Summer of Socks ’15

Bwahahah.

Ahem.

This was the summer of not knitting socks. Or knitting much of anything really. I kind of wonder if people still knit.

Texas and I did things that involved staying cool. There wasn’t a lot of jiu jitsu on my part because it was just too hot and I only have so many tablespoons. I think we rode bikes together once, maybe twice when that cold front came through. He may have been crazy enough to go out, but well, he is a boy.

We never got to that second camping trip because the temperatures hit 108 and we really didn’t need to see what would happen to the things in my head. We ended up in New Braunfels and San Antonio instead. Rafting the river was so relaxing. Kayaking was awesome because I could pretty much dump myself into the water if I got too hot or just float with the current if I got too tired.

My body has definitely noticed the whole “taking it easy” trend and I can’t wait until it cools off and I can try to work out regularly again. (aka, I gained weight)

We added ~~Hannibal~~ I mean Harry to our little family. We spent a horrific amount of time trolling Fort Worth (or FTW as people like to shorten it to) for nicer neighborhoods and decently reviewed apartment complexes. Neither of us completely lost our shit on the neighbors here. I am surprisingly ready to pack all this up and GTFO.

So, knitting. I have the wash cloth that I cast on the day before our camping trip. I know. A wash cloth. I totally didn’t care if it got sweaty or wet or dirty or whatever happens when you do ALL the things out doors. I started it July 24th and finished it today. Details here if you’re really interested. I’m even fixin’ ta cast on another in the opposite colors.

I knit a little on that Julia that some Aussie chick made me start. I had to rip it back a bit because I seriously overestimated my knitting while drugged abilities. I’m back on track and about ready to change colors. YEAH!

Other than that, I bought yarn for a sweater knit along that starts tonight. (Obviously I’m not there. People! Blerg!) I might cast on for it tomorrow while Texas is at the Farm. Oh, and I’m considering doing a serious de-stash since we’re downsizing when we move.

Happy Fall Y’all!

Snuggly wuggly, timey wimey

Cold morning + electric blanket = happy girls

Both Maggie and I. My happiness resulted in a 3 hour morning nap.

Texas finally woke me up with the smell of homemade waffles and fresh brewed coffee. Sometimes I love that man to death.

∞ ∞ ∞

Today, after the storms came through, it feels like it’s 90F.

Ok, so maybe not that hawt, but I do have the windows open.

I’m still curled up on the couch. Knitting, catching up on shows, and fretting.

∞ ∞ ∞

Some people seem to do these things with such grace and quiet dignity. I’ve been trying that approach, but I am freaking out more and more as the infusion date approaches. Maybe it’s that we don’t talk about these things or maybe I just don’t have the grace and dignity that others do.

∞ ∞ ∞

Hello?!? You’re what? Destroying my B Cells? Aren’t they kind of important? So what if they’ve been misbehaving? Do they deserve the death penalty for that? Will it work or not? What if it doesn’t? I don’t like the next option. Has the drug I am now on permanently done damage, or will that “side effect” go away? Will I experience any of the side effects of the new drug? Will I have a reaction to the infusion? How will I feel after?

The best answers from my medical team is “everyone reacts differently”. On the NMO boards you have the range of “worst experience of my life” to “the worst part was being stuck in the chair all day”. (Of course, for me, the worst medical things I can imagine are a chest tube and having the Quinton catheter placed for plasmapheresis, so maybe this will be easy peasy.)

I know that it’s just the unknown and my thoughts are often my worst enemy in these situations. However, I feel like spazing out.

∞ ∞ ∞

Sooooooo… that’s where I’m at. Anyone want to take bets on if I spaz or not? How about if Texas annoys me to the point of stabby on Tuesday?

I’m off to get a bunch of meals ready so all Texas has to do is throw them in the oven. Otherwise, I’ll be eating pizza and waffles for the rest of the week. O.o

Happy Sunday y’all!

Can’t Talk

Christmas cat.

Really. I lost my voice sometime yesterday afternoon. I blame Texas. He has the same thing.

No, it doesn’t matter that I haven’t seen him in almost 6 weeks. No one else at the party was sick.

Speaking of Thanksgiving. Right there are the cards I was going to send out to y’all. Sorry. Maybe next year.

Turkey day was a quiet one spent at Janna and Big Rock’s, grilling steaks and farkling.

