Holy Cow! It's been ages between posts!

       I guess daily blogging is not in the cards, at least in my cards, that is!. Every time I start something, my husband interrupts me with another request "to do."  Now, I love this man, but his requests eat into my time. This isn't totally fair, though. I do manage to waste time  my concentration or focus is often missing in action these days. Start one chore and another thought pops up. So it's on to take care of that thought, etc.m, etc., etc.,....ad nauseum!
      I'm like a butterfly, I fly from one flower to another, never really tasting the nectar before flitting off to the next flower. It's like deciding on what ice cream flavor I want at Bruster's. If they have  Bananas Foster, I'm set. Sadly, this flavor isn't made daily. It's a once in a while flavor.  I get an email reminder when my local Bruster's is making Bananas Foster. It's the times w/o my favorite  ice cream that I am indecisive. There are many flavors I like but I can't remember the names. If there isn't a line, I'll get taste samples of the ones I  want to try. With a line, though, I feel selfish making others wait just because I can't make up my mind.
      Knitting patterns put me into  a quandary when selecting a different patterns and/or yarn. Eventually, usually an hour or two later, I make a decision. Thanks goodness, my most frequented yarn shop has a patient staff. I can sit there and talk to other customers along with the personnel, who all pitch in on my decision. 
      Why am I so indecisive? Afraid of making a mistake? Of doing the wrong thing? Because I don't want to look dumb? Recently had two pieces of furniture re-upholstered for my living room.  I thought I had picked a nice green background pattern for the barrel chair.  Seems I picked a  blah beige background. The sofa is done in muted jewel color stripes. It could be brighter Now the room has no "pop". Everything seems to fade into the wall.  So now I'm on the look-out for pillows that will give the "pop" the room needs. Any suggestions?  :-/
      The room looks okay. It's just dull. And there are too many knicky-knacky things around. Not as much as some cram into their house, by a large margin. A hoarder, I'm not. I toss stuff or give it away. It's the clean, spare look I want that I can't seem to attain. And I can create better if I feel less cluttered.
      Less cluttered?  For this piles of paper person??  I just don't want to toss anything with writing on it. I'm afraid I'll need it! For what, for heaven's sake. Isn't the computer supposed to house all my important stuff?  I have a two-drawer file cabinet filled to capacity. I never look in it except to file something away that I'll never look again. With one exception, though. My Verizon file! It has all the information I need to connect the electronic gadgets I've collected lately.
      There's the iPhone(tm), the two Nook books, etc.  Seems I need this information every time I want to do something.  I'm still trying to connect my iPhone(tm) to the WiFi in my home. Seems I get very few bars for Verizon  wireless, even with the big Verizon FiOS connector that sits here. I mean, we have everything Verizon wireless we can, and still a weak iPhone(tm) connection. Nothing works as advertised.  ::sigh::
      As for my knitting, I made two sweaters for myself this past year. Also did some baby blankets and shawls. Made two cowls for the gals at the beauty shop. My aim was to do socks for everyone for Christmas. But that plan went by the wayside as I was distracted by new and wonderful  yarns at the shop that were not for sock knitting.  And then, too, I haven't made socks before. Guess I'll have to learn to make socks before planning to make them for gifts, eh?  And with a few shawls and baby blankets in between for the Prayer Shawl Ministry to help fill up the void left after all our Christmas giving.
      I'd like to write about all the wonderful yarns I've used this past year and the various patterns I've conquered,  but I've flitted around enough in this entry. Got to plan our supper for tonight!  Hopefully I'll get back on this blog more frequently a this year. 
   
        This butterfly is outta here!
 

Will Spring Ever Get Here??

A month and a half between posts.It's been a busy time.

Knitting projects abound! Under the procrastination section of my life, the Wrap Me Up Shawl still isn't completed. And I have so little to do on it, one error to fix and two borders. Except the borders require I picked up a gadzillion stitches before starting the border. I think this is was is causing my procrastination on finishing the project...373, +/-, stitches times two! That's a lot of stitches.  One of these days...

