Is it just me?

    When we brought home the Harley Davidson, it looked like this:

    And the first thing I thought of was this:

    Now tell me it isn't just me....

Funny Friday

    I found this on facebook, and it made me laugh. Sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered!

My handsome grandson has a birthday

    That's right, and it was his third. Birthday, that is. He is such a cutie. His big sister is also gorgeous, but this one isn't about her. Here's Mason in his birthday shirt:

    Such a handsome young man! And here he is in the present that his Grandpa Mike and I got for him, front view:

    And back view:

    He wasn't so excited until I told him that sometime Grandpa Mike will ride his motorcycle over so he can see it! He can even sit on it! I know the jacket is a bit big, but the great thing about kids is that they grow so fast. And to think I was worried that it would be too small....

Baby and knitting updates

    It amazes me that there is such a technology these days as 3-D sonograms. With this, we can get a preview of what my newest grandbaby actually looks like.

     I am blown away by this. When I saw it, my eyes leaked. Unbelievable. And here's what he looks like from the outside!

    She looks so lovely, and is feeling great. I don't care what anybody tries to tell you, it's just different when your daughter has a baby. It could be the whole mother-daughter bonding thing.


    I am still plugging away on the super secret knitting project. It is truly a yarn sucker of a project. To all the knitters out there, that's a clue. It means it's done in garter stitch. It's very easy, but it takes forever and sucks up unbelievable amounts of yarn. But I shall persevere, never fear. This child will be awash in hand knitted and crocheted goodness for many years to come.

Memories of my Italian Grandparents

    I randomly heard or saw something the other day about Anise flavored Italian cookies. That brought back some memories for me about my Italian grandparents. They were my dad's parents. I have such great memories of them and their house from when I was a kid.


   There was always a houseful of people, especially at mealtimes. My grandmother, who we called Nanny, spent much of the day in the kitchen she had in the basement. To explain a little, her basement wasn't like the basements of today. It seemed to have stone walls, like it was cut into the earth. There was only a single bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Yet there were appliances down there, a stove and a refrigerator.  There were some cupboards and a big, well worn kitchen table as well.


    I believe she used that kitchen so as not to make her "good" kitchen dirty... Yet she did use the upstairs kitchen. I don't know the reasoning behind it. It seemed like she used the basement kitchen to make things that took a long time, like her homemade spaghetti sauce. I also saw her bring up from down there a big tray of fried dough. Yes, she made her own, and it was better than at the county fair.


    Anyway, there were always people in the house. As soon a dinner was done, more wine was poured and the instruments came out. Neighbors and other family members would stop by. My grandfather, who we called Poppy, played the mandolin and the accordion. My mom still has his mandolin. I would love to have it someday. There was always music being played.


    So my Nanny would make all the Italian cookies that you get on the platters. Usually one or two was anise flavored. I didn't like anise, it tastes like black licorice. Yuck. I think that as she got older, she forgot which cookies got the anise flavoring added to them. More and more of the cookies tasted icky. Eventually, all her cookies tasted like anise. She used it in all of them. That was when I stopped eating her cookies.


    Thinking and remembering about this really warms my heart. They are all gone now. I don't think families are like that anymore.  

A spider story

    A few days ago, my Hubs took his motorcycle over to Woodstock Harley Davidson for its 1,000 mile service. He rode, and I drove my Jeep over. It was going to take several hours, and I wanted to keep him company.


   After we got there and he got all signed in, I took his helmet and walked to the Jeep to put in there. As I was setting it down on the seat, I noticed what looked like a stink bug nestled inside, between layers of padding right next to his temple. I was surprised that he had ridden all that way with a stink bug in there! I figured it was dead, so I used my finger to brush it out. It wasn't a stink bug, and it wasn't dead! It was a BIG spider, and I was very glad it didn't bite my Hubs while he was riding! As I sit here now thinking about it, I'm not entirely sure that stupid spider fell OUT of my Jeep. It could still be inside....

A Literary Rant

    I am a pretty easy going gal, almost always with a smile on my face for everyone. There are a few things that just plain piss me off. One of these is a bad book. Of course it's just my judgement that it's bad, after all someone somewhere (mistakenly)  thought it was worthy of publishing.


    So far in my life there have been four books that I have deemed totally unworthy of my money and time. The first three I don't remember the names of, but one was written by a best selling author. I read that one while on vacation in the late 70's. I remember we were camping, and when I finally finished reading that awful book, I took the walk down to the lake and threw it in. It was a paperback, so not a huge monetary investment. But I had to force myself to read it, hoping against hope that it would get better. It didn't.


    The second one was about an old German lady who told her life story. That one was awful as well. I remember that when I finished that one, I literally tore it up and threw it away. I was at work, and I remember the looks I got from other people in the break room at the time. It was also a paperback, if that makes any difference.


    The third book I have written about before, the one about the werewolves that was so badly written that I thought it was either written by a child or (very) badly translated from its original language. I never even finished reading that book. In fact I'd like to find it and try reading it again, this time with a highlighter so I can mark all the horrible grammar and literary offenses.


    Those three books were actual paper books, purchased at stores. This newest bad book is on my nook. I thought the cover looked interesting, and the story blurb sounded like it might be as well. I was wrong. I am once again forcing myself to read a book . But when I'm done, I won't be able to have the satisfaction of ripping it up, or throwing it in a lake. The name of this book is The Cambodian Book of the Dead. It's author is a man named Tom Vater. I am currently on page 202 of 259, so I'm nearly finished with it. I did have a thought that maybe my Hubs would like it, so it wouldn't be a total waste. If he does read it, I'll let you know what he thinks of it. 


    I am still knitting on the knitted super secret project. As long as I remember to stretch my shoulder out I remain pain free. YAY!

And now for some knitting news

    I know I haven't talked about it much lately, but I have been knitting again. The super secret project is coming along. It's been driving me nuts because I was having to do it on 60" circulars, which was cumbersome to say the least. I haven't been able to find any of my other, right size, shorter ones.


    So when I was out with my friend Bonny yesterday, we stopped at Michaels craft store and I picked up a 29" circular, which is just the right size. It's one of the cheapo Boyd ones and when I got it home I prepared to heat some water up to straighten it. When I took it out of the package, lo and behold, it wasn't made with the same old plastic that they used to use. It straightened out all on its own. Huzzah!


