Stitch n Bitch and Other News

    This morning, we had our weekly get-together for Stitch n Bitch. All four of us were there. We had a nice breakfast, and got to work. Jan has been working on a hoodie for her son Sean, Kim has started a drop stitch summer sweater in a really cool thick and thin yarn. I am still working on Ozzy's cat bed. It's getting near the end, as I'm running out of yarn. I just have to make sure I have enough left to bind off. I think Cheryl must be too busy these days to have time to knit, I'm glad she finds the time to make it to group. Since her kids are no longer in Karate, this in the only time we get to see her!


    It was so hot yesterday, and it's going to be even hotter today. Last evening after it cooled off a bit, I put our whole house fan on. I love these things. They are big fans in the ceiling in the center of the house. When they're turned on,  they suck air in from outside through the open doors and windows. In the summer, I put it on early in the morning and suck cool air into the house before it gets hot. Then in the evening, after it cools off some, and it's still hot inside, I put it on again. This is assuming we aren't using the air conditioners yet. And we aren't. Yet.


   Anyway, while the fan was on last evening, I could smell my lilacs. That made me very happy. Even Hubs could smell them. I'm assuming it was Miss Kim I was smelling, as she's in the front yard, and I was sitting by the window at the front of the house.


    In other news, I got a call from my son today. He asked me to help out at their Karate tournament tomorrow. I get to "man" the table that sells the spectator bracelets. I did it last year, and it was lots of fun. You get to meet all kinds of people.


    I'm going to try and remember to bring my camera. Maybe I'll get to take some photos this time. But don't hold your breath, just in case.   

Miss Kim Blooms!

    My Hubs sent me a text message as he took his truck down the driveway to empty some stuff out of it. It read - "Miss Kim has flowers!". I ran outside to look at her.


   And indeed, she had bloomed! After several days of rain, the May lilacs arrived! I ran back inside and grabbed the camera, then ran back outside to snap a few photos.

 

     It's hard to see in this photo, but closed, they are a light purple, and when they're open the blooms are white.  Then I went downstairs, and checked the other bush. The one with the Russian name I can't remember. She has blooms too! Only two, and they are a darker purple. Here they are:

    The second one is a bit blurry because the branch was swaying in the breeze. I'm so thrilled that they have all bloomed. And after only one year in the ground. It was worth waiting twenty four years for!

I blew it!

    I remembered to take the camera to the family party, but totally forgot to take it out of my bag and use it!! Wasted opportunity. But wait, it gets better!


    I completely forgot to take it to the parade too. I walked, and about halfway there, I remembered the camera. I wasn't about to turn around and walk all the way back to the house just to get the camera. Especially since I had to stop to catch my breath about three times on the way there.


    The good news is that the parade was good this year! All the usual stuff in it, and even something new! This year we had a woman on stilts marching too. She was very good, obviously had a lot of experience. She walked like it was natural. She even did some dance steps, and leaned way over to high five some of the little kids.


    The better news is that the parade was shorter this year too! I was home by 11:30! I just wish I had remembered to bring the camera!

What a Weekend!

    This has to be the coldest Memorial Day weekend ever. I saw that it even snowed upstate. Unbelievable. I'm sitting here, drinking my coffee, and I'm freezing! I had turned the heat down when it was so warm, and I refuse to turn it back up. It's going to warm up again this week anyway. I was thinking what a difference the sun makes. When it's 64 degrees in the house, that's cold! But when it's the same temp outside, it's on the warm side. And that's all because the sun makes the air warmer outside, and there's no sun inside the house.


    Today there is a family gathering at my daughter's house. Most of my family will be there,  with the exception of my Hubs, who's at work today, and either my sister-in-law or my niece. They take turns looking after someone, and one of them has to be there. I'm looking forward to this, it makes my mom happy to see all her family together.


    I will take my camera, and take some photos for you all to see. It's just too bad that it's so cold outside. We'll have to stay indoors, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.


    Then, of course, we have the town parade tomorrow! I'm excited about that. After all these years, it's still a thrill to see my son with the karate school, doing the demonstrations with the kids. I was going to hang out with my friend Kit, but I hear that she's away. I doubt she will be here for the parade, and that makes me sad. The parade is a big deal here. We have two every year, weather permitting. Memorial Day and Independence Day. Look here soon for photos!!

Being ready for anything

    You know how, when you go somewhere that you might have to wait, you take a book, or your latest craft project? And because you have something to do, you never have to wait? Those are about the only times I think ahead.