Meanwhile, I've finished a feather and fan shawl and baby blanket for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. OTN (on the needles for  you non-knitters), I have another  baby blanket, a top down cropped sweater, and still the linen feather and fan shawl. I have projects galore but most of them are still balls of yarn in my stash. And the stash keeps increasing...it just grows and grows, with my help.

Vogue Knitting has an easy lace shawl pattern in their latest edition, lacy cover up, designed by John Brinegar. Lacy, lacy, just perfect for summer evenings . Bought some new yarn ::hanging head in embarrasment-what about yarn in my stash!!:: for this shawl. The new yarn is nothing but scrumptious. It's lace weight, in a cream and ecru blend of colors, silk, rayon and linen blend, Berroco's Seduce. he store didn't have the Filatura yarn the pattern used in the picture in Vogue Knitting. Can't wait to start it...and finish it. But must finish my sweater first.

The top down cropped sweater is almost finished. Two inches to finish for the body, sewing the sleeves together and then doing the ribbing border around front sides and bottom. Piece of cake! ::gnawing fingernails::  Did most of it watching Mildred Pierce from the OnDemand section of Verizon cable. Nice feature of cable so one doesn't have to worry about missing a good series or juggling the DVR to save shows. I DVR only regular shows. And with the hockey play-offs and a Pittsburgh Penguin nutty fan in the house, it's even more difficult to juggle recording shows. So I love OnDemand! Must find another good series I missed to finish the sweater!

Yesterday 80+ temps was such a  teaser, back in the mid-60's today, but the sun is out. I missed aquatics today. Spent yesterday at the mall  with my step-daughter, Barb. Did major damage to the credit card. Walked and walked and am so tired and sore today...my old  stnosis bones are screaming in pain. So I stayed home.

I think that when I go out shopping, my hubby sits at the computer watching the charges pile up on the credit card.  But he's a generous, loving soul; the smartest man ever. He never fails to amaze me at what he remembers at his age. Last night he was singing songs from a childhood songbook. That songbook was used by his family in the 1920-30's.  How does he do it?  I can't remember my  last sentence and I've just typed it!

It's time to go and knit...and find that new series to watch.  Also, I'm waiting breathlessly to watch Game of Thorns, the series written by G. R. R. Martin. I've read all the books...am in the midst of  the last one he wrote. What a confusing labyrinth he's written. One will definitely have to print out the cast of characters, at least, perhaps a map of the Seven Kingdoms would help, too,  Me, I'm already prepared with the above.  The series starts next week.

See you all next time.  Well, no one reads my blog, so I'll see myself next time.

Joan

Catching Up!

         It's about time I bring this blog up-to-date. As I say in the description, I procrastinate better than most people. December 4, 2010 was my last post. Way too long between posts.
         Well, gee whiz, I did it! Replaced defective Verizon Broadband equipment with their new and improved Verizon Broadband equipment. One dicey moment when I couldn't connect to the Internet, but all turned out well.
        Christmas was wonderful. Ed, myself, and his three daughters, Jane, Sue & Barb, Barb's husband, Jay, and Sue's special guy, Don enjoyed an outstanding week. Sue outdid herself in food preparation. Food was more than sufficient. Christmas Day dinner highlighted the entire week.
        Ed and I stayed at the Olde Pineapple Inn Bed & Breakfast just down the street from Sue's place. It's the oldest house in Melbourne built in the late 19th century by a pineapple farm. Seems this area was/is a large pineapple growing area. Who knew? I thought all pineapples came from Hawaii?  Live and learn.
        Breakfast at the inn was superb. Every breakfast different, served by the owners of the Inn. Everything from Omelets to Crepes to French Toast, etc.

March 22, 2011

       Gee, how I procrastinate. It's been 18 days, +/- since I started this post. What have I been doing?
       Well, for one thing, I've been a knitting fool. Working on the Endless Feather and Fan shawl. It's on #9 needles and 108 stitches plus 5 on either side for a border for a total of 113 stitches. When I do the usual 91 stitches for this pattern, it seem my shawl is to narrow, so I added an extra pattern repeat. Now I'm sorry. With the border, the 91 stitches would have been fine. Seems I'll never reach the 72 inch length I'm shooting for.

