A Slug, A Bag, and Friday Fillins

Hi all, yes I have been a slug this week. I was sooo tired last week that I knew I had to recharge, but realized that I had to do it at home, so I took some leave from work and did nothing but sleep for 3 days. I am now stiff, but at least I am not quite as tired. Maybe it is just the sadness thing, but I needed that sleep, though after 1 day back at work I feel like it did not happen. lolol

I forgot to show you this wonderful bag I received for Christmas, Wendy
discussed it on her blog and had a discount coupon for it from Scout’s Swag. I sent the link to DD1 who searched high and low for the bags, since it was already sold out when I sent her the link. Isn’t she great, the bag sure is. FYI, the picture is straight from the Namaste web site, as I couldnt take a picture this nice if I had to. Mine is Red a great real red, not to pink, and I love it.

FYI, I did pick up the needles this week, and it was great! I think the mojo is slowly returning.

Have a great weekend!


1. You have a chance to set it right and move on.
2. I should go to bed right now!
3. There is a chance for everyone to have happiness in their lives.
4. Play now and pay later.
5. It's time to get off the couch and go inhale the sun.
6. Tonight is up in the air but there is always hope for tomorrow.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing Mafia Wars, tomorrow my plans include cleaning up and knitting (working on that mojo thing) and Sunday, I want to ?????!

Blather

This morning when I left for work it was 8 freaking degrees outside, why, I ask you, should I have to go outside when it is that cold? I should have stayed home today, because I am not getting jack done at work, but the sun is out and we are having a heat wave of 31 degrees right this minute. I went outside to inhale the sun and it felt so good, I could have cried, it was better than a massage would have been at that moment. Lolol It’s amazing how our needs and desires change when the atmosphere around us changes, last night I was cold but still wanted a massage, but today the sun filled me up and made me happy. The only thing that could have made me happier was to be sitting on a beach, (which I am missing a lot).

I have decided that I am cleaning house tonight and tomorrow morning (and taking down the christmas tree finally) and then I am going to put a chick flick in the old blue ray player and knit, whether I want to or not. I figure eventually I will start having fun after watching the rows grow, with nice even stitches, maybe it will be like a narcotic???

BTW, did I tell you that the physical therapy thing is over with for a while? The doctor said the since the Empi (tens) and massage are controlling the pain, that the therapy is over. Oh and she also said that if the tingling gets worse, to call her lolol I said how bad should it be and she kind of laughed, but so did I. Wahooo, no more getting up earlier than I have to lol.

Have a great weekend!


1. There are places I remember. . . .
2. Open the windows and blow those clouds away.
3. Standing in the rain is fun and softens your hair.
4. Lion, and tigers and bears oh boy (or is it oh my?).
5. He went out tiger hunting and came back with a kitty cat.
6. Please help me keep my mind from wandering.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and knitting (I am determined to get that knitting mojo back) and Sunday, I want to clean some more and do laundry!

Blather and Friday Fillins

I am so pathetic; I forgot what day of the week it is until I read Grace’s blog. I have had the creeping crud (again) and it took everything I had to just make it through the week, I could not get anything else done. lolol That is not good since the old shopping is not done. The dogs have loved it since I have spent as much time as possible in bed, including some of the time when I was supposed to be at work. I think it may be a good thing that I have worked for the feds for over 25 years, or they would probably dump my ass. Not that I would blame them.

I hope you are all more prepares for the holidays than I am, cause I have some serious work to complete this weekend in order to get everything completed for next week. It’s a good thing I am not planning on passing out knitted gifts this year, cause that would be a giant fail.

I have decided I am not going to worry or stress about the holidays this year, I am going to knit my through them and hope that everyone just enjoys being together. I am not rushing out on Christmas Eve to buy one more present, if I do not have everything by Tuesday, it just won’t happen. If a present is wrapped in newspaper, at least it is wrapped, no more perfection (or attempts at) for me. This all sounds really good doesn’t it? Does anyone want to take bets on it happening this way?

Have a great weekend; I will see you in the funny papers!


1. No, we will NOT be traveling for Christmas.
2. Christmas dinner will be at the old kitchen table.
3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: mmmmm.
4. Everything is going to be okay.
5. I'll take two, please.
6. People are sometimes difficult to understand, at least from my point of view.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to baking cookies and knitting, tomorrow my plans include shopping, replacing the battery in my car, baking some more, and knitting and Sunday, I want to clean up, clean out the refrigerator and decorate the tree!

BRRRRR!

