More knitting stuff, sigh.

I had this great idea to knit up a long vest for a trip Husband and I will be taking in the future.  I printed out the pattern, picked out the yarn, with a bit of help from Mom (thanks!!), and proceeded to work on it. 

First thing, I put on my circular needles, and POP, one side came off.  This was not terribly out of the blue, I had trouble with the needle before, but it still meant I had to find some way NOT to lose stitches, and ask Husband to please fix it, if he could.  He did, (thanks!!). 

So, while he was doing that, I scared up another circular needle, so I could see if I could keep up the momentum.  Which was great.  At first.

Knit, LOTS of stitches.  This does seem like a long, long row.  Huh.  Well, the pattern is going well...One whole section finished.

Knit the  next row... 5 stitches?  There is supposed to be 4.  Uh, oh. 

For anyone who doesn't knit, lace is more or less a big math problem.  When one stitch is off, it can make the whole pattern go wonky.  So, I ripped the row, and started over.  Finally, it's correct.

Reading the blasted pattern, it was about 4 point, 6 point tops print, and so I had to keep picking up the pattern to read it.  But, it looks nice, and I am just... 6 stitches?  WTH??!?!?  Ok, rip, and knit again.  Dang, this thing seems to be large.

I showed it to Mom, and she agreed.  I still thought I had worked it out correctly, but decided to get a "for sure" measurement.  After a bit of awkwardness, Husband told me the measurement...

Oh. Crap.  I mis-measured, and had a full two sizes larger than I needed.  Bah.  Okay, not the end of the world, rip, and start over. 

And so I did.  Looks a bit less daunting.  Knit, knit, yes, this looks good, knit, now to the lace... You know, I am going to type that nonsense up where I can read it from a distance of more than an inch or two.  That's better, now back to knitting.

Okay, all set.  Knit, knit, knit, crap. 5 stitches again.  SIGH.  What is the problem?  I know the pattern is fine, I did the first section with not too much problem.  So, ripped again. Knitted again.  Then I notice that I made one loop, about 2 rows down, way too large.  It didn't come out as a nice lacy opening, it looked more like a tear.  Hmm.  Then I notice I am SIX STITCHES OFF AGAIN...

Ok, that's it.  I was genuinely thinking about what lighters or matches I had in the house.  So, I very carefully ripped it out, completely, put it in a sack, and put it away for a bit. 

If I don't finish it by the time I leave, well... I have other things to wear.  But I was hoping this would be a nice thing for my trip.  But having my eye twitching, and Husband enduring some extremely  unladylike language when I discovered my mistakes, does not make for a good experience for either of us.

So, I am working on a basic hat, and a basic sock. 

Haven't screwed those up yet...

siiiiiigh...

Hairball! No, wait. Worse!

I received a LOT of yarn from a friend who's spouse had recently died.  He had no use for it, and said he'd just chuck it in the burn pile if I didn't want it.  Avoiding such sacrilege, I came home with something like 6 or so boxes of yarn.

This is good.  Quite good.  Except they were stored... Not so well.  They were dusty, and some were covered with grit, among other things.  (We jokingly say it's back of the barn fresh...)  I really didn't want to have the stuff be in the craft room with all the dust. Huh.  So, wonder if I can wash them?  I start looking online, in a couple knitting forums, and find out, yep, they can be washed.  I figure, okay, I have a batch I will put into a couple pillow covers, and Voila, clean yarn.

Ahem.

Now begins the tale of one woman's decent into madness...

On the forum, there was a definite agreement that it COULD be done.  Several different methods were mentioned.  I decided that putting the skeins in a pillow case, and using safety pins, lock them in, and wash, and dry.  (There was some debate about whether they should be dried, some thought it would damage the yarn.  I don't happen to have the faintest idea about what you are supposed to do with the yarn once it's washed if you DON'T dry it!!)

So, I get my pillowcases, place several yarn skeins in, and close with pins.  Big pins.  Pins that could cause severe pain and puncture.  Of which I did at least twice, on two fingers.  With prodigious and creative epithets following.  Fortune would have it, I was alone in the house, except for Ding.  She did look a little oddly at me, and decided it was probably a good time to go in the other room...

I put the bags in the wash, along with a pillow, to balance the load out.  Wash.

Then I pull out the bags.  White puffs? Huh?  Oh, urk.  There was a hole in the pillow, and the washer quite literally beat the stuffing out of it.  So, remove stuffings that are all over the washer, the outside of the pillow, outside of the pillowcases...  And then note, one of the yarn skeins has come partway out of the pillowcase.  Stuff back in. 

Well, that wasn't great, but not as bad as I had feared.  Dry.

Then I take out the nice, clean, fresh smelling, OH MY GOODNESS WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED???!?!!!???

Where I had several nice skeins in the bags, I now had a large, colorful, amorphous mass.  A highly TANGLED amorphous mass. 

So, the next two days were carefully (for the most part, patience won out with one, and I just pulled it until it broke so I could finish) untangling, and rewinding or rolling up skeins.  I was not a happy camper.  Husband tried to tell me about a way that might prevent it happening again.  I have decided that I will indeed wash more yarn. (See, nutty as a fruitcake.)  The next one will be ONE skein per bag, and perhaps a victim loving Husband will pin the darn things shut...

5 more boxes to go...

 Whimper...

M is for...

Mountain.

Husband and I love to wander around up in the hills near our home.  I try and remember to take a camera, because it can make for some nice shots.  It had been foggy all morning when we traveled up to the top of this hill, and then  the sun broke out to the view.  It just makes me appreciate the area I live in.

