O'Grady's O'riginals

Dry Spell for a Reason. A New Family Member?

2011-02-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, I think I mentioned that I hadn't knit or crocheted lately (except for the now non-existent doily). I mentioned some reasons, and one of them was cleaning. A lot of organizing and cleaning was put off when Fred had his operation and was recuperating at home. Now he's back at work and I have my schedule back.
Today I got to the two boxes I've been meaning to get to since we moved the computer armoire the week of January 10th. One box was household files, and the other was full of office supplies. Then I started in on a box of VHS tapes I bought at a church fair. What am I doing with them? Taking them apart. For the tape. To knit or crochet with. Yes I said I was going to knit or crochet (might do both) with. A long time ago I was on an email list I believe was called "Artfiber". I crocheted a tote bag out of VHS tapes I bought from a mom and pop video store I worked at. It was for a swap. I hope the recipient liked it. I didn't try to keep the tape from twisting. I liked the play of relection and dullness on the tape as it twisted. I'm looking forward to experimenting with this tape. I have more than I'll ever need. I think the problem I have is it is so bulky and that is why I am taking the tape reels out of the cassettes. The first few I tried to unscrew, several weeks ago. For the most part it worked but was frustratingly slow. One of them was so hard to unscrew that I had to have hubby do it! Ok fast forward (pun intended) to tonight. I couldn't find the screwdrivers, thank goodness, so I grabbed a hammer! It is still really hard to get them open, but it gets out a lot of anger and aggression. I've gone through about half of them today and I plan on another half tomorrow.
Tomorrow is also Paris' yearly physical and she is due for her rabies and feline leuk shots. I'd love to go to Salvation Army and get some more saucers for Paris' food.
I have not heard back from the feline rescue I contacted about adopting a second cat. His name is Stetson and from what I hear he is a big boy. He weighed 8lbs at 6 months old. He's black. If I remember correctly he has golden eyes (I didn't see him, I just saw a picture briefly). He is shy and that is why he is considered unadoptable. He is about a year old, and playful but laid back. I think he will be a good match for us. We are good with the unadoptable. Look at Miss Paris. She has come a long way. What a love bug! From a hissing, scratching growling cat to a love bug. From a cat who finally allowed us to pat her a little to a cat who loves to snuggle and gives head bump kisses. She knows the words kiss and love and gives head bumps when you say things like, "give me a kiss", or "who loves me". I think we will be a good match for him.
enough for now...

Patterns Everywhere

2011-02-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

Patterns, patterns everywhere and not a stitch knit or crocheted! I haven't picked up a hook or my needles in a few days. I've been playing games, cooking and cleaning. Well, I did pick them up the other day because someone asked for help with a doily and I looked at it, whipped it out in WW, and by the time I got to where they needed help, they had it...so now I sit here with a ww doily wondering what I will do with it. For now it will stay as is. I have an unfinished mitten hat set, so I may HAVE to rip it out to use, but if not, I'll come up with something.
Anyway, Cast On's February - April 2011 has this baby triangles afghan and sweater pattern that I really HAVE to do. I also ordered the Mary Maxim Reflections Afghan kit today. We've been buzzing about that one at our knitting group. I've already been trying my hand at recreating it, and have come pretty close. Now I get to see how close I was.
Of course there are a thousand and one patterns I see that are just begging me to start on them...so many patterns so little time. I need to go back to pulling projects out of the UFO bag, or they will never get done. To do that I need to finish the little girl hat/mitten combo I'm doing (mitten and finishing the top of the hat to finish) and the bananaberry hat/mitten combo which only needs the hat completed.
Stop blogging and get the mittens and hat done!!

Too Painful and Lots of Memories

2011-02-06T00:30:00.000-08:00

I tried to write about this on December 20th, and this is what I started with:

"Eight years ago tomorrow my father passed away. "

I couldn't write anymore and I couldn't publish that either. It just wasn't enough. I don't think the pain ever ends. It hasn't gotten less either. I will always miss him, the wisest man I ever knew. We had some great talks when we all went on walks on his property in Vermont. I think we connected better as two adults. I'm sure there were times in my youth that I let him down. I know there were. He never brought it up. He dealt with things and then went on with life. I don't recall him EVER bringing anything back up and flinging it in my face as so many people do...as I have done. I pray I may become a better person, someone more like him. There are times it feels as though he is here with me. When I am in a strange location and slightly lost, I stop and think about him. Suddenly I realize what I need to do, how to go where I need to. He always did have a great sense of direction. Maybe he reaches out and shows me the way, or maybe I just inherited it from him. I don't think it matters.
With all the snow we've had recently I remembered the Blizzard of '78. I was at my friend's house on Ashmont Street in Dorchester. As the blizzard started winding up, I got on the MBTA (Mass Bay Transit Authority) and went into Boston to get the Boston/Providence bus that went by my front door in Walpole. I got there 20 minutes too late. Back into the T system on my alternate route home, the East Walpole bus. I figured that when I got there Dad would come and get me (he had a 4 wheel drive truck). When I got there it was REALLY snowing. I begged someone to let me use their phone and got through to him. He was really ticked off and told me to stay with the people whose phone I was using. I kept saying I didn't want to. I didn't know them. So eventually he relented and came to get me. He got stuck multiple times coming to get me and luckily we got behind a plow on the way back home. We still got stuck here and there. He got me home. I was a very lucky girl to have such a great dad.
I had a bug up my butt as a little girl to have my OWN rifle. I was a little Annie Oakley when I was little. Dad would set up targets and my brother and I were allowed to shoot guns with him. He was always responsible, always kept his guns locked up. We would NEVER even THINK about touching them without his permission. Anyway, I really, really wanted my own 22 rifle one year. I kept asking, nagging, begging...you get the idea. Always the answer was the same from my dad (and my brother joined in), "No, girls don't have their own guns." Christmas that year, all the presents were opened and I loved them all, but it was a real let down to know I wouldn't have a rifle. Like it took NOT getting it for Christmas to KNOW I wouldn't have my very own rifle. Then...like magic, Dad went to a closet and took out a looong box wrapped in Christmas paper. He was smiling as he handed it to me. I KNOW my eyes must have been huge by this time. I suspected what it was, and when I opened it...yep...I got my very own 22 rifle. I HAD to shoot it, so Dad set up a target and let me...I think that was the best Christmas EVER!
Of course I'll never forget the plant stand he made me. It was excellent. I think it was over 6ft tall, with three shelves (plus the top) and growlight bulbs on each level. The wiring was hidden cleverly in a channel covered by a thin wooden strip. Each shelf was wider, longer and deeper than the shelf above. The lights were hidden by wood around the edges. It was well made and lasted many years. I loved having it. My room had over 100 plants at one time and thanks to the plant stand they were very happy. I also had 4 windows in my room (a corner room).
And then there was my room. I was born in Norwood and we moved to a house my parents bought when I was 6 or 7. I forget when it happened, but my mother and Dad asked me how I wanted my room decorated. I was horse crazy so I said I wanted it to look like a barn and I wanted a green shag rug so it would look like grass. Dad made it perfect. Barnboard (some kind of sheet thingie) on the walls, green shag on the floor, and a huge, REAL wooden beam across the room. It had a huge beam as a support up the wall, the beam across the ceiling, and two cross supports from the upright to the ceiling beam. My Pier One hanging chair was hung from the beam as well as several huge plants. He also built in a closet on one side of my room. It had a bureau built in, above the bureau were some shelves. I had a section for hanging clothes and a built in hamper on the side of the bureau. I used to go in the side where my clothes were hung and sit on the rug and read. The closet was well lit and the rug was comfy. It was like being in my own little world.
Years later I had been helping to clean a stall for my mother's friend. I also used to help exercise her horse at the stable it was boarded at. The man who owned the stable used to buy and sell horses. When I was 13 he got a horse at auction. She had a hay belly and it kept getting bigger. In March I turned 14 and in May the hay belly became a foal. She was the sweetest little buckskin filly. I saw her just hours after she was born. I was going down just about everyday to take care of my mother's friends horse, and every time I was there I would visit with the filly. When she was a week and a half old the owner came in when mother I were visiting her. He said, "If I knew a little girl who would take good care of her, I'd give her to her." I just looked at mother with tears in my eyes and said, "Please?" She took one look at her and thought...she'll fit in a closet. All I had to do was take care of "Ma" and her filly for 6 months, wean her and then I could bring her home. Dad to the rescue again. He made our two car garage into a 1 car, 1 horse garage with a hayloft above. He put up fencing, and lined it with electric fencing. Her stall was so excellent. It was a half door with a ledge. She took great delight in intimidating people when they came to see her. My dad's friend, Lou Pollister, came in and leaned his arms on the ledge. She came right over and I told him not to, that he'd be sorry. He laughed the warning off. She came over and laid her mouth on his arm. He stayed there. I repeated the warning. He laughed. She opened her lips and laid her teeth on his arm. I repeated my warning. He laughed. She bit him. He stopped laughing and NEVER, EVER leaned on her ledge again.
When Dad left mother (I was an adult child living at home), I was kind of upset, after all who wants to have their parents split up. He moved to my brother's house where he reworked the tool trailer (he was a general contractor) he had built himself, to make it into a home. He eventually moved up to Nova Scotia as a landed immigrant. I think one of my aunts had some property on the North Mountain overlooking the Annapolis Valley. Eventually he bought a home in Petite Riviere in Nova Scotia. It is near Bridgewater, which is southwest of Halifax. When he bought his house the inside was soooo weird. Each of the rooms was a different color, deep purple, very orange, very kelly green, etc. He fixed it up a bit at a time. He had a very clever set up for filtering the water. Eventually he married Shirley Pollister. We went up for the wedding. Eventually they operated a very special home for the elderly. It was the first of it's kind. In Canada there were only 2 options at the time. Keep your elderly with you, or institutionalize them. So Happy Haven was a new concept. They were written up in the local paper. Dad grew and preserved a lot of the food they used for their residents. I LOVE the work he did in the kitchen. When my husband and I went up to NS for our honeymoon, Dad's kitchen was a mess. There were no cabinet doors, just cloth hung up in front of them. He reworked the kitchen, created an island, and made Shirley a nice china cabinet in the dining area. He had this really cool tv shelf setup that was on a shelf that pulled out from the wall and rotated so you could watch the tv from different places.
This is his obituary.
A sad note here. I had a message on my phone recently from one of Shirley's daughters. I called her back a few days after and left a message on her phone. I didn't get a call back, but I'll work harder to get in touch with her. I just found Shirley's obituary online. I wish I'd known, I would have loved to go and say goodbye to her. She meant so much to Dad. She gave him so much. I'm glad he found her and they had some happiness, I think they both deserved it.
enough for now...

