A Year of Happy and Good News

I truly have neglected this blog for the past year.    I think about it, plan to write and/or post pictures, then nothing.    Because I'm not usually a New Year Resolution kind of person - I know my limitations and grand declarations don't usually last - I'm going to try something different.   Instead of making wide sweeping changes this year I am going to focus on one thing at a time.   And document it.

When TinkerSon went overseas, I followed everyone’s advice and turned off the news and stopped reading the paper.   It was hard for a few weeks then I was surprised about how much more at peace I felt in general.   Well, except for worrying about him getting his head blown off.   After he was state side again, I started reading part of the paper and every now and again, listened to the first 5 minutes of the morning news – up until the weather was done.    Then I stopped.    I realized that an hour long show did nothing but repeat the same depressing storiess over and over.   Not enough “happy news” to be discussed I guess.    And who wants to be happy? 

I do.   After the events in Connecticut (I turned the tv off completely for 10 days)  I’ve decided that 2013 is going to be the year of Good News Only.     And I’m going to have something good to say every day for 365 solid days.    Darn It.  

In that effort, I have spent the past few weeks planning and plotting and thinking.    I have family, I have kitties, I have knitting, I cook (sometimes) and I work full time.   There are so many positive things I do and see, that sharing will be easy.    And I suspect that as I move forward, it will be easier and easier. 

Cool Breeze

Finished.    Started in July, ripped most of it out in August.   Finished before Halloween.
Creative Knitting July, 2012 Issue

Got another one 2/3 done, wonder if I can get it done before Thanksgiving . . . .

Eye Candy Friday

Well no, technically this isn't an eye candy item.   It is a bald faced hornet next in my holly tree.   More specifically, it is no longer in my holly tree.    It is a little bigger than a basketball and about the coolest thing I've ever seen.    The opening is about the size of a half dollar.    The hornets were huge, and if my research hadn't said that they will sting repeatedly because of the smooth stinger and the poison keeps flowing, then I would have probably let it go until winter when nature killed them off.    As it is, this was eye level to me, and I've got to be outside taking care of the yard.    It is not on the tree stump my exterminator said that a lot of people varnish these and then hang them up to use as a bird feeder, or bird house or just for decoration.    But to be sure NOT to take it inside, as the heat in the winder will make any larva still in there hatch, and yeah, no.   I'm not interested in them actually living IN my house.

Eye Candy Friday

My new Bonsi

Eye Candy Friday

Really, this should be called wall paper fail.

Eye Candy Friday

This weeks Farmers Market Find

You Can't Freeze Pudding

Last week, as I'm sure a lot of people are painfully aware, we had a heat wave.   And storms.  The two are synonymous with summer on the east coast.   Spring is heavy rain, summer is heat and thunderstorms, fall is pretty when there isn't storms and hurricanes.     During all of these events, trees tend to fall and around here a lot of the power and phone lines are above ground on poles.   What happens when a tree or giant limb falls on a line?   Shockingly it comes down.    Or a transformer or substation gets hit either by lightening or trees or recently.a raccoon.  

A week ago friday we had a storm about 9 at night.   I stood on the porch as I ted to do during storms and watched.   I love thunder storms.  Freaks Mr. Tinkerpro out every time and if lightening is cloud to sky I come in, but I told him this storm is different.    Thunder but not a ton, wind like a hurricane and lightening that was cloud to cloud.    Sounded like hail was falling for awhile yet it wasn't.    Yep, it was a different storm, but not the worst we've seen.     Millions of people were withouth power.   When the temperature at 5 am is almost 90 degrees that is a problem.    I'm not going to go into all the whining and complaining and calls for "they have to DO something" that the news chose to air day after day after day.    Yep, it is stinkin miserable if you don't have power, but do you have options?    Can you go to a hotel?    Harumph, some hotels were gouging prices charging up to $500 a night.    They ought to be ashamed.    Do you have friends or family with power, can you go there for a few hours or to sleep?    Is someone forcing you to be a martyr?    I had one of those in my neighborhood, half the area was without, half had.   We were very fortunate to be on the side that had.   TinkerDaughter's friend on the other side of the neighborhood did not.   TinkerDaughter was talking to said friend, and told her to come to my house.    I found out and spoke to friend several times, said come over, I have everything except good cell phone reception (towers lost power) and no cable tv, but other than that, we're in fine shape.     She never showed up, I assumed she got power back.   Nope, she complained on Monday about how miserable she was all weekend in the heat and humidity until TinkerDaughter told her to shut up.   There was no reason for her to suffer like that it was a choice she made.    She is also extra extremely pregnant.     You can't fix stupid.