      Other knitting projects are the Wrap Me Up Shawl I started two years ago. This is a series of blocks, all different sizes and patterns, with each one a different technique to learn. Finally, I am close to finishing. I have one block to correct; just a corner. Then the shawl must be washed and blocked before picking up the stitches for the edging. Whew! I've done  a few changes in directions to make the shawl uniquely mine. I'm sure the author of the pattern will understand and forgive me. It's a beautiful shawl,. I know I need a picture of it on my blog but I tried that once and it didn't work out too good. Will try again later when I have  more courage.
      On my needles are two sweater patterns, a scarf, another feather and fan shawl in linen yarn. That's all the OTN's I can remember. ::whew-wiping brow:: One sweater needs to be frogged, that is, ripped out. When I changed to longer circular needles, I used a size bigger needle and so I must frog it. ::rip it, rip it,rip it::  :-D 
      Forgot about Emmaus Class at church last Thursday. I;m sorry to have missed it. Monsignor is discussing the Mass:  Ever Ancient, Ever New, is the title of the class. This is the Year of the Mass in the Roman Catholic Church so there is a lot of discussion about the Mass, what it is, what we learn, what we experience, etc. I find the subject fascinating.
      Duty calls. Must get back to knitting more today. A bit tired  after aquatics class. Will probably fall asleep while knitting. It's happened before. 

                                Joan

      

A tough week, to be sure

A tough week, to be sure! How and when did I get so popular. Something to do, somewhere to go, every day, even Saturday!

Sunday, as usual, went to the 11 a.m. Mass. During the Communion Break, we were treated to a solo of - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - in many variations. So beautiful, that we all wanted to applaud but the solemnity of this portion of the Mass restrained us.

Monday, was tied up with doctor appointments. Seem these all come at the same time. How do I let that happen. Makes sense when I schedule them, but not when the day comes.

Knitting - finished a shawl for my Prayer Shawl Ministry. A creamy color by Simply Soft, a Caron yarn. It is so soft and pretty but I hated doing the pattern. A simple enough pattern but too simple for me. I keep making mistakes because of it's simplicity, my attention wandered. So simple and easy, I thought it was a snap and didn't need to pay attention. Seems I'm always learning lessons. Next shawl will be a more intricate pattern that I have to pay attention to and not think I know it all!

I have several other items on the needles. However, I just found a new pattern for an infinity scarf and just have to make it. Went through my stash but didn't have the appropriate yarn. Found the yarn called for at Yarncountry.com, Aslan's Del Cerro in Glacier Blue. Perfect. Also got 10 skeins of light blue for a sweater. That's for later and after I finish the sweater I have on the needles. Guess I'm just a yarnoholic, eh?

Why is Christmas shopping never fun? I spent an afternoon shopping for the small amount of gifts we have this year. These were outside gifts, like for charity. Gifts for the family were taken care of via internet and shipped to Susan in Melbourne to hold for us. That's easy.

The aquatics group went out to lunch on Friday, The Countryside Inn, Swathmore,PA. Friday is the only day free of classes. Jerry, a swimming classmate, thought up the idea and made all the arrangements. And he picked up the tab! What a generous guy!
We were all prepared to pay out own way but he made his arrangements ahead of time and they gave him the entire check! We'll get back at him sooner or later.

The restaurant is located inside a deli and market. The tables are in the middle of the store, with the deli counter and all its wonderful meats and cheeses on one side, while on the other side, are all sorts of tchotchkes on the shelves. All sorts of stuff like the almond cookies served with your lunch along with dolls, Christmas items, teapots, and myriad other things that just clutter up your house.

Today we have lunch with old friends of ours. We'll be going to Appleby's. Hope they are happy with the choice. And I won't elaborate on this further.

Trouble with the TV...I bit on an offer from Verizon for more, better service at a lower cost for 3 months, the price goes back up to our former cost. Too good to be true. So far, I haven't noticed a upswing in our internet connection and I can't get the On Demand free shows...the popular ones from the networks that are available a few days after their scheduled time.