Almost Back to Normal

2011-02-05T17:57:00.001-08:00

January 10th Fred had his operation, a laminectomy and spinal fusion of 3 cervical vertebrae at the Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Dr. Kim told us in the morning it would probably be 3 hours, but it could be 4. He also told us he booked the OR for 5 hours. I was given a business card for the nurse liason in case I had questions and concerns. The rest of the day I spent downstairs in the main waiting room, watching tv, knitting and chatting up the other people who brought friends and relatives in for their operations. After 3 hours I was worrying a bit, after 4 I was somewhat frantic, and I called the nurse liason at 4:30. She told me they were finishing up. The doctor was down around 5 and told me it had been sketchy here and there but the results looked really promising. I waited several more hours to go and see him (sometime after 6). I didn't stay long and once in the car I really felt how long and exhausting the day had been. This past week we went back to the Deaconess for Fred's post-op check up. Dr. Kim said Fred was ahead of schedule as far as his healing. He has feeling and strength back in his hands and feet and has his balance back too. He says he isn't in pain like he was before the operation. Dr. Kim wanted him to come back in 4 weeks to get the collar off and talk about going back to work. Fred pushed and Dr. Kim is allowing him back to work on Monday with restrictions. He still has to keep the collar on his neck another 4 weeks 24/7. My schedule will be almost back to normal with him back at work.
Enough for now...

CHARITY SO FAR

2011-01-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

3 - 4 Year Olds: started striped watch cap/mitten combo, banana berry, lime and bright yellow.
5 - 7 Year Olds: 4 crocheted watch cap/mitten combo's (tan, kelly green, banana berry and lime stripes, bright yellow and banana berry accented cap and reverse mitten set).
Older Teen: 1 wrocheted watch cap/fingerless glove combo (black 0f course).
Small Adult/Teen: 1 knit red hat mitten combo (won in a raffle), knit light blue mittens.
3 scarves, 2 knit, 1 crochet.

After I finish up the striped combo I'm going to pull out the square EZ's baby ghan and get going on the border. This will be a home project, so I'll probably start another 3 - 4 year old combo as a portable project.

CROCHETED FINGERLESS GLOVES

2011-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

These gloves are similar in style to Clara Putzke's "WARM CROCHETED MITTENS For the Whole Family". The pattern is in Workbasket Magazine and I believe it is in Volume 60, issue #1, October/November, 1994. I've made these mittens for years. I changed the pattern a bit because I felt the cuff was too wide. I add in some sl st rows in the cuff as I'm doing it. I'll add that info here later after I make another pair. I've never written down exactly what I do, I just do it. I also make crocheted hats, doing a crocheted rib (sc in blo) which I'll write down and add to the blog another time. If you find any mistakes in this pattern, please let me know. You'll have to adjust to fit yourself, or the person you are making them for. Measure the width of the hand, the wrist and arm below the wrist as well as the height of the hand from the wrist to the bottom of the index finger and the height from the wrist to the top of the thumb where it joins the hand. Then you can add or subtract sts as needed for a proper fit. I'll add my measurements soon.

CROCHETED FINGERLESS GLOVES

Make 2. Chain 33

Row 1: Sc in 2nd chain from hook and in next 31 chains. Chain 1 turn.(there will be a total of 32 stitches (sts) in every row except the thumb rows which will have 26 sts).

