Vacation Mode, Stage III

We are having very much fun.  We spent some chilly hours seeing the sights last night around the nation's capitol.  Really chilly.  Today we head back to town for some museum sight-seeing.  While at Union Station last night, everyone but me bought scarves.  The new scarves were all wrapped up in bags, until about halfway through the tour.  Then the extra layer came out.  I was sort of wishing I had made the investment..but my hand knitted scarf was keeping that part of me very warm. Another scarf wasn't going to help my hands or toes!

I have seen the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial other times, but only during the day.  They have a different aspect lit up at night.  And I had not ever seen the FDR memorial.  The fountains that are part of that display were not running because of the season, which adds a whole different perspective.  I will want to visit that again.

Just a couple of other notes...I have completed six and a half repeats on the forest canopy shawl, and started my Crazy Aunt Purl book.  Well, sort of.  Eldest Daughter kind of swiped it last night.  I might not get it back this trip.  Oh well. And for every photo Eldest Daughter catches me taking of just stuff, she grabs my camera and takes the same pic with some of us in it!

Enough for a vacation post.

Vacation Mode, Stage II

I am officially on vacation! My bags are packed (mostly) and I am ready to go (with just a few more things on my list to be checked off). Eldest Daughter is concerned about Precious Niece and Dearest Sister and her doddering mother making the meet-up at the Philly airport, but she has left us to our own devices, wishing us (and I quote) good luck and godspeed. Gosh. Just like John Glenn...

The trip to the airport will be made with Youngest and Middle Daughter, and the Grandbebe Girl, so that will be a treat in itself.

I hope to post while gone, and who knows, there may be a photo or two, but I will have to borrow Sister's and/or Daughter's laptops. Those two are known to be stearn taskmasters, and if I misbehave, I might be grounded off the internets by them. On the other hand, I do know some things about them...

Vacation Mode, Stage I

I am almost completely packed, and figured out how to get the Pampered Chef stoneware into a carryon. I feel confident it will be conveyed to the East Coast without breakage. Also only having to check one smallish bag, so I will be able to mobilize myself through DIA and the Philly airport all independent like. I have knitting projects lined up, and the spindle packed (also carryon) just so I can show off my newfound skilz to Dearest Sister, Precious Niece, and Eldest Daughter. They are hard to impress, however, so I am under no illusion there.

Walking into work today like it is Thursday (because it is for me, like tomorrow is Friday, since I am out of there Wednesday), all set to coast through these two days, wrapping up loose ends. My peeps had work for me! Agh! Don't they know about these things? Actually, they do. I have a great bunch of co-workers, and they will cover my daily tasks while I am gone very efficiently. But still, Vacation Mode, people.

Knitting Workers met today at lunch. I worked on "Alison's Scarf", and in the last four repeats, I think I have messed up three of them. I have maintained that it is not rocket science, but a scarf, and probably not for anyone but me. I really don't have to strive for perfection in my knitting, especially in a WIP such as this. But I might be to the point of having to take some corrective action here. I guess I cannot talk...or listen....and knit at the same time.

Had errands to run afterwork, in preparation for travel. Wonderful Guy's birthday (and I am very....pretty....fairly certain he won't be catching up on this blog for a bit) is the day before I get back. I am trying to plan some celebration in my absence, and with all the other details, it might just be beyond me. Yes, that's right, the great detail-oriented, organizing/planning, ginormous control freak is admitting that maybe there just isn't enough left in her to.....wait! What am I saying! I think I have just thrown the gauntlet down on myself. I will let you know what I do.

So anyway. Packed pretty much. A few details at work. A minor chore (or five) tomorrow evening. And Wednesday I am out of here.

Meet Betsy

Wonderful Guy and I had a great day yesterday. We planned to meet our Alpaca Friend at the Longmont 'Extravangaza' for further review and education for our mutual venture. I suggested, if Wonderful Guy wasn't opposed, that we might venture to Boulder for a visit to Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins. I have heard great things about the place, and thought since we would be in the neighborhood, I would see what kind of offerings they had in wheels.

What I found really surprised me. Terrific customer service, a variety of wheels which I was encouraged to try...I was treated like there were no other customers in the place. I was treated like an intelligent person (and even told I spun nicely..) and given information with which to make a decision, with no pressure at all. In looking around the shop, I could see that the prices were incredibly competive. If I lived closer, I might....live there. (Dearest Sister, we have to go there when next you visit...have to!) While there I test drove a Matchless (love it!), a new Ashford Traditional (double treadle), and compared those to a Lendrum. Looked at a Louet, but, those visually those don't appeal to me.

