the maroon room

a chair is good for holding yarn

more yarn (& young charles). hey when the cubbies are full, go to the top

and the swift charlie made me

and down to a bit of the yarn winder and lots of bags and more yarn

the other bookcase holding my painting from the oils class

\

more yarn, paint and another view of my oil painting

charlie took this without light. i think it looks cool...like late a night

i am going crazy trying to get this dumb picture

into ravelry! so i am going to try to get it in here and then in there. ok, part one...now can i get it in there?

dirty words...nashing of teeth...growling...

i could not get it in! so after 1 hour of trying, i give up!!!

and to make things worse, i have had to frog my baby hat and start over!

family planning

not mine, my folks...patsy was born 2 yr and 4 mo before me; daylia 2 yr 4 mo after. i have talked about patsy, now it is time for me to introduce my baby sister, daylia. she is a remarkable woman. not only did she graduate with a double degree in math and german from smu, but she did it with honors. she has 3 masters, and stopped before her dissertation on a phd. she has successfully raised to boys who are very bright and caring young men. she is now married to the best brother-in-law in the world who nurtures her as much as she does him. despite some deep wounds to her heart, she is still cares for, loves and nurtures the family. ok, she is my sister and i am so proud of her now as i always have been as she fights for what she feels is right. i love her.

good news

the saturn is running! this is wonderful as 1) it has some ac and 2) it does not heat up like the inside of an oven like the borrowed car!

amy came to the meet up and not only brought me a new row counter bracelet, but with some left over beads, she made me three stitch markers! well, she brought up 3 others to show janie but, one, maybe 2 will have to stay with me...well, if you are working on multiple projects, you should have one for each...don't cha tink??? well, i do!

i know, i promised a copy of my oil painting and here i am scheduled for another class on friday. i think it is on wildflowers. at this rate you wont see the one until you see the other. 

i started on my little (ha, she almost a foot talker than i) sister's diamonds.  when i have enough made, they will be turned into an afghan for her.

i'm sorry, i know there was something else i wanted to update you about but it's almost 3:30 in the morning and it appears my brain has already shut down for the night (morning) so i will pick this up when i remember what it was all about..

in memory of patsy

who was patsy? my big sister.  why in memory? she died of breast cancer at about 42. she left 4 lovely girls who are now the loveliest women! they all married and have sweet children.  my big sister could do anything! she was 1st chair in the san antonio youth symphony when she joined in junior high school. in high school, she played the flute. i remember some of the art she did then ... i wish i could do as well! but most of all, my big sister, all 5'2" of her was one of the best horse women i knew! she wanted to be a large animal vet but was talked out of it...she was equally good with dogs. maybe not as good at mothering. she was long waisted...about 105 lbs. she had blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes! a very clear blue like aquamarines. she was smart, would have made the national honor roll but for her one day of skipping school...well, like i indicated, she wasn't perfect. but she was my big sister and i loved her. she died of breast cancer...that, by the time the found it, had invaded her brain. 

so why am i telling you about patsy? a lovely lady, manda, going to be "participating the breast cancen 3-day, benefiting the susan g. komen for the cure in san francisco on sept 5-7." she needs help reaching a fundraising goal of $2200 thru people making donations on line here.  can you help her out?  if you are a knitter, for every $10 donation, you get an entry in her contest. if you are not a knitter, the objective is still a such a good one! you can make the donation in the name of patsy vaughan southard if you don't know anyone you didn't make it or you can make it in the name of anyone you know. my friend david bowen made it...yes, men can get breast cancer too. 

but help manda reach her goal, if for no other reason than because i am saying, "PLEASE"!

i have to share this! it is too good!

maybe this is why we like to drink wine....

to my friends who enjoy a glass of wine...and those who don't.

as ben franklin said:

in wine there is wisdom,

in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria.

in a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (e. coli)...the bacteria found in feces. in other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. (that's over 2 pounds.)

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine or beer (or tequila, run, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering, and/or fermenting.

remember:

water = poop

wine = health

therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

there is no need to thank me for this valuable information:  i'm doing it as a public service.

liz gregorian

i do thank liz for this! it made my day!

$100 prize

not me silly! go here. it is for ravelry folk and the last day to enter is tomorrow july 31! go fast of fleet of fingers!

but i want it

but i can't afford it! but it is so beautiful! but i can't afford it! but it is so useful! but i can't afford it! but it would be so handy! but i can't afford it! 

what?! o, right, you don't have a clue what i am taking about. ok. go here. then see if you don't start having the same internal debate! some of you may not but i do know some of you right well and you guys will be debating!

well, did you go? what do you think? was i right? aren't they lovely! and most people will not have a clue what they are or what they are used for! and there is blog...watch out! you have been warned! giggling manically, she leave the room.

photos from cell phone part 1

photos taken with my cell phone.  not too bad.

oscar & mysy at play...promise she ill not tear his throat out! so much fun to watch!

i could not turn the picture but 'tis is oscar not obeying the command to  "drop  it"!

i love him because sometimes he is so sweetly funny!

this is from the tuesday night knitter at boarder in lewisville.

this is a subtile begger!

little does mysy know, there will no dipping into the cup until there is little to nothing left! but she will continue...sometimes entering a well placed whine ...just incase he might not know what she wants!

post from cell phone...part 2 so don't hang up!

have you figured it out? bullalo! unwound yet but it will be balled up shortly!

i just had to buy, it was half off and so colorful!

this is soooooofffft baby alpacca.

and this? possum! can you believe?

