WIP and lots of pics!

Let's start with pics. Two of them. This first pic is how far I've gotten since 1/6 when my yarn arrived. The pattern is from Dale of Norway and it's OL-92 Albertville. I imagine that's DoN shorthand for the Olympic design they created for the Winter Olympics in Albertville.

I bought this pattern at a closeout sale about 15 years ago when a local store was moving. (It was located in an arts center that decided one day to close up shop and simply told everyone they had to go. Nice, huh?) Anyway, everything on sale and I saw this pattern and instantly drooled.

It's kind of hard to see the progression of colors, but the main is white and the main contrast is a dark blue without being navy. I thought navy would look too much like black and I didn't want the contrast to be too stark. Anyway, within this pattern, the progression begins with yellow, to red to purple and finally the center band is a light heathered blue. The funny part is that I have another pic that's high contrast because of the flash on the camera, but then the white and dark blue look really weird.

See what I mean? Wouldn't even know it's the same sweater unless I told you... LOL!

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This one, though, does show the progression of colors nicely. But the other pics are more accurate to the actual look.

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Anyway, so that's new. Lord knows, it's only one third done.I'm actually ready to begin the matching pattern band to this that will cross the chest before I start the neck decreases, etc.

Then I have both sleeves to knit. Those should go quickly, which is why I began with the body of the sweater. I know it's fun to see the pattern come together much quicker on the sleeves, but I figure those should fly on the needles and the longest work is the body, so do that first.

Okay, on another front, I'm also trying to catalogue some of the spinning. I have a pic of what I've been doing with that. Way back in Oct or so, I'd bought a whole bunch of fiber from Crown Mountain Farms. Some of it became Christmas presents. But I had this one left over:

This one is called Born To Be Wild. Kind of everything and anything. No real rhyme or reason. Just a whole bunch of colors and very pretty. So I've been spinning up the singles and this is one of the bobbins. I took this pic right before I began to ply my first bobbin of it. I finished the bobbin this morning and skeined it on my niddy noddy just before I came into the office for this upload.

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IOW, more pics to come for my next update.

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I went back to work this week, so I have tons of time to knit. Well... once the kiddies get settled back into their apartments and classes begin, I should have tons of time to knit. The nice thing is that I got my living room back at home. While oldest daughter was home on the semester break, she kind of took over my living room and used that more as her bedroom, so I didn't have a lot of time to spin. I'm hoping to knit at work and spin after dinner at home.

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Also, youngest daughter got her acceptance letter from Quinnipiac. She's WAY excited over that. So I'm already trying to think ahead towards next fall when both girls are living on campus and I have to add back all those chores I've been able to palm off on the girls... LOL! I'll have all summer to work out some kind of schedule, but I think if I come home, cook dinner and take maybe a half hour to dust one night, vacuum another, etc, then nothing should become overwhelmingly full of yuck and I can still have time to knit and spin. Course, I have MONTHS to work out the small details.

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I might have to buy another copy of Don Aslett's Is There Life After Housework? I think that's the book I'd used years ago when the girls were small. He literally gives you a plan on how to stay ahead of your house so you never even need stuff like spring and fall housecleaning. I'd created charts so I had about 5 or 6 things every day that took about 5-10 mins and my house was always "company ready". It was things like pick up and put away, wash dishes, go through the mail so it doesn't stack and do the 2-min swish 'n' swipe on the sink and toilet. Those were daily items. Then there were weekly things like Tues and Fri were vacuuming days. Mon and Thur were laundry. Wed was wash the floor day. A quick mop every week and it never gets grimy, you know? Then there were monthly chores. Say the 3rd of every month, you'd sweep the front and back steps. Some chores took longer, maybe 15-30 mins and others were 2 mins tops. There were also some quarterly things like hose down the sidewalk or hose down your screens.

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Seriously, it was great. And because the monthly were never more than 15-20 chores, you had the end of the month without anything extra. I did this routine for several years and my house always looked great.

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Then I went to work... Yikes! And the girls became teens... Bigger Yikes!!!! But now they'll be leaving us during the school year, so it's time to get back to my schedule.

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Anyway... this is all my meandering and blathering.

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See Maggie? Pics and the sweater is coming along beautifully. I'm really pleased with this. My next one will be another Dale of Norway... er, maybe. There is someone on Ravelry who's made it. It's called Barcelona and there's a picture of it. I'm either going to knit that, also in KnitPicks Telemark yarn. Or I'd like to knit the Windows pattern from the Philosopher's Wool book, Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified. I bought the book when I bought their kit last year. I'd love to buy more of their yarn, but I can knit the sweater in Knitpick's Wool of the Andes for about half the price. And with so many bills hanging over our heads this year (gee... can everyone sympathize with that one? /g/), I need to save where I can. They don't give exact totals in terms of how many yardages of yarn you'll need, but I think I can make a good guesstimate on it since I've already knit two of their sweaters.

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Besides, I always buy extra. I have at least one extra skein of each color for my DoN. If I have enough left over, think a pair of mittens to match. Or a scarf. Or a hat. Or maybe all of the above... LOL! It's not like yarn will ever go to waste in my house... /wry g/
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Yes, I'm adding those weird characters in between my paragraphs again. The pics will break up the text, but without a pic to do so, the paragraphs just run on and on. One big long sentence. So without that little squiggly, it's like the programming doesn't recognize that I'd really like a blank line between my paragraphs.

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Let's see... any other news? The Xanax is a wonderful thing. There were a couple days that I needed to take half a pill in the morning and then again at night, but mostly I find one a day keeps the panic at bay. The funny part is that I also recognized that this has been happening since last summer. I think a culmination of lots and lots of things, from losing my Dad two years ago and never really getting over it right up to the accident and the hysterectomy being two short weeks apart. Course, it didn't help that I got the quarterly statement for my 401k and I lost almost $2,000, let alone everything I'd added to it this past quarter. If that won't scare the heck out of you... /wry g/ So, like I said, 2008 was a real pisser.

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2009 might not be any better, but I'm doing everything I can to make it so. Every day when I wake up, I make up my mind that it's up to me to choose my attitude. I can smile and look forward to what today will bring or I can frown and wait for doom and gloom to drop all over me. This year, my goal is to choose a bright and happy face every morning. Smile at both the people I know and those I don't because they might surprise me and smile back.

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The news is always so depressing (though, c'mon, folks, the flight crew on that plane that landed in the Hudson River was great!!!!), so my goal is to fight that kind of negative attitude. People who bring cheer to others receive cheer in return. How about we all make a vow to be a little more cheery? Smile more. Laugh more. If I can bring happiness to those around me, I betcha what little I have left in my 401k that some of that happiness will rub back on me.

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Let's get organized. Let's choose to be happy instead of sad and depressed. Let's bring some of that happiness to those who really need it because, no matter how bad things might look from where I'm standing, I still realize that there are others who are far worse off than me. Let me try to bring some happiness to them. And, most of all, let's get knitting and spinning!

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I'm certainly happy to see 2008 leave. But I definitely look forward to what 2009 will bring!

New Year, New Dreams, New Goals!

Thank you, LDVenus, for both the warning and the words of encouragement. And I really appreciate the warning. My second job is working for a private practice psychiatrist. I do all of her computer work--insurance and patient billings, letters, appeals, all that sort of stuff. She's away on vacation right now and I plan to ask her when she comes back if the Xanax is a bad thing. Part of her practice deals with addiction to drugs, so this is not foreign to her at all. Trust me, I would never go that route.