Row 2: Sl st in next 10 stitches, sc in next 22 sts. Chain 1 turn.
Row 3: Sc in next 16 sts, sl st in next 6 sts, sc in next 10 sts. Chain 1 turn.
Row 4: Sl st in next 16 sts, sc in next 16 sts. Chain 1 turn.
Rows 5 & 7: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 once.
Rows 6,10, 12, and 14: Repeat Row 4.
Row 8: Repeat Row 2.
Row 9: Repeat Row 1:
Rows 11, 13, 15: Repeat Row 3. On Row 13, sl st on first 6 sts and then follow Row 3's instructions (26 total sts). Row 15 will end with 6 less sts then Row 3, but is the same otherwise(26 total sts).
Rows 12 & 14: Repeat Row 4. Row 12 is the last row before the thumb portion. Row 14 will have 6 less sts than row 4 but is the same as Row 4 otherwise(26 total sts).
Rows 16 & 18: Repeat Row 2. At the end of Row 16, top of the thumb hole portion, chain 7.
Row 17: Repeat Row 1, beginning with sc in 2nd chain from the hook and the next 5 sc and THEN following Row 1's instructions. (back to 32 sts).
Rows 19, 21, 23: Repeat Row 3.
Rows 20, 22, 24: Repeat Row 4.
Row 25: Repeat Row 1
Row 26: Repeat Row 2.
Rows 27, 29, 31: Repeat Row 3.
Rows 28, 30, 32: Repeat Row 4.
Leaving a long tail to sew up seam, cut. Sew up seam on opposite side of glove from thumb hole. With another length of yarn, sew up short seam above thumb hole. Weave in all ends.

prioritized UFO list

2011-01-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

Men's gloves (wool alpaca blend)
babyghan for Luke (not sure of which pattern yet - I did the baby tree of life from the Lion Brand website for the first baby).
Reversible 12 x 12 cable scarf in Autumn Red Simply Soft (charity project)
Lavender Red Heart and ladder yarn (ribbon??) knit cowl (charity project)
Ladder yarn (ribbon??) scarf (charity project)
Hexagon baby sweaters (crocheted). Blue and white needs to be seamed and have buttons sewn on. Lilac needs to be finished, seamed and have the buttons sewn on. (charity project)
EZ's square babyghan - needs border (tulip bud forder from the tree of life afghan at the Lion Brand website ) (charity project)
Baby Tuxedo (knit) (charity project)
EZ's Dickey (I'm not sure which one I started, but I'll know when I look at the book) (just because project that will probably be a charity project)
French country babyghan (charity project)
Block the Queen's Crown Motif and make one more motif to experiment with (I'd like to make a bedspread for Joe, my son, out of the Queen's Crown tablecloth, but I don't know whether I want to change it up somehow, or make it and attach it to a backing of some kind).
Spa wash cloths (make several - for moi!)
Block Berka Shell Doily
Knit a bsj out of the wool I originally bought to make it with (just because project)
knit after hours shawl (for moi or??)
Washer/dryer covers (I have two of three strips done for the dryer and I need to make 3 more strips for the washer)
Finish the Ballo Baby Onesie
Crochet the Magical Trapezoid Wrap (Knit and Crochet Show class I took with Joan Davis summer 2010) (for moi!)

11 in 11

2011-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

I have to give credit where credit is due. Sarah London
gave me the brilliant idea of making an 11 in 11 list. Here's my list in no particular order:

Keep crochet and knitting supplies organized.
Learn a new technique or strengthen one in knitting and crocheting.
Finish 1 not so interesting UFO and 1 charity project before any new of interesting project.
Charity - do at least 24 hat/mitten combos for children, and 12 scarves or scarf/hat combos for adult women and 12 hats (or hat/scarf combos) for teens. (use up all RH and make accessories to use up luxury skeins). If anything is made from wool, label it and find a charity that accepts wool.
Work from my stash whenever possible.
Lose 10 lbs
Walk 10,000 steps 3 days a week, 6,000 two days a week and 3,000 - 4,000 two days a week.
Eat appropriate meals and snacks 4 times per week.
Use dumbbells and resistance bands 4 times per week.
Keep house company ready 5 days per week, including me (showered and dressed before 6:30am).
Spend 1 hour 3 times per week learning Hindi.

I think I'll get my list of UFO's out and put it here prioritized. I'm going to update once a week with my progress.
So far:

As I've been picking up and sorting through projects, I've been collecting all the various knitting and crocheting stuff and putting them in a plastic bag in my Jumbo Deluxe worm binder (very nice with lots of pockets).

Nothing yet, although Linda has hinted at something that I might get from her that will help in this area.
I've finished and felted the Ella Rae classic wool yarn crocheted bags I had started. They match the knitted bucket bag I'd already done (my first felted project). One is a little neck purse with fold-over-flap for "in and out shopping trips so you don't have to drag a two ton purse around", and one is a small handbag made from a big old granny square folded into a triangle and then pinched at the sides. I really need to find two "perfect" buttons for the extra "pop" for the triangular pieces that are folded over at the opening of the purse. I'll try and get pics and put them up here. I love the way the granny felted. It looks very textural, almost quilted. There goes one UFO crossed off and into the FO pile! For my charity knitting, I made one hat/mitten combo for 5 - 7 age range, started a second, and finished up a scarf.
See above comment
So far all I've worked with IS stash!! Hopefully I won't have to buy more yarn for a while. If I do it will ONLY be yarn needed to pair with stash yarn.
I've weighed in January 5th, so I have a baseline. It will take me time to work up to 10,000 steps, but so far: 1/1/2011 3000, 1/2 3200, 1/3 3000, 1/4 4600, 1/5 7500(a tad ouchy), 1/6 5200, 1/7 4300, 1/8 4500, 1/9 5700, 1/10 6400 and the night is NOT over yet!
I've been doing this all week except for three of the before bed snacks.
Need to get going on this.
Showering and dressing has been a breeze this week, and I'm working on getting the house company ready. Mobility is an issue, and with trying to up my steps AND clean the house (alone... the menfolk are NO help in this area), it's a slow process.
I have the cds Linda's husband David gave me AND I have some Rosetta Stone too, so I have NO excuse!!

I'm sort of leaving the language and dumbell work until my house is a bit more company ready and I get my walking up. I'm using the UFO and charity work as rewards for getting my other listed items rolling.
Enough...time for bed...past time really! Good night!

I love it!!

2010-01-07T08:57:00.001-08:00

I was just trying to do a quick check on my email, clear out some of my folders and my inbox. Something caught my eye, and yes I succumbed to the lure of surfing the internet. At that website my eye caught something else...and I clicked...I have no idea how many eye catching moments and clicks I did, but I found two great sites for wasting time. Look under blogs I'm following. Here's an example from one:
Which I have to post later...cause I can't figure out why I can't post it now...sigh...go check out the demotivational posters and take a gander...keep clicking the next page when you get to the bottom...well worth a look.

My daughter has been bugging me to update my blog...I'm going to go eat my lunch now and come back later to update some more...let's see how soon she notices!!! Hehehe

No Toe Socks for ME!!! WAAAAHHH

2009-03-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have two webbed toes on each foot. One foot worse then the other. I can't wear toe socks. This has forever been an annoyance for me because I think they look fun and funky.

Well, along comes:

http://loveyarn1984.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-first-blog.html

WOW...can you dig it...not toe socks, but foot mittens!! Better than nothing...and I'm going to try them!!

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

another voice from the past

2009-03-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm now on facebook and a friend from the old days (how long ago did we know eachother??) has added me as a friend. I know we go back quite a ways...she'll know. Elementary school? Very cool getting in touch with past friends.
I'll have to have her look here...and see what I've been up to. Not much online lately. I keep promising to blog more...don't I?!

Update - Shaun found!

2009-02-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

About a month or so back hubby contacted the Marine Locators and found out Shaun had finished his hitch with them. Just the other day hubby searched on the internet and found that Shaun lives in Lynn. Joe called him and left a message. Shaun called back and they chatted a bit. He let Joe know he wants no contact from me, his father nor from his sister, Eva.
Eva called him today and told him he was an uncle and did he want to see pics and he said no...then he said he had to go. He may have been in work.
I think of him and pray for him everyday. I wish he'd at least come over and tell us this himself. I have a few questions for him. Maybe someday he will.
He's on Facebook and Myspace...I've seen pictures!! At least I have those! He still looks like himself.
If you read this Shaun, there hasn't been a day go by that I haven't thought of you and wondered how you are. Please call sometime. I'd like to talk with you. I always have loved you and will love you forever.