    I am going to take some photos of my projects that I've been working on, but I can't post them until after the baby shower next month. You see, my beloved daughter reads this blog. I don't want to give anything away. The shower is on October 27th, so look for the photos that night or the next day.


    Speaking of secret projects, I have some buttons to sew on. I was waiting for the baby's sex to be positively determined. Now that it has, I don't need the pink buttons or pink yarn that was to be used to trim some items. Trust me, they would've looked pretty cool with pink trim and buttons.

Excitement!

    About two weeks ago, I read on facebook that my very favorite author, Laurell K. Hamilton, was back from a ComicCon thing. They are not my things, but as a famous best selling fantasy/horror author, she regularly attends those that she can.


    I read in her post that on returning home, they discovered an entire box of limited edition Anita Blake 20th Anniversary T-shirts, and they were selling them at a special price on her website. They had sold out at the event. I was very excited, so I went right to the site and put in my order.


    Now, I prefer a really large T-shirt, I like to be comfortable. I really doubted that they would have any of my requested size in that box of treasures. Every day, I checked my email for the "Sorry, we don't have that size" message. It didn't come and it didn't come. I still checked every day.


    Then almost a week ago, I got an email I wasn't expecting! They had shipped my package! I did the dance of joy, straight out of Perfect Strangers. Now I just had to wait for it to be delivered.


    Last night, I checked the tracking on the package, and it had been delivered to my local post office on Saturday. So this morning, I was there at my post office, even before the window opened, eagerly waiting for my package! Now it's home, and I'm going to wash it today. Here is a front view:

And on the back:

 

 

 

    Those are the titles and years of publication of all the Anita Blake books. I'm now officially in heaven!

Summer of 1989, a non-knitting story

    I remember that summer, I was pregnant with my youngest child, Jesse. That summer Hubs and I hung out with his co-worker and his wife, who was also pregnant. They were friends with another couple who were also expecting.


    The six of us spent some time together that summer. After all, we were all expecting. We had cookouts, attended the same parties, even spent a day at a family cabin together.


    We all had boys, I believe ours was born last. The thing that I find most amusing is that these three boys, who are now grown men, are all still friends. I asked Jess if he realized that he's been friends with these two since before they were all born. He thought that was pretty cool. He mentioned it to Don and Dylan. They hadn't known about that.  How often does that kind of thing happen, I wonder?

Crafting Updates

     In the last few days, I've made some good progress on the crocheted super secret project. I think I've done at least 7 or 8 rows. That's quite a bit on this project. It's going to be half done soon!


    Today I was feeling particularly brave, so I picked up the knitted super secret project and actually knit 4 rows on that one. I decided to try and knit since my shoulder is feeling lots better, as long as I keep remembering to stretch it out at least twice a day. I am even able to sleep in my left side again, without too much pain or discomfort!


    But the bestest crafting news I have today is that I received a request from a very good friend who wants to crochet those blasted crocodile stitch baby booties for me. Many thanks to Kim, who is very brave. I took her all the yarn I had, the pattern, and an assortment of (tiny)hooks to try for gauge. HA. She's like me, she doesn't like doing gauge swatches. At the last minute I remembered that the pattern calls for some locking stitch markers and since I wasn't sure she had any, I sent those too.


    I keep forgetting that not all the baby stuff needs to be for the baby shower next month. Christmas is coming too! Hmmm..... now the ideas are really flowing.....


   

Difficulties

     I'm having difficulties with this new project. Mostly because it's so darn tiny. My hands are really hurting today, and I am only 2/3 done with second sole. This morning I picked up the super secret project again, just so I can say I worked on something.


     Being that the booties are so tiny, I'm having to fight for every stitch and I'm tired of fighting it already. The light I usually work by isn't bright enough, so I need to turn it up. Hubs and I refer to this setting as "the Sun". It's a bit bright.


    I am very tempted to hand this project over to my good friend Bonny, she's used to working with the smaller hooks. I hope she'd help me out and do it for me. That's something to think about.

Baby bootie, take II

    Today I had to take the Hubs' truck in to have the windshield replaced. He had to work unexpectedly, so I got to take it for him. It just so happens that the glass place is right across the road from Michaels craft store.


   So I left early, and went to Michaels first. I wanted to buy some new yarn for the crocodile stitch baby booties. I found some nice dark grey Patons Kroy Sock yarn. It will work. Of course, I was done waaaay before my scheduled appointment time. I drove over there, and figured I'd just have to wait.


    It turns out that they could so the windshield right away! In fact the guys were thrilled that I was so early. I guess the earlier they get their appointments done, the earlier they can go home.


   While I was waiting, I was reading on my nook. But that new yarn was calling to me. I had brought everything I would need in case I decided to crochet instead of reading. I had three hooks, sizes D, E and F, a scissor, four lockable stitch markers, a pencil, and the pattern. I even brought the first bootie sole I made to compare the new one to.


    I completed the first sole while I was waiting. The last thing to do on it was to single crochet all around the edge of the sole, using 50 stitches. I only managed 47. I still might rip that last round out and do it over. But I don't see any places to put three more stitches.

 

    That's the photo I took of both soles. The first one from yesterday, and the one I just did today. That is the same dime, by the way. Why oh why do babies have to be so freaking tiny?                                                                                                                

The beginning...

    Today I decided was a good day to start the booties from yesterdays post. They are from Bonita Designs, by the way. I found some suitable yarn in my stash, and dug out my size D, 3.25 mm crochet hook.


    At that point I had my first doubts. This hook is so very tiny. I might need a microscope just to see what I'm doing with it. At the very least, a magnifying glass. Here is a photo I took, with the hook next to a dime:

    Do you feel my pain? Now here is a photo of that same dime, next to the size hook I prefer, and usually use:

     So far, I have struggled through 8 rows of the sole of one bootie. It is less than one inch long. Why is it that the tiny things get me every time? I may have to wait until this kid is a teenager with size 13 feet before I make him any booties.


    I am getting discouraged, but will persevere. At least for now. I just want to know if I can do it. It could be the yarn I chose isn't the best for the job. I found some Patons Stretch Sock, in the colorway Mineral. It's mostly blue. I thought it might be a good idea to make stretchy booties. It turns out that stretchy yarn is a bit difficult to work with. Who knew?

Another new project

    Quite a while ago, I found these really cute little baby booties on Ravelry. They are made with the Crocodile Stitch, which I personally can't stand. HOWEVER, these booties were the cutest thing I've ever seen.