We ate bite, then traveled back to Longmont (and I figured out we were 'in the neighborhood' only relatively). The alpacas were fun to see again, and I am excited to think we are getting closer and closer to having our own. Alpaca people are very kind and willing to shar their knowledge. I had the inspiration this past week that instead of purchasing our boys to go with Alpaca Friends breeding herd, we might wait and purchase ours from her firstborn. When approached with this idea, she was very amenable. Her kids will bond to babies born on their place even better. So probably this summer... And...Baby Alpaca!! So soft....

One of the vendors offered Kromski wheels and offered them for test drives. I hadn't seen that make, so took the opportunity. Very nice wheels indeed, and nice pieces of furniture, too. I was very taken by the Symphony, and it was in the 'seriously considered' running. The women from A Simple Piece of String were very helpful in their time and information, too. I will try to make it out to Livermore to see them this spring. I bought an ounce of cashmere from them just to try.

I was really only out to check out wheels yesterday and see what I could see, compare, and gather more knowledge. Wonderful Guy is....a wonderful and generous guy. Over lunch, he talked about the pros and cons and costs and possibilities. He encourages me to look at what I deserve, where I tend to think of where I can go without. He suggested that while the Matchless was a fine piece of work, that perhaps going with the Lendrum now, and getting the more expensive one later, might be the way to go.

What? Get one TODAY? And then consider a second later on?

After trying the Kromski, I decided to get the Lendrum. Shuttles offer 10% of the purchase price in fiber, which is a LOT of fiber. If I want the Kromski or Matchless, that can come later. I can continue to check craigslist and ebay, and who knows what may come my way. The Lendrum is a good wheel, and I got a boatload of fiber to keep me busy through spring. (Or until the Estes Park wool market!) Just look.

There's some Corriedale, an ounce of cotton just to try, and a pile of merino, a variety of colors to blend!

By the way, I named her Betsy.

It's Friday...

...and it's amazing I get any work done! This showed up Monday on our 'mini-cube land' door. It hangs behind my back.

Boys will be boys.

Sometimes the errant nerf rebound ends up at, on, or under my work area. I started to tell them not to throw things indoors...but then remembered I'm not their mom. Not my job!

We've had a good time with it.

I have not made any baskets yet.

Spinning Content

Spinning Neighbor was kind enough to loan me one of her wheels when we couldn't spin together on Monday. This is what has taken up residence in our living room. An Ashford Traditional, an older model, I believe, but very functional for me.

On Tuesday, I spun at the lys on an Ashford Joy. Smoothly working, and I can see very portable, but quite smallish. I quit spinning there after a while. I could feel the shoulders and neck tighten. I didn't leave though. I knit awhile with the group. Very brave of me. Between the two efforts, I have spun some pinkish silk, about 1 oz., and plied two strands. I then plied that with a bluish merino.

On the niddy noddy....

The finished result...

Seven weeks tomorrow, I had the first spinning lesson, and while I profess no expertise, I have made great progress. Now I must knit something with what I have spun!

Three more working days until I leave for Philly and some time with the wimmenfolk. I had lunch today with Grandbebe Girl, Grandbebe's momma, Grandbebe's aunt, and Grandpa Wonderful Guy. A fun time was had by all. My fortune read, "You are offered the dream of a lifetime. Say yes!" Wonderful Guy and I are thinking about retiring at 62. For me that is somewhere around 3370 days, including vacations. Why, there are prison sentences longer than that!

D is for Degree

As in diploma, and education, not Fahrenheit or Centigrade, and the cold temperatures so many are feeling around the country this month.

I am a keen believer in education. I have promoted such as worth investing in, and, once acquired, can never be taken from a person. Cars, houses, furniture, all things that loans are taken out on, but all things that can be lost, wear out, and may need replacing. Not so with one’s education. While it is useful and needful to remain well read and up to date in one’s particular field, it is not something that can be ‘repossessed’.

I told my girls that while they may choose to not use their education, live very modestly, staying home with children, or whatever, if they had an education, they could make that choice. Without an education, that choice was made for them.

Interesting facts about my degree (…if you care to biggify to read closer the details...)

The name is no longer correct. I chose to take back my unmarried name with the dee-vorce. Now I have another married name, but I have kept my unmarried name as part of my full name. It was something I chose to not let go. (Interestingly note: Wonderful Guy's first name and my unmarried name is the same.)

The degree was conferred at the culmination of my return to schooling, after my children were birthed. Therefore, the date does not reflect my age as one going to college right after high school, and attaining a degree in four or five years.

