It's spring, right?

We are having an unusual type of weather, warm and sunny.  All the snow has melted, slowly enough to not overrun the drains.  Cold weather is supposed to return next week, but meanwhile I am grateful for this reprieve.  We actually went shopping for an hour or so, not just to the grocery store for need-it-now food.  The horses' stalls are clean and they are outside for the first time in 2 months, poor babies.  That also means C can clean the stalls without the horses in them, a big benefit.  And we have enough dog food, cat food, horse food, bird food and people food for a while.

I even went through Walmart without buying any yarn, yeah me.  I am still trying to store the yarn I already have in some way where I can see most of it.  Someone suggested a shoe storage container with a zip-up clear window, if I can just figure out where to put it.  Right now the bathroom is the one with the most floor space, but it is too humid in there for yarn.  I try to actually discard and re-purpose things, and not just "churn" the contents.  I am trying to decide what to do with the jeans that are too small, should I keep them while I am dieting (sigh), or get rid of them?  My entire closet needs a major overhaul, but I am short on enthusiasm for such a project.  Maybe a little at a time.

I have my Color Wheel swap package for the Knitting forum I follow, nearly ready to ship, I just need a longer box.  This month's swap color is gold, and I lucked out finding some nice stuff at the local discount store (in addition to yarn), similar to TJ Maxx.  I hope it pleases, I always overspend the limit and have to prevent myself from buying every neat thing I see.  For one thing, the box needs to have only unbreakable stuff, and things that are not too heavy, as shipping costs are really pricey.  I know the USPS is constantly raising their cost, on stamps and on parcels, and yet maintaining that they need to raise them even more to keep running.  If they stopped giving mass mailers such discounts, maybe we would save trees from being cut down to make the paper which we throw away as soon as they arrive.  Grumble grumble.

The weather has prevented me from getting my hair cut, it is the longest I have had it in years.  Well,  the shortest was  the bald look I sported during the chemo.  It is still thinner than it used to be, I guess some of it just didn't recover after the chemo ended.  When it is long-ish the way it is now, the thinness especially shows.  Maybe this week I'll get it cut, now that the roads are clear.  Have a little me-time.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "If your car could travel at the speed of light, would the headlights still work? "

(Cut to the chase -- yes they would.  Really.  But what would you see?)

Computers and other gadgets

This little  MacBook laptop is getting a little temperamental as it ages.  I shouldn't be surprised, as it is around 8 years old, but I am quite fond of it.  Not, however fond enough to put money into it.  2 years ago I replaced the hard drive with a 500GB one, which is ridiculously large.  At one point I had the drive partitioned into mac and windows, so I could run windows programs (mainly Family Tree Maker) on it.  But the latest versions of that program now run on the Mac (I am told) so if I want to I can install it again.  It seemed so weird to have the familiar windows opening screens on here.

I hear that it is now possible to buy a new computer (HP) for $150 less, with Windows 7 installed instead of Win8.  Because win 8 is such a dog.  My desktop is running win7 and I quite like it, once I got used to it, replacing a win xp that went haywire.  We at least have found a place that recycles old computers, cellphones, printers, etc. so they don't end up in a landfill somewhere.  And for free, no less.  Now if I can only find someone who will take 500 books or so; maybe if we take them to the library, a box or two at a time.  There are even  more in the attic, but I don't want to think about them.

I got my latest swap box from a fellow knitting knut, aqua this time.  It was great, and included more YARN! of course.  I have revamped my secondary stockpile of yarn to hold more, separated by boxes so that I can remove skeins without having the entire pile fall down on me, probably smothering me, how embarrassing.  Of course it is 2/3 full already, and I am still open to more acquisitions.  A lifetime supply already.  It is hard to explain to non-knitters (or crocheters, etc.) the lure of a warm fuzzy hank of lovely colored yarn, but the truth is I had collected a fair amount of yarn even before I learn to (poorly) knit.  Now I machine knit, which zooms through yarn at an amazing clip, once the fiddly pattern making is selected for the row.  I still try to knit by hand, I made a pair of mittens, but the quality of my knitting is really poor, dropped stitches, twisted ones, uneven tension so there are big and little stitches, you name it.  And of course it is really slow going.  I am currently experimenting with looming, it looks like a kids' toy, but can produce some lovely things once I get the hang of it.  It is faster than handknittting (for me) and best of all it uses bulky and super bulky yarn, which won't fit on the machine and which works up in much fewer rows.