    At the time, making them was doubtful. Then I decided to research the crocodile stitch, found a good pictorial and discovered it wasn't that hard. Suddenly, the booties were doable. Last night, I bought and downloaded the pattern. Today I will print it out, and hopefully I will be able to find a good yarn to use to make them with. Pending baby mama's approval, of course.

    Of course, they are made using a really small hook, and I usually hate using really small hooks. I promise I will give these my best shot. I don't have the name of the designer of these, but she is on Ravelry.

Crocheting again!

    Yesterday I started crocheting again! I'm continuing work on the Super Secret Project. It was weird at first, the hook was hitting my pinkie in a strange place. I'm not used to it any more. But I worked on it again today, and it was a bit better.


   It seems that the way I hold the hook, I use my pinkie for support. I think I was just resting it in the wrong place. It was resting right on the inside of the joint, and that's why it hurt. But today it was better, like I said.


    We shall have to see what tomorrow will bring. I'm just happy to be crafting again. I even knit two rows on the original super secret project, just to make sure I still knew how to do it.


    My shoulder has been pretty good, arthritis wise. I had a couple of days where I didn't stretch it out, boy did I pay for it. It seized up so tightly I couldn't even use my arm for a day. I went back to my stretching routine, but that day and the next it was extremely painful. Now I make sure I stretch it out at least twice a day.


   

Bits of the world

    Today I went to see my friend Bonny, to take her an invitation. While I was there, she gave me some sand she had collected for me while she was visiting Utah. I was thrilled to add her sand to my collection.


    I don't think I've talked about my sand collection in a long time, so here goes. When our friends travel, I ask them to bring me home some sand. Just a small amount, enough to fill two tic tac containers is plenty. I put it in a small jar and label it, then add it to my shelf.


    Over the years, I have gotten quite a collection! Sand not only from these United States, but international as well. Here is a photo of all the jars from my shelf.

    I don't think you can read the labels, but some of the countries are: Italy, Ireland, Russia and Poland. I have sand from Oregon, and California, as well as New Jersey and the southwest too. Even a couple of places in Utah, and the Grand Canyon! Some of these I've collected myself. Most are from understanding and indulgent friends.


    I think my favorite thing about looking at the sand is how different the colors are! We have red from Sedona, Az., and black volcanic sand from one of the islands, as well as white sand from the same island! As well as every shade of tan and brown, and shades of pink.


   Of all the sands I have, my very favorite one is the red from Sedona. It's the softest sand there is. It feels like baby powder. There's a funny story about the black sand. When I received it, it was very damp. I wanted it dry inside my bottle, so I laid it out carefully on a paper towel on a plate, and put it in the microwave. You can guess what happened. It actually set the paper towel on fire. In my defense, I didn't want to put it outside, I figured the wind would blow it away. I guess I should have thought a bit harder about that.


   

I'm a little confounded

    One of the times my beloved Hubs I traveled to Woodstock Harley Davidson, he bought me this shirt.

     I have been wearing it as a house shirt. The first time I wore it, I felt something itchy inside it, on my skin. As with most clothes, there's a care label sewn into the side seam. The difference with this one? Here are two photos I took of it.

    The difference in this one is that it's in EIGHT languages. I counted. Some of them I recognize, the rest I don't. I just thought it was interesting. The tag is a long loop, with the eight languages printed on it. Hence the two photos showing both sides. Needless to say I will be cutting the tag off. Maybe I'll keep the English laundering instructions, as it's the first one listed on the tag.

Stitch n Bitch Report

    Here we are, with school back in session. That means it's time for Stitch n Bitch to resume our weekly get-togethers. We were originally going to meet last Friday, but we got a message that one of our group member's kids didn't start school until this week. So we delayed a week. They are in a different district than we are. It makes no difference to me, all my kids are all grown up.


    So Kim and I met this morning for a breakfast and some crafting. Cheryl didn't make it, we don't yet know why. Our beloved member Jan has moved to Portland, Oregon, and she is very much missed. I did less than a row on the Super Secret crochet project. Kim was in the middle of TINKing the bind off of a test knit, and she didn't want to do it during breakfast.


    The really sad part for me was that I sat there considering frogging the whole Super Secret project and starting a different one, with the same yarn. I think I'm just not feeling it any more.


    As for my reading the whole Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series (by Laurell K. Hamilton), I'm almost half done with the very latest one. Reading them all in a row has brought a question to my mind. I'm not going to mention it here, because it's rather explicit, but I am trying to decide if I should contact Ms. Hamilton personally. Really,   I am sad that I'm almost done reading it, but excited to crochet or knit again. Maybe the self imposed crafting break is nearly over. I will keep you all posted.   


     

A picture is worth a thousand words

    The other day my daughter had another sonogram. Due to her "advanced age" they want to do all the tests to make sure the baby is healthy and growing properly. So far, all is well.


    This time, they got proof that the baby is indeed a boy.

    And he has the cutest little penis that I've ever seen. I believe his other grandmother will agree with me that we were hoping for a girl. She currently has two grandsons, while I have one grandchild of each sex.


    Either way, this baby will never suffer from lack of love from a grandmother! I can't wait to meet him. And I'm really looking forward to getting to know him.

Running out of steam

    Well, it looks like I'm running out of steam for daily posts. It only took two years and a little bit. I guess that's not bad. I sure don't want to repeat any of my stories.


    I promise I will post when I have something to say or share, or have exciting news. So keep checking in.


    I am at this time, still reading. I am up to book #20 now, so I'm almost done. I have decided that out of all the books in this series, my favorite was Narcissus in Chains, and the one I liked the least was Skin Trade.


    Kudos to Laurell K. Hamilton, she is by far my favorite author. Go read, dammit!

a pleasant surprise

    This afternoon, I needed a couple of things at the store. I needed to get bleach, potato hot dog rolls for dinner, and Hubs wanted corn on the cob. As is typical for me, I could not for the life of me remember the third thing I was supposed to get.


    I'm a lot like my dad that way. He used to go to the store for mom, and told her that if there's more than three things, she needed to make a list. It seems for me that my limit is two.


    As I wandered around the store, I eventually remembered the corn. Then I couldn't find it. I must have walked up and down through the whole freaking produce section at least three times, looking for the freaking corn. Finally, on the last trip through, I spotted it. Voila, we had corn.