The good news for me is that I visited a friend. She's probably my best friend in the world and we discussed my situation. She's also like the two of us in that she also had a hysterectomy, but she got through the next six months without any hormone help. She, like you, assured me that my anxiety is simply "life in general" right now.

All my life I've been a strong, independent woman. Everyone around me looks to me for strength and assurance when they feel overwhelmed. I'm a doer. I make things happen. I don't wait for solutions to crop up. I make them happen. Well, for the first time, I'm a bit overwhelmed myself. I'm not sure what to do next. Never been a problem before. I could always devise a solution and then, like I said, make it happen. Right now, I'm not sure which direction to take.

As she said to me, that's not a failing on my part. It's simply that I'm vulnerable right now. And that's okay. It's okay to admit it. And it's okay to feel it also.

No, the medication can never be used as a replacement or a crutch. I don't "do" crutches. It's not in my nature. But, for a short time period, if it helps me deal with my vulnerability, then that's okay also. Yes, I'll talk to the doctor. As a patient or an employee, it doesn't matter, but I'll talk with her next week and we'll work out the best course for me.

Actually, I admitted to her already that it was her notes on a patient that made me cut the medication in half. She has a number of patients that she sees for (I think the technical DSM reference) is "generalized anxiety", so she often prescribes Xanax. She'll prescribe the dosage that I cut mine down to rather than a full mg. And I was worried that taking what the dentist had prescribed would be too much and put me to sleep. I didn't want that. I just wanted enough to "take the edge off", as stated in my last post. It worked. Course, the patients at the office take this dosage sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. (I admit that I did forget how often their dosing regimen was, but I do know it was 3 or 4.) I just wanted once a day. So I was comfortable with that.

Thank you again for your kind words. Trust me, addiction is not an option. There have been drug problems in my family history as well as a long line of alcoholics, which is the reason I don't drink. I might tipple once or twice a year, such as my homecooked egg nog (the cooked kind, not the raw mix) which had 1/2 cup of amaretto added to the 6 cups of egg nog. Yum, Yum! From The Joy of Cooking. I made their cooked egg nog and added about 3 drops of vanilla and 1/2 cup of amaretto and I've been sipping over the days. This recipe is definitely going to be added to my Christmas menu on a permanent basis! LOL!

But the point is, I know my family history and I won't go there. In fact, I was going to delete that post entirely except a response did show up and I wanted to address it. Leave my "bumps and bruises" out on the internet for anyone to read. I can admit that I'm having a hard time right now. But I also wanted to assure anyone reading that I know the dangers of addiction and that's not an option.

I'm ready for my annual winter hibernation. Leave the rest of the world at the door. Watch everyone else endure the -10 wind chill temps we have today. Admit to my girls that I need a bit of help right now. Lean on the hubby a bit more and stop trying to solve everyone's problems single-handedly.

And in the meantime? I'm going to go order that yarn. I've been itching to start another colorwork sweater since I finished my brother's sweater last February and I haven't done it yet. Yup, I need a sweater to give my attention to and that will definitely help. In fact, I might break down and order yarn for two sweaters. Spending money is never a way to solve a problem, but the promise of two beautiful colorwork sweaters that I've been drooling over for almost two years will help. I may not be able to solve all the issues on my plate right now, but knitting those two sweaters will give me a tremendous boost of confidence and a sense of accomplishment that's sorely needed right now.

Happy New Year to everyone!

MIA and Instant Menopause

I put up a pic. That's the one of Pancake, our tiny, itty bitty sugar glider. And the reason I haven't been around in like... oh, forever is we lost her. All of a sudden one night, she was seriously and, it turns out, gravely ill. We did everything we could through the night (including a jaunt through about half the state to find an eye dropper on a Sunday night at midnight) and then finally got her to a vet in Connecticut who dealt with sugar gliders. They did the best they could, but she was simply too tiny. She should have been about four or five months old by this point and she only weighed 22 grams. To people like me who haven't a clue how to convert to metrics, take 22 paper clips and hold them in your palm. That's how tiny she was. Luckily, Shelby thought to bring Waffle along for the ride as Waffle was easily twice the size of Pancake and the vet determined that Pancake had some kind of congenital problem. If she'd been left at the breeding warehouse or, God forbid, in the wild, she wouldn't have survived long enough to be adopted. Her mom would have thrown her out of the family.

In essence, the vet assured us that we did better than good. We gave Pancake more time than she would have received anywhere else.

Didn't help, though. We still mourn her. She was definitely sweet in temperament and a charming little girl. Waffle? I still think Waffle barks for Pancake at night. Maybe by now, it's become a habit, but she was definitely confused for a few days.

Other bad news? How about a $7000 loan to fix my teeth? I did find a dentist who works with my fear of the dentist. He's doing a terrific job. And he's assured me that I'll be set, with a bit of care, for the next 20 years. And, yes, insurance is involved and that's all above and beyond the $7K that I have to pay out of pocket. But the work is in progress and Xanax is a beautiful thing... LOL!

Last bad announcement (as though this year hasn't been chock full of them as it is) is... er, remember my daughter's accident way back in April? She was cleared by the police of ANY liability in that accident since the other idiot driver tried to turn left in front of Shelby with only about 50 ft. of road between them. Anyway, a passenger from the other driver's car has a lawyer. They've sent a demand notice to my insurance company for $300,000. That just so happens to be the maximum limit of my policy coverage. I guess it would be way too much effort to actually work and get money from the person who's to blame for the accident. So they want to sue us instead.

No, I haven't told my husband about this one. I'm still waiting to hear back from a lawyer friend of mine on how to proceed. I'm just reporting the facts here. The reason I'm not telling my husband is because he landed in the hospital for three days. We won't go into that one except to say that he's got some respiratory problems that he's dealing with and he doesn't need the additional stress this knowledge would cause. We're not being sued personally... at least yet. Until then, I'm hoping we can simply make this go away somehow. I've informed my insurance company that I refuse to settle. I know this girl was seriously injured, but my daughter was not to blame for the accident, so she'll have to pay her medical bills by suing the party who was responsible.

So, to recap this year:
--My daugher was involved in a serious car accident where two kids in the other car were critically injured.
--I had a hyterectomy. Not elective surgery, but necessary nonetheless. Instant menopause. Oh boy... that's been fun.
--My poor beagle/bassett mix, Copper, died due to congestive heart failure.
--We adopted two sugar gliders, Pancake and Waffle, and then lost Pancake to some kind of congenital defect that no one could have foreseen.
--Mark spent three days in the hospital for what the doctors were sure had to be something heart related only to find out it was a pulmonary problem. We're still waiting for final determination and full treatment.
--We're being sued for the accident.

I stopped at the cemetary two weeks ago. It was time to take the winter pillow and clean up the site. Can't let my father, grandparents or great-grandparents start looking untidy or neglected. But I also had a chat with Dad while I was there. I realize that it's been a year and a half and I definitely felt his presence up until about a year ago. I also know that it had clearly been 40+ years since he'd had time with his dear Mom and his Dad. So he had this past year to catch up on news with them. I'm also sure it was a surprise for him to find his little sister, Patsy, up in heaven. So I'm sure they had some catching up to do. But I reminded him that it was time to come back and be the guardian angel for our family. We need his strength and his ever watchful eye for all those bad things that have been happening.

