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Remember that song by Sonny and Cher? An oldie but a goodie. And so true.
After almost 2 weeks, daughter is finally settled in her apartment. Every box unpacked, everything arranged, all decorations up. And she LOVES it!! We took a shopping trip on Saturday to a different end of town. She's never been there, but we have. It was just her and I. We shopped, stopped for lunch and shopped some more. She commented a few times "this is fun!" "I'm having a lot of fun, aren't you?" (why yes, I am!) "this is so much fun!" I think she really enjoyed the day!
The sweater I'm knitting for SIL.....just about finished with the raglan arm decrease on the last panel. When I notice something's. just. not. right. I'm running out of stitches to decrease before the top of the front panel is finished. Lay it out. Measure. Count the pattern repeats. Look at where the stitch panels begin to decrease. Ahhh......yes. Just as I suspected.....I do believe I was doing a double decrease - wrong side and right side - instead of just the right side only. So.....rip it back to the beginning decreasing stitches. Start over. It's only a month behind from my appointed delivery date. Oh well......perfection knows no time limits......right? LOL !
Went to granddaughter's information meeting by the Army for their deployment in June. It was an all day affair. They had several different classes for the soldiers and family with all kinds of help in many different catagories. Very enlightening. She leaves the first week in June for the Middle East. Her deployment will be anywhere from 7 months to a year. This makes me so very sad. But she is one tough cookie and smart as all get-out.
We've had some beautiful weather this past week. The snow is G.O.N.E. ! And except for the pools of "quick sand" all the way up our dirt road, it's been great. Yeah....our car looks like we've been "off-road" 4-wheeling it. Covered in mud. No point in going to the car wash until the road dries out. Which may take quite a while. Rain today.
My brother (one of 5.....a twin), who just turned 60 in December, called Friday night. He's been diagnosed with tongue cancer. He doesn't smoke or chew. Did love his beer....quite a bit....until recently. Doctor said if you don't do one, then it's probably caused by the other. I do know the past few years have put him through the "fires of hell" and created an awful lot of stress on him. And I'm sure that didn't help any. He went in for a PET scan on Saturday to the University hospital. I haven't heard how that went. Today is the appointment with the oncologist. I hope my brother calls tonight with an update. He did say surgery is going to be done.
And so our own mortality slaps us in the face. Memories of our parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends near and far, come flooding back. Growing up. It's inconceivable that 30 - 40 - 50 years have gone by. Yes, most of our elders are gone now; we made it through the loss and the sadness. And now we've become the "elder generation". Now it's our turn. Our time is running short. Who knows what the cards hold for us. One by one, my siblings and I will leave this earth and all those we hold dear behind. The next generation will be stepping up to the plate.
So hard to believe. And...the....beat....goes....on.
So everyday this past week has been spent at daughter's old apartment. Packing, cleaning.....cleaning, packing. And there's been appointments thrown in for good measure.
We picked up the moving van Thursday; BH and son took out the furniture and the myriad of boxes. How can one person have soooo many boxes??!!
We couldn't move into the new place until Friday, but got that done relatively quickly and smoothly. Even got the carpets down in the bedroom and living room. Most of the furniture is placed where it's supposed to be.
Yesterday we took her refrigerator/freezer foods over and put them away. That was it. Came home and started a pot of Pork Chow Mein for supper. Granddaughter was coming with a truckload of her things for us to store for her.
Well, she didn't get here till 10:30 last night. After yakking for about 1/2 hour, catching up, she, the boyfriend, BH and son unloaded her things for storage. They left here about 12:30am.
Today, BH takes son home and I'm going to the apartment to start unpacking the many....many.....many boxes.
I hate helping people move. I hate cleaning apartments before and after. I hate unpacking. But I DO love decorating. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Because daughter and I are going to do some serious decorating!
And, of course.....thank God the weather was not all that bad for the move. We could've had some horrendous conditions here in northern Minnesota...in February.
This coming week is filled with more appointments and shopping. Then there's the meeting for granddaughter who's going to Kuwait in May, next weekend. Well, we'll have a mini-getaway to recoup.
Needless to say....no spinning has taken place and knitting on the sweater has been a few rows here and there. I'm getting the heebie-jeebies. Can't wait to get back at it. Before Spring arrives..and there's a ton of projects to be done. It never ends.....
