Monthly Archives: February 2008

N-Ice Day

We’re having a not so icy day.  However, the family business trusted the weather folks, and we were all prepared for a big, crippling ice storm last night, so the Knight and I are at home.  I’m the only one awake, actually.  Mugsy and Sissy did get out of bed with me, but they’ve romped around the house, and it’s morning siesta time.

It’s amazing how much we think like our friends sometimes, isn’t it?  I have two in particular for which “really? me too!” is so commonplace that we laugh about it.  Nichole and I connected through one of many mutual swaps last year, and within a few emails had decided we were twins, separated by time and space.  Emails often include snarks about “wondertwin powers” now, and if you get that, maybe you’re our wonder triplet…  Firefly and I have many, MANY years of knowing we share opinions and experiences that most others don’t, but every now and again, it still makes me laugh.

So, imagine my surprise when I’m blog reading this morning, and she has THIS up.  Why is that funny?  Because this morning, when I reached for sweats instead of tailored jeans and a twinset, I thought about my attire behaviors and attitudes.  I don’t “dress up” on a daily basis, because I work in the construction industry and have three dogs in the office with me.  In years past, I’ve worn more tailored pants to work, but Sissy and wool pants are a bad combo right now.  Still, I NEVER go to town in sweats, and I ALWAYS put on my jewelry before leaving the house.  The firehouse is an exception to the rule, but I won’t even wander into one of the country stores on either side of the trip to the station from our house if I’m in sweats.  Weird, huh?  But now I know.  I am a Shlumpadinka.  Fine.  I’ve been called worse. 

Now, I’m going to shlump into the kitchen and tend to a few things.  I’ll be back later to share something that has photos and is perhaps more interesting.

Party Line

Anyone else grow up in truly rural America long enough ago that you know what I mean?  If not, THIS explains it, although I can assure you, it was alive and well in the early 1970s in rural Virginia.  I never got the selective ring thing, and answered the phone every time it rang, unless an adult could physically restrain me. 

Anyhoo, what we need today folks is a conference call, so I can fill everyone in.  I don’t do a regular bloglines or anything, but today’s one of those days where there’s a lot I think you might want to know.

Holly and her mom need some positive vibes.   You can pop over and read Holly’s explanation, but her mom’s sick and possibly in surgery as I type.

Amanda has posted some to DYE for new colorways.  I’d like one of everything (except the yellow, cuz, you know… I’m just not a fan), but that wouldn’t be fair to everyone else, so just pop over and beg her to hurry up and put it in her Etsy store.

Can I get a wooohooo for Mary?  She attempted to knit a sock last year, but got frustrated (she’s a very new knitter, but sock-obsessed).  I *LOVE* her crocheted pedicure socks, and may attempt a pair myself one of these days.

There’s also my bud Michelle, who found what I could not yesterday:

Accurate enough… and it is my favorite tea…

Ever heard “careful what you ask for, you might get it?”  Well, Nancyand I were laughing about shopping and blogreading at work one day, and a few hours later, Nichole and I were doing the same, so… 

Welcome to the club!  Grab a button while you’re taking that phonecall, and be on the lookout for a Ravelry group in due time.  We might be busy women, but we’re never too busy for yarn, shopping or blogs!  (And no, we don’t happen to actually work 9-5, but does anyone other than Nichole and me remember Dolly in the movie 9-5?)

Meet Samantha…

Sam’s the dog.  The guy in the background is my brother inlaw.  He and my sister welcomed Sam into their home last weekend.  She’s a three month old black lab, and she already has them under her spell!

She will meet her doggy cousins this weekend, if all goes well.  She and Sissy should be about the same size, and the poor prince will be out-numbered!  Of course, there will be plenty of humans on hand to play too…

Welcome to the family, Sam! 

Don’t forget to check out the other Dogs on Thursday!

Coffee Confessions

Well, it’s been more than a couple of months since the Coffee Swap, where Michelle  spoiled me rotten.  I thought about emailing her with an update, and decided that perhaps everyone might care (or not).  If you recall – or for those who didn’t read that post – I basically signed up because Anners (poke, poke??) and Holly were hosting, to be supportive and a good friend.  Ha!  The joke was on me.  I went from liking an iced coffee from McDonald’s once in a while, with a Starbucks peppermint mocha once a week or so during the winter holiday season, to reaching for a cup of joe in the mornings at work instead of a cup of tea.