    But you know how sometimes, you are living in a strange series of events, over which you have no control? And you find yourself somewhere you have never been, in a situation you never imagined? Well, that happened to me. I was ready; I had my crochet/knitting project with me. But where we went that day had totally inadequate parking. People were parking on the side of the road. And there were cones, and signs up, warning people not to park in front of their house or business.


    So Hubs got dropped off at this particular place of business, and I drove his truck up the road a little bit, to an empty parking lot, of an empty business. I parked in the back of the building, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. Shortly after I parked, and started crocheting, I realized that along side the lot was a road. And after a little while, it became clear that it was a pretty busy road, for being out in the middle of nowhere.


    That's when I started thinking, and imagining all sorts of things. My biggest concern was that a local resident, having traveled on this road a few times, and seeing a strange and unfamiliar vehicle parked near it for a while, would call the police. Eventually they would come, so I started thinking about what I would say to the nice officer.


    That was how I occupied myself as I sat in that spot for more than an hour that day, as I waited ever so patiently for Hubs to come back. Because, if you are ready for the situation, you probably won't have to face it. I had several versions of what I would say, ready to be said. But the police never did come.


    It seems that Hubs might be right, that my mind works in strange ways. But I was ready, and if I ever need a story for the police, about why I am where I am, I'll still be ready!

I'm knitting today / Random stuff

    That's right, I'm knitting today. Even though I am not feeling all that well, I want to get this darn cat bed done. Here is a photo I took just moments ago!

    The black and gray mix is the round crocheted bottom, and the solid gray is the sides. I'm going to knit as far as I can with the yarn I have, to make it as deep as I can. Hopefully Ozzy will like it. Right now, it's huge. After it's felted, it should be just the right size for my fat cat.


    I decided to take it outside, for better light. Just my luck, as I go out the front door, it starts to rain. So I just threw the bed on my stoop, and snapped a photo before anything got too wet.


    Our stoop is actually one big rectangle of stone. It was someplace else when we moved in, and there were just cement blocks being used as steps up to the front door. Hubs made a frame and poured cement in, then placed the big stone in. It's a good stoop.


    Totally off topic, but I'm missing one eyebrow again. Damn Alopecia. Why only one eyebrow? Last time this happened, I lost quite a few eyelashes as well. I need to find someone to wax off the other eyebrow, so I don't look ridiculous for too long. Last time, my friend Bonny did it, but she's currently battling a bad case of poison ivy on her face and hands. Don't think I want her touching me right now.


   

So far, it's a non-knitting day

    This morning, I got up with the full intention of knitting on the cat bed. It's now 3 pm, and I have yet to pick it up. I took care of my farmville farms while I had my coffee, then made a list for the supermarket.


    I needed to buy meats, and chocolate truffle decaf coffee, so that means a trip to Adams Fairacre Farms. Their meat is of excellent quality, and cheaper than other places. So off to Adams I went, after a shower.  I also had to visit our local supermarket, for a few things that Adams doesn't carry. After Adams, I went to the beer store. I had tried a beer that I really liked, but the beer store didn't have that brand. And I don't ask for help in a store. One of my lovable quirks, I guess.


    After I finally got home, I put away all the groceries, and poured myself a tall glass of very old iced tea. That brought down my core temp pretty quickly. It's very warm and humid out today. And that's another reason I have no desire to work on the double yarn cat bed project. It's very warm on my lap! Maybe tonight, after it cools down a little.


    As for the rest of today? I plan on washing some dishes, and bringing up the laundry from the dryer that was done yesterday. And I'm pretty sure that there's enough stuff in the closet for another full load. Does it ever end?  I don't think so!

A Morning of Galavanting

    This morning, friend Bonny and I went gallivanting. My mother-in-law introduced me to that term, and it fits pretty well. She used to go out gallivanting all the time.


    So this morning, Bonny and I went out, to go to Hobby Lobby because she needed more yarn. Then we went to Michaels, where I found a longer (36") size 11 needle. Points for me! I also bought a new size N crochet hook. I can't find any of my old ones.


    After that, we ran some other errands that she had to do. It's nice to get out once in a while. I got home just before noon, when the new Knit and Crochet Now program was on. Perfect timing!


    So I've been knitting today, working on Ozzy's new bed. I changed over to the longer, bigger needles. I hope to get some photos tomorrow. I've also been working on more secret projects. Let's call them Christmas or Festivus presents. I wish I could show them to you, but they are surprises.


    And just so you know, I broke out Sara's sweater yesterday, and did a few rounds on that too. I stopped because I think the body might be long enough, but I didn't feel like measuring it.