Yep....that's how we feel. From a beautiful, abnormal January right into the February deep freeze. Funny how from one month to the next can change your whole attitude and outlook.
Well, the sweater knitting is still in progress. Working on the right side now; still have the back and left side to do. I try to knit sweaters in the round even if the pattern doesn't call for it. I hate seaming. And while it seems like you're knitting and knitting forever and getting nowhere, when you stop and put it all in perspective, the whole sweater is 1/2 done. Not just a section. And that's a good feeling.
I didn't tell you that granddaughter who's in the National Guard got her notice last month. She's being deployed to Kuwait in May; she'll be gone for 7 - 8 months they say. Only 20 from her unit got the order. And they're all helicopter mechanics. She's too smart for her own good.....and I'm sick at heart.
She called last night to say that the situation with her roommates has escalated; that she and her boyfriend will be moving out of their rental next weekend instead of April 1. Apparently, the roommates (her girlfriend and that boyfriend) have no consideration for other's property. They have stolen a lot of granddaughter's house wares and locked it in their room; they don't do chores nor clean up after themselves. They use all paper products and toiletries that granddaughter purchases for her own use and take food from the fridge that is not theirs. And to top it off, the other couple are consummate Pot Heads! She says she can't stand that smell in the house anymore. Geezzzz.....
This kid just can't catch a break. So she asked if we could store her household things. She and her boyfriend will be moving in with his parents until she leaves for Kuwait. They're planning on bringing everything up next weekend for us to store.
Next weekend we'll be moving daughter into her apartment here in town. I see myself being there every day for at least a week unpacking and setting up.
The first weekend in March, we have an informational meeting/luncheon to attend sponsored by the Army. We're supposed to learn what's happening with our soldiers and what to expect; what we can and cannot do, etc. So it's going to be an overnight stay at a hotel near the Cities. We have to leave Friday; the meeting is Saturday starting at 9:00am. I just hope our daughter is settled and comfortable enough in her new digs that there won't be a problem.
Oh....the weather.....well, tomorrow I go to daughter's to finish the packing and some cleaning. Tonight's low is expected to be -18 with wind chill of -25 to -45. Tomorrow's high....-1. Notice the "minus" in front of all those numbers.
Doesn't it figure? Running in and out of the apartment building with boxes, TVs, groceries and other assorted boxes and bags. Crap.
The plan is to bring her back here on Monday. She'll stay until next Friday when she signs the rental agreement and can move in. But BH and I have discussed that I might have to stay until Tuesday....he doesn't see how I'm going to get all that done in 1 day. Secretly.....neither do I. My energy level and perseverance isn't what it used to be. Egad.
Well, I hope you all are braving the elements, staying safe and warm. I know....it's miserable everywhere. There's no escaping it this year.
Spring is right around the corner. What corner......I'm not sure.
Well....it's still winter. We got our 2nd big snowfall of the season...dumped about 5 or 6" Monday. And it's snowing again today. The temps have dropped significantly this past week...single digit highs during the day; double digits minus at night. Sheeesh.
I miss my hibernating season. I don't think it's going to happen this year. Too. much. to. do.
Getting all the arrangements made for daughter to move to our town. One more week and then we'll be moving her lock, stock and barrel. Then it'll probably take most of March to get completely set up and decorated. You know, when you're helping a daughter set up an apartment...there's soooo many things needed. I foresee many trips to the big box stores for this and that.
I joined 3 fiber groups on Facebook. Yeah. I couldn't help myself. Reading their blogs, seeing their pictures....I just had to jump in. They are great groups, though. But I probably didn't need this distraction right now because of this:
The sweater for my SIL. As you can see, I still have a few inches to go on the body before decreasing for the raglan sleeves. And knitting 200+ stitches takes a very....long....time....per....row. Especially with all the cabling.
Then, this week, I went and did this:
My favorite fiber supplier was having a BIG sale. Well....I had to jump into that too. Ordered 5#s of Ashland Bay corriedale X. To add to the 3#s I bought on sale 2 months ago. That also added to the 5#s of Cheviot that was on sale shortly after that. When BH asked how many pounds of wool I think I have, I just start laughing hysterically. Then I tell him it's my legacy to him....if anything happens to me, he can make a LOT of money selling all the fiber and supplies. So, see....really, it's all like an insurance policy.....made out of fiber.....and wood.
