Rambling

This is my daughter putting flowers on the graves of our family for Memorial Day/ 4th of July.  Mom, Dad and Aunt were all in the military in WWII.  Nearly all of the graves here are always decorated, and the upkeep is pretty good, especially considering how much trimming  there is around the headstones.  My grandparents are buried here as well.

I have been busy knitting and hope to have this project done today or tomorrow.  I wish I had a better chair while I knit on the machine, but frankly I don't think there would be room!  I keep a squirt bottle at hand to discourage the cats from playing with the dangly bits; if they managed to pull it off the needles I would flip.  I couldn't even guess at how many hours I have spent so far, especially since I had to start over three times.

When I was a kid I tried to learn how to crochet from my grandmother and mother.  But anything I attempted was doomed; each row was crocheted tighter and tighter so overall the piece would look like an "A".  It was hard to keep a consistent tension on the yarn.  No one in the family knew how to knit, because Grandma had lost three fingers of her left hand in an accident as a child and therefore couldn't knit, or teach knitting.  I can hand knit (badly) but I enjoy the knitting machine a lot, it goes so fast (once you get going), where hand knitting is like watching paint dry.  Of course there are my other hobbies, like candle making, macrame, writing, ceramics, pottery, sewing, quilting, and on and on.  I'm nothing if not eclectic.

I'm pretty good at napping too.

On a forum that I read, I posted a topic asking what the bravest thing you ever did, and I have gotten some amazing replies.  The most touching one came from a woman who survived a chemical plant explosion in 1953 when her house collapsed, with herself and two tiny children inside, and then caught fire.  None of them were seriously injured, despite all odds, but 4 people died and 75 were injured.  The plant was making fireworks.  Illegally. In Texas.

Some of the other stories involved jumping out of an airplane, rescuing kids, braving bikers, leaving abusive situations, traveling alone to far places, boldly facing down shyness or fears and on and on. I have been impressed. So much goes on in our lives that no one else would ever guess.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "This vehicle protected by anti-theft sticker"

Hot already

It is only 1:45 and the temp is already 85.  Twice in the last 7 days we have had to bring the porch flowers in because the temp dropped below 40, now we have to water them every day or they wilt.  Such strange weather.

This is Mac, about 16 years old now.  He is  little scruffy these days, and he sleeps a lot,  but still likes to sleep on us, lap or no lap.

And this is BC, not a very good shot, but being black there is little to see of her if her eyes are closed.  BC stands for Bad Cat, which suits her very well.  She is 4.

Nothing much new from here, I'm doing laundry today, whoopee.  However when I fold towels they do not look like this:

This is what the stewards on the cruise ship leave when they turn down the beds in the cabin, all kinds of different animals folded up in fanciful ways.

Simple Sunday

Impossibly small knitted things

                                      Found this through a series of web blogs, don't know the actual author/artist; but isn't it cute?  What size needles they must have used...

AT&T is down and I can't check my mail.  I was afraid it was my computer glitching, until it did the same thing on the desktop 'puter.  I am using Safari here, which proves that it isn't my software or connection.  It has been two days, so if I get comments on this, it will be a while until my email is back up. Just so you know.

Bumper sticker for the day:

Gracie

This is Gracie, one of our older cats, also known as lap kitty.   She is deaf as near as we can tell, the result of a bad ear infection, but she is still a big cuddler.  I took this with my new little Nikon camera, about the size of two credit cards, it fits in my purse perfectly and takes way better photos than the cell phone camera.  Especially since I still can't figure out how to get the photos off of the cell phone.

It is 82 today, and last week we had frost and had to bring in the flowering plants I also got for Mather's Day.  I  saw the racks of plants outside of Lowes and Walmart looked all blackened and damaged.  This weather all year has been so wacky; but global warming is just a government scare tactic, right?  Yeah.

 Down to Gassaway tomorrow to see Aunt and Uncle.  Supposed to be nice, and will have less traffic than next weekend, Memorial Day holiday.  Or Veterans Day, as it used to be.

Still too early to open the pool, it takes forever for 15,000 gallons to warm up, even with a black cover over it.  We tried a little water heater one year, but it compromised the flow on the pump so much that it interfered with the filtration.  Now we just wait for the sunshine heater.