I went into the big, new shiny Verizon store at the mall and told them my problem. "Oh," she said, the problem is with your settop box and remote control. You need to replace your old set. I'll just put it in this nice red, reusable bag and you can easily change it at home." At my look of dismay, she continues, "You just have to put this cable here and that cable here and plug it in." Oh sure.

Gave the nice red bag with the new equipment to the DH who immediately went into paroxysms, screaming all sorts of blue words. I left the room. Friday when I got home, there he was on the floor. I didn't see him there when I came in. He hollered for me to help him. "I'm here on the floor." Ever feel your heart drop? I did then. I raced around his usual sitting places but couldn't find him. In a panic, I run into the living room and there he was lying the floor in front of the TV, with the settop box hanging out of the credenza. With relief I helped him get the box and the DVD box back it's little compartment in the credenza.

Now to turn on the TV and have it go through it's gyrations of setting up. Only take about 20 minutes I was told by the smiling salesperson. Uh huh! No such thing happened. After a prolonged call with the tech person at Verizon, we learned that the new connection, HDMI, is not working correctly throughout Verizon's entire system and he couldn't tell us when it would be fixed or how we would know it was fixed.

Ed decides to unhook the the cables and go back to what we had. Well, we had picture and sound but it was noisy when there was information being feed across the screen.

I gave up and went to bed to read. This morning, Ed, who must have pondered the problem all night long, decides to rehook the HDMI and unhooked the original "TV In" cable. Have sound and picture but I still can't get my programs from the On-Demand service.

It's been a tough week. I did buy a Christmas wreath for the door, but it's lacking a bow. I'll get around to it this week. Oh sure, something is scheduled for every day this week, too! How did I get so popular?

Spending, Thanksgiving, Christmas thoughts

For the most part, I am a sane, responsible, thoughtful individual. Except after I make that first purchase at the Mall. Then I know, it could be downhill from there. At this point, one might think, walking out of the mall, putting the one package in the car trunk, and driving home would be the better part of valor. Somehow, this never occurs to me.(Does it occur to any woman? Most women? Some women?) After this first time, credit cards seem to fly out of my wallet.

My eyes see so many things I think will make life better. Creativity spills out of me, decorating rooms, clothes outfits fall into place, and beautiful shoes grace my feet. But, alas and alack, I don't not go into high-end spending. $800 Jimmy Choo shoes never touch my toes. No, not even from the sale rack. I have my limits and Jimmy's lovely, no make that gorgeous,shoes never see the inside of my closet let alone walk up the street with me. Jimmy's shoes don't make it into my shopping bag. (I love shopping bags!) Oh, but Jimmy's shoes make one salivate for wanting the beautiful, strappy shoes, shoes with all the sturdiness and use forced out of them. The straps entice the eye in with beautiful feathers floating down the center of the shoe, letting your feet enjoy the slight tickle. Other Jimmy's dazzle the eye with the glimmer and shimmer of glittering stones, twinkling in the artfully placed lighting of the store, further enhancing their brilliance, pulling us ever closing to opening up our wallet. This is where the sane part of me steps in, finally, to say, "Oh Ho No! This is not the shoe for you!"

And sure enough, it is not. One reaches the age where wearing shoes such as Jimmy's is a long ago remembered thrill. Nowadays, it the flat Geoxx shoe for me. Much more reasonable. Or perhaps the new MBT Mary Janes (waiting until this latest bill is paid off) Yes, walking without pain is number one of my list these days. I'm fortunate to have good feet that can still wear pretty shoes in a more reasonable design, even with a little kitten heel at times. Then, I feel, ever so glamorous and sophisticate, just like my mind felt looking at the Jimmy Choo's. Hip pain, not feet pain, is my big concern now. The style of the shoe doesn't make a difference, so with careful selection, pretty shoes line cover my shoe rack. Aquacize, twice weekly, and a special five minute floor exercise, twice daily take care of the hip pain, making the pain bearable.