I apologize to the rest of America because I certainly didn't ask him to clear up the economy. I try to be civic-minded and remember my neighbors and do good work for my community, but there's no way I'm going to ask Dad to stretch his guardian wings over people he never even knew. Just us. Just his immediate family, thank you.

Besides, I'm so proud of Mom. In ten months, she's lost 50 lbs. If Dad didn't come back soon, he won't recognize her when she gets to heaven. He's got to stick close to help her achieve her goal and to keep checking in to see how she's changing in appearance.

The good recap for 2008? After all, you never get bad without good. Shelby and Dee are doing wonderfully. Shelby took Organic Chemistry, the bane of just about every science major out there, and managed to pull off a B+. Absolutely amazing! Dee is doing wonderful in her classes and she's received acceptance letters as well as scholarship offers from every single school she applied to with the exception of Quinnipiac, her top school. Not that they haven't accepted her or offered some kind of scholarship. She just hasn't heard from them yet. She checks the mail every day and our collective fingers are crossed. She wants to major in psychology and I hope she gets everything she wants. Shelby is a tough act to follow, but I've always believed in my heart that Dee, in her own way, is just as brilliant and can achieve just as many amazing things with her life. The toughest person to convince of that is her. It's almost impossible when she feels like she lives in Shelby's shadow. I've never believed she did. She's her own person and she'll make her own way. Now, for the first time, I think she's honestly believing it herself and I'm proud of her.

Second good thing is I adopted a new spinning wheel. It kind of came to me under an omen that I was supposed to purchase her. A few years back, I had a credit card to Bonton. Then Macy's bought out Bonton and I was sent a new credit card with their name. Well, to be honest, I just cut it up and forgot about it. Then, this year, I received a letter in the mail to cut up the Macy's card and was given a CitiBank card to use instead.

Well, at the time, I was already looking into getting a castle-style wheel with higher ratios and a blessed double treadle. The last yarn I plied on my little Prelude? I thought my leg was going to fall off because I simply couldn't treadle fast enough to get the job done quickly. That's when I started looking.

And, bingo!, a new credit card shows up. I'd already had a bit over $100 saved towards the purchase of a new wheel. So I sat on it. And I thought about it. I talked it over with Mom who told me to go for it. And I thought some more. Then I broke down and ordered it. I'm still saving money and anything I save goes toward that bill, but now I have a double treadle Minstrel with faster ratios and can be set up with Scotch tension.

I was torn between the Minstrel and the Sonata, which is the travelling wheel. But the Minstrel has more ratios available and I can set it for either double drive or Scotch tension. Having learned on the Prelude, I like the versatility of the Scotch tension. It operates separately from the drive band. I like that. Call me crazy, but it works.

And I've been spinning up a storm. On the little Prelude, it would take me a week to spin up 4 oz of fiber. If I spin more tomorrow, I'll have 4+ oz spun into singles and I literally began this new fiber just yesterday. Even better is the smaller flywheel allows me to ply my singles in a couple hours instead of taking the whole day.

I'm SO beyond enjoying my new Minstrel. And now that I have an "extra" wheel. (Geez.... I couldn't even imagine spinning, let alone owning two wheels. Can you believe it? LOL) I'm teaching Mom to spin. Since it's all her fault that I started with the Prelude (and if you look back, she technically owns it since she bought it for me for Christmas two year ago), I figure it's only fair that I share my love of spinning with her.

So that kind of leads me to a whole new and, hopefully, a much more fun topic...

WISHES and HOPES for 2009:
I hate calling them resolutions because they're more like ideas of things that I hope to accomplish. Things I'd like to do if life would get out of the way. Things I pray and wish I have the time to do. This past year I wanted to make my two Nordic designs and another colorway sweater besides. I didn't get them done. I wanted to work on two lace shawls as future wedding shawls for my daughters. I have yet to complete my Pi Are Squared EZ shawl.... er, oops. So, that said, I have my wishlist on KnitPicks for the first of the colorwork sweaters. All I need to do is click the "buy" and "complete order" button. Whether it's tonight or tomorrow, I'm doing to order that yarn and make my sweater. That will be the first of, hopefully, many.

When I ordered my wheel, Copper Moose had a good deal on 3 lbs of BFL in natural creamy off-white. It's beautiful fiber and will spin like butter. I'm hoping to turn that into skein after skein of gorgeous creamy 2-ply yarn. From that, I have a book on Fair Isle and Aran Designs. I want to put together my own Aran design and knit that sweater.

Oh, I did knit my Barbara Walker top-down raglan. I had enough of an autumn variegated colorway from that bin that I picked up last spring. It's not perfect, but it's really nice. And it surely came in handy during the snowstorm. Mother Winter dropped about 10-12" of snow on us last week and I slid that sweater over my head and stayed nice and warm while shoveling and snowblowing (Mark swears I broke the snowblower, but I'm kinda skeptical on that one). It was wonderful. I was toasty and warm and spent about two hours outside in driving winds and playing with the dog before I was done.

I'd like to knit some more top down sweaters. I just love the whole concept of knitting a sweater in just about one piece. Gee... can I consider it one piece if I spit-spliced all the ends? LOL! I just love her concept of why knit all these various pieces and then basically sew them together? If you want to sew it, then carve it out of material and sew all you want. If you're knitting, though, why not keep it all in one piece? After all, the beauty of knitting is the way the end fabric drapes and moves with the body. So why cut it into pieces and add seams that will inhibit the whole drape effect?

Okay, two last things and then I'll end yet another tome. The first is another plan. Mom bought me a binder. I can get those sleeves for pages and make almost a scrapbook of what I'm doing. Especially when it comes to using handspun fiber, I can take pictures of the fiber and keep a tiny piece. I can take a foot of the final yarn that I'm using. I can take a copy of the pattern and another picture of the final product and incorporate all of that into a sleeve. Date the top of the pattern with when I began the work and when I completed the project. A complete notebook/scrapbook of what I do in 2009. I like that idea.

I've kept a notebook with notes and adjustments. Listing the yarn, but not including actual pieces. And, let's face it, it's nice to know that I knit the Pembrokeshire Pathways socks in Koigu whatever # they call it, but isn't it a better reference to keep the actual ballband and a piece of yarn to go with the pictures? Yes, I think this is a great idea.

Now, I have a question. I think there are about 6 people who read my blog. I never get comments, so it's hard to tell if I even have 6. But I have a question for the ladies out there who might be able to offer solace/advice/encouragement for someone who's now charting that broad unknown territory called menopause. I'm 48. Younger than some, but not so far out of range that it's not unusual. What's unusual is that I was put under anesthetic with female parts and hormones and I woke up 3.5 hours later without either.

That was the easy part. The doctor prescribed an estrogen patch to get me over the rough times I was certainly going to face. Not the hormone cocktail, but straight estrogen that doesn't have the cancer scares of the cocktail. Well, I had the flu just after Thanksgiving and forgot to change my patch. By the time I remembered, it was 10 days later. Now, to be honest, I hadn't been feeling the best for a couple months. And I wondered if maybe my body really didn't want to go this route. So I stopped the patch about a month ago.

I can't say I get hot flashes because I don't get the red face and sweat dripping down my skull and the back of my neck. I don't wake up in a pool with night sweats. I do get periods when I'm warm, but totally manageable.

