Merry Christmas! In July!!

So, this is the latest of my sock knitting adventures...  

One of my friends was in the hospital for a bit... NOT Covid-19, thankfully, but not good, still.  I decided to do something a bit silly, and I made a pair of socks, and put them in a Christmas card.  

As you can see, they are a bit on the tiny side (quarter for comparison).

I am thinking about making several of these some day, and make a knitted sock Christmas crafting tree.  When, I don't know, I have enough projects to keep me quite busy for a while...

But sometime.  I just hope he gets a chuckle out of it...

Best laid plans of Christmas and cookies...

I have been baking.  Lots of baking.  I have a friend,  her husband is terminal.  We both belong to a group, and she wanted a Christmas exchange.  I told her I'd help, and so I was going to make cookie plates, and some gifts, so there would be extras, in case anyone didn't bring something.

And then a note, from another member. She was not going to be at the event, and could everyone bring toys, which will be donated to a charity?

I write back to the gent that sent out the note.  He said he'd ask, so right now, I am not sure which way it will go.

I will give her a cookie plate, either way, she will probably have people over.  I will get a toy for the donation... 

But, man, oh, man, do I have a lot of cookies!  To wit: I have 5 or so gallon jars full of cookies in the freezer...

That being said, since I had one of the deputies come up and hopefully ask if I had brought any when I came in... (I hadn't, because I have been concentrating on getting the ones for the group finished...  Oops.)  And my Husband has been enjoying being the Test Eater, as I can't have chocolate anymore, snif... 

But, they are all approved by the various Cookie Monsters in my life, so...

They shouldn't go to waste.  Waist, perhaps, but not waste...

The REST of the story.

I had mentioned in my last blog that a gent (after this, referred to as C), had growled about my not knowing about things near the moon landing.  So.  To expand.

C and I met through Amateur (ham) Radio.  He had been in the military, (Marines), and I don't have a clue why, but we both hit it off, and were pretty good friends ever since we'd met.  He was pretty laid back... Until someone would get him upset about his wife, family, or on rare occasion, bureaucracy.  He would roar a lot about the paperwork and snarl.  However, the one and only time I saw him injured, was when the hospital he went to wasn't going to do something for his wife, and she was very ill.

I saw him the week after, and noticed his hand was bandaged.  He had become so furious, that he managed to pound the wall for emphasis, and didn't realize quite HOW hard he was pounding, when his fist went through the wall board and hit a stud, breaking his fist.

 Um.

 He was in more than a bit of trouble for that one.  His wife, however, DID get looked at!  It's just sad that he had to go through all that for it to happen...

I mentioned he was a Marine.  I, at that time, wasn't acquainted with any other Marines...  I had been reading an article, and the byline was, X. Marineguy 3/5 yada.  I asked him, what's with the 3/5 part?  I thought Marines were full time, 3/5ths?  What, is he a Navy guy the other 2/5ths?  He just stared at me for a moment, then started laughing, when he realized I was serious.

 Laughing, to the point he was tearing up, and had to hold his sides...  When he finally was able to settle, he told me it was something on the order of  3 regiment, 5th battalion of such and such area. 

Oh.  (I later found out the various military groups have a running thing with ragging on each other, so he was wondering if I was doing a put down, rather than being my usual clueless, but curious, self.)

We had practiced emergency drills at our local hospital. (NOT the one he got... upset... at.)  We had to use 'tactical' calls.  That is, the normal way to use the radio, you give your call, then every ten minutes, give your call again.  In this case, we just used our calls, if we needed to talk to a specific person.  Otherwise, we would use a card, which would give the areas folks were at.  We would check in, and oh, for example, Bobby would be at the entrance, which was Alpha station, Rick would be at the Emergency Department entrance, which would be Bravo station, and so on.  I had arrived well after the drill had started, and took my place.  C was heading things up, and asked for us to give our calls, and locations for the hour.  I gave my call, and then went blank.  I was WHAT station?  Looking at my info, I was in C station.  Gah.  My brain went blank.  C, c is for... Bah.  I told him,"Brain fart, I am at C, that is Cookie station, until I can remember my letters." He wasn't the only one to laugh, but his was the laugh I could hear the furthest away!  (Annnd, if you ever get on Jeopardy, it's CHARLIE. Sheesh.)

So, we were talking about Jane Fonda, who had been in the news for something, and he was much hot under the collar about her.  "Hanoi Jane" was said, repeatedly, and I was again, clueless.  I hadn't heard much about her, and didn't know why he was upset.  So, in my brilliantly clueless way, I stuck my hand right in the middle of the hornet's nest...