Anyway, enough of that.

The menfolk are outside trying to clear the driveway and parking area of the latest snowfall, 4 inches last night.  Our driveway is a mess, it is a continuous surprise that we don't slide into each other while parking.  I hate this and want it to be spring.  Not as badly as the shovelers do, I am certain.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Lead me not into temptation.  I know the way."

The weather is still freezing

And that's all I'm going to say.  Cabin fever.  Boredom.

Knitting, when my hands will co-operate.

This is a pattern for this knitted cardigan that I got from a helpful person on the Knitting Paradise forum.  I'm actually hoping to find someone to make it for me, as it is way too complex for me currently, but meanwhile I can admire the photo.  Isn't it neat?  It was from a knitting brochure from Sirdar yarn back around 15 years ago, but they are OK (copy rite way) with passing this along as long as it isn't sold.

My hands are too cold to type, I'm going to have to stop for now and bring in a little heater.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism."

Pets of the Past

I've had lots of pets over the last 50 years, but I never got into birds.  When I was a kid, Mom had a parakeet or two, and I would spend hours repeating phrases to them, so they would talk.  They had a few words, but I wanted them to say "Hello Joe, what do ya know?"  I never succeeded, but one of them would say "Joe" now and then.  Once we visited "the bird lady" in Miami to trim the beak of one bird, and she had all kinds of birds as pets and being treated for illnesses.  One was a mynah bird, and he would say all kinds of things, it really tickled me.  Beautiful bird, too.  But I felt sorry for them, all caged up for most of the time. 

Here are the names of all the cats we have had:  Frosty, Shari, Misty, Whim, Mandy, Moxie, Mensha, Mali, Splotch, Emma, Mac, Gracie, Beans, BC, Dottie, Melly, Funny, Mouse, All White, Nearly, Ditto, Travelers (several), Mamma, A, B, Blackie (probably a traveler), Mismatch, Bro, probably more that I have forgotten, and cats we found homes for.  The travelers are male cats that hang out outside until they wander away again, usually in the spring when lady loves are crying out for a handsome fella.  I have loved them all, and when they pass they take a part of me with them.

The dogs are fewer:  Lady, Joker, Shadow, Simba, Lotsa, Magpie and Raven.  We still have Magpie (black and white Newfy) and Raven (black Newfy).  There will be no more dogs, cats, or horses when these pass they won't be replaced.  It is hard to keep that resolution, but there may come a time when we must move into town, maybe a condo or whatever, and pets make that really really hard.  Especially the horses, which cost a fortune to keep and even more of a fortune to board out.  I've had 10 horses/ponies:  Poco, Chacho, Jakate, Beauty, three pony foals from Beauty whose names escape me, Blondie, Willie and Maybe.  We still have Maybe and Willie, although they are in their 20s; they were both born here, by Blondie. No more after this.  And there is all of the tack, saddles and such to dispose of too.

Whew!  That's a lot to remember.

The weather is finally moderating, the snow is melting and the bitter cold is gone for now.  I feel for the unprepared Atlantans.  When we lived in Memphis, we bought snow tires and the natives laughed at us.  Then there was a really rare snowfall, and we were the only ones traveling without a problem.  Basically, they just wait for the sunshine plow.  Not fun if you are stuck on the interstate surrounded by jack-knifed 18 wheelers.  Although I did get tired of seeing the same footage over and over on the Weather Channel.

 Bumper Sticker for the day:  "I like you, but I wouldn't want to see you working with sub-atomic particles. "

bored bored bored

Being cooped up at home for 3 days is giving me cabin fever.  The roads are horrible here and they haven't been touched since the snowfall last week, so yesterday's snowfall just covered tracks left from before the storm.  We, husband and I, don't have to go out, but the kids have jobs to go to, and I really worry about the drive there.  Our road is basically one car wide, so if you meet anyone coming or going, one of you has to get in a driveway or the ditch.  Part of it is a steep drop-off over the side.  I hate even thinking about it.

