I've Been Busy!

I've been playing with the Html for my blog. So if you've been seeing some strange, odd colors here and there, it's because I've been spending a LOT of time trying to get the backgrounds to work with my new setup--you see, I didn't want the coloring to change, but did want a wider space to post in.

Image via CrunchBase

And I think I have finally got it. Thanks to Blogger Buster, Adjusting the Margins etc., and a few blogger template aficionado's from the World Wide Web, I finally realized that just one picture was hanging up the whole works and causing the background to error out.

So I redid the actual picture to the number of pixels I wanted, uploaded to Flickr and used it, instead of the original picture, and HOLY COW! It worked. My blog is back to normal.

Sorry, to those who have itty bitty screen resolutions, but you still should be able to view it--

In any case, it's Monday. It's hot. It's only 7 am. I've got the air conditioner on high, and I'm still hot. It's been too hot to knit, or even watch television! I surely hope that this isn't an indicator of how the entire summer is going to be. I will wither into a raisin! I sure hope not. After getting a closer look at this dude,

I think he's just about ugly.

Alma

Some cuties that watched the parade with me!

Alma is always a surprise, weather wise, and this weekend has been no exception. I've been going for the last 15-20 years, so you know that I've seen just about every sort of spring weather you can imagine--

One year, the day started out at approximately 60 degrees, which is PERFECT parade weather, if you're actually IN the parade. About 10 minutes before line-up, a cold front came through, and dropped the temp down to 40 degrees. Here we are in shirtsleeves! We froze that year..

Another year, it rained so hard that the drums filled up with an inch of water. Nothing sounds quite as nice as a waterlogged drum!

This year, however, temps were in the high 70's by the time the parade stepped off. I am SO glad that I wasn't in the parade! By the time the bagpipe bands got to where I was sitting (in the shade, spinning), they were so weary from the heat, that some sounded really bad. The only exception was the very first pipe band that had so many letters on their bass drum (an acronym for their name, I would guess) that I can't recall who they were, just that they did sound pretty good. I filled up 2 bobbins with plied yarn!

I watched the massed bands and cried again this year. I was so overcome that I decided that I would head back over to Ray's house and catch some z's. I didn't sleep at all the night before--hot and uncomfortable in some places and chilled in others--but unable to sleep due to excitement over the day and being in a different bed. I've always had that problem, and I have resolved that next year will be different. I will have to sleep at home on Friday night and go up early on Saturday morning. I can't do these "up for 36 hours" anymore. So exhausted, I fell into bed and I think I actually did sleep for a short bit (due to closing eyes and opening to find an hour had passed). I tried to catch some more sleep, but it was not to be, so I suited up and left again in time to watch the Grade II and Grade I bands compete. This was rather a misnomer "compete", since there was only 1 band in each grade. In actuality, I thought the Grade II band, pictured here from Chicago:
was a better band than the Grade I, and I suppose that there's not really much difference between the two, but I liked the Grade II medley better, and I believe that they could have beaten the Grade I band in direct competition, but that's just me.









This is the Grade I band-Peel Regional Police. They are really good, no doubt, but I didn't feel they deserved first place for their performance this day--they basically won by default, which means you can play as if it doesn't really matter (which it doesn't when there's no one to compete with you). I hope their scores reflected the poor performance.

I didn't get a lot of pictures (I know, I know, I did promise), but I was so sleepy! I had so much trouble finding a nice shady spot and a good vantage point for pics, that I just decided it probably wasn't much good trying! I did get some, but not nearly as many as in past years. And when I got home, I just threw off my clothing and fell into bed, and slept from 8pm to 11pm, woke up long enough to determine that my hubby still wasn't home, and fell into fitful sleep until he did get home (about midnight). Where was he all that time? Having his birthday at his mom's house, playing cards. Today is my birthday celebration with him, since I couldn't be with him yesterday--and I'm taking him to the Outback Steakhouse later.

I finished the lapghan for my hubby's cousin. It's beautiful. With the left over yarn, I'm thinking of making a shrug for her, using essentially the same pattern. I'll have to see how that goes. In the meanwhile, I have this laceweight mohair to make into a pretty wimple from knitty.com called Ice Queen (direct link in the right margin...way...down...there.)

Not much time left in the day, since I got too much sun (even in the shade) yesterday, and ended up sleeping another 3 hours, feeling sick, so laid back down again in the air-conditioning. When I got up, I began the process of unpacking and putting stuff away from yesterday. I sorted out a huge lot of knitting needles from my aunt-in-law's mother in law's stash. Figure that one out! This lady did a lot of sock knitting, I believe--she has a ton of size 3 double points, and a lot of acrylic sport weight that I inherited. It's all wound into cakes and put in my knitting drawer.

Well, off to package the afghan, put away the knitting needles and knit up Ice Queen. It's been a short day due to all my sleeping, but as long as I stay in the cooler room, I should be okay.

Sorry, So Short...

I tend to be that way when I'm in a hurry, and I was really in a hurry this morning. First off, I woke up late, second, I ended up taking a longer-than-usual shower, and third, traffic slowed me down, which made me even later for work than I already was.

Tonight is even worse, because I'm packing for the trip to the Alma Highland Games. I'm going light this year, taking knitting, spinning and my Scottish garb--plus a couple changes of clothing, as I'll be there for two days and probably two nights, because I want to go to the ceilidh--which I have NEVER been to the ceilidh. I will need to buy some sun-block when I get there.

Most of the time, I expect that I will wear jeans and t-shirt, because I believe it's going to be too hot to wear the garb all day. I'll save the garb for the ceilidh--in case somebody asks me to dance. I have no idea if there is dancing, actually. I will lay odds that there's a lot of drinking, which of course, I cannot do anymore.

I expect, however, that most of the time, I will be knitting or spinning SOMETHING.

I'm getting close to having the lapghan done. I figure another color trip (green, rose, blue pink), and then finish off with the yellow, and I'm done. Right now, working on the last rounds of the green--so you can see, it's almost done. After that, I have to determine what I want to make--and I think that I will take along the wave afghan, as it's the most portable. It's also the WARMEST--which probably isn't a good idea in this heat wave we've been having. So perhaps I should consider making something else? It appears that I am going to have quite a bit of the yarn left over from the lapghan--I could make a shrug to go with it? That might take a little designing, but it would be do-able. I'm not sure that I want to work that hard, actually. Maybe I'll check my queue on Ravelry, or perhaps the latest patterns? The day will be too busy for Meister...or any sort of lace work, and too many people asking this question or that, which I am not disturbed by the questions, but it is difficult to maintain any sort of counting in a busy atmosphere.