    I have decided that it's Hubs' job to shuck the corn, since I seem to suck at it. Whenever I do it, there's silk all over the place. So he willingly shucked the corn for me. As he did so, I heard him make a surprised noise. I went in to see what was going on, and in his hand he had a tiny ear of corn. It was inside the husk of one of our ears.


    I took it into the kitchen and opened it, and inside was a tiny ear of corn. I laid it next to the others and took a photo:

Then we completely shucked it and took another photo.

 

 

    It was almost like getting a double burger when you only ordered a single. Isn't this good luck or something?

A Kitchen Adventure

    It seems like fall is finally coming. Last night I had to close all the windows in the house before I went to bed. And this morning, I had to break out my felted slippers. For some reason, today I felt like making more laundry sauce.


    It's probably because yesterday my son's girlfriend stopped by for a visit on her way home from work. She spied the second jar of my laundry sauce on the kitchen counter, so I told her all about it. She knew, because she reads my blog. She took it home with her, I'm pretty sure it will work well on smelly karate uniforms.


    So today I thought I'd make some more. This time, I took some photos as I went along. Now, I know that last time I posted about this subject, so too many of you were impressed. I don't care. It really excited me, so I have to share.


First, I used my cheese grater and grated up the bar of Fels Naptha.

Here is a photo of my pot of water, heating up, with the other ingredients ready to go:

 

 

I couldn't take any photos of the next step, as I was busy stirring. But here's what the jars looked like after pouring in the mixture and turning them upside down:

 

 

    And lastly, the separation that occurred after only 10 minutes. This time I was watching!

     I successfully whipped both jars up, without getting too much overflow this time. Now I just have to make labels for them.


    This stuff is really cool. I'm sorry if you don't think it's awesome, but it makes me feel like a sort of pioneer who had to make everything herself. Except I have never made my own biscuits.  One thing at a time.

Three days? Really?

    It's really been three days since I last posted? It doesn't feel like that long. I'm still reading, I believe I'm on book 16 now, of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton.


    I've been stressing about a medical exam, complete with pulmonary test. I don't do well with those. The day after, I'm usually confined to bed. At the very least, I usually need to nap after these kinds of tests. They totally exhaust me.


    I had my exam and test today. It wasn't the worst kind of pulmonary test, where they put a clamp on your nose and expect you to breathe only through a tube in your mouth. As tests go, it was one of the easier ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm still exhausted. It takes a lot out of you, or rather me. I'm not sure yet how I'll feel tomorrow. But at least it's over with.


    I am still not knitting or crocheting, and my arthritis is still not too painful. Knock on wood....

I'm almost afraid to ask

    Remember that I told you that my arthritis has been acting up? It was every other day that I'd be in pain and discomfort. Well this week has been different. Today is my 4th day in a row with little or no discomfort. I am speechless. I'm still doing the stretch in the doorway about twice a day, just to keep the shoulder joint limber.


    Yesterday I was amazed at my good fortune of three days in a row. Today I'm just flabbergasted. What I'm afraid to ask it this: What about tomorrow?


    Today I spent a lovely two hours with my good friend Bonny, she was having a barbecue and asked me to come. Her husband's family is a hoot and a half. I ate some salad that I've never even heard of before. It's an apple and snickers bar concoction, with a sweet creamy sauce. It looked like potato salad, but it was really good. It had cinnamon in it too. I also ate a hamburger, and some real potato salad. I wasn't fond of the potato salad as it had hard boiled eggs in it, and I don't like hard boiled eggs. At least it had onions and celery in it.


    I've been reading like a fiend, I'm on book 15 of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. It's called The Harlequin. I just finished #14 this afternoon, after I got home from Bonny's. I can not state any stronger how great an author Laurell K. Hamilton is.


    I have these favorite sayings, I've said them for years. As I'm reading the series again, I'm discovering that I got them from these books!! I frequently use "Yippee Skippee", and my very favorite, "the ass-crack of dawn" is in there as well. When I worked nights it was the ass-crack of noon.


    And OMG it's September already! Where did the summer go?

A Story in Pictures

    Yesterday was my birthday. I had a really nice, quiet day with my beloved Hubs. Lots of friends on facebook wished me a happy birthday. My very good friend Kim H. and her Cherub actually made me a birthday cake! Here are some photos I took, just a little while ago:

    This cake is really good! We were too stuffed after dinner last night to sample it. Then I spent most of the day today with my daughter, who is now visibly pregnant! We went to Babies R Us so she could work on her registry.


    Then we went out to lunch, where I unexpectedly ran into a former friend! We exchanged greetings and it was all friendly. I wonder if we can be friends again. I've kind of missed her. We'll just have to wait and see what develops.


    I had some thoughts about getting older. After all, I'm nearly pushing 60 now, and it really sucks. But no matter how old I get, my handsome Hubs will always be my young stud.


    Excuse me, I have to go finish my cake....

Crafting frustrations

    I am getting frustrated in my crafting. Not all of it, just the designs of the brilliant knitter, and yarn goddess Elizabeth Zimmermann. I have so far only been able to make one of her patterns, the Pi Shawl. But there was a problem.


    I can not start anything on double pointed needles. I have tried, believe me. I get going, and as soon as I start thinking "OK, I think I got this..." there is the tell tale metallic TINK sound of the back needle sliding out and hitting the floor.


   In order to make the Pi Shawls that I made, I needed to cheat. Since I couldn't do the beginning on dp's, I had to improvise. I actually knit it back and forth until it was big enough to go on a 16" circular. Then I joined it and continued working in the round.


    When it was all done, I had a short seam I had to sew up in the very center of the giant circle. No one has ever noticed it.


    I have had problems with her pattern for the Baby Surprise Jacket too. I really want to make this, but I can't decipher her instructions. I hope someday that someone translates her "pithy directions" into modern knitting jargon that I can understand.


    Now for the most frustrating project. I want, so very badly, to make her garter stitch Square Baby Blanket. I have tried twice. This time there's no problem with the instructions, I got that. The first time I attempted this pattern, I used up all the really pretty baby yarn that I had, and was only into the 2nd quarter of the blanket. For months I looked for more of the yarn. NO ONE had any. It was like it disappeared off the face of the planet. I still, to this day, have not seen any more of the yarn.