The big family thing on Saturday was a little different. Fun memories I’ll not soon forget. Especially since I think I’m still finding bits of cake from the food fight. Luckily, it was at their house and not mine. I may have had a stroke.

Heater cat

Someone is happy I’m sick, since I finally turned on the heat. I figured I better give my body a shot at getting better instead of bundling up in extra clothes.

I will not however, be giving the husband socks** a second (well, actually 4th) shot. Besides the Fred Flintstone feet, I dropped a stitch yesterday and after half an hour of trying to ladder it back up, I just ripped that s!t.

In case you’re wondering, he’s a 10 -10.5 EEE or EE (depending on the shoe). I kid you not, if you look at his feet and then Fred’s, you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference.

He shall only get hats and scarves from me. Why no mittens? Two words: bear paws. Ask Carrie or Angie. I’m not a small girl and his hands envelop mine.

Since it’s Tuesday and I’m sick, I figure I’ll just hang out on the couch and knit and nap and read and eat chicken soup. I hear there is no better cure.

What are you doing today?

Happy Tuesday y’all!

** Husband, I love that word. I could say it a million times. Husband, husband, husband. Yes, I’m still all squishy.

Eye Candy! I haz it

Clean hand knit socks waiting to dry. Now that’s what I’m talking about. I used the last of the hand knits while I was in the hospital, so it was a long time coming. I seriously need to make more socks.

No, they’re not being tossed in the dryer. I use the rack for the special ones and hang the rest or steal the heating vents from the dog and cat.

Speaking of socks… I finished a pair. It was so cold and my arm was hurting so much that I dug out the IF machine and slapped it on yesterday. I could knit! I need to remember that. Now if I could use it while using a computer.

And speaking of cold… can y’all take it back? Please?

Besides the weird OCD cleaning thing I’ve developed in my old age, that right there is why I have to clean so often. Katie swiped a bag from the trash and Daisy has decided that it is her mission in this world to destroy any toy that looks like a squirrel. O.o

The froggy? She loves the froggy.

I’ve been considering finding her a home since she is still young and some days I just don’t have the energy to give her what she really needs. But then she pulls out these wonderful, well behaved days. There is a kid in the neighborhood that is always looking for odd jobs. He’s a good kid and two neighbors have vouched for him and I’m thinking of hiring him to walk her on days I can’t or it’s just too effin’ cold. She does love her walks and I enjoy doing them with her and it burns off all of that puppy energy.

On the other hand, there’s a rescue group that takes dogs just like her and train them to be explosive and search and rescue dogs. I’m still contemplating having them come over to evaluate her because she’s a smart dog and I know she’d have a ball with the training.

Anyway… enough rambling.

Happy Friday y’all!

I can’t brain today, I have the dumb

And the sick and the sad and the squish.

As for my plans to clean today? Eh. Unless I can convince the dogs to vacuum and dust, I actually don’t think I’ll do it. I took a shower and that seems to have used up almost all of my energy at the moment.

Knitting and that FO that I didn’t FO yesterday perhaps?

I have rants about pretend Christians and one about people who attack someone’s beliefs just because they don’t’ share them. Oh and people who want something and enjoy the good side of it, but don’t want to hear about the parts that make them uncomfortable. And why don’t I ever get a word of healing from the 700 club?*

Maybe keeping these in are why my eye is throbbing.

Yeah, this really is a purse for sale. Iz scared.

Happy Tuesday y’all!

*last one was a joke. I just happened to be flipping through when they were doing the healing prayer thingy.

That’s right. I knit something.

Details:

Started: Nov 22, 2008
Finished: yesterday (Dec 13. 2009)
Pattern: Dashing
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed
Needles: Bryspun 7’s

♥Love♥ the yarn, ♥love♥ the needles (really, everyone should own a set of their dpns), ♥ love ♥ the mitts! I learned from Fetching that I needed to make them a bit longer in the hand, so I added a couple of rows. I also threw in a few extra on the thumbs. I had some bad ladders which appear to have cleaned up a little with washing and blocking.

I would love to get a bunch of this yarn for knitting Nuss (which I already have the pattern for, but not the yarn).

I did most of the knitting on these when I was flying back and forth to Los Angeles and then it got warm and I didn’t think about them. Now that I’m freeeeezing… it was time to finish them.

≈ ≈ ≈

Ms. Daisy? Yeah, I think she’s settling in.