I'm rather at a loss now. Almost everything is packed and in the car, with the exception of the things I need to use in the morning--which I will pack the final "things" at that time.

So I could sit in the air conditioned bedroom and knit, but I have no chair in here. It's too hot to knit in the livingroom. Perhaps it's time to bring in a chair? I believe that I will do it.

Lots of pictures when I get back! Have a great holiday weekend!

Ground Zero

There are plans to build a mosque 2 blocks down from Ground Zero in New York.

How do you feel about that?

Almost Alma!

I took tomorrow off to ease the preparation for Alma.

I'm excited about this. I'll have all day to prepare, which really doesn't take much time. I can run up to Alma Friday evening, knowing that I have everything, because I'll have made a list today of everything I need to take. All will be packed into the car on Friday, and I'll take off--knitting in hand.

Alma Highland Games are usually a HUGE thing for me. All the colors. All the pomp and circumstance. I don't know--it just takes my breath away. They have their own website, too, but for now, must go to the office.

CYA!

Monday Evening

Just full of adventure.
Not.

Hubby and I put 3 laundry baskets full of clothing away-mostly hangup stuff, but some foldables, and organized the bedroom so that we can get the air conditioner in the window and hooked up. I pulled it out of the closet by myself--not too difficult a task, but hubby had to put it in the window, and before we could do that part, all the laundry had to be dispatched--because it was in the way.

We spent an hour clearing before the a/c was finally in the window. It is cooling off now, being about 7pm, but still VERY warm, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in a cooler atmosphere tonight.

There's still a lot of work left to do, but at least we'll be able to sleep tonight.

I pulled some cards on my ex-husband this morning, due to the little girl who spoke my name last night in the bedroom, and the dream about him which was decidedly prophetic, which of course, I won't remember until it happens. I drew cards from my deck at the office, and they spoke to his back troubles, spirituality and fear. I inquired with his sister-in-law as to whether he was still planning to have surgery to try to correct his back, or if he'd had it. All she told me was that she hadn't talked with him since February.

Honestly, the cards are saying he's still having back trouble, and also with finances, and thinks that his world is basically falling apart. Since he has moved a couple times this year, it is apparent that he's having trouble making ends meet. I began to wonder if he's afraid to have the back surgery because he thinks it might kill him--of course, it wouldn't surprise me if he was telling that story to his wife. I expect that he might even think that if he dies, he without doubt will go straight to aych, ee, double toothpick, and that's where the spirituality comes in.

But back surgery is a touchy matter, of course--one slip, and he's in a wheelchair, and of course, there is a good chance that it could leave him in more pain, do absolutely NO Good, or alleviate the pain he currently has. How many coins do you know with four sides?

Back surgery runs the whole spectrum of possibilities, I suppose, but the chance to do better might be worth the risk. Then again, manipulating others around you with guilt and "pity-me" behavior has its perks, if you know what I mean. Maintaining the status quo might be more preferable--even if there is pain in the equation--as long as there is someone else around to wait on him hand and foot, with a "poor baby", that he probably hasn't heard since his mom died.

Anyway, back to the heat...absolutely oppressive, and glad that the A/C is installed, ready to plug in and run. I should sleep well tonight.

What Would we DO without Monday?

Oh, I don't know. Sleep in, perhaps?

The weather last night was muggy, and the air was suffocating. I couldn't sleep without my trusty sleeping pill. The fan was on high all night long.

Image via Wikipedia

This week is shaping up to be a scorcher, and I informed my husband Sunday night that we should probably put in the air conditioner--to which he replied:

"I'm not about to put in the air conditioner this early in the season."

Season? It has to be a "season"? I thought it just had to be miserable hot to the point where I'm pulling out my hair (or shaving it off my head) just for relief from the sweat and the constant scratching.

But this morning, the air has calmed down. The birds are happy for the cooler reprieve, and are singing outdoors--and probably, if I look really quickly, I'll catch that early bird getting that worm. Oh, there he is! So you're the one who started singing before sunup and woke me up--I toss my SHOE AT YOU!

Image via Wikipedia

Because it's just before dawn--about 5:45 am, and since I'm awake, I'm getting coffee ready, and preparing for my day, such as it is. Since hubby got up, too, and snagged the shower before I got the chance. I'm here--with you.

Today's card is the Page of Discs which basically tells me it's going to be a "get 'er done" sort of day. However, because the card is reversed, it means that there will be barriers to "getting it done", so I'm going to have to watch out for that. Maybe a message? Maybe illness?

As I drifted off to sleep last night, however, I heard someone young and female call my name. I couldn't quite determine who (or what) it might have been, but it was quite distinct.

Okay, now the voices are talking to me. Schizophrenia is just around the corner.

The weather is supposed to be nice (and hot) for the next couple of days, so I'm going to be hauling that air conditioner out of the closet and into the main room, so that hubby can put it in the window, so that we can be cooler at night. Then we're supposed to have rain on Wednesday and Thursday, then cooler (unseasonably cool) weather for the holiday weekend. There's a chance we might break some records this week--both in highs and lows. Just what I love--a weather pattern that can't make up it's mind.

Is it too late to move to Hawaii?

Spending Sunday Morning...

Image via Wikipedia

Plans are to eat breakfast at Denny's this morning, but hubby has me editting photos for his CNC class. I hope it doesn't last long, because I've been awake since 5 am--and I'm HONGRY!

After this, I have a class at JoAnn's to teach--that reminds me, I have to prepare my student handouts...

Now that it's started, I can continue...

This morning, the Wood Thrush was in our front yard. The light was just perfect, but by the time I got my camera around, he was gone. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

In the meanwhile, I have things to do that I won't be able to get to until much later. I'm hoping to get in some time house-cleaning.

Someone take my temperature.

But just for kicks, I thought I might add a picture, totally unrelated, that was just so cute, that I couldn't resist. It's not the Wood Thrush, but there you go.