Only one woman did they show on the news who had common sense and when I saw the story I wanted to know why they couldn't find more people like her.    Her response to the news crew who was trying to muster up the sad and downtrodden said, "I have my house, hot water and my toilet works.    We are fine and grateful.   Yes it is hot, but we will survive".     A woman after my own heart, except she forgot to mention the wine.    

Saturday when my power came back on I took most of the expensive stuff out of the kitchen freezer and put in the chest freezer in the basement with the thought that if power would be an issue, a full freezer would keep a little longer.   In the upstairs freezer I kept the ice cream, a small amount of meat and then I got the bright idea to put the homemade pudding in thee.   I figured it is milk and chocolate, it is good extra cold, it would help fill the freezer so it kept better, and what the heck.   A few days later (after the refrigeragor decided to die, which is another story all together) I put the pudding back in the fridge thinking we'd have it for dessert that night.

Nope.    When thawed, homemade pudding looks like curdled milk and gets a chalkey taste.   I could have overlooked the asthetic unplesant look, I couldn't get over the icky taste.

Would You Like to Pet it?

The words any fiber enthuastist loves to hear.   Heck, we don't usually even wait for an offer.   We go to our LYS, we check out yarn stores whenever we travel.   We go to festivals, clubs, garage sales, and friends homes.    We all know that the first thing you do when entering the door of a yarn shop is to pet the fiber.    A time honored tradition.

Last night I went with Mr. Tinkerpro to a local gun shop to pick up a few things.   He saw a 20 gauge that caught his eye.   He looked, read the tag from across the counter.   J.C. Higgins.   Hmmm, he said, those aren't too bad, been around a long time.   They were made by Sears at one time.   The girl working at the counter came over, he asked a few questions, she asked someone else for the answers - it was  a slow night and they were getting ready to close.    She offered to hand it to him so he could get a better look. 

Mr Tinkerpro:  No, you're closing in a minute,  I'll think about it for awhile and can come back. 

Girl:     Would you like to pet it?  That's what most guys do when they come in here.

I'm sorry.   I busted a gut

Beautification

This weekend was all abou me.   It was rainy and icky and I decided I hadn't had a all about me weekend in a long time.   So nails done, which I do regularly anyway, bought some new shoes, colored my hair, had a massage and got a new "doo"

I love the guy who cuts my hair.   The first time I walked into the salon, it was a step of faith when I sat down in the chair.   My hair was longish, thick and just blah.    When I started to tell him what I wanted he told me to be quiet, he knew what to do.    I closed my eyes and 40 minutes later was so glad I let him have at it.    About every 6 months or so he changes my look.    Yesterday I told him it was time to change and then he actually let me tell him what I didn't want.  we have a pact, he makes sure my cut is flattering and I don't have to take care of it other than regularly or irregulary as in my case, I get it trimmed up.   This morning I washed, wrapped my hair in a towel for a few minutes, then bent over and fluffed it up.    Thirty minutes later it is try and fantastic.    Oh, he did fuss at me a little because I color my own hair, and Saturday afternoon when I got rid of the roots I wasn't so careful, so the skin around my face was stained a little purble at the hair line.    He just frowned at me, I opened my eyes all big and then said, well it fades in a few days.    He went and got some magic stuff so now I don't have a purple frame around my face.   

Hackers

Dear Hacker in Japan: 

My facebook friends are 90 percent knitting sites, knitters, a few fashion sites and my kids and a few of their friends.    I don't have any personal information on my about me page.  What information that is there was filled out because facebook required it.  It isn't quite accurate - I'm not a 59 year old man so your attempts to sell me viagra really aren't going far.    Your recent attempt to hack into my facebook account only resulted in them blocking the acount until I tried to access it this morning.    I guess at least someone was smart enough to realize I probably wasn't in Japan.   And since I only look at it about once a week it has probably been blocked for a long time.   But really?   

If you have to choose between a rock and a hard place,
pick the rock, then throw it at the person who got you into that hard place.