Have to say, mountains can be... spooky, at times, though.  Husband and I went to visit his Mom and Dad, who were in Missouri at the time.  We took the bus, and were headed over the Great Divide.  The bus driver had been very pointed about the schedule, bellowing that we needed to get going at each stop after what seemed a very scant time.

We started up, and soon hit the snow line.  And it was evening.  And snowing.

Hard.

I watched as traffic lessened, and it became slower as well.  Big rigs, a few cars, and a couple RV's travelling along the route with us.  We came to a slight bend in the road, and there, laying on its side, was a an RV.

The snow picked up, making it look like some sort of psychotic pillow fight outside.  And since we were sitting near the front, I could see the driver, gripping the steering wheel like he was going to tear it out of the dash.

Everyone was silent, which was only adding to the less than jovial atmosphere.

Long straight shot, and there were more vehicles on the side of the road, along with the red and blue flashing haze of police cars directing people around wrecks.

We finally arrived at the next bus station, and the driver stopped the bus, opened the doors, and piped up, "I am stopping here for 30 minutes, I don't CARE what the schedule says!"

3 cigarettes later, he finally came back to a shade that looked human, if a little on the green side.

(Actually, he wasn't the only one that I noticed that was calming themselves by smoking...  Being a non-smoker, I just found a vending machine, and managed a lukewarm brackishness that was passed off as tea.  At that point, I didn't care.)

We made it the rest of the way safely, but to this day, I am wondering how the pioneers did that trip.  We had a lot more horses...

*****

Well, I am going to be busy doing typing for a bit.  I will be giving a speech for a group on avoiding scams.  I had a speaker lined up, but she dropped out, so I, very begrudgingly, volunteered.  I have a pretty good handle on it, I think...  Except I have a great huge expanse of time, and I really feel that I don't even need more than half of it.  Can we say "padding", folks?  Yoiks!  Oh, well.  I don't feel like I have to curl up in the fetal position and sob yet, so I think I will do okay.

At least until I have to give the speech...

I also need to type up a bi-monthly newsletter that goes out to several groups in the county.  That is kind of fun, but I am also advertising... My speech next month.  Yay.

Then, I want to write up a short series of articles that I want to give to the Sheriff's Office.  I have considered doing this a couple times, but haven't sat to figure out what to write.  One of the other volunteers commented that it could be a good recruiting tool, and we need recruits at the moment.  

So, guess who will be writing tomorrow, when not doing the week's housework?  

Sorry, Jerry Garcia...

"What a long, strange road it's been." 

The last two days have been... Well, they have been a royal pain in the butt.  Interesting in only the Chinese curse sense of the word. 

I had a performance at a school almost on the border between Oregon and Washington.  (I do Renaissance history performaces for schools.)  This is about a 3 hour drive, give or take.  I did manage to con, uh, vince the other performer to drive through the metro areas, I don't do that well... 

We did the performance all right, except that about halfway through, I choked on my own saliva, and had to leave the poor guy all alone for a bit, while I tried to regain my breathing skills.  Somehow, sounding like I am going to hack up a hairball, and turning purple, wasn't part of my agenda.  He did alright, and after a glass of water and a cough drop, I managed to get through the rest of the performance unscathed... 

Until I got back to my truck, and realized I'd left my cell phone somewhere.  I searched, the guy I was with searched, we tried calling my cell phone.

Nothing. 

I borrowed his phone, and promptly figured out I am stuck in the late 90's.  It was an Android.  I didn't even know how to start it.  Once it was on, I think I managed to have it turn to 'sleep' mode because I took so long to work out what to do.  I managed to make a call to Husband, to call Mom, and let them both know I was okay, just couldn't find the blasted phone. 

Or...

I thought I had.

I checked in the Starbucky's that we'd been by, they hadn't had one turned in.  (They also have extremely limited tea selections.  I guess that's why it's a coffee house, huh?)  I thanked them, and after convincing the guy I was with I needed to leave, (he'd forgotten I still had about 2 hours left to get home), I took off. 

It rained buckets.  I was behind a semi.  At Rush Hour.  I 'ate soup' for most of the trip home.  And decided to skip the rest areas so I didn't have to try getting on and off the freeway.  So I stopped at Mom's, as I really had to pee.  She hadn't received the message, and was worried.  I told her that Husband should have called, I had left him a message.  Called Husband from Mom's, and he was worried, he hadn't received the message. 

Joy of technology.  May it long receive a one finger salute...

I managed to get home, and at the door, Husband told me the message that I had left AT 4:30 had just arrived at 6 or a little after, right after my call.  That helped. Yeeeaaah...

I was so tired and furious, and just generally wound up, that I couldn't settle down.  The head of the group I perform for called by the end of the evening to let me know the school called, they had my phone.  (I still can't figure out why they didn't call with my phone, I have several things titled "Mom" "Home", etc, that they could have more directly contacted me.  Eh.)  So, with the help of the guy I performed with, and the group head, I may get my phone back Saturday or Monday. 

So I went to bed disgusted, and woke up the next morning.  And felt like my head was going to blow off.  I had a sinus headache as big as the national debt, and twice as ugly.  I didn't exercise.  Even putting on my shoes was a challenge, because when my head went as low as my shoulders, my brain pulsed.  And not in a good way.  So my usual Wednesday blog was a non-starter.  I did not do a whole bunch.  I even had to fight with the copier at the substation.  I just figured I must have had really, REALLY bad tech karma, for some reason.