    I also enjoyed the beautiful day we had today! It was so sunny and warm, despite the chance of thunder storms. We didn't get any. YAY! I hope it was nice where you are!

Crocheting and a Memory

    Today I went out with Hubs, we had a series of errands to run. First was dropping my watch off back at the Watchpital. It cleaned up really well, but still doesn't work.


    At the second errand, I ended up waiting for Hubs for over an hour, sitting in the truck. This is why I brought along my crocheting project. Ozzy's bed is really coming along. I finished the bottom, picked up all the stitches around the circle, and have gotten about two inches done in stockinette. I used up all the black, so the sides will be all gray. It looks nice, and since Ozzy is gray, he matches it.


     Now comes the memory part. It's funny how our memory works. In high school, my English teacher, Mr. Reid, gave us a class project. We broke into small groups and memorized part of a poem. We recorded our parts on tape, and Mr. Reid played them for the whole class. The strange part is that I remember my one line from that poem.


    "As far as the eye of God could see, darkness covered everything." After 40 years, I can still remember it! If any of my classmates are reading this, and remember their parts, please tell me them in the comment section! I'd love to read them. What I don't remember is if I had Mr. Reid for junior or senior year. I'm leaning towards senior. It is amazing, what we remember and what we don't, isn't it?

The Smell of Lilacs

    Yesterday I noticed that there were more than a couple of awesome blooms on one of my lilac bushes. I was very happy to see that, since they were only planted last year, and I was given to understand that it may take several years for them to bloom. So that one must be really happy.


    A little while ago, I took my scissors, went out there and cut four branches with blooms on them. There are still two more left on the bush. I wanted to cut them because a couple of them were heavy enough to droop pretty badly.


    I brought them in, and put them in a vase with some cold water. They are in the kitchen, and very quickly I noticed something. When the wind blows in the open kitchen window, it blows the lilac smell through out the rest of the house! Lilac is one of my favorite scents. The other flower scent I like is Lily of the Valley. Mom used to grow them many years ago.


    So I sit here, happily waiting for Hubs to come home, and smelling my lilacs. It's getting a bit late, and Hubs told me he would call me when go finally got on the road. I'm sincerely hoping that he didn't call just so he can surprise me. But I'm thinking more that he got held up at training.


    I got to crochet this morning at Stitch n Bitch. I had to bring it up, I haven't talked about a project in a while. Ozzy's bed is coming along. It turned out that Kim and I were alone this morning. We had a nice breakfast and she knitted, while I crocheted. Any time I get to have bacon, I am a happy woman.


   

In Which I Attend The Spring Concert

    It absolutely confounds me how this happened. I have three kids, all grown up. I managed to mostly escape the horrific experience that is the elementary school Spring concert. With my oldest child, I attended once. I managed to never have to attend another one. In my defense, I was young and foolish.


    They are all, without exception, horrible. No matter how talented we think our children are, and they are, individually; I find that when put into groups called the 4th or 5th grade band, or school orchestra, and in numbers of children greater than 2, things can get really ugly. Musically speaking.


    Anyway, I generally escaped my own children performing in these Springtime rituals. So how is it that I now find myself attending those of my friends kid? The two most amazing things to me? 1, That most of the music was unrecognisable, and 2, That after all these years, it hasn't gotten any better.


    I of course attended tonight's for the benefit of my BKF (best kid friend), since she asked me to attend. I couldn't say no. Well, to tell the truth, the absolutely adorable little Hispanic sisters that were sitting in front of us, and that we made friends with, and played with, during said concert, made it much more fun. They were the cutest little things I have seen in a long time.

   
    Cherub's orchestra was the better of the two that played. As for the other one, let's just say that I didn't enjoy their performance.


    After the orchestras, the chorus came out. My BKF was in both choruses that performed. They were actually pretty good. To get that many kids to sing in tune is a neat trick. And the songs were recognisable.


    I think my favorite part of the whole night was when the Cherub came out to sit with her orchestra, and she looked over at her mom, her Nana and me, and we all waved at her. Largely. She had given explicit orders for us to not do that. I am just not a rule follower. After all, that is one of the perks of being a parent, getting to embarrass your kids in public. And, after all, they are only this young once.


    If this post is in any way rambling, disjointed or unreadable, I apologise. It's late, and I'm tired. And I will attend the concert again next year, because that's what you do for people you care about.  And I do love you, Cherub!