I've finished the knitting projects I've been doing, but can't make up my mind what to tackle next.  I use a knitting machine, which whips through yarn in a heartbeat, so if I use it, I have to be sure I have enough yarn to finish.  Unfortunately I don't have enough experience to estimate yarn quantities, so I just go with whatever I have the most of.  Even more important is not to run off the end of the skein, because moving the carriage without having yarn fed into it, causes all the stitches to fall off the needles, which puts "finito" on the work.  So I have to keep track of the skein and go slowly if I am near the end; I can only tie on a new skein when the carriage is at either side and not in the middle of a row.

Now that you know way more than you wanted about knitting, I'll change the subject.

I have decided to stop going to the psychotherapist for the time being.  I am running into problems making the appointments, between other appointments and the weather.  And I miss my therapist of 10 years who moved away, and I just don't seem to click with this one.  Not her fault, but it's hard to talk with an utter stranger about family problems, and my problems; my other therapist just got the story about all this a little at a time as it unfolded.  Now there is too much water under the bridge to lay out everything from scratch, if I may mix my metaphors.  I have much the same problems with my primary care doctor. I had the same one for 15 + years, who passed.  The next one I picked retired; and the one he recommended moved out of the area.  So doctor #4 seems nice and can hopefully keep all the balls in the air from all my specialists. 

I decided to start taking Social Security beginning in February.  The benefit of waiting until I am 66 to get the full amount is offset in that it will take 10 years at the higher level to make up for the 3 years of no benefits.  But with typical government finesse, I got one message to bring in my birth certificate (I wrote about that in my last post), and then got a phone call where I went over my application on the phone and was told it would processed within the next two weeks, and no further action for me to do. Go figure.

I don't know when the horses will be able to get out of the barn, with the footing bad from the snow and the likelihood that they will get sweaty and then chilled in their heavy blankets.  Their stalls are a mess, but not soggy under foot thanks to the mats which drain away liquid.  That and their heated water buckets so they don't have to drink immediately after the buckets are filled or go thirsty when they ice over.  I hate to think how we would have coped in the old, open sided barn,  with the temps here below zero at night.  One of the best investments we have made.

And the outdoor cats are literally wrapped around the oil-filled space heater in the garage, staying warm.  It is not really warm there, but we have had electrical problems with the older heaters.  We don't want to burn the house down to keep the cats toasty.  We went to Lowe's to get a new space heater, and there were none.  Zero.  Zip.  Any size, any brand.  Nada.  So they will have to make do with what there is, as we can't bring 3 outdoor cats into the house with the 6 already here.  WWIII.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "OMG!  My mother was right about everything!"

The weather outside is frightful

I always seem to start with a weather report, but tonight I'll just say it is cold and snowy and let it go at that.

This month the color is aqua (turquoise) for the knitting forum colorwheel swap.  I can't find the staple things I usually send, like an apron, kitchen gadget, hot pads and mitts, they just don't seem to be available in aqua, not at a reasonable price.  Well I'll review my box once the things I have ordered all come in.  And yarn takes up lots of space in a box.

Last Friday we traipsed all the way to the Social Security office, only to find it was closed until today (the 21st) due to construction next door.  I want to get my retirement now that I am nearly 63 (well, on Friday) . Since I no longer contribute to my fund for the last 6 years, the benefit of waiting to age 66 makes no sense.  I won't bore you with the math, but waiting until I am 66 means it will take me years to make up the early disbursement.  And who knows what will happen then?  We are frugal, but the extra money into our "what if" fund will be welcome.   I just hope we don't get the surly person that I had to deal with when I had another question.  Update:  there has been so much snow they closed (or kept closed) the office for the entire week, so it will be next week before I can go and finalize the application.

I actually registered via ssa.gov, but at some point it screeched to a stop and referred me to the local office.  Why have an online method if you still have to go in person?  Grumble grumble.