On the bright side, I did end up losing .6 of a pound.  That was about the only real big plus for the day. 

When I worked at the substation on Wednesday, there was a call out for ambulance and deputies at a road near my house. One of the deputies was filling out paperwork, and was called directly from dispatch, please go help, it's a mess.  After a quick "be safe" from me, he went out. 

I came home without incident.  Husband met me at the door, "Did you hear about the big accident at Xity-x Road?"  I told him I had, and saw a deputy have to leave quick time to help. 

"I'll bet.  The chippers that we have been getting truckloads from?  One of the guys had just gotten down from the bucket truck, when a dually truck hit the chip truck from behind, doing about 55."  (Nothing like 1 degree of separation!) 

It was a mess, the dually driver had to go to the hospital.  None of the chipper guys were hurt. Badly shaken, but not hurt.  The truck was a mess, the trailer was pushed in almost 2 feet.  They still don't know if the guy had fallen asleep, drunk, what have you, but they did know he is a local, and had passed the chippers several times in the last few days, so he was (or should have been) aware of them being there. 

Wow.

Well, here is the fruits of the chipper's labor (Rudee in picture for scale.)  This isn't even all of it, we used a big bit for the chicken house.  So they have been busy.  ( I don't know if the broken truck was able to unload, but it sounded like it was pretty much a mess, might not even have been drivable, from what I heard, so I never was able to see the end result.  Which probably was a good thing, all things considered.)

And see?  All the chips have made the chicken house great to walk through, and all the chickens have nice, clean feet again!  (They don't seem really impressed.  The llamas, either.  I don't care.  They look better, I am not tracking mud so much, and it's much dryer in the hen house.

So I am desperately hoping that the next few days are without incident.  I am laying low, knitting a bunting for a friend that is preggers. (Yeah, I started a new project, this one doesn't count.  Grin.)  So I will show you pictures once I am beyond 12 rows of stockinette stitch. 

Oh, and my Mom has started reading my blog pretty regularly, and loves to read all your comments, as well as my musings.  So, (blatant beg) leave a comment!  Say hi, even!  ; ) 

I hope to catch up on everyone's blogs, now that it doesn't feel like someone stuck a blow torch in my ear...

Little piffle bits 'o stuff...

(I was going to put this on Wednesday, but didn't get it put on the blog.  So, Thursday is a day, right?)

I haven't anything that is really enough for a good blog, so I just threw a few things in, and pick what ya want.  Sort of like tapas, but less calories.

***

Well, I should have bought a lottery ticket...

I told Husband last night that today was weigh in.  I added, "I just hope I haven't gained anything, I tried to exercise more, but I had also been nibbling a bit more than usual.  I would be happy if I just stayed the same." 

I am exactly the same as last week. No gain, no loss... I stayed the same.  I am not going to complain.  I will need to work harder next week, but at least it wasn't a gain.

***

I am making split pea soup for dinner.  Husband looked at me stirring it, then said, Hey, we have Whirled Peas!  (He's been around me much too long if he comes up with puns like that!  But then he's the same guy that comments about my needing some cheese when I have so much "whine".  Eye roll, please!)

***

Christmas gave me new pants (ONE SIZE SMALLER, not that it's important... cough... Grin.) 

It also gave us a new bed cover, and skirt. 

It also made me nearly want to thump Husband's melon.  I will add the proviso that I was in a nasty, foul mood, and he had the bad luck to come in when I was putting the new covers on the bed.  I had purposely tried to work on this when he was outside, as his help can vary from helpful to... just leave. Please. 

Sooo, he decided that he wanted to help.  Okay.  I get out the bed skirt.  In case you don't know, it goes between the box springs and mattress.  Husband didn't know this, thought it was a sheet, and put it on the top.  I promptly took it off, and asked him to lift the mattress. 

But it's a sheet.

Noo, it's a bed skirt.  It goes (pointing) there.

I think that would get wound up in the vacuum. 

(Snarl.) It won't reach the floor, so no, it won't. (Besides, I vacuum, not you, why should it matter?)

What do we need a skirt for?

This went on for a few minutes, until he realized I was bearing my fangs in a very threatening manner, as well as twisting the skirt into something more resembling a large croissant... He then just stopped talking and lifted the mattress.  I put the skirt on the bed, we put the comforter on, and he left.  I finished with the pillows and throws, and decided it looked nice.  Husband decided it was fine, after making sure I was not going to lunge at his throat like a rabid wolf.  But he still doesn't really "get" the skirt thing.  As long as it is where its supposed to be, I don't really care. Hmph.

***

I found out the term "snow line" can be extremely literal.  We were warned last night that it was going to snow today.  When I started to exercise, it was snowing at the house.  I walked to the top of the place, and it was not sticking on the way up, except to the back of Rudee, and occasionally to my nose. (Yes, I sneezed.)  But I reached the upper pasture, and there was just the barest start of a blanket.  I did my walking, and it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour, total.  This was long enough to see the green of the pasture turn almost white. (And sneeze several more times.  Darn flakes...)  But walking back down to the house, not a bit was sticking.  It felt sort of surreal.  

I saw, looking at the area around, no snow to a certain point, then pouf, like someone had stuck a ruler on the ground and edged everything to that point on all the local hills.  I also found out, that when I am walking, and it's snowing, I can't walk without my coat.  Oddly enough, my arms started to ache.  I should have known better, it isn't the "nice" dry fluffy snow, we had that white cow plop that does nothing but make things wet and cold.  But the pasture did sort of look nice.  Here's hoping that it doesn't freeze tonight...