So what's the question? The one thing I do seem to get are almost anxiety attacks. I'll be going along in my day and all of a sudden my heart starts racing and I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin. I've had allergy attacks in the past where the heart is racing, the blood pressure is up through the roof, tightness in the chest. But these are different. I'm not having trouble breathing, but my chest feels tight nonetheless. Another taut rubber band between my shoulder blades. If I don't catch it early, I'll literally pace the floor. And I feel like I either want to throw up or cry until my heart breaks out through my chest (you know the scenes from the Alien movies, right? LOL).

Luckily, to help with my anxiety with the dentist, he gave me a prescription for Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. He prescribed 1 mg as needed, but I break them in half to "take the edge off". And, additionally lucky, I have 40 pills which means I have 80 doses. Now, I'm not about to abuse these suckers. When I feel the panic start to come, I take half a pill and I'm fine.

Is there anyone else who's had this happen? In the past month, before I started using my "dentist" pills to help offset this, the episodes were bad enough that I landed in the ER three times. (Oh, wow, while typing, I'm now having one of those short, tropical warm waves. Never enough to actually sweat, but enough to notice that a wave of warmth is washing down over me. Yeah, I know, shut up and consider yourself lucky, stupid! /g/) Anyway, the point is that I'm using the Xanax to offset those episodes when they start. As soon as I start to feel a little restless and "antsy", for lack of better words, I get my bottle and take half a pill.

So, my usual short story made long, this isn't something I've read about when I look up menopause. Am I weird? Am I the only one who's got this offshoot reaction to a total lack of hormones?

This is one time where I could use either some comments or some emails.

Now, last note, I feel bad that I can't list a whole ton of great things about why I've loved this year. So far, it's been a real pisser. But I do pray and hope that next years' recap will be the opposite. The conservative part of me says to wait and see. The ever hopeful part of me can't wait to find out.

So, for 2008, I hope we've finally reached the bottom of this damn barrel. The last couple of years haven't been easy. But I'm still here. I'm still hopeful. I still have dreams that things turn around and get easier. Financially, it's not easy, but we're lucky in that both Mark and I still have jobs. His employer downsized 20% of their workforce and Mark wasn't part of it. I feel sorry for those who found themselves without a job (Merry Friggin' Christmas, folks /sigh/) and my employer has instituted a hiring freeze until they can determine what will happen with tuitions, enrollment and the effect of the stock market on their endowments. Because of the accident, I now have a truck payment I wasn't prepared for. Insurance has increased because of the added insurance on a new car as well as Dee now being on our policy and, let's face it, accidents, regardless of fault, always increase your policies. So that's a huge chunk of change we now have that we didn't have a year ago. The payments on my dental work hurt, but you do what you've got to do. If I don't do the work, I could end up paying double because several teeth are in the processing of cracking. And, of course, the economy in general is in the tank.

But we can pay our bills. There isn't much left over and Christmas was slim. But we have our health and our family is strong. I love my husband and my girls and everyone else in my family. Our bonds are stronger than ever. I continue to knit and spin for sanity (and use Xanax very judiciously when stress overwhelms).

My hopes for next year? More sweaters. Finish my shawl and start another. Have lots to show at the Durham Fair in September. And I'm definitely going to attend the CT Sheep & Wool show in April. Golding is planning on being there and I'd love to sit at one of his wheels if one is available and I'd like to purchase one of his drop spindles. I certainly can't afford a Golding wheel, but wouldn't it be sweet to own a spindle? Just to be able to say I own a Golding. Maybe design a crazy pair of leg warmers.

I love to wear exercise pants. But I have that space between the top of my socks and the end of my stretch pants. Leg warmers fill that gap. I made a big chunky pair yesterday and my feet are toasty warm. Yup, I've missed that old 80's fashion and I'm going to do my best to reintroduce it to the younger girls at the college. Boots aren't an option on a lot of days because I kick off my shoes when I spin, so I wear clogs almost exclusively. Hence, cold feet while spinning. But today I wore leg warmers and never once did my feet get cold.

2009 is definitely a great year to reintroduce leg warmers... /wry g/

I hope your Christmas was everything you wanted it to be. Mine was wonderful. A warm house, good food and great company is always welcome. Let's hope 2009 will be equally wonderful for each and every one of us!

Where did the time go?

Let's start with the fun stuff. Here's a pic. It's a bit fuzzy and I apologize for that, but I couldn't get another because the flash was working and scared the he%% out of her. Her name is Pancake and she's the adventurous one of our pair of sugar gliders. I do believe she's the runt of her litter as she's about half the size of her adopted sister, Waffle. OTOH, just look at those eyes. The biggest, blackest and brightest eyes I've ever seen on a cute little critter.

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She's our "fun" one. Waffle still "crabs" at us, but she's slowly coming around. She still doesn't like to be picked up, whereas you can see that Pancake is having no trouble with that. Pancake likes to wander your shoulders, then climb onto the ear pieces of your glasses and then perch on top of your head. Probably because it puts a couple of feet between her and the dog. Lacy wants SO much to meet them and lick them (no, not eat them. I know her expressions and she just wants to make friends.) But Lacy's sheer size and the fact that she tends to be a bit high strung makes them nervous as all heck.

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Let's see... why have I been missing in action for the last three weeks? Honestly, I haven't got a clue. I feel like I have SO much to do and not enough time, but I think back and try to remember anything I've accomplished in that three weeks and can't think of a thing. Other than swilling tons of coffee and being addicted to talk radio (yes, I lied! I'm listening to the talking heads! yikes!), I can't think of anything I've done...

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Well, okay, a few things. I did finish the yarn for Dee. Somehow I'll turn this into something amazing for Christmas. I'm not sure what yet. Maybe the Moebius or some other kind of "smoke ring". Maybe a pair of mittens. Maybe a hat. I really like that "fuzzy toque" from the latest Interweave Knits, so maybe I can add some kind of fuzzy-type yarn in purple and that might do it. I haven't decided yet.

~

But I do like the yarn. I spun it a bit heavier than the Buffalo Soldier because that was bordering on lace weight and really too fine. This yarn has a bit more substance to it, so the end fabric will have more body to it.

~

I was going to take some pictures of the fall colors and load them here, but fall sort of breezed right past us before I could take note. The leaves were green one week, in full color the next and then we had a couple of hard frosts this past week. That brought out the fall foliage in full splendor, but then we had a huge windstorm last night. I mean HUGE. I swear it sounded like a hurricane was blowing through. And now all the foliage is on the ground. I really don't want to take pictures of the ground. It's not the same as capturing that color while it's still on the trees.

~

Good news is that our new boiler is in the basement. That happened last week. Yes, $5000 later, but we should be able to save huge amounts on our fuel consumption this winter. Already, I'm noticing that our house feels MUCH warmer and yet the boiler works about one-third as hard as that old ancient curmudgeon. Oh, and to add to that good news is I called around and was able to get my tank topped off for a bit under $500. $2.87/gal for fuel. I jumped on it before OPEC could shut down their production to drive the prices back up.

~

Yes, God forbid they only make $4mil in profits instead of their usual $30mil profit margin per quarter... /sigh/ Geez.... we can't survive with our ski resort in the middle of the desert if gas is less than $3/gallon or fuel oil is less than $4/gallon... Greedy b*st*rtds, aren't they?

