning and headed to the Jelly Belly factory, but it was crazy crowded, so we skipped that and checked in to the hotel at Travis Air Force Base.
We golfed at their course, Cypress Lakes, and had our butts totally whipped. Neither of us could hit a tee shot that cleared the girls' tees and we spent more time looking for our wayward balls than making decent shots (we each lost about 5 balls, too). My new clubs were like foreign objects in my hands; Kelly's tried-and-true clubs were acting like his enemies.
We checked out of Travis Friday morning and went back to the Jelly Belly factory. A little less crowded, so we did the tour and then came home. I came back with a sore throat but thought it was just from bouncing from 100-degree heat into the A/C. Turns out it's a lovely summer cold and now I feel like crap. Been chewing down Musinex since yesterday. It's the only thing that's keeping me from hacking up a lung.
Around midnight Friday, Ray calls to let me know dad's back in the hospital. (Luckily, Ray was there visiting.) So between the time he called and Saturday afternoon, they moved dad from the ER to the intensive care unit to the cardiac care unit. Turns out he had had another congestive heart failure episode. I had been planning to go see him in August, but will now be leaving next Saturday and stay for a week. We've cancelled the Las Vegas trip. We'll go another time; I'm sure it will be there for a little while longer. Then when I come back, I'm only home for a couple of days before heading up to Portland for Sock Summit.
Don't know what's going on with dad; this has been the 4th time since the end of April that he's wound up in the hospital. I'm pretty stressed out right now.
We golfed at their course, Cypress Lakes, and had our butts totally whipped. Neither of us could hit a tee shot that cleared the girls' tees and we spent more time looking for our wayward balls than making decent shots (we each lost about 5 balls, too). My new clubs were like foreign objects in my hands; Kelly's tried-and-true clubs were acting like his enemies.
We checked out of Travis Friday morning and went back to the Jelly Belly factory. A little less crowded, so we did the tour and then came home. I came back with a sore throat but thought it was just from bouncing from 100-degree heat into the A/C. Turns out it's a lovely summer cold and now I feel like crap. Been chewing down Musinex since yesterday. It's the only thing that's keeping me from hacking up a lung.
Around midnight Friday, Ray calls to let me know dad's back in the hospital. (Luckily, Ray was there visiting.) So between the time he called and Saturday afternoon, they moved dad from the ER to the intensive care unit to the cardiac care unit. Turns out he had had another congestive heart failure episode. I had been planning to go see him in August, but will now be leaving next Saturday and stay for a week. We've cancelled the Las Vegas trip. We'll go another time; I'm sure it will be there for a little while longer. Then when I come back, I'm only home for a couple of days before heading up to Portland for Sock Summit.
Don't know what's going on with dad; this has been the 4th time since the end of April that he's wound up in the hospital. I'm pretty stressed out right now.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I'm Such A Very Bad Girl
*sigh* Not one week after finding a great deal ($50!!) at Big5 on a club set (Tour Craft Aeros, driver, 3-wood, 6-hybrid, and couple of irons and a new bag), I found a *real* nice set at Golfsmith. Full set of 14 clubs (Adams A70S), including a putter, and a cart bag. No, this set wasn't $50, but I did find a $100-off coupon and they were on sale besides. I had admired them last week and though I walked away from them then, they stayed on my mind. I went online and found the coupon, then put them in - took them out - put them in - took them out - of my shopping cart.
As we were playing the Seabee golf course over the weekend (at Port Hueneme in southern California), I was finally getting the hang of the oversized driver and the hybrid and was hitting them fairly well. When we got back home yesterday afternoon, though, the other set was again on my mind, so we trekked back up to San Jose so I could try out the Adams.
My first shot with the driver was a real klonk, but six or seven in a row after that I hit it really well and it felt good. The hybrid I grabbed, I hit dead center from the first shot. I also took a 7-iron, since the style was different than my current clubs, and again, I hit all the shots well.
They're due to ship Thursday... Who wants the old-new clubs? :-)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Random Bits
R.B. #1 - My dad's defibrillator went off last Monday. Literally knocked him on his ass; out cold for about 30 seconds or so. Got the doctor, they got a read-out from the gizmo, now he's fine. The unit is designed to defib when he has 10 'episodes' (of ventricular mis-firings) in a short period of time, and that's what the read-out said. ...8, 9, boom. He's slowly getting back to usual, but word on the street is that this can really drain you. He's on some new meds that aren't helping; they're making him even more tired, so he'll go see the doc about that. When I spoke to him yesterday, he was tired, but he's back home again (after staying at his girlfriend's for about a week). Ray is planning to go visit the week after the 4th of July; I'm not planning to go back until March (DRJ conference), but I'm keeping my options open.