My degree is a BA, Bachelors of Arts, in Chemistry. Dearest Sister gets no end of amusement from that. She calls me The Artiste. The reason? I picked up enough language hours to get a minor in French, and that threw me into the Arts category, rather than Science. I remember enough French to order 'vin blanc'.

Haven’t heard of the school? Not to worry. It’s a very small school in central Kentucky. We were there for the X to finish his undergrad, and continue to seminary. I was able to complete my unfinished educational pursuits at that time, for which I am grateful, even if they weren’t terrible well funded in the math/science dept. I was one of three to five students in all the upper division classes, and the only woman. On the up side,there was alot of personal attention with that low student/teacher ratio! It was an interesting experience, all the way around.

This degree, while modest in comparison to some, has provided me with the ability to earn an interesting and adequate living. I was very thankful for that when I was on my own.

Thanks for reading.

Letting It Go

Ah! Another of the lessons life offered me as I slogged through the dee-vorce of which I am oft reminded.

In the midst of all the rejection and feelings of abandonment, there were things (possessions) that seemed very important to hold on to. Those items were part of my life and history and story…my identity. I was trying very hard to hold on to something that would show who I had been, who I was.

Some of those things went with the X, rightly or wrongly. (On the other hand, I find it amusing that there were some effects that I told him he HAD to take, that I didn’t want, and the sooner he packed up, the better!) The things I kept, that I held on to, now, six years down the road, little by little have fallen away, worn out, or been traded up.

After all, things are just things. Their power comes mostly from what they symbolize. What I was holding onto was the marriage, the relationship, and the identity I received through all of that. I was holding onto the story and history of my adult life, my dream of ‘happily-ever-aftering’. It was very hard for me to see those dreams, and visions of how I saw myself, disintegrate. I wanted to hold onto something…anything…for a while longer.

There were other, more intangible, ‘things’ to let go of, too. Those I journaled about in a list of things I had to give up to a power greater than myself. I was full of fear of being on my own financially. There was much grief and rejection about getting tossed for someone else (a 15-yr younger someone else…). I had much apprehension over what the future would look like. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. The tough years of returning to school, raising the kids, plowing our way through the early years of the careers were over, and the more enjoyable, ‘coasting years to retirement’ were starting. Or were suppose to be…

Fact: Out of my control. Nothing I could do to change him, or the situation. I had to let it go.

Reality: On some level, I realized this, and desired to get past it. But this was not an overnight miracle. I rehashed a lot of it in my mind and heart…over and over. I verbally spewed on a lot of people, some pretty unsuspecting, like the poor young woman who helped me set up my new ‘un-jointed’ bank account. But I wanted to get past this. I didn’t want to grow old with this bitterness in me towards the X. I didn’t want it for me, and I didn’t want to continue to give the X that power.

I have learned that my first part is willingness. I wanted it. I kept working at letting it go, practicing…well, pretending, really. Little by little, I’ve lost most of the resentment, bitterness, and anger. What’s left is not directed at the X, but at myself. (And that’s for another post.)

Today, I practice this lesson daily, driving in traffic, at work, with my kids/stepkids.

I find my peace when I can let my stuff go, and live life on life’s terms.
Life is not meant to be a perfect ride.

Monday, Monday…

Here’s to the last full week before my Philly trip!

And here's to some WIP updates:

One yellow four corners is ready for garter stitch grafting. One more to go out of this skein, and that one is 1/3 done. I love these!
The Alison’s scarf (modified version) has consumed one skein of Paton’s Décor (210 yds). I gauged it to be about half done for a 5-6 ft scarf. I think it is a beautiful pattern, but it is slow going, and getting a little tedious. Maybe the spinning has consumed much of my time, and perhaps my routine of having 3 projects on the needles at any given time has been disrupted, for the same reason, and knitting only on the scarf has become drudgery. But it is pretty, is it not?
I cast on the Forest Canopy today, after reviewing and rewriting the pattern for my own readability. It is on circs, so getting it on the plane will be no problem. Should have seen the mess I had trying to find the end of the yarn. I finally just pulled a chunk out of the middle, and had such a knotted mess. It took 2 Knitting C0-Workers plus me to get it untangled, and it required all six hands. I am not kidding. And we are intelligent women. It is fixed now, and cast on. I believe this will be a fun project and am looking forward to the variety.
I think those 3 projects, along with my spindle and some roving, ought to keep me pretty busy during my travels.