this box of a knitter was opened to find the following:

hillary from germany made these for me

she made these as well

and she made these!  

am i a lucky person to have such a lovely lady make these lovely object just for me! i feel so loved!

isn't he sweet, oscar wants to help me compute!

that is such a loving face.  i have more to post but the system wants me to put them in another posting.  so hang on...there will be more! they are above, so you have already seen them.  so silly. 

body update

after wending our way 40 miles to pt at mother baylor in a vw which exudes heat and has zero, zip, nada air conditioning, in 100 degree heat, i saw the rehab doc...(a routine thingy).  she's a hoot, but that is beside the point.  our objective is to keep this wreck and paining body going...which i will have to do if they don't find a way to get tables lower as i am still having to climb up on them (at almost 63)! we agree it is time for a new chair as in 10 years they have made lots of improvements (and someone we know has had lots of use from the red jazzy!)!  we also both agree it is time to get me driving again. so what are we going to do about it? she has made orders for me to wheelchair assessment (sept 9) and driving assessment (not scheduled yet). now all i need is a vehicle to put the chair in as i go merry, merrily along (hear the song if you are old enough). there's the rub. i sorta need the second first as that will help me figure what i need and how i need it set up. if i figure the max height of an electric chair, i should be ok to start the vehicle side of the equation...and as far as weight is concerned...they all weigh about the same so i should be good there.  i would so dearly love a chair that goes up and down...up, so i can look people in the eyes straight on...this bit of tilting back my neck all the time has had it consequences...my neck has bulges and spurs that jingle jangle jingle (hear singing again...and i do hope you are a bit more on key than i)! as well it should! i have always been the lowest to the floor! if you saw my 1st grade picture, you would see the shortest kids on the first row...spot me immediately...the only one who's feet do not touch the floor! doc forgot i am only 4'8" now...probably as tall sitting as standing by my electric chair!  ok, enough of this frivolity. have knitting to do before i go to the boarders knitting group tonight! i want to get onto the heels...as in socks. ah, you thought i had abandoned those socks i was moaning about so long ago...no! i have decided the first (these) will have to be for me as there is a questionable amount of yarn...and i have little feet...and have made plenty of mistakes that i would rather not see in those made for sir charles! (the second pair of socks i will make.) this first pair may be rename "my car socks"...as that is where i generally knit them! or "my prayer socks" as i have said lots of prayers that i get them done!

i have personality

take the test.  i did.  it said i was a giver who when misunderstood comes off as bossy, loud and inappropriate.

i think it got me!

and i still can't get my quotes in here...quotes and pictures...it's hot...i think i will do something else now...have a good day!  i will...i am going knitting tonight! must work more on socks! want to get into the heels today! oops...a thought...one foot shorter than the other...how to accommodate...the question tonight!

oil paint

i took a class at the coppell senior center...they provide everything. it was fun and i will post the outcome as soon as it is a bit dryer. when dh came to get me, there were 2 pictures sitting on an edge drying. mine and the instructor's. i asked him which one he one he thought the instructor did and which one i did.  he thought mine was the one the instructor did! so it would appear that i did a good job!  i liked it. i wish i had some more oil at home to add some tiny bits to it but... and while i have lots of acrylic, he said (instructor), you can't put acrylic over oil, only oil over acrylic. rats! 

painting from personality test?

i can't get this in so am giving it up for now.

hey, don't think i am a quitter! i spent 1 hour (60 mins that i could have spent knitting) on this before i gave up.  i thought it was pretty, too. never mind.

why don't i weigh 100 pounds?

driving around the metroplex in a car with no air conditioning, with the sun roof open, and the sun bearing down...by the time we get anywhere, i am dripping with sweat, my hair is all over the place, and my skin resembles that of a tomato! i love texas!!!! but i love it most when i can travel in a vehicle with air conditioning.  when the "big" book arrives, dh says it won't take him long to fix the saturn which will help with my body a lot.  then all i need to do is find out how to get a vehicle that will carry my wheelchair and all will be well in river city. i will be such a happy camper. all of you will hear such a sigh!

knitters unite for a good cause

my friend, susie, and you could help yourself, too!  she has the greatest drawing going on!  But go there and read what it is all about, how you can help and how you can win!  i just love win win situations! and the cause is so great and prizes are outstanding! i really love this lady and want to support her in any way i can.  visit her blog and you will too!

patterns, patterns for fluffy girls, slim girls

you gotta go here , she's called whitelies in ravelry. she is a marvelous designer for all sizes. and she's nice too. so go she what little whitelies she has for you. i surely had fun!

more phoned in

as rod mc ewen said, clouds are not the cheeks of chubs. 

they are just cloud.
friendly sometimes.

these were july storm clouds rolling in while i was waiting for dh to drive me to who knows where. aren't they beautiful?

these were phoned in

this is the truth as the photos came off my cell phone. now to see if i can get them from the desktop to here! 

well, here is one.  this is baby bear in one of his favorite  poses...upside down!

as seen in the upper left, he is also an under cover puppy.  the is so much fun when in the middle of the night he decides to get under the covers with him.  oscar will start digging if he can't get under by himself, at which point, the dh cannot ignore him longer so will lift the covers and oscar scoots right on under. (o, for larger pictures, just click on them.)

well, i am having problems getting pictures to go where i want them so i will just add and tell you what they are about. sometimes oscar wilde wants to help me blog.

finally, a picture of our mystery puppy.  she is such a shy thing. it is had to get a good picture of her because she sort of blends into herself.

i love the people i meet in ravelry!