Then my sister doesn't help any. We play scrabble on FB every morning before she goes to work. Well, there's an hour or better of wasted misdirected time. Then there might be someone who wants to "chat" for a bit. If it's my girlfriend from NY, that could mean another hour or so. Now it's time for breakfast, a little housework, laundry, maybe an hour of knitting, and lunch. Then a nap. Not a good, rejuvenating hibernating nap....just a couple hours.
After supper, BH suggests a movie, a documentary, or a series we have on Netflix. There are only 3 shows we watch on network TV during the week. Everything else is Netflix streaming.
Well, I had to lay the law down last night. I told him I don't see why we have to watch TV every night. He's going to have to sit alone watching while I do some spinning or knitting, possibly in another room. I just can't be wasting any more time. He agreed. So...tonight.....no TV. We didn't really plan any other nights sans TV just yet. Let's just take it one at a time and see how it goes.
Now it's time for that hour of knitting and then it's lunch time. And then.....
Wow. That's all I can say. Life certainly does get in the way.
So how's everybody been? We made it through the drudgery of Fall clean-up, fix-up, ready-for-winter stuff. Christmas was nice enjoyed a couple of days....even though only 1/2 of us were here, but that's a story for another time.
Our winter has been....unwintery. A few subzero days here and there, one or two big snowfalls some time ago. But for the most part, pretty mild temps considering it's northern Minnesota...and most of our snow is gone. Gone! I hope it stays like this for the rest of the season.
There's been some spinning, knitting, fiber dyeing these past few months. You know, it's been so long since I posted that I can't remember if I posted pics of my Aran sweater and the dreaded maroon/white vest.
The sweater is of my own hand painted fiber, 2 different patterns, then blended on the blending board. I love it!! The vest turned out ok...too small for me, but maybe someday I'll know someone who would like it.
And there's been socks, hats, scarves knitted up along the way.
Now I'm working on another Aran sweater. This for my sister-in-law, requested by my brother as a surprise for her. It is proving to be a real challenge. I LOVE knitting Aran, but for some reason, this one I'm just not feeling. He wanted it for Christmas (this notification came just before Thanksgiving), told him it ain't gonna happen, but did say probably Valentine's Day.
Yeah.....that ain't happening either. So he said possibly no latter than Mother's Day. Yeah......we'll keep that in mind; I'll let you know how it's going. Secretly....I'm thinking....probably by her birthday at the end of August. Just. Not. Feeling. It. It's bumming me out.
It was my first attempt at dyeing with tea and coffee (separately, of course). Oh, the fiber turned out gorgeous! Coffee became a beautiful light "honey gold" and the tea became a very nice "buff". So I plied 1 bobbin of each with a bobbin of white. I'll have about 15 bobbins when all said and done, roughly 200 (+ - ) yards each. But my brother tells me she's quite large, without getting into specifics other than measurements here and there. I hope I have enough yarn. I think this is a major factor in the "not feeling it" syndrome.
Well, we're taking our house off the market. After 1 1/2 years, and 1 prospect brought by the realtor, we're saying "uncle". We really don't mind....BH has always wanted to stay here. Yeah, me too, kind of.
But to make it more palatable, our daughter is moving here in a couple of weeks. Oh, not here but at the income-restricted apartments that are 1 block from us!!! Yay!!!! No more driving an hour to see her; no more staying overnight at her place; no more calls late at night from her with supposed medical issues; no more dealing with independent living coaches that DON't. Do. Their. Job!!
Yes, so after the last medical scare, we finally convinced her to move to our town. We played it up big time! All the advantages, all the time we can spend together, all the positives of being closer for her. And she was hooked. Thank God. I've been working on this for the past couple of years.
So the next few weeks will be a whirlwind of activity. She'll be settled in by the time the really good weather is here to stay.
Other than that, not much else has happened. Hopefully, I can get back to posting on a regular basis. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of stories to tell you about the Big Move. Stay warm and healthy. Till next time.......
Holy buckets....has it really been that long? 2 1/2 months since I've written. I read your posts every day....just didn't have the time or the subject to write about.
Things have been pretty busy here these past weeks. Nothing exciting...we didn't go anywhere....just muddling through. BH decided to do the logging and get all our wood ready for this winter. He finished last week; now he'll start gathering wood for next winter.
After a few bad experiences, we decided not to sell the house; we're going to stay right here. Our contract is up in February with the realtor. We'll see it through, but then, that's it.