The Spinning Neighbor has a sick boy, so there won’t be that camaraderie this evening. She offered the loan of one of her wheels for my enjoyment, though. I thought that very generous. It gives me another opportunity to use a different wheel. The Schacht on Craigslist was gone by the time I contacted the seller. Guess it‘s not meant to be yet.

And that’s okay. It will happen when it’s time.

While checking out new groups on Ravelry late this afternoon, a Forest Canopy KAL group has been started. Talk about timing! I have not ever been part of a knit along, but I am thinking this is too serendipitous to not join.

Life amazes me.

Weekend Wrap-Up

...sort of.

It's not really the end of the week-end, and not really a wrap up, but I needed title.

The tulips are a bouquet I bought for our Valentine's dinner at home. Help me enjoy them!

I spent a good part of yesterday morning looking for something. I thought I knew where to look for it. There were 2 items to be found, actually, and I found the first easily enough. Feeling successful, I went to where I thought the second item would be, but alas. I looked elsewhere, high and low, then went back, and looked in the same places again. I still haven't located said item. I can almost see it where I think it was the last place I lived. Seems to me it should be in the same box, as it is one of those items saved for posterity. I must have sorted through the box some time or another, and thought of a better, more likely place for the item's storage. Yes, that worked well, didn't it? I suppose it will turn up...eventually, and if not, it is not like it is going to have to be replaced, or there will be penalties or such like.

But. It. Drives. Me. Nuts! that I cannot locate this item.

On the upside, while searching, I did find some other photos of interest to Dearest Sister and myself. We had been talking about some missing photos, and I found one of those we were looking for. It appears there were two occasions for these photos, which I didn't remember. I had lumped the two together in my mind. But there were definitely an earlier and a later setting. Funny how we remember things, or don't, as the case may be. Usually, between Dearest Sister and myself, we count a complete memory of our childhood between us.

It snowed here on Friday, then the sun came out, and Wonderful Guy and I walked Best Dog Ever in sweatshirts yesterday. After that, I walked around the yard checking on the status of things. Some iris that were replanted last year are looking good with new shoots. Very encouraging. I was excited to see that, and thought I might have some early perennials pushing up in a particular bed in the back. WRONG! Silly woman. That, of course, is on the north side of the house, and there is still snow back there in many places. Oh, yes....February! And to prove that point, we had snow this morning. All gone now, with sunny skies, but windy and chilly. Very typical of the approaching spring season for Colorado. I work hard at not getting too anxious. It can be torture waiting to starting digging in the dirt.

We visited Grandbebe Girl and Grandbebe's Daddy for a bit, too, so I got some hugging time in there. She also showed off her new skilz! Grandbebe Girl scoots herself across the floor. We have mobilization! ('Life will prove to be even more interesting for Youngest Daughter and Bebe's Daddy', Grandmama chuckled quietly to herself.) Grandbebe Girl found it amusing to feed Grandmama part of her cracker. How could I refuse!

One more thing. I found a spinning wheel on Craigslist today. I am checking into it. Wonder where that will go?

Later!

TGIF

The “official” spinning classes are completed at the lys. I intend to continue to go on open knit nights for practicing purposes, and for helpful hints and technique suggestions (along with getting out amongst the masses!) Also, today I called and arranged spinning/knitting with Spinning Neighbor I met at the caucus last week. We are going to meet for spinning on next week. I am proud of me.

I enrolled in a sock knitting class at the lys that will start soon after my return from Philly. While I believe I understand the basics of knitting socks, I hope to learn the magic loop method. Knitting on dbpns leaves me with ladder stitches, not matter how I try to tighten the stitches between the needles.

I purchased 9 oz of blue face Leicester roving at the fiber mill on Wednesday. It is a nice and softy white. Mostly I got it because while in the mill, I saw a poster of different types of sheep. I thought the blue faces looked stately and serene!

Wonderful Guy and I are considering the purchase of some alpaca fiber boys. A friend is considering a breeding herd. She would help us out with a place to put our boys (not thinking our HOA would approve of them in the backyard!!), and her 4-H’ing children would participate in their care for the chance to enter them in fairs and such. Then I would get the fleece for to do with as I want! I am thinking it’s a win-win situation, if it all works out. She doesn’t live so far away that we can’t be part of their lives, too. I would want that. The alpacas I have seen ‘up close and personal’ are just too cutee-patootie. Not so stately and serene, more soft and cuddly.