Last week I was bending down slightly to attach the vacuum cleaner hose, when my back went *Pow* and I couldn't straighten up.  I hobbled my way into the bedroom, and somehow got my feet up on the bed so I could lie down.  I stayed in bed for 3 days, just getting up to use the euphemism, and DH brought me food and drink.  After 3 days I could gimp along fairly well, and could cope with the stairs so I could see something other than the water marks on the bedroom ceiling.  And television.  It was a toss-up as to which was more entertaining.  Gotta get the ceiling painted, but not anytime soon.  This makes a triumvirate of ankle, knee, hip and now back.  Oh wait that's four.  Well, you get the idea.  I am falling apart one joint at a time.  I wish our house was on one level.  The vacuum cleaner is *whisper* evil  .I just know it will punish me when I try to clean again.

I have written this over the course of several days, that's why the timeline is a bit back-to-front above.  I can't sit for very long or my back gives me fits.  Somewhere in this blog, I have recounted the Fall-from-horse, bad landing, 5 weeks in a body cast and several months in a brace, so I won't re-recount it here.  Suffice to say that the vertebrae where the injury was is still exquisitely tender, from 39 years in the past. When asked now to rate my pain in a one-to-10 scale, everything is 5 or below, because I know what real pain is.  Ten is when the pain comes in waves, bearing me off to oblivion and binging me back to more pain.  Morphine, please, every 4 hours, thank you very much.  I slept through the 2 weeks I was in the hospital before they cast me.  Just as well.

Still went back to riding as soon as the doctor gave me the all clear, but on a different, sweet, easy-going lovely palomino.  He died at 22 years old, it's been some 30 years ago, but I still miss him.  Heart-tied.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right!"

January Winter

I hate posting about the weather, because if a reader does not live here why would they care?  And if you do live here, you already know what the weather is/was, right?  So we will skip all of that except to say the West Virginia suffered its coldest day EVER since recorded time, like maybe since prehistoric days, I dunno.

Going to Gassaway today to see the aunt and uncle.  It will be good to be there, it's getting there that's the problem.  I've already said, if there's snow, I don't go.  I'm going to carry a full arsenal of winter stuff, blanket, water, first aid kit, the works.  Be prepared.

We have been bedeviled with stink bugs in the house, ick.  They're easy to kill, or capture and flush, but damn they are creepy.  I'm calling an exterminator soon, I can't imagine how many we will have once it is warm.  Ick.

I have been "looming" since Christmas on hats (very easy project)  but so far they have been too small for an adult.  I dropped them off at the oncology office when I had my 4 month check-up. 
They really came out nice, someone will take them.  My check-up went fine, I have 6 months to the next check-up, woohoo.  I will have a mammogram in Feb, that is the next challenge.

I made bread yesterday, one for the family across the road.  She had sent us (via kid) a coffee cake with cinnamon sugar; the only problem is that she bakes with Truvia instead of sugar.  This is because DH is a diabetic, but let's face... sugar is better.  Anyway, you can't send a pan back empty, thus the bread.  So although I fell behind last year in our treat-to-treat competition, this week we are even.  (I know I will fail.)

I need a haircut, but I don't know...

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Never assume malice for what stupidity can explain."

Acupuncture

 This is what it feels like when one of the cats peel off my lap at the speed of light.

I had acupuncture years ago when I slipped at work and fell on my butt, which wasn't as cushion-y as it is now. I injured my back, beginning a long period of pain and treatment.  I tried physical therapy, bed rest, and pain meds.  My physician finally recommended I try acupuncture.  I probably would have skipped the whole thing (I'm not into woo-woo stuff), but she called right then and made me an appointment for that afternoon. I went, all hunched over to ease the pain.  He did a treatment and as I got off the table, I thought, damn, it feels better. ( But physical therapy felt good too, until I reached the car, when I'd be popping pain pills before I started the engine.)   I walked out of the office, upright, and out to the car, still feeling fine.  No grogginess like the meds would do.  To make a long story short, after treatments daily for a week, and then once a week for a "tune up" I was cured.  Isn't that funny?  Tiny tiny needles,about the size of a human hair, placed just so, and each time more of the pain went away until there was no more pain.  Maybe this is one Chinese import that is better than home-made...