    So I decide to try again, and buy lots of the yarn I chose. I'm not gonna run out this time! And what happens, as I'm in the 2nd quarter of the blanket? Well that's when my arthritis in my shoulder decides to act up. And I have to stop knitting. Hopefully it's only temporary, but I'm not holding my breath. For some reason I am destined to not make any of E.Z.'s designs except for the Pi Shawl. Maybe I'll start another one of those... I do have enough awesome black and white lace weight yarn to make a really big shawl.

A visit to the Twilight Zone....

    Let me start out by saying that every year, I dread the week of the Dutchess County Fair. We live fairly close to it, right off the main road that goes through Hyde Park, then up into the village of Rhinebeck and past the fair grounds.


    The traffic gets pretty heavy, and it's annoying to say the least. This year, we went across the Hudson River twice to go to the Harley dealer where Hubs recently  purchased his bike. To avoid the traffic, we went south and across the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, then north up Rte. 9W to Kingston.


    Now, I had never gone this way before. It was with great amusement that I noticed, and pointed out to Hubs, that for a brief time Rte. 9W NORTH and Rte. 32 SOUTH were the SAME ROAD. It was only for between 1/4 and 1/2 a mile. Someday, I am going to travel that route again, just so I can stop and take a photo of the two signs, one above the other. It really felt like I was in the Twilight Zone for a minute or two.


    On the crafty side of things, I haven't crocheted in the last couple of days. I got a text message from my older son, his mother-in-law wanted me to teach her to crochet. I am not a great teacher, of anything. I suggested she check out youtube, there are tons of how to crochet videos posted there. I told him that I am willing to go over and help with anything she has a problem with. In anticipation of that visit, I haven't been crocheting. Hope it doesn't sound like a lame excuse. I have to admit it sounded better in my head....


    P.S. I did want to let you all know that my Hubs thinks I spend entirely too much time on my laptop, so if I fail to post please know that those are probably days that he's home, and I'm trying to stay off of it.

Reading, Crocheting and Arthritis Report

   I am currently enjoying the 12th book of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton.  It's called Incubus Dreams, and like all the rest, it's really good.


    I actually crocheted today, in between bouts of reading. The day passed pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was after 6 pm! I woke up at 4:45 this morning, which really is the ass crack of dawn. I made a trip to the ladies room, and then in my half awake stupor, went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. I forgot that Hubs wasn't scheduled to work today.  I got back into bed, but couldn't get back to sleep, I couldn't get comfortable. I eventually got up and had some coffee. But by 9,  I was getting really tired even after two cups of coffee. So I went back to bed and took a nap.


    A few weeks ago, I noticed that the exercises I had been doing with the hand weight weren't working any more. I was at my wits end, I didn't know what to do next. The pain was becoming excruciating. Suddenly I had a thought. Couldn't I stretch the joint out in a doorway or an outer wall corner? I've been doing that now, and it's working! It seems like every other day I feel uncomfortable, which is way better than pain every day.


    I asked Hubs to model the move for me for a photo, so you could see what it looks like, but he wouldn't do it. So I had him photograph me while doing it:

    After this move, I usually turn sideways so I can stretch it out the other way. I usually do it in the bathroom, on my way out. It is really working. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but the  burgundy wall end that my arm is on actually sticks out about 4 inches from the short wall. That way, I can really step into the stretch.

Changing direction midstream

    Since it is counterproductive to knit and cause myself pain, it looks like I'll have to go back to crocheting. I've decided not to frog the Super Secret Project, but to continue a crochet project I had stopped in order to do the secret one. Don't get me wrong, this one is secret too. Hopefully at some point I'll be able to knit again.


    I bought plenty of the yarn. I originally bought it for the crocheted secret project, but instead used it for the knitted one. Now I'll go back and use it as originally intended. If you're thoroughly confused, don't worry about it. All is well.


    Now I'm planning a baby shower. I am terrible at these things, but apparently it's my job as the mom-to-be's mom. The good thing is that I've got plenty of help! I'm absolutely no good at the games and things.

Mototcycle Madness

    I told you about my Hubs and his recent purchase. He's been so happy and in such a good mood lately, I have no doubts about it at all. What a difference! I still believe that after looking after us for 25 years, he's earned the right to do something just for himself.

 

    There is an upside for me, even if I can't ride with him yet. He is willing to buy me almost anything. We were at Woodstock Harley-Davidson yesterday, and he bought a few things that he needed, like riding boots. But he let me get a long tie-dyed scarf, and he even agreed to us getting new wedding rings. It was something we had talked about for our anniversary anyway. Nearly everything in the store was 30% or 35% off, and then we got another 10% or 20% off on top of that!


    He got the saddlebags he wanted for his bike, so now he can ride it to work. He needed a place to put his work stuff, and his lunch cooler.


   After we got home, Hubs was so adorable. He gave me a great big hug, and thanked me for being so supportive. I said to him "You're thanking me for "letting" you spend your own money?" He laughed, but I knew he meant not giving him a hard time about it.

 

 
    He really is the greatest man, and the best Hubs in the whole world!

A knitty problem

    I have only been knitting again for maybe two years. Something like that. Maybe 15 years ago, I tore the rotator cuff in my left shoulder. I actually did it in my sleep, HOW? I have no idea.... I had surgery, went through the physical therapy, all that.



    I thought that was the end of it. Not quite. No one ever mentioned to me the possibility that I could develop Arthritis in that joint. Now, all these years later, I got it. It hurts, a lot. I got a hand weight to use to help exercise and stretch out the joint.  It has really helped.


    Remember the other day, I said I was going to spend some time with Bonny and knit? Well, I did, and for the first time in a long time I got some time to just sit and knit. Now comes the problem. As I sat and knit for maybe 6 or 8 rows, my shoulder started to hurt. And then it hit me. That's why I have avoided knitting lately! I didn't even realize it. It hurts when it's NOT being used. It's insane. I have no idea what I'm gonna do about it, besides buy some Tylenol Arthritis.

Daughter Time!

    Today I must confess that I didn't knit. Again. But I spent part of my day with my beloved pregnant daughter! We wouldn't want her to see her Super Secret Project now, would we? It's so nice to get to spend some time with her. Now that she's showing!!

 

 I went with her when she went grocery shopping. Then I got to watch as she put it all away. She got all "housewifey and shit" on me again. I just love it! It makes me happy to see her so content. I can't wait to meet this baby!

 

 

Here is the newest photo of her and her husband, Mike. This was just taken a few days ago! It's now my new favorite photo of them together!

