I'm Not Dead-- Only I Almost Got Killed

But that's not the reason I haven't blogged. We're having massive discontent in our computers. I've tried what I know to get it fixed, so now we need to find time for The Husband to work his computer magic. (The Offspring will both be home for Thanksgiving, so maybe they can get stuff working.)

Oh yeah-- the almost getting killed part.

I was thrilled to be off work on Friday, even though I was on call. I got to sleep a couple of extra hours, and got a bit done around the house. Then the phone rang. I needed to come in and do a couple of ambulance transports. So off I went. As I was driving along Sherwood Hall Lane (which is how one gets over to the GW Parkway if one doesn't go all the way down to Mount Vernon) a big white pickup truck swerved across the yellow line and was coming straight at me.

I stopped, because if he was going to hit me, I didn't want my velocity adding to the problem, and I laid on the horn. The truck swerved away, and as he passed me, I saw that the driver was slumped against the window. I remember thinking, "that doesn't look good." (It didn't take being a nurse to come to that conclusion, I'm sure.)

I saw him continue to curve to his right, hit the curb and flip the truck. It was laying on its side with the driver door down. I drove to the Fire Station which is about another block, rang the doorbell, and told the people about the flipped truck. Then I ran back to the pickup truck, and the guy wasn't moving at all. One of the bystanders thought we should break the windshield, but I suggested that since the fire department was on their way, that we should let them handle it. Apparently a good idea, since they determined that it was unstable, and they needed to right the vehicle before they could attend to the victim.

I gave my statement to the police, and then needed to get to work.

I don't know how he didn't hit me.

I don't know if he fell asleep or had a heart attack or stroke, or a seizure or what.

I don't know if he's alive or not.

I do know that I was protected by the grace of God that gets me through every day, and guarded by the angels who for whatever reason, deem to watch over me.

And I am thankful.

This And That

On the Road Again
Why, you ask? Because Virginia Tech is playing against Boston College tonight. I must say that it never occurred to me that being a college football fanatic would be a way to describe me. That is, until The Daughter had the good sense to choose an institution of higher learning that made it worth the time. I do love them Hokies!!!

(And how about them White Sox??? The Miracle on 35th Street actually happened. In my lifetime.)

Maybe I'm Amazed

I am SO excited!!!! The "Baby" Brother (I have 4-- he's the youngest, and I was a senior in high school when God and my parents had the good sense to put him on this earth)called me last week to give me some great news.

He and The Beloved are tying the knot!!!

The story is just too cool-- and would take more time than I have to type, so I'll give you the Cliff Note (or SparkNote, if you will) version.

They had McCartney tickets. The Brother had researched, got the playlist and order, and spent considerable time trying to focus on The Beloved's absolutely favorite tune. (I must say that I have a hard time singling out MY favorite.)

Well, it came down to Long and Winding Road and Maybe I'm Amazed. Cutting to the chase, they were sitting "with some older people" (yikes-- I hope he meant they were older than me!!!) and he described it as a "No Standing/No
Singing zone." So he was getting a bit nervous about THAT aspect of it.

Maybe I'm Amazed started up, and he stood up in the No Standing Zone, got down on one knee, and the ladies behind him were saying "Is he going to? I think he's going to. Yes he is!!!" and everybody in their area started clapping and cheering and looking and pointing at them.
(note to all-- Now see here: This is the ONLY circumstance under which I would approve creating a distraction while Sir Paul is performing.)

And he asked her to marry him, and she said yes, and I'm getting another sister, and 2 nieces. And none of us could be happier for them.

I Gotta Go Pack

Oy!!!

Holy Cow!!! You must think I've fallen off the face of the earth!!! The actual fact is that in the circle of life, I'm in an ever-decreasing spiral. And it's the same thing that I've heard from everyone I know in every aspect of my life. "It's been crazy."

So crazy that I went to Late Night at The Shop last Wednesday for about 10 minutes on my way home from work, and was so rushed in the morning that I forgot to put my knitting in the car.

So crazy that while I was able to spend a couple of hours at Late night last night, I absolutely had to leave a couple of hours earlier than I wanted to. The really cool thing was that I saw Carol, who I haven't seen for weeks and weeks. Holly and Lara were busy, busy, busy making felting squares for tomorrow night's workshop at KH.

So crazy that those are the only 2 times I've been to The Happy Place since late September.

There are a number of good things to report, however.
I've completed the front (or is it the back? I'll have to wait until the other one is done and use the better-looking one for the front) and 1+1/2 sleeves for Klaralund.

I got my Debbie Bliss "The Club" gift-- 4 balls of a light pink Alpaca Silk and the Soft Things book.

I got the most wonderful 3 hanks of Lorna's Laces yarn-- a prize from the Katrina Fund.