You Are a Frappacino


At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modernAt your worst, you are: childish and over indulgentYou drink coffee when: you’re craving something sweet

Your caffeine addiction level: low

(Not so much, me thinks.  Michelle is the only person who has called me sweet more than once.  Low addiction level is about the most accurate part…) 

Now, here’s more than you want to know perhaps, but I’ve thought a lot about this.  I’m still a tea girl at heart (anyone up for another tea party?), however I’ve come to realize that I don’t hate coffee; I dislike cheap, poorly brewed coffee.  I also have learned that I like a bold roast.  Not terribly dark, but not so mild that I might confuse it with black tea when I add a generous slosh of milk, or preferably, a flavored creamer.  No sweetener, aside from whatever’s in the creamer, thanks much, and if I can see steam, it’s too hot.  Evidently, I did not inherit my Nannie’s asbestos lips as she called them.  For that reason, I like the liquid creamers best, but the powders do travel well!  Interestingly enough, I seem to prefer a simple roast for my coffee, with the flavor in the creamer, not the bean.  Who knew!?

At home, I still prefer tea, black in the morning (or chai), followed by green tea until about dark, and then white tea.  I didn’t consciously decide I’d do the tea caffeine step-down throughout the day; my body and tastebuds just really seem to like that routine.  The Knight bought me another electric kettle so I can make a “proper” cuppa’ at work too, but I suspect the social part of me will still reach for coffee in the morning, even if I rarely do finish the cup.  (Note to self: take a smaller cup to work for the coffee and leave the big mugs for the tea, but never the two shall mix!  Yep, a little OCD here…  If I drink coffee from a mug, I have to wash it vigorously by hand and then run it through the dishwasher before I’ll use it for tea.) 

Also, if I’m thirsty, it must be green or white tea.  Coffee or black tea doesn’t quench my thirst.  If only I could listen to my body so well on food choices and exercise and…

So, thanks to Michelle, Anne and Holly for introducing me to a brave new world.  My coffee pot at home still only brews for Anne (or other guests), but I have broadened my horizons, and I liked it.


You Are a Cappuccino


You’re fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new.

However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like.

You are a total girly girly at heart – and prefer your coffee with good conversation.

You’re the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please
(That is me, about as close as any silly quiz can get.)

Doggy (& Kitty) Class

Which reminds me…  I need to try to find a trainer that will allow my 4th months old this coming Sunday girl to start obedience school!

Anyhoo, I’ve been discussing the possible causes of Sissy’s gastro-ick with many folks, and I’ve learned a few things I thought the other pet lovers out there would like to know.  We’ve collectively decided that Sissy’s system finally got enough of the “city” water and that caused her problems, so our little Britta pitcher will be stored in the Lexus and go with us wherever Sissy goes, just in case.  She seems to have made a complete recovery, and got her Grammy (MJ) to convince me to give her some kibble – just a small handful – with her next to last serving of the special canned food for bad tummies. 

More importantly, I thought I was very much in the know on what greenery is poisonous to pets.  Wrong.  Mary and I learned this morning that honeysuckle is “potentially” poisonous, and there are some other surprises on the list too.

Now if you’ll excuse the diva, she’s ready to rest.  That means I can devote my attention to online shopping. 

Oh – and you need to scoot over to Donna’s for a contest and tell her I sent you!

(Does hitting the bold button make it easier to see that I’ve linked somewhere?)

Sissy, Sand and Sage Advice

(But not in that order.) 

Many of you have great LYSs and/or a special person who can always bail you out when you’re stuck on a pattern, or when you want to substitute another yarn or…  I’ve not had that, not in the retail sense, so it makes Jeanne of Knitting Addiction such a treat.  I walked in with a pattern I’d ordered online and downloaded at home, mumbling and confused.  Didn’t bring my work in progress, but within seconds, Jeanne knew not only where my confusion came from, but she quickly cleared it up with a quick sketch and I was on my way.  (Note to all new lace/shawl knitters: Just because you start with five stitches doesn’t mean you’re *NOT* starting from the neck down.  Maybe that’s intuitively clear to most, but it wasn’t to me, and I felt so much better when Jeanne explained that she knew instantly how to “fix it” for me, because it hadn’t been clear to her either when she’d done a similar shawl, until she took it off the needles and manipulated it around.