***

  I have been trying to buy a t-shirt online.  This really shouldn't be such a trial. I thought.  Ok, my first plan, find the shirt, find how to pay by check, (I don't have credit cards), and get shirt... 

I tried this, send the check off, got it back, wrong address.  Huh.  Well, okay, it's the one on the site, but there are two others, try again.  Return, wrong address... again.  Huh?  They had that address on the site...  That doesn't make sense.  I tried the third snail address, with the same result.  I decided to stop pounding my head against the wall at that point. 

I was supplied with a gift card that should cover the shirt and shipping.  So, I look on the site.  But by this time, the shirt is available in Small, or XXX Large.  I can't wear either.  So, I email them, last week sometime, right before Christmas, "do you have, or will you get a size Large?" 

Today, my inbox had the response to the effect of, we received an email from you, please call or email us if you have a question. 

I am truly thinking this could be a Perry Mason title "The case of the Sh*tty Shop". Or, "The case of the WTF Website."  (Sorry... But it is beginning to bug me.)  So, I will try calling the number, and see if TALKING TO A REAL PERSON might help.  But, I have the sad thought, just because it's a phone number, doesn't equal a real person. 

Voice mail hell, anyone?  Maybe I will just roll up into the fetal position right now...

Dang it, I really want the stupid shirt...

Is it over yet? Gawd, I hope so...

You ever have one of those weeks where you wonder what ELSE is going to happen?

I had two. 

Nothing big, just enough little stuff that I was beginning to personally understand the concept of "being nibbled to death by ducks".  I started last week with a bit of an ache in my LEFT ankle.  The GOOD ankle.  The one that DOESN'T hurt, as a rule. 

Ow. 

Ok, ignore it, it's just a little ache... Well, as of two weeks, it not only hasn't gone away, it has actually awakened me at night.  I don't want to go to the shiny new doctor, but I am not sure what it is.  It might just be some new and interesting arthritis, but it seems to be in the muscle, not the bone, so I am just a tad confused.  And it doesn't ALWAYS hurt.  With the other ankle, when it hurts, it hurts.  So, I might have a wrenched tendon.  I is soooo excited. 

Not...

I decided to check in as the Public Info Officer, and Le Boss said he'd like to have the CERT program have a Facebook page (as well as a newsletter, which I finished, but didn't get a thing from him about what was to be in it, so we shall see what ensues).  I decided to take a class on Facebook, so I would not be totally in the dark on how it works.  After spending the funds and going to the first class...

I realized that just by watching Husband, who has a page, I knew more than the teacher.  I asked at the beginning of the class if one could have a 'business' page, without a personal page.  He dinn't know.  Well, can I do X, to privatize the personal page.  He dinn't know. 

Ooooookay, if I get on there, and I want to reject a person's "gifts" that are sent me, how do I do that?  He... dinn't know THAT, either.  I suffered through 4 classes, and begrudgingly, I did learn a little, (he did seem to know some amount about privacy settings, which I most definitely wanted...), but I think I could have saved the $24 for goodies on my trip in June (priorities, ya know), and just muddled around and figured out the thing ON MY OWN. 

Then the dork went on, and on, and on the last day, he was late to class again, (he'd been late the last time), and then had the cajones to say that we could all stay late, HE had nothing else he needed to do after class.  I was about to get up and leave, just because I was so frustrated, but one of the other gals piped up and said, well, you may not, but I have to go to work.  I slipped out with her.  The teacher then called out after us that he had 3 more classes coming up, and we shouldn't miss 'em, they will be this summer.  Sure thing, guy...

When H*ll freezes solid and the Devil wears a Parka, maybe. But most likely, not even then.

But before I left, one of the others asked about the business vs. personal thing, again.  Oh, he said, I looked that up, you can do that.  (I am quite proud of myself, I didn't strangle him on the spot.)  So, now, I am going to ON MY OWN figure out how to take DOWN the page I made, which I didn't want.  (I really have nothing against Facebook, per se, it just doesn't interest me.)  I will then make the CERT page, and be able to just baby sit that.  I just have to write a nice thank you to the few that 'friended' me, and explain why I am going to drop the page. 

Tux, (the lovely sight you behold in my bio photo), was not doing too well.  I am not sure what happened, but he was cut in the neck, as if he had been bitten or scratched in a fight.  I am nursing him as much as I am able, he seems to be recovering nicely (he seems to feel the cheese is quite a palliative.  I agree.  Except I wish he would not try to remove my fingers in the process...) 

I put up my greenhouse, on the only half day I had free this last two weeks.  Now, I am an Oregonian, so I don't worry over a bit of rain. 

Ahem. 

I had to get my hat when it started, as I was building the greenhouse. (It is one of those cool Tinkertoy kind, that has the slip on plastic cover.  Ok, yes, I am strange, but I like the build-it kind.)  I was getting a bit chilled, but by gumbo, I was NOT going to quit.  So I went in the house, got my raincoat.  The wind was picking up enough that I had to get a magnet to hold the directions down.  Did that wise me up? No, I plugged along.  Rudee hid in his dog house, watching the crazy woman at work.  It was only when Husband came home, and I couldn't say hello without my teeth chattering, he said he'd get lunch, and maybe I should get dry before I went to class.  So, I go to class, what happens? 

The sun comes out.  It's beautiful!  Gorgeous!  Wonderful!  And I am stuck in a room with Mr. Dork that doesn't know anything, and never turns off his cell during class. 