And I finally mailed out the stitch markers that I was so remiss in sending to the very wonderful and patient knitters who participated in the Stitchmarker swap. Can you believe that I have such a difficult time getting to the post office? It's absurd!!! (I really need a 24-hour post office. I know there are machines and such in the ones with extended-hour lobbies, but I always need envelopes to mail stuff, etc.) What a relief. I've been feeling guilty for weeks and weeks. About stitch markers!!!

I still have many many things to do-- such as:
Catch up on everyone's blogs
Finish the calendar for the hospital nursing staff (fun-- scrapbooking-type picture layout, but NO TIME to do it!!!)
Finalize the election list for a meeting I need to attend tonight
Buy/Fix munchies for tonights Virginia Tech vs Maryland football game (boo hoo-- I'm not going because of the aforementioned meeting, but I'll watch it on tube, bugging out of the meeting early if it starts to run on... but The Daughter is coming home for it, and will be attending with The Husband)
Make an appointment for The Daughter to get hair trimmed tomorrow (Strike while the iron's hot-- that can go on the "done" list)
AND-- I just re-redded.

The Lord Giveth, and The Lord Taketh Away. Clairol Restoreth.

Home Again, Home Again

Just a brief jet-lag entry at 2:30 am EDT:

When there is thunderstorm activity in Chicago, everything that connects through there gets backed up. You can't leave California until they know they'll be able to land in Chicago.

This explains why I ended up back at Reagan National Airport at 2:15 am yesterday, and got home a little before 3 am. (The good news is that Klaralund's first sleeve is about 2/3 done. Then one more sleeve and the front.)

Thank heaven for my co-workers who lent a helping hand yesterday during my 7a-7:30p shift.

I got home from work, shared about 3 sentences with The Husband and crashed. And now it's 2:30 am, and I'm wide awake. (Gotta go read something boring)

And the beat goes on.

How I Spent Saturday

How I Spent Saturday Morning

I got up and checked out of the very nice hotel, went to the conference, and listened to a wonderful man who had preemie twins.  One died, and the other was in hospital for several months. She’s now in second grade.   It was really valuable to listen to his thoughts and reflections, and it helped me to refocus my approaches to my patients and their families.  I need these reality checks from time to time, and the distance that he has from the actual events validates even more his perspective.  

Having had that affirming experience, I went to ESPNZone to watch the Hokies play against West Virginia.

So here I was at 10 am in a bar, as predicted.  Drinking a Bloody Mary (seemed more appropriate than a beer, although the people sitting next to me watching the Red Sox vs Yankees were imbibing in the brew) and eating eggs and sausage.  Yum.  (in the interest of full disclosure, I switched to Diet Coke after the ‘Mary.)

The game was great. I met an Air Force nurse and her fighter pilot husband, and between touchdowns and home runs, we compared notes on the state of nursing in the world (that’s a whole ‘nother issue) and had a good ol’ time.

I returned to the conference, picked up a few more souvenirs for the troops back in the trenches, and headed south.  I took “the 5” (anyone ever notice how on the West Coast all the highway numbers are preceded by “the”?) down to Oceanside, then went to Mission San Luis Rey and then down 101 which runs along the Pacific.  I got down to LaJolla, where I lived as a small child, and walked in the ocean for a few minutes.  Wow.  I vaguely remember being at one of the beaches with my father and mother.  And when I think about how long ago that was, Wow.  What a life it’s been.

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Why I like Hampton Inns

I spent 4 nights at a very nice major chain high-end hotel near Disneyland.  The grounds were breathtaking.  The building was beautiful.  The room was huge.  It was convenient to the conference site.  I could see the Disneyland fireworks from the courtyard outside my room.  The housekeepers did a great job.  I should have been jumping up and down with joy.  So what’s the problem?
I’m spoiled by Hampton Inns.  (and they’re not paying me to say this.)  We have stayed at Hamptons consistently since The Son started college.  And I guess consistent is a really good word for all this.  We are consistently greeted by name, and at a new venue, we are asked if it’s our first time with them, at which point they give us the details of what’s where.  If we are returning, the desk clerks usually know (it pops up in the computer) and they welcome us back.  They ask if I’d like to charge the room to the credit card in the reservation system, and they may or may not ask to scan it. And they make sure we know where the complimentary breakfast is (which now always contains hot items—eggs, sausage, biscuits, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries, and gallons of juice and coffee.) Then we go to our room, which is usually not super huge, but is spacious enough for us and our stuff.  There is always a refrigerator and microwave, coffee maker, free wireless internet access, and because we’re HHonors members, a little snack (cookies or chips) and a bottle of water.  (The latter probably costs the hotel a buck or so—but what a nice little gesture.)