Simplicity

    I really do prefer simplicity in my patterns, be they crochet or knit. By simplicity, I mean all instructions are clearly written, in order, and easy to follow. I dislike having to think, or figure out what to do next. I craft to relax, and if I have to think about something, or try to figure a pattern out, I can't relax.


    I have reached the point with the skull shawl at which I must think about it too hard. I have attached the eyes in the second section of skulls. At this point, in order to continue, I need to have three or four pages of the pattern spread out in front of me, and interpret what I think the designer intends. And not even using the words, but the photos to do so. That's just too darn much work. I have lost interest in this project for now.

 

     And here is a photo of the pattern sheets I need to keep referring to!

    However, my beloved and insane feline friend Ozzy has taken a liking lately to the felted bags I made. I keep finding him trying to curl up inside them. And since I've been using them as project bags, he's usually on top of yarn. So I've decided to make him a bed based on the bag. Bigger base, and shorter sides, with no handle. Something easy and mindless. I had some black and some gray wool in my stash, so I'm using them together. Simplicity at its finest. Maybe now I can relax.

Skull Shawl Photos!

    Well, I put on my big girl panties, settled in, turned the light way up and attached the eyes to the shawl. I turned the light up because it's hard crocheting with black yarn in the semi-dark. And here's a photo to show my progress as of yesterday afternoon:

    And here is a closer shot of the skull:

    Since then, I have done more rows, and I'm now ready to add the eyes on the next row of skulls. In fact, I whipped them up this morning when I was hanging out with the Cherub. I know I've done it the once already, but I'm still a bit nervous about doing it. I guess at some point I'll get over it, since there are at least 21 sets of eyes in this shawl.


    In fact, this morning, Cherub and I had a great idea. We decided I should make her a Super Hero mask, like the eyes, only bigger. That's something to think about. I'm pretty sure I could whip something up based on the eyes of the skull. For now, that idea will have to go on the back burner. I want to work on this shawl....

Back to the skull shawl

    The super secret crochet project is done. I just have to put it through the wash, then I can pack it up. So it's time to think about what's next. Again.


    I'm thinking that I should go back to the skull shawl. I know I left it at a place where I wasn't comfortable doing what needed doing. But I just read today somewhere that if you don't do new things, you will never progress. That's very true. So I will dig out the skull shawl pieces, put on my big girl panties, and start work on that again.


    We actually had a frost last night! It was freezing in this house. It's still chilly outside now, and I hear we have another frost warning for tonight. I can't wait for the nice weather to come back.

We missed it by THAT much!

    My youngest child took his grandmother, his sister, and myself out to lunch for Mother's Day, yesterday. His best girl Julie came too! That was a smart idea, since Mother's Day is the busiest day in the whole year for diners and restaurants. We had a really nice lunch!


    After lunch, Sara and I were going to take my great grandmother's watch back to the Watchpital. Unfortunately, we lingered over lunch just a little bit too long. By the time we got there, they were closed. We missed them by ten minutes! We were both surprised that they closed so early. We weren't worried about it, or we would have stopped before lunch. It never occurred to us that they would close so early on a Saturday!


    Today is actually Mother's Day, and I got to kiss my Hubs goodbye, and wish him a safe trip. He's gone for training for work again. This time it's only a few days. So I guess I got what a lot of moms wish for, a day all to myself! He did get me a beautiful card, it made my eyes leak a little bit. I will admit up front that no sooner was he gone, than I broke out my huge jar of dill pickles and had one.


    I wonder what other forbidden things I can do while he's gone? Make some tuna salad? Buy an onion and cook with it? I'll have to put my thinking cap on...

I'm hooked for sure now...

   The other day, as I was playing farmville, they added something new. Normally I can take it or leave it, I do play a lot, because I'm bored. A while ago, they added a dairy, where you make different products to fill orders. Wonderful.


    Well, now they've got me. They added something called the Yarn Barn. Where you harvest cotton, wool, angora, and alpaca fleeces. There's a carder, and other stuff. Just like the dairy, you have to make stuff to fill orders. I am powerless to resist.  Here's a photo of what it looks like:

    This sucks in the biggest way, Hubs already thinks I spend too much time on facebook...  So now I'm fantasy crafting as well as really crafting. Is there a group for this yet?? Thanks so much Zynga.

My Lilac is Blooming!

    Last year for Mother's Day, Hubs went out and got me three little lilac bushes. I had been asking for lilacs for  y e a r s, they are my favorite flower. We planted two on the hill in the back yard, and I had him put Miss Kim in the front, on the far side of the yard, where she would get lots of sun.