Journals...Why?!

2009-02-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I now have two good reasons to start keeping a journal again. I used to journal off and on. I saved them and I was going over them recently to see if I wanted to keep any of them, and to glean any really good information from them.
I found an entry for June 12th, 1985. This was the year Shaun was born, and just before Eva's 2nd birthday. After reporting when Shaun woke up, his fussiness level, how many ounces he took, diaper changes and other assorted boring stuff, I came on this entry,
"Cynthia (Fellows) Young was on Good Day, today around 10:40".
Over the years I've tried to find her, using her maiden name (forgot about the "Young" part though). I'm in contact by email and hopefully soon by phone. She lives in Virginia, so we aren't going out for coffee anytime soon. I've often thought of her over the years and wondered how she was. We both graduated the same high school waaaaay back in 1974. See, journalling is good!!
It also provided another memory - the very next day there's an entry about my daughter,
"Eva has been cooking ice cream and pudding on her "stove" and baked macaroni and cheese in her "oven" today. "
She'd been "pretend" cooking in my oven, and I was afraid she might try it when the oven was in use, so I let her use a small slatted table my father made for me. It has a slotted top and shelf near the bottom, and yes, I still have it. It's a little wiggly from all the use over the years. She'd use the top as her stove and the bottom shelf as her oven.
Yet another reason to journal!!!

Dealing with Death

2009-01-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

I've never been very fond of death. Sometimes it isn't very fair. Recently on an email group someone died and I passed along two poems that have helped me deal with death. I'll include them here, as well as a little explanation of how those poems have helped me deal with death.

You can cry because she is gone
Or you can smile because she lived
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left
You can remember her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she would want, smile,
open your eyes, love and go on
by David Harkins
http://www.poemhunter.com/david-harkins/biography/

The first poem helped me deal with the death a year ago of my dear friend Carol. It was the first death I felt ok about. We had a chance to say we loved each other and to say good bye. I kept her telephone number on my cell and home phones until just recently. She was a knitter, although not prolific. During the chemo treatments she didn't have the energy to finish an afghan she made for a former neighbor's child. I inherited it and have finished it. Now I have to get my butt over there and give it to her. My final gift to Carol. She is with me daily as I knit. She had one of those fabric bags on crossed wooden legs you can put your project in, and I inherited that as well. It sits beside me in the living room. I also inherited all her yarn, and assorted accessories. I left her one day and spoke with the hospice nurse on the way out. I said it wasn't fair that it took so long...Carol never was very patient! I went out to the car and prayed that God would take her soon. I didn't go in the next day, but a neighbor did. About 1/2 hour after the neighbor left her, Carol passed away. I was out doing what Carol loved, shopping. Carol would have loved it...Everytime I shop I think of her...When I buy peonies I think of her...she loved them and they were the only flowers she ever had in her house because of pollen allergies - she put up with the symptoms every year because she loved peonies...I always thought it was weird - my grandmother loved and grew peonies.

Parable of Immortality ( A ship leaves . . . )

I am standing by the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch
until at last she hangs like a peck of white cloud
just where the sun and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, 'There she goes!
Gone where? Gone from my sight - that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the places of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
'There she goes! ' ,
there are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout :
'Here she comes!'
by Henry Van Dyke - 1852 - 1933

http://www.goingeasy.com/writeside_publishing/parable.html

This second poem helped me get over the sudden death of my father in 2002. Well, sort of get over...I doubt I'll ever stop grieving for him. He was the wisest, most wonderful person in my life. It still hurts as much today as it did then. I "chat" with him several times a week (although never out loud if people are near...I doubt they'd understand). I chat with him when I see winter turn to spring, when spring blossoms into summer, when summer fades to fall, when fall finally gives up and lets winter come into its own; those quintessential days when you KNOW the season has just changed. I chat with him when I see wildlife, or animal or bird tracks in the mud, and even when driving and find myself lost - he had such a great sense of direction! Sometimes I can think or speak of him without tears...more often than not I can't. I will always miss him.

Eva says to update my blog

2009-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, dearest daughter says I need to update my blog, so here I am...WOW!! I didn't realize so much time had passed since I last blogged!!

Hmmm....I didn't even post about the birth of my first grandchild, a wonderful boy, Saad! Well that was October 29th, 2007!!!!! He weighed 7.51 lbs. None of my babies were that small (my smallest was Saad's mommy - and she weighed 8 lbs 3 oz)!
He's over a year old now...and they nicely email me pics now and then...I wish they lived closer!
Tariq and Eva stayed with me when he was 4 1/2 mths old until he was about 5 1/2 mths old. Then they went off to Abu Dhabi, which is in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). So far away...and the cost of a plane ticket is over $1200! I'm saving up the money.

I haven't been up to much...except crocheting, knitting, moving, organizing, dealing with the death of a dear friend (I'll post on this later), losing weight, gaining weight, buying furniture (sort of goes with the moving), dealing with my last teen, reorganizing, downsizing "stuff", laundry, cooking, etc.

'nuff for now...more later

Update, I've been BAD!!!

2007-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been bad and haven't posted in forever! I should be able to keep up with it better now that my very pregnant Dearest Daughter (my grandson is due anytime now - hurry up and get here, Saad) has a blog (see link at right under "Family and Friends") because she will nag me to death to keep up with my blog.
I was volunteering at the Animal Umbrella cat shelter, but recently one of the other workers gave her two weeks notice and the manager of the shelter asked me to sub doing meds for a while. I told her I didn't want to, but she is persistent (a very necessary thing to be when you manage a cat shelter) and I said I would for two weeks. Then she started talking like I was doing it forever. I love the cats there, and I don't want to see any of them hurting, but I've also been neglecting my health lately. I'm just too stressed out about the cats and working every day to keep up with my walking and too tired at night to cook, so just choosing quick easy things to eat which are not always the best for health. My legs have been bothering me too, because I have to go up and down a flight of stairs every day, twice on Monday and Wednesday. I have a lot of joint problems, and my feet are malformed. The Dr. thinks I broke my ankles, not sprained them when I was younger. So there...now you know why I hate stairs and walking in general - every step I take is painful! My last day there is Friday. I'm thinking of volunteering at Northeast Animal Shelter. I do want to get out of the house a little and I love animals, especially cats and dogs. I love horses too, but there are no shelters nearby that I know for horses. I'm not ready for that much physical work yet, it would probably kill me.
nuff for now...

Surprise Baby Sweater & other stuff

2007-06-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

I bought a kit for the Surprise Baby Sweater Kit from Schoolhousepress. It is a weird little sweater that looks nothing like a sweater when you cast off. It needs folding and a little stitching to become a sweater. I've heard it said that once you get the hang of it there is no easier sweater. We'll see!! The kit came today and I've just finished up Row 5.
I went swimming yesterday and today. Today was cat shelter day and boy was it hot in there! And stinky. I didn't eat right today, but I did the best I could and tried to eat less calories (missed lunch due to hubby's monkey wrenching my afternoon and taking off with part of my lunch).
It's almost 11, I'm off to beddy-bye. Tomorrow is Joe's half day at summer school. When he gets home I'll take him, do a tad shopping (including picking up the Pokemon Battle thingy for the WII which we don't have yet - Early Christmas shopping).
Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite.

New pictures added.