On the bright side, when I got home, Husband had helped me with a problem I had understanding one part of the directions, and had finished the green house. 

Ta Da!  Rudee loves the shade.  Most of the time...

Then I finally figured, I will get payback for all of this annoyance, I had on the calendar, for about 2 months, a "Rural Living" expo, at the county fair grounds.  Mom had called and asked when it started.  I looked it up, found nothing.  Hmm.  So I looked it up on another website.  Still nothing.  Finally remembered a vendor I knew was going to be there, looked on that site, which directed me to the Rural Living website, and...

They'd cancelled the expo.  I couldn't help it, I laughed my head off, it just fit with all the nonsense of the last two weeks.  So, I decided, darn it, I have a free day, I went out and cleaned out one of the gardens, and helped Husband clean his truck (until my ankle started up again), and made a day AT HOME of it. 

So, nothing major, as far as it went this last two weeks, I was just continually on the go, and it was just STUPID little stuff that I had to deal with.  (Well, except for the animals and Husband, they were good, for the most part.  Llamas didn't even get grumpy this week.  And I am cutting back on the feed since it's going into grazing season.) So, this next week is not going to be as busy, and I am going to be able to work some more on the garden(s), as the mighty weather guessers say it's supposed to be nice for a day or two, and I think I am going to...

Well, I don't know, but it will not involve Facebook, that teacher, or being on the go every day this next week. 

I will be spinning at an Ag Expo next weekend. 

If they don't cancel.

Pbbbbbbbbbt...

Tried to do a good today, volunteered for the Local County Fair, worked with people that HIGHLY annoy me. They didn't dissapoint, sadly...

Found out one of my friends had her dog die, and her husband, daughter and father are sick.

I did too much stooping and picking of weeds yesterday, and too much walking on cement today, and feel like I have been in a fight. And lost.

Generally not in a good mood. So, this entry is short, and to the point.

I am going to bed.

Good night.

Quick Hello.

(Seaside Part Two will be here soon, I promise...)

Well, Let's see, when we last left, our protagonist was waiting to see what was going to happen with her Mom. Mom went in, had the surgery, it went WONDERFULLY. The doctor was worried that he'd have to do some extra work to get the surgery to come out right with the extra metal in Mom's leg. Not so, he did some doctory stuff, and didn't have to remove or change anything therein, making Mom's leg as strong, and less painful. She is having a little problem with a nerve going ape-o, but she obviously has improved, as she doesn't look like she is going to throw up when she moves, and this is AFTER surgery, folks.

My one friend that had been in the hospital died. He had a long life, but... yah know... It still sucks to lose a friend.

My other friend is back about working with his cows, will find out eventually about whether he's got something serious or not, but his doctor was "hopefully optimistic", read, most likely he's just got old dude stuff going on, not cancer. (We hope...)

I am having a drama unfold in a group I head up. I have been informed that several people do NOT want to work for me if I don't fix troubles. SO, what troubles? Oh, we don't want to cause hurt feelings, so we will have our representative tell you. Sooo, I call said rep, she isn't replying to my phone calls. So, I might be without extra help later on in the year. Husband has said that he can't really help much, but he and I have come up with a plan to make it so I can get any yutzbutt to work on the project, not needing to depend on these highly trustworthy, but come to find out, highly diva people. Live and learn.

I have my garden in, finally, beans and corn, squashables, and some sort of cute little thing that I have to check my garden list to see what is, are coming up. ( I tried a lot of new things, and I don't know what the sprouts look like.)

Husband had sold our last boat, and now bought a new boat, a drift boat, we tried drifting it, I found out that I like rowing, but I am a wimp, and can't row against current well, I can keep the boat still, but, oh, making our way back upstream? Nope.

Finishing my socks up that I did for the ham fair, Dad named them, "Harmonic Rainbow". (Picture soon.) I want to hurry up and finish them, so I can be ready... To knit socks. It's "The Summer of Socks" starting June 21 (12:01, I note, yeah, like I am going to set my alarm...), and so I want my needles cleared for Sock season. As opposed to duck season. Rabbit Season. Or Elmer Fudd Season, even.

I am enjoying the company of Tuxedo, but I have found out I have a cat that bites, he just loves the attention, that makes him a bit horn dog, then he takes it out on my arm, or finger, or what have you. He knows the second he chomps that I am going to be upset, but he is learning to settle down. I need to take him to the vet, to make sure he's healthy, but my home grown cat smarts says he's in pretty good shape. And fixed, which is good, I don't have that expense, but sad that someone would take that time and effort, then dump or leave him.

I had pigweed come up in my flower gardens, even in my woo-woo (for me) rock garden. So I am pickin' pigweed, and replanting. I am also moving rocks. Getting figured out what goes in sun, and what in shade, and who knows, I might even have something presentable by the time I get my AARP card!

If I hurry...

Drug into the new Millenium by my toes...

Well, today I watched "HD" television some. Due to the 'DTV' switch, and I being, um, rural, and... Um... Cheap, uh, frugal, and that I don't watch a lot of TV, I wasn't in a real big whoopee rush about getting the "secret decoder ring" for my television, aka HD Converter Box.

I guess 15% of people with televisions don't have cable or dish or anything like that. Me, part of the few, the proud, the cheap! Heh.