R.B. #2 - Sweetie and I are trying to get back into the swing of golf again. (That was a pun. Get it?) We played in October of 2009 when we went to Pismo Beach and then didn't play again until a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, I didn't hurt myself and actually hit a few good shots. We've been heading to the driving range when we have some time and he's taking a few lessons from a local pro. Me, I'm just going to keep on keeping on and hope I don't hit someone with a mis-struck ball.
R.B. #3 - In association with R.U. #2, we went to a local course Tuesday that just kicked our damn asses up one fairway and down another. We thought it was a small, 9-hole course. How big could it be for $10? Holy guacamole. Long yardages, hills, 92 degrees, little or no shade (and we forgot water and sunscreen). What the hell were we thinking?? It may be a while before we return...
R.B. #4 - Heading down to Oxnard this weekend to visit the hubby's parentals. It happens to be Father's Day, but that's just coincidence. What do you get a 92-year-old man for Father's Day?
R.B. #5 - I gave my dad money for a house-cleaning service. That, and a card that said "put your finger here and pull it yourself." He's a great dad. Wonder what I'll be getting him when *he's* 92...
R.B. #6 - Bargain found! A set of clubs and a golf bag for $50! An odd set, to be sure: pitching wedge, 8 iron, 6 iron, 5 iron, hybrid (looks like a 2-ish wood), 3 wood and driver. Clubs have gotten huge; my old driver from nineteen-ninety-mumblemumble is smaller than the new 3 wood. The driver is enormous, around 5" at its widest. I will definitely need to practice hitting with it.
R.B. #2 - Sweetie and I are trying to get back into the swing of golf again. (That was a pun. Get it?) We played in October of 2009 when we went to Pismo Beach and then didn't play again until a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, I didn't hurt myself and actually hit a few good shots. We've been heading to the driving range when we have some time and he's taking a few lessons from a local pro. Me, I'm just going to keep on keeping on and hope I don't hit someone with a mis-struck ball.
R.B. #3 - In association with R.U. #2, we went to a local course Tuesday that just kicked our damn asses up one fairway and down another. We thought it was a small, 9-hole course. How big could it be for $10? Holy guacamole. Long yardages, hills, 92 degrees, little or no shade (and we forgot water and sunscreen). What the hell were we thinking?? It may be a while before we return...
R.B. #4 - Heading down to Oxnard this weekend to visit the hubby's parentals. It happens to be Father's Day, but that's just coincidence. What do you get a 92-year-old man for Father's Day?
R.B. #5 - I gave my dad money for a house-cleaning service. That, and a card that said "put your finger here and pull it yourself." He's a great dad. Wonder what I'll be getting him when *he's* 92...
R.B. #6 - Bargain found! A set of clubs and a golf bag for $50! An odd set, to be sure: pitching wedge, 8 iron, 6 iron, 5 iron, hybrid (looks like a 2-ish wood), 3 wood and driver. Clubs have gotten huge; my old driver from nineteen-ninety-mumblemumble is smaller than the new 3 wood. The driver is enormous, around 5" at its widest. I will definitely need to practice hitting with it.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
5 Years? Holy Cow...
Yes, indeed; yesterday was our 5th wedding anniversary. It's definitely one of those time-warping things, where we vacilate between "it feels like we've been together forever," and "the years have gone by in a flash." Although, we have known each other 'forever' (since 1994, but we didn't become a couple for many years), so that "we've been together" sentiment makes sense.
Regardless of what kind of time span it feels like, I do know one thing - I love this man, truly, madly, deeply.
In 2006, we had what we call an "ambush wedding." No, neither Kelly nor I was the one being ambushed; we ambushed our guests. We had gotten formally engaged on May 13, so we told friends we were having an engagement celebration dinner at Parcel 104, the restaurant at the Santa Clara Marriott. (It's a phenomenal restaurant; if you have the chance, go.) . After some appetizers and a few drinks, the minister showed up and, to the everlasting surprise of all the guests (all 10 of them), married us!
For our 5th anniversary, we decided to have a dinner party at "the scene of the crime." While Kelly's brother and sister-in-law couldn't join us this time, we were lucky enough to round up 5 of the original 10 guests, plus 2 who were supposed to have been there in 2006, plus 2 more wonderful people (who themselves had recently gotten engaged!). What Kelly didn't know is that I had gotten in touch with the minister who had married us, and had signed her up to perform a vow renewal ceremony.
Oh yes, he was very surprised, and we took about 5 minutes to laugh our way through the ceremony, which included references to "The Princess Bride" ("Mawwage... is wot bwings us togethew today...") and "Star Trek" (the Vulcan "live long and prosper" greeting). It was a hoot.