Image by brendan.lally....on and off right now via Flickr

Progress on Blanket

It isn't big enough, and I'm nearly out of the rose (last rows are rose, get it?).

So I bought another skein, just in case.

I think it's looking pretty good! I really like the blue, and think that I'll make another lapghan with a few more stitches and just one color--that blue is just electric...even though it's called "Dusty Blue".

I never would have bought the mustard, either, but it really sets the stripes off.

Image via CrunchBase

I've re-installed a widget that helps me post my blog, called Zemanta. I used this program once before, and I really liked it.



I like posting pictures in my blog that have to do with what I'm writing about. Apparently, it's a little buggie, as I have to re-arrange the pictures to coincide with the posting differently. It didn't "goof up" before when I had it, so I'm not sure if it's operator error or not.

Image via Wikipedia

I drew a tarot card this morning-The King of Swords reversed-with just the query, what's to happen today. Note that it's a man, set on a throne, holding a sword? This is a warring King. Usually, when I draw him upright, I know that I have to beware of my husband's moods. Reversed, however, means that plans for today might go completely awry, and it's usually *his* plans, rather than mine.

Image via Wikipedia

In the meantime, I've had my coffee, and I'm thinking it's time for breakfast, but what to eat? I'm thinking about bacon and eggs, but pancakes sounds much more appetizing.

Okay, Who Turned Out the Lights?

Well, I had quite a scare yesterday.

Hubby wanted Hungry Howie's for supper, and it was lightly raining, but we could both tell it was going to cut loose really soon. I didn't think it would be a problem--after all, I've driven in the rain before.

It came pouring down on my way to get the pizza, but slowed when I arrived, so I walked up to the door and bought my pizza. When I came out, I could smell ozone in the air, and knew that it was going to pour again, so I started to jog to the car, and the deluge began.

By the time I was on the road again, it was coming down so hard that I couldn't see well--except for the gray lines in the sky telling me it was coming down so hard that you could actually see the rain coming down from the sky! When I arrived at the 4 corners, I could see that the wind was really starting to get going, and that frightened me more than anything. I had a delivery to make, so I continued on.

When I got to a section of woods down by the river, I had someone behind me--the rain was coming down so hard that ahead of me was dark grey and nearly night. Suddenly, a limb came down and fell on the car! It hit the car just above the windshield, and I thought I was a goner! I think that God was watching out for me, though, because it seemed to bounce off the top of the car and landed behind me. I didn't see how big or small it was, but the car behind me didn't follow, and now I'm worried that they didn't make it--but all I could think of at the time was getting home to safety.

There were other sections of road where there didn't seem to be any light, just this crazy grey--as if all the color had gone out of the world. I just kept on driving until finally I arrived at home. I sat in the car in the driveway, trying to assess my options, while the rain came down in constant sheets--which made me think of Noah's Ark and all that. The ground is pretty well saturated, and there's no place for the water to go--and water was EVERYWHERE. I finally got out my umbrella, opened it just outside the door, picked up the pizza, and ran for the safety and dry of the garage, and dropped the umbrella, and went into the house.

I was soaked from head to toe. SOAKED.

But the limb from the tree really scared me, and I was shaking all over.

I hope the person behind me is okay.

We didn't lose our lights at all, even with all the lightning, I understand that lightning struck a gas station in town and literally tore up the concrete. It really makes you think. I know I was safe in the car as far as lightning is concerned, but we have lots of trees on our property, and there's one tree that I worry about--as it's close to the house and quite old and VERY tall. It even leans toward the house, so were lightning to strike it, there's no question that it would fall on the house.

I've actually asked my hubby to cut it down, but it appears to be his favorite tree of all the trees on our property. Go figure. Yes, it's tall. Yes, it's fairly straight. He doesn't get that it's probably the most dangerous tree on our property. I can't seem to get that through his BONE HEAD.

Men!

Working, Working, Working

It seems it's all I ever do.

Presently, working on a really pretty afghan.

Although now, this piece is presently twice as long as in the picture above.

It's from "The Shop on Blossom Street", Lydia's Baby Cables, but don't let the name fool ya. There's nothing "cable" about it. You can get it at Amazon, or you can get it at Leisure Arts, which is where I got my copy.

The original is done in one color, but you can change colors on the rows where there's a right twist (RT) and this is the result. I'm also carrying the yellow up the sides, which means I have some tangling while I knit, in order to wrap the yarn around the working yarn so that I have no holes. There is also weaving in ends, but I've been doing that as I go, so it hasn't been so bad. Currently, I'm on the second repeat of colors, and have started the lighter pink again, so as I said, it's nearly twice as big as pictured.

I finally got my car posted on Craig's List. We'll see how that works out.

Beautiful spindles here and I'm thinking of getting one of their Turkish spindles.

This one especially interests me, although the cost is a bit on the high side...You might know I'd pick one of the most expensive and most rare types of wood available. Good taste has it's pitfalls--especially when one doesn't have the budget for it. Sigh.

If I sell my car for what I'm asking, I think I will buy a new laptop, and this spindle. The rest will go into the bank for the purchase of the next car. I want a little one that gets good (okay, excellent) gas mileage, or else an electric car. There's also been some discussion of creating a car that will run on moonshine....remember The Waltons? Moonshine, or "corn squeezin's" is ethanol alcohol. It burns cleaner (and hotter) than gasoline. My stepson thinks that he could modify a car to run ethanol, but running a still to make the alcohol?????? Holy cow! You thought Meth labs were combustible! Even so, he thinks that he can do it without blowing up our barn. We'll have to see about that. I remember on the Waltons, these little old ladies sold their "pappy's recipe" by the quart. It got John Boy and his brother out of a couple of "oops, I ran out of gas" situations. However, I imagine that the process would require licensing and regulation and regular "checkups" by the bureau--so the matter has been tabled.

And last night, hubby was talking about opening his own CNC shop. Not that I know what that is, really, and since he's a little tight with his money, I doubt that he'll shell out $20K to open a shop. Considering how Michigan screws with it's businesses as far as taxes, I should think that Michigan would be the last place on earth that he'd want to open a shop. See, he's taking a class at LCC that's supposed to get him a job. I'm not sure why he's so bent on being employed again, except for the fact that he's just got nothing to do with himself except to work. He's hopeful. I just hope that the class doesn't try to stick him in Missouri or Kansas. I wouldn't like moving to Kansas. Too many tornadoes go through there.