~

Bad news in the last week is I finally went to the dentist and I have a LOT of work that needs doing. Yeah, I'll have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it, but I should be set for the next 20 years or so once it's done. I think I can do this. I just have to get online and see if I can get the financing. Yup, another bill to pay for the next five years... Yikes!

~

Now, of course, I have to talk politics. You know it. I know it. I mean, someone has to do it. I made the mistake of checking out Mollywobbles this morning before coming in to update my own blog. I've been reading Aiden's blog for a long time, but he's really gotten my gander up. Sorry, Aiden, but you sort of pushed my button with this comment: "I can assure you a) that he isn't a terrorist, but rather a 64 year old professor, a devoted expert in the education of urban, high-risk children..." [posted on or about 10/4] Yes, he's talking about Bill Ayers. This is the man who was quoted the day after 9/11 as stating that he wished he and his Weather Underground buddies had done more bombing. If he was devoted to children, he wouldn't have made a spectacle of himself in an article, standing on the American flag, entitled, "Guilty as Hell, Free as a Bird, Isn't America Great?"

~

Does Obama consider him a close and personal friend? Probably not. But I can't believe he isn't aware of his political leanings if Obama could blurb his book either. See, there are two things that people have to consider. First, if Obama blurbed the book without reading it, then I have to question Obama's judgement. Why would you give your name and position as an endorsement for someone you don't know? As a politician, all you have is your name and your position as a recommendation for people to vote for you. So that name and position must be protected from those who could later use it against you. It also scares me that Obama could later be signing documents upon the recommendation of others without reading. Sorry, but I'd like the President of the United States to read stuff before he signs it. I know that's asking a lot, but there you have it. If he's reading without signing, we could very well end up owned by Russia. That brings me to the second point. If Obama read the book before he endorsed it, then he certainly can't be telling the truth when he says that he hasn't got a clue that Ayers was a leader in the Weathermen and now openly admits to bombing his own country. And Obama endorsed it anyway.

~

Now, let's discuss Biden and his remarks last weekend. Don't try to disclaim them because I heard the sound bites. In the week prior, both candidates were briefed by the National Security Council on what's happening internationally. This makes sense. One of them is going to be President and they should be aware of what's happening in the world. They should be part of the "in crowd" as to what they could be facing when they take office. Then Biden goes off to Seattle and San Francisco and he says that if this administration takes office, mark his words, there will be an international crisis within six months. And they will need the support of the communities that support them to keep everyone calm because the decision that administration makes will not immediately be seen as the correct response.

~

Yeah, I'm paraphrasing because I don't have the sound bite right here on my computer. But he clearly said "this administration", not the new administration. Before anyone else analyzed his statement, I heard that he was referring to Obama particularly. Not that the international community would test any new administration, but that they would feel the need to test Obama. Because Biden did go on to say that they would learn he has a spine of steel. Not for nothing, but we already know that McCain does. Taking on McCain would have been like taking on Ronald Reagan. And, let's face it, as soon as Reagan won the election, Iran released the hostages. They'd been held in captivity for almost three years, but the terrorists knew that Reagan wasn't going to let the situation slide. Reagan would have bombed them, if necessary, in order to stop their nonsense. Jimmy Carter was still trying that "negotiation" thing. Hmm... sound like two new candidates running for office? Sorry, but I see Obama as dead set against force of any kind and trying to negotiate his way out of an international situation.

~

Especially when you read the last of Biden's statement. That we, as the American public, wouldn't understand or necessarily agree with his resolution to this international crisis. Biden did go on to say that he could easily give 4 or 5 scenarios...

~

Yikes! Sorry, but Biden sounded to me like someone who's been told a great, big juicy little secret and can't keep it to himself. He knows something that he's dying to reveal to the rest of us, but his position demands silence. Why? Because Obama spent the next two days trying to smooth it over with platitudes and generalities. He never denied or negated what Biden said. He simply stated that of course it was possible the international community is always trying to test any new candidate.

~

Sorry, Barry, but that's not what Biden said. Nor is it true, either. Why did we have the longest run of peace and prosperity under Reagan? Because the international community knew he wouldn't take any nonsense from them. He wasn't a President who offered the other cheek if slapped. He would have slapped back and then followed it with a punch.

~

Let's move on. Let's discuss how Obama has been adament that his comment to poor "Joe the Plumber" is exactly what he meant for his economic package. He hasn't said that his comment was misconstrued. He hasn't said that it was taken out of context. He's maintained that "spread the wealth" is exactly what he meant to say. The fact that the people who own the businesses are already paying 40% of the taxes in this country is meaningless to him. (Check the facts. The top 10% pay 40% of the taxes in this country. The bottom 40% of taxpayers pay nothing.) Obama wants to increase the taxes for the top 40% and give rebate checks to those in the bottom 40%. So the people at the top should, in effect, just send a welfare check to those at the bottom.

~

Sorry, but the people at the bottom aren't going to take those checks and create new jobs. But the side effect of this economic principle means that the people at the top will not only no longer create jobs, but they'll have to cut jobs in order to send those rebate checks. So unemployment is going to raise even more. This is Obama's way of stimulating our economy? I don't see how that can be done. It will financially strap the very people who hire. They can't hire anymore. Jobs go out the window. So now, instead of creating jobs, people will have to subside on that $5000 check they get back.

~

Call me crazy, but I'd rather see tax breaks in business to create new jobs worth $20,000 rather than instituting new taxes to offer a $5,000 rebate. I may be nuts, but I think it's easier to pay rent and utilities with $20,000 than $5,000. I must be weird.

~

One last thing because I simply can't ignore this one. They've run out of ammo against Sarah Palin. They're now discussing her wardrobe. $150,000 for a new wardrobe so she can look the part of a VP candidate. Think back, people. Do you honestly think the Democratic Party turned Hillary around for a mere $150,000? I'd love to see the figures on that one. And do you know why I think they needed to spend the $150,000? Because I betcha that Sarah's wardrobe consisted of parkas and LL Bean. Sure, she was a governor. But I'll bet my remaining salary that Sarah didn't have a designer wardrobe to begin with. So they spent some money to boost her wardrobe. I'd love to know how much Obama's suits cost. He and Michelle were ordering caviar and lobster before the final debate. I can guarantee he wouldn't be caught dead in a $200 suit. How much you want to bet his suits costs $3K each?

~

Little tidbit. Hillary brought 3 pantsuits to the convention so she'd have a choice when she gave her speech. They checked the 3 against the background so she'd look "just right" when she spoke on TV. 3 pantsuits = $18,000. For one speech. And the Dems are complaining about an entire wardrobe and makeover for $150,000? And all those clothes will be given to charity once the dust settles. How much do you want to bet that Hillary's pantsuits are still in her wardrobe? And I don't hear of Michelle donating her wardrobe to charity. Or eating a burger from the hotel menu.

~

Obama says let's stick to the issues and stop with the character attacks. Yet it's his people who did a background check on "Joe the Plumber" and came up with the bill for Sarah's wardrobe. Sorry, but his reaction to "Joe the Plumber" has been reprehensible and this man wants to be president. An average middle-class guy goes to a rally and asks an innocent question and Obama turns him into a punchline. Obama's people did a full background check on "Joe". Can you believe that one? Poor guy asks a question and now he's being ripped apart by Obama and Biden. He's the punchline with jokes like "Do you know of any plumber who makes $250,000?" Maybe not, but that wasn't the question. Joe asked about the economic policy if he manages to buy the business he works for. And, yes, hundreds of thousands of small businesses (the very people -- the sole proprietorships -- that you want to increase taxes on) make $250,000 per year. I ought to know because I work for one. But that's okay. According to Obama, Joe doesn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He's worked 20 years so he can be in a position to purchase this company. Now he doesn't get to enjoy it. He has to take all that extra money he's earned and give it to the very people he employs so they can buy him out. So, in essence, the very people he employs will make more money at the end of the year than he does.