Nikon and pool, sounds like we're rich if not famous, right?  Not so.  Pool is above ground and 7 years old, and Nikon isn't the brand it used to be, in my opinion, now that everything is point-and-shoot.

In spite of the heat I am still knitting, so I won't forget whatever I have learned.  I'd hate to start over.  My next project (having finally completed the afghan) is a vest; simpler than a sweater, no sleeves.  I'll post a photo here when it is done, now that I can use my little one.  Assuming it turns out OK.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock."

Happy Mother's Day

This is Dottie, who originally had polka dots, but they have all spread and disappeared.  She is 4.

Friday ----> Saturday

I have been retired for 6+ years. but I can't shake the habit of doing all the big things on the weekend.  Laundry ( When I die I'll smell like fabric softener ), grocery shopping (thereby spending a lot of money for very little reward), haircuts, yard work, etc,  And just like when I was working, I'll fall into bed Sunday night feeling like I have been rode hard and put up wet.  So!  Time to get started.  When I get up for the day, of course, it is 5 in the morning now.

I have cut down on the Ambien (sleeping pill) to half a pill.  I wake up a lot of the time (like now) but am able to fall back to sleep promptly.  I would like to be rid of it completely, we'll see how that goes in a few weeks.

I'm waiting for the shipment of a new spice rack.  For years now I have used Tupperware spice containers, and it has completely gotten out of hand.  There are 50!! of them, and I am sure that other than a core few the spices are waaaay too old to have any flavor left.  So now I am thinking of which are actually used regularly so I can whittle it down to 16.  It's hard for me to throw stuff away!  Maybe there is a list on line somewhere.

One of our feral cats who has been hanging around for a few months apparently got in a fight and now has one eye all squinty and mattered.  I would take him (I think it is him) to the vet but he is too wild to catch.  I guess we will just hope for the best.  This is one of the reasons I keep my cats indoors, because although the outside is more interesting to a cat, the average cat only lives a few years and indoor cats live into their teens.  There are two other outside cats that adopted us several years ago, but they (spayed females) hang close all the time.  In the winter they seldom leave the garage to go any further than the front deck (the garage is heated and there is a kitty door).  I know, I am a softee when it comes to pets (and horses, who are big lawn ornaments here).  I hate when they pass away, it's like they take a piece of  your heart with them.

I found a neat pattern for a sweater vest that I am sure I can actually do.  Now to decide what yarn to use.  Did I mention my "stash" of yarn?  So many pretty colors to choose from.  Maybe some day I will get it all used up; meanwhile it looks nice all tucked away in a bookcase.  I'll post a photo here when it is done, because I know all of you (all six of you) will wait with bated breath to see this project.  But where else can I show off ?  My family says Uh Huh, which is not the reaction I am looking for.  Of course I will have it done just as the temperature hits 90 degrees.

Onwards and upwards,  I'll try to find an actual topic for my next post...

Bumper sticker for the day: "If your heart is in the right place, it's on the left."

Birds and feathers

This handsome fellow was on our bird feeder today, a red breasted grosbeak.  Often seen in early May, according to the Audubon guide, but I have never seen one.

 This one dropped by for a wee dram as well...

These are internet photos..mine aren't anything as good as these, although I am practicing.

Bumper sticker for the day: "I'm only doing it your way so I can blame you later."

As Is

Have you ever noticed, when you think you need to get a hair cut, your hair will suddenly get more manageable?  I need a haircut, it is too long and too uneven, but I got a new blow dryer (the old one shorted out) and I think it is much better than the old one.  It's a theory.

There are now many many birds on the feeders, this morning I saw 6 bluejays at once, and of course hordes of little-ees like sparrows.  I haven't seen a hummingbird on their feeder, although I did see one in front of the house.  When my mom was here she hung up several and filled them every day, there would be dozens on each one all day.  They are so pretty and delicate, hope they find our feeder soon.