Obviously, it needs to be blocked in a pin style, and that will happen this week.  Once it goes to its secret destination, I’ll share details.  And yes, you do see my patient and my faithful assistant there on the left.  I’ll be doing more lace and more shawls.  They’re as addictive as socks!

So, a Sissy status report.  We saw the third vet at our new clinic, who is actually the manager, owner, head honcho.  He’s incredible, and Sissy liked him too.  He gave her a shot of something to stop the vomiting, and it must be working.  So far, so good.  If this continues, she can have a few sips of water this evening, and some special “bad tummy” food in the morning…  He’s assuming that despite constant vigilance, she ate a bite of something that she shouldn’t have.  Sigh.  Life with a basset…

Sissy also wants y’all to know that while she loves the beach, especially the sand, the ocean is cold and pushy, cactus needles hurt the the lip and the pads of a girl’s feet, and one should never sleep too close to the edge on a sofa.  Dr. Chris (the vet) says it sounds as though tequila should be involved in there somewhere…  (I told you he was great!)  We didn’t know there was a tiny little cactus at the base of one of the piers under the house.  Sissy found it.  Twice.  She was asleep on the sofa with her ailing Dadaw, on her back, in his arm, and he moved.  She moved too, and hit her hip on the coffee table before landing on her feet like a cat.  Despite it all, she loved the sand and the way it would blow (or could be dug) out of the way to reveal another layer of smells and stuff to explore. 

 

Mugsy was tough, as usual, and didn’t mind the cold water. 

He even eyed this board thingee, but decided the neighbor kid wasn’t going to share too readily, so he moved on.

That’s the way those three spent Friday, Saturday and much of Sunday.  I don’t know if they sensed that the Knight wasn’t well, or whether the were annoyed by my rather large knitting project that made my lap a non-option.  And yes, the princess is well on her way to being the queen, because if you haven’t noticed, she’s quite often perched on a throne of some sort. 

Last, but hardly least, is my current work in progress.  It’s a neat little pattern – see my Ravelry notebook or wait until I’m done and I do the project review – perfect for watching a race and for riding for hour upon hour.  The yarn is another credit to Jeanne.  It isn’t something I would select normally, but the color is perfect, and it feels just like the name – Oh My!  I know my friend will love it, and now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to tend to an errand for the Knight and then head into town on my own errands, including picking up a book to help me select a pattern for the edge of this blankie.

Missed You!

Warning:  This is just a quick hello.  The full update post and more pictures of Sissy will come later, much later.  The short version – no wireless connection AT ALL, lots of knitting, sick Knight until Sunday, sick Sissy now.  We’re headed to the vet at 10am.  (Trust me.  You don’t want details.  She has an upset tummy that won’t quit, okay?) 

Most importantly, I have to thank all of the Dogs on Thursdays pups for their Valentines, and a very special thank you to dear Holly for her Valentine goodies, which arrived just in time for me to scoop it up and open it on the road! 

Yup.  Dark chocolate, to sooth me as the Knight is a typical, awful sick man, a cute bee to make me smile when I measure, and some chai that was a life saver, because I forgot to pack tea.  It would have been a real crisis, but my aunt is a tea drinker too… sorta’.  She drinks decaf and herbals. 

There was much knitting and frogging, but I still have a sizable finished object and a monster very nearly finished one too.  More on that after Sissy and I take our drive to the vet, where she’ll be examined in the car, just in case she’s contagious.  Of course, if she is contagious, either Mugsy and I will go BACK to the other side of the county for another visit, or (hopefully!) they’ll give me meds for the dog I still haven’t officially transferred there yet.  Sigh.  I was going to schedule a wellness/getting to know him visit for Mugsy next week, but with this visit and Sissy’s regular puppy visit the first week in March, Mugsy will just have to wait, and stay healthy-ish!

Happy Feet

aka: another FO.

MJ wanted a pedicure before she modeled the Pediwicks.  Life as a model for a daily (and then some!) blogger is rough. 

Details:

Pattern:  Pedicure socks  Loved it.  Quick, easy, fun, and truly mindless, especially went one punts the two-color instructions.

Needles: Size 6 dpns (I knit loosely, except on a toe-up cast-on, right Anne?)