Contrast:  I checked in to this other very nice hotel.  I walked up to the desk and gave my name—smiling broadly—and said I had a reservation.  The response of the clerk was “I need a photo ID and a credit card.”  Not “Welcome to (our hotel)”.  Not “We’re glad you’re here.”  Not “Hello.”  OK.  I went to my very nice room with its very nice everything except refrigerator, microwave and free internet access. I decided to limit my internet to 2 days, because it was an additional $9.95 per day.  I’m told this is not unusual.  But it’s unusual to me.  And one of my cohorts didn’t have wireless and needed an adaptor, of which there were 2 in the entire hotel, so she needed to get in line.  (now I don’t know if Hampton has adaptors for those who are not “wire-lessed”, but anyone who stays there consistently is equipped.)

There was in-room coffee, for which I was truly grateful (the Disneyland hotel doesn’t, according to my colleagues).  So I figured I’d go grab an egg or something for breakfast, figuring 5 or 6 dollars. Nope.  $12.95 (plus, of course, tax and gratuity).   Now, granted, this is for full breakfast, but I don’t eat pastries, pancakes, toast (French or any other kind), cereal, etc.   I had an Atkins bar instead.

My reservations at the very nice hotel were a bit hosed, (not their fault) and I wasn’t reserved for the last night of my stay.  Not a problem.  There are many hotels, and I had decided to rent a car and go down to San Diego.  I also decided to get something closer to the airport, because, you know how that goes.  I found a Hampton Inn close to the John Wayne airport, and made my reservations online.  There was an option for a King suite at an unbelievably low price.  I don’t know what I expected—basically a king sized bed in my standard happy Hampton Inn room.  Well, let me tell you.  I walked in to the room that has a very respectable sized bedroom with a tv, a large bathroom, a sitting room with a tv, and the entryway that has a wet bar with the requisite microwave and refrigerator, and a desk.  Holy cow.  I didn’t want to leave it to go get dinner.  Really.

So now I must again pack, and get ready for the journey home.  The only problem with being in California, is that it takes not only 6 actual flying hours to get to the East coast, but the 3-hour time difference makes it pretty much an all-day thing.  
Well, more time to knit!

From Sunny California!

Or is it Cah-lee-foh-nee-ah? Depends on whom you're hearing. Anyway, the conference has been great. I've met some really neat characters including (imagine me with a picture of Mickey and Minnie. You know what they look like, but you have to keep guessing about me) and (imagine a pictue of me with Goofy) and this big guy (imagine me with a gihugeous statue of John Wayne at the airport. I come up to mid-thigh on him).

At this point I must tell you that I am tres distressed. I have figured out the basics of my nice new digital camera. I have successfully loaded the software and transferred pics to my computer. I followed the Blogger directions for uploading pictures to the site so that you could see real pictures of my life and things that are important to me, including, of course, my knitting. Well, The Blogger kept saying "uploading images"- while I packed, "uploading images" while I brushed my teeth, "uploading images" while I took a shower, "uploading images" while I drank three cups of hotel-room coffee. And still uploading. Well life must go on, so I'll worry about pictures another day. La de dah. But there are some REALLY good pictures.

So today's plan is to go to the first morning meeting and then to ESPNZone to watch the Hokies play the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Both teams are undefeated, so it should be a good one. The game is at noon. Eastern time. That's 9 am on the west coast. I'll be sitting in a bar at 10 am. Hmmm...

I do love Virginia Tech football, and we've been fortunate to get tickets to the 2 home games they've had so far. We have a spectacular view. We can almost see Charlottesville.
We sit with God. (imagine a picture of me taken from the second to last seat at the top of the South End Zone in Lane Stadium, holding some knitting (a ribbon scarf to be donated to the sale in the Lombardi Cancer Center) with thousands and thousands of Hokie fans behind me. Thousands).

Think binocular ball. And quite truly, with binoculars, it's a perfect viewing venue. The mountains in the background are beautiful. It's an amazing place-- and sitting with God makes one appreciate it even more.

I've rented a car, so after the game, I'm headed down to San Diego for the afternoon to visit the haunts of my very early childhood.

And on to Klaralund

What is it about Klaralund that everyone loves so much? Is it the simplicity of the pattern that lets you focus on the fiber you're using? Is it that the chick on the boat in the book (Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton book #2)looks like she's having such a darn good time? (imagine a picture of the chick on the boat in the book looking like she's having such a darn good time).

Anyway, great progress has been made. A six-hour plus plane ride and several days of sitting in meetings-- however fascinating-- will do that for you.