So....I've been doing all the seasonal house cleaning, fixing, painting, re-organizing and re-decorating.
The one thing I never got to last year was the dining room. It was driving me NUTS!! So....that was our major project. Now I can relax.....till next year...shhhhh.....don't tell BH. So....Ta-Daa.. here's the before/after looks:
Old look with the wallpaper (13 years!)
And here's the new look:
Switched the placement of the dining table; and that area rug!! Mmmmmm.....I fell in love with it the moment I saw it!!
We didn't want to rip up the wall-to-wall (too much trouble and aggravation right now), so I thought maybe an area rug on top...one to match the blue. Already knew I was painting the walls "cocoa brown" and making cream colored curtains.
It took us about 10 days to complete. First order of business was removing the wallpaper and border. OMG, how I hate stripping wallpaper. But BH helped with it, so it went fairly quick. Now he jokes (?) with me that this is our "Viewing Room"....no entry allowed. Little does he realize, that's exactly my plan!!
My sister and our dear friend came for a visit at the end of August. They were here for 3 days. We had a great time....spent a whole day at the Casino, then a day with our daughter. They went to the Cities and spent the day with our sons, granddaughter and grandson, and then visited my brother and his family. Wish they could've stayed a little longer.
My very dearest friend from NY and her hubby are coming to visit us near the end of October. It'll be her first time here. Can't wait!!! I hope they stay for a week. We've never met her husband...they've been married of just a year and a half.
No spinning has taken place since last I posted. I have been knitting; started another vest in white w/iridescent firestar, but ran out of yarn. I blended another pound and it's waiting to be spun. In the meantime, I knitted a pair of socks and now working on a scarf and hat. It's a slow.....go.......
I saw a comment somewhere that Christmas is less than 100 days away. Why do people insist on writing such depressing things??!
We got our propane tank filled a few weeks ago. $1.65 a gallon!! It ain't going any lower, folks. We have a 500 gal. tank. This should carry us through till next summer....thanks to all the wood BH has ready.
Our daughter continues to have health problems. Her right knee has been swelling, aching, sometimes giving out on her. She's been to the orthopedic doctor and physical therapy. She's also fallen a few times....on the same knee. The problem comes and goes. I don't even want to think what's coming down the road......a knee replacement, possibly. She's not a good candidate for surgery to begin with. I keep saying prayers.
Well, I think that's all the news from our little corner. I'm so happy Fall is here....my favorite season! We'll be cutting down the perennials and putting all the yard ornaments, lights and such away in another month. Then batten down the hatches and get ready for our hibernation. Maybe I'll be able to get some spinning in before the holiday rush of activities and preparations.
Wow, time is flying by. 2nd week of July already. Well things have been happening over the past month or so. I tend to fall into a funk every once in a while.....thinking "I'm soooo bored; same-ol-same ol every day". Then I start to reflect, like when I'm planning this post.
Here's a quick (?) rundown.
Well, the realtor called at 1:00pm on Father's Day to say a gal wants to come see the house. She'll be at the office at 3:00 and they'll head over. Ok. Father's Day. Who looks at property on a holiday? Whatever.
I planned a nice dinner; it was just BH and me. Told the boys...no. no. no visitors this weekend; we just want a nice quiet weekend to ourselves. So....steaks, baked potatoes, salad, garlic bread and raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Plan to eat between 4 - 4:30 so we can enjoy the rest of the evening.
3:00....no show. 3:30....no show. 3:45 I start seasoning the steaks; wash the potatoes, salad is made. 4:00.....realtor calls and says the gal got delayed, but she's on her way; they'll be here at 4:30. I'm doing a slow burn. How should I delay the dinner? 4:30....no show. 5:00, they arrive. Yadda, yadda, yadda......and it's over. Oh, the prospect LOVED the house and the property, asked about the bank, who to contact, what arrangements, blah, blah, blah. And they left.
We ate dinner at 6:45. Yeah. And.....not one further word from the realtor. Pffftttt.
A few weeks ago, we're going grocery shopping at the BIG store...25 miles away. BH says....lets take the van. OK; I was thinking the same thing. Off we go. 5 miles down the road, I pulled over and stopped to let a logging 18-wheeler pass by. Pulled back into the road and.....the speedometer starts jumping all over...it's reading 100mph!! But we're not going any faster, thank God. BH says "pull over; turn off the engine and start it again". Ok. Apply the brakes......no brakes!! The ABS light is on, the speedometer is still dancing the hoochie-koo, and the brake pedal is as hard as cement; won't depress a hair.