I am cold! Bone-chilling, numbing cold. I never used to be cold; in fact, I am the one who would turn the thermostat down in December because I was hot, even if everyone else was cold. The tide has turned and I am the cold one now, so tonight on my way home I am buying flannel sheets and a space heater for my bedroom. I hate going to bed cold and waking up cold brrr. I guess it could have something to do with our weather, the high is 18F today and 14F tomorrow with snow. I think it is colder here than it is in Alaska. This picture is the view out my backdoor, gray and cold.

DD2 and I bought our Christmas tree Saturday and it is up, but not decorated, we are soooo lazy, but it is just too cold to get into the garage and dig them out. We were both so curmudgeonly on Friday, I was not sure if we would have a tree. Neither one of us has been feeling the season, it is a problem sometimes, it is awful when we both get in a funk. I know it is too early in the season for it to be a seasonal funk, but there you have it, maybe just being around people helped out. We spent Saturday having a girl’s day, pedicures, massages, and shopping, perhaps that helped a bit.

When we go for massages, I always use them for therapy on shoulders, neck and arms, but the one I had Saturday almost crippled me. The guy found the sore spots and worked them hard, so yesterday when my sink fell apart (garbage disposal had a clog) while I was trying to cook, it was just about the straw that broke the camel’s back. And my hands were also sore from the massage, so I could not knit. I need a holiday from life I think.

I hope you have a warmer day than I am having. :-)

blather

Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend? I did, DD2 and I went to Iowa to visit DD1 and we had a great time. We cooked a traditional meal with all the trimmings in the little kitchen and had fun chatting and being silly. I always have a great time when I hang out with them and I think I value it more since they are so rare now.

DD1’s boyfriend came up on Saturday and brought their rescued toy poodle for me to take care of for them. He originally belonged to an elderly couple who could no longer afford to keep him so they gave him up, he was adopted out twice and they were getting ready to put him to sleep because the adoptive families kept bringing him back. One family said he bit, and I don’t know what the other family’s reason was; well, DD1 and BF adopted him, even though they had two dogs and two cats already and things were going okay until DD1 started working in IA instead of GA. Suffice it to say, the little snausage is with me for a while. He is a very needy little thing, always wants to be on someone’s lap or someone must be petting him. He does play with Lola, but she lets him know when he steps over the line, so it’s all good. The biggest problem is that he weighs 10 lbs and should only weigh seven, and he thinks he only needs to eat people food, and that said food should be available to him at all hours of the day and night. So we are having a test of wills, since he is 9 years old, I have to get that weight off of him before he starts having problems with his hips. Fortunately, for me he does not have opposable thumbs, so I will be the winner. Lolol Why is it so much easier to keep the animals on a diet than it is to keep ourselves on a diet????

UPDATED TO ADD
Don't you think it would have been nice of her to tell me that the dog is hard of hearing?

Have a great day!

Blather

Wahooo, tomorrow is a federal holiday (day off for me) and a maid is coming tomorrow. You would think that since my 23 year old daughter was home alone for the best part of 3 weeks, that the house would be somewhat clean, NOT! The house is so dirty I can’t stand it, so I spent the morning looking for someone to come and clean it for me. YEAAA! And I will sit and knit while someone else cleans up my dirt. My kind of day!

Maybe tomorrow I will also get off my butt and download all the picture I have taken and post some of them :-)

Blather

I am still in Hot Springs AR; I will get a wonderful massage and facial tomorrow. Life is slow but enjoyable right now. I dread going back to work, as I will have to jump in with both feet; I am trying not to think about it but. . .

I completed the Silk Garden scarf (picture tomorrow if there is any sun) and will start a hat to match tonight, just cannot decide on the style, beret or beanie cap. I will probably decide by the amount of yarn, which makes sense. lolol I have also started another scarf and getting ready to cast on a pair of socks, when I find the double points I brought with me. I have not figured out how to use the magic loop yet, I keep getting confused, but how can it be so difficult for one person when so many others are able to use it? I think I have a thick head about some things. :-)

DD2 sent me a text message telling me that my cats miss me; she said they woke her up this morning and she was not the least bit happy about it. I told her she could close her bedroom door, but she is a wee bit cranky so she did not like that answer.

We start home on Thursday, and should be there on Saturday. See you in the funny papers!

Blather and Friday Fill Ins

Can anyone tell me why I can get to Twitter from my work network but not Facebook, does that make sense to anyone? I can waste just as much time on Twitter as I can on Facebook so that cannot be the issue. Oh well, mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do or die. Lolol

This has been a really long week; I have been prepping reports for the department, and writing the memos that go with them, justifying any variances or out of whack issues. The reports sections are not difficult, I can manipulate the data easily, but writing the memos kills me. I like to write as I talk (as you can tell) and I cannot do that in memos to the department. I have to use “governmentese” which is not pretty or easy to understand in most cases.