 

 

 

I won't say much else, cause she reads this, but I couldn't be prouder of her or happier for her.  She is doing all the right things, making all the right decisions, at the right times. I wasn't as smart when I was young. Maybe I paved the way by showing her what not to do?

 

 

I do have plans to spend part of tomorrow with my friend Bonny, and we are going to be crafting. She will crochet and I will knit. I promise!

 

My day is not looking good

    Today I might as well go back to bed. It started out badly, one can only assume the rest of the day will be in that same vein. When I got up, I went to make my coffee and discovered that there was no half and half. Really, it's my own fault. I didn't get more when we were running low, and Hubs used the last of it this morning before work.


    So I get dressed and head to the local supermarket. I might as well get the other things we need too, right? I don't really want to have to come back later, after I've been caffeinated. Riiiiiight. I go and get everything we need, and finally reach my half and half. It's always in the same specific place, so I grab two and head for the checkout.


   I get home, and finally get to have my coffee. I start drinking it, and it doesn't taste right. It seems watery. I start wondering what the heck is wrong with the new coffee maker. I go to the refrigerator, and actually look at the containers of half and half that I had bought. The words on the carton say FAT FREE LACTOSE FREE MILK. The fracking container looks EXACTLY the same as the half and half, it just has these blasphemous words on it.


   Now, I've opened the one and I can't return it, so I dump the rest into the sink. I grab my purse, the second carton, and head back to the store. I explain what happened, and get my real half and half. I did mention that they might want to speak to their dairy guys. When I got home again, I decided I didn't want to make more coffee. I will just have to live through the day without it.


   The only thing worse than today's adventure was the day that I woke up and made coffee only to find the fracking coffee maker was busted. I actually had to go and buy a new coffee maker before I could have my coffee. Boy, did I grumble around the store that morning!

   
    P.S. I hope to get some knitting time in later, between the reading jags.


   

Time got away

    Time got away from me yesterday, and I never got a chance to write to you! Today almost got away from me too. I babysat my beautiful grandbabies today. We had fun, but now I'm really tired.


     There's a little progress on the Super Secret Project, as the grandkids let me knit sometimes when I'm there. I've really been slacking, I'm still mostly reading. I believe I've worked my way up to book 9 of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It's called Obsidian Butterfly. It's like all of them in the series, extremely good. I don't think I need to state again that Laurell K. Hamilton is my very favorite author.


   For a while there, I was reading a whole book a day. I really didn't mean to rush through them that fast. I'd like to take my time, but I've read them more than once, and they're very familiar to me.


    Well, I know it's not that late but I'm that tired. So good night to all of you!


   

A necessary change

    The last time I went to Joann's Fabric and Crafts to buy the flattened plastic rings that I use to make the Lazy Person's Cat Toy, they were nowhere to be found. I know I wrote about the drama, I just wanted to refresh your memory.


    At that time, I bought some different plastic rings. They were a little smaller, and round not flattened. I still used two of them to make the cat toys. Well, recently I decided to try Michaels and see what they had to offer. They had some rings that were the right size, but made of wood instead of plastic.

   I feel that wood is a good substitute for plastic, as it shouldn't hurt the kitties teeth to chew on it. I would never use metal rings. I just finished making a toy with the new rings. I only need one, which means I get more toys per package of rings. Yay. That's a good thing. And the new toy is Ozzy tested and approved. I will always Ozzy test them, if he won't play with it, I won't sell it.


    P.S. Today my daughter and her beloved husband celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary. I'm so happy for them! She recently had another sonogram, they are still saying it looks like a boy. Here it is...

    Now, at first I couldn't make heads or tails of this. But just today, I think I see his face, in profile, up near the top. He's so cute, I can tell already. His mom was a beautiful baby, and his dad was absolutely adorable from the photos I've seen.  I can't wait to meet him.

Knitting, not knitting

    This morning I knit about six rows on the Super Secret Project. That's all I could manage. You see, last night I didn't sleep. At all. I just laid there listening to the crickets, the stream rushing by, and the occasional car driving by the house. I think I finally fell asleep sometime after Hubs' alarm went off at 5:30. And I woke up a little after 7.


    So today I'm extremely grumpy. I really did knit, at least until I didn't trust myself with it any more. I even tried to nap, since my favorite napping conditions were happening. Mainly, it was raining. I love to nap listening to the rain. I also love when it rains at night. But after about half an hour it became clear that I wasn't going to get a nap. I felt completely awake again.


   I have done laundry which requires going up and down the stairs, I washed all the dishes. All that's left is to get the clothes out of the dryer, and fold and put them away. There's no guarantee I won't collapse at some point before Hubs gets home from work. But he knows I didn't sleep, so he'll understand.

So much going on....

    There is, and has been so much going on, it's difficult to decide what to tell you about. The Harley is awesome, Hubs is very happy. I'm knitting a little but not a lot, because I'm reading right now. Just finishing up book 6 of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. It's called The Killing Dance. And like all of Laurell K. Hamilton's books, it's absolutely awesome.


    Being of mostly Italian decent, I have tried to stay away from foods that have a "wurst" attached to them. I've seen liverwurst, and it looks disgusting. Well recently, my Hubs came home from work and told me that they had had a cookout there. He had tried a bratwurst for the first time, and it was pretty good. I told him that of course I'd never had one, but if he thought it was good, I'd be willing to try one.


    When we went to Sam's Club the other day, we bought a package of brats. We had them for dinner last night. We cooked them on the grill. They weren't bad at all! In fact I liked them so much I made more for lunch today for the two of us.  At long last, a "wurst" that I'll eat. I still won't eat liverwurst, and you can't make me.


    The karate school picnic went well. Lots of people came, and lots of volleyball was played. Also lots of swimming was done. There was lots of food too. It was a potluck affair as usual, I brought more than two dozen cupcakes. I didn't enter the chili cook off, as I believe I wrote about before.


    My son called me today, they found a stray kitten at the karate school today. I brought over some litter for her, she is so cute. She's solid black and very friendly. Master Leclerc is either going to adopt her, or take her to the SPCA tomorrow. It was hard to leave her, I wanted her. But my Hubs doesn't want another cat. Heck, half the time he can't stand Ozzy!  

Weekly Craft Report

    This week, I can officially say that I've gotten past the 1/4 mark of the Super Secret Project. YAY! I'm thrilled to finally reach that point.