Unfortunately, the camera I gave MM to take photos with insisted that it didn't need a flash, so almost all the shots during the actual renewal part came out blurry and/or dark. The pictures here are some of the better shots before and after the funny bit.
We had a grand time. We are so blessed and lucky to have found each other.
I was tickled to find that the florist was able to make an arrangement that looks almost exactly like the flowers from 2006!
Smile, everyone!
Now you folks smile! (No, I don't know what Kelly was doing with Kerry's hand!)
Table set-up before the rowdy crowd arrived and made a mess of things.
The happy couple at the end of the night.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Gearing up for Sock Summit 2011
Yes, I'll be wearing it at Sock Summit, as well as on the train ride up and back. No, I don't care that it is the saddest looking Viking anyone has ever seen. Yes, those are socks for horns and socks at the ends of the 'braids.' No, I don't think it looks silly, I think it looks awesome. (Well, okay, it IS a little silly, but that's part of what makes it awesome, too.)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Little Things that can Make Me Happy
1. Airplane contrails.
2. Remembering something that's eluded me for hours or days.
3. Seeing my sweetie.
4. Watching baseball (an in-person game makes me a teeny bit happier, but I'm okay with watching on TV).
5. Knitting when it's going well.
6. Knitting even when it's not going to well.
7. Making a dinner that doesn't suck.
8. Seeing clean countertops.
9. Knowing I'm caught up on work with nothing hanging over my head.
10. Seeing our little apples getting slowly bigger every day!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sock Summit 2011!
Easy registration this year, got all the classes I was interested in, the system didn't crash. And just like 2009, I'm sure that even if I didn't get into any classes at all, I'd still have a blast.
07/28/2011 11:00 AM
Swing by Your Heels
07/28/2011 1:30 PM
A bag of tricks for stretch and strength
A bag of tricks for stretch and strength
07/29/2011 9:00 AM
It's Hip to be Square - Bosnian Toes
It's Hip to be Square - Bosnian Toes
07/30/2011 1:30 PM
Textured Colorwork Socks - Chrissy Gardiner
Textured Colorwork Socks - Chrissy Gardiner
07/30/2011 7:00 PM
This Is Your Brain on Knitting - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
This Is Your Brain on Knitting - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
07/31/2011 1:30 PM
Knit a Mini Turkish Sock - Lynn Hershberger
Knit a Mini Turkish Sock - Lynn Hershberger
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Bin Laden is Dead
On the one hand, time to celebrate.
On the other hand, I'm afraid of the retaliation. I was already leery of traveling on 9/11/11 (we have to be in San Diego that weekend and the following week), now I'm really going to be concerned.
But good news, nonetheless.
On the other hand, I'm afraid of the retaliation. I was already leery of traveling on 9/11/11 (we have to be in San Diego that weekend and the following week), now I'm really going to be concerned.
But good news, nonetheless.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Uh Oh... The Downside of Gardening
Peach leaf curl! Aaaauuuggghhhh!!!
ChickenKnittle told us that's what the problem is with our peach tree, so today I dutifully removed all of the affected leaves and put them in zip-locks, then threw them in the garbage can, far away from where the trees are.
Unfortunately, our neighbor, the one behind us, the one with nectarines, the one with nectarines that we deliberately planted our peach tree next to... her tree is full of this stuff. I didn't see one leaf that wasn't affected, and it looked to be pretty far along in its progress - all the leaves were curled in on themselves, and they were all pale. It looked pretty gruesome.
Don't know if our tree can be saved if it's in such close proximity to such a diseased one. We may need to do a mid-spring transplant to another location farther away from the nectarine.
Bummer.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Greening of the Back 40
Yes, I know it's been a while, so here are pictures of the Back 40, taken today. Lots of things are bursting out, and DH finished putting up the supports for 2 of the 3 rows of grapes.
Looking down one row of grapes
The view of the Back 40 from the lemon tree corner
The blood orange bush has a ton of blossoms this year
Three of the 7 grape vines have baby grapes!
Looking down one row of grapes
The view of the Back 40 from the back of the Back 40
The view of the Back 40 from the lemon tree corner
The blood orange bush has a ton of blossoms this year
Three of the 7 grape vines have baby grapes!
The apples are still going strong
Unfortunately, some of the leaves on the peach tree are doing this weird bubbling thing, so I'll have to take a sample to Johnson Garden Center to see if they can diagnose it (or see if ChickenKnittle knows what's wrong - if anything).
We also bought one more grape vine today. We currently have two rows of three vines each, plus one guy off to the side near the cherries, all by himself. We used to have one more row with three more, but two of the three went kaput in the first year or two, so now the one that survived is all by himself. We found another vine today, though, so we'll plant him in one of the previous holes and then put up supports for both of them. I think it looks really neat now, almost like we're serious about growing grapes!
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