2007-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'll have to get online and write later, just updated the blog by adding some pics of Tariq and Aishah (Eva). I even have the ultrasound of Grandson-to-be, Saad William. Tariq is in charge of giving the children (well, we are hoping for more than one grand from them) their Islamic names, while Aishah gives them their middle name. Aishah picked the name William to honor my father and hubby's brother. It really brought tears to my eyes...I still miss Dad soooo much. There is a lot of him inside me though, I find his navigation skills popping out when I least expect but most need them! I hope I'm half as wise and wonderful as he was when I turn 70! He passed on when he was 72. I'll write someday soon about him.
Enough for now, Joe will be home soon from his first day in summer school at the new school. I'm hoping he had a good day and liked it. I have to get lunch ready for the two of us and prep dinner so it will be easy to cook (then I can go downstairs, and relax in the pool with Joe for a while).

A CLUSTER OF CROCHETERS

2007-06-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

Jean Leinhauser brought up an interesting topic. What to call a group of crocheters...
She suggested:
A cluster of crocheters?
A skein of crocheters?
A shell of crocheters?
I'm going to keep track of this...I like making lists of things anyway, so why not!

Barb (Busha) suggested:
A clutch of crocheters

Perry suggested:
A knot of crocheters.
A frog of crocheters.
A harem of hookers. :)

Elaine in Pensacola suggested:
A cluck of crocheters

PattiJo suggested:
A bundle of croakers
She explains it: "...the "bundle" part refers
to balls or skeins of yarn...and Crokers? a combo of Crocheters and
Froggers"

Marti suggested:
How about a WIP of crocheters! After all, we are all WIP's, aren't we? (smile!)

Arianna suggested:
Happy Hookers

Kathie added her 2 cents:
A Chain-gang! ha ha ha
Ok seriously, how about a stitch of crocheters.

Linda came up with:
"Hook and Crook or Croch" "Crochet Magic Circle"

Jenny came up with:
A stash of crocheters

Or based on my great experience of CP

A counsel of crocheters

Or on a more retail base

A walmart of crocheters

A chain gang?

A loop of crocheters
A turn of...
A bobble of
A swatch of

oh this is fun and i haven't even had coffee yet!

A delight of...
A creation of...

Okay I have to stop and do some work now, I really do!

Laura came up with this::
a crush of crocheters

According to Roget's Thesaurus, "crush" is synonymous with gaggle, flock, herd, etc.

Pinka thought this was a good one:
CAS of crocheters

CAS = Crocheter Acquisition Syndrom

because we all know that each of us has a case of YAS,
TAS, PAS, HAS or whatever else has to do with crchet.
:-) :-) Not everyone admits it, but we all know the
truth. :-)

Judy thought this was appropriate:
How about a chain of crocheters? Each link of a chain makes a firm foundation of friends.

PattiJo cracked herself (and me too) with this one:
"A Crush of Cro-Ribbiters"

Ann in Phx had this to offer:
A craft of crocheters?
A croft of crocheters?
A bobble of crocheters?
(I'm partial to "cluster" of crocheters.)

Debbie offered:
A hook of crocheters

Narelle in Australia offered:
A company of crocheters

Pattianne came up with:
My own...
a flock of fiber nuts
a tangle of hookr's
a Skein of Hookr's

With Thesaurus assist by looking up 'group'~

crew of crocheteer's
coterie of crocheteer's (I like)

notice that one of the synonyms is "chain" didn't know it was one but appropriate for us

Thesaurus:
"group" accumulation, aggregation, assemblage, assembly, association, assortment, band, batch, battery, bevy, body, bunch, bundle, cartel, category, chain, circle, class, clique, clot, club, clump, cluster, clutch, collection, combination, combine, company, conglomerate, congregation, coterie, covey, crew, crowd, faction, fit-out, formation, gang, gathering, grade, league, lot, mess, organization, pack, parcel, party, passel, platoon, pool, set, shooting match, society, sort, suite, syndicate, troop, trust

My daughter Eva and I came up with:
A murder of crocheter's (as in a murder of crows) - they would all dress in black, crochet with black yarn and thread and watch alfred hitchcock movies.

Helen suggested:
CROCHET CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

Dee came up with:
Intergalactic Loopers (Mission: to bring Respect to Crochet)
The Million Musket-crocheers (all for one & one for all!)
The Million Stitch Marchers (to celebrate National Crochet Month:
March)
Captain Boye and Susan Mates (Aye!)
Thread Ticklers and Yarn Yodelers

Connie seconded this:
"knot of crocheters"

Janie offered:
a hookery

While Chris (in Western NY) added:
a rocker-y hookery

Rules To Live by...

2007-06-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

EAT TO LIVE, DON’T LIVE TO EAT

(Dinotopia)

HOW TO EAT TO BE HEALTHY

This is a lifestyle change not a diet.
Don’t eat to fill yourself up, eat to not be hungry.
Don’t eat just because the clock says to.
If it hasn’t been 3 hours since a meal, you are NOT hungry.
Try to eat every 4 – 5 hours to keep your blood sugar stable.
Always carry healthy snacks.
Never fail to plan your menu, or you will plan to fail.
No one is perfect.
A little hunger now and then won’t kill you.
The first bite always tastes better than the rest.

Please let me know if you come up with any other's that might fit in here.

Shop Till you drop

2007-06-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was fun with my friend. We had a few laughs along the way and went to two Catherines stores, Avenue, Rainbow and out to eat. It is always good to get together with her. I got a really nice blouse and skirt to wear to the crochet dinner/fashion show in July, and a couple of basic tee shirts in one Catherines. The other Catherines had this awesome blouse. The minute I put it on I KNEW I'd be bringing it home. There was woman who went in with a really great pantsuit I'd been admiring in the store, and when she tried it on and came out, WOW! It was made for her, she looked awesome. My friend got a pair of shoes and some loose house dress/muumuu kind of dresses. One of them was quite suitable for an upcoming wedding she's going to. She has several other choices at home. I wonder which she will choose! Good thing I made room in my closet.
This week I hope to get going on my room, the living room is not perfect, but getting there. I need to check on where to get my other friend's mother's wheelchair sold too. It's in my living room kind of in the way. If it were me I'd offer it on freecycle.
I thought for sure with all the walking, standing around and all that I'd be stiff and sore today, but I'm not too bad!!
I'll try and go out swimming today even if it is kinda cold for it (high expected to be: 65 and that's not on the coast like we are)!!!

"Your Name looks like"

2007-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I went over to Monster Crochet and found an interesting idea. Go to Google, type in your name and then "looks like" (as in "Karen looks like", quotes and all) and then hit search and pick out some of the responses. Here's some for me:

"Karen looks like she is on the verge of tears."

"With her perfect skin, Karen looks like a Jewish milkmaid."

"Karen looks pretty cool and pretty as a blonde."

"Karen looks like a fun date, and a sophisticated person."

"Karen looks like the kid from the Campbell’s soup commercial, all dimples and freckles, carefree and happy."

"except karen looks like an anorexic pumpkin"

"She insists that her best friend Karen looks like a cat!"

"Karen looks like a woman who will never be comfortable alone again."

"He looks hot hot hot and Karen looks like the cat which had the cream!"

"Karen looks like she's normally cheerful, but her face is tired-looking, now, with sunken eyes under large sunglasses, and a weary frown. "

"Karen looks like a Playboy Playmate and constantly turns heads wherever she goes."

"Karen looks like a sad moose."

My hubby Fred did it for his name. I roared! Funny stuff. Go try it with your name!
Thank you for the laughs LADYLINOLEUM!

Flying Low is Still Flying!