I went to the orthopedic doctor yesterday and got a cortisone shot in my bum knee.  He said the x-rays show it is getting worse, but as long as the shots help I will not consider knee replacement.  It feels great today.  We have been mulling over selling this house and getting a one-story so I won't have to cope with stairs, but the amount of work it would take to get ready to sell is overwhelming.  I have been watching the property transfers in the paper to see what the neighborhood  homes have been selling for and it is staggering.  If there is a downturn in the real estate sectors it hasn't shown up here.

I woke up the other day, and in that half-asleep mode I thought, oh hell it's Monday I have to get ready to go to work.  Then I thought, wait a minute, I don't work anymore,  and then finally realized it was Wednesday too.  Bleaah.  It was as bad as those dreams you get after graduation, that you have to take a final in a class you never attended...

Almost time to go, bye for now...

Bumper Sticker for  the day:  "Have you hugged your refrigerator today?"

Beans

Beans, trying to find a new hide-y hole.

Bumper sticker:  "I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned."

Nothing new, thanks.

Both the desktop PC and the Apple Macbook are giving me fits these last few weeks.  Both of them have gotten so slow, I'm nearly covered in spider webs waiting for a connection.  This is the desktop, and up until yesterday it refused to even connect at all.  DH went online with the error message and found a downloadable fix; all I had to do was figure out how to get it when I can't connect.  Finally succeeded.  It reminded me of the braille instructions on the ATM in the drive-up lane.  A puzzle.

The jury duty for DH is dragging on and on, and he is peeved.  Today would have been day 4, but one of the attorneys was in the ER today, so no court.  The immediate thought was, "ambulance chaser"  but that is unfair (I guess) since even lawyers can get sick just like real people do.  So next week the jurors have to come back, luckily on Tuesday since I rescheduled my therapist to Monday.  Again.  I hate to drive at all, but her office is especially difficult to get in and get out.  In my opinion.

We put up a squirrel feeder and a bird feeder on the weekend, and so far have had to fill the birdfeeder twice.  And yet we never see more than one or maybe two birds on it at a time.  *Somebody* is eating all that seed, and where are the squirrels?  I think we need to move the squirrel feeder over near the tree.  I know some people go to great lengths to protect their birdfeeders from squirrels, but we enjoy watching them and their antics.  We have 3, I think, in a group.  When I worked, I always parked in the same spot and the tree in front of the car shaded the car (a + in the summer) and made a home for a friendly squirrel.  I brought nuts to it (mostly peanuts) and it would come to the base of the tree waiting for them, but never too close.  Eventually it came no more, but it was a bit of sunshine for several years.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Don't rush me!  I'm waiting for the last minute."

Breaking news: Puxsutawny Phil fired!

Once again old man winter paid us a call, dropping 6 inches overnight on Sunday.    Today it is 39 and the snow is beating a retreat, hopefully for the season.  It's spring, dammit!

DH is off today doing his civic duty (jury duty).  Hope it is nothing too lengthy, here trials are usually only one day.  I have been on jury duty several times over the years, although some of the trials were boring in the extreme.  I discovered that 10 jurors will vote for conviction, and 2 will vote for lunch.  The last one I was on, I said, does anyone think this guy is innocent?  And there was a pause, and no one spoke a word.  He was accused of forging his mother's signature and selling his mother's house while she was in a nursing home, and using the money to buy a bar.  Not the brightest of the bright.  The man who bought the house was particularly steamed.

The week after next I see the oncologist for a check-up.  Outwardly I am composed and inwardly I'm anxious and dreading it.  I don't know what he's actually looking for, I just had a mammogram and all was clear; I can only assume it is for the blood work, to make sure my liver is up to the mark.  I could, of course, ask, but am afraid of getting an answer I don't want to hear.  How weird is that?   No logic for cancer survivors.

My very best friend is coping with a diagnosis that is more critical than mine (hello S) and it is hard to be on this side of the of the equation.  I'm sending out Hugs and thoughts of wellness every day, and if worry would fix everything then she would be mended right now.  If only tears were at least good for the complexion...