DD1 has been in Illinois this week looking for an apartment, and it has been very funny. She has never had to relocate on her own before, so she has never searched for an apartment and evidently, there was not a lot to choose from. She did finally find one across the state line in Iowa, but she called me a gazillion times while she and her boyfriend were looking. She starts in a couple of weeks and the agency can move her at any time during her training, so the boyfriend will not be going at first and she will be all on her own.

I am so happy that this is a three-day weekend I could die! Have a great weekend!

1. Sweet dreams to you.
2. & 3 Silliness is imperative, especially for me.
4. I will not be home this Halloween.
5. Outstanding or not , I will knit.
6. A gooey, creamy chocolate bar is what I want right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning up, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, errands, etc. and Sunday, I want to veg!

Aging or Ageless?

Did you ever notice how there is always something or someone around to remind you how old you are? Even when you don’t feel your age, something will hit you in the face and remind you. Age has never been a big thing with me, I have never felt that I was the age the calendar told me I was, I normally feel at least 10 years younger than I am and don’t think about my physical age. That is until I go the doctor. I have been searching for a doctor that I feel is competent and I am comfortable with since we moved to Colorado. I think I have finally found her, but. . . . The new patient paperwork I filled out asked how I was on my immunizations, and I haven’t even had a tetanus shot or anything else except for a flu shot since the 1980’s. I told her that I have a flu shot every year, but have not worried about anything else; therefore, we had this entire discussion regarding the immunizations and that I needed them, then she threw in the pneumonia shot. I asked her why I needed it, I said I had not had pneumonia since I was 15, and (you already know what she said don’t you) she said that since I was over 50 I should have one annually. I was a tad upset about that, because I just do not feel 50, or 50-something, or 53 (my calendar age). Here I am happily swinging through my day and get my toe stamped on with a giant 50 being dropped on it. Lololol It is a good thing I am not sensitive, but arbitrary lines irritate me, not just with age, but also with quotas, or limits of any kind. This was my rant for the day. :-)

I am still knitting, though the shot in the wrist yesterday made me want to rethink that. I have three different scarves going, plus three pairs of socks and a sweater. I have quit knitting for extensive periods of time, and I do the exercises, but I have been working 7 days a week so of course the stupid thing is not improving! DUUHH

I have decided I want a cape for fall and early spring, I have been freezing to death lately and I think a cape would handle that. Does anyone have suggestions about patterns???

BTW, it is supposed to snow here this weekend, tomorrow’s high is forecast at 42F.

Have a good day and be productive.

Work, Work, Work, and Friday Fillins

I am going to try not to whine today as I left all my cheese (some of it turning green) at home. The blanket from he!! is almost done, four more rows. I decided the arm would hurt anyway, so now I knit whenever I want, as long as it is not hurting. So I have start a pair of socks, a scarf, and I am getting to buy yarn, it has been so long since I have purchased any knitting related items, that I am not sure if I can remember how to do it. But I bet it comes back to me very quickly :-)
This is another weekend of working full time, it’s too bad I can’t get over time and have to settle for comp time. But looking at that in another way, the comp time is covering my physical therapy appointments (is that a silver lining?)

1. My car needs to be cleaned inside and out and waxed.
2. Nap time is coming up next.
3. Lately, things seem to be piling up.
4. My bed is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.
5. What happened to summer?
6. Knitting with a boo-boo is not impossible!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting, tomorrow my plans include working and a massage and Sunday, I want to play, but will be working again!

Have a great weekend!

This and That

I am looking at my blog and seeing that it is still looking summery and beachy, while the weather outside is turning into fall. While I love the way the light looks in the fall, I am not ready for it this year, which is odd since it is normally my favorite season. I hate taking down the beach theme of the blog and changing to fall/winter, it seems like it should still be summer. I remember starting school after Labor Day in CA and it would still be 90 degrees outside, way too hot to put on school clothes and sit in a un-air conditioned classroom. I guess it is inevitable, summer turns to fall, and in different parts of the country (world) it changes earlier than others do. Or should I just blame it on El Nino??

Look at the cool knitting organizer I bought from thesweetcushion at Etsy. She was very responsive, gave me a choice of fabrics, and had it to me very quickly. I love it and it is a great way to organize circular needles, which I have a ton of. The size goes from 1 to 19 and the little pocket on top hold little gadgets. You will note of course that while it is hanging on the wall, it does not appear to have any needles in it; there are, but they are all in the bigger sizes and I could not get them all in the picture.
I am supposed to be working, but I know how long it has been since I made that last sad post. I have been knitting even though “they” say it is a bad thing. Nevertheless, I need the comfort knitting gives me (when I don’t have to work) I worked 7 days last week and it looks like I will this week, so I figure the knitting is not going to make much of a difference.
Have a great day!