feathersong is a lady i have been playing with in 'the herd'. today i went pocking around in her page and on her blog looking for something done with buffalo yarn.  what i found in her blog is a kindred soul who likes flora and fauna as much as i.  and photography....the difference being, she can get them out of her camera and into her blog! (ok, ok, i am working on it!) give her a visit. i will list her here and also in my list of blogs of friends. 

feathersong

rmartin is a hoot...she saved me from suicide on the bsj i got into...what fun is there when the numbers just don't jive but somehow it is right! she is one of the few that stayed with me thru thick and thin...laughing when i needed it, and consoling me when i was ready to frog it all! o, and there are patterns there!  check it out!

rmartin

have you met my friend, civilbitch, she is a very talented lady! she is a magnificent knitter who's projects you should see. i have included her blog site because i enjoy the mix she writes about. she enjoys so very may things which she so willingly shares.  in person, she is just as great...she was the first to share with me the joys of knit picks needles and magic loop.  

shelley, civilbitch

iffer, does instructions for socks for those of you wanting to see yet another set of instuctions... she is doing toes up...i watch and read every set of instructions i can find. some of us do need all the help i can find so do check her our. she does other stuff as well but this is what she's doing now that i need her for most!

iffer

suzanne i met at dfw fiberfest...she just has to be cool, she's another army brat! she now lives in georgetown, texas, is on the way to my mom's so i might just have to visit her if we ever can afford the gas! i had such a great time talking to her. i told her how much i enjoy watching spinners at work...soooo very soothing. she (great little sales lady) suggested i learn to get the added soothiness. no, not for me with my fixed ankles. o, yes, says she and starts demoing her mechanical loom! i love her humor and spark! she loves horses which counter acts her thing for cats! with horses you need a jack russel terrier! they are just as good at mousing!

suzanne

i found it and i won some buffalo gold!

maybe winning the buffalo gold yarn (THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HELPED!) helped me find the pattern; which i just did! and i printed it and saved it to my desktop and will put it everywhere else i can!  it is a wonderful pattern found in NASHUA HANDKINT NATURAL FIBERS - CREATIVE DESIGNS ... CROPPED KIMONO DESIGNED BY SANDI ROSNER! you can see it in my projects list in ravelry.  i want to make one with my green yarn but i also want to make one with some wonderful possum yarn i was recently given...and figure out a way to trim it with the gold i got....or i will make an adult surprise jacket and use them both.  i am just so very glad i found the pattern again!  can i tell you a secret, i really want to stop the sox and jump to using the yarn!  shhhhh, don't tell him!

him is out finding more breaks in the sprinkler system that must be fixed. oscar is helping.(?) mysterypup is guarding me so i know when he comes in the back door.

i have to go now and answer the 100+ yahoo messages (do not know how that go so full!) and see what i missed in ravelry.

did i remember to thank everyone? i did? well, i just can't thank everyone enough to help me win some buffalo gold that i would not ever be able to have otherwise! and if you haven't been there...GO!

cherribye~

i am soooooo

fill in the blank!  i found a wonderful kimono pattern ...had a picture of several ladies show several different lengths and sizes ...a picture in color ...i can't for the life of me find it! and i want it and i know what i want to do with it! it wasn't in ravelry...so it is not marked there. it is not marked in my yahoo knitty folder...so i didn't find it there. WHERE DID I PUT IT! i am going to go the the store and think of something else and see if i figure out where i put it!

i am back.  it didn't work! i am still frustrated! 

when you're down and out, and you need a friend

thank you paul simon and renie for a new blog site judywise.blogspot.com. she does have gentle words for all of us!  go see!

yesterday, after a visit to the viper, we went to the cultured cup (culturedcup.com) and the doggie shop next door. the cup is a not close but worth it. the smells that great you as the door opens is just the start. the displays are a gift to your eyes.  the tastes of teas i might want to buy make you lust to more. cups and saucers and teapots galore! and i forgot i can take pictures with my cell phone! well, my dears, i guess i will just have to go back so i can show you.

o, i need to show you the doggie shop next door! they let me taste a couple of the biscuits they sell...what? gross? no, no! there are no additives! i bought a bad of "sweet potato dog chewz"(dogswell.com) (nothing but dehidrated sweet potatoes).  and 2 pig snouts...not as dangerous for the dogs and not messy...kept oscar and mysy busy for a long time! they see the box and go bonkers! i will find the card from the doggie store and post it later.

o, and they support the greyhound rescue group, one of which happened to come in...such a lovely dog! i would so love to have one in my house but 3 dogs! not until we figure out how to get another van...the saturn is just not built for 2 big dogs, 1 small, 2 people, and a wheelchair! 

i wish i knew how disabled people with low incomes or fixed incomes manage to afford converted vans!  this sucks! i really do not like being pushed around! you do not get to see what you want to see when you want to see it! i want my electric chair back under my butt! and i wan to use it when we go out!  the pushy chair makes me feel disabled! dependent! f;sfewnrwuerpne

sorry for the screaming.

back to the dogs.  we will have to take them to the doggie shop. but how to do that and go to the tea shop? maybe in the fall when it is cool enough to let them visit the shop either before or after we check out cultured cup. they love being car watch dogs and riders!  oscar wants to see and smell everything! mysy just wants to go along with us.

help, i need you, not just anybody!

boy, aren't cha glad you can't hear me singing!  

ok, here's the deal ms darcy is running a contest and if you go there and tell ms darcy i sent you, well, go see why i want you to help me and then you get some people to help you; 'cause trust me, the prizes are so worth it!