The horses are being especially obnoxious these days.  Maybe (the mare) bit DH a few days ago, and Willie kicked #1 son in the butt.  They have been cooped up in the barn until the footing outside is not slippery and gooshy; they will surely kick and run all around when they get out, and these senior citizens do not need to slip and fall.  A little discipline  would make a miraculous improvement in their behavior, like lunging, but the footing is too poor for that as well.  This winter has been a long one, with few nice days at any time.

 That is it for now, I will try to keep up with this blog a little better.  It is hard, when the every day is like the previous ones...

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Wrinkled was not of the things I wanted to be when I grew up"

Wordless Wednesday

17 pound Melly

Here I come (again)

Goodness, Has it been that long since my last post?  Well, it was due to life that needed to be caught up.

I have been knitting an afghan, it is 60% done, not counting the final crochet on the edges, and I am pretty pleased with it so far.  I knitted only one before this.  It is supposed to be "beginner simple" I will see after I begin braiding the panels together.

Spring is almost here, and I am desperate to get some sunshine and warm temps.  The horses have been kept in the barn with only a few outdoor trips in the last 3 months, because the footing in the paddocks is too slick and glue-y and I fear a sudden fall and and a broken leg.  Willie is 22 and Maybe is 20 this summer.  They were born here, I missed Willlie's birth (drat that mare) but saw Maybe's.  After she was born I slowly followed the instructions for imprinting the foal, gently handling her feet and head.  It went well, I thought, until 24 hours later when she wouldn't even peek around mom and no way would she be touched.  Willie was friendly and interested from the start.  The difference between them is the same now as it was then, although her intensive emergency handling at the trainer's  when she was two at least let her be haltered and brushed.  (I didn't know any horse alive that didn't love grooming.)  His secret weapon was peppermint candy and a lot of patience.  I would have sold her if she had not calmed down.

All of our feline beasts are doing fine, touch wood, so our vet bills haves gradually been retreating from the breathless levels of the winter.  Most of the scars from dosing them have faded too.

The Newfy dogs are OK too, although pretty smelly.  To cold for baths, though.  Now if I could keep them from drooling...

I passed my 2 year check up with no problems (breast cancer), I am good until July.   My scars there are fading too.  In my mind though, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, doing a  breast check every time I shower.  I know it is redundent, and that the first one was found from a mammogram, but I can't seem to quit.  Maybe with more time I will feel more secure.

I have apparently solved my problem with weird comments on this blog.  As near as I can tell, they were posted and then erased after a few hours.  A mail drop?  Anyway I added word verification and banned anonymous comments, and I haven't gotten one for weeks.

All for now..
Bumper sticker:  "You can tell Monopoly is as old game because there's a luxury tax and rich people can go to jail."

Insomnia

I've been having a bad case of insomnia the last few days.  Nothing is as boring as listening to someone about sleep, so that's all I will say.  Just so you know this post is from a deranged brain.

The weather out here is frightful, with very low temps and snow.  Both the kids made it home Friday with minimal complications, and we all stayed in for Saturday.  Today, Sunday, it is supposed to get up to 60 degrees with rain, go figure.

I tried to lunge* Willie a few days ago, with mixed results.  I wanted a calm walk, maybe a little slow jog, and instead got rodeo 101.  I had to give up, this old nag is too old for the athletic stuff.  And it seems, so am I.

*Lunge is standing in the center of a circle with a long line while the beast runs around you with a little urging of a snapping whip ( not to touch the horse, just to make a snap in the air).  The speed is controlled by clucking at the horse.  That's the theory.

If you have ever considered getting a horse of your own, my advice is -- Don't.  Do.  It.  You think it is hard to get a house sitter, imagine the difficulty finding a horse sitter.  To come twice a day, feed and water and/or turn out or keep in their stalls.  The problems increase the more horses you have.  The last time we all went somewhere I paid $300 for 10 days and felt lucky to get off so cheaply.  The dogs had to be boarded and the cats had their own sitter.  I felt like I was planning a foreign invasion.  Our horses were born here and have never been off the place except to be broken to ride ( most of the breaking is the rider's bones) years and years ago.  We rode in the 'hood, lots of wandering dirt roads, tho all have been paved now.  Then there is the shoer (every 8 weeks) and the vet (AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR,HAH!).  Grain, pine shavings, wormer, vaccinations, winter blankets, the list goes on and on.