2007-06-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is the end of a very good day. The Beef and Eggplant Chili was a resounding success even with my son, Joe. He didn't know there was eggplant in it and ate it down fast. I'm not even sure he chewed, just sort of vacuumed it all down!! When I told him about the eggplant he was going to gross out but he figured out that wouldn't work after his raves about dinner!
I'm going to stop by the kitchen on the way to bed and "shine my sink". It has been clean all day! Got almost the whole kitchen done. Just a tad more tweaking on the organizational aspects and I'll be done.
I'm not flying high yet, but I'm getting there. I'll be sure to set out an outfit for tomorrow morning. Oh and don't laugh when I tell you where I found the quarters for the laundry. I didn't find the bag they are supposed to be in (which has some quarters in it), but I did find the rolled quarters I bought the other day in a plastic shopping bag under my latest crocheting project which was partly beside me and partly under my butt!! Maybe my menfolk will do laundry for me tomorrow. or I might just get a load or two done before my friend gets here, and then another couple of loads after we're all done shopping.
Tomorrow I'm going to visit with my friend and we're shopping!! Watch out here we come. It will be good to get out together and get caught up. We've known each other since 1985! I wonder where we'll end up for lunch?? The plan is for her to come up this way and we'll go from here, but I left it up to her if she wanted to change her mind. If she does I'll be going down her way. Walmart, Catherine's and Fashion Bug are on the list so far.
Nighty night!!

Today, timing is everything...

2007-06-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

I used to FLY, but I had some health issues and needless to say was grounded. Well everything piled up everywhere and I'm in the middle trying to sort it all out. Sidetracking is something that happens a lot to me. I'll start off meaning to declutter the living room and I'll pick up something to put away and it's like a magnet and draws me in. Like a magazine; I pick it up to put with the magazines to go over in my free time and an article on the cover will catch my eye. Before I realize it I'm not just reading the article, but going over the magazine cover to cover.
This morning I picked up two Nintendo DS's, mine and my son's. I hadn't played much the day before, and I decided before I put them away I'd just get that daily berry from the Berry Master just outside of Hearthome City (I'm playing Pokemon Pearl). About an hour later I'd gotten the berry, and was leveling up my pokemon prior to getting my eighth gym badge in Sunyshore City sometime later today, reading my email and sipping my water when I read a message from Flylady about laundry. Oh that's what I meant to do today!! I popped off the sofa and went to grab my bag of quarters and couldn't find them. Uh oh! I figured I'd get a little picking up and decluttering done and find the quarters.
Well, I still haven't found them, but in reading more emails from Flylady, I decided to get back to flying (health problems having resolved themselves). I went into the kitchen (since I have to cook dinner later - beef and eggplant chili) and set my microwave timer for 15 minutes and started doing dishes. I did a lot more than I thought I could and then went in the living room to read email and play my video game having set the timer for 40 minutes (gives me time to get up, and go do the necessary down the hall before setting the timer for another 15 minutes of cleaning in the kitchen.
This has happened twice now, and I feel very good about getting it all done. You can do amazing things in just 15 minutes. Before long I'll be Flying with the best of them! I just wish I could find the quarters, I love multitasking. See if I could find the quarters I could have the laundry going while I clean or play!!

Shelter cats

2007-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've fallen in love with so many kitties at the shelter. Let's see, there's Whiney, a big black and white cat who adores me and sets to "whining" the moment he sees me and loves being patted and ruffled and likes to give love nibbles and attack my arm playfully. His brother Bond should come with him since they came in together and he does WANT to be friendly, he's just so scared to be. Then there's Max, who I call Madd Maxx. He's a lovely, huge, long haired buff-colored marmalade (orange tiger) cat with huge double paws up front. He adores me too. His buddy is Buddy and they should go together. Max loves to head butt, and Buddy is getting friendlier every day. He's a shorthaired marmalade cat, tall and rangy. Twinkie is a lovely black short hair and so is Chipper. They are little sweetie girls. We are worried about Alex, who is not eating. Things look very bad for him. This weekend will be the make it or break it time for him. He loves to be held and patted and is still responding to his name. If I stop patting him and put my hand in front of his face he rubs his face on it and butts it. Alex had a home, but I guess they tired of him and kicked him out. He was pretty beaten up by the time someone managed to trap him and bring him to us. He is also FIV. He deserves a break. I held him and loved him up today so he'd know someone cares.
Then of course there's Pippin, I've loved him from the first, a long haired black cat with a tad of white on his face. Tom comes with him, but I'd balk at taking psycho Tom. They live in the hallway between the rooms with Chipper.
Oh, and then in the white room we have so many...here are a few of my favs: Phoebe is a sweet black and white long hair that craves affection. We are worried about her because she is not eating much and she's basically a bag of bones. Then there are two lovely black and whites that crave affection. There's two ferals who are well socialized, Trina and another one. Trina is a dilute calico and the other is a grey cat who was a TNR (trap, neuter and release). The grey allows you to keep patting all day and doesn't like other cats to get affection when he is. Trina takes it for a while and then gets fritzy. There is a very nice looking tiger with a long asian muzzle that will allow me to pat him if he doesn't look at me. Recently he's started to look at me as I pat him. I can't forget to mention Blacky. Now there's another weird kitty. First off he's a black short hair, and his head looks too small for his huge body. He also has a very short tail for his body (no, it doesn't look like he lost any, just never quite grew as long as it should have). He would need someone who can put up with his fritzy behavior and has no other cats. Blacky does NOT play well with others. He's very rough with humans too, although I haven't seen him attack with a vicious attitude, it's more like he's not sure what to do, so he jumps up on you and bites. Joe loves him and found out that if Blacky wants you to keep patting you and you stop, he'll hold you with his paws (yes, the claws are out). Sometimes he gives a good bite to you, to remind you to keep patting him. Poor Simon who just came to us was losing the battle and had to be euthanized over the weekend. He was a very friendly sweet cat. He had a number of medical problems, and I think he just gave up. At least while he was with us he was patted and cuddled.
In the feral room there's the one I call nutzy Fagin, a sweet but fritzy black and white short hair, and Jerry AKA Kong, a white and tiger kitty and Bunny Girl, another little black and white with no tail. Ms Mapps is a dilute calico who just can't stop hissing when you come near, Sally from the alley aka Grey Girl, a long haired grey cat, a buff cat called Butter and yet another dilute calico who's name I don't know. She will sniff my finger, eat food off my finger, and rarely allow me to pat her.
In the Sick Room (Feline Leukemia and FIV kitties) there's Dee Dee's Boy, Todd, Midnight and Ricky (I call him Rikki Tikki Tavi). Shana's devotion to Arlie (very sick little kitty going to have a special treatment on the 13th) has tugged at my heart, and she and Arlie are on my fav list now. Oh...and Tristan...boy he's a headcase for sure, but I do love him. Purely for his looks, his personality stinks, but then we never know what has happened to him in life.
This weekend I'll make up a big pot of chicken livers for my "kids". I cook them in chicken stock and then puree them. The sicker cats find it easier to eat that way, and the well cats don't care how you serve it all up. I'll probably also bring shredded turkey breast and roast beef for the sickest kitties.
It is hard to be there and not bring them all home, but I have limited space, and I'm not all that sure that Princess Paris would allow any other cats to own us.

Heart of the Rosary Pattern

2007-06-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Heart of the Rosary
Instructions for an all Crocheted Rosary

Designed by Karen O'Grady and Lily Bergen, March 2007.

This is a copyright pattern. You can use this pattern for your own
personal use, or sell the rosaries you make from this pattern. You may
NOT sell the pattern itself nor claim it as yours! You may make copies
of this pattern for other people as long as you print it out as is
with these restrictions. Feel free to link to this pattern.