This is the Silly Spending Season"that promises to get worse with the coming of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. I think this year, I'll check into the internet and just see what goes on. I have to admit I haven't clue on how to do this, but I'll give it a go. Hey, it's a learning experience, eh? I've managed to avoid the stores and the internet on Black Friday so far. Not this year. I'll be online.

The DH and I are by ourselves this Thanksgiving. We have a dinner reservation at lovely, old restaurant nearby. Christmas will be spent with family at Susan's summer/fall/winter abode in Melbourne Florida, along with Don, her SO, a singular great guy (most of the time ) All of Ed's daughters will be together on Christmas Eve & Christmas. Jane, the oldest of the three, is flying down with us on 12/20. We will arrive in Orlando and pick up the car Jane has rented and drive to Sue's in Melbourne, FL.

The DH & I are staying at the Pineapple Inn, a B&B a bit down the street from Sue's. Jane will be staying at Sue's place, middle daughter. Barb, the baby,;-) & Jay will be down Christmas Eve and will be flying back on 226 or 27th. They are in a hotel a bit away from us.

I love this season. It's a time to reflect and realize all that we have to be thankful for and how blessed we are by God to live in this great country, the USA. Outside, on a cold, crisp dark evening with the stars shining bright and the moon rising anywhere it wants to rise, I can't help but feel the power of God. His power and his love spills out from the heavens, there for our taking. God sets no limits on His love and how much we can ask for or what we can ask him. No limits, no questions, just his love. All you have to do is ask. So simple.

God Bless you all. And if I don't make it back here before Christmas, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sore throats; knitting woes; clutter slaying and general malaise

Tuesday last, the Prayer Shawl Ministry shared celebrating with a member’s family, their bereavement of the death of husband and father. The church setting was simply stunning. Found in the early 1800’s, St. John’s Calvary Episcopalian Church was set high on a hill, as churches usually were in those days, surrounded by an orchard probably began at the same time. Time, wind, rain, and snow, those tough elements, oblierated the information on many of the graves. The grounds were hilly and uneven, making walking upright a personal best for some (like me!). 

The Church building, original to its beginnings, is limited in facilities. The minister periodically gave instructions to the people gathered in the nave on how to find the necessary facilities. “You exit the pew, turn around, and exit the church. Then turn left and then left again to go down the hillside on that side of the church. A door under the church proper on the left will lead you to your destination.”  Or words to that effect.

It was a classic autumn day. Bright sun and vivid blue skies. No clouds. Wind was calm. Our friend’s casket was placed on the hilltop, overlooking the valley, east towards the Atlantic and down to his beloved Cape May.

Afterwards, we continued to celebrate at one of the oldest, original taverns in the United States. I forget now the original name of the tavern and for that matter, it’s present name. That was one powerful Perfect Manhattan I had before lunch.  Gotta watch that, eh?

That evening I was high with a fever and woke the next morning with a classic sore throat. Finally saw the MD/PA on Friday. Armed with a cache of cortisone, antibiotics, and Mucinex, I crawled home and pulled up the covers. 

It is now a week later. I’m still under the malaise of the sore throat; tired, sleepy, and achey. Don’t want to do a thing but have to.  Gotta get rid of books so my DH [dear husband] will be happy for a few days with less clutter staring him in the face. As I sat here, doing my best  procrastinating , I realized that I can’t do my knitting, which I love doing more than most things, because the work isn’t done. That is, I have not cleaned up my desk and all the other junk trails I’ve following me around. “You can’t play until your work is done” haunts me from my childhood (when do these memories stop bugging you?  thought that happened when you grew up?  which begs the question:  when do you grow up?) Knitting isn’t exactly play, now is it?  But it’s fun and something I like to do. Ergo…it’s play. At least in my mind. Which means unless I clean up this mess, I can’t knit. So around I go.

It’s another beautiful Fall day here in the Middle Atlantic States. From the weather forecast, we will have the same for the balance of the week. I look forward to sitting on the patio perhaps for the last time this year. But then, I’ll have the sun in Melbourne, FL in December.  If the gods, that is, don’t bring rain on me per usual during winter months in the sunny state.  And I’m on the way to the patio right now to call my dearest, oldest friend back in Whitney, PA.