Well, I'm off to go work on my afghan again. More pics tomorrow.

Life as We Know It

I have to say that life goes on all around you, even when you only feel half alive--as is the case when you have a migraine. You just want the world to stop so that you can jump off the life bus and go hide in a very dark hole.

Even so, life goes on outside your little, dark hole. You find the presence of mind (or what's left of it) to go outdoors and feed a squirrel by hand. You listen from inside a yoga-like trance to your husband while he rails against you on the phone for not cleaning out the catbox and so the cat has gone potty in his favorite chair--and when it gets to be just a bit too much, while driving in stop and go, you simply hang up and pretend the call dropped later.

You work, slowly and deliberately, picking your words carefully to keep the caller from yelling in your ear--which doesn't help when you answer the phone and they yell at someone else on their end of life.

Then, there are the folks who like to continue to press buttons in your ear--that does wonders for your hearing alone--nevermind the migraine that is basically taking your breath away.

I never used to have migraines. I don't know where they came from or why I have them on occasion now, but I sure wish they would go back to where they came from!

It's Raining

Well, Monday was really similar to last week work-wise, so it was pretty much a horrible day. One woman even accused us of sending out an affidavit TWO WEEKS AGO--when we didn't even know about the problem until ONE week ago (Monday), and didn't start sending affidavits until Wednesday.

Well, I suppose her math was a little off. But she shouldn't have tried to argue with me over the matter. There wasn't anything I could do anyway.When I arrived home, I breathed in deep the smell of home, got supper going, let the dog out and got my knitting "prepped". Then I went back to the kitchen, picked out the rest of supper and then hubby walked in, letting the dog come in, saving me the extra job. He'd also picked up the mail on his way in. Good man.

After we ate, we sat down for movies and television and knitting and crocheting. We watched the last of season 1 of "Chuck", then the season finale of "House", "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory". I worked the second color stripe on the diamond lattice lap afghan and several rows on the wave afghan, and yes, I am working two afghans at once. Thanks for asking.

The Wave afghan is 4 feet long now, and becoming rather heavy and difficult to maneuver. I still have 6 skeins to go--I hope that I didn't buy too much. At the office, on break, I'll add the next color change to the Diamond Lattice, and work as much as I can on it, then bring it home and finish out the stripe. I'm changing color every diamond, and I think it's going to look pretty good. I'm also considering making another perhaps larger one for the house. When I finish the stripe, I will work more on the Wave. The Wave will be a warm addition to our living room.

I found a truly NEAT product for folks with cats or dogs. It's called The Fur Fighter by Scotch (the people who brought you tape and Post-It Notes. The Fur Fighter is a fur removal tool--it even removes ground in fur, and rather than a sticky substance, it has little hooky fabric stuck to the handle--much like velcro--but FAR smaller. This thing REALLY works. It comes with 4 extra fabric "covers" Sadly, once the fabric is full, it is near impossible to remove the fur from it and use it again and again, the velcro holds on to the hair so well. Still, it works really well, and the best product on the market that I've been able to find. I got mine at Walmart. It came with a $2 coupon to buy more of the fabric...which of course is removable from the handle by a sticky substance, which I would wager is from the engineers at the 3M company (also Scotch).

So if you have animals in the house, you really need this products. NAYY.

In other news, I inquired of the Tarot what's happening with my ex--it would appear that he has begun a new job that he's going to be very happy with. I pulled the Ace of Pentacles. The beginnings of financial freedom with the added chains of actual work. I hope it works out for him.

Monday, Already!

It was one weekend, far too short. I'm still exhausted from last week, and in no hurry to get back to the office because of what's been happening for the last week and a half.

People are really angry, and want to take it out on whoever answers the phone. This is why no one is answering the phone. By 3:00 pm Friday, I'd *HAD* it, and was ready to head for the hills. I'm glad we have higher security in our building, because otherwise we'd be having bomb threats--of that I am quite sure.

And these days, anybody can make a bomb, you know? There are instructions online for making simple, but deadly bombs that are so easy, children can do it. Add in a desperate, defective thought process, and you've got a bomb waiting to happen.

In other news, the Tarot is telling me that my ex is trying to go out on his own to find a new job opportunity. It doesn't appear to be successful, even with the man of higher finances pointed him in that direction and offered to put in a good word there.

No further visions on the little girls.

I bought a denim shirt yesterday to wear to work, but it's a little on the warm side, and I might not be able to wear it all day. We'll see.

I worked a little on the afghan for my hubby's cousin with ALS, and I like how it's working out, except that the yarn gets all tangled when you're working with 3 different pieces of yarn. I got a little aggravated with it, and put it down in favor of the wave afghan (crochet). I got 4 rows before I realized that I was doing it wrong, and had to rip back. Then I redid those 4 rows plus a few more while we watched television. I'll take the prayer 'ghan to work for break times and lunch.

Wish me luck. This is going to be a horrible day.

Sleepy Sunday

Today is a day of REST. I have been going at both ends all week--including Saturday, and today, I plan to sit down, relax and knit.

Well, except for groceries.
And taking in the sample for JoAnn's.
And making food up for the day.
Maybe I'll vacuum..the floors do need it.
And I'd like to get the swing onto the deck--although I won't be able to do that by myself. I figure hubby and I can do it. Maybe.
How did someone word it? Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

Perhaps I'll just drink some coffee.

In the meanwhile, planning stages for the afghan for my hubby's cousin with ALS. Not a lot of planning here to do, except I have all these scraps of yarn from the samples I made for JoAnn's, and I plan to use them up. Instead of making a single color afghan for her, I'm going to make a multi-colored one--which may or may not turn out right, depending on how the yarn behaves in the pattern, but I'm hoping to make a striped afghan. This will keep me from having to buy a couple of skeins of yarn. The pattern only calls for two (it's a baby afghan) 3 oz skeins, and that sounds like a small (read that "itty bitty") blanket--and I'd like something lap-size. What I have left in the 5 colors I purchased for the sample should work out just fine. I think that I'll make the border all one color, which means I have to split one of the colors in half, and carry two balls for the borders, and one for the color of choice inside, and work the pattern as I did for the bunny illusion cloth I did long ago. And since I can't remember how I did it, a bit of trial and error is called for in the re-make.