I would like to thank the testers, Lily, Michelle, and AJ. If I've missed including you as a tester, please forgive me, remind me and I'll add your name. Lily made such great suggestions I felt she deserved co-authorship of the pattern.

Materials: I used ecru cotton size 10, and a size 5 hook. Michelle, one of the testers, suggested adding a filament in gold or silver, or using a thread with some bling already in it.

"Bead" = popcorn stitch 4dc (count first three ch as 1 dc)in ch indicated. Drop loop from hook, insert hook from front to back in bottom of ch 3 and draw loop through, pull tight to form a sort of ball.
"Large bead" = 6 dcs.
I found that it makes more of a bead shape if you make the bead and then make a sl st into the middle of the top of the bead. For the smaller bead it would be in the top of the second dc and in the larger one, sl st in the top of the 3rd dc. Then continue with the pattern as written.

1. Crochet a cross (Apostles Creed)(see below for a link to some online patterns, you can design your own, or use pattern below).

Cross Pattern:
Chain 5, join with sl st to make a ring. Chain 7, dc in 4th chain from hook, and in next 3 chs. Sl st into ring. Ch 12, dc in 4th chain from hook, and in next 8 chs. Sl st into ring. Chain 7, dc in

4th ch from hook, and in next 3 chs. Sl st in ring. Chain 6, dc in 4th chain from hook, and in next 2 chs. Sl st in ring. Turn, sl st back to top of cross, sl st into space between chain (first dc), and 1st dc worked into 4th chain and sl st into middle of that chain.

Follow directions for rosary:

Part 1: Chain 9, make a "large bead" in 3rd chain from hook. Chain 9, *make "bead" in third chain from hook, ch 4, Repeat from * once, make a "bead" in 3rd ch from hook. Chain 9, make a large "bead" in 3rd ch from hook. (Our Father, Three Hail Mary's, Glory Be to the Father, Announce the first Mystery).

Part 2: This is the first half of the heart that will be completed in Part 4: chain 12, make 6 tr in 4th chain from hook, turn, chain 4, tr in next 2 tr but hold last loop, draw loop thru three loops on hooks (cluster)
continue the rest of pattern.

*Part 3: *Chain 9, *make "bead" ch 4, (repeat eight times more) make "bead" in 3rd ch from hook. (Ten Hail Mary's while meditating on the First Mystery) Chain 9, make a "large bead" in third chain from hook. Repeat from * four times. (**Our Father, Ten Hail Mary's while meditating on the second Mystery, Repeat from ** for Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysterys)

Part 4: Chain 5, make a 3 tr cluster in other three tr of row 4. This completes the
heart started in Part 2. End off. Weave in ends.

There are other prayers to pray after the Rosary, you can find them at this website which I chose to base this pattern on:

How to pray the Rosary

I was inspired to make this pattern for a dear friend who has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. She finds it helps her to relax and put the day behind her if she prays the Rosary at night in bed. The problem is, she keeps waking up with imprints of the rosary on her face! She wondered if it was possible to crochet one entirely from thread. Of course it is.

I hope you enjoy this pattern.

Last night, more drama, getting things done and Virgin Mobile

2007-06-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last night I went downstairs to wait for someone from freecycle to come and get some heavy duty cardboard, set of drawers (two sets brand new still in plastic). I noticed a state police car (SPC) out front with it's lights going. As I got closer I noticed another and then another. I went outside to take a look and they were blocking the street directly in front of my apartment. I went down the drive and looked beyond the pool and there was yet another SPC just after our back driveway!
One neighbor reported that her daughter heard someone yelling, "Watch out he's got a gun!"
Another neighbor went over to the SPC near the back driveway and asked what was going on. The officer said he couldn't talk about it and to watch the 10pm news. As my neighbor walked away, he thought the officer muttered, "Just remember not to run away from the police." Another neighbor saw several males (men or boys I don't know) sitting on the curb down by the Suffolk Downs barn area (their car had been pulled over) and there was one or two police cars there.
At the time we had no idea what all this meant (only that there was a body on the MBTA Blue Line tracks).
This morning we learned that a car had been pulled over (most likely the one my neighbor saw by Suffolk Downs), one of the occupants had run, there had been a foot chase involving local and state police and that the man had shot himself.
Two years ago there was a stabbing death on the other side of my building at the Lion's Den. Then there was a woman's body found on Revere Beach...the world is a crazy place - at least it feels like my corner of it is.

If that's not enough drama, one of the workers at the cat shelter I volunteer at either quit or was let go this week after a (verbal) fight with the woman who runs the shelter. I have no clue what will happen, as the other worker and I can't do all the work ourselves (I'm not physically able to and the other worker is only paid for 5 hours and ends up working 7 every Tuesday and Thursday. She also comes in every day to feed the sicker or pickier cats too with cat food she brings - she isn't paid to do this, just very dedicated to her "kids"). On top of that one of the other workers who only works 1 day a week has called and said she won't be in on Monday! She does this quite often. I have no idea what will happen to the shelter. The woman who runs it said she was down to the last $1300 and with little money coming in she would make the decision in June whether to close the shelter. I asked about the cats, and she told me she'd have to have them all euthanized if the shelter closed.

This morning I was possessed to clear away more clutter. YEAH! Feels good to get stuff done. I had to do something until it was time to go to BJ's to get Joe's glasses fixed (vision center opens either 11 or 12) and more water.
First I attacked the storage drawers near my old computer (which Fred has yet to make available via an a-b switch (or however). I've got it down to two (three drawers each) from 4! I then attacked the closet where guests coats are supposed to go. I had three boxes in there. Two of them now have addresses and will be on their way on Monday! Also on Monday I'll be dropping off my medical records from my old dr. On tap for this week sometime is getting the "Heart of the Rosary" pattern up on the blog.

Last October (October 28th, 2006) I bought a phone online at VMUSA for my son to replace the one he lost!! I was charged on November 1st for two phones and two phones came! I only ordered one. I called VM back then and was told they'd send out return labels and a return authorization number. I put the box with all it's stuff in the coat closet. I haven't touched the closet since, except to throw various stuff in there. Not a good idea. This morning I called VM again and was told to pack it all up with a note about what had happened and that I was sent and charged for two phones and that I wanted a credit for the second phone. This is all done and one of the two packages ready to mail.

The other package is a sweater I hand crocheted for my husband from the Jacob's Sweater pattern by Peter Franzi. Hubby never wore it, so I asked my daughter if her hubby would. I think it might be waaay too big for him, so I've added a note that if it is, could he please find someone it would fit that would like to have it. Obviously hubby did not appreciate it.

Enough for now. Time for a shower and getting ready to go:
1. BJ's
2. AC Moore's
3. Stop and Shop

catching up on yesterday, planning today

2007-05-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

I ate a bagel, not toasted, nor slathered with cc, just plain old, as is bagel. Next time it will be toasted! Ok...so yesterday add 303 to 620 for 923 total before dinner. Dinner was a "chef's salad" with about 3 oz of turkey and ham (crap, I should have bought a smoked turkey instead - giving up pork!!), 1/4 oz cheddar, on a bed of romaine, iceberg salad mix (dole), cukes, red and green peppers, and red onions. I dressed mine out with 2 tbsp of Newman's Own (NO) light lime vinaigrette. WOW...another great hit. I did treat myself to a roll with a tad of butter, so that added 204. Don't know about the dinner meal, but I'm sure I was ok on the calorie count.
Today:
Roll with butter (I need to get these rolls out of the house), 204
Joe left his oatmeal raisin cookies on the couch, but at 230 cal each, I'm not sure they'd be worth it.
1 C yogurt (nonfat, plain) 100
1/2 soy granola cereal 130
1 C strawberries 46
for a total so far of 480
cool 1320 to go for the day
1800 - I could have almost 8 cookies...that's not much food when you think about it. I could crunch them down in no time flat!!
Today I'll start my 15 minutes of walking.
Have to go eat now...and then some video game play and then housework (I do have PRIORITIES! ) and then a trip to the PO with Carol to get 2 cent stamps. I may also buy some forever stamps as well.