   This year, to my delight, Two of the three bushes are showing signs of blooming! Miss Kim is behind the other one, but she does have buds. One of the ones on the hill is blooming nicely! I took the camera down a little while ago, and shot a few photos of them. And here they are for your viewing pleasure!

   

Visit to the Watchpital

    I got the call yesterday afternoon, my watch was ready. I was so excited! I couldn't get all the way down there before they closed, but I did go this morning. I took it to mom's as she requested. She wanted to see it. She's so happy that I like it, and she thinks that her grandmother is watching from heaven and is very pleased.


    While I was there, I wound it and set the time. Later on, when I got home, I looked at it. It still said 11:30. We paid money to get the antique watch fixed, and it doesn't work. Hubs told me to reset it, and we'd wait and see. An hour later, and it still had the time on it that I had set it to. Bummers.


    So Hubs called the watch guy, and told him the watch doesn't work. He wants me to bring it back. It's too far to go all the way back there today. Maybe I'll take it on Saturday, when my kids are taking my mom and me out for lunch. We'll have to drive right past the place. Keep your fingers crossed!! In the meantime, here is the long overdue photo:

   I did take a few on my wrist, but they didn't come out too well. The flash reflected too much on the face. More than the photo above! So hopefully, in the end, my great grandmother's watch, that is over 100 years old, will actually work. Then she'll really be smiling.

Project Update and More

    The secret crochet project is more than half done now. It's been fun, but every single time I make this particular project, I swear it's the last time. I think this one might really be the last one. I can't provide photos as it's a surprise gift.


    As for the "More", I'm happy to report that I finally decided to go and buy some mead. Yup, the medieval wine made from honey. I have even looked into making some myself. But it can take up to a year to age, and I want instant gratification.


    After asking for opinions on facebook, I headed off to the liquor store, and found me some mead. They had two brands, but neither was the brand that was recommended to me. On my way out, I took a look at the mini bottles of liqour, and found that Stoli now has a honey flavored vodka! I purchased a tiny bottle for tasting. I'm excited to try it!


    I put the mead in the fridge to chill. As I was cooking dinner, I opened the bottle and gave it a taste. It's really good! In my mind, my kitchen became my buttery, and my living room, my solar. I poured myself a taller glass after the initial small amount to taste. It's very, very enjoyable. I can see myself purchasing this in the future.  I can't even describe how good it is. Why did it take me so long to try some?

Life with a Curmudgeon

    I apologise for not posting yesterday. The only thing that happened that was blog worthy happened so late, and I was so very tired, I thought I'd just wait until this morning.


    You see, this is the time of year that Hubs and I have what is perhaps one of our greatest conflicts. It's nice outside during the day, and I open the windows. It still gets kind of chilly at night, and Hubs insists on closing the windows. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he's always cold, where I am having power surges that could melt a glacier, should I happen to be near one.


    We have a sliding glass door in our bedroom that goes out to a small balcony that overlooks the pool. Last night, he had that closed, and when I went in there, I mentioned that it was very warm in there. He told me I could open the door, as long as I closed it when I came to to go to bed. I told him I'd rather leave it closed now, and open it when  I come in to bed. He didn't like that.


    At that time, I looked at the thermometer on the wall in the living room, and it was 77 degrees inside the house. I told him that I doubted that the house would cool off more than 10 degrees during the night, which would have caused the heat to come on. He still made me close all the windows. Curmudgeon.


    Well, as long as he's comfortable. I've told him that the TV gives off heat on my back that feel like the sun, but as long as he's comfortable... He wants the windows closed. As long as he's comfortable! We do have a ceiling fan in our bedroom. One of these nights I'll be sorely tempted to turn it on. Then he'd really freak. But maybe, just maybe, I might be comfortable!!


    Don't get me wrong, he really is a sweetie. He is generous, and loving, and kind. But there is just this ONE thing..... The Mother-in-law Curse.... that causes trouble. And it's all her fault! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

New Projects!

    I have two new projects in the works! That's right, along with the two I have started already. And for me, four isn't bad, I've had a great deal more than that going at once in the past. I guess I have crafting ADD.


    So I started a new shawl project I saw on facebook. I like it, it's all skulls, and it's crocheted! The only problem is that the pattern is originally written in Danish, I think. The only other pattern I have that was in another language, the entire pattern was in that language, then further down the page, the entire pattern was written in English. So I could only print out the English version. This one, however, is different. Each row has a photo to go with it, and is written first in Danish then in English. So the fracking pattern is like 30 pages long to print out!