≈ ≈ ≈

I’m thinking of trying to make some of this today. YUM!

Happy Sunday y’all!

Cryptic Thankful Thursday

I am thankful there is only one more week of Thankful Thursdays, because only so much nice can come out of my brain before it explodes.
I am thankful for wonderful neighbors, friends, boys and all that… who are plotting against each other in the Christmas decoration / payback smackdown. I haz giggles.

I am thankful for old puppies who like to lay in the sun.
I am thankful for something that I can’t post here but y’all from the secret place know what I’m talking about. (wow, that sounded kinda dirty)
I am thankful that the BBQ sauce came out of the carpet from the Great BBQ Incident ’09.
I am thankful for friends back in PA who can help me accomplish something that needs to be done.
I am thankful that it is almost the end of the three week streak and that I’ll have more than a week of Texas even if it might be spent doing icky things.

Happy Thursday y’all!

We’re still not talking about it

While Katie retired to her room* for most of the evening, Maggie May thoroughly enjoyedd the fire. Either she was stitting on the table with me or smack dab in front of the fire place.

No, I did not finish the shawl. I had this weird problem and had to keep checking the inside of my eyelids for cracks all night. O.o

This morning however, I finally skeined and dunked the yak and it is now hanging and drying. I wasn’t sure if you were suppossed to thwack yak or snap it, so I just wet it and let it hang with a weight. My best guestimate is for about 30 yards. I’m either giong to have to find more yak or find something small to make. Maybe a choker or a bracelet? The thought of spinning more yak makes me cringe just a little and besides, who says I could find the same color again. On the other hand, maybe I’ll get really good at spinning it.

Pictures tomorrow? If I remember.

Now for some weekly UM’s (sadly without Texas because he’s in BFE, NV and two hours behind me and probably still sleeping)

My treat :: dinner
Bell :: Pavlov’s dogs
Five :: and a half!
You’re crazy :: Cookie
Disgust :: lake bugs (just giant flying cockroaches I tell ya!)
Tempest :: needs to be controlled
Bummer :: suck it up buttercup
Brim :: Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
~Psalm 11:5-7 (after #6 I remembered there was a psalm with brimstone and tempests and had to search it before it drove me crazy)
Hose :: pumper (like a firetruck you sickos)
Lollipop :: suck

Happy Sunday y’all!

*Yes, the dog has her own room. She has taken over the guest room.

So it’s come to this, huh?

I was hoping to save these for tomorrow’s post. Something for when I was out getting beautified for Texas’ return. (insert jumping and squealing like a little girl here)

But, alas (poor Yorick) I had nothing else.

I have a hard time saying “alas” and not continuing the play in my head. Horatio and all that

My plans to knit as much as I could on the sock before his return have been foiled by daily tasks.

Fine! And a bit of laziness.

Or as I like to call it… meditation.

O.o

What?!?!

I now have demanding squirrels, arguing with each other, trying to stake claim to the deck as their territory. It’s worth it for the beautiful jays and cardinals that come around. Plus it’s pretty damn entertaining to watch them and Maggie.

Yeah. Part of my meditation.

That’s my story.

Happy Thursday y’all!

I’m so moving to Buffalo

CAVEAT : but only during the summer

That wonderful Joan sent me Buffalo in a box. There are things already being used that I didn’t get in here – my bad. Some of those boxes may be empty and there may have been other yummies that… umm… we’ll never speak of. I think aliens came in while I was sleeping and ate them.

Yep! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Aliens.

Or the down time between deliveries.

* * * * *

What I Did on My Summer Vacation His Week Home.

Subtitle: Texas and I Playing

Yep, he got the boat running. WOOT!

I only caught one little perch that day and the only reason I kept him was because he peed on me. But I was benevolent and kind and let him go when we got back to the dock.

Now for the rain to stop, the winds to calm and the sun to come out.

That’s all I need to get out there and have some fun on my own.

*cough someone needs to visit cough*

Actually y’all are invited anytime you want.

Well, not on the “Texas is Home” week… mmmkay?

* * * * *

And I leave you with this:

The kids have finally reached a truce regarding the pillow.

Yes, Katie does sleep with her tongue out.

* * * * *

Oooh… and we may have knitting content soon as I have been putting some time in with the needles.

Please don’t drool all over your knitting when you faint.

Happy Wednesday y’all!