This alpaca possibility was one reason for the spinning class. I would have been perfectly content to purchase my yarn needs ready-made, but since we were considering the alpacas, I thought I ought to figure out whether I liked spinning, and/or was good at it. I mean, there have been some pursuits in my life I have tried that, frankly, even with practice, I was not ever going to be very good at. And there have been other efforts that I have discovered I would rather spend my time doing something else, thank you very much. I have enjoyed learning to spin, though it has been a heck of a challenge! And producing something usable, though I have very much progress to make.

Down side…I am seriously considering the purchase of a spinning wheel! The investment opportunities never cease.

And so it goes...

What I saw on my way to work this morning, in the snow, 21°F. I wonder what the story is…

Upon closer inspection, I noted both occupants were wearing knitted goods. I think they were needed!

I had fun at the scrapping/stamping party with Youngest Daughter, but enjoyed the time we spent together visiting driving there and back the most. It seems I seldom have one on one time with any of the kids. Who knows... perhaps they plan it so! I have my eye on a couple of sets of stamps. I will probably buy one set now, and if Youngest Daughter has a party later, I will purchase the second set at her party. Always good to support the offspring in their endeavors.

It appears Middle Daughter is going to make a move out of state for professional and personal reasons. I am a mix of emotions over her choice. I like having kids closer rather than farther away. She says plane tickets are inexpensive, and she will be back often, but I know it will not be often enough. Trips for Wonderful Guy and I will be split between three offspring living in three different states.

Oh well. There may be lessons for her to learn in all this, and there are lessons for me, too. I will love her while she learns hers, and try to be kind to myself as I learn what I need to. I remember Wise Sister once said, ‘you can’t put old heads on young shoulders’. At the time, she was speaking of how she wished she could spare certain younger sisters some of the more painful lessons of life. Wise Sister couldn’t then, and I can’t spare the kiddos now. I do hope that the kids, both Wonderful Guy’s and mine, could learn life’s lessons easily, and least painfully as possible, and the first time around.

I know I try to take a more willing approach at what life is offering to teach me now.
One thing I have learned is I hate having to repeat a class…

Fondue!

One thing about fondue, one eats more slowly. Wonderful Guy and I were at the restaurant for 2 hours. I ate quite a bit, and might still be full! I could have done with the cheesey appetizer, the salad, and the chocolate dessert, leaving the main entrée alone. We had a very nice valentine’s celebration, all in all, enjoying ourselves, and each other’s company, along with the food and atmosphere.

Youngest Daughter called this morning, inviting me to a card making/scrapbooking party this evening, to which I will accompany her. Grandbebe Girl will stay home with Bebe’s Daddy, so I won’t get that pleasure. Probably for the best for Grandbebe Girl as the festivity might run past her bedtime. We will have a fun time, though, just the two of us. Scrapbooking and sewing is something I share with Youngest Daughter. Cardmaking and knitting (and chemistry) is something I share with Eldest Daughter. I very much appreciate having those connections, knowing how I feel about the things I shared in common with my mother.

Fellow Spinners from work are taking a bit of a field trip this afternoon to the fiber mill. I can’t wait to see what I will find today. I am making plans for which knitting I will take with me on my Philly ’08 trip. I believe that I will start the Forest Canopy Shawl, making sure all is right with that. That will be a most excellent traveling project, once started. Surely the scarf will be done by then. It’s is about 50-60% complete, I am guessing, without measuring. Of course, there will be the ubiquitous dishcloth and cotton yarn, not just for easy knitting, but for Dearest Sisters's training. I discovered today that Eldest Daughter’s lys sells fiber, so a trip there is planned for a souvenir fiber purchase.

Temps today are in the low 60’s! Tomorrow…high of 24 with snow! And believe it or not, this is the best climate I have experienced in all the placed I have lived. I am ready for spring, though. I read a blogger yesterday that had some crocus blooming. Aargh!
Taking deep breaths…

A Piano... or a TV?

When I was very young, I very much wanted to take dance lessons, but my mother determined that was not the best investment. She had it in her mind that piano lessons were the better way to spend the little amount of money she had.

As I remember her reasoning, it went something along the lines that once we (Dearest Sister and I) were finished with said dance lessons, probably in somewhere in our teens, that would be it. We would never use those acquired capabilities again. On the other hand, the wicked skilz we would learn from the piano teachers? Well, possibilities were endless! Accompanying church choirs, entertaining family gatherings, … playing in rock bands, ...or maybe in smoky dives and bars…our abilities would shine forever!