but watch out, she's as crazy as i!  o, she is also trying to beat me in a ravely contest at THE HERD...not the HEARD, as i have been known to spell it but THE HERD! you join the group, THE HERD, and then go the CONTEST AND GIVEAWAY thread and say that you heard about it from ME not that knotty lady....well, ok, she is knotty but nice and she can help you with your knitting so much more than can i!

this is so all in good fun! enjoy yourself!

why is it the that every time i cull i end up with more?!

does this ever happen to anyone else?  you look at the number of groups you are in and realize there are some that you are just not into any more.  it is time to cull! so you do. but then you get into more and cull them but some how you never end up less...the number keep growing and growing! it's like the coat hangers in the closet that mate over night! and we are not dry cleaner people! i think it happens in my craft room too! my yarn collect does the same thing!  it is probably a good thing i didn't make it to the knitting group last night as there was lady with lots of yarn she wanted to get rid of at half price! and she had some greens and...well, i wouldn't want to encourage my stash to find new mates!

domedweller (you really have to see her house) had a quiz on the blog...i took it...like her, i found mine remarkable close.  i thought i would share it with you guys so you know what to expect.

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relations ships, and usually succeed.

Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.

Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.

You find the most energy and comfort in social situations where you shine.

In love, you are very protective and supporting.

However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite ease for you to get jealous.

At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.

You would make a good writer, human resources director,  or psychologist.

How you see yourself:  Trusting, idealistic, and expressive.

When other people don't get you, they see you as :  Bossy, inappropriate, and loud.

What do you think?

i will add to the list

thru buffalo gold i have expanded my friends! so as i add them, i will have to update my list of blog friends.  do you begin to see why i sometimes do more reading, and writing than i do knitting!  i do so love making new friends and letting them get to know old friends.  to be honest, i sometimes forget who is old and who is new...they are all just friends!

yesterday i got a surprise from hilarygermany...3 count them 3 sets of 4 stitch markers! and a card with a picture on the from of daisies on the front...the picture was of from her friend's garden! made my day!  i will take a picture of them and get it in here so you can oooo and ahhhh over them like i did...she made them with her own hands just for me!  i am so proud to have them!

edit:  as soon as i learn how to get them off the phone! or how to use my new camera!  hang in there i will get these things worked out!

ta ta

with the exception of one blog, i got everyone's blog in here (those friends of mine who have them).  it's a long list which explains why some days i spend more time reading than writing! ;-] there are some really neat words of folks in here; so go visit some of them.  you'll have fun reading and learn about some cool folks!  who knows, after reading their blogs you might end up making them your friends too!  i am so glad i figured out how to do this!  and i love gifting my friends with new friends!

this is fathers' day.  my dad, the doctor, is gone but it is good to spend time thinking about him and the wonderful stepfather i was also gifted with.  they added so to my life.

news!

camera is a nikon d60 with two lens.  

i have not gotten any photos off the cell phone.  i have not watch the nikon school dvds.  why? you are such a nosey lot.  ok, i spent 2 days having tests run for the neurologist, who, tho looking like a very large cherib, may be sadest!  the mri was fun as i am such a noneck kid! and they want you to lie flat which my body is not designed for.  but he said i was the best testee he had ever had, doing exactly what he requested and holding so still....see what 62 years of training will get you? a 30 min as opposed to a 45 min trial.  yesterday i had the rest of the testing.  if electroshock treatments are anything close to that...anyway they want you to relax while they do this shocky stuff...the start of which on the major nerves will make you and your relaxed arm become very, very unrelaxed! and then they do it again!  after the major nevers (those with a truck load of feeling), they go to the little ones which generally are not too bad...until she cranked it up a bit causing my fingers to jump around.  thank god, i was taught by my parents that as a doc daughter, i was to set an example and not scream....hold my breath, clench my teeth...but not scream!  i did that a lot.  oh, then she had to do the other arm...and you know what is going to happen...and you are still supposed to relax.  well, she said i was a good egg and she left.  so for something better to do, i started back on the sox.  the doc came in and said he had the results:  i do not have carpel tunnell  yeah!  i do have more buldges between the vertibra and some spurs that were not there last year.  he does not think anything requires surgery.  he does think that pt might help teach me to relax my shoulders and neck.  i have high hopes!  i would love my body to really understand what the hell that word means!  RELAX.  we shall see.  anyway, i have spent most of the day listening to harry potter and resting my body. hopefully it will be ready to learn tomorrow.

i did have to scrap the socks AGAIN.  i made such a mess in the doc's office that i could not figure out what i had done so could not fix it.

o, i almost forgot! the saturn is in motion once more!  houston, we have take off!  about the van?  we are still talking about that one.

i think this is enough for right now as i am feeling fatigues again...later...

we have the right cable

now i can't find the phone book to tell me how to get the pictures off the phone and onto my desktop thenst to here!!!  it is not a intuitive as i thought it would be...or i have no female intuition?

it's 7 pm and dh is still working on the saturn so can't enlist his help.  maybe i should be patient and wait until tomorrow.  after he has had a bath and a good night's sleep.

and it died again!

the "fixed" saturn. this time when he was almost home with dinner! but not with the dog.  just with dinner congealing beside him!  and me with some knitting pals blathering on about FOOD! it's a good thing we got him the phone.  mr rescue finally came after a bit more than an hour!  i should have gotten his noodles; they were great cold (he let me taste them). so, it's back to the drawing boards for him.

it was a good day tho...i got one of the tea swap boxes! (i was in line for 2)  i had a good rummage and got it back off within hours of receiving...well, you don't want others to be waiting like i have been waiting on the first of the tea boxes!  i took some stuff and then stuffed it full up again.