Hope all of you have a very happy new year, and if you traveled, I hope you drive home safely from all the hung-over drivers.  Even a fender-bender can ruin your day.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Sex on television can't hurt you unless you fall off."

The End of 2013

Here it is New Year's Eve, and we have a big night planned, eating homemade chili and watching TV.  I won't make it to midnight, around 10 I'm ready for bed, if not sooner.  Tomorrow we will take down the Christmas decorations and the tree, and I will be able to get into the cabinet where my yarn is stored.  An exciting day.

I haven't felt too well these last couple of days, but nothing I can put my finger on.  I just want to curl up under a blanket and sleep.  All day.  It's even a struggle to get dressed every day, and not hang around in my jammies until official bedtime. 

One task I did get done was clearing out the computer room.  It was so crammed with junk you couldn't even turn around in it, you had to back out.  I donated the books (around 200 of them) to a local used bookstore, and waded through the remains, ruthlessly purging all the old files, and labeling the organizing boxes that fit into a cabinet.  Looks tons better, and it is so nice to be able to walk in here again.  I have seen a few episodes of Hoarders, and they give me the creeps; still I can relate (somewhat) to not wanting to throw stuff out.  But I like to have things tidy, even if vacuuming and dusting are pretty scant.  Even the kids have complimented me on the result.

DH got a mini RC helicopter for Christmas, but it has been too windy to try it outdoors.  And there isn't much space indoors for any kind of testing, not even counting the cats who either duck and run away, or try to catch the little blighter.  Of course, in addition to being windy, the temps today remained in the 20s, with even colder weather forecast for the rest of the week.  Luckily I have no more appointments this week, and got all my meds refilled today, the last time they will be co-pay free for at least a while. 

Bumper sticker for the day:  "I'm not weird.  I'm a limited edition."

Nearly Christmas

I am done, and done in too.  All the gifts have been delivered, all of them wrapped and under the tree, Christmas food all tucked up in the fridge.  I am exhausted, although I didn't do that much by myself.  Anyway, I thought I would do a quick post here, so you won't think I fell off the face of the earth.  And really, it hasn't been that long since the last post.

The weather here has been one gloomy day after the next.  The temps have been as high as the 70s (yesterday) and yet the temp is plunging down today and tomorrow. The rain is making an awful mess outdoors, and the horses are highly incensed that they have not been able to be outside due to the slippery footing, and them being in their 20s.  The very very worst of it is that with the warmer weather, the #%!*&$ stink bugs are once again active.  Daughter found one in her purse this morning, major ICK.  Husband found three in the bedroom, and no doubt there will be more as they try to find warmish places to hibernate.  I can only imagine what spring will be like (shudder) .  When I lived in FL, many years ago, I had a horror of "palmetto bugs" which most people call roaches.  Big ones, that fly (clumsily) and are a constant battle.  When we fist lived in Memphis, the landlord would have the place sprayed regularly at the first sign of a roach.  I couldn't believe the small things were roaches, granted I didn't want them around, but to me they weren't even close to being MY idea of a roach.  Let's end this subject.

It is almost time to ship out this month's swap package on the Knitting Paradise forum (http://knittingparadise.com if you are interested ).  This month's color wheel swap is black and white, and I have found some excellent items to include (apron, tote bag, mug, notebook, pens, etc. as well as yarn of course).  The site is very informative for knitters and crocheters, as well as one section of "other crafts" where most anything might appear.  And the swaps are fun, a different partner every month.  So far I have done red, blue, green, and pink, and there have been neat items in every one of them.  Sometimes I find readers here who have come from the KP forum, so if that includes you, welcome!

Bumper sticker for the day:  "The best things in life aren't things."

All done

All is well; thank all of you for your kind thoughts.
Bumper sticker for the day:  "Does running late count as exercise?"

December at the speed of light

I can't believe it is the 8th of December already.  I won't bore you with the list of tasks undone; I will say the tree is up.  Not decorated, but the lights are on.  Progress.