Oh Noes

Of course, today I decide that maybe it is time to visit the blog again.   And I see that they are changing the blog format?   I also don't deal with change well.   technology isn't my strong suit.  So I will start posting again and figure it out.  

At the same time I'm getting a new computer becuse mine crashed last week, before I could print out the taxes that I had finished.  And it took all my pictures with it.   The ones that I never backed up because I knew that "it wouldn't happen to me".  

I'll show you!

If go away this is what I will do:

I went away for a few days to visit my mom.   Upon return home yesterday I went straight to laundry room to get the clothes washed so I'd be ready for my week.   The hang up stuff first, then the rest.

Usually when I go away, Jack shuns me for a few days to teach me a lesson.   Mind you, he is home with Mr. Tinkerpro who spoils the you-know-what out of him, and at least one kid will stop by so it isn't as if he was locked in a house alone for days.  

When I went to move stuff from washer to dryer, what did I see on top of the freezer hiding behind clean clothes?   Jack.    Sitting on my wet sweater.    Now I'll have to re-stretch the screen.   That cat weighs 15 pounds.

Eye Candy Friday

View from my front yard

Coffee Swap

Every time I join a Ravelry swap I swear it will be my last one. The stress of what to get, will she like it, I never manage to color coordinate or theme a swap. I randomly put things in the box that I like so of course assume my partner will like - until l put it in the mail.

My partner got her box Monday and seems to like it. I was rather pleased with myself this time.
My box from my partner arrived today.

Oh my.

I especially like THIS. Why? Because it is a travel mug that is ceramic. I LOVE ceramic mugs. I don't own many travel mugs because they are plastic or metal inside, and that just ruins it for me.

Here’s the entire contents

A water cup with a straw and a cozy (which would fit on the coffee mug too), a mug from her work, my new favorite travel mug, stitch markers, yummy smelling coffee :) a to do note pad (how did she know I needed that?) Two yummy yarn and a EZ book. Love EZ, and hold her in awe, but am intimidated just the same.

and in the jar was tea and a most awesome bracelet!
 
Thank you so much Chauntel!

A good Weekend to Stay Inside

Which is exactly what I did yesterday.   Woke up to icy/snowy roads and yard.   Truck was covered and there was no place I had to be so desparetly that I wanted to clean it  off.    I tried to convince the cats that it  was too nasty to go out, but no, they of course know better.    After about 30 minutes I called out the back door and no one came running .   Hmmm.  Odd.   So I opened the front door and there was jack, pressed against the door so close he fell in when it opened.   I looked around and Stanley was about 20 feet away in the yard.    Apparently my conversation with him about ice, slick, furry feet and a hill did not register with him.  He had a horrid time getting up the slope to the door.   Of course, if he had gone toward the house, he could have walked where there was nothing, but no, he slowly made his way up, an about 4 feet from the sidewalk, he decided to leap for it.    Yeah.   Well, those feet slipped right out from under him as he jumped.   And still his weight didn't break the ice.    I did very well not to laugh at him because he looked worried, I also didn't go rescue him because is was in my socks.     Once he made it in, he didn't want to go out again.    Today is not an option, no sun, no warm, and it was flurrying a little while ago.

I came home from the market and noticed workers across the street at the house for rent.   It is nice, the former tenants moved out before christmas, the painters were there christmas week, the for rent sign was up before the 1st.   However, I am seriously wondering about the management company/landscapers.    I will be the first to admit that growing plants is not my forte in life.    I put things in the garden that I hope will come back the next year, and they must survive on their own.    I will water if we have a really dry summer (and I remember) but otherwise they are on their own.   And no house plants for me.   They commit suicide before coming ino the house, because they just somehow know that I will kill them anyway.   But back to the rental house.    I heard chainsaws and looked.   They are cutting down all the green boxwood bush things.   They have about 14 replacement plants lined up in the driveway in what looks to be 5 gallon buckets (maybe only 3 gallon).    They have leaf blowers pointed to the ice/snow as they are chain sawing down the old stuff.   

Even me, the non-gardener, knows that if you plant something in the frozen ground, and can they even dig a hole deep/wide enough, it probably isn't going to survive the rest of winter.   Especially given the fact that the front of that house gets no sun.   Ever.   I'll have to remember to take pictures when they are done.