So there will be some thought into this afghan, which means the making will take a little longer than I'd hoped. But there you go.

I woke up this morning, and tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. I kept having visions--first of a denim jacket hanging on the wire for a traffic light near where I park, and then of a little girl, and then of three little girls, the girl in the center was the same as the first little girl...just strange, disconnected "pictures", not really "dreams".

When I asked the Tarot what they were about, I pulled the 6 of Wands Reversed.

The card is titled "Success", and in it's upright position shows a valiant hero, riding into town having succeeded in...perhaps slaying a dragon? Stoning a giant? But riding in on a white horse, indicating purity of purpose and a grand ticker tape parade (albeit with wands in the air instead of confetti) of folks all around, cheering.

Reversed, however, means a lack of success, even failure. Which could mean that I will fail to get the rest I need, or I will fail to get done everything I plan, or I will fail to make the afghan work--something may get in the way to cause me to be a failure--the horse will break down or the time will not present itself. Since I won't be going to work until tomorrow, I don't see how the visions I was having would tie into this particular card. I checked the National Website for Missing and Exploited Children and the AMW website, neither has a child that resembles the little girl I saw in the vision, and neither refers to a denim jacket...so I am at a loss. I don't know anyone with three little girls. I've checked the local news, and find no reference to any little girl, three little girls or a denim jacket either. The search comes up empty. It could be that the problem is sometime in the future--but at present, I am unsuccessful at finding any link at all.

Which leads me to ask, what good is "seeing the future" if you can't figure out who and when, and, if it's a murder or an abduction, you don't "see" the perpetrator!? In these ways, having access to medium-like tendencies, isn't much helpful AT ALL. The only thing I believe that I do know is that the three visions are linked in some way. The little girl was not white, but not black, either. I think she may have been Indian (as in "from India") or middle eastern, but there is some feeling of American in there, too. The three little girls looked more like "friends" rather than "sisters", because all three were approximately the same age--perhaps triplets? But I didn't get the sense or the "feeling" that sisterhood was involved. I don't know. The denim jacket on the wire for the traffic light had some decals on it--I think one was a Harley Davidson Eagle, but there were others. I'll watch for this indicator--it will tell me the day, I think, that something will show up on the news about this little girl. But the visions didn't say "what" was going to happen, either, although the sense of abduction or death is there, there was no indicator of "who done it". Sometimes, these things are just hidden from me.

I guess that I will just have to wait and see like everyone else.

The Birthday Party

There is really only one thing that can brighten a day beyond measure after a hard week at the office, and that's your grandchild's birthday party. And even though I was completely exhausted from the constant demands on my time and psyche, I went--knowing that I would have a great time.

Everyone came, except for those who live outside Michigan, and we all had a wonderful time. Hubby's kid has a wonderful home--a very close and extended family, and we all get along really well! It was a happy occasion, as well as blessed--

But on with the pictures...that's what you were waiting for, right?

First, the presents...gosh, you'd think this kid wasn't loved at all, would you? But with 4 generations still living, and all of them here, as well as step-relations, well, this girl had quite a haul.


The cake had a Cinderella theme (can't tell, can you?) What a great layout for a cake! Even I loved it! I took several pics of it, just for memory's sake! Fairy grandmother in the foreground with her wand in the air!


We lit the cake, and my grand-daughter sucked in a ton of air and blew out all 4 candles. She knew the drill, and did a GREAT job!


I got other pics of my grand-daughter opening her presents, but this is the one you wanted to see--the dress fit PERFECTLY--as if she'd been right there for a fitting! She even allowed me to put it on her, and she REALLY LIKES IT. She's going to wear it to church on Sunday. I bet it will be the hit of the day!


And after all was said and done, we all went home, but there was one picture that I wanted to share that really blew my mind. I snapped this pic just before my grand-daughter opened presents, and the screen on the camera was all blurry, which irritated me to no end, but when I actually looked at the photo on my computer...well, that was a totally different story. None of the other pics taken were like this, so it was a real shocker. The battery was a little low, and I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but I honestly believe that Grandpa Sutfin visited our party and gave his great-grand-daughter a special treat...check it.

Sorta gives me the wee willies...but there you have the party. And in case you were wondering, this pic was smack in the middle of all the pics I took this evening--family and friends and so on. No other pics came out this way, even though there were several where they were quite blurry, but NOTHING like this.

I asked the Tarot if Poppa Sutfin visited the party, and got the Ace of Swords. Entitled "intellect", and an air card, the sword reaches to the heavens and seems to draw energy from heaven above and earth below to make things "happen" in the here and now.

I'll take that as a yes.

I Had a Crazy Thought

Double you oh,
Double you oh!

In Lansing-

Woo woo!

Finished Project!

The dress is finished, and it looks EXACTLY like the picture in the book--

Unfortunately, at present, I have to upload pics to Flickr, which isn't responding so that I can get my pics--remember the printer issue? Well, it's not totally resolved...but I will try.

AH! Success! One moment while I edit..

TADA! I present--My Granddaughter's new dress!

But the Bestest Part is this....

One cool finishing, don't you think?

Pattern Found!

I finally found the pattern for the header on my blog! It's in Debbie Macomber's "Knit with Debbie Macomber: The Shop on Blossom Street" and it's sold at Leisure Arts. I ordered it this morning and can't wait to get it! I plan to make it lap-size for my hubby's cousin who has ALS. I think that she will appreciate it.

It's a quick knit, with lots of movement in the lace. I'm looking forward to it.

Coming Down to the Wire

The armholes are done, I just have to sew one of them up. All that's left is the neckline and a little steam pressie--and the dress is done! Pictures tonight, I believe, and none too soon. My DGD is 4 years old tomorrow!

I want to find a pretty pink box and some pink tissue and a little "Made by Grammy's loving hands" sort of label to put in the back on the inside.

But there is not really time to do such lovely things.

I woke up this morning, having slept just fine, but I still feel very tired. Even my cuppa isn't helping. I have no more drive. My "get up and go" has "got up and went". I think that I may have overdone it by staying up until 2am the other night. Go figure?