I was trying to remember Christmases past, not in general, but specific ones.  The only one I can remember is the Christmas I got my first guitar.  I was 12, and I was so excited, my parents had managed to hide it completely, so even snooping around didn't reveal it.  I have different guitars now, two of them.  I still play, although my hands cramp up pretty quickly and I haven't tackled a new song in a long time.  There is something very soothing about listening to a master guitar player, like Chet Atkins or Eric Clapton (acoustic and when he isn't singing!), or Leo Kotche (jazz) or even Santana (rock and roll).  I wish I had been more consistent in taking music lessons, the last teacher I had passed away from cancer and I haven't looked any further since then.

I can't sleep tonight, I keep waking myself up snoring.  I've tried reading, and writing in my journal, and counting sheep (well, not really), but here I am at 5 am, groggy and drowsy, but wide awake as soon as I get comfortable in bed.   No doubt I'll be dropping off about the time to get up.  Isn't that always the case?

I've been struggling with rosacea and it has flared up in the last few weeks.  I look like Santa with his cheeks so rosy (and a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, but let's not go there).  I went to the derm doctor last Monday, and she gave me a sample of a new drug that is a vasoconstricter, works fast and lasts twelve hours.  I have tried it twice, and have not had much success yet, but I am trying to feel when the flare-up starts and not wait until I am beet red to use it.  It would be nice to be able to use blush again.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."

Looking backward

I am fast approaching the 7th anniversary of my retirement,  Dec. 29th, 2006.  I have to mark it as one of my happiest moments.  Above is the photo taken at my retirement party of the folks I worked with for around three years.  Some of them are retired now, and others have moved on to other jobs, but they were a great bunch of people to work with.  That's me on the far left upper row, and that smile didn't leave my face the entire day.  Every Christmas season I think of how frantic it always seemed to be, doing all the necessary daily things, and somehow squeezing in shopping, cooking, baking, wrapping, and on and on.  Since retirement, that has all changed, partly due to having more time; if I get tired shopping (especially for groceries) I just stop with what I have, pay, and go home.  Plenty of time the next day.  I run into other people I worked with, or my daughter does and they ask about me, and whether I enjoy retirement.  The answer is YES I do.  Wish I could have done it sooner, but it's OK now.  I worked 25 years at the university, and 10 years in federal research labs, and 35 years of work like mine, where I was on call for all kinds of hours, really wore me down.  And once the cancer came (three years ago in February), I at least didn't have to worry about a job or family obligations, only taking care of myself with DH's help.

Hope all of you are looking forward to holiday happiness, seeing family and friends, and getting lots of great stuff to eat!

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Stay clam and proofread."

Indigestion

As usual, I ate too much on Thanksgiving and am now paying the price.  Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, deviled eggs, green beans, homemade dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, pickle, pie with whipped cream,; although I have to admit the pie didn't get cut yet.  We certainly did justice to such a spread.  I talked to my uncle and aunt (about 90 miles away) and they had a quiet dinner with their son and his wife.  I'm glad they had someone to share with; their son often works holidays so that those with family can be off (he works in a hospital).  We will try to get down there before Christmas, weather permitting.  The big storm predicted for our area (and actually the entire state) wasn't a hill of beans; we had 2" and most of that melted.  There were places a little icy, but doable if you had decent tires.  We saw one car on Wednesday that spun out, but it had student winter tires; that's any tire with some tread.  As long as they don't plow into someone else, or block the road, I figure they are entitled to make a fool of themselves.

We usually put up the Christmas decorations this weekend, but no one seems up for the job.  Maybe next weekend.  Some  of our neighbors have their outside lights up before Thanksgiving, so at least they could do them when the footing isn't slippery.  One neighbor has Hodgkin's lymphoma, so they may have taken that into account, for an early Christmas.

The Newfs are out in the back yard today, free to bark their heads off.  Luckily we live a fair distance from our neighbors, and the dogs cannot reach the boundary fence line, so it is OK with me.  The neighbor dogs answer back, there is quite a chorus at times.  Naturally, I don't see anything bark-worthy.