~

It destroys the very fabric of free enterprise and incentive. Why make more? You'll only pay more, so don't bother. I mean, $1 trillion needs to be financed by someone. I don't want to finance it. So don't bother working for more.

~

'Nuff said. Aiden says he's got a handful of readers. I think he actually has more readers than I do. So no one is listening. Why do I bother? According to the polls, I'm talking to the wind anyway. Regardless of what I read in the paper on Friday. The pollsters explained how they skew the numbers to report what they want to report. And, yes, the media is definitely on the Obama bandwagon. So I'm the one who's banging my head against the wall. Why should I argue and fight when everyone says that I'm fighting a losing battle.

~

Probably because I hope people come to their senses and read between the lines of rhetoric. I pray that you all vote your conscience. And I hope and pray that I'm not singing the song of "I told you so" a year from now...

Entries, Gliders and more Politics

Let's start with the fun stuff. Durham Fair was last weekend. I won ribbons on all my entries. Fiber Entries: I took first place with my socks. The yarn was a bit uneven in tension, but it was really fine handspun and I think that's why I won. Most of the other handspun was worsted weight or bulkier. I tend to spin more of a fingering or maybe DK/sport. My handspun skein of Buffalo Soldier took third place. The judge commented that there were too many "weights". I think she meant that it wasn't consistent enough. Considering I've only been spinning on a consistent basis for about 4 months, I'm ecstatic. No, I'm not even in my tension or even in my thickness, but that will come with time.

I did spend the weekend spinning for demonstration. I'll write more about that next week (as time is limited today) but that was a LOT of fun and I met a LOT of people. I also tried to spin a bit thicker since this yarn will be used for a Christmas moebius. I don't need fine fingering for that. (Not if I want to get all the fiber spun and the yarn knitted up before the holidays... Yikes! /g/)

At the Fair, they had a display of Sugar Gliders (http://www.sugargliderinfo.org). My daughters and I fell in love, so we brought two babies home. Their names are Pancake and Waffle. Pancake is adapting to her new home quite well. Waffle is more of a challenge, but considering she's just more fearful gives us more incentive to work with her on a regular basis. We've only had them for a week, but I think they're doing okay. Pancake has crawled into my daughter's hand twice now. Waffle isn't ready for that, but I think she'll be just fine. She's just more hesitant and will take longer. A tougher nut to crack, but I've been known to crack nuts in my time... LOL!

Of course, this puts me behind. Every spare moment, I'm trying to spend with the gliders. I know they recognize my voice because they peek out in the morning when I go in to remove the extras from the cage. And they're quite calm when I do so, but we're not at the point of picking up and holding in my bare hand. I tried that with Waffle and it was a disaster for the poor thing. She freaked and nipped the heck out of me. I tried to calm her down, but she was having none of it. So we slowed down to a crawl and I'm slowly getting her used to me. She'll come out in the morning, but she's not ready to explore. She sits in her corner, quietly as long as I don't try to approach her with my hand. So I use that for now.

Today, she's been in her bonding pouch for the last four hours tucked inside my bathrobe. I do have a bunch of stuff to do, but that's okay. Shelby has agreed to take her once she's done with her shower. At that time, I can get the laundry started and get some cleaning done. (My furballs have rolled into the size of goats, so some vacuuming is sorely needed.) We also need a few things at the store. I'm going to try and take the baby with me. Tuck her inside my shirt and just come along for the ride.

Lastly, have you been paying attention? I see so many blogs out there for people who are supporting Obama. At least of the people who's blogs I normally like to read. No one seems to be openly vocal for McCain and Palin except for me. I know I promised not to talk politics, but someone has to do it, don't they? /g/

Because the debates don't start until 9PM and I'm normally crashing for the night by about 9:30, I do tend to pick them up late. I got the Presidential debate on my iPod by downloading from Cooper Anderson. I was able to tape the Vice Presidential debate and watched it Friday night (with both babies in a pouch around my neck, please note ). I think the thing that disturbs me the most is Rush Limbaugh was the only one who caught the quick comment by Biden that I caught. When talking about the economic mess, he said that the Federal Manager (whoever that will be and PLEASE tell me that it won't be Chris Dodd) not only has the ability to adjust the mortgage interest rate on those purchased mortgages (less money back into the taxpayer pocket), but they will also have the ability to adjust the principal loan amount. A very quick mention. But this was also reiterated by Sean Hannity Friday afternoon (when I get his talk radio show) and that fact was built into the bill that Congress passed. So... in essence, those people who bought houses they couldn't possibly afford will now not only have a lower payment because their interest rate can be adjusted, but their principal can also be lowered?!?

I'm skeptical and downright disheartened by this whole mess. If those mortgage holders now get to pay back less than what they borrowed (losing interest as well as principal), that means that I'm the one who'll now be paying their loan. So it's not bad enough that I'm struggling to pay my own mortgage, but I'm now going to lose that "investment package" by paying their loan for them.

Funny, but I don't see Congress running to help me pay MY mortgage. Almost makes me want to stop paying mine and see if they'll grandfather me into their package... /g/

Not that I would do that. After all, I'm one of those few people who did what Sarah Palin told us we have to start doing. I haven't borrowed more than I can afford. Yes, I have credit card bills, but I'm paying them. I've refinanced my mortgage to my advantage, but I'm paying it. I'm not standing around with my hand out to Congress. I'm doing whatever it is I have to do to pay for those things I need and want. And, I'm sorry, America, but we're a bunch of spoiled brats. We want what we want and when we want it and to hell with being able to afford it. And, now that we've overextended ourselves and put this economic strain on our economy, we're crying in our beer and waiting for the gov't to bail us out.

Not for nothing, but the Dems are trying to lay this blame at Bush's feet. Oh, the White House forced the de-regulation and put us in this mess. Sorry, folks, it was our Dem-lead Congress that passed the de-regulations, not the White House. This mess began back with the Clinton Administration. A Dem in office. And it was pursued and escalated in the past two years once the Dems took control of Congress. You might want to point the finger at the Rep president, but he can only do so much when he's got a Dem Congress with their collective feet firmly planted in the ground. And the bottom line is, regardless of regulations or de-regulations, we did this to ourselves. The banks didn't have to sign the papers. People who didn't read the contracts they signed overextended themselves to the point of bankruptcy. It's the fault of everyone who signed those contracts.

And the bottom line is that NONE of that matters. We're in the mess. Who's to blame for it isn't worth the time I'm taking to point it out.

It's about time we stop pointing fingers and try to FIX the problem. If you're going to lower the interest rates for them, then you'd better lower the interest rates for me. Free up some of my hard-earned money so I can put it back into stablizing the economy. If you're going to cut their principal, then cut mine. I'm paying my mortgage. Lower my principal and I can refinance back to what I've got and take that money back into the economy with jobs. I still have a few improvements I need to make on my rickety house. Free up my money so I can hire a contractor to finish what needs finishing. That's spreading the wealth and I'll be happy to do it.