Work is still a hassle. The computer issues are still a problem and haven't been fixed. You see, once you've had a computer techie to do something, you find out that it's very difficult to UNDO it. That's why, when you "techie speak" you have to be very accurate and know what you want for the end result--and you have to communicate that very clearly and concisely, including what you DON'T WANT in the mix. If you don't, you're liable to get what the techie THINKS you want, and let me tell you--that is almost NEVER what YOU want. Something about everyone being different and what not is what causes that. Techie people do not assume. So if you tell them:

I want the addresses in the file updated to show the person's license address.

They will update the file with the address on the license--whether it's an open license or a closed one.

See my point?

Clearly, this is a communication error on the part of the requester. A better request would have been:

I want the addresses in the file update to reflect license addresses which are OPEN ONLY.

Of course, requesters never know this little bit of sly play on words until the file is updated and warrants go out to addresses that are from 14 years ago and the person has moved 3 times since then, and calls my office in angry frustration because they didn't get their check--WHY? All because there was some bureaucrat who didn't know how to request something from a techie.

Not that I'm bitter.

But the calls have come fast and furious from hundreds of people all over the US. Angry people that you have to pacify with the truth. Sorry. You didn't get your check because...but we're doing the best we can to work around that error. Even so, we don't have a projected date on when we'll be able to replace the missing warrant, because the computer issue has to be Undone before we can send them back out, and that could take some ...um..time.

Then you hold the phone 15" from your ear while they yell at you.

And you can still hear them.

It's been a really fun week at the office. Can you tell?

---
So hubb and I...we've been watching videos of the series "Heros". I just love that little Japanese guy Hiro. I think he's pretty cool. We started in Season 1, because neither of us watched it in the beginning/early days. So now we have a more accurate base from which to follow. The show isn't so bad when you can watch it, one episode after another like that, and it makes sense, although it's a little tough to follow with all the lives it covers. I can't decide if these "special" people were engineered or if they were born this way. The badguy (Claire's father) has this associate (a "special" sucker upper) who apparently can take the "special powers" away temporarily, because it doesn't seem to work on them permanently

, but DOES work for people who don't have those special powers, and leaves them basically with a form of amnesia. It's a little weird how it works. Peter Petrelli seems to be just such a "special sucker", but uses it for good, and can only use powers that actually belong to someone else when he's in close proximity to them. He doesn't use his power for evil, or to take away the powers, but uses them temporarily. Claire's father, however, would like to take them permanently. I think he might be Syler, but I'm not sure yet.

I have to prepare for the trip to the office. Hopefully, there will be a picture tomorrow of the finished dress. Stay tuned!

Printer is Finally Working!

After two more hours of frustration with the guys at Hewlett Packard, I finally got my guru on my machine, and he fixed it in an hour. There was nothing wrong with my machine, however, it was having difficulty recognizing the installer package, which was basically causing my computer to hack up a hairball...

If you know what I mean.

Hewlett Packard's Techie Team finally told me that my USB chipset was corrupted and that the install couldn't go forward until I replaced the drivers that ran it.

No instruction on how to do that, however.

And when I asked Hewlett Packard why the mouse works or why a flash drive (think thumb disk) worked in that usb slot, they told me that it was because a printer is far more complicated than a mouse or a thumb drive--

Well, it sounds plausible, but he was

WRONG!

Frankly, I think it was more likely his break time, and he was just trying to get rid of me.

But I called my guru, and he basically told me that Hewlett Packard doesn't really adequately support their hardware, and other news articles tell me that Hewlett Packard has basically decided that they were going to build software for their hardware that they'd also need to build an OS to support it. I think they were going to call it WINDOWS as opposed to Windows (note the italic "o") so that customers wouldn't get "confused".

But now, all seems right with the world, and tonight, I hope to make it work wirelessly, since now that I've had a successful (well, all things considered, it "works") install, I can proceed to make it wireless quite easily...

I hope.

Selling My Car

I'm going to sell my red sportscar on Craigslist.

I have a 2003 Red Grand Am--beautiful car. My husband doesn't want to pay for 3 cars to be insured, so I'm going to start driving his brand new car, and I'm going to sell my Grand Am.

This is a little disturbing on the one hand, because I really like my sporty little Grand Am!

It's a good thing on the other hand, because the Impala is newer and gets better gas mileage. It has, however, already been in an accident (due to hubby's neglectful driving habits), and therefore I feel will fare much better in my hands than in his.

So I have put the Grand Am into storage, and will one day have the interior detailed. Then it will be sold. I hope that I can get what I want for it price-wise. My step son tells me that for sure I should be able to get at least that much for it.

On a knitterly note, I have sewn the sides of the dress up, hemmed the lower edge and have picked up stitches for the armhole--only to find out that I'm going to need to work the armholes a la magic loop. I had initially thought perhaps double points, but then realized that I could work magic loop just as easily. I'll be working the armholes tomorrow, then. The neckline will likely be finished sometime, probably Thursday evening. Then I can give the article on Friday night.

All things remaining equal, it should be ready. I'm geeked about it.

A-Line Dress for My DGD

I am half done. The back is finished. I've started the front. Things are going well.

Except for my printer, of course, but I'm still working on that.

In the meanwhile, I have lots of knitting to do, AND I have to go to the store to get milk. We are out.

Pretty mundane stuff. I know.

We had thunderstorms yesterday, and the weatherman is calling for rain today as well. It sounds like another weekend stuck indoors--I can knit, but hubby has literally nothing to do with himself. Perhaps I'll get him involved in cleaning up the kitchen before I settle in for knitting.

Please note the evil grin on my face...

I had all kinds of cool stuff planned for today. Going to breakfast. Cleaning the kitchen. Going to his aunt's house to help sort through her mother in law's stuff--Mother In Law died recently, and his aunt just can't bear to do it alone. She was apparently really close to her MIL.

Hubby just wants to lay in bed. You know what that means. Doing nothing all day for him, while I work my rear off. Funny how that just really irritates me.

The Non-Techies of the World

Well, sometimes, we've just got it all goin' on.

I spent almost 3 hours last night on the net and on the phone with the guru that has been working with me for going on 12 years now with respect to my computers and my internet goings on.

Well, last night's "fiasco" was our attempt to put the printer on the network, along with our network connection. Nothing seemed to work. We finally uninstalled my printer from my machine and tried reinstall.