Anyway, therein lies the reason for the switch. So, I went to Arkansas Mart, didn't get to look at the 2 they had for sale there, (they had none on display), and the help seemed inclined to just want me to get it and leave, so I just left. Sans converter. I wanted a Converter box with a pass through for analog, because we are in a spotty area. This means it either comes in great... Or not at all. And it's as often as not the latter. So, I talked to Dad, and he said we could do this manually, making an antenna pass through.

And they say the stuff is ALLLLLL changing in February of 2009? Horse Nuggets! I found that channels that are low power, or channels that are 'repeater' stations, i.e., if you watch channel 2 on channel 45, the channel 45 probably WON'T be changed until a later time. And some areas aren't changing at all! I saw a map of Oregon, and the better part of a third of the state isn't covered by the change. Now some of it is very rural, like the area around Harney County, but the coast doesn't seem to be covered either, if I was looking at it right. So, I wanted to make sure if I wanted to watch a station that ISN'T covered, I still could.

So, I then went to Electric Bits and Pieces, and they did have one I could look at, but told me the only analog pass through ones were ON LINE. Great... I called Dad, we discussed if the one I was looking at would work, (he was pretty sure it would), and I whipped out the handy-dandy-do-all-card our Government saw fit to provide (told ya I was cheap), and got one. (Well, I did have to shell out an extra 20, but I figure that covered the frustration of dealing with Arkansas Mart.)

So, I found out, the little box, as well as giving us extra channels, gives us Closed Captioning, (it didn't work before, for some reason.) It gives us Extended Program Guides, and different screen sizes, and probably a few other things, which I will probably find as I wander through the morass of buttons on the new remote... But, I hate to say it, it still looks like there is HOURS AND HOURS with nothing on...

But! I can still watch Perry Mason. And I hope that Paul Drake looks even cooler in HD. Stay tuned!

Llittle Llama Rodeo. And I am the clown...

Went out to feed this morning. The fresh air, the birds, a bit of wind. Oh, it was nice this morning. Annoyed the cats, as I pulled the tarp off the hay, (I could SEE the cats, therefore I was less likely to crush same...), and then pulled down a bale. And so I trot out to give the llamas some breakfast.

And Lorenzo is out by the pear tree.

The pear tree is in our front yard.

No where NEAR the pasture.

With no fence near him.

After wondering if I needed a new eyeglass prescription, Husband and I rushed over to get him put back. Husband stayed with Lorenzo, and I went to get some grain. (A way to a llama's heart and all that...).

Lorenzo realized there were goodies involved, he was SO there. This worked swimmingly, until I got to the first gate, where the other llamas were. I was trying to open the latch, and SPITTOOIE!! Right in my face from an indignant Lama, who had no goodies, and was showing her displeasure to Lorenzo. But got me. By mistake.

I think...

Soo, I was sort of groping, trying to close the gate, so I could clean my glasses off, and on one side, angry llamas. On the other, a "henpecked" llama, that was rapidly deciding that spit was less fun than food. And was starting to want to leave the spit area. (Well, so did I, but I really didn't want more company on this little rodeo...) So, I shook the grain bowl, and had his attention again. He realized I was walking away, and followed. It was sort of a funny little walk. I walk, pause, wipe crud off glasses, he gobbles food. I pull bowl away, walk. He trots up quickly, humming with anticipation of the next bite. Repeat.

Took him to the back gate, which was where he came out. Turns out, the latch that was wired on, gave out. Sooo, we used a chain, got it on where it wouldn't come loose, and now Lorenzo is back in the pasture, and all full and happy.

And I took a shower...

Technology. Yeah...

Husband traded out his super woo computer for the internet, allowing me to have my past tense woo computer, (hey, it was woo when I bought it, but since it is well past its "use by" date, it's not so woo...), and my computer is now the house typewriter and possibly game machine. I am surprised by how easy the transfer has been. The only problem is that the "delete" key is in the wrong place for me, and so I have been "alt" ing a lot when I should be "del" ing. But I am slowly learning.

We are still having some bugs. Husband's computer, it doesn't have a way to print. So if I want to print, I have to transfer it to the "OLD" computer, then print from that... Does this sound excessively complicated? You are so right. However, we don't have the printer driver in yet, and I am not TOUCHING any of the techy s*** that his computer uses. I seem to remember hearing Darth Vader's voice and some talk about the dark side last time I tried installing something on MY computer, so who KNOWS what would happen when I would try that nonsense on his.

Besides, it's like a truck or car. You borrow the spouse's vehicle, by G*d, they have right of first ding... You put a ding, the earth could stop spinning on its axis, but they do it, meh... So I am not doing any ding-able offenses on his stuff... I just type and play some games. Heh.

On the OTHER hand, I really am detesting my cell phone. I am tolerating it, as I can get phone calls while on line. (If anyone would call, that is. I think I have given out the number to like, oh... Mom....) But, I found out that it is a tinkery, persnickity bit of junk.

Example, it can't go in my pocket back down. The antenna is on that side, and my hip seems to be a signal sponge. I can't hold the phone certain ways, for the same reason, the stupid antenna will not pick up through my hand. It also is really, really variable on how well it works in the house. One room, pbbt. One room, half is great, the other, if you lay down on the bed, you are fine. If you sit up, you are officially dumped. Fun. I lost phone calls twice until I figured this out.

This follows to my truck, too. If I lean against the window, (when I am riding, I do NOT call and drive), I can usually get out fair... Then the other afternoon I called, and poor Husband had to listen to my near screaming, and the other party. "What? Is that you? I can't hear you..." and so on. I never did figure out why that one didn't work.