Then there was the infamous deal the 'big kids' made that left Dearest Sister and I with a piano instead of a TV. We siblings fall into two groups. There were the three ‘big kids’, then ten years later, we ‘little girls’ came along. Dearest Sister and I are the ‘little girls’, still, to this day! My mother was a very young widow in the middle of the last century with hardly two dimes to rub together. In her efforts to make do, and I believe not being able to afford both, she asked the ‘big kids’ if they wanted a TV or a piano. Supposedly, they voted for the piano. In the next few years, the 'big kids' all left home. Dearest Sister and I ended up without a TV, and having to practice the piano! No Gilligan’s Island, no Beverly Hillbillies, no Lost In Space, no Superman. Just the old upright piano, and practice! Practice! PRACTICE!! It’s surprising we are even close to normal.

We did have access to my great aunt and uncle’s TV out on the farm. They recieved one channel when the weather was fair, and no one was using the electric mixer in the kitchen and/or vacuuming. It was on this TV that we watched Bonanza, Wonderful World of Disney, and Saturday Night at the Movies. I saw my first science fiction movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still, on that TV, which primed me, I am sure, for my love affair with Star Trek. (I remember memorizing the words ‘Klaatu barada nikto’, just in case I ever needed to turn off a menacing robot.) That TV is probably the only reason Dearest Sister and I are functioning members in today’s society.

But back to the piano lessons…and what I remember about, and from, them. I remember riding my bike with my books in the ‘saddle-bag’ baskets to lessons when the weather was nice. I remember sometimes wishing I was anywhere but on that piano bench. I remember practicing not so much, and not being entirely truthful about it. I remember piano recitals as being nauseating times of intense nervousness, and no one ever understanding the depth of the fear I was feeling. I would have rather done anything than played in recitals. I am not sure I learned anything from those times of serious torture.

I now know how to play the piano at an acceptable level for my own pleasure, and I do enjoy playing the piano…when no one is around to hear, mostly. I have been able to take my music reading and counting ability to handbell playing, which I enjoyed very much for over 20 years. I appreciate other’s natural musical talent and ability, and I appreciate other’s diligent practice and dedication to improving what nature gifted them. When I see someone able to sit down at a piano and just start playing, and if people can sing along to them playing…. that is just awesome. When they starting singing along to their own accompaniment (especially in key), I think that is just about the most awesome…awesomeness EVER.

I learned that I needed to give my own daughters the chance to appreciate music, and to be able to read and count notes, too. (But I didn't make them play in recitals if they didn't want, too.)

First Day of a New Week

I was planning to spin at the lys tomorrow night during the knitting group, but I forgot Wonderful Guy and I were celebrating V-Day with reservations at the fondue place. I am looking forward to chocolate fondue (and all the rest) but am committed to attending knit night next week. I am also committed to calling the Knitting/Spinning Lady I met at the caucus last week now that I am finally almost over my cold. These are important efforts for me to make and be accountable to myself for.

The week after that, I will be getting ready for my trip to Philadelphia to see Eldest Daughter, with Dearest Sister and Precious Niece. There will be a couple of days spent in DC as well. We are making preparations as to what we want to see and do. There will be some time teaching each other some crafting skills. At least, that's the plan going in. Energy and time may be the limiting factor for that. I know I will have "plane knitting time". I am looking forward to the vacation, and the time with those I am close to. And laugh the hardest with. And know me best. Who cut me NO slack...and whenever I start to think too highly of myself, remind me of something that can bring me back to earth pretty darn quick.

When I get back, it will be March! March is almost Spring. I am so ready for Spring and some warmer weather, and some digging in the dirt, and some fresh green sprouting things.

We Didn’t Intend ...

…to buy a car yesterday, but that’s what we ended up with. We replaced an older model, with many miles, with a newer model and fewer miles. Same make, same model. In this part of the country, one sees these cars everywhere.

What really clinched the deal was the ‘dealer dog’. Here she is telling Best Dog Ever of the many positive aspects of the Outback.

And here the two of them were finalizing some of the intricacies of the deal. I was not privy to all of what went on there.

Good deal, nice car, seat warmers and outside air temperature. It was exhausting, though, and hopefully this task is done for several more years!

Her name is Scooby Two, replacing her predecessor, Scooby Roo.

An Expansive Vocabulary

"She may not always be right, but she was always articulate!"

(Anne Taintor)

Today’s word for the day is…

sitzmark \SITS-mark\ noun
: a depression left in the snow by a skier falling backward

Example sentence: Proper skiing etiquette dictates that a skier who falls in the middle of a trail should smooth over his or her sitzmark so it won't pose a hazard to other skiers.