This didn't work AT ALL. And I sat on chat with Hewlett Packard over it for HOURS today. I missed an entire day of work over it, but I would not have been able to concentrate trying to figure out what the problem might be anyway, so I stayed home for a vacation day. They don't like it when I do that, but this just feels like an emergency. If you've ever gone without internet for a day, after having it for 12 years, well, picture a frantic, fat woman, on her last nerve, hair standing on end (though not much left TO stand on end for pulling it out for hours the night before trying to determine what went wrong!!), and a wild look in her eye--feverishly typing anything and everything she can into the computer, with much pleading and whimpering...well, there you have a pretty complete picture of me over the last 16 hours or so.

Finally, I gave up trying (after 7 tries) and took printer and cords into my husband's office and installed the software, added a printer, hooked up the usb, completed the install, then RE-installed another device changing it to a network printer with shared access.

All of this worked. Then I came back to MY machine, an connected to the printer on his machine. It was literally *that* easy.

Now I still need to know why it wouldn't connect to *MY* computer. Why the software wouldn't install. Why I am now a bald, fat woman with this wild look in her eye..but there you go.

I can now sleep at night. Imagine that? I have an entire weekend to do so.

Oh, and my guru? Happily bows to my greatness, and agrees with everything I did as being the cleanest way to go about it, all things considered, and we'll figure out why the software wouldn't install on my computer later. He mentioned something about Hewlett Packard being a company that basically tells you "It's not our machines--it must be your computer." as well as talking something about pressing the on/off button 35 times to make it crash and accept the network changes. To that, I can only say "HUH?" Although I did try it. Several times in fact.

All of this reminds me of the dude who sent in his hard drive to parse the drive's contents when it crashed, only to find out that it couldn't be saved, and the meltdown he had because of it. I've had that happen. It's going to cost a lot of $ to get that data back.

I'm going to miss that data.

Do You *Fe-el" Like I Do hoo?

Remember Peter Frampton?
Recently, he was on television for a car insurance commercial, and it was pretty cool to watch him talk through his guitar--had never seen it when he was in his heyday--back when I was in college. I remember his tunes, but usually in the context of listening to other people's vinyl--rather than my own. At the time, I didn't care much for him.

Now, however, that I see that he's nearly as old as I am (or maybe older--HUSH!), I find that some of the musical artists that I really didn't care for "back then" are suddenly "the golden oldies" or "retro hits". What?

I've pretty much come to terms with the idea that I grew up in an exciting musical time--Bob Seger, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent and a whole host of others. Most people thought I was nuts because I didn't care for the music. Back then I was a "Light Rock" or "Easy Listening" gal--Carpenters, John Denver. That sort of thing. Heck, I even liked Captain and Tenille.

Someone get a thermometer!

But now, the radio announcer plays those songs, and I think to myself:

"Wow, where did they pull THAT from? Out of some moldy closet?"

And then I wonder if he's making a comment about my age, and I get all huffy inside. It's pretty funny to watch, I imagine, as I start to realize that I'm just as moldy as that record is. First, initial shock registers while I ponder the conundrum, and then the aftershock hits.

It's like watching Mount St. Helen explode--not just erupt--explode. You get my picture.

So there I am, driving down the road, all puffed up about how I am *NOT* so old that my cousins were rocks and dirt...and then heave a sigh and resign myself to the idea that perhaps I've somehow turned into my grandmother--whoever she might be.

I tell you, some fat old lady took over my body during the night, and I'm really ticked off about it. Remember the fat, old witch from Bugs Bunny cartoon, who was going to cook Hansel and Gretel? I can see the hair pins fall out of my hair as I swiftly walk to work--oh yeah, there's one right there on the sidewalk--imagine that?

But seriously, my brain feels like it's about 25. It acts like it has Alzheimer's! What is wrong with you today, Brain?

They say the first to go is your memory. Now what were the other things?

Guess I'll just have to chew on that one. In the meanwhile, enjoy the posts and try to get some knitting done today. I didn't get any done last night..

HOLY SMOKES!

I'm back online with a vengeance! I switched over to Sprint, and they sold me a "router-air card" in one, that will connect 5 different devices and dongle a 6th.

We're looking at all of us being able to connect, cleanly and efficiently, with very little effort, and it worked like a charm.

But not at first.

I actually had to connect to it on my husband's computer first, and then I figured out how to change the configurations on my machine to force it to connect, and then, while I was on the phone with my guru--IT CONNECTED!

I don't think I've ever been so happy to connect to the internet. I thought my machine was done for--and that I'd never connect again. Well, now I have to go and connect to my yahoo groups again and get the mail started, so that I can get behind again.

Oh, and recommendations? Definitely get the Sprint Overdrive. Easy set up, easy connect. Just like it should be!

My Computer Internet

Well the short story is "It's down." The long version is that Verizon has become a real pain and isn't giving me the service that I need. Since my contact is met, I'm planning to switch to Sprint again with a $50 a month fee for state employees, but I'll bet there's something else that I'll get charged--I will check it out.

My husband wants me to get a Sprint air card that will slide into this router--so that everyone connects through the router--but I have doubts that it will also route the printer.

The office has limited my access to this blog and so I must keep this short, but I have had to go no mail on all my groups--which I'll have to catch up later.

In the meanwhile, I'll blog from my phone. It will be slower, but at least I'm not timed.

Will She Make the Deadline

I have until the 14th to get this dress done.

I surely hope that I make it. The pattern is simple, although the next time I make it, I'll probably work it in the round--the purl rows are a killer.

Tonight is knit-night in Lake Odessa. I'll take my dress with me, but it's more likely that I will spin like I did last week. I'd like to knit with this yarn--although I think its only going to make 4 oz--perhaps enough to make a pair of socks.

I have 15 rows to go before the next decrease. I am nearly half done with the front. I think I'll make it--it's only Tuesday.

Child's Dress

Here's my DGD Dress Pattern.

As Luck Would Have It

You know, some days are just blessed more than others.

Take Saturday, for instance.

I think I've got about 2 weeks to figure out a birthday pressie for my DGD. (That's Dear Granddaughter, for the uninitiated.) And inspiration hits!

I'd been thinking about knitting her some little sundress-like "thing" for her birthday in the pinkest pink that I can find.

And as I'm window shopping INSIDE the lys, I found the PERFECT pattern. A little sleeveless dress in pink, right there--hanging on a hanger and begging, taunting me to buy it.