Blather and Friday Fillins

I am such a dumb ass sometimes. I have been going to physical therapy and wearing braces, etc for my sore arm for almost 2 months now, so to make it all better, I sat and rushed through that dishcloth the other day. Now, my arm is crying and when Di needed help last night I had a hard time picking her up. Sometimes she does this weird thing where her legs are splayed and she is stuck on the floor, unable to get up. If she were young, I would probably laugh and play with her about it, but since she is so old, she always looks like she is losing her dignity when it happens, it makes me cry.

Have you heard the big uproar over the President’s speech to schools? People are saying he will be spreading propaganda and such, but I don’t remember this kind of uproar when Bush did the same thing a few years ago. I must be missing something.

I am so fortunate; I get to work on Saturday. I used to work 60 to 70 hours a week at this time of year, and now I am only working only 50 to 60, but I hate it. Wow, I am full of complaints! I will go away now, so I cannot complain anymore. :-)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

1. I feel blahhh.
2. Going to physical therapy is always fun, NOT.
3. Right now, I can hear these things: my fan, the AC, women talking, and my ear ringing.
4. _____?______ and I'm glad _____?______.
5. The last time I had a decent vacation was when I went to Hawaii.
6. I have to work this Labor day weekend.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing, tomorrow my plans include work, knitting, and a picnic and Sunday, I want to knit and veg!

This and That, Friday Fillins

I realized last night that I had not posted all week, but I am just not feeling it for some reason. Not just blogging, but anything, I don’t know why, but there it is. DD1 left me a comment telling me I was not blogging enough for her to keep up, I just laughed but I should have asked her where her blog was (snicker). Have you noticed bloggers who have decided not to blog on a regular basis anymore? I have decided they are putting too much pressure on themselves by blogging every day. I mean, they are great to read, but who can do that every single day of the week; don’t get me wrong, I love opening Grace’s blog to see what she is talking about every day, but I don’t know how she is keeping that up. I cannot.

I forgot to mention the last Mean Girls Sock kit; it had a cool gadget in it that I have wanted for a while (I love gadgets). It is a stitch saver. I think they are very cool and I used it for the very first time the other night when I was doing my allotted row for the night; mine has cool little beads on it. I wish I had purchased it before, because it is great! These are made by 5elementknitr and if you want one you can go here.
1. He was a butthead of the nth dimension.

2. Bad weather is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend gives me unconditional love.

4. If I want to win the lottery, I should buy a lottery ticket to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be deceiving.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was Di.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleep, tomorrow my plans include going out to breakfast with DD2 and her friend who is visiting from out of state, working and knitting 6 rows of anything and Sunday, I want to veg, but will be going to bunco!

Chatter and Friday Fillins

Remember back here when I discussed furry cats and shaving them?? Well, I have decided it is easier to live with furry floors. We did shave Jack, but DD1 who is living in Georgia was the one who used to be in charge of shaving and was much better at it than DD2 and I, we did not get nearly as much hair off and we were very messy about it. Jack loves being without the hair, though he is not so fond of the process; he always gets more hugs, loves and pets once he is shaved because his fur is so thick and he has dandruff.

KnittySue recently had a contest that involved showing the contestants work space or table with all the paraphernalia that is kept in the area. It was fun to go and look at everyone’s work area, some of them had lotttttttts of stuff and it made me wonder how pets were kept out of the stuff. My cats are very nosy and if I leave anything out they will deliberately knock it on the floor and tear it up. Everyone else must have pets with better manners.

Guess What, I got to knit last night for 3 whole rows! Yeah!!!!! Project Runway started last night and I watched and knit. Maybe someday I will get to knit a whole project?!


1. I remember, I remember how to knit and when television was mostly black and white.
2. Dear Dear Daughters, I want you to know that you are both wonderful women.
3. Is that my pair of leggings on your legs!!???
4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of walking out the door of the office and deciding not to work for the next week.
5. I'm saving a hug just for you!
6. If I made a birthday list all of my pretend friends would definitely be on it!!!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working late and then vegging, tomorrow my plans include working, and doing 4 rows of knitting and Sunday, I want to veg, but will be preparing the house for company!