I once read (or heard….somewhere…and I don’t know where….) that there was one common thread among all successful people. They could come from all types of background, have different educations, claim success in various fields, but one thing all successful people had in common was a wide vocabulary. At the time, I remember thinking to myself, 'well, that's one thing I am capable of.'

Even before I heard/read this, I was always one for Word for the Day calendars. Taking them to work, some of my fellow employees and I would take the challenge to use the daily word in a sentence, correctly, before we finished our shift. It wasn’t always an easy task.

defenestration \dē-ˌfe-nə-ˈstrā-shən\ noun
: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window Hmmmm…

These days I subscribe to the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day, which shows up in my inbox each day. Comes with a little interesting history or some other ‘did you know’ tidbit.

I thought today’s was particularly interesting, having left several of them myself, and not even knowing there was a name for what I was…leaving. I can’t wait to try it out on Dearest Sister.

Tomorrow It’s Good-bye...

…to the rented spinning wheel. I have had fun with it, and made good use of the rentage of said unit. Observe. I first plied the white/brown merino & alpaca last Friday at class, then completed the rest at home. A noble first attempt, but definitely room for improvement. It’s certainly knittable.
I then spun and plied the olive roving purchased on the fiber barn field trip. (Another venture there is scheduled for next week, by the way!) The plying is much improved. I bought 12 oz of this, and after spinning and plying, I have about 4 ½ skeins. A goodly yardage, enough, I think, for…something….

There is the temptation to say the Lendrum wheel is good enough, and the wheel for me. However, I am going to take the time to try some others, I believe. I can practice on the spindle for a while, and I have plenty of knitting projects racked and stacked to keep me busy.

I bought more fiber at the lys yesterday. They are 1 oz. samplers of silk, and silk blended w/merino, alpaca, and/or cashmere. It will give me some experience in drafting and spinning something besides wool.

In other news…
I am becoming an election news geek. I think it is one of the more fascinating run-ups we have had since I have come of age.

The tornadoes of Tuesday night have hit a particular chord with me. (See this.) Good thoughts, strength, and best hopes for all involved.

Tax organization is almost completed for this household!

Wonderful Guy returns tomorrow. (Now I will have to share the cookies…)

Wednesday Wrap-Up

My blog webshot showed up on Ravelry. I have been waiting and checking, and boy was I excited to see it. Not sure why except maybe I feel like I am flying with the big girls now!

I got an email from Ebay notifying me something on my watch list was short timing. ‘Hmmm’, I thought to myself. ‘I don’t believe I have put anything on my watch list recently. Perhaps I better check.’ Imagine my surprise to find a Harley Davidson Sportster there! Wonderful Guy has been shopping…

I enjoyed lunch on Monday with a woman I lived across the hall from our first year in college, many, many years ago. We have exchanged holiday cards, and visited a bit every few years. I had such a pleasant time, in spite of the fact I am fighting a terrible cold. Really remarkable how people resurface at different times in our lives. We have both lost our mothers in the last couple of years. It's a real, but very different, bond to share.

I caucused last night, and sat next to a woman who remarked, while we were waiting (and waiting, and waiting....) for it all to start, “I should have brought my knitting.” What!? Nothing else would have got me talking to a stranger. She is new to our neighborhood, just started knitting. Spins, too, and has her own wheels (yes, plural!). And we share the same name. Guess its fate. We exchanged numbers. She was excited to think she had found someone to knit and spin with close by.

Not bad at all for a Wednesday.

C is for…Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I love me some good chocolate chip cookies. I can eat chocolate chip cookies about every single day. In fact, I do, just about, eat some every single day.

My recipe is nothing fancy, from an old standard recipe book. I actually won this at a bridal fair back in 1975. I generally follow the recipe with a few modifications. I double it. I use half shortening, half margarine. I add extra flour, about 1/4-1/3 cup, which I believe helps with baking at my altitude (~5000 ft).

What’s wrong with this picture? Wonderful Guy has taken to snacking on the chocolate chips, and to my dismay, I am going to have to make a run to the grocery store. Wait ‘til Wonderful Guy calls…he is out of town this week.
Now all is right with the world, or at least my cookie dough.
Here comes my secret to having chocolate chip cookies almost every single day. I store the cookie dough in the fridge, and bake six each night, three for me, and three for Wonderful Guy. (Sometimes eight, if I think I need the extra, and sometimes, I do...) If I baked all the cookies at once, I would have maybe 3 or 4 dozen sitting around, ready for eating. And they would be... eaten, that is, in three or four days. This way, my cookie dough stays fresh and ready for baking for two weeks or so. Spreads out the calories and the sugar, so my waist and my hips don’t do the spreading! So much.