Unfortunately, what's going to happen if the Dems get the votes next month is they'll raise taxes to pay for this mess they created and my money will be tighter than a piano wire. It's going to stifle me by strapping every last dollar I've got and I won't have anything to keep the economy running.

Sorry, but I think we ought to take this "rescue package" and see it for what it is. It's a loss leader. It's money we'll never get back unless we take that same principle and apply it to the people who actually ARE paying their bills.

And the only ticket that can apply that logic is McCain and Palin.

C'mon. I know you want to respond. With 30 days left before we enter the polls and let our voices be heard, it's time for some honest and soul-baring debate. Since no one else is taking on the Dems, I'll be more than happy to be the guinea pig. I have one of those adorable little creatures, so I have some experience. I'm open to debate. I dare ya... LOL!

Photo'd 'n' dropped off...

Yup, I did it. I found the camera and took some pics. And I've dropped off 3 of my 5 entries. It's been a crazy week with lots to do and lots of places to go. But I was determined to memorialize this moment before I dragged off my entries to the Fair. So I got the camera and hope the pics are okay. First off, here's my Wool Peddler's Shawl.

I knit this for Mark's aunt last Christmas and it really did turn out lovely. I knit it out of KnitPicks' Wool of the Andes in hollyberry, I believe. The pattern comes from Cheryl Oberle's book Folk Shawls. Truly a joy to knit and a project that I won't mind knitting again. The upper triangle is all garter stitch and then the pattern begins about halfway through. Here's a pic of the details of the pattern...

It's a very easy pattern, easy to memorize and easy to keep track of where you are. Very nice, indeed.

So that's my first entry.

I also entered that very first sweater I steeked. This was a Philosopher's Wool kit that I'd bought last fall. It's their Color Your Own kit in the colorway Fire with Yellow. Those creamy bands are yellow. But this was really fun to make. I think I knit this sweater in about five weeks.

I had enough fun with this one that I did buy their book with all their patterns and I'm dying to purchase the yarn and knit another in their Windows pattern.

Anyway, next and last in the hand knitting categories is a pair of socks. This is Brenda Dayne's pattern called Pembrokeshire Pathways. I forget where I got the pattern (Knitty.com?), but you can always get a link from her www.cast-on.com website. The pattern looks really complicated and it's beautiful once made, but it's actually quite simple over four rows. Really, nothing to it with a simple two-stitch cable. I knit these in Koigu PPM, I believe it's colorway 101.

~~

Next are two entries for our Fiber Dept.

~~

First up is a pair of plain st st socks in my own two-ply yarn spun from fiber I'd gotten from Cathi at www.stonebarnfibers.com. A gorgeous 100% merino fiber dyed in various shades of blue, hence the name Blueberries N Cream. I ended up with about 480 yds of 2-ply just in this one hank (which was wound into a center pull ball on my trusty ball winder). I still have another skein of about 300 yds of 2-ply. I'm thinking I might just have to knit up a matching pair of mittens... /wry g/

Here's my last entry. Some simply 2-ply handspun of 100% merino from Crown Mountain Farms in their colorway called Buffalo Soldier. It's an interesting mix of yellow, orange, brown and a touch of army green. I guess that's where the soldier part comes from... LOL!

I was able to spin up two skeins of yarn from 8 oz and I have a grand total of something like 680 yds of 2-ply. Yeah, I think I'm definitely fine enough for the sock yarn I wanted to spin. Too bad I don't need more socks right now... LOL!

Anyway, those are the entries. I have my fingers crossed that I can earn some ribbons and maybe some prize money so I can go buy more yarn and/or fiber. Not that I need any. I have tons right now. But more is never a problem. I have more projects planned for the next year than I probably have time to make them... /wry g/

I have to pass along an amusing story. A friend of mine had a "Quick Cuisine" party last night. She asked me and I said, sure, why not? She did explain that this is a kind of party where you put together food to take home. Two nights a week, Dee is stuck not only cooking dinner, but everything that goes with it (planning, preparing, cleaning, etc). So I'm thinking this would be nice for those nights that I'm working late and won't be home. I could plan the meals and she just has to pop them in the oven.

So I drive down to Clinton last night and I'm in Linda's driveway and the house is dark and her car is gone. I knock on the door. Nothing. I try her cell. No answer. So I called Dee and asked if she knew Linda's daughter's cell. I explain I'm in the driveway and no one's home and I'm hoping everything is okay.

Long story made short (too late!), Heather comes over from next door where she's babysitting. No, the party isn't at the house. It's at the business. This is not a home party. So she gives me directions and I find my way. I actually was getting worried when I'm sitting at a traffic light, look up and there's a sign attached to the side of the building "Quick Cuisine" with an arrow pointing me right to the front door.

It's a kewl idea. You go in and you can either purchase ready-made dinners or you can compile your own. There are various stations with all the ingredients and you simply follow the directions, put everything together in either ziploc bags or aluminum trays and take home for cooking. I bought six meals and several desserts for about $120. Not bad. I spend more than that at the grocery store on a weekly basis.

So I'm planning on doing this once a month. Get 8 or 10 meals to toss in the freezer. Either they can be used on the nights I work the second job or if we need something fast and easy. (Though some meals are even better... They're made to toss in a crockpot! Woohoo!) No planning. All the prep is done. You just cook it up and eat.

I like that idea. And the best part is that they change the menu every month so you don't end up with comments like, "Mom is working so it must be chili night..." followed with a big sigh.

Tomorrow I drop off my fiber, getting back to the Durham Fair. I'm going to ask about parking. I really hate the thought of having to park offsite and take my wheel on a schoolbus. My little Prelude is very portable, but she's not a traveling wheel. (Hence my new itch to own a Kromski Sonata. She's a double drive and she's built to travel. Even comes with a bag for that purpose. Kewl or what? I just have to save the $500+ she costs.../sigh/) Anyway, I'm hoping I can park closer since I plan to come up and spin with the ladies. I've even committed myself to showing up all three days.

One last thing. Even though I've already posted " 'nuff said", I simply have to make one more comment on our election. I read the paper. Always a mistake for me. A woman from my town wrote in to our regional paper that she couldn't believe McCain thought he'd get the Hillary voters just because Sarah is female. The audacity of McCain to think women would fall for that ploy!

Actually, and this is why I have to rant a bit, I can't believe this woman would honestly believe that's the whole reason he choose Palin. The writer is the one who's terribly short-sighted and totally naive if she honestly believes that I'm going to vote one way or another because a candidate is female. Course, it just begs the question if she was going to vote for Hillary based on the fact that she has ovaries, doesn't it? /wry g/ Is someone that honest-to-God stupid? I would never base my choice for candidate based on race, creed, religion, color or any of those other insignificant details. I do my best to do my homework and make an informed choice. Who are they? What kind of experience and past history do they bring to the job? What have they actually accomplished (repeat-not promised, but accomplished) in their term(s) in office? What do they hope to accomplish? And, most important, how do they plan to accomplish it? I don't want to hear "pie in the sky" promises that are just as easily broken as they are made. I want to hear an honest, workable plan. If you only stick to a couple issues, that's more realistic than promising everything, including a cure for cancer. That's impossible and we should all know that. But a few choice and key issues and tell me what I want to hear and you've got my vote.