And you know I did--with only 2 weeks to make this long stockinette (miles and miles of stockinette) dress. Along with finding the PERFECT pink sock yarn to make it--with the added comments--hmm..didn't know Cascade made sock yarn.

I wanted to go right home and get started, but first, I demonstrated at JoAnn's, then I ate something, then I came home, and it was simply too hot to knit at all inside, so I stepped out onto our deck, and there was my step-son's girlfriend, outside enjoying the breeze.

Well, we got to chatting, and she tells me that they want to come upstairs later and play cards. OKAY! Do you know how long it's been since we've played cards? It's been a couple years anyway. (Note to self: still trying to get hubby to invite my ex over for Bridge, if he's still married, but hubby says he thinks that ship has sailed.) So the prospect was inviting, and I grabbed it. She and I chatted for a little bit, and then one of their friends showed up, and the three of them drove to town for dinner, and the opportunity finally presents itself for a bit of knitting.

I got 8 rows done before hubby got home, and so I stopped and made supper for him, shortly after, the kids came home, and upstairs to play cards. I think we played for several hours--then they went back downstairs and I went back to knitting. Hubby went to bed, and I sat there knitting. I got 10 more rows done before I had to stop due to drooping eyelids, and turned on the television to watch Saturday Night Live--which was a complete waste of time, and I fell asleep in hubby's chair.

Finally, I got my butt out of his chair and headed for bed.

I'm awake now. I must make coffee, shower, and then eat something, then I can begin anew with knitting. At the same time, I am trying to figure out what smells musty in the house. Since I washed all my socks yesterday, and hung them indoors to dry, that's the likely culprit. They are all still quite damp. I think if the sun comes out at all today, I might hang them outdoors, but I think the "sun" is a lost cause, because it's raining now, and the weatherman says that it's supposed to rain most of the day.

As luck would have it--

So I get to stay indoors all day and knit. I can think of worse things.

I've Been Waiting!

All week, nay, all month for this day to come!

Not only is it Saturday, friends, but also the day that my husband and my ex-boyfriend get together socially for the first time.

Most people might be fearful of the day, and true to my female form, I was a little worried about it myself for a while, but now? Now, ain't nuthin' but a THANG! I'm not worried about it anymore.

My hubby doesn't really want to do it, but doesn't see any way that he can get out of it. Of course, it's happening over on the MSU campus, so it's possible that he could get lost. Hubby isn't really too adept at getting around in Lansing/East Lansing-and it wouldn't hurt his feelings a bit if he missed the opportunity, since he has other obligations today that he could fulfill--for instance, delivering plant stands. If the sun shines at all today, the greenhouse he sells to will want those plant stands this weekend, and they are not ready.

I did offer to lead the way, since I know a little better than he does where it's at, but I have no real desire to run into my ex--especially since hubby hasn't shared that little piece of information with my ex--out of concern for his Physics grade. God love him. Since it's possible that my ex already knows about that. I asked hubby if he was going to divulge the information at any time, and he said he probably never would--a statement that I didn't quite understand, but there you go. I'm not sure who he thinks he's protecting now.

As for knitting, well, not so much attained fait acompli-Friday night is my television night, so I didn't get much done in the way of knitting. I thought about it a lot, though.

Okay not really.

I'm discouraged about the socks. I love the pattern, but the bobble doesn't stay on top of the fabric, and so I don't like it. I might rip back and redo them differently, but I can't think of how to do them differently to make them lay nicely on top of the fabric--and I wonder if a nupp would be a better option?

Meisterdecke is also stalled in favor of a longer needle. Yes, I already have the new needle. I've been waiting for the weekend to transfer the stitches so that I can really watch what I'm doing. But I have obligations this Saturday, same as hubby does--making a dent in the dirty dishes in the kitchen is one of those obligations.

It's been nicely raining this morning, and all my flowers that I planted last weekend (which I've been watering every evening so that they don't die from the hot sun) got a nice "natural" drink, and even though I've been watering everyday, apparently it's not been enough--since everyday one or two had literally wilted to the ground--but after watering, came back within minutes. So they must have been just resting..

Me? Green Thumb? Oh STOP! I put it in the ground, and hope it lives. I have no time for green thumbs, really. Once they take off and start fending for themselves, I really have little to do with them. I'm no gardener. I'm no florist. I love flowers and fresh veggies, but I have no time for tender loving care for youthful garden type plants. So--I plant and say:

"There. If ya live, ya live. If ya die, ya die. You're on your own!"

Now, I will water, if I remember. This week, I've managed to "remember" every day, and the plants have been grateful for it, returning to happily turn their flowered faces to the sun. Now that it has rained, and it's supposed to rain most of the weekend--I think I might be done with artificial watering every night. Once the roots build up and the plant takes hold, they are better able to fend for themselves. Flowers are especially delicate things. Grown quickly in a greenhouse, if not regularly watered, they will wither with the smallest hint of sunshine. But today, after a cool rain and lots of humidity, they ought to "dig in" and survive now.

It bodes to be a beautiful day today, even with the rain, and I might be so possessed as to buy more plants to put in the ground. Another of my obligations is to get some groceries, which will take me to Meijer's where they have lots of pretty, flowering annuals. I can't see staying indoors all day. So far this week, I've planted violas, a poppy and a couple of lavender plants. I'm really hoping that the lavender takes off, because I do REALLY love the smell of lavender--but for some reason, I've not been able to coax them into survival anywhere around my house. Perhaps if I plant them in the sheep pen next time? I would love to get some rhododendrons, flowering almonds, and a flowering cherry tree. I tried to plant butterfly bushes in the garden, and they were just taking off, when hubby ran over them with the lawnmower. MEN!

Well, hubby just took off for his trip. Somehow, I figure he'll get lost on the MSU campus and come home in frustration, having not met his obligation, but simply tired of trying to figure out where it is. Then again, he could fool me and be gone all day.

Another obligation is to head to JoAnn's for demo--I've not been there for a couple of weeks, and the classes have been pretty thin (in fact, non-existent). I'll head over there about 9 o'clock, I suppose. Perhaps I'll finish up the baby hat. Perhaps I'll work on the wave afghan. I have no real desire to "work" on anything again today. But if I'm to get anything done, I have to get started soon.

First, let's tackle the kitchen.

What? You aren't going to help?