That's all the scoop for now.  I rate this as a 3 for boring.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Famous last words:  What happens if you touch these two wires tog--"

Is it January already?

December is over and I, for one, will not miss it.  It wasn't the holidays, but I just didn't feel well for most of the time.  So far this month I am doing better.  Fingers crossed.

I haven't posted here in quite a while.  Events have come and gone, and I have been dealing.  But I wanted to post here the photo of my birthday present, an electric fireplace.  We have an actual fireplace, wood burning, but it needs some vital repairs on it, so it doesn't kill us some dark night.  So, this sits right in front of the wood burner, and I will not miss the ashes/smoke/wood carrying that it entails.

Here is the photo:

I am 62.

I don't think of myself as being in my 60s.  I feel the same as I did when I was, say, 30, just a little creakier, a little more unsteady on my pins.  Mentally I am seeing a few little slips, names I can't remember (I've never been good with names), a few gaps in my memory, feeling a little confused about simple things like needing directions to familiar places when I have been there dozens of times.  I blame the chemotherapy, partly, for blasting my brain as well as any tumor, but it is a small price to pay for a renewed lease on life.  If I lived alone it would be different, but I have 3 adults in the house, and they are pretty patient with me, and help me too.




Bumper sticker for the day:  "Drink coffee - Do stupid things faster with more energy."

December 23

Christmas is almost here.  I sure hope the Christmas songs that are everywhere will stop on the 26th.  I have had one or the other imprinted in my head, Like winter wonderland, or Rudolf or silver bells.  It's a wonder my brain doesn't actually chime, I could get a job at the Salvation Army and I wouldn't even need a bell.

We have 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground (WV) but it looks like that is all.  Hopefully the roads will be cleared so we can get to the grocery store later today, we need to buy the Christmas day fixin's We do steak and baked potatoes with fruit salad and a pie, and have sweet rolls for breakfast and a tray of munchies for lunch.  Not traditional but also no leftovers!

All the online purchases we have all done have arrived with time to spare.  And we only tackled the mall twice.  I'm not going to go on the 26th either, I can't take the mob scene.  The last time we went one of the local schools 7th and 8th graders had the string group playing, very nice.  We sat in the food court eating a sugar bagel and listening, a nice respite.

N's great great nephew is now a year old.  I am going to send a gift after the first, as I neglected to do so when he was born; things on my mind then.  They live in Kentucky and N's sister looks after the baby most of the time.  This after raising her grandaughter, and now her great grandson.  Maybe some people need to grow up?

Bumper sticker for the day:  "We have enough youth.  How about a fountain of smart?"

P.S.  I see now that the blog counting widget is above the actual count, and not down the page.  I didn't do it!  Will it last?

My heart goes out to the family and friends in Newtown.  We must not lose sight of the larger issue of prevention of this horror.  

The victims in Newtown, CT as released by the CT state police.


Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel Davino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Madeline F. Hsu, 6
Catherine V Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emile Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Russeau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N. Wyatt, 6

puzzled

Hi there every one.  I've been wrapped up in Christmas preparation, but most of it is done (except the wrapping, sigh) so I came here to check things out.  But there is this weird thing:  I get all the comments forwarded to my email (that's not the strange thing) and I keep getting comments written in what looks like greek.  I delete them from the email, but today I went to the comments section on the blog site to delete them there, and I don't find any like that.  I worry that my comment section is being used as a "drop" for several people to leave anonymous messages that aren't attached directly to them.
But I can't find the messages in the 428 ones in the list.  What gives?  Can someone leaving a comment come back later and delete it from my blog?  Just a random micro thought....


My visit with the oncologist last week went fine;  still in remission.  Yay!!

Bumper sticker for the day:  "The geeks shall inherit the earth."

R.I.P. Cookie, 2001 - 2012

My dear Cookie died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer.  I have 6 other cats (don't ask) but Cookie was my favorite, and it was she who slept with me, shutting the others out until morning.  Isn't it always the favorite ones who go first?

Bumper sticker for the day:  "What if the hokey pokey IS what it's all about?"