Blather

We just had our second hailstorm in less than 24 hours, and it is positively cool (70) outside. I am sitting under the sky light in the loft watching the hail hit the window (glass, plastic, Plexiglas??) wondering how hard the hail has to be before it breaks the window. It feels like we are heading into autumn already, that does not bode well for the winter. Everyone seems to be suffering from the heat right now, but us. I guess I will send you all some of our snow come October. :-)

I listen to recorded books a lot, and I have a subscription to Audible, where I can download books and listen from the computer or I-Pod. I love this as it keeps me entertained when I could possibly be bored with sitting still and I am not stuck watching mind numbing television. I am perturbed that I downloaded “Born in Ice” by Nora Roberts; her books are entertaining and easy to listen to when doing other things. The reader/narrator sucks big time! You cannot tell what character is speaking, as he never changes his voice. I am going to complain; even though it is the first time I have been disappointed with anything from Audible.

I feel like I have become a boring blogger since I cannot knit, it is very irritating. . .

Have a good day (or what's left of it)

More Blather

When I want to visit my favorite blogs, I normally link to them from my blog, but lately when I use my back button to return to my blog nothing happens. It is like the blog I am visiting is holding me captive and can be frustrating. The weirdest part of this is that it is happening on all 4 of the computers I use (2 personal and 2 work). The OS on one of them is VISTA, but all the others are Windows XP, and the laptop with VISTA has the newest version of Exlorerer, but all the other have the older version (I am not especially fond of the IE 7). I wonder what is causing this. . .

I was able to knit for two whole rows last night, it was very cool! It was my reward for with dealing with stupid on Saturday. You know I am working Saturdays now, until October 1, but it seems like some of the users I support don’t bring their brains with them to work on Saturday.

We are still trying to decide where to go for the week of Thanksgiving, but since it will only be the two of us, we decided to go away and have fun instead of trying to downsize turkey and mash potatoes for 2. Any suggestions?

Blather

I am in a much better mood today, even though it has rained already today and I am working. It is much nicer to work from home than going into the office, at the office I have to wear clothes and when working from home I can work in a T-shirt and undies, much more comfortable.

I go into the Wee Tiny Sock club for autumn, very cool. There were only 8 spots left when I got in. I wonder how the knitting will go?????I have noticed my arm is feeling better, but now the back of my hand is hurting, the therapist says it is compensating for not using my thumb as much and too much work. Well, unfortunately, work is a necessity in my life (how about you?) so that will continue and I guess as long as it is hurting I know I am alive. :-)

Have a great day!

Notice

Have you ever noticed how people who are in their late twenties and thirties complain about aging and worry about birthdays? Have you ever noticed that when you get into your fifties aging is not as big of deal as living and a birthday is a celebration of life?

Just saying. . .

Baaah

I wish I was at Sock Summit. . . .
1. Enjoying the sun is my favorite summertime activity.
2. My favorite John Hughes movies is the Breakfast Club.
3. Di’s snout is something I love to touch.
4. The full moon makes me want to howl!
5. I need to take a nap right now.
6. When daylight fades I sometimes get a creepy feeling.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working (it is that time of year again), tomorrow my plans include more work and Sunday, I want to do nothing!

Arm, Help, WOW

I finally did it! I made a doctor’s appointment for my arm and kept it. lolol I hate going to the doctor, I always feel like I am whining about something, and know there is someone worse off than me. The orthopedic office I went to is one that cares for a lot of the sports stars in the area, so I was a little intimidated; but they were great! I saw the doctor, she manipulated my hand and arm, I has x-rays, and started physical therapy all in the same visit, how cool is that?? BTW, have any of you had x-rays recently? The system this office uses is digital and they post to the dr’s computer immediately with no films being involved at all; it was a great process to watch (I haven’t had x-rays since 1995 so it was all new to me.)

Anyway, after all of the pushing and prodding, my arm hurts, but they think I have tendonitis in my wrist and elbow that is aggravating the carpal (as if it weren’t aggravating enough); this means I have to go to physical therapy two mornings a week for the next three weeks. Then at that point the doctor will re-evaluate the whole mess. But I am also supposed to rest my arm and thumb as much as possible, which I do not see happening at this time of year (end of the federal fiscal year) since I start working Saturdays this week. And I was knitting in the office while I was waiting on the doctor, she just laughed, and said to stop knitting for a few weeks.

Help please
I need to get some stitch markers to have on hand for some swaps I am in. Can anyone recommend a good Etsy shop for them?? I hate doing the search thing, yes I know I am lazy, but I also like using other people's recommendations for shopping on line.

Here is a picture of my Devil Cat helping me play cards with DD2. Isn’t her glare loverly?