    Also this week, someone my daughter works with saw my blog post about the Lazy Person's Cat Toy and ordered two!  I whipped those out, and she is now the proud owner of them. I hear that her cats are having a fine time with them. If anyone else wants any, I'll have to go and buy more plastic rings. Those two used my last four rings.


    I'm looking forward to the Karate School Family Picnic tomorrow, I'm bringing cupcakes. I have also decided not to enter the chili cook off they are having this year. Every year they do a different food contest, and everyone is encouraged to enter. The last time that it was chili, I entered, but didn't win. I was disappointed, since one of the judges grew up eating my chili.  

A purchase for future Grandbaby

    Last week when I was shopping with Sara in Target, I spotted something. The first thing I saw was this adorable face:

I went right over, and there was the cutest little three piece set, in newborn size. I fell in love with it! It comes with two onesies, a short sleeve one:

 

 

     I thought this was appropriate, since her hubs Mike is in a rock band. He plays the drums. Then there's the long sleeve onesie:

    It was so perfect, I threw it right in the basket and bought it. It's OK if I show it here, Sara saw me with it in the store. But she can't have it yet. It's mine to play with!


    On a different note, I somehow managed to fix the problems I was having with my laptop. Even the USB ports are working now, hence the photos! In desperation, I was looking around in the programs in there, and found a free trial version of one of those "cleaner upper" programs. I ran it, and it fixed the problems! I'll worry about it again in two more years.


    This means I can now show you the photo of my home made laundry detergent, when they were turned upside down, and it separated after twenty minutes:

 

     TAH DAH! There it is! One more thing, then I'll not tell you about the detergent any more. I used it again today when I washed our sheets and pillowcases. It worked very well, I'm convinced. And that's the last you'll hear of it.                                                                               

 

 

A random literary story and more

    I have been rereading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series on my nook. All of them, in order. Yesterday I finished #3. I am having trouble getting #4 to load on my nook. But that's not the point.


    I've been living in this woman's world for a long, long time. I love these books, they are like old and dear friends. Anyway, any man in Anita's life knows that she is always armed, and never to walk on her right side, or hold her right hand. That's the hand she needs to draw her pistol from her shoulder holster.


    Well the other night, Hubs and I went to our favorite BBQ joint, Billy Bob's BBQ, in Poughkeepsie. There is no parking lot there, so you park a ways away and walk to it. We enjoyed our food, and as we left we were walking down the sidewalk hand in hand. As we were walking, I thought that he should be walking on my right side, since I'm left handed and would need my left hand free to pull my pistol from my shoulder holster. That is how immersed in Anita's world I can get. 


    P.S. The laundry detergent works pretty good! I am officially pleased. I did another load yesterday. Also yesterday my Hubs did some work on my Jeep and used it as a hand cleaner. He said it worked better than the store bought kinds. YAY! If at some future time I become disenchanted with this stuff, I will be sure to let you know. I think I have an idea of what some people are getting for Christmas....


    Now if you will excuse me, I need to call the 800 number that keeps appearing on my nook screen, "if this problem continues".

Knitting Report and more

    I continued to work on Super Secret Project yesterday and today, but still not quite 1/4 done. Every other row is getting one stitch longer, so it's taking some time. Only three or so stitches until I actually get there, so that's like six more rows.


    I saw that hardly anyone read the post about the home made laundry detergent, so there will be no more talk about that. I thought it was cool, and wanted to share. I guess I was wrong.


    Hubs took his first real ride today, since we brought the bike home from the dealer. He had a really great time, but wished I could've been there with him. Me too. First he went to Fishkill, to show off the new bike to some of his co-workers, then he headed north on the Taconic Parkway. That is a really nice ride! His goal was to ride all the way to the end, but he got tired sooner than that so he turned around and headed home.


    He left a little after 9 am, and got home around 1:30 - 2 pm. I can't wait until he feels comfortable enough to take me with him.

Laundry detergent and knitting

    Bright and early this morning after my first cup of coffee, I began the Great Laundry Detergent Experiment. I followed the directions on the website, and it worked! The solid stuff melted, the grainy stuff absorbed, it all got poured into the mason jars, and after twenty minutes, it was separated just like in the photos on the website.


    And in only an hour and a half more, I will be screwing the mixer blades onto the first mason jar and whipping the crap out of it. Then it will officially be finished. I can't wait to do my first load of laundry with it!


    I took a photo of the jars to show the separation, but for some reason the USB ports in my laptop have stopped working. I had intended to photograph the whole process, but forgot to get the camera. I wouldn't have had time to take any photos anyway, once you get started, you can't stop stirring.


    During the four hours I have to wait, I went to the store, took two bags of bottles and cans back, and now I'm knitting to pass the time. I'm still working on the super secret knitting project, and it's still almost one quarter done.

And now for something completely different....

    This morning while trolling on facebook, I came across a recipe for home made laundry detergent. I read through it completely, and was instantly fascinated. I thought I might try to make it.


    I made a list of the ingredients and since I had to make a supermarket run anyway, I thought I would see if they had what I needed. And they had everything! Well, except the canning jars. But I know of a local drug store that carries that kind of stuff year round, so I stopped there on my way home. I had to buy a dozen jars when I only need two but I can give the rest to a friend who cans.


    The last obstacle was a working blender. I have one that for sure doesn't work, and one I wasn't sure about. I just got it down, plugged it in and tried it. IT WORKS! So tomorrow I will be making the laundry detergent as shown in this link...

http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/whipped-cream-super-laundry-soap-3993.html


    It doesn't seem very difficult. If I didn't have a working blender I was going to follow the alternate instructions. It sure will save some money! Look for a future report on how it well it works. We have some clothing in this house that seems permanently stained. This new stuff could take care of that..... I will definitely let you know.

A little crafting and some drama

    Today I spent most of the day with my daughter Sara. She wanted to go shopping for a new dress to wear to a christening tomorrow. She didn't find a dress, but she did get some more maternity wear. She was thrilled. She already has a couple of dresses that she can still wear, so she wasn't worried about it.


    After I got home I was so tired, I took a nap. Well, I tried to take a nap. I don't think I fell asleep. After an hour I got up and finished the dishes I had started this morning. I also did more laundry.