Long Weekends

Ah, another three day weekend, just after being off for a little over a week during christmas.      That week was spent doing nothing but sleeping and drinking tea, mostly because I got sick although I did manage to get out a few times if even just for lunch, or in one case, breakfast, with a friend.  Little knitting got done, and what was done promptly was ripped back.    Six rows in, four rows out.   I finally put the stupid thing down and walked away.   

So my plan for this weekend was get some knitting done, make a few pots of soup to freeze and little else.   Good in theory execution wasn't as successful, and why did I expect anything different.   Haven't I learned yet?   Apparently not.  I did happily spnd most of the weekend at home, and I did get some knitting done, and not quite as much ripping out, but I didn't get the laundry room cleaned and organized.   I did spend about 30minutes in there but hardly made a dent.    I spent some time in one of the guestthrow it in there room, and you can at least see the floor, but the dust bunnies are still in residence.  

Then there was today.   The joke in my family is the number of vehicles that we own.   At one time, there were 10 and the insurance company gave us a fleet discount.    It is the way when you have teenagers, car enthuastists and they all own their own vehicles.   If they paid for them, and could afford the insurance and gas, who was I to argue?   TinkerHusband bought another "project" car in December.   I didn't fuss too much, he didn't pay much for it, and we discussed it first.   But I pointed out that he wasn't yet done with the current "project car" that is suppose to be mine when he is done.    "Almost done" he keeps saying.   Right.    Let me assure you, it is not.    So today he decided to take the new project car to the body shop because he doesn't want to do the work and it needs to be done now.    He didn't even make it out of the neighborhood before calling me to come pick him up.   Transmission blew.  Super.   So I took inventory.   My truck is not a happy camper and I talk nice to it every day hoping to get another year out of it.   If it goes then I have to decide on fixing it or replacing it.   And I don't have the time to look for another vehicle that will piss me off to have to buy.   There is no reason in my opinion for vehicles to cost what they do.   Then there is TinkerHusband's everyday car.   The one that is also old and it's usefulness is questionable.   That one will go straight to the junk yard when it leaves him.  There is the snow truck.   So named because it is super useful in the snow.   If it got more than 8 miles per gallon, I'd drive it more, but alas, it doesn't so I don't.   There is TinkerSon's car that he blew the rear out of last month.   That is sitting in the driveway waiting for him to save the money to get the parts to fix it, then there is the question of no room in the garage and we all know he isn't going to work outside when the high is in the 30s.   There is the semi-new car that I hate to drive mostly because of the terrible possibility of door nicks.   God forbid the car get parked where it might get dinged.   It doesn't go out in the rain either.   Worthless is what that one is, but TinkerHusband promised when his commuter car gives it up, he will drive it full time.   Then there is the first car TinkerHusband bought all by himself.  brand spankin new '68 RoadRunner.   At one time it was a thing of beauty, ran top speed, back in the day all the county cops knew the car.   Now it is sad and neglected, and parts to replace worn out - rusty pieces are just plain 'spensive.   Plus while it was great to drive when I was 20, now with no power steering, no power breaks and that huge hunk of metal, it is a little more difficult to drive than I care for.   TinkerHusband would sell it if the right offer came along, but the boys say no, don't sell.   By the time they can afford to fix it up, there will be nothing left to fix and no parts to be had.

I like my truck.  It sits up high, it is safe, it has 4 wheel drive for what little bad weather we get, and well, I like it.  It took a really hard hit a few years ago, hard enough to bend the frame, but we were fine, narry a problem.   A little body work and it is back to it's old self.   Well, it has extra "quirks" now and gets crank when someone else drives it and doesn't respect it's quirks, but I think that is what I like best.    The CD player gave it up last summer.   The tape deck doesn't work either, so it is just the radio and my ipod but tht's okay.    My actual commute to work is so short I could walk if I wanted to, it's only 3 miles and I suspect it wouldn't take much longer than it does to drive given the traffic situation.    Which is the other reason I haven't looked for a new vehicle too hard.   We have things to drive if it is raining/snowing and frankly, I could and should walk.

So what do you drive?

Exercise Goals

January seems to be the month where everyone sets lofty goals. Gyms and Fitness Centers round the world laugh at all the new clients who come in enthusiastic and with high hopes, only to crash and burn within a few weeks. Most having signed up for a long-term membership and now that is money down the drain. I wonder if those gyms ever call clients late February/early March to see where they are and ask if there is anything they can do to get that member back into the gym and maybe started again on the road in a more logical way.