I have been working on getting some of my fountain pens up and running, I never should let them sit unused this long.  I sonicated the nibs and feed, which helped most of them.  A few are unrepentantly clogged.  I'll remove the ink and let them soak overnight.  I have oodles of pens, and carry at least 5 or 6 in my purse, though mostly ball points so I don't get ink stains inside the handbag.  Right now my hands are stained and I need to go scrub them with a drop of bleach.  They are a little conspicuous with blue, burgundy and brown ink stains.

I sent off my "green" swap box to my partner in the knitting forum swap exchange.  I got a reply already, it shipped priority in 2 days.  I can't wait to get my package.  The swaps are a different color every month, and it is fun to look for items in that month's color.

Bumper sticker for the day:  " The past, the present and the future walked into a bar.  It was tense."

Snowy day

We just returned from attempting to go to a therapy visit.  We cleaned all the snow off the car, warmed it up, and ventured out into traffic of shoppers and people driving to family gatherings.  When we reached the office, there was a sign on the door that the office was closed from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3rd.  The door was locked, and the doorbell did not produce anyone.  After we got home the therapist called to say we "just missed her"  and that she put a note on the door to ring for admittance.  Too late for us, we went back home and weren't about to venture out again.  This would have been the 4th visit with this therapist, and I can already see we will have problems.  I am rarely/never late, and I think she should have arrived at least 15 minutes before our appointment.  A big waste of makeup today!

The snowfall predicted for overnight didn't materialize here, we had only about 2 inches.  What is falling now is more like rainy mist, and the snow is disappearing.  So much for the 6-8 inches forecast.   Not that I am complaining;  once both son and daughter are home for the holiday (this afternoon) I don't care what it does outside, we have all we need through the weekend at least.  And no, I won't be going shopping on Black Friday, big crowds make me panicky and I like to shop online and just wait for the delivery.  It is much simpler to do that now, when there are only the four of us, than it would be to wander the mall searching for inspiration.

The horses are inside the barn for the next couple of days.  The footing outside is far too slippery for them, when they leap and buck and run after being in for a day or two.  I have a photo of Blondie and Willie running in hock-deep snow, back when they were young and sure-footed.  It is one of my favorite photos.  Now Blondie is gone, and Willie and his sister Maybe are senior citizens.  I don't know what we did when we only had the little wooden barn, open on one side, but the big barn, with hot water, lights, heated water buckets, in the winter and fans in every stall and in the end of the barn roof, automatic fly sprays, every summer, all of this is a dream come true.  Best of all is that it is all paid for.

 Bumper sticker for the day:  "IRS:  We've got what it takes to take what you've got."

The Hostess with the least-est

What is the largest group you have ever catered for, as the principal hostess?  For me it was around 17 or so.  It is not-so-fondly referred to as the Christmas from hell.  My sister-in law, her husband and my brother in law, plus assorted relatives nearby and not so nearby came for the holiday.  My sister-in-law brought another visitor too -- the awfullest virus, and one by one we succumbed.  DS was teasing his sister because she got sick on Christmas eve; so of course, he got sick on Christmas day.  I got sick the day after everyone left, which was the best I could hope for.  The entire episode made fixing meals a nightmare.  I had people who weren't sick (yet) and ate regular food; people who were getting over the worst and wanted soup and jello; and those in the midst of the whole mess who didn't want anything.  Oh yeah, and we had to call a plumber out on Christmas eve.  It was the only time the whole family was together, and we got some good visiting done even at the worst.  But that was the last time everyone came, and it wasn't even my fault!  I spent half my time going around with clorox wipers trying to stem the spread, but if it helped I didn't see it.  Now we have just the 4 of us, and I am sad when I think of all those who have passed away.  Now there is only sister- and brother-in-law, one aunt and uncle who can't make the trip as she is house-bound, of the original list.  I would do it all again if it meant I'd get to see them all again.

We shopped yesterday for the Thanksgiving menu, nothing very elaborate, but the mobs at the store!  The only good thing was that they had all the registers open.  I hope we didn't forget anything, because for sure I'm not going back.