    While resting after coming up the stairs from the basement I knit a couple of rows on the super secret project. Then later as I was cooking our pork chops on the grill, I worked on a cat toy that I've made for all the kitties we know. I'm pretty proud of it, actually. I call it the Lazy Person's Cat Toy. Here is a photo of it:

    It's made of two plastic rings crocheted together all around, then I do a really long chain stitch with a finger loop on the end. The original one I made for my cat Ozzy was probably twenty feet long. I call it the Lazy Person's Cat Toy because you don't have to keep getting up and getting it. You throw the ring, which has tassels on it too, while holding the other end. Then you just pull it slowly or quickly, and the cat goes nuts chasing and pouncing on it.


    I make it with plastic rings because I was afraid metal rings would break the kitties teeth. I think the most important thing is the cotton yarn. It's very strong and lasts a long time. I use Sugar and Cream, but any good cotton will do.


    As I said, I made the original for Ozzy, then my son Jesse wanted one for his two kitties, so I made one. Then Sara wanted one for her three kitties. I made this new one for my son James's two kittens. If you're counting, that makes seven grand kitties that I have. Each toy I make, I test on Ozzy. If he plays with it, I can tell people it's officially Ozzy tested and approved. I also made one for Jason's three kitties. That one was special, the only one I made that wasn't for family.


    Searching for the rings today, I had some drama. It seems that Joann Fabrics and Crafts isn't selling my rings any more. I usually use these dark plastic rings, two per toy, that are about 2" across, and flattened. They used to be in the section of the store where you get things for making your own purses. They had all kinds of rings, and handles and stuff. I had to buy a different plastic ring this time. I did still use two of them, but they aren't flattened so the toy is a bit thicker. It still seems to work.

A busy day

    I was up early today, babysitting the grandkids. I had fun, and I hope they did too. When I got home, Hubs was waiting very impatiently. He was more than ready to go to Kingston, to Woodstock Harley Davidson, and pick up his new toy.


    I know what you all are thinking. And when we were first together, I would have agreed with you. Heck even he said, at that time, that he wouldn't get a bike because he'd kill himself on it. But my beloved Hubs has grown up a lot in the last twenty five years. And for all that time, he's done many things for me, for our kids, for his mom and mine. Even for his job. He always does for everyone else, he never thinks of himself first.


    When he started telling me that he was looking at motorcycles, I was a bit taken back. I mean, seriously? But I could see the longing in his eyes. After much thought I decided he deserves to have this. I want him to do something just for him.


    So we went Harley shopping. We went to two sort of local dealers, on the same day, just to look and see if they had the bike he wanted.  I ended up having to babysit for the grandkids again this week, so I didn't get to go with him for the serious shopping.


    We went together and he got his motorcycle permit, and he went to a two day motorcycle safety class. It was intense training, and at the end of the second day, the class all goes to the DMV and gets their licenses. This particular class is the only one that gives the students a waiver for the road test. Of course, he passed!


    Off he went yesterday, while I was babysitting, and found exactly what he wanted, for a reasonable price. We went today to pick it up. I got to follow him home, as he's riding for the first time, on a road, in traffic. As we got near to our home turf I relaxed a little.


    He told me that he was grinning almost the whole way home. We made a short side trip so he could show of his bike to our son, then we came home. Now I just have to find a really good protection spell..... just as an extra precaution.


    I took some photos, but Hubs doesn't want me to post them, at least for now. But it's a really cool bike.

I TINK I taw a mistake.....

    This morning, as I was babysitting the grandkids, I was knitting along. I stopped to check my progress, and to my horror, I had made a pretty bad mistake about six rows back. Considering it's all garter stitch, it wasn't that bad.


    But I have no confidence, so I can't just take it off the needle and rip it back. I literally had to tink it, one stitch at a time. It took a while, but I finally got it. Now, I'm back on track. I just need to pay closer attention.


    No photos of the project, since it's classified as Super Secret. But I'm excited. It's almost 1/4 done. I know I've said that before, but now it's REALLY almost 1/4 done.....

Almost got it all done

    It was THIS close..... Then I ended up sitting on the side of route 9 after pulling out of the Stop n Shop plaza. It seems my brake problem had decided to come back. The right front brake is seizing or something. Hubs told me before that when it happens, I should pull over and let it cool off, then it should let go and after a while I can drive some more.


    That's what happened the day it took me three hours to get home from Fishkill. I had to stop three times to let the brake cool off. Thank the Goddess that yesterday I was close to home, and only had to stop the one time. I only had to wait a half an hour before trying to drive the rest of the way home. I made it!!


    While I was sitting there waiting, I got a call from my son James. He told me that he had gotten a call from a friend that I was on the side of the road, so he called to see if I needed help. That was so sweet. I told him I was just waiting for my brake to cool off. It really didn't occur to me to call anyone for help, I knew what to do. I mean, my kids are all grown up and busy with their own stuff. And my Hubs will fix it the next day (today). So in the morning, Hubs took me to James and Jessica's house so I can watch the kids, and then he came pick me up afterwards. While I was gone, he fixed the brakes.


   On a positive note, I got some knitting done in the time I was sitting there waiting for the brake to cool off. See? That's why I always have either my nook, or my knitting with me. Sometimes both. You never know. It's almost gotten to be a superstition with me. If I go out without at least one of those things, something bad will happen....


    In fact, I thought the brake had a problem because I had taken the extra skein of yarn out of my bag. When I started knitting, I thought I was almost out of yarn. But I was wrong, there was plenty left.


    So yesterday I got almost all my errands done. I just wasn't able to get to the pharmacy. But I have plenty of that medication and don't need it yet. I can pick it up another day.

Running errands today

    That's my job for today. I have a few things I have to do, and I better get them done since I will be watching the grandkids the rest of the week.  I feel very privileged to watch them, to be trusted with their care. But they do exhaust me. It's weird, it's like they suck the energy right out of me! But they are so awesome, it's worth it.


     So let's see, what do I have to do? I need to get some gas for the Jeep, then I need to head to Adam's, since we are out of chocolate truffle decaf coffee, and nearly out of regular chocolate truffle. Can't have that, can we? I also need meats for dinner, and more little cans of ginger ale. I have found that the meats at Adam's are superior, and not as expensive as other supermarkets.


    After that, I have a scrip to pick up at the pharmacy. And hopefully I will hear from my friend Bonny. She texted me last night, but I had misplaced my phone, and didn't find it until this morning. I sent her a text explaining what happened, but I haven't heard back from her yet.


    I am still knitting away on the super secret project. I'm pretty sure that I have enough yarn now to finish. I just have to find the time.