o, i did start looking for a clear teapot for showing off flowering teas and i think i found the one i want...the strainer is in the spout.  

i got no, yes, i said it, i got no knitting done yesterday.  for some reason my email was jamming! and truth be told, my back and arms were not helping much either.  i love the rain. my body does not seem to be as happy with it.

have you even tried typing with a dog under your arm?  it is most fun.  especially when oscar keeps trying to put his head on the cat (the little square thing us laptop users used instead of a mouse...history lesson:  the cat was the precursor to the mouse...get it, cat mouse?  see what you learn from 20 years with xerox?).  both of my critters think i am nuts as after i got them playing, i stayed in the game. growling, snarling, sneezing. periodically, mysy would look up at me with mystified eyes....oscar just kept up with the game.

o, camera phone...why no pictures? they sent me the wrong cable connection!   

new camera? sometime this week.

for dog lovers:  sometime i will get a pictures off the phone and onto the computer so you can see oscar in his upside down mode!  back legs are wide apart, front paws are folded over like a bunny. have you  got the picture?  he had been outside to do his thing and come back in (love doggie doors!).  jumped on the bed and went into his head stand mode which means, i'm back, so scratch what you can see of my head and back! and then he rolls onto his back.  i, a well trained human, did as told while continuing to talk to dh.  out of the corner of my eye, something seemed amiss.  so i turned to see...to see what appeared to be a large dried leaf over his private bits!  it really cracked me up!  like a little doggie fig leaf, it was!

enough, i have to call a hundred people or so for this that and the other.

SOCKS

my current obsession! and getting past the first 3 rows!  why? because i have never done them before.  why? fear...they sound so complicated!  people with toothpicks the length of kabob skures!  you could poke an eye out with those things!  and then i, the spass master, tried them...double points but not the toothpick size...closer to a pencil...what a disaster!  no, ney, never no more!  and i knew i would end up single sockitis too!  and then... hold it!  and then... magic loop was introduced to me... neato!  and then...wait for it! and then toes up concept came in...cool! and then... are you ready! and then... liz had to destash and she had sock yarn for sale! ah!  and so begins the current obsession.  i am so like that!  i have until august 14 to learn on my sox and then to get a pair done for him for our ...what is it now... or 22 anniversary! for the slowest knitter in the west this is a tall order...we shall see.  the good news is i have gotten past the nasty 3 row hurdle.  what, you don't know the 3 row hurdle?  it's where you have to cast on (tail too long or short) excessive times (rats, i didn't twist the yarn right...start over) (when will you learn to count...8 on these 2, 9 on these 2),  you can't knit for beans (i forgot again, the ones on the back for the first round must be knit thru the back)...got the idea now? one must learn to love the frog!  i am learning this method of casting on magically.  these are not mistakes but learning experiences! this can be accomplished!

chicken little strikes

its i...chicken little.  i am so afraid i will run out of yarn for charlie's socks that the first pair of socks to come of my needles with be for me.  and i frogged what i had and am starting over.  i am the most frustrated knitter...it's like no matter what i knit, if i can get past the first 3 rows i am fine but the first 3 generally get me hell!  

i have tried something that may not work...give me an a if it does.  when you are viewing this posting, try clicking on the question mark in the box and see if it sends you to my flicker pictures of my critters.  ok, here we go!

i just went to marthas vineyard fiber farm

ok, i had to do it thru the web but what fun! go to the farm yourself and see all the critters!  read about the farm...oogle at the yarn...read about life there...the comments are good too.  (can you tell this excited my fancy?)

on another note, high c (bad joke), one of the tea boxes is on its way from hawaii! (o, this is a tea swap box that travel from knitter to knitter...you take tea out, you put tea in and send it to the next person on the list).  the first box i am in line for is stuck somewhere.  i am also part of the traveling button box...it has come to me once and i want it to come again!  it was great fun to look at what others put in.  

i got the phone cable so i can attach it to the computer but as it did not slip in easily to the phone, i did not force it...waiting for him, the inhouse engineer, to awake.  he will know if  it is safe to push it harder or not.  (it's saturday morning...he gets to sleep in even if i can't)

cameras:  we went to wolfs yesterday.  they should have better sale on for father's day but sale catalog not out.  i am so confused...i think i want a nikon d60 but then i look at the catalog he gave me and i start to wonder if the olympus or pentax in the same price range would be better. what to do...what to do?

ah, vehicles...THE SATURN TOOK ME TO THE NEUROLOGIST AND THE CAMERA STORE YESTERDAY!  yes, i am screaming!  it runs!  the weird thing is, after riding in the van for 10 years, i feel like my bottom is 3" off the pavement!  ah, but the ac is soooo nice.  i saw the trailer charlie is thinking about and wonder if one of the white boxes would be better.  a box would automatically be covered for weather protection (sitting on a wet seat can be sooo...ucky!).  i am also thinking about donating the van to i can so kids can learn while fixing it up.  it would same money (tax and insurance) but it would leave us with only one vehicle.  but if i the money i would have paid on insurance in a separate account marked car and every time i put paid insurance on the one, i put money i would have paid into a van savings account, maybe in a few years...