To bring you back up to speed, since Klaralund and I were not coordinating for quite some time: (imagine a picture of the back and most of one sleeve). Her back is completed. The garter stitch is all in Lorna's Laces Grace (a wool/mohair boucle') in the Somerset colorway. The stockinette portion is done in the Lorna's Lace interspersed with pale teal and pale cotton candy pink Classic Elite mohair. It's pretty neat. The sleeves are done completely in Lorna's Lace.

Why the combination, you might ask? Well, I had some of the Grace from an ebay purchase, but not enough to do Klaralund in. So I started the interspersion. Then I realized that I probably would still not have enough Grace, so I chatted with my pal Kristine at Knit Happens who not only ordered it for the store, but also for the online store. The colors are nearly identical to what I had, which is pretty amazing for hand-dyed yarn from significantly different dyelots.

Thanks, Kristine!!!

It feels really silky to knit, which surprised me with mohair. And there are the obligate boucle' loops getting caught on things problems. But I'm lovin' it. The sweater will be really light, but I think it will also be quite warm, with a tee under it to prevent the scratchies. I'll have some Grace left, so a scarf might be in the making as well.

So on to meetings and football and San Diego. What a day lies in store.

Over Two Weeks since my last Blog????

Bad Nurse!!!!

Well, it's been a harrowing couple of weeks, but I'm still here. But not for long. I'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow morning to go to Anaheim for a nursing conference. Now I don't know if I'll have time there to blog, but I'll give it a try. I'm still working on the picture thing. I've got some good ones.

There are a lot of raggedy ends that haven't been tied up, since work has been pretty busy, and nights have been late.

Stitch Marker pals-- I haven't forgotten you. I just haven't had 10 minutes to pack things up and get to the post office, because they're only open when the sun is shining.

Most recently, I can report that Spring Fling is almost flung-- on the sleeves, and decreasing at a most alarming rate, so the little sucker should be done soon. Made great progress in the car to/from Virginia Tech. Haven't decided yet whether it makes the trip with me. Klaralund is the likely trip project. I seriously need to limit the number of traveling projects and focus!!!

The Husband and I had a mah-velous weekend in Blacksburg, watching the Hokies nicely beat Georgia Tech. The weather was perfect-- overcast and cool. The Daughter and her 329 bandmates did a formidable job with the band alums (fun folks, they are...) and we stopped by Winchester to see the Son on our way home.

So, I'm mostly packed, but need to make sure I have some essentials-- like the plane and hotel reservations, ipod and charger, meds, cell phone and charger, computer, camera and charger, charge cards, and the beat goes on. (and the toothbrush and makeup would be nice, too.)

See you soon-- and depending on the hookup in my hotel room, maybe sooner than later.

So How Much Fun Was That???

A whole lot!!

Taking a break from the sadness of Katrina and the overwhelming grief I still feel almost daily over this date, there is still room for happiness in life.

Iris Schreier of Multidirectional Knitting fame was at Knit Happens last night, and had a booksigning and workshop for our lys fans. As a group, we pretty much sped through the concept for the multidirectional scarf, and after a few hiccups most got the gist of Iris' lace shawl.

She brought some swatch-sized samples some of her ArtYarns which, of course, we drooled over.

Although this was in no way a contest, it soon became apparent that Carol and Maeve turned out to be the speed-stitchers, with Carol as the expert lace wizard. (By the way, Carol finished her Kaleidoscope shawl which is just awesome, and is working on a beautiful butter-yellow creation in the finest wool I've ever imagined. We all agree that it's the best yet--and she's done a bunch.) (and despite her protestations to the contrary, Carol is indeed creative. Just picking the right yarn for the right project causes me major stress at times.)

Kristine actually carved out time to sit and knit with us. She's the hostess with the mostest yarn, but has been so very busy lately....

Shanti will be leaving us soon, and I was so glad to have a chance to see her. She'll be moving on to bigger things. Navy people always seem to cross paths, and I for one am grateful.

It's really interesting how diverse our little table at the back of the store is-- students and lawyers and teachers and people who do international stuff and, heck-- I don't even know what some of us do-- there seems to be a lot of "consulting" going on. I've never been able to figure that out, either.

I got to see Courtney, and meet Patty, and saw Rosanna for the first time in ages. I discovered as I walked in the door that I had just missed Erika and Bennett. Darn Darn Darn!!!

Iris was interested in our nicknames-- we don't all have nicknames, because some people don't need them. 4-Ply Katie (one of those international stuff people)got her nickname because she LOVES, of course, knitting with 4-ply yarns. I'm NurseLaura because I am. Carol is the Wizard because that's what she is. and so forth.

Well, on for the day. I've got a few things to do, and then on to the shop to finish-- FINISH I TELL YOU! the pink and green baby sweater. I'm so almost there. Focus. Must focus.

Blog From a Nurse in New Orleans...