The topper though, is that the stupid cell phone interferes with both the land line, and my broadcast radio. I kept hearing this odd sound, like a fan or alternator noise, but there was no fan or alternator around! So, after working with my Dad on this (retired telephone tech), we worked out it might be the cell. He said to set the cell on the regular phone. SQUEAALLL! Oy. Yep, that's it all right. So now I have to be careful where the two phones are so they don't fight. Or keep it away from my radio, because it has a distate for NPR. Lovely.

Ya know, if the regular phone had problems like this, my dad would have been shot where he stood, for the quality... I personally think sometimes that technology is the biggest reason for stomach upset and headache in the US. At least mine, anyway...

9,8,7....

Yesterday had sort of an interesting start. I got up. Still snow. In fact, I think it had snowed just a bit more than before, maybe another inch or so. No freeze, however, so I went out to feed.

I walked out to the barn where we store the hay. Husband has made a little "kitty cave", setting the bales in such a way as to make a hole for the cats to be warm. I had to get a new bale down, so I moved a bale in no way connected to the "kitty cave".

Or so I thought.

I am about 5 and 1/2 feet tall. The bales are stacked about 7 foot high. So, getting one from the top, I basically yard on the bale, get it to the tipping point, and let it fall. This works fine. Usually. However, for some unknown reason, it snagged another bale. Which pushed over another bale. Which fell in the "kitty cave". With Mama Cat in it.

My first thought. Oh G*d, I just killed Mama Cat!

I lunged for that bale, tried to lift. There are differences between men and women... One being upper body strength. I was in an awkward position, and couldn't lift the bale. I started digging. That only made the bale shift. Various swear words ensued. I then decided to call Husband, he could at least lift the bale, so I could get her crushed little body out. I called Husband on the cell, (for once, actually an item useful, I find it only useful as a flashlight in the chicken house. Otherwise, eh...), and through my blubbering and snotty nose, he gathered something was wrong, and I needed help with the hay bales.

I tried, and then slipped on the hay. This gave me just enough twist to shift the bale over AND up some. I look under the bale, and there's Mama Cat. Looking at me, and sniffing the bale over her head. After some blurbled coaxing, she came out.

Husband was highly confused when he came out, I called needing help with hay and a cat, he came out to see me holding Mama Cat, and blurbling only slightly more coherently. I explained what happened, and he just nodded, with the slightly glazed expression he gets when he knows his wife has gone into the coo-coo zone, and he needs to just "listen to the crazy lady." I was busy checking that Mama Cat didn't have any torn up spots or broken anything, when husband pointed out the bale had fallen in such a way, as to leave a nice large triangle for her. She probably was only confused about why the lights went out, not about being crushed...

I finally settled down to get the rest of the feeding finished, and I noticed Husband was pulling down some bales from on top. He's not stupid, bales on the ground= less crazy lady.

This isn't the first time I almost, or thought it was almost, an end game for Mama Cat. I am thinking she is down at least 4 or 5 lives at this point. (Being that she is around 17 years old, I guess this isn't too bad.)

Mama Cat has been looking at me funny today, can't imagine why. I just have been giving her extra hugs, and talk every second I see her. I think I recognize the expression, however. Looks sort of like Husband's.

Can't imagine why...

2008! Yippee! (I guess...) and FO's!!!

Is it just me, or does getting all excited about a new year seem a little silly? I mean, well, December 31, and January 1 aren't ALL that much different...

But anyway.
I have pictures of the shawl and socks.

I used some (I think) Lion brand, or Red Heart (lost the label), it is white with a stripe of some silver going up it. This was interesting to knit, I tended to pull the little silver plastic-y stripe out of the knitting, I didn't do much damage, but did stretch it out of shape a couple times. I just forced it back into my knitting, and went on.



The socks were knit with Lion Brand Baby yarn, Mom said they are nice and warm (since I knit them in acrylic, they wash up well, too...)
I knit these with a "hugs and kisses" (xo) cable, and a heart on the foot top.



I managed to finish Husband's birthday request. He wanted curtains for the shop. Not a biggie, thought I. Simple, basic sewing.

Cough. Uh.

Then I actually tried it. For those of you that don't know, I can sew, if I have a loooong time, it's all straight lines, and you don't look very close at the finished product.

It covers the windows, and Husband only had to tweak the curtain rod about a 1/4 inch to make them even. Hell, I'm happy. No, sewing isn't my forte'. Why do you think I knit?



I also made some purple socks, we haven't decided whether it's Donny Osmond or Prince purple, (Gawd, does that date me...), but the pattern is pretty much my own. It's a basket weave, and Heavens, they are warm. I *think* this is an acrylic... Could be some silk I bought a long time ago, but I suspect acrylic.



I am on a jag of knitting up my stash, and trying not to get more, so I have room to put my yarn I make, among other things. I am starting a patchwork sweater, just 'cuz.

Resolutions? What resolutions? Ahem. Yes, I will be working on them. Just not today. The ONE final curtain, (of 4, he wanted to be able to open them, to look outside... Picky!), took me over three hours to finish. I am taking the rest of the day off...

Night owls and gorilla music.

Lessee...

It's 2am. Why am I writing a blog at 2am? Well, I am heavily, highly, EXCRUCIATINGLY awake. My last OBGYN said there is no way I am going through "The Change". Maybe I should call her up RIGHT NOW and discuss the matter. Heh. Oh, well. Guess I am going to have to get used to it. I get up, rather than keeping Husband up, since I get fidgety. He does the same for me. So far, we *usually* are not up at the same time, but who knows...