The mail hasn't come yet today, but I know we will have mail - Christmas catalogs!  I don't know how I end up on so many mailing lists, but whatever the cause, there are a lot of them.  Hammacher and Schlemmer is one of my favorites.  They advertise an authentic London taxi cab, including leather upholstery, tinted glass, extra front seat, mahogany trim, chrome fenders and air conditioning.  All for a mere $40,000.   Levenger is another catalog, for leather goods and writing instruments; for example,  they have desk sets, with desk pad, letter tray, pen cup, etc. in leather for $495.  Or a leather tote for $329.  Heck, send me two.  And of course there is all the schlocky stuff in Oriental Trading Company, or Harriet Carter, Miles Kimball, and Collections.  Some of them send me emails as well; a typical list of emails for the day will include 50 or 60, of which 4 or so I will open and read.  That doesn't count the ones caught by my spam filter.

This cold weather has brought the birds flocking back to the feeders.  For a few weeks,  it seemed that the season was over for the migratory birds, but today there were quite a few of them as well as the ones (like cardinals) that don't migrate.  It is funny to watch them kicking out the seeds they don't want to get to the ones they do like, while the birds on the ground have what must seem like manna falling from the sky, to pick up among the grass.  Either way, it all gets eaten.

Bumper Sticker for the day:  "When you stop believing in Santa you get underwear."

50 years??!!

It can't be 50 years since JFK died.  Surely not.  I guess I was 12 at the time; I know I was in Latin class in the 8th grade.  The announcement came over the PA, and, like at any junior high of the day, there was nervous laughter, crying, bewilderment.  We watched the funeral on TV for hours, and felt shocked again when Oswald was killed. I can't replay the whole story that is everywhere this week, it feels too morbid and even after all this time, too bewildering.  Do I believe Oswald acted alone?  Not.  Do I believe  Ruby shot Oswald out of some grandiose patriotic pay-back feeling?  Not.  Will we ever know the entire truth?  Not.

Maybe it doesn't matter anymore?  Dunno.

I certainly hope security for our leaders has vastly improved.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "If you are psychic - think "HONK".

A one, a two...

I can finally move my right knee again.  Just got a cortisone shot, it will be good for close to 3 months if the relief is the same as the last several shots.  It is so wonderful to walk without a limp, or the fear that my knee will collapse when I stand suddenly.  December looks to be a very busy month, and I want to be able to navigate painlessly, even though I do a lot of shopping online.

I ordered a chamois shirt for my son, he wears one as an overshirt, and the one he has really looks tatty.  I couldn't decide which size to get, large or extra large, so I got one of each, and then can send the other one back.  Hope he likes it.  I ordered from Carrheart.

I haven't been able to see my therapist, the time since my last appt. has just flown by, and now she has moved (I think) and can no longer be reached at the phone number she had before.  I tried again today.

I can't tell you where I took this picture, just that it is somewhere near Helvetia WV.  A beautiful little hidden stream.  I put it here as a reminder of the green months, not just the brown crispy ones we are having now.  I have watched the incredible tornado/hurricane devastation across the country and the world, and it feels really trivial to complain about merely fall days.  I can't imagine what all the homeless people will do as winter approaches.  I read somewhere recently of someone gathering up the "gotta keep it" bag with the irreplaceable items to grab as you are going to safety, and I couldn't imagine how I would do this.  My main fears would be for  the horses, the dogs, and the cats.   I couldn't exactly stuff them in a pillowcase and make a run for it.  Photos?  There are probably no more than 50 that I would salvage, but now I have all my photos stored in the cloud, so they are retrievable.  My fountain pen collection?  Maybe, they would all fit in a shoebox, but would I be devastated without them?  I don't think so.  As long as my family and furry ones are OK, so I will be.  It's only stuff.

 Still have some work to be done on my scarf knitting project, so I will get to it.  Take care.

Bumper sticker for the day:  "Of course I talk to myself.  Sometimes I need expert advice."

Creaky knees

Bumper sticker for the day:  "We're not old people, we're recycled teenagers!"

Kitty linky

Feline Friday