So, what is wrong with Jane Fonda, what did she do?

Ohhh, boy...

Let's just say that he gave me a FULL rundown on military service, and what one does, and does not do, to assist captured soldiers.  Ahem.  That was when he snorted, and half bellowed, "You should KNOW this, it was on the news almost every night then!!!

That's when I regaled him with my not quite 2 year old self story of the moon landing.  His jaw dropped.  He then said, I thought you were a lot older than that! 

I dryly responded, thanks.  He spluttered, But you act older!  I started making digging motions, he clicked, started laughing, aaaand we went on to a less pyrotechnic topic. 

He has since passed away, but he was a good friend, and I think, even if we were both a bit clueless, or tactless, or both, well, we both had a pal to cover for being a doof.

But, I must say, this was better than when I was in college, and had to write a report on where I was when Kennedy was shot.  Having not been born yet, it was an interesting experience.  (So, you and I have something in common, Messimimi!)  At least the teacher admitted she'd made a mistake, and thought she'd checked ages so that wouldn't happen.  I did get an A, so it worked out. 

Memorial.

A friend of mine died unexpectedly from a car wreck.  I had been moping about it for a while.  Husband had actually known her and her husband longer than I had.  We went to her memorial, and I just watched for a little while.

This was a gal that was exuberant, and was happy.  She had had breast cancer, and so when she wore something to keep warm, as she'd lost her hair?

Jester caps!

A hat that looked like R2D2!

One that looked like she had a TARDIS on her head...

You get the idea.  In fact, at her memorial where she worked, (there was two, one for people from work, one for family and close friends), all of her hats were table toppers.

Bright colors were generally the norm, if she wasn't wearing something related to Doctor Who.  She and I would have discussions on that show, as well as Star Trek, and various books.  She kept chiding me to update, as I haven't seen much of any of them since the Doctor's 6th regeneration.  (Matt Smith seemed to be her favorite.  Didn't get a chance to ask what she thought of Jodie Whittaker.)  I knitted her a Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf.  We amused a few people at the Ren Faire, when we both were wearing them (I made myself one), at the same time.

Anywho, back to my observation.

I realized that she had friends all across the spectrum.  I have been to memorials where there are mostly older people, or younger people.  Mostly men that knew the deceased, or in one case, mostly knitters.

But her memorial, there were young folks, there were some older (I hesitate to say elderly, but they had seen several more winters than I have... Ahem.) Some that I know are conservative, others radically liberal, some who were neither.  Some that smoked and drank and partied, some that didn't.  She was friends with, and happy about all.

And it came through when we were together.

She had a unique habit of going to the liquor store to pick up something for a drink she was making, and she would pick up a bottle of something else, not because she was going to drink it, necessarily, but, it was a pretty color.  Or the label was neat.  The color of the booze was interesting...  So there was a long table of that, too.  He asked everyone to feel free to take that, as well.

I looked, but I don't drink.  Then I spotted it.  A green bottle shaped like a cat.  I double checked, yep, take it.  I did.

Someone, knowing I don't drink, asked what it was.  I had to read it to them, it seems to be some sort of wine.  I didn't take it for the contents, however.  Several folks did, and some were... very happy and relaxed, by the time they left.  (There was a check on who was the designated driver, too...)

There was a couple boxes sitting, and her Husband said that he'd like everyone to pick out a hat for themselves.  I looked at the hats.  One was a narrow jester hat with bells on.  I tried it on, and it was just a bit too tight, but I decided to keep it, as I remembered hearing her walk into camp more than once wearing it.  She always commented she could tell when I was walking into her camp, as I have a set of bells I wear, and she said they were distinctive, she could tell mine from all the other bell wearing types at faire. (Which is saying something at a Ren Faire, trust me!!!)  But the hat was uncomfortable.  So I took it off, and put my regular, wide brimmed hat back on.

Someone noticed her "horn top" hat.   I truly don't know what else to call it.  It's a round black cap, with a long black beaver tail flap behind, and the whole thing is covered in bright colored fabric horns.  It looks like someone skinned a prehistoric party animal!  I mentioned that I'd already taken a hat, and the daughter said no, it's fine, I bet it will fit you.  I "hmmmd" a bit, then stuck it on over my other hat.

It fit perfectly!  I remember my friend wearing that one a lot, it was one of her favorites.  And I thanked the daughter, and wore it the rest of the gathering.  Someone in the group mentioned that I looked a lot like her, wearing it.

I think my friend might have been looking down, cracking up at me.

At least I hope so... :)