knitting:  started two at a time toe up sox on magic loop sox for him this week.  'got in a bit of trouble when i realized the cable was going to be too short.  the easy fix would have been to just knit off to a longer cable with another set of size 4 needles.  problem:  i have only one set of needles.  i do have one 60 in cable.  with much trepidation and procrastination, i did it.  only a bit of confusion in the middle but i did it!  i am very proud of me.  while knitting while waiting for dr, i did a count of stitches again.  suddenly i have one more stitch on one side of one sock than i do on the others.  what to do.  what to do.  leave alone until the morning when you are fresh or figure it out now.  procrastinate! great idea!  so here it is.  morning.  i will count again. if i am still one stitch off, i will frog (rip it out and start over) or as i am still increasing, increase on the other sides but not this one.  hmmmm. at this moment, i think i will opt for the later....but who knows what i will do when i pick up the needles.

charlie:  got saturn running.  fixed sprinkler system (we think). is now working (well, he has to wake up first) on repainting the storm door and frame...both sides.  hmmmm...what honey do next i wonder?  there is the gap under the front door.  the garage door...it would be nice if that was fixed.  do we need a new opener...a new door?  and there is still the fence.  oh and the holes in the wall...he fell into it (don't ask).  and the floors....we have talked about raising the living room floor up and then putting wood floor down in living room, dinning room and hall way. how to pay for any of this...not a clue!  not even sure what we want.  i do know what i would love...one of those walk in bath tubs!  showers are fine but what is would give to be able to soak!  i would stay in until the water got cold and scummy...and then let it out and start over!  it as been sooooo long!  oh, well, i can dream...hmmmm. 

critters:  oscar is curled up between us on the bed.  mysy has gone to the floor (it's cooler). i love watching her play with oscar...imagine, learning to play after 5 years.  they do make me laugh.  and what a joy to watch her starting to be a bit pushy and loping out to great us when we come home!  she is still the biggest chicken in the west when outside or in the car.  her new safe place in the car is behind charlie's seat.  oscar want the back seats to be down...it puts him up where he can see out windows.

he is up and so are the critters so it must be time for breakfast!

tea:  i ... no dogs bought us tea for our anniversary (august 14)...hey, they are dogs!  they just want a long celebration...so surprise!  anyway, we tried the russian caravan and liked it.  the lemon verbina did not go over a well.  today we are going to try the scottish breakfast blend.  

while he was greeting the dogs, we talked about camera and it will be the nikon d60...i can use all my lens on all my cameras as long as i remember that i have to focus when using the old lens on new camera and new lens on old cameras... so i will have an instant gradification camera and the other to require patients for outcomes.  it will be interesting to compare results.  

they do offer classes but the package comes with nikon school dvds, 2 lenses and bag. i need to add the memory card and a filter i don't have to worry about a flash as it has a popup flash.  

now off to see if they have an on line ad.

I GOTTA NEW PHONE

and charlie got a new line and my old phone.  he finally agreed to it when the saturn died on him 40 miles from home, temp with heat factor over 100.  finally got someone to lend him a phone and he got paul to pick up him and oscar and the car to toe them all back home.  it's a samsung which shows big numbers when you dial!  has a camera so can get some pictures for try to get in here and on ravelry of yarns and knitted objects and family.  

today will be long...after i get his nibs up...dress and go to neurologist to see how my body is doing...look at trail him what's to get to attach to the trailer hitch he put on the saturn so we can cart the electric chair around.  i have said no van until he has figured out how to keep the chair in the trailer and how to keep it dry in the rain...i don't want to be stuck because of weather...see what i can get as a trade in for my cameras and lens toward a new digital camera...shop for food...try to get more rows done on my sox for charlie...o, did i forget to tell you?  

sox are the only thing charlie has asked me to knit for him...other than a hat.  i have resisted so long but he is a sweetie even if his round to it has so many angles.  so, i have started...online tutorial has been my teacher.  i got started only to quickly figure out i had the wrong cord...too short!  but how to transfer them to longer cord with only one set of size 4 needles...i figured it out but was so scared i had it wrong that put it off all day...was not as bad as i thought...only got confused once but got it done.  yarn...what yarn...well, you see...uh...one of the ladies in my knitting group needed to destash.  the yarns were so lovely.  i had to have them.  (she is a yarnaholic!) the colors were so lovely on line!  in person, better and they felt so soft!  if i ever figure out how to get pictures in here, you shall see.  

knitaholics have to knit all the time.

yarnaholis have to touch, oogle, buy yarn.

i am the latter.

gotta go...time to get this show on the road.

new rule

when you go to reading someone's blog...i am not allowed to read the whole thing...just stick to the current events or the day is half gone and you have knot all!  

vehicle update: down 2 (again).  a friend has lent us a car. dh is trying to fix car but has agreed that if not fixed within a reasonable amount of time (my reason), he will take it up to the saturn people for repair.  (after he "fixes" it this time, i still want him to take it up for a check to make sure all is well.)

i am trying to get another cell phone so he will have one for emergency (like when the saturn quit in south lake!).  the phone will have camera capability so i may finally be able to get some stuff pictures and posted.  (guess who gets the new phone and who gets the old.)

the lamp cover we bought at home depot (and i painted on a bit) is up and working on the porach ... yeah!  the screen door ... well, he's still working on it (over a year now).

i have a shawl soooo

i want a shawl pin.  and there are thousands...i mean, thousands of them.  how do i know? i spent most of this morning, after i got my new yarns loaded, looking for and at them?  i still have not had a nap and i am tired.  what a good idea....

try it again

Plan C

here we go again...

I am half assed again

i did manage to get my photos of my newest yarns into flicker and then into ravelry so now they show up in my stash.  but i still can't get my photos in here.  

o, while i was trying to make sure all my info about my sock yarns was entered correctly, i found a new pattern! one that will make a perfect fit to one of my new yarns!  i am such a happy camper...lier...well i will be when i figure the flicker to hodgepodge problem!