McCain is the man. No, he did not endorse this ad. He doesn't even know I exist. I doubt he really cares (other than the fact that I'm a voter). So, take it for what it's worth. As I said last time, you know where I stand. Have you done your own homework and made your choice? Whatever else happens, this election will be historic and I bet it's going to be one of the most public and down-to-the-wire in history. I'll be watching... Will you?

Have a wonderful week! It's looking to be spectacular (especially considering I'm taking a vacation day on Friday so I can go meet some new spinning friends).

Camera MIA and politics... Yikes!

If anyone knows where the camera is hiding, I'd certainly appreciate being let in on the secret... /sigh/ Taking pictures was never the problem. I knew how to do that. You point and shoot. But I'd finally learned not only how to download the pics to the computer, but also how to place them exactly where I wanted them and now I can't find the damn thing.

Life is never easy, is it? LOL!

Yesterday I had to finalize my entries for the Durham Fair. (Yes, this is the reason I wanted to take pics. Let's memorialize this moment kind of thing.) I'm still entering my Philosopher's Wool sweater. That's a given. I'll take it out of the winter clothes storage this week and freshen it up. Next is that pair of Koigu socks where I knit the Pembrokeshire Pathways pattern. They really did turn out lovely. Then I have to call Aunt Lois today and see if I can stop over during the week and borrow her Wool Peddlers Shawl. I was really proud of that one. That's it for handknitting. Sad, isn't it? They do offer a LOT of categories, but I tend to knit a LOT of socks and I can only enter one. Sidenote: Would you believe they only offer one category for socks? Sorry, but there should be 3 categories -- plain socks, patterned socks and colorwork socks. Funny because the Fiber Dept has all three categories, but not the Needlework Dept.

Anyway, let's move over to the Fiber Dept for my two entries there. A plain pair of socks in that lovely Blueberries N Cream that I got from Gypsy Girl. They did come out nice, though I do have to admit that my stitches are so darned even that the small inconsistencies in the spinning really do stand out. Course, that just makes me want to get better with my spinning. Second entry is I finally finished my 2-ply hanks of Buffalo Soldier from Crown Mountain Farms. They turned out much lovelier than I'd thought. Yesterday, I finished plying the second hank and then I washed and whacked and hung them in the bathtub to dry.

My friend Linda stopped over yesterday and said that I should make everyone mittens this year. Everyone she knows wants mittens, so I should do that for Christmas. Now I'm torn. I was going to knit Moebius' for everyone from handspun. Now she has me thinking about mittens. Course, I was also going to look for some patterns on "smoke rings". Basically, they're a cowl that's fairly lacey with a pretty pattern. If I get some nice smoke ring patterns, maybe I could take the handspun that's left and knit mittens to match. Hmm... that's an idea. And maybe I could translate the smoke ring pattern to match on the back of the hand. It's another idea to toss around while I keep spinning. I only have another 5 lbs or so to spin before I have to decide... /g/

Let's see... what else is new?

Oh! I finally started a sweater from Barbara Walker's book, "Knitting From The Top". Remember I bought that huge bin of yarn from CT Wool last spring? Well, I figure, I have the whole school year to work my way through the bin. Why not start with chapter one of the book and simply work my way through each one? Lord knows, I have enough yarn to make a number of sweaters. And my wardrobe is woefully sweater deficient. Why? Because I hate buying sweaters when I can knit them myself. These will work up a lot quicker than those gorgeous Dale of Norway patterns I'm hoarding. So let's start with some neck down sweaters and then, maybe around Christmas, when I'm looking for something with more of a challenge, I can cast on for a Dale of Norway. That will also be around the time when I plan to cast on for one of those future wedding shawls for my daughters.

I have to do something other than socks for a while. I counted at the beginning of summer when I stopped wearing socks. I have something like 25-30 pairs of socks. I don't need more right now. Yes, I will probably cast on a few pair for the Hubby just because. But I surely don't need more right now until I can wear out a few pairs.

On other news fronts... Not much to report. I have a wedding to attend the first weekend in Oct. And, now here's a shock, but I'm going to buy a dress. AT least, that's my plan. I haven't bought a dress in probably 10 years. I figure it's about time I finally got into the 21st century and bought something good. After all, I have this wedding, the hockey and basketball banquets at the end of the year and the service awards dinner at Mark's job. There's 4 occasions to wear it. And won't it be nice to play like I'm grown-up and wear pantyhose and heels? It's a thought. I'm actually kind of excited about it. So I'm going to take youngest daughter with me. (You know the girl... the one who's effectively hidden the camera and is still playing dead in her room... /g/) She's got a good eye for fashion. Me? I'm the worst. If there was a way to wear jeans and not humiliate the groom, I'd probably do it. So, rather than humiliate him, I'm going to try my best to look like a proper wedding guest.... LOL!

Oh, speaking of humiliation. I try NEVER to discuss politics. Really, I do try. Unless someone asks my opinion, I figure you'll vote the way you want and I'll vote the way I want. There's a good reason for a curtain on that machine and let's leave it at that...

BUT (you could see that one coming, couldn't you? /g/) one of the blogs I do read is Mollywobbles by Aiden in Chicago. He called Sarah Palin the worst "effing" mother in the world for humiliating her daughter by accepting the VP nomination from John McCain when her daughter is 5 months pregnant. He thinks it's reprehensible to parade her daughter around while she's unmarried and pregnant. I was going to put a comment on his post, but I didn't. I really don't want to get into a huge political discussion, but my question to Aiden is this...

Why does Aiden assume that Sarah's daughter is humiliated? First off, she is engaged. Okay, so they haven't married yet, but they are engaged. Second, who are we to assume that they didn't plan to have children right away anyway? Just because you wouldn't want your teenager to become a parent at an early age doesn't mean that that isn't what she wants. Maybe she's a girl who grew up with the hope to marry early and have a whole passel of kids. Just because society no longer wants that for their female offspring doesn't mean that said offspring doesn't want that for themselves.

I knew a lady years ago through a bowling league. When she and her two best friends were in high school, their goal was to get married, buy houses near each other and have tons of kids. They all got married shortly after high school, bought the houses near enough that all their kids attended school together and went on to produce, collectively, 29 children. Yes, 29 children. Claire had 11. Her two friends had 13 and 5 respectively. And they were all happy. Two divorced. One remarried. But they were all happy with their lives.

So.... humiliation? Who are we as public outsiders and observers to assume that anyone was humiliated? That's the "talking heads" making assumptions about what is in another person's mind. And this is the reason why I don't listen to the talking heads. They sit around and "analyze". Let's face it, they guess. They hear a speech, extract one single line and then construct entire articles about their assumption of what was meant by that one single line.

No thank you. I will never determine the way I vote based on something that someone other than the candidate themselves have said. The media has turned this election into the circus it is. Forget their analyses and conjectures. Don't let them tell you how to vote. Do your own homework and listen to the candidates yourself and make your own opinion and then vote your conscience.

Now, just to set the record straight, I'm voting for McCain and Palin. I voted for McCain in the 2000 primaries. The only way he would have lost my vote is if he'd lost his mind and taken Lieberman as a running mate. Instead, he solidified my vote with his choice of Palin. There. I've said it. I've always been a Republican, but I won't say that I've always voted my party. Sorry, I'm not a party girl. I'm an issues girl. And McCain has the answers I wanted to hear.

That's me. And that's my rant on politics. Now go make up your own mind.