My friend while not a gym rat, decided that this is the year. Life is on the upswing and the next obstacle is lack of exercise and proper eating. Then she mentioned she found myfitnesspal.com and had signed up and she thought it would be helpful to just track her food intake for a while so that when she met with her doctor later she could at least say these are the problems I’m having, this is what I’ve been eating and this is what I want to check out. Food diary. Yep, all the “experts” say that is the best way to track your calories in. Hmmm, I thought, that sounds familiar so after trying for about 10 minutes, I finally remembered my log in information for that site. It reminded me it had been 6 months since I’d last logged on. Yeah, don’t be a nag. So in solidarity with my friend, I said okay, I’ll do it too. Maybe if I’m actually doing it with someone, we friended each other so we see each other’s daily logs I will be motivated to do this more than a week. I’ve put my food info in ever night, and have been a little sad to see that I’ve gone over my calorie number for the day. But then I picked an arbitrary number and haven’t gone over by much. At this point we are still in the adjustment phase so I’m allowing myself wiggle room/learning curve space.

Last night, after only 4 days, the lightbulb went off in my head. I’m a little slow sometimes. But after catching up on my food diary entry, I put in my exercise entries for the past few days. I’ve been a little lax on the exercise too. Then I looked at the summary. Holy bat poop batman, it actually deducts from your total the calories you burned! So now it is telling me that while I may not be putting a ton of effort into my exercise, at least what little I’m doing is a visible positive result.

Maybe I’ll be able to keep this up more than 2 weeks after all . .

Eye Candy Friday

Chinese Zodiacs and Life

I got an excited email from a friend this morning declaring that she was born in the year of the Dragon. Hmmm, so wonder what that makes me?

Apparently the year of the Dog. Which isn’t nearly as cool as a dragon, but it will do. Then I started reading what it said, and wondered how the prophecy knew me so well in some cases and Not. At. All in others.

Strengths: One born in the year of the Dog has a straightforward character and loyal. Well, that would be me. No one who knows me is ever surprised by what comes out of my mouth.  And I am true to my friends.   They can te terribly stubborn with the right things. Yeah, well I’m pretty stubborn about wrong things too.

Weakness: Most women under this sign are appealing but lack stability. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. Well that would be because I rarely go to parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for heir sharp tongues - see comment above about what comes out of my mouth. They are irritable and usually bothered by unwarranted anxiety. Yep, I have very little patience for undecided blithering simpering girls. I respectfully disagree with the lacking stability and no, I’m not cold emotionally, but then I don’t open my arms to every stranger I meet either. I am polite to people when I first meet them  and I try to keep a leash on my tongue for at least a few hours - apparently this makes me appear uninterested and cold. Meh. Many would be more dismayed if I just let it all blurt out.

So I shall do some research and see what is foretelling in 2012. On the other hand, maybe I don’t want to know.

Happy 2012

January 1, 2012 and the possibilities are endless.   I spent yesterday getting last minute things done, like laundry and such, because those things won't get done today.   Today is a day for doing what you plan to do for the rest of the year, and scrubbing toilets and washing clothes isn't on top of the  list.    Although ripping out 20 rows of a cable sweatervest wasn't exactly on my list either at 6 am, but there you go.   That is what I get for patting myself on the back and thinking I could  possibly be done with this by Monday night.   Nope.   And why did I forget life lines?   I know better than that.   oh well.   I will spin and knit today, eat the requisite black eyed peas that I'm putting in a soup.   I have swept the porch this morning already and we are good to go.  

Here is my last frivolous purchase of 2011 purchased from an antique store in Fredericksburg, where I met my sister of an end of the year tea luncheon.  And oh my that place is yummy!

I haven't mastered links yet, but we shall try.   www.pinkadillytea.com/
I was first there this summer with a group of knitters and while can't get there often, since it isn't in my town, but will definately make this a place to go to.    We also visited a new yarn shop that just opened up there.  Old Towne Yarnery.    Nice little shop, she has a nice stock started, and while I hadn't planned to buy anything.  Alas I did.   No shocker there really.    But I'm determined to knit down on my stash and spin up my fiber this first quarter.   But only so I can justify big purchases at Maryland Sheep & Wool in May.  

So today while at my wheel, I will reflect on things of importance, and yes, even some things that are not important and fling them.  Because I can.

Have a peaceful and blessed day.