    But it's coming along nicely. I am at the part of the first skull where I have to attach the eyes, which are made separately. I'm putting it off, because I'm doing it in black, and I'm afraid I might have a hard time finding the right stitches they are talking about, for the attaching, because the black yarn makes it hard to see.


     When I get further along, I will post photos. As for the other project, it's another secret. It's also crocheted. My hands hurt now; it's been a while since I've crocheted so much. Maybe it's time for a skip day.  

The Curse of the Mother-in-Law

    Those of you who have read me from the beginning might remember I have mentioned my mother-in-law. She and I passed a stainless steel cream pitcher back and forth for years before she passed away. I put it in the box with her ashes when we said goodbye.


    My Hubs was convinced that I would wake up one morning and find that pitcher on my nightstand covered with dirt. He thought his mom would continue to play the little game with me. Well, he was wrong. It's been two years and the pitcher hasn't shown up yet. But oh no, she was sneakier than that.


    For all the years I knew her, both Hubs and I referred to her as The Ice Queen. She always had the temperature in her house low. In the Summer, her air conditioner blasted Arctic temperature air all day and night. When we went to visit her, I always brought a sweater. In the Winter, the heat was never set above 60 degrees. She was always hot, and needed the coldness to be comfortable.


    Well, recently, my beloved Hubs has come to believe that his mom has passed that particular curse on to me. He's now taken to calling me the Ice Queen. I want the windows open. I'm always hot, while he's freezing to death. I'm sleeping with just a sheet, while he's got blankets and afghans piled on top of him. When I'm laying in bed, the TV feels like the sun on my back. But as long as he's comfortable.... while I sweat to death.


    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the Curse of the Mother-in-Law. She was so devious not to just bring me back the stupid pitcher. I would rather have found that on my night stand, than be turned into the Ice Queen. Thanks a lot, Betty!

No rest for the wicked

    This really sucks. I again have nothing to write about. It's not like there's nothing happening in my life, it's just that all the good stuff is happening to other people. And that makes it not my story to tell.


    Aaarrggghhhh. I want to tell it all. But I can't. And there's not much going on in my life right now. The most exciting thing that's happened is that I got Hubs to go for a walk with me the other day. Down the road a little and across the street is the back of one of the town parks. There's a nice path through the woods, and it leads to the tennis courts, playground, and skate board park. The skate board park is kind of new.


    On the way, there's another path that leads down to a wide part of the creek that runs behind our house, and there's a water fall down there too. We went down to the falls, Hubs promised there was a less steep way to come back out. He was right!


    My crochet project is done, I've started another knitting project. There is also a crocheted shawl I would love to try it. It's all skulls. Really cool. I have been trying for two days to get the pattern from the website into the documents on my laptop, with no success. My friend has already done it, so I asked her to make me a copy.


    I even have yarn in my stash that I'd like to use for the shawl. YAY! Any time I can not spend money it makes my Hubs happy. And now, dinner is ready, so I gotta go....

My Legacy

    Last night, as we lay in bed, Hubs and I had a discussion. I had mentioned that I had been thinking about my kids, and how I have twisted them. I believe it's in a good way, as they are all superior adults.


    I was worried about their children. I don't see my two current grandbabies very much, and the other two of my kids don't have any babies yet. But my beloved Hubs pointed out what he referred to as the Ripple Effect. My twisted kids will twist the kids they come into contact with. And that could be a lot of little ones, as one of my kids is a pre-school teacher, and one is a karate instructor.


    I know for a fact that Sara, the pre-school teacher, has been sharing her twistedness with her charges for years. She gets them to call her "Your Majesty", and even teaches some to play backgammon. I'm sure there are many other little things that she does in her class and her life that just shout about how I twisted her.


    Jess the karate instructor, on the other hand, has a much stricter environment in which to twist the young minds. But I'm pretty sure he does what he can.


    My older son James may not be as twisted as his siblings, as I wasn't involved in his upbringing, due to his being totally removed from my life at an early age. It's very painful to talk about, so that's all I'm going to say. But, he also is around children. He is a school bus mechanic who also drives routes when needed. And how many of us have school bus drivers that we have memories of? I know that I do!


    And that's what my legacy is. My twisted parents twisted me, and I twisted my kids. I can only hope that they, in turn, twist their own kids too! I feel so much better now that it has been confirmed that I have indeed made a difference in this world.


    Not to even mention all the friends that have witnessed my twistedness over the years, and stayed my friends anyway. Love to you all!