FRESH YARN...WAHOO!!!

i know...did i really need more yarn? sure.  how can i learn to knit socks with that thick old stuff? this is "sock" yarn...liz wanted to destash and that this was cheaper than driving to the store and getting confused with all their stuff...her's/mine is so pretty.  i started my swatch and probably will have it finished later today.  and then i am off like a herd of turtles!  i was going to go from the top down, but have changed my mine...it's going to be toes up!  liz that lovely lady, even balled one of the 2 skeins up for me.  was i impressed!  her's look like what the ball winder would do...a nice cake...with a center pull!  mine do not have a centre pull but more a thumb hole in the mist of a ....a.... well before i take it off my thumb it looks like i smashed my thumb and it got a really big bandage ...  a really colorful one!  liz sent me some pictures of the yarn (i still don't have a digital camera).

(i've run into a wee bit of a technical difficulty...be back)

Now I am pissed

how i wish there was someone here i could pick on!  we know i can be educated. i have a degree to prove it. however, it appears i need real near help on this one. maybe i should scot (drink? seems a good idea until antibiotics...but no, in this case. i do mean frog it) the content in flicker and start all over again. even better idea is on hold til i can see better. 

i do so want to show mysy (mystery puppy) to you.  she is so shy (chicken).  it is really hard to get a good picture of her...if you don't get her on the first click and/or flash, she's gone.  

it's still early but i guess i will turn on the tv as this, and knitting, is not working out well!

If this works you will see family

Plan B

this was taken with our $27 digital camera by him.  this one is the only one of the 5 test pictures that looked ok...the rest were out of focus...well, it is a $27 camera...hard to see what the heck you are focusing on!  but this is a plant in my garden.

i did it!  HOORAY!!!  balloons float up to the sky! i got a picture in and where i want it!  

boy, are some kids slow!  this really shouldn't have taken so long to figure out!  but i am so proud that i did it.

o, clap hands for charlie for he took the picture.  

what kind of flower is it?  a blue volunteer ...translation:  i haven't got a clue! but isn't it pretty!

now to see what else i can do. i want to see more even if you don't.  but if you are reading this, i will assume you do.  ready?  here we go!

ahhh...i may be figuring this out after all.  

this is a wonderful picy of texas spring clouds (and the top of the door of the van).  i love texas clouds as the following will attest.   

well they won't if i can't get them from flicke! and there critter flicks out there as well!

ok, i give up for now.  i have to figure out how to do some thing else for a while.  

so, you, my friend, will just have to wait!  (the cloud picture was taken with a 3mm throw away camera.  

am i having fun yet?  NO  i want to show them all to you! foiled again but i will figure it out.

It's a swift

i have a swift and dh is winding the first ball!  round to it circled!  imagine me doing giddy dance!!!  three cheers for charlie!!  he said that he would do it and indeed he did!!!

and what have i been doing while is he swifting?  changing my blog a bit.  i hope you like the changes.  i now live in the hope of being able to make this more workable for me...cross your fingers.

i may even try and go back and edit last posting to see if i can get pictures where i want them!

Nooooooooooo

but the answer is yes, the battery in the 27 dollar digital camera (that was supposed to be compatible with mac but isn't) died!  and the memory with it!  what do expect for 27 dollars!

i expect to have fresh batteries, memory comes back.  dummy me!  so, all the pictures i took on the pretty, sunny day are gone.  do you get the idea i am not a happy camper.  you are correct.  

where is that irs check...i want a digital camera...o, one with a flash, too, please and thank you; $27 does not get you flash.

ok, i am going over to the corner and sulk.  i know it is not mature.  i don't want to be mature.  i want to sulk. i'll talk to you.....footsteps slowly fade out (footsteps...who is she kidding...o, i get it...never mind)

Pictures pictures pictures

the top picture is of my grand niece and one of her sons.  i got this moved!!!  

lindsy and eric...i don't have a picture of the other one (boy child) yet.  linds is the daughter of patsy's (big sister) third daughter, leslie.

the other is of my niece and company. well, so what do i do now and how do i get them below my text.  i did it, i got this picture where i want it!  stacy is the adult in the group (patsy's #4 child).

i got them...other pictures i have taken recently...well, some of them, out of camera and onto disk.  major accomplishment!  my next task was to get them into and out of flicker.

did that. 

i spent most of last night getting 2 (the only ones so far) of my stash from there (flicker) into ravelry (pant, pant). 

now for my next trick (listen for the drum roll)...get pictures in here!  but first (no, not a message from our sponsers) a disclaimer:  

i will not tout these as my best...they were taken with those little throw away camera as they were all i had at the time...film is 35mm. (pause while i try to get pictures in.)

rats!  i keep trying to get them in and they keep showing up on top as one of those little blue boxes!  back to the drawing board! will go back to my experts in ravelry and see if they can help...lord knows i know all the help i can get.

can you tell i edited this posting?  it was a test to see if i had learned how to manipulate the pictures after learning (hopefully) some new tricks...and i did it!

Swift

Darling charlie is making me a swift...he doesn't want to have to hold his hands out while i wind yarn balls....don't understand why not!  but this will mean i can start work on some of the yarn i got from fiberfest or my gifted yarns.  yes, i am excited.  he better hurry, i want start yesterday!