Oh my gosh. I will try to never complain again. Go here to find out why. And if you haven't given to a relief agency yet, please do it right now.

There Will Be Photography. Soon

The Nurse got a digital camera. Finally. Now I just need to learn how to use the thing-- and then learn to post pictures. Patience, Please.

Stitch Marker Swap

It's been pointed out to me that I didn't fill out the Stitch Marker questionnaire. Guilty. Fact is, I couldn't find it. I mailed out my first sets VERY early, because I was travelling, and then didn't check back to the yahoo page, because I was incommunicato. Sorry.

Quick answer to all the questions: I like surprises! I knit on needles from 0-13. All colors are good.

Green Day-- On to Something, or Not?

I like all --well maybe not all-- but most types of music. And I like some of, but not all of Green Day. One song I've heard quite a bit of lately is Wake Me Up When September Ends. It's a sad song, and September's beginning to turn into a bit of a bummer of a month, generally speaking, with events that range from tragic to just plain annoying. Bad things have been happening in September over the past few years. (April's no treat either, but Green Day didn't write a song about it.)

So I've had that ditty running through my head. And while I sort of like the idea of waking up in a few weeks, escaping the sadness of Katrina and 9-11, and some other things that were less catastrophic, but still very painful, it occurred to me that I better try to focus on the positive. I can't minimize the horror of these and other September events, but since I really can't sleep through the month, I'm left with a couple alternatives, including being really bummed out, or awfulizing until I really don't want to keep company with myself and can't really expect anyone else to want to, either.

Here are some good September things:

-Virginia Tech football
-Being able to walk outside and actually breathe
-Weather that starts to get cool enough to wear sweaters
-Seeing the piping plovers and ponies at Assateague
-Stomping grapes
-Iris at the shop
-Flowers on the crape myrtle
-A schedule that will hopefully allow for more knitting time and more opportunities to hit Late Night.
-The renewal that comes with the new school year for the kids
-Looking forward to Autumn-- colors, smells, comfort food, clear blue skies

I'll guess I'll stay awake through September. And try to smile.

When News is Part of the Problem-I Must Rant

I'm watching hundreds of buses, ambulances and trucks entering New Orleans with some 5 million MRE's, water, and a route out for at least some of our citizens who have been in such despair. So help is on the way. Yes, it took several days. Yes. The situation is awful. And Yes. These are our citizens and we owe them the best we can do.

I also saw footage of Geraldo Rivera who told of riding along in helo's with rescue teams. Good for him. One or two more victims could have been carried in the space and weight he was occupying.

I listened to Bill O'Reilly and some self-righteous blond loudmouth last night and this morning lambasting the government for not doing anything. Self-righteous loudmouth (my husband just told me her name is Nancy Grace)(btw, sitting comfortably in a TV studio) was yelling about why people weren't "getting off their butts" to go help. Guess what. All those buses and trucks didn't materialize in the last two hours. They've been prepping and traveling for a couple of days to get there. And now they can finally get there as the water is receding. The troops and volunteers who are helping needed to get to the staging areas. Stuff had to be loaded. And the troops and volunteers have to be prepared to enter the area. And this is not to mention the fact that they needed to get enough law re-enforcement to ensure that the supplies can get to the people who need it without getting shot by the lawless thugs who have terrorized their fellow citizens during this catastrophe.

Instead of buying into the "ain't it awful" mentality, I wonder why these people aren't putting their energy and visibility into mobilizing fundraising.

Another thing. Dennis Hastert has been misquoted. The question posed to him was loaded and there wasn't a way that he could answer without controversy. When he said that it might have to be bulldozed, he had probably looked at the news footage. How can you rebuild a building that is currently rubble without 'dozing it?

C'mon, people. If you're not willing to light a candle, then don't curse the darkness.

And Yes. I made a generous contribution to American Red Cross. I will give more as I am able. And Yes. I urge you to do the same.

Color Me Relieved

My friend Megan had a girl. In addition to being very pleased that mom and baby are doing well, I am immensely relieved that she's a girl. The pink and green and white sweater would not have worked well for a boy.

Ramblings in the face of Great sadness
The aftermath of Katrina is so overwhelming. Please pray for all those folks and hold them dear in your hearts.

Please give from the pocket of your heart to an established relief organization. The Red Cross, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Episcopalian Disaster Relief and many other organizations take contributions online. There are already fake funds cropping up. Be careful.

I can't judge those who are looting. Some are taking water and food and diapers-- things they need, and there's no one to pay, even if they had money. It's a Jean Valjean situation. But who needs a television or a gun in the middle of all this? The people who are stuck in an untenable situation now have to add fear of a bunch of thugs to their troubles.

Let's also pray that the politicians will continue to work together to help.