I like using baking stones.

375°F for 14 minutes (plus or minus a couple depending on preheating) ‘til a nice golden brown.

Oh my. Wonderful Guy is out of town. I have baked too many. Whatever shall I do with the extra? Sweet and glorious with a glass of milk…2% of course…..

Figuring out my part

I am not sure how or why, but I became determined to learn something, anything! from the turmoil of the X leaving me. ‘Anyone’ could see from the wreckage of the situation that it was surely not my doing. He was choosing to leave, after all, for her! I mean, really, what fault could there be of mine in this? However, I was prepared to be gracious, and honest, too. It was a marriage and that’s a two way street. Therefore, I was willing to accept responsibility for…uhh….5% of the mess he had made of our wedded bliss.

I was reading what I could, and journaling like a crazy woman, all good things for me to do. A good friend suggested a divorce recovery group in which I enrolled. This course cost a fair sum for me at the time, but that was a good thing. I was in such a state that first night, that had I not made a monetary commitment, I would have bolted rather that walk through that door with those strangers. In addition, as I was committed financially, I was therefore was determined to get my money’s worth from this investment. I studied, did my homework and the exercises, and (shock horror) even interacted with the others in the group, becoming good friends with them. Through this study, I came to understand that there were some behaviors that I was responsible for that led to the failure of the relationship. I could accept…oh…40, maybe even 50% of the responsibility of the dee-vorce. After all, marriage is a 50:50 proposition, isn’t it?

Our divorce recovery group remained good friends after the ending of the formal class sessions. We continued to stay in touch through social gatherings, and outings, keeping up with each other’s personal adventures and growths. One of these ‘Rebuilders’ (as we called ourselves) talked about a 12-step group he went to for people with general living problems. As we spent time together, I heard and saw, in his actions and attitudes, forgiveness and unconditional love that I often heard discussed in theological circles. I had not really understood those concepts practically, until I listened to how this Rebuilder applied them in his living situation. I decided to go to the same meetings, because I was stumbling over the forgiveness thing, and wanted to let go of the resentment I was feeling toward the X. I knew down deep that without working through this bitterness, it would end eating me up.

Through those meetings, and diligently working and applying the steps in my life, I have come an alarming realization. I am 100% responsible! For me, that is. I am 100% responsible for taking care of myself, for being kind to myself, for loving myself. I am 100% responsible for my feelings, and 0% responsible for someone else’s. I think that doing that not very well led to the poor health of my previous relationship and the dee-vorce. It wasn’t all me, but my weaknesses fed the X’s weaknesses. It was a vicious circle.

I learned how to do better, and now better I do.

(The Rebuilders still gather occasionally, but not as often, as we have each moved on, and into, new lives. We saw each other this past holiday season, and I recently gifted one with a hand knit scarf and hat. Some of us were in the darkest place of our lives, and we watched each other grow through those times. I learned much about openness and acceptance from that group, and I will be grateful always that they accepted me for me.)

Ground Hog Day

6 more weeks of winter? Whateva.

Look what I rented yesterday. Wonderful Guy is going to be away on business next week, so I shall keep myself out of trouble this way. (except for the part of having to buy more roving to feed the beast...) I plied part of the white merino and brown alpaca at my lesson yesterday (I named it Chocolate and Vanilla, because I am so original), then finished it up at home. I tied it off and had it laid out ready for soaking when The Cat Who Would Be Queen left her place in front of the fire and pounced on it! She who takes very little interest in much of anything anymore suddenly wants my homespun! After being told that was not appropriate behavior, the Cat Who Would Be Queen settled for adoption.

Super Tuesday means a caucus for this state and I am going to participate for the first time. I have voted in every election since reacing voting age, taking that privilege very seriously. I believe that this election has spurred my recognition of the caucus process because of the significance of the democratic candidates.

In 1969, I sat in an assisted living home (nursing home back then) with my grandfather and saw the landing on the moon. He said, as the landing craft descended, that he 'wouldn't be surprised if the Russians snuck something in on us'!

In 1989, I saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the subsequent decline of communism. I thought to myself (with my permed hair, sweater with shoulder pads, and high waisted jeans) "This is truly a surprising and marvelous thing to witness."

In 2008, we have a woman and an african american man as the two front runners for the democratic presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton is the first woman to win a presidential primary! The first woman ever. Whatever one might think about her politics, it is one giant stip from 100 years ago when we didn't even have a national right to vote.

We've come a long way, baby.