Yarn: Wick (better than wool for the purpose, MJ and I decided) Two skeins, because it takes about 2/3 a skein per sock.  I love this yarn, but y’all have heard that before.  I think it will be perfect for that post-foot-soak-massaged in oil state our feet are in before the toes get painted.

MJ loves them because they’re not too tight, they’re soft, and the colors make her happy.  Makes me want to whip out a pair for me en route to the beach and then get me a pedicure of my own while it’s 60+ degrees tomorrow or Sunday…

And yes, the Prince is checking them out too.  There’s another shot where you can see just the tiniest bit of Sissy’s tail in the corner.

The dogs have already gotten their Valentine’s gifts.  The Knight had to run by PetsMart to pick up 7-day feeder tablets for Flipper, the unphotographable fish, and he decided the dogs needed presents.  (I don’t have a present, and I’m starting to pout.  I don’t want flowers, because they can’t ride to the beach and therefore, they’ll die before we get home.)

Sissy got a matching, huge blue one, but the photos of her playing with it with Shadow didn’t come out so well.  Use your imagination.  And yes, my dogs are that good, that our “pantry” is right behind Mugsy’s bed.  I wouldn’t trust Sissy alone any length of time, but while the humans watch, she knows to leave it alone.

My Valentine

Pop over to Dogs on Thursday for a little bio on Mr. Mugster.   I was tickled pink that Paula asked to feature him on today of all days!  He will always be my little Valentine. 

(Wasn’t he a beautiful baby?!)

Of course, Sissy has equal footing in my heart too.  She is very much a pack animal, and gets upset when any of her pack – two or four legged – leaves her. 

We’re trying to teach her to stay out of the blinds…

Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you.  I’ve never been a fan of the day, but I hope each of you has some love and laughter today and always.   

Fishy Found his Home

Well, my cocoa swap package swam through the East Coast’s freezing rain to my downstream pal.  JoAnn and Scoochie were delighted with Fishy, as I’d hoped, and as many of you predicted.  I’m eager to knit up some for a mobile for the beach house, but my knitting – and crocheting – bags are already packed for four days of yarn and sand.  (Nosey, aren’t you?  Secret projects, Sissy’s crochet snuggle, not including the yarn I’m buying Friday morning for the baby blanket, due March 8th.  Thank goodness Michelle turned me onto the pinwheel blankie!) 

I hope everyone is having a nice cocoa swap.  JoAnn and I met over the summer in another swap, but it was fun to have a series of emails exchanged and to learn more about her.  I’m also enjoying my spoiler, and I hope her hubby is getting well.  I’ll be thinking of her and her cool kid tomorrow and on Sunday.  (The NASCAR fans get it Jessi.)  

I’m basically packed, but Sissy…  Mugsy and Fred just pout(ed) when I pack.  Not Sissy.  Never having experienced that a suitcase means I’m leaving for a while, Sissy just thinks it’s a big toy box.  She likes knitted dishcloths, not that I have them in my suitcase, but the girl has a clean, folded laundry fetish.  Sweet Mugsy has taken Dadaw at his word, and/or knows what the doggy duffle bag looks like, so he’s nice and calm, just watching Sissy with mild annoyance.  (I did tell y’all about the Knight teaching Mugsy “beach” in November, didn’t I?)

Since so many of you are north of me, just to make sure you hate me…  the Knight is packing shorts.  Saturday, it won’t make 50 degrees, but Friday and Sunday it will be in the 60s.  I’ll take pictures, and maybe even get sunburned for you, okay?

This just in!  While I was grabbing Fishy’s photo, the Knight began attempting to catch Sissy and take some foreign object from her mouth.  This in itself is hardly noteworthy, as it happens about a dozen times each and every day.  However, it cracked me up that the soggy mess extracted from her mouth was my luggage tag, the paper part anyway.  Maybe she gets the suitcase’s leaving you behind aura after all.  The best part though?  The Dog Whisperer as friends and relations call the Knight had to admit that “She doesn’t listen to me.”  Ha!  After twelve years of being outnumbered sometimes as much as four to one, girl power is at work.  I simply said, “Sissy?” and she launched herself over Mugsy, plowing into my left side and the Knight’s frustrated hands.  Good girl.  She’ll get a reward for that later.