To those who are able to help with disaster relief, you are in my thoughts and prayers. This is truly a mission of love.

And that's all I have to say right now.

When Tuesday is Saturday...

I truly am alive and kicking.

Last week was quite something. I worked very late in the office on Monday, then for half a day on Tuesday, at which time The Husband fetched me from work and ferried me down to Blacksburg. I knit most of the fronts of the pink and green baby sweater while riding through rain and mountains. We arrived at The Sweet Daughter's dorm and proceeded to assemble her loft bed and take the initial steps in putting her room together. Then Buffalo Wild Wings for a very late dinner (and thank heaven for Michelob Ultra...) and headed back to the hotel.

On Wednesday I unpacked her stuff. All day. Now I'm not one of those moms who needs to set up the room of a daughter who is totally capable of doing it herself, but she was working with the Virginia Tech band (The Marching Virginians), and really needed to get her stuff out of the way so that her roommate would be able to do the same when she arrived. Meanwhile The Husband made numerous trips to and from the car, and worked on setting up and de-bugging the new compter. (Dude-- she got a Dell.) It was another long day.

Thursday was more of the same, so we finished what we needed to-- computer ready to go, DVD connected to TV, Rubbermaid bins emptied and ready to haul home, and we headed out about 2, and I finished the back of the baby sweater on the way home. We met The Son for dinner at Daks-- our neighborhood restaurant. The Son had been packing for the previous couple of days in preparation for his departure.

I did 12-hour shifts at the hospital on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and did a regular office day on Monday. I guess it was good that I was so busy, bacause The Son left for school on Friday, and with working so much, it didn't occur to me that The Offspring were both sprung.

So Monday was an early day off work. For the first time in ages, I actually had a day that felt like a Friday. How interesting that it was a Monday afternoon. It was such an unusual experience to be out early enough to do things like go to the pharmacy, shop for groceries, actually fix dinner, and do it all while the sun was still shining.

So today is Saturday. Or like Saturday, except that I did most of my little chores yesterday, so I'm home and I don't have to race around. I slept til almost 9, and then deposited myself at the sewing machine to finish appliques on The Daughter's sorority letter shirts, and put patches on the butts of her favorite pairs of jeans. I felt so darn productive. And I've listened to most of a V.I. Warshawski book. They take place in Chicago, which makes me happy.

The only problem is that I didn't pay attention to The Daughter's room number, so I can't mail the stuff til tomorrow. And I guess that's a good thing because I have plenty of things I need to do, and I'll save tomorrow for stuff outside the house.

And best of all, I'll be able to hit Late Night tomorrow. It's been many weeks, and I miss my friends. Just can't wait!!!

And back to the mill on Thursday.

Lovin' the Colors

I've make a bit of progress on the baby girl version of the Quaker Ridge cardigan. It's in celery with pink trim, and little pink and white stripes. It's for a friend at work who is having either a boy or girl. Pick one. If it's a boy, she has to give it back and she'll get the boy version.

The smart thing to do would have been to start on boy sweaters, since 2 others are having boys. Then, if it's a girl, I'd have a boy sweater done already. Yes, I know-- there are "neutral" combinations. But my spirit needed to knit these colors. They make me happy, and that's a good thing.

The boy sweaters will be various combinations of bright blue, celery and white. They'll be cute, too. No doubt.

Packin' Em Up, Headin' Em Out

The Offspring are both getting ready to go back to school. I literally cannot walk through the living room, although they have attempted to make a small path for navigation purposes.

The Daughter is going tomorrow, since she's helping with Band registration. I'll go down with The Husband on Tuesday to install her in her room. Put in the rug, reconstruct the loft bed, set up the computer... you get the picture.

Today is play day. In addition to packing up the Rubbermaid containers, we're going to make Greek Letter appliques for the sorority and fraternity shirts. The kids found really unique fabrics, so we'll make the letters, and either sew them on to shirts, or take them to the little Korean lady at the cleaners. She's wonderful.

Then we'll do a bit of shopping for paella fixin's. It's a favorite, but I haven't made it for awhile. The problem is that we were supposed to have the kitchen drawers replaced yesterday. But since the cabinets are original with the house, the hardware rails for these drawers don't work with them. The man was apparently very nice, and spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make it work, but no success yet. So we have a kitchen full of drawers, and all the stuff that was in the drawers is squirreled away in bags in the dining room. At least I know where the Paella pan is.


So I have to make room to work, and have to locate the stuff I need to cook with.

And get ready to say goodbye.

The Blogger Ate My Post

I just did a very nice update. It disappeared when I tried to post it. Crud!!!

I Lied

I said I wasn't going to buy any more yarn, or start any more projects until I finish what I've started and use what I have.