We are safe!

so says sir charles.  it would appear that oscar de wild (see avatar) can see green gekos against yellow brick walls.  his only problem is he can't reach them.  it would also appear gekos have ears and can be chased from your garden to the next (or at least out of your fenced area).  

oscar is very aware of his pet (charlie) being dressed...ah, but when the keys were found and made a noise, actions must be taken.

"well, you have to make sure your toys don't escape you!"  (such vocals made would make scrooge smile.)  "of course if one is going to work guarding the car, one must be properly clothed! that girl is so slow.  why is she taking so long getting my harness on."

"stop wiggling?  but i am excited!!! a ride in the car!!!!  hurry up!!!  i have on my leash!!!  let's go!!!!  now!!!"

and they did.

him must have left a carrot out on the counter.  this is known because the midnight marauder  (aka mystery puppy aka mysy pup) has trotted back here, jumped on the couch at the foot of the bed and is crunching away.  him and the midnight marauder play these games of "you leave it, i steal it".  which is why there are pottery bits to use in mosaics!  "don't ya know, if you steal something behind something else and you don't have hands to move things...what do you expect?"

"why is there a doorbell in this house?  woof alert is so much better and alerts to more that just people at the door.  cars arriving.  doors opening.  gates opening. husbands arriving thru the back door or sneaking down the hall.  yes, it is a loud alert.  it can cause a person to jump a bit resulting in the drop of a stitch.  but is so effective!"

him = husband, aka sir charles, aka charlie

she = me, aka sandy 

all other characters are the dog critters who inhabit the household

I wish you could go to my bookmarks!

i have started a new folder for favorite blogs. there i have captured some of my favorites...interesting folks who write well about stuff...of course yarns and patterns that they dye or invent but other stuff of interest...teas and flowers and vistas...i've had teas from all over the world...seen the beginning of spring in scotland...flowers from everywhere! shared laughter from the still thawing northern united states, great britian, both coasts of the states, germany, and korea.

what a wonder filled time i am having and way too much to take you as an escort. it's so grand to find others who know rainbows require watching...who sometimes capture them in the dyes of yarn or the patterned projects.

(hear a deep sigh.) i gotta go now. sorry!

i have things to knit which cannot be done if i am talking to you or reading what you or others are writing...i really do need more hands!

oh, oh, oh...i have found one way...podcasting...i can listen and do things with my hands at the same time! technology can be grand!

toodles

updates: van down. saturn down. charlie comes in blackened nightly...god bless his tenasity but could they both hurry with functionality! i dislike that i will have to be pushed around a lot (motorized chairs can be so speedy and i so independant) but am even more disturbed being house bound! no one will get to see the snowball trees or texas natives in bloom! and i want a digital camera! and OUT OF HERE!

ok, i'll go quietly.

i wish you could go to my bookmarks!

i have start a new folder for favorite blogs.

It's just not fair!

so much money spent on getting the air conditioner fixed! so much money spent on bits and bobs to fix this and that to figure out what is happening! end result...the van is dead! it's only 10 year and 4 months old. the toyota lasted 16. why isn't my van lasting that long!! so now he , charlie nee darling husband, is working of the saturn to get that running again..will the saturn carry my wheelchair....NO. the saturn is a sedan. can we afford a new vehicle at this time...NO. so what do i do...i don't know...i'll keep you posted.

meanwhile, back at the ranch, the bsj is finished. TA DA!

i've gone brain dead on how i closed the heels of my booties and need to get a pair done...and a hat...asap. so of course, i started the booties first. translation, the ball of yarn is stuck on the first bootie until i remember how i closed the heel and then i have to do the cuff. uck! i need to remember now! the harder i try....well, you know... it's like i know what to do but not how to do it. but i will...or i will figure out how to take it off the loom onto needles and close it that way....later on that one as well.

now that you are on tender hooks, i will stop.

As Shirley Temple said "Oh my goodness!"

DFW Fiberfest was wonderful!

and i didn't even attend any classes! the first day i went around (and i am so glad that this is only the third year) just stopping and looking and meeting people (glad because it is still small enough to get around). i had decided ahead of time that i would not take any classes as this was my first year. i just wanted to find out what it was all about and see all there is to see.

i was pretty good about not spending...but it was such a good deal (a hand knit gray shawl for $55)! and i made a new friend as a result (she had first dibbies on the shawl)! the next day i did spend money but not on everything (a springtime yarn feast and some yummy brooks farm yarn to make 2 shawls) i wanted to buy. and yesterday, i did buy the last...well, of course i did. it was a sort of light green foamy ocean color, a blended wool and silk. it was the last day!

but, lordie love a duck, did i meet so many people. People i want to keep as friends and see again in person...even if it does mean i have to wait til next year! and i will be back next year!

I almost forgot about my new braclet...it's an on the go row counter! you can use it to count up to 100 before you have to start over. is that cool or what??? i just had to get 3...and make a friend of the designer...well, you know i'll have to buy more in the future...get real!

any, any of you locals who did not go this year, have never been before, plan to next year!

Shabby Sheep are not

shabby! It's a lovely old yellow house that is now a yarn shop with y a r n ...all kinds and they let you touch smell and squeeze all sorts and they ask you want you are looking for and help you narrow it down! what wonderful ladies they are with lots of texas warmth and humor...they even helped me (?) rip (ouch) my bsj sweater back about 20 rows but got all back on! lovely! of course i have to knit it back (sniff) but it will look better. so if you get the chance,..run,drive, ride your bike...get there! you can just sit at the big table and knit or roam the rooms with lust in your heart! and the chairs must be comfortable cause we spent hours there and charlie was comfy and sort of attentive until the very end...and there is a love cocker puppy to entertain you.