Still haven't started my friend's story. (Actually there are 2 people that were there, I knew one, and was unfamiliar with the other...)

Hmmm. 2:06, and the oldest rooster is crowing. Guess one of the security lights must have gone on... I laugh about people's ideas on rooster crowing. They ONLY crow in the morning. (No, they pretty much crow any time they feel like it, they just crow MORE in the morning). They only crow with sunlight. (What, they are reverse vampires? They crow when they see light. I have had one or two crow when I come out to check on them with a strong flashlight.)

But I digress. I was reading an article about favorite British commercials for the year. The top one was Cadbury, for a drumming gorilla. It is cool (go to YouTube, type in Cadbury, gorilla, drumming, Phil Collins. You'll find it.) There are several variations, too. The original music is by Phil Collins. It's neat. I cracked up, however, with a different one, that only a sci-fi geek would understand. It was well thought out and video-ed as well, but the music was "Total Eclipse of the Heart". The gorilla is sitting, they are panning about his face, and then I start hearing "Turn around, bright eyes". Uh. snicker.

So, for any that don't know, yes, I am mental, but there is a real reason I am laughing. In the movie "Planet of the Apes", one of the characters is named Bright Eyes. So, my oddball mind had Apedude enjoying a song about relatives, I guess...

Well, hmm. I guess I will attempt to sleep... Again. Or read. But not knit. Why? Wellllll, uh, this time of night, when I do get sleepy again, I drop, klunk. This is hazardous when you have a wad of sharp double pointed needles in your lap. Standard needles aren't much better, as I usually have to find where I dropped them when I dozed off.

So. Night. Or Morning. Whatever...

Forward! Slog!!

Well, after bending my brain cells into a pretzel to solve the computer "problem", I started thinking semi-logically. (Which is, indeed, a problem for me where I get into things emotional, like wanting to use said computer for a olympic disc, or truck brace, that sort of ilk...)

So. Computer program won't let email in. Ok.

ISP doesn't care about emails, lets most all in. Ok.

I can get on line, just fine. Ok.

I have another email address, on line. Ok.

Tell everyone to use the on line email! Of course!!!

Now then, if that was so straight forward, why'd it take me several WEEKS to think of it? The only reason I can come up with, (besides being a doofus), is that I don't use the online email at all much, and so didn't think of it as a source of relieving the problem. But it works! I am able to send and receive mail, and so I am on the go, electronically, again...

Woo hoo! Now on to curing the common cold, world peace, and cancer. At this rate, well, someone's great great great great great great great grandchild will get the benifit of my genius. Oh. Well, as soon as I figure out the part about living that long.

I think I will go back to knitting now...

Conspiracy...? You decide.

OK, this little round chick isn't a conspiracy nut. I don't know anything about the grassy knoll, (I was born a few years later, heck, I didn't know what a grassy knoll WAS at the time...), I don't think the government has a Black Ops, (really, we are talking about the government here, the folks who can't keep a secret about when they are going to invade, say, Somalia? And I am supposed to believe that they keep secret American Ninja types that go do someone in a Bureaucracy's bidding? I won't lose sleep on it...)

HOWEVER.

I am beginning to suspect a conspiracy between MidLevel ISP, and SlamSpam virus protection. They are trying to send me to the loony bin. Not that I am that terribly far from it, but I don't need the help, thanks.

I try to send an email, the dial up dies. *sigh*, what did I forget... OK, have the dial up, and now I can send out an email. RIGHT? No.

SlamSpam virus protection informs me I am sending out a virus. Well, I will just have it run a scan.

scanscanscanscanscanscanscan beep, 0 viruses found.

Good,so I can send the email now.

Sorry, SlamSpam says MidLevel ISP has burped, and I need to re-transmit. Hmmph.

I re-transmit.

NOPE, there's that pesky virus again!

Grumble, snarl...

scanscanscanscanscanscanscanscan beep, 0 viruses found.

I give up. All right, it isn't going through. Fine. Turds want to play that way, I will send a letter, or phone, or something.

About a half hour later, Husband gets the email. Reply, asking why I sent the message to x person 4 times.

Then the next day, no one gets my emails.

I am switching to the Post Office. I like my post person. Kinda Goth, though, dresses all in black, and has this sword that he carries on his route. Told me it was for use on vicious dogs. Hmmm...

Hi! Can you read me now???

Haven't posted, right?

Well, I thought it might be Blogger's fault. Had a horrible time, couldn't get on, couldn't even dial up.

Uh, oh. Blogger shouldn't cause anything on my dial up...

SO, checked with Husband, did we do the change that MidLevel ISP suggested?

Yes, have you been getting any emails?

Nooo.

We checked. We tried to log on. Nada.

We called MidLevel ISP.

They told us, oh, well, the change we told you to make to go to the larger server? We sent you an email telling you not to.

When was this? Asks Husband.

Oh, about 2 days ago. (We, being worried about missing emails, had followed the directions THAT SAID WE WOULD STILL GET OUR EMAILS, about 4 days earlier.)

Husband then asked, OK, we've changed, now what?
Oh, simple, just set it back to the original parameters, you'll be fine.

So, after Husband, sweating bullets about what all was changed. Me, threatening oaths that will not be repeated, about MidLevel ISP and all who work there.

And finding out that ONE &*#@!!! box left un check marked, in a list of crap with which to make your Internet work, won't, in fact, LET it work...

We are back on.

We have email.

And MidLevel ISP said we don't have aaaaaaanything to worry about. Until December. When they change servers. Again.