But people at work keep having babies, so I picked up a bunch of King Tut at You Know Where in a beautiful celery, a yummy pink, a cool white and a bright blue to make baby sweaters. The good news is that baby sweaters are small, and there will be an end in sight. Soon. I'm making the Quaker Ridge Cardigan-- a girl one and a boy one-- from Little Badger Knitwear by Ros Badger and Elaine Scott.

Guess What I Got In the Mail?

Lovely stitch markers-- so pretty and delicate-- from the Stitch Marker Swap. Thank you, Thank you, wonderful stitch marker makers. I love them, and I'll get back to you very soon-- I promise!!!

I'd write more right now, but I need to get these baby sweaters started.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I'm ba-ack... Did you know that it's 1079 miles from Alexandria,Virginia to Lake Ozark, Missouri? Well, it is. But it feels like a million miles away, and that's a good thing.

We got back late last night, and my mind is still on vacation. It was great.

The trip out was pretty uneventful. Instead of knitting, I read, and finished, Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince. Time well spent, I must say-- and I'm very grateful-- and do not at all take for granted --the gift of being able to read in the car without barfing. Everyone is not so blessed. Since my knitting was underneath everything, I started on the newest Kathy Reichs book, Crossed Bones. I like Kathy Reichs a lot. She's a lot like Patricia Cornwell, only she's really a forensic anthropologist. In her actual life. And her protagonist, Tempe Brennan, hasn't gone through a "pathetic phase" like Kay Scarpetta has. But haven't we all...

The Husband and I met up with The Daughter in Lexington, Kentucky, where the young lovely was attending a sorority national conclave. I called her as we approached the hotel, and simultaneously they had fire alarms going off. False alarm, but gave me a minute of breath-shortness. We spoke with the manager of this fine establishment while we awaited our youngest, and asked if the several hundred college-aged girls had behaved themselves. He said they had been remarkably well-behaved, but that during the previous week the Daughters of the Nile (never heard of them, but then what do I know?)-- a bunch of ladies in their 80's and 90's-- had quite the time, and security had to be called repeatedly because they were apparently enjoying themselves immensely. (!)

So we arrived at the compound at Lake of the Ozarks, and into the loving arms of most of my siblings, their spouses/beloveds and their numerous offspring. And my wonderful parents who not only put up with us all every year, but also foot the bill for the cabins.

My parents have been married for 57 years. Can you believe it? And they are still "hopelessly devoted." They spend a lot of their time traveling, and will be heading off for a cruise of the Celtic Isles next month. They're lovin' life, and we are all so very grateful that they are able to. They've done so much for us, and they really deserve this time and these adventures. (In June they cruised through the Panama Canal. In January they cruised around South America for Mom's 80th birthday. They had a bunch of other trips in-between.)

The week was occupied with lots of together time: sittin' round the pool, imbibing in brewed beverages, some marga-reee-tahs, a Luau-themed mega milestone birthday party on Wednesday for the second of my 4 sisters, and a couldn't be beat singalong with sibs and kids on Thursday after one of those aforementioned imbibages. (We got through all of Abbey Road, much of Rumours, large chunks of Van Morrison, Bob Seger, Billy Joel and Elton John, a little Stones..... you get the picture.) A highlight was when brother #2 (of 4) was imitating Joe Cocker-- or rather, imitating Belushi imitating Joe Cocker-- and ended up in the pool after throwing himself sideways-- on purpose, I choose to think. Good thing the pool was there. When we party, we party hearty.

Serious knitting waited for the ride home, during which I simul-knit the fronts of Spring Fling. For cryin' out loud!!! It's almost Fall, and I'm still Spring Flingin'. Just sleeves left and thank God they're short. Progress note-- no froggin'. I seem to have gotten the focus part of this down.

Anyway, it's good to be home, for my last few days with The Offspring before they're off to school again. There just never seems to be enough time.

Procrastination

I'm not any busier than anyone else, but I'm really burned out, desperate for my vacation which started today-- and we're hitting the road tomorrow. So why is it that I am SO needing a vacation, and I'm SO excited about going, but I can't get myself to pack?

It's not like there's even that much to do. Just put stuff in duffels and bins, and load it in the Explorer.

I haven't been totally unproductive: I stopped the mail today, took books and CDs back to the library, bought extra socks and underwear, made lists, answered emails, mailed off stitch markers for the stitch marker exchange, read the Summer of Lace and Mystery Shawl Along email digests, caught up on the Knit Happens website and the Irregulars blogs, piled all the stuff I've gathered into a heap, and I just. can't. get. myself. to. pack.

It might be that I had my first opportunity to sleep past 5:30 am in over two weeks, so I stayed up and watched some tube last night, and read. Late. So the f%*#h(^@ (<-- that's not "fish-head") who did some work on our house last week CALLED AT 7:20 A.M. Who calls people at 7:20 A.M??? So I've been pretty much grogged all day. And pissed off.