GRRR...computer? problems...update on "lifestyle change"

2007-05-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

I had some problems yesterday and didn't get back on until late evening when my head was on Pokemon Pearl and finding out if I could trade something for Pokerus, a pokemon virus that is actually good.
Yesterday for lunch I had a good size salad with lettuce, 1/2 green pepper, a tomato, sliced onion, tuna (6 oz - probably too much), 1/2 oz feta and four kalamata olives. I put on Newman's light lime vinaigrette...WOW... Try that out if you like lime...very tasty, clean and fresh taste.
For dinner I had two small chicken tenders (dipped in fat free yogurt and breaded with plain bread crumbs that I added spices to) baked, a small salad (same as lunch, no tuna), and 1/2 C petite peas with pearl onions and corn combined.
Today I'm having a cup of yogurt 22o calories, and a mini babybell light 100 calories. I'm taking along another 2 baby bells and two pieces of fruit for two snacks, one while I'm at work and one while waiting for Joe to get out of school in the afternoon. (total 300 calories for snacks and 620 up to afternoon - leaving me tons to play with for dinner as the doctor requested I try for 1800 calories daily). Is that a lot?? Hmmm maybe I'll add something to breakfast - I won't have time for lunch.
Not sure what dinner will be yet.

New Doctor

2007-05-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last September I had a physical. A couple of weeks later I got the dreaded, "call the office for your lab results" note in my mail. This lets you know something's up which just serves to raise your blood pressure. I put off calling by a week. When I did call the nurse told me my glucohemoglobins (sp) and cholesterol were both "a little elevated". I asked her if I should get fasting bloodwork (FB) done, she responded with something on the order of, "I don't think that's necessary." I thought that in itself was odd since I'd always had to do fasting bloodwork when I got the card in the mail. I told her to check with the doctor and if the doctor didn't want anything done, she wouldn't need to call me back, and if the doctor did want me to come in to have someone call me. She said ok, we said goodbye and hung up.
Months go by and this April I contacted MGH to see why I hadn't heard from them about an appointment with the weight control center (first step to gastric bypass). They never recieved any calls from my primary's office. Hmmmm... So I call the office to see what's up. The secretary told me the girl who handles those calls was out of the office and would call me in about an hour. I checked on my last lab results and she said that although she had no medical background, that she has seen the doctor asking them to come in for FB when they have numbers like mine. Hmmmm...
The woman didn't call back that day at all. A couple of days later she did call and told me I should have come back in for FB and the doctor had wanted me seen every 3 - 6 months. Hmmm... Originally I made arrangements for an appointment with the doctor and was going to go in the following week for FB. I thought about it, called around and found a new doctor. Cancelled the appointment, went down to my former doctor to arrange for copying my records ($15, fill out a form and wait two weeks). I called the morning of my appointment with my new doctor and they weren't done (apparently it was more important for the girl who does the copying to input patient's records into the computer than provide me with my records on time).
I love my new doctor. So far we only did bloodwork, talked about bypass, and a few other things and she told me she'd like me to loose 1 lb by the next time I see her (6 wks). She also wants me to walk 15 minutes a day for a while, upping it by 5 minutes until I get to 30 comfortably. I didn't get a full physical, we're waiting on the bloodwork and my records. The full physical will be in 6wks when we will do the FB. If anything shows up on the bloodwork she'll let me know in the meantime.
Ok, time for brutal honesty, hold onto your hats here comes my weight: I weighed 317.5 lbs. (at home today I weighed 222 lbs). I'm only 5'2" tall (well...if I haven't shrunk since I was last measured). I'll be posting about this whole adventure as I go. I had my appointment yesterday and didn't walk. I'm waiting until after sunset today (it's in the 80's here and I HATE hot weather). Tomorrow I'll have to wait until after sunset again if it's hot (working at the cat shelter during the day). I'll get Fred to take new pics in my swimsuit and have him measure me too. That way if I don't loose weight, but loose inches I'll know and not get discouraged. I'm going to plot out my weight loss and inch loss on graph paper too...I hope seeing the progress will help me. Hey...guess what, I'm hungry. It's 1:19pm, so I should be hungry (after all I did eat around 7am). I'm going to go see what I can get into that isn't horrendously bad for me. I'll post what I eat later.

Mother's Day

2007-05-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

With Mother's Day coming up my thoughts turn to being a mom. Motherhood is truly a job. Anyone who thinks it is easy either hasn't got a clue, or has very angelic children. I had the normal kind of children, angelic while sleeping!! I'm the mom of three of the greatest children on Earth and I wouldn't change a thing about my experience as a mom. I love each one of them in different ways: Eva is a very loving and giving person, I worry sometimes that she is too caring and may neglect her own will to make others happy, Shaun is strong and resilient and will always come out on top, and Joe is a very caring person who has a natural ability to get along with animals. We've all had our differences over the years, but I wouldn't change a thing. Every experience we go through makes us who we are, creates us on the fly. It gives us the ability to work through something and find a way to do what we need, as long as we don't let it get us down.
This Mother's Day will be celebrated with only one child still in the nest, the youngest, Joe. It will truly be a celebration because the school district is now aligned to our position that they can't provide for Joseph. They have suggested an out of district placement that I approve of. Should there be no opening for Joe, we can go back and suggest another. This is, as Martha would say, a good thing. This Mother's Day I'll be sighing a sigh of relief, finally getting what we've know for quite a while would be the best for Joe.
I will also be celebrating because I will finally have a grandbaby!! YEAH! I can't wait. Eva will have a lot of help before and after the birth, because his mother and sister (or is it sisters) are hoping to be able to get visas and be here for her. I can't wait to knit and crochet lots of baby stuff for her. I hope she doesn't worry too much about being a mom, I know she'll be a great mom! This Mother's Day I can call Eva in Florida to wish her a Happy Mother's Day!
I'm not sure if Shaun is still in Okinawa, but I'm hoping he is and thinking of him with love. The rift is there, and I'm not sure how to deal with the situation. He must be very proud of having been able to make his life work out the way he wanted. It was his deep desire to be a Marine and he had to get his GED and some college credits (15) before they'd even look at him and he did it. He made it through basic and has gone on to serve in Iraq, and is/was in Okinawa. While in Iraq his best friend was shot in the head and died. He wears a memorial tattoo on his leg to honor his fallen friend. He's already a Corporal. I wish I could hear from him. I'm not sure what his plans are, but this Mother's Day, I'll be praying that he is safe and happy wherever he is.

Welcome!

2007-03-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. I'm hoping to post at least weekly if not daily, but we all know how life intrudes into our plans.
I will post pictures of my projects and patterns I create. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but getting them out is frequently a problem. I will also be posting about my family.
I'm a knitter and crocheter. I learned to tat, but I'll have to go back and view the video again (Tatting 1: The Basics by Mildred Clark) because I didn't do any real projects. I think when you complete a project or two you begin to "own" the technique.
I'd love to learn bobbin lace. This year I've decided to learn Tunisian, perhaps Hairpin lace and/or broomstick lace.
Enough for now...I've got a shower to take and laundry to do, several loads!! Have a really great day and stay safe!