So we coast another couple miles until the engine can be turned off safely. Call the tow truck. Long story somewhat shorter.....it took almost 2 weeks for our mechanic to figure out what the problem was, concluding with the computer. New computer (actually, one from the junk yard....saved us about $400!!). So, coming home from the repair shop, 1/2 mile down the road, the ABS light is on. Sonofabitch!! Pull in the driveway, turn off the engine, wait a few seconds, turn it back on....the light is off. Whew. Must be the computer was re-configuring.
Last week, we're going to the grocery store....in the van. You guessed it. Pulling out the driveway; stop before pulling into the road.....the ABS light is on. No. No. No. We're not taking this anywhere....I don't trust it, I tell BH. So....we pull back into the driveway and take the car. The van has been sitting ever since.
In the meantime, the car has been making funny noises, acting weird. It needs to go to the repair shop....it also needs shocks all around. This will be many $$$$. A big hit to the budget. Next week we'll see about getting it into the shop. I want to scream.
Here's some good news.....I finished the raspberry vest.....turned out very nice, despite being ripped 4 or 5 times. AND the Aran sweater is done!!! I can't believe how great it turned out....especially since the pattern was for a child's sweater. I had to tweak the stitches, measurements and patterning a few (HAHAHAHA!) times. But it's done. There was enough dyed yarn to finish it (whew!). And it fits beautifully! And the buttons for it....wait till you see the buttons!! Hope to post the pictures next week. Right now it's blocked and drying. Ohhh, I can't wait till Fall to wear it....everywhere!!
I started spinning the wool for another Aran sweater. This one for my brother, who has been asking me for the past year if I could make him one. "Hey, could you make me an Irish sweater like the one you made for Pop?"....."ehhh....sure." "How much would you charge to make me an Irish sweater?"......."ehhh.....you don't have THAT much money!"
"How long would it take to make me an Irish sweater?"........"ehhhhh.....about 2 years". "REALLY??!!" ....."ehhh....you don't understand; there's a lot involved to spinning and preparing yarn for knitting".
Well, anyway, so the guilt has gotten the better of me. Over the winter, I purchased more of the wool for the purpose of his sweater. Then I start thinking.....maybe I should just buy the acrylic yarn and get it done. For one thing, I can see the wool sweater being thrown in the washer and dryer. Neither he nor the wife have any concept of "WOOL". Butttttt.......the sweater will be made of wool; spun, plied and knitted by his sister and will come with a forceful warning....."DO NOT WASH THIS SWEATER; GIVE IT TO ME; I WILL WASH IT FOR YOU. IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO IT, I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! DON'T EVER CALL ME AGAIN!" I'm thinking of having the clothing label made with that warning.
He's a good guy, my brother. Always been there for me; always there for our sons when they need help. He's also in an Irish band, so I can't wait to hear what the other fellas say about his sweater. There are 6 bobbins of plied yarn so far. Another thing....this will be no quick and easy task.....my brother is 6'2" and weighs about 270#s. A big beer gut, to boot. Why, yes. That would be Irish beer. This is going to take about 8#s of wool. I'm definitely going to have to buy more.
This weekend both our boys from the 'burbs are coming up to visit. BH's birthday was Wednesday. One kid is bringing steaks and the trout he caught; he'll cook dinner tonight. Tomorrow is my turn. More on that later.
So we've got the new charcoal BBQ grill all put together; used it last week when other son who lives closer was here. And we finally managed to get the screen house up, as we had a few days reprieve from the constant rain. Now.....just to get out there and actually use it! Hopefully this weekend....but the weather report says......rain off and on. I think there are more mosquitoes in Minnesota than people right about now.
And the humidity has been a killer. I suspect the electric bill will be 3 digits this month. Just can't catch a break. I really gotta get outside and take care of the flower beds. Noticed that the marigolds in the wheelbarrow look like they're dying. No....it's just that there's soooo many dead ones. Really need to dead-head them. But this weekend is calling for......rain. More rain = more mosquitoes. If Einstein were alive and living in Minnesota today, I'm sure he could come up with a mind-blowing equation for this!
Wishing you all sunny skies, beautiful temperatures and pleasant days!