So. Here's the good part. 8 hours of uninterrupted knitting tomorrow. And Saturday. I have a couple of audiobooks on the iPod, and The Husband is going to be driving. (that's another subject. I have been known to pull over to the side of the road and switch places with him when he's been in the passenger seat. He'll be doing the driving.) So I am very much looking forward to the journey, as well as to the family reunion. We'll pick up The Daughter in Lexington, KY on Saturday morning. She's been at a sorority conclave, and I'll be really glad to see her.

Meanwhile, I'm draggin'. I haven't been able to get to The Shop because of work, so haven't gotten my "fix" and I miss my knit-buddies. I thought about going over today, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Anyway-- I'll be away for awhile,probably without internet access, having lots of fun with my 4 brothers and 4 sisters, and their collective spouses/beloveds and kids,and my wonderful Mom and Dad. I am truly blessed.

And tired.

And I think I need to pack.

Hail, Hail, The Gang's (almost) All Here

So I finally made it to Late Night at KH last night. It appears that we hit that rare intersection of back from vacation/haven't left for vacation yet/the yard's completed/there's a lull in the job/I started a new class that's not on Wednesday/my car works/I just needed to be here and the heck with everything else. It was amazing. The back table was packed with my favorite people. (at least my favorite people in the greater DC metropolitan area-- those of you in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, California, Ohio and points south-- please don't take offense.)
Kristine is back from Italy, with many tales of excitement, so check out her blog. I have a feeling we'll be getting some great stories for quite awhile. There were a slew of Irregulars present, including Holly, Cindy, Maeve, Shanti, Carolina, Shelley, Erin, Liz, Carol, Katie, and I'm sure I've left some people out, for which I apologize in advance.

Topics of conversation included Harry Potter-- How to "not" talk about it until everyone's read the book. Holly and Carol finished it in a day or so. Several of us are in progress. I'm working on it, but since I don't multitask well in visual and manual modes, it's relegated to bedtime, and I manage a few pages before exhaustion takes over. We also discussed bidets, their variations, and the various uses employed for them by those who had lived in places where they were. (doing hand laundry, bathing babies, chilling beer....)(I shall endeavor to avoid convoluting future sentences. I don't have the energy to fix that last one.)

It appears that many of us have well-loved projects on "hold" right now, tucked away until we can deal with them again. Meanwhile, progress is being made, albeit with different projects from those we are used to seeing. Such excitement!

The Car Situation
Well, we went from 1-1/2 functioning cars to 4. Life is good. The 1986 Volvo now has a new distributer, relay(s), a whatsydoodle coil and a somethingorother power stage. Anyway, it's working. Better than it has for years. It's a miracle.

We also purchased the Outback. It's a very sweet vehicle, except that the CD player doesn't work. And the Explorer and V-40 are both post-maintenance, so we are mobile.

Since the CD player doesn't work, I used the gift card rebates from buying the iPods to get a recharger-fm transmitter thing for the iPod. Since I LOVE audiobooks, it works well for me.

Playing Tour Guide
Yep, it's part of living in the DC area. My baby brother (I was 17 when he was born, and when he's 80, he'll still be my baby brother) and his beloved were in town for his conference, so I was so glad to be able to spend time with M. She's a sweetie, and I'm really happy for both of them. We decided to go to the American History Museum where I saw the Puffy Shirt, the ruby slippers, Kermit, "The Dresses", and my favorite, Julia Childs' Kitchen. It was awesome. I loved it. We then went to the WWII memorial. Not a terrible distance, but it was REALLY HOT-- very hi 90's with mondo humidity. It's a beautiful memorial, and although there was controversy about its placement, I think it's a good place. Then we trekked to the Smithsonian Metro, because I knew I wasn't up for a hike back to the convention center. (They really should have put another stop further down on the mall, in my humble opinion.)Well, we made it up to Chinatown, and I aimed M toward her hotel and returned to the refuge of Metro.

I'd parked at Pentagon City, so I had to do a bit of shopping, don't you know, and then proceeded to Target to pick up some things for our vacation next week. It's just a little thing, but I bought 4 new beach towels. Ours are ancient and threadbare, and these all match and will make me happy. I also got an electric ice shaver so we can have sno-cone martinis by the pool. It's a good thing.

On Sunday, The Husband and I met with The Baby Brother and The Beloved and the son of a friend of hers for dinner at Tony Cheng's Mongolian Barbecue in Chinatown. We used to go there frequently-- probably every month or so, and I hadn't been there for a number of years. It was great, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

And now I must be off